UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date
of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
(Address of principal executive office) (Zip Code)
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter)
Emerging
Growth Company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Cooperation Agreement with YZi Labs
On June 23, 2026 (the “Effective Date”), CEA Industries Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Cooperation Agreement (the “Cooperation Agreement”) with YZILabs Management Ltd. (“YZi Labs”), holder of 2,150,481 shares of the Company’s common stock and warrants to purchase an additional 21,215,860 shares of common stock, subject to the terms and conditions contained therein.
Pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement, YZi Labs has agreed, within one business day of the Effective Date, to take all actions necessary or appropriate to terminate its consent solicitation with respect to the Company, withdraw certain legal materials submitted relating thereto and make all necessary filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) with respect to the foregoing.
Effective immediately following the Cooperation Agreement’s execution and delivery by the parties, the Company agreed to increase the size of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) to six directors and appoint Ling “Ella” Zhang, Alex Odagiu and Matthew Roszak (collectively, the “YZi Labs Directors”) to the Board, in each case to serve until the Company’s 2026 Special Meeting in lieu of Annual Meetings (the “2026 Annual Meeting”) and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. So long as YZi Labs beneficially owns at least 4.99% of the then-outstanding shares of common stock, subject to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, YZi Labs will have customary replacement rights with respect to the YZi Labs Directors.
The Company and YZi Labs also agreed that, following the appointment of the YZi Labs Directors, the members of the Board and YZi Labs will promptly engage in discussions about the Board’s composition and, as promptly as practicable following such discussions but in any event by no later than ninety days after the Effective Date (subject to extension as set forth in the Cooperation Agreement), the Board will increase the size of the Board by one director and appoint a new independent director to be mutually agreeable to the Continuing Directors (as defined in the Cooperation Agreement) and YZi Labs (the “Mutual Director” and, together with the YZi Labs Directors, the “New Directors”) to the Board.
The Board also agreed to, within three business days of the Effective Date, take all action necessary to form a Chief Executive Officer Search Committee (the “CEO Search Committee”) for the purpose of conducting a search to identify candidates, and otherwise assisting the Board in selecting, the Company’s next chief executive officer (the “New CEO”) as promptly as practicable and in any event by the earlier of the 2026 Annual Meeting and August 31, 2026. The CEO Search Committee will consist of (i) the Mutual Director (upon his or her appointment), (ii) two of the YZi Labs Directors and (iii) two of the Continuing Directors, with the Mutual Director serving as chair (with a YZi Labs Director serving as interim chair prior to his or her appointment). The appointment of the new CEO will require, in addition to the approval of a majority of the then-serving members of the Board, the approval of at least one YZi Labs Director and at least one Continuing Director, subject to the exceptions set forth in the Cooperation Agreement.
The Cooperation Agreement also provides that, during the period from the Effective Date until at least the appointment of the New CEO, Mr. Odagiu shall serve as Interim President of the Company reporting directly to the Board, subject to removal by the Board for cause, with responsibilities to be determined by the Board following the execution and delivery of the Cooperation Agreement and as previously approved by YZi Labs.
The Cooperation Agreement further provides, among other things, that:
| ● | The size of the Board will be limited to seven directors during the term of the Cooperation Agreement; however, if the New CEO is not already a director, the Board size may be increased to nine directors in order to appoint the New CEO and an additional candidate recommended by YZi Labs who is reasonably acceptable to the Continuing Directors; |
| ● | The Company will include the New Directors in the Company’s slate of director nominees for each meeting of stockholders at which director candidates are to be elected during the term of the Cooperation Agreement (and to include the Continuing Directors in the slate for the 2026 Annual Meeting) and to solicit proxies in favor of the election of, and otherwise support the election of, such directors on the same basis as the Company’s other nominees for election at such meeting; |
| ● | During the term of the Cooperation Agreement, YZi Labs and certain restricted persons will be subject to customary standstill restrictions relating to, among other things, acquisitions of the Company’s common stock, director nominations, proxy contests, other activist campaigns, unsolicited takeover bids and related matters; |
| ● | During the term of the Cooperation Agreement, YZi Labs has agreed to vote all voting securities that it and its affiliates have the right to vote at any annual or special meeting of stockholders (and in any action by written consent) in accordance with the Board’s recommendations, subject to certain exceptions; |
| ● | Each of the parties has agreed to customary mutual non-disparagement provisions prohibiting public or private statements that would disparage or otherwise reflect detrimentally on the other party and certain representatives, subject to certain exceptions, including as required by law; |
| ● | Each of the parties has agreed to a mutual release of claims arising out of events occurring prior to the Effective Date, and during the term of the Cooperation Agreement, each of the parties has agreed not to encourage, pursue or assist in any litigation against the other party or its affiliates, associates or certain representatives, subject to certain exceptions, including for enforcement of the Cooperation Agreement and claims of fraud; and |
| ● | The Cooperation Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the date that is one month before the last day upon which nominations of candidates for election as a director to the Board may be made pursuant to the Company’s bylaws (the “Nomination Deadline”) with respect to the Company’s 2029 annual meeting of stockholders and (ii) 120 days prior to the third anniversary of the 2026 Annual Meeting; provided that the Cooperation Agreement will terminate (a) one month before the Nomination Deadline with respect to the Company’s 2027 annual meeting of stockholders if the Company has not notified YZi Labs that a majority of the members of the Board other than the YZi Labs Directors have irrevocably offered to renominate each of the then serving YZi Labs Directors for election at the Company’s 2027 annual meeting of stockholders and (b) one month before the Nomination Deadline with respect to the Company’s 2028 annual meeting of stockholders unless (x) the Company has notified YZi Labs that a majority of the members of the Board other than the YZi Labs Directors have irrevocably offered to renominate each of the then serving YZi Labs Directors for election at the Company’s 2028 annual meeting of stockholders and (y) a majority of such YZi Labs Directors consent to such renomination. |
The foregoing summary of the Cooperation Agreement does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety, by the full text of the Cooperation Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
A copy of the press release issued by the Company and YZi Labs on June 23, 2026 announcing the execution of the Cooperation Agreement and related matters is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
The information set forth under Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.
Resignation of Nicholas J. Etten from the Board
As previously reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company on June 16, 2026, Nicholas J. Etten tendered his resignation as a director of the Board and as a member of any committees thereof on which he served, which resignation became effective as of immediately following execution and delivery of the Cooperation Agreement.
Appointment of YZi Labs Directors to the Board
On June 23, 2026, effective as of immediately following the execution and delivery of the Cooperation Agreement by the parties, the Board increased the size of the Board to six directors and appointed Ms. Ling “Ella” Zhang, Mr. Alex Odagiu and Mr. Matthew Roszak to the Board, each to serve until the Company’s 2026 Annual Meeting and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. The Board also determined that Mr. Roszak is an independent director under the listing rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market.
Except for the Cooperation Agreement, there are no arrangements or understandings between any of Ms. Zhang, Mr. Odagiu, or Mr. Roszak pursuant to which they were elected as a director. There are no transactions in which Mr. Roszak has an interest requiring disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). On August 5, 2025, the Company entered into a strategic advisor agreement with YZi Labs, where Ms. Zhang is Managing Partner and Head and Mr. Odagiu is an Investment Partner, pursuant to which the Company issued to YZi Labs strategic advisor warrants to purchase an aggregate of 3,564,359 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price of $0.00001 per share (the “Strategic Advisor Warrants”) as compensation for services under such agreement. Ms. Zhang and Mr. Roszak will receive the standard compensation paid to the Company’s outside directors, which may include cash retainers, equity awards and cash compensation. Mr. Odagiu’s compensation in connection with his role as Interim President and director will be subsequently disclosed. The Company intends to enter into customary indemnification agreements with the YZi Labs Directors in connection with their appointments. As of the date hereof, the Board has not appointed the YZi Labs Directors to any committees.
Ling “Ella” Zhang, age 44, has served as Managing Partner and Head of YZi Labs, an investment firm focused on the digital asset, blockchain, Web3, AI, and biotech sectors, since January 2025. Ms. Zhang has also served as President of Shop Social, Inc. (Trendsi), an AI-powered supply chain and fashion B2B platform, since January 2025, and where she previously served as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer from 2020 to December 2024. Previously, Ms. Zhang served as Founder of Binance Labs, the former venture arm of Binance, the world’s leading crypto exchange, and the predecessor to YZi Labs, from 2018 to 2019. Prior to that, Ms. Zhang served as Co-Founder and a member of the board of directors of Chengdu Xiaoduo Technology, an AI-powered customer service and enterprise automation solutions company, from 2014 to 2020. Earlier in her career, Ms. Zhang served as an Investment Principal of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (n/k/a Kleiner Perkins), a leading venture capital firm focused on incubation, early stage and growth companies, from 2010 to 2015; a Key Account Manager at Google Inc., a global technology company, from 2008 to 2010; and a Senior Marketing Manager of Tencent Holdings Limited, an internet and technology company where she was the founding member of Tencent e-commerce, from 2005 to 2008. Ms. Zhang received a B.S.E.E in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Alex Odagiu, age 35, has served as an Investment Partner of YZi Labs, an investment firm focused on the digital asset, blockchain, Web3, AI, and biotech sectors, since September 2025, where he identifies and evaluates high-potential investment opportunities, conducts due diligence, structure deals, and presents recommendations, provides strategic guidance to portfolio companies on scaling, fundraising, and operations, and builds relationships with founders, investors, and partners. Mr. Odagiu previously served as an Investment Director of YZi Labs from January 2022 to September 2025, as well as an Investment Manager from September 2021 to December 2021. Prior to that, Mr. Odagiu served as an Associate at Letterone Technology (UK) LLP, an affiliate of Letterone Investment Holdings SA, an investment firm focused on the technology sector, from 2019 to January 2021. Mr. Odagiu began his career at Goldman Sachs International, an affiliate of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), a multinational investment bank and financial services company, where he served in the Investment Banking Division as an Associate from 2016 to 2018, as well as an Analyst from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Odagiu received an M.A. (Hons) in Economics and Mathematics from the University of St Andrews.
Matthew Roszak, age 53, has served as a Co-Founder and Chairman of each of Bloq, Inc., a blockchain infrastructure and enterprise technology company, since December 2015, as well as Hemi Labs, Inc., a Bitcoin DeFi and programmability platform, since February 2024. Mr. Roszak also currently serves as the Founding Partner of Tally Capital, LLC, a private investment firm focused on crypto, AI, and biotech, since June 2014, and as a General Partner of Off The Chain Capital, LLC, a digital asset investment fund, since August 2019. In addition, Mr. Roszak currently serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Board of The Digital Chamber, a global blockchain trade association, since June 2014. Mr. Roszak previously served as a member of the board of directors of 180 Connect, Inc. (formerly TSX: NCT.U), a national provider of digital integration and satellite installation services, from 2002 to 2006. Mr. Roszak received a B.A. in Economics from Lake Forest College.
Appointment of Alex Odagiu as Interim President
On June 23, 2026, effective immediately following the execution and delivery of the Cooperation Agreement, the Board appointed Alex Odagiu as the Interim President of the Company. In accordance with the Cooperation Agreement, Mr. Odagiu will report directly to the Board, subject to removal by the Board for cause, and will have the responsibilities determined by the Board and approved by YZi Labs.
There are no family relationships between Mr. Odagiu and any director or executive officer of the Company and no transactions involving Mr. Odagiu and the Company that would be reportable under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act, except for the Strategic Advisor Warrants issued to YZi Labs as reported above under “Appointment of YZi Labs Directors to the Board”. Mr. Odagiu was selected as Interim President of the Company pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement.
Item 5.03 Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.
On June 23, 2026, the Board adopted Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (the “Amended and Restated Bylaws”) to provide that the president of the Company shall have the powers and duties as may be assigned by the Board. The foregoing summary of the Amended and Restated Bylaws does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amended and Restated Bylaws, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
The Board has fixed the date of the Special Meeting in Lieu of Annual Meetings (the “2026 Annual Meeting”) as July 22, 2026. The 2026 Annual Meeting will be held via remote communication.
Because the date of the 2026 Annual Meeting has been changed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the Company’s last annual meeting of stockholders, the Board has set a new deadline for the receipt of any stockholder proposals submitted for the 2026 Annual Meeting, and any previously disclosed deadline for the submission of stockholder proposals is no longer applicable. If a stockholder desires to present a proposal for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement for the 2026 Annual Meeting, the proposal must be submitted in writing to us for receipt not later than June 29, 2026. Additionally, to be included in the Company’s proxy materials, proposals must comply with the proxy rules relating to stockholder proposals, in particular Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
Stockholders who wish to raise a proposal for consideration at the 2026 Annual Meeting, but who do not wish to submit a proposal for inclusion in the Company’s proxy materials pursuant to Rule 14a-8, should comply with the Company’s bylaws and deliver to the Company a copy of their proposal no later than July 4, 2026. Stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Board’s nominees must provide the Company with the information required by Rule 14a-19(b) under the Exchange Act in addition to complying with the requirements of the Company’s bylaws. If a stockholder fails to timely provide such notice, the respective proposal need not be addressed in the Company’s proxy materials and the proxies may exercise their discretionary voting authority if the proposal is raised at the 2026 Annual Meeting. In either case, proposals should be sent to CEA Industries Inc., 385 South Pierce Avenue, Suite C, Louisville, Colorado 80027 with attention to our Secretary.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 3.1 | Amended and Restated Bylaws, dated June 23, 2026 | |
| 10.1 | Cooperation Agreement, dated June 23, 2026, by and between CEA Industries Inc. and YZILabs Management Ltd. | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated June 23, 2026 | |
| 104.1 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| CEA Industries Inc. | |||
| Dated: | June 24, 2026 | By: | /s/ David Namdar |
| Name: | David Namdar | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
Exhibit 3.1
AMENDED
AND RESTATED
BYLAWS
OF
CEA INDUSTRIES INC.
Effective June 23, 2026
| I. | SHAREHOLDER’S MEETING |
.01 Annual Meetings.
The annual meeting of the shareholders of this Corporation, for the purpose of election of Directors and for such other business as may come before it, shall be held at the registered office of the Corporation, or such other place, either within or without the State of Nevada, as may be designated by the Board of Directors of the Corporation and set forth in the notice of the meeting, and at such date and time as may be designated by the Board of Directors and set forth in the notice of the meeting.
.02 Special Meetings.
A. Special meetings of the shareholders of this Corporation shall be called (i) by the Secretary upon the written request of the holders of ten percent (10%) of the voting shares of the Corporation as of the Requested Record Date (as defined below), and (ii) may be called at any time by the president, or by the Board of Directors or a majority thereof. The holders of ten percent (10%) of the voting shares of the Corporation shall be entitled to request that a special meeting of shareholders be called pursuant to clause (i) of the preceding sentence only if such holders have delivered a proper written request in accordance with this Section I.02 and complied with the procedures set forth in this Section I.02. No business shall be transacted at any special meeting of shareholders except as is specified in the notice calling for said meeting (or any supplement thereto). The Board of Directors may designate any place, either within or without the State of Nevada, as the place of any special meeting called by the president, or by the Board of Directors or a majority thereof, and special meetings called at the request of shareholders shall be held at such place in the State of Nevada, as may be determined by the Board of Directors and placed in the notice of such meeting.
B. Shareholders shall not be entitled to request that a special meeting of shareholders be called unless a holder of record of the voting shares of the Corporation has first submitted a request in writing that the Board of Directors fix a record date for the purpose of determining the shareholders entitled to call such special meeting (a “Requested Record Date” and such requesting record holder, together with any beneficial owner of voting shares on whose behalf such written request was made, the “Record Date Requesting Person”). Such written request shall include as to the Record Date Requesting Person, each Shareholder Associated Person (as defined below, but substituting “Record Date Requesting Person” in all places where “Noticing Party” appears in such definition), and the business desired to be brought before the special meeting, the information that would be set forth in a notice provided under Section I.08, as if such business were to be considered at an annual meeting of the shareholders, except substituting “Record Date Requesting Person” in all places where “Noticing Party” appears in Section I.08.
C. Within ten (10) days after the Secretary receives a request to fix a Requested Record Date in proper form and otherwise in compliance with this Section I.02, the Board of Directors shall adopt a resolution fixing a Requested Record Date, which date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the Requested Record Date is adopted by the Board of Directors. Notwithstanding anything in this Section I.02(C) to the contrary, no Requested Record Date shall be fixed if the Board of Directors determines that the request or requests that would otherwise be submitted following such Requested Record Date could not comply with the requirements set forth in Section I.02(F) below.
