Transcode Therapeutics, Inc DEFA14A, filed Apr 7, 2026
Transcode Therapeutics, Inc. (RNAZ)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): April 6, 2026
TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 001-40363 | 81-1065054 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
TransCode Therapeutics, Inc.
6
Liberty Square, #2382
Boston, Massachusetts
02109
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(857) 837-3099
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| x | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.
| Title of each class | Trading symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share | RNAZ | The Nasdaq Capital Market |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company x
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
| Item 1.01 | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
On April 6, 2026, TransCode Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, (the “Company,” “we,” or “our”) entered into a Standby Equity Purchase Agreement (the “SEPA”) with YA II PN, LTD, a Cayman Islands exempt limited partnership (“Yorkville”), pursuant to which the Company has the right to sell to Yorkville up to $14 million of shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, (“Common Stock”) subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the SEPA, from time to time during the term of the SEPA (the “Commitment Amount”). Sales of the shares of Common Stock to Yorkville under the SEPA, and the timing of any such sales, are at the Company’s option, and the Company is under no obligation to sell any shares of Common Stock to Yorkville under the SEPA.
Upon the satisfaction of the conditions to Yorkville’s purchase obligation set forth in the SEPA, which include, among other things, (i) having a registration statement registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) the resale of the shares of Common Stock issuable under the SEPA (the “Yorkville Registration Statement”), and (ii) no balance being outstanding under any Convertible Note (as defined below) with certain exceptions, the Company can, at its sole discretion, direct Yorkville to purchase specified amounts of Common Stock (each such event, an “Advance”) by delivering written notice to Yorkville (each, an “Advance Notice”) in accordance with the terms of the SEPA. The purchase price per share for each Advance is set at 97% of the lowest daily volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) during the three consecutive trading days beginning on the date upon which the Advance Notice is delivered (the “Pricing Period”), with certain exceptions and with the Company having the option to set a minimum price. While there is no mandatory minimum amount of Common Stock the Company is required to direct Yorkville to purchase pursuant to any single Advance Notice, an Advance Notice may not direct Yorkville to purchase a number of shares of Common Stock exceeding the greater of (i) 100% of the average of the daily trading volume of the Common Stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) during the five consecutive trading day-period immediately preceding an Advance Notice and (ii) 500,000 shares of Common Stock. Actual sales of Common Stock to Yorkville as Advances under the SEPA will depend on a variety of factors to be determined by the Company in its sole discretion, from time to time, which may include, among other things, market conditions, the trading price of the Common Stock and determinations by the Company as to appropriate sources of funding for the Company’s business and operations.
In connection with the SEPA, and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Yorkville has also agreed to advance to the Company up to $6.0 million, less certain amounts as described below, to be paid in two tranches (each, a “Pre-Paid Advance” and, together, the “Pre-Paid Advances”), in exchange for the Company’s issuance to Yorkville of convertible promissory notes (each, a “Convertible Note” and, together, the “Convertible Notes”). Pursuant to the Convertible Notes and the SEPA, Yorkville may convert all or any portion of the outstanding principal amount, accrued and unpaid interest and other amounts outstanding under the Convertible Notes into shares of Common Stock, at any time and from time to time during the term of the Convertible Notes as described below.
The first Pre-Paid Advance in the amount of $1.0 million is conditioned upon the Company filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 on or prior to April 15, 2025 (“Form 10-K”) and will be disbursed to the Company concurrently with the Company’s filing of its Form 10-K. In exchange for the first Pre-Paid Advance, the Company will issue to Yorkville a Convertible Note in the principal amount of $1.0 million (the “First Convertible Note”), which will be issued with a purchase price discount of 5.0% (or $50,000). The First Convertible Note is convertible into Common Stock at the lower of (i) a fixed conversion price equal to 115% of the VWAP of the Company’s Common Stock on the day prior to the issuance of the First Convertible Note and (ii) 95% of the lowest daily VWAP during the seven consecutive trading days immediately preceding the conversion date, but in no event lower than 20% of last reported trading price of the Company’s Common Stock on Nasdaq as quoted by Bloomberg (the “First Convertible Note Conversion Price”) as of the trading day immediately prior to the date of the SEPA (the “Floor Price”). After the purchase price discount, the Company expects to receive gross proceeds of $950,000 pursuant to the First Convertible Note.
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The second tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance, in the amount of $5.0 million, will be disbursed to the Company in exchange for the issuance to Yorkville of a Convertible Note in the principal amount of $5.0 million (the “Second Convertible Note”). The Second Convertible Note will be issued with a purchase price discount of 5.0% (or $250,000) and will be convertible into Common Stock at the lower of (i) a fixed conversion price equal to 115% of the VWAP of the Company’s Common Stock on the day prior to the issuance of the Second Convertible Note and (ii) 95% of the lowest daily VWAP during the seven consecutive trading days immediately preceding the conversion date, but in no event lower than Floor Price (the “Second Convertible Note Conversion Price, and together with the First Convertible Note Conversion Price, the “Conversion Price”). The Second Convertible Note will be issued on the second trading day after the later of (i) the Yorkville Registration Statement described above first becoming effective under the Securities Act, (ii) the Company’s receipt of the requisite stockholder approval to issue shares of Common Stock to Yorkville under the SEPA in excess of the Exchange Cap (defined below), and (iii) the approval by Nasdaq of the Initial Listing Application required under Nasdaq Listing Rules 5110 and 5635(b). After the purchase price discount, the Company expects to receive gross proceeds of $4,750,000 pursuant to the Second Convertible Note.
Interest on the outstanding balances of the Convertible Notes will accrue at an annual rate of 5.0%, subject to an increase to 18% upon an event of default as described below. The maturity date of the First Convertible Note will be on the 18-month anniversary of the date upon which the First Convertible Note was issued. The maturity date of the Second Convertible Note will be the 18-month anniversary of the date upon which the Second Convertible Note is issued. The applicable maturity date of each Convertible Note may be extended by the Company, at its option, for a period of six months on two occasions by providing written notice to Yorkville. On the applicable maturity date, any portion of the outstanding principal amount and accrued and unpaid interest that remains outstanding on such Convertible Note will automatically be converted at the then applicable Conversion Price, provided that if any Equity Condition (as defined in the Convertible Notes ) is not satisfied, the applicable maturity date will be automatically extended until all Equity Conditions have been satisfied.
Upon an event of default under the Convertible Notes, which includes, among other things, payment defaults not cured within five (5) days, certain bankruptcy events, certain changes in control transactions unless the outstanding obligations are repaid at closing or Yorkville consents, failure to timely deliver shares, specified cross-defaults exceeding $500,000, late SEC periodic reports, trading suspensions of ten (10) consecutive trading days, and material covenant breaches not cured within the applicable period, the interest rate shall increase to 18% per annum and, at Yorkville’s election or automatically upon certain insolvency events, the full outstanding amount, together with a 10% payment premium and all accrued interest and other amounts owing, shall become immediately due and payable.
The sale and issuance of shares under the SEPA, including pursuant to the conversion of the Convertible Notes at Yorkville’s option and the sale of shares of Common Stock at the option of the Company, is subject to an exchange cap limiting the total number of shares issuable to Yorkville to 183,301 (19.99% of outstanding shares of Common Stock before the effective date of the SEPA) (the “Exchange Cap”), unless the Company obtains stockholder approval to exceed this Exchange Cap (the “Yorkville Issuance Approval”). Additionally, Yorkville cannot own more than 9.99% of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock at any time, unless it provides written notice of its intention to increase this limit, effective after 65 days.
As consideration for Yorkville’s commitment to purchase Common Stock at the Company’s direction pursuant to the SEPA, the Company (i) paid to Yorkville a cash “diligence fee” in the amount of $25,000 and (ii) shall pay a commitment fee in an amount equal to 2.00% of the Commitment Amount (the “Commitment Fee”), or $280,000, which shall be paid on the earlier of (i) the thirtieth Trading Day following April 6, 2026, or (ii) the initial filing date of the initial Yorkville Registration Statement (the “Fee Due Date”). The Company may pay the Commitment Fee on the Fee Due Date either in cash or by issuance to the Investor of such number of Common Shares that is equal to the Commitment Fee divided by the closing price of the Common Shares as of the Trading Day immediately prior to the Fee Due Date (collectively, the “Commitment Shares”).
In connection with the SEPA, the Company and Yorkville entered into a Registration Rights Agreement dated as of April 6, 2026, (the “Yorkville Registration Rights Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to file the Yorkville Registration Statement with the SEC by April 30, 2026, and to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective by the SEC within 90 days of the effective date of the SEPA. The Company also granted Yorkville customary piggyback registration and indemnification rights and entered into customary issuer covenants.
The SEPA and the Yorkville Registration Rights Agreement contain customary representations, warranties, conditions and indemnification obligations of the parties. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in such agreements were made only for purposes of such agreements and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreements and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties.
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The foregoing description of the SEPA, the Convertible Notes and Yorkville Registration Rights Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the SEPA, the Convertible Notes and the Yorkville Registration Rights Agreement, copies of which are filed as Exhibits 10.1, 4.1 and 4.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 2.03 | Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant. |
The information set forth in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 3.02 | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities. |
The information contained in Item 1.01 of this Current Report is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02.
Acquisition PIK Dividend
As previously disclosed by the Company, on October 8, 2025, the Company entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with DEFJ, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“DEFJ”), pursuant to which the Company acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding membership interests of ABCJ, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ABCJ”) (such transaction, the “Acquisition”). Prior to the Acquisition, ABCJ was a wholly owned subsidiary of DEFJ and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CK Life Sciences Int’l., (Holdings) Inc., a listed entity on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, upon the consummation of the Acquisition, which occurred concurrently with the execution of the Purchase Agreement, in exchange for all of the membership interests of ABCJ, the Company issued to DEFJ an aggregate of (i) 83,285 shares of Common Stock, and (ii) 1,152.9568 shares of the Company’s Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Series A Preferred Stock”). Tungsten Advisors (through its broker-dealer, Finalis Securities LLC) (“Tungsten”) acted as the financial advisor to the Company in connection with the Acquisition. As partial compensation for services rendered by Tungsten, the Company issued to Tungsten and its affiliates and designees an aggregate of 59.2255 shares of Series A Preferred Stock.
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock (the “Certificate of Designation”) filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on October 27, 2025, holders of Series A Preferred Stock were entitled to receive, and the Company was required to pay, payment-in-kind dividends on each share of Series A Preferred Stock (the “PIK Dividend”), accruing at a rate equal to 5% per annum payable in shares of Series A Preferred Stock 180 days after the date of the original issuance of such Series A Preferred Stock. On April 6, 2026, the Company issued as a PIK Dividend, 28.4291 shares of Series A Preferred Stock to DEFJ and 1.4604 shares of Series A Preferred Stock to Tungsten.
The securities to be issued as described in Item 1.01 and the PIK Dividend to be issued pursuant to the Certificate of Designation will be issued to accredited investors (as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act) in transactions not involving any public offering in reliance upon an exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
The securities issued pursuant to the SEPA and the PIK Dividend have not been registered under the Securities Act and none of such securities may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws.
Neither this Current Report on Form 8-K nor any of the exhibits attached hereto will constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company.
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| Item 7.01 | Regulation FD Disclosure. |
On April 6, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing its entering into the transactions with Yorkville, as described more fully in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K.
The information in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including the information in the press release attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K, is furnished pursuant to Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section. Furthermore, the information in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in the filings of the Company under the Securities Act.
Important Information and Where to Find It
The Company expects to file a proxy statement with the SEC regarding the approval of the issuance of Common Stock pursuant to the SEPA in excess of the Exchange Cap (the “Yorkville Issuance Proposal”). The definitive proxy statement will be sent to all Company stockholders. Before making any voting decision, investors and securityholders of the Company are urged to read the proxy statement and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the stockholder meeting at which the Yorkville Issuance Proposal will be voted upon as such documents become available because they will contain important information about the Yorkville Issuance Proposal to be voted upon. Investors and securityholders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by the Company through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.
Participants in Solicitation
The Company and its respective directors, executive officers, and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the Yorkville Issuance Proposal. Information regarding the Company’s directors and executive officers is available in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on July 15, 2025, under “Proposal No. 1 - Election of Directors” and in this Current Report on Form 8-K. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.
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| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit Number | Description | |
| 4.1* | Form of Convertible Promissory Notes issued to YA II PN, Ltd. | |
| 4.2* | Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of April 6, 2026, by and between TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. and YA II PN, Ltd. | |
| 10.1* | Standby Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 6, 2026, between TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. and YA II PN, Ltd. | |
| 99.1 | Press Release of TransCode Therapeutics, Inc., dated April 6, 2026 (furnished herewith). | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted in Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) |
* Certain annexes, schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K.
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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 hereunto duly authorized.
| TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Thomas A. Fitzgerald | |
| Name: | Thomas A. Fitzgerald | |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer and Secretary | |
| April 7, 2026 | ||
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Exhibit 4.1
NEITHER THIS NOTE NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THIS NOTE IS CONVERTIBLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE. THESE SECURITIES HAVE BEEN SOLD IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, THE SECURITIES MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR OTHER LOAN OR FINANCING ARRANGEMENT SECURED BY THE SECURITIES.
TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Convertible Promissory Note
| Original Principal Amount: [$1,000,000] [$5,000,000] |
Issuance Date: [_________]
Number: RNAZ-[1][2]
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC., an entity organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Company”), hereby promises to pay to the order of YA II PN, LTD., or its registered assigns (the “Holder”), the amount set out above as the Original Principal Amount (or such lesser amount as reduced pursuant to the terms hereof pursuant to repayment, redemption, conversion or otherwise, the “Principal”) and the Payment Premium, as applicable, in each case when due, and to pay interest (“Interest”) on any outstanding Principal at the applicable Interest Rate (as defined below) from the date set out above as the Issuance Date (the “Issuance Date”) until the same becomes due and payable, whether upon the Maturity Date or acceleration, conversion, redemption or otherwise (in each case in accordance with the terms hereof). Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in Section (12). The Issuance Date is the date of the first issuance of this Convertible Promissory Note (as amended, amended and restated, extended, supplemented or otherwise modified in writing from time to time, this “Note”) regardless of the number of transfers and regardless of the number of instruments, which may be issued to evidence such Note. The Company and the Holder are referred to herein at times, collectively, as the “Parties,” and each, a “Party.”
This Note is being issued pursuant to Section 2.01 of the Standby Equity Purchase Agreement, dated April 6, 2026 (as may be amended, amended and restated, extended, supplemented or otherwise modified in writing from time to time, the “SEPA”), by and between the Company and YA II PN, Ltd., as the Investor. This Note may be repaid in accordance with the terms of the SEPA, including, without limitation, pursuant to Investor Notices and corresponding Advance Notices deemed given by the Company in connection with such Investor Notices. The Holder also has the option of converting on one or more occasions all or part of the then outstanding balance under this Note by delivering to the Company one or more Conversion Notices in accordance with Section 3 of this Note.
(1) GENERAL TERMS
(a) Maturity Date. The “Maturity Date” shall be [________], 20271. The Company shall have the right, on two occasions, on each such occasion by providing written notice to the Holder at least 10 Business Days but no more than 30 Business Days prior to the applicable Maturity Date, to elect to extend the Maturity Date for a period of six months from the applicable Maturity Date, provided that as of the date of any such notice, no Event of Default has occurred, and no event has occurred and is continuing that, with the giving of notice, the passage of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default. On the Maturity Date, any portion of the outstanding Principal and accrued and unpaid Interest that remains outstanding shall automatically be converted at the applicable Conversion Price as of such date, provided that if any Equity Condition is not satisfied, then the applicable Maturity Date shall be automatically extended until all Equity Conditions have been satisfied.
(b) Interest Rate and Payment of Interest. Interest shall accrue on the outstanding Principal balance hereof at an annual rate equal to 5% (“Interest Rate”), which Interest Rate shall increase to an annual rate of 18% upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (for so long as such event remains uncured). Interest shall be calculated based on a 365-day year and the actual number of days elapsed, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
(c) Monthly Payments. If, any time after the Issuance Date set forth above, and from time to time thereafter, an Amortization Event has occurred, then the Company shall make monthly cash payments beginning on the 7th Trading Day after the Amortization Event Date and continuing on the same day of each successive Calendar Month until the entire outstanding principal amount of this Note shall have been repaid , or the obligation of the Company to make monthly cash payments pursuant to this Section 1(c) has ceased as set forth below. Each monthly cash payment shall be in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Amortization Principal Amount, plus (ii) the Payment Premium in respect of such Amortization Principal Amount, plus (iii) all accrued and unpaid interest hereunder as of each payment date. The obligation of the Company to make monthly cash payments related to an Amortization Event pursuant to this Section 1(c) shall cease (with respect to any payment that has not yet come due) if at any time after the Amortization Event Date (A) in the event of a Floor Price Event, on the date that is the 10th consecutive Trading Day that the daily VWAP is greater than the Floor Price, or (B) in the event of a Registration Event, the condition or event causing the Registration Event has been cured or the Holder is able to resell the Common Shares issuable upon conversion of this Note in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act, unless a subsequent Amortization Event occurs.
1 Note to Draft: Shall be the date that is 18-months from the closing date of each Pre-Paid Advance.
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(d) Optional Redemption. The Company at its option shall have the right, but not the obligation, to redeem (“Optional Redemption”) early a portion or all amounts outstanding under this Note as described in this Section; provided, that the Company provides the Holder with written notice (each, a “Redemption Notice”) of its desire to exercise an Optional Redemption, which Redemption Notice (i) shall be delivered to the Holder after the close of regular trading hours on a Trading Day, and (ii) may only be given if the VWAP of the Common Shares was less than the Fixed Price on the date such Redemption Notice is delivered, unless as of the date of such Redemption Notice, the Equity Conditions are satisfied. Each Redemption Notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the outstanding balance of the Note to be redeemed and the Redemption Amount. The “Redemption Amount” shall be an amount equal to (a) the outstanding Principal balance being redeemed by the Company plus (b) the Payment Premium in respect of such Principal amount plus (c) all accrued and unpaid interest hereunder as of the date of such redemption. After receipt of a Redemption Notice, the Holder shall have ten (10) Trading Days (beginning with the Trading Day immediately following the date such Redemption Notice is delivered to the Holder in accordance with this term of this Section 1(d)) to elect to convert all or any portion of this Note. On the eleventh (11th) Trading Day following the delivery of the applicable Redemption Notice, the Company shall deliver to the Holder the Redemption Amount with respect to the Principal amount redeemed to the extent not converted and otherwise after giving effect to conversions or other payments made during such ten (10) Trading Day period.
(e) Payment Dates. Whenever any payment or other obligation hereunder shall be due on a day other than a Business Day, such payment shall be made on the next succeeding Business Day.
(f) Other than as specifically set forth in this Note, the Company shall not have the ability to make any early repayments without the consent of or at the request of the Holder.
(2) EVENTS OF DEFAULT.
(a) An “Event of Default”, wherever used herein, means any one of the following events (whatever the reason and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court, or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body) shall have occurred:
(i) The Company’s failure to pay to the Holder any amount of Principal, Redemption Amount, Payment Premium, Interest, or other amounts when and as due under this Note or any other Transaction Document within five (5) Business Days after such payment is due;
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(ii) (A) The Company or any Subsidiary of the Company shall commence, or there shall be commenced against the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company any proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy or insolvency laws as now or hereafter in effect or any successor thereto, or the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company commences any other proceeding under any reorganization, arrangement, adjustment of debt, relief of debtors, dissolution, insolvency or liquidation or similar law of any jurisdiction, whether now or hereafter in effect relating to the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, in any such bankruptcy, insolvency or other proceeding which remains undismissed for a period of sixty one (61) days; (B) the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company is adjudicated insolvent or bankrupt; or any order of relief or other order approving any such case or proceeding is entered; (C) the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company suffers any appointment of any custodian, private or court appointed receiver or the like for it or all or substantially all of its property which continues undischarged or unstayed for a period of sixty one (61) days; (D) the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company makes a general assignment of all or substantially all of its assets for the benefit of creditors; (E) the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company shall fail to pay, or shall state that it is unable to pay, or shall be unable to pay, its debts generally as they become due; (F) the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company shall call a meeting of its creditors with a view to arranging a composition, adjustment or restructuring of its debts; (G) the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company shall by any act or failure to act expressly indicate its consent to, approval of or acquiescence in any of the foregoing; or (H) any corporate or other action is taken by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing;
(iii) The Company or any Subsidiary of the Company shall default, in any of its obligations under any note, debenture, mortgage, credit agreement or other facility, indenture agreement, factoring agreement or other instrument under which there may be issued, or by which there may be secured or evidenced any indebtedness for borrowed money or money due under any long term leasing or factoring arrangement of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in an amount exceeding $500,000, whether such indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created, and such default is not cured within the time prescribed by the documents governing such indebtedness or if no time is prescribed, within ten (10) Business Days, and as a result, such indebtedness becomes or is declared due and payable;
(iv) A final judgment or judgments for the payment of money in excess of $500,000 in the aggregate are rendered against the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries and which judgments are not, within thirty (30) days after the entry thereof, bonded, discharged, settled or stayed pending appeal, or are not discharged within thirty (30) days after the expiration of such stay; provided, however, any judgment which is covered by insurance or an indemnity from a creditworthy party shall not be included in calculating the $500,000 amount set forth above so long as the Company provides the Holder a written statement from such insurer or indemnity provider (which written statement shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Holder) to the effect that such judgment is covered by insurance or an indemnity and the Company or such Subsidiary (as the case may be) will receive the proceeds of such insurance or indemnity within thirty (30) days of the issuance of such judgment;
(v) The Common Shares shall cease to be quoted or listed for trading, as applicable, on any Principal Market for a period of ten (10) consecutive Trading Days;
(vi) The Company or any Subsidiary of the Company shall be a party to any Change of Control Transaction unless in connection with such Change of Control Transaction this Note is retired. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, neither (i) transfer to a wholly-owned Subsidiary, nor (ii) the conversion of the Company’s preferred stock outstanding as of the date hereof (including the conversion of the preferred stock outstanding on the date hereof issued pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock of TransCode Therapeutics, Inc., dated October 27, 2025), shall be deemed a Change of Control Transaction under this provision;
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(vii) The Company’s (A) failure to deliver the required number of Common Shares to the Holder within two (2) Trading Days after the applicable Share Delivery Date or (B) notice, written or oral, to any holder of this Note, including by way of public announcement, at any time, of its intention not to comply with a request for conversion of all or a portion of this Note into Common Shares that is tendered in accordance with the provisions of this Note;
(viii) The Company shall fail for any reason to deliver the payment in cash pursuant to a Buy-In (as defined below) within five (5) Business Days after such payment is due;
(ix) The Company’s failure to timely file with the Commission any Periodic Report on or before the due date of such filing as established by the Commission, it being understood, for the avoidance of doubt, that due date includes any permitted filing deadline extension under Rule 12b-25 under the Exchange Act;
(x) Any representation or warranty made or deemed to be made by or on behalf of the Company in or in connection with any Transaction Document shall prove to have been incorrect in any material respect (or, in the case of any such representation or warranty already qualified by materiality, such representation or warranty shall prove to have been incorrect) when made or deemed made;
(xi) The Company uses the proceeds of the issuance of this Note, whether directly or indirectly, and whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, to purchase or carry margin stock (within the meaning of Regulations T, U and X of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof), or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock or to refund indebtedness originally incurred for such purpose; or
(xii) Any Event of Default (as defined in the Other Notes or in any Transaction Document other than this Note) occurs with respect to any Other Notes, or any breach of any material term of any other debenture, note, or instrument held by the Holder in the Company or any agreement between or among the Company and the Holder; or
(xiii) The Company shall fail to observe or perform any material covenant, agreement contained in, or otherwise commit any material breach or default of any provision of this Note (except as may be otherwise covered by Sections (2)(a)(i) through (2)(a)(xiii) hereof) or any other Transaction Document, which is not cured or remedied within the time prescribed or if no time is prescribed within ten (10) Business Days.
