Empery Digital Inc S-1/A, filed Nov 8, 2023
Empery Digital Inc. (EMPD)
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2023
Registration No. 333-274800
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Amendment No. 1 to
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Volcon, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| Delaware | 3711 | 84-4882689 |
|
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
3121 Eagles Nest Street, Suite 120
Round Rock, TX 78665
(512) 400-4271
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
Greg Endo
3121 Eagles Nest Street, Suite 120
Round Rock, TX 78665
(512) 400-4271
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)
Copies to:
|
Cavas S. Pavri Johnathan C. Duncan ArentFox Schiff LLP 1717 K Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 Telephone: (202) 724-6847 |
Anthony W. Basch, Esq. J. Britton Williston, Esq. Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. Two James Center, 14th Floor 1021 East Cary Street Richmond, VA 23219 Telephone: (804)-771-5700 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. x
If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
| Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ |
| Non-accelerated filer | x | Smaller reporting company | x |
| Emerging growth company | x |
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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell, nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion Dated November 8, 2023
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
19,565,217 Common Units consisting of shares of Common Stock, Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants and/or
19,565,217 Pre-Funded Units consisting of Pre-Funded Warrants, Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants (and 19,565,217 shares of common stock underlying the Pre-Funded Warrants)
Up to 20,543,478 shares of common stock underlying the Series A Warrants
Up to 6,847,826 shares of common stock underlying the Series B Warrants
We are offering 19,565,217 Common Units at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023. Each Common Unit consists of one share of our common stock, 0.35 of a warrant to purchase one share of our common stock at an exercise price of $ per share (or % of the price of each Common Unit sold in the offering) or pursuant to alternate cashless exercise option, which will expire on the five-year anniversary of the original issuance date (the “Series A Warrants”) and 0.35 of a warrant to purchase one share of our common stock at an exercise price of $ per share (or % of the price of each Common Unit sold in the offering) which warrant will expire on the five-year anniversary of the original issuance date (the “Series B Warrants” and together with the Series A Warrants, the “Warrants”).
Under the alternate cashless exercise option of the Series A Warrants, beginning on the date of the Warrant Stockholder Approval (described below), the holder of the Series A Warrant, has the right to receive an aggregate number of shares equal to the product of (x) the aggregate number of shares of common stock that would be issuable upon a cash exercise of the Series A Warrant and (y) 3.0. In addition, beginning on the date of the Warrant Stockholder Approval, the Warrants will contain a reset of the exercise price to a price equal to the lesser of (i) the then exercise price and (ii) lowest volume weighted average price for the five trading days immediately preceding and immediately following the date we effect a reverse stock split in the future with a proportionate adjustment to the number of shares underlying the Warrants. Finally, beginning on the date of the Warrant Stockholder Approval, with certain exceptions, the Series B Warrants will provide for an adjustment to the exercise price and number of shares underlying the Series B Warrant upon our issuance of our common stock or common stock equivalents at a price per share that is less than the exercise price of the Series B Warrant.
The alternate cashless exercise option included in the Series A Warrants and the other adjustment provisions described in the above paragraph included in the Warrants will be available only upon receipt of such stockholder approval as may be required by the applicable rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Capital Market to permit the alternate cashless exercise of the Series A Warrants and the other adjustment provisions described in the above paragraph included in the Warrants (the “Warrant Stockholder Approval”). In the event that we are unable to obtain the Warrant Stockholder Approval, the Series A Warrants will not be exercisable using the alternate cashless exercise option and the other adjustment provisions described in the above paragraph included in the Warrants will not be effective, and therefore the Warrants may have substantially less value. See the Risk Factor on page 11 relating to the Warrants and Warrant Stockholder Approval, and see the section entitled “Warrant Stockholder Approval” on page 20 for additional details regarding the Warrant Stockholder Approval.
We are also offering to those purchasers, if any, whose purchase of Common Units in this offering would otherwise result in such purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, if any such purchaser so chooses, Pre-Funded Units, in lieu of Common Units that would otherwise result in such purchaser’s beneficial ownership exceeding 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding shares of common stock. Each Pre-Funded Unit consists of one pre-funded warrant (“Pre-Funded Warrant”) to purchase one share of our common stock, 0.35 of a Series A Warrant and 0.35 of a Series B Warrant. The purchase price of each Pre-Funded Unit is $.919 (which is equal to the assumed public offering price per Common Unit to be sold in this offering minus $0.001. The Pre-Funded Warrants are immediately exercisable and may be exercised at any time until all of the Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised in full. For each Pre-Funded Unit we sell, the number of Common Units we are offering will be decreased on a one-for-one basis.
We have assumed a public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which represents the last reported sale price of our common stock as reported on November 6, 2023. The final public offering price will be determined through negotiation between us and the underwriters in the offering and may be at a substantial discount to the current market price. Therefore, the assumed public offering price used throughout this prospectus may not be indicative of the final public offering price.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “VLCN.” On November 6, 2023, the closing price of our common stock on Nasdaq was $0.92 per share.
We are an “emerging growth company” under the federal securities laws and are subject to reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus supplement and the risk factors incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
Per Common Unit | Per Pre-Funded Unit | Total | ||||||||||
| Price to public | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Underwriting discount(1) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Proceeds to us (before expenses) | $ | $ | $ |
________________________
(1) See “Underwriting” beginning on page 14 for additional information regarding the compensation payable to the underwriter.
The offering is being underwritten on a firm commitment basis. We have granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to 2,934,783 additional shares of common stock, representing 15% of the Common Units sold in the offering (at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023), and/or up to 2,934,783 additional Pre-Funded Warrants, representing 15% of the Pre-funded Warrants sold in the offering, and/or up to 1,027,174 additional Series A Warrants, representing 15% of the Series A Warrants sold in the offering, and/or up to 1,027,174 additional Series B Warrants, representing 15% of the Series B Warrants sold in the offering, on the same terms and conditions set forth above solely to cover over-allotments. The underwriter may exercise the over-allotment option with respect to shares of common stock only, Pre-Funded Warrants only, Series A Warrants only, Series B Warrants only, or any combination thereof.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The underwriter expects to deliver the securities against payment through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company on or about November , 2023.
___________________________________
Sole Book-Running Manager
Aegis Capital Corp.
The date of this prospectus is , 2023.
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We incorporate by reference important information into this prospectus. You may obtain the information incorporated by reference without charge by following the instructions under “Where You Can Find More Information.” You should carefully read this prospectus as well as additional information described under “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference,” before deciding to invest in our securities.
We have not, and the underwriter has not, authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus or in any applicable free writing prospectus is current only as of its date, regardless of its time of delivery or any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
For investors outside the United States: We have not, and the underwriter has not, done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the securities and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.
This prospectus and the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus may contain references to trademarks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus and the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including logos, artwork, and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other company.
No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, or any document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.
Market data and certain industry data and forecasts used throughout this prospectus were obtained from internal company surveys, market research, consultant surveys, publicly available information, reports of governmental agencies and industry publications and surveys. Industry surveys, publications, consultant surveys and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but that the accuracy and completeness of such information is not guaranteed. We have not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources, nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon therein. Similarly, internal surveys, industry forecasts and market research, which we believe to be reliable based on our management’s knowledge of the industry, have not been independently verified. Forecasts are particularly likely to be inaccurate, especially over long periods of time. In addition, we do not necessarily know what assumptions regarding general economic growth were used in preparing the forecasts we cite. Statements as to our market position are based on the most currently available data. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding the industry data presented in this prospectus, our estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future performance, including: our financial performance and projections; our growth in revenue and earnings; and our business prospects and opportunities. You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “contemplates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “plans,” “projected,” “predicts,” “potential,” “intends,” or “hopes” or the negative of these or similar terms. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including: our ability to change the direction of the Company; our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; and the competitive environment of our business. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are only predictions. The forward-looking events discussed in this document and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this document and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives might not occur.
While we believe we have identified material risks, these risks and uncertainties are not exhaustive. Other sections of this prospectus describe additional factors that could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and we do not intend to do so.
Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
| · | our ability to obtain the Warrant Stockholder Approval on a timely basis, if at all; | |
| · | our ability to generate revenues from sales, generate cash from operations, or obtain additional funding to market our vehicles and develop new products; | |
| · | our ability to successfully implement and effectively manage our outsourced manufacturing, design and development model and achieve any anticipated benefits; | |
| · | the ability of third-party manufacturers to produce our vehicles in accordance with our design and quality specifications, with sufficient scale to satisfy customers and within a reasonable cost; | |
| · | anticipated timing for the manufacture, design, production, shipping and launch of our vehicles; | |
| · | the inability of our suppliers to deliver the necessary components for our vehicles at prices and volumes acceptable to our third-party manufacturers; | |
| · | our ability to establish a network of dealers and international distributors to sell and service our vehicles on the timeline we expect; | |
| · | whether our vehicles will perform as expected; | |
| · | our facing product warranty claims or product recalls; | |
| · | our facing adverse determinations in significant product liability claims; | |
| · | customer adoption of electric vehicles; | |
| · | the development of alternative technology that adversely affects our business; | |
| · | increased government regulation of our industry; | |
| · | tariffs and currency exchange rates; and | |
| · | the conflict with Russia and Ukraine and the potential adverse effect it may have on the availability of materials used in the manufacturing of batteries for our vehicles. |
We caution you not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus in the case of forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus.
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This summary highlights certain information about us, this offering and selected information contained elsewhere in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This summary provides an overview of selected information and does not contain all of the information you should consider before deciding whether to invest in our common stock. Therefore, you should read the entire prospectus (including the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein), especially the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 8 of this prospectus, and any similar section contained in the documents incorporated by reference herein, and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus, before deciding to invest in our common stock. Unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise, the words “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” or “our Company,” and “Volcon” refer to Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
Our Company
We are an all-electric, off-road powersports vehicle company developing electric two and four-wheel motorcycles and utility terrain vehicles, or UTVs, also known as side-by-sides, along with a complete line of upgrades and accessories. In October 2020, we began building and testing prototypes for our future offerings with two off-road motorcycles – the Grunt and the Runt. Our motorcycles feature unique frame designs protected by design patents. Additional utility and design patents have been filed for other aspects of Volcon’s vehicles.
We initially began to sell and distribute the Grunt and related accessories in the United States on a direct-to-consumer sales platform. We terminated our direct-to-consumer sales platform in November 2021. Prior to the termination of our direct-to-consumer sales platform, U.S. consumers made deposits for 360 Grunts (net of cancellations) and five Runts, plus accessories and a delivery fee representing total deposits of $2.2 million. These orders were cancelable by the consumer until the vehicle was delivered and after a 14-day acceptance period, therefore the deposits were recorded as deferred revenue. As of June 30, 2022, we had completed shipping of all Grunts sold through our direct-to-consumer sales platform. Due to delays in developing the Runt, we refunded the deposits made for all Runts.
Beginning in November 2021, we began negotiating dealership agreements with powersports dealers to display and sell our vehicles and accessories. Customers can now, or will soon be able to, buy our vehicles and accessories directly from a local dealership. Some of these dealers will also provide warranty and repair services to customers. As of September 30, 2023, we have 133 active dealers. Dealers can order any of our available products provided they are current on their accounts receivable and are within their established credit limit. We are offering dealers payment terms of up to 90 days to make larger purchases of our vehicles. We have entered into an accounts receivable factoring arrangement to allow the Company the ability to generate cash for working capital. We have agreements with third-party financing companies to provide financing to qualified customers of each dealer. There is no recourse to the Company or the dealer if the dealer’s customer defaults on the financing agreement with the third-party.
As of September 30, 2023, we have signed agreements with six importers in Latin America and one importer for the Caribbean Region, collectively referred to herein as the LATAM importers, to sell our vehicles and accessories in their assigned countries/markets. In June 2022, we signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Torrot Electric Europa S.A., referred to herein as Torrot, to distribute their electric motorcycles for youth riders in Latin America. As discussed below, the agreement with Torrot was superseded by the December 2022 agreement to sell Volcon cobranded Torrot youth motorcycles. We use our LATAM importers to sell Volcon cobranded Torrot youth motorcycles in Latin America.
In October 2022, we signed an expanded agreement with Torrot to also be the exclusive distributor of Torrot and Volcon co-branded youth electric motorcycles in the United States as well as Latin America. This agreement supersedes the original Torrot agreement and once all Torrot branded inventory is sold, we will no longer distribute Torrot branded motorcycles. Finally, in December 2022, we signed an expanded agreement with Torrot to be the exclusive distributor of Volcon co-branded youth electric motorcycles in Canada. In June 2023, we wrote down all remaining Torrot branded inventory in the amount of $84,000. On September 27, 2023, we wrote down the Volcon cobranded Torrot youth motorcycles by $1,622,262 to reduce their cost to the estimated net realizable value.
We expect to expand our global sales of our vehicles and accessories beyond our current LATAM importer base. We expect to sign more LATAM importers in 2023 and in October 2023 we signed an agreement with an importer who will sell our vehicles in New Zealand. In October 2023, the Company made a decision to postpone expanding our dealer network in Canada for the foreseeable future and we have terminated the employment of our Canadian regional sales managers. We expect export sales to be executed with individual importers in each country that buy vehicles by the container. Each importer will sell vehicles and accessories to local dealers or directly to customers. Local dealers will provide warranty and repair services for vehicles purchased in their country.
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In July 2022, we expanded our offerings with the introduction of the first of our Volcon UTV models, the Stag, which we initially anticipated would be available for delivery to customers in the fourth quarter of 2023, followed by additional models of the Stag expected in 2024 and 2025. Due to a delay in certain parts from third-party vendors, we expect delivery to customers to begin in November 2023. The Stag is being manufactured by a third-party and incorporates electrification units, which include batteries, drive units and control modules provided by General Motors. Beginning in June 2022, we have taken non-binding pre-production orders which are cancelable prior to delivery. We also expect to introduce a higher performance, longer range UTV (to be named) but development of this vehicle has not yet begun and no timeline for its development and release has been determined.
Through August 2022, we assembled the Grunt in a leased production facility in Round Rock, Texas. In August 2022, we announced that we will outsource the manufacturing of the Grunt to a third-party manufacturer, which has reduced costs and improved profitability on the Grunt. We also outsourced the manufacturing of the 2023 Grunt EVO to the same third-party manufacturer. The 2023 Grunt EVO has replaced the Grunt and has a belt drive rather than a chain drive as well as an updated rear suspension. We received prototypes of the Grunt EVO in the first quarter of 2023 and began selling the Grunt EVO in the third quarter of 2023.
In September 2022, we reduced our headcount in our product development and administration departments as we outsourced the design and development of certain components of our vehicle development. We also hired our Chief Marketing Officer and hired additional sales and marketing employees and increase marketing activities to further support our brand and products. In September 2023, we reduced our headcount in several departments to reduce costs and we continue to evaluate other cost reduction opportunities.
We began taking pre-orders for an E-Bike, the Brat, in September 2022 and shipments to customers began in the fourth quarter of 2022. The Brat is being manufactured by a third-party. In January 2023, we began selling the Brat directly to consumers through our website. Consumers who order the Brat from our website can have the Brat shipped to their specified destination.
In November 2022, we finalized an agreement for a third-party to manufacture the Runt LT. We received prototypes of the Runt LT in the first quarter of 2023 and expect to begin sales in the first quarter of 2024.
The estimated fulfillment of all orders we have received assumes that our third-party manufacturers can successfully meet our order quantities and deadlines. If they are unable to satisfy orders on a timely basis, our customers may cancel their orders.
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Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as the term is used in The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and therefore, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various public company reporting requirements, including:
| · | a requirement to only have two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related selected financial data and management’s discussion and analysis; | |
| · | exemption from the auditor attestation requirement on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting; | |
| · | reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation; and | |
| · | exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory stockholder vote on executive compensation and any golden parachute payments. |
We may take advantage of these provisions for up to five years or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company if we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenues, have more than $700.0 million in market value of our capital stock held by non-affiliates or issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period. We may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of the available benefits of the JOBS Act. We have taken advantage of some of the reduced reporting requirements in this prospectus. Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different than the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, we will not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
Risks Affecting Our Company
In evaluating an investment in our securities, you should carefully read this prospectus and especially consider the factors incorporated by reference in the sections titled “Risk Factors” commencing on page 8 of this prospectus and the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 incorporated by reference herein.
Company Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 3121 Eagles Nest Street, Suite 120, Round Rock, TX 78665. Our phone number is (512) 400-4271 and our website address is www.volcon.com. We make our periodic reports and other information filed with, or furnished to, the SEC available free of charge through our website. The information on or accessible through our website is not part of and is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
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| Common Units offered by us | We are offering 19,565,217 Common Units, each Common Unit consisting of one share of common stock, 0.35 of a Series A Warrant to purchase one share of common stock and 0.35 of a Series B Warrant to purchase one share of common stock (22,500,000 Common Units if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full). |
| Pre-Funded Units offered by us | We are also offering to those purchasers, if any, whose purchase of Common Units in this offering would otherwise result in such purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, if any such purchaser so chooses, Pre-Funded Units, in lieu of Common Units that would otherwise result in such purchaser’s beneficial ownership exceeding 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding shares of common stock. Each Pre-Funded Unit consists of one Pre-Funded Warrant to purchase one share of our common stock, 0.35 of a Series A Warrant and 0.35 of a Series B Warrant. The Pre-Funded Warrants are immediately exercisable and may be exercised at any time until all of the Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised in full. For each Pre-Funded Unit we sell, the number of Common Units we are offering will be decreased on a one-for-one basis. |
| Over-allotment option | The offering is being underwritten on a firm commitment basis. We have granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to 2,934,783 additional shares of common stock, representing 15% of the Common Units sold in the offering (at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023), and/or up to 2,934,783 additional Pre-Funded Warrants, representing 15% of the Pre-funded Warrants sold in the offering, and/or up to 1,027,174 additional Series A Warrants, representing 15% of the Series A Warrants sold in the offering, and/or up to 1,027,174 additional Series B Warrants, representing 15% of the Series B Warrants sold in the offering, on the same terms and conditions set forth above solely to cover over-allotments. The underwriter may exercise the over-allotment option with respect to shares of common stock only, Pre-Funded Warrants only, Series A Warrants only, Series B Warrants only, or any combination thereof. |
| Common stock to be outstanding before this offering | 6,819,278 shares |
| Common stock to be outstanding after this offering | 26,384,495 shares of common stock (or 29,319,278 shares of common stock if the underwriters exercise their option in full) (assuming no sale of Pre-Funded Units and no exercise of any Warrants issued in this offering). |
| Use of Proceeds | We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” on page 12. |
| Risk Factors | Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus and the risk factors incorporated by reference into this prospectus. |
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Lock-up |
We have agreed not to offer, issue, sell, contract to sell, encumber, grant any option for the sale of or otherwise dispose of any of our securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. Our directors, executive officers, and certain shareholders have agreed not to offer, issue, sell, contract to sell, encumber, grant any option for the sale of or otherwise dispose of any of our securities for a period of 120 days after the date of this prospectus. See “Underwriting” for more information. |
| Nasdaq Capital Market Symbol | Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VLCN”. We do not intend to list the Pre-Funded Warrant, the Series A Warrants or the Series B Warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system. Without a trading market, the liquidity of such securities will be extremely limited. |
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The number of shares of our common stock expected to be outstanding after this offering is based on 6,819,278 shares of common stock outstanding as of November 3, 2023, after given effect for the 1 for 5 reverse stock split the Company completed on October 13, 2023, and excludes, as of that date, the following:
| · | 889,379 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options, vested and unvested, with a weighted-average exercise price of $9.34 per share; | |
| · | 1,661,531 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants (excluding the warrants issued in our August 2022 and May 2023 offerings that are discussed below) with a weighted-average exercise price of $6.26 per share; | |
| · | 23,454,124 shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion of the convertible notes we issued in May 2023 (which conversion price is currently $1.369 and will be reduced to the price per share in this offering); | |
| · | 4,498,554 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants issued in our August 2022 and May 2023 note offerings with a weighted-average exercise price of $1.26 per share (which exercise price will be reduced to the price per share in this offering pursuant to the terms of such warrants); | |
| · | up to an aggregate of 361,988 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our stock plan, as amended; and | |
| · | 978,261 shares of common stock underlying warrants to be issued to the underwriter in this offering (up to 1,125,001 if the overallotment is exercised); | |
| · | up to 20,543,478 shares of common stock underlying the Series A Warrants assuming the Series A Warrants are exercise utilizing the alternative cashless exercise option based on at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023; and | |
| · | Up to 6,847,826 shares of common stock underlying the Series B Warrants based on at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023. |
Except as otherwise indicated herein, all information in this prospectus supplement assumes no exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option to purchase additional shares.
| 7 |
An investment in our securities involves risks. We urge you to consider carefully the risks described below, and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, before making an investment decision, including those risks identified under “Item IA. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and which may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports that we subsequently file with the SEC. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. Please also read carefully the section above entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”.
Risks Related to this Offering
The common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants (which are exercisable for common stock) sold in this offering will more than triple the number of our shares of common stock from approximately 6,819,278 shares to 29,319,278 shares. If all the Warrants sold in this offering are exercised (assuming the Series A Warrants are exercised on an alternative cashless exercise basis), the number of our shares of common stock will increase by an additional 27,391,304 shares. The sales of these securities could depress the market price of our shares of common stock and/or increase the volatility of our trading.
A substantial number of shares of common stock, Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants are being offered by this prospectus. Sales of a substantial number of our shares of common stock (and other securities exercisable for common stock) in the public markets pursuant to the terms of this offering could depress the market price of our shares of common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. In addition to causing the market price of our common stock to decline, such sales could also greatly increase the volatility associated with the trading of our common stock. Furthermore, stockholders may initiate securities class action lawsuits if the market price of our common stock drops significantly, which may cause us to incur substantial costs and could divert the time and attention of our management. We cannot predict the number of these shares that might be sold nor the effect that future sales of our shares of our securities would have on the market price of our shares of common stock.
You will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the book value per share of the common stock you purchase in the offering.
Because the public offering price per share of our common stock (attributing no value to the Warrants) being offered is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our outstanding common stock, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of the common stock you purchase in this offering. Investors purchasing shares of our common stock in this offering will incur immediate dilution of $0.75 per share, after giving effect to the sale of an aggregate of shares of our common stock underlying the Common Warrants at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement, after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us. See “Dilution” on page 12 of this prospectus for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur if you purchase shares in this offering.
In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders or result in downward pressure on the price of our common stock.
Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from this offering, you may not agree with how we use the proceeds, and the proceeds may not be invested successfully.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, and our stockholders will not have the opportunity as part of their investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business. See “Use of Proceeds” on page 12 of this prospectus for a description of our proposed use of proceeds from this offering.
We do not intend to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.
We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and currently do not plan to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
| 8 |
The exercise prices of certain outstanding warrants and the conversion prices of our outstanding convertible notes payable may require further adjustment.
If in the future, including in this offering, we sell our common stock at a price below $1.369 per share, the conversion price of our outstanding Notes would adjust to such price, and if we sell our common stock at a price below $1.369 per share, the exercise price of the Warrants to purchase 4,498,554 shares of common stock we issued in our August 2022 and May 2023 note offerings would adjust to such price, in each case, subject to a floor price of $0.22. If we complete this offering at an assumed price of $0.92 per unit, the conversion price of the Notes will be decreased from $1.369 to $0.92 per share, the number of shares of common stock underlying the Notes will be increased from 23,454,124 to 34,900,758, and the exercise price of the Warrants will be decreased to the offering price in this offering, subject to a floor price of $0.22 per share.
If we agree to complete additional warrant inducements to the holders of warrants issued in in our August 2022 and May 2023 convertible note offerings (the “Investors”), we may reduce the exercise price of warrants held by Investors and we may issue additional warrants to the Investors to replace some or all of the warrants that were exercised.
On September 29, 2023, we entered into a warrant inducement agreement with the Investors and reduced the exercise price of certain warrants from $2.50 to $1.75 in order to induce them to exercise 307,001 warrants. We also issued 307,001 additional warrants to the Investors with an exercise price of $2.50 on October 4, 2023.
On October 13, 2023, we entered into an inducement offer letter agreement with the Investors and we reduced the exercise price of up to 973,000 warrants to the lesser of (i) $1.75 and (ii) the exercise price in effect at the time of exercise of the Existing Warrants if further adjusted in accordance with the terms of the May 2023 Warrants ($1.369 per share after adjustment for the lowest day’s VWAP for the five days following the reverse 1 for 5 stock split completed on October 13, 2023). The reduction of the exercise price of such Existing Warrants remained in effect until October 27, 2023 (the “Inducement Period”). The Investors exercised 105,000 warrants at $1.369 on October 20, 2023, and there were no more warrant exercises in the Inducement Period.
On October 29, 2023, in an effort to raise cash, we entered into an inducement offer letter agreement (the “Inducement Reprice Letter”) with the Investors. Pursuant to the Inducement Reprice Letter, in exchange for an aggregate cash payment of $346,500, we reduced the exercise price with respect to warrants exercisable into an aggregate of 350,000 shares of common stock from $1.369 per share to $0.01 per share.
To the extent we complete similar warrant inducements in the future, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution.
If we fail to satisfy all applicable continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market our common stock may be delisted from Nasdaq, which could have an adverse impact on the liquidity and market price of our common stock.
Our common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. In order to maintain that listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements, minimum stockholders’ equity, minimum bid price, and certain corporate governance requirements. There can be no assurances that we will be able to comply with the applicable listing standards.
On July 5, 2023, we received a notice from Nasdaq that we were not in compliance with Nasdaq’s Listing Rule 5550(b)(2), which requires that we maintain a market value of listed securities (“MVLS”) of $35 million. MVLS is calculated by multiplying our shares outstanding by the closing price of our common stock. On July 6, 2023, we received a notice from Nasdaq that we were not in compliance with Nasdaq’s Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), (the “Bid Price Rule”) as the minimum bid price of our common stock had been below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. On October 30, 2023, the Company received a notice from Nasdaq that it has now regained compliance with Rule 5550(a)(2), as the minimum bid price of its common stock was above $1.00 for 10 consecutive business days.
| 9 |
We have until January 2, 2024, to regain compliance with the MVLS requirement. To regain compliance with the MVLS requirement, our MVLS must close at $35 million or more for a minimum of ten consecutive business days during this grace period. If we do not regain compliance within the allotted compliance period, including any extensions that may be granted by Nasdaq, Nasdaq will provide notice that our shares of common stock will be subject to delisting.
In the event that our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and is not eligible for quotation or listing on another market or exchange, trading of our common stock could be conducted only in the over-the-counter market or on an electronic bulletin board established for unlisted securities such as the Pink Sheets or the OTC Bulletin Board. In such an event, it could become more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate price quotations for, our common stock, and there would likely also be a reduction in our coverage by securities analysts and the news media, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline further. Also, it may be difficult for us to raise additional capital if we are not listed on a major exchange.
We completed a reverse stock split on October 13, 2023, in an effort to regain compliance with Nasdaq listing rules and we cannot predict the effect that such reverse stock split will have on the market price for shares of our common stock.
Our board of directors approved a one-for-five (1:5) reverse stock split of our common stock, which became effective on October 13, 2023, in order to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule. We cannot predict the effect that the reverse stock split will have on the market price for shares of our common stock, and the history of similar reverse stock splits for companies in like circumstances has varied. Some investors may have a negative view of a reverse stock split. Even if the reverse stock split has a positive effect on the market price for shares of our common stock, performance of our business and financial results, general economic conditions and the market perception of our business, and other adverse factors which may not be in our control could lead to a decrease in the price of our common stock following the reverse stock split.
Furthermore, even if the reverse stock split does result in an increased market price per share of our common stock, the market price per share following the reverse stock split may not increase in proportion to the reduction of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding before the implementation of the reverse stock split. Accordingly, even with an increased market price per share, the total market capitalization of shares of our common stock after a reverse stock split could be lower than the total market capitalization before the reverse stock split. Also, even if there is an initial increase in the market price per share of our common stock after a reverse stock split, the market price may not remain at that level.
If the market price of shares of our common stock declines following the reverse stock split, the percentage decline as an absolute number and as a percentage of our overall market capitalization may be greater than would occur in the absence of the reverse stock split due to decreased liquidity in the market for our common stock. Accordingly, the total market capitalization of our common stock following the reverse stock split could be lower than the total market capitalization before the reverse stock split.
The exercise prices of certain previously issued warrants, the Warrants issued in this offering and the conversion prices of our outstanding convertible notes payable may require further adjustment if we complete another reverse stock split.
The price of our common stock prior to this offering is $0.92 as of November 6, 2023. As a result of this offering, we expect that the price of our common stock will remain below $1.00 and could remain below $1.00 for 30 days in which case we will not meet Nasdaq’s minimum bid requirement of $1.00. We would have 180 days for the stock price to increase above $1.00 for ten business days in order to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. In order to attempt to satisfy the bid price requirement, our board of directors may request shareholder approval for authorization and effect a reverse split of our common stock.
The exercise prices of the warrants to purchase 4,148,554 shares of common stock we issued in our August 2022 and May 2023 note offerings, and the conversion prices of our outstanding convertible notes, may be subject to downward adjustment if we complete a reverse stock split. Specifically, upon the completion of a reverse stock split, if the lowest volume weighted average price of our common stock during the five consecutive trading days after the completion of a reverse stock split is less than the exercise prices of the Warrants or the conversion prices of the convertible notes, then such exercise prices and conversion prices shall be reduced to such price, in each case, subject to a floor price of $0.22.
| 10 |
Warrants issued in this offering will be subject to downward adjustment if the lowest volume weighted average price of our common stock during the five consecutive trading days before and after the completion of a reverse stock split is less than the excise prices of the warrants issued in this offering, then the exercise prices shall be reduced to such price.
We will likely not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the Series A Warrants.
If we receive the Warrant Stockholder Approval, the Series A Warrants may be exercised by way of an alternative cashless exercise, meaning that the holder may not pay a cash purchase price upon exercise, but instead would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of our common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the applicable Series A Warrants. Accordingly, we will likely not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the Series A Warrants.
Certain beneficial provisions in the Warrants will not be effective until we are able to receive stockholder approval of such provisions, and if we are unable to obtain such approval the Warrant will have significantly less value.
Under Nasdaq listing rules, the alternative cashless exercise option in the Series A Warrants and certain anti-dilution provisions in the Series B Warrants will not be effective until, and unless, we obtain the approval of our stockholders. While we intend to promptly seek stockholder approval, there is no guarantee that the Warrant Stockholder Approval will ever be obtained. If we are unable to obtain the Warrant Stockholder Approval, the foregoing provisions will not become effective and the Warrants will have substantially less value. In addition, we will incur substantial cost, and management will devote substantial time and attention, in attempting to obtain the Warrant Stockholder Approval.
Holders of Warrants purchased in this offering will have no rights as stockholders until such holders exercise their Warrants and acquire our shares of common stock, except as set forth in the Warrants.
Except as set forth in the Warrants, until holders of Warrants acquire our shares of common stock upon exercise of the Warrants, holders of the Warrants have no rights with respect to our shares of common stock underlying such Warrants, the holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of a stockholder of shares of common stock only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.
The Warrants are speculative in nature.
The Warrants offered hereby do not confer any rights of share of common stock ownership on their holders, such as voting rights or the right to receive dividends, but rather merely represent the right to acquire shares of common stock at a fixed price. Following this offering, the market value of the Warrants is uncertain and there can be no assurance that the market value of the Warrants will equal or exceed their respective public offering prices. There can be no assurance that the market price of the shares of common stock will ever equal or exceed the exercise price of the Warrants, and consequently, whether it will ever be profitable for holders of Warrants to exercise the Warrants.
| 11 |
We estimate the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $16.2 million (or approximately $18.7 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and excluding the proceeds, if any, from the cash exercise of the Warrants sold in this offering.
We will only receive additional proceeds from the exercise of the Warrants if the Warrants are exercised and the holders of such Warrants pay the exercise price in cash upon such exercise and do not utilize the cashless exercise provision of the Warrants. Upon Warrant Stockholder Approval, the Series A Warrants (but not the Series B Warrants) may be exercised by way of an alternative cashless exercise, meaning that the holder may not pay a cash purchase price upon exercise, but instead would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of our common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the applicable Series A Warrants. Accordingly, we will likely not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the Series A Warrants.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not currently intend to pay any cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We expect to retain future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. Any future determination to pay dividends on our common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and any contractual restrictions.