D. To be in proper written form, a request to call a special meeting of shareholders (a “Special Meeting Request”) from a holder or holders of voting shares equal to at least ten percent (10%) of the voting shares of the Corporation (together with any beneficial owner of Common Shares on whose behalf such request was made, a “Requesting Shareholder”) must be signed and dated by each Requesting Shareholder or a duly authorized agent thereof, and shall include (i) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the special meeting (including, without limitation, the matters proposed to be acted on at the special meeting), and (ii) unless such person is a Solicited Shareholder (as defined below), as to (A) each Requesting Shareholder, (B) each Shareholder Associated Person (as defined below, but substituting “Requesting Shareholder” in all places where “Noticing Party” appears in such definition), and (C) the business or nomination desired to be brought before the special meeting, the information that would be set forth in a notice provided under Section I.08, as if such business were to be considered at an annual meeting of the shareholders. Each Requesting Shareholder (except for any Solicited Shareholder) shall comply with the obligations set forth in Section I.08(D) and Section I.08(F)(2) and (3) of these Bylaws with respect to the Special Meeting Request, except that for purposes of this Section I.02(C), the term “Requesting Shareholder” shall be substituted for the term “Noticing Party” in all places that it appears in such sections. For purposes of these Bylaws, a “Solicited Shareholder” shall mean a Shareholder that has provided a request to call a special meeting in response to a solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the Exchange Act (as defined below).
E. Within ten (10) days following the date on which the Secretary has received a proper Special Meeting Request, the Board of Directors shall fix the record date, meeting date, time and location for the special meeting of Shareholders; provided, however, that the date of any such special meeting shall be not more than ninety (90) days after the Special Meeting Request is received by the Secretary of the Corporation. Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section I.02, the record date for the special meeting of shareholders shall be fixed in accordance with these Bylaws and applicable law, and the Board of Directors shall provide notice of the special meeting of shareholders in accordance with these Bylaws and applicable law.
| 2 |
F. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section I.02, a special meeting requested by shareholders shall not be called or held if:
(1) the business proposed to be brought before the special meeting did not appear on the written request that resulted in the determination of the Requested Record Date;
(2) the Special Meeting Request does not comply with this Section I.02; or
(3) the request relates to an item of business that is not a proper subject for shareholder action under applicable law, was made in a manner that involved a violation of applicable law, or otherwise does not comply with applicable law.
G. No business shall be presented by a shareholder at a special meeting of shareholders except business described in the Special Meeting Request relating to such special meeting; provided, however, that nothing herein shall prohibit the Board of Directors from submitting additional matters to shareholders at any special meeting. If the presiding person of a special meeting determines that business was not properly brought before the special meeting in accordance with these Bylaws, the presiding person shall declare to the meeting that the business was not properly brought before the meeting and such business shall not be transacted.
H. In determining whether a special meeting of shareholders has been requested by the holders of ten percent (10%) of the voting shares of the Corporation, multiple Special Meeting Requests delivered to the Secretary will be considered together only if (i) each such request identifies substantially the same business to be brought before the special meeting (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors), and (ii) such requests have been dated and delivered to the Secretary within sixty (60) days of the Requested Record Date.
I. Any shareholder may revoke a request for a special meeting at any time prior to the special meeting of shareholders by written revocation delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation. If, at any time after receipt by the Secretary of a proper request for a special meeting of shareholders, there are no longer valid requests from holders of at least ten percent (10%) of the voting shares of the Corporation, whether because of revoked requests, transfers of voting shares or otherwise, the Board of Directors, in its discretion, may cancel the special meeting.
J. Any written notice, update, or other information required to be delivered by a shareholder to the Corporation pursuant to this Section I.02 must be given by personal delivery, by overnight courier, or by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, to the Secretary at the Corporation’s principal executive offices and shall be deemed not to have been delivered unless so given.
| 3 |
.03 Notice of Meeting.
Written notice of annual or special meetings of shareholders stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall be given by the Secretary or persons authorized to call the meeting to each shareholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. Such notice shall be given not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days prior to the date of the meeting, and such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the shareholder at his/her address as it appears on the stock transfer books of the Corporation.
.04 Waiver of Notice.
Notice of the time, place, and purpose of any meeting may be waived in writing and will be waived by any shareholder by his/her attendance thereat in person or by proxy. Any shareholder so waiving shall be bound by the proceedings of any such meeting in all respects as if due notice thereof had been given.
.05 Quorum and Adjourned Meetings.
A majority of the outstanding shares of the Corporation entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of shareholders. A majority of the shares represented at a meeting, even if less than a quorum, may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice, and the chairman of the meeting may adjourn the meeting whether or not a quorum is present. At such adjourned meeting at which a quorum shall be present or represented, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally notified. The shareholders present at a duly organized meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough shareholders to leave less than a quorum.
.06 Proxies.
At all meetings of shareholders, a shareholder may vote by proxy executed in writing by the shareholder or by his/her duly authorized attorney in fact. Such proxy shall be filed with the secretary of the Corporation before or at the time of the meeting. No proxy shall be valid after eleven (11) months from the date of its execution, unless otherwise provided in the proxy.
.07 Voting of Shares.
Except as otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation or in these Bylaws, every shareholder of record shall have the right at every shareholder’s meeting to one (1) vote for every share standing in his/her name on the books of the Corporation, and the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented at a meeting and entitled to vote thereat shall be necessary for the adoption of a motion or for the determination of all questions and business which shall come before the meeting, except for the election of Directors, which shall be determined by a plurality of votes cast at a meeting.
| 4 |
.08 Notice of Shareholder Proposals and Director Nominations.
A. Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors and the proposal of business other than nominations to be considered by the shareholders may be made at an annual meeting of shareholders only: (i) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) with respect to such annual meeting given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof), (ii) as otherwise properly brought before such annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof) or (iii) by any shareholder of the Corporation who (x) is a shareholder of record at the time of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section I.08 through the date of such annual meeting, (y) is entitled to vote at such annual meeting and (z) complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section I.08. For the avoidance of doubt, compliance with the foregoing clause (iii) shall be the exclusive means for a shareholder to make nominations, or to propose any other business (other than a proposal included in the Corporation’s proxy materials pursuant to and in compliance with Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (such act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the “Exchange Act”)), at an annual meeting of shareholders.
B. In addition to any other applicable requirements, for nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a shareholder pursuant to Section I.08(A)(iii) above, the shareholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary, and, in the case of business other than nominations, such business must be a proper matter for shareholder action. To be timely, such notice must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the Close of Business on the ninetieth (90th) day, or earlier than the one hundred twentieth (120th) day, prior to the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting of shareholders; provided, however, that (x) if the date of the annual meeting of shareholders is more than thirty (30) days prior to, or more than sixty (60) days after, the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, (y) if no annual meeting was held in the preceding year, or (z) with respect to the first annual meeting of shareholders held following the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders, to be timely, a shareholder’s notice must be so received not earlier than the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the Close of Business on the later of (i) the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such annual meeting and (ii) the tenth (10th) day following the day on which Public Disclosure (as defined below) of the date of the meeting is first made by the Corporation. In no event shall the adjournment, recess, postponement, judicial stay or rescheduling of an annual meeting (or the Public Disclosure thereof) commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of notice as described above.
C. To be in proper written form, the notice of any shareholder of record giving notice under this Section I.08 (each, a “Noticing Party”) must set forth:
(1) as to each person whom such Noticing Party proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a Director (each, a “Proposed Nominee”), if any:
| (a) | the name, age, business address and residential address of such Proposed Nominee; |
| (b) | the principal occupation and employment of such Proposed Nominee; |
| 5 |
| (c) | a written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualifications of such Proposed Nominee, completed by such Proposed Nominee in the form required by the Corporation (in the form to be provided by the Secretary within ten (10) days after receiving a written request therefor from any shareholder of record identified by name); |
| (d) | a written representation and agreement completed by such Proposed Nominee in the form required by the Corporation (in the form to be provided by the Secretary within ten (10) days after receiving a written request therefor from any shareholder of record identified by name) providing that such Proposed Nominee: (I) is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such Proposed Nominee, if elected as a Director of the Corporation, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “Voting Commitment”) that has not been disclosed to the Corporation or any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such Proposed Nominee’s ability to comply, if elected as a Director of the Corporation, with such Proposed Nominee’s fiduciary duties under applicable law; (II) is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a Director or nominee with respect to the Corporation that has not been disclosed to the Corporation; (III) will, if elected as a Director of the Corporation, comply with all applicable rules of any securities exchanges upon which the Corporation’s securities are listed, the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws, all applicable publicly disclosed corporate governance, ethics, conflict of interest, confidentiality, stock ownership and trading policies and all other guidelines and policies of the Corporation generally applicable to Directors (which other guidelines and policies will be provided to such Proposed Nominee within five (5) business days after the Secretary receives any written request therefor from such Proposed Nominee), and all applicable fiduciary duties under state law; (IV) consents to being named as a nominee in the Corporation’s proxy statement and form of proxy for the meeting and consents to the public disclosure of information regarding or relating to such Proposed Nominee provided to the Corporation by such Proposed Nominee or otherwise pursuant to these Bylaws; (V) intends to serve a full term as a Director of the Corporation, if elected; and (VI) will provide facts, statements and other information in all communications with the Corporation and its shareholders that are or will be true and correct in all material respects and that do not and will not omit to state any fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading in any material respect; |
| 6 |
| (e) | a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements or understandings, written or oral, during the past three (3) years, and any other material relationships, between or among such Proposed Nominee, on the one hand, and any Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person (as defined below) (other than such Proposed Nominee), on the other hand, or that such Proposed Nominee knows any of such Proposed Nominee’s Associates (as defined below) has with any Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person, including all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 promulgated under Regulation S-K as if such Noticing Party and any Shareholder Associated Person (other than the Proposed Nominee) were the “registrant” for purposes of such rule and the Proposed Nominee were a Director or executive officer of such registrant; |
| (f) | a description of any business or personal interests that would reasonably be expected to place such Proposed Nominee in a potential conflict of interest with the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries; |
| (g) | the date(s) of first contact between the Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person, on the one hand, and the Proposed Nominee, on the other hand, with respect to any proposed nomination(s) of any person(s) (including the Proposed Nominee) for election as a Director of the Corporation; and |
| (h) | all other information relating to such Proposed Nominee or such Proposed Nominee’s Associates that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement in connection with the solicitation of proxies by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person for the election of Directors in a contested election pursuant to the Proxy Rules (as defined below); |
(2) as to any other business that such Noticing Party proposes to bring before the meeting:
| (a) | a description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting; |
| (b) | the text of the proposal or business (including the complete text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and, in the event that such business includes a proposal to amend the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, the text of the proposed amendment); and |
| 7 |
| (c) | all other information relating to such business that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement in connection with the solicitation of proxies by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person in support of such proposed business pursuant to the Proxy Rules; and |
(3) as to such Noticing Party and each Shareholder Associated Person:
| (a) | the name and address of such Noticing Party and each Shareholder Associated Person (including, as applicable, as they appear on the Corporation’s books and records); |
| (b) | the class, series and number of shares of each class or series of capital stock (if any) of the Corporation that are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially or of record (specifying the type of ownership) by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person (including any right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time in the future, whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time or the fulfillment of a condition) and the date or dates on which such shares were acquired; |
| (c) | the name of each nominee holder for, and number of, any securities of the Corporation owned beneficially but not of record by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person and any pledge by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person with respect to any of such securities; |
| (d) | (I) a description of all agreements, arrangements or understandings, written or oral, (including any derivative or short positions, profit interests, hedging transactions, forwards, futures, swaps, options, warrants, convertible securities, stock appreciation or similar rights, repurchase agreements or arrangements, borrowed or loaned shares and so-called “stock borrowing” agreements or arrangements) that have been entered into by, or on behalf of, such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person, the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss, manage risk or benefit from changes in the price of any securities of the Corporation, or maintain, increase or decrease the voting power of such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person with respect to securities of the Corporation, whether or not such instrument or right shall be subject to settlement in underlying shares of capital stock of the Corporation (any of the foregoing, a “Derivative Instrument”) and (II) all other information relating to Derivative Instruments that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement in connection with the solicitation of proxies by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person in support of the business proposed by such Noticing Party, if any, or for the election of any Proposed Nominee in a contested election pursuant to the Proxy Rules if the creation, termination or modification of Derivative Instruments were treated the same as trading in the securities of the Corporation under the Proxy Rules; |
| 8 |
| (e) | (I) the number of native cryptocurrency of the BNB Chain blockchain commonly referred to as “BNB” that the Noticing Party and any Shareholder Associated Person owns, holds, or otherwise has dispositive power over, whether direct or indirect, or sole or shared, including any right to acquire such ownership, holding, or dispositive power at any time in the future, whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time or the fulfillment of a condition, (II) a description of all agreements, arrangements or understandings, written or oral, (including any derivative or short positions, profit interests, hedging transactions, forwards, futures, swaps, options, warrants, convertible securities, stock appreciation or similar rights, repurchase agreements or arrangements, borrowed or loaned tokens and so-called “stock borrowing” agreements or arrangements) that have been entered into by, or on behalf of, such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person, the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss, manage risk or benefit from changes in the price of BNB, or maintain, increase or decrease the voting power of such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person with respect to BNB, whether or not such instrument or right shall be subject to settlement in underlying BNB tokens (any of the foregoing, a “BNB Derivative”), and (III) all other information relating to BNB Derivatives that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement in connection with the solicitation of proxies by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person in support of the business proposed by such Noticing Party, if any, or for the election of any Proposed Nominee in a contested election pursuant to the Proxy Rules if the creation, termination or modification of BNB Derivatives were treated the same as trading in the securities of the Corporation under the Proxy Rules; |
| (f) | any substantial interest, direct or indirect (including any existing or prospective commercial, business or contractual relationship with the Corporation), of such Noticing Party or, to the knowledge of such Noticing Party (or the beneficial owner(s) on whose behalf such Noticing Party is submitting a notice to the Corporation), any Shareholder Associated Person in the Corporation or any Affiliate (as defined below) thereof or in the proposed business or nomination(s) to be brought before the meeting by such Noticing Party, other than an interest arising from the ownership of Corporation securities where such Noticing Party or such Shareholder Associated Person receives no extra or special benefit not shared on a pro rata basis by all other holders of the same class or series; |
| 9 |
| (g) | a description of all agreements, arrangements or understandings, written or oral, (I) between or among such Noticing Party and any Shareholder Associated Person or (II) between or among such Noticing Party or, to the knowledge of such Noticing Party (or the beneficial owner(s) on whose behalf such Noticing Party is submitting a notice to the Corporation), any Shareholder Associated Person and any other person or entity (naming each such person or entity), in each case, relating to acquiring, holding, voting or disposing of any securities of the Corporation, Derivative Instruments, BNB tokens, and BNB Derivatives, including any proxy (other than any revocable proxy given in response to a solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the Proxy Rules by way of a solicitation statement filed on Schedule 14A); |
| (h) | any rights to dividends on the shares of the Corporation owned beneficially by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation; |
| (i) | any proportionate interest in shares of the Corporation, Derivative Instruments, BNB tokens, or BNB Derivatives held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership, limited liability company or similar entity in which such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person (I) is a general partner or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns an interest in a general partner of such general or limited partnership or (II) is the manager, managing member or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns an interest in the manager or managing member of such limited liability company or similar entity; |
| (j) | any Derivative Instruments in or beneficial ownership of any securities of (in each case, with a market value of more than $100,000) any corporation, limited liability company, or partnership whose principal business is acquiring, holding or trading BNB tokens or BNB Derivatives (a “Principal Competitor”) held by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person; |
| (k) | any direct or indirect interest (other than solely as a result of security ownership) of such Noticing Party or, to the knowledge of such Noticing Party (or the beneficial owner(s) on whose behalf such Noticing Party is submitting a notice to the Corporation) any Shareholder Associated Person in any agreement with the Corporation, any Affiliate of the Corporation or any Principal Competitor (including any employment agreement, collective bargaining agreement or consulting agreement); |
| 10 |
| (l) | a representation that (I) neither such Noticing Party nor any Shareholder Associated Person has breached any agreement, arrangement or understanding with the Corporation except as disclosed to the Corporation pursuant hereto and (II) such Noticing Party and each Shareholder Associated Person has complied, and will comply, with all applicable requirements of state law and the Exchange Act with respect to the matters set forth in this Section I.08; |
| (m) | a description of the investment strategy or objective, if any, of such Noticing Party (or the beneficial owner(s) on whose behalf such Noticing Party is submitting a notice to the Corporation); |
| (n) | all information that would be required to be set forth in a Schedule 13D filed pursuant to Rule 13d-1(a) under the Exchange Act or an amendment pursuant to Rule 13d-2(a) under the Exchange Act if such a statement were required to be filed under the Exchange Act by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person with respect to the Corporation (regardless of whether such person or entity is actually required to file a Schedule 13D), including a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding that would be required to be disclosed by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person pursuant to Item 5 or Item 6 of Schedule 13D; |
| (o) | a certification that such Noticing Party and each Shareholder Associated Person has complied with all applicable federal, state and other legal requirements in connection with such Noticing Party’s or Shareholder Associated Person’s acquisition of shares of capital stock or other securities of the Corporation and such Noticing Party’s or Shareholder Associated Person’s acts or omissions as a shareholder of the Corporation, if such Shareholder Associated Person is a shareholder of the Corporation; and |
| (p) | all other information relating to such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement in connection with the solicitation of proxies by such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person in support of the business proposed by such Noticing Party, if any, or for the election of any Proposed Nominee in a contested election pursuant to the Proxy Rules; |
provided, however, that the disclosures described in the foregoing subclauses (a) through (p) shall not include any such disclosures with respect to the ordinary course business activities of any depositary or any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is a Noticing Party solely as a result of being the shareholder directed to prepare and submit the notice required by these Bylaws on behalf of a beneficial owner (any such entity, an “Exempt Party”).