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(b) During the time that any portion of this Note is outstanding, if any Event of Default has occurred (other than an event with respect to the Company described in Section (2)(a)(ii)), the full unpaid Principal amount of this Note, together with the Payment Premium in respect of such Principal Amount that was due and payable on the date of the Event of Default and all interest and other amounts owing in respect of this Note to the date of acceleration, shall become, at the Holder’s election given by notice pursuant to Section (5), immediately due and payable in cash; provided that, in the case of any event with respect to the Company described in Section (2)(a)(ii), the full unpaid Principal amount of this Note, together with the Payment Premium in respect of such Principal Amount that was due and payable on the date of the Event of Default and all accrued and unpaid interest and other amounts owing in respect of this Note to the date of acceleration, shall automatically become due and payable, in each case without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Company. Furthermore, in addition to any other remedies, the Holder shall have the right (but not the obligation) to convert, on one or more occasions all or part of the Note in accordance with Section (3) (and subject to the limitations set out in Section (3)(c)(i) and Section (3)(c)(ii)) at any time after an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing until all amounts outstanding under this Note have been repaid in full. The Holder need not provide, and the Company hereby waives, any presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, (other than required notice of conversion) and the Holder may immediately enforce any and all of its rights and remedies hereunder and all other remedies available to it under applicable law. Such declaration may be rescinded and annulled by the Holder in writing at any time prior to payment hereunder. No such rescission or annulment shall affect any subsequent Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
(3) CONVERSION OF NOTE. This Note shall be convertible into Common Shares, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Section (3).
(a) Conversion Right. Subject to the limitations of Section (3)(c), at any time or times on or after the Issuance Date, the Holder shall be entitled to convert any portion of the outstanding and unpaid Conversion Amount into fully paid and nonassessable Common Shares in accordance with Section (3)(b), at the Conversion Price. The number of Common Shares issuable upon conversion of any Conversion Amount pursuant to this Section (3)(a) shall be determined by dividing (x) such Conversion Amount by (y) the Conversion Price. The Company shall not issue any fraction of a Common Share upon any conversion. All calculations under this Section (3) shall be rounded to the nearest $0.0001. If the issuance would result in the issuance of a fraction of a Common Share, the Company shall round such fraction of a Common Share up to the nearest whole share. The Company shall pay any and all transfer, stamp and similar taxes that may be payable with respect to the issuance and delivery of Common Shares upon conversion of any Conversion Amount.
(b) Mechanics of Conversion.
(i) Optional Conversion. To convert any Conversion Amount into Common Shares on any date (a “Conversion Date”), the Holder shall (A) transmit by email (or otherwise deliver), for receipt on or prior to 11:59 p.m., New York Time, on such date, a copy of an executed notice of conversion in the form attached hereto as Exhibit I (the “Conversion Notice”) to the Company and (B) if required by Section (3)(b)(iii), surrender this Note to a nationally recognized overnight delivery service for delivery to the Company (or an indemnification undertaking reasonably satisfactory to the Company with respect to this Note in the case of its loss, theft or destruction). On or before the first (1st) Trading Day following the date of receipt of a Conversion Notice (the “Share Delivery Date”), the Company shall (X) if legends are not required to be placed on certificates or the book-entry position of the Common Shares and provided that the Transfer Agent is participating in the Depository Trust Company’s (“DTC”) Fast Automated Securities Transfer Program, instruct such transfer agent to credit such aggregate number of Common Shares to which the Holder shall be entitled to the Holder’s or its designee’s balance account with DTC through its Deposit Withdrawal Agent Commission system or (Y) if the Transfer Agent is not participating in the DTC Fast Automated Securities Transfer Program, issue and deliver to the address as specified in the Conversion Notice, a certificate or book-entry position, registered in the name of the Holder or its designee, for the number of Common Shares to which the Holder shall be entitled which certificates shall not bear any restrictive legends unless required pursuant to rules and regulations of the Commission. If this Note is physically surrendered for conversion and the outstanding Principal of this Note is greater than the Principal portion of the Conversion Amount being converted, then the Company shall as soon as practicable and in no event later than three (3) Business Days after receipt of this Note and at its own expense, issue and deliver to the holder a new Note representing the outstanding Principal not converted. The Person or Persons entitled to receive the Common Shares issuable upon a conversion of this Note shall be treated for all purposes as the record holder or holders of such Common Shares upon the transmission of a Conversion Notice.
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(ii) Company’s Failure to Timely Convert. If the Company shall fail, for any reason or for no reason, on or prior to the applicable Share Delivery Date to issue and deliver a certificate to the Holder or credit the Holder’s balance account with DTC for the number of Common Shares to which the Holder is entitled upon such Holder’s conversion of any Conversion Amount (a “Conversion Failure”), and if on or after such Trading Day the Holder purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) Common Shares to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of Common Shares issuable upon such conversion that the Holder anticipated receiving from the Company (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall, within three (3) Business Days after the Holder’s request and in the Holder’s discretion, either (i) pay cash to the Holder in an amount equal to the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions and other out of pocket expenses, if any) for the Common Shares so purchased (the “Buy-In Price”), at which point the Company’s obligation to deliver such certificate (and to issue such Common Shares) shall terminate, or (ii) promptly honor its obligation to deliver to the Holder a certificate or certificates representing such Common Shares to which the Holder is entitled with respect to such Conversion Notice and pay cash to the Holder in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the Buy-In Price over the product of (A) such number of Common Shares multiplied by (B) the Closing Price on the Conversion Date.
(iii) Book-Entry. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, upon conversion of any portion of this Note in accordance with the terms hereof, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Note to the Company unless (A) the full Conversion Amount represented by this Note is being converted or (B) the Holder has provided the Company with prior written notice (which notice may be included in a Conversion Notice) requesting reissuance of this Note upon physical surrender of this Note. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the Principal and Interest converted and the dates of such conversions or shall use such other method, reasonably satisfactory to the Holder and the Company, so as not to require physical surrender of this Note upon conversion.
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(c) Limitations on Conversions.
(i) Beneficial Ownership. The Holder shall not have the right to convert any portion of this Note to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the Holder, together with any affiliate thereof, would beneficially own (as determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules promulgated thereunder) in excess of 9.99% of the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion. Since the Holder will not be obligated to report to the Company the number of Common Shares it may hold at the time of a conversion hereunder, unless the conversion at issue would result in the issuance of Common Shares in excess of 9.99% of the then outstanding Common Shares without regard to any other shares which may be beneficially owned by the Holder or an affiliate thereof, the Holder shall have the authority and obligation to determine whether the restriction contained in this Section will limit any particular conversion hereunder and to the extent that the Holder determines that the limitation contained in this Section applies, the determination of which portion of the Principal amount of this Note is convertible shall be the responsibility and obligation of the Holder. If the Holder has delivered a Conversion Notice for a Principal amount of this Note that, without regard to any other shares that the Holder or its affiliates may beneficially own, would result in the issuance in excess of the permitted amount hereunder, the Company shall notify the Holder of this fact and shall honor the conversion for the maximum Principal amount permitted to be converted on such Conversion Date in accordance with Section (3)(a) and, any Principal amount tendered for conversion in excess of the permitted amount hereunder shall remain outstanding under this Note. The provisions of this Section may be waived by a Holder (but only as to itself and not to any other Holder) upon not less than 65 days prior notice to the Company. Other Holders shall be unaffected by any such waiver.
(ii) Principal Market Limitation. Notwithstanding anything in this Note to the contrary, the Company shall not issue any Common Shares upon conversion of this Note, or otherwise, if the issuance of such Common Shares, together with any Common Shares issued in connection the SEPA, issuable upon conversion of any Other Notes, and issuable in connection with any other related transactions that may be considered part of the same series of transactions, would exceed the aggregate number Common Shares that the Company may issue in a transaction in compliance with the Company’s obligations under the rules or regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) and shall be referred to as the “Exchange Cap,” except that such limitation shall not apply if the Company’s stockholders have approved such issuances on such terms in excess of the Exchange Cap in accordance with the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. For the avoidance of doubt, the Exchange Cap applicable under this clause (ii) equals 183,301 Common Shares, as specified in Section 3.02(c) of the SEPA.
(d) Other Provisions.
(i) All calculations under this Section (3) shall be rounded to the nearest $0.0001 or whole share.
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(ii) So long as this Note or any Other Notes remain outstanding, the Company shall have reserved from its duly authorized share capital, and shall have instructed the Transfer Agent to irrevocably reserve, the maximum number of Common Shares issuable upon conversion of this Note and the Other Notes (assuming for purposes hereof that (x) this Note and such Other Notes are convertible at the Floor Price as of the date of determination, and (y) any such conversion shall not take into account any limitations on the conversion of the Note or Other Notes set forth herein or therein (the “Required Reserve Amount”)), provided that at no time shall the number of Common Shares reserved pursuant to this Section (3)(d)(ii) be reduced other than pursuant to the conversion of this Note and the Other Notes in accordance with their terms, and/or cancellation, or reverse stock split. If at any time while this Note or any Other Notes remain outstanding, the Company does not have a sufficient number of authorized and unreserved Common Shares to satisfy the obligation to reserve for the issuance the Required Reserve Amount, the Company will promptly take all corporate action necessary to propose to a meeting of its shareholders an increase of its authorized share capital necessary to meet the Company’s obligations pursuant to this Note, and cause its board of directors to recommend to the shareholders that they approve such proposal. If at any time the number of Common Shares that remain available for issuance under the Exchange Cap is less than 100% of the maximum number of shares issuable upon conversion of all the Notes and Other Notes then outstanding (assuming for purposes hereof that (x) the Notes are convertible at the Conversion Price then in effect, and (y) any such conversion shall not take into account any limitations on the conversion of the Note, other than the Floor Price but solely with respect to the Variable Price), the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly call and hold a shareholder meeting for the purpose of seeking the approval of its shareholders as required by the applicable rules of the Principal Market, for issuances of shares in excess of the Exchange Cap. The Company covenants that, upon issuance in accordance with conversion of this Note in accordance with its terms, the Common Shares, when issued, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(iii) Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue actual damages or declare an Event of Default pursuant to Section (2) herein for the Company’s failure to deliver certificates representing Common Shares upon conversion within the period specified herein and such Holder shall have the right to pursue all remedies available to it at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief, in each case without the need to post a bond or provide other security. The exercise of any such rights shall not prohibit the Holder from seeking to enforce damages pursuant to any other Section hereof or under applicable law.
(iv) Legal Opinions. The Company is obligated to cause its legal counsel to deliver legal opinions to the Company’s transfer agent in connection with any legend removal upon the expiration of any holding period or other requirement for which the Underlying Shares may bear legends restricting the transfer thereof, provided that the Holder shall provide to the Company and its counsel certificates and letters of representation, if any, that are reasonably required and customary under the circumstances to effect such legend removal. To the extent that a legal opinion is not provided (either timely or at all), then, in addition to being an Event of Default hereunder, the Company agrees to reimburse the Holder for all reasonable costs incurred by the Holder in connection with any legal opinions paid for by the Holder in connection with the removal of such legends in connection with a sale or transfer of the Underlying Common Shares. The Holder shall notify the Company of any such costs and expenses it incurs that are referred to in this section from time to time and all amounts owed hereunder shall be paid by the Company with reasonable promptness.
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(e) Adjustment of Conversion Price upon Subdivision or Combination of Common Shares. If the Company, at any time while this Note is outstanding, shall (i) pay a stock dividend or otherwise make a distribution or distributions on shares of its Common Shares or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in Common Shares, (ii) subdivide outstanding Common Shares into a larger number of shares, (iii) combine (including by way of reverse stock split) outstanding Common Shares into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issue by reclassification of Common Shares any shares of capital stock of the Company, then each of the Fixed Price and the Floor Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of Common Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of Common Shares outstanding after such event. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section shall become effective, in the case of a dividend distribution, immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution or, in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification, and shall become effective immediately after the effective date of such subdivision, combination or re-classification.
(f) Adjustment of Conversion Price upon Issuance of Common Stock. If the Company, at any time after [________], 20272 while this Note is outstanding, issues or sells any Common Shares or Convertible Securities (other than Excluded Securities and any shares issued or sold by the Company in connection with any Excluded Securities), for a consideration per share (the “New Issuance Price”) less than a price equal to the Fixed Price in effect immediately prior to such issue or sale (such price the “Applicable Price”) (the foregoing, a “Dilutive Issuance”), then immediately after such Dilutive Issuance the Fixed Price then in effect shall be reduced to an amount equal to the New Issuance Price, but which Fixed Price shall not be lower than the Floor Price. For the purposes hereof, if the Company in any manner issues or sells any Convertible Securities (other than Excluded Securities and any shares issued or sold by the Company in connection with any Excluded Securities) and the lowest price per share for one Common Share issuable upon such conversion or exchange or exercise of such Convertible Securities issued or sold by the Company is less than the Applicable Price, then such Common Share shall be deemed to be outstanding and to have been issued and sold by the Company at the time of the issuance or sale of such Convertible Securities for such price per share. No further adjustment of the Conversion Price shall be made upon the actual issuance of such Common Share upon conversion or exchange or exercise of such Convertible Securities.
(g) Other Corporate Events. In addition to and not in substitution for any other rights hereunder, prior to the consummation of any Fundamental Transaction pursuant to which holders of Common Shares are entitled to receive securities or other assets with respect to or in exchange for Common Shares (a “Corporate Event”), the Company shall make appropriate provision to ensure that the Holder will thereafter have the right to receive upon a conversion of this Note, at the Holder’s option, (i) in addition to the Common Shares receivable upon such conversion, such securities or other assets to which the Holder would have been entitled with respect to such Common Shares had such Common Shares been held by the Holder upon the consummation of such Corporate Event (without taking into account any limitations or restrictions on the convertibility of this Note) or (ii) in lieu of the Common Shares otherwise receivable upon such conversion, such securities or other assets received by the holders of Common Shares in connection with the consummation of such Corporate Event in such amounts as the Holder would have been entitled to receive had this Note initially been issued with conversion rights for the form of such consideration (as opposed to Common Shares) at a conversion rate for such consideration commensurate with the Conversion Price. Provision made pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be in a form and substance satisfactory to the Required Holders. The provisions of this Section shall apply similarly and equally to successive Corporate Events and shall be applied without regard to any limitations on the conversion or redemption of this Note.
2 Note to Draft: Shall be the date that is 18-months from the closing date of each Pre-Paid Advance.
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(h) Whenever the Conversion Price is adjusted pursuant to Section (3) hereof, the Company shall promptly provide the Holder with a written notice setting forth the Conversion Price after such adjustment and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.
(i) In case of any (1) merger or consolidation of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company with or into another Person, or (2) sale by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company of more than one-half of the assets of the Company in one or a series of related transactions, a Holder shall have the right to (A) exercise any rights under Section (2)(a)(xiii), (B) convert the aggregate amount of this Note then outstanding into the shares of stock and other securities, cash and property receivable upon or deemed to be held by holders of Common Shares following such merger, consolidation or sale, and such Holder shall be entitled upon such event or series of related events to receive such amount of securities, cash and property as the Common Shares into which such aggregate Principal amount of this Note could have been converted immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or sales would have been entitled, or (C) in the case of a merger or consolidation, require the surviving entity to issue to the Holder a convertible Note with a Principal amount equal to the aggregate Principal amount of this Note then held by such Holder, plus all accrued and unpaid interest and other amounts owing thereon, which such newly issued convertible Note shall have terms identical (including with respect to conversion) to the terms of this Note, and shall be entitled to all of the rights and privileges of the Holder of this Note set forth herein and the agreements pursuant to which this Note was issued. In the case of clause (C), the conversion price applicable for the newly issued shares of convertible preferred stock or convertible debentures shall be based upon the amount of securities, cash and property that each Common Shares would receive in such transaction and the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to the effectiveness or closing date for such transaction. The terms of any such merger, sale or consolidation shall include such terms so as to continue to give the Holder the right to receive the securities, cash and property set forth in this Section upon any conversion or redemption following such event. This provision shall similarly apply to successive such events.
(4) REISSUANCE OF THIS NOTE.
(a) Transfer. If this Note is to be transferred, the Holder shall surrender this Note to the Company, whereupon the Company will forthwith issue and deliver upon the order of the Holder a new Note (in accordance with Section (4)(d)), registered in the name of the registered transferee or assignee, representing the outstanding Principal being transferred by the Holder (along with any accrued and unpaid interest thereof) and, if less than the entire outstanding Principal is being transferred, a new Note (in accordance with Section (4)(d)) to the Holder representing the outstanding Principal not being transferred. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Note, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of Section (3)(b)(iii) following conversion or redemption of any portion of this Note, the outstanding Principal represented by this Note may be less than the Principal stated on the face of this Note.
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(b) Lost, Stolen or Mutilated Note. Upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Company of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Note, and, in the case of loss, theft or destruction, of any indemnification undertaking by the Holder to the Company in customary form and substance and, in the case of mutilation, upon surrender and cancellation of this Note, the Company shall execute and deliver to the Holder a new Note (in accordance with Section (4)(d)) representing the outstanding Principal.
(c) Note Exchangeable for Different Denominations. This Note is exchangeable, upon the surrender hereof by the Holder at the principal office of the Company, for a new Note or Notes (in accordance with Section (4)(d)) representing in the aggregate the outstanding Principal of this Note, and each such new Note will represent such portion of such outstanding Principal as is designated by the Holder at the time of such surrender.
(d) Issuance of New Notes. Whenever the Company is required to issue a new Note pursuant to the terms hereof, such new Note (i) shall be of like tenor with this Note, (ii) shall represent, as indicated on the face of such new Note, the Principal remaining outstanding (or in the case of a new Note being issued pursuant to Section (4)(a) or Section (4)(c), the Principal designated by the Holder which, when added to the Principal represented by the other new Note(s) issued in connection with such issuance, does not exceed the Principal remaining outstanding under this Note immediately prior to such issuance of such new Note), (iii) shall have an issuance date, as indicated on the face of such new Note, which is the same as the Issuance Date of this Note, (iv) shall have the same rights and conditions as this Note, and (v) shall represent accrued and unpaid Interest from the Issuance Date.
(5) NOTICES. Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms hereof must be in writing by letter or electronic mail (“e-mail”) and will be deemed to have been delivered (i) upon receipt, when delivered personally, (ii) one (1) Business Day after deposit with an overnight courier service with next day delivery specified, as applicable or (iii) receipt, when sent by e-mail, and, in each case of the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), properly addressed to the party to receive the same. The addresses and e-mail addresses for such communications shall be:
| If to the Company, to: | TransCode Therapeutics, Inc |
| 6 Liberty Square - #2382 Boston, MA 02109 Attn: Philippe P. Calais E-mail: | |
| With copies (which shall not constitute notice or delivery of process) to: | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 405 Howard Street San Francisco, California 94105 Attn: Niki Fang, Esq.; David Schulman, Esq. E-mail: |
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| If to the Holder: | YA II PN, Ltd |
| c/o Yorkville Advisors Global, LLC 1012 Springfield Avenue | |
| Mountainside, NJ 07092 | |
| Attention: Mark Angelo | |
| Email: |
or at such other address and/or e-mail address and/or to the attention of such other person as the recipient party has specified by written notice given to each other party in accordance with this Section at least three (3) Business Days prior to the effectiveness of such change. Written confirmation of receipt (a) given by the recipient of such notice, consent, waiver or other communication, (b) electronically generated by the sender’s email service provider containing the time, date, recipient email address or (c) provided by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, shall be rebuttable evidence of personal service, receipt from a nationally recognized overnight delivery service or receipt by e-mail in accordance with clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above, respectively.
(6) Except as expressly provided herein, no provision of this Note shall alter or impair the obligations of the Company, which are absolute and unconditional, to pay the Principal of, and interest and other charges (if any) on, this Note at the time, place, and rate, and in the currency, herein prescribed. This Note is a direct obligation of the Company. As long as this Note is outstanding, the Company shall not and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries not to, without the consent of the Holder, enter into any agreement, arrangement or transaction in or of which the terms thereof would restrict, materially delay, conflict with or impair the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the this Note, including, without limitation, the obligation of the Company to make cash payments hereunder.
(7) This Note shall not entitle the Holder to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including without limitation, the right to vote, to receive dividends and other distributions, or to receive any notice of, or to attend, meetings of stockholders or any other proceedings of the Company, unless and to the extent converted into Common Shares in accordance with the terms hereof.
(8) CHOICE OF LAW; VENUE; WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL
(a) Governing Law. This Note and the rights and obligations of the Parties hereunder shall, in all respects, be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws (excluding the principles of conflict of laws) of the State of New York (the “Governing Jurisdiction”) (including Section 5-1401 and Section 5-1402 of the General Obligations Law of the State of New York), including all matters of construction, validity and performance.
(b) Jurisdiction; Venue; Service.
(i) The Company hereby irrevocably consents to the non-exclusive personal jurisdiction of the state courts of the Governing Jurisdiction and, if a basis for federal jurisdiction exists, the non-exclusive personal jurisdiction of any United States District Court for the Governing Jurisdiction.
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(ii) The Company agrees that venue shall be proper in any court of the Governing Jurisdiction selected by the Holder or, if a basis for federal jurisdiction exists, in any United States District Court in the Governing Jurisdiction selected by the Holder. The Company waives any right to object to the maintenance of any suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding of any kind or description, whether in law or equity, whether in contract or in tort or otherwise, in any of the state or federal courts of the Governing Jurisdiction on the basis of improper venue or inconvenience of forum.