If you invest in our securities in this offering, your interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per share of our common stock underlying the units and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.
Our net tangible book value as of September 30, 2023 was approximately negative $20.9 million, or approximately $(3.27) per share. Net tangible book value is determined by subtracting our total liabilities from our total tangible assets, and net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding.
After giving effect to: (i) the issuance of 307,001 shares of our common stock on October 4, 2023 for warrants exercised on September 29, 2023 at $1.75 per share under a warrant inducement agreement; (ii) the issuance of 105,000 shares of our common stock for the exercise of 105,000 warrants on October 20, 2023 at $1.369 per share under a warrant inducement agreement; (iii) the issuance of 4,111 shares (net amount after withholding of shares for income taxes) of our common stock on October 19, 2023 for vesting of restricted stock units (vi) the issuance of 19,565,217 shares of our common stock underlying the Common Units to be sold in this offering at the assumed public offering price of $0.92 per share (which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023), attributing no value to the Warrants included in the Common Units, and after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2023 would have been approximately negative $4.6 million, or approximately $(0.17) per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of approximately $3.10 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of approximately $0.75 per share to new investors participating in this offering. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:
| Public offering price per unit | $ | 0.92 | ||||||
| Net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2023 | $ | (3.27) | ||||||
| Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering | $ | 3.10 | ||||||
| As adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering | $ | (0.17) | ||||||
| Dilution per share to new investors participating in this offering | $ | 0.75 | ||||||
If the underwriter exercises its option to purchase an additional 2,934,783 Common Units in full, our as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to this offering, would have been approximately $(0.07) per share, representing an increase in net tangible book value of approximately $3.20 per share to existing stockholders and immediate dilution in net tangible book value of approximately $0.85 per share to new investors purchasing shares in this offering.
The information discussed above is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual offering price, the actual number of shares we offer in this offering, and any other terms of this offering determined at pricing.
| 12 |
The above discussion and table are based on 6,403,166 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2023, and excludes as of that date the following (all share and per share amounts are after giving effect for the 1 for 5 reverse stock split completed on October 13, 2023):
| · | 1,000,016 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options, vested and unvested, with a weighted-average exercise price of $10.06 per share; | |
| · | 307,001 shares of our common stock issued for exercise of warrants at an exercise price of $1.75 per share | |
| · | 5,000 shares of common stock issuable for vesting of restricted stock units (4,111 shares issued after withholding of shares for income taxes); | |
| · | 1,261,531 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants (excluding the warrants issued in our August 2022 and May 2023 offerings that are discussed below) with a weighted-average exercise price of $13.488 per share; | |
| · | 23,454,124 shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion of the convertible notes we issued in May 2023 based on a conversion price of $1.369 per share following the reduction due to the reverse 1 for 5 stock split completed on October 13, 2023 (which conversion price will be reduced to the price per share in this offering pursuant to the terms of such convertible notes;); | |
| · | 4,498,554 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants issued in our August 2022 and May 2023 note offerings at a weighted average exercise price of $1.26 per share (which exercise price will be reduced to the price per share in this offering pursuant to the terms of such warrants; | |
| · | up to an aggregate of 251,351 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our stock plan, as amended; | |
| · | 400,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants issued to the manufacturer of the Stag UTV and Grunt EVO motorcycle at an exercise price of $2.10 per share; | |
| · | 105,000 shares of common stock issued in connection with a warrant inducement agreement where 105,000 warrants were exercised on October 20, 2023 at an exercise price of $1.369 per share and 105,000 replacement warrants were granted with an exercise price of $1.369 per share; | |
| · | up to 20,543,478 shares of common stock underlying the Series A Warrants assuming the Series A Warrants are exercise utilizing the alternative cashless exercise option based on at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023; | |
| · | up to 6,847,826 shares of common stock underlying the Series B Warrants based on at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023; and | |
| · | 978,261 shares of common stock underlying warrants to be issued to the underwriter in this offering (up to 1,125,001 if the overallotment is exercised). |
The above illustration of dilution per share to investors participating in this offering assumes no exercise of outstanding options or warrants to purchase our common stock, and no conversion of convertible notes. The exercise of outstanding options or warrants or the conversion of convertible notes having an exercise or conversion price less than the offering price would increase dilution to investors participating in this offering. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital depending on market conditions, our capital requirements and strategic considerations, even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through our sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.
| 13 |
We will enter into an underwriting agreement with Aegis Capital Corp. (“Aegis”) in connection with this offering. Aegis is acting as the sole book-running manager. The underwriting agreement provides for the purchase of a specific number of units. The underwriter has agreed to purchase the number of units set forth opposite its name below:
| Underwriter | Number
of Units |
|||
| Aegis Capital Corp. | ||||
The underwriter has agreed to purchase all of the units offered by this prospectus (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below), if any are purchased under the underwriting agreement.
The underwriter is offering the units subject to various conditions and may reject all or part of any order. The representative of the underwriter has advised us that the underwriter proposes to offer the units directly to the public at the public offering price per unit that appears on the cover page of this prospectus. In addition, the representative may offer some of the units to other securities dealers at such price less a concession of $_____ per unit. After the units are released for sale to the public, the representative may change the offering price and other selling terms at various times.
We have granted the underwriter an over-allotment option to purchase up to 2,934,783 additional shares of common stock, representing 15% of the Common Units sold in the offering (at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023), and/or up to 2,934,783 additional Pre-Funded Warrants, representing 15% of the Pre-funded Warrants sold in the offering, and/or up to 1,027,174 additional Series A Warrants, representing 15% of the Series A Warrants sold in the offering, and/or up to 1,027,174 additional Series B Warrants, representing 15% of the Series B Warrants sold in the offering, on the same terms and conditions set forth above solely to cover over-allotments. The underwriter may exercise the over-allotment option with respect to shares of common stock only, Pre-Funded Warrants only, Series A Warrants only, Series B Warrants only, or any combination thereof.
If the underwriter exercises all or part of this option, they will purchase shares, warrants or units covered by the option at the public offering price that appears on the cover page of this prospectus, less the underwriting discount. The underwriter has agreed that, to the extent the over-allotment option is exercised, they will purchase the additional shares, warrants or units reflected in the foregoing table.
The following table provides information regarding the amount of the discount to be paid to the underwriter by us, before expenses (these amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option in the offering):
Per Unit | Total Without Exercise of Underwriter’s Option | Total With Full Exercise of Underwriter’s Option | ||||||||||
| Public offering price | $ | 0.92 | $ | 18,000,000 | $ | 20,700,000 | ||||||
| Underwriting discount (8.0%) | $ | (0.0736 | ) | $ | (1,440,000 | ) | $ | (1,656,000 | ) | |||
| Non-accountable expense allowance (1.0%)(1) | $ | (0.0092 | ) | $ | (180,000 | ) | $ | (207,000 | ) | |||
| Proceeds to us (before expenses) | $ | 0.84 | $ | 16,380,000 | $ | 18,837,000 | ||||||
(1) We have agreed to pay a non-accountable expense allowance to Aegis equal to 1.0% of the gross proceeds received in this offering. We have also agreed to reimburse Aegis for certain out-of-pocket expenses, including, but not limited to, up to $100,000 for reasonable legal fees and disbursements for the underwriter’s counsel.
As additional compensation to Aegis, upon consummation of this offering, we will issue to Aegis or its designees warrants to purchase an aggregate number of shares of our common stock equal to 5.0% of the number of shares of common stock issued in this offering, at an exercise price per share equal to 125% of the public offering price (the “Underwriter Warrants”). The Underwriter Warrants and the underlying shares of common stock will not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the Underwriter Warrants by any person for a period of 180 days beginning on the date of commencement of sales of the offering in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110.
The Underwriter Warrants will be exercisable from the date that is six months from the commencement of the sales of the offering and will expire four years and six months from such date in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). Furthermore, (i) the Underwriter Warrants do not have more than one demand registration right at our Company’s expense in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(B); (ii) the Underwriter Warrants do not have a demand registration right with a duration of more than five years from the commencement of sales of the public offering in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(C); (iii) the Underwriter Warrants do not have piggyback registration rights with a duration of more than seven years from the commencement of sales of the public offering in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(D); and (iv) the Underwriter Warrants have anti-dilution terms that are consistent with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(E) and (F).
| 14 |
From time to time, Aegis or its affiliates have in the past or may in the future engage in investment banking and/or other services with us and our affiliates for which it has received or may in the future receive customary fees and expenses. In September 2023, Aegis served as the underwriter in connection with a public offering (the “Offering”) of an aggregate of 1,400,000 shares (the “Shares”) of our common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, pursuant to an underwriting agreement between Aegis and us (the “September Underwriting Agreement”) containing standard terms, including standstill provisions. The Offering closed on September 18, 2023, and we received net proceeds of approximately $547,000 after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us associated with the Offering.
On September 29, 2023, we entered into a warrant inducement agreement with the Investors. In connection with this agreement, we lowered the exercise price of 1,535,000 warrants to purchase our common stock to $0.35 per share and the Investor exercised these warrants and paid us $537,250. In addition, we issued 1,535,000 warrants (“New Warrants”) to purchase our common stock with an exercise price of $0.50 per share. The New Warrants can be exercised for unregistered shares of our common stock and expire on August 24, 2027. On October 3, 2023, we entered into a waiver agreement with Aegis (the “Waiver”) pursuant to which Aegis agreed to waive the standstill provisions of the September Underwriting Agreement in connection with the issuance of the New Warrants to GLV Ventures. The Waiver is limited solely to the proposed issuance of the New Warrants to GLV Ventures. Aegis is not a party to the warrant inducement agreement and will not receive any compensation in connection with the warrant inducement agreement, the issuance of the New Warrants or the Waiver.
Lock-Up Agreements
Our directors and executive officers have agreed that, for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days from the closing date of the offering, subject to certain limited exceptions, they will not directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of Aegis, (a) offer, sell, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company; or (b) file or caused to be filed any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company.
Our directors and executive officers have agreed not to offer, sell, dispose of or hedge any shares of our common stock, subject to specified limited exceptions, for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days after the date of this offering.
Aegis, in its sole discretion, may release the common stock and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time. When determining whether or not to release common stock and other securities from lock-up agreements, Aegis will consider, among other factors, the holder’s reasons for requesting the release, the number of shares of common stock and other securities for which the release is being requested and market conditions at the time.
Company Standstill
Without the prior written consent of Aegis, the Company has agreed, for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days from the closing date of the offering, that it will not (a) offer, sell, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company; or (b) file or caused to be filed any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company except for (i) the adoption of an equity incentive plan, or the amendment of an existing equity incentive plan, and the grant of awards or equity pursuant to any equity incentive plan, and the filing of a registration statement on Form S-8; provided, however, that any sales by parties to the lockups shall be subject to the lock-up agreements and (ii) this issuance of shares in connection with an acquisition or a strategic relationship which may include the sale of equity securities, including, without limitation, an issuance of shares in connection with an agreement with a vehicle manufacturer; provided, that none of such shares shall be saleable in the public market until the expiration of the applicable period described above.
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Right of First Refusal
If, for the period ending 36 months from the closing of the offering, we or any of our subsidiaries decides to raise funds by means of a public offering or a private placement or any other capital raising financing of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, Aegis (or any affiliate designated by Aegis) shall have the right to act as sole book-running manager, sole underwriter or sole placement agent for such financing. If Aegis or one of its affiliates decides to accept any such engagement, the agreement governing such engagement will contain, among other things, provisions for customary fees for transactions of similar size and nature, but in no event will the fee structure be less than those outlined in the underwriting agreement between the Company and Aegis entered into for this offering, and the provisions of such underwriting agreement, including indemnification, which are appropriate to such transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the decision to accept the Company’s engagement shall be made by Aegis or one of its affiliates, by a written notice to the Company, within ten (10) days of the receipt of the Company’s notification of its financing needs, which notice shall include a detailed term sheet.. The foregoing right of first refusal shall not apply to (i) any transaction where the book-running manager, underwriter or placement agent for such financing is a tier one investment bank in the United States or (ii) any non-public financings or transactions not involving an investment bank, financial advisor, placement agent, finder or other party receiving payment in connection with the offering, including, without limitation, rights offerings to existing shareholders or similar transactions.
Tail Financing
Aegis shall be entitled to compensation with respect to any public or private offering or other financing or capital raising transaction of any kind to the extent that such financing or capital is provided to us by funds whom Aegis had contacted during the engagement period or introduced to us during the engagement period, if such tail financing is consummated at any time within the 18 month period following the closing of the offering or the expiration or termination of the letter of engagement between Aegis and us dated September 29, 2023, as may be amended from time to time.
Indemnification
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933.
Rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission may limit the ability of the underwriter to bid for or purchase shares before the distribution of the shares is completed. However, the underwriter may engage in the following activities in accordance with the rules:
· Stabilizing transactions — The representative may make bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the shares, so long as stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.
· Over-allotments and syndicate covering transactions — The underwriter may sell more shares of our common stock in connection with this offering than the number of shares that they have committed to purchase. This over-allotment creates a short position for the underwriter. This short sales position may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales. Covered short sales are short sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriter’s over-allotment option to purchase additional shares in this offering described above. The underwriter may close out any covered short position either by exercising their over-allotment option or by purchasing shares in the open market. To determine how they will close the covered short position, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market, as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the over-allotment option. Naked short sales are short sales in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriter must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that, in the open market after pricing, there may be downward pressure on the price of the shares that could adversely affect investors who purchase shares in this offering.
· Penalty bids — If the representative purchases shares in the open market in a stabilizing transaction or syndicate covering transaction, it may reclaim a selling concession from the underwriter and selling group members who sold those shares as part of this offering.
· Passive market making — Market makers in the shares who is the underwriter may make bids for or purchases of shares, subject to limitations, until the time, if ever, at which a stabilizing bid is made.
Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales or to stabilize the market price of our common stock may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or mitigating a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of the shares of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the price of the shares if it discourages resales of the shares.
Neither we nor the underwriter make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the shares. These transactions may occur on the Nasdaq Capital Market or otherwise. If such transactions are commenced, they may be discontinued without notice at any time.
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Electronic Delivery of Preliminary Prospectus: A preliminary prospectus in electronic format may be delivered to potential investors by one or more of the underwriters participating in this offering. The preliminary prospectus supplement in electronic format will be identical to the paper version of such preliminary prospectus. Other than the preliminary prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
The underwriter and its affiliates have provided in the past and may provide from time to time in the future certain commercial banking, financial advisory, investment banking and other services for us and our affiliates in the ordinary course of their business, for which they may receive customary fees and commissions. In addition, from time to time, the underwriter and their affiliates may effect transactions for their own account or the accounts of customers, and hold on behalf of itself or its customers, long or short positions in our debt or equity securities or loans, and may do so in the future. Aegis may release, or authorize us to release, as the case may be, the common stock and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time with or without notice.
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The following summary is a description of the material terms of our securities and is not complete. You should also refer to the Volcon, Inc. amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL.
Authorized Capital Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue 255,000,000 shares of capital stock consisting of 250,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.00001 per share.
Shares of our common stock have the following rights, preferences and privileges:
Voting
Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Any action at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be decided by a majority of the voting power present in person or represented by proxy, except in the case of any election of directors, which will be decided by a plurality of votes cast. There is no cumulative voting.
Dividends
Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends when, as and if declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for payment, subject to the rights of holders, if any, of any class of stock having preference over the common stock. Any decision to pay dividends on our common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors. Our board of directors may or may not determine to declare dividends in the future. The board’s determination to issue dividends will depend upon our profitability and financial condition, any contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and the SEC, and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.
Liquidation Rights
In the event of a voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably on the basis of the number of shares held in any of the assets available for distribution after we have paid in full, or provided for payment of, all of our debts and after the holders of all outstanding series of any class of stock have preference over the common stock, if any, have received their liquidation preferences in full.
Other
Our issued and outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable. Holders of shares of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights. Shares of our common stock are not convertible into shares of any other class of capital stock, nor are they subject to any redemption or sinking fund provisions.
We are authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the board to issue these shares in one or more series, to determine the designations and the powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, including the dividend rights, conversion or exchange rights, voting rights (including the number of votes per share), redemption rights and terms, liquidation preferences, sinking fund provisions and the number of shares constituting the series. Our board of directors could, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of common stock which could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or of discouraging a third party from attempting to acquire, a majority of our outstanding voting stock.
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Warrants
Underwriter Warrants
In connection with our initial public offering completed on October 8, 2021, we entered into the Underwriting Agreement, pursuant to which we agreed to issue to Aegis the Underwriter Warrant, a five-year warrant to purchase up to 32,519 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $34.40.
In connection with our public offering completed on February 1, 2022, we entered into the Underwriting Agreement, pursuant to which we agreed to issue to Aegis the Underwriter Warrant, a five-year warrant to purchase up to 66,667 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $18.75.
In connection with our public offering completed on September 18, 2023, we entered into the Underwriting Agreement, pursuant to which we agreed to issue to Aegis the Underwriter Warrant, a five-year warrant to purchase up to 56,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $3.125.
Placement Agent Warrant
In connection with our Series B Preferred Stock offering in May 2021, we entered into the Placement Agent Agreement, pursuant to which we agreed to issue to Aegis the Placement Agent Warrant, a five-year warrant to purchase up to 1,875 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $19.00.
On August 22, 2022, we entered into the Placement Agent Agreement, pursuant to which we agreed to issue to Aegis the Placement Agent Warrant, a five-year warrant to purchase up to 120,773 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $17.813.
For a description of the New Warrants and Exchange Warrants see our Form 10-Q/A filed with the SEC on November 2, 2023.
Convertible Notes
For a description of the New Notes and Exchange Notes see our Form 10-Q/A filed with the SEC on November 2, 2023.
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaw Provisions
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws include a number of anti-takeover provisions that may have the effect of encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include:
Advance Notice Requirements. Our bylaws establish advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder proposals must be timely and given in writing to our corporate Secretary. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not fewer than 120 calendar days prior to the first anniversary date on which our notice of meeting and related proxy statement were mailed to stockholders in connection with the previous year’s annual meeting of stockholders. The notice must contain the information required by the bylaws, including information regarding the proposal and the proponent.
Special Meetings of Stockholders. Our bylaws provide that special meetings of stockholders may be called at any time by only the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the board of directors, or in their absence or disability, by any vice president.
No Written Consent of Stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by any consent in writing by such stockholders.
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Amendment of Bylaws. Our stockholders may amend any provisions of our bylaws by obtaining the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of each class of issued and outstanding shares of our voting securities, at a meeting called for the purpose of amending and/or restating our bylaws.
Preferred Stock. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to create and issue rights entitling our stockholders to purchase shares of our stock or other securities. The ability of our board to establish the rights and issue substantial amounts of preferred stock without the need for stockholder approval may delay or deter a change in control of us. See the section titled “Preferred Stock” above.
Delaware Takeover Statute
We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any “business combination” (as defined below) with any interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless: (1) prior to such date, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (2) on consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding those shares owned (x) by persons who are directors and also officers and (y) by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to this plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or (3) on or subsequent to such date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2⁄3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.
Section 203 of the DGCL defines generally “business combination” to include: (1) any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder; (2) any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested stockholder; (3) subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder; (4) any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or (5) the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation. In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by such entity or person.
Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws limit the liability of our officers and directors and provide that we will indemnify our officers and directors, in each case, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.
Listing
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol “VLCN”.
Transfer Agent
The transfer agent for our common stock is Computershare.
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES WE ARE OFFERING
The following description summarizes certain terms of the Pre-Funded Warrant, Series A Warrant and Series B Warrant included in this offering. The material terms and provisions of our common stock are described under the caption “Description of Capital Stock”. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of the Pre-Funded Warrant, Series A Warrant and Series B Warrant, copies of which are filed with the SEC as exhibits to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of which this prospectus forms a part.
We are offering (i) 19,565,217 Common Units (at an assumed public offering price of $0.92 per Common Unit, which is the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 6, 2023), each unit consisting of one share of common stock, 0.35 of one Series A Warrant and 0.35 of one Series B Warrant, and/or (ii) 19,565,217 Pre-Funded Units, consisting of one Pre-Funded Warrant to purchase one share of our common stock, 0.35 of one Series A Warrant and 0.35 of one Series B Warrant.
Each share of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrant and accompanying Warrants included in each unit will be immediately separable upon issuance and will be issued separately. The units will not be issued or certificated. We are also registering the shares of common stock included in the Common Units and the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants and shares of common stock issuable from time to time upon exercise of the Warrants included in the units offered hereby.
Warrant Stockholder Approval
Under Nasdaq listing rules, the alternative cashless exercise option (described below) in the Series A Warrants and certain anti-dilution provisions in the Series B Warrants (described below) will not be effective until, and unless, we obtain the approval of our stockholders. While we intend to promptly seek stockholder approval, there is no guarantee that the Warrant Stockholder Approval will ever be obtained. If we are unable to obtain the Warrant Stockholder Approval, the foregoing provisions will not become effective and the Warrants will have substantially less value. In addition, we will incur substantial cost, and management will devote substantial time and attention, in attempting to obtain the Warrant Stockholder Approval.
Series A Warrants
The following description of the Series A Warrants we are offering is a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the provisions of the Series A Warrants, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Duration and Exercise Price.
Each Series A Warrant offered hereby will have an initial exercise price per share equal to $[ ]. The Series A Warrants are immediately exercisable and will expire on the five-year anniversary of the original issuance date.
The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of stock dividends, stock splits, reorganizations or similar events affecting our shares of common stock and the exercise price. Pursuant to a warrant agency agreement between us and Computershare, as warrant agent, the Series A Warrants will be issued in book-entry form and shall initially be represented only by one or more global warrants deposited with the warrant agent, as custodian on behalf of DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of DTC, or as otherwise directed by DTC.
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Exercisability.
The Series A Warrants are exercisable, at the option of the holder, in whole or in part, by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice accompanied by payment in full for the number of shares of common stock purchased upon such exercise (except in the case of a cashless exercise, as discussed below). A holder (together with its affiliates) may not exercise any portion of the Series A Warrants to the extent that the holder would own more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the holder, 9.99%) of the outstanding shares of common stock immediately after exercise. However, upon notice from the holder to us, the holder may decrease or increase the holder’s beneficial ownership limitation, which may not exceed 9.99% of the number of outstanding shares of common stock immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Series A Warrants, provided that any increase in the beneficial ownership limitation will not take effect until 61 days following notice to us. Purchasers in this offering may also elect, prior to the issuance of the Series A Warrants, to have the initial exercise limitation set at 9.99% of our outstanding shares of common stock. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the exercise of a Series A Warrant. In lieu of fractional shares, we will either pay the holder an amount in cash equal to the fractional amount multiplied by the exercise price or round up to the next whole share.
Share Combination Event Adjustments.
Conditioned upon the receipt of the Warrant Stockholder Approval, if at any time on or after the date of issuance there occurs any share split, share dividend, share combination recapitalization or other similar transaction involving our common stock and the lowest daily volume weighted average price during the five consecutive trading days prior to the date of such event and the five consecutive trading days after the date of such event is less than the exercise price then in effect, then the exercise price shall be reduced to the lowest daily volume weighted average price during such period and the number of warrant shares issuable shall be increased such that the aggregate exercise price payable thereunder, after taking into account the decrease in the exercise price, shall be equal to the aggregate exercise price on the date of issuance. Such adjustment may only be made one time.
Cashless Exercise.
If at the time a holder exercises its Series A Warrants, a registration statement registering the issuance of the shares of common stock underlying the Series A Warrants under the Securities Act is not then effective or available and an exemption from registration under the Securities Act is not available for the issuance of such shares, then in lieu of making the cash payment otherwise contemplated to be made to us upon such exercise in payment of the aggregate exercise price, the holder may elect instead to receive upon such exercise (either in whole or in part) the net number of shares of common stock determined according to a formula set forth in the Series A Warrants.
On or after the Warrant Stockholder Approval, a holder of Series A Warrants may also provide notice and elect an “alternative cashless exercise” pursuant to which they would receive an aggregate number of shares equal to the product of (x) the aggregate number of shares of common stock that would be issuable upon a cash exercise of the Series A Warrant and (y) 3.0.
Transferability.
Subject to applicable laws, a Series A Warrant may be transferred at the option of the holder upon surrender of the Series A Warrant to us together with the appropriate instruments of transfer.
Exchange Listing.
There is no trading market available for the Series A Warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system. We do not intend to list the Series A Warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system.
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Right as a Stockholder.
Except as otherwise provided in the Series A Warrants or by virtue of such holder’s ownership of our shares of common stock, the holders of the Series A Warrants do not have the rights or privileges of holders of our shares of common stock, including any voting rights, until the holder exercises their Series A Warrants.
Fundamental Transaction.
In the event of a fundamental transaction, as described in the Series A Warrants and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our shares of common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding shares of common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of more than 50% of the voting power represented by our outstanding shares of common stock, the holders of the Series A Warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the Series A Warrants the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the Series A Warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction. Additionally, as more fully described in the Series A Warrants, in the event of certain fundamental transactions, the holders of the Series A Warrants will be entitled to receive consideration in an amount equal to the Black Scholes value of the Series A Warrants on the date of consummation of the transaction.
Series B Warrants
The following description of the Series B Warrants we are offering is a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the provisions of the Series B Warrants, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Duration and Exercise Price.
Each Series B Warrant offered hereby will have an initial exercise price per share equal to $ . The Series B Warrants will be immediately exercisable and will expire on the five-year anniversary of the original issuance date.
Conditioned upon the receipt of the Warrant Stockholder Approval, and subject to certain exemptions outlined in the Series B Warrant, for the life of the warrant, if the Company shall sell, enter into an agreement to sell, or grant any option to purchase, or sell, enter into an agreement to sell, or grant any right to reprice, or otherwise dispose of or issue (or announce any offer, sale, grant or any option to purchase or other disposition) any common stock or convertible security, at an effective price per share less than the exercise price of the Series B Warrant then in effect, or a Dilutive Issuance, the exercise price of the Series B Warrant will be decreased to the price per share in the Dilutive Issuance and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of the Series B Warrant shall be proportionally adjusted so that the aggregate exercise price of the Series B Warrant shall remain unchanged.
Conditioned upon the receipt of the Warrant Stockholder Approval, for the life of the Series B Warrant, we may voluntarily reduce the exercise price of the Series B Warrant.
The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of stock dividends, stock splits, reorganizations or similar events affecting our shares of common stock and the exercise price. Pursuant to a warrant agency agreement between us and Computershare, as warrant agent, the Series B Warrants will be issued in book-entry form and shall initially be represented only by one or more global warrants deposited with the warrant agent, as custodian on behalf of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of DTC, or as otherwise directed by DTC.
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Share Combination Event Adjustments.
Conditioned upon the receipt of the Warrant Stockholder Approval, if at any time on or after the date of issuance there occurs any share split, share dividend, share combination recapitalization or other similar transaction involving our common stock and the lowest daily volume weighted average price during the five consecutive trading days prior to the date of such event and the five consecutive trading days after the date of such event is less than the exercise price then in effect, then the exercise price shall be reduced to the lowest daily volume weighted average price during such period and the number of warrant shares issuable shall be increased such that the aggregate exercise price payable thereunder, after taking into account the decrease in the exercise price, shall be equal to the aggregate exercise price on the date of issuance. Such adjustment may only be made one time.
Exercisability.
The Series B Warrants are not exercisable without first obtaining the Warrant Stockholder Approval. Assuming the Warrant Stockholder Approval is obtained, the Series B Warrants will be exercisable, at the option of the holder, in whole or in part, by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice accompanied by payment in full for the number of shares of common stock purchased upon such exercise (except in the case of a cashless exercise, as discussed below). A holder (together with its affiliates) may not exercise any portion of the Series B Warrants to the extent that the holder would own more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the holder, 9.99%) of the outstanding shares of common stock immediately after exercise. However, upon notice from the holder to us, the holder may decrease or increase the holder’s beneficial ownership limitation, which may not exceed 9.99% of the number of outstanding shares of common stock immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Series B Warrants, provided that any increase in the beneficial ownership limitation will not take effect until 61 days following notice to us. Purchasers in this offering may also elect, prior to the issuance of the Series B Warrants, to have the initial exercise limitation set at 9.99% of our outstanding shares of common stock. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the exercise of a Series B Warrant. In lieu of fractional shares, we will either pay the holder an amount in cash equal to the fractional amount multiplied by the exercise price or round up to the next whole share.
Cashless Exercise.
If at the time a holder exercises its Series B Warrants, a registration statement registering the issuance of the shares of common stock underlying the Series B Warrants under the Securities Act is not then effective or available and an exemption from registration under the Securities Act is not available for the issuance of such shares, then in lieu of making the cash payment otherwise contemplated to be made to us upon such exercise in payment of the aggregate exercise price, the holder may elect instead to receive upon such exercise (either in whole or in part) the net number of shares of common stock determined according to a formula set forth in the Series B Warrants.
Transferability.
Subject to applicable laws, a Series B Warrant may be transferred at the option of the holder upon surrender of the Series B Warrant to us together with the appropriate instruments of transfer.
Exchange Listing.
There is no trading market available for the Series B Warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system. We do not intend to list the Series B Warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system.
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Right as a Stockholder.
Except as otherwise provided in the Series B Warrants or by virtue of such holder’s ownership of our shares of common stock, the holders of the Series B Warrants do not have the rights or privileges of holders of our shares of common stock, including any voting rights, until the Warrant Stockholder Approval is obtained and the holder exercises their Series B Warrants.
Fundamental Transaction.
In the event of a fundamental transaction, as described in the Series B Warrants and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our shares of common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding shares of common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of more than 50% of the voting power represented by our outstanding shares of common stock, the holders of the Series B Warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the Series B Warrants the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the Series B Warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction. Additionally, as more fully described in the Series B Warrants, in the event of certain fundamental transactions, the holders of the Series B Warrants will be entitled to receive consideration in an amount equal to the Black Scholes value of the Series B Warrants on the date of consummation of the transaction.
Pre-Funded Warrants
The following description of the Pre-Funded Warrants we are offering is a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the provisions of the Pre-Funded Warrants, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Duration and Exercise Price.
Each Pre-Funded Warrant is exercisable for one shares of our common stock, with an exercise price equal to $0.001 per share, at any time that the Pre-Funded Warrant is outstanding. There is no expiration date for the Pre-Funded Warrants. The holder of a Pre-Funded Warrant will not be deemed a holder of our underlying common stock until the Pre-Funded Warrant is exercised.
The exercise price and the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of recapitalization events, stock dividends, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock.
The term “pre-funded” refers to the fact that the purchase price of our common stock in this offering includes almost the entire exercise price that will be paid under the Pre-Funded Warrants, except for a nominal remaining exercise price of $0.001. The purpose of the Pre-Funded Warrants is to enable investors that may have restrictions on their ability to beneficially own more than 4.99% (or, upon election of the holder, 9.99%) of our outstanding common stock following the consummation of this offering the opportunity to make an investment in us without triggering their ownership restrictions, by receiving Pre-Funded Warrants in lieu of our common stock which would result in such ownership of more than 4.99% (or 9.99%), and receive the ability to exercise their option to purchase the shares underlying the Pre-Funded Warrants at such nominal price at a later date.
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Exercisability.
The Pre-Funded Warrants are exercisable, at the option of the holder, in whole or in part, by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice accompanied by payment in full for the number of shares of common stock purchased upon such exercise (except in the case of a cashless exercise, as discussed below). A holder (together with its affiliates) may not exercise any portion of the Pre-Funded Warrants to the extent that the holder would own more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the holder, 9.99%) of the outstanding shares of common stock immediately after exercise. However, upon notice from the holder to us, the holder may decrease or increase the holder’s beneficial ownership limitation, which may not exceed 9.99% of the number of outstanding shares of common stock immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Pre-Funded Warrants, provided that any increase in the beneficial ownership limitation will not take effect until 61 days following notice to us. Purchasers in this offering may also elect, prior to the issuance of the Pre-Funded Warrants, to have the initial exercise limitation set at 9.99% of our outstanding shares of common stock. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the exercise of a Pre-Funded Warrant. In lieu of fractional shares, we will either pay the holder an amount in cash equal to the fractional amount multiplied by the exercise price or round up to the next whole share.
