JIADE Ltd 6-K, filed May 17, 2024
JIADE Ltd (JDZG)
About this 6-K
JIADE Ltd filed this 6-K on May 17, 2024.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of May 2024
Commission File Number: 001-42098
JIADE LIMITED
Unit 2-02, Puningdun Business Plaza, No. 1702 and 1706 Minjiang Road
Jinjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province
The People’s Republic of China, 610000
(Address of principal executive office)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
Form 20-F x Form 40-F ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ¨
On May 14, 2024, JIADE LIMITED (the “Company”) entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with WestPark Capital, Inc., as representative of the several underwriters listed on Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement (the “Representative”), relating to the Company’s initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 2,000,000 ordinary shares, par value $0.01 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), for a price of $4.00 per share, less certain underwriting discounts. The Company also granted the underwriters a 60-day option to purchase up to 300,000 additional Ordinary Shares on the same terms and conditions for the purpose of covering any over-allotments in connection with the IPO.
On May 17, 2024, the Company closed the IPO. The Company completed the IPO pursuant to its registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-276283), which was initially filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 27, 2023, as amended, and declared effective by the SEC on May 14, 2024. The offering was conducted on a firm commitment basis. The Ordinary Shares were previously approved for listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market and commenced trading under the ticker symbol “JDZG” on May 15, 2024.
In connection with the IPO, the Company issued a press release on May 15, 2024 announcing the pricing of the IPO and a press release on May 17, 2024 announcing the closing of the IPO, respectively.
Copies of the Underwriting Agreement, the two press releases, the Audit Committee Charter, the Compensation Committee Charter, and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter are attached hereto as Exhibits 10.1, 99.1, 99.2, 99.3, 99.4, and 99.5, respectively, and are incorporated by reference herein. The foregoing summaries of the terms of the Underwriting Agreement do not purport to be a complete description of the document described in this Form 6-K, and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by, such document.
This report does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: May 17, 2024
| JIADE LIMITED | ||
| By: | /s/ Yuan Li | |
| Name: | Yuan Li | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit 10.1
2,000,000 Ordinary Shares
JIADE LIMITED
ORDINARY SHARES, PAR VALUE US$ 0.01 PER SHARE
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
May 14, 2024
WestPark Capital, Inc.
1800 Century Park East, Suite 220,
Los Angeles, CA 90077
United States
As Representative of the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
JIADE LIMITED, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule I attached hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom WestPark Capital, Inc. is acting as representative (in such capacity, the “Representative”), an aggregate of 2,000,000 ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Firm Shares”).
The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the Representative not more than an additional 300,000 ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Additional Shares”), if and to the extent that the Representative shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such Additional Shares granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Shares.” The ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, of the Company, issued and outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Ordinary Shares”.
The Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement, including a prospectus, relating to the Shares. The registration statement relating to the Shares, as amended, and at the time when it becomes effective, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness, pursuant to Rule 430A under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement;” the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of Shares (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus.” If the Company has filed abbreviated registration statements to register additional Ordinary Shares pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statements”), then any reference herein to the terms “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include the corresponding Rule 462 Registration Statement. The Company has filed, in accordance with Section 12 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), a registration statement on Form 8-A to register the Shares (the “Form 8-A Registration Statement”).
For purposes of this Agreement, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time at which the Commission declared the Registration Statement effective (the “Effective Date”) together with the documents and pricing information set forth in Schedule II attached hereto, and a “bona fide electronic road show” is as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement,” “preliminary prospectus,” “Time of Sale Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof.
1. Representations and Warranties.
The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act and is not proposed to be amended; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued, no order preventing or suspending the use of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been initiated or are pending before or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission. The Form 8-A Registration Statement has become effective as provided in Section 12 of the Exchange Act. The Shares all have been or will be duly registered under the Act pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(b) Compliance with Securities Law. (i) Each of the Registration Statement and the Form 8-A Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) the Registration Statement at the time it became effective, on the Closing Date and any Option Closing Date (as collectively defined in Section 4 hereof) comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, each Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed with the Commission, and, in each case, on the Closing Date and any Option Closing Date complied and will comply the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and each Time of Sale Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering and the Prospectus was or will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission on its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system or any successor system (“EDGAR”), except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T, (iii) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (iv) each bona fide electronic road show, if any, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (v) the Prospectus, at its date, at the time it is filed with the Commission pursuant to 424(b) under the Securities Act, and at the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the Underwriter Information described as such in Section 9(a) hereof.
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(c) Ineligible Issuer Status and Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. (i) At the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement and (ii) at the date of this Agreement, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II hereto, and electronic road shows, if any, furnished to the Representative before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the prior consent of the Representative, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus. The Company has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show. As of the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, no free writing prospectuses, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the Underwriter Information described as such in Section 9(a) hereof.
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(d) Testing-the-Waters Communication. (i) “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act. (ii) The Company (A) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representative with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act, and (B) has not authorized anyone other than the Representative to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representative has been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. (iii) the Company has not distributed any other Written Testing-the-Waters Communications. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act. As of the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, no individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communications, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(e) Emerging Growth Company. From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement 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,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
(f) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as an exempted company with limited liability in good standing with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands, has the power and authority (corporate and other) to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification. The currently effective memorandum and articles of association or other constitutive or organizational documents of the Company comply with the requirements of applicable Cayman Islands laws and are in full force and effect. The amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company adopted on December 23, 2023, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Registration Statement, comply with the requirements of applicable Cayman Islands laws and, immediately following closing on the Closing Date of the Ordinary Shares offered and sold hereunder, will be in full force and effect. Complete and correct copies of all constitutive documents of the Company and all amendments thereto have been delivered to the Representative and no change will be made to any such constitutive documents on or after the date of this Agreement through and including the Closing Date.
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(g) Controlled Entities. The subsidiaries listed in Schedule III hereto (each a “Controlled Entity” and collectively, the “Controlled Entities”) is the entire list of the subsidiaries and consolidated entities of the Company. Each of the Controlled Entities has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation with limited liability, as the case may be, and in good standing under the respective laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has power and authority (corporate and other) to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to transact business, and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification. All of the equity interests of each Controlled Entity have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, are fully paid in accordance with its articles of association, and are non-assessable and free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims. None of the issued outstanding share capital or equity interest in any Controlled Entity was issued in violation of preemptive or similar rights of any security holder of such Controlled Entity. All of the constitutive or organizational documents of each of the Controlled Entities comply with the requirements of applicable laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization and are in full force and effect. Other than the Controlled Entities, the Company does not directly or indirectly control any entity through contractual arrangements or otherwise such that the entity would be deemed a consolidated affiliated entity whose financial results would be consolidated under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles with the financial results of the Company on the consolidated financial statements of the Company, regardless of whether the Company directly or indirectly owns less than a majority of the equity interests of such person.
(h) Authorization of this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the other parties hereto, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforceability, to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles. The description of this Agreement contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus is true and accurate in all material respects.
(i) [Reserved.]
(j) Due Authorization of Registration Statements. The Registration Statement, the preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus and the filing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus with the Commission have each been duly authorized by and on behalf of the Company, and the Registration Statement has been duly executed pursuant to such authorization by and on behalf of the Company.
(k) Share Capital. The authorized share capital of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
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(l) Ordinary Shares. (i) The Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding prior to the issuance of the Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. As of the date hereof, the Company has authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the sections of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the headings “Capitalization” and “Description of Share Capital” and, as of the Closing Date, the Company shall have authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the sections of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the headings “Capitalization” and “Description of Share Capital.” (ii) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are (A) no outstanding securities issued by the Company convertible into or exchangeable for, rights, warrants or options to acquire from the Company, or obligations of the Company to issue, Ordinary Shares or any of the share capital of the Company, and (B) no outstanding rights, warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any share capital of, or any direct interest in, any of the Company’s Controlled Entities.
(m) [Reserved]
(n) Shares. (i) The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company have been duly authorized and, when issued and allotted in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or similar rights. The Shares, when issued and allotted against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be free of any restriction upon the voting or transfer thereof pursuant to the Company’s memorandum and articles of association or any agreement or other instrument to which the Company is a party. (ii) The Shares, when issued, are freely transferable by the Company to or for the account of the several Underwriters and the initial purchasers thereof, and, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no restrictions on subsequent transfers of the Shares under the laws of the Cayman Islands or the United States.
(o) Accurate Disclosure. The statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the headings “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Dividend Policy,” “Corporate History and Structure,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business,” “Regulations,” “Management,” “Principal Shareholders,” “Related Party Transactions,” “Description of Share Capital,” “Shares Eligible For Future Sale,” “Material Income Tax Consideration” and “Underwriting,” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate, complete and fair summaries of such matters described therein in all material respects; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply the Underwriter Information (as defined in Section 9(b) hereof).
(p) Listing. The Ordinary Shares have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“ NASDAQ”), subject to official notice of issuance.
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(q) Compliance with Law, Constitutive Documents and Contracts. Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of the Controlled Entities is (i) in breach or violation of any provision of applicable laws and regulations (including any applicable laws and regulations concerning intellectual property rights, cybersecurity, adult education supporting services, software platforms and auxiliary solutions) or (ii) is in breach or violation of its respective constitutive documents, or (iii) in default under (nor has any event occurred which, with notice, lapse of time or both, would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness under) any agreement or other instrument that is (x) binding upon the Company or any of the Controlled Entities and (y) material to the Company and the Controlled Entities taken as a whole, or any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any of the Controlled Entities.
(r) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts Resulting from Transaction. The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement will not contravene (i) any provision of applicable law or the memorandum and articles of association or other constitutive documents of the Company, (ii) any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of the Controlled Entities that is material to the Company and the Controlled Entities, taken as a whole, or (iii) any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any of the Controlled Entities; and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states of the United States of America in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.
(s) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the end of the period covered by the latest financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, and except as otherwise specifically disclosed therein, (i) to the knowledge of the Company, there has been no material adverse change, nor any development or event involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, or properties of the Company and its Controlled Entities, taken as a whole; (ii) there has been no purchase of its own issued outstanding share capital by the Company, no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its share capital; (iii) there has been no material adverse change in the share capital, short-term indebtedness, long-term indebtedness, net current assets or net assets of the Company and its Controlled Entities; (iv) neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities has (A) entered into or assumed any material transaction or agreement, (B) incurred, assumed or acquired any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, (C) acquired or disposed of or agreed to acquire or dispose of any business or any other asset, or (D) agreed to take any of the foregoing actions; and (v) neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities has sustained any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood, typhoon, or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree.
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(t) No Pending Proceedings. There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened (including any inquiries or investigations by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign), to which the Company, any of its Controlled Entities or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its executive officers, directors and key employees is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its Controlled Entities is the subject (i) other than proceedings that would not have a Material Adverse Effect, or materially and adversely affect the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Time of Sale Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required. A “Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, results of operations, or business of the Company and its Controlled Entities, taken as a whole, or on the ability of the Company and its Controlled Entities to carry out their obligations under this Agreement.