(iii) Any suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding of any kind or description, whether in law or equity, whether in contract or tort or otherwise, brought by the Company against the Holder arising out of or based upon this Note or any matter relating to this Note, or any other Transaction Document, or any contemplated transaction, shall be brought in a court only in the Governing Jurisdiction. The Company shall not file any counterclaim against the Holder in any suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding brought by the Holder against the Company in a jurisdiction outside of the Governing Jurisdiction unless under the rules of the court in which the Holder brought such suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding the counterclaim is mandatory, and not permissive, and would be considered waived unless filed as a counterclaim in the suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding instituted by the Holder against the Company. The Company agrees that any forum outside the Governing Jurisdiction is an inconvenient forum and that any suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding brought by the Company against the Holder in any court outside the Governing Jurisdiction should be dismissed or transferred to a court located in the Governing Jurisdiction. Furthermore, the Company irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that it will not bring or commence any suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding of any kind or description, whether in law or equity, whether in contract or in tort or otherwise, against the Holder arising out of or based upon this Note or any matter relating to this Note, or any other Transaction Document, or any contemplated transaction, in any forum other than the courts of the State of New York sitting in New York County, and the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York, and any appellate court from any thereof, and each of the parties hereto irrevocably and unconditionally submits to the jurisdiction of such courts and agrees that all claims in respect of any such suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State Court or, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in such federal court. The Company and the Holder agree that a final judgment in any such suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law.
(iv) The Company and the Holder irrevocably consent to the service of process out of any of the aforementioned courts in any such suit, claim, action, litigation or proceeding by e-mail or the mailing of copies thereof by registered or certified mail postage prepaid, to it at the e-mail address or physical address, as applicable, provided for notices in this Note, such service to become effective thirty (30) days after the date of such e-mail or mailing, as applicable. The Company and the Holder each irrevocably waive any defense it may have on the grounds of insufficient or improper service with respect to service of process effected in accordance with this Section (8)(b)(iv).
(v) Nothing herein shall affect the right of the Holder to serve process in any other manner permitted by law or to commence legal proceedings or to otherwise proceed against the Company or any other Person in the Governing Jurisdiction or in any other jurisdiction.
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(c) THE PARTIES MUTUALLY WAIVE ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY OF ALL CLAIMS OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF OR BASED UPON THIS NOTE OR ANY MATTER RELATING TO THIS NOTE, OR ANY OTHER TRANSACTION DOCUMENT, OR ANY CONTEMPLATED TRANSACTION. THE PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A WAIVER OF A LEGAL RIGHT AND THAT THE PARTIES EACH MAKE THIS WAIVER VOLUNTARILY AND KNOWINGLY AFTER CONSULTATION WITH COUNSEL OF THEIR RESPECTIVE CHOICE. THE PARTIES AGREE THAT ALL SUCH CLAIMS SHALL BE TRIED BEFORE A JUDGE OF A COURT HAVING JURISDICTION, WITHOUT A JURY.
(d) The Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that this Note constitutes an instrument for the payment of money only within the meaning of section 3213 of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules (“CPLR §3213”), and that upon any default under or breach of the terms of this Note, the Holder may immediately commence an action by motion for summary judgment in lieu of complaint without any further notice or demand. The Company irrevocably waives (i) any right to require the Holder to commence any action by summons and complaint, (ii) any right to assert defenses, setoffs, counterclaims or delays in any CPLR §3213 proceeding (other than the defense of full payment of any amount that the Holder seeks to recover), and (iii) any right to object to the sufficiency of this Note as an instrument for the payment of money only within the meaning of CPLR §3213 and agrees not to assert that this Note is not such an instrument. The Company agrees that all amounts due under this Note shall be deemed liquidated, unconditional and immediately due and payable for purposes of CPLR §3213.
(9) If the Company fails to strictly comply with the terms of this Note, then the Company shall reimburse the Holder promptly for all fees, costs and expenses, including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Holder in any action in connection with this Note, including, without limitation, those incurred: (i) during any workout, attempted workout, and/or in connection with the rendering of legal advice as to the Holder’s rights, remedies and obligations, (ii) collecting any sums which become due to the Holder, (iii) defending or prosecuting any proceeding or any counterclaim to any proceeding or appeal; or (iv) the protection, preservation or enforcement of any rights or remedies of the Holder.
(10) Any waiver by the Holder of a breach of any provision of this Note shall not operate as or be construed to be a waiver of any other breach of such provision or of any breach of any other provision of this Note. The failure of the Holder to insist upon strict adherence to any term of this Note on one or more occasions shall not be considered a waiver or deprive that party of the right thereafter to insist upon strict adherence to that term or any other term of this Note. No provision of this Note may be waived or amended other than by a written agreement signed by the parties to this Agreement.
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(11) If any provision of this Note is invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the balance of this Note shall remain in effect, and if any provision is inapplicable to any person or circumstance, it shall nevertheless remain applicable to all other persons and circumstances. If it shall be found that any interest or other amount deemed interest due hereunder shall violate applicable laws governing usury, the applicable rate of interest due hereunder shall automatically be lowered to equal the maximum permitted rate of interest. The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it shall not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law or other law which would prohibit or forgive the Company from paying all or any portion of the Principal of or interest on this Note as contemplated herein, wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, or which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Note, and the Company (to the extent it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefits or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Holder, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.
(12) CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Note, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) Amortization Event” shall mean (i) the daily VWAP is less than the Floor Price for five Trading Days during a period of seven consecutive Trading Days (a “Floor Price Event”), or (ii) any time after the Effectiveness Deadline (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), the Investor is unable to utilize a Registration Statement to resell Underlying Shares for a period of ten (10) consecutive Trading Days (a “Registration Event”) (the day of each such occurrence, an “Amortization Event Date”).
(b) “Amortization Principal Amount” shall mean the Principal amount equal to 18% of the outstanding Principal of this Note as of the applicable Amortization Event Date (or the outstanding Principal if less than such amount).
(c) “Applicable Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(f).
(a) “Approved Stock Plan” means any employee benefit plan or any share incentive plan (including, without limitation, Nasdaq equity inducement grants or inducement plans) which has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, pursuant to which the Company’s securities may be issued to any employee, officer or, director, consultant or other eligible participant under any such plans, in each case for services provided to the Company.
(b) “Bloomberg” means Bloomberg Financial Markets.
(c) “Business Day” means any day except Saturday, Sunday and any day which shall be a federal legal holiday in the United States or a day on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law or other government action to close.
(d) “Buy-In” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(b)(ii).
(e) “Buy-In Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(b)(ii).
(f) “Calendar Month” means one of the twelve months of the year.
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(g) “Change of Control Transaction” means the occurrence of (a) an acquisition after the date hereof by an individual or legal entity or “group” (as described in Rule 13d-5(b)(1) promulgated under the Exchange Act) of effective control (whether through legal or beneficial ownership of capital stock of the Company, by contract or otherwise) of in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the Company (except that the acquisition of voting securities by the Holder or any other current holder of convertible securities of the Company shall not constitute a Change of Control Transaction for purposes hereof), (b) a replacement at one time or over time of more than one-half of the members of the board of directors of the Company (other than as due to the death or disability of a member of the board of directors) which is not approved by a majority of those individuals who are members of the board of directors on the date hereof (or by those individuals who are serving as members of the board of directors on any date whose nomination to the board of directors was approved by a majority of the members of the board of directors who are members on the date hereof), (c) the merger, consolidation or sale of fifty percent (50%) or more of the assets of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in one or a series of related transactions with or into another entity, or (d) the execution by the Company of an agreement to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound, providing for any of the events set forth above in (a), (b) or (c). Neither (i) transfer to a wholly-owned Subsidiary, nor (ii) the conversion of the Company’s preferred stock outstanding as of the date hereof (including the conversion of the preferred stock outstanding on the date hereof issued pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock of TransCode Therapeutics, Inc., dated October 27, 2025, shall be deemed a Change of Control Transaction under this provision.
(h) “Closing Price” means the price per share in the last reported trade of the Common Shares on a Principal Market or on the exchange which the Common Shares are then listed as quoted by Bloomberg.
(i) “Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(j) “Common Shares” means the shares of common stock, par value $0.0001, of the Company and stock of any other class into which such shares may hereafter be changed or reclassified.
(k) “Conversion Amount” means the portion of the Principal, Interest, or other amounts outstanding under this Note to be converted, redeemed or otherwise with respect to which this determination is being made.
(l) “Conversion Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(b)(i).
(m) “Conversion Failure” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(b)(ii).
(n) “Conversion Notice” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(b)(i).
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(o) “Conversion Price” means, as of any Conversion Date or other date of determination the lower of (i) [$___]3 per Common Share (the “Fixed Price”), or (ii) 95% of the lowest daily VWAP during the 7 consecutive Trading Days immediately preceding the Conversion Date or other date of determination (the “Variable Price”), but which Variable Price shall not be lower than the Floor Price. The Conversion Price shall be adjusted from time to time pursuant to the other terms and conditions of this Note.
(p) “Convertible Securities” means any stock or securities directly or indirectly convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Shares.
(q) “Dilutive Issuance” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(f).
(r) “Equity Conditions” means that each of the following conditions is satisfied: (i) on each Trading Day during the three consecutive Trading Days prior to the date of determination (the “Equity Conditions Measuring Period”), either (x) the Registration Statement filed pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement shall be effective and available for the resale of all applicable Common Shares to be issued in connection with the event requiring determination or (y) all applicable Common Shares to be issued in connection with the event requiring determination shall be eligible for sale without restriction and without the need for registration under any applicable federal or state securities laws; (ii) on each day during the Equity Conditions Measuring Period, the Common Shares are designated for quotation on the Principal Market and shall not have been suspended from trading on such exchange or market nor shall delisting or suspension by such exchange or market have been threatened or pending either (A) in writing by such exchange or market or (B) by falling below the then effective minimum listing maintenance requirements of such exchange or market; (iii) any applicable Common Shares to be issued in connection with the event requiring determination may be issued in full without violating Section (4)(c) hereof; and (iv) during the Equity Conditions Measuring Period, there shall not have occurred either (A) an Event of Default, (B) an Amortization Event, or (C) an event that with the passage of time or giving of notice would constitute an Event of Default or an Amortization Event.
(s) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(t) “Excluded Securities” means any Common Shares issued or issuable or deemed to be issued by the Company: (i) under any Approved Stock Plan, (ii) pursuant to advances pursuant to the SEPA or upon conversion of any securities issued pursuant to the SEPA (including Common Shares issued in connection with this Note and any of the Other Notes); (iii) upon conversion, exercise or exchange of any Options or Convertible Securities which are outstanding on the day immediately preceding the date of the SEPA; provided, that such issuance of Common Shares upon exercise of such Options or Convertible Securities is made pursuant to the terms of such Options or Convertible Securities in effect on such date and such Options or Convertible Securities are not amended, modified or changed on or after such date, (iv) pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock of TransCode Therapeutics, Inc., dated October 27, 2025, (v) pursuant to acquisitions, divestitures, licenses, partnerships, collaborations or other strategic transactions approved by the board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof, provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equity holders of a Person) that is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or owns or has rights to an asset that is synergistic with the business of the Company and such transaction provides to the Company additional benefits in addition to the investment of funds, and is not primarily for the purpose of raising capital, or (vi) upon a stock split, reverse stock split, distribution of bonus shares, share combination or other recapitalization events.
3 Note to Draft: To be the price equal to 115% of the VWAP on the day prior to the Issuance Date of each Note.
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(u) “Floor Price” solely with respect to the Variable Price, the Fixed Price, and an Amortization Event shall mean [$____]4 per Common Share.
(v) “Fundamental Transaction” means any of the following: (1) the Company effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person and the Company is the non-surviving company (other than a merger or consolidation with a wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company for the purpose of redomiciling the Company), (2) the Company effects any sale of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (3) any tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Shares are permitted to tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property, or (4) the Company effects any reclassification of the Common Shares or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Shares is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property.
(w) “New Issuance Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(f).
(x) “Options” means any rights, warrants or options to subscribe for or purchase Common Shares or Convertible Securities.
(y) “Other Notes” means any other notes issued pursuant to the SEPA and any other debentures, notes, or other instruments issued in exchange, replacement, or modification of the foregoing.
(z) “Payment Premium” means 10% of the Principal amount being paid.
(aa) “Periodic Reports” shall mean all of the Company’s reports required to be filed by the Company with the Commission under applicable laws and regulations (including, without limitation, Regulation S-K), including annual reports (on Form 10-K), quarterly reports (on Form 10-Q), and current reports (on Form 8-K), for so long as any amounts are outstanding under this Note or any Other Note; provided that all such Periodic Reports shall include, when filed, all information, financial statements, audit reports (when applicable) and other information required to be included in such Periodic Reports in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
4 Note to Draft: To be the price equal to 20% of the Closing Price as of the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of the SEPA.
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(bb) “Person” means a corporation, an association, a partnership, organization, a business, an individual, a government or political subdivision thereof or a governmental agency.
(cc) “Principal Market” means any of The New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Global Select Market, and any successor to any of the foregoing markets or exchanges.
(dd) “Registration Rights Agreement” means the registration rights agreement entered into between the Company and the Holder on the date hereof.
(ee) “Registration Statement” means a registration statement meeting the requirements set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, covering among other things the resale of the Underlying Shares and naming the Holder as a “selling stockholder” thereunder.
(ff) “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(gg) “Share Delivery Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section (3)(b)(i).
(hh) “Subsidiary” shall mean any Person in which the Company, directly or indirectly, (x) owns a majority of the outstanding capital stock or holds a majority of the equity or similar interest of such Person or (y) controls or operates all or substantially all of the business, operations or administration of such Person, and the foregoing are collectively referred to herein as “Subsidiaries.”
(ii) “Trading Day” means a day on which the Common Shares are quoted or traded on a Principal Market on which the Common Shares are then quoted or listed; provided, that in the event that the Common Shares are not listed or quoted, then Trading Day shall mean a Business Day.
(jj) “Transaction Document” means this Note, the Other Notes, the SEPA, the Registration Rights Agreement and any and all other documents, agreements, instruments or other items executed or delivered in connection with this Note or any of the foregoing.
(kk) “Underlying Shares” means the Common Shares issuable upon conversion of this Note or as payment of interest in accordance with the terms hereof.
(ll) “VWAP” means, for any Trading Day, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Shares for such Trading Day on the Principal Market during regular trading hours as reported by Bloomberg L.P.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Convertible Promissory Note to be duly executed by a duly authorized officer as of the date set forth above.
| COMPANY: | ||
| TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
EXHIBIT I
CONVERSION NOTICE
(To be executed by the Holder in order to Convert the Note)
TO: TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Via Email:
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to convert a portion of the outstanding and unpaid Conversion Amount of Note No. RNAZ-[1][2] into Common Shares of TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC., according to the conditions stated therein, as of the Conversion Date written below.
| Conversion Date: | |
| Principal Amount to be Converted: | |
| Accrued Interest to be Converted: | |
| Total Conversion Amount to be converted: | |
| Fixed Price: | |
| Variable Price: | |
| Applicable Conversion Price: | |
| Number of Common Shares to be issued: |
| Please issue the Common Shares in the following name and deliver them to the following account: | |
| Issue to: | |
| Broker DTC Participant Code: | |
| Account Number: | |
| Authorized Signature: | |
| Name: | |
| Title: | |
Exhibit 4.2
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) dated as of April 6, 2026 is made by and between YA II PN, LTD., a Cayman Islands exempt limited company (the “Investor”), and TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC., a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Company”). The Investor and the Company may be referred to herein individually as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”
WHEREAS, the Company and the Investor have entered into that certain Standby Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company may issue, from time to time, to the Investor up to $14 million of newly issued shares of the Company’s shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Shares”); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the terms of, and in consideration for the Investor entering into, the Purchase Agreement, and to induce the Investor to execute and deliver the Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide the Investor with certain registration rights under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, or any similar successor statute (collectively, the “Securities Act”).
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Investor hereby agree as follows:
1. DEFINITIONS.
Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Purchase Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Applicable Date” means the earlier to occur of (I) the first date on which the initial Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC (and each Prospectus contained therein is available for use on such date) or (II) the first date on which all of the Registrable Securities are eligible to be resold by the Investor pursuant to Rule 144.
(b) “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading, other than any day on which commercial banks are authorized or required to be closed in New York City.
(c) “Effectiveness Deadline” means, with respect to the initial Registration Statement filed hereunder, the 90th calendar day following the date hereof, provided, however, in the event the Company is notified by the SEC that the Registration Statement will not be reviewed or is no longer subject to further review and comments, the Effectiveness Deadline as to such Registration Statement shall be the fifth Business Day following the date on which the Company is so notified if such date precedes the date required above.
(d) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(e) “Filing Deadline” means, with respect to the initial Registration Statement required hereunder, by April 30, 2026.
(f) “Person” means a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a partnership, an organization, a business, an individual, a governmental or political subdivision thereof or a governmental agency.
(g) “Prospectus” means the prospectus included in a Registration Statement (including, without limitation, a prospectus that includes any information previously omitted from a prospectus filed as part of an effective registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A promulgated under the Securities Act), as amended or supplemented by any prospectus supplement, with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement, and all other amendments and supplements to the Prospectus, including post-effective amendments, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such Prospectus.
(h) “Registrable Securities” means all of (i) the Common Shares and Commitment Shares (each as defined in the Purchase Agreement) and (ii) any capital stock issued or issuable with respect to such Common Shares and Commitment Shares, including, without limitation, (1) as a result of any stock split, stock dividend or other distribution, recapitalization or similar event or otherwise, and (2) shares of capital stock of the Company into which the Common Shares are converted or exchanged and shares of capital stock of a successor entity into which the Common Shares are converted or exchanged.
(i) “Registration Statement” means any registration statement of the Company filed pursuant to this Agreement, including the Prospectus, amendments and supplements to such registration statement or Prospectus, including post-effective amendments, all exhibits thereto, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such registration statement.
(j) “Required Registration Amount” means (i) with respect to the initial Registration Statement, at least [1,500,000] shares of Common Shares issued or to be issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and the Commitment Shares, if applicable, and (ii) with respect to subsequent Registration Statements, such number of shares of Common Stock as requested by the Investor not to exceed the maximum number of Common Shares issuable upon conversion of all Promissory Notes then outstanding (assuming for purposes hereof that (x) such Promissory Notes are convertible at the Floor Price (as defined in each respective Promissory Note) in effect as of the date of determination, and (y) any such conversion shall not take into account any limitations on the conversion of the Promissory Notes set forth therein), in each case subject to any cutback set forth in Section 2(e).
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(k) “Rule 144” means Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any successor rule thereto.
(l) “Rule 415” means Rule 415 promulgated by the SEC pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the SEC having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
(m) “SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other federal agency administering the Securities Act and the Exchange Act at the time.
(n) “Securities Act” shall have the meaning set forth in the Recitals above.
2. REGISTRATION.
(a) The Company’s registration obligations set forth in this Section 2 including its obligations to file Registration Statements, obtain effectiveness of Registration Statements, and maintain the continuous effectiveness of any Registration Statement that has been declared effective shall begin on the date hereof and continue until the earlier of (i) the date on which the Investor has sold all of the Registrable Securities and (ii) the date of termination of the Purchase Agreement if as of such termination date the Investor holds no Registrable Securities (the “Registration Period”).
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company shall (i) as soon as practicable, but in no case later than the Filing Deadline, prepare and file with the SEC an initial Registration Statement on Form S-3 (or, if the Company is not then eligible, on Form S-1) or any successor form thereto covering the resale by the Investor of the Required Registration Amount in accordance with applicable SEC rules, regulations and interpretations so as to permit the resale of such Registrable Securities by the Investor under Rule 415 at then prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices). The Registration Statement shall contain “Selling Stockholders” and “Plan of Distribution” sections. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the Registration Statement declared effective by the SEC as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the Effectiveness Deadline. By 9:30 am on the business day following the date of effectiveness, the Company shall file with the SEC in accordance with Rule 424 under the Securities Act the final Prospectus to be used in connection with sales pursuant to such Registration Statement. Prior to the filing of the Registration Statement with the SEC, the Company shall furnish a draft of the Registration Statement to the Investor for their review and comment.
(c) Sufficient Number of Shares Registered. If at any time all Registrable Securities are not covered by a Registration Statement filed pursuant to Section 2(a) as a result of Section 2(e) or otherwise, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC one (1) or more additional Registration Statements so as to cover all of the Registrable Securities not covered by such initial Registration Statement, in each case as soon as practicable (taking into account any position of the staff of the SEC with respect to the date on which the Staff will permit such additional Registration Statement(s) to be filed with the SEC and the rules and regulations of the SEC). The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause each such new Registration Statement to become effective as soon as reasonably practicable following the filling thereof with the SEC.
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(d) During the Registration Period, the Company shall (i) promptly prepare and file with the SEC such amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to a Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection with a Registration Statement, which Prospectus is to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 promulgated under the Securities Act, as may be necessary to keep such Registration Statement effective at all times during the Registration Period, (ii) prepare and file with the SEC additional Registration Statements in order to register for resale under the Securities Act all of the Registrable Securities; (iii) cause the related Prospectus to be amended or supplemented by any required Prospectus supplement (subject to the terms of this Agreement), and as so supplemented or amended to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; (iv) respond as promptly as reasonably possible to any comments received from the SEC with respect to a Registration Statement or any amendment thereto and as promptly as reasonably possible provide the Investor true and complete copies of all correspondence from and to the SEC relating to a Registration Statement (provided that the Company may excise any information contained therein which would constitute material non-public information as to any Investor which has not executed a confidentiality agreement with the Company); and (v) comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities of the Company covered by such Registration Statement until such time as all of such Registrable Securities shall have been disposed of in accordance with the intended methods of disposition by the seller or sellers thereof as set forth in such Registration Statement. In the case of amendments and supplements to a Registration Statement which are required to be filed pursuant to this Agreement (including pursuant to this Section 2(c)) by reason of the Company’s filing a report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, or Form 8-K or any analogous report under the Exchange Act, the Company shall incorporate such report by reference into the Registration Statement, if applicable, or shall file such amendments or supplements with the SEC on the same day on which the Exchange Act report is filed which created the requirement for the Company to amend or supplement the Registration Statement.
(e) Reduction of Registrable Securities Included in a Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything contained herein, in the event that the SEC requires the Company to reduce the number of Registrable Securities to be included in a Registration Statement in order to allow the Company to rely on Rule 415 with respect to a Registration Statement, then the Company shall reduce the number of Registrable Securities to be included in such Registration Statement (after consultation with the Investor as to the specific Registrable Securities to be removed therefrom) to the maximum number of securities as is permitted to be registered by the SEC. In the event of any reduction in Registrable Securities pursuant to this paragraph, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file one (1) or more new Registration Statements with the Commission in accordance with Section 2(c) until such time as all Registrable Securities have been included in Registration Statements that have been declared effective and the Prospectuses contained therein are available for use by the Investor.