| 11 |
(4) a representation that such Noticing Party intends to appear or cause a Qualified Representative (as defined below) of such Noticing Party to appear at the meeting to bring such business before the meeting or nominate any Proposed Nominees, as applicable, and an acknowledgment that, if such Noticing Party (or a Qualified Representative of such Noticing Party) does not appear to present such business or Proposed Nominees, as applicable, at such meeting, the Corporation need not present such business or Proposed Nominees for a vote at such meeting, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Corporation;
(5) a description of any pending or, to the knowledge of such Noticing Party (or the beneficial owner(s) on whose behalf such Noticing Party is submitting a notice to the Corporation), threatened legal proceeding or investigation in which such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person is a party or participant directly involving or directly relating to the Corporation or, to the knowledge of such Noticing Party (or the beneficial owner(s) on whose behalf such Noticing Party is submitting a notice to the Corporation), any current or former officer, Director or Affiliate of the Corporation;
(6) identification of the names and addresses of other shareholders (including beneficial owners) known by such Noticing Party (or the beneficial owner(s) on whose behalf such Noticing Party is submitting a notice to the Corporation) to provide financial support of the nomination(s) or other business proposal(s) submitted by such Noticing Party and, to the extent known, the class and number of shares of the Corporation’s capital stock owned beneficially or of record by such other shareholder(s) or other beneficial owner(s); and
(7) a representation from such Noticing Party as to whether such Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person intends or is part of a group (as such term is used in Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act) that intends to (A) solicit proxies in support of the election of any Proposed Nominee in accordance with Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act or (B) engage in a solicitation (within the meaning of Exchange Act Rule 14a-1(l)) with respect to the nomination of any Proposed Nominee or proposed business to be considered at the meeting, as applicable, and if so, the name of each participant (as defined in Instruction 3 to Item 4 of Schedule 14A under the Exchange Act) in such solicitation.
D. In addition to the information required pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section I.08, the Corporation may require any Noticing Party to furnish such other information that would reasonably be expected to be material to a reasonable shareholder’s understanding of (i) any item of business proposed by such Noticing Party under this Section I.08, (ii) the solicitation of proxies from the Corporation’s shareholders by the Noticing Party (or any Shareholder Associated Person) or (iii) the eligibility, suitability or qualifications of a Proposed Nominee to serve as a Director of the Corporation or the independence, or lack thereof, of such Proposed Nominee, under the listing standards of each securities exchange upon which the Corporation’s securities are listed, any applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, any publicly disclosed standards used by the Board of Directors in selecting nominees for election as a Director and for determining and disclosing the independence of the Corporation’s Directors, including those applicable to a Director’s service on any of the committees of the Board of Directors, or the requirements of any other laws or regulations applicable to the Corporation. If requested by the Corporation, any supplemental information required under this paragraph shall be provided by a Noticing Party within ten (10) days after it has been requested by the Corporation.
| 12 |
E. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of shareholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto). Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of shareholders at which Directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) (i) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof) or (ii) provided that one or more Directors are to be elected at such meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting, by any shareholder of the Corporation who (A) is a shareholder of record on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section I.08(E) through the date of such special meeting, (B) is entitled to vote at such special meeting and upon such election and (C) complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section I.08(E). In addition to any other applicable requirements, for Director nominations to be properly brought before a special meeting by a shareholder pursuant to the foregoing clause (ii), such shareholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary. To be timely, such notice must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not earlier than the Close of Business on the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to such special meeting and not later than the Close of Business on the later of (x) the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such special meeting and (y) the tenth (10th) day following the day on which Public Disclosure of the date of the meeting is first made by the Corporation. In no event shall an adjournment, recess, postponement, judicial stay or rescheduling of a special meeting (or the Public Disclosure thereof) commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described above. To be in proper written form, such notice shall include all information required pursuant to Section I.08(C) above, and such shareholder and any Proposed Nominee shall comply with Section I.08(D) above, as if such notice were being submitted in connection with an annual meeting of shareholders.
| 13 |
F. General.
(1) No person shall be eligible for election as a Director of the Corporation unless the person is nominated by a shareholder in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section I.08 or the person is nominated by the Board of Directors, and no business shall be conducted at a meeting of shareholders of the Corporation except pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act and business brought by a shareholder in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section I.08 or by the Board of Directors. The number of Proposed Nominees a shareholder may include in a notice under this Section I.08 may not exceed the number of Directors to be elected at such meeting (based on public disclosure by the Corporation prior to the date of such notice), and for the avoidance of doubt, no shareholder shall be entitled to identify any additional or substitute persons as Proposed Nominees following the expiration of the time periods set forth in Section I.08(B) or Section I.08(E), as applicable. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Board of Directors or the chairperson of a meeting shall have the power and the duty to determine whether a nomination or any business proposed to be brought before the meeting has been made or proposed in accordance with the procedures set forth in these Bylaws, and, if the Board of Directors or the chairperson of the meeting determines that any proposed nomination or business was not properly brought before the meeting, the chairperson (or the Board of Directors) shall declare to the meeting that such nomination shall be disregarded or such business shall not be transacted, and no vote shall be taken with respect to such nomination or proposed business, in each case, notwithstanding that proxies with respect to such vote may have been received by the Corporation. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section I.08, unless otherwise required by law, if the Noticing Party (or a Qualified Representative of the Noticing Party) proposing a nominee for Director or business to be conducted at a meeting does not appear at the meeting of shareholders of the Corporation to present such nomination or propose such business, such proposed nomination shall be disregarded or such proposed business shall not be transacted, as applicable, and no vote shall be taken with respect to such nomination or proposed business, notwithstanding that proxies with respect to such vote may have been received by the Corporation.
(2) A Noticing Party shall update such Noticing Party’s notice provided under the foregoing provisions of this Section I.08, if necessary, such that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice shall be true and correct in all material respects as of (A) the record date for determining the shareholders entitled to receive notice of the meeting and (B) the date that is ten (10) business days prior to the meeting (or any postponement, rescheduling or adjournment thereof), and such update shall (I) be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation (x) not later than the Close of Business five (5) business days after the record date for determining the shareholders entitled to receive notice of such meeting (in the case of an update required to be made under clause (A)) and (y) not later than the Close of Business seven (7) business days prior to the date of the meeting or, if practicable, any postponement, rescheduling or adjournment thereof (and, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the date to which the meeting has been postponed, rescheduled or adjourned) (in the case of an update required to be made pursuant to clause (B)), (II) be made only to the extent that information has changed since such Noticing Party’s prior submission and (III) clearly identify the information that has changed in any material respect since such Noticing Party’s prior submission. For the avoidance of doubt, any information provided pursuant to this Section I.08(F)(2) shall not be deemed to cure any deficiencies or inaccuracies in a notice previously delivered pursuant to this Section I.08 and shall not extend the time period for the delivery of notice pursuant to this Section I.08. If a Noticing Party fails to provide any update in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Section I.08(F)(2), the information as to which such written update relates may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section I.08.
| 14 |
(3) If any information submitted pursuant to this Section I.08 by any Noticing Party nominating individuals for election or reelection as a Director or proposing business for consideration at a shareholder meeting shall be inaccurate in any material respect (as determined by the Board of Directors or a committee thereof), such information may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section I.08. Any such Noticing Party shall notify the Secretary in writing at the principal executive offices of the Corporation of any material inaccuracy or change in any information submitted pursuant to this Section I.08 within two (2) business days after becoming aware of such material inaccuracy or change, and any such notification shall clearly identify the inaccuracy or change, it being understood that no such notification may cure any deficiencies or inaccuracies with respect to any prior submission by such Noticing Party. Upon written request of the Secretary on behalf of the Board of Directors (or a duly authorized committee thereof), any such Noticing Party shall provide, within seven (7) business days after delivery of such request (or such other period as may reasonably be specified in such request), (A) written verification, reasonably satisfactory to the Board of Directors, any committee thereof or any authorized officer of the Corporation, to demonstrate the accuracy of any information submitted by such Noticing Party pursuant to this Section I.08 and (B) a written affirmation of any information submitted by such Noticing Party pursuant to this Section I.08 as of an earlier date. If a Noticing Party fails to provide such written verification or affirmation within such period, the information as to which written verification or affirmation was requested may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section I.08.
(4) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if (A) any Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person provides notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b) under the Exchange Act with respect to any Proposed Nominee(s) and (B) (1) such Noticing Party or Shareholder Associated Person subsequently either (x) notifies the Corporation that such Noticing Party or Shareholder Associated Person no longer intends to solicit proxies in support of the election or reelection of such Proposed Nominee(s) in accordance with Rule 14a-19(b) under the Exchange Act or (y) fails to comply with the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(2) or Rule 14a-19(a)(3) under the Exchange Act (or fails to timely provide reasonable evidence sufficient to satisfy the Corporation that such Noticing Party or Shareholder Associated Person has met the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(3) under the Exchange Act in accordance with the following sentence) and (2) no other Noticing Party or Shareholder Associated Person that has provided notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b) under the Exchange Act with respect to such Proposed Nominee(s) (x) to the Corporation’s knowledge based on information provided pursuant to Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act or these Bylaws, still intends to solicit proxies in support of the election or reelection of such Proposed Nominee(s) in accordance with Rule 14a-19(b) under the Exchange Act and (y) has complied with the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(2) and Rule 14a-19(a)(3) under the Exchange Act and the requirements set forth in the following sentence, then the Corporation shall disregard any proxies or votes solicited for such Proposed Nominee(s) regardless of the person or entity who solicited such proxies (notwithstanding that proxies may have been received by the Corporation). Upon request by the Corporation, if any Noticing Party or any Shareholder Associated Person provides notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b) under the Exchange Act, such Noticing Party shall deliver to the Secretary, no later than five (5) business days prior to the applicable meeting date, reasonable evidence that the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(3) under the Exchange Act have been satisfied.
| 15 |
(5) In addition to complying with the foregoing provisions of this Section I.08, a shareholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of state law and the Exchange Act with respect to the matters set forth in this Section I.08. Nothing in this Section I.08 shall be deemed to affect any rights of (A) shareholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act, (B) shareholders to request inclusion of nominees in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to the Proxy Rules or (C) the holders of any series of preferred stock to elect Directors pursuant to any applicable provisions of the Articles of Incorporation.
(6) Any written notice, supplement, update or other information required to be delivered by a shareholder to the Corporation pursuant to this Section I.08 must be given by personal delivery, by overnight courier or by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, to the Secretary at the Corporation’s principal executive offices and shall be deemed not to have been delivered unless so given.
(7) For purposes of these Bylaws:
| (a) | “Affiliate” and “Associate” each shall have the respective meanings set forth in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act; |
| (b) | “beneficial owner” or “beneficially owned” shall have the meaning set forth for such terms in Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| (c) | “Close of Business” shall mean 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on any calendar day, whether or not the day is a business day; |
| (d) | “Proxy Rules” shall mean Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules promulgated thereunder; |
| (e) | “Public Disclosure” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by a national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| (f) | a “Qualified Representative” of a Noticing Party means (I) a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such Noticing Party or (II) a person authorized by a writing executed by such Noticing Party (or a reliable reproduction or electronic transmission of the writing) delivered by such Noticing Party to the Corporation prior to the making of any nomination or proposal at a shareholder meeting stating that such person is authorized to act for such Noticing Party as proxy at the meeting of shareholders, which writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission, must be produced at the meeting of shareholders; and |
| 16 |
| (g) | “Shareholder Associated Person” shall mean, with respect to a Noticing Party and if different from such Noticing Party, any beneficial owner of shares of stock of the Corporation on whose behalf such Noticing Party is providing notice of any nomination or other business proposed: (I) any person or entity who is a member of a group (as such term is used in Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act) with such Noticing Party or such beneficial owner(s) with respect to acquiring, holding, voting or disposing of any securities of the Corporation, (II) any Affiliate or Associate of such Noticing Party (other than any Noticing Party that is an Exempt Party) or such beneficial owner(s), (III) any participant (as defined in Instruction 3 to Item 4 of Schedule 14A) with such Noticing Party or such beneficial owner(s) with respect to any proposed business or nomination, as applicable, under these Bylaws, (IV) any beneficial owner of shares of stock of the Corporation owned of record by such Noticing Party (other than a Noticing Party that is an Exempt Party) and (V) any Proposed Nominee. |
.09 Organization and Conduct of Meetings.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall act as chairman of meetings of shareholders. The Board of Directors may designate any Director or Officer of the Corporation to act as chairman of any meeting in the absence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and only the Board of Directors may further provide for determining who shall act as chairman of any meeting of shareholders in the absence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and such designee. The Board of Directors may adopt by resolution such rules, regulations and procedures for the conduct of any meeting of shareholders as it shall deem appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with such rules, regulations and procedures as adopted by the Board of Directors, the chairman of any meeting of shareholders shall have the right and authority to convene and (for any or no reason) to recess or adjourn the meeting, to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairman, are necessary, appropriate or convenient for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board of Directors or prescribed by the chairman of the meeting, may include the following: (a) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (b) the determination of when the polls shall open and close for any given matter to be voted on at the meeting; (c) rules, regulations and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (d) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to shareholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized proxies or such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (e) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement of the meeting; (f) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants; (g) removal of any shareholder or any other individual who refuses to comply with meeting rules, regulations or procedures; (h) the conclusion, recess or adjournment of the meeting, regardless of whether a quorum is present, to a later date and time and at a place, if any, announced at the meeting; (i) restrictions on the use of audio and video recording devices, cell phones and other electronic devices; (j) rules, regulations or procedures for compliance with any state or local laws or regulations including those concerning safety, health and security; (k) procedures (if any) requiring attendees to provide the Corporation advance notice of their intent to attend the meeting and (l) any rules, regulations or procedures as the chairman may deem appropriate regarding the participation by means of remote communication of shareholders and proxyholders not physically present at a meeting, whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place or solely by means of remote communication. The Board of Directors or the chairman of meetings of shareholders, in addition to making any other determinations that may be appropriate regarding the conduct of the meeting, shall determine and declare to the meeting that a matter of business, including any proposed nomination, was not properly brought before the meeting, and, if the chairman (or the Board of Directors) should so determine, the chairman (or the Board of Directors) shall so declare to the meeting and any such matter of business or nomination not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted or considered. Except to the extent determined by the Board of Directors or the chairman of the meeting, meetings of shareholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.
| 17 |
| II. | DIRECTORS |
.01 General Powers.
The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by its Board of Directors.
.02 Number, Tenure and Qualifications.
The number of Directors of the Corporation shall be not less than one nor more than thirteen, as determined from time to time by action of the Shareholders or by a resolution of the entire Board of Directors (excluding any unfilled vacancies), or if the number is not fixed, the number shall be one. Each Director shall hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until his/her successor shall have been elected and qualified. Directors need not be residents of the State of Nevada or shareholders of the Corporation.
.03 Election.