Cashless Exercise.
If at the time a holder exercises its Pre-Funded Warrants, a registration statement registering the issuance of the shares of common stock underlying the Pre-Funded Warrants under the Securities Act is not then effective or available and an exemption from registration under the Securities Act is not available for the issuance of such shares, then in lieu of making the cash payment otherwise contemplated to be made to us upon such exercise in payment of the aggregate exercise price, the holder may elect instead to receive upon such exercise (either in whole or in part) the net number of shares of common stock determined according to a formula set forth in the Pre-Funded Warrants.
Transferability.
Subject to applicable laws, a Pre-Funded Warrant may be transferred at the option of the holder upon surrender of the Pre-Funded Warrant to us together with the appropriate instruments of transfer.
Exchange Listing.
There is no trading market available for the Pre-Funded Warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system. We do not intend to list the Pre-Funded Warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system.
Right as a Stockholder.
Except as otherwise provided in the Pre-Funded Warrants or by virtue of such holder’s ownership of our shares of common stock, the holders of the Pre-Funded Warrants do not have the rights or privileges of holders of our shares of common stock, including any voting rights, until the holder exercises their Pre-Funded Warrants.
Fundamental Transaction.
In the event of a fundamental transaction, as described in the Pre-Funded Warrants and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our shares of common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding shares of common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of more than 50% of the voting power represented by our outstanding shares of common stock, the holders of the Pre-Funded Warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the Pre-Funded Warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction. Additionally, as more fully described in the Pre-Funded Warrants, in the event of certain fundamental transactions, the holders of the Pre-Funded Warrants will be entitled to receive consideration in an amount equal to the Black Scholes value of the Pre-Funded Warrants on the date of consummation of the transaction.
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The validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by ArentFox Schiff LLP, Washington, DC. Kaufman & Canoles, P.C., Richmond, Virginia, is acting as counsel for the underwriter in connection with this offering.
The financial statements as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 incorporated in this prospectus have been audited by MaloneBailey LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act for the securities being offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which is part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement and the exhibits. For further information about us and the securities offered by this prospectus, you should refer to the registration statement and its exhibits. References in this prospectus to any of our contracts or other documents are not necessarily complete, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract or document. You may read and copy any document that we file at the SEC’s public reference room located at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference rooms. SEC filings are also available to the public at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
We are subject to the reporting and information requirements of the Exchange Act and, as a result, file periodic and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. We expect to make our periodic reports and other information filed with or furnished to the SEC, available, free of charge, through our website, https://ir.volcon.com/sec-filings/all-sec-filings, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports and other information are filed with or furnished to the SEC. Additionally, these periodic reports, proxy statements and other information will be available for inspection and copying at the public reference room and website of the SEC referred to above. Information on our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with it, which means that we are disclosing important information to you by referring you to other documents. The information we incorporate by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and later information that we file with the SEC automatically will update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, excluding any information in those documents that is deemed by the rules of the SEC to be furnished not filed, until all offerings under the registration statement are completed:
| · | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2023 as amended by Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on March 14, 2023. | |
| · | Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A filed with the SEC on May 8, 2023, our Form 10-Q filed August 11, 2023 and our Form 10-Q/A filed November 2, 2023. | |
| · | Our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 3, 2023; | |
| · | Our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 10, 2023, March 28, 2023, May 22, 2023, May 25, 2023 (two Form 8-K filings), June 15, 2023, July 10, 2023, July 14, 2023, August 1, 2023, August 4, 2023, September 7, 2023, September 12, 2023, September 15, 2023, September 18, 2023, September 27, 2023, October 2, 2023, October 10, 2023, October 12, 2023, October 16, 2023, October 30, 2023, and October 31, 2023. | |
| · | The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on October 1, 2021, and any other amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. | |
| · | An updated description of our capital stock is included in this prospectus under "Description of Common Stock" and "Description of Preferred Stock". |
These reports contain important information about us, our financial condition and our results of operations.
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All future documents filed pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 on any Current Report on Form 8-K) after the date on which the registration statement that includes this prospectus was initially filed with the SEC (including all such documents that we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement) and until all offerings under this registration statement are terminated shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus by reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained herein, or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the reports or documents that have been incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained in the registration statement but not delivered with the prospectus at no charge, upon written or oral request to Volcon, Inc., 3121 Eagles Nest Street, Suite 120, Round Rock, TX 78665, Attn: Chief Financial Officer, (512) 400-4271; greg@volcon.com.
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19,565,217 Common Units consisting of shares of Common Stock, Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants and/or
19,565,217 Pre-Funded Units consisting of Pre-Funded Warrants, Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants (and 19,565,217 shares of common stock underlying the Pre-Funded Warrants)
Up to 20,543,478 shares of common stock underlying the Series A Warrants
Up to 6,847,826 shares of common stock underlying the Series B Warrants
Volcon, Inc.
PROSPECTUS
Sole Book-Running Manager
Aegis Capital Corp.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The following table sets forth the estimated costs and expenses to be incurred in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities of Volcon, Inc. (the “Registrant”) which are registered under this Registration Statement on Form S-1 (this “Registration Statement”), other than underwriting discounts and commissions. All amounts are estimates except the Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee.
The following expenses will be borne solely by the Registrant:
| Amount to be Paid |
||||
| SEC Registration fee | $ | 6,775.17 |
||
| Legal fees and expenses | $ | 330,000 | ||
| Accounting fees and expenses | $ | 20,000 | ||
| Miscellaneous fees and expenses | $ | 20,000 | ||
| Total | $ | 376,775.17 | ||
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Pursuant to Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), a corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than a derivative action by or in the right of such corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation, or serving at the request of such corporation in such capacity for another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of such corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.
The DGCL also permits indemnification by a corporation under similar circumstances for expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such persons in connection with the defense or settlement of a derivative action or suit, except 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 to such corporation unless the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such court shall deem proper.
To the extent a present or former director or officer is successful in the defense of such an action, suit or proceeding referenced above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, a corporation is required by the DGCL to indemnify such person for actual and reasonable expenses incurred in connection therewith. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by such persons in defending any action, suit or proceeding may be paid in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon in the case of a current officer or director, receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such person to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be so indemnified.
The DGCL provides that the indemnification described above shall not be deemed exclusive of other indemnification that may be granted by a corporation pursuant to its bylaws, disinterested directors’ vote, stockholders’ vote and agreement or otherwise.
Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL enables a corporation, in its certificate of incorporation or an amendment thereto, to eliminate or limit the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for violations of the directors’ fiduciary duty, except (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL (providing for liability of directors for unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions) or (iv) for any transaction from which a director derived an improper personal benefit. The Registrant’s certificate of incorporation provides for such limitations on liability for its directors.
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The DGCL also provides corporations with the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation in a similar capacity for another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against him or her in any such capacity or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify him or her against such liability as described above.
The Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires the Registrant to indemnify and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law as it presently exists or may hereafter be amended, any person (a “covered person”) who was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “proceeding”) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director, officer or member of a committee of the Registrant, or, while a director or officer of the Registrant, is or was serving at the request of the Registrant as a director or officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise or non-profit entity, including service with respect to employee benefit plans, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgment, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with a proceeding.
In addition, under the Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, in certain circumstances, the Registrant shall pay the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by a covered person in defending a proceeding in advance of the final disposition of such proceeding; provided, however, that the Registrant shall not be required to advance any expenses to a person against whom the Registrant directly brings an action, suit or proceeding alleging that such person (1) committed an act or omission not in good faith or (2) committed an act of intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law. Additionally, an advancement of expenses incurred by a covered person shall be made only upon delivery to the Registrant of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such covered person, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal or otherwise in accordance with Delaware law that such covered person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses.
In addition, the Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers that provide for additional indemnification protections, which form of agreement has been filed as an exhibit to this registration statement.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
Except as set forth below, in the three years preceding the filing of this Registration Statement, the Registrant has not issued any securities that were not registered under the Securities Act:
On September 21, 2020, the Company issued its founding stockholders an aggregate of 155,000 shares of common stock. The issuances were made in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. promulgated thereunder.
On August 28, 2020, the Company entered into consulting agreements with Pink Possum, LLC (“Pink Possum”), an entity controlled by Mr. Okonsky, and Highbridge Consultants, LLC (“Highbridge”), an entity controlled by Mr. James. In consideration for entering into the consulting agreements, the Company issued the two entities ten-year warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $0.02 per share. The number of shares of common stock issuable pursuant to the warrants was based on the number of shares of our common stock outstanding at the time of exercise and provided that Pink Possum and Highbridge would receive 18.75% and 25%, respectively, of our shares of common stock outstanding at the time of exercise on a fully diluted basis. On March 26, 2021, Pink Possum and Highbridge entered into amendments to the consulting agreements agreeing to exchange the original warrants for new ten-year warrants to purchase 1,900,000 and 2,500,000 shares (4,750,000 and 6,250,000 shares after the 1 to 2.5 stock split completed in July 2021, respectively, and 950,000 and 1,250,000, respectively, after the 1 for 5 reverse stock split completed October 13, 2023), respectively, of common stock at an exercise price of $12.30. On December 20, 2021, Highbridge exercised all of its warrants on a cashless basis and the Company issued 1,101,515 shares of common stock to Highbridge. The issuances were made in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act promulgated thereunder.
In September 2020, the Company issued five-year warrants to purchase an aggregate of 12,128 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.05 per share to consultants. The issuances were made in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.
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From September 2020 to October 2020, the Company issued $2,000,000 of SAFE securities (the “SAFE I securities”) to investors in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder. From November 2020 to December 2020, the Company completed an offering pursuant to Regulation CF of the Securities Act pursuant to which it issued $1,070,000 in January 2021 of a new class SAFE securities (the “SAFE II securities”) to investors. From November 2020 to December 2020, the Company completed an offering of SAFE II securities to investors in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder, pursuant to which it issued $1,188,940 of SAFE II securities in January 2021.
Between January and April 2021, the Company sold 415,287 shares of Series A preferred stock at $6.43 per share and issued 776,101 shares of Series A preferred stock upon the conversion of the SAFE I securities and SAFE II securities and 1,105,827 shares of Series B preferred stock at $9.50 per share in a private placement. The issuances were made in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.
In connection with the Series A preferred stock issuance, the Company issued 15,950 shares of common stock and 15,955 fully vested warrants with a five (5) year exercise term to purchase common stock with an exercise price of $12.85 to a financial broker. In connection with the Series B preferred stock issuance, the Company issued 24,660 shares of common stock and 39,456 fully vested warrants to purchase common stock with a five (5) year exercise term and an exercise price of $19.00 to two financial brokers. In October 2021, warrant holders representing 63,404 shares from the Series A and Series B Preferred Stock issuances exercised their warrants on a cashless basis and the Company issued 47,244 shares of common stock as settlement for these warrants. The issuances were made in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.
On September 10, 2021, the Company entered into an agreement with a lender for a 6% promissory note of $2 million. The promissory note has a maturity date of one year from inception or immediately upon the completion of this offering. For providing the above promissory note, the Company agreed to issue 53,333 shares of our common stock and agreed to pay $35,000 of the placement agent’s and investor’s legal costs and paid a 6% commission to the placement agent, who is the underwriter of this offering. The issuances were made in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company issued fully vested warrants with ten year (10) terms to purchase 30,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to consultants with exercise price ranging from $1.23 - $5.00. The issuances were made in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.
On August 22, 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “SPA”) with certain institutional investors listed on the signature pages thereto (individually, the “Investor” and collectively, the “Investors”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell to the Investors in a private placement (i) senior convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of $27,173,913 (the “Original Notes”), at an initial conversion price of $11.25 per share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.00001, subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of specified events, and (ii) warrants to purchase up to 1,811,595 shares of common stock with an initial exercise price of $14.25 per share of common stock (the “Original Warrants”).
On August 22, 2022, in connection with the private placement of the Original Notes and Original Warrants, the Company entered into a Placement Agent Agreement dated as of August 22, 2022 (the “Placement Agent Agreement”) with Aegis Capital Corp. (“Aegis”). Pursuant to the Placement Agent Agreement, Aegis received (i) upon closing cash compensation of $2.0 million (8.0% of the gross proceeds of the private placement), (ii) $250,000 for non-accountable expenses (1.0% of the gross proceeds of the private placement), and (iii) a warrant to purchase up to 120,773 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $17.813 (the “Placement Agent Warrant”).
On May 19, 2023, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase and Exchange Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with the Investors that entered into the SPA pursuant to which the Company agreed to:
(A) issue and sell to the Investors in a private placement (i) senior convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of $4,934,783 (the “Convertible Notes”), at an initial conversion price of $12.70 per share of the Company’s common stock, which conversion price will be decreased, upon the receipt of shareholder approval, to $3.75 (the “Transaction Price”), subject to further adjustment upon the occurrence of specified events, and (ii) warrants to purchase 1,086,957 shares of the Company’s common stock with an initial exercise price of $5.45 per share, which shall be, upon the receipt of shareholder approval, decreased to the Transaction Price (the “New Warrants”);
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(B) exchange the senior convertible notes due February 24, 2024 in principal amount of $27,173,913 (the “Original Notes”) for: (i) senior convertible notes due February 24, 2024 in principal amount of $3,690,422 at an initial conversion price per share equal to the Transaction Price, subject to further adjustment upon the occurrence of specified events (the “Series A Exchange Notes”); and (ii) senior convertible notes due February 24, 2024 in principal amount of $23,483,491 at an initial conversion price of $5.45 per share, which conversion price will be decreased, upon the receipt of shareholder approval, to the Transaction Price, subject to further adjustment upon the occurrence of specified events (the “Series B Exchange Notes,” and together with the Series A Exchange Notes, the “Exchange Notes”); and
(C) exchange the Original Warrants for warrants to purchase 3,411,596 shares of the Company’s common stock with an initial exercise price of $5.45 per share, which shall be, upon the receipt of shareholder approval, decreased to the Transaction Price, subject to further adjustment upon the occurrence of specified events (the “Exchange Warrants”).
The Exchange Notes are the senior unsecured obligations of the Company and were issued with an original issue discount of approximately 8.8%. The Exchange Notes bear no interest unless an event of default has occurred, upon which interest accrues at 10.0% per annum. The Exchange Notes mature on February 24, 2024, unless earlier converted (only upon the satisfaction of certain conditions) (the “Maturity Date”). The Maturity Date may be extended at the sole option of the Investors, under certain circumstances specified therein. The Company may, at its election, force conversion of the Exchange Notes if at any time after the issuance date, the weighted average price of the Company’s common stock for ten (10) consecutive trading days equals or exceeds $19.70, subject to certain limitations described in the Exchange Notes.
The issuance of the Original Notes, Original Warrants, and the Placement Agent Warrant was made in reliance on the exemption provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act for the offer and sale of securities not involving a public offering, and Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. The issuance of the Exchange Notes and Exchange Warrants was made in reliance on the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act.
On September 15, 2023, the Company issued the underwriter of its public offering of common stock a warrant to purchase up to 56,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price equal to 125% of the offering price, or $3.125 per share, subject to adjustments. The issuance of the warrant was made in reliance on the exemption provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
On September 29, 2023, the Company entered into an inducement offer letter agreement (the “Inducement Letter”) with three holders (each, a “Holder”) of the Company’s existing warrants amended and restated on May 24, 2023 (the “Existing Warrants”). Pursuant to the Inducement Letter, the Company reduced the exercise price for a portion of the Existing Warrants to $1.75 per share (“Reduced Warrant Exercise Price”). In addition, pursuant to the Inducement Letter, the Holders who agreed to exercise for cash their Existing Warrants would receive a new warrant (“New Warrant”) to purchase a number of shares of common stock equal to the number of shares of common stock exercised under the Existing Warrants with an exercise price of $2.50 per share. The Holders agreed to purchase up to an aggregate of 307,000 shares of Company common stock at the Reduced Warrant Exercise Price under the Existing Warrants in consideration of the Company’s agreement to issue New Warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 307,000 shares of Company common stock (the “New Warrant Shares”) at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. The New Warrants are identical to the Existing Warrants. The issuance of the New Warrants occurred on September 29, 2023. The Company issued the New Warrants pursuant to the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act available under Section 4(a)(2) and Regulation D issued thereunder.
On October 11, 2023, the Company entered into amendment to a supplier agreement with GLV Ventures (“GLV”). In consideration for entering into the amendment, the Company agreed to issue GLV (or its designee) five-year warrants to purchase 400,000 shares of Company common stock with an exercise price of $2.0995 per share, which was equal to the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date of the amendment, 200,000 shares were fully vested upon issuance and the remaining warrants will vest 45 days from the issuance date. The warrants issuance is exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
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On October 13, 2023, the Company entered into an inducement offer letter agreement (the “Inducement Letter”) with three holders (each, a “Holder”) of the Company’s existing warrants amended and restated on May 24, 2023 (the “Existing Warrants”). Pursuant to the Inducement Letter, the Company reduced the exercise price of up to 973,000 Existing Warrants (after given effect to the 1:5 reverse stock split that went into effect at 4:01 pm (New York time) on October 13, 2023) to the lesser of (i) $1.75 (after giving effect to the 1:5 reverse stock split that went into effect at 4:01 pm (New York time) on October 13, 2023) and (ii) the exercise price in effect at the time of exercise of the Existing Warrants, including after giving effect to the provisions of Section 3(f) of the Existing Warrants (such lesser price, the “Reduced Warrant Exercise Price”). In addition, pursuant to the Inducement Letter, the Holders who exercise such Existing Warrants for cash on or prior to October 27, 2023 would receive a new warrant (“New Warrant”) to purchase a number of shares of common stock equal to the number of shares of common stock exercised under the Existing Warrants. The Company issued the New Warrants pursuant to the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act available under Section 4(a)(2) and Regulation D issued thereunder.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) Exhibits: Reference is made to the Exhibit Index following the signature pages hereto, which Exhibit Index is hereby incorporated into this Item.
(b) Consolidated Financial Statement Schedules: All schedules are omitted because the required information is inapplicable or the information is presented in the financial statements and the related notes.
Item 17. Undertakings
(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective registration statement;
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
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Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-1 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) If the registrant is subject to Rule 430C (§ 230.430C of this chapter), each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A (§ 230.430A of this chapter), shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the provisions referenced in Item 14 of this Registration Statement, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered hereunder, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
| II-6 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Round Rock, Texas, on November 8, 2023.
|
VOLCON, INC. (Registrant) | ||
| By: | /s/ Jordan Davis | |
|
Jordan Davis Chief Executive Officer | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
| SIGNATURE | TITLE | DATE | |
| /s/ Jordan Davis | November 8, 2023 | ||
| Jordan Davis |
Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) |
||
| /s/ Greg Endo | November 8, 2023 | ||
| Greg Endo |
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
||
| * | |||
| Christian Okonsky | Director and Chief Technology Officer | November 8, 2023 | |
| * | |||
| Jonathan P. Foster | Director | November 8, 2023 | |
| * | |||
| John Kim | Director | November 8, 2023 | |
| * | |||
| Karin-Joyce Tjon | Director | November 8, 2023 | |
| * | By: /s/ Greg Endo | ||
| Attorney-in-fact | |||
| II-7 |
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit Number |
Description |
| 1.1 | Form of Underwriting Agreement* |
| 3.1 | Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Volcon, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Form 8-K filed October 8, 2021) |
| 3.2 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Volcon, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 3.3 | Certificate of Amendment of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Volcon, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Form 8-K filed June 15, 2023) |
| 4.1 | Form of common stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 4.2 | Form of Warrant issued to Pink Possum, LLC and Highbridge Consulting, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 4.3 | Form of Underwriter Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 4.4 | Form of Underwriter Warrant (incorporated by reference to exhibit 4.3 of the Form S-1 file number 333-262343) |
| 4.5 | Form of Original Senior Convertible Note (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 24, 2022) |
| 4.6 | Note Amendment to Senior Convertible Note, dated September 6, 2022* |
| 4.7 | Form of Original Common Stock Purchase Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 24, 2022) |
| 4.8 | Placement Agent Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 24, 2022). |
| 4.9 | Form of New Senior Convertible Note (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 22, 2023) |
| 4.10 | Form of Exchange Senior Convertible Note (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 22, 2023) |
| 4.11 | Form of New Common Stock Purchase Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 22, 2023) |
| 4.12 | Form of Exchange Common Stock Purchase Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 22, 2023) |
| 4.13 | Form of Pre-Funded Warrant* |
| 4.14 | Form of Series A/B Warrant* |
| 4.15 | Form of Warrant Agent Agreement* |
| 4.16 | Form of Representative’s Warrant* |
| 5.1 | Opinion of ArentFox Schiff LLP* |
| 10.1† | 2021 Stock Plan of Volcon, Inc., as amended (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.1 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 10.2 | Consulting Agreement, as amended, between Volcon, Inc. and Pink Possum, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 10.3 | Consulting Agreement, as amended, between Volcon, Inc. and Highbridge Consulting, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 10.4 | Lease Agreement dated November 20, 2020, as amended between Volcon, Inc. and Alexander EV Park, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 10.5† | Employment Agreement between Volcon, Inc. and Greg Endo dated June 7, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 10.6 | Sublease Agreement dated June 1, 2021 between Volcon, Inc. and Sustainability Initiatives, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 10.7† | Employment Agreement between Volcon, Inc. and Jordan Davis dated August 5, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 10.8 | Securities Purchase Agreement by and among Volcon, Inc. and the Buyers, dated August 22, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 24, 2022)** |
| 10.9 | Registration Rights Agreement by and among Volcon, Inc. and the Buyers, dated August 22, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 24, 2022) |
| 10.10 | Placement Agent Agreement for Original Notes (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 24, 2022) |
| 10.11† | Amendment to the Volcon, Inc. 2021 Stock Plan (as amended and restated) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 27, 2022) |
| 10.12 | Supply Agreement with General Motors LLC executed as of August 9, 2022 and effective as of August 3, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 filed with the SEC on August 15, 2022)** |
| 10.13 | Supplier Agreement with GLV Ventures effective August 11, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 filed with the SEC on August 15, 2022) |
| 10.14† | Employment Agreement between Volcon, Inc. and Stephanie Davis, dated January 3, 2022 (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.2 of the Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2022) |
| II-8 |
| 10.15 | Underwriting Agreement by and among Volcon, Inc. and Aegis Capital Corp., dated January 28, 2022 (incorporated by reference to exhibit 1.1 of Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2022) |
| 10.16 | Securities Purchase Agreement by and among Volcon, Inc. and the Buyers, dated May 19, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 24, 2023)** |
| 10.17 | Registration Rights Agreement by and among Volcon, Inc. and the Buyers, dated May 19, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 22, 2023) |
| 10.18 | Placement Agent Agreement for New Notes (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 22, 2023) |
| 10.19 | Underwriting Agreement by and among Volcon, Inc. and Aegis Capital Corp., dated May 22, 2023 (incorporated by reference to exhibit 1.1 of Form 8-K filed on May 24, 2023) |
| 21.1 | List of subsidiaries (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 of the Form S-1 file number 333-259468) |
| 23.1 | Consent of MaloneBailey LLP* |
| 23.2 | Consent of ArentFox Schiff LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)* |
| 24.1 | Power of Attorney (previously included on signature page) |
| 107 | Filing Fee Table* |
| * | Filed herewith. |
| ** | Schedules and exhibits omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The Company will furnish a copy of any omitted schedule or exhibit to the SEC upon request. |
| † | Indicates management contract or compensatory plan, contract or arrangement. |
| II-9 |
Exhibit 1.1
Underwriting Agreement
November ___, 2023
Aegis Capital Corp.
c/o Aegis Capital Corp.
1345 Avenue of the Americas,
27th Floor
New York, NY 10105
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), agrees, subject to the terms and conditions in this agreement (this “Agreement”), to issue and sell to Aegis Capital Corp. (the “Underwriter”) (i) an aggregate of [•] common units (“Common Units”), each consisting of one share of common stock (the “Firm Shares”), par value $0.00001 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”), 0.35 of a series A warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (“Series A Warrants”) and 0.35 of a series B warrant (“Series B Warrants”) to purchase one share of Common Stock (collectively, the “Warrants”) and/or (ii) an aggregate of [•] pre-funded units (“Pre-funded Units”) consisting of one pre-funded warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Pre-funded Warrants”), 0.35 of a Series A Warrant and 0.35 of a Series B Warrant. The Common Units and Pre-funded Units to be sold by the Company to the Underwriter are called the “Firm Securities.” At the option of the Underwriter, the Company agrees, subject to the terms and conditions herein, to issue and sell additional Option Securities (as defined herein). The Firm Securities and the Option Securities are herein referred to collectively as the “Offered Securities”. The number of Offered Securities to be purchased by the Underwriter is set forth opposite its name in Schedule I hereto.
Definitions
“Affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Applicable Time” means 8:00 p.m. ET on the date hereof.
“Bona Fide Electronic Road Show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act) that the Company has made available without restriction by “graphic means” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) to any person.
“Business day” means a day on which the Nasdaq is open for trading and on which banks in New York are open for business and not permitted by law or executive order to be closed.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Emerging Growth Company” means an “emerging growth company” (as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act).
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Final Prospectus” means the prospectus in the form first filed with the Commission pursuant to and within the time limits described in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act.
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“Free Writing Prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Investment Company Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means an “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(1) under the Securities Act).
“Preliminary Prospectus” means any preliminary prospectus included in the Registration Statement prior to the time at which the Commission declared the Registration Statement effective.
“Pricing Disclosure Package” means the Pricing Prospectus collectively with the documents and pricing information set forth in Schedule II hereto.
“Pricing Prospectus” means the Preliminary Prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time at which the Commission declared the Registration Statement effective.
“Prospectus Delivery Period” means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Offered Securities as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriter a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Offered Securities by the Underwriter or dealer.
“Registration Statement” means (a) the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-274800), including a prospectus, registering the offer and sale of the Offered Securities under the Securities Act as amended at the time the Commission declared it effective, including, the filings incorporated by reference therein, each of the exhibits, financial statements and schedules thereto, (b) any Rule 430A Information, and (c) any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.
“Rule 430A Information” means the information deemed, pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act, to be part of the Registration Statement at the time the Commission declared the Registration Statement effective.
“Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” means an abbreviated registration statement to register the offer and sale of additional shares of Common Stock pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act.
“Sarbanes-Oxley Act” means the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or Written Communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of under the Securities Act.
“Written Communication” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Written Testing-the-Waters Communications” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a Written Communication.
| 2 |
1. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
The Company hereby represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Underwriter that:
(a) Registration Statement.
(i) The Company has prepared and filed the Registration Statement with the Commission under the Securities Act. The Commission has declared the Registration Statement effective under the Securities Act and the Company has not as of the date of this Agreement filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement. The Commission has not issued any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, the Final Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Testing-the-Waters Communication, and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act have been initiated, are pending before or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.
(ii) The Registration Statement, at the time it became effective, did not contain, and any post-effective amendment thereto, as of the effective date of such amendment, will not contain, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by the Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement (including any post-effective amendment thereto), the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus (including any amendments or supplements thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Testing-the-Waters Communication, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Underwriter consists of the information described in Section 8(c) hereof (collectively, the “Underwriter Information”).
(iii) Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective and at the date hereof, complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act.
(b) Pricing Disclosure Package. The Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of the Closing Date (as defined below) and as of any Additional Closing Date (as defined below), as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(c) Final Prospectus.
(i) Each of the Final Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, as of its date, as of the time it is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, as of the Closing Date and as of any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(ii) Each of the Final Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time it is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, as of the Closing Date and as of any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act.
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(d) Preliminary Prospectuses.
(i) Each Preliminary Prospectus, as of the time it was filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act, if any, did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(ii) Each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time it was filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act, if any, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act.
(e) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses.
(i) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the Preliminary Prospectus accompanying, or delivered prior to the delivery of, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did not, as of the date of such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and will not, as of the Closing Date and as of any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(ii) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, at the time of filing with the Commission, complied or will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act.
(iii) The Company has filed, or will file, with the Commission, within the time period specified in Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any Free Writing Prospectus it is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act. The Company has made available any Bona Fide Electronic Road Show used by it in compliance with Rule 433(d)(8)(ii) under the Securities Act such that no filing of any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act) (“Road Show”) is required in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities.
(iv) Except for the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, set forth in Schedule II hereto and electronic road shows, if any, each furnished to the Underwriter before first use, the Company has not used, authorized the use of, referred to or participated in the planning for use of, and will not, without the prior consent of the Underwriter, use, authorize the use of, refer to or participate in the planning for use of, any Free Writing Prospectus.
(f) Testing-the-Waters Communications.
(i) The Company has not (x) alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication and (y) authorized anyone to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications.
(g) No Other Disclosure Materials. Other than the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, and the Final Prospectus, the Company (including its agents other than the Underwriter, as to which no representation or warranty is given) has not, directly or indirectly, distributed, prepared, used, authorized, approved or referred to, and will not distribute, prepare, use, authorize, approve or refer to, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Securities.
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(h) Ineligible Issuer. At the time of filing of the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-274800) registering the offer and sale of the Offered Securities submitted to the Commission on September 29, 2023 and any amendment thereto and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act).
(i) Emerging Growth Company. From the time of the initial confidential submission of the registration statement relating to the Offered Securities to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an Emerging Growth Company.
(j) Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement, and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby has been duly and validly taken.
(k) Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and each, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by the other parties hereto, constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as (i) the enforcement hereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity) relating to enforceability and (ii) rights to indemnification and contribution hereunder may be limited by applicable law and public policy considerations.
(l) No Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus (in each case exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus: (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could result in a material adverse change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, or results of operations, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity; (ii) there has been no change in the capital stock (other than (A) the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise or settlement (including any “net” or “cashless” exercises or settlements) of stock options, restricted share units or warrants described as outstanding, (B) the grant of options and awards under existing equity incentive plans, or (C) the repurchase of shares of Common Stock by the Company, which were issued pursuant to the early exercise of stock options by option holders and are subject to repurchase by the Company, in each case, as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus), or material change in the short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, considered as one entity; and (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent (whether or not in the ordinary course of business); nor entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity; and (iv) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company or, except for dividends paid to the Company or other subsidiaries of the Company, any of its subsidiaries on any class of capital stock or repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any class of capital stock.
(m) Organization and Good Standing of the Company and its Subsidiaries. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all power and authority (corporate and other) necessary to own, lease or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, except where the failure to be in good standing, to be so qualified or to have such power or authority could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, or adversely affect the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement (a “Material Adverse Effect”).
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(n) Capitalization. The capitalization of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable. The Offered Securities have been duly authorized and, when issued and paid for as contemplated herein, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Offered Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Offered Securities have been duly and validly taken. None of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company were issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, there are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any shares of capital stock of, or other equity interest in, the Company or any of its subsidiaries. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of, or other equity interest in, each of the Company’s subsidiaries (i) have been duly authorized and validly issued, (ii) are fully paid and non-assessable (except as such non-assessability may be affected by Sections 18-303, 18-607 and 18-803 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act) and (iii) are owned by the Company, directly or through the Company’s subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, charge, claim or restriction on voting or transfer (collectively, “Liens”).
(o) Stock Plans. With respect to the stock options (the “Stock Options”) granted pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Company Stock Plans”), (i) each Stock Option intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), so qualifies, (ii) each grant of a Stock Option was duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and the award agreement governing such grant (if any), to the Company’s knowledge, was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, (iii) each such grant was made in all material respects in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans, and (iv) each such grant was properly accounted for in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States (“GAAP”) in the financial statements (including the related notes) of the Company.
(p) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is: (i) in violation of its charter, by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant, condition or other obligation contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, contract, undertaking or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any of their respective properties or assets, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) No Conflicts. None of (i) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company, (ii) the issuance, sale and delivery of the Firm Securities or the Option Securities, (iii) the application of the proceeds of the offering as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, or (iv) the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein will: (x) result in any violation of the terms or provisions of the charter, by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (y) conflict with, result in a breach or violation of, or require the approval of stockholders, members or partners or any approval or consent of any persons under, any of the terms or provisions of, constitute a default under, result in the termination, modification, or acceleration of, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note agreement, contract, undertaking or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (z) result in the violation of any law, statute, judgment, order, rule, decree or regulation applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any court, arbitrator, governmental or regulatory authority, agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets.