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(f) Failure to File or Obtain Effectiveness of the Registration Statement or Remain Current. If: (i) a Registration Statement is not filed on or prior to its Filing Date, or (ii) a Registration Statement is not declared effective on or prior to the Effectiveness Deadline, or the Company fails to file with the SEC a request for acceleration in accordance with Rule 461 promulgated under the Securities Act, within five (5) Business Days of the date that the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the SEC that a Registration Statement will not be “reviewed,” or not subject to further review, or (iii) after the effectiveness, a Registration Statement ceases for any reason to remain continuously effective as to all Registrable Securities for which it is required to be effective for a period of ten (10) consecutive Trading Days, or (iv) the Investor is not permitted to utilize the Prospectus therein to resell such Registrable Securities for more than 10 consecutive Trading Days, or (v) if after the date that is six (6) months from the date hereof, the Company does not have available adequate current public information as set forth in Rule 144(c) (any such failure or breach being referred to as an “Event”), then in addition to any other rights the Investor may have hereunder or under applicable law, such Event shall be deemed an Event of Default (as defined in each respective Promissory Notes) for so long as such Event remains uncured. During the period of the existence of an uncured Event, the Investor shall have no obligation to accept an Advance Notice or accept or purchase any Advance Shares (other than any Advance Shares purchased by the Investor prior to the occurrence of the Event).
(g) Piggy-Back Registrations. If at any time there is not an effective Registration Statement covering all of the Registrable Securities and the Company proposes to register the offer and sale of any Common Shares under the Securities Act (other than a registration (i) pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (or other registration solely relating to an offering or sale to employees or directors of the Company pursuant to any employee stock plan or other employee benefit arrangement), (ii) pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (or similar form that relates to a transaction subject to Rule 145 under the Securities Act or any successor rule thereto), or (iii) in connection with any dividend or distribution reinvestment or similar plan), whether for its own account or for the account of one (1) or more stockholders of the Company and the form of Registration Statement to be used may be used for any registration of Registrable Securities, the Company shall give prompt written notice (in any event no later than five (5) days prior to the filing of such Registration Statement) to the holders of Registrable Securities of its intention to effect such a registration and, shall include in such registration all Registrable Securities with respect to which the Company has received written requests for inclusion from the holders of Registrable Securities; provided, however, that, the Company shall not be required to register any Registrable Securities pursuant to this Section 2(g) that have been sold or may permanently be sold without any restrictions pursuant to Rule 144, as determined by the counsel to the Company pursuant to a written opinion letter to such effect, addressed and acceptable to the Company’s transfer agent.
(h) No Inclusion of Other Securities; Other Registration Statements. In no event shall the Company (i) include any securities other than Registrable Securities on any Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(b) or Section 2(c) without the Investor’s prior written consent or (ii) prior to the Applicable Date, or at any time thereafter while any Registration Statement is not effective or the Prospectus contained therein is not available for use, the Company shall not file a registration statement or an offering statement under the Securities Act relating to securities that are not the Registrable Securities (other than a registration statement on Form S-8 or such supplements or amendments to registration statements that are outstanding and have been declared effective by the SEC as of the date hereof) (solely to the extent necessary to keep such registration statements effective and available and not for any other reason).
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3. RELATED OBLIGATIONS.
(a) The Company shall, not less than three (3) Business Days prior to the filing of each Registration Statement and not less than one (1) business day prior to the filing of any related amendments and supplements to all Registration Statements (except for annual reports on Form 10-K, supplements and amendments to update the Registration Statement solely for information reflected in the Company’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K), furnish to each Investor copies of all such documents proposed to be filed, which documents (other than those incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference) will be subject to the reasonable and prompt review of such Investor. The Company shall not file a Registration Statement or any such Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto to which the Investor shall reasonably object in good faith; provided that, the Company is notified of such objection in writing no later than two (2) Business Days after the Investor have been so furnished copies of a Registration Statement.
(b) The Company shall furnish to each Investor whose Registrable Securities are included in any Registration Statement, without charge (i) at least one (1) copy (which may be in electronic form) of such Registration Statement as declared effective by the SEC and any amendment(s) thereto, including financial statements and schedules, all documents incorporated therein by reference, all exhibits and each preliminary prospectus, (ii) at least one (1) copy (which may be in electronic form) of the final prospectus included in such Registration Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto, and (iii) any documents, which are not publicly available through EDGAR, as such Investor may reasonably request from time to time in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Investor.
(c) The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to (i) register and qualify the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement under such other securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as any Investor reasonably requests, (ii) prepare and file in those jurisdictions, such amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registrations and qualifications as may be necessary to maintain the effectiveness thereof during the Registration Period, (iii) take such other actions as may be necessary to maintain such registrations and qualifications in effect at all times during the Registration Period, and (iv) take all other actions reasonably necessary or advisable to qualify the Registrable Securities for sale in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to (w) make any change to its certificate of incorporation or by-laws, (x) qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this Section 3(c), (y) subject itself to general taxation in any such jurisdiction, or (z) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction. The Company shall promptly notify each Investor who holds Registrable Securities of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the registration or qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale under the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction in the United States or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threat of any proceeding for such purpose.
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(d) As promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such event or development, the Company shall notify each Investor in writing of the happening of any event as a result of which the Prospectus included in a Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (provided that in no event shall such notice contain any material, nonpublic information), and promptly prepare a supplement or amendment to such Registration Statement to correct such untrue statement or omission and deliver one (1) electronic copy of such supplement or amendment to the Investor. The Company shall also promptly notify each Investor in writing (i) when a Prospectus or any Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment has been filed, and when a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment has become effective (notification of such effectiveness shall be delivered to each Investor by email on the same day of such effectiveness), (ii) of any request by the SEC for amendments or supplements to a Registration Statement or related prospectus or related information, and (iii) of the Company’s reasonable determination that a post-effective amendment to a Registration Statement would be appropriate. The Company shall respond as promptly as reasonably practicable to any comments received from the SEC with respect to a Registration Statement or any amendment thereto.
(e) The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness of a Registration Statement, or the suspension of the qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction within the United States of America and, if such an order or suspension is issued, to obtain the withdrawal of such order or suspension at the earliest possible moment and to notify each Investor who holds Registrable Securities being sold of the issuance of such order and the resolution thereof or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threat of any proceeding for such purpose.
(f) Without limiting any obligation of the Company under the Purchase Agreement, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause all of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement to be listed on the Principal Market. The Company shall pay all fees and expenses in connection with satisfying its obligation under this Section 3(f).
(g) The Company shall hold in confidence and not make any disclosure of information concerning the Investor provided to the Company unless (i) disclosure of such information is necessary to comply with federal or state securities laws, (ii) the disclosure of such information is necessary to avoid or correct a material misstatement or omission in any Registration Statement, (iii) the release of such information is ordered pursuant to a subpoena or other final, non-appealable order from a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction, or (iv) such information has been made generally available to the public other than by disclosure in violation of this Agreement or any other agreement. The Company agrees that it shall, upon learning that disclosure of such information concerning the Investor is sought in or by a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction or through other means, give prompt written notice to the Investor and allow the Investor, at the Investor’s expense, to undertake appropriate action to prevent disclosure of, or to obtain a protective order for, such information.
(h) The Company shall cooperate with the holders of the Registrable Securities to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing the Registrable Securities to be sold pursuant to such Registration Statement or Rule 144 free of any restrictive legends and representing such number of Common Shares and registered in such names as the holders of the Registrable Securities may reasonably request prior to sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement or Rule 144; provided, that the Company may satisfy its obligations hereunder without issuing physical stock certificates through the use of The Depository Trust Company's Direct Registration System.
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(i) The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registrable Securities to be registered with or approved by such other governmental agencies or authorities as may be necessary to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities.
(j) The Company shall otherwise use its commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the SEC in connection with any registration hereunder.
(k) Within two (2) Business Days after a Registration Statement which covers Registrable Securities is declared effective by the SEC, the Company shall deliver, and shall cause legal counsel for the Company to deliver, to the transfer agent for such Registrable Securities (with copies to the Investor whose Registrable Securities are included in such Registration Statement) confirmation that such Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC.
(l) The Company shall take all other reasonable actions necessary to expedite and facilitate disposition by each Investor of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement.
4. OBLIGATIONS OF THE INVESTOR.
(a) The Investor agrees that upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(d) the Investor shall as soon as reasonably practicable discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement covering such Registrable Securities until the Investor’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended prospectus contemplated by Section 3(d) or receipt of notice that no supplement or amendment is required. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, subject to compliance with the securities laws, the Company shall cause its transfer agent to deliver unlegended certificates for Common Shares to a transferee of the Investor in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which the Investor has entered into a contract for sale prior to the Investor’s receipt of a notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(d) and for which the Investor has not yet settled.
(b) The Investor covenants and agrees that it will comply with the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act as applicable to it or an exemption therefrom in connection with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(c) The Investor, by its acceptance of the Registrable Securities, agrees to cooperate with the Company as reasonably requested by the Company in connection with the preparation and filing of each Registration Statement hereunder, unless the Investor has notified the Company in writing of the Investor’s election to exclude all of the Investor’s Registrable Securities from such Registration Statement.
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5. EXPENSES OF REGISTRATION.
All expenses incurred by the Company in complying with its obligations pursuant to this Agreement and in connection with the registration and disposition of Registrable Securities shall be paid by the Company, including, without limitation, all registration, listing and qualifications fees, printers, fees and expenses of the Company's counsel and accountants (except legal fees of Investor’s counsel associated with the review of the Registration Statement).
6. INDEMNIFICATION.
With respect to Registrable Securities which are included in a Registration Statement under this Agreement:
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company will, and hereby does, indemnify, hold harmless and defend the Investor and its directors, officers, partners, employees, agents, and representatives, and each Person, if any, who controls the Investor within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (each, an “Investor Indemnified Person”), against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties, charges, costs, reasonable attorneys’ fees, amounts paid in settlement or expenses, joint or several (collectively, “Indemnified Damages”), incurred in investigating, preparing or defending any action, claim, suit, inquiry, proceeding, investigation or appeal taken from the foregoing by or before any court or governmental, administrative or other regulatory agency, body or the SEC, whether pending or threatened, whether or not an indemnified party is or may be a party thereto (“Claims”), to which any of them may become subject insofar as such Claims (or actions or proceedings, whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact in a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or in any filing made in connection with the qualification of the offering under the securities or other “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction in which Registrable Securities are offered (“Blue Sky Filing”), or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any final prospectus (as amended or supplemented, if the Company files any amendment or supplement thereto with the SEC) or the omission or alleged omission to state therein any material fact necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which the statements therein were made, not misleading; or (iii) any violation or alleged violation by the Company of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, any other law, including, without limitation, any state securities law, or any rule or regulation thereunder relating to the offer or sale of the Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement (the matters in the foregoing clauses (i) through (iii) being, collectively, “Violations”). The Company shall reimburse the Investor and each such Investor Indemnified Person promptly as Indemnified Damages are incurred and are due and payable, including reasonable legal fees, disbursements and other expenses incurred by an Investor Indemnified Person in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this Section 6(a): (x) shall not apply to a Claim arising out of or based upon a Violation which occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by such Investor Indemnified Person expressly for use in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement or any such amendment thereof or supplement thereto; (y) shall not be available to the extent such Claim is based on a failure of the Investor to deliver or to cause to be delivered the prospectus made available by the Company, if such prospectus was timely made available by the Company pursuant to Section 3(c); and (z) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of an Investor Indemnified Person. The foregoing notwithstanding, this Section 6(a) shall not inure to the benefit of any Investor Indemnified Person if the untrue statement or omission of material fact contained in the prospectus was corrected and such new prospectus was delivered to the Investor prior to the Investor’s use of the prospectus to which the Claim relates.
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(b) In connection with a Registration Statement, the Investor agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend, to the same extent and in the same manner as is set forth in Section 6(a), the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers, employees, representatives, or agents and each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (each a “Company Indemnified Person”), against any Claim or Indemnified Damages to which any of them may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claim or Indemnified Damages arise out of or is based upon any Violation, in each case to the extent, and only to the extent, that such Violation occurs (i) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Investor expressly for use in connection with such Registration Statement or (ii) from the Investor’s violation of any prospectus delivery requirements under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, any other law, including, without limitation, any state securities law, or any rule or regulation thereunder relating to the offer or sale of the Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement; and, subject to Section 6(d), such Investor will reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim; provided, that the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 6(b) and the agreement with respect to contribution contained in Section 7 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Investor, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed; provided, further, that, other than in connection with fraud or gross negligence on the part of the Investor, the Investor shall be liable under this Section 6(b) for only that amount of a Claim or Indemnified Damages as does not exceed the net proceeds to such Investor as a result of the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such Company Indemnified Person. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this Section 6(b) with respect to any prospectus shall not inure to the benefit of any Company Indemnified Person if the untrue statement or omission of material fact contained in the prospectus was corrected and such new prospectus was delivered to the Investor prior to such Investor’s use of the prospectus to which the Claim relates.
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(c) Promptly after receipt by an Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person under this Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action or proceeding (including any governmental action or proceeding) involving a Claim, such Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person shall, if indemnification in respect of such Claim is to be sought from any indemnifying party under this Section 6, deliver to the indemnifying party a written notice of the commencement thereof, and the indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in and, to the extent the indemnifying party so desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, assume control of the defense thereof with counsel reasonably and mutually satisfactory to the indemnifying party and the Investor Indemnified Person or the Company Indemnified Person, as the case may be; provided, however, that an Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel with the fees and expenses of not more than one (1) counsel for such Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person to be paid by the indemnifying party, if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel retained by the indemnifying party, the representation by such counsel of the Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person and the indemnifying party would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between such Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person and any other party represented by such counsel in such proceeding. The Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person shall reasonably cooperate with the indemnifying party in connection with any negotiation or defense of any Claim by the indemnifying party and shall furnish to the indemnifying party all information reasonably available to the Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person which relates to such action or claim. The indemnifying party shall keep the Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person fully apprised at all times as to the status of the defense or any settlement negotiations with respect thereto. No indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any action, claim or proceeding effected without its prior written consent; provided, however, that the indemnifying party shall not unreasonably withhold, delay or condition its consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person, as the case may be, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or other compromise which does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person of a full and unconditional release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation. Following indemnification as provided for hereunder, the indemnifying party shall be subrogated to all rights of the Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person with respect to all third parties, firms or corporations relating to the Claim(s) for which indemnification has been made. The failure to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of the commencement of any such Claim shall not relieve such indemnifying party of any liability to the Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person under this Section 6, except to the extent that the indemnifying party is prejudiced in its ability to defend such Claim.
(d) The indemnification required by this Section 6 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received or Indemnified Damages are incurred.
(e) The indemnity agreements contained herein shall be in addition to (i) any cause of action or similar right of the Investor Indemnified Person or Company Indemnified Person against the indemnifying party or others and (ii) any liabilities the indemnifying party may be subject to pursuant to the law.
7. CONTRIBUTION.
To the extent any indemnification by an indemnifying party is prohibited or limited by law, the indemnifying party agrees to make the maximum contribution with respect to any amounts for which it would otherwise be liable under Section 6 to the fullest extent permitted by law; provided, however, that: (i) no seller of Registrable Securities guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any seller of Registrable Securities who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation and (ii) contribution by any seller of Registrable Securities shall be limited in amount to the net amount of proceeds received by such seller from the sale of such Registrable Securities other than in connection with fraud or gross negligence on the part of such seller of Registrable Securities.
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8. REPORTS UNDER THE EXCHANGE ACT.
With a view to making available to the Investor the benefits of Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act or any similar rule or regulation of the SEC that may at any time permit the Investor to sell securities of the Company to the public without registration, and as a material inducement to the Investor’s purchase of the Promissory Notes, the Company represents, warrants, and covenants to the following:
(a) The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and has timely filed all required reports under section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months prior to the date hereof (or for such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports), other than Form 8-K reports.
(b) During the Registration Period, the Company shall file with the SEC in a timely manner all required reports under section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (it being understood that nothing herein shall limit the Company’s obligations under the Purchase Agreement) and such reports shall conform to the requirement of the Exchange Act and the SEC for filing thereunder.
(c) The Company shall furnish to the Investor so long as such Investor owns Registrable Securities, promptly upon request, (i) a written statement by the Company that it has complied with the reporting requirements of Rule 144, (ii) to the extent not publicly available through EDGAR, a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company and such other reports and documents so filed by the Company, and (iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested to permit the Investor to sell such securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration.
9. AMENDMENT OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS.
Provisions of this Agreement may be amended and the observance thereof may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance and either retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor. Any amendment or waiver effected in accordance with this Section 9 shall be binding upon each of the Investor and the Company. No such amendment shall be effective to the extent that it applies to fewer than all of the holders of the Registrable Securities. No consideration shall be offered or paid to any Person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of this Agreement unless the same consideration also is offered to all of the Parties to this Agreement.
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10. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) A Person is deemed to be a holder of Registrable Securities whenever such Person owns or is deemed to own of record such Registrable Securities or owns the right to receive the Registrable Securities. If the Company receives conflicting instructions, notices or elections from two (2) or more Persons with respect to the same Registrable Securities, the Company shall act upon the basis of instructions, notice or election received from the registered owner of such Registrable Securities.
(b) Neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations of the Investor or the Company hereunder may be assigned to any other Person, except for assignments by the Investor to any of its affiliates.
(c) Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been delivered pursuant to the notice provisions of the Purchase Agreement or to such other address and/or electronic mail address and/or to the attention of such other person as the recipient Party has specified by written notice given to each other Party five (5) days prior to the effectiveness of such change. Written confirmation of receipt (A) given by the recipient of such notice, consent, waiver or other communication, (B) electronically generated by the sender’s email service provider containing the time, date, and recipient email or (C) provided by a courier or overnight courier service shall be rebuttable evidence of personal service, receipt by email or receipt from a nationally recognized overnight delivery service in accordance with this section.
(d) Failure of any Party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a Party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof.
(e) The laws of the State of New York shall govern all issues concerning the relative rights of the Company and the Investor as its stockholder. All other questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York. Each Party hereby irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, sitting in New York County, New York and federal courts for the Southern District of New York sitting New York, New York, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each Party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such Party at the address for such notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
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(f) This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the permitted successors and assigns of each of the Parties hereto.
(g) The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.
(h) This Agreement may be executed in identical counterparts, both of which shall be considered one (1) and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each Party and delivered to the other Party. Electronically scanned and delivered signatures (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com), including by e-mail attachment, shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes of this Agreement.
(i) Each Party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as the other Party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(j) The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the Parties to express their mutual intent and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any Party.
(k) This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the Parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns, and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Investor and the Company have caused their signature page to this Registration Rights Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
| COMPANY: | |||
| TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC. | |||
| By: | /s/ Thomas A. Fitzgerald | ||
| Name: | Thomas A. Fitzgerald | ||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| INVESTOR: | |||
| YA II PN, Ltd. | |||
| By: | Yorkville Advisors Global, LP | ||
| Its: | Investment Manager | ||
| By: | Yorkville Advisors Global II, LLC | ||
| Its: | General Partner | ||
| By: | /s/ Matthew Beckman | ||
| Name: | Matthew Beckman | ||
| Title: | Manager | ||
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Exhibit 10.1
STANDBY EQUITY PURCHASE AGREEMENT
THIS STANDBY EQUITY PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) dated as of April 6, 2026 is made by and between YA II PN, LTD., a Cayman Islands exempt limited company (the “Investor”), and TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC., a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Company”). The Investor and the Company may be referred to herein individually as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”
WHEREAS, the Parties desire that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions contained herein, the Company shall have the right to issue and sell to the Investor, from time to time as provided herein, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, up to $14 million of the Company’s shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Shares”);
WHEREAS, the Common Shares are listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “RNAZ;”
WHEREAS, the offer and sale of the Common Shares issuable hereunder will be made in reliance upon Section 4(a)(2) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Securities Act”), or upon such other exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act as may be available with respect to any or all of the transactions to be made hereunder;
WHEREAS, the Parties are concurrently entering into a Registration Rights Agreement in the form attached as Exhibit A hereto (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company shall register the resale of the Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein; and
WHEREAS, in consideration of the Investor’s execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company shall issue to the Investor the Commitment Shares pursuant to and in accordance with Section 12.04.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties hereto agree as follows:
Article I. Certain Definitions
Capitalized terms used in this Agreement shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in Annex I hereto, and hereby made a part hereof, or as otherwise set forth in this Agreement.
Article II. Pre-Paid Advances
Section 2.01 Pre-Paid Advances. Subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Annex II attached hereto, the Investor shall advance to the Company the principal amount of $6,000,000 (the “Pre-Paid Advance”), which shall be evidenced by convertible promissory notes in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (each, a “Promissory Note”) in two tranches. The first tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance shall be in a principal amount of $1,000,000 and, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Annex II attached hereto, advanced on the date upon which the Company files with the SEC the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the “First Pre-Advance Closing”), the second tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance shall be in a principal amount of $5,000,000 and, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Annex II attached hereto, advanced on the second Trading Day after the later of (i) the initial Registration Statement first becoming effective and (ii) the Company’s receipt of shareholder approval to issue Common Shares in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents in excess of the Exchange Cap (the “Second Pre-Advance Closing”) (each of the First Pre-Advance Closing and the Second Pre-Advance Closing individually referred to as a “Pre-Advance Closing” and collectively referred to as the “Pre-Advance Closings”).
Section 2.02 Pre-Advance Closing. Each Pre-Advance Closing shall occur remotely by conference call and electronic delivery of documentation. The First Pre-Advance Closing shall take place at 10:00 a.m., New York time, on the date upon which the Company files with the SEC the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, provided that the conditions set forth on Annex II have been satisfied (or such other date as is mutually agreed to by the Company and the Investor). The Second Pre-Advance Closing shall take place at 10:00 a.m., New York time, on the second Trading Day after the later of (i) the initial Registration Statement first becoming effective, (ii) the Company’s receipt of shareholder approval to issue Common Shares in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents in excess of the Exchange Cap, and (iii) the approval by the Principal Market of the initial listing application required under Nasdaq Listing Rules 5110 and 5635(b), provided that the conditions set forth on Annex II have been satisfied within 180 calendar days of the date of this Agreement (or such other date as is mutually agreed to by the Company and the Investor). At each Pre-Advance Closing, the Investor shall advance to the Company the principal amount of the applicable tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance, less a discount in the amount equal to 5.00% of the principal amount of such tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance netted from the purchase price due, in immediately available funds to an account designated by the Company in writing, and the Company shall deliver a Promissory Note with a principal amount equal to the full amount of the applicable tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance, duly executed on behalf of the Company.