The Directors shall be elected by the shareholders at their annual meeting each year; and if, for any cause the Directors shall not have been elected at an annual meeting, they may be elected at a special meeting of shareholders called for that purpose in the manner provided by these Bylaws. No person shall be eligible for election or appointment as a Director unless such person has, within ten (10) days following any reasonable request therefor from the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, made himself or herself available to be interviewed by the Board of Directors (or any committee or other subset thereof) with respect to such person’s qualifications to serve as a Director or any other matter reasonably related to such person’s candidacy or service as a Director of the Corporation.
.04 Vacancies.
In case of any vacancy in the Board of Directors, the remaining Directors, whether constituting a quorum or not, may elect a successor to hold office for the unexpired portion of the terms of the Directors whose place shall be vacant, and until his/her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified. Further, the remaining Directors may fill any empty seats on the Board of Directors even if the empty seats have never been occupied.
| 18 |
.05 Resignation.
Any Director may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the secretary of the Corporation.
.06 Meetings.
At any annual, special or regular meeting of the Board of Directors, any business may be transacted, and the Board of Directors may exercise all of its powers. Any such annual, special or regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation may be held outside of the State of Nevada, and any member or members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation may participate in any such meeting by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time; the participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.
A. Annual Meeting of Directors.
Annual meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held immediately after the annual meeting of shareholders or at such time and place as may be determined by the Directors. No notice of the annual meeting of the Board of Directors shall be necessary.
B. Special Meetings.
Special meetings of the Directors shall be called at any time and place upon the call of the president or any Director. Notice of the time and place of each special meeting shall be given by the secretary, or the persons calling the meeting, by mail, email, or by personal communication by telephone or otherwise at least one (1) day in advance of the time of the meeting. The purpose of the meeting need not be given in the notice. Notice of any special meeting may be waived in writing or by email (either before or after such meeting) and will be waived by any Director in attendance at such meeting.
C. Regular Meetings of Directors.
Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at such place and on such day and hour as shall from time to time be fixed by resolution of the Board of Directors. No notice of regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be necessary.
.07 Quorum and Voting.
A majority of the Directors presently in office shall constitute a quorum for all purposes, but a lesser number may adjourn any meeting, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice. At each meeting of the Board of Directors at which a quorum is present, the act of a majority of the Directors present at the meeting shall be the act of the Board of Directors. The Directors present at a duly organized meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Directors to leave less than a quorum.
| 19 |
.08 Compensation.
By resolution of the Board of Directors, the Directors may be paid their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors and may be paid a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors or a stated salary as Director. No such payment shall preclude any Director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor.
.09 Presumption of Assent.
A Director of the Corporation who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which action on any corporate matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his/her dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he/she shall file his/her written dissent to such action with the person acting as the secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered mail to the secretary of the Corporation immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favor of such action.
.10 Executive and Other Committees.
The Board of Directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the full Board of Directors, may designate from among its members an executive committee and one or more other committees, each of which, to the extent provided in such resolution, shall have and may exercise all the authority of the Board of Directors, but no such committee shall have the authority of the Board of Directors, in reference to amending the Articles of Incorporation, adopting a plan of merger or consolidation, recommending to the shareholders the sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of all or substantially all the property and assets of the dissolution of the Corporation or a revocation thereof, designation of any such committee and the delegation thereto of authority shall not operate to relieve any member of the Board of Directors of any responsibility imposed by law.
.11 Chairman of Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors may, in its discretion, elect a chairman of the Board of Directors from its members; and, if a chairman has been elected, he/she shall, when present, preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and the shareholders and shall have such other powers as the Board may prescribe.
.12 Removal.
Directors may be removed from office with or without cause by a vote of shareholders holding a majority of the shares entitled to vote at an election of Directors.
| 20 |
| III. | ACTIONS BY WRITTEN CONSENT |
.01 Action by Directors Without a Meeting.
Any corporate action required by the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, or the laws under which this Corporation is formed, to be voted upon or approved at a duly called meeting of the Directors may be accomplished without a meeting if a written memorandum setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all the Directors.
.02 Action by Shareholders Without a Meeting.
A. Any action required or permitted to be taken at an annual or special meeting of shareholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if (i) one or more consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, signed by holders of record as of the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to consent to the actions (the “Consent Record Date”) having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, are delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation at its principal executive offices, by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, within sixty (60) days of the earliest dated valid consent delivered in the manner described in this Section III.02 with respect to the proposed actions, and (ii) unless the consents are delivered in response to a solicitation by the Board of Directors, a holder of record of voting shares of the Corporation has submitted a proper written request to fix the Consent Record Date with respect to the actions proposed to be taken by written consent and has complied with Section III.03 with respect to such request.
B. No action may be taken by the shareholders by written consent except in accordance with this Article III. If the Board of Directors shall determine that any request to fix a Consent Record Date or any purported action by written consent was not properly made in accordance with this Article III, or the shareholder or shareholders seeking to take such action do not otherwise comply with this Article III, then the Board of Directors shall not be required to fix such Consent Record Date and any such purported action by written consent shall be null and void to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.
.03 Record Date for Shareholder Action by Written Consent.
A. In order to fix a Consent Record Date in accordance with Section III.02(A)(ii), a holder of record of the voting shares of the Corporation shall have submitted a request in writing that the Board of Directors fix a Consent Record Date (such requesting record holder, together with any beneficial owner of voting shares on whose behalf such written request was made, the “Consent Record Date Requesting Person”). Such written request shall include as to the Consent Record Date Requesting Person, each Shareholder Associated Person (as defined above, but substituting “Consent Record Date Requesting Person” in all places where “Noticing Party” appears in such definition), and the actions proposed to be taken by written consent, the information that would be set forth in a notice provided under Section I.08, as if such business or any nominations of directors were to be considered at an annual meeting of the shareholders, except substituting “Consent Record Date Requesting Person” in all places where “Noticing Party” appears in Section I.08.
| 21 |
B. Within ten (10) days after the Secretary receives a request to fix a Consent Record Date in proper form and otherwise in compliance with this Article III, the Board of Directors shall adopt a resolution fixing a Consent Record Date, which may not precede or be more than ten (10) days after the day on which the resolution is adopted by the Board of Directors, regardless of the effective date of the resolution. If the Board of Directors does not adopt a resolution fixing the Consent Record Date when required to do so by this Section III.03, the Consent Record Date shall be the first date on which any shareholder delivers to the Corporation a consent with respect to the business named in such request signed by the shareholder.
C. Notwithstanding anything in this Section III.03 to the contrary, no Consent Record Date shall be fixed, and any previously fixed Consent Record Date shall be null and void, if:
(1) the request to fix the Consent Record Date relates to an item of business that is not a proper subject for shareholder action under applicable law, was made in a manner that involved a violation of applicable law, or otherwise does not comply with applicable law; or
(2) the Consent Record Date Requesting Person does not comply with this Article III with respect to its request to fix the Consent Record Date.
D. The Corporation may require the Consent Record Date Requesting Person to furnish such other information that would reasonably be expected to be material to a reasonable shareholder’s understanding of (i) any item of proposed action by written consent named in such shareholder’s request to fix a Consent Record Date, (ii) the solicitation of consents from the Corporation’s shareholders by the Consent Record Date Requesting Person (or any Shareholder Associated Person thereof) or (iii) the eligibility, suitability or qualifications of a person proposed to be elected to the Board of Directors pursuant to such written consent or the independence, or lack thereof, of such Proposed Nominee, under the listing standards of each securities exchange upon which the Corporation’s securities are listed, any applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, any publicly disclosed standards used by the Board of Directors in selecting nominees for election as a Director and for determining and disclosing the independence of the Corporation’s Directors, including those applicable to a Director’s service on any of the committees of the Board of Directors, or the requirements of any other laws or regulations applicable to the Corporation. If requested by the Corporation, any supplemental information required under this paragraph shall be provided by a Consent Record Date Requesting Person within ten (10) days after it has been requested by the Corporation.
| 22 |
E. A Consent Record Date Requesting Person shall update its request to fix a Consent Record Date, if necessary, such that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice shall be true and correct in all material respects as of (i) the Consent Record Date and (ii) the date that is five (5) business days prior to the commencement of any solicitation of consents with respect to such proposed action, and such update shall (a) be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation (x) not later than the Close of Business five (5) business days after the Consent Record Date (in the case of an update required to be made under clause (i)) and (y) not later than the Close of Business three (3) business days prior to the commencement of any solicitation of consents with respect to such proposed action (in the case of an update required to be made pursuant to clause (ii)), (b) be made only to the extent that information has changed since such Consent Record Date Requesting Person’s prior submission and (c) clearly identify the information that has changed in any material respect since such Consent Record Date Requesting Person’s prior submission. For the avoidance of doubt, any information provided pursuant to this Section III.03(B) shall not be deemed to cure any deficiencies or inaccuracies in a notice previously delivered pursuant to this Section III.03 and shall not extend the time period for the delivery of notice pursuant to this Section III.03. If a Consent Record Date Requesting Person fails to provide any update in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Section III.03(B), the information as to which such written update relates may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section III.03.
F. If any information submitted pursuant to this Section III.03 by any Consent Record Date Requesting Person shall be inaccurate in any material respect (as determined by the Board of Directors or a committee thereof), such information may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section III.03. Any such Consent Record Date Requesting Person shall notify the Secretary in writing at the principal executive offices of the Corporation of any material inaccuracy or change in any information submitted pursuant to this Section III.03 within two (2) business days after becoming aware of such material inaccuracy or change, and any such notification shall clearly identify the inaccuracy or change, it being understood that no such notification may cure any deficiencies or inaccuracies with respect to any prior submission by such Consent Record Date Requesting Person. Upon written request of the Secretary on behalf of the Board of Directors (or a duly authorized committee thereof), any such Consent Record Date Requesting Person shall provide, within seven (7) business days after delivery of such request (or such other period as may reasonably be specified in such request), (A) written verification, reasonably satisfactory to the Board of Directors, any committee thereof or any authorized officer of the Corporation, to demonstrate the accuracy of any information submitted by such Consent Record Date Requesting Person pursuant to this Section III.03 and (B) a written affirmation of any information submitted by such Consent Record Date Requesting Person pursuant to this Section III.03 as of an earlier date. If a Consent Record Date Requesting Person fails to provide such written verification or affirmation within such period, the information as to which written verification or affirmation was requested may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section III.03.
G. In addition to the requirements of this Article III with respect to shareholders seeking to take an action by written consent, the Consent Record Date Requesting Person (and any Shareholder Associated Person thereof) shall comply with all requirements of applicable law, including all requirements of the Exchange Act, with respect to such action, including the solicitation of shareholders relating thereto.
| 23 |
| IV. | OFFICERS |
.01 Officers Designated.
The Officers of the Corporation shall be a president, one or more vice presidents (the number thereof to be determined by the Board of Directors), a secretary and a treasurer, each of whom shall be elected by the Board of Directors. Such other Officers and assistant officers as may be deemed necessary may be elected or appointed by the Board of Directors. Any Officer may be held by the same person, except that in the event that the Corporation shall have more than one Director, the offices of president and secretary shall be held by different persons.
.02 Election, Qualification and Term of Office.
Each of the Officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors. None of said Officers except the president need be a Director, but a vice president who is not a Director cannot succeed to or fill the office of president. The Officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors. Except as hereinafter provide, each of said Officers shall hold office from the date of his/her election until the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors and until his/her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified.
.03 Powers and Duties.
The powers and duties of the respective corporate Officers shall be as follows:
A. President.
The president shall have such powers and duties as may be assigned by the Board of Directors.
B. Vice President.
In the absence of the president or his/her inability to act, the senior vice president shall act in his place and stead and shall have all the powers and authority of the president, except as limited by resolution of the Board of Directors.
C. Secretary.
The secretary shall:
(1) Keep the minutes of the shareholder’s and of the Board of Directors meetings in one or more books provided for that purpose;
(2) See that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by law;
| 24 |
(3) Be custodian of the corporate records and of the seal of the Corporation and affix the seal of the Corporation to all documents as may be required;
(4) Keep a register of the post office address of each shareholder which shall be furnished to the secretary by such shareholder;
(5) Sign with the president, or a vice president, certificates for shares of the Corporation, the issuance of which shall have been authorized by resolution of the Board of Directors;
(6) Have general charge of the stock transfer books of the Corporation; and,
(7) In general perform all duties incident to the office of secretary and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him/her by the president or by the Board of Directors.
D. Treasurer.
Subject to the direction and control of the Board of Directors, the treasurer shall have the custody, control and disposition of the funds and securities of the Corporation and shall account for the same; and, at the expiration of his/her term of office, he/she shall turn over to his/her successor all property of the Corporation in his/her possession.
E. Assistant Secretaries and Assistant Treasurers.
The assistant secretaries, when authorized by the Board of Directors, may sign with the president or a vice president certificates for shares of the Corporation the issuance of which shall have been authorized by a resolution of the Board of Directors. The assistant treasurers shall, respectively, if required by the Board of Directors, give bonds for the faithful discharge of their duties in such sums and with such sureties as the Board of Directors shall determine. The assistant secretaries and assistant treasurers, in general, shall perform such duties as shall be assigned to them by the secretary or the treasurer, respectively, or by the president or the Board of Directors.
.04 Removal.
The Board of Directors shall have the right to remove any Officer whenever in its judgment the best interest of the Corporation will be served thereby.
.05 Vacancies.
The Board of Directors shall fill any office which becomes vacant with a successor who shall hold office for the unexpired term and until his/her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified.
.06 Salaries.
The salaries of all Officers of the Corporation shall be fixed by the Board of Directors.
| 25 |
| V. | SHARE CERTIFICATES |
.01 Form and Execution of Certificates.
Certificates for shares of the Corporation shall be in such form as is consistent with the provisions of the Corporation laws of the State of Nevada. They shall be signed by the president and by the secretary, and the seal of the Corporation shall be affixed thereto. Certificates may be issued for fractional shares.
.02 Transfers.
Shares may be transferred by delivery of the certificates therefor, accompanied either by an assignment in writing on the back of the certificates or by a written power of attorney to assign and transfer the same signed by the record holder of the certificate. Except as otherwise specifically provided in these Bylaws, no shares shall be transferred on the books of the Corporation until the outstanding certificate therefor has been surrendered to the Corporation.
.03 Loss or Destruction of Certificates.
In case of loss or destruction of any certificate of shares, another may be issued in its place upon proof of such loss or destruction and upon the giving of a satisfactory bond of indemnity to the Corporation. A new certificate may be issued without requiring any bond, when in the judgment of the Board of Directors it is proper to do so.
| VI. | BOOKS AND RECORDS |
.01 Books of Accounts, Minutes and Share Register.
The Corporation shall keep complete books and records of accounts and minutes of the proceedings of the Board of Directors and shareholders and shall keep at its registered office, principal place of business, or at the office of its transfer agent or registrar a share register giving the names of the shareholders in alphabetical order and showing their respective addresses and the number of shares held by each.
.02 Copies of Resolutions.
Any person dealing with the Corporation may rely upon a copy of any of the records of the proceedings, resolutions, or votes of the Board of Directors or shareholders, when certified by the president or secretary.
| VII. | CORPORATE SEAL |
The Corporation is not required to have a corporate seal.
| VIII. | LOANS |
No loans shall be made by the Corporation to its Officers or Directors.
| 26 |
| IX. | INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS |
.01 Indemnification.
The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgment, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and with respect to any criminal action proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that such person’s conduct was unlawful.
.02 Derivative Action.
The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in the Corporation’s favor by reason of the fact that such person is or was a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorney’s fees) and amount paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to amounts paid in settlement, the settlement of the suit or action was in the best interests of the Corporation; provided, however, that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of such person’s duty to the Corporation unless and only to the extent that, the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as such court shall deem proper. The termination of any action or suit by judgment or settlement shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation.
.03 Successful Defense.
To the extent that a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or Agent of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise, in whole or in part in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Paragraphs .01 and .02 above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
| 27 |
.04 Authorization.
Any indemnification under Paragraphs .01 and .02 above (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Paragraphs .01 and .02 above. Such determination shall be made (a) by the Board of Directors of the Corporation by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of Directors who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, or (b) if such a quorum is not obtainable, by a majority vote of the Directors who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, or (c) by independent legal counsel (selected by one or more of the Directors, whether or not a quorum and whether or not disinterested) in a written opinion, or (d) by the Shareholders. Anyone making such a determination under this Paragraph .04 may determine that a person has met the standards therein set forth as to some claims, issues or matters but not as to others, and may reasonably prorate amounts to be paid as indemnification.