(u) Preliminary Prospectuses. Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the registration statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(v) Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
(w) Environmental Laws. (i) The Company and its Controlled Entities, (A) are in compliance with any and all applicable national, local and foreign laws and regulations (including, for the avoidance of doubt, all applicable laws and regulations of the PRC) relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (B) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (C) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not have a Material Adverse Effect. (ii) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties), except for those that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(x) Registration Rights; Lock-up Letters. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act (collectively, “registration rights”), and any person to whom the Company has granted registration rights has agreed not to exercise such rights until after the expiration of the Restricted Period referred to in Section 6(v) hereof. Each officer, director, existing shareholder holding 1% or more of the Company’s Ordinary Shares has furnished to the Representative on or prior to the date hereof a letter or letters substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (the “Lock-Up Letter”)
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(y) Compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities or their respective affiliates, nor any director, officer or employee thereof nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent or representative of the Company or of any of its Controlled Entities or their respective affiliates, has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any “government official” (including any officer, director or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) to induce such government official to do or omit to do any act in violation of his or her lawful duties, influence official action or secure, obtain or retain business or any other improper advantage; (iii) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit; or (iv) will use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws, in each case as amended from time to time, (collectively, the “Anti-Corruption Laws”); and the Company and its Controlled Entities and affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and have instituted, maintained and enforced, and will continue to maintain and enforce, policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; no investigation, 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 Controlled Entities with respect to the Anti-Corruption Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company after due and careful inquiry, threatened.
(z) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Controlled Entities 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 Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company and its Controlled Entities 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 Controlled Entities with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
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(aa) Compliance with Economic Sanctions. (i) Neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities, nor any director, officer or employee thereof, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its Controlled Entities, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. government, including, but not limited to, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union (“EU”), Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor
(B) located, organized or resident in, or a national, governmental entity or agent of, a country or territory that is, the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, the Crimea region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
(ii) The Company represents and covenants that the Company and its Controlled Entities will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is, or whose government is, the subject of Sanctions; or
(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(iii) The Company represents and covenants that, for the past five years, the Company and its Controlled Entities have not engaged in, are not now engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(bb) Title to Property. Each of the Company and its Controlled Entities has good and marketable title (valid land use rights and building ownership certificates in the case of real property located in the PRC) to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company or its Controlled Entities, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its Controlled Entities; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its Controlled Entities are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its Controlled Entities, in each case except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
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(cc) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its Controlled Entities own, possess, or have been authorized to use, or can acquire on reasonable terms sufficient trademarks, trade names, patent rights, copyrights, domain names, licenses, approvals, trade secrets, inventions, technology, know-how and other intellectual property and similar rights, including registrations and applications for registration thereof (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) necessary or material to the conduct of business now conducted or proposed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus to be conducted by them, and the expected expiration of any such Intellectual Property Rights would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) there are no rights of third parties to any of the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company or its Controlled Entities; (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no infringement, misappropriation breach, default or other violation, or the occurrence of any event that with notice or the passage of time would constitute any of the foregoing, by the Company or its Controlled Entities or third parties of any of the Intellectual Property Rights of the Company or its Controlled Entities; (iii) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s or the Controlled Entities’ rights in or to, or the violation of any of the terms of, any of their Intellectual Property Rights, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (iv) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of any such Intellectual Property Rights, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (v) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company, any Controlled Entity or any affiliated entity infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates or conflicts with any Intellectual Property Rights or other proprietary rights of others and the Company is unaware of any other fact which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; and (vi) none of the Intellectual Property Rights used by the Company or its Controlled Entities in their businesses has been obtained or is being used by the Company or its Controlled Entities in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or its Controlled Entities in violation of the rights of any persons.
(dd) Merger or Consolidation. Neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities is a party to any effective memorandum of understanding, letter of intent, definitive agreement or any similar agreements with respect to a merger or consolidation or an acquisition or disposition of assets, technologies, business units or businesses which is required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and which is not so described.
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(ee) Termination of Contracts. Neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities has sent or received any communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or agreements referred to or described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or any of its Controlled Entities, or any other party to any such contract or agreement.
(ff) Absence of Labor Dispute; Compliance with Labor Law. No material labor dispute with the employees or third-party contractors of the Company or any of its Controlled Entities exists, or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any material existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of the principal suppliers, service providers or business partners of the Company and its Controlled Entities. The Company and its Controlled Entities are and have been at all times in compliance with all applicable labor laws and regulations in all material respects, and no governmental investigation or proceedings with respect to labor law compliance exists, or is imminent.
(gg) Insurance. Each of the Company and its Controlled Entities are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities 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 at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business; and there is no material insurance claim made by or against the Company or any of its Controlled Entities, pending, outstanding or threatened, and no facts or circumstances exist which would reasonably be expected to give rise to any such claim and all due premiums in respect thereof have been paid.
(hh) Possession of Licenses and Permits. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) each of the Company and its Controlled Entities possesses all licenses, certificates, authorizations, declarations and permits issued by, and has made all reasonably necessary reports to and filings with, the appropriate national, local or foreign regulatory authorities having jurisdiction over the Company and each of its Controlled Entities and their respective assets and properties, for the Company and each of its Controlled Entities to conduct their respective businesses; (ii) each of the Company and its Controlled Entities is in material compliance with the terms and conditions of all such licenses, certificates, authorizations, declarations and permits; (iii) such licenses, certificates, authorizations, declarations and permits are valid and in full force and effect and contain no materially burdensome restrictions or conditions not described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus; (iv) neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such license, certificate, authorization, declaration or permit; (v) neither the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities has any reason to believe that any such license, certificate, authorization, declaration or permit will not be renewed in the ordinary course.
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(ii) Related Party Transactions. No material relationships or material transactions, direct or indirect, exist between any of the Company or its Controlled Entities on the one hand and their respective shareholders, sponsors, affiliates, officers and directors or any affiliates or family members of such persons on the other hand, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(jj) PFIC Status. Based on the Company’s current income and assets and projections as to the value of its assets and the market value of its Shares immediately following the public offering of its Shares contemplated under this Agreement, including the current and anticipated valuation of its assets, the Company believes that it was not a Passive Foreign Investment Company (“PFIC”) within the meaning of Section 1297 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for its most recent taxable year and does not expect to be PFIC for its current taxable year or in the foreseeable future.
(kk) No Transaction or Other Taxes. No transaction, stamp, capital or other documentary, issuance, registration, transaction, transfer, withholding, income or other taxes or duties are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters to the government of the PRC, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands, the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof in connection with (i) the creation, allotment, issuance, sale and delivery of the Shares by the Company and the delivery of the Shares to or for the account of the Underwriters, (ii) the purchase from the Company of the Shares and the initial sale and allotment of the Ordinary Shares representing the Shares to purchasers thereof by the Underwriters, or (iii) the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement; except that the stamp duty of the PRC, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands, and the United States may be payable in the event that this Agreement is executed in or brought within the jurisdiction of the PRC, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands, or the United States, as applicable.
(ll) Independent Accountants. ZH CPA, LLC, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its Controlled Entities and delivered their report with respect to the consolidated financial statements of the Company and the Controlled Entities included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, are independent registered public accountants with respect to the Company and the Controlled Entities within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.
(mm) Financial Statements. The financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related notes and schedules thereto, present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company and the Controlled Entities as of the dates indicated and the consolidated results of operations, cash flows and changes in shareholder’s equity of the Company for the periods specified and have been prepared in compliance as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the related rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and in conformity with the United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved; the other financial data contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are accurately and fairly presented and prepared on a basis consistent with the financial statements and books and records of the Company; there are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus that are not included as required; and the Company and the Controlled Entities do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations) not described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
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(nn) Critical Accounting Policies. The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus accurately and fairly describes (i) the accounting policies that the Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and that require management’s most difficult subjective or complex judgment; (ii) the material judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of critical accounting policies and estimates; (iii) the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions and an explanation thereof; (iv) all material trends, demands, commitments and events known to the Company, and uncertainties, and the potential effects thereof, that the Company believes would materially affect its liquidity and are reasonably likely to occur; and (v) all off-balance sheet commitments and arrangements of the Company and its Controlled Entities, if any. The Company’s directors and management have reviewed and agreed with the selection, application and disclosure of the Company’s critical accounting policies as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and have consulted with its independent accountants with regards to such disclosure.
(oo) Internal Controls and Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company, its Controlled Entities and their respective board of directors maintain a system of internal controls, including, but not limited to, disclosure controls and procedures, internal controls over accounting matters and financial reporting and legal and regulatory compliance controls (collectively, “Internal Controls”) which are sufficient to provide reasonable assurances 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 generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (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, and (v) material information relating to the Company and the Controlled Entities is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities. Upon consummation of the offering of the Shares, the Internal Controls will be overseen by the Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”) of the board of directors of the Company in accordance with the rules of the NASDAQ. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not publicly disclosed or reported to the board of directors of the Company, a significant deficiency, material weakness, change in Internal Controls, fraud involving management or other employees who have a significant role in Internal Controls, any violation of, or failure to comply with, laws or regulations governing Internal Controls, or any matter which, if determined adversely, would have a Material Adverse Effect (each, an “Internal Control Event”). Each of the Company’s independent directors meets the criteria for “independence” under the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, the rules of the NASDAQ, with respect to independent directors who are members of the Audit Committee, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the rules and regulations of the Commission and the rules of the NASDAQ. Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (a) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (b) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that, upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, it will be in compliance with all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) that are then in effect and with which the Company is required to comply as of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement.
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(pp) Absence of Accounting Issues. The Company has not received any notice, oral or written, from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) stating that it is reviewing or investigating, and neither the Company’s independent auditors nor its internal auditors have recommended that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) review or investigate, (i) adding to, deleting, changing the application of, or changing the Company’s disclosure with respect to, any of the Company’s material accounting policies; (ii) any matter which could result in a restatement of the Company’s financial statements for any annual or interim period during the current or prior two fiscal years; or (iii) any Internal Control Event.
(qq) Operating and Other Company Data. All operating and other Company data disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, including, but not limited to, the data of adult education supporting services, education administrative online software, online learning platform, other software platforms and auxiliary solutions, facilities and intellectual property, are true and accurate in all material respects.
(rr) Third-party Data. Any statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived, and the Company has obtained the written consent for the use of such data from such sources to the extent required.
(ss) Registration Statement Exhibits. There are no legal or governmental proceedings or contracts or other documents of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement, or the Form 8-A Registration Statement or, in the case of documents, to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that are not described and filed as required.
(tt) No Unapproved Marketing Documents. The Company has not distributed, prepared, used, authorized, approved or referred to, and, prior to the later to occur of any delivery date and completion of the distribution of the Shares, will not distribute, prepare, use, authorize, approve or refer to, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares other than the preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally confidentially submitted or as part of any amendment thereto, the Prospectus and any issuer free writing prospectus to which the Representative has consented, as set forth on Schedule II hereto.