Article III. Advances
Section 3.01 Advances; Mechanics. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, during the Commitment Period, (i) the Company, at its sole discretion, shall have the right, but not the obligation, to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall subscribe for and purchase from the Company, Advance Shares by the delivery to the Investor of Advance Notices, provided (x) no more than 10% of the amount of the Pre-Paid Advance that has been funded hereunder is outstanding under Promissory Note(s), or, (y) if more than 10% of the amount of the Pre-Paid Advance that has been funded hereunder is outstanding under Promissory Note(s), then in accordance with Section 3.01(a)(iii) hereof, and (ii) for as long as there is a balance outstanding under a Promissory Note, the Investor, at its sole discretion shall have the right, but not the obligation, by the delivery to the Company of Investor Notices, to cause an Advance Notice to be deemed delivered to the Investor and the issuance and sale of Common Shares to the Investor pursuant to an Advance, on the following terms:
| (a) | Advance Notice. At any time during the Commitment Period, the Company may require the Investor to purchase Common Shares by delivering an Advance Notice to the Investor, subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the Investor of the conditions set forth in Annex III, and in accordance with the following provisions: |
| (i) | The Company shall, in its sole discretion, select the number of Advance Shares, not to exceed the Maximum Advance Amount (unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Company and the Investor), it desires to issue and sell to the Investor in each Advance Notice, and the time it desires to deliver each Advance Notice. |
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| (ii) | There shall be no mandatory minimum Advances and there shall be no non-usage fee for not utilizing the Commitment Amount or any part thereof. |
| (iii) | For so long as 10% of the amount of the Pre-Paid Advances remains outstanding under a Promissory Note, without the prior written consent of the Investor, the Company may only (other than with respect to a deemed Advance Notice pursuant to an Investor Notice) submit an Advance Notice (A) if an Amortization Event has occurred and the obligation of the Company to make monthly prepayments under the Promissory Note has not ceased, and (B) the aggregate purchase price owed to the Company from such Advances (“Advance Proceeds”) shall be paid by the Investor by offsetting the amount of the Advance Proceeds against an equal amount outstanding under the subject Promissory Note (first towards accrued and unpaid interest, and then towards outstanding principal). |
| (b) | Investor Notice. At any time during the Commitment Period, provided that there is a balance remaining outstanding under a Promissory Note, the Investor may, by delivering an Investor Notice to the Company, cause an Advance Notice to be deemed delivered to the Investor and the issuance and sale of Common Shares to the Investor pursuant to an Advance, in accordance with the following provisions: |
| (i) | The Investor shall, in its sole discretion, select the amount of the Advance up to the Maximum Advance Amount applicable to the Investor, and the time it desires to deliver each Investor Notice; provided that the amount of the Advance selected shall not exceed the balance owed under all Promissory Notes outstanding on the date of delivery of the Investor Notice. |
| (ii) | The Purchase Price of the Common Shares in respect of any Advance Notice deemed delivered pursuant to an Investor Notice shall be equal to the Conversion Price (as defined in the Promissory Note) that would be applicable to the amount of the Advance selected by the Investor if such amount were to be converted as of the date of delivery of the Investor Notice in accordance with the Promissory Note. The Investor shall pay the Purchase Price for the Common Shares to be issued pursuant to the Investor Notice by offsetting the amount of the Purchase Price to be paid by the Investor against an equal amount outstanding under a Promissory Note (first towards accrued and unpaid interest, if any, then towards principal). |
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| (iii) | Each Investor Notice shall set forth the amount of the Advance requested, the Purchase Price (determined in accordance with Section 3.01(b)(ii)) along with a report by Bloomberg L.P. indicating the relevant VWAP used in calculating the Conversion Price, the number of Common Shares to be issued by the Company and purchased by the Investor, the aggregate amount of accrued and unpaid interest under the subject Promissory Note (if any) that shall be offset by the issuance of Common Shares, the aggregate amount of principal of the Promissory Note that shall be offset by the issuance of Common Shares, and the total amount of the applicable Promissory Note or Promissory Notes that shall be outstanding following the closing of the Advance, and each Investor Notice shall serve as the Settlement Document in respect of such Advance. |
| (iv) | Upon the delivery of an Investor Notice, a corresponding Advance Notice shall simultaneously and automatically be deemed to have been delivered by the Company to the Investor requesting the amount of the Advance set forth in the Investor Notice, and any conditions precedent to such Advance Notice under the terms of this Agreement that have not been satisfied shall be deemed to have been waived by the Investor. |
| (c) | Date of Delivery of Advance Notice. Advance Notices shall be delivered in accordance with the instructions set forth on the bottom of Exhibit C attached hereto. An Advance Notice shall be deemed delivered on (i) the day it is received by the Investor if such notice is received by e-mail at or before 9:00 a.m. New York City time (or at such later time if agreed to by the Investor in its sole discretion), or (ii) the immediately succeeding day if it is received by e-mail after 9:00 a.m. New York City time. An Advance Notice deemed delivered pursuant to an Investor Notice shall be deemed delivered on the same date upon which the Investor Notice is received by the Company. Upon receipt of an Advance Notice, the Investor shall promptly provide written confirmation (which may be by e-mail) of receipt of such Advance Notice, and which confirmation shall specify the commencement time of the applicable Pricing Period. |
| (d) | For the avoidance of doubt, the repayment in cash or the conversion of all or a portion of the Pre-Paid Advance will not reduce the Commitment Amount, other than with respect to delivery of an Advance Notice in accordance with Section 3.01(a)(iii). |
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Section 3.02 Advance Limitations, Regulatory. Regardless of the Advance requested in an Advance Notice, including an Advance Notice deemed delivered pursuant to an Investor Notice (except with respect to the limitations in 3.02(b) below, which shall not apply to Investor Notices), and notwithstanding any provision to the contrary herein, the final number of Common Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to such Advance Notice shall be reduced (if at all) in accordance with each of the following limitations:
| (a) | Ownership Limitation; Commitment Amount. At the request of the Company, the Investor shall inform the Company of the number of Common Shares the Investor and each of its Affiliates beneficially owns. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the Investor shall not be obligated to purchase or acquire, and shall not purchase or acquire, any Common Shares under this Agreement which, when aggregated with all other Common Shares beneficially owned by the Investor and its Affiliates (as calculated pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-3 promulgated thereunder), would result in the beneficial ownership by the Investor and its Affiliates (on an aggregated basis) of a number of Common Shares exceeding 9.99% of the then outstanding voting power or number of Common Shares (the “Ownership Limitation”). Upon the written request of the Investor, the Company shall promptly (but no later than the next Business Day on which the transfer agent for the Common Shares is open for business) confirm orally or in writing to the Investor the number of Common Shares then outstanding. In connection with each Advance Notice, any portion of an Advance that would (i) cause the Investor to exceed the Ownership Limitation or (ii) cause the aggregate number of Common Shares issued and sold to the Investor hereunder to exceed the Commitment Amount shall automatically be withdrawn with no further action required by the Company, and such Advance Notice shall be deemed automatically modified to reduce the Advance by an amount equal to such withdrawn portion; provided that in the event of any such automatic withdrawal and automatic modification, the Investor will promptly notify the Company of such event. |
| (b) | Registration Limitation. In no event shall an Advance exceed the number of Common Shares registered in respect of the transactions contemplated hereby under the Registration Statement then in effect (the “Registration Limitation”). In connection with each Advance Notice, any portion of an Advance that would exceed the Registration Limitation shall automatically be withdrawn with no further action required by the Company and such Advance Notice shall be deemed automatically modified to reduce the aggregate amount of the requested Advance by an amount equal to such withdrawn portion; provided that in the event of any such automatic withdrawal and automatic modification, the Investor will promptly notify the Company of such event. |
| (c) | Compliance with Rules of Principal Market. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Company shall not effect any sales under this Agreement and the Investor shall not have the obligation to purchase Common Shares under this Agreement to the extent (but only to the extent) that after giving effect to such purchase and sale the aggregate number of Common Shares issued under this Agreement (including, without limitation, any Commitment Shares and Common Shares underlying the Promissory Notes) would exceed 183,301 Common Shares (representing 19.99% of the aggregate number of Common Shares issued and outstanding as of the signing of this Agreement (subject to adjustment for any stock splits, combinations or the like)), calculated in accordance with the rules of the Principal Market, which number shall be reduced, on a share-for-share basis, by the number of Common Shares issued or issuable pursuant to any transaction or series of transactions that may be aggregated with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement under the applicable rules of the Principal Market (such maximum number of Common Shares, the “Exchange Cap”) provided that, the Exchange Cap will not apply if the Company’s stockholders have approved the issuance of Common Shares pursuant to this Agreement in excess of the Exchange Cap in accordance with the applicable rules of the Principal Market. In connection with each Advance Notice, any portion of an Advance that would exceed the Exchange Cap shall automatically be withdrawn with no further action required by the Company and such Advance Notice shall be deemed automatically modified to reduce the aggregate amount of the requested Advance by an amount equal to such withdrawn portion in respect of each Advance Notice. |
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Section 3.03 Advance Limitations, Minimum Acceptable Price.
| (a) | With respect to each Advance Notice the Company may notify the Investor of the Minimum Acceptable Price with respect to such Advance by indicating a Minimum Acceptable Price on such Advance Notice. If no Minimum Acceptable Price is specified in an Advance Notice, then no Minimum Acceptable Price shall be in effect in connection with such Advance. Each Trading Day during a Pricing Period for which (A) with respect to each Advance Notice with a Minimum Acceptable Price, the VWAP of the Common Shares is below the Minimum Acceptable Price in effect with respect to such Advance Notice, or (B) there is no VWAP (each such day in the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), an “Excluded Day”), shall result in an automatic reduction to the number of Advance Shares set forth in such Advance Notice by one third (1/3) (the resulting amount of each Advance being the “Adjusted Advance Amount”), and each Excluded Day shall be excluded from the Pricing Period for purposes of determining the Market Price. |
| (b) | The total Advance Shares in respect of each Advance with any Excluded Day(s) (after reductions have been made to arrive at the Adjusted Advance Amount) shall be automatically increased by such number of Common Shares (the “Additional Shares”) equal to the greater of (a) the number of Common Shares sold by the Investor on such Excluded Day(s), if any, or (b) such number of Common Shares elected to be subscribed for by the Investor, and the subscription price per share for each Additional Share shall be equal to the Minimum Acceptable Price in effect with respect to such Advance Notice multiplied by 97%, provided that this increase shall not cause the total Advance Shares to exceed the amount set forth in the applicable Advance Notice or any limitations set forth in Section 3.02. |
Section 3.04 Unconditional Contract. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, the Company and the Investor acknowledge and agree that upon the Investor’s receipt of a valid Advance Notice from the Company the Parties shall be deemed to have entered into an unconditional contract binding on both Parties for the purchase and sale of the applicable number of Advance Shares pursuant to such Advance Notice in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and (i) subject to Applicable Laws and (ii) subject to Section 7.21, the Investor may sell Common Shares during the Pricing Period for such Advance Notice (including with respect to any Advance Shares subject to such Pricing Period).
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Section 3.05 Closings. The closing of each Advance and each sale and purchase of Advance Shares (whether pursuant to an Advance Notice delivered by the Company or in connection with an Advance Notice deemed delivered by the Company in connection with an Investor Notice) (each, a “Closing”) shall take place as soon as practicable on or after each applicable Advance Date in accordance with the procedures set forth below. The Company acknowledges that, other than in connection with an Investor Notice, the Purchase Price is not known at the time an Advance Notice is delivered (at which time the Investor is irrevocably bound) but shall be determined on each Closing based on the daily prices of the Common Shares that are the inputs to the determination of the Purchase Price. In connection with each Closing, the Company and the Investor shall fulfill each of its obligations as set forth below:
| (a) | On or prior to each Advance Date, the Investor shall deliver to the Company a Settlement Document along with a report by Bloomberg L.P. (or, if not reported on Bloomberg L.P., another reporting service reasonably agreed to by the parties) indicating the VWAP for each of the Trading Days during the Pricing Period or period for determining the applicable Conversion Price, in each case in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. In connection with an Investor Notice, the Investor Notice shall serve as the Settlement Document. |
| (b) | Promptly after receipt of the Settlement Document with respect to each Advance (and, in any event, not later than one Trading Day after such receipt), the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer such number of Advance Shares to be purchased by the Investor (as set forth in the Settlement Document) by crediting the Investor’s account or its designee’s account at the Depository Trust Company through its Deposit Withdrawal at Custodian System or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto, and transmit notification to the Investor that such share transfer has been requested. Promptly upon receipt of such notification, the Investor shall pay to the Company the aggregate purchase price of the Common Shares (as set forth in the Settlement Document) either (i) in the case of an Advance Notice submitted other than after the occurrence of an Amortization Event, in cash in immediately available funds to an account designated by the Company in writing and transmit notification to the Company that such funds transfer has been requested, or (ii) in the case of an Investor Notice or an Advance Notice submitted after the occurrence of an Amortization Event, as an offset of amounts owed under the Promissory Note as described Section 3.01(b). No fractional shares shall be issued, and any fractional shares that would otherwise be issued in connection with an Advance shall be rounded to the next higher whole number of shares. To facilitate the transfer of the Common Shares by the Investor, the Common Shares will not bear any restrictive legends so long as there is an effective Registration Statement covering the resale of such Common Shares (it being understood and agreed by the Investor that notwithstanding the lack of restrictive legends, the Investor may only sell such Common Shares pursuant to the Plan of Distribution set forth in the Prospectus included in the applicable Registration Statement and otherwise in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act (including any applicable prospectus delivery requirements) or pursuant to an available exemption). |
| (c) | On or prior to the Advance Date, each of the Company and the Investor shall deliver to the other all documents, instruments and writings expressly required to be delivered by either of them pursuant to this Agreement in order to implement and effect the transactions contemplated herein. |
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| (d) | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, other than in respect of Advance Notices deemed to be given pursuant to Investor Notices, if on any day during the Pricing Period (i) the Company notifies Investor that a Material Outside Event has occurred, or (ii) the Company notifies the Investor of a Black Out Period, the parties agree that any pending Advance shall end and the final number of Advance Shares to be purchased by the Investor at the Closing for such Advance shall be equal to the number of Common Shares sold by the Investor during the applicable Pricing Period prior to the notification from the Company of a Material Outside Event or Black Out Period. |
Section 3.06 Hardship. In the event the Company fails to perform its obligations as mandated in this Agreement after the Investor’s receipt (or deemed receipt, in the case of an Investor Notice) of an Advance Notice, the Company agrees that in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Article VI hereto and in addition to any other remedy to which the Investor is entitled at law or in equity, including, without limitation, specific performance, it will hold the Investor harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or expense (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company and acknowledges that irreparable damage may occur in the event of any such default. It is accordingly agreed that the Investor shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent such breaches of this Agreement and to specifically enforce (subject to Applicable Laws and the rules of the Principal Market), without the posting of a bond or other security, the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
Article IV. Representations and Warranties of the Investor
The Investor represents, warrants, and covenants to the Company, as of the date hereof, as of each Advance Notice Date and as of each Advance Date that:
Section 4.01 Organization and Authorization. The Investor is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and to purchase or acquire the Common Shares in accordance with the terms hereof. The decision to invest and the execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party by the Investor, the performance by the Investor of its obligations hereunder and the consummation by the Investor of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized and require no other proceedings on the part of the Investor. The undersigned has the right, power and authority to execute and deliver the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and all other instruments on behalf of the Investor or its shareholders. This Agreement and the Transaction Documents to which it is a party have been duly executed and delivered by the Investor and, assuming the execution and delivery hereof and acceptance thereof by the Company, will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Investor, enforceable against the Investor in accordance with its terms.
Section 4.02 Evaluation of Risks. The Investor has such knowledge and experience in financial, tax and business matters as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of, and bearing the economic risks entailed by, an investment in the Common Shares and of protecting its interests in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. The Investor acknowledges and agrees that its investment in the Company involves a high degree of risk, and that the Investor may lose all or a part of its investment.
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Section 4.03 No Legal, Investment or Tax Advice from the Company. The Investor acknowledges that it had the opportunity to review the Transaction Documents, and the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents with its own legal counsel and investment and tax advisors. The Investor is relying solely on such counsel and advisors and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of the Company’s representatives or agents for legal, tax, investment or other advice with respect to the Investor’s acquisition of Common Shares hereunder, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the laws of any jurisdiction, and the Investor acknowledges that the Investor may lose all or a part of its investment.
Section 4.04 Investment Purpose. The Investor is acquiring the Common Shares and any Promissory Note for its own account, for investment purposes and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, the public sale or distribution thereof, except pursuant to sales registered under or exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities laws; provided, however, that by making the representations herein, the Investor does not agree, or make any representation or warranty, to hold any of the Common Shares for any minimum or other specific term and reserves the right to dispose of the Shares at any time in accordance with, or pursuant to, a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Agreement or an applicable exemption under the Securities Act. The Investor does not presently have any agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any Person to sell or distribute any of the Common Shares. The Investor acknowledges that it will be disclosed as an “underwriter” and a “selling stockholder” in each Registration Statement and in any Prospectus contained therein to the extent required by applicable law and to the extent any such Prospectus is related to the resale of Common Shares issuable pursuant to Advance Notices. The Investor is acquiring the Common Shares and the Promissory Notes hereunder in the ordinary course of its business.
Section 4.05 Accredited Investor. The Investor is an “Accredited Investor” as that term is defined in Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D.
Section 4.06 Information. The Investor and its advisors (and its counsel), if any, have been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and information the Investor deemed material to making an informed investment decision. The Investor and its advisors (and its counsel), if any, have been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the Company and its management and have received answers to such questions. Neither such inquiries nor any other due diligence investigations conducted by such Investor or its advisors (and its counsel), if any, or its representatives shall modify, amend or affect the Investor’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement. The Investor acknowledges and agrees that the Company has not made to the Investor, and the Investor acknowledges and agrees it has not relied upon, any representations and warranties of the Company, its employees or any third party other than the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement. The Investor understands that its investment involves a high degree of risk. The Investor has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice, as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby.
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Section 4.07 Not an Affiliate. The Investor is not an officer, director or a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by, or is under common control with the Company or any “Affiliate” of the Company (as that term is defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act).
Section 4.08 General Solicitation. Neither the Investor, nor any of its affiliates, nor any person acting on its or their behalf, has engaged or will engage in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D) in connection with any offer or sale of the Common Shares by the Investor.
Section 4.09 Trading Activities. The Investor has not directly or indirectly, nor has any Person acting on behalf of or pursuant to any understanding with the Investor, engaged in any transactions in the securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any Short Sales (as defined below) involving the Company's securities) during the period commencing as of the time that the Investor first contacted the Company or the Company's agents regarding the specific investment in the Company contemplated by this Agreement and ending immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement by the Investor.
Article V. Representations and Warranties of the Company
Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, the Company represents and warrants to the Investor that, as of the date hereof, each Advance Notice Date and each Advance Date (other than representations and warranties which address matters only as of a certain date, which shall be true and correct as written as of such certain date):
Section 5.01 Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are entities duly incorporated or otherwise organized and validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdiction of their incorporation or organization and has the requisite power and authority to own its properties and to carry on its business as now being conducted. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing (to the extent applicable) in every jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it makes such qualification necessary, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing has not had and would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.02 Authorization, Enforcement, Compliance with Other Instruments. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and to issue the Common Shares in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof. The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including, without limitation, the issuance of the Common Shares) have been or (with respect to consummation) will be duly authorized by the Company’s board of directors and no further consent or authorization will be required by the Company, its board of directors or its shareholders. This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party have been (or, when executed and delivered, will be) duly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming the execution and delivery thereof and acceptance by the Investor, constitute (or, when duly executed and delivered, will be) the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity or applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or other laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of applicable creditors’ rights and remedies and except as rights to indemnification and to contribution may be limited by federal or state securities law.
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Section 5.03 Authorization of the Shares. The Common Shares to be issued under this Agreement have been, or with respect to Common Shares to be purchased by the Investor pursuant to an Advance Notice, will be, when issued and delivered pursuant to the terms approved by the board of directors of the Company or a duly authorized committee thereof, or a duly authorized executive committee, against payment therefor as provided herein, duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of any pledge, lien, encumbrance, security interest or other claim, including any statutory or contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights, and will be registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act. The Common Shares, when issued, will conform to the description thereof set forth in or incorporated into the Prospectus. As of the date of each Pre-Advance Closing, and at all times thereafter, the Company shall have reserved from its duly authorized capital stock not less than the number of Common Shares issuable upon conversion of all Promissory Notes (assuming for purposes hereof that (x) such Promissory Note is convertible at a conversion price equal to the Floor Price as of the date of determination, and (y) any such conversion shall not take into account any limitations on the conversion of the Promissory Note set forth therein).
Section 5.04 No Conflict. The execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including, without limitation, the issuance of the Common Shares) will not (i) result in a violation of the certificates of incorporation or other organizational documents of the Company or its Subsidiaries (with respect to consummation, as the same may be amended prior to the date on which any of the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated), (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Company or its Subsidiaries is a party, or (iii) result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree (including federal and state securities laws and regulations) applicable to the Company or its Subsidiaries or by which any property or asset of the Company or its Subsidiaries is bound or affected except, in the case of clause (ii) or (iii) above, to the extent such violations have not had and would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.05 Acknowledgment. The Company understands and acknowledges that the number of Common Shares issuable upon conversion of the Promissory Notes will increase in certain circumstances. The Company further acknowledges its obligation to issue the Common Shares upon conversion of the Promissory Notes in accordance with the terms thereof or upon delivery of an Advance Notice (including upon receipt of an Investor Notice) is absolute and unconditional regardless of the dilutive effect that such issuance may have on the ownership interests of other stockholders of the Company.
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Section 5.06 SEC Documents; Financial Statements. For the past two years the Company the Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by it with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, the Current Report, each Registration Statement, as the same may be amended from time to time, the Prospectus contained therein and each Prospectus Supplement thereto, and all information contained in such filings and all documents and disclosures that have been or may in the future be incorporated by reference therein (all such documents hereinafter referred to as the “SEC Documents”) and all such filings required to be filed within the last 12 months (or since the Company has been subject to the requirements of Section 12 of the Exchange Act, if shorter) have been made on a timely basis (giving effect to permissible extensions in accordance with Rule 12b-25 under the Exchange Act). The Company has delivered or made available to the Investor through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, true and complete copies of the SEC Documents, as applicable. Except as disclosed in amendments or subsequent filings to the SEC Documents, as of its filing date (or, if amended or superseded by a filing prior to the date hereof, on the date of such amended or superseded filing), each of the SEC Documents complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder applicable to the SEC Documents, and did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
Section 5.07 Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents, together with the related notes and schedules, present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the consolidated results of operations, cash flows and changes in stockholders’ equity of the Company for the periods specified and have been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act and Exchange Act and in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis (except for (i) such adjustments to accounting standards and practices as are noted therein, (ii) in the case of unaudited interim financial statements, to the extent such financial statements may not include footnotes required by GAAP or may be condensed or summary statements and (iii) such adjustments which are not material, either individually or in the aggregate) during the periods involved; the other financial and statistical data with respect to the Company and the Subsidiaries contained or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents 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 or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents that are not included or incorporated by reference as required; the Company and the Subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), not described in the SEC Documents (excluding the exhibits thereto); and all disclosures contained or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the SEC) comply in all material respects with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the SEC’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
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Section 5.08 Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement meet the requirements for and comply with the conditions for the use of Form S-1 under the Securities Act. Each Registration Statement and the offer and sale of Common Shares as contemplated hereby, if and when filed, will meet the requirements of Rule 415 under the Securities Act and comply in all material respects with said rule. Any statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in a Registration Statement or a Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or to be filed as exhibits to a Registration Statement have been so described or filed. Copies of each Registration Statement, any Prospectus, and any such amendments or supplements thereto and all documents incorporated by reference therein that were filed with the SEC on or prior to the date of this Agreement have been delivered, or are available through EDGAR, to the Investor and its counsel. The Company has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of each Advance Notice Date and completion of the distribution of the Common Shares, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering or sale of the Common Shares other than a Registration Statement, the Prospectus contained therein, and any required prospectus supplement, in each case as reviewed and consented to by the Investor.