.05 Advances.
Expenses incurred in defending civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding shall be paid by the Corporation, at any time or from time to time in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding as authorized in the manner provided in Paragraph .04 above upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent to repay such amount unless it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this Section.
.06 Nonexclusivity.
The indemnification provided in this Section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those indemnified may be entitled under any law, bylaw, agreement, vote of shareholders or disinterested Directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of such a person.
.07 Insurance.
The Corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability assessed against such person in any such capacity or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability.
| 28 |
.08 “Corporation” Defined.
For purposes of this Section, references to the “Corporation” shall include, in addition to the Corporation, a constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had the power and authority to indemnify its Directors, Trustees, Officers, employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation or of any entity a majority of the voting stock of which is owned by such constituent corporation or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a Director, Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of the corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Section with respect to the resulting or surviving Corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
| X. | AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS |
.01 By the Shareholders.
These Bylaws may be amended, altered, or repealed at any regular or special meeting of the shareholders if notice of the proposed alteration or amendment is contained in the notice of the meeting.
.02 By the Board of Directors.
These Bylaws may be amended, altered, or repealed by the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire Board of Directors at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors.
| XI. | FISCAL YEAR |
The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be set by resolution of the Board of Directors.
| XII. | FORUM |
Unless a majority of the Board, acting on behalf of the Corporation, consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum (which consent may be given at any time, including during the pendency of litigation), the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County of the State of Nevada (or, if the Eighth Judicial District Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, another state district court located within the State of Nevada or, if no state district court located within the State of Nevada has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Nevada), to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising from a breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former Director, shareholder or Officer or other employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or to the Corporation’s shareholders, including a claim alleging the aiding and abetting of such a breach of fiduciary duty, (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim against the Corporation or any current or former Director, shareholder or Officer or other employee of the Corporation arising pursuant to, or seeking to enforce any right, obligation or remedy under, any provision of the Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”), these Bylaws or the Articles of Incorporation (in each case, as may be amended from time to time), (iv) any action or proceeding related to or involving the Corporation or any current or former Director, shareholder or Officer or other employee of the Corporation that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the State of Nevada, (v) any “internal action,” as defined in NRS 78.046, or (vi) any action or proceeding as to which the NRS (as amended from time to time) confers jurisdiction on the district court of the State of Nevada. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to this Article XII, including the personal jurisdiction of the courts specified in this Article XII in connection with any action or proceeding brought in any such court to enforce the provisions of this Article XII. The provisions of this Article XII shall be enforceable by any party to an action or proceeding covered by the provisions of this Article XII.
| XIII. | RULES OF ORDER |
The rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern all meetings of shareholders and Directors where those rules are not inconsistent with the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, or special rules or order of the Corporation.
| XIV. | REIMBURSEMENT OF DISALLOWED EXPENSES |
If any salary, payment, reimbursement, employee fringe benefit, expense allowance payment, or other expense incurred by the Corporation for the benefit of an employee is disallowed in whole or in part as a deductible expense of the Corporation for Federal Income Tax purposes, the employee shall reimburse the Corporation, upon notice and demand, to the full extent of the disallowance. This legally enforceable obligation is in accordance with the provisions of Revenue Ruling 69-115, 19691 C.B. 50, and is for the purpose of entitling such employee to a business expense deduction for the taxable year in which the repayment is made to the Corporation. In this manner, the Corporation shall be protected from having to bear the entire burden of disallowed expense items.
| 29 |
Exhibit 10.1
EXECUTION VERSION
COOPERATION AGREEMENT
This COOPERATION AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of June 23, 2026, by and among CEA Industries Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), on the one hand, and YZILabs Management Ltd., a British Virgin Islands business company (“YZi Labs”), on the other hand. The Company and YZi Labs are each herein referred to as a “party” and collectively, the “parties.”
WHEREAS, on November 26, 2025, YZi Labs and the YZi Labs Key Person (as defined below) filed a Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) with respect to the Company;
WHEREAS, on December 1, 2025, YZi Labs filed a preliminary consent solicitation statement with respect to a proposed solicitation of holders of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), to take certain actions set forth therein (the “Consent Solicitation”), which has been amended by revised preliminary consent solicitation statements filed on January 8, 2026 and February 13, 2026;
WHEREAS, on December 23, 2025, YZi Labs filed an amendment to its Schedule 13D to reflect the formation of a group with certain other persons (such group, the “Consent Solicitation Group”);
WHEREAS, on each of December 12, 2025 and December 30, 2025, YZi Labs made demands to inspect certain books and records of the Company (collectively, the “Books and Records Demands”), to which the Company responded on December 17, 2025 and January 3, 2026, respectively;
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2026, YZi Labs submitted a written request that the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) fix a record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to consent to the YZi Labs Consent Solicitation (the “Record Date Request”), which on March 23, 2026 the Company notified YZi Labs was invalid under the Company’s Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Bylaws”);
WHEREAS, prior to the date hereof Nicholas J. Etten has tendered his resignation as a director to the Board, which resignation shall be effective as of immediately following execution and delivery of this Agreement and has been accepted by the Board;
WHEREAS, as of the effectiveness of Mr. Etten’s resignation and prior to giving effect to the arrangements contemplated under this Agreement, the Board will consist of Carly Howard, Annemarie Tierney, and Glenn Tyranski (together, the “Continuing Directors”); and
WHEREAS, the Company and YZi Labs have determined to come to an agreement with respect to the composition of the Board and certain other matters, as provided in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises and the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree as follows:
1. Board Composition and Related Matters.
(a) Within one (1) Business Day of the date hereof, YZi Labs shall take all actions necessary or appropriate to terminate its Consent Solicitation, withdraw the Books and Records Demands and the Record Date Request, and make all necessary filings with the SEC with respect to the foregoing.
(b) Effective immediately following the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the parties, the Board and all applicable committees thereof shall take (or shall have taken) all necessary actions to (i) increase the size of the Board to six (6) directors and (ii) appoint Ling “Ella” Zhang, Alex Odagiu, and Matthew Roszak (the “YZi Labs Directors”) to the Board, in each case to serve until the 2026 Special Meeting in lieu of Annual Meetings (the “2026 Annual Meeting”) and until their successors are elected and qualified.
(c) Following the appointment of the YZi Labs Directors, the members of the Board and YZi Labs shall promptly engage in discussions about the Board’s composition. As promptly as practicable following such discussions, but in any event by no later than ninety days after the date hereof (as such date may be extended in good faith by mutual written agreement of the Continuing Directors and YZi Labs, such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the Board shall increase the size of the Board by one (1) director and appoint a new Independent Director who shall be mutually agreeable (such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) to the Continuing Directors and YZi Labs (the “Mutual Director” and, together with the YZi Labs Directors, the “New Directors”). The appointment of the Mutual Director shall be subject to such individual’s completion of the Board’s standard review process for non-management directors of the Company, including completing (x) interviews with the Nominating & Governance Committee (the “Nominating Committee”), (y) the Company’s director candidate questionnaire substantially in the form completed by the Continuing Directors (and responding to any reasonable questions in respect thereof), and (z) an appropriate background check (collectively, the “Evaluation Materials”). If requested by a proposed Mutual Director, the Company shall enter into a confidentiality agreement with such candidate with respect to his or her Evaluation Materials in substantially the same form entered into by the YZi Labs Directors prior to the date hereof (such agreement, the “Evaluation Materials Confidentiality Agreement”). In the event that the Mutual Director is appointed after the filing of the Company’s definitive proxy statement for the 2026 Annual Meeting (the “2026 Proxy Statement”) and less than fourteen (14) calendar days prior to the 2026 Annual Meeting, then he or she shall be appointed effective as of the conclusion of the 2026 Annual Meeting. In the event that the Mutual Director is appointed after the filing of the 2026 Proxy Statement and fourteen (14) or more calendar days prior to the 2026 Annual Meeting, then, upon YZi Labs’ request, the Company shall promptly take all actions reasonably necessary to include the Mutual Director in the Company’s slate of nominees for election as a director at the 2026 Annual Meeting, including supplementing or amending the 2026 Proxy Statement, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
| 2 |
(d)
(i) The Company agrees that (x) the Board shall include solely the Continuing Directors and the New Directors (including the Mutual Director and any directors appointed pursuant to Section 1(g)) who are appointed to the Board prior to the filing of the 2026 Proxy Statement in the Company’s slate of nominees for election as a director at the 2026 Annual Meeting or in accordance with the last sentence of Section 1(c), with a term expiring at the Company’s 2027 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2027 Annual Meeting”), (y) the Board shall recommend that the stockholders of the Company vote to elect such slate of nominees and (z) the Company shall solicit proxies in favor of the election of, and otherwise support the election of such slate of nominees in a manner no less rigorous and favorable than its past practices for prior nominees for election at an annual meeting.
(ii) The Company agrees that until the Termination Date (as defined below), (x) the Board shall include the New Directors in the Company’s slate of director nominees for election at each meeting of stockholders at which director candidates are to be elected, (y) the Board shall recommend that the stockholders of the Company vote to elect the New Directors and (z) the Company shall solicit proxies in favor of the election of, and otherwise support the election of, the New Directors in a manner no less rigorous and favorable than the manner in which the Company supports its other nominees for election at such meeting.
(e) Until the Termination Date, so long as YZi Labs beneficially owns at least 4.99% of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, subject to adjustment for stock splits, reclassifications, combinations and similar adjustments, if any YZi Labs Director ceases to be a director, YZi Labs shall, in consultation with the Nominating Committee, have the ability to recommend to the Board a replacement director, and the Board shall appoint, as promptly as practicable following completion of the Board’s and Nominating Committee’s reasonable review of the candidate’s Evaluation Materials, a substitute Qualified Director (as defined below) reasonably acceptable to the Board and Nominating Committee (such acceptance not to be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed) (such person, a “Replacement YZi Labs Director” and such appointment with respect to such Replacement YZi Labs Director, the “YZi Labs Director Replacement”). A “Qualified Director” means an individual who (i) has the relevant financial and business experience to be a director of the Company, (ii) will not result in the Board ceasing to be composed of a majority of Independent Directors following his or her appointment, and (iii) shall not be a principal, full-time consultant, employee, or officer of YZi Labs or its Affiliates or Controlled Associates unless the director being replaced by such person is a principal, full-time consultant, employee, or officer of YZi Labs or its Affiliates or Controlled Associates (a “YZi Labs Affiliated Person”). Effective upon any YZi Labs Director Replacement, such Replacement YZi Labs Director shall be deemed to be a YZi Labs Director for all purposes under this Agreement. Each proposed Qualified Director shall cooperate with the Board, the Nominating Committee, and the Company in their evaluation of such candidate, including completing the Evaluation Materials. For the avoidance of doubt, the shares of Common Stock underlying the Pre-Funded Warrants, the Stapled Warrants and the Strategic Advisor Warrants, each as held by YZi Labs, shall be deemed to be beneficially owned by YZi Labs for the purposes of this Section 1(e).
| 3 |
(f) If any Continuing Director ceases to be a director prior to the 2026 Annual Meeting, the remaining Continuing Directors shall, in consultation with the other members of the Board, have the ability to recommend to the Board a replacement director and the Board shall appoint, as promptly as practicable following completion of the Board’s and Nominating Committee’s reasonable review of the candidate’s Evaluation Materials, a substitute Qualified Director reasonably acceptable to the other members of the Board and the Nominating Committee (such acceptance not to be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed) (such person, a “Replacement Continuing Director” and such appointment with respect to such Replacement Continuing Director, the “Continuing Director Replacement”). Effective upon any Continuing Director Replacement, such Replacement Continuing Director shall be deemed to be a Continuing Director for all purposes under this Agreement. Each proposed Qualified Director shall cooperate with the Board, the Nominating Committee, and the Company in their evaluation of such candidate, including completing the Evaluation Materials.
(g) Until the Termination Date, the number of directors shall not exceed seven (7) directors without the prior written consent of YZi Labs, except that if the New CEO (as defined below) is not a current member of the Board, the Board may increase its size to nine (9) directors and appoint (i) the New CEO and (ii) an additional individual recommended to the Board by YZi Labs who (A) is reasonably acceptable to the Continuing Directors (such acceptance not to be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), (B) completes the Evaluation Materials, and (C) is a Qualified Director. Upon his or her appointment, the director appointed pursuant to the foregoing clause (ii) shall be deemed to be a YZi Labs Director for all purposes of this Agreement.
(h) The parties acknowledge and agree that each New Director, upon election or appointment to the Board, will be governed by the same protections and obligations regarding confidentiality, conflicts of interest, related person transactions, fiduciary duties, codes of conduct, trading, and disclosure policies, director resignation policy, stock ownership guidelines, and other governance guidelines and policies of the Company as other directors of the Company (collectively, “Company Policies”), and shall have the same rights and benefits, including with respect to insurance, indemnification, compensation, and fees, as are applicable to all non-management directors of the Company; provided that any New Director serving in a non-director role with the Company shall, during such service, be subject to any additional or different Company Policies, and have such different rights and benefits, that are appropriate for such a director in such role. YZi Labs acknowledges and agrees that (i) each YZi Labs Director shall recuse himself or herself from any Board or committee meeting in the event there is an actual or potential conflict of interest between YZi Labs, a Restricted Person or such YZi Labs Director, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, based on the advice of Company counsel, provided that the parties acknowledge and agree that matters relating to the Company’s BNB treasury strategy generally, the Rights Agreement generally (including any amendments, modifications or other changes thereto) or the rights of shareholders of the Company generally, in each case in and of themselves, absent matters specifically relating to YZi Labs, a Restricted Person or such YZi Labs Director, shall not be deemed to give rise to any such actual or potential conflict of interest, and no YZi Labs Director shall be required to recuse him or herself from any Board or committee meeting on the basis of such meeting involving any of the foregoing matters, absent matters specifically relating to YZi Labs, a Restricted Person or such YZi Labs Director, and (ii) the Board may restrict a New Director’s access to information of the Company to the same extent it would for any other director of the Company with similar circumstances, in accordance with applicable law and policies of the Board. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) no Company Policy shall be violated by any YZi Labs Director receiving compensation, indemnification and/or reimbursement of expenses from YZi Labs or a Restricted Person; provided that the YZi Labs Directors neither accept nor receive compensation, indemnification or reimbursement of expenses from YZi Labs or a Restricted Person with respect to any YZi Labs Director’s service or action as a director, officer or other Representative, if applicable, of the Company, and (ii) for the avoidance of doubt, YZi Labs is an entity and not a member of the Board, and neither YZi Labs nor any Restricted Person (except the YZi Labs Directors) shall be bound by the Company Policies, including with respect to trading in the Company’s securities, solely as a result of any YZi Labs Director’s appointment to, or service on, the Board. Any YZi Labs Director who is a YZi Labs Affiliated Person may provide confidential information of the Company to YZi Labs for the sole purpose of assisting such YZi Labs Director in his or her role as a director of the Company (but not in any other role with the Company or its subsidiaries), subject to the terms of a confidentiality agreement that YZi Labs and the Company are entering into simultaneously with this Agreement (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) with respect to such confidential information.
| 4 |
(i) Subject to the Company’s committee charters, Nasdaq rules, and applicable laws, the Board shall give each New Director who is an Independent Director the same due consideration for membership to any committee of the Board as any other Independent Director. The Board shall not establish an executive committee or any other new committee of the Board after the date of this Agreement and until the Termination Date unless at least one YZi Labs Director is appointed to serve as a member thereof unless (i) such committee’s mandate includes a matter on which there is an actual or potential conflict of interest between YZi Labs, a Restricted Person or each YZi Labs Director, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, based on the advice of Company counsel, provided that the parties acknowledge and agree that matters relating to the Company’s BNB treasury strategy generally, the Rights Agreement generally (including any amendments, modifications or other changes thereto) or the rights of shareholders of the Company generally, in each case in and of themselves, absent matters specifically relating to YZi Labs, a Restricted Person or such YZi Labs Director, shall not be deemed to give rise to any such actual or potential conflict of interest, or (ii) such committee is required by applicable law or listing standards to include only Independent Directors and solely to the extent that at such time no YZi Labs Director is considered an Independent Director.
(j) The Chairman of the Board shall be selected by the Board in accordance with the requirements of the Bylaws.