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(uu) Payments of Dividends; Payments in Foreign Currency. Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, (i) none of the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities is prohibited, directly or indirectly, from (A) paying any dividends or making any other distributions on its share capital, (B) making or repaying any loan or advance to the Company or any other Controlled Entity or (C) transferring any of its properties or assets to the Company or any other Controlled Entity; and (ii) all dividends and other distributions declared and payable upon the share capital of the Company or any of its Controlled Entities (A) may be converted into United States dollars, that may be freely transferred out of such Person’s jurisdiction of incorporation, without the consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any court or governmental agency or body in such Person’s jurisdiction of incorporation or tax residence; and (B) are not and will not be subject to withholding, value added or other taxes under the currently effective laws and regulations of such Person’s jurisdiction of incorporation, without the necessity of obtaining any consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations, clearances or qualifications of or with any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over such Person.
(vv) Compliance with PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations. Each of the Company and its Controlled Entities has complied, and has taken all steps to comply with, and to ensure compliance by each of its shareholders, directors and officers that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen with any applicable rules and regulations of the relevant PRC government agencies (including but not limited to the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) relating to the network data security review by the CAC, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”) relating to overseas investment by PRC residents and citizens or the repatriation of the proceeds from overseas offering and listing by offshore special purpose vehicles controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies and individuals, such as the Company (collectively, the “PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations”), including, without limitation, requesting each such Person that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations (including any applicable rules and regulations of the SAFE)).
(ww) M&A Rules. Each of the Company, its Controlled Entities and each of the their respective directors that signed the Registration Statement is aware of and has been advised as to, the content of the Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the CSRC and the SAFE on August 8, 2006, as amended (the “M&A Rules”), in particular the relevant provisions thereof which purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, formed for listing purposes and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of their securities on an overseas stock exchange; the Company and its Controlled Entities have received legal advice specifically with respect to the M&A Rules from its PRC counsel and the Company, its Controlled Entities and each such director understands such legal advice. In addition, the Company has communicated such legal advice in full to each of its directors that signed the Registration Statement and each such director has confirmed that he or she understands such legal advice. The issuance and sale of the Offer Shares, the listing and trading of the Shares on the NASDAQ and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (i) are not and will not be, as of the date hereof or at the Closing Date or an Optional Closing Date, as the case may be, adversely affected by the M&A Rules or any currently effective official clarifications, guidance, interpretations or implementation rules in connection with or related to the M&A Rules and (ii) do not require the prior approval of the CSRC.
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(xx) Foreign Private Issuer. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
(yy) Absence of Manipulation. None of the Company, the Controlled Entities or any of their respective directors, officers, affiliates or controlling persons has taken, directly or indirectly, any action which was designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or which could reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.
(zz) No Sale, Issuance and Distribution of Shares. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any Ordinary Shares during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Securities Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants.
(aaa) No Immunity. None of the Company, the Controlled Entities or any of their respective properties, assets or revenues has any right of immunity, under the laws of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the PRC, the State of New York or the United States, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, set-off or counterclaim, the jurisdiction of any Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the PRC, New York or United States federal court, service of process, attachment upon or prior to judgment, or attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or execution of a judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of a judgment, in any such court, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Agreement; and, to the extent that the Company, any of the Controlled Entities or any of their respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, each of the Company and the Controlled Entities waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement as provided in Section 12 hereof.
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(bbb) Validity of Choice of Law. Except as may otherwise be disclosed in Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, the choice of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC and will be observed and given effect to by courts in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 12 hereof, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each New York State and United States federal court sitting in The City of New York (each, a “New York Court”) and has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court; and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and empower, and pursuant to Section 12 hereof has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed and empowered, an authorized agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Registration Statement, or the offering of the Shares in any New York Court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 12 hereof.
(ccc) No Finder’s Fee. There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company or its Controlled Entities and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or its Controlled Entities or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with this offering, or any other arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments or issuance with respect to the Company and its Controlled Entities and or any of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, sponsors, partners, employees or affiliates that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation as determined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).
(ddd) No Broker-Dealer Affiliation. To the Company’s knowledge, there are no affiliations or associations between (i) any member of FINRA and (ii) the Company or any of its Controlled Entities or any of their respective officers, directors or 5% or greater security holders or any beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered equity securities that were acquired at any time on or after the 180th day immediately preceding the date that the Registration Statement was initially filed with the Commission.
(eee) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto) has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(fff) Regulation M Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one authorized to act on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Shares, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Shares, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Underwriters in connection with the offering.
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(ggg) Representation of Officers. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Representative or counsel to the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.
(hhh) Tax Filings. (i) The Company and each of its Controlled Entities have filed all national, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon, and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its Controlled Entities which has had (nor does the Company nor any of its Controlled Entities have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its Controlled Entities and which could reasonably be expected to have) a Material Adverse Effect. (ii) All local and national governmental tax holidays, exemptions, waivers, financial subsidies, and other local and national tax relief, concessions and preferential treatment enjoyed by the Company or any of the Controlled Entities as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are valid, binding and enforceable and do not violate any applicable laws, regulations, rules, orders, decrees, guidelines, judicial interpretations, notices or other legislation. (iii) The charges, accruals and reserves on the books and in the financial statements of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined.
(iii) Cybersecurity; Data Protection. The Company and its Controlled Entities’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform their core functionality as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its Controlled Entities as currently conducted, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, free and clear of all bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. The Company reasonably believes that (i) the Company, its Controlled Entities each own or have a valid right to access and use its respective IT Systems; (ii) the IT Systems are adequate for, and operate and perform as required in connection with, the operation of the business of the Company and its Controlled Entities as currently conducted in all material respects, (iii) the Company and its Controlled Entities have implemented reasonable backup, security and disaster recovery technology consistent with applicable regulatory standards. The Company and its Controlled Entities have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect their material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and data (including all personal, personally identifiable, sensitive, confidential or regulated data (“Personal Data”)) collected or processed by the Company or the Controlled Entities in connection with their businesses, and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, there have been no breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to same. To the best knowledge of the Company, the Company and its Controlled Entities are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.
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(jjj) Margin Securities. The Company owns no “margin securities” as that term is defined in Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”), and none of the proceeds of this offering will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any margin security, for the purpose of reducing or retiring any indebtedness which was originally incurred to purchase or carry any margin security or for any other purpose which might cause any of the Offered Securities to be considered a “purpose credit” within the meanings of Regulation T, U or X of the Federal Reserve Board.
(kkk) Integration. Neither the Company, nor any of its affiliates, nor any person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause the offering to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of the Securities Act that would require the registration of any such securities under the Securities Act.
(lll) No Unlawful Influence. The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, Shares to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.
2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase.
The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto at US$4 per Ordinary Share (the “Purchase Price”).
On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company hereby agrees to sell to the Representative the Additional Shares, and the Representative shall have the right to purchase up to 300,000 Additional Shares at the Purchase Price. The Representative may exercise this right in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice not later than 60 days following the Effective Date of the Registration Statement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional Shares to be purchased by the Representative and the date on which such shares are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least two business days after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm Shares nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional Shares may be purchased solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares.
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3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by the Representative that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Ordinary Shares as soon as promptly after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as agreed upon by the Company and the Underwriters. The Company is further advised by the Representative that the Shares are to be offered to the public initially at US$4 per Ordinary Share (the “Public Offering Price”) and to certain dealers selected by the Representative at a price that represents a concession not in excess of US$0.28 per Ordinary Share under the Public Offering Price.
4. Payment and Delivery.
(a) Payment for the Firm Shares to be sold by the Company shall be made to the Company in federal or other funds immediately available in New York City or such other place to the account specified by the Company to the Underwriters at least forty-eight hours in advance of such payment against delivery of such Firm Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on May 17, 2024, or at such other time on the same date, as shall be designated in writing by the Representative. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date or an Option Closing Date.”
(b) Payment for any Additional Shares shall be made to the Company in federal or other funds immediately available in New York City or such other place to the account specified by the Company to the Underwriters at least forty-eight hours in advance of such payment against delivery of such Additional Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 hereof or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than ten full business days after written notice of election to purchase Additional Shares is given as shall be designated in writing by the Representative.
(c) The Shares to be issued and allotted to each Underwriter shall be delivered in book entry form, and in such denominations and registered in such name as the Representative may request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be. Such Shares shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to the Representative through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of federal or other immediately available funds to the account(s) specified by the Company to the Representative on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, or at such other time and date as shall be designated in writing by the Representative. The Purchase Price payable by the Underwriters shall be reduced by (i) any transfer taxes paid by, or on behalf of, the Underwriters in connection with the transfer of the Shares to the Underwriters duly paid and (ii) any withholding required by law.
5. Conditions to the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the Shares to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares on the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof.
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The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions:
(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be,
(i) there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its Controlled Entities, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus as of the date of this Agreement that, in the reasonable judgment of the Representative, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the reasonable judgment of the Representative, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate, dated such date, signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect that, to the best knowledge of such executive officer, the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and that the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before such date (and the officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings referenced thereon) and with respect to such other matters as the Representative may reasonably require.
(c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate, dated such date and signed by the chief financial officer of the Company with respect to certain operating data and financial figures contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion (including with respect to certain customary U.S. federal income tax matters) and negative assurance letter of Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC, U.S. counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, Cayman Islands counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(f) [reserved].
(g) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion of China Commercial Law Firm, PRC counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
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At the request of the Company, the opinions of counsel for the Company described above shall be addressed to the Underwriters and shall so state therein.
(h) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion and negative assurance letter of MagStone Law, LLP, U.S. counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(i) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion of Guangdong Zhuo Jian Law Firm, PRC counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(j) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, a letter dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, from ZH CPA, LLC, independent public accountants, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants “comfort letters” to the Underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than the date thereof.
(k) The “lock-up” letters, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, executed by the individuals and entities listed on Schedule IV relating to sales and certain other dispositions of Ordinary Shares or certain other securities, delivered to the Representative on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.
(l) The Shares shall have been approved for listing on the NASDAQ, subject to only official notice of issuance.
(m) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Company shall have filed a Rule 462 Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) promptly after 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall have at the time of filing either paid to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462 Registration Statement or given irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Securities Act.
(n) The Company shall have filed the Prospectus with the Commission (including the information required by Rule 430A under the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act; or the Company shall have filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement containing the information required by such Rule 430A, and such post-effective amendment shall have become effective.
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(o) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462 Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, shall be in effect and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.
(p) FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness or reasonableness of the underwriting, or other arrangements of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(q) On the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters shall have received such information, documents, certificates and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the accuracy and completeness of any statement in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, issuance and sale of the Shares as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.
(r) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate, dated such date and signed by the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of the Company, certifying: (i) that each of the Company’s certificate of incorporation and memorandum and articles of association to such certificate is true and complete, has not been modified and is in full force and effect; (ii) that each of the Controlled Entities’ certificate of association, articles of association, certificate of incorporation, bylaws, or other charter documents as applicable attached to such certificate is true and complete, has not been modified and is in full force and effect; (iii) that the resolutions of the Company’s board of directors relating to the offering attached to such certificate are in full force and effect and have not been modified; and (iv) the good standing of the Company and each of the Controlled Entities (except in such jurisdictions where the concept of good standing is not applicable). The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.