Section 5.09 No Misstatement or Omission. Each Registration Statement, when it became or becomes effective, and any Prospectus, on the date of such Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, conformed and will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act. At each Advance Notice Date and applicable Advance Date, the Registration Statement, and the Prospectus, as of such date, will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act. Each Registration Statement, when it became or becomes effective, did not, and will not, contain an 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. Each Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, as of its date and at all subsequent times, did not, or will not, include an 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. The documents incorporated by reference in a Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement did not, and any further documents filed and incorporated by reference therein will not, when filed with the SEC, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated in such document or necessary to make the statements in such document, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The foregoing shall not apply to statements in, or omissions from, any such document made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Company by the Investor specifically for use in the preparation thereof.
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Section 5.10 Conformity with Securities Act and Exchange Act. Each Registration Statement, each Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, and the documents incorporated by reference in each Registration Statement, Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents were or are filed with the SEC under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or became or become effective under the Securities Act, as the case may be, conformed or will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable.
Section 5.11 Equity Capitalization.
(a) Authorized and Outstanding Capital Stock. As of the date hereof, the authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 290,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value, of which 916,968 are issued and outstanding and 10 million shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 1,242.0718 shares are designated as Series A Non-Voting Preferred Stock, each of which is convertible into 10,000 shares of Common Stock; 223.7337 shares are designated as Series B Non-Voting Preferred Stock, each of which is convertible into 10,000 shares of Common Stock; and 1,214,204 shares are designated as Series C Non-Voting Preferred Stock, each of which is convertible into one (1) share of Common Stock; and 8,748,329.56 shares of preferred stock are undesignated. As of the date hereof, the Company has reserved 16,357,905 Common Shares for issuance to parties or Persons other than the Investor.
(b) Valid Issuance; Available Shares. All of such outstanding shares are duly authorized and have been validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable.
(C) Existing Securities; Obligations. Except as disclosed in the SEC Documents: (A) none of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s shares, interests or capital stock is subject to preemptive rights or any other similar rights or liens suffered or permitted by the Company or any Subsidiary; (B) there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip, rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities or rights convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, any shares, interests or capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or may become bound to issue additional shares, interests or capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or options, warrants, scrip, rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities or rights convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, any shares, interests or capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (C) there are no agreements or arrangements under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is obligated to register the sale of any of their securities under the Securities Act (except pursuant to this Agreement); (D) there are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which contain any redemption or similar provisions, and there are no contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or may become bound to redeem a security of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (E) there are no securities or instruments containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that will be triggered by the issuance of the Common Shares; and (F) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has entered into any Variable Rate Transaction.
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Section 5.12 Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights or licenses to use all material trademarks, trade names, service marks, service mark registrations, service names, patents, patent rights, copyrights, inventions, licenses, approvals, governmental authorizations, trade secrets and rights, if any, necessary to conduct their respective businesses as now conducted, except as has not had and would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its Subsidiaries have not received written notice of any infringement by the Company or its Subsidiaries of trademark, trade name rights, patents, patent rights, copyrights, inventions, licenses, service names, service marks, service mark registrations, or trade secrets, except as has not had and would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, there is no claim, action or proceeding being made or brought against, or to the Company’s knowledge, being threatened against the Company or its Subsidiaries regarding trademark, trade name, patents, patent rights, invention, copyright, license, service names, service marks, service mark registrations, trade secret or other infringement; and, except as has not had and would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is not aware of any facts or circumstances which might give rise to any of the foregoing.
Section 5.13 Employee Relations. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is involved in any labor dispute nor, to the knowledge of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, has any such dispute threatened, in each case which would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.14 Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) have not received written notice alleging any failure to comply in all material respects with all Environmental Laws (as defined below), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) have not received written notice alleging any failure to comply with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except, in each of the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), as has not had and would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. The term “Environmental Laws” means all applicable federal, state and local laws relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata), including, without limitation, laws relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, or toxic or hazardous substances or wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) into the environment, or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials, as well as all authorizations, codes, decrees, demands or demand letters, injunctions, judgments, licenses, notices or notice letters, orders, permits, plans or regulations issued, entered, promulgated or approved thereunder.
Section 5.15 Title. Except as has not had and would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, the Company (or its Subsidiaries) has indefeasible fee simple or leasehold title to its properties and material assets owned by it, free and clear of any pledge, lien, security interest, encumbrance, claim or equitable interest other than (i) such as are not material to the business of the Company and (ii) such that are for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, for which appropriate reserves have been made therefor in accordance with GAAP and the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and its Subsidiaries 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 Subsidiaries.
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Section 5.16 Insurance. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as management of the Company believes to be prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and its Subsidiaries are engaged. The Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.17 Regulatory Permits. Except as has not had and would not be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries possess all material certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, and neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary has received any written notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permits.
Section 5.18 Internal Accounting Controls. The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences, and management is not aware of any material weaknesses that are not disclosed in the SEC Documents as and when required.
Section 5.19 Absence of Litigation. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or by any court, public board, government agency, self-regulatory organization or body pending against or affecting the Company, the Common Shares or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries, wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding would have or be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.20 Absence of Certain Changes. Since the date of the Company’s most recent audited financial statements contained in a Form 10-K, there has been no Material Adverse Effect, nor any event or occurrence specifically affecting the Company or its Subsidiaries that would be reasonably expected to result, individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Effect. Since the date of the Company’s most recent audited financial statements contained in a Form 10-K and except as disclosed in the SEC Documents, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has (i) declared or paid any dividends, (ii) sold any material assets, individually or in the aggregate, outside of the ordinary course of business, or (iii) made any material capital expenditures, individually or in the aggregate, outside of the ordinary course of business. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has taken any steps to seek protection pursuant to any law or statute relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, liquidation or winding up, nor does the Company or any Subsidiary have any knowledge or reason to believe that any of their respective creditors intend to initiate involuntary bankruptcy proceedings.
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Section 5.21 Subsidiaries. Except as disclosed in the SEC Documents, the Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any interest in any other corporation, partnership, association or other business entity.
Section 5.22 Tax Status. Except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, each of the Company and its Subsidiaries (i) has timely filed all foreign, federal and state income and all other tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has timely paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations, except those being contested in good faith and (iii) has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment of all taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply. The Company has not received written notification of any unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of the Company and its Subsidiaries know of no basis for any such claim where the failure to pay would have or would be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.23 Certain Transactions. Except as disclosed in the SEC Documents or as not required to be disclosed pursuant to Applicable Laws, none of the officers or directors of the Company is presently a party to any transaction with the Company (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer or director, or to the knowledge of the Company, any corporation, partnership, trust or other entity in which any officer or director has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or partner.
Section 5.24 Rights of First Refusal. Except as disclosed in the SEC Documents, the Company is not obligated to offer the Common Shares or the Promissory Notes offered hereunder on a right of first refusal basis or otherwise to any third parties including, but not limited to, current or former stockholders of the Company, underwriters, brokers, agents or other third parties.
Section 5.25 Dilution. The Company is aware and acknowledges that issuance of Common Shares hereunder could cause dilution to existing stockholders and could significantly increase the outstanding number of Common Shares.
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Section 5.26 Acknowledgment Regarding Investor’s Purchase of Shares. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Investor is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length investor with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereunder. The Company further acknowledges that the Investor is not acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereunder and any advice given by the Investor or any of its representatives or agents in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereunder is merely incidental to the Investor’s purchase of the Common Shares hereunder or the Promissory Note. The Company is aware and acknowledges that it shall not be able to request Advances under this Agreement if a Registration Statement is not effective or if any issuances of Common Shares pursuant to any Advances would violate any rules of the Principal Market. The Company acknowledges and agrees that it is capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 5.27 Finder’s Fees. Except for fees and commissions payable by the Company to Tungsten Advisors (through its broker-dealer, Finalis Securities LLC), in connection with this transaction, neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has incurred any liability for any finder’s fees, brokerage commissions or similar payments in connection with the transactions herein contemplated.
Section 5.28 Relationship of the Parties. Neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf is a client or customer of the Investor or any of its Affiliates and neither the Investor nor any of its Affiliates has provided, or will provide, any services to the Company or any of its Affiliates, its subsidiaries, or any Person acting on its or their behalf. The Investor’s relationship to the Company is solely as investor as provided for in the Transaction Documents.
Section 5.29 Operations. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with Applicable Law and neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries, nor any director, officer, or employee of the Company or any Subsidiary nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, Affiliate or other Person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary has, not complied with Applicable Law; and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any governmental authority involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to Applicable Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
Section 5.30 Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement or a Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
Section 5.31 Compliance with Laws. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are in compliance with Applicable Law; the Company has not received a notice of non-compliance, nor knows of, nor has reasonable grounds to know of, any facts that any director, officer, or employee of the Company or any Subsidiary nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, Affiliate or other Person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary has, has not complied with Applicable Laws, or could give rise to a notice of non-compliance with Applicable Laws, and is not aware of any pending change or contemplated change to any Applicable Law or regulation or governmental position; in each case that would have or would be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
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Section 5.32 Sanctions Matters. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer or controlled Affiliate of the Company or any director or officer of any Subsidiary, is a Person that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is (i) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authorities, including, without limitation, designation on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List or OFAC’s Foreign Sanctions Evaders List or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or (ii) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions that broadly prohibit dealings with that country or territory (including, without limitation, the Crimea, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Sudan and Syria (the “Sanctioned Countries”)). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries will, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds from the sale of Advance Shares or any Pre-Paid Advance, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person (a) for the purpose of funding or facilitating any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions or is a Sanctioned Country, or (b) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions or Applicable Laws by any Person (including any Person participating in the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise). For the past five years, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has engaged in, and is now not engaged 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 or was a Sanctioned Country. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any director, officer or controlled Affiliate of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, has ever had funds blocked by a United States bank or financial institution, temporarily or otherwise, as a result of OFAC concerns.
Section 5.33 General Solicitation. Neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf, has engaged or will engage in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D) in connection with the offer or sale of the Common Shares.
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Article VI. Indemnification
The Investor and the Company represent to the other the following with respect to itself:
Section 6.01 Indemnification by the Company. In consideration of the Investor’s execution and delivery of this Agreement and acquiring the Common Shares hereunder, and in addition to all of the Company’s other obligations under this Agreement, the Company shall defend, protect, indemnify and hold harmless the Investor, its investment manager, Yorkville Advisors Global, LP, and their respective Affiliates, and each of the foregoing’s respective officers, directors, managers, members, partners, employees and agents (including, without limitation, those retained in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) and each Person who controls any of the foregoing within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively, the “Investor Indemnitees”) from and against any and all actions, causes of action, suits, claims, losses, costs, penalties, fees, liabilities and damages, and reasonable and documented expenses in connection therewith (irrespective of whether any such Investor Indemnitee is a party to the action for which indemnification hereunder is sought), and including reasonable and documented attorneys’ fees and disbursements (the “Indemnified Liabilities”), incurred by the Investor Indemnitees or any of them as a result of, or arising out of, or relating to (a) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of the Common Shares as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in any related prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Investor specifically for inclusion therein; (b) any material misrepresentation or breach of any material representation or material warranty made by the Company in this Agreement or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby; or (c) any material breach of any material covenant, material agreement or material obligation of the Company contained in this Agreement or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby. To the extent that the foregoing undertaking by the Company may be unenforceable under Applicable Law, the Company shall make the maximum contribution to the payment and satisfaction of each of the Indemnified Liabilities, which is permissible under Applicable Law.
Section 6.02 Indemnification by the Investor. In consideration of the Company’s execution and delivery of this Agreement, and in addition to all of the Investor’s other obligations under this Agreement, the Investor shall defend, protect, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its Subsidiaries and all of their respective officers, directors, stockholders, employees and agents (including, without limitation, those retained in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) and each Person who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively, the “Company Indemnitees”) from and against any and all Indemnified Liabilities incurred by the Company Indemnitees or any of them as a result of, or arising out of, or relating to (a) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of the Common Shares as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in any related prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that the Investor will only be liable for written information relating to the Investor furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Investor specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity, and will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Investor by or on behalf of the Company specifically for inclusion therein; (b) any misrepresentation or breach of any representation or warranty made by the Investor in this Agreement or any instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby executed by the Investor; or (c) any breach of any covenant, agreement or obligation of the Investor contained in this Agreement or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby executed by the Investor. To the extent that the foregoing undertaking by the Investor may be unenforceable under Applicable Laws, the Investor shall make the maximum contribution to the payment and satisfaction of each of the Indemnified Liabilities, which is permissible under Applicable Laws.
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Section 6.03 Notice of Claim. Promptly after receipt by an Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action or proceeding (including any governmental action or proceeding) involving an Indemnified Liability, such Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee, as applicable, shall, if a claim for an Indemnified Liability in respect thereof is to be made against any indemnifying party under this Article VI, deliver to the indemnifying party a written notice of the commencement thereof; but the failure to so notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it of liability under this Article VI except to the extent the indemnifying party is prejudiced by such failure. The indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in, and, to the extent the indemnifying party so desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, to assume control of the defense thereof with counsel mutually reasonably satisfactory to the indemnifying party and the Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee, as the case may be; provided, however, that an Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee shall have the right to retain its own counsel with the actual and reasonable third party fees and expenses of not more than one counsel for such Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee to be paid by the indemnifying party, if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel retained by the indemnifying party, the representation by such counsel of the Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee and the indemnifying party would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between such Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee and any other party represented by such counsel in such proceeding. The Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee shall cooperate fully with the indemnifying party in connection with any negotiation or defense of any such action or claim by the indemnifying party and shall furnish to the indemnifying party all information reasonably available to the Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee which relates to such action or claim, unless (i) such cooperation or furnishing of information is likely to, in the opinion of the applicable Investor Indemnitee’s or Company Indemnitee’s counsel, result in the waiver of attorney client privilege, or (ii) the interests of the Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee, as the case may be, and the indemnifying party conflict or are adverse with respect to a particular action or claim. The indemnifying party shall keep the Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee reasonably apprised as to the status of the defense or any settlement negotiations with respect thereto. No indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any action, claim or proceeding effected without its prior written consent, provided, however, that the indemnifying party shall not unreasonably withhold, delay or condition its consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee, consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or other compromise which does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation. Following indemnification as provided for hereunder, the indemnifying party shall be subrogated to all rights of the Investor Indemnitee or Company Indemnitee with respect to all third parties, firms or corporations relating to the matter for which indemnification has been made. The indemnification required by this Article VI shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received and payment therefor is due.
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Section 6.04 Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Article VI are not exclusive and shall not limit any right or remedy which may be available to any indemnified Person at law or equity. The obligations of the parties to indemnify or make contribution under this Article VI shall survive expiration or termination of this Agreement.
Section 6.05 Limitation of liability. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Party shall seek, nor shall any be entitled to recover from the other Party be liable for, punitive, indirect, incidental, consequential or exemplary damages.
Article VII.
Covenants
The Company covenants with the Investor, and the Investor covenants with the Company, as follows, which covenants of one party are for the benefit of the other party, during the Commitment Period:
Section 7.01 Effective Registration Statement. During the Commitment Period, the Company shall maintain the continuous effectiveness of each Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the Securities Act pursuant to and in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement; provided, however, that in the event there are no Pre-Paid Advances outstanding, the Company shall only be required to use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the continuous effectiveness of the Registration Statement and each subsequent Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the Securities Act pursuant to and in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement.
Section 7.02 Registration and Listing. The Company shall cause the Common Shares to continue to be registered as a class of securities under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and to comply with its reporting and filing obligations under the Exchange Act, and shall not take any action or file any document (whether or not permitted by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act) to terminate or suspend such registration or to terminate or suspend its reporting and filing obligations under the Exchange Act or Securities Act, except as permitted herein. The Company shall continue the listing and trading of its Common Shares and the listing of the Common Shares purchased by the Investor hereunder on the Principal Market and to comply with the Company’s reporting, filing and other obligations under the rules and regulations of the Principal Market. If the Company receives any final and non-appealable written notice that the listing or quotation of the Common Shares on the Principal Market shall be terminated on a date certain, the Company shall promptly (and in any case within 24 hours of the receipt thereof) notify the Investor of such fact in writing and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Common Shares to be listed or quoted on another Principal Market.
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Section 7.03 Blue Sky. The Company shall take such action, if any, as is necessary by the Company in order to obtain an exemption for or to qualify the Common Shares for sale by the Company to the Investor pursuant to the Transaction Documents, and at the request of the Investor, the subsequent resale of Registrable Securities by the Investor, in each case, under applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws and shall provide evidence of any such action so taken to the Investor from time to time during the Commitment Period; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to (w) make any change to its Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other organizational documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (x) qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this Section 7.03, (y) subject itself to general taxation in any such jurisdiction, or (z) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction. The Company shall promptly notify the Investor of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the registration or qualification of any of the Common Shares for sale under the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction in the United States or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threat of any proceeding for such purpose.
Section 7.04 Suspension of Registration Statement.
Establishment of a Black Out Period. During the Commitment Period, the Company from time to time may suspend the use of a Registration Statement by written notice to the Investor in the event that the Company determines in good faith that such suspension is necessary to (i) delay the disclosure of material non-public information concerning the Company, the disclosure of which at the time is not, in good faith opinion, in the best interests of the Company or (ii) amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus so that such Registration Statement or Prospectus shall not include an 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, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (a “Black Out Period”).
| (a) | No Sales by Investor During the Black Out Period. During such Black Out Period, the Investor agrees not to sell any Common Shares of the Company pursuant to such Registration Statement, but may sell shares pursuant to an exemption from registration, if available, subject to the Investor’s compliance with Applicable Laws. |
| (b) | Limitations on the Black Out Period. The Company shall not impose any Black Out Period that is longer than 20 days or in a manner that is more restrictive (including, without limitation, as to duration) than the comparable restrictions that the Company may impose on transfers of the Company’s equity securities by its directors and senior executive officers. In addition, the Company shall not deliver any Advance Notice during any Black Out Period. If the public announcement of such material, nonpublic information is made during a Black Out Period, the Black Out Period shall terminate immediately after such announcement, and the Company shall immediately notify the Investor of the termination of the Black Out Period. |
Section 7.05 Listing of Common Shares. As of each Advance Notice Date and the applicable Advance Date, the Common Shares to be sold by the Company from time to time hereunder will have been registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and approved for listing on the Principal Market, subject to official notice of issuance.
Section 7.06 Opinion of Counsel. Prior to the date of the delivery by the Company of the first Advance Notice and each Pre-Paid Advance, the Investor shall have received an opinion letter from counsel to the Company in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Investor.
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Section 7.07 Exchange Act Registration. The Company will file in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of it as a reporting company under the Exchange Act (giving effect to permissible extensions in accordance with Rule 12b-25 under the Exchange Act) and, during the Commitment Period, will not take any action or file any document (whether or not permitted by Exchange Act or the rules thereunder) to terminate or suspend its reporting and filing obligations under the Exchange Act.
Section 7.08 Transfer Agent Instructions. During the Commitment Period and subject to Applicable Laws, the Company shall cause (including, if necessary, by causing legal counsel for the Company to deliver an opinion) the transfer agent for the Common Shares to remove restrictive legends from Common Shares purchased by the Investor pursuant to this Agreement, provided that counsel for the Company shall have been furnished with such documents as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to render the opinions or make the statements requested by the transfer agent, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the covenants, obligations or conditions, contained herein.
Section 7.09 Corporate Existence. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve and continue the corporate existence of the Company during the Commitment Period.
Section 7.10 Notice of Certain Events Affecting Registration; Suspension of Right to Make an Advance. The Company will promptly notify the Investor, and confirm in writing, upon its becoming aware of the occurrence of any of the following events in respect of a Registration Statement or related Prospectus (in each of which cases, if the information constitutes material non-public information, the information provided to the Investor will be kept confidential until disclosed by the Company): (i) receipt of any request for additional information by the SEC or any other Federal or state governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any request for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the SEC or any other Federal governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Common Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or written threat of any proceeding for such purpose; (iv) the happening of any event that makes any statement made in the Registration Statement or related Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, related Prospectus or documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and that in the case of the related Prospectus, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or of the necessity to amend the Registration Statement or supplement a related Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act or any other law (and the Company will promptly make available to the Investor any such supplement or amendment to the related Prospectus provided, however, the Company shall not be required to furnish any document to the extent such document is available on EDGAR); (v) the Company’s reasonable determination that a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement would be required under Applicable Law; (vi) the Common Shares shall cease to be authorized for listing on the Principal Market; or (vii) the Company fails to file in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of it as a reporting company under the Exchange Act. The Company shall not deliver to the Investor any Advance Notice, and the Company shall not sell any Common Shares pursuant to any pending Advance Notice (other than as required pursuant to Section 3.05(d)), during the continuation of any of the foregoing events (each of the events described in the immediately preceding clauses (i) through (vii), inclusive, a “Material Outside Event”).
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Section 7.11 Consolidation. If an Advance Notice has been delivered to the Investor, then the Company shall not effect any consolidation of the Company with or into, or a transfer of all or substantially all the assets of the Company to another entity before the transaction contemplated in such Advance Notice has been closed in accordance with Section 3.05 hereof, and all Common Shares in connection with such Advance have been received by the Investor.
Section 7.12 Issuance of the Company’s Common Shares. The issuance and sale of the Common Shares hereunder shall be made in accordance with the provisions and requirements of Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and any applicable state securities law.
Section 7.13 Reservation of Shares. As of the date of each Pre-Advance Closing, and at all times thereafter, the Company shall have reserved from its duly authorized capital stock not less than the number of Common Shares issuable upon conversion of all Promissory Notes (assuming for purposes hereof that (x) such Promissory Note is convertible at a conversion price equal to the Floor Price as of the date of determination, and (y) any such conversion shall not take into account any limitations on the conversion of the Promissory Note set forth therein) (the “Maximum Conversion Shares”).
Section 7.14 Stockholder Approval. Within 180 calendar days of the date of this Agreement, the Company shall hold a special meeting of stockholders (which may also be at the annual meeting of stockholders) (the “Special Meeting”) for the purpose of seeking the approval by the Company’s stockholders of (i) the issuance of the Common Shares issuable pursuant to the this Agreement (without regard to the Exchange Cap) in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Principal Market, including Rule 5635(d) thereof) (the “SEPA Stockholder Approval”) and (ii) the issuance of the Maximum Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion of the Promissory Notes (without regard to the Exchange Cap) in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Principal Market, including Rule 5635(d) thereof (without regard to any limitation on conversion or exercise thereof) (the “Promissory Note Approval”), with the recommendation of the Company’s Board of Directors that such proposals be approved. The Company shall include the SEPA Stockholder Approval and the Promissory Note Approval in the Proxy Statement and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to solicit proxies from its stockholders in connection therewith in the same manner as all other management proposals in the Proxy Statement, and all management-appointed proxyholders shall vote their proxies in favor of such proposals.