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(r) No Consents Required. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, no consent, approval, authorization, order, filing, registration, license or qualification of or with any court, arbitrator, or governmental or regulatory authority, agency, or body is required for (i) the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement; (ii) the issuance, sale and delivery of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities; or (iii) the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein, except for such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, filings, registrations or qualifications as (x) have already been obtained or made and are still in full force and effect, (y) may be required by FINRA, and (z) may be required under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase, distribution and resale of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities by the Underwriter.
(s) Independent Accountants. MaloneBailey, LLP, which expressed its opinion with respect to the financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and as required by the Securities Act.
(t) Financial Statements and Other Financial Data. The financial statements (including the related notes thereto), together with the supporting schedules, included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly the consolidated financial position of the entities to which they relate as of and at the dates indicated and the results of their operations and cash flows for the periods specified. Such financial statements, notes and schedules have been prepared in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the notes thereto. The financial data set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus under the captions “Capitalization” present fairly the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.
(u) Statistical and Market-Related Data. The statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably believes to be accurate and reliable in all material respects.
(v) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(w) Legal Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, (i) there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, demands, claims, suits, arbitrations, inquiries or proceedings (collectively, “Actions”) pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be a party or to which any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could have a Material Adverse Effect; and (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, no such Actions are threatened or contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or by others.
(x) Labor Disputes. No labor disturbance by or dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or contemplated that could, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(y) Intellectual Property Rights. (i) The Company and its subsidiaries own or have the right to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, and other source indicators and registrations and applications for registration thereof, domain name registrations, copyrights and registrations and applications for registration thereof, technology and know-how, trade secrets, and all other intellectual property and related proprietary rights (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) necessary to conduct their respective businesses; (ii) other than as disclosed in the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of infringement, misappropriation or other conflict with (and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is otherwise aware of any infringement, misappropriation or other conflict with) the Intellectual Property Rights of any other person, except for such infringement, misappropriation or other conflict as could not have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, the Intellectual Property Rights of the Company and its subsidiaries are not being infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated by any person.
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(z) Licenses and Permits. (i) The Company and its subsidiaries possess such valid and current certificates, authorizations, approvals, licenses and permits (collectively, “Authorizations”) issued by, and have made all declarations, amendments, supplements and filings with, the appropriate state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to own, lease and operate their respective properties and to conduct their respective businesses as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus; (ii) all such Authorizations are valid and in full force and effect and the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Authorizations; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation, termination or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such Authorization or has any reason to believe that any such Authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where, in the case of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to possess, make or obtain such Authorizations (by possession, declaration or filing) could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(aa) Title to Property. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries own any real property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid and enforceable rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of personal property (other than with respect to Intellectual Property Rights, which is addressed exclusively in Section 1(y)) that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims, and defects and imperfections of title, except such liens, encumbrances, claims, defects and imperfections as (i) are disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, or (ii) do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid and enforceable rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title, except such liens, encumbrances, claims, defects and imperfections as (i) are disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, or (ii) do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries. All items of real and personal property held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries.
(bb) Taxes. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date hereof or have timely requested extensions thereof and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by GAAP have been created in the financial statements of the Company). The charges, accruals and reserves in respect of any income and other tax liability in the financial statements of the Company referred to in Section 1(t) are adequate, in accordance with GAAP principles, to meet any assessments for any taxes of the Company accruing through the end of the last period specified in such financial statements.
(cc) Investment Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is or, after giving effect to the offer and sale of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities and the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, will be required to register as an “investment company” (as defined in the Investment Company Act).
(dd) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries are insured by recognized, financially sound institutions in such amounts, with such deductibles and covering such losses and risks as the Company reasonably believes to be adequate for the conduct of their respective businesses and the value of their respective properties and as is prudent and customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries. All insurance policies and fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company and its subsidiaries or their respective businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies in all material respects; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required to be made in order to continue such insurance; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for. There are no claims by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any such policy as to which any insurer is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that could not have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(ee) No Stabilization or Manipulation. None of the Company, its Affiliates or any person acting on its or any of their behalf (other than the Underwriter, as to which no representation or warranty is given) has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriter may engage in passive market making transactions in the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Exchange”) in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act (“Regulation M”).
(ff) Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, its officers and directors, in their capacities as such, are and have been in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
(gg) Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Other than as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective and the Company is not aware of any other material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated). Since the date of the most recent balance sheet included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, (x) the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the board of directors of the Company have not been advised of (A) any new significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of the internal control over financial reporting of the Company and its subsidiaries which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data; or (B) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the internal control over financial reporting of the Company or its subsidiaries; and (y) there have been no significant changes in the internal control over financial reporting of the Company or its subsidiaries or in other factors that could significantly affect, such internal control over financial reporting, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.
(hh) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company and its subsidiaries have established and maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company and its subsidiaries in the reports they file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or Final Prospectus, such disclosure controls and procedures are effective to perform the functions for which they were established.
(ii) Margin Rules. Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company, in each case, as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.
(jj) Compliance with Environmental Laws. The Company and each of its subsidiaries (i) are, and at all times prior hereto were, in compliance with all Environmental Laws (as defined below) applicable to such entity, which compliance includes, without limitation, obtaining, maintaining and complying with all permits and authorizations and approvals required by Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (ii) have not received notice or otherwise have knowledge of any actual or alleged violation of Environmental Laws, or of any actual or potential liability for or other obligation concerning the presence, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants. And, except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, (x) there are no proceedings that are pending, or known to be contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under Environmental Laws, other than such proceedings regarding which it is reasonably believed that no monetary sanctions of $100,000 or more will be imposed; (y) none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of any issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws, including any pending or proposed Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other obligations under Environmental Laws or concerning hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company and its subsidiaries; and (z) none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries anticipates material capital expenditures relating to Environmental Laws.
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As used herein, the term “Environmental Laws” means any laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, orders, judgments, decrees, permits or other legal requirements of any governmental authority, including, without limitation, any international, foreign, national, state, provincial, regional, or local authority, relating to pollution, the protection of human health or safety, the environment, or natural resources, or to the use, handling, storage, manufacturing, transportation, treatment, discharge, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants.
(kk) ERISA.
Each “employee benefit plan” (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”)) for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414 of the Code) would have any liability (each, a “Plan”) (i) complies in form with the requirements of all applicable statutes, rules and regulations including ERISA and the Code, and has been maintained and administered in substantial compliance with its terms and with the requirements of all applicable statutes, rules and regulations including ERISA and the Code; (ii) with respect to each Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA or Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 and 430 of the Code (A) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, (B) no failure to satisfy the minimum funding standard (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 and 430 of the Code), whether or not waived, has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, (C) the fair market value of the assets under each Plan (excluding for these purposes accrued but unpaid contributions) exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan) and (D) neither the Company or any member of its Controlled Group has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan”, within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA); (iii) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification; and (iv) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan excluding transactions to which a statutory or administrative prohibited transaction exemption applies.
(ll) Related Party Transactions. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, no relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, other Affiliates, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other hand, that would be required by the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.
(mm) No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, Affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government or regulatory official or employee; (iii) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment; or (iv) violated or is in violation of any provision of (y) the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), or (z) any non-U.S. anti-bribery or anti-corruption statute or regulation. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted and maintain and enforce policies and procedures designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.
(nn) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
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(oo) Compliance with OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or Affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is an individual or entity (an “OFAC Person”), or is owned or controlled by an OFAC Person, that is currently the subject or target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. government (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or the target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other OFAC Person (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any OFAC Person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or the target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any OFAC Person (including any OFAC Person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. Since the Company’s inception, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any OFAC Person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.
(pp) No Registration Rights. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any person, on the other hand, granting such person any rights to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to include such securities in any securities to be registered pursuant to any registration statement to be filed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under the Securities Act.
(qq) Subsidiaries. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 to the Registration Statement. The subsidiaries of the Company listed in Schedule III hereto are the only “significant subsidiaries” (as defined under Rule 1.02(w) of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act) of the Company (the “Significant Subsidiaries”).
(rr) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock or similar ownership interest, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.
(ss) No Broker’s Fees. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against any of them or the Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Firm Securities or the Option Securities.
(tt) Exchange Listing. Subject to notice of issuance, the Offered Securities have been approved for listing on the Exchange.
(uu) Shareholder Approval. The Company shall hold a special meeting of shareholders (which may also be at the annual meeting of shareholders) at the earliest practicable date after the date hereof, but in no event later than 75 days after the Closing Date for the purpose of obtaining Shareholder Approval (as defined below), if required to effect the purpose thereof, with the recommendation of the Company’s Board of Directors that such proposal be approved, and the Company shall solicit proxies from its shareholders in connection therewith in the same manner as all other management proposals in such proxy statement and all management-appointed proxyholders shall vote their proxies in favor of such proposal. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain such Shareholder Approval, and officers, directors and shareholders subject to the Lock-Up Agreement shall cast their proxies in favor of such proposal. If the Company does not obtain Shareholder Approval at the first meeting, the Company shall call a meeting every four (4) months thereafter to seek Shareholder Approval until the earlier of the date Shareholder Approval is obtained or the Common Warrants are no longer outstanding. “Shareholder Approval” has the meaning set forth in the Warrants.
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Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Underwriter or to counsel for the Underwriter shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriter as to the matters set forth therein.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Underwriter.
The Underwriter represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Company:
(a) No Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Underwriter has not (i) alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication and (ii) authorized anyone to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Underwriter has not distributed, or authorized anyone else to distribute, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications.
3. Purchase and Resale.
(a) Agreements to Sell and Purchase. On the basis of the representations, warranties and covenants herein and subject to the conditions herein and any adjustments made in accordance with Section 3(c) and 13 hereof,
(i) The Company agrees to issue and sell the Firm Securities to the Underwriter; and
(ii) The Underwriter agrees to purchase from the Company the number of Firm Securities set forth opposite the Underwriter’s name in Schedule I hereto, subject to such adjustments as the Underwriter in its sole discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional Offered Securities.
(iii) The purchase price per Common Unit to be paid by the Underwriter to the Company shall be $[•] per Common Unit (92% of the per Common Unit public offering price) and the purchase for one Pre-funded Unit shall be $[•] (or 92% of the public offering price for one Pre-funded Unit less $0.001) (the “Purchase Price”). Each Pre-funded Warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.001 per share of Common Stock until such time as the Pre-funded Warrants are exercised in full, subject to adjustment as provided in the Pre-funded Warrant. The Firm Securities are to be offered initially to the public at the offering price set forth on the cover page of the Final Prospectus.
(iv) Payment for the Firm Securities (the “Firm Securities Payment”) shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Company to the Underwriter at the offices of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. at 10:00 a.m., ET, on [•], 2023 or at such other place on the same or such other date and time, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Underwriter and the Company may agree upon in writing (the “Closing Date”). The Firm Securities Payment shall be made against delivery of the Firm Securities to be purchased on the Closing Date to the Underwriter with any transfer taxes, stamp duties and other similar taxes payable in connection with the sale of the Firm Securities duly paid by the Company.
(b) Over-Allotment Option. On the basis of the representations, warranties and covenants herein and subject to the conditions herein,
(i) the Underwriter shall have the option (the “Over-Allotment Option”) to purchase, in the aggregate, up to [●] additional Common Shares and/or Pre-funded Warrants to purchase Common Shares, representing 15.0% of the aggregate Common Units and Pre-funded Units sold in the offering from the Company (the “Option Shares” or “Option Pre-funded Warrants,” as applicable) and/or up to [●] additional Series A Warrants to purchase an aggregate of an additional [●] Common Shares and/or [●] additional Series B Warrants to purchase an aggregate of an additional [●] Common Shares, each representing 15.0% of the aggregate Common Units and Pre-funded Units sold in the offering from the Company (the “Option Warrants”). The purchase price to be paid per Option Share or Option Pre-funded Warrant shall be equal to the price per Unit set forth in Section 3(a) hereof and the purchase price to be paid per Option Warrant shall be equal to $[●] per Option Warrant. The Over-allotment Option is, at the Underwriter’s sole discretion, for Option Shares and Option Warrants together, Option Pre-funded Warrants and Option Warrants together, solely Option Shares, solely Option Pre-funded Warrants, solely Option Warrants, or any combination thereof (each, an “Option Security” and collectively, the “Option Securities”);
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(ii) upon an exercise of the Over-Allotment Option and subject to the terms and conditions herein, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Option Securities to the Underwriter;
(iii) The Underwriter may exercise the Over-Allotment Option at any time in whole, or from time to time in part, on or before the forty-fifth (45th) day following the date of the Final Prospectus, by written notice from the Underwriter to the Company (the “Over-Allotment Exercise Notice”). The Underwriter must give the Over-Allotment Exercise Notice to the Company at least two business days prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Additional Closing Date, as the case may be. The Underwriter may cancel any exercise of the Over-Allotment Option at any time prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, by giving written notice of such cancellation to the Company.
(iv) The Over-Allotment Exercise Notice shall set forth:
(A) the aggregate number of Option Securities as to which the Over-Allotment Option is being exercised;
(B) the purchase price for the Option Securities;
(C) the names and denominations in which the Option Securities are to be registered; and
(D) the applicable Additional Closing Date, which may be the same date and time as the Closing Date but shall not be earlier than the Closing Date nor later than the tenth (10th) full business day after the date of the Over-Allotment Exercise Notice.
(v) Payment for the Option Securities (the “Option Securities Payment”) shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Company to the Underwriter at the offices of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. at 10:00 a.m. ET on the date specified in the corresponding Over-Allotment Exercise Notice, or at such other place on the same or such other date and time, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Underwriter and the Company may agree upon in writing (an “Additional Closing Date”). The Option Securities Payment shall be made against delivery to the Underwriter of the Option Securities to be purchased on any Additional Closing Date, with any transfer taxes, stamp duties and other similar taxes payable in connection with the sale of the Option Securities duly paid by the Company.
(vi) As additional compensation for the Underwriter’s services, the Company shall issue to the Underwriter or its designees at the closing of the Offering warrants (the “Underwriter’s Warrant”) to purchase that number of the Company’s Common Stock equal to 5.0% of the aggregate number of Common Stock sold in the Offering. The Underwriter’s Warrant will be exercisable at any time and from time to time, in whole or in part, during the period commencing six months from the commencement of sales in the Offering and ending four years and six months thereafter, at a price per share equal to 125.0% of the Public Offering Price per share of the Common Stock at the Offering. The Underwriter’s Warrant and the shares issuable upon exercise thereof are sometimes hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Underwriter’s Securities.” The Underwriter understands and agrees that there are restrictions pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 against transferring the Underwriter’s Warrant and the underlying shares during the 180-day period after the commencement of sales of the Firm Securities in the Offering and by its acceptance thereof shall agree that it and its respective designees, if any, will not, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate their respective Underwriter’s Securities, or any portion thereof, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such securities for a period of 180 days following the commencement of sales of the Firm Securities in the Offering to anyone other than (A) an Underwriter or a selected dealer in connection with the Offering, or (B) a bona fide officer or partner of the Underwriter or selected dealer; and only if any such transferee agrees to the foregoing lock-up restrictions. Delivery of the executed Underwriter’s Warrant Agreement shall be made on the Closing Date and the Underwriter’s Warrant shall be issued in the name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Underwriter may request.
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(c) Public Offering. The Company understands that the Underwriter intends to make a public offering of the Offered Securities as soon after the effectiveness of this Agreement as in the judgment of the Underwriter is advisable, and initially to offer the Offered Securities on the terms set forth in the Final Prospectus. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriter may offer and sell Offered Securities to or through any Affiliate of the Underwriter.
4. Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby covenants and agrees with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) Filings with the Commission. The Company will:
(i) prepare and file the Final Prospectus (in a form approved by the Underwriter and containing the Rule 430A Information) with the Commission in accordance with and within the time periods specified by Rules 424(b) and 430A under the Securities Act;
(ii) file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus with the Commission to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act; and
(iii) file with the Commission such reports as may be required by Rule 463 under the Securities Act.
(b) Notice to the Underwriter. The Company will advise the Underwriter promptly, and confirm such advice in writing:
(i) when the Registration Statement has become effective;
(ii) when the Final Prospectus has been filed with the Commission;
(iii) when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective;
(iv) when any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has been filed with the Commission;
(v) when any supplement to the Final Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or any amendment to the Final Prospectus has been filed or distributed;
(vi) of (x) any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Final Prospectus, (y) the receipt of any comments from the Commission relating to the Registration Statement or (z) any other request by the Commission for any additional information, including, but not limited to, any request for information concerning any Testing-the-Waters Communication;
(vii) of (x) the issuance by the Commission of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or (y) the initiation or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatening of any proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act;
(viii) of the occurrence of any event or development within the Prospectus Delivery Period as a result of which, the Final Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Final Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package, any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading;
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(ix) of the issuance by any governmental or regulatory authority or any order preventing or suspending the use of any of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Testing-the-Waters Communication or the initiation or threatening for that purpose; and
(x) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Offered Securities for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatening of any proceeding for such purpose.
(c) Reserved.
(d) Ongoing Compliance.
(i) If during the Prospectus Delivery Period:
(A) any event or development shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Final Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Final Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, the Company will, as soon as reasonably possible, notify the Underwriter thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to Section 4(e) hereof, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriter and to such dealers as the Underwriter may designate such amendments or supplements to the Final Prospectus as may be necessary so that the statements in the Final Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Final Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading; or
(B) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Final Prospectus to comply with applicable law, the Company will, as soon as reasonably possible, notify the Underwriter thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to Section 4(e) hereof, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriter and to such dealers as the Underwriter may designate such amendments or supplements to the Final Prospectus as may be necessary so that the Final Prospectus will comply with applicable law; and
(ii) if at any time prior to the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be:
(A) any event or development shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Pricing Disclosure Package as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriter thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to Section 4(e) hereof, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriter and to such dealers as the Underwriter may designate such amendments or supplements to the Pricing Disclosure Package as may be necessary so that the statements in the Pricing Disclosure Package as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading; or
(B) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package to comply with applicable law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriter thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to Section 4(e) hereof, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriter and to such dealers as the Underwriter may designate such amendments or supplements to the Pricing Disclosure Package as may be necessary so that the Pricing Disclosure Package will comply with applicable law.
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(e) Amendments, Supplements and Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Before (i) using, authorizing, approving, referring to, distributing or filing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (ii) filing (x) any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or (y) any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus, or (iii) distributing any amendment or supplement to the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus, the Company will furnish to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter a copy of the proposed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or other amendment or supplement for review and will not use, authorize, refer to, distribute or file any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or file or distribute any such proposed amendment or supplement (A) to which the Underwriter objects in a timely manner and (B) which is not in compliance with the Securities Act. The Company will, pursuant to reasonable procedures developed in good faith, retain copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 433 under the Securities Act.
(f) Delivery of Copies. The Company will, upon request of the Underwriter, deliver, without charge, (i) to the Underwriter, three signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto, in each case, including all exhibits and consents filed therewith; and (ii) to each Underwriter (A) a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits and consents) and (B) during the Prospectus Delivery Period, as many copies of the Final Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus) as the Underwriter may reasonably request.
(g) Emerging Growth Company Status. The Company will promptly notify the Underwriter if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of the Offered Securities within the meaning of the Securities Act and (ii) completion of the Lock-Up Period (as defined in Exhibit A).
(h) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will use its best efforts, with the Underwriter’s cooperation, if necessary, to qualify or register (or to obtain exemptions from qualifying or registering) the Offered Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriter shall reasonably request and will use its reasonable best efforts, with the Underwriter’s cooperation, if necessary, to continue such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Offered Securities; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.
(i) Earning Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and the Underwriter as soon as practicable an earning statement that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 under the Securities Act covering a period of at least 12 months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158 under the Securities Act) of the Registration Statement; provided that the Company will be deemed to have furnished such statement to its security holders and the Underwriter to the extent it is filed on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”).
(j) Use of Proceeds. The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities in the manner described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.
(k) Clear Market.
(i) For a period of 180 days after the date of the Closing Date (the “Lock-Up Period”), the Company will not (x) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing, or (y) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (x) or (y) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter.
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(ii) The restrictions contained in Section 4(k)(i) hereof shall not apply to: (A) the Offered Securities, (B) any warrants to be issued by the Company in connection with the Offering or Common Stock issued under Company Stock Plans or warrants issued by the Company, in each case, described as outstanding in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, (C) any options and other awards granted under a Company Stock Plan as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, (D) the filing by the Company of any registration statement on Form S-8 or a successor form thereto relating to a Company Stock Plan described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus and (E) Common Stock or other securities issued in connection with a transaction with an unaffiliated third party that includes a bona fide commercial relationship (including joint ventures, marketing or distribution arrangements, collaboration agreements or intellectual property license agreements) or any acquisition of assets or acquisition; (x) the recipient of any such Common Stock or other securities issued or granted pursuant to clauses (B), (C)) and (E) during the Lock-Up Period shall enter into an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto.
(iii) If the Underwriter, in its sole discretion, agrees to release or waive the restrictions set forth in any Lock-Up Agreement and provides the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, then the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(l) No Stabilization or Manipulation. None of the Company, its Affiliates or any person acting on its or any of their behalf (other than the Underwriter, as to which no covenant is given) will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that constitutes or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriter may engage in passive market making transactions in the Common Stock on the Exchange in accordance with Regulation M.
(m) Investment Company Act. The Company shall not invest, or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Firm Securities or the Option Securities in such a manner as would require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register as an “investment company” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) under the Investment Company Act.
(n) Transfer Agent. For the period of two years from the date of this Agreement, the Company shall engage and maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Common Stock.
(o) Reports. For the period of two years from the date of this Agreement, the Company will furnish to the Underwriter, as soon as they are available, copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to holders of the Offered Securities, and copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange or automatic quotation system; provided that the Company will be deemed to have furnished such reports and financial statements to the Underwriter to the extent they are filed on EDGAR.
(p) Right of First Refusal. The Company agrees that, if, for the period beginning on the Closing Date of this offering and ending thirty-six (36) months from the Closing Date of the offering, the Company or any of its subsidiaries: (i) decides to finance or refinance any indebtedness, the Underwriter (or any affiliate designated by the Underwriter) shall have the right to act as sole book-runner, sole manager, sole placement agent or sole agent with respect to such financing or refinancing; or (ii) decides to raise funds by means of a public offering (including at-the-market facility) or a private placement or any other capital raising financing of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, the Underwriter (or any affiliate designated by the Underwriter) shall have the right to act as sole book-running manager, sole underwriter or sole placement agent for such financing. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the Company shall be permitted to file with the Commission at any time a shelf registration statement so long as any financing made pursuant to such shelf registration statement complies with the other requirements of the foregoing sentence. If the Underwriter or one of its affiliates decides to accept such engagement, the agreement governing such engagement (each a “Subsequent Transaction Agreement”) will contain, among other things, provisions for customary fees for transactions of similar size and nature, but in no event will the fees be less than those outlined herein, and the provisions of this Agreement, including indemnification, which are appropriate for such transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the decision to accept the Company’s engagement under this Section 4(p) shall be made by the Underwriter or one of its affiliates, by a written notice to the Company, within ten (10) days of the receipt of the Company’s notification of its financing needs, which notice shall include a detailed term sheet. Underwriter’s decision to exercise its right of first refusal shall be specific to such proposed transaction and term sheet.
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5. Covenants of the Underwriter. The Underwriter hereby covenants and agrees with the Company as follows:
(a) Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus. The Underwriter has not used, authorized the use of, referred to or participated in the planning for use of, and will not use, authorize the use of, refer to or participate in the planning for use of, any Free Writing Prospectus (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company) other than (i) a Free Writing Prospectus that contains no “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act (“Issuer Information”) that was not included in the Pricing Prospectus or a previously filed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (ii) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed in Schedule II hereto or prepared pursuant to Section 1(e)(iv) or Section 4(e) hereof (including any electronic road show), or (iii) any Free Writing Prospectus prepared by the Underwriter and approved by the Company in advance in writing.
(b) Section 8A Proceedings. The Underwriter is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering of the Offered Securities and will promptly notify the Company if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period.
6. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Company Expenses. The Company hereby agrees to pay on the Closing Date all expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement including, but not limited to: (a) all filing fees and expenses relating to the registration of the Offered Securities with the Commission; (b) all filing fees and expenses associated with the review of the offering of the Offered Securities by FINRA; (c) all fees and expenses relating to the listing of the Offered Securities on the Exchange (to the extent relevant) and on such other stock exchanges as the Company and the Underwriter together determine; (d) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to background checks of the Company’s officers and directors; (e) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration or qualification of the Offered Securities as the Underwriter may reasonably designate; (f) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration, qualification or exemption of the Securities under the securities laws of such foreign jurisdictions as the Underwriter may reasonably designate; (g) the costs of all mailing and printing of the underwriting documents, the Registration Statement, Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Testing-the-Waters Communication and all amendments, supplements and exhibits thereto as the Underwriter may reasonably deem necessary; (h) the costs and expenses of the public relations firm referred to in the engagement letter between the Company and the Underwriter; (i) the costs of preparing, printing and delivering certificates representing the Offered Securities; (j) fees and expenses of the transfer agent for the shares of Common Stock; (k) stock transfer and/or stamp taxes, if any, payable upon the transfer of securities from the Company to the Underwriter; (l) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants; (m) the “road show” expenses and the reasonable fees, expenses and disbursements of the Company’s legal counsel and other agents and representatives and fees and expenses of the Underwriter’s counsel. The total amount payable pursuant to (d) and (m) to the Underwriter shall not to exceed $100,000. The Underwriter may deduct from the net proceeds of the offering payable to the Company on the Closing Date the expenses set forth herein to be paid by the Company to the Underwriter. Except as provided for in this Agreement, the Underwriter shall bear the costs and expenses incurred by them in connection with the sale of the Offered Securities and the transactions contemplated thereby.
(b) Underwriter Expenses. Except to the extent otherwise provided in this Section 6 or Section 8 hereof, the Underwriter will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees and expenses of their counsel, any stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Offered Securities held by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
(c) Company Reimbursement. The provisions of this Section 6 shall not affect any agreement that the Company may make for the sharing of such costs and expenses.
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7. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriter. The obligations of the Underwriter to purchase the Firm Securities as provided herein on the Closing Date or the Option Securities as provided herein on any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be subject to the timely performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Order.
(i) The Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto shall have become effective, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission.
(ii) The Company shall have filed the Final Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus with the Commission in accordance with and within the time periods prescribed by Section 4(a) hereof.
(iii) The Company shall have (A) disclosed to the Underwriter all requests by the Commission for additional information relating to the offer and sale of the Offered Securities and (B) complied with such requests to the reasonable satisfaction of the Underwriter.
(b) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be; and the statements of the Company and its officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(c) Accountants’ Comfort Letters. On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, MaloneBailey, LLP shall have furnished to the Underwriter, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriter, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall use a “cut-off” date no more than two business days prior to the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(d) Reserved.
(e) No Material Adverse Change. No event or condition of a type described in Section 1(l) hereof shall have occurred or shall exist, which event or condition is not described in each of the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus (in each case, exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), the effect of which in the judgment of the Underwriter makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Offered Securities on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, in the manner and on the terms contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus (in each case, exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).
(f) Opinion and Negative Assurance Letter of Counsel to the Company. ArentFox Schiff LLP, counsel to the Company, shall have furnished to the Underwriter, at the request of the Company, its (i) written opinion, addressed to the Underwriter and dated the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and (ii) negative assurance letter, addressed to the Underwriter and dated the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, in each case, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit E.
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(g) Officer’s Certificate. The Underwriter shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate of an executive officer of the Company who has specific knowledge of the Company’s financial matters and is satisfactory to the Underwriter, (i) confirming that such officer has carefully reviewed the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and each Written Testing-the-Waters Communication and, to the knowledge of such officer, the representations set forth in Sections 1(a)(ii), 1(b), 1(c)(i), 1(d)(i), 1(e)(i), 1(f)(i) and 1(i) hereof are true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be; (ii) to the effect set forth in clause (i) of Section 1(l) and Section 7(a) hereof; and (iii) confirming that all of the other representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and that the Company has complied with all agreements and covenants and satisfied all other conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(h) No Legal Impediment to Issuance and Sale. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance, sale or delivery of the Firm Securities or the Option Securities by the Company; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance, sale or delivery of the Firm Securities or the Option Securities.
(i) Good Standing. The Underwriter shall have received on and as of the Closing Date and any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, satisfactory evidence of the good standing of the Company in its jurisdiction of organization and its good standing in such other jurisdictions as the Underwriter may reasonably request, in each case, in writing from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.
(j) Lock-Up Agreements. The Lock-Up Agreements substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto executed by the officers, directors and certain equityholders of the Company relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Common Stock or certain other securities, delivered to the Underwriter on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(k) Exchange Listing. On the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Offered Securities shall have been approved for listing on the Exchange, subject to notice of issuance.
(l) Additional Documents. On or prior to the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Underwriter and its counsel shall have received such information, certificates and other additional documents from the Company as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities as contemplated herein or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the covenants, closing conditions or other obligations, contained in this Agreement.
All opinions, letters, certificates and other documents delivered pursuant to this Agreement will be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to counsel for the Underwriter.
If any condition specified in this Section 7 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriter hereunder may be terminated by the Underwriter by notice to the Company at any time on or prior to the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that the Company shall continue to be liable for the payment of expenses under Section 6 and Section 11 hereof and except that the provisions of Section 8 and Section 9 hereof shall at all times be effective and shall survive any such termination.
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8. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriter by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriter, its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, all reasonable legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of or are based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), the Final Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Information, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or any Road Show, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 8(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Indemnification of the Company by the Underwriter. The Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each officer who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, all reasonable legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in Section 8(a) hereof; provided, however, that the Underwriter shall be liable only to the extent that any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission was made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), the Final Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Information, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or any Road Show in reliance upon, and in conformity with, the Underwriter Information relating to the Underwriter. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 8(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Underwriter may otherwise have.
(c) Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to any of the preceding subsections of this Section 8, such person (the “Indemnified Person”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “Indemnifying Person”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under any of the preceding subsections of this Section 8 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under any of the preceding subsections of this Section 8. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interest between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be paid or reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm for (i) the Underwriter, its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall be designated in writing by the Underwriter; and (ii) the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall be designated in writing by the Company.
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(d) Settlements. The Indemnifying Person under this Section 8 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify the Indemnified Person from and against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person shall have requested an Indemnifying Person to reimburse the Indemnified Person for any reasonably incurred and documented fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this Section 8, the Indemnifying Person agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such Indemnifying Person of the aforesaid request, (ii) such Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request, or shall not have disputed in good faith the Indemnified Person’s entitlement to such reimbursement, prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such Indemnified Person shall have given the Indemnifying Person at least 45 days’ prior notice of its intention to settle. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Person effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement, compromise or consent (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from and against all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and (y) does not include any statements as to or any findings of fault, culpability or failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.
9. Contribution. To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8 hereof is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an Indemnified Person in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other hand, from the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriter, on the other hand, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Final Prospectus bear to the aggregate initial offering price of the Offered Securities. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriter, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 8 hereof, all reasonable legal or other fees or expenses incurred by such party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim. The provisions set forth in Section 8 hereof with respect to notice of commencement of any action shall apply if a claim for contribution is to be made under this Section 9; provided, however, that no additional notice shall be required with respect to any action for which notice has been given under Section 8 hereof for purposes of indemnification.
The Company and the Underwriter agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 was determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 9.
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Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, the Underwriter shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total discounts and commissions received by the Underwriter in connection with the Offered Securities distributed by it exceeds the amount of any damages the Underwriter has otherwise paid or become liable to pay by reason of any untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11 of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
For purposes of this Section 9, each director, officer, employee and agent of the Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Underwriter, and each director and officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company with the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
The remedies provided for in Section 8 and Section 9 hereof are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.