The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to the Representative on the applicable Option Closing Date of such documents as the Representative may reasonably request with respect to the good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional Shares.
Notwithstanding the immediately preceding paragraph, the Representative may, in their sole discretion, waive on behalf of the Underwriters compliance with any conditions to the obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, whether in respect of a Closing Date or an Option Closing Date.
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6. Covenants of the Company.
The Company, in addition to its other agreements and obligations hereunder, covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) To file the Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A under the Securities Act.
(b) To furnish to the Representative, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement (including, in each case, exhibits thereto) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (in each case, without exhibits thereto) and to furnish to the Representative in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Sections 6(f) or 6(g) hereof, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as the Representative may reasonably request.
(c) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to the Representative a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representative reasonably objects, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
(d) To furnish to the Representative a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and not to use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus to which the Representative reasonably objects.
(e) Without the prior written consent of the Representative, not to take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriter that the Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(f) If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in light of the circumstances when the Time of Sale Prospectus is delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
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(g) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Shares, as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses the Representative will furnish to the Company) to which Shares may have been sold by the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(h) To endeavor to qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative shall reasonably request.
(i) To advise the Representative promptly and confirming such advice in writing, of any request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Form 8-A Registration Statement, any Time of Sale Prospectus, Prospectus or free writing prospectus or for additional information with respect thereto, or of notice of institution of proceedings for, or the entry of a stop order, suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, if the Commission should enter a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, to use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the lifting or removal of such order as soon as possible.
(j) To make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to the Representative as soon as practicable an earnings statement covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement, which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including but not limited to Rule 158 under the Securities Act) provided that the Company will be deemed to have furnished such statement to its security holders and the Representative to the extent it is filed on EDGAR.
(k) During the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, to file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; during the five-year period after the date of this Agreement, to furnish to the Representative and, upon request, to each of the other Underwriters, as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, a copy of its annual report to shareholders for such year; and to furnish to the Representative (i) as soon as available, a copy of each report and any definitive proxy statement of the Company filed with or furnished to the Commission under the Exchange Act or mailed to shareholders, and (ii) from time to time, such other information concerning the Company as the Representative may reasonably request. However, so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and is timely filing reports with the Commission on its EDGAR reporting system, it is not required to furnish such reports or statements filed through EDGAR to the Underwriters.
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(l) To apply the net proceeds to the Company from the sale of the Shares in the manner set forth under the heading “Use of Proceeds” in the Time of Sale Prospectus and to file such reports with the Commission with respect to the sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds therefrom as may be required by Rule 463 under the Securities Act; not to invest, or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Shares in such a manner (i) as would require the Company or any of the Controlled Entities to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act, and (ii) that would result in the Company being not in compliance with any applicable laws, rules and regulations of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC.
(m) Not to take, and to cause each of its Controlled Entities not to, take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.
(n) (i) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters against any transaction, stamp, capital or other issuance, registration, documentary, transaction, transfer, withholding, income or other similar taxes or duties, including any interest and penalties, on the creation, allotment, issue and sale of the Shares to the Underwriters and on the execution and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations (including the initial resale and delivery of the Shares by the Underwriters) under, this Agreement and on bringing any such document within any jurisdiction; (ii) all payments to be made by the Company hereunder shall be made free and clear of and without withholding or deduction for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties or governmental charges whatsoever unless the Company is compelled by law to deduct or withhold such taxes, duties or charges. In that event, the Company shall pay such additional amounts as may be necessary in order that the net amounts received after such withholding or deduction shall equal the amounts that would have been received if no withholding or deduction had been made; (iii) all payment to be made by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder shall be considered exclusive of any value added or similar taxes. Where the Company is obliged to pay value added or similar tax on any amount payable hereunder to the Underwriters, the Company shall pay such additional amounts equal to any applicable value added or similar tax.
(o) To comply with all applicable securities and other laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Company’s directors and officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with such laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
(p) [Reserved.]
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(q) (i) it will not attempt to avoid any judgment in connection with this Agreement obtained by it, applied to it, or denied to it in a court of competent jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands; (ii) following the consummation of the offering, to use its reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain all approvals required in the Cayman Islands to pay and remit outside the Cayman Islands all dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Ordinary Shares, if any; and (iii) to use its reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain all approvals, if any, required in the Cayman Islands for the Company to acquire sufficient foreign exchange for the payment of dividends and all other relevant purposes.
(r) To comply with the PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations, and to use its reasonable efforts to cause holders of its Ordinary Shares that are, or that are directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, Chinese residents or Chinese citizens, to comply with the PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations applicable to them, including, without limitation, requesting each such shareholder to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations (including any applicable rules and regulations of the SAFE).
(s) To implement and maintain reasonable measures in compliance with PRC laws and regulations concerning copyrights, information dissemination over the Internet, user privacy protection, cybersecurity, adult education supporting services, software platforms and auxiliary solutions.
(t) The Company will promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) the time when a prospectus relating to the offering or sale of the Shares or any other securities relating thereto is not required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) and (ii) completion of the Restricted Period (as defined below).
(u) If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the- Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representative and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
(v) [Reserved.]
(w) [Reserved.]
(x) The Company will deliver to each Underwriter (or its agent), prior to or at the Closing Date, a properly completed and executed Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form W 9 or an IRS Form W 8, as appropriate, together with all required attachments to such form.
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(y) Right of First Refusal. Following the Closing Date, provided that the Firm Shares are sold in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, for a period of twelve (12) months after the date the Offering is completed, the Representative shall have an irrevocable right of first refusal (the “Right of First Refusal”) to act as the sole investment banker, sole book-runner, and/or sole placement agent at its sole discretion, for each and every future U.S. public equity and debt offering, including all public equity linked financings of the Company, or any successor to the Company, or any successor to or any current or future subsidiary of our Company, provided, however, that such right shall be subject to FINRA Rule 5110(g). The Company shall notify the Representative in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to a proposed U.S. public offering of any debt or equity securities (other than bank debt or similar financing) by the Company or by any of its majority-owned or controlled U.S. subsidiaries (collectively referred to herein as the Company) that Representative or at its option, a group of associated investment bankers shall have the right of first refusal to effect the offering on terms as favorable as therefore offered in writing by a reputable investment bank. The Representative shall notify the Company, within ten (10) days of its exercise of the right of first refusal. If the Representative fails to exercise the right of first refusal within ten (10) days period and the principal terms of the proposed subsequent financing thereafter are altered in any material respect, the Company shall again offer to the Representative the right of first refusal. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Representatives decline to exercise its right of the first refusal for any specific offering, and the Company completes such offering with another investment banking firm, then the Representative shall not have the right of first refusal for any future Company financings, and if the Company receives a proposal from a “bulge bracket” underwriter to undertake such financing, the Representative shall not have the right of first refusal set forth in the paragraph (provided, however, that the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such underwriter to allow the Representatives’ participation in such financing).
(z) The Company, without the prior written consent of the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters, will not, during the period ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Restricted Period”), (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Ordinary Shares, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Ordinary Shares, or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (iii) confidentially submit any draft registration statement or file any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares.
The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to (i) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (ii) the issuance by the Company of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof of which the Underwriters have been advised in writing, or (iii) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of Ordinary Shares, provided that (A) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Ordinary Shares during the Restricted Period and (B) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Ordinary Shares may be made under such plan during the Restricted Period.
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If the Representative, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a lock-up letter described in Section 5 hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provides the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
7. Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses and fees incidental to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Shares under the Securities Act and all other fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, the Form 8-A Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or legal investment memorandum or any other document in connection with the offer, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(h) hereof, including filing fees, reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or legal investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Shares by FINRA, (v) expenses and disbursements of counsels to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities by the Company, including review and qualification by FINRA (vi) all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the Shares and all costs and expenses incident to listing the Shares on the NASDAQ, (vii) the cost of printing certificates representing the Shares, (viii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent or registrar, (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company and the Underwriters relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, expenses associated with hosting investor meetings or luncheons, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel, meals and lodging expenses of any such representatives, consultants and the Company’s representatives, and the Underwriters, and the cost of any vehicle or aircraft chartered for the purpose of the testing-the-waters and the road show, and (x) the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable clearing charges, travel and out-of-pocket expense in connection with this offering reasonable fees incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this offering, the cost of any due diligence meetings, and preparation of printed documents for closing and deal mementos) incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this offering, up to a maximum amount of $75,000 (excluding fees and expenses incurred by Underwriter’s counsels, which shall be paid by the Company directly to such counsels.) In addition, the Company shall pay the Representative a prepaid due diligence expense fee of $50,000 . The Company agrees that, in addition to the expenses payable described under (i) through (ix) above, upon the Closing Date it shall pay to the Underwriters, a non-accountable expense allowance equal to one percent (1%) of the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Shares. In addition, at the closing of the offering, the Company shall escrow $200,000 in a U.S. bank for any legal claims associated with this offering or subsequent claims. Such funds shall remain in escrow for a period of 18 months following the closing of the offering.
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8. Covenants of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of such Underwriter.
9. Indemnity and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act, each director, officer, employee and affiliate of the any of the foregoing, the selling agents of each Underwriter, and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”), or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, or arising out of or based upon any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and shall reimburse each Underwriter and each such director, officer, employee, affiliate or controlling person promptly upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by that Underwriter, director, officer, employee, affiliate or controlling person in connection with investigating or defending or preparing to defend against any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are arising out of or based upon any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information (as defined in Section 9(b) hereof).
(b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to such Underwriter, but only with reference to information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information furnished by or on behalf of the Representative appearing in the second paragraph and under the “Price Stabilization, Short Positions, and Penalty Bids”, “Passive Market Making”, “Potential Conflicts of Interest” and “Selling Restrictions” subheadings under the caption “Underwriting” (the “Underwriter Information”).
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(c) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 9(a) or 9(b) hereof, such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing, provided, however, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under this Section 9 except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights and defenses) by such failure and, provided, further, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 9. The indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the (i) fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Underwriters and all persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or who are affiliates of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act, (ii) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either such Section, and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriter and such control persons and affiliates of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Representative. In the case of any such separate firm for the Company, and such directors, officers and control persons of the Company, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Company. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding, and (y) does not include any statement as to, or any admission of, fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
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(d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 9(a) or 9(b) hereof, is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 9(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 9(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and of the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.
(e) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 9(d) hereof. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 9(d) hereof shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Shares exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 9 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
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(f) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 9 and Section 6(n) hereof and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of (A) any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter, or (B) the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Shares.
10. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by the Representative to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT, the Nasdaq Stock Market, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in commercial banking, securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States, Hong Kong, PRC, or the Cayman Islands, shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by United States federal, New York State, Hong Kong, the PRC, or the Cayman Islands authorities, (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets, currency exchange rates or controls or any calamity or crisis that, in the judgment of the Representative, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in the reasonable judgment of the Representative, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
11. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Shares that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the Shares to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated, severally, in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as the Representatives may specify, to purchase the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters have agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that, in no event shall the number of Shares that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 11 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of Shares without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate number of Firm Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Firm Shares are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter and the Company. In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Prospectus, in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Shares and the aggregate number of Additional Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional Shares that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
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If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder.