2. CEO Search Committee and Related Matters.
(a) Within three (3) Business Days after the date hereof, the Board shall take all action necessary to form a Chief Executive Officer Search Committee (the “CEO Search Committee”) that shall use its reasonable best efforts to conduct a search to identify candidates, and otherwise assist the Board in selecting, the Company’s next chief executive officer (the “New CEO”) as promptly as practicable and in any event by the earlier of (i) the Company’s 2026 Annual Meeting and (ii) August 31, 2026. The CEO Search Committee shall consist of (x) the Mutual Director (upon his or her appointment), (y) two of the YZi Labs Directors, and (z) two Continuing Directors. The Mutual Director shall serve as the chair of the CEO Search Committee for so long as he or she is a member of the Board; provided that until the appointment of the Mutual Director to the Board, a YZi Labs Director shall serve as the interim chair of the CEO Search Committee. The CEO Search Committee may be disbanded by the Board following the selection of the New CEO.
(b) The CEO Search Committee shall use its best efforts to identify New CEO candidates with cryptocurrency experience and to conduct a market-standard CEO search, with market-standard compensation set in consultation with the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Compensation Committee”) and its compensation consultant, Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC, subject to the approval of the Board. The CEO Search Committee shall consider any candidates suggested by YZi Labs in good faith, including Mr. Odagiu.
(c) Appointment of the New CEO shall require, in addition to the approval of a majority of the then-serving members of the Board, the approval of (i) at least one YZi Labs Director and (ii) at least one Continuing Director; provided that the approvals set forth in clauses (i) and (ii) shall not be required if two New CEO candidates have been recommended for appointment by the CEO Search Committee and failed to receive such approval from at least one YZi Labs Director or at least one Continuing Director, as applicable.
(d) During the period from the date hereof until at least the appointment of the New CEO, Mr. Odagiu shall serve as Interim President of the Company reporting directly to the Board, subject to removal by the Board for cause (which shall have a customary meaning, and shall have the meaning set forth in any employment or consulting agreement with Mr. Odagiu if one is entered into). The responsibilities of the Interim President shall be determined by the Board on the date hereof following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, and as previously approved by YZi Labs.
3. Voting Commitment. Until the Termination Date, YZi Labs shall, or shall cause the Restricted Persons to, (a) appear in person or by proxy at each Stockholder Meeting and (b) vote, or deliver consents or consent revocations with respect to, all Voting Securities over which YZi Labs or its Affiliates has the right to vote (or to direct be voted), as of the applicable record date, in accordance with the Board’s recommendations with respect to all proposals submitted to stockholders at such Stockholder Meeting other than proposals with respect to an Extraordinary Transaction, in each case as the Board’s recommendation is set forth in the definitive proxy statement, consent solicitation statement, or revocation solicitation statement filed by the Company in respect of such Stockholder Meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that each of the voting recommendations published by Institutional Stockholder Services, Inc. (“ISS”) and Glass Lewis & Co., LLC (“Glass Lewis”), or any successors thereto, differs from the Board’s recommendation with respect to any proposal (other than proposals to elect, remove or replace directors or proposals to change the size of the Board) submitted to stockholders at any Stockholder Meeting, YZi Labs and the Restricted Persons shall be permitted to vote, or deliver consents or consent revocations with respect to, any shares beneficially owned by YZi Labs or such Restricted Person in accordance with such ISS and Glass Lewis recommendations. Each of YZi Labs and such Restricted Person shall use commercially reasonable efforts (including by calling back loaned out shares so long as the Company has provided YZi Labs with at least seven (7) days’ prior written notice of the applicable record date) to ensure that YZi Labs or such Restricted Person has voting power for all Voting Securities beneficially owned by it on the record date for each Stockholder Meeting (except for any shares underlying unexercised Convertible Securities). Upon the Company’s written request, YZi Labs shall provide the Company with written confirmation and evidence of its compliance with this Section 3 no later than two (2) Business Days following such request.
| 5 |
4. Standstill. Prior to the Termination Date, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, without the prior written consent of the Board, YZi Labs shall not, and shall cause the Restricted Persons not to, directly or indirectly:
(a) acquire, offer or seek to acquire, agree to acquire, or acquire rights or options to acquire (except by way of stock dividends or other distributions or offerings made available to holders of Voting Securities generally on a pro rata basis or pursuant to an Extraordinary Transaction approved by the Board), whether by purchase, tender or exchange offer, through the acquisition of control of another person, by joining a group, through swap or hedging transactions or otherwise, any Voting Securities (other than through a broad-based market basket or index), any voting rights decoupled from the underlying Voting Securities, or any derivative securities, contracts or instruments in any way related to the price of any securities of the Company or any assets or liabilities of the Company; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit or restrict (i) the beneficial ownership of or the issuance of any shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants, the Stapled Warrants and the Strategic Advisor Warrants in accordance with their terms, each as held by YZi Labs as of the date of this Agreement, and (ii) any Voting Securities acquired by YZi Labs or any Restricted Person directly from the Company in any transaction approved by the Board, including, without limitation, any private placement of public equity or other similar transaction;
(b) sell, assign, or otherwise transfer or dispose of any Voting Securities, or any rights decoupled from such shares, beneficially owned by them, other than in open market sale transactions where the identity of the purchaser is not known or in underwritten widely-dispersed public offerings, to any Third Party that, to YZi Labs’ or any Restricted Persons’ knowledge (after reasonable due inquiry), would result in such Third Party, together with its Affiliates and Associates, owning, controlling or otherwise having any beneficial or other ownership interest of, in the aggregate, more than 4.9% of the shares of Common Stock outstanding at such time or would increase the beneficial ownership interest of any Third Party who, together with its Affiliates and Associates, has a beneficial or other ownership interest of, in the aggregate, more than 4.9% of the shares of Common Stock outstanding at such time (except, in each case, in a transaction approved by the Board or to Schedule 13G filers that are mutual funds, pension funds, index funds or investment fund managers with no known history of activism or known plans to engage in activism), in each case without giving effect to any beneficial ownership limitation in any Convertible Securities;
(c) (i) other than pursuant to Section 1, nominate, recommend for nomination or give notice of an intent to nominate or recommend for nomination a person for election at any Stockholder Meeting at which the Company’s directors are to be elected; (ii) initiate, knowingly encourage, assist or participate in any solicitation of proxies, consents or consent revocations in respect of any election contest or removal contest with respect to the Company’s directors; (iii) submit, initiate, make or be a proponent of any stockholder proposal for consideration at, or bring any other business before, any Stockholder Meeting; (iv) initiate, knowingly encourage, assist or participate in any solicitation of proxies, consents or consent revocations in respect of any stockholder proposal for consideration at, or other business brought before, any Stockholder Meeting; (v) initiate, knowingly encourage, assist or participate in any “withhold” or similar campaign with respect to any proposal for consideration at, or other business brought before, any Stockholder Meeting; or (vi) call or seek to call, or request the call of, or initiate a consent solicitation or consent revocation solicitation with respect to, or request the fixing of a record date for, alone or in concert with others, any Stockholder Meeting, whether or not such a Stockholder Meeting is permitted by the Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended (as may be amended from time to time, the “Charter”), or the Bylaws, including any “town hall” meeting;
| 6 |
(d) form, join or in any way participate in any group or agreement of any kind with respect to any Voting Securities, other than any such group or agreement that is solely among YZi Labs, the YZi Labs Key Person, and one or more Restricted Person(s) who do not beneficially own any Voting Securities (other than the person(s) included on Schedule I, so long as such person’s beneficial ownership of Voting Securities is limited to his or her beneficial ownership as of the date hereof and beneficial ownership acquired in compliance with Section 4(a) as if it were applicable to him or her) and agree in writing to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement as if they were a party hereto;
(e) grant any proxy, consent or other authority to vote with respect to any Stockholder Meeting other than to the named proxies included in the Company’s proxy card, consent card, or consent revocation card;
(f) deposit any Voting Securities in any voting trust or subject any Voting Securities to any arrangement or agreement with respect to the voting thereof, other than (i) any such voting trust, arrangement, or agreement that is solely among YZi Labs, the YZi Labs Key Person, and one or more Restricted Person(s) who do not beneficially own any Voting Securities (other than the person(s) included on Schedule I, so long as such person’s beneficial ownership of Voting Securities is limited to his or her beneficial ownership as of the date hereof and beneficial ownership acquired in compliance with Section 4(a) as if it were applicable to him or her) and agree in writing to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement as if they were a party hereto, and (ii) depositing securities in customary brokerage accounts, margin accounts, prime brokerage accounts or similar accounts;
(g) seek, alone or in concert with others, to amend any provision of the Charter or Bylaws;
(h) demand an inspection of the Company’s books and records;
(i) (i) make any proposal with respect to or (ii) make any statement or otherwise seek to encourage, advise or assist any person in so encouraging or advising with respect to: (A) any change in the composition, number or term of directors serving on the Board or the filling of any vacancies on the Board, (B) any change in the capitalization, dividend policy, treasury strategy, or share repurchase programs or practices of the Company, (C) any other change in the Company’s management, governance, business, operations, strategy, corporate structure, affairs or policies, (D) any Extraordinary Transaction, (E) any waiver, modification, amendment, or termination of the Rights Agreement or any other material agreement of the Company; (F) causing a class of securities of the Company to be delisted from, or to cease to be authorized to be quoted on, any securities exchange, or (G) causing a class of equity securities of the Company to become eligible for termination of registration pursuant to Section 12(g)(4) of the Exchange Act;
| 7 |
(j) initiate, make, or in any way participate, in any Extraordinary Transaction or make any proposal, either alone or in concert with others, to the Company or the Board that would reasonably be expected to require a public announcement or disclosure regarding any such matter, provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit or restrict YZi Labs or any Restricted Person from voting any securities of the Company on any such Extraordinary Transaction or proposal as otherwise permitted by and in accordance with this Agreement;
(k) effect or seek to effect, offer or propose to effect, cause or participate in, or in any way assist or knowingly facilitate any other person to effect or seek, offer or propose to effect or participate in, any (i) material acquisition of any assets or businesses of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (ii) tender offer or exchange offer, merger, acquisition, share exchange or other business combination involving any Voting Securities or any of the material assets or businesses of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; or (iii) recapitalization, restructuring, liquidation, dissolution or other material transaction with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any material portion of its or their businesses; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, this Section 4(k) does not prohibit or restrict YZi Labs or any Restricted Person from transacting in BNB or other assets that are in the category of the Company’s assets in the ordinary course through open market purchases;
(l) seek to advise, knowingly influence or knowingly encourage any person with respect to the voting of (or execution of a written consent in respect of) or disposition of any securities of the Company (other than any advice, influence or encouragement that is consistent with the voting commitment of YZi Labs as set forth in Section 3);
(m) disclose any vote, delivery of consents or consent revocations, or failure to deliver consents or consent revocations, as applicable, by YZi Labs against the voting recommendations of the Board in connection with a Stockholder Meeting;
(n) enter into any negotiations, agreements or understandings with any Third Party with respect to any of the foregoing, or advise, assist, encourage or seek to persuade any Third Party to take any action with respect to any of the foregoing, or otherwise take or cause any action inconsistent with any of the foregoing;
(o) publicly make or in any way publicly advance any request or proposal that the Company or the Board amend, modify or waive any provision of this Agreement; or
(p) take any action challenging the validity or enforceability of this Section 4 or this Agreement unless the Company is challenging the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or as otherwise in accordance with Section 6(c);
| 8 |
provided, however, that the restrictions in this Section 4 shall not prevent YZi Labs and the Restricted Persons from (i) making any factual statement or public disclosure to the extent required by applicable legal process, subpoena or legal requirement from any Governmental Authority with competent jurisdiction over the party from whom information is sought so long as such request did not arise as a result of any action by YZi Labs or any Restricted Person, (ii) communicating privately with the Company’s directors, officers or legal counsel so long as such private communications would not reasonably be expected to trigger public disclosure obligations for any party, (iii) stating how it or they intend to vote and the reasons therefor on any Extraordinary Transaction that each of the YZi Labs Directors have voted “against” in his or her capacity as a director and has been publicly submitted for the approval of the Company’s stockholders, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 5, or (iv) tendering shares, receiving payment for shares or otherwise participating in any Extraordinary Transaction on the same basis as the other stockholders of the Company, or participating in any Extraordinary Transaction that has been approved by the Board. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement, including this Section 4, shall be deemed to limit or restrict the exercise in good faith by the New Directors of their fiduciary duties in their capacities as a director of the Company.
For the avoidance of doubt, the parties acknowledge and agree that no person shall be deemed to have formed, joined or participated in any group, agreement, voting trust, voting arrangement or similar arrangement with respect to Voting Securities solely as a result of: (i) the service by any New Director or Continuing Director on the Board or any committee thereof, (ii) any New Director’s or Continuing Director’s participation in Board or committee deliberations or voting, or (iii) YZi Labs and the Restricted Persons voting in accordance with their obligations under Section 3.
5. Mutual Non-Disparagement. Until the Termination Date, without the prior written consent of the other party, neither party shall, nor shall it permit any of its Representatives to, directly or indirectly, make any public or private statement or speak to any member of the media in a manner that undermines, disparages or otherwise reflects detrimentally on the other party, its subsidiaries, their respective businesses, or their respective current or former directors, officers, or employees. A statement in breach of this Section 5 shall only be deemed to be made by the Company if made by a member of the Board or senior management team (other than any YZi Labs Director or person acting at the direction thereof, but including members of the Company’s investor relations team) authorized to make such statement. A statement in breach of this Section 5 shall only be deemed to be made by YZi Labs if made by the YZi Labs Key Person or a director or partner of YZi Labs, or by a full-time consultant or employee of YZi Labs, or an Affiliate or Associate of YZi Labs, authorized to make such statement. The restrictions in this Section 5 shall not (a) apply (i) to any compelled testimony or production of information, whether by legal process, subpoena, or as part of a response to a request for information from any governmental or regulatory authority with jurisdiction over the party from whom information is sought, in each case to the extent required, or (ii) to any disclosure that such party reasonably believes, after consultation with outside counsel, to be legally required by applicable law, rules or regulations; (b) prohibit any party from reporting what it reasonably believes, after consultation with outside counsel, to be violations of Federal law or regulation to any Governmental Authority pursuant to Section 21F of the Exchange Act or Rule 21F promulgated thereunder, (c) apply to any private communications among YZi Labs, the Restricted Persons and their respective Representatives (in their respective capacities as such), (d) apply to any private communications among the Company and its Affiliates, and their respective Representatives (in their respective capacities as such), or (e) apply to any private communications between any of the persons listed in (c), on the one hand, and (d), on the other hand. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 5, this Section 5 shall not apply to any statement with respect to 10X Capital (as defined below) or its current or former directors, officers, agents, advisors, representatives or control party or parties in their capacity as such.
| 9 |
6. Mutual Release and No Litigation.
(a) Effective upon the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the parties, YZi Labs, on behalf of itself, its Affiliates and Associates, and the other Restricted Persons (collectively, the “YZi Releasing Parties”), release and forever discharge the Company, its Affiliates and Associates, and its and their respective current directors, officers, agents, advisors, attorneys, and other Representatives (collectively, the “Company Released Persons”) from any and all liabilities, claims, counterclaims, demands (including demands for investigation), suits, judgments, proceedings, attorneys’ fees, costs, interest, compensatory damages, exemplary damages, injuries, causes of action, and losses of any kind, known or unknown, fixed or contingent, whether made or to be made directly or derivatively, whether at law or at equity or otherwise, whether under the laws or rules of the United States or any U.S. state or territory, or under the laws or rules of any non-U.S. country or territory (each a “Claim,” and collectively, “Claims”), arising from events occurring prior to the date hereof that any of the YZi Releasing Parties have ever had or now have against the Company Released Persons. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company Released Persons shall not include 10X Capital Asset Management LLC, 10X BNB Cayman Sponsor, 10X Capital Partners LLC, or any of their Affiliates or Controlled Associates (collectively, “10X Capital”) or their respective current or former directors, officers, agents, advisors, representatives or control party or parties in their capacity as such (it being acknowledged and agreed that the Company shall not be an Affiliate or Associate of such persons if it would otherwise be determined to be so).
(b) Effective upon the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the parties, the Company, on behalf of itself and its Affiliates and Associates (collectively, the “Company Releasing Parties”), releases and forever discharges YZi Labs, its Affiliates and Associates, the Restricted Persons, and its and their respective current directors, officers, agents, advisors, attorneys and other Representatives (collectively, the “YZi Labs Released Persons”) from any and all Claims arising from events occurring prior to the date hereof that the Company Releasing Parties have ever had or now have against any of the YZi Labs Released Persons.