10. Termination. Prior to the delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, this Agreement may be terminated by the Underwriter in the absolute discretion of the Underwriter by notice given to the Company if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement: (i) trading or quotation of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended or materially limited on any securities exchange, quotation system or in the over-the-counter market; (ii) trading in securities generally on any of the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Market or the over-the-counter market shall have been suspended or materially limited; (iii) a general banking moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York state authorities; (iv) there shall have occurred a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States; (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in general economic, financial or political conditions in the United States or internationally, as in the judgment of the Underwriter is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Offered Securities on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, in the manner and on the terms described in the Pricing Disclosure Package or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities; or (vi) the Company or any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained a loss by strike, fire, flood, earthquake, accident or other calamity of such character as in the judgment of the Underwriter may interfere materially with the conduct of the business and operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, regardless of whether or not such loss shall have been insured.
Any termination pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of: (x) the Company to the Underwriter, except that the Company shall continue to be liable for the payment of expenses under Section 6; (y) the Underwriter to the Company; or (z) any party hereto to any other party except that the provisions of Section 8 and Section 9 hereof shall at all times be effective and shall survive any such termination. In the event this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 10, the Underwriter shall be entitled to 8.0% of the gross proceeds with respect to any public or private offering or other financing or capital raising transaction of any kind (“Tail Financing”) to the extent that such financing or capital is provided to the Company by investors introduced to the Company by the Underwriter during the period beginning November 6, 2023 through the date of this Agreement, if such Tail Financing is consummated at any time within the eighteen (18) month period following of the date of this Agreement.
11. Reimbursement of the Underwriter’s Expenses. If (a) the Company fails to deliver the Offered Securities to the Underwriter for any reason at the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, in accordance with this Agreement or (b) the Underwriter declines to purchase the Offered Securities for any reason permitted under this Agreement, then the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriter for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriter) incurred by the Underwriter in connection with this Agreement and the applicable offering contemplated hereby not to exceed $50,000.
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12. Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the Underwriter set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriter pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriter, the Company or any of their respective officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.
13. Reserved.
14. Notices. All notices, requests, consents, claims, demands, waivers and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) when delivered by hand (with written confirmation of receipt), (ii) when received by the addressee if sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier (receipt requested), (iii) on the date sent by facsimile (with confirmation of transmission) or email of a PDF document if sent during normal business hours of the recipient, and on the next business day if sent after normal business hours of the recipient, or (iv) on the third day after the date mailed, by certified or registered mail (in each case, return receipt requested, postage pre-paid). Such communications must be sent to the respective parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be specified in a notice given in accordance with this Section 14):
| If to the Underwriter: |
Aegis Capital Corp. 27th Floor New York, NY 10105 |
| Email Address: | reide@aegiscap.com | |
| Attention: | Robert Eide |
| with a copy to: | Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. | |
| Two James Center | ||
| 1021 East Cary Street, Suite 1400 | ||
| Richmond, Va. 23219 | ||
| Email: | awbasch@kaufcan.com | |
| jbwilliston@kaufcan.com | ||
| Attention: | Anthony W. Basch | |
| J. Britton Williston | ||
| If to the Company: | Volcon, Inc. | |
| 3121 Eagles Nest St., Suite 120 | ||
| Round Rock, TX 78665 | ||
| Email: | greg@volcon.com | |
| Attention: | Greg Endo | |
| with a copy to: | ArentFox Schiff LLP 1717 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006 |
| Email: | cavas.pavri@afslaw.com | |
| Attention: | Cavas S. Pavri |
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Any party hereto may change the address or facsimile number for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others in accordance with this Section 14.
15. Successors. This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriter, the Company and the other indemnified parties referred to in Section 8 and Section 9 hereof, and in each case their respective successors. Nothing in this Agreement is intended, or shall be construed, to give any other person or entity any legal or equitable right, benefit, remedy or claim under, or in respect of or by virtue of, this Agreement or any provision contained herein. The term “successors,” as used herein, shall not include any purchaser of the Offered Securities from the Underwriter merely by reason of such purchase.
16. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
17. Governing Law. This Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Agreement, whether sounding in contract, tort or statute, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state (including its statute of limitations), without giving effect to the conflict of laws provisions thereof to the extent such principles or rules would require or permit the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than those of the State of New York.
18. Consent to Jurisdiction. No legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (each, a “Related Proceeding”) may be commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which courts (collectively, the “Specified Courts”) shall have jurisdiction over the adjudication of any Related Proceeding, and the parties to this Agreement hereby irrevocably consent to the exclusive jurisdiction the Specified Courts and personal service of process with respect thereto. The parties to this Agreement hereby irrevocably waive any objection to the laying of venue of any Related Proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably waive and agree not to plead or claim in any Specified Court that any Related Proceeding brought in any Specified Court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
19. Equitable Remedies. Each party to this Agreement acknowledges and agrees that (a) a breach or threatened breach by the Company of any of its obligations under Section 4(k) or Section 4(p) would give rise to irreparable harm to the Underwriter for which monetary damages would not be an adequate remedy and (b) if a breach or a threatened breach by the Company of any such obligations occurs, the Underwriter will, in addition to any and all other rights and remedies that may be available to such party at law, at equity, or otherwise in respect of such breach, be entitled to equitable relief, including a temporary restraining order, an injunction, specific performance of the terms of Sections 4(k) or 4(p), as applicable, and any other relief that may be available from a court of competent jurisdiction, without any requirement to (i) post a bond or other security, or (ii) prove actual damages or that monetary damages will not afford an adequate remedy. Each party to this Agreement agrees that such party shall not oppose or otherwise challenge the existence of irreparable harm, the appropriateness of equitable relief or the entry by a court of competent jurisdiction of an order granting equitable relief, in either case, consistent with the terms of this Section 19.
20. Waiver of Jury Trial. The parties to this Agreement hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any Related Proceeding.
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21. No Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that: (i) the purchase and sale of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the offering price of the Offered Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other hand; (ii) in connection with each transaction contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction the Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company or its Affiliates, stockholders, members, partners, creditors or employees or any other party; (iii) the Underwriter has not assumed and will not assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement; (iv) the Underwriter and its respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and the Underwriter has no obligation to disclose any of such interests by virtue of any fiduciary or advisory relationship; and (v) the Underwriter has not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice in any jurisdiction with respect to the offering contemplated hereby, and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent they deemed appropriate. The Company waives and releases, to the full extent permitted by applicable law, any claims it may have against the Underwriter arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities or any matters leading up to the offering of the Offered Securities.
22. Compliance with the USA Patriot Act. In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriter is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of its clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriter to properly identify their respective clients.
23. Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with any contemporaneous written agreements and any prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement) that relate to the offering of the Offered Securities, represents the entire agreement among the Company and the Underwriter with respect to the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus, each Preliminary Prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, each Testing-the-Waters Communication and each Road Show, the purchase and sale of the Offered Securities and the conduct of the offering contemplated hereby.
24. Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by all the parties hereto. No waiver by any party shall operate or be construed as a waiver in respect of any failure, breach or default not expressly identified by such written waiver, whether of a similar or different character, and whether occurring before or after the waiver. No failure to exercise, or delay in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege arising from this Agreement shall operate or be construed as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege.
25. Section Headings. The headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.
26. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but all of which together will be deemed to be one and the same agreement. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, email (including PDF or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000) or other transmission method, and any counterpart so delivered will be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
27. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that the Underwriter is a Covered Entity (as defined below) becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from the Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime (as defined below) if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
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(b) In the event that the Underwriter is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate (as defined below) of the Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights (as defined below) under this Agreement that may be exercised against the Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(c) As used in this section:
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
(i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
(ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or
(iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
[signature page follows]
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.
|
Very truly yours,
Volcon, Inc.
| |
|
By:_____________________ Name: Greg Endo
|
Confirmed and accepted as of the date first above written:
Aegis Capital Corp.
By:_____________________
Name: Robert Eide
Title: Chief Executive Officer
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SCHEDULE I
Closing Securities
| Underwriter | Number of Units to Be Purchased | Number of Option Securities to Be Purchased if the Maximum Over-Allotment Option Is Exercised |
| Aegis Capital Corp. | [•] | [•] |
| Total: |
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Schedule II
Pricing Disclosure Package
| Number of Units: | [●] | |
| ● Number of Common Units | [●] | |
| ● Number of Pre-funded Units | [●] | |
| Number of Option Shares and/or Pre-funded Warrants: | [●] | |
| Number of Option Warrants: | [●] | |
| Number of Underwriter’s Warrants: | [●] | |
| Public Offering Price per Common Unit: | $ | [●] |
| Public Offering Price per Pre-funded Unit: | $ | [●] |
| Exercise Price per Pre-Funded Warrant: | $ | 0.001 |
| Exercise Price per Warrant per whole share: | $ | [●] |
| Exercise Price of Underwriter’s Warrant: | $ | [●] |
| Public Price per Option Share: | $ | [●] |
| Public Price per Option Pre-Funded Warrant: | $ | [●] |
| Price per Option Warrant: | $ | [●] |
| Underwriting Discount per Common Unit: | $ | [●] |
| Underwriting Discount per Pre-funded Unit: | $ | [●] |
| Underwriting Discount per Option Share: | $ | [●] |
| Non-accountable expense allowance per Common Unit: | $ | [●] |
| Non-accountable expense allowance per Pre-funded Unit: | $ | [●] |
| Non-accountable expense allowance per Pre-Funded Warrant: | $ | [●] |
| Non-accountable expense allowance per Option Share: | $ | [●] |
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Schedule III
Subsidiaries
| Subsidiary | Jurisdiction of Organization |
| Volcon ePowersports, LLC | Delaware |
| Volcon ePowersports, LLC | Colorado |
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Exhibit A
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
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Exhibit B
Form of Lock-Up Waiver
| 33 |
Exhibit C
Form of Lock-Up Waiver Press Release
[COMPANY]
[Date]
[COMPANY] (the “Company”) announced today that Aegis Capital Corp., acting as the Underwriter in the Company’s recent public offering of shares of the Company’s common stock and prefunded warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, is [waiving] [releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to shares of the Company’s common stock held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver] [release] will take effect on [Date], and the shares may be sold on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer or sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer or sale is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
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Exhibit D
Certificate of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer
| 35 |
Exhibit E
Opinion and Negative Assurance Letter of Counsel to the Company
| 36 |
Exhibit 4.13
PRE-FUNDED WARRANT TO PURCHASE COMMON STOCK
VOLCON, INC.
| Warrant Shares: [●] | Initial Exercise Date: November [●], 2023 |
| Issue Date: November [●], 2023 |
THIS PRE-FUNDED WARRANT TO PURCHASE COMMON STOCK (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received, [●] or its assigns (the “Holder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time until this Warrant is exercised in full (the “Termination Date”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), up to [●] shares (as subject to adjustment hereunder, the “Warrant Shares”) of Common Stock. The purchase price of one (1) share of Common Stock under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b).
Section 1. Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Warrant or in the Underwriting Agreement dated [●], 2023, the following terms have the meanings indicated in this Section 1:
“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Bid Price” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the bid price of the Common Stock for the time in question (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if OTCQB or OTCQX is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported on the Pink Open Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of Common Stock so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Holders of a majority in interest of the Warrants then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company.
“Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York generally are open for use by customers on such day.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, $0.00001 par value per share, and any other class of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.
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“Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, right, option, warrant or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Stock.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company and shall, where applicable, also include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company formed or acquired after the date hereof.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the Common Stock is traded on a Trading Market.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, OTCQB or OTCQX (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transaction Documents” means this Underwriting Agreement dated [●], these Warrants, such other Warrants as contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement, and all exhibits and schedules thereto and hereto and any other documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder.
“Transfer Agent” means Computershare, the current transfer agent of the Company, with a mailing address of [●] and an email address of [●], and any successor transfer agent of the Company.
“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if OTCQB or OTCQX is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported on the Pink Open Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of Common Stock so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the holders of a majority in interest of the Warrants then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
“Warrants” means this Warrant and other Common Stock purchase warrants issued by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.
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Section 2. Exercise.
a) Exercise of Warrant. Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery to the Company of a duly executed PDF copy submitted by e-mail (or e-mail attachment) of the Notice of Exercise substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Notice of Exercise”). Within the earlier of (i) two (2) Trading Days and (ii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period (as defined in Section 2(d)(i) herein) following the date of exercise as aforesaid, the Holder shall deliver the aggregate Exercise Price for the Warrant Shares specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank unless the cashless exercise procedure specified in Section 2(c) below is specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise. No ink-original Notice of Exercise shall be required, nor shall any medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any Notice of Exercise be required. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days of the date on which the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise within one (1) Trading Day of receipt of such notice. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant Shares hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof.
b) Exercise Price. The aggregate exercise price of this Warrant, except for a nominal exercise price of $0.001 per Warrant Share, was pre-funded to the Company on or prior to the Initial Exercise Date and, consequently, no additional consideration (other than the nominal exercise price of $0.001 per Warrant Share) shall be required to be paid by the Holder to any Person to effect any exercise of this Warrant. The Holder shall not be entitled to the return or refund of all, or any portion, of such pre-paid aggregate exercise price under any circumstance or for any reason whatsoever, including in the event this Warrant shall not have been exercised prior to the Termination Date. The remaining unpaid exercise price per share of Common Stock under this Warrant shall be $0.001, subject to adjustment hereunder (the “Exercise Price”).
c) Cashless Exercise. This Warrant may also be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive a number of Warrant Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:
(A) = as applicable: (i) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is (1) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a day that is not a Trading Day or (2) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a Trading Day prior to the opening of “regular trading hours” (as defined in Rule 600(b) of Regulation NMS promulgated under the federal securities laws) on such Trading Day, (ii) at the option of the Holder, either (y) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise or (z) the Bid Price of the Common Stock on the principal Trading Market as reported by Bloomberg L.P. as of the time of the Holder’s execution of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is executed during “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day and is delivered within two (2) hours thereafter (including until two (2) hours after the close of “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day) pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof or (iii) the VWAP on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if the date of such Notice of Exercise is a Trading Day and such Notice of Exercise is both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof after the close of “regular trading hours” on such Trading Day;
(B) = the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and
(X) = the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise.
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If Warrant Shares are issued in such a cashless exercise, the parties acknowledge and agree that in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, the Warrant Shares shall take on the registered characteristics of the Warrants being exercised. The Company agrees not to take any position contrary to this Section 2(c).
d) Mechanics of Exercise.
i. Delivery of Warrant Shares upon Exercise. The Company shall cause the Warrant Shares purchased hereunder to be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s or its designee’s balance account with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) if the Company is then a participant in such system and either (A) there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to Holder or (B) this Warrant is being exercised via cashless exercise, and otherwise by physical delivery of a certificate, for the number of Warrant Shares to which the Holder is entitled pursuant to such exercise to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise by the date that is the earliest of (i) two (2) Trading Days after the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise, (ii) one (1) Trading Day after delivery of the aggregate Exercise Price to the Company and (iii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period after the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise (such date, the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”). Upon delivery of the Notice of Exercise, the Holder shall be deemed for all corporate purposes to have become the holder of record of the Warrant Shares with respect to which this Warrant has been exercised, irrespective of the date of delivery of the Warrant Shares, provided that payment of the aggregate Exercise Price (other than in the case of a cashless exercise) is received within the earlier of (i) two (2) Trading Days and (ii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period following delivery of the Notice of Exercise. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, upon delivery of the Notice of Exercise, the Holder shall be deemed for purposes of Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act to have become the holder of the Warrant Shares irrespective of the date of delivery of the Warrant Shares. If the Company fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder the Warrant Shares subject to a Notice of Exercise by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of Warrant Shares subject to such exercise (based on the VWAP of the Common Stock on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise), $10 per Trading Day (increasing to $20 per Trading Day on the third (3rd) Trading Day after the Warrant Share Delivery Date) for each Trading Day after such Warrant Share Delivery Date until such Warrant Shares are delivered or Holder rescinds such exercise. The Company agrees to maintain a Transfer Agent that is a participant in the FAST program so long as this Warrant remains outstanding and exercisable. As used herein, “Standard Settlement Period” means the standard settlement period, expressed in a number of Trading Days, on the Company’s primary Trading Market with respect to the Common Stock as in effect on the date of delivery of the Notice of Exercise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Notice(s) of Exercise delivered on or prior to 12:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Initial Exercise Date, which may be delivered at any time after the time of execution of the Transaction Documents, the Company agrees to deliver the Warrant Shares subject to such notice(s) by 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Initial Exercise Date and the Initial Exercise Date shall be the Warrant Share Delivery Date for purposes hereunder, provided that payment of the aggregate Exercise Price (other than in the case of a cashless exercise) is received by such Warrant Share Delivery Date.
ii. Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant certificate, at the time of delivery of the Warrant Shares, deliver to the Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.
iii. Rescission Rights. If the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise.
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iv. Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Warrant Shares upon Exercise. In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(d)(i) above pursuant to an exercise on or before the Warrant Share Delivery Date, and if after such date the Holder is required by its broker to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise) or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant Shares which the Holder anticipated receiving upon such exercise (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder the amount, if any, by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the shares of Common Stock so purchased exceeds (y) the amount obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue times (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed, and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of the Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant Shares for which such exercise was not honored and return any amount received by the Company in respect of the Exercise Price for those Warrant Shares (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder. For example, if the Holder purchases Common Stock having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of shares of Common Stock with an aggregate sale price giving rise to such purchase obligation of $10,000, under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Company, evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof.
v. No Fractional Shares or Scrip. No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.
vi. Charges, Taxes and Expenses. Issuance of Warrant Shares shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such Warrant Shares, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such Warrant Shares shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided, however, that, in the event that Warrant Shares are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by the Assignment Form attached hereto as Exhibit B duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees required for same-day processing of any Notice of Exercise and all fees to the Depository Trust Company (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions) required for same-day electronic delivery of the Warrant Shares.
vii. Closing of Books. The Company will not close its stockholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.
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e) Holder’s Exercise Limitations. The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and a Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates (such Persons, “Attribution Parties”)), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below). For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates and Attribution Parties shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of shares of Common Stock which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other Common Stock Equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. Upon the written or oral request of a Holder, the Company shall within one (1) Trading Day confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates or Attribution Parties since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 4.99% (or, upon election by a Holder prior to the issuance of any Warrants, 9.99%) of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The Holder, upon notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 2(e), provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation in no event exceeds 9.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of this Warrant held by the Holder and the provisions of this Section 2(e) shall continue to apply. Any increase in the Beneficial Ownership Limitation will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Company. The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 2(e) to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation herein contained or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant.
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Section 3. Certain Adjustments.
a) Stock Dividends and Splits. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions on shares of Common Stock or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in shares of Common Stock (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides outstanding shares of Common Stock into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split) outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues by reclassification of shares of Common Stock any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.
b) Reserved.
c) Subsequent Rights Offerings. In addition to any adjustments pursuant to Section 3(a) above, if at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any share of Common Stock Equivalents or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to all (or substantially all) of the record holders of any class of shares of Common Stock (the “Purchase Rights”), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of shares of Common Stock are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights (provided, however, that, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Purchase Right would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to such extent (or beneficial ownership of such shares of Common Stock as a result of such Purchase Right to such extent) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation).
d) Pro Rata Distributions. During such time as this Warrant is outstanding, if the Company shall declare or make any dividend or other distribution of its assets (or rights to acquire its assets) to all (or substantially all) holders of shares of Common Stock, by way of return of capital or otherwise (including, without limitation, any distribution of cash, stock or other securities, property or options by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction) (a “Distribution”), at any time after the issuance of this Warrant, then, in each such case, the Holder shall be entitled to participate in such Distribution to the same extent that the Holder would have participated therein if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date of which a record is taken for such Distribution, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of shares of Common Stock are to be determined for the participation in such Distribution (provided, however, that, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Distribution would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Distribution to such extent (or in the beneficial ownership of any shares of Common Stock as a result of such Distribution to such extent) and the portion of such Distribution shall be held in abeyance for the benefit of the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation). To the extent that this Warrant has not been partially or completely exercised at the time of such Distribution, such portion of the Distribution shall be held in abeyance for the benefit of the Holder until the Holder has exercised this Warrant.
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e) Fundamental Transaction. If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person, (ii) the Company or any Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Stock are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Stock or 50% or more of the voting power of the common equity of the Company, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the Common Stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off, merger or scheme of arrangement) with another Person or group of Persons whereby such other Person or group acquires 50% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock or 50% or more of the voting power of the common equity of the Company (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, at the option of the Holder (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant), the number of shares of Common Stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant). For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one share of Common Stock in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Common Stock are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction. The Company shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Company is not the survivor (the “Successor Entity”) to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(e) pursuant to written agreements in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Holder and approved by the Holder (without unreasonable delay) prior to such Fundamental Transaction and shall, at the option of the Holder, deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Warrant that is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the shares of Common Stock acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on the exercise of this Warrant) prior to such Fundamental Transaction, and with an exercise price which applies the exercise price hereunder to such shares of capital stock (but taking into account the relative value of the shares of Common Stock prior to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction), and which is reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Holder. Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall be added to the term “Company” under this Warrant (so that from and after the occurrence or consummation of such Fundamental Transaction, each and every provision of this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to each of the Company and the Successor Entity or Successor Entities, jointly and severally), and the Successor Entity or Successor Entities, jointly and severally with the Company, may exercise every right and power of the Company prior thereto and the Successor Entity or Successor Entities shall assume all of the obligations of the Company prior thereto under this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents with the same effect as if the Company and such Successor Entity or Successor Entities, jointly and severally, had been named as the Company herein. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder shall be entitled to the benefits of the provisions of this Section 3(e) regardless of (i) whether the Company has sufficient authorized shares of Common Stock for the issuance of Warrant Shares and/or (ii) whether a Fundamental Transaction occurs prior to the Initial Exercise Date.
f) Calculations. All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.
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g) Notice to Holder.
i. Adjustment to Exercise Price. Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly deliver to the Holder by email a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and any resulting adjustment to the number of Warrant Shares and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.
ii. Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder. If (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Stock, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Stock, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Stock, any consolidation or merger to which the Company (or any of its Subsidiaries) is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of its assets, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Stock is converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be delivered by email to the Holder at its last email address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Stock of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Stock of record shall be entitled to exchange their shares of Common Stock for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to deliver such notice or any defect therein or in the delivery thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice provided in this Warrant constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.
Section 4. Transfer of Warrant.
a) Transferability. This Warrant and all rights hereunder (including, without limitation, any registration rights) are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company unless the Holder has assigned this Warrant in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company within three (3) Trading Days of the date on which the Holder delivers an assignment form to the Company assigning this Warrant in full. The Warrant, if properly assigned in accordance herewith, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued.
b) New Warrants. This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the initial issuance date of this Warrant and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.
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c) Warrant Register. The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company for that purpose (the “Warrant Register”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.
Section 5. Miscellaneous.
a) No Rights as Stockholder until Exercise; No Settlement in Cash. This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, dividends or other rights as a stockholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof as set forth in Section 2(d)(i), except as expressly set forth in Section 3. Without limiting any rights of a Holder to receive Warrant Shares on a “cashless exercise” pursuant to Section 2(c) or to receive cash payments pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) and Section 2(d)(iv) herein, in no event shall the Company be required to net cash settle an exercise of this Warrant.
b) Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any stock certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it (which, in the case of the Warrant, shall not include the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate.
c) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Trading Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Trading Day.
d) Authorized Shares.
The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Stock a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of issuing the necessary Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Common Stock may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable (which means that no further sums are required to be paid by the holders thereof in connection with the issue thereof) and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).
Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the Holder, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its certificate of incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.
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Before taking any action that would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.
e) Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Warrant (whether brought against a party hereto or their respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Warrant and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. If either party shall commence an action, suit or proceeding to enforce any provisions of this Warrant, the prevailing party in such action, suit or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for their reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this paragraph shall limit or restrict the federal district court in which a Holder may bring a claim under the federal securities laws.
f) Restrictions. The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, and the Holder does not utilize cashless exercise, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.
g) Nonwaiver and Expenses. No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice the Holder’s rights, powers or remedies. No provision of this Warrant shall be construed as a waiver by the Holder of any rights which the Holder may have under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Without limiting any other provision of this Warrant or the Purchase Agreement, if the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to the Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by the Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder.
h) Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries to be provided by the Holders hereunder including, without limitation, any Notice of Exercise, shall be in writing and delivered personally, by e-mail, or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, addressed to the Company, at 3121 Eagles Nest Street, Suite 120, Round Rock, TX 78665 Attention: Greg Endo, Chief Financial Officer, email address: warrants2023@volcon.com, or such other email address or address as the Company may specify for such purposes by notice to the Holders. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries to be provided by the Company hereunder shall be in writing and delivered personally, by e-mail, or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service addressed to each Holder at the e-mail address or address of such Holder appearing on the books of the Company. Any notice or other communication or deliveries hereunder shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (i) the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via e-mail at the e-mail address set forth in this Section prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any date, (ii) the next Trading Day after the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via e-mail at the e-mail address set forth in this Section on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (iii) the second Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (iv) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. To the extent that any notice provided hereunder constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K.
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i) Limitation of Liability. No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by the Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of the Holder, shall give rise to any liability of the Holder for the purchase price of any Common Stock or as a stockholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.
j) Remedies. The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Warrant. The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of a breach by it of the provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.
k) Successors and Assigns. Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares.
l) Amendment. This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company, on the one hand, and the Holder, on the other hand.
m) Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.
n) Headings. The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.
********************
[VLCN Pre-Funded Warrant Signature Page Follows]
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[VLCN Pre-Funded Warrant Signature Page]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Pre-Funded Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.
VOLCON, INC.
By:______________________________
Name:Jordan Davis
Its:Chief Executive Officer
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Exhibit A
NOTICE OF EXERCISE
To:VOLCON, INC.
(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase ________ Warrant Shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the attached Warrant (only if exercised in full), and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.
(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):
[ ] in lawful money of the United States; or
[ ] if permitted the cancellation of such number of Warrant Shares as is necessary, in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection 2(c), to exercise this Warrant with respect to the maximum number of Warrant Shares purchasable pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure set forth in subsection 2(c).
(3) Please issue said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:
_______________________________
The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number:
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
| Name of Investing Entity: | |
| Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: | |
| Name of Authorized Signatory: | |
| Title of Authorized Signatory: | |
| Date: |
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Exhibit B
ASSIGNMENT FORM
(To assign the foregoing Warrant, execute this form and supply required information. Do not use this form to exercise the Warrant to purchase shares.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to
| Name: | ______________________________________ |
| (Please Print) | |
| Address: | ______________________________________ |
|
(Please Print) | |
| Phone Number: | ______________________________________ |
| Email Address: | ______________________________________ |
| Dated: _______________ __, ______ | |
| Holder’s Signature: _____________________________________ | |
| Holder’s Address:______________________________________ |
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Exhibit 4.14
[SERIES A][SERIES B] COMMON SHARE PURCHASE WARRANT
VOLCON, INC.
| Warrant Shares:[●] | Initial Exercise Date: [●], 2023 |
| Issue Date: [●], 2023 |
CUSIP:
ISIN:
THIS [SERIES A][SERIES B] COMMON SHARE PURCHASE WARRANT (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received, [●] or its assigns (the “Holder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time on or after the date hereof (the “Initial Exercise Date”) and on or prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on [●], 2028 (the “Termination Date”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), up to [●] Common Shares (as subject to adjustment hereunder, the “Warrant Shares”). The purchase price of one Common Share under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b). This Warrant shall initially be issued and maintained in the form of a security held in book-entry form and the Depository Trust Company or its nominee (“DTC”) shall initially be the sole registered holder of this Warrant, subject to a Holder’s right to elect to receive a Warrant in certificated form pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agent Agreement (defined below), in which case this sentence shall not apply.
Section 1. Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Warrant, the following terms have the meanings indicated in this Section 1:
“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Bid Price” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Shares are then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the bid price of a Common Share for the time in question (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Shares are then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if OTCQB or OTCQX is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average per share price of the Common Shares for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if the Common Shares are not then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for the Common Shares are then reported on the OTC Pink Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per Common Share so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a Common Share as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Holders of a majority in interest of the Warrants then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company.
“Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York generally are open for use by customers on such day.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common Shares” means shares of common stock, $0.00001 par value, of the Company, and any other class of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.
“Common Share Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Shares, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, right, option, warrant or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Shares.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Options” means any rights, warrants or options to subscribe for or purchase Common Shares or Convertible Securities.
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Registration Statement” means the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-274800), as amended.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company and shall, where applicable, also include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company formed or acquired after the date hereof.
“Shareholder Approval” means such approval as may be required by the applicable rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Stock Market (or any successor entity) from the shareholders of the Company: (a) to render inapplicable clause (i) of the definition of the Floor Price in Section 3(f) hereof; (b) to consent to any adjustment to the exercise price or number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants in Sections 3(b) and 3(f); (c) to consent to the voluntary adjustment, from time to time, of the exercise price of any and all currently outstanding warrants pursuant to Section 3(i); or (d) to consent to the alternative cashless exercise option in Section 2.[Clause (d) for Series A only. Clauses (a) and (c) for Series B only]
“Trading Day” means a day on which the Common Shares are traded on a Trading Market.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Shares are listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, OTCQB or OTCQX (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transfer Agent” means Computershare Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the current transfer agent of the Common Shares, and any successor transfer agent of the Company.
“Underwriter" means Aegis Capital Corp.
“Underwriting Agreement" means the underwriting agreement dated as of [●], 2023 among the Company and Aegis Capital Corp. as underwriter named therein, as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in accordance with its terms.
“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Shares are then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price per share of the Common Shares for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Shares are then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if OTCQB or OTCQX is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price per share of Common Shares for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if the Common Shares are not then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for Common Shares are then reported on the OTC Pink Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per Common Share so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a Common Share as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the holders of a majority in interest of the Warrants then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
“Warrant Agent Agreement” means that certain Warrant Agent Agreement, dated on or about the Initial Exercise Date, between the Company and the Warrant Agent.
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“Warrant Agent” means the Transfer Agent and any successor warrant agent of the Company.
“Warrants” means this Warrant and other Common Share purchase warrants issued to investor by the Company pursuant to the Registration Statement, other than any pre-funded warrant issued pursuant to the Registration Statement, each of which shall be subject to the terms of such form of pre-funded warrant, as applicable.
Section 2. Exercise.
a) Exercise of Warrant. Subject to the provisions of Section 2(e) herein, exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date, by delivery to the Company of a duly executed PDF copy submitted by e-mail (or e-mail attachment) of the Notice of Exercise in the form annexed hereto as Annex A (the “Notice of Exercise”). Within the earlier of (i) two (2) Trading Days and (ii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period (as defined in Section 2(d)(i) herein) following the date of exercise as aforesaid, the Holder shall deliver the aggregate Exercise Price for the Warrant Shares specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise by wire transfer of immediately available funds or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank unless the cashless exercise procedure specified in Section 2(c) below is specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise. No ink-original Notice of Exercise shall be required, nor shall any medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any Notice of Exercise be required unless the Warrants are evidenced by definitive certificates. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days of the date on which the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise within one (1) Trading Day of receipt of such notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Notice(s) of Exercise delivered on or prior to 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Trading Date prior to the Initial Exercise Date, which may be delivered at any time after the time of execution of the Underwriting Agreement, the Company agrees to deliver the Warrant Shares subject to such notice(s) by 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Initial Exercise Date and the Initial Exercise Date shall be the Warrant Share Delivery Date for purposes hereunder, provided that payment of the aggregate Exercise Price (other than in the case of a cashless exercise) is received by such Warrant Share Delivery Date. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant Shares hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof.