12. Submission to Jurisdiction; Appointment of Agent for Service. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York (each, a “New York Court”) in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the offering of the Shares or any transactions contemplated hereby. Each of the parties hereto irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the offering of the Shares or any transactions contemplated hereby in the New York Courts, and irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit or proceeding in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. To the extent that each of the parties hereto has or hereafter may acquire any immunity (on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise) from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process with respect to itself or its property, such party irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, such immunity in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding. The Company appoints Cogency Global Inc., as its authorized agent (the “Authorized Agent”) in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York upon which process may be served in any such suit or proceeding, and agrees that service of process in any manner permitted by applicable law upon such agent shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process in any manner permitted by applicable law upon the Company, as the case may be, in any such suit or proceeding. Each of the parties hereto further agrees to take any and all action as may be necessary to maintain such designation and appointment of such agent in full force and effect for a period of seven years from the date of this Agreement. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHTS TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
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13. Judgment Currency. If for the purposes of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert a sum due hereunder into any currency other than United States dollars, the parties hereto agree, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Underwriters could purchase United States dollars with such other currency in The City of New York on the business day preceding that on which final judgment is given. The obligation of the Company pursuant to this Agreement with respect to any sum due from it to any Underwriter or any person controlling any Underwriter shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first business day following receipt by such Underwriter or controlling person of any sum in such other currency, and only to the extent that such Underwriter or controlling person may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency. If the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder, the Company agrees as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter or controlling person against such loss. If the United States dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder, such Underwriter or controlling person agrees to pay to the Company, an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder.
14. 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 sale and purchase of the Shares and the offering of the Shares, represents the entire agreement between the Company and the Underwriters with respect to the preparation of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the conduct of the offering, and the purchase and sale of the Shares and the offering of the Shares.
15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.
16. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
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17. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
18. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and
if to the Underwriters shall be delivered, shall be mailed, sent, or emailed to the Representative at:
WestPark Capital, Inc.
1800 Century Park East, Suite 220,
Los Angeles, CA 90077
United States
Email:
if to the Company, shall be delivered, mailed, or emailed to JIADE LIMITED at:
Unit 2-02, Puningdun Business Plaza, No. 1702 and 1706 Minjiang Road
Jinjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province,
People’s Republic of China, 610000,
Attention: Chief Executive Officer.
Email:
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC
48 Wall Street, Suite 1100
New York, New York 10005
Attn: Ying Li, Esq.
Email: yli@htflawyers.com
19. Parties at Interest. The Agreement set forth has been and is made solely for the benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and to the extent provided in Section 9 hereof the controlling persons, partners, directors and officers referred to in such sections and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, personal representatives and executors and administrators. No other person, partnership, association or corporation (including a purchaser, as such purchaser, from any of the Underwriters) shall acquire or have any rights under or by virtue of this Agreement.
20. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees to each of the following:
(a) No Other Relationship. The Representative has been retained solely to act as an underwriter in connection with the sale of the Shares and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company and the Representative has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Prospectus, irrespective of whether the Representative has advised or is advising the Company on other matters.
(b) Arms’ Length Negotiations. The price of the Shares set forth in this Agreement was established by the Company following discussions and arms-length negotiations with the Representative and the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
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(c) Absence of Obligation to Disclose. The Company has been advised that the Representative and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Representative has no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship.
(d) Waiver. The Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Representative for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that the Representative shall not have any liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including shareholders, employees or creditors of the Company.
21. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and their successors and assigns and any successor or assign of any substantial portion of the Company’s and any of the Underwriters’ respective businesses and/or assets. This Agreement and the terms and provisions hereof are for the sole benefit of only those persons, except that (a) the representations, warranties, indemnities and agreements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall also be deemed to be for the benefit of the directors, officers and employees of the Underwriters and each person or persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and (b) the indemnity agreement of the Underwriters contained in Section 9(b) of this Agreement shall be deemed to be for the benefit of its directors, its officers who have signed the Registration Statement and any person controlling the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, other than the persons referred to in this Section 21, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein.
22. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, subsection, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, subsection, paragraph or provision hereof. If any section, subsection, 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.
23. Amendments. This Agreement may only be amended or modified in writing, signed by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit.
24. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
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(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(c) For purposes of this Section 15(k), a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and “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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| Very truly yours, |
| JIADE LIMITED | |||
| By: | /s/ Yuan Li | ||
| Name: | YUAN LI | ||
| Title: | DIRECTOR | ||
Accepted as of the date hereof
Acting on behalf of itself and
the several Underwriters named in
Schedule I hereto
| By: | WESTPARK CAPITAL, INC. |
| By: | /s/ Richard Rappaport | ||
| Name: | Richard Rappaport | ||
| Title: | Chairman & Chief Executive Officer | ||
SCHEDULE I
| Underwriter | Number of Firm Shares To Be Purchased | Maximum Number of Additional Shares To Be Purchased | ||||||
| WestPark Capital, Inc. | 700,000 | 105,000 | ||||||
| Webull Financial LLC | 500,000 | 75,000 | ||||||
| Orientiert XYZ Securities Limited | 795,000 | 119,250 | ||||||
| R.F. Lafferty & Co. Inc. | 5,000 | 750 | ||||||
| Total | 2,000,000 | 300,000 | ||||||
SCHEDULE II
Time of Sale Prospectus
1. Preliminary Prospectus issued May 14, 2024
2. Free writing prospectus dated Feb 16, 2024
3. Orally communicated initial public offering price of US$4.00 per Ordinary Share
SCHEDULE III
CONTROLLED ENTITIES OF THE COMPANY
| Name | Place of Incorporation |
| JIADEZHIGAO Limited | Hong Kong |
| WISMASS International Holdings Limited | Hong Kong |
| Shenzhen Kebiao Technology Co., Ltd. | PRC |
| Sichuan Jiade Zhigao Technology Co., Ltd. | PRC |
| Sichuan Kebiao Technology Co., Ltd. | PRC |
SCHEDULE IV
LIST OF LOCKED-UP PARTIES
All directors and executive officers of the Company:
| · | Yuan Li |
| · | Li Tan |
| · | Xiang Lan |
| · | Hangyu Dai |
| · | Kunqi Bai |
| · | Shuang Qiu |
| · | Shaoping Lu |
| · | Yaxuan Yang |
All shareholders holding 1% or more of the Company’s Ordinary Shares:
| · | JD LIYUAN LIMITED |
| · | ZHOUZHIRONG LIMITED |
| · | JDJDZG Limited |
| · | JDZTZG LIMITED |
| · | WISMASS INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LIMITED1 |
1 Its 2,200,000 ordinary shares are not subject to lock-up limitation according to the registered resale plan.
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF LOCK-UP LETTER
[▪], 2024
WestPark Capital, Inc.
As the Representative to the several underwriters
referred to in the Underwriting Agreement below
c/o WestPark Capital, Inc.
1800 Century Park East, Suite 220,
Los Angeles, CA 90077
United States
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned understands that WestPark Capital, Inc., as the representative (the “Representative”) of the several underwriters (the “Underwriters”) under the Underwriting Agreement, propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with _____, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), providing for the public offering (the “Public Offering”) by the several Underwriters, including the Representative, of a certain number of ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”).
To induce the Underwriters that may participate in the Public Offering to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus (the “Restricted Period”) relating to the Public Offering (the “Prospectus”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Ordinary Shares (collectively, the “Securities”) beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), by the undersigned or any other securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for the Securities or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of the Securities or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (a) transactions relating to the Securities or other securities of the Company acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of the Securities or other securities acquired in such open market transactions, (b) transfers of shares of the Securities or any security convertible into the Securities as a bona fide gift, (c) distributions of the Securities or any security convertible into the Securities to limited partners or stockholders of the undersigned; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (b) or (c), (i) each donee or distributee shall sign and deliver to the Representative a lock-up letter substantially in the form of this letter and (ii) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of the Securities, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period, or (d) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of the Securities, provided that such plan does not provide for the transfer of the Securities during the Restricted Period and to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of the Securities may be made under such plan during the Restricted Period. In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the Restricted Period, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for the Securities. The undersigned hereby also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s Securities unless such transfer is in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed Securities the undersigned may purchase in the Public Offering.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) the Representative agrees that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of the Securities, the Representative will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by issuing a press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the Representative hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this letter that are applicable to the transferor, to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.
The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this letter in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this letter is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns.
Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters. This letter shall terminate and be of no further force or effect if the Underwriting Agreement is terminated pursuant to its terms.
This letter is governed by, and to be construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.
[Signature page follows]
Very truly yours,
| IF AN INDIVIDUAL: | IF AN ENTITY: | |||
| By: | ||||
| (duly authorized signature) | (please print complete name of entity) | |||
| Name: | By: | |||
| (please print full name) | (duly authorized signature) | |||
| Name: | ||||
| (please print full name) | ||||
| Address: | Address: | |||
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF WAIVER OF LOCK-UP
[Date]
[Name and Address of Director or Officer Requesting Waiver]
Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]:
This letter is being delivered to you in connection with the offering by JIADE LIMITED (the “Company”) of [▪] ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, of the Company, and the lock-up letter dated _______, (the “Lock-up Letter”), executed by you in connection with such offering, and your request for a [waiver] [release] dated ________, with respect to [▪] ordinary shares (the “Shares”).
The undersigned hereby agrees to [waive] [release] the transfer restrictions set forth in the Lock-up Letter, but only with respect to the Shares, effective ________; provided, however, that such [waiver] [release] is conditioned on the Company announcing the impending [waiver] [release] by press release through a major news service at least two business days before effectiveness of such [waiver] [release]. This letter will serve as notice to the Company of the impending [waiver] [release].
Except as expressly [waived] [released] hereby, the Lock-up Letter shall remain in full force and effect.
| Very truly yours, | |
| Acting on behalf of itself and the several Underwriters named in Schedule I the Underwriting Agreement dated [▪], 2024 |
| WestPark Capital, Inc. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
cc: Company
EXHIBIT C
FORM OF PRESS RELEASE
JIADE LIMITED
May 14, 2024
JIADE LIMITED announced today that WestPark Capital, Inc., the book-running manager in the Company’s recent public sale of 2,000,000 ordinary shares is [releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to 20,045,371 ordinary shares (the “Shares”) of the Company held by certain officers or directors and certain shareholders of the Company. The [release] will take effect on May 14, 2024, and the Shares may be sold or otherwise disposed of on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Exhibit 99.1
JIADE LIMITED Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering
Chengdu, China, May 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — JIADE LIMITED (the “Company” or “JDZG”), a company that specializes in providing one-stop comprehensive education supporting services to adult education institutions, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering (the “Offering”) of 2,000,000 ordinary shares at a public offering price of US$4.00 per ordinary share. The ordinary shares have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market and are expected to commence trading on May 15, 2024 under the ticker symbol “JDZG.”