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Section 7.15 Expenses. The Company, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, will pay all reasonable and documented expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including but not limited to (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement and each amendment and supplement thereto, of each Prospectus and of each amendment and supplement thereto; (ii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of any Common Shares issued pursuant to this Agreement, (iii) all fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel, accountants and other advisors (but not, for the avoidance doubt, the fees and disbursements of Investor’s counsel, accountants and other advisors), (iv) the qualification of the Common Shares under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, including filing fees in connection therewith, (v) the printing and delivery of copies of any Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto reasonably requested by the Investor, (vi) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing or qualification of the Common Shares for trading on the Principal Market, and (vii) filing fees of the SEC and the Principal Market.
Section 7.16 Current Report and Form 10-K. The Company shall, not later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the fourth business day after the date of this Agreement, file with the SEC a current report on Form 8-K describing all the material terms of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents in the form required by the Exchange Act and attaching all the material Transaction Documents (including any exhibits thereto, the “Current Report”). The Company shall provide the Investor and its legal counsel a reasonable opportunity to comment on a draft of the Current Report including any exhibits to be filed related thereto, as applicable, prior to filing the Current Report with the SEC and shall reasonably consider all such comments. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company expressly agrees that from and after the filing of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (“Form 10-K”) with the SEC, the Company shall have publicly disclosed all material, non-public information provided to the Investor (or the Investor’s representatives or agents) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, agents or representatives (if any) in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries and each of its and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents not to, provide the Investor with any material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries without the express prior written consent of the Investor (which may be granted or withheld in the Investor’s sole discretion). Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company expressly agrees that it shall publicly disclose in the Form 10-K or otherwise make publicly available any information communicated to the Investor by or, to the knowledge of the Company, on behalf of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, which, following the date upon which the Company files with the SEC the Company’s Form 10-K would, if not so disclosed, constitute material, non-public information regarding the Company or its Subsidiaries. The Company understands and confirms that the Investor will rely on the foregoing representations in effecting resales of Common Shares. In addition, effective upon the filing of the Form 10-K, the Company acknowledges and agrees that any and all confidentiality or similar obligations with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents under any agreement, whether written or oral, between the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, Affiliates, employees or agents, on the one hand, and Investor or any of its respective officers, directors, Affiliates, employees or agents, on the other hand, shall terminate.
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Section 7.17 Advance Notice Limitation. The Company shall not deliver an Advance Notice if a shareholder meeting or corporate action, or the record date for any shareholder meeting or any corporate action, would fall during the period beginning two Trading Days prior to the date of delivery of such Advance Notice and ending two Trading Days following the Closing of such Advance.
Section 7.18 Use of Proceeds; Subsidiary Guaranty. Use of Proceeds. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary will, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the transactions contemplated herein to repay any advances or loans to any executives, directors, or employees of the Company or any Subsidiary or to make any payments in respect of any related party obligations, including without limitation any payables or notes payable to related parties of the Company or any Subsidiary whether or not such amounts are described on the balance sheets of the Company in any SEC Documents and any Subsidiary or described in any “Related Party Transactions” section of any SEC Documents, other than in connection with Permitted Related Party Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries will, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds from the transactions contemplated herein, or lend, contribute, facilitate, or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person (a) for the purpose of funding or facilitating, directly or indirectly, 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 is a Sanctioned Country, or (b) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions or Applicable Laws by any Person (including any Person participating in the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise). The Company shall not without the prior written consent of the Investor loan, invest, transfer or “downstream” any cash proceeds, or assets or property acquired with cash proceeds from the issuance and sale of the Promissory Note to any Subsidiary, unless such Subsidiary has entered into a subsidiary guaranty with the Investor in the form of the Global Guaranty Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company may pay the operating expenses of any Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business.
Section 7.19 Compliance with Laws. The Company shall comply in all material respects with all Applicable Laws.
Section 7.20 Market Activities. Neither the Company, nor any Subsidiary, nor any of their respective officers, directors or controlling persons will, directly or indirectly, (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or might reasonably be expected to constitute or result, in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of Common Shares or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase Common Shares in violation of Regulation M, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Shares.
Section 7.21 Trading Information. Upon the Company’s request, the Investor agrees to provide the Company on any Trading Day that the Investor sells Common Shares with a trading report by the following Trading Day setting forth the number and average sales prices of Common Shares sold by the Investor on such Trading Day.
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Section 7.22 Selling Restrictions. Except as expressly set forth below, the Investor covenants that from and after the date hereof through and including the Trading Day next following the expiration or termination of this Agreement as provided in Section 10.01 (the “Restricted Period”), none of the Investor any of its officers, or any entity managed or controlled by the Investor (collectively, the “Restricted Persons” and each of the foregoing is referred to herein as a “Restricted Person”) shall, directly or indirectly, engage in any “short sale” (as such term is defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO of the Exchange Act) of the Common Shares, either for its own principal account or for the principal account of any other Restricted Person, solely to the extent such “short sale” establishes a net short position in the Common Shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is expressly understood and agreed that nothing contained herein shall (without implication that the contrary would otherwise be true) prohibit any Restricted Person during the Restricted Period from: (1) selling “long” (as defined under Rule 200 promulgated under Regulation SHO) any Common Shares; (2) selling a number of Common Shares equal to the number of Advance Shares that such Restricted Person is unconditionally obligated to purchase under a pending Advance Notice but has not yet received from the Company or the transfer agent pursuant to this Agreement; or (3) selling a number of shares of Common Shares equal to the number of Common Shares that the Investor is entitled to receive, but has not yet received from the Company or the transfer agent, upon the completion of a pending conversion of the Promissory Note for which a valid Conversion Notice (as defined in the Promissory Note) has been submitted to the Company.
Section 7.23 Assignment. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns. No Party shall have any power or any right to assign or transfer, in whole or in part, this Agreement, or any of its rights or any of its obligations hereunder, including, without limitation, any right to pursue any claim for damages pursuant to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein, or to pursue any claim for any breach or default of this Agreement, or any right arising from the purported assignor’s due performance of its obligations hereunder, without the prior written consent of the other Party and any such purported assignment in contravention of the provisions herein shall be null and void and of no force or effect. Without the consent of the Investor, the Company shall not have the right to assign or transfer any of its rights or provide any third party the right to bind or obligate the Company, to deliver Advance Notices or effect Advances hereunder.
Section 7.24 Non-Public Information. The Company covenants and agrees that, other than as expressly required by Section 7.10 hereof, it shall refrain from disclosing, and shall cause its officers, directors, employees and agents to refrain from disclosing, any material non-public information (as determined under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or the rules and regulations of the SEC) to the Investor without also disseminating such information to the public, unless prior to disclosure of such information the Company identifies such information as being material non-public information and the Investor agrees in writing to accept such material non-public information for review. Unless specifically agreed to in writing, in no event shall the Investor have a duty of confidentiality or be deemed to have agreed to maintain information in confidence, with respect to the delivery of any Advance Notices.
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Section 7.25 No Frustration; No Variable Rate Transactions, Etc.
| (a) | No Frustration. The Company shall not enter into, announce or recommend to its stockholders any agreement, plan, arrangement or transaction in or of which the terms thereof would restrict, materially delay, conflict with or impair the ability or right of the Company to perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, including, without limitation, the obligation of the Company to deliver the Common Shares to the Investor in respect of an Advance Notice (including an Advance Notice deemed delivered in respect of an Investor Notice). |
| (b) | No Variable Rate Transactions or Related Party Payments. From the date hereof until the date upon which the Promissory Notes to be issued hereunder has been repaid in full, the Company shall not (A) repay any loans to any executives or employees of the Company or to make any payments in respect of any related party debt (other than Permitted Related Party Payments), and (B) effect or enter into an agreement to effect any issuance by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of Common Shares or any security which entitles the holder to acquire Common Shares (or a combination of units thereof) involving a Variable Rate Transaction, other than involving a Variable Rate Transaction with the Investor. The Investor shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief against the Company and its Subsidiaries to preclude any such issuance, which remedy shall be in addition to any right to collect damages, without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required. |
| (c) | From the date hereof until the Promissory Notes to be issued hereunder have been repaid in full, without the prior written consent of the Investor, neither the Company, nor any Subsidiary shall, directly or indirectly (i) other than Permitted Indebtedness, enter into, create, incur, assume, guarantee or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, or (ii) other than Permitted Liens, enter into, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien on or with respect to any of its property or assets now owned or hereafter acquired or any interest therein or any income or profits therefrom. |
Section 7.26 Limited Right of First Refusal. For six (6) months following the date upon which the Promissory Notes to be issued hereunder has been repaid in full, the Company shall not enter into or effect any Variable Rate Transaction without first giving prior written notice (the “Notice”) to the Investor of its intention to enter into or effect such transaction, which Notice shall set forth the material terms of such transaction. Upon receipt of a Notice, the Investor shall have five (5) Business Days from such receipt (the “Notice Period”) to confirm to the Company whether it will participate (exclusively or otherwise, and including through any affiliates if necessary for regulatory purposes) in such transaction in accordance with the terms set forth in the Notice (the “Right of First Refusal”). If the Investor exercises the Right of First Refusal, within ten (10) Business Days from such exercise, the Parties will enter into binding documentation in form and substance that are on the same terms as set forth in the Notice for such transaction. If the Investor declines to exercise the Right of First Refusal with respect to a particular transaction or fails to exercise the Right of First Refusal within the time period provided in this Section 7.26, the Company is permitted to subsequently enter into such transaction with a third party, provided, that such transaction (i) is consummated on terms (A) consistent with the Notice for such transaction and (B) no more beneficial than those terms offered to the Investor in the Notice and (ii) is consummated within 60 days of the Investor declining to exercise or failing to timely exercise the Right of First Refusal with respect to such transaction. For the avoidance of doubt, during the six (6) months that this Section 7.26 is in effect, the Company shall not enter into or effect any Variable Rate Transaction unless (x) the Company provides the Notice for such Variable Rate Transaction, (y) the Company provides the Investor with the opportunity to exercise the Right of First Refusal during the Notice Period and (z) the Investor declines to exercise or fails to timely exercise the Right of First Refusal during the Notice Period. The Right of First Refusal contained in this Section 7.26 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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Article VIII.
Non-Exclusive Agreement
Subject to Section 7.25 hereof, this Agreement and the rights awarded to the Investor hereunder are non-exclusive, and the Company may, at any time throughout the term of this Agreement and thereafter, issue and allot, or undertake to issue and allot, any shares and/or securities and/or convertible notes, bonds, debentures, options to acquire shares or other securities and/or other facilities which may be converted into or replaced by Common Shares or other securities of the Company, and to extend, renew and/or recycle any bonds and/or debentures, and/or grant any rights with respect to its existing and/or future share capital.
Article IX.
Choice of Law/Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial
Section 9.01 This Agreement, and any and all claims, proceedings or causes of action relating to this Agreement or arising from this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein, including, without limitation, tort claims, statutory claims and contract claims, shall be interpreted, construed, governed and enforced under and solely in accordance with the substantive and procedural laws of the State of New York, in each case as in effect from time to time and as the same may be amended from time to time, and as applied to agreements performed wholly within the State of New York. The Parties further agree that any action between them shall be heard in New York County, New York, and expressly consent to the jurisdiction and venue of the Supreme Court of New York, sitting in New York County, New York and the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York, sitting in New York, New York, for the adjudication of any civil action asserted pursuant to this Agreement.
Section 9.02 EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREIN, THE PERFORMANCE THEREOF OR THE FINANCINGS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTY HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS PARAGRAPH.
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Article X. Termination
Section 10.01 Termination.
| (a) | Unless earlier terminated as provided hereunder, this Agreement shall terminate automatically on the earlier of (i) the 36-month anniversary of the Effective Date, provided that if any Promissory Notes are then outstanding, such termination shall be delayed until such date that all Promissory Note that were outstanding have been repaid, or (ii) the date on which the Investor shall have made payment of Advances pursuant to this Agreement for Common Shares equal to the Commitment Amount. |
| (b) | The Company may terminate this Agreement effective upon five Trading Days’ prior written notice to the Investor; provided that (i) there are no outstanding Advance Notices under which Common Shares have yet to be issued, (ii) there is not an outstanding Promissory Note, and (iii) the Company has paid all amounts owed to the Investor pursuant to this Agreement. This Agreement may be terminated at any time by the mutual written consent of the parties, effective as of the date of such mutual written consent unless otherwise provided in such written consent. |
| (c) | Nothing in this Section 10.01 shall be deemed to release the Company or the Investor from any liability for any breach under this Agreement prior to the valid termination hereof, or to impair the rights of the Company and the Investor to compel specific performance by the other party of its obligations under this Agreement prior to the valid termination hereof. The indemnification provisions contained in Article VI shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
Article XI. Notices
Other than with respect to Advance Notices, which must be in writing delivered in accordance with Section 3.01 and will be deemed delivered on the day set forth in Section 3.01(c), any notices, consents, waivers, or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been delivered (i) upon receipt, when delivered personally; (ii) upon receipt, when sent by e-mail if sent on a Trading Day, or, if not sent on a Trading Day, on the immediately following Trading Day; (iii) 5 days after being sent by U.S. certified mail, return receipt requested, or (iv) 1 day after deposit with a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, in each case properly addressed to the party to receive the same. The addresses for such communications (except for Advance Notices which shall be delivered in accordance with Exhibit C hereof) shall be:
| If to the Company, to: | TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. 6 Liberty Square - #2382 Boston, MA 02109 Attn: Philippe P. Calais E-mail: |
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| With copies (which shall not constitute notice or delivery of process) to: | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 405 Howard Street San Francisco, California 94105 Attn: Niki Fang, Esq.; David Schulman, Esq. E-mail: |
| If to the Investor: | YA II PN, Ltd. 1012 Springfield Avenue Mountainside, NJ 07092 Attn: Mark Angelo E-mail: |
| With a copy (which shall not constitute notice or delivery of process) to: | David Fine, Esq. 1012 Springfield Avenue Mountainside, NJ 07092 E-mail: |
or at such other address and/or e-mail and/or to the attention of such other Person as the recipient party has specified by written notice given to each other party three Business Days prior to the effectiveness of such change. Written confirmation of receipt (i) given by the recipient of such notice, consent, waiver or other communication, (ii) electronically generated by the sender’s email service provider containing the time, date, and recipient email address or (iii) provided by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service shall be rebuttable evidence of delivery in accordance with clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above, respectively.
Article XII. Miscellaneous
Section 12.01 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in identical counterparts, both which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party. Facsimile or other electronically scanned and delivered signatures (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other Applicable Law, e.g., www.docusign.com), including by e-mail attachment, shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid as originals and effective for all purposes of this Agreement.
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Section 12.02 Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents supersede all other prior oral or written agreements between the Investor, the Company, their respective Affiliates and Persons acting on their behalf with respect to the matters discussed herein and therein, and this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the matters covered herein and, except as specifically set forth herein and therein, neither the Company nor the Investor makes any representation, warranty, covenant or undertaking with respect to such matters. No provision of this Agreement may be waived or amended other than by an instrument in writing signed by the parties to this Agreement. The failure of any party hereto to exercise any right, power or remedy provided under this Agreement or otherwise available in respect hereof at law or in equity, or to insist upon strict compliance by any other party hereto with its obligations hereunder, shall not constitute a waiver by such party of its right to exercise any such right, power or remedy or any other right, power or remedy or to demand strict compliance with such obligations hereunder. No custom or practice of the parties at variance with the terms hereof shall constitute a waiver by any party of its right to exercise any right, power or remedy available to it hereunder or any other right, power or remedy or to demand strict compliance with the terms of this Agreement.
Section 12.03 Reporting Entity for the Common Shares. The reporting entity relied upon for the determination of the trading price or trading volume of the Common Shares on any given Trading Day for the purposes of this Agreement shall be Bloomberg L.P. or any successor thereto. The written mutual consent of the Investor and the Company shall be required to employ any other reporting entity.
Section 12.04 Commitment and Structuring Fee. Each of the parties shall pay its own fees and expenses (including the fees of any attorneys, accountants, appraisers or others engaged by such party) in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that the Company has paid the Investor or its designee a structuring fee in the amount of $25,000. In addition, the Company shall pay a commitment fee in an amount equal to 2.00% of the Commitment Amount (the “Commitment Fee”) which shall be paid on the earlier of (i) the thirtieth Trading Day following the Effective Date, or (ii) the initial filing date of the initial Registration Statement (the “Fee Due Date”). The Company may pay the Commitment Fee on the Fee Due Date either in cash, or by the issuance to the Investor of such number of Common Shares that is equal to the Commitment Fee divided by the closing price of the Common Shares as of the Trading Day immediately prior to the Fee Due Date (collectively, the “Commitment Shares”). Any Commitment Shares issuable hereunder shall be included on the initial Registration Statement.
Section 12.05 Brokerage. Each of the parties hereto represents that it has had no dealings in connection with this transaction with any finder or broker who will demand payment of any fee or commission from the other party. The Company on the one hand, and the Investor, on the other hand, agree to indemnify the other against and hold the other harmless from any and all liabilities to any person claiming brokerage commissions or finder’s fees on account of services purported to have been rendered on behalf of the indemnifying party in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Standby Equity Purchase Agreement to be executed by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, as of the date first set forth above.
| COMPANY: | |||
| TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC. | |||
| By: | /s/ Thomas A. Fitzgerald | ||
| Name: | Thomas A. Fitzgerald | ||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| INVESTOR: | |||
| YA II PN, Ltd. | |||
| By: | Yorkville Advisors Global, LP | ||
| Its: | Investment Manager | ||
| By: | Yorkville Advisors Global II, LLC | ||
| Its: | General Partner | ||
| By: | /s/ Matthew Beckman | ||
| Name: | Matthew Beckman | ||
| Title: | Manager | ||
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ANNEX I TO THE
STANDBY EQUITY PURCHASE AGREEMENT
DEFINITIONS
“Additional Shares” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.
“Adjusted Advance Amount” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.
“Advance” shall mean any issuance and sale of Advance Shares by the Company to the Investor pursuant to this Agreement.
“Advance Date” shall mean the first Trading Day after expiration of the applicable Pricing Period for each Advance, provided that, with respect to an Advance pursuant to an Investor Notice, the Advance Date shall be the first Trading Day after the date of delivery of such Investor Notice.
“Advance Notice” shall mean a written notice in the form of Exhibit C attached hereto to the Investor executed by an officer of the Company and setting forth the number of Advance Shares that the Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor.
“Advance Notice Date” shall mean each date the Company is deemed to have delivered (in accordance with Section 3.01(c) of this Agreement) an Advance Notice to the Investor, subject to the terms of this Agreement.
“Advance Shares” shall mean the Common Shares that the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor pursuant to an Advance Notice delivered in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
“Affiliate” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4.07.
“Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.
“Amortization Event” shall have the meaning set forth in the Promissory Note.
“Applicable Laws” shall mean all applicable laws, statutes, rules, regulations, orders, executive orders, directives, policies, guidelines and codes having the force of law, whether local, national, or international, as amended from time to time, including without limitation (i) all applicable laws that relate to money laundering, terrorist financing, financial record keeping and reporting, (ii) all applicable laws that relate to anti-bribery, anti-corruption, books and records and internal controls, including the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, and (iii) any Sanctions laws.
“Black Out Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7.04.
“Closing” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.05.
“Commitment Amount” shall mean $14,000,000 of Common Shares.
“Commitment Fee” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 12.04.
“Commitment Shares” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 12.04.
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“Commitment Period” shall mean the period commencing on the Effective Date and expiring upon the date of termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 10.01.
“Common Share Equivalents” shall mean any securities of the Company or its Subsidiaries which entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Shares, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Shares.
“Common Shares” shall have the meaning set forth in the recitals of this Agreement.
“Company” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.
“Company Indemnitees” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6.02.
“Condition Satisfaction Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Annex III.
“Conversion Price” shall have the meaning set forth in the Promissory Note.
“Daily Traded Amount” shall mean the daily trading volume of the Company’s Common Shares on the Principal Market during regular trading hours as reported by Bloomberg L.P.
“Effective Date” shall mean the date hereof.
“Environmental Laws” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.14.
“Event of Default” shall have the meaning set forth in the Promissory Note.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Exchange Cap” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.02(c).
“Excluded Day” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.
“Fixed Price” shall have the meaning set forth in the Promissory Note.
“Floor Price” shall have the meaning set forth in each Promissory Note.
“Global Guaranty Agreement” shall mean the global guaranty agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F.
“Hazardous Materials” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.14.
| - 36 - |
“Indebtedness” of any Person means, without duplication (i) all indebtedness for borrowed money, (ii) all obligations issued, undertaken or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (including, without limitation, “capital leases” in accordance with GAAP) (other than trade payables entered into in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice), (iii) all reimbursement or payment obligations with respect to letters of credit, surety bonds and other similar instruments, (iv) all obligations evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or similar instruments, including obligations so evidenced incurred in connection with the acquisition of property, assets or businesses, (v) all indebtedness created or arising under any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, or incurred as financing, in either case with respect to any property or assets acquired with the proceeds of such indebtedness (even though the rights and remedies of the seller or bank under such agreement in the event of default are limited to repossession or sale of such property), (vi) all monetary obligations under any leasing or similar arrangement which, in connection with GAAP, consistently applied for the periods covered thereby, is classified as a capital lease, (vii) all indebtedness referred to in clauses (i) through (f) above secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any Lien upon or in any property or assets (including accounts and contract rights) owned by any Person, even though the Person which owns such assets or property has not assumed or become liable for the payment of such indebtedness, and (viii) all Contingent Obligations in respect of indebtedness or obligations of others of the kinds referred to in clauses (i) through (vii) above.
“Indemnified Liabilities” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6.01.
“Investor” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.
“Investor Notice” shall mean a written notice to the Company in the form set forth herein as Exhibit E attached hereto.
“Investor Indemnitees” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6.01.
“Lien” shall mean any (i) mortgage, (ii) right of way, (iii) easement, (iv) encroachment, (v) restriction on use, (vi) servitude, (vii) pledge, (viii) lien, (ix) charge, (x) hypothecation, (xi) security interest, (xii) encumbrance, (xiii) adverse right, interest or claim, (xiv) community or other marital property interest, (xv) condition, (xvi) equitable interest, (xvii) encumbrance, (xviii) license, (xix) covenant, (xx) title defect, (xxi) option, (xxii) right of first refusal or offer or similar restriction, (xxiii) voting right, (xxiv) transfer restriction, or (xxv) receipt of income or exercise of any other attribute of ownership.
“Market Price” shall mean the lowest daily VWAP of the Common Shares during the Pricing Period, other than the daily VWAP on an Excluded Day.
“Material Adverse Effect” shall mean any event, occurrence or condition that has had or would reasonably be expected to have (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under this Agreement.