Notwithstanding the foregoing in this Section 2(a), a holder whose interest in this Warrant is a beneficial interest in certificate(s) representing this Warrant held in book-entry form through DTC (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions), shall effect exercises made pursuant to this Section 2(a) by delivering to DTC (or such other clearing corporation, as applicable) the appropriate instruction form for exercise, complying with the procedures to effect exercise that are required by DTC (or such other clearing corporation, as applicable), subject to a Holder’s right to elect to receive a Warrant in certificated form pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agent Agreement, in which case this sentence shall not apply.
b) Exercise Price. The exercise price per Common Share under this Warrant shall be $[●] (the “Initial Exercise Price”), subject to adjustment hereunder (as in effect from time to time, the “Exercise Price”).
c) Cashless Exercise. The Company shall use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective with a current prospectus and to maintain the registration of the Common Shares and of the Warrants under the Exchange Act. If at any time after the Initial Exercise Date, there is no effective registration statement registering, or no current prospectus available for the issuance of, the Warrant Shares to the Holder, then this Warrant may also be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive a number of Warrant Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:
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| (A) = | as applicable: (i) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is (1) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a day that is not a Trading Day or (2) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a Trading Day prior to the opening of “regular trading hours” (as defined in Rule 600(b) of Regulation NMS promulgated under the federal securities laws) on such Trading Day, (ii) at the option of the Holder, either (y) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise or (z) the Bid Price of the Common Shares on the principal Trading Market as reported by Bloomberg L.P. as of the time of the Holder’s execution of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is executed during “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day and is delivered within two (2) hours thereafter (including until two (2) hours after the close of “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day) pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof or (iii) the VWAP on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if the date of such Notice of Exercise is a Trading Day and such Notice of Exercise is both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof after the close of “regular trading hours” on such Trading Day; |
| (B) = | the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and | |
| (X) = | the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise. |
If Warrant Shares are issued in such a cashless exercise, the parties acknowledge and agree that in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, the Warrant Shares shall take on the registered characteristics of the Warrants being exercised. The Company agrees not to take any position contrary to this Section 2(c).
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event that, on the Termination Date, there is no effective registration statement registering, or no current prospectus available for the issuance of, the Warrant Shares to the Holder, this Warrant shall be automatically exercised via cashless exercise pursuant to this Section 2(c) on such Termination Date.
[The Holder may also effect an “alternative cashless exercise” following the date of Shareholder Approval thereof. In such event, the aggregate number of Warrant Shares issuable in such alternative cashless exercise pursuant to any given Notice of Exercise electing to effect an alternative cashless exercise shall equal the product of (i) the aggregate number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise, multiplied by (ii) 3.0. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, on the Termination Date, this Warrant shall be automatically exercised via cashless exercise pursuant to this Section 2(c) (including an alternative cashless exercise pursuant to this paragraph).][Series A only.]
d) Mechanics of Exercise.
i. Delivery of Warrant Shares Upon Exercise. The Company shall cause the Warrant Shares purchased hereunder to be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s or its designee’s balance account with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) if the Company is then a participant in such system and either (A) there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to or resale of the Warrant Shares by Holder or (B) this Warrant is being exercised via cashless exercise, and otherwise by physical delivery of a certificate, registered in the Company’s share register in the name of the Holder or its designee, for the number of Warrant Shares to which the Holder is entitled pursuant to such exercise to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise by the date that is the earliest of (i) two (2) Trading Days after the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise, (ii) one (1) Trading Day after delivery of the aggregate Exercise Price to the Company and (iii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period after the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise (such date, the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”). Upon delivery of the Notice of Exercise, the Holder shall be deemed for all corporate purposes to have become the holder of record of the Warrant Shares with respect to which this Warrant has been exercised, irrespective of the date of delivery of the Warrant Shares, provided that payment of the aggregate Exercise Price (other than in the case of a cashless exercise) is received within the earlier of (i) two (2) Trading Days and (ii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period following delivery of the Notice of Exercise. If the Company fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder the Warrant Shares subject to a Notice of Exercise by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of Warrant Shares subject to such exercise (based on the VWAP of the Common Shares on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise), $10 per Trading Day (increasing to $20 per Trading Day on the third Trading Day after the Warrant Share Delivery Date ) for each Trading Day after such Warrant Share Delivery Date until such Warrant Shares are delivered or Holder rescinds such exercise. The Company agrees to maintain a transfer agent that is a participant in the FAST program so long as this Warrant remains outstanding and exercisable. As used herein, “Standard Settlement Period” means the standard settlement period, expressed in a number of Trading Days, on the Company’s primary Trading Market with respect to the Common Shares as in effect on the date of delivery of the Notice of Exercise.
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ii. Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant certificate, at the time of delivery of the Warrant Shares, deliver to the Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.
iii. Rescission Rights. If the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise; provided, however, that the Holder shall be required to return any Warrant Shares subject to any such rescinded exercise notice concurrently with the return to Holder of the aggregate Exercise Price paid to the Company for such Warrant Shares and the restoration of Holder’s right to acquire such Warrant Shares pursuant to this Warrant (including, issuance of a replacement warrant certificate evidencing such restored right).
iv. Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Warrant Shares Upon Exercise. In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(d)(i) above pursuant to an exercise on or before the Warrant Share Delivery Date, and if after such date the Holder is required by its broker to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise) or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, Common Shares to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant Shares which the Holder anticipated receiving upon such exercise (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder the amount, if any, by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the Common Shares so purchased exceeds (y) the amount obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue times (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed, and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of the Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant Shares for which such exercise was not honored (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of Common Shares that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder. For example, if the Holder purchases Common Shares having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of Common Shares with an aggregate sale price giving rise to such purchase obligation of $10,000, under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Company, evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver Common Shares upon exercise of the Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof.
v. No Fractional Shares or Scrip. No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.
vi. Charges, Taxes and Expenses. Issuance of Warrant Shares shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such Warrant Shares, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such Warrant Shares shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided, however, that, in the event that Warrant Shares are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by the Assignment Form attached hereto as Annex B duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees required for same-day processing of any Notice of Exercise and all fees to the Depository Trust Company (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions) required for same-day electronic delivery of the Warrant Shares.
vii. Closing of Books. The Company will not close its stockholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.
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e) Holder’s Exercise Limitations. The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and a Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates (such Persons, “Attribution Parties”)), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below). For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of Common Shares beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates and Attribution Parties shall include the number of Common Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of Common Shares which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, non-exercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or non-converted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other Common Shares Equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding Common Shares, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding Common Shares as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of Common Shares outstanding. Upon the written or oral request of a Holder, the Company shall within one Trading Day confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of Common Shares then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding Common Shares shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates or Attribution Parties since the date as of which such number of outstanding Common Shares was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 4.99% (or, upon election by a Holder prior to the issuance of any Warrants, 9.99%) of the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Common Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The Holder, upon notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 2(e), provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation in no event exceeds 9.99% of the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Common Shares upon exercise of this Warrant held by the Holder and the provisions of this Section 2(e) shall continue to apply. Any increase in the Beneficial Ownership Limitation will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Company. The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 2(e) to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation herein contained or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant.
Section 3. Certain Adjustments.
a) Stock Dividends and Splits. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions on its Common Shares or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in Common Shares (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any Common Shares issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides outstanding Common Shares into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split) outstanding Common Shares into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues by reclassification of Common Shares any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of Common Shares and such other capital stock of the Company (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of Common Shares and such other capital stock of the Company (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.
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b) Share Combination Event Adjustment. In addition to the adjustments set forth in Section 3(a) above, subject to receipt of Shareholder Approval, if at any time on or after the Issue Date there occurs any share split, share dividend, share combination recapitalization or other similar transaction involving the Common Shares (each, a “Share Combination Event”, and such date thereof, the “Share Combination Event Date”) and the lowest VWAP during the period commencing five (5) consecutive Trading Days immediately preceding and the five (5) consecutive Trading Days immediately following the Share Combination Event Date (the “Event Market Price”) (provided if the Share Combination Event is effective after close of Trading on the primary Trading Market, then commencing on the next Trading Day which period shall be the “Share Combination Adjustment Period”) is less than the Exercise Price then in effect (after giving effect to the adjustment in clause 3(a) above), then at the close of trading on the primary Trading Market on the last day of the Share Combination Adjustment Period, the Exercise Price then in effect on such 5th Trading Day shall be reduced (but in no event increased) to the Event Market Price and the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant hereunder (such resulting number, the “Share Combination Issuable Shares”) shall be increased such that the aggregate Exercise Price payable hereunder, after taking into account the decrease in the Exercise Price, shall be equal to the aggregate Exercise Price on the Issuance Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if one or more Share Combination Events occurs prior to the Shareholder Approval being obtained and the reduction of the Exercise Price to the Event Market Price, once the Shareholder Approval is obtained, the Exercise Price will automatically be reduced to the lowest Event Market Price with respect to any Share Combination Event that occurred prior to the Shareholder Approval being obtained and the Share Combination Issuable Shares will automatically be adjusted to equal the highest such number with respect to any Share Combination Event that occurred prior to the Shareholder Approval being obtained. For the avoidance of doubt, if the adjustment in the immediately preceding sentence would otherwise result in an increase in the Exercise Price hereunder, no adjustment shall be made, and if this Warrant is exercised, on any given Exercise Date during the Share Combination Adjustment Period, solely with respect to such portion of this Warrant exercised on such applicable Exercise Date, such applicable Share Combination Adjustment Period shall be deemed to have ended on, and included, the Trading Day immediately prior to such Exercise Date and the Event Market Price on such applicable Exercise Date will be the lowest VWAP of the Ordinary Shares immediately prior to the Share Combination Event Date and ending on, and including the Trading Day immediately prior to such Exercise Date.
c) Subsequent Rights Offerings. In addition to any adjustments pursuant to Section 3(a) above, if at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any Common Share Equivalents or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to all (or substantially all) of the record holders of any class of Common Shares (the “Purchase Rights”), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of Common Shares acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of Common Shares are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights (provided, however, that, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Purchase Right would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to such extent (or beneficial ownership of such Common Shares as a result of such Purchase Right to such extent) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation).
d) Pro Rata Distributions. During such time as this Warrant is outstanding, if the Company shall declare or make any dividend or other distribution of its assets (or rights to acquire its assets) to all (or substantially all) of holders of Common Shares, by way of return of capital or otherwise (including, without limitation, any distribution of cash, stock or other securities, property or options by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction) (a “Distribution”), at any time after the issuance of this Warrant, then, in each such case, the Holder shall be entitled to participate in such Distribution to the same extent that the Holder would have participated therein if the Holder had held the number of Common Shares acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date of which a record is taken for such Distribution, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of Common Shares are to be determined for the participation in such Distribution. To the extent that this Warrant has not been partially or completely exercised at the time of such Distribution, such portion of the Distribution shall be held in abeyance for the benefit of the Holder until the Holder has exercised this Warrant.
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[e) Fundamental Transaction. Subject to applicable listing rules of the Trading Market, if, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person, (ii) the Company or any Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (approved or recommended by the Board of Directors or a committee thereof) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Shares are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Shares or 50% or more of the total voting power of the Company’s Common Shares, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of Common Shares or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Shares are effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off, merger or scheme of arrangement) with another Person or group of Persons whereby such other Person or group acquires more than 50% of the outstanding Common Shares or 50% or more of the total voting power of the Company’s Common Shares (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of a Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, at the option of the Holder, the number of Common Shares of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, or depositary shares representing those shares, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of Common Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation). For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one Common Share in such Fundamental Transaction and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Common Shares are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in the event of a Fundamental Transaction, the Company or any Successor Entity (as defined below) shall, at the Holder’s option, exercisable at any time concurrently with, or within 30 days after, the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction (or, if later, the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction), purchase this Warrant from the Holder by paying to the Holder an amount of cash equal to the Black Scholes Value (as defined below) of the remaining unexercised portion of this Warrant on the date of the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction; provided, however, that, if the Fundamental Transaction is not within the Company’s control, including not approved by the Company’s Board of Directors, Holder shall only be entitled to receive from the Company or any Successor Entity the same type or form of consideration (and in the same proportion), at the Black Scholes Value of the unexercised portion of this Warrant, that is being offered and paid to the holders of Common Shares of the Company in connection with the Fundamental Transaction, whether that consideration be in the form of cash, stock or any combination thereof, or whether the holders of Common Shares are given the choice to receive from among alternative forms of consideration in connection with the Fundamental Transaction; provided, further, that if holders of Common Shares of the Company are not offered or paid any consideration in such Fundamental Transaction, such holders will be deemed to have received Common Shares of the Successor Entity (which Entity may be the Company following such Fundamental Transaction) in such Fundamental Transaction.
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“Black Scholes Value” means the value of this Warrant based on the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model obtained from the “OV” function on Bloomberg determined as of the day of consummation of the applicable contemplated Fundamental Transaction for pricing purposes and reflecting (A) a risk-free interest rate corresponding to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Termination Date, (B) an expected volatility equal to the greater of 100% and the 100 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg (determined utilizing a 365 day annualization factor) as of the Trading Day immediately following the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, (C) the underlying price per share used in such calculation shall be the greater of (i) the sum of the price per share being offered in cash, if any, plus the value of any non-cash consideration, if any, being offered in such Fundamental Transaction and (ii) the highest VWAP during the period beginning on the Trading Day immediately preceding the announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction (or the consummation of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, if earlier) and ending on the Trading Day of the Holder’s request pursuant to this Section 3(e) and (D) a remaining option time equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Termination Date and (E) a zero cost of borrow. The payment of the Black Scholes Value will be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds (or such other consideration) within the later of (i) five (5) Business Days of the Holder’s election and (ii) the date of consummation of the Fundamental Transaction.
The Company shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Company is not the survivor (the “Successor Entity”), to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(e) pursuant to written agreements in form reasonably satisfactory to the Holder and approved by the Holder (without unreasonable delay) prior to such Fundamental Transaction and shall, at the option of the Holder, deliver to such Holder in exchange for this Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Warrant that is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the Common Shares acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on the exercise of this Warrant) prior to such Fundamental Transaction and with an exercise price which applies the exercise price hereunder to such shares of capital stock (but taking into account the relative value of the Common Shares pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value this Warrant had immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction). Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall be added to the term “Company” under this Warrant (so that from and after the occurrence or consumption of such Fundamental Transaction, each and every provision of this Warrant and other Transaction Documents referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to each of the Company and the Successor Entity or Successor Entities, jointly and severally), and the Successor Entity or Successor Entities, jointly and severally with the Company, may exercise every right and power of the Company prior thereto and the Successor Entity or Successor Entities shall assume all of the obligations of the Company prior thereto under this Warrant Agreement and the other Transaction Documents with the same effect as if the Company and such Successor Entity or Successor Entities, jointly and severally, had been named as the Company herein. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder shall be entitled to the benefits of the provisions of this Section 3(e) regardless of (i) whether the Company has sufficient authorized Common Shares for the issuance of Warrant Shares and/or (ii) whether a Fundamental Transaction occurs prior to the Initial Exercise Date.
The Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent in writing to mail, by first class mail, postage prepaid, to each Holder, written notice of the execution of any such amendment, supplement or agreement with the Successor Entity. Any supplemented or amended agreement entered into by the successor corporation or transferee shall provide for adjustments, which shall be as nearly equivalent as may be practicable to the adjustments provided for in this Section 3(e). The Warrant Agent shall have no duty, responsibility or obligation to determine the correctness of any provisions contained in such agreement or such notice, including but not limited to any provisions relating either to the kind or amount of securities or other property receivable upon exercise of warrants or with respect to the method employed and provided therein for any adjustments, and shall be entitled to rely conclusively for all purposes upon the provisions contained in any such agreement. The provisions of this Section 3(e) shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, changes, consolidations, mergers, sales and conveyances of the kind described above.][Series B only.]
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[f) Adjustment Upon Issuance of Common Shares. If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding (such period, the “Adjustment Period”), the Company issues, sells, enters into an agreement to sell, or grants any option to purchase, or sells, enters into an agreement to sell, or grants any right to reprice, or otherwise disposes of or issues (or announces any offer, sale, grant or any option to purchase or other disposition), or, in accordance with this Section 3(f), is deemed to have issued or sold, any Common Shares or Common Share Equivalents (excluding any Excluded Securities (as defined below) issued or sold or deemed to have been issued or sold) for a consideration per share less than a price equal to the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such issue or sale or deemed issuance or sale (such Exercise Price then in effect is referred to as the “Applicable Price”) (the foregoing a “Dilutive Issuance”), then simultaneously with the consummation (or, if earlier, the announcement) of such Dilutive Issuance, the Exercise Price then in effect shall be reduced to an amount equal to the lowest VWAP during the period commencing 5 consecutive Trading Days following the Dilutive Issuance (the “New Issuance Price”) and the number of Common Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged; provided that the New Issuance Share Price shall not be less than (i) $[●] or (ii) in the event of Shareholder Approval, the price of the Dilutive Issuance (the “Floor Price”) (subject to adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits, recapitalizations and similar transactions following the date of the Underwriting Agreement). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if one or more Dilutive Issuances occurred prior to the Shareholder Approval being obtained and the reduction of the Exercise Price was limited by clause (i) of the definition of Floor Price, once the Shareholder Approval is obtained, the Exercise Price will automatically be reduced to equal the greater of (x) the lowest New Issuance Price with respect to any Dilutive Issuance that occurred prior to the Shareholder Approval being obtained, and (y) the price determined by reference to clause (ii) of the definition of Floor Price. “Excluded Securities” means any issuance of Common Shares, restricted share units, Options and/or Convertible Securities (i) under the Company’s current or future equity incentive plans or issued to employees, directors, consultants or officers as compensation or consideration in the ordinary course of business, including any issuance of Options (and the underlying Common Shares) in exchange for Options issued under the Company’s equity incentive plans, (ii) issued pursuant to agreements, Options, restricted share units, Convertible Securities or Adjustment Rights (as defined below) existing as of the date hereof, (iii) issued pursuant to acquisitions (whether by merger, consolidation, purchase of equity, purchase of assets, reorganization or otherwise), mergers, consolidations, reorganizations or strategic transactions approved by a majority of the disinterested directors of the Company, provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equityholders of a Person) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or an owner of an asset in a business complementary with the business of the Company and shall provide to the Company additional benefits in addition to the investment of funds, but shall not include a transaction in which the Company is issuing securities primarily for the purpose of raising capital or to an entity whose primary business is investing in securities, provided that such securities are issued as “restricted securities” (as defined in Rule 144) and carry no registration rights that require or permit the filing of any registration statement in connection therewith or (iv) to which a majority-in-interest of Holders of the Warrants consent in writing. “Adjustment Right” means any right granted with respect to any securities issued in connection with, or with respect to, any issuance or sale (or deemed issuance or sale in accordance with this Section 3(f)) of Common Shares (other than rights of the type described in Sections 3(a) through (e)) that could result in a decrease in the net consideration received by the Company in connection with, or with respect to, such securities (including, without limitation, any cash settlement rights, cash adjustment or other similar rights). For all purposes of the foregoing, the following shall be applicable:
i. Issuance of Options. If, during the Adjustment Period, the Company in any manner grants or sells any Options (other than Excluded Securities) and the lowest price per share for which one Common Share is issuable upon the exercise of any such Option or upon conversion, exercise or exchange of any Convertible Securities issuable upon exercise of any such Option (such Common Shares issuable upon such exercise of any Option or upon conversion, exercise or exchange of any Convertible Securities, the “Convertible Securities Shares”) is less than the Applicable Price, then such Common Shares shall be deemed to be outstanding and to have been issued and sold by the Company at the time of the granting or sale of such Option for such price per share. For purposes of this Section 3(f)(i), the “lowest price per share for which one Common Share is issuable upon the exercise of any such Option or upon conversion, exercise or exchange of any Convertible Securities issuable upon exercise of any such Option” shall be equal to (A) the sum of (1) the lowest amount of consideration (if any) received or receivable by the Company with respect to any one Convertible Securities Share upon the granting or sale of such Option, upon exercise of such Option and upon conversion, exercise or exchange of any Convertible Security issuable upon exercise of such Option and (2) the lowest exercise price set forth in such Option for which one Convertible Securities Share is issuable upon the exercise of any such Option or upon conversion, exercise or exchange of any Convertible Securities issuable upon exercise of any such Option, minus (B) the sum of all amounts paid or payable to the holder of such Option (or any other Person), with respect to any one Convertible Securities Share, upon the granting or sale of such Option, upon exercise of such Option and upon conversion, exercise or exchange of any Convertible Security issuable upon exercise of such Option plus the value of any other consideration received or receivable by, or benefit conferred on, the holder of such Option (or any other Person), with respect to any one Convertible Securities Share. Except as contemplated below, no further adjustment of the Exercise Price shall be made upon the actual issuance of such Convertible Securities Share or of such Convertible Securities upon the exercise of such Options or upon the actual issuance of such Convertible Securities Share upon conversion, exercise or exchange of such Convertible Securities.
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ii. Issuance of Convertible Securities. If, during the Adjustment Period, the Company in any manner issues or sells any Convertible Securities (other than Excluded Securities) and the lowest price per share for which one Convertible Securities Share is issuable upon the conversion, exercise or exchange thereof is less than the Applicable Price, then such Convertible Securities Share shall be deemed to be outstanding and to have been issued and sold by the Company at the time of the issuance or sale of such Convertible Securities for such price per share. For the purposes of this Section 3(e)(ii), the “lowest price per share for which one Convertible Securities Share is issuable upon the conversion, exercise or exchange thereof” shall be equal to (A) the sum of (1) the lowest amount of consideration (if any) received or receivable by the Company with respect to one Convertible Securities Share upon the issuance or sale of the Convertible Security and upon conversion, exercise or exchange of such Convertible Security and (2) the lowest conversion price set forth in such Convertible Security for which one Convertible Securities Share is issuable upon conversion, exercise or exchange thereof, minus (B) the sum of all amounts paid or payable to the holder of such Convertible Security (or any other Person), with respect to any one Convertible Securities Share, upon the issuance or sale of such Convertible Security plus the value of any other consideration received or receivable by, or benefit conferred on, the holder of such Convertible Security (or any other Person), with respect to any one Convertible Securities Share. Except as contemplated below, no further adjustment of the Exercise Price shall be made upon the actual issuance of such Convertible Securities Share upon conversion, exercise or exchange of such Convertible Securities, and if any such issue or sale of such Convertible Securities is made upon exercise of any Options for which adjustment of the Exercise Price has been or is to be made pursuant to other provisions of this Section 3(e), except as contemplated below, no further adjustment of the Exercise Price shall be made by reason of such issue or sale.
iii. Change in Option Price or Rate of Conversion. If, during the Adjustment Period, the purchase or exercise price provided for in any Options, the additional consideration, if any, payable upon the issue, conversion, exercise or exchange of any Convertible Securities, or the rate at which any Convertible Securities are convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Shares increases or decreases at any time (other than proportional changes in conversion or exercise prices, as applicable, in connection with an event referred to in Section 3(a)), the Exercise Price in effect at the time of such increase or decrease shall be adjusted to the Exercise Price which would have been in effect at such time had such Options or Convertible Securities provided for such increased or decreased purchase price, additional consideration or increased or decreased conversion rate, as the case may be, at the time initially granted, issued or sold. For purposes of this Section 3(f)(iii), if the terms of any Option or Convertible Security that was outstanding as of the date of issuance of this Warrant are increased or decreased in the manner described in the immediately preceding sentence, then such Option or Convertible Security and the Convertible Securities Shares deemed issuable upon exercise, conversion or exchange thereof shall be deemed to have been issued as of the date of such increase or decrease. No adjustment pursuant to this Section 3(f) shall be made if such adjustment would result in an increase of the Exercise Price then in effect.
iv. Calculation of Consideration Received. If any Option or Convertible Security is issued in connection with the issuance or sale or deemed issuance or sale of any other securities of the Company (the “Primary Security”, and such Option or Convertible Security, the “Secondary Securities” and together with the Primary Security, each a “Unit”), together comprising one integrated transaction, the aggregate consideration per Common Share with respect to such Primary Security shall be deemed to be the lowest of (x) the purchase price of such Unit, (y) if such Primary Security is an Option and/or Convertible Security, the lowest price per share for which one Common Share is at any time issuable upon the exercise or conversion of the Primary Security in accordance with Section 3(f)(i) or 3(f)(ii) above and (z) the lowest VWAP of the Common Shares on any Trading Day during the five Trading Day period immediately following the public announcement of such Dilutive Issuance (for the avoidance of doubt, if such public announcement is released prior to the opening of the Principal Market on a Trading Day, such Trading Day shall be the first Trading Day in such five Trading Day period). If any Common Shares, Options or Convertible Securities are issued or sold or deemed to have been issued or sold for cash, the consideration received therefor will be deemed to be the net amount of cash received by the Company therefor. If any Common Shares, Options or Convertible Securities are issued or sold for a consideration other than cash, the amount of such consideration received by the Company will be the fair value of such consideration, except where such consideration consists of publicly traded securities, in which case the amount of consideration received by the Company for such securities will be the arithmetic average of the VWAPs of such security for each of the five (5) Trading Days immediately preceding the date of receipt. If any Common Shares, Options or Convertible Securities are issued to the owners of the non-surviving entity in connection with any merger in which the Company is the surviving entity, the amount of consideration therefor will be deemed to be the fair market value of such portion of the net assets and business of the non-surviving entity as is attributable to such Common Shares, Options or Convertible Securities (as the case may be). The fair market value of any consideration other than cash or publicly traded securities will be determined jointly by the Company and the Holder. If such parties are unable to reach agreement within ten (10) days after the occurrence of an event requiring valuation (the “Valuation Event”), the fair market value of such consideration will be determined within five (5) Trading Days after the tenth (10th) day following such Valuation Event by an independent, reputable appraiser jointly selected by the Company and the Holder. The determination of such appraiser shall be final and binding upon all parties absent manifest error and the fees and expenses of such appraiser shall be borne by the Company.
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v. Record Date. If, during the Adjustment Period, the Company takes a record of the holders of the Common Shares for the purpose of entitling them (A) to receive a dividend or other distribution payable in Common Shares, Options or in Convertible Securities or (B) to subscribe for or purchase Common Shares, Options or Convertible Securities, then such record date will be deemed to be the date of the issue or sale of Common Shares deemed to have been issued or sold upon the declaration of such dividend or the making of such other distribution or the date of the granting of such right of subscription or purchase (as the case may be).][Series B only.]
g) Calculations. All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of Common Shares deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of Common Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.
h) Notice to Holder.
i. Adjustment to Exercise Price. Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly deliver to the Holder by facsimile or email a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and any resulting adjustment to the number of Warrant Shares and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.
ii. Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder. If (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Shares, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Shares, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Shares rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Shares, any consolidation or merger to which the Company (or any of its Subsidiaries) is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Shares are converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be delivered by facsimile or email to the Holder at its last facsimile number or email address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice (unless such information is filed with the Commission, in which case a notice shall not be required) stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Shares of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Shares of record shall be entitled to exchange their Common Shares for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to deliver such notice or any defect therein or in the delivery thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice provided in this Warrant constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Report on Form 6-K. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.
[i) Voluntary Adjustment by Company. Subject to the rules and regulations of the Trading Market, the Company may at any time during the term of this Warrant, reduce the then current Exercise Price to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.][Series B only.]
[j) Variable Rate Transactions. The Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect any issuance by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents (or a combination of units thereof) involving a Variable Rate Transaction. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive, additional Common Shares either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price or exchange rate or other price that is based upon, and/or varies with, the trading prices of or quotations for the Common Shares at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Shares or (ii) enters into, or effects a transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit; but excluding an "at-the-market offering", whereby the Company may issue securities at a future determined price. The Holder shall be entitled to obtain injunctive relief against the Company to preclude any such issuance, which remedy shall be in addition to any right to collect damages.][Series B only.]
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k) Shareholder Approval. The Company shall hold a special meeting of shareholders (which may also be at the annual meeting of shareholders) at the earliest practicable date after the date hereof, but in no event later than 75 days after the Initial Exercise Date for the purpose of obtaining Shareholder Approval, and if required to effect the purpose thereof, with the recommendation of the Company’s Board of Directors that such proposal be approved. The Company shall solicit proxies from its shareholders in connection therewith in the same manner as all other management proposals in such proxy statement and all management-appointed proxyholders shall vote their proxies in favor of such proposal. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain all such Shareholder Approvals, and officers, directors and shareholders subject to any Lock-Up Agreement signed contemporaneously herewith shall cast their proxies in favor of such proposal. If the Company does not obtain Shareholder Approval at the first meeting, the Company shall call a meeting every four (4) months thereafter to seek Shareholder Approval until the earlier of the date Shareholder Approval or a board approval in lieu thereof is obtained or the Warrants are no longer outstanding.
Section 4. Transfer of Warrant.
a) Transferability. This Warrant and all rights hereunder (including, without limitation, any registration rights) are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and, with respect to a definitive certificate, accompanied by a signature guarantee by an eligible guarantor institution that is a member or participant in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program or other comparable signature guarantee program and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company unless the Holder has assigned this Warrant in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company within three (3) Trading Days of the date on which the Holder delivers an assignment form to the Company assigning this Warrant in full. The Warrant, if properly assigned in accordance herewith, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued.
b) New Warrants. If this Warrant is not held in global form through DTC (or any successor depositary), this Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall, or shall cause the Warrant Agent to, execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the initial issuance date of this Warrant and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.
c) Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Warrant Agent for that purpose (the “Warrant Register”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.
Section 5. Reserved.
Section 6. Miscellaneous.
a) No Rights as Stockholder until Exercise; No Settlement in Cash. This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, dividends or other rights as a stockholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof as set forth in Section 2(d)(i), except as expressly set forth in Section 3. Without limiting any rights of a Holder to receive Warrant Shares on a “cashless exercise” pursuant to Section 2(c) or to receive cash payments pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) and Section 2(d)(iv) herein, including if the Company is for any reason unable to issue and deliver Warrant Shares upon exercise of this Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof, in no event shall the Company be required to net cash settle an exercise of this Warrant or cash settle in any other form.
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b) Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it and the Warrant Agent of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any stock certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it and the Warrant Agent (including the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate.
c) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day.
d) Authorized Shares.
The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Shares a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of issuing the necessary Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Common Shares may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).
Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by a majority-in-interest of Holders of the Warrants, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its certificate of incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.
Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.
e) Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Warrant (whether brought against a party hereto or their respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Warrant and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. If either party shall commence an action, suit or proceeding to enforce any provisions of this Warrant, the prevailing party in such action, suit or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for their reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this paragraph shall limit or restrict the forum in which a Holder may bring a claim under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
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f) Restrictions. The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, and the Holder does not utilize cashless exercise, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.
g) Non-waiver and Expenses. No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice the Holder’s rights, powers or remedies. No provision of this Warrant shall be construed as a waiver by the Holder of any rights which the Holder may have under the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Without limiting any other provision of this Warrant, if the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to the Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by the Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder.
h) Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries to be provided by the Holders hereunder including, without limitation, any Notice of Exercise, shall be in writing and delivered personally, by e-mail, or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, addressed to the Company, at 3121 Eagles Nest Street, Suite 120, Round Rock, TX , Attention: Chief Financial Officer, email address: warrants2023@volcon.com, or such other email address or address as the Company may specify for such purposes by notice to the Holders. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries to be provided by the Company hereunder shall be in writing and delivered personally, by e-mail, or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service addressed to each Holder at the e-mail address or address of such Holder appearing on the books of the Company. Any notice or other communication or deliveries hereunder shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (i) the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via e-mail at the e-mail address set forth in this Section prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any date, (ii) the next Trading Day after the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via e-mail at the e-mail address set forth in this Section on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (iii) the second Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (iv) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. To the extent that any notice provided hereunder constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K.
i) Limitation of Liability. No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by the Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of the Holder, shall give rise to any liability of the Holder for the purchase price of any Common Shares or as a stockholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.
j) Remedies. The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance by the Company of its rights under this Warrant. The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of a breach by it of the provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.
k) Successors and Assigns. Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares.
l) Amendment. This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company, on the one hand, and a majority-in-interest of Holders of the Warrants, on the other hand. The parties shall not amend any provisions of this Warrant related to the rights, immunities, duties and obligations of the Warrant Agent without the prior consent of the Warrant Agent, not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
m) Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.
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n) Headings. The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.
o) Warrant Agent Agreement. The terms of this Warrant are to be read in conjunction with the applicable terms of the Warrant Agent Agreement. In the event of an inconsistency between the terms of this Warrant and the Warrant Agent Agreement, the terms of the Warrant Agent Agreement shall prevail.
********************
(Signature Page Follows)
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.
| VOLCON, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Jordan Davis | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
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ANNEX A
NOTICE OF EXERCISE
| TO: | VOLCON, INC. |
(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase ________ Warrant Shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the attached [Series A][Series B] Warrant (only if exercised in full), and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.
(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):
☐ in lawful money of the United States; or
☐ if permitted the cancellation of such number of Warrant Shares as is necessary, in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection 2(c), to exercise this Warrant with respect to the maximum number of Warrant Shares purchasable pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure set forth in subsection 2(c).
(3) Please issue said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:
_______________________________
The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number:
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
Name of Investing Entity: _______________________________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: _________________________________________________
Name of Authorized Signatory: ___________________________________________________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory: ____________________________________________________________________
Date: _______________________________________________________________________________________
| A-1 |
ANNEX B
ASSIGNMENT FORM
(To assign the foregoing Warrant, execute this form and supply required information. Do not use this form to purchase shares.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to:
| Name: | |
| (Please Print) | |
| Address: | |
| (Please Print) | |
| Phone Number: | |
| Email Address: | |
| Dated: _______________ __, ______ |
| Holder’s Signature: | ||
| Holder’s Address: |
| (Signature Guaranteed): | Date: | ___________________, _____ |
Signature to be guaranteed by an authorized officer of a chartered bank, trust company or medallion guaranteed by an investment dealer who is a member of a recognized stock exchange.
| B-1 |
Exhibit 4.15
WARRANT AGENT AGREEMENT
THIS WARRANT AGENT AGREEMENT (this “Warrant Agreement”) dated as of November [•], 2023, is between Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Computershare Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Computershare”), and its affiliate, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company (collectively with Computershare, the “Warrant Agent”).
WHEREAS, pursuant to the terms of that certain Underwriting Agreement (“Underwriting Agreement”), dated November [•], 2023, by and among the Company and Aegis Capital Corp., as the underwriter (the “Underwriter”), the Company is engaged in a public offering of: (A) [●] common units (“Common Units”) consisting of (i) one share of common stock par value $0.00001 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”), (ii) 0.35 of a warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $[•] per share (or [•]% of the price of each Common Unit sold in the offering) or pursuant to alternate cashless exercise option, which will expire on the five-year anniversary of the original issuance date (the “Series A Warrants”) and (iii) 0.35 of a warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $[•] per share (or [•]% of the price of each Common Unit sold in the offering) which warrant will expire on the five-year anniversary of the original issuance date (the “Series B Warrants” and collectively with the Series A Warrants, the “Warrants”); and/or (B) [●] pre-funded units (“Pre-funded Units”) consisting of one pre-funded warrant (“Pre-funded Warrant” and collectively with the Series A Warrants and the Series B Warrants, the “Warrants”) to purchase one share of our common stock, 0.35 of a Series A Warrant and 0.35 of a Series B Warrant; and (C) shares of Common Stock and/or Warrants issuable pursuant to the Underwriter’s over-allotment option granted pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement;
WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-274800) (as the same may be amended from time to time, the “Registration Statement”), for the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the Common Units and Pre-funded Units, and such Registration Statement was declared effective on [•], 2023;
WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in accordance with the terms set forth in this Warrant Agreement in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange and exercise of the Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Warrant Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company with respect to the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the express terms and conditions set forth in this Warrant Agreement (and no implied terms or conditions).
2. Warrants.
2.1. Form of Warrants. The Warrants shall be registered securities and shall be evidenced by a global warrant (“Global Warrant”) in the form of Exhibit A in the case of the Series A Warrants, Exhibit B in the case of the Series B Warrants and Exhibit C in the case of the Pre-funded Warrants, which shall be deposited on behalf of the Company with a custodian for The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of DTC. The terms of the Global Warrant are incorporated herein by reference. If DTC subsequently ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Warrants, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent regarding making other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have the Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent to provide written instructions to DTC to deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation the Global Warrant, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent to deliver to DTC separate certificates evidencing Warrants substantially in the form of Exhibit A, Exhibit B or Exhibit C, as the case may be, (“Definitive Certificates” and, together with the Global Warrant, “Warrant Certificates”) registered as requested through the DTC system. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event that the DTC ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Warrants, the transfer, exchange or exercise of the Warrants shall be conducted in accordance with the customary procedures of the Warrant Agent.
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2.2. Issuance and Registration of Warrants.
2.2.1. Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (“Warrant Register”) for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants.
2.2.2. Issuance of Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, the Warrant Agent shall issue the Global Warrant and deliver the Warrants in the DTC book-entry settlement system in accordance with written instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company. Ownership of security entitlements in the Warrants shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained (i) by DTC and (ii) by institutions that have accounts with DTC (each, a “Participant”).
2.2.3. Beneficial Owner; Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name that Warrant shall be registered on the Warrant Register (the “Holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant for purposes of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Warrant Agent or any agent of the Company or the Warrant Agent from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by DTC governing the exercise of the rights of a holder of a beneficial interest in any Warrant. The rights of beneficial owners in a Warrant evidenced by the Global Warrant shall be exercised by the Holder or a Participant through the DTC system, except to the extent set forth herein or in the Global Warrant.
2.2.4. Delivery of Warrant Certificate. A Holder has the right to elect at any time or from time to time a Warrant Exchange (as defined below) pursuant to a Warrant Certificate Request Notice (as defined below). Upon written notice by a Holder to the Warrant Agent for the exchange of some or all of such Holder’s Global Warrants for a Warrant Certificate evidencing the same number of Warrants, which request shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (a “Warrant Certificate Request Notice” and the date of delivery of such Warrant Certificate Request Notice by the Holder, the “Warrant Certificate Request Notice Date” and the deemed surrender upon delivery by the Holder of a number of Global Warrants for the same number of Warrants evidenced by a Warrant Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit A, Exhibit B or Exhibit C, as the case may be, a “Warrant Exchange”), the Warrant Agent shall as soon as practicable effect the Warrant Exchange and issue and deliver to the Holder a Warrant Certificate for such number of Warrants in the name set forth in the Warrant Certificate Request Notice. Such Warrant Certificate shall be dated the date of issuance of the Warrant Certificate, shall include the initial exercise date of the Warrants, shall be executed by an authorized signatory of the Company. In connection with a Warrant Exchange, the Company agrees to deliver, or to direct the Warrant Agent to deliver, the Warrant Certificate to the Holder as soon as commercially practicable the Warrant Certificate Request Notice pursuant to the delivery instructions in the Warrant Certificate Request Notice (“Warrant Certificate Delivery Date”). If the Company fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder the Warrant Certificate subject to the Warrant Certificate Request Notice by the Warrant Certificate Delivery Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants (the “Warrant Shares”) evidenced by such Warrant Certificate (based on the VWAP (as defined in the Warrants) of the Common Stock on the Warrant Certificate Request Notice Date), Ten Dollars ($10) per Business Day for each Business Day after such Warrant Certificate Delivery Date until such Warrant Certificate is delivered or, prior to delivery of such Warrant Certificate, the Holder rescinds such Warrant Exchange. The Company covenants and agrees that, upon the date of delivery of the Warrant Certificate Request Notice, the Holder shall be deemed to be the holder of the Warrant Certificate and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Warrant Certificate shall be deemed for all purposes to contain all of the terms and conditions of the Warrants evidenced by such Warrant Certificate and the terms of this Agreement. The Warrant Agent shall have no liability for the Company’s failure to deliver the Warrant Certificates to the Holders as set forth in this Section 2.2.4. “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York generally are open for use by customers on such day.
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2.2.5. Execution. The Warrant Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by any authorized officer of the Company (an “Authorized Officer”), which need not be the same authorized signatory for all of the Warrant Certificates, either manually or by facsimile signature. The Warrant Certificates shall be countersigned by manual, electronic or facsimile signature by an authorized signatory of the Warrant Agent, which need not be the same signatory for all of the Warrant Certificates, and no Warrant Certificate shall be valid for any purpose unless so countersigned. In case any Authorized Officer of the Company that signed any of the Warrant Certificates ceases to be an Authorized Officer of the Company before countersignature by the Warrant Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Warrant Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Warrant Agent, issued and delivered with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Warrant Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Warrant Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Warrant Certificate, shall be an Authorized Officer of the Company authorized to sign such Warrant Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Warrant Agreement any such person was not such an Authorized Officer.
2.2.6. Registration of Transfer. At any time at or prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below), a transfer of any Warrants may be registered and any Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates may be split up, combined or exchanged for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates evidencing the same number of Warrants as the Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates surrendered. Any Holder desiring to register the transfer of Warrants or to split up, combine or exchange any Warrant Certificate shall make such request in writing delivered to the Warrant Agent, and shall surrender to the Warrant Agent the Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates evidencing the Warrants the transfer of which is to be registered or that is or are to be split up, combined or exchanged and, in the case of registration of transfer, shall provide a signature guarantee by an eligible guarantor institution that is a member or participant in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program or other comparable signature guarantee program. Thereupon, the Warrant Agent shall countersign and deliver to the person entitled thereto a Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The Company and the Warrant Agent may require payment, by the Holder requesting a registration of transfer of Warrants or a split-up, combination or exchange of a Warrant Certificate (but, for purposes of clarity, not upon the exercise of the Warrants and issuance of Warrant Shares to the Holder), of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with such registration of transfer, split-up, combination or exchange, together with reimbursement to the Company and the Warrant Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto. The Warrant Agent shall not have any duty or obligation to take any action under any section of this Agreement that requires the payment of taxes and/or charges unless and until the Warrant Agent is satisfied that all such payments have been made.
2.2.7. Loss, Theft and Mutilation of Warrant Certificates. Upon receipt by the Company and the Warrant Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Warrant Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security in form and amount satisfactory to the Warrant Agent, and reimbursement to the Company and the Warrant Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the Warrant Agent and cancellation of the Warrant Certificate if mutilated, the Warrant Agent shall, on behalf of the Company, countersign and deliver a new Warrant Certificate of like tenor to the Holder in lieu of the Warrant Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated. The Warrant Agent may charge the Holder an administrative fee for processing the replacement of lost Warrant Certificates. The Warrant Agent may receive compensation from the surety companies or surety agents for administrative services provided to them.
2.2.8. Proxies. The Holder of a Warrant may grant proxies or otherwise authorize any person, including the Participants and beneficial holders that may own interests through the Participants, to take any action that a Holder is entitled to take under this Agreement or the Warrants; provided, however, that at all times that Warrants are evidenced by a Global Warrant, exercise of those Warrants shall be effected on their behalf by Participants through DTC in accordance the procedures administered by DTC.
2.2.9. Opinion. The Company shall provide to the Warrant Agent an opinion of counsel on or prior to the issuance of Warrants to set up a reserve of Warrant Shares for the outstanding Warrants in such form as requested by the Warrant Agent.
3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants.
3.1. Exercise Price. Each Warrant shall entitle the Holder, subject to the provisions of the applicable Warrant Certificate and of this Warrant Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the exercise price of $[●] per whole share of Common Stock with respect to the Series A Warrants, $[●] per whole share of Common Stock with respect to the Series B Warrants and $[●] per whole share of Common Stock with respect to the Pre-funded Warrants, subject to the subsequent adjustments provided in the Global Warrant. The term “Exercise Price” as used in this Warrant Agreement refers to the price per share at which shares of Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised.
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3.2. Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (“Exercise Period”) commencing on the date of issuance and ending on the Termination Date. For purposes of this Warrant Agreement, the “Termination Date” shall have the meaning set forth in the Global Warrant. Each Warrant not exercised on or before the Termination Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at the close of business on the Termination Date.
3.3. Exercise of Warrants.
3.3.1. Exercise. Subject to the provisions of the Global Warrant, a Holder (or a Participant or a designee of a Participant acting on behalf of a Holder) may exercise Warrants by delivering to the Warrant Agent, not later than 5:00 P.M., Eastern Standard Time, on any business day during the Exercise Period a notice of exercise of the Warrants to be exercised (i) in the form attached to the Global Warrant or (ii) via an electronic warrant exercise through the DTC system (each, an “Election to Purchase”) and within one (1) Trading Day of the Date of Exercise, Warrants to be exercised by (A) surrender of the Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants to the Warrant Agent at its office designated for such purpose or (B) delivery of the Warrants to an account of the Warrant Agent at DTC designated for such purpose in writing by the Warrant Agent to DTC from time to time. Partial exercises of a Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available thereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender a Warrant Certificate until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available thereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender such Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days of the date the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. For avoidance of doubt, the Warrant Agent shall have no liability for the Company’s failure for any reason to deliver to the Holder the Warrant Shares subject to a Notice of Exercise by the Warrant Share Delivery Date (as defined in the Warrant). All other requirements for the exercise of a Warrant (which shall not be inconsistent with the terms and conditions of this Agreement) shall be as set forth in the Warrant and the exercise of a Warrant shall be conducted in accordance with the customary procedures of the Warrant Agent.
3.3.2. The Warrant Agent shall, by 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Trading Day following the Exercise Date of any Warrant, advise the Company, the transfer agent and registrar for the Company’s Common Stock, in respect of (i) the number of Warrant Shares indicated on the Notice of Exercise as issuable upon such exercise with respect to such exercised Warrants, (ii) the instructions of the Holder or Participant, as the case may be, provided to the Warrant Agent with respect to the delivery of the Warrant Shares and the number of Warrants that remain outstanding after such exercise and (iii) such other information as the Company or such transfer agent and registrar shall reasonably request. The Company shall issue the Warrant Shares in compliance with the terms of the Warrant.
3.3.3. Valid Issuance. All Warrant Shares issued by the Company upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Warrant Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3.3.4. No Fractional Exercise. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Warrant Agreement to the contrary, no fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of the Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.
3.3.5. No Transfer Taxes. The Company shall not be required to pay any stamp or other tax or governmental charge required to be paid in connection with any transfer involved in the issue of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of Warrants; and in the event that any such transfer is involved, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any Warrant Shares until such tax or other charge shall have been paid or it has been established to the Company’s and the Warrant Agent’s satisfaction that no such tax or other charge is due.
3.3.6. Date of Issuance. The Company will treat an exercising Holder as a beneficial owner of the Warrant Shares as of the Exercise Date, and for purposes of Regulation SHO, a holder whose interest in this Warrant is a beneficial interest in certificate(s) representing this Warrant held in book-entry form through DTC shall be deemed to have exercised its interest in this Warrant upon instructing its broker that is a DTC participant to exercise its interest in this Warrant, except that, if the Exercise Date is a date when the share transfer books of the Company are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares at the open of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books are open.
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3.3.7. Funds. All funds received by Computershare under this Agreement that are to be distributed or applied by Computershare in the performance of the services hereunder (the “Funds”) shall be held by Computershare as agent for the Company and deposited in one or more bank accounts to be maintained by Computershare in its name as agent for the Company. Until paid pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, Computershare will hold the Funds through such accounts in: deposit accounts of commercial banks with Tier 1 capital exceeding $1 billion or with an average rating above investment grade by S&P (LT Local Issuer Credit Rating), Moody’s (Long Term Rating) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (LT Issuer Default Rating) (each as reported by Bloomberg Finance L.P.). The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility or liability for any diminution of the Funds that may result from any deposit made by Computershare in accordance with this paragraph, including any losses resulting from a default by any bank, financial institution or other third party. Computershare may from time to time receive interest, dividends or other earnings in connection with such deposits. Computershare shall not be obligated to pay such interest, dividends or earnings to the Company, any holder or any other party.
4. Adjustments. Upon every adjustment of the Exercise Price or the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Exercise Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of Warrant Shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Section 3 of the Warrant, then, in any such event, the Company shall give prompt written notice to the Warrant Agent. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event. The Warrant Agent shall be entitled to rely conclusively on, and shall be fully protected in relying on, any certificate, notice or instructions provided by the Company with respect to any adjustment of the Exercise Price or the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, or any related matter, and the Warrant Agent shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in accordance with any such certificate, notice or instructions or pursuant to this Warrant Agreement. The Warrant Agent shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any such adjustment unless and until it shall have received written notice thereof from the Company.
5. Restrictive Legends; Fractional Warrants. In the event that a Warrant Certificate surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not register that transfer until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend upon that transfer. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which will result in the transfer of or delivery of a Warrant Certificate for a fraction of a Warrant.
6. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.
6.1. No Rights as Shareholder. Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, a Holder, solely in its capacity as a holder of Warrants, shall not be entitled to vote or receive dividends or be deemed the holder of share capital of the Company for any purpose, nor shall anything contained in this Warrant Agreement be construed to confer upon a Holder, solely in its capacity as the registered holder of Warrants, any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company or any right to vote, give or withhold consent to any corporate action (whether any reorganization, issue of shares of the Company, reclassification of share capital, consolidation, merger, conveyance or otherwise), receive notice of meetings, receive dividends or subscription rights or rights to participate in new issues of shares, or otherwise, prior to the issuance to the Holder of the Warrant Shares which it is then entitled to receive upon the due exercise of Warrants.
6.2. Reservation of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Warrant Agreement.
7. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.
7.1. Any instructions given to the Warrant Agent orally, as permitted by any provision of this Warrant Agreement, shall be confirmed in writing by the Company as soon as practicable. The Warrant Agent shall not be liable or responsible and shall be fully authorized and protected for acting, or failing to act, in accordance with any oral instructions which do not conform with the written confirmation received in accordance with this Section 7.1.
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7.2. Whether or not any Warrants are exercised, for the Warrant Agent’s services as agent for the Company hereunder, the Company shall pay to the Warrant Agent such fees in accordance with the fee schedule separately agreed between the Company and Warrant Agent and the Warrant Agent’s out of pocket expenses in connection with this Warrant Agreement, including, without limitation, the fees and expenses of the Warrant Agent’s counsel and other disbursements incurred in the preparation, delivery, negotiation, amendment, administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. All amounts owed by the Company to the Warrant Agent under this Warrant Agreement are due within thirty (30) days of the invoice date. Delinquent payments are subject to a late payment charge of one and one-half percent (1.5%) per month commencing forty-five (45) days from the invoice date. The Company agrees to reimburse the Warrant Agent for any attorney’s fees and any other costs associated with collecting delinquent payments. No provision of this Warrant Agreement shall require the Warrant Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties under this Warrant Agreement or in the exercise of its rights.
7.3. As agent for the Company hereunder the Warrant Agent: (i) shall have no duties or obligations other than those specifically set forth in this Agreement; (ii) shall be regarded as making no representations and having no responsibilities as to the validity, sufficiency, value, or genuineness of the Warrants or any Warrant Shares; (iii) shall not be obligated to take any legal action hereunder; if, however, the Warrant Agent determines to take any legal action hereunder, and where the taking of such action might, in its judgment, subject or expose it to any expense or liability it shall not be required to act unless it has been furnished with an indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it; (iv) may rely on and shall be fully authorized and protected in acting or failing to act upon any certificate, instrument, opinion, notice, letter, telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or other document or security delivered to the Warrant Agent and believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed by the proper party or parties; (v) shall not be liable or responsible for any recital or statement contained in the Registration Statement or any other documents relating thereto; (vi) shall not be liable or responsible for any failure on the part of the Company to comply with any of its covenants and obligations relating to the Warrants, including without limitation obligations under applicable securities laws; (vii) may rely on and shall be fully authorized and protected in acting or failing to act upon the written, telephonic or oral instructions with respect to any matter relating to its duties as Warrant Agent covered by this Warrant Agreement or a Warrant Certificate (or supplementing or qualifying any such actions) of officers of the Company, and is hereby authorized and directed to accept instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from the Company or counsel to the Company, and may apply to the Company, for advice or instructions in connection with the Warrant Agent’s duties hereunder, and the Warrant Agent shall not be liable for any delay in acting while waiting for those instructions; any applications by the Warrant Agent for written instructions from the Company may, at the option of the Agent, set forth in writing any action proposed to be taken or omitted by the Warrant Agent under this Warrant Agreement and the date on or after which such action shall be taken or such omission shall be effective; the Warrant Agent shall not be liable for any action taken by, or omission of, the Warrant Agent in accordance with a proposal included in such application on or after the date specified in such application (which date shall not be less than five (5) business days after the date such application is sent to the Company, unless the Company shall have consented in writing to any earlier date) unless prior to taking any such action, the Warrant Agent shall have received written instructions in response to such application specifying the action to be taken or omitted; (viii) may consult with counsel satisfactory to the Warrant Agent, including counsel to the Company, and the advice or opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered, or omitted by it hereunder in the absence of bad faith and in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel; (ix) may perform any of its duties hereunder either directly or by or through nominees, correspondents, designees, attorneys or subagents, and it shall not be liable or responsible for and the Warrant Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, omission, default, neglect or misconduct of any such nominees, correspondents, designees, attorneys or subagents, or loss to the Company, the Holder or any other person resulting from any such act, omission, default, neglect or misconduct, absent gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection and continued employment thereof (which gross negligence or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction);; (x) is not authorized, and shall have no obligation, to pay any brokers, dealers, or soliciting fees to any person; and (xi) shall not be required hereunder to comply with the laws or regulations of any country other than the United States of America or any political subdivision thereof.
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7.4. (a) In the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on its part (which gross negligence or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction), the Warrant Agent shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted by it or for any error of judgment made by it in the performance of its duties under this Warrant Agreement. Anything in this Warrant Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in no event shall Warrant Agent be liable for special, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive losses or damages of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits, liquidated damages or buy-in claims), even if the Warrant Agent has been advised of the possibility of such losses or damages and regardless of the form of action. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Warrant Agent’s aggregate liability to the Company, or any of the Company’s representatives or agents, or any other person or entity with respect to, arising from or arising in connection with this Agreement, or from all services provided or omitted to be provided under this Agreement, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, is expressly limited to, and shall not exceed in any circumstances, the amounts paid by the Company to the Warrant Agent as fees and charges under this Agreement (but not including reimbursable expenses previously reimbursed to the Warrant Agent by the Company hereunder) during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event for which recovery from Warrant Agent is being sought. The Warrant Agent shall not be liable for any failures, delays or losses, arising directly or indirectly out of conditions beyond its reasonable control including, but not limited to, acts of government, exchange or market ruling, suspension of trading, work stoppages or labor disputes, fires, civil disobedience, riots, rebellions, storms, electrical or mechanical failure, computer hardware or software failure, communications facilities failures including telephone failure, war, terrorism, insurrection, earthquakes, floods, epidemics, pandemics, acts of God or similar occurrences. (b) In the event any question or dispute arises with respect to the proper interpretation of the Warrants or the Warrant Agent’s duties under this Warrant Agreement or the rights of the Company or of any Holder, the Warrant Agent shall not be required to act and shall not be held liable or responsible for its refusal to act until the question or dispute has been judicially settled (and, if appropriate, it may, but shall not be required to, file a suit in interpleader or for a declaratory judgment for such purpose) by final judgment rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction, binding on all persons interested in the matter which is no longer subject to review or appeal, or settled by a written document in form and substance satisfactory to Warrant Agent and executed by the Company and each such Holder. In addition, the Warrant Agent may require for such purpose, but shall not be obligated to require, the execution of such written settlement by all the Holders and all other persons that may have an interest in the settlement.
7.5. The Company covenants to indemnify the Warrant Agent and hold it harmless from and against any loss, liability, damage, judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement, cost or expense (“Loss”) arising out of or in connection or arising from or out of, whether directly or indirectly, with the Warrant Agent’s duties under this Warrant Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending itself against any Loss, unless such Loss shall have been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a result of the Warrant Agent’s gross negligence or willful misconduct (each as determined by a final, non-appealable judgement of a court of competent jurisdiction).
7.6. Unless terminated earlier by the parties hereto, this Agreement shall terminate ninety (90) days after the earlier of the Expiration Date and the date on which no Warrants remain outstanding (the “Termination Date”). On the business day following the Termination Date, the Agent shall deliver to the Company any entitlements, if any, held by the Warrant Agent under this Warrant Agreement. The Warrant Agent’s right under this Section 7 shall survive the expiration of the Warrants, termination of this Warrant Agreement and the resignation or removal of the Warrant Agent.
7.7. If any provision of this Warrant Agreement shall be held illegal, invalid, or unenforceable by any court, this Warrant Agreement shall be construed and enforced as if such provision had not been contained herein and shall be deemed an Agreement among the parties to it to the full extent permitted by applicable law; provided, that if such excluded provision shall adversely affect the rights, immunities, liabilities, duties or obligations of the Warrant Agent, the Warrant Agent shall be entitled to resign immediately upon written notice to the Company..
7.8. The Company represents and warrants that: (i) it is duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; (ii) the offer and sale of the Warrants and the execution, delivery and performance of all transactions contemplated thereby (including this Warrant Agreement) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in a breach of or constitute a default under the articles of association, bylaws or any similar document of the Company or any indenture, agreement or instrument to which it is a party or is bound; (iii) this Warrant Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes the legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligation of the Company; (iv) the Warrants will comply in all material respects with all applicable requirements of law; and (v) to the best of its knowledge, there is no litigation pending or threatened as of the date hereof in connection with the offering of the Warrants.
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7.9. This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, understandings, inducements and conditions, express or implied, oral or written, of any nature whatsoever with respect to the subject matter hereof. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, in the event of inconsistency between any provision in this Agreement and any provision in a Warrant Certificate, as it may from time to time be amended, this Agreement shall prevail. The Company shall not amend any provisions of the Warrant Certificate which affects or relates to the rights, duties, immunities or obligations of the Warrant Agent, without the prior written consent of the Warrant Agent.
7.10. Set forth in Exhibit D hereto is a list of the names and specimen signatures of the persons authorized to act for the Company under this Warrant Agreement (the “Authorized Representatives”). The Company shall, from time to time, certify to the Warrant Agent the names and signatures of any other persons authorized to act for the Company under this Warrant Agreement.
7.11. Except as expressly set forth elsewhere in this Warrant Agreement, all notices, instructions and communications under this Agreement shall be in writing, shall be effective upon receipt and shall be addressed, if to the Company, to Volcon, Inc., 3121 Eagles Nest Street, Suite 120, Round Rock, TX 78665, Attn: Chief Financial Officer, or, if to the Warrant Agent, to Computershare Inc., c/o Computershare Trust Company, N.A., 150 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021, Attn: Client Services,, or to such other address of which a party hereto has notified the other party in writing. All notices, instructions and communications under this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or the Rights Agent to a Holder shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such Holder at the address of such Holder as shown on Warrant Register.
7.12. (a) This Warrant Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. All actions and proceedings relating to or arising from, directly or indirectly, this Warrant Agreement may be litigated in courts located within the Borough of Manhattan in the City and State of New York. The Company hereby submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts and consents that any service of process may be made by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, directed to the Company at its address last specified for notices hereunder. (b) This Warrant Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and assigns of the parties hereto. This Warrant Agreement may not be assigned, or otherwise transferred, in whole or in part, by either party without the prior written consent of the other party, which the other party will not unreasonably withhold, condition or delay; except that (i) consent is not required for an assignment or delegation of duties by Warrant Agent to any affiliate of Warrant Agent and (ii) any reorganization, merger, consolidation, sale of assets or other form of business combination by Warrant Agent or the Company shall not be deemed to constitute an assignment of this Warrant Agreement. (c) No provision of this Warrant Agreement may be amended, modified or waived, except in a written document signed by both parties. The Company and the Warrant Agent may amend or supplement this Warrant Agreement without the consent of any Holder for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties determine, in good faith, shall not adversely affect the interest of the Holders. All other amendments and supplements shall require the vote or written consent of Holders of at least 50.1% of the then outstanding Warrants, provided that adjustments may be made to the Warrant terms and rights in accordance with Section 4 without the consent of the Holders. As a condition precedent to the execution by the Warrant Agent of any supplement or amendment, the Company shall deliver a certificate duly executed by an Authorized Representative of the Company that states that the proposed supplement or amendment is in compliance with the terms of this Section 7.12.
7.13. Payment of Taxes. The Company will from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of Warrant Shares upon the exercise of Warrants, but the Company may require the Holders to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares. The Warrant Agent may refrain from registering any transfer of Warrants or any delivery of any Warrant Shares unless or until the persons requesting the registration or issuance shall have paid to the Warrant Agent for the account of the Company the amount of such tax or charge, if any, or shall have established to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company and the Warrant Agent that such tax or charge, if any, has been paid.
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7.14. Resignation of Warrant Agent.
7.14.1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving thirty (30) days’ notice in writing to the Company, or such shorter period of time agreed to by the Company. The Company may terminate the services of the Warrant Agent, or any successor Warrant Agent, after giving thirty (30) days’ notice in writing to the Warrant Agent or successor Warrant Agent. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation, termination or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or its removal of the Warrant Agent, then the Warrant Agent or any Holder may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Pending appointment of a successor to such Warrant Agent, either by the Company or by such a court, the duties of the Warrant Agent shall be carried out by the Company. Any successor Warrant Agent (but not including the initial Warrant Agent), whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a person organized and existing under the laws of any state of the United States of America, in good standing, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed, and except for executing and delivering documents as provided in the sentence that follows, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall have no further duties, obligations, responsibilities or liabilities hereunder, but shall be entitled to all rights that survive the termination of this Warrant Agreement and the resignation or removal of the Warrant Agent, including but not limited to its right to indemnity hereunder. If for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate or at the request of the Company, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights (other than the rights retained by the predecessor Warrant Agent that shall survive its removal, resignation or replacement under the terms hereof) of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.
7.14.2. Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the transfer agent for the Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
7.14.3. Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any person into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated or any person resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party or any person succeeding to the shareowner services business of the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Warrant Agreement, without any further act or deed. For purposes of this Warrant Agreement, “person” shall mean any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association, trust or other entity, and shall include any successor (by merger or otherwise) thereof or thereto.
8. Miscellaneous Provisions.
8.1. Persons Having Rights under this Warrant Agreement. Nothing in this Warrant Agreement expressed and nothing that may be implied from any of the provisions hereof is intended, or shall be construed, to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Warrant Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof.
8.2. Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Warrant Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent designated for such purpose for inspection by any Holder. Prior to such inspection, the Warrant Agent may require any such holder to provide reasonable evidence of its interest in the Warrants.
8.3. Counterparts. This Warrant Agreement may be executed in any number of original, facsimile or electronic counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
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8.4. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Warrant Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
9. Certain Definitions. As used herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Trading Day” means any day on which the Common Stock is traded on the Trading Market, or, if the Trading Market is not the principal trading market for the Common Stock, then on the principal securities exchange or securities market in the United States on which the Common Stock is then traded from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time), provided that “Trading Day” shall not include any day on which the Common Shares are scheduled to trade on such exchange or market for less than 4.5 hours or any day that the Common Shares are suspended from trading during the final hour of trading on such exchange or market (or if such exchange or market does not designate in advance the closing time of trading on such exchange or market, then during the hour ending at 4:02 P.M., Eastern Standard Time).
(b) “Trading Market” means NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the New York Stock Exchange.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Warrant Agent Agreement has been duly executed by the parties hereto as of the day and year first above written.
| VOLCON, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
|
COMPUTERSHARE, INC. COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A
| ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
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EXHIBIT A
Form of Series A Warrants
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EXHIBIT B
Form of Series B Warrants
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EXHIBIT C
Form of Pre-funded Warrant
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EXHIBIT D
WARRANT CERTIFICATE REQUEST NOTICE
To: ___________ as Warrant Agent for __________ (the “Company”)
The undersigned Holder of Common Shares Purchase Warrants (“Warrants”) in the form of Global Warrants issued by the Company hereby elects to receive a Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants held by the Holder as specified below:
| 1. | Name of Holder of Warrants in form of Global Warrants: _____________________________ |
| 2. |
Name of Holder in Warrant Certificate (if different from name of Holder of Warrants in form of Global Warrants): ___________________________________________________ |
| 3. | Number of Warrants in name of Holder in form of Global Warrants: ___________________ |
| 4. | Number of Warrants for which Warrant Certificate shall be issued: __________________ |
| 5. |
Number of Warrants in name of Holder in form of Global Warrants after issuance of Warrant Certificate, if any: ___________ |
| 6. | Warrant Certificate shall be delivered to the following address: |
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
The undersigned hereby acknowledges and agrees that, in connection with this Warrant Exchange and the issuance of the Warrant Certificate, the Holder is deemed to have surrendered the number of Warrants in form of Global Warrants in the name of the Holder equal to the number of Warrants evidenced by the Warrant Certificate.
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
Name of Investing Entity: ____________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: ______________________________
Name of Authorized Signatory: ________________________________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory: _________________________________________________
Date: _______________________________________________________________
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EXHIBIT D
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES
| Name | Title | Signature | ||
| Jordan Davis | Chief Executive Officer | |||
| Greg Endo | Chief Financial Officer | |||
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Exhibit 4.16
THE REGISTERED HOLDER OF THIS PURCHASE WARRANT BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF, AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT SELL, TRANSFER OR ASSIGN THIS PURCHASE WARRANT EXCEPT AS HEREIN PROVIDED AND THE REGISTERED HOLDER OF THIS PURCHASE WARRANT AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT SELL, TRANSFER, ASSIGN, PLEDGE OR HYPOTHECATE THIS PURCHASE WARRANT FOR A PERIOD OF ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS FOLLOWING [●], 2023 (THE ”EFFECTIVE DATE”) TO ANYONE OTHER THAN (I) AEGIS CAPITAL CORP. OR A SELECTED DEALER IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFERING FOR WHICH THIS PURCHASE WARRANT WAS ISSUED TO THE UNDERWRITER AS CONSIDERATION (THE ”OFFERING”), OR (II) A BONA FIDE OFFICER OR PARTNER OF AEGIS CAPITAL CORP.
THIS PURCHASE WARRANT IS NOT EXERCISABLE PRIOR TO [●], 2024. VOID AFTER 5:00 P.M., EASTERN TIME, [●], 2028.
COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT
FOR THE PURCHASE OF [●] SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
OF
VOLCON, INC.
1. Purchase Warrant. THIS CERTIFIES THAT, in consideration of funds duly paid by or on behalf of Aegis Capital Corp. (“Holder”), as registered owner of this Purchase Warrant, to Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the ”Company”), Holder is entitled, at any time or from time to time beginning [●], 2024 (the ”Commencement Date”), and at or before 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on [●], 2028, the date which is no more than five years from the commencement of sales (the ”Expiration Date”), but not thereafter, to subscribe for, purchase and receive, in whole or in part, up to [●] shares of common stock of the Company, par value $0.00001 per share (the ”Shares”), subject to adjustment as provided in Section 6 hereof. If the Expiration Date is not a Business Day, then this Purchase Warrant may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day. During the period ending on the Expiration Date, the Company agrees not to take any action that would terminate this Purchase Warrant. This Purchase Warrant is initially exercisable at $[●] per Share; provided, however, that upon the occurrence of any of the events specified in Section 6 hereof, the rights granted by this Purchase Warrant, including the exercise price per Share and the number of Shares to be received upon such exercise, shall be adjusted as therein specified. The term ”Exercise Price” shall mean the initial exercise price or the adjusted exercise price, depending on the context, and the term “Business Day” shall mean a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day which is a federal legal holiday in the United States or any day on which the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close, provided that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shall not be deemed to be authorized or obligated to be closed due to a “shelter in place,” “non-essential employee” or similar closure of physical location at the direction of any governmental authority if the bank’s electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) are open for use by customers on such day.
2. Exercise.
2.1 Exercise Form. In order to exercise this Purchase Warrant, the exercise form attached hereto must be duly executed and completed and delivered to the Company, together with this Purchase Warrant and, subject to Section 2.2, payment of the Exercise Price for the Shares being purchased payable in cash by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account designated by the Company or by certified check or official bank check. If the subscription rights represented hereby shall not be exercised at or before 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Expiration Date, this Purchase Warrant shall become and be void without further force or effect, and all rights represented hereby shall cease and expire. Each exercise hereof shall be irrevocable.
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2.2 Cashless Exercise. This Warrant may also be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive the number of Purchase Warrants equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:
| (A) = | as applicable: (i) the volume-weighted average price, or “VWAP,” defined below, on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is (1) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a day that is not a Trading Day or (2) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof on a Trading Day prior to the opening of “regular trading hours” (as defined in Rule 600(b)(64) of Regulation NMS promulgated under the federal securities laws) on such Trading Day, (ii) at the option of the Holder, either (y) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise or (z) the Bid Price of the shares of Common Stock on the principal Trading Market as reported by Bloomberg L.P. as of the time of the Holder’s execution of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is executed during “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day and is delivered within two (2) hours thereafter (including until two (2) hours after the close of “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day) pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof or (iii) the VWAP on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if the date of such Notice of Exercise is a Trading Day and such Notice of Exercise is both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof after the close of “regular trading hours” on such Trading Day; | |
| (B) = | the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and | |
| (X) = | the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise. |
If Purchase Warrants are issued in such a “cashless exercise,” the parties acknowledge and agree that in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, the Warrant Shares shall take on the registered characteristics of the Warrants being exercised, and the holding period of the Warrants being exercised may be tacked on to the holding period of the Purchase Warrants. The Company agrees not to take any position contrary to this Section 2.2.
For purposes of this Section 2.2, the fair market value of a Share is defined as follows:
“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the shares of Common Stock then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the shares of Common Stock are then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if OTCQB or OTCQX is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of a share of shares of Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if shares of Common Stock are not then listed or quoted for trading on the OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for shares of Common Stock are then reported on the OTC Pink Open Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of Common Stock so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Holder and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
2.3 Legend. Each certificate for the securities purchased under this Purchase Warrant shall bear a legend as follows unless such securities have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ”Act”):
The securities represented by this certificate have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), or applicable state law. Neither the securities nor any interest therein may be offered for sale, sold or otherwise transferred except pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Act, or pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Act and applicable state law which, in the opinion of counsel to Volcon, Inc., is available.
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2.4 Resale of Shares. Holder and the Company acknowledge that as of the date hereof the Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the SEC has published Compliance & Disclosure Interpretation 528.04 in the Securities Act Rules section thereof, stating that the holder of securities issued in connection with a public offering may not rely upon Rule 144 promulgated under the Act to establish an exemption from registration requirements under Section 4(a)(1) under the Act, but may nonetheless apply Rule 144 constructively for the resale of such shares in the following manner: (a) provided that six months has elapsed since the last sale under the registration statement, an underwriter or finder may resell the securities in accordance with the provisions of Rule 144(c), (e), and (f), except for the notice requirement; (b) a purchaser of the shares from an underwriter receives restricted securities unless the sale is made with an appropriate, current prospectus, or unless the sale is made pursuant to the conditions contained in (a) above; (c) a purchaser of the shares from an underwriter who receives restricted securities may include the underwriter’s holding period, provided that the underwriter or finder is not an affiliate of the issuer; and (d) if an underwriter transfers the shares to its employees, the employees may tack the firm’s holding period for purposes of Rule 144(d), but they must aggregate sales of the distributed shares with those of other employees, as well as those of the underwriter or finder, for a six-month period from the date of the transfer to the employees. Holder and the Company also acknowledge that the Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the SEC has advised in various no-action letters that the holding period associated with securities issued without registration to a service provider commences upon the completion of the services, which the Company agrees and acknowledges shall be the final closing of the Offering, and that Rule 144(d)(3)(ii) provides that securities acquired from the issuer solely in exchange for other securities of the same issuer shall be deemed to have been acquired at the same time as the securities surrendered for conversion (which the Company agrees is the date of the initial issuance of this Purchase Warrant). In the event that following a reasonably-timed written request by Holder to transfer the Shares in accordance with Compliance & Disclosure Interpretation 528.04 counsel for the Company in good faith concludes that Compliance & Disclosure Interpretation 528.04 no longer may be relied upon as a result of changes in applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations of the SEC Division of Corporation Finance, or as a result of judicial interpretations not known by the Company or its counsel on the date hereof (either, a ”Registration Trigger Event”), then the Company shall promptly, and in any event within five (5) Business Days following the request, provide written notice to Holder of such determination.
3. Transfer.
3.1 General Restrictions. The registered Holder of this Purchase Warrant agrees by such Holder’s acceptance hereof, that such Holder will not: (a) sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate this Purchase Warrant for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days following the Effective Date to anyone other than: (i) Holder or an underwriter, placement agent, or a selected dealer participating in the Offering, or (ii) a bona fide officer or partner of Holder or of any such underwriter, placement agent or selected dealer, in each case in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), or (b) for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days following the Effective Date cause this Purchase Warrant or the securities issuable hereunder to be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of this Purchase Warrant or the securities hereunder, except as provided for in FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2). After 180 days after the Effective Date, transfers to others may be made subject to compliance with or exemptions from applicable securities laws. In order to make any permitted assignment, the Holder must deliver to the Company the assignment form attached hereto duly executed and completed, together with the Purchase Warrant and payment of all transfer taxes, if any, payable in connection therewith. The Company shall within five (5) Business Days transfer this Purchase Warrant on the books of the Company and shall execute and deliver a new Purchase Warrant or Purchase Warrants of like tenor to the appropriate assignee(s) expressly evidencing the right to purchase the aggregate number of Shares purchasable hereunder or such portion of such number as shall be contemplated by any such assignment.
3.2 Restrictions Imposed by the Act. The securities evidenced by this Purchase Warrant shall not be transferred unless and until: (i) if required by applicable law, the Company has received the opinion of counsel for the Company that the securities may be transferred pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Act and applicable state securities laws, or (ii) a registration statement or a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement relating to the offer and sale of such securities has been filed by the Company and declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the ”Commission”) and compliance with applicable state securities law has been established.
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4. Piggyback Registration Rights.
4.1 Grant of Right. In the event that there is not an effective registration statement covering the Purchase Warrant or the underlying Shares, whenever the Company proposes to register any of its common stock under the Act (other than (i) a registration effected solely to implement an employee benefit plan or a transaction to which Rule 145 of the Act is applicable, or (ii) a registration statement on Form S-4, S-8 or any successor form thereto or another form not available for registering the Shares issuable upon exercise of this Purchase Warrant for sale to the public, whether for its own account or for the account of one or more stockholders of the Company (a ”Piggyback Registration”), the Company shall give prompt written notice (in any event no later than ten (10) Business Days prior to the filing of such registration statement) to the Holder of the Company’s intention to effect such a registration and, subject to the remaining provisions of this Section 4.1, shall include in such registration such number of Shares underlying this Purchase Warrant (the ”Registrable Securities”) that the Holders have (within ten (10) Business Days of the respective Holder’s receipt of such notice) requested in writing (including such number) to be included within such registration. If a Piggyback Registration is an underwritten offering and the managing underwriter advises the Company that it has determined in good faith that marketing factors require a limit on the number of shares of common stock to be included in such registration, including all Shares issuable upon exercise of this Purchase Warrant (if the Holder has elected to include such shares in such Piggyback Registration) and all other shares of common stock proposed to be included in such underwritten offering, the Company shall include in such registration (i) first, the number of shares of common stock that the Company proposes to issue and sell pursuant to such underwritten offering and (ii) second, the number of shares of common stock, if any, requested to be included therein by selling stockholders (including the Holder) allocated pro rata among all such persons on the basis of the number of shares of common stock then owned by each such person. If any Piggyback Registration is initiated as a primary underwritten offering on behalf of the Company, the Company shall select the investment banking firm or firms to act as the managing underwriter or underwriters in connection with such offering. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the obligations of the Company pursuant to this Section 4.1 shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the fifth anniversary of the Effective Date and (ii) the date that Rule 144 would allow the Holder to sell its Registrable Securities during any ninety (90) day period, and shall not be applicable so long as the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-269644), as amended from time to time, covering the Registrable Securities remains effective at such time. The duration of the piggyback registration right shall not exceed seven years from the commencement of sales of the public offering.
4.2 Indemnification. The Company shall indemnify the Holder(s) of the Registrable Securities to be sold pursuant to any registration statement hereunder and each person, if any, who controls such Holders within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 (a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), against all loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (including all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any claim whatsoever) to which any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, arising from such registration statement but only to the same extent and with the same effect as the provisions pursuant to which the Company has agreed to indemnify Holder contained in the Underwriting Agreement between Holder and the Company, dated as of [●], 2023. The Holder(s) of the Registrable Securities to be sold pursuant to such registration statement, and their successors and assigns, shall severally, and not jointly, indemnify the Company, against all loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (including all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any claim whatsoever) to which they may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, arising from information furnished by or on behalf of such Holders, or their successors or assigns, in writing, for specific inclusion in such registration statement to the same extent and with the same effect as the provisions contained in the Underwriting Agreement pursuant to which Holder has agreed to indemnify the Company.
4.3 Exercise of Purchase Warrants. Nothing contained in this Purchase Warrant shall be construed as requiring the Holder(s) to exercise their Purchase Warrants prior to or after the initial filing of any registration statement or the effectiveness thereof.
4.4 Documents Delivered to Holders. The Company shall deliver promptly to each Holder participating in the offering requesting the correspondence and memoranda described below, copies of all correspondence between the Commission and the Company, its counsel or auditors and all memoranda relating to discussions with the Commission or its staff with respect to the registration statement and permit each Holder and underwriter to do such investigation, upon reasonable advance notice, with respect to information contained in or omitted from the registration statement as it deems reasonably necessary to comply with applicable securities laws or rules of FINRA. Such investigation shall include access to books, records and properties and opportunities to discuss the business of the Company with its officers and independent auditors, all to such reasonable extent and at such reasonable times, during normal business hours, as any such Holder shall reasonably request.
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4.5 Underwriting Agreement. The Holders shall be parties to any underwriting agreement relating to a Piggyback Registration. Such Holders shall not be required to make any representations or warranties to or agreements with the Company or the underwriters except as they may relate to such Holders, their Shares and the amount and nature of their ownership thereof and their intended methods of distribution.
4.6 Documents to be Delivered by Holder(s). Each of the Holder(s) participating in any of the foregoing offerings shall furnish to the Company a completed and executed questionnaire provided by the Company requesting information customarily sought of selling security holders.
4.7 Damages. Should the Company fail to comply with such provisions, the Holder(s) shall, in addition to any other legal or other relief available to the Holder(s), be entitled to obtain specific performance or other equitable (including injunctive) relief against the threatened breach of such provisions or the continuation of any such breach, without the necessity of proving actual damages and without the necessity of posting bond or other security.
5. New Purchase Warrants to be Issued.
5.1 Partial Exercise or Transfer. Subject to the restrictions in Section 3 hereof, this Purchase Warrant may be exercised or assigned in whole or in part. In the event of the exercise or assignment hereof in part only, upon surrender of this Purchase Warrant for cancellation, together with the duly executed exercise or assignment form and funds sufficient to pay any Exercise Price and/or transfer tax if exercised pursuant to Section 2.1 hereto, the Company shall cause to be delivered to the Holder without charge a new Purchase Warrant of like tenor to this Purchase Warrant in the name of the Holder evidencing the right of the Holder to purchase the number of Shares purchasable hereunder as to which this Purchase Warrant has not been exercised or assigned.
5.2 Lost Certificate. Upon receipt by the Company of evidence satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Purchase Warrant and of reasonably satisfactory indemnification or the posting of a bond, determined in the sole discretion of the Company, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Purchase Warrant of like tenor and date. Any such new Purchase Warrant executed and delivered as a result of such loss, theft, mutilation or destruction shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation on the part of the Company.
6. Adjustments.
6.1 Adjustments to Exercise Price and Number of Securities. The Exercise Price and the number of Shares underlying the Purchase Warrant shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as hereinafter set forth:
6.1.1 Share Dividends; Split Ups. If, after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 6.3 below, the number of outstanding Shares is increased by a stock dividend payable in Shares or by a split up of Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective day thereof, the number of Shares purchasable hereunder shall be increased in proportion to such increase in outstanding Shares, and the Exercise Price shall be proportionately decreased.
6.1.2 Aggregation of Shares. If, after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 6.3 below, the number of outstanding Shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination or reclassification of Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date thereof, the number of Shares purchasable hereunder shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Shares, and the Exercise Price shall be proportionately increased.
6.1.3 Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, Etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Shares other than a change covered by Section 6.1.1 or 6.1.2 hereof or that solely affects the par value of such Shares, or in the case of any share reconstruction or amalgamation or consolidation or merger of the Company with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or share reconstruction or amalgamation or merger in which the Company is the continuing company and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the Holder of this Purchase Warrant shall have the right thereafter (until the expiration of the right of exercise of this Purchase Warrant) to receive upon the exercise hereof, for the same aggregate Exercise Price payable hereunder immediately prior to such event, the kind and amount of shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, share reconstruction or amalgamation, or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, by a Holder of the number of Shares of the Company obtainable upon exercise of this Purchase Warrant immediately prior to such event; and if any reclassification also results in a change in Shares covered by Section 6.1.1 or 6.1.2, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to Sections 6.1.1, 6.1.2 and this Section 6.1.3. The provisions of this Section 6.1.3 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, share reconstructions or amalgamations, or consolidations, sales or other transfers.
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6.1.4 Changes in Form of Purchase Warrant. This form of Purchase Warrant need not be changed because of any change pursuant to this Section 6.1, and Purchase Warrants issued after such change may state the same Exercise Price and the same number of Shares as are stated in the Purchase Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement. The acceptance by any Holder of the issuance of new Purchase Warrants reflecting a required or permissive change shall not be deemed to waive any rights to an adjustment occurring after the Commencement Date or the computation thereof.
6.2 Substitute Purchase Warrant. In case of any consolidation of the Company with, or share reconstruction or amalgamation or merger of the Company with or into, another corporation (other than a consolidation or share reconstruction or amalgamation or merger which does not result in any reclassification or change of the outstanding Shares), the corporation formed by such consolidation or share reconstruction or amalgamation shall execute and deliver to the Holder a supplemental Purchase Warrant providing that the holder of each Purchase Warrant then outstanding or to be outstanding shall have the right thereafter (until the stated expiration of such Purchase Warrant) to receive, upon exercise of such Purchase Warrant, the kind and amount of shares and other securities and property receivable upon such consolidation or share reconstruction or amalgamation, by a holder of the number of Shares of the Company for which such Purchase Warrant might have been exercised immediately prior to such consolidation, share reconstruction or amalgamation or merger, sale or transfer. Such supplemental Purchase Warrant shall provide for adjustments which shall be identical to the adjustments provided for in this Section 6. The above provision of this Section shall similarly apply to successive consolidations or share reconstructions or amalgamations or mergers.
6.3 Elimination of Fractional Interests. The Company shall not be required to issue certificates representing fractions of Shares upon the exercise of the Purchase Warrant, nor shall it be required to issue scrip or pay cash in lieu of any fractional interests, it being the intent of the parties that all fractional interests shall be eliminated by rounding any fraction up or down, as the case may be, to the nearest whole number of Shares or other securities, properties or rights.
7. Reservation. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available out of its authorized Shares, solely for the purpose of issuance upon exercise of the Purchase Warrants, such number of Shares or other securities, properties or rights as shall be issuable upon the exercise thereof. The Company covenants and agrees that, upon exercise of the Purchase Warrants and payment of the Exercise Price therefor, in accordance with the terms hereby, all Shares and other securities issuable upon such exercise shall be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and not subject to preemptive rights of any shareholder.
8. Certain Notice Requirements.
8.1 Holder’s Right to Receive Notice. Nothing herein shall be construed as conferring upon the Holder the right to vote or consent or to receive notice as a shareholder for the election of directors or any other matter, or as having any rights whatsoever as a shareholder of the Company. If, however, at any time prior to the expiration of the Purchase Warrants and their exercise, any of the events described in Section 8.2 shall occur, then, in one or more of said events, the Company shall deliver to each Holder a copy of each notice relating to such events given to the other shareholders of the Company at the same time and in the same manner that such notice is given to the shareholders.
8.2 Events Requiring Notice. The Company shall be required to give the notice described in this Section 8 upon one or more of the following events: (i) if the Company shall take a record of the holders of its Shares for the purpose of entitling them to receive a dividend or distribution payable otherwise than in cash, or a cash dividend or distribution payable otherwise than out of retained earnings, as indicated by the accounting treatment of such dividend or distribution on the books of the Company, or (ii) the Company shall offer to all the holders of its Shares any additional shares of capital stock of the Company or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company, or any option, right or warrant to subscribe therefor.
8.3 Notice of Change in Exercise Price. The Company shall, within 3 Business Days after an event requiring a change in the Exercise Price pursuant to Section 6 hereof, send notice to the Holders of such event and change (“Price Notice”). The Price Notice shall describe the event causing the change and the method of calculating same.
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8.4 Transmittal of Notices. All notices, requests, consents and other communications under this Purchase Warrant shall be in writing and delivered personally, by e-mail, or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service to following addresses or to such other address as the Holder or the Company may designate by notice to the other party and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (i) the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via e-mail (with confirmation of receipt from the intended recipient by return e-mail or other written acknowledgment) at the e-mail address set forth in this Section prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any date, (ii) the next Business Day after the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via e-mail (with confirmation of receipt from the intended recipient by return email or other written acknowledgment) at the e-mail address set forth in this Section on a day that is not a Business Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Business Day, (iii) the second Business Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (iv) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given:
If to the Holder:
Aegis Capital Corp.,
810 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor,
New York, NY 10019,
Attention: Global Equity Markets
E-mail: adesousa@aegiscap.com
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Anthony W. Basch, Esq.
J. Britton Williston, Esq.
Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.
1021 E. Cary Street, Suite 1400
Two James Center
Richmond, VA 23219
E-mail:awbasch@kaufcan.com
jbwilliston@kaufcan.com
If to the Company:
Volcon, Inc.
3121 Eagles Nest, Suite 120
Round Rock, TX 78665
Attention: Greg Endo, Chief Financial Officer
E-mail: greg@volcon.com
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Cavas Pavri, Esq.
ArentFox Schiff LLP
1717 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 724-6847
E-mail: cavas.pavri@afslaw.com
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9. Miscellaneous.
9.1 Amendments. The Company and Holder may from time to time supplement or amend this Purchase Warrant without the approval of any of the Holders in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision contained herein that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, or to make any other provisions in regard to matters or questions arising hereunder that the Company and Holder may deem necessary or desirable and that the Company and Holder deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the Holders. All other modifications or amendments shall require the written consent of and be signed by (i) the Company and (ii) the Holder(s) of Purchase Warrants then-exercisable for at least a majority of the Shares then-exercisable pursuant to all then-outstanding Purchase Warrants.
9.2 Headings. The headings contained herein are for the sole purpose of convenience of reference, and shall not in any way limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of any of the terms or provisions of this Purchase Warrant.
9.3. Entire Agreement. This Purchase Warrant (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Purchase Warrant) constitutes the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
9.4 Binding Effect. This Purchase Warrant shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon, the Holder and the Company and their permitted assignees, respective successors, legal representative and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Purchase Warrant or any provisions herein contained.
9.5 Governing Law; Submission to Jurisdiction; Trial by Jury. This Purchase Warrant shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflict of laws principles thereof. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of, or relating in any way to this Purchase Warrant shall be brought and enforced in the courts located in the City of New York, County of New York, and State of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Any process or summons to be served upon the Company may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to it at the address set forth in Section 8 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company in any action, proceeding or claim. The Company and the Holder agree that the prevailing party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to recover from the other party(ies) all of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to such action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor. The Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its stockholders and affiliates) and the Holder hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
9.6 Non-Waiver. The failure of the Company or the Holder to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Purchase Warrant shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way affect the validity of this Purchase Warrant or any provision hereof or the right of the Company or any Holder to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Purchase Warrant. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Purchase Warrant shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.
9.7 Exchange Agreement. As a condition of the Holder’s receipt and acceptance of this Purchase Warrant, Holder agrees that, at any time prior to the complete exercise of this Purchase Warrant by Holder, if the Company and Holder enter into an agreement (“Exchange Agreement”) pursuant to which they agree that all outstanding Purchase Warrants will be exchanged for securities or cash or a combination of both, then Holder shall agree to such exchange and become a party to the Exchange Agreement.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Purchase Warrant to be signed by its duly authorized officer as of the date first written above.
| VOLCON, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Jordan Davis | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
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[Form to be used to exercise Purchase Warrant]
Date: __________, 20___
The undersigned hereby elects irrevocably to exercise the Purchase Warrant for ______ shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share (the ”Shares”), of Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the ”Company”), and hereby makes payment of $____ (at the rate of $____ per Share) in payment of the Exercise Price pursuant thereto. Please issue the Shares as to which this Purchase Warrant is exercised in accordance with the instructions given below and, if applicable, a new Purchase Warrant representing the number of Shares for which this Purchase Warrant has not been exercised.
or
The undersigned hereby elects irrevocably to convert its right to purchase ___ Shares of the Company under the Purchase Warrant for ______ Shares, as determined in accordance with the following formula:
| X | = | Y(A-B) | ||
| A |
| Where, | |||
| X | = | The number of Shares to be issued to Holder; | |
| Y | = | The number of Shares for which the Purchase Warrant is being exercised; | |
| A | = | The fair market value of one Share which is equal to $_____; and | |
| B | = | The Exercise Price which is equal to $______ per share |
The undersigned agrees and acknowledges that the calculation set forth above is subject to confirmation by the Company and any disagreement with respect to the calculation shall be resolved by the Company in its sole discretion.
Please issue the Shares as to which this Purchase Warrant is exercised in accordance with the instructions given below and, if applicable, a new Purchase Warrant representing the number of Shares for which this Purchase Warrant has not been converted.
| Signature |
| Signature Guaranteed |
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES
| Name: | ||
| (Print in Block Letters) | ||
| Address: | ||
NOTICE: The signature to this form must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the Purchase Warrant without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank, other than a savings bank, or by a trust company or by a firm having membership on a registered national securities exchange.
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[Form to be used to assign Purchase Warrant]
ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered Holder to effect a transfer of the within Purchase Warrant):
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, __________________ does hereby sell, assign and transfer unto the right to purchase shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, of Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the ”Company”), evidenced by the Purchase Warrant and does hereby authorize the Company to transfer such right on the books of the Company.
Dated: __________, 20__
| Signature |
| Signature Guaranteed |
NOTICE: The signature to this form must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the within Purchase Warrant without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank, other than a savings bank, or by a trust company or by a firm having membership on a registered national securities exchange.
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Exhibit 5.1
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ArentFox Schiff LLP
1717 K Street NW
202.857.6000 main 202.857.6395 fax
afslaw.com |
November 7, 2023
Volcon, Inc.
3121 Eagles Nest, Suite 120
Round Rock, TX 78665
Re: Registration Statement on Form S-1
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Volcon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (as amended, the “Registration Statement”), initially filed by the Company on September 29, 2023 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the related prospectus contained therein (the “Prospectus”). The Registration Statement relates to the offering by the Company of up to an aggregate of: (i) 19,565,217 units (the “Units”) of securities of the Company, with each Unit consisting of (a) one share (the “Shares”) of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, of the Company (“Common Stock”) (or, to each purchaser whose purchase of shares of Common Stock in such offering would otherwise result in the purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock immediately following the consummation of such offering, one pre-funded warrant (the “Pre-Funded Warrant”) and the shares of Common Stock issuable from time to time upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrant (the “Pre-Funded Warrant Shares”), in lieu of a share of Common Stock, (b) 0.35 of a warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Series A Warrants”) and the shares of Common Stock issuable from time to time upon exercise of the Series A Warrants (the “Series A Warrant Shares”) and (c) 0.35 of a warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Series B Warrants”) and the shares of Common Stock issuable from time to time upon exercise of the Series A Warrants (the “Series A Warrant Shares”); (ii) (a) up to an additional 2,934,783 Units for which the underwriters have been granted an over-allotment option (the “Over-Allotment Option”), and (b) additional 13,695,652 Series A Warrant Shares (or 15,750,000 Series A Warrant Shares if the underwriter exercises its Over-Allotment Option in full) that are issuable upon the exercise of the Series A Warrants pursuant to the “alternate cashless exercise” provisions set forth in the Series A Warrants; and (iii) underwriter warrants (the “Underwriter Warrants”) to purchase 978,261 shares of Common Stock (or 1,125,001 shares of Common Stock if the underwriter exercises its Over-Allotment Option in full) (the “Underwriter Warrant Shares”). The Common Stock, Pre-Funded Warrants, Pre-Funded Warrant Shares, Series A Warrants, Series A Warrant Shares, Series B Warrants, Series B Warrant Shares, Underwriter Warrants and Underwriter Warrant Shares are referred to herein collectively as the “Securities.”
The terms “Shares,” “Pre-Funded Warrants,” “Pre-Funded Warrant Shares,” “Series A Warrants,” “Series A Warrant Shares,” “Series B Warrants,” “Series B Warrant Shares,” “Underwriter Warrants,” “Underwriter Warrant Shares,” and “Securities” shall include any additional securities registered by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act in connection with the offering contemplated by the Registration Statement. This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or related prospectus, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issue of the Shares, Pre-Funded Warrants, Pre-Funded Warrant Shares, Series A Warrants, Series A Warrant Shares, Series B Warrants, Series B Warrant Shares, Underwriter Warrants and Underwriter Warrant Shares. The Securities are being sold pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement to be entered into between the Company and Aegis Capital Corp. in the form most recently filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Underwriting Agreement”).
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November 7, 2023 Page 2 |
In connection with our opinion, we have examined the Registration Statement, including the exhibits thereto, the form of Pre-Funded Warrant, the form of Series A Warrant, the form of Series B Warrant, the form of Underwriter Warrant and such other documents, corporate records and instruments, and have examined such laws and regulations, as we have deemed necessary for the purposes of this opinion. In making our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity with the originals of all documents submitted to us as copies and the legal capacity of all natural persons. As to matters of fact material to our opinions in this letter, we have relied on certificates and statements from officers and other employees of the Company, public officials and other appropriate persons.
Based on the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set forth below, we are of the opinion that:
1. The Shares, when issued by the Company against payment therefor in the circumstances contemplated by the Prospectus, will have been duly authorized for issuance by all necessary corporate action by the Company, and will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable;
2. The Pre-Funded Warrants, the Series A Warrants, the Series B Warrants, and the Underwriter Warrants when issued by the Company against payment therefor in the circumstances contemplated by the Prospectus, will have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company and will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms;
3. The Pre-Funded Warrant Shares initially issuable upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants, the Series A Warrant Shares initially issuable upon exercise of the Series A Warrants, the Series B Warrant Shares initially issuable upon exercise of the Series B Warrants, and the Underwriter Warrant Shares initially issuable upon exercise of the Underwriter Warrants when issued by the Company against payment therefor (not less than par value) in the circumstances contemplated by the Pre-Funded Warrants, Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants, or Underwriter Warrants, respectively, will have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
The opinions set forth above are subject to the following qualifications:
A. The opinion expressed herein with respect to the legality, validity, binding nature and enforceability of the Pre-Funded Warrants, Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants, and Underwriter Warrants is subject to (i) applicable laws relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, whether now or hereafter in effect and (ii) general principles of equity, including, without limitation, concepts of materiality, laches, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing and the principles regarding when injunctive or other equitable remedies will be available (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity).
B. The foregoing opinions are limited to the laws of the State of New York, the General Corporation Law of Delaware (which includes those statutory provisions and all applicable provisions of the Delaware Constitution and the reported judicial decisions interpreting such laws) and the federal laws of the United States of America, and we express no opinion as to the laws of any other jurisdiction.
The opinions expressed in this opinion letter are as of the date of this opinion letter only and as to laws covered hereby only as they are in effect on that date, and we assume no obligation to update or supplement such opinion to reflect any facts or circumstances that may come to our attention after that date or any changes in law that may occur or become effective after that date. The opinions herein are limited to the matters expressly set forth in this opinion letter, and no opinion or representation is given or may be inferred beyond the opinions expressly set forth in this opinion letter.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of this firm’s name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
Sincerely,
/s/ ArentFox Schiff, LLP
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-1 of our report dated March 6, 2023 with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements of Volcon, Inc. and its subsidiary for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. Our report contains an explanatory paragraph regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
We also consent to the references to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
/s/ MaloneBailey, LLP
www.malonebailey.com
Houston, Texas
November 7, 2023