The Company expects to receive aggregate gross proceeds of US$8 million from the Offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and other related expenses. In addition, the Company has granted the underwriters a 60-day option to purchase up to an additional 300,000 ordinary shares at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts. The Offering is expected to close on or about May 17, 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Proceeds from the Offering will be used primarily to expand sales and operation teams and enhance marketing efforts, acquire vocational education and training institutions authorized by the People’s Republic of China government and establish 8 to 10 examination centers, and invest in technology research and development, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
The Offering is being conducted on a firm commitment basis. WestPark Capital, Inc. is the Book-Running Lead Manager for the Offering. Webull Financial LLC is the co-manager. Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC is acting as U.S. securities counsel to the Company, and MagStone Law, LLP is acting as U.S. counsel to WestPark Capital, Inc. in connection with the Offering.
The registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Offering was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) (File Numbers: 333-276283), as amended, and was declared effective by the SEC on May 14, 2024. The Offering is being made only by means of a prospectus, forming a part of the registration statement. Copies of the final prospectus relating to the Offering, when available, may be obtained from WestPark Capital, Inc. by email at syndicate@wpcapital.com, by standard mail to WestPark Capital, Inc., 1800 Century Park East, Suite 220, Los Angeles, CA, 90067, or by telephone at (310) 843-9300; or from Webull Financial LLC, by email at customerservice@webull.com, by standard mail to Webull Financial LLC, 44 Wall Street 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10005, or by telephone at (917) 725-2448. In addition, copies of the final prospectus relating to the Offering, when available, may be obtained via the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
Before you invest, you should read the prospectus and other documents the Company has filed or will file with the SEC for more information about the Company and the Offering. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company’s securities, nor shall such securities be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation, or sale of any of the Company’s securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.
About JIADE LIMITED
JIADE LIMITED specializes in providing one-stop comprehensive education supporting services to adult education institutions, through a wide spectrum of software platform and auxiliary solutions, to meet the evolving needs of their customers in the rapidly changing adult education industry. The Company’s services are primarily offered through the Kebiao Technology Educational Administration Platform (the “KB Platform”), which facilitates streamlined information and data management throughout the teaching cycle of adult education services, from pre-enrollment to post-graduation. The KB Platform supports a broad range of functions, such as enrollment consultation, student information collection, enrollment status management, learning progress management, grade inquiry, and graduation management. The Company also provides auxiliary solutions to adult education institutions, which encompass teaching support services throughout the entire teaching cycle and related exam administration services. The Company places a great premium on technology research and development.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the Company’s proposed Offering. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, including the expectation that the Offering will be successfully completed. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may”, or other similar expressions in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.
For more information, please contact:
JIADE LIMITED
Investor Relations Department
Email: kebiao@sckbkj.com
Ascent Investor Relations LLC
Tina Xiao
Phone: +1-646-932-7242
Email: investors@ascent-ir.com
Exhibit 99.2
JIADE LIMITED Announces Closing of $8 Million Initial Public Offering
Chengdu, China, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — JIADE LIMITED (Nasdaq: JDZG) (the “Company” or “JDZG”), a company that specializes in providing one-stop comprehensive education supporting services to adult education institutions, today announced the closing of its initial public offering (the “Offering”) of 2,000,000 ordinary shares at a public offering price of US$4.00 per ordinary share. The ordinary shares began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on May 15, 2024 under the ticker symbol “JDZG.”
The Company received aggregate gross proceeds of US$8,000,000 from the Offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and other related expenses. In addition, the Company granted the underwriters a 60-day option to purchase up to an additional 300,000 ordinary shares at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts.
Proceeds from the Offering will be used primarily to expand sales and operation teams and enhance marketing efforts, acquire vocational education and training institutions authorized by the People’s Republic of China government and establish 8 to 10 examination centers, and invest in technology research and development, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
The Offering was conducted on a firm commitment basis. WestPark Capital, Inc. was the Book-Running Lead Manager for the Offering. Webull Financial LLC was the co-manager. Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC acted as U.S. securities counsel to the Company, and MagStone Law, LLP acted as U.S. counsel to WestPark Capital, Inc. in connection with the Offering.
The registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Offering was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) (File Numbers: 333-276283), as amended, and was declared effective by the SEC on May 14, 2024. The Offering was made only by means of a prospectus, forming a part of the registration statement. Copies of the final prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained from WestPark Capital, Inc. by email at syndicate@wpcapital.com, by standard mail to WestPark Capital, Inc., 1800 Century Park East, Suite 220, Los Angeles, CA, 90067, or by telephone at (310) 843-9300; or from Webull Financial LLC, by email at customerservice@webull.com, by standard mail to Webull Financial LLC, 44 Wall Street 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10005, or by telephone at (917) 725-2448. In addition, copies of the final prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained via the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company’s securities, nor shall such securities be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation, or sale of any of the Company’s securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.
About JIADE LIMITED
JIADE LIMITED specializes in providing one-stop comprehensive education supporting services to adult education institutions, through a wide spectrum of software platform and auxiliary solutions, to meet the evolving needs of their customers in the rapidly changing adult education industry. The Company’s services are primarily offered through the Kebiao Technology Educational Administration Platform (the “KB Platform”), which facilitates streamlined information and data management throughout the teaching cycle of adult education services, from pre-enrollment to post-graduation. The KB Platform supports a broad range of functions, such as enrollment consultation, student information collection, enrollment status management, learning progress management, grade inquiry, and graduation management. The Company also provides auxiliary solutions to adult education institutions, which encompass teaching support services throughout the entire teaching cycle and related exam administration services.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the Company’s proposed Offering. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may”, or other similar expressions in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.
For more information, please contact:
JIADE LIMITED
Investor Relations Department
Email: kebiao@sckbkj.com
Ascent Investor Relations LLC
Tina Xiao
Phone: +1-646-932-7242
Email: investors@ascent-ir.com
Exhibit 99.3
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
OF
JIADE LIMITED
This Audit Committee Charter (the “Charter”) was adopted by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of JIADE LIMITED, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), on December 23, 2023, and shall become effective upon the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Company’s initial public offering.
I. Purpose
The purpose of the Audit Committee (the “Committee”) is to oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Company and the audits of the financial statements of the Company. The Committee assists the Board with its oversight responsibilities regarding: (i) the integrity of the Company’s financial statements; (ii) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; (iii) the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence; and (iv) the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and independent auditor. The Committee shall prepare the report required by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) to be included in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F.
In addition to the powers and responsibilities expressly delegated to the Committee in this Charter, the Committee may exercise any other powers and carry out any other responsibilities delegated to it by the Board from time to time consistent with the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended from time to time (the “Articles”). The powers and responsibilities delegated by the Board to the Committee in this Charter or otherwise shall be exercised and carried out by the Committee as it deems appropriate without requirement of Board approval, and any decision made by the Committee (including any decision to exercise or refrain from exercising any of the powers delegated to the Committee hereunder) shall be at the Committee’s sole discretion. While acting within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to it, the Committee shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Committee shall have the power to determine which matters are within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to it.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee’s responsibilities are limited to oversight. Although the Committee has the responsibilities set forth in this Charter, it is not the responsibility of the Committee to plan or conduct audits or to determine that the Company’s financial statements and disclosure are complete and accurate and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and applicable laws, rules and regulations. These are the responsibilities of the Company’s management (“Management”) and the independent auditor.
Furthermore, auditing literature, particularly Statement of Accounting Standards No. 71, defines the term “review” to include a particular set of required procedures to be undertaken by independent auditors. The members of the Committee are not independent auditors, and the term “review” as used in this Charter is not intended to have that meaning and should not be interpreted to suggest that the Committee members can or should follow the procedures required of auditors performing reviews of financial statements.
II. Membership
The Committee shall consist of at least three members of the Board, as determined by the Board. Each Committee member shall be financially literate as determined by the Board in its business judgment or must become financially literate within a reasonable period of time after his or her appointment to the Committee. Members of the Committee must (i) not have participated in the preparation of the financial statements of the Company or any current subsidiary of the Company at any time during the past three years; and (ii) be able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company's balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. Members of the Committee are not required to be engaged in the accounting and auditing profession and, consequently, some members may not be expert in financial matters, or in matters involving auditing or accounting. However, at least one member of the Committee must have accounting or related financial management expertise as determined by the Board in its business judgment. In addition, at least one member of the Committee shall be an “audit committee financial expert” within the definition adopted by the SEC or shall possess financial sophistication within the meaning of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, or the Company shall disclose in its annual report on Form 20-F required pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the reasons why at least one member of the Committee is not an “audit committee financial expert.”
At least a majority of the members of the Committee shall be independent within the meaning of Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and will satisfy the independence requirements of Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Exchange Act within the 90-day period after the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Company’s initial public offering (the “Effective Time”). All Committee members must satisfy the independence requirements of Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Exchange Act beginning from the first anniversary of the Effective Time. No Committee member may simultaneously serve on the audit committee of more than two other public companies, unless the Board determines that such simultaneous service would not impair the ability of such member to effectively serve on the Committee and such determination is disclosed in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F.
The members of the Committee, including the chairperson (the “Chair”) of the Committee, shall be appointed by the Board. Committee members may be removed from the Committee, with or without cause, by the Board.
III. Meetings and Procedures
The Chair (or in his or her absence, a member designated by the Chair) shall preside at each meeting of the Committee and set the agendas for Committee meetings. The Committee shall have the authority to establish its own rules and procedures for notice and conduct of its meetings so long as they are not inconsistent with any provisions of the Articles that are applicable to the Committee.
The Committee shall meet at least once during each fiscal quarter and more frequently as the Committee deems desirable. Except as required by law, all matters shall be approved by a simple majority of all the Committee members.
The Committee shall meet separately and periodically with Management, with the internal auditor, and with the independent auditor. Any meeting of the Committee may be conducted in person or via telephone conference or similar communications equipment where every meeting participant can hear each other.
All non-Management directors that are not members of the Committee may attend and observe meetings of the Committee, but shall not participate in any discussion or deliberation unless invited to do so by the Committee, and in any event shall not be entitled to vote. The Committee may, at its discretion, include in its meetings members of the Company’s Management, representatives of the independent auditor, the internal auditor, and any other financial personnel employed or retained by the Company or any other persons whose presence the Committee believes to be necessary or appropriate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may also exclude from its meetings any persons it deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, any non-Management director that is not a member of the Committee.
The Committee may retain any independent counsel, experts, or advisors (accounting, financial, or otherwise) that the Committee believes to be necessary or appropriate. The Committee may also utilize the services of the Company’s regular legal counsel or other advisors to the Company. The Company shall provide for appropriate funding, as determined by the Committee, for payment of compensation to the independent auditor for the purpose of rendering or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review, or attestation services, for payment of compensation to any counsel, experts, or advisors employed by the Committee and for ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.
The Committee may conduct or authorize investigations into any matters within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to the Committee.
IV. Powers and Responsibilities
1. Appointment and Oversight. The Committee shall be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention, removal and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of any disagreements between Management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work or performing other audit, review, or attestation services for the Company, and the independent auditor shall report directly to the Committee.