(c) Each party hereby covenants and agrees that, prior to the Termination Date, it shall not, and shall not permit any of its Representatives to, directly or indirectly, alone or in concert with others, encourage, pursue, or assist any other person to threaten or initiate any Claim of any kind, including any proceeding before any Governmental Authority (each, a “Legal Proceeding”), against the other party or any of its Representatives based on information known or unknown as of the date of this Agreement, except for (a) any Legal Proceeding initiated primarily to remedy a breach of or to enforce this Agreement or any other agreement between YZi Labs (or its Representatives) and the Company (or its Representatives), (b) counterclaims with respect to any proceeding initiated by or on behalf of one party or its Affiliates against the other party or its Affiliates or (c) any Legal Proceeding with respect to claims of fraud in connection with, arising out of or related to this Agreement or any other agreement between YZi Labs (or its Representatives) and the Company (or its Representatives); provided, however, that the foregoing shall not prevent any party or any of its Representatives from responding to oral questions, interrogatories, requests for information or documents, subpoenas, civil investigative demands or similar processes (each, a “Legal Requirement”) in connection with any Legal Proceeding if such Legal Proceeding has not been initiated by, on behalf of, or at the direct or indirect suggestion of such party or any of its Representatives; provided, further, that in the event any party or any of its Representatives receives such Legal Requirement, such party shall give prompt written notice of such Legal Requirement to the other party (except where such notice would be legally prohibited). Each party represents and warrants that neither it nor any of its Representatives or assignees has filed any Legal Proceeding against the other party.
| 10 |
7. Public Statements; SEC Filings.
(a) Within one (1) Business Day following the date of this Agreement, the Company and YZi Labs shall issue a joint press release (the “Press Release”) announcing this Agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A. Prior to the issuance of the Press Release, neither the Company nor YZi Labs nor any Restricted Person shall issue any press release or public announcement regarding this Agreement, or take any action that would require public disclosure thereof by any party, without the prior written consent of the other party.
(b) Within two (2) Business Days following the date of this Agreement, the Company shall file with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K setting forth a brief description of the terms of this Agreement and appending this Agreement as an exhibit thereto (the “Form 8-K”). The Form 8-K shall be consistent with the terms of this Agreement and the Press Release. The Company shall provide YZi Labs and its Representatives with a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on the Form 8-K prior to it being filed with the SEC and consider in good faith any comments of YZi Labs and its Representatives.
(c) Within two (2) Business Days following the date of this Agreement, YZi Labs and the other members of the Consent Solicitation Group shall file with the SEC an amendment to their Schedule 13D setting forth a brief description of the terms of this Agreement, appending this Agreement as an exhibit thereto, and reporting the disbandment of the Consent Solicitation Group (the “Schedule 13D Amendment”). The Schedule 13D Amendment shall be consistent with the terms of this Agreement and the Press Release. YZi Labs shall provide the Company and its Representatives with a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on the Schedule 13D Amendment prior to it being filed with the SEC and consider in good faith any comments of the Company and its Representatives.
(d) Except for the issuance of the Press Release and the filing of the Form 8-K and the Schedule 13D Amendment (and a related filing on DFAN14A), no party shall issue any press release or other public statement (including in any filing required under the Exchange Act) about the subject matter of this Agreement, except as required by law, Legal Requirement or applicable stock exchange listing rules or with the prior written consent of the other party and otherwise in accordance with this Agreement.
8. Affiliates and Controlled Associates. Each party shall instruct its or their respective Affiliates and Controlled Associates to comply with the terms of this Agreement and shall be responsible for any breach of this Agreement by any such Affiliate or Controlled Associate. A breach of this Agreement by an Affiliate or Controlled Associate of a party, if such Affiliate or Controlled Associate is not a party to this Agreement, shall be deemed to occur if such Affiliate or Controlled Associate engages in conduct that would constitute a breach of this Agreement if such Affiliate or Controlled Associate was a party to the same extent as a party to this Agreement.
| 11 |
9. Representations and Warranties.
(a) YZi Labs represents and warrants that it has full power and authority to execute, deliver and carry out the terms and provisions of this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, and that this Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by it, constitutes a valid and binding obligation and agreement of it and is enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance or similar laws generally affecting the rights of creditors and subject to general equity principles. YZi Labs represents that (i) the execution of this Agreement, the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the fulfillment of the terms hereof, in each case in accordance with the terms hereof, will not conflict with, or result in a breach or violation of the organizational documents of it as currently in effect and (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by it does not and will not (A) violate or conflict with any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree applicable to it or (B) result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default under or pursuant to (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both could constitute such a breach, violation or default), or result in the loss of a material benefit under, or give any right of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any organizational document, agreement, contract, commitment, understanding or arrangement to which it is a party or by which it is bound. YZi Labs represents, warrants, and agrees that neither it nor any of its Affiliates or Controlled Associates (i) has paid or will pay any compensation to any of the New Directors (or any replacement director of any YZi Labs Director) or any other member of the Board regarding such person’s service on the Board or any committee thereof, or (ii) has or will have any agreement, arrangement or understanding, written or oral, with any of the New Directors (or any replacement director of any YZi Labs Director) regarding such person’s service on the Board or any committee thereof. YZi Labs represents and warrants that, as of the date of this Agreement, it beneficially owns an aggregate of 2,150,481 shares of Common Stock, consisting of 2,150,481 shares of Common Stock held directly, 7,750,510 Pre-Funded Warrants to acquire Common Stock, 9,900,991 Stapled Warrants to acquire Common Stock, and 3,564,359 Strategic Advisor Warrants to acquire Common Stock.
(b) The Company hereby represents and warrants that it has the power and authority to execute, deliver and carry out the terms and provisions of this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, and that this Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, constitutes a valid and binding obligation and agreement of the Company and is enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance or similar laws generally affecting the rights of creditors and subject to general equity principles. The Company represents and warrants that (i) the execution of this Agreement, the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the fulfillment of the terms hereof, in each case in accordance with the terms hereof, will not conflict with, or result in a breach or violation of the organizational documents of the Company as currently in effect and (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company does not and will not (A) violate or conflict with any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree applicable to the Company or (B) result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default under or pursuant to (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both could constitute such a breach, violation or default), or result in the loss of a material benefit under, or give any right of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any organizational document or material agreement, contract, commitment, understanding or arrangement to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound. The Company further represents and warrants to YZi Labs that (i) the form of director questionnaire completed by the New Directors prior to the date hereof is substantially identical to the director questionnaire completed by Annemarie Tierney, Carly Howard and Glenn Tyranski and (ii) no amendments, modifications or changes have been made to the Bylaws since December 29, 2025, except as have been previously shared with and approved by YZi Labs.
| 12 |
10. Expenses. Each party shall bear its own costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.
11. Termination.
(a) This Agreement shall remain in effect until the earlier of (such effective date of termination, the “Termination Date”):
(i) the date that is one month before the last day upon which nominations of candidates for election as a director to the Board may be made pursuant to the Bylaws (the “Nomination Deadline”) with respect to the Company’s 2029 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and
(ii) 120 days prior to the third anniversary of the 2026 Annual Meeting;
provided that this Agreement shall terminate (a) one month before the Nomination Deadline with respect to the Company’s 2027 Annual Meeting if the Company has not notified YZi Labs that a majority of the members of the Board other than the YZi Labs Directors have irrevocably offered to renominate each of the then serving YZi Labs Directors for election at the 2027 Annual Meeting and (b) one month before the Nomination Deadline with respect to the Company’s 2028 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2028 Annual Meeting”) unless (I) the Company has notified YZi Labs that a majority of the members of the Board other than the YZi Labs Directors have irrevocably offered to renominate each of the then serving YZi Labs Directors for election at the 2028 Annual Meeting and (II) a majority of such YZi Labs Directors consent to such renomination.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement:
(i) the obligations of YZi Labs and the Restricted Persons (A) pursuant to Sections 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7(d) shall terminate in the event that the Company materially breaches its obligations to YZi Labs pursuant to Section 1, 5 or 7(d) or the representations and warranties in Section 9(b) of this Agreement and such breach (if capable of being cured) has not been cured within ten (10) calendar days following written notice of such breach from YZi Labs, or, if impossible to cure within ten (10) calendar days, the Company has not taken substantive action to correct within ten (10) calendar days following written notice of such breach from YZi Labs; and (B) pursuant to Section 6(c) shall terminate immediately in the event that the Company materially breaches its obligations to YZi Labs under Section 6(c); and
| 13 |
(ii) the obligations of the Company to YZi Labs (A) pursuant to Sections 1, 2, 5 and 7(d) shall terminate in the event that YZi Labs or a Restricted Person materially breaches its or their obligations in Sections 1, 3, 4, 5, or 7(d) or the representations and warranties in Section 9(a), and such breach (if capable of being cured) has not been cured within ten (10) calendar days following written notice of such breach, or, if impossible to cure within ten (10) calendar days, YZi Labs or such Restricted Person has not taken substantive action to correct within ten (10) calendar days following written notice of such breach from the Company; and (B) pursuant to Section 6(c) shall terminate immediately in the event that YZi Labs or any Restricted Person materially breaches its obligations under Section 6(c).
(c) If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Section 11, this Agreement shall forthwith become null and void, but no termination shall relieve either party from liability for any breach of this Agreement prior to such termination, and Sections 6(a), 6(b) and 11 through 15 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
12. Notices. All notices, demands and other communications to be given or delivered under or by reason of the provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given (a) when delivered by hand, with written confirmation of receipt; (b) upon sending, if sent by electronic mail to the electronic mail addresses below, with confirmation of receipt from the receiving party by electronic mail; (c) one (1) Business Day after being sent by a nationally recognized overnight carrier to the addresses set forth below; or (d) when actually delivered if sent by any other method that results in delivery, with written confirmation of receipt:
| If to the Company: | with mandatory copies (which shall not constitute notice) to: | ||
| CEA Industries Inc. | Sidley Austin LLP | ||
| 385 South Pierce Avenue, Suite C | 787 Seventh Avenue | ||
| Louisville, Colorado 80027 | New York, NY 10019 | ||
| Attn: | Diane Carman | Attn: | Kai H.E. Liekefett |
| Email: | [***]@ceaindustries.com | Jessica Wood | |
| Eric S. Goodwin | |||
| Email: | [***]@sidley.com | ||
| [***]@sidley.com | |||
| [***]@sidley.com | |||
| If to YZi Labs: | with mandatory copies (which shall not constitute notice) to: | ||
| YZILabs Management Ltd. | Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP | ||
| 2 Fl, Water’s Edge Bldg, Wickhams Cay II | 1325 Avenue of the Americas | ||
| Road Town, Tortola, D8, VG 110 | New York, NY 10019 | ||
| Attn: | Legal Team | Attn: | Andrew Freedman |
| Email: | [***]@yzilabs.com | Rebecca L. Van Derlaske | |
| Email: | [***]@olshanlaw.com | ||
| [***]@olshanlaw.com | |||
| 14 |
13. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Arbitration; Jury Waiver.
(a) This Agreement, and any disputes arising out of or related to this Agreement (whether for breach of contract, tortious conduct or otherwise), shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Nevada, without giving effect to its conflict of laws principles.
(b) Subject to the provisions set forth in Section 13(c) below, the parties agree that exclusive jurisdiction and venue for any Legal Proceeding arising out of or related to this Agreement shall exclusively lie in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, any other court located within New York County, New York. Each party waives any objection it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such Legal Proceeding, and irrevocably submits to personal jurisdiction in any such court in any such Legal Proceeding and hereby further irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any court that any such Legal Proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in any inconvenient forum. Each party consents to accept service of process in any such Legal Proceeding by service of a copy thereof delivered to it by certified or registered mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, addressed to it at the address set forth in Section 12. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to affect the right of any party to serve process in any manner permitted by law. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13(b), at the election of either party, a dispute arising out of or related to this Agreement (whether for breach of contract, tortious conduct or otherwise) shall be finally settled under the Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (the “ICC Rules”) by three arbitrators appointed in accordance with the ICC Rules. In the event of such election, the parties agree that, (i) the Emergency Arbitrator Provisions shall not apply, (ii) the language of the arbitration, including all proceedings and hearings, shall be English, (iii) the form of the arbitration shall be virtual hearings, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties in writing, and (iv) either party may seek interim, conservatory, or preliminary relief in aid of arbitration from any court of competent jurisdiction, and any such application shall not be deemed incompatible with, or a waiver of, this agreement to arbitrate. The arbitral tribunal shall have no authority to award attorneys fees or punitive, exemplary or treble damages, except as expressly set forth in Section 13(d) below.
(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, in the event that an arbitral tribunal or court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final, nonappealable order that this Agreement has been breached by YZi Labs as a result of the actions, or non-actions, of the YZi Labs Key Person or of tortious interference by the YZi Labs Key Person, then, in addition to any other applicable damages, YZi Labs will reimburse the Company for its actual and documented costs and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable legal fees and expenses) incurred in connection with such Legal Proceeding or arbitration.
| 15 |
14. Specific Performance. Each party to this Agreement acknowledges and agrees that the other party would be irreparably injured by an actual breach of this Agreement by the first-mentioned party or its Representatives and that monetary remedies would be inadequate to protect either party against any actual or threatened breach or continuation of any breach of this Agreement. Without prejudice to any other rights and remedies otherwise available to the parties under this Agreement, each party shall be entitled to equitable relief by way of injunction or otherwise and specific performance of the provisions hereof upon satisfying the requirements to obtain such relief, without the necessity of posting a bond or other security, if the other party or any of its Representatives breaches or threatens to breach any provision of this Agreement. Such remedy shall not be deemed to be the exclusive remedy for a breach of this Agreement but shall be in addition to all other remedies available at law or equity to the non-breaching party.
15. Certain Definitions and Interpretations. As used in this Agreement: (a) the terms “Affiliate” and “Associate” (and any plurals thereof) and “control” have the meanings ascribed to such terms under Rule 12b-2 promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act and shall include all persons or entities that at any time prior to the Termination Date become Affiliates or Associates of any applicable person or entity referred to in this Agreement; provided, however, that the terms “Associate” or “Controlled Associate” shall refer only to Associates controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Company, YZi Labs or a Restricted Person and other Associates acting at the direction of or on behalf of the Company, YZi Labs or a Restricted Person; provided, further, that, for purposes of this Agreement, none of YZi Labs nor any Restricted Person shall be an Affiliate or Associate of the Company and the Company shall not be an Affiliate or Associate of any of YZi Labs or any Restricted Person; (b) the terms “beneficial ownership,” “group,” “person,” “proxy” and “solicitation” (and any plurals thereof) have the meanings ascribed to such terms under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, provided that the meaning of “solicitation” shall be without regard to the exclusions set forth in Rules 14a-1(l)(2)(iv) and 14a-2 under the Exchange Act; (c) the term “Business Day” means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in the State of New York are authorized or obligated to be closed by applicable law; (d) the term “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; (e) the term “Extraordinary Transaction” means any tender offer, exchange offer, merger, consolidation, acquisition, business combination, sale, recapitalization, restructuring, or other similar transaction with a third party, in each case, that results in a change in control of the Company, or the direct or indirect sale of all or substantially all of its assets; (f) the term “Governmental Authority” means any federal, state, local, municipal, or foreign government and any political subdivision thereof, any authority, bureau, commission, department, board, official, or other instrumentality of such government or political subdivision, any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority or quasi-governmental authority (to the extent that the rules, regulations or orders of such organization or authority have the force of law), including, but not limited to, the SEC and its staff, and any court of competent jurisdiction; (g) the term “Independent Director” means an individual who qualifies as an “independent director” under the applicable rules of the SEC, the rules of any stock exchange on which the Company is traded, and the applicable governance policies of the Company; (h) the term “Representatives” means (i) a person’s Affiliates and Controlled Associates, (ii) its and their respective directors, officers, employees, partners, members, managers, consultants, legal or other advisors, agents and other representatives acting in a capacity on behalf of, in concert with or at the direction of such person or its Affiliates or Controlled Associates and (iii) for the avoidance of doubt, with respect to YZi Labs, the Restricted Persons; provided that the YZi Labs Directors (serving in their capacity as a director or otherwise) shall not be deemed to be Representatives of the Company for purposes of this Agreement and any breach of the Company hereunder caused or approved by the YZi Labs Directors (in any capacity) shall not be deemed to be a breach of the Company; (i) the term “Restricted Persons” means YZi Labs and the YZi Labs Key Person, and its and their respective Affiliates and Controlled Associates; (j) the term “Rights Agreement” means that certain Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated as of December 26, 2025, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent; (k) the term “SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; (l) the term “Stockholder Meeting” means each annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Company, any adjournment, postponement, rescheduling or continuation thereof, and any action by written consent of the Company’s stockholders in lieu of a meeting; (m) the term “Third Party” refers to any person that is not a party, a member of the Board, a director or officer of the Company, or legal counsel to either party; (n) the term “Voting Securities” means the Common Stock and any other Company securities entitled to vote in the election of directors, or any warrants, shares, notes, or other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, such shares or other securities, whether or not subject to the passage of time or other contingencies (such warrants, shares, notes or other securities, “Convertible Securities”); and (o) the term “YZi Labs Key Person” means Changpeng Zhao. In this Agreement, unless a clear contrary intention appears, (i) the word “including” (in its various forms) means “including, without limitation;” (ii) the words “hereunder,” “hereof,” “hereto” and words of similar import are references to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement; (iii) the word “or” is not exclusive; (iv) references to “Sections” in this Agreement are references to Sections of this Agreement unless otherwise indicated; and (v) whenever the context requires, the masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter genders.
| 16 |
16. Miscellaneous.
(a) This Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement, including all exhibits hereto, contain the entire agreement between the parties and supersede all other prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(b) This Agreement is solely for the benefit of the parties and is not enforceable by any other persons, except that the Company Released Persons and YZi Labs Released Persons shall be intended third party beneficiaries of Sections 6(a) and 6(b), as applicable, for purposes of enforcing such sections and the restriction on amendments, modifications and waivers of such sections contained in Section 16(f).