“Material Outside Event” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7.10.
| - 37 - |
“Maximum Advance Amount” means (A) in respect of each Advance Notice delivered by the Company pursuant to Section 3.01(a) of this Agreement, the greater of (i) an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the average of the Daily Traded Amount during the five consecutive Trading Day immediately preceding an Advance Notice, and (ii) five hundred thousand (500,000) Common Shares, and (B) in respect of each Advance Notice deemed delivered by the Company pursuant to an Investor Notice, the amount selected by the Investor in such Investor Notice, which amount shall not exceed the limitations set forth in Section 3.02 of this Agreement.
“Minimum Acceptable Price” shall mean the minimum price notified by the Company to the Investor in each Advance Notice, if applicable.
“Notice” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7.25.
“Notice Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7.25.
“OFAC” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.32.
“Ownership Limitation” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.02(a).
“Permitted Indebtedness” shall mean: (i) indebtedness in respect of the Promissory Notes; (ii) indebtedness (A) the repayment of which has been subordinated to the payment of the Promissory Notes on terms and conditions acceptable to the Investor, including with regard to interest payments and repayment of principal, (B) which does not mature or otherwise require or permit redemption or repayment prior to or on the 91st day after the maturity date of the Promissory Note; and (C) which is not secured by any assets; and (iii) any indebtedness (other than the indebtedness set out in (i) – (ii) above) incurred after the date hereof, provided that such indebtedness does not exceed $500,000 at any given time.
“Permitted Liens” shall mean (i) any security interest granted to the Investor, (ii) inchoate Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or levies (A) not yet due, as to which the grace period, if any, related thereto has not yet expired, or (B) being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings for which adequate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP; (iii) Liens of carriers, materialmen, warehousemen, mechanics and landlords and other similar Liens which secure amounts which are not yet overdue by more than 60 days or which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings for which adequate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP; (iv) licenses, sublicenses, leases or subleases granted to other persons not materially interfering with the conduct of the business of the Company or any Subsidiary; (v) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers compensation claims, unemployment insurance, pension liabilities and social security benefits and Liens securing the performance of bids, tenders, leases and contracts in the ordinary course of business, statutory obligations, surety bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature (other than appeal bonds) incurred in the ordinary course of business (exclusive of obligations in respect of the payment for borrowed money); and (vi) Liens in favor of a banking institution arising by operation of law encumbering deposits (including the right of set-off) and contractual set-off rights held by such banking institution and which are within the general parameters customary in the banking industry and only burdening deposit accounts or other funds maintained with a creditor depository institution.
| - 38 - |
“Permitted Related Party Payments” means payments of amounts due to the related parties for purchases of goods and services subject to usual trade terms, for ordinary business travel and expense payments and for other transactions in the ordinary course of business, including compensation.
“Person” shall mean an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a limited liability company, a trust or other entity or organization, including a government or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof.
“Plan of Distribution” shall mean the section of a Registration Statement disclosing the plan of distribution of the Shares.
“Pre-Advance Closing” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01.
“Pre-Paid Advance” shall mean have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01.
“Pricing Period” shall mean the three consecutive Trading Days commencing on the Advance Notice Date.
“Principal Market” shall mean the Nasdaq Stock Market; provided, however, that in the event the Common Shares are ever listed or traded on the New York Stock Exchange or the NYSE American, the “Principal Market” shall mean such other market or exchange on which the Common Shares are then listed or traded to the extent such other market or exchange is the principal trading market or exchange for the Common Shares.
“Promissory Note” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01.
“Prospectus” shall mean any prospectus (including, without limitation, all amendments and supplements thereto) used by the Company in connection with a Registration Statement, including documents incorporated by reference therein.
“Prospectus Supplement” shall mean any prospectus supplement to a Prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including documents incorporated by reference therein.
“Purchase Price” shall mean (i) the price per Advance Share obtained by multiplying the Market Price by 97% in respect of an Advance Notice delivered by the Company, or (ii) in the case of any Advance Notice delivered pursuant to an Investor Notice, the Purchase Price set forth in Section 3.01(b)(ii).
“Registration Limitation” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.02(b).
“Registration Statement” shall have the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.
| - 39 - |
“Registrable Securities” shall have the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.
“Regulation D” shall mean the provisions of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act.
“Right of First Refusal” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7.26.
“Sanctions” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.32.
“Sanctioned Countries” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.32.
“SEC” shall mean the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“SEC Documents” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.06.
“Securities Act” shall have the meaning set forth in the recitals of this Agreement.
“Settlement Document” in respect of an Advance Notice delivered by the Company, shall mean a settlement document in the form set out on Exhibit D, and in respect of an Advance Notice deemed delivered pursuant to an Investor Notice, shall mean the Investor Notice containing the information set forth on Exhibit E.
“Shares” shall mean the Commitment Shares and the Common Shares to be issued from time to time hereunder pursuant to an Advance.
“Subsidiaries” shall mean any Person in which the Company, directly or indirectly, (x) owns a majority of the outstanding capital stock or holds a majority of the equity or similar interest of such Person or (y) controls or operates all or substantially all of the business, operations or administration of such Person, and the foregoing are collectively referred to herein as “Subsidiaries.”
“Trading Day” shall mean any day during which the Principal Market shall be open for business.
“Transaction Documents” means, collectively, this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, any Promissory Notes issued by the Company hereunder, and each of the other agreements and instruments entered into or delivered by any of the parties hereto in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, as may be amended from time to time.
| - 40 - |
“Variable Rate Transaction” shall mean a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any Common Shares or Common Share Equivalents that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional Common Shares either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price, exchange rate or other price that is based upon and/or varies with the trading prices of or quotations for the Common Shares at any time after the initial issuance of Common Shares or Common Share Equivalents, or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such equity or debt security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Shares (including, without limitation, any “full ratchet,” “share ratchet,” “price ratchet,” or “weighted average” anti-dilution provisions, but not including any standard anti-dilution protection for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction), (ii) enters into, or effects a transaction under, any agreement, including but not limited to an “equity line of credit” or other continuous offering or similar offering of Common Shares or Common Share Equivalents, (iii) issues or sells any Common Shares or Common Share Equivalents (or any combination thereof) at an implied discount (taking into account all the securities issuable in such offering) to the market price of the Common Shares at the time of the offering in excess of 30% or (iv) enters into or effects any forward purchase agreement, equity pre-paid forward transaction or other similar offering of securities where the purchaser of securities of the Company receives an upfront or periodic payment of all, or a portion of, the value of the securities so purchased, and the Company receives proceeds from such purchaser based on a price or value that varies with the trading prices of the Common Shares.
“VWAP” shall mean for any Trading Day or specified period, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Shares for such Trading Day on the Principal Market during regular trading hours, or such specified period, as reported by Bloomberg L.P through its “AQR” function. All such determinations shall be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction during such period.
| - 41 - |
ANNEX II TO THE
STANDBY EQUITY PURCHASE AGREEMENT
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO THE INVESTOR’S OBLIGATION TO FUND A PRE-PAID ADVANCE
The obligation of the Investor to advance to the Company a particular tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance hereunder at each Pre-Advance Closing is subject to the satisfaction, as of the date of such Pre-Advance Closing, of each of the following conditions, provided that these conditions are for the Investor’s sole benefit and may be waived by the Investor at any time in its sole discretion by providing the Company with prior written notice signed by the Investor thereof:
| (a) | The Company shall have duly executed and delivered to the Investor each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, and the Company shall have duly executed and delivered to the Investor a Promissory Note with a principal amount corresponding to the amount of the applicable tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance (before any deductions made thereto). |
| (b) | The Company shall have delivered to the Investor a compliance certificate executed by the chief executive officer of the Company certifying that Company has complied with all of the conditions precedent to the Pre-Advance Closing set forth herein and which may be relied upon by the Investor as evidence of satisfaction of such conditions without any obligation to independently verify. |
| (c) | The Investor shall have received an opinion of counsel to the Company, dated on or before the Pre-Advance Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Investor. |
| (d) | The Investor shall have received a closing statement in a form to be agreed by the parties, duly executed by an officer of the Company, setting forth wire transfer instructions of the Company for the payment of the amount of the applicable tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance, the amount to be paid by the Investor, which shall be the full principal amount of such tranche of the Pre-Paid Advance less the purchase price discount and any other deductions that may be agreed by the parties. |
| (e) | The Company shall have delivered to the Investor certified copies of its and each of its Subsidiaries’ charter or certificate of formation, bylaws or operating agreement and any other material organizational documents. |
| (f) | The Company shall have delivered to the Investor a certificate evidencing the incorporation and good standing of the Company as of a date within ten (10) days of the applicable Pre-Advance Closing. |
| (g) | (I) The board of directors of the Company has approved the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, (II) said approval has not been amended, rescinded or modified and remains in full force and effect as of the date hereof, and (III) a true, correct and complete copy of such resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors of the Company shall have been provided to the Investor. |
| (h) | Each and every representation and warranty of the Company shall be true and correct in all material respects (other than representations and warranties qualified by materiality, which shall be true and correct in all respects) as of the date when made and as of the date of the Pre-Advance Closing as though originally made at that time (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date, which shall be true and correct as of such specific date), and the Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all respects with the covenants, agreements and conditions set forth in each Transaction Document required to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to the applicable Pre-Advance Closing. |
| (i) | On or before April 15, 2026, the Company shall have filed with the SEC the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. |
| (j) | No Suspension of Trading in or Delisting of Common Shares. (I) Trading in the Common Shares shall not have been suspended by the SEC, the Principal Market or FINRA, (II) the Company shall not have received any notice that the listing or quotation of the Common Shares on the Principal Market shall be terminated, nor shall there have been imposed any suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the Common Shares, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the Common Shares that is continuing, and (III) the Company shall not have received any notice from DTC to the effect that a suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the Common Shares, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the Common Shares is being imposed or is contemplated. |
| (k) | The Company shall have obtained all governmental, regulatory or third-party consents and approvals, if any, necessary for the sale of the Common Shares. |
| (l) | No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental entity of competent jurisdiction that prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. |
| (m) | Since the date of execution of this Agreement, no event or series of events shall have occurred that has resulted in or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or an Event of Default. |
| (n) | (I) No material breach of this Agreement or any Transaction Document shall have occurred, (II) no Event of Default shall have occurred (assuming that the applicable Promissory Note had been outstanding as of each Pre-Advance Closing, and (III) no event has occurred and no condition exists that with the passage of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a material breach of this Agreement or any Transaction Document or an Event of Default (assuming that the applicable Promissory note had been outstanding as of each Pre-Advance Closing). |
| (o) | The Company shall have notified the Principal Market of the issuance of all of the Common Shares hereunder, the Principal Market shall have completed its review of the related Listing of Additional Share form, and the Company shall have obtained approval of the Principal Market to list or designate for quotation (as the case may be) the maximum number of Common Shares issuable pursuant to the Promissory Note to be issued at the Pre-Advance Closing. |
| (p) | The Company and its Subsidiaries shall have delivered to the Investor such other documents, instruments or certificates relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as the Investor or its counsel may reasonably request. |
| (q) | Solely with respect to the Second Pre-Advance Closing (i) the initial Registration Statement shall have been filed and shall have been declared effective in accordance with the provisions set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, and (ii) the Company shall have obtained the SEPA Shareholder Approval and the Promissory Note Approval. |
ANNEX III TO THE
STANDBY EQUITY PURCHASE AGREEMENT
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY TO DELIVER AN ADVANCE NOTICE
The right of the Company to deliver an Advance Notice and the obligations of the Investor hereunder with respect to an Advance are subject to the satisfaction or waiver (by the Investor pursuant to prior written notice signed by the Investor to the Company thereof), on each Advance Notice Date (a “Condition Satisfaction Date”), of each of the following conditions:
| (a) | Accuracy of the Company’s Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Advance Notice Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties are as of another date, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such other date. |
| (b) | Issuance of Commitment Shares. The Company shall have paid the Commitment Fee or issued the Commitment Shares to an account designated by the Investor on or prior to the Effective Date, in accordance with Section 12.04, all of which Commitment Fee shall be fully earned and non-refundable on the Effective Date, regardless of whether any Advance Notices are made or settled hereunder or any subsequent termination of this Agreement. |
| (c) | Registration of the Common Shares with the SEC. There is an effective Registration Statement pursuant to which the Investor is permitted to utilize the prospectus thereunder to resell all of the Common Shares issuable pursuant to such Advance Notice. The Current Report shall have been filed with the SEC, and the Company shall have filed with the SEC in a timely manner all reports, notices and other documents required under the Exchange Act and applicable SEC regulations during the twelve-month period immediately preceding the applicable Condition Satisfaction Date. |
| (d) | Authority. The Company shall have obtained all permits and qualifications required by any applicable state for the offer and sale of all the Common Shares issuable pursuant to such Advance Notice or shall have the availability of exemptions therefrom. The sale and issuance of such Common Shares shall be legally permitted by all laws and regulations to which the Company is subject. |
| (e) | Board. (I) The board of directors of the Company has approved the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, (II) said approval has not been amended, rescinded or modified and remains in full force and effect as of the date hereof, and (III) a true, correct and complete copy of such resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors of the Company shall have been provided to the Investor. |
| (f) | No Material Outside Event. No Material Outside Event shall have occurred and be continuing. |
| (g) | Performance by the Company. The Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior the applicable Condition Satisfaction Date. |
| (h) | No Injunction. No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction that prohibits or materially and adversely affects any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. |
| (i) | No Suspension of Trading in or Delisting of Common Shares. (I) Trading in the Common Shares shall not have been suspended by the SEC, the Principal Market or FINRA, (II) the Company shall not have received any notice that the listing or quotation of the Common Shares on the Principal Market shall be terminated, nor shall there have been imposed any suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the Common Shares, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the Common Shares that is continuing, and (III) the Company shall not have received any notice from DTC to the effect that a suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the Common Shares, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the Common Shares is being imposed or is contemplated. |
| (j) | Authorized. All of the Common Shares issuable pursuant to the applicable Advance Notice shall have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company. All Common Shares relating to all prior Advance Notices required to have been received by the Investor under this Agreement shall have been delivered to the Investor in accordance with this Agreement. |
| (k) | Other Agreements. The Company shall not have breached or failed to observe any term of any debenture, note, or other instrument held by the Investor in the Company or any other agreement between or among the Company and the Investor. |
| (l) | Executed Advance Notice. The representations contained in the applicable Advance Notice shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the applicable Condition Satisfaction Date. |
EXHIBIT A
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREMEENT
See attached.
EXHIBIT B
CONVERTIBLE PROMISSORY NOTE
See attached.
EXHIBIT C
ADVANCE NOTICE
| Dated: | Advance Notice Number: |
The undersigned, _______________________, hereby certifies, with respect to the sale of Common Shares of TransCode Therapeutics, inc. (the “Company”) issuable in connection with this Advance Notice, delivered pursuant to that certain Standby Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of [____________] (the “Agreement”), as follows (with capitalized terms used herein without definition having the same meanings as given to them in the Agreement):
1. The undersigned is the duly elected ______________ of the Company.
2. There are no fundamental changes to the information set forth in the Registration Statement which would require the Company to file a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement.
3. The Company has performed in all material respects all covenants and agreements to be performed by the Company contained in the Agreement on or prior to the Advance Notice Date. All conditions to the delivery of this Advance Notice are satisfied as of the date hereof.
4. The number of Advance Shares the Company is requesting is _____________________.
5. The Minimum Acceptable Price with respect to this Advance Notice is ____________ (if left blank then no Minimum Acceptable Price will be applicable to this Advance).
6. The number of Common Shares of the Company outstanding as of the date hereof is ___________.
The undersigned has executed this Advance Notice as of the date first set forth above.
| TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Please deliver this Advance Notice by email to:
Email:
Attention: Trading Department and Compliance Officer
Confirmation Telephone Number:
EXHIBIT D
SETTLEMENT DOCUMENT
VIA EMAIL
TransCode Therapeutics, inc.
Attn:
Email:
| Below please find the settlement information with respect to the Advance Notice Date of: | ||
| 1. | Number of Common Shares requested in the Advance Notice | |
| 2. | Minimum Acceptable Price for this Advance (if any) | |
| 3. | Number of Excluded Days (if any) | |
| 4. | Adjusted Advance Amount (if applicable) | |
| 5. | Market Price | |
| 6. | Purchase Price (Market Price x 97%) per share | |
| 7. | Number of Advance Shares due to the Investor | |
| 8. | Total Purchase Price due to Company (row 6 x row 7) |
If there were any Excluded Days then add the following
| 9. | Number of Additional Shares to be issued to the Investor | |
| 10. | Additional amount to be paid to the Company by the Investor (Additional Shares in row 9 x Minimum Acceptable Price x 97%) | |
| 11. | Total Amount to be paid to the Company (Purchase Price in row 8 + additional amount in row 10) | |
| 12. | Total Advance Shares to be issued to the Investor (Advance Shares due to the Investor in row 7 + Additional Shares in row 9) |
Please issue the number of Advance Shares due to the Investor to the account of the Investor as follows:
Investor’s DTC participant #:
ACCOUNT NAME:
ACCOUNT NUMBER:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
COUNTRY:
Contact person:
Number and/or email:
Sincerely,
YA II PN, LTD.
| Agreed and approved by: | ||
| TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
EXHIBIT E
INVESTOR NOTICE,
CORRESPONDING ADVANCE NOTICE,
AND SETTLEMENT DOCUMENT
YA II PN, LTD.
| Dated: | Investor Notice Number: |
On behalf of YA II PN, LTD. (the “Investor”), the undersigned hereby certifies, with respect to the purchase of Common Shares of TRANSCODE THERAPEUTICS, INC. (the “Company”) issuable in connection with this Investor Notice, delivered pursuant to that certain Standby Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of [_____________], as amended and supplemented from time to time (the “Agreement”), as follows:
| 1. | Advance requested in the Advance Notice | |
| 2. | Purchase Price (equal to the Conversion Price as defined in the Promissory Note) | |
| 3. | Number of Shares due to Investor |
The aggregate purchase price of the Shares to be paid by Investor pursuant to this Investor Notice and corresponding Advance Notice shall be offset against amounts outstanding under the Pre-Paid Advance evidenced by the Promissory Note, dated [___________], (first towards accrued and unpaid interest, and then towards outstanding principal) as follows (and this information shall satisfy the obligations of the Investor to deliver a Settlement Document pursuant to the Agreement):
| 1. | Amount offset against accrued and unpaid Interest | $[____________] |
| 2. | Amount offset against Principal | $[____________] |
| 3. | Total amount of the Promissory Note outstanding following the Advance | $[____________] |
Please issue the number of Shares due to the Investor to the account of the Investor as follows:
Investor’s DTC participant #:
ACCOUNT NAME:
ACCOUNT NUMBER:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
Please deliver this Investor Notice by email to:
Email: [_____________]
With copy by email to: [_____________]
Attention: [_____________]
The undersigned has executed this Investor Notice as of the date first set forth above.
| YA II PN, Ltd. | |||
| By: | Yorkville Advisors Global, LP | ||
| Its: | Investment Manager | ||
| By: | Yorkville Advisors Global II, LLC | ||
| Its: | General Partner | ||
| By: | |||
| Name: | |||
| Title: | |||
EXHIBIT F
FORM OF GLOBAL GUARANTY AGREEMENT
See attached.
Exhibit 99.1
TransCode Therapeutics Enters into Agreements for up to $20 Million Flexible Financing, Extending Company’s Runway into Late 2027/Early 2028
BOSTON, April 7, 2026 – TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNAZ, the “Company”), a clinical stage company pioneering immuno-oncology and RNA for the treatment of high risk and advanced cancer, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with an institutional healthcare investor for financing of up to $20 million. The arrangement comprises pre-paid advances of up to $6 million and a three-year Standby Equity Purchase Agreement (SEPA) providing the Company the right to sell up to $14 million of its common stock to the investor, subject to certain conditions.
“The financing agreement provides TransCode with financial flexibility and ensures that TransCode can maintain operational momentum as we conduct our Phase 2a trial for our lead clinical program, TTX-MC138,” said Dr. Philippe P Calais, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of TransCode. “This runway extension should enable the Company to complete the Phase 2a study and subsequently explore a strategic collaboration for the program,” said Tom Fitzgerald, CFO of TransCode.
About TTX-MC138
TTX-MC138 is a first-in-class therapeutic candidate designed to inhibit microRNA-10b, or miR-10b, a microRNA widely believed to be critical to the emergence and progression of many metastatic cancers. TransCode's Phase 0 clinical trial produced evidence of delivery of a radiolabeled version of TTX-MC138 to metastatic lesions and pharmacodynamic activity, even at a microdose of the drug candidate, suggesting a broad therapeutic window for TTX-MC138. In the Company’s Phase 1a clinical trial, TTX-MC138 met its safety endpoint and was well tolerated by patients. A Phase 2a clinical trial with TTX-MC138 is expected to begin in the second quarter 2026.
About the Financing Transaction
The pre-paid advance will be evidenced by convertible promissory notes priced at 95% of face value. TransCode will issue a $1 million principal amount note concurrently with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and, subject to certain closing conditions, will issue an additional $5 million principal amount note upon shareholder approval of the transaction as required by Nasdaq rules. The advance will accrue interest at a simple annual rate of 5% and may be converted into TransCode’s common stock.
Upon conversion or repayment of the convertible notes, TransCode at its option may sell up to $14 million of its common stock to the investor under terms specified in the financing agreement.
The financing agreement can be found in TransCode’s Form 8-K filed with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tungsten Advisors acted as the Sole Placement Agent.
About TransCode Therapeutics
TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage company pioneering immuno-oncology and RNA for the treatment of high risk and advanced cancer. The Company's lead therapeutic candidate, TTX-MC138, is focused on treating metastatic tumors that overexpress microRNA-10b, a unique, well-documented biomarker of metastasis. In addition, TransCode has a portfolio of other first-in-class therapeutic candidates designed to mobilize the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements concerning TransCode’s technology and collaborations, statements concerning the therapeutic potential of TransCode’s TTX-MC138 and other therapeutic candidates, and statements concerning the expected proceeds from the financing. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with drug discovery and development; the risk that the results of clinical trials will not be consistent with TransCode’s preclinical studies or expectations or with results from previous clinical trials; risks associated with the conduct of clinical trials; risks associated with TransCode’s financial condition and its need to obtain additional funding to support its business activities, including TransCode’s ability to continue as a going concern; risks associated with the timing and outcome of TransCode’s planned regulatory submissions; risks associated with obtaining, maintaining and protecting intellectual property; risks associated with TransCode’s ability to enforce its patents against infringers and defend its patent portfolio against challenges from third parties; risks of competition from other companies developing products for similar uses; risks associated with TransCode’s dependence on third parties; and risks associated with geopolitical events and pandemics, including the COVID-19 coronavirus and military actions. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause TransCode’s actual results to differ from those contained in or implied by the forward-looking statements, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TransCode’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors in any subsequent TransCode filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of this release; TransCode undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.
For more information and partnering opportunities, please contact:
TransCode Therapeutics, Inc.
Tania Montgomery, VP of Business Development
tania.montgomery@transcodetherapeutics.com