2. Pre-Approval of Services. Before the independent auditor is engaged by the Company or its subsidiaries to render audit or non-audit services, the Committee shall pre-approve the engagement. Committee pre-approval of audit and non-audit services will not be required if the engagement for the services is entered into pursuant to pre-approval policies and procedures established by the Committee regarding the Company’s engagement of the independent auditor, provided that the policies and procedures are detailed as to the particular service, the Committee is informed of each service provided and such policies and procedures do not include delegation of the Committee’s responsibilities under the Exchange Act to the Management. The Committee may delegate to one or more designated members of the Committee the authority to grant pre-approvals, provided that such pre-approvals are presented to the Committee at a subsequent meeting. If the Committee elects to establish pre-approval policies and procedures regarding non-audit services, the Committee must be informed of each non-audit service provided by the independent auditor. Committee pre-approval of non-audit services (other than review and attestation services) also will not be required if such services fall within available exceptions established by the SEC.
3. Independence of Independent Auditor. The Committee shall, at least annually, review the independence and quality control procedures of the independent auditor and the experience and qualifications of the independent auditor’s senior personnel that are providing audit services to the Company. In conducting its review:
(i) The Committee shall obtain and review a report prepared by the independent auditor describing (a) the auditing firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (b) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the auditing firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the auditing firm, and any steps taken to deal with any such issues;
(ii) The Committee shall ensure that the independent auditor prepare and deliver, at least annually, a written statement delineating all relationships between the independent auditor and the Company. The Committee shall actively engage in a dialogue with the independent auditor with respect to any disclosed relationships or services that, in the view of the Committee, may impact the objectivity and independence of the independent auditor. If the Committee determines that further inquiry is advisable, the Committee shall take appropriate action in response to the independent auditor’s report to satisfy itself of the auditor’s independence;
(iii) The Committee shall confirm with the independent auditor that the independent auditor is in compliance with the partner rotation requirements established by the SEC; and
(iv) The Committee shall, if applicable, consider whether the independent auditor’s provision of any permitted information technology service or other non-audit service to the Company is compatible with maintaining the independence of the independent auditor.
4. Meetings with Management, the Independent Auditor and the Internal Auditor.
(i) The Committee shall meet with Management, the independent auditor, and the internal auditor in connection with each annual audit to discuss the scope of the audit, the procedures to be followed, and the staffing of the audit.
(ii) The Committee shall review and discuss with Management and the independent auditor any material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities of which the Committee is made aware that do not appear on the financial statements of the Company and that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses.
(iii) The Committee shall review and discuss the annual audited financial statements with Management and the independent auditor, including the Company’s disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F.
5. Separate Meetings with the Independent Auditor.
(i) The Committee shall review with the independent auditor any problems or difficulties the independent auditor may have encountered during the course of the audit work, including any restrictions on the scope of activities or access to required information or any significant disagreements with Management and Management’s responses to such matters.
(ii) The Committee shall discuss with the independent auditor the report that such auditor is required to make to the Committee regarding: (a) all critical accounting policies and practices to be used; (b) all alternative treatments within U.S. GAAP for policies and practices related to material items that have been discussed among Management and the independent auditor, including the ramifications of the use of such alternative disclosures and treatments, and the treatment preferred by the independent auditor; and (c) all other material written communications between the independent auditor and Management, such as any Management letter, Management representation letter, reports on observations and recommendations on internal controls, independent auditor’s engagement letter, independent auditor’s independence letter, schedule of unadjusted audit differences and a listing of adjustments and reclassifications not recorded, if any.
(iii) The Committee shall discuss with the independent auditor the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, “Communication with Audit Committees,” as then in effect.
6. Recommendation to Include Financial Statements in Annual Report. The Committee shall, based on the review and discussions in paragraphs 4(iii) and 5(iii) above, and based on the disclosures received from the independent auditor regarding its independence and discussions with the auditor regarding such independence pursuant to subparagraph 3(ii) above, determine whether to recommend to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year subject to the audit.
7. The Committee shall discuss with Management and the independent auditor the Company’s earnings press releases (with particular focus on any “pro forma” or “adjusted” non-GAAP information), as well as financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies. The Committee’s discussion in this regard may be general in nature (i.e., discussion of the types of information to be disclosed and the type of presentation to be made) and need not take place in advance of each earnings release or each instance in which the Company may provide earnings guidance.
8. The Committee shall review all related party transactions by the Company (including any of its subsidiaries and consolidated affiliates) on an ongoing basis and all such transactions must be approved by the Committee in advance. All related party transactions should be disclosed in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The Committee recognizes that there are situations where the Company may have to obtain products or services of a nature, quantity or quality, or on other terms, that are not readily available from alternative sources or when the Company provides products or services to related persons on an arm's length basis on terms comparable to those provided to unrelated third parties.
a. The Committee shall consider all of the relevant facts and circumstances available to the Committee, including (if applicable), but not limited to:
• The benefits to the Company;
• The impact on a director's independence in the event the related person is a director, an immediate family member of a director or an entity in which a director is a principal, member, partner, shareholder or executive officer;
• The availability of other sources for comparable products or services;
• The terms of the transaction; and
• The terms available to unrelated third parties and employees generally.
b. No member of the Committee shall participate in any review, consideration or approval of any related party transactions with respect to which such member or any of his or her immediate family members is the related person. The Board shall approve only those related party transactions that are in, or are not inconsistent with, the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, as the Committee determines in good faith.
9. The Committee shall discuss with Management and the independent auditor any correspondence from or with regulators or governmental agencies, any employee complaints or any published reports that raise material issues regarding the Company’s financial statements, financial reporting process, accounting policies, or internal audit function.
10. The Committee shall discuss with the Company’s internal or outside counsel any legal matters brought to the Committee’s attention that could reasonably be expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.
11. The Committee shall request assurances from Management, the independent auditor, and the Company’s internal auditors that the Company’s subsidiaries and affiliated entities, if any, are operated in conformity with applicable legal requirements, including disclosure of related party transactions.
12. The Committee shall discuss with Management the Company’s policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management. The Committee shall discuss with Management the Company’s significant financial risk exposures and the actions Management has taken to limit, monitor or control such exposures.
13. The Committee shall monitor the compliance with the Company’s code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s procedures to ensure proper compliance.
14. The Committee shall review the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s accounting and internal control policies and procedures and any steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures.
15. The Committee shall review and concur with Management on the need for an internal audit department and on the appointment, replacement, reassignment, or dismissal of an internal audit department senior manager or director. The Committee shall also review any internal reports to Management (or summaries thereof) prepared by the internal audit department, as well as Management’s response.
16. The Committee shall set clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the
Company’s independent auditor.
17. The Committee shall establish procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters. The Committee shall also establish procedures for the confidential and anonymous submission by employees regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters.
18. The Committee shall provide the Company with the report of the Committee with respect to the audited financial statements required by Item 306 of Reg. S-K, for inclusion in each of the Company’s annual reports filed on Form 20-F.
19. The Committee, through its Chair, shall report regularly to, and review with, the Board any issues that arise with respect to the quality or integrity of the Company’s financial statements, the Company’s compliance with legal or regulatory requirements, the performance and independence of the Company’s independent auditor, the performance of the Company’s internal audit function or any other matter the Committee determines is necessary or advisable to report to the Board.
20. The Committee shall at least annually perform an evaluation of the performance of the
Committee and its members, including a review of the Committee’s compliance with this Charter.
21. The Committee shall at least annually review and reassess this Charter and submit any recommended changes to the Board for its consideration.
V. Delegation of Duties
In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Committee shall be entitled to delegate any or all of its responsibilities to a subcommittee of the Committee to the extent permitted by, or consistent with provisions of, the Articles and applicable laws and regulations and rules of the markets in which the Company’s securities then trade.
Exhibit 99.4
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE CHARTER
OF
JIADE LIMITED
This Compensation Committee Charter (the “Charter”) was adopted by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of JIADE LIMITED, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), on December 23, 2023, and shall become effective upon the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Company’s initial public offering.
| I. | Purpose |
The purpose of the Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) is (i) to assist the Board in discharging the Board’s responsibilities relating to compensation of the Company’s executives, including reviewing and evaluating and, if necessary, revising the compensation plans, policies, and programs of the Company adopted by management, and (ii) to review and approve the disclosure of executive compensation for inclusion in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The Committee shall ensure that compensation programs are designed to encourage high performance, promote accountability, and assure that employee interests are aligned with the interests of the Company’s shareholders.
In addition to the powers and responsibilities expressly delegated to the Committee in this Charter, the Committee may exercise any other powers and carry out any other responsibilities delegated to it by the Board from time to time consistent with the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended from time to time (the “Articles”). The powers and responsibilities delegated by the Board to the Committee in this Charter or otherwise shall be exercised and carried out by the Committee as it deems appropriate without the requirement of Board approval, and any decision made by the Committee (including any decision to exercise or refrain from exercising any of the powers and responsibilities delegated to the Committee hereunder) shall be at the Committee’s sole discretion. While acting within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to it, the Committee shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Committee shall have the power to determine which matters are within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to it.
| II. | Membership |
The Committee shall be composed of three or more directors, as determined by the Board, none of whom shall be an employee of the Company and each of whom (i) shall satisfy the “independence” requirements of Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and Rule 10C-1 under the Securities Exchange Act, (ii) shall be a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (iii) shall be an “outside director” under the regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (iv) shall have experience, in the business judgment of the Board, that would be helpful in addressing the matters delegated to the Committee, and shall not accept directly or indirectly any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fees (the “Compensatory Fees”) from the Company or any subsidiary thereof. For the purpose of this paragraph, the Compensatory Fees do not include: (i) fees received as a member of the Committee, the Board, or any other Board committee; or (ii) the receipt of fixed amounts of compensation under a retirement plan (including deferred compensation) for prior service with the Company (provided that such compensation is not contingent in any way on continued service).
In determining whether a director is eligible to serve on the Committee, the Board shall consider all factors specifically relevant to determining whether a director has a relationship to the Company which is material to such director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a Committee member, including but not limited to, whether the director is affiliated with the Company, any subsidiary of the Company, or any affiliate of a subsidiary of the Company.
At least a majority of the members of the Committee shall satisfy the independence requirements of the Nasdaq Listing Rules within the 90-day period after the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Company’s initial public offering (the “Effective Time”), and all of the members of the Committee shall satisfy the independence requirements of the Nasdaq Listing Rules beginning from the first anniversary of the Effective Time.
The members of the Committee, including the chairperson of the Committee (the “Chair”), shall be appointed by the Board on the recommendation of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee. Committee members may be removed from the Committee, with or without cause, by the Board. If one Committee member ceases to be independent in accordance with the requirements of Rule 10C-1 due to circumstances beyond the member’s reasonable control, that person, with notice by the Company to Nasdaq or the applicable national security association, may remain a compensation committee member of the Company until the earlier of its next annual shareholders meeting or one year from the occurrence of the event that caused the member to be no longer independent.
| III. | Meetings and Procedures |
The Chair (or in his or her absence, a member designated by the Chair) shall preside at each meeting of the Committee and set the agendas for Committee meetings. The Committee shall have the authority to establish its own rules and procedures for notice and conduct of its meetings so long as they are not inconsistent with any provisions of the Articles that are applicable to the Committee.
The Committee shall meet on a regularly scheduled basis at least once per year and more frequently as and when the Committee deems necessary or desirable. A meeting of the Committee may be conducted in person or via telephone conference where every meeting participant can hear each other. Except as required by law, all matters shall be approved by a simple majority of all the Committee members.
All non-management directors who are not members of the Committee may attend and observe meetings of the Committee, but shall not participate in any discussion or deliberation unless invited to do so by the Committee, and in any event shall not be entitled to vote. The Committee may, at its discretion, include in its meetings members of the Company’s management or any other person whose presence the Committee believes to be necessary or appropriate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the chief executive officer may not be present during voting or deliberations concerning his or her compensation, and the Committee may exclude from its meetings any persons it deems appropriate, including but not limited to any non-management director who is not a member of the Committee.
The Chair shall report to the Board regarding the activities of the Committee at appropriate times and as otherwise requested by the Chairman of the Board.
| IV. | Duties and Responsibilities |
1. The Committee shall, at least annually, review and approve the compensation of the chief executive officer. In determining the long-term incentive component of the chief executive officer’s compensation, the Committee shall consider the Company’s performance, the value of similar incentive awards to chief executive officers at comparable companies, and the awards given to the chief executive officer in past years. The Committee shall have sole authority to determine the chief executive officer’s compensation.
2. The Committee shall, with respect to executive officers other than the chief executive officer, make recommendations to the Board concerning compensation, incentive compensation plans, and equity-based plans.
3. The Committee shall annually review all annual bonuses, long-term incentive compensation, stock options, employee pension, and welfare benefit plans (including employee stock purchase plans, long-term incentive plans, management incentive plans and others), and with respect to each plan shall have responsibility for:
(i) setting performance targets under all annual bonuses and long-term incentive compensation plans as appropriate;
(ii) certifying that any and all performance targets used for any performance-based equity compensation plans have been met before payment of any executive bonus or compensation or exercise of any executive award granted under any such plan(s);
(iii) approving all amendments to, and terminations of, all compensation plans and any awards under such plans;
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(iv) granting any awards under any performance-based annual bonus, long-term incentive compensation and equity compensation plans to executive officers or current employees with the potential to become the chief executive officer or an executive officer, including stock options and other equity rights (e.g., restricted stock, stock purchase rights);
(v) approving which executive officers are entitled to awards under the Company’s stock option plan(s);
(vi) repurchasing securities from terminated employees; and
(vii) conducting an annual review of all compensation plans, including reviewing each plan’s administrative costs, reviewing current plan features relative to any proposed new features, and assessing the performance of the plan’s internal and external administrators if any duties have been delegated.
4. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or receive the advice from the Company’s regular legal counsel, other independent counsel, compensation and benefits consultants, and other experts or advisors (the “Compensation Advisors”) that the Committee believes to be desirable or appropriate. The Committee is not bound by the advice or recommendations of the Compensation Advisors and shall exercise its own judgment in fulfilling its responsibilities.
5. The Committee shall be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of the Compensation Advisors.
6. The Company shall provide for appropriate funding, as determined by the Committee, for payment of compensation to the Compensation Advisors.
7. The Committee shall select, or receive advice from the Compensation Advisors, other than in-house legal counsel, after taking into consideration the following factors:
(i) the provision of other services to the Company by the person that employs the Compensation Advisors;
(ii) the amount of fees received from the Company by the person that employs the Compensation Advisors, as a percentage of the total revenue of the person that employs such Compensation Advisors;
(iii) the policies and procedures of the person that employs the Compensation Advisors that are designed to prevent conflicts of interest;
(iv) any business or personal relationship of the Compensation Advisors with a member of the Committee;
(v) any stock of the Company owned by the Compensation Advisors; and
(vi) any business or personal relationship of the Compensation Advisor or the person employing the Compensation Advisors with an executive officer of the Company.
8. The Committee shall conduct the independence assessment outlined in this Charter with respect to any Compensation Advisors, other than in-house legal counsel. Nevertheless, the Committee may select, or receive advice from, any Compensation Advisors, including ones that are not independent, after considering factors 7(i) through 7(vi) outlined above.
9. For purposes of this Charter, the Committee is not required to conduct an independence assessment for any Compensation Advisors that act in a role limited to the following activities for which no public disclosure is required: (a) consulting on any broad-based plan that does not discriminate in scope, terms, or operation, in favor of any executive officers or directors of the Company, and that is available generally to all salaried employees; or (b) providing information that either is not customized for a particular issuer or that is customized based on parameters that are not developed by such Compensation Advisors, and about which such Compensation Advisors does not provide advice.
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10. The Committee shall establish and periodically review policies concerning prerequisite benefits.
11. The Committee shall periodically review the Company’s policies with respect to change of control or “parachute” payments, if any.
12. The Committee shall manage and review executive officer and director indemnification and insurance matters.
13. The Committee shall manage and review any employee loans in an amount equal to or greater than US$60,000.
14. The Committee shall prepare and approve the disclosure of executive compensation for inclusion in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F.
15. The Committee shall on an annual basis evaluate its own performance, including its compliance with this Charter, and provide any written material with respect to such evaluation to the Board, including any recommendations for changes in procedures or policies governing the Committee. The Committee shall conduct such evaluation and review in such manner as it deems appropriate.
16. The Committee shall periodically report to the Board its findings and actions.
17. The Committee shall review and reassess this Charter at least annually and submit any recommended changes to the Board for its consideration.
| V. | Delegation of Duties |
In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Committee shall be entitled to delegate any or all of its responsibilities to a subcommittee of the Committee, to the extent consistent with the Articles and applicable law and rules of the markets in which the Company’s securities then trade.
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Exhibit 99.5
NOMINATING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHARTER
OF
JIADE LIMITED
This Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter (the “Charter”) was adopted by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of JIADE LIMITED, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), on December 23, 2023, and shall become effective upon the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Company’s initial public offering.
I. Purpose
The purpose of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Committee”) is to assist the Board in discharging the Board’s responsibilities regarding:
1. identification and recommendation of qualified director nominees to be elected at the next annual meeting of shareholders (or special meeting of shareholders at which directors are to be elected);
2. identification and recommendation of qualified candidates to fill any vacancies on the Board;
3. annual review of the composition of the Board in light of the characteristics of independence, qualification, experience and availability of the Board members;
4. oversight of the evaluation of the Board; and
5. monitoring of compliance with the Company’s code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s internal rules and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
In addition to the powers and responsibilities expressly delegated to the Committee in this Charter, the Committee may exercise any other powers and carry out any other responsibilities delegated to it by the Board from time to time consistent with the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended from time to time (the “Articles”). The powers and responsibilities delegated by the Board to the Committee in this Charter or otherwise may be exercised and carried out by the Committee as it deems appropriate without Board approval, and any decision made by the Committee (including any decision to exercise or refrain from exercising any of the powers delegated to the Committee hereunder) shall be at the Committee’s sole discretion. While acting within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to it, the Committee has and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Committee shall have the power to determine which matters are within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to it.
II. Membership
The Committee shall be comprised of three or more members of the Board, as determined by the Board, each of whom has experience, in the business judgment of the Board, that would be helpful in addressing the matters delegated to the Committee. In addition, at least a majority of the members of the Committee shall satisfy the independence requirements of Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules within the 90-day period after the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Company’s initial public offering (the “Effective Time”), and all of the members of the Committee shall satisfy the independence requirements of Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules beginning from the first anniversary of the Effective Time.
The members of the Committee, including the chairperson of the Committee (the “Chair”), shall be appointed by the Board. Committee members may be removed from the Committee, with or without cause, by the Board. Any action duly taken by the Committee shall be valid and effective, whether or not the members of the Committee at the time of such action are later determined not to have satisfied the requirements for membership provided herein.
III. Meetings and Procedures
The Chair (or in his or her absence, a member designated by the Chair) shall preside at each meeting of the Committee and set the agendas for Committee meetings. The Committee shall have the authority to establish its own rules and procedures for notice and conduct of its meetings so long as they are not inconsistent with any provisions of the Articles that are applicable to the Committee.
The Committee shall meet on a regularly scheduled basis, at least twice per year and more frequently as and when the Committee deems necessary or desirable. A meeting of the Committee may be conducted in person or via telephone conference where every meeting participant can hear each other. Except as required by law, all matters shall be approved by a simple majority of all the Committee members.
All non-management directors who are not members of the Committee may attend and observe meetings of the Committee, but shall not participate in any discussion or deliberation unless invited to do so by the Committee, and in any event shall not be entitled to vote. The Committee may, at its discretion, include in its meetings members of the Company’s management, or any other person whose presence the Committee believes to be desirable and appropriate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may exclude from its meetings any persons, including any non-management director, who is not a member of the Committee.
The Committee may retain any independent counsel, experts or advisors that the Committee believes to be desirable and appropriate. The Committee may also use the services of the Company’s regular legal counsel or other advisors to the Company. The Company shall provide for appropriate funding, as determined by the Committee, for payment of compensation to any such persons employed by the Committee and for ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties. The Committee shall have sole authority to retain and terminate any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, including sole authority to approve such search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
The Chair shall report to the Board regarding the activities of the Committee at appropriate times and as otherwise requested by the Chairman of the Board.
IV. Duties and Responsibilities
1. (a) At an appropriate time prior to each annual meeting of shareholders at which directors are to be elected or reelected, the Committee shall recommend to the Board for nomination by the Board such candidates as the Committee, in the exercise of its judgment, has found to be well qualified and willing and available to serve.
(b) At an appropriate time after a vacancy arises on the Board or a director advises the Board of his or her intention to resign, the Committee shall recommend to the Board for appointment by the Board to fill such vacancy, such candidate as the Committee, in the exercise of its judgment, has found to be well qualified and willing and available to serve.
2. The Committee shall annually review the performance of each incumbent director and shall consider the results of such evaluation when determining whether or not to recommend the nomination of such director for an additional term.
3. The Committee shall oversee the Board in the Board’s annual review of its own performance and the performance of management, and will make appropriate recommendations to improve performance.
4. The Committee shall consider, prepare and recommend to the Board such policies and procedures with respect to corporate governance matters as may be required or required to be disclosed pursuant to any rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission or otherwise considered to be desirable and appropriate in the discretion of the Committee.
5. The Committee shall evaluate its own performance on an annual basis, including its compliance with this Charter, and provide the Board with any recommendations for changes in procedures or policies governing the Committee. The Committee shall conduct such evaluation and review in such manner as it deems appropriate.
6. The Committee shall periodically report to the Board on its findings and actions.
7. The Committee shall review and reassess this Charter at least annually and submit any recommended changes to the Board for its consideration.
V. Delegation of Duties
In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Committee shall be entitled to delegate any or all of its responsibilities to a subcommittee of the Committee, to the extent consistent with the Articles and applicable law and rules of the markets in which the Company’s securities then trade.