(c) This Agreement shall not be assignable by operation of law or otherwise by a party without the consent of the other party. Any purported assignment without such consent is void ab initio. Subject to the foregoing sentence, this Agreement shall be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by and against the permitted successors and assigns of each party.
(d) Neither the failure nor any delay by a party in exercising any right, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any right, power or privilege hereunder.
(e) If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that the parties would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such which may be hereafter declared invalid, void or unenforceable. In addition, the parties agree to use their reasonable best efforts to agree upon and substitute a valid and enforceable term, provision, covenant or restriction for any of such that is held invalid, void or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(f) Any amendment or modification of the terms and conditions set forth herein or any waiver of such terms and conditions must be agreed to in a writing signed by each party (in the case of an amendment or modification) or by the party to be bound thereby (in the case of a waiver); provided that any amendment, modification or waiver of Sections 6(a) or 6(b) that is materially adverse to a Company Released Person or YZi Labs Released Person shall also require such person’s prior written consent.
(g) This Agreement may be executed in one or more textually identical counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Signatures to this Agreement transmitted by facsimile transmission, by electronic mail in “portable document format” (“.pdf”) form, or by any other electronic means intended to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document, shall have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing the original signature.
(h) The headings set forth in this Agreement are for convenience of reference purposes only and will not affect or be deemed to affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement or any term or provision of this Agreement.
[Signature Pages Follow]
| 17 |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has executed this Agreement, or caused the same to be executed by its duly authorized representative, as of the date first above written.
| THE COMPANY: | ||
| CEA INDUSTRIES, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ David Namdar | |
| Name: | David Namdar | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
[Signature Page to the Cooperation Agreement]
| YZI LABS: | ||
| YZILABS MANAGEMENT LTD. | ||
| By: | /s/ Changpeng Zhao | |
| Name: | Changpeng Zhao | |
| Title: | Director | |
[Signature Page to the Cooperation Agreement]
Schedule I
| 1. | Alex Odagiu | |
| 2. | Matthew Roszak | |
| 3. | Ling “Ella” Zhang |
Exhibit A
Form of Press Release
YZi Labs and CEA Industries Reach Cooperation Agreement
to Strengthen BNC Governance
YZi Labs to End Consent Solicitation Following Governance and Leadership Agreement
Board Appoints Ella Zhang, Alex Odagiu, Matthew Roszak, bringing additional Digital Asset Industry Expertise and BNB Ecosystem Insight to Support Long-Term Stockholder Value
Company to Form CEO Search Committee and Appoints YZi Labs Partner Alex Odagiu as Interim President
LOUISVILLE, CO - June 23, 2026 — CEA Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: BNC) (“BNC” or the “Company”), a growth-oriented company focused on managing the world’s largest corporate treasury of BNB, and YZILabs Management Ltd. (“YZi Labs”) today announced that they have entered into a cooperation agreement dated June 23, 2026.
Highlights of the cooperation agreement include:
- Board Composition: The Board has appointed Ella Zhang, Alex Odagiu and Matthew Roszak as directors of the Company effectively immediately. The new directors have joined BNC’s existing Board members, Carly E. Howard, Annemarie Tierney and Glenn Tyranski. BNC and YZi Labs will jointly search for an additional independent director with extensive digital assets, capital markets and public company governance experience.
- CEO Search and Interim President: The Board will form a Chief Executive Officer Search Committee, with a focus on candidates with significant public company and digital asset experience. Alex Odagiu will join the BNC executive team as Interim President, reporting directly to the Board, until at least the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer. As previously announced, David Namdar will continue to serve in his role as Chief Executive Officer during this transition period.
- Termination of Proxy Contest: YZi Labs has agreed to terminate its consent solicitation, and withdraw related books and records demands and record date requests. YZi Labs has also agreed to adhere to other long-term customary voting commitments and standstill provisions.
“Today’s agreement between the Board and YZi Labs reflects the kind of constructive, forward-looking collaboration that creates real value for BNC and its stockholders,” said Carly E. Howard, Chair of the Board of CEA Industries. “Ella, Alex and Matt bring deep, directly relevant experience across the BNB ecosystem, digital asset investing, venture building and institutional capital markets, and we look forward to working with them and YZi Labs to support long-term stockholder value.”
“The next generation of digital asset treasury companies will not be defined only by what they hold, but by how thoughtfully they govern, allocate and build around those assets,” said Ella Zhang, Managing Partner and Head of YZi Labs. “BNB is compelling because its value is tied to utility: it powers transaction fees, network participation, applications, liquidity and economic activity across one of the world’s most active blockchain ecosystems. For BNC, the opportunity is to translate that exposure into an institutional platform with transparency, discipline and long-term alignment. That is the work we are excited to help advance with BNC’s Board.”
Incoming Interim President Alex Odagiu remarked, “Joining BNC at this critical time for the future of the Company and the BNB Chain is a welcome opportunity. BNB Chain sits at the center of a rapidly expanding digital economy spanning decentralized finance, payments, stablecoins, tokenized assets, AI-native applications and agentic finance, and BNC can serve as a public-market vehicle for disciplined, transparent exposure to that ecosystem.”
BNC’s Board of Directors and YZi Labs believe that a reconstituted and expanded Board, a long-term commitment from our largest shareholder and founder of the BNB Chain, and a transparent structure for selecting long-term executive leadership, positions the Company to better execute against that vision and build a differentiated platform at the intersection of public capital markets and the future of finance.
The full cooperation agreement will be filed with the SEC as an exhibit to the Company’s Form 8-K and to YZi Labs’ Schedule 13D amendment.
About the New Directors
Ella Zhang brings venture-building, digital asset investing and global technology leadership experience to the Board. She is Managing Partner and Head of YZi Labs and was the founding head of Binance Labs. A Stanford GSB graduate and former Kleiner Perkins investor, Ms. Zhang has also held leadership roles at Google and Tencent and has firsthand founder experience building AI-enabled companies. Her background combines Silicon Valley venture discipline, Asia market insight and operating experience across emerging technology sectors.
Alex Odagiu brings BNB ecosystem, digital asset investing and institutional finance experience to the Board. As an Investment Partner at YZi Labs, he helps lead token, equity and strategic investments and has worked closely with founders across the BNB Chain ecosystem, including through the Most Valuable Builder accelerator program. Earlier in his career, Mr. Odagiu worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs International. He holds an M.A. (Hons) in Economics and Mathematics from the University of St Andrews.
Matthew Roszak brings decades of blockchain infrastructure, venture investing and digital asset policy experience to the Board. He is Co-Founder and Chairman of Bloq, and Founding Partner of Tally Capital, which has backed leading blockchain and digital asset companies. He also serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of The Digital Chamber. Mr. Roszak’s experience spans blockchain infrastructure, institutional adoption, digital asset policy, governance and early-stage Web3 company building.
Annual Stockholder Meeting
CEA Industries’ 2026 Annual Stockholder Meeting will be held on July 22, 2026. Stockholders of record as of the close of business on the record date established by the Board of Directors will be entitled to receive notice of and vote at the Annual Meeting.
Additional information regarding the Annual Meeting, including the matters to be considered and voting procedures, will be provided in the Company’s proxy materials to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
About CEA Industries Inc.
CEA Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: BNC) is a growth-oriented company that has focused on building category-leading businesses in consumer markets, including building and managing the world’s largest corporate treasury of BNB.
About YZi Labs
YZILabs Management Ltd. is a global investment firm managing over $10 billion in assets, investing across Web3, AI, and biotech. YZi Labs is committed to strategic, transparent, and high-governance participation in the digital asset ecosystem — advancing best-in-class oversight, operational integrity, and long-term shareholder alignment in all investment partnerships.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements.” The statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. BNC wishes to caution readers that these forward-looking statements may be affected by the risks and uncertainties in BNC’s business as well as other important factors that may have affected and could in the future affect BNC’s actual results and could cause BNC’s actual results for subsequent periods to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by or on behalf of BNC. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, readers should consider various risk factors, including BNC’s ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; BNC’s ability to finance its current business and proposed future business, including the ability to finance the continued acquisition of BNB; the competitive environment of BNC’s business; and the future value and adoption of BNB. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions and risks, many of which are beyond BNC’s control. In addition, these forward-looking statements and the information in this press release are qualified in their entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosures contained in BNC’s filings with the SEC. Copies of BNC’s filings with the SEC are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. BNC undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this press release, except as required by law.
Contacts
CEA Industries Media Inquiries:
Edelman Smithfield
CEA Industries Investor Relations:
YZi Labs Media Contact:
Exhibit 99.1
YZi Labs and CEA Industries Reach Cooperation Agreement
to Strengthen BNC Governance
YZi Labs to End Consent Solicitation Following Governance and Leadership Agreement
Board Appoints Ella Zhang, Alex Odagiu, Matthew Roszak, bringing additional Digital Asset Industry Expertise and BNB Ecosystem Insight to Support Long-Term Stockholder Value
Company to Form CEO Search Committee and Appoints YZi Labs Partner Alex Odagiu as Interim President
LOUISVILLE, CO - June 23, 2026 — CEA Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: BNC) (“BNC” or the “Company”), a growth-oriented company focused on managing the world’s largest corporate treasury of BNB, and YZILabs Management Ltd. (“YZi Labs”) today announced that they have entered into a cooperation agreement dated June 23, 2026.
Highlights of the cooperation agreement include:
- Board Composition: The Board has appointed Ella Zhang, Alex Odagiu and Matthew Roszak as directors of the Company effectively immediately. The new directors have joined BNC’s existing Board members, Carly E. Howard, Annemarie Tierney and Glenn Tyranski. BNC and YZi Labs will jointly search for an additional independent director with extensive digital assets, capital markets and public company governance experience.
- CEO Search and Interim President: The Board will form a Chief Executive Officer Search Committee, with a focus on candidates with significant public company and digital asset experience. Alex Odagiu will join the BNC executive team as Interim President, reporting directly to the Board, until at least the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer. As previously announced, David Namdar will continue to serve in his role as Chief Executive Officer during this transition period.
- Termination of Proxy Contest: YZi Labs has agreed to terminate its consent solicitation, and withdraw related books and records demands and record date requests. YZi Labs has also agreed to adhere to other long-term customary voting commitments and standstill provisions.
“Today’s agreement between the Board and YZi Labs reflects the kind of constructive, forward-looking collaboration that creates real value for BNC and its stockholders,” said Carly E. Howard, Chair of the Board of CEA Industries. “Ella, Alex and Matt bring deep, directly relevant experience across the BNB ecosystem, digital asset investing, venture building and institutional capital markets, and we look forward to working with them and YZi Labs to support long-term stockholder value.”
“The next generation of digital asset treasury companies will not be defined only by what they hold, but by how thoughtfully they govern, allocate and build around those assets,” said Ella Zhang, Managing Partner and Head of YZi Labs. “BNB is compelling because its value is tied to utility: it powers transaction fees, network participation, applications, liquidity and economic activity across one of the world’s most active blockchain ecosystems. For BNC, the opportunity is to translate that exposure into an institutional platform with transparency, discipline and long-term alignment. That is the work we are excited to help advance with BNC’s Board.”
Incoming Interim President Alex Odagiu remarked, “Joining BNC at this critical time for the future of the Company and the BNB Chain is a welcome opportunity. BNB Chain sits at the center of a rapidly expanding digital economy spanning decentralized finance, payments, stablecoins, tokenized assets, AI-native applications and agentic finance, and BNC can serve as a public-market vehicle for disciplined, transparent exposure to that ecosystem.”
BNC’s Board of Directors and YZi Labs believe that a reconstituted and expanded Board, a long-term commitment from our largest shareholder and founder of the BNB Chain, and a transparent structure for selecting long-term executive leadership, positions the Company to better execute against that vision and build a differentiated platform at the intersection of public capital markets and the future of finance.
The full cooperation agreement will be filed with the SEC as an exhibit to the Company’s Form 8-K and to YZi Labs’ Schedule 13D amendment.
About the New Directors
Ella Zhang brings venture-building, digital asset investing and global technology leadership experience to the Board. She is Managing Partner and Head of YZi Labs and was the founding head of Binance Labs. A Stanford GSB graduate and former Kleiner Perkins investor, Ms. Zhang has also held leadership roles at Google and Tencent and has firsthand founder experience building AI-enabled companies. Her background combines Silicon Valley venture discipline, Asia market insight and operating experience across emerging technology sectors.
Alex Odagiu brings BNB ecosystem, digital asset investing and institutional finance experience to the Board. As an Investment Partner at YZi Labs, he helps lead token, equity and strategic investments and has worked closely with founders across the BNB Chain ecosystem, including through the Most Valuable Builder accelerator program. Earlier in his career, Mr. Odagiu worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs International. He holds an M.A. (Hons) in Economics and Mathematics from the University of St Andrews.
Matthew Roszak brings decades of blockchain infrastructure, venture investing and digital asset policy experience to the Board. He is Co-Founder and Chairman of Bloq, and Founding Partner of Tally Capital, which has backed leading blockchain and digital asset companies. He also serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of The Digital Chamber. Mr. Roszak’s experience spans blockchain infrastructure, institutional adoption, digital asset policy, governance and early-stage Web3 company building.
Annual Stockholder Meeting
CEA Industries’ 2026 Annual Stockholder Meeting will be held on July 22, 2026. Stockholders of record as of the close of business on the record date established by the Board of Directors will be entitled to receive notice of and vote at the Annual Meeting.
Additional information regarding the Annual Meeting, including the matters to be considered and voting procedures, will be provided in the Company’s proxy materials to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
About CEA Industries Inc.
CEA Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: BNC) is a growth-oriented company that has focused on building category-leading businesses in consumer markets, including building and managing the world’s largest corporate treasury of BNB.
About YZi Labs
YZILabs Management Ltd. is a global investment firm managing over $10 billion in assets, investing across Web3, AI, and biotech. YZi Labs is committed to strategic, transparent, and high-governance participation in the digital asset ecosystem — advancing best-in-class oversight, operational integrity, and long-term shareholder alignment in all investment partnerships.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements.” The statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. BNC wishes to caution readers that these forward-looking statements may be affected by the risks and uncertainties in BNC’s business as well as other important factors that may have affected and could in the future affect BNC’s actual results and could cause BNC’s actual results for subsequent periods to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by or on behalf of BNC. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, readers should consider various risk factors, including BNC’s ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; BNC’s ability to finance its current business and proposed future business, including the ability to finance the continued acquisition of BNB; the competitive environment of BNC’s business; and the future value and adoption of BNB. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions and risks, many of which are beyond BNC’s control. In addition, these forward-looking statements and the information in this press release are qualified in their entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosures contained in BNC’s filings with the SEC. Copies of BNC’s filings with the SEC are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. BNC undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this press release, except as required by law.
Contacts
CEA Industries Media Inquiries:
Edelman Smithfield
CEA Industries Investor Relations:
YZi Labs Media Contact: