Solid Biosciences Inc 8-K, filed Dec 11, 2020
Solid Biosciences Inc. (SLDB)
About this 8-K
Solid Biosciences Inc filed this 8-K on December 11, 2020, reporting on events of December 10, 2020.
Items reported
- Item 1.01: Entered into a material agreement
- Item 3.02: Unregistered sale of equity
- Item 8.01: Other events
- Item 9.01: Financial statements and exhibits
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
| (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
(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 (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class |
Trading Symbol |
Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
| Item 1.01 | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
Securities Purchase Agreement
On December 10, 2020, Solid Biosciences Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) with accredited investors (the “Investors”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell to the Investors in a private placement an aggregate of 24,324,320 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”), at a price of $3.70 per share (the “Offering”).
The Offering is expected to close on or about December 15, 2020, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions. The Company expects to receive aggregate gross proceeds from the Offering of approximately $90 million, before deducting placement agent fees and offering expenses, and aggregate net proceeds from the Offering of approximately $86.4 million, after deducting placement agent fees. Barclays acted as the exclusive placement agent for the Offering.
The Company has granted the Investors indemnification rights with respect to its representations, warranties, covenants and agreements under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Registration Rights Agreement
Also on December 10, 2020, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with the Investors, pursuant to which the Company agreed to register for resale the Shares. Under the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company has agreed to file a registration statement covering the resale by the Investors of their Shares (the “Registrable Securities”) by the earlier of (i) 15 days following the Company disclosing any material non-public information that the Company may have provided the Investors in connection with the Offering and (ii) 120 days following the closing of the Offering (the “Filing Date”). The Company has agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective as soon as practicable and to keep such registration statement effective until the date the Shares covered by such registration statement have been sold or cease to be Registrable Securities. The Company has agreed to be responsible for all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration of the Registrable Securities.
In the event (i) the registration statement has not been filed by the Filing Date, (ii) the registration statement is not declared effective prior to the earlier of (a) five business days after the date on which the Company is notified by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) that the registration statement will not be reviewed by the SEC staff or is not subject to further comment by the SEC staff, (b) the 15th day following the Filing Date, if the SEC staff determines not to review the registration statement, or (c) the 60th day following the Filing Date, if the SEC staff determines to review the registration statement, or (iii) after the registration statement has been declared effective by the SEC, sales cannot be made pursuant to the registration statement for any reason, subject to certain limited exceptions, then the Company has agreed to make pro rata payments to each Investor as liquidated damages in an amount equal to 1% of the aggregate amount invested by each such Investor in the Registrable Securities per 30-day period or pro rata for any portion thereof for each such month during which such event continues, subject to certain caps set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.
The Company has granted the Investors customary indemnification rights in connection with the registration statement. The Investors have also granted the Company customary indemnification rights in connection with the registration statement.
The foregoing descriptions of the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, copies of which are filed as Exhibits 10.1 and 10.2 hereto, respectively, and incorporated by reference herein.
The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement were made solely for the benefit of the parties thereto and the placement agent expressly named as a third-party beneficiary thereto and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties. Accordingly, the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement are incorporated herein by reference only to provide investors with information regarding the terms thereof and not to provide investors with any other factual information regarding the Company or its business, and should be read in conjunction with the disclosures in the Company’s periodic reports and other filings with the SEC.
| Item 3.02 | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities. |
The information contained above in Item 1.01 is hereby incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02. Based in part upon the representations of the Investors in the Securities Purchase Agreement, the offering and sale of the Shares will be exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Shares have not been
registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and the Shares may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration with the SEC or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. The sale of the securities will not involve a public offering and will be made without general solicitation or general advertising. The Investors represented that they are accredited investors, as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act, and that they are acquiring the Shares for investment purposes only and not with a view to any resale, distribution or other disposition of the Shares in violation of the United States federal securities laws.
| Item 8.01 | Other Events. |
On December 11, 2020, the Company issued a press release announcing the Offering. The full text of the press release issued in connection with this announcement is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.
The Company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2020, together with the anticipated net proceeds from the Offering, the proceeds of $40 million received from the sale of shares of its common stock to Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. in October 2020 as well as the net proceeds of $23.2 million received from the sale of shares of its common stock in October 2020 pursuant to an at-the-market sales agreement, will enable it to fund its operating expenses into the first quarter of 2022. The Company has based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and the Company could use its available capital resources sooner than it currently anticipates.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those regarding: the expected closing of the Offering, anticipated proceeds from the Offering and the Company’s plans to file a registration statement to register the resale of the Shares and other statements containing the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” “working,” and similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements 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, whether the conditions for the closing of the Offering will be satisfied; and risks associated with the Company’s ability to resume and/or continue IGNITE DMD on the timeline expected or at all, obtain and maintain necessary approvals from the FDA and other regulatory authorities, obtain and maintain the necessary approvals from investigational review boards at IGNITE DMD clinical trial sites and the IGNITE DMD data safety monitoring board, enroll patients in IGNITE DMD, continue to advance SGT-001 in clinical trials, replicate in clinical trials positive results found in preclinical studies and earlier stages of clinical development, advance the development of its product candidates under the timelines it anticipates in current and future clinical trials, successfully optimize and scale its manufacturing process, obtain, maintain or protect intellectual property rights related to its product candidates, compete successfully with other companies that are seeking to develop Duchenne treatments and gene therapies, manage expenses, and raise the substantial additional capital needed, on the timeline necessary, to continue development of SGT-001, achieve its other business objectives and continue as a going concern. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Company’s actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the “Risk Factors” section, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors, in the Company’s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, forward-looking statements contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K represent the Company’s views as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company’s views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits:
| Exhibit |
Description | |
| 10.1 | Securities Purchase Agreement, dated December 10, 2020, by and among the Company and the other parties thereto. | |
| 10.2 | Registration Rights Agreement, dated December 10, 2020, by and among the Company and the other parties thereto. | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated December 11, 2020. | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL). | |
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.
| SOLID BIOSCIENCES INC. | ||||||
| Date: December 11, 2020 |
By: |
/s/ Jennifer Ziolkowski | ||||
| Name: |
Jennifer Ziolkowski | |||||
| Title: |
Chief Financial Officer | |||||
Exhibit 10.1
SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of December 10, 2020 by and among Solid Biosciences Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the Investors identified on Exhibit A attached hereto (each an “Investor” and collectively the “Investors”).
RECITALS
A. The Company and the Investors are executing and delivering this Agreement in reliance upon the exemption from securities registration afforded by the provisions of Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act (as defined below);
B. The Investors wish to purchase from the Company, and the Company wishes to sell and issue to the Investors, upon the terms and subject to the conditions stated in this Agreement, an aggregate of 24,324,320 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”); and
C. Contemporaneously with the sale of the Shares, the parties hereto will execute and deliver a Registration Rights Agreement, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company will agree to provide certain registration rights in respect of the Shares under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws.
In consideration of the mutual promises made herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Definitions. For the purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person which directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries Controls, is controlled by, or is under common Control with such Person.
“Business Day” means a day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, on which banks in New York City are open for the general transaction of business.
“Closing” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1.
“Closing Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1.
“Common Stock” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Company which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Stock.
“Company Covered Person” means, with respect to the Company as an “issuer” for purposes of Rule 506 promulgated under the 1933 Act, any Person listed in the first paragraph of Rule 506(d)(1).
“Company’s Knowledge” means the actual knowledge of the executive officers (as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act) of the Company.
“Control” (including the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” or “under common control with”) means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
“Disqualification Event” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.33.
“EDGAR system” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.9.
“Effective Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.4(b).
“Environmental Laws” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.15.
“GAAP” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.17.
“Intellectual Property” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.14.
“Investor Questionnaire” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.8.
“Losses” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.2.
“Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on (i) the assets, liabilities, results of operations, financial condition or business of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, (ii) the legality or enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or (iii) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents, except that for purposes of Section 6.1(i) of this Agreement, in no event shall a change in the market price of the Common Stock alone constitute a “Material Adverse Effect”.
“Material Contract” means any contract, instrument or other agreement to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound that has been filed or was required to have been filed as an exhibit to the SEC Filings pursuant to Item 601(b)(4) or Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K.
“Nasdaq” means the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
“Person” means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust, business trust, association, joint stock company, joint venture, sole proprietorship, unincorporated organization, governmental authority or any other form of entity not specifically listed herein.
“Placement Agent” means Barclays Capital Inc.
2
“Press Release” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.7.
“Principal Trading Market” means the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is primarily listed on and quoted for trading, which, as of the date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, shall be the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
“Registration Rights Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Regulation D” means Regulation D as promulgated by the SEC under the 1933 Act.
“Regulatory Authorities” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.30.
“Required Investors” has the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.
“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“SEC Filings” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8.
“Shares” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Short Sales” means all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the 1934 Act (but shall not be deemed to include the location and/or reservation of borrowable shares of Common Stock).
“Trading Day” means (i) a day on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and traded on its Principal Trading Market (other than the OTC Bulletin Board), or (ii) if the Common Stock is not listed on a Trading Market (other than the OTC Bulletin Board), a day on which the Common Stock is traded in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the OTC Bulletin Board, or (iii) if the Common Stock is not quoted on any Trading Market, a day on which the Common Stock is quoted in the over-the-counter market as reported in the “pink sheets” by OTC Markets Group Inc. (or any similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices); provided, that in the event that the Common Stock is not listed or quoted as set forth in (i), (ii) or (iii) hereof, then Trading Day shall mean a Business Day.
“Trading Market” means whichever of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Capital Market or the OTC Bulletin Board on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question.
“Transfer Agent” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.4(a).
“Transaction Documents” means this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.
“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any successor statute, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
3
“1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor statute, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
2. Purchase and Sale of the Shares. On the Closing Date, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, the Company will issue and sell, and the Investors will purchase, severally and not jointly, the number of Shares set forth opposite the name of such Investor under the heading “Number of Shares to be Purchased” on Exhibit A attached hereto. The purchase price per Share shall be $3.70.
3. Closing.
3.1. Upon the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 6, the completion of the purchase and sale of the Shares (the “Closing”) shall occur remotely via exchange of documents and signatures at a time (the “Closing Date”) to be agreed to by the Company and the Investors but (i) in no event earlier than the second Business Day after the date hereof and (ii) in no event later than the fifth Trading Day after the date hereof, and of which the Investors will be notified in advance by the Placement Agent.
3.2. On the Closing Date, each Investor shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Company, via wire transfer of immediately available funds pursuant to the wire instructions delivered to such Investor by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date, an amount equal to the purchase price to be paid by the Investor for the Shares to be acquired by it as set forth opposite the name of such Investor under the heading “Aggregate Purchase Price of Shares” on Exhibit A attached hereto.
3.3. At or before the Closing, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to each Investor a number of Shares, registered in the name of the Investor (or its nominee in accordance with its delivery instructions), equal to the number of Shares set forth opposite the name of such Investor under the heading “Number of Shares to be Purchased” on Exhibit A attached hereto. The Shares shall be delivered via a book-entry record through the Company’s transfer agent, and the Company shall deliver to each Investor a copy of the records of the Company’s transfer agent showing such Investor as the owner of the number of Shares set forth opposite the name of such Investor under the heading “Number of Shares to be Purchased” on Exhibit A attached hereto on and as of the Closing. Unless the Company and an Investor otherwise mutually agree with respect to such Investor’s Shares, at Closing settlement shall occur on a “delivery versus payment” basis.
4. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investors that, except (a) as described in the Company’s SEC Filings (as defined below) and (b) as set forth on the disclosure schedule delivered herewith (which is arranged in numbered and lettered sections corresponding to the numbered and lettered sections contained in this Section 4) (the “Disclosure Schedule”), each of which qualify these representations and warranties in their entirety:
4
4.1. Organization, Good Standing and Qualification. The Company is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation and has all requisite corporate power and authority to carry on its business as now conducted and to own or lease its properties. The Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property makes such qualification or leasing necessary unless the failure to so qualify has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company’s subsidiaries are set forth on Exhibit 21.1 to its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the Company owns 100% of the outstanding equity of all such subsidiaries. The Company’s subsidiaries are duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their jurisdiction of incorporation and have all requisite power and authority to carry on their business as now conducted and to own or lease their properties. The Company’s subsidiaries are duly qualified to do business as foreign corporations and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of their business or their ownership or leasing of property makes such qualification or leasing necessary unless the failure to so qualify has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
4.2. Authorization. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority and has taken all requisite corporate action necessary for, and no further action on the part of the Company, its officers, directors and stockholders is necessary for, (i) the authorization, execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents, (ii) the authorization of the performance of all obligations of the Company hereunder or thereunder, and (iii) the authorization, issuance (or reservation for issuance) and delivery of the Shares. The Transaction Documents constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability, relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general equitable principles.
4.3. Capitalization. The Company is authorized under its Certificate of Incorporation to issue 300,000,000 shares of Common Stock. The Company’s disclosure of its issued and outstanding capital stock in its most recent SEC Filing containing such disclosure was accurate in all material respects as of the date indicated in such SEC Filing. All of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s capital stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; none of such shares were issued in violation of any preemptive rights; and such shares were issued in compliance in all material respects with applicable state and federal securities law and any rights of third parties. No Person is entitled to preemptive or similar statutory or contractual rights with respect to the issuance by the Company of any securities of the Company, including, without limitation, the Shares. Except for stock options approved pursuant to Company stock-based compensation plans described in the SEC Filings, there are no outstanding warrants, options, convertible securities or other rights, agreements or arrangements of any character under which the Company is or may be obligated to issue any equity securities of any kind, except as contemplated by this Agreement. There are no voting agreements, buy-sell agreements, option or right of first purchase agreements or other similar agreements among the Company and any of the securityholders of the Company relating to the securities of the Company held by them. Except as provided in (i) the Registration Rights Agreement, (ii) that certain Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of March 29, 2017, by and among the Company and certain investors signatory thereto, and (iii) that certain Investor Agreement, dated as of October 22, 2020, by and between the Company and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., no Person has the right to (i) require the Company to register any securities of the Company under the 1933 Act, whether on a demand basis or in connection with the registration of securities of the Company for its own account or for the account of any other Person or (ii) prohibit the Company from filing a registration statement under the 1933 Act.
5
The issuance and sale of the Shares hereunder will not obligate the Company to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any other Person (other than the Investors) and will not result in the adjustment of the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price of any outstanding security.
The Company does not have outstanding stockholder purchase rights or “poison pill” or any similar arrangement in effect giving any Person the right to purchase any equity interest in the Company upon the occurrence of certain events.
4.4. Valid Issuance. The Shares have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and paid for pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and shall be free and clear of all encumbrances and restrictions (other than those created by the Investors), except for restrictions on transfer set forth in the Transaction Documents or imposed by applicable securities laws.
4.5. Consents. Subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of each Investor set forth in Section 5 hereof, the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents and the offer, issuance and sale of the Shares require no consent of, action by or in respect of, or filing with, any Person, governmental body, agency, or official other than (a) filings that have been made pursuant to applicable state securities laws, (b) post-sale filings pursuant to applicable state and federal securities laws, (c) filings pursuant to the rules and regulations of Nasdaq and (d) filing of the registration statement required to be filed by the Registration Rights Agreement, each of which the Company has filed or undertakes to file within the applicable time. Subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of each Investor set forth in Section 5 hereof, the Company has taken all action necessary to exempt (i) the issuance and sale of the Shares and (ii) the other transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents from the provisions of any stockholder rights plan or other “poison pill” arrangement, any anti-takeover, business combination or control share law or statute binding on the Company or to which the Company or any of its assets and properties is subject that is or could reasonably be expected to become applicable to the Investors as a result of the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation, the issuance of the Shares and the ownership, disposition or voting of the Shares by the Investors or the exercise of any right granted to the Investors pursuant to this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents.
4.6. Use of Proceeds. The net proceeds of the sale of the Shares hereunder shall be used by the Company for working capital and general corporate purposes.
4.7. No Material Adverse Change. Since September 30, 2020, except as identified and described in the SEC Filings filed at least one Trading Day prior to the date hereof, there has not been:
(i) any change in the consolidated assets, liabilities, financial condition or operating results of the Company from that reflected in the financial statements included in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, except for changes in the ordinary course of business which have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, individually or in the aggregate;
6
(ii) any declaration or payment by the Company of any dividend, or any authorization or payment by the Company of any distribution, on any of the capital stock of the Company, or any redemption or repurchase by the Company of any securities of the Company;
(iii) any material damage, destruction or loss, whether or not covered by insurance, to any assets or properties of the Company;
(iv) any waiver, not in the ordinary course of business, by the Company of a material right or of a material debt owed to it;
(v) any satisfaction or discharge of any lien, claim or encumbrance or payment of any obligation by the Company, except in the ordinary course of business and which is not material to the assets, properties, financial condition, operating results or business of the Company (as such business is presently conducted);
(vi) any change or amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, or material change to any material contract or arrangement by which the Company is bound or to which any of its assets or properties is subject;
(vii) any material labor difficulties or, to the Company’s Knowledge, labor union organizing activities with respect to employees of the Company;
(viii) any material transaction entered into by the Company other than in the ordinary course of business;
(ix) the loss of the services of any key employee, or material change in the composition or duties of the senior management of the Company; or
(x) any other event or condition of any character that has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
4.8. SEC Filings. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under the 1933 Act and the 1934 Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the one year period preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (collectively, the “SEC Filings”). At the time of filing thereof, the SEC Filings complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.
7
4.9. No Conflict, Breach, Violation or Default. The execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the issuance and sale of the Shares in accordance with the provisions thereof will not, except (solely in the case of clauses (i)(b) and (ii)) for such violations, conflicts or defaults as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of (a) any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or the Company’s Bylaws, both as in effect on the date hereof (true and complete copies of which have been made available to the Investors through the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system (the “EDGAR system”)), or (b) assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties in Section 5, any applicable statute, rule, regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or its subsidiaries, or any of their assets or properties, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any lien, encumbrance or other adverse claim upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or its subsidiaries or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any Material Contract. This Section does not relate to matters with respect to tax status, which are the subject of Section 4.10, employee relations and labor matters, which are the subject of Section 4.13, or environmental laws, which are the subject of Section 4.15.
4.10. Tax Matters. The Company and its subsidiaries have timely prepared and filed all material tax returns required to have been filed by them with all appropriate governmental agencies and timely paid all material taxes shown thereon or otherwise owed by them. There are no material unpaid assessments against the Company nor, to the Company’s Knowledge, any audits by any federal, state or local taxing authority. All material taxes that the Company is required to withhold or to collect for payment have been duly withheld and collected and paid to the proper governmental entity or third party when due. There are no tax liens pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its assets or property. With the exception of agreements or other arrangements that are not primarily related to taxes entered into in the ordinary course of business, there are no outstanding tax sharing agreements or other such arrangements between the Company and any other corporation or entity (other than a subsidiary of the Company).
4.11. Title to Properties. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real properties and all other properties and assets owned by them, in each case free from liens, encumbrances and defects, except such as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company and its subsidiaries hold any leased real or personal property under valid and enforceable leases with no exceptions, except such as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
4.12. Certificates, Authorities and Permits. The Company possesses adequate certificates, authorities or permits issued by appropriate governmental agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by it, except where failure to so possess would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not received any written notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authority or permit that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, individually or in the aggregate, on the Company.
8
4.13. Labor Matters.
(a) The Company is not party to or bound by any collective bargaining agreements or other agreements with labor organizations. To the Company’s Knowledge, the Company has not violated in any material respect any laws, regulations, orders or contract terms affecting the collective bargaining rights of employees or labor organizations, or any laws, regulations or orders affecting employment discrimination, equal opportunity employment, or employees’ health, safety, welfare, wages and hours.
(b) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company, or with the employees of any principal supplier, manufacturer, customer or contractor of the Company, exists or, to the Company’s Knowledge, is threatened or imminent.
4.14. Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own, possess, license or have other rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business in all material respects as now conducted or as proposed in the SEC Filings to be conducted; and (a) there are no rights of third parties to any such Intellectual Property, including no liens, security interests or other encumbrances; (b) to the Company’s Knowledge, there is no material infringement by third parties of any such Intellectual Property; (c) there is no pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to any such Intellectual Property; (d) such Intellectual Property that is described in the SEC Filings has not been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part; (e) there is no pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property that is owned or licensed by the Company, including interferences, oppositions, reexaminations or government proceedings; (f) there is no pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes, misappropriates, or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others; and (g) to the Company’s Knowledge, each founder and key employee of the Company and each Company employee involved with the development of Intellectual Property has entered into an invention assignment agreement with the Company.
4.15. Environmental Matters. The Company is not in violation of any statute, rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), has not released any hazardous substances regulated by Environmental Law onto any real property that it owns or operates and has not received any written notice or claim it is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any Environmental Laws, which violation, release, notice, claim, or liability would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, and to the Company’s Knowledge, there is no pending or threatened investigation that would reasonably be expected to lead to such a claim.
9
4.16. Legal Proceedings. There are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, suits or proceedings pending to which the Company or its subsidiaries are or may reasonably be expected to become a party or to which any property of the Company or its subsidiaries are or may reasonably be expected to become the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
4.17. Financial Statements. The financial statements included in each SEC Filing comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing (or to the extent corrected by a subsequent restatement) and present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company as of the dates shown and its consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, subject in the case of unaudited financial statements to normal, immaterial year-end audit adjustments, and such consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”) (except as may be disclosed therein or in the notes thereto, and except that the unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and, in the case of quarterly financial statements, except as permitted by Form 10-Q under the 1934 Act). Except as set forth in the financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Filings filed prior to the date hereof, the Company has not incurred any liabilities, contingent or otherwise, except those incurred in the ordinary course of business, consistent (as to amount and nature) with past practices since the date of such financial statements, none of which, individually or in the aggregate, have had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
4.18. Insurance Coverage. The Company maintains in full force and effect insurance coverage that is customary for comparably situated companies for the business being conducted and properties owned or leased by the Company, and the Company reasonably believes such insurance coverage to be adequate against all liabilities, claims and risks against which it is customary for comparably situated companies to insure.
4.19. Compliance with Nasdaq Continued Listing Requirements. The Company is in compliance with applicable Nasdaq continued listing requirements. There are no proceedings pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened against the Company relating to the continued listing of the Common Stock on Nasdaq and the Company has not received any notice of, nor to the Company’s Knowledge is there any reasonable basis for, the delisting of the Common Stock from Nasdaq.
4.20. Brokers and Finders. Other than the Placement Agent, no Person will have, as a result of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, any valid right, interest or claim against or upon the Company or an Investor for any commission, fee or other compensation pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding entered into by or on behalf of the Company. No Investor shall have any obligation with respect to any fees, or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees, in each case of the type contemplated by this Section 4.20 that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Transaction Documents.
4.21. No Directed Selling Efforts or General Solicitation. Neither the Company nor any Person acting on its behalf has conducted any general solicitation or general advertising (as those terms are used in Regulation D) in connection with the offer or sale of any of the Shares.
10
4.22. No Integrated Offering. Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries nor any Person acting on their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any Company security or solicited any offers to buy any Company security, under circumstances that would adversely affect reliance by the Company on Section 4(a)(2) for the exemption from registration for the transactions contemplated hereby or would require registration of the Shares under the 1933 Act.
4.23. Private Placement. Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Investors set forth in Section 5, the offer and sale of the Shares to the Investors as contemplated hereby is exempt from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. The issuance and sale of the Shares does not contravene the rules and regulations of Nasdaq.
4.24. Questionable Payments. Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s Knowledge, any of their current or former directors, officers, employees, agents or other Persons acting on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries, has on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries in connection with their business: (a) used any corporate funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (b) made any direct or indirect unlawful payments to any governmental officials or employees from corporate funds; (c) established or maintained any unlawful or unrecorded fund of corporate monies or other assets which is in violation of law; (d) made any false or fictitious entries on the books and records of the Company; or (e) made any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment of any nature.
4.25. Transactions with Affiliates. None of the executive officers or directors of the Company and, to the Company’s Knowledge, none of the employees of the Company is presently a party to any transaction with the Company (other than as holders of stock options, warrants and/or restricted stock, and 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, director or such employee or, to the Company’s Knowledge, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or partner.
4.26. Internal Controls. The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the 1934 Act), which are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities. Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there have been no material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or would reasonably be expected to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company is not aware of any change in its internal controls over financial reporting that has occurred during its most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or would reasonably be expected to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
11
4.27. Disclosures. Neither the Company nor any Person acting on its behalf has provided the Investors or their agents or counsel with any information that constitutes or would reasonably be expected to constitute material nonpublic information concerning the Company or its subsidiaries, other than (A) with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, which will be disclosed in the Press Release (as defined below), and (B) as set forth on the Disclosure Schedule. The SEC Filings do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements contained therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company understands and confirms that the Investors will rely on the foregoing representations in effecting transactions in securities of the Company.
4.28. Required Filings. Except for the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including the acquisition of the Shares contemplated hereby, no event or circumstance has occurred or information exists with respect to the Company or its business, properties, operations or financial condition, which, under applicable law, rule or regulation, requires public disclosure or announcement by the Company but which has not been so publicly announced or disclosed (assuming for this purpose that the SEC Filings are being incorporated by reference into an effective registration statement filed by the Company under the 1933 Act).
4.29. Investment Company. The Company is not required to be registered as, and immediately following the Closing will not be required to register as, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
4.30. Tests and Preclinical and Clinical Trials. (i) The preclinical studies and clinical trials conducted by or, to the Company’s Knowledge, on behalf of or sponsored by the Company or its subsidiaries, or in which the Company or its subsidiaries have participated, that are described in the SEC Filings, or the results of which are referred to in the SEC Filings, as applicable, were, and if still pending are, being conducted in all material respects in accordance with standard medical and scientific research standards and procedures for products or product candidates comparable to those being developed by the Company and all applicable statutes and all applicable rules and regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and comparable regulatory agencies outside of the United States to which they are subject, including the European Medicines Agency (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”) and Good Clinical Practice and Good Laboratory Practice requirements; (ii) except as set forth on the Disclosure Schedule, the descriptions in the SEC Filings of the results of such studies and trials are accurate and complete descriptions in all material respects and fairly present the data derived therefrom; (iii) to the Company’s Knowledge, there are no other studies or trials not described in the SEC Filings, the results of which the Company believes are inconsistent with or reasonably call into question the results described or referred to in the SEC Filings; (iv) the Company and its subsidiaries have operated at all times and are currently in compliance with all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the Regulatory Authorities, except where such non-compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and (v) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have received any written notices, correspondence or other communications from the Regulatory Authorities or any other governmental agency requiring or
12
threatening the termination, material modification or suspension of any preclinical studies or clinical trials that are described in the SEC Filings or the results of which are referred to in the SEC Filings, other than ordinary course communications with respect to modifications in connection with the design and implementation of such studies or trials, and, to the Company’s Knowledge, there are no reasonable grounds for the same.
4.31. Manipulation of Price. The Company has not taken, and, to the Company’s Knowledge, no Person acting on its behalf has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Shares.
4.32. Anti-Bribery and Anti-Money Laundering Laws. Each of the Company, its subsidiaries and any of their respective officers, directors, supervisors, managers, agents, or employees are and have at all times been in compliance with and its participation in the offering will not violate: (A) anti-bribery laws, including but not limited to, any applicable law, rule, or regulation of any locality, including but not limited to any law, rule, or regulation promulgated to implement the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, signed December 17, 1997, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, or any other law, rule or regulation of similar purposes and scope or (B) anti-money laundering laws, including, but not limited to, applicable federal, state, international, foreign or other laws, regulations or government guidance regarding anti-money laundering, including, without limitation, Title 18 US. Code sections 1956 and 1957, the Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, and international anti-money laundering principles or procedures by an intergovernmental group or organization, such as the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, of which the United States is a member and with which designation the United States representative to the group or organization continues to concur, all as amended, and any Executive order, directive, or regulation pursuant to the authority of any of the foregoing, or any orders or licenses issued thereunder.
4.33. No Bad Actors. No “bad actor” disqualifying event described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i)-(viii) of the 1933 Act (a “Disqualification Event”) is applicable to the Company or, to the Company’s Knowledge, any Company Covered Person, except (i) for a Disqualification Event as to which Rule 506(d)(2)(ii–iv) or (d)(3) is applicable and (ii) no such representation is made with respect to the Placement Agent, or any of their respective general partners, managing members, directors, executive officers or other officers.
4.34. No Additional Agreements. The Company has no other agreements or understandings (including, without limitation, side letters) with any Investor to purchase Shares on terms more favorable to such Investor than as set forth herein.
4.35. Shell Company Status. The Company is not, and has never been, an issuer identified in Rule 144(i)(1).
13
4.36. Compliance. The Company is not (i) in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company under), nor has the Company received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived) or (ii) in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or governmental body, except in the case of each of (i) and (ii) as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
5. Representations and Warranties of the Investors. Each of the Investors hereby severally, and not jointly, represents and warrants to the Company that:
5.1. Organization and Existence. Such Investor is a duly incorporated or organized and validly existing corporation, limited partnership, limited liability company or other legal entity, has all requisite corporate, partnership or limited liability company power and authority to enter into and consummate the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder, and to invest in the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, and is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization.
5.2. Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance by such Investor of the Transaction Documents to which such Investor is a party have been duly authorized and each has been duly executed and when delivered will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of such Investor, enforceable against such Investor in accordance with their respective terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability, relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally, and general principles of equity.
5.3. Purchase Entirely for Own Account. The Shares to be received by such Investor hereunder will be acquired for such Investor’s own account, not as nominee or agent, for the purpose of investment and not with a view to the resale or distribution of any part thereof in violation of the 1933 Act, and such Investor has no present intention of selling, granting any participation in, or otherwise distributing the same in violation of the 1933 Act without prejudice, however, to such Investor’s right at all times to sell or otherwise dispose of all or any part of such Shares in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws. The Shares are being purchased by such Investor in the ordinary course of its business. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed a representation or warranty by such Investor to hold the Shares for any period of time. Such Investor is not a broker-dealer registered with the SEC under the 1934 Act or an entity engaged in a business that would require it to be so registered.
5.4. Investment Experience. Such Investor acknowledges that it can bear the economic risk and complete loss of its investment in the Shares and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment contemplated hereby.
5.5. Disclosure of Information. Such Investor has had an opportunity to receive, review and understand all information related to the Company requested by it and to ask questions of and receive answers from the Company regarding the Company, its business and the terms and conditions of the offering of the Shares, and has conducted and completed its own independent due diligence. Such Investor acknowledges that copies of the SEC Filings are available on the EDGAR system. Based on the information such Investor has deemed
14
appropriate, and without reliance upon the Placement Agent, it has independently made its own analysis and decision to enter into the Transaction Documents. Such Investor is relying exclusively on its own investment analysis and due diligence (including professional advice it deems appropriate) with respect to the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents, the Shares and the business, condition (financial and otherwise), management, operations, properties and prospects of the Company, including but not limited to all business, legal, regulatory, accounting, credit and tax matters. Such Investor has not relied on any information or advice furnished by or on behalf of the Placement Agent in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. Neither such inquiries nor any other due diligence investigation conducted by such Investor shall modify, limit or otherwise affect such Investor’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement.
5.6. Restricted Securities. Such Investor understands that the Shares are characterized as “restricted securities” under the U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the 1933 Act only in certain limited circumstances.
5.7. Legends. It is understood that, except as provided below, certificates or book-entry records evidencing the Shares may bear the following or any similar legend:
(a) “The securities represented hereby have not been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or the securities commission of any state in reliance upon an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and, accordingly, may not be transferred unless (i) such securities have been registered for sale pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (ii) such securities may be sold pursuant to Rule 144, (iii) the Company has received an opinion of counsel reasonably satisfactory to it that such transfer may lawfully be made without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or (iv) the securities are transferred without consideration to an affiliate of such holder or a custodial nominee (which for the avoidance of doubt shall require neither consent nor the delivery of an opinion).”
(b) If required by the authorities of any state in connection with the issuance of sale of the Shares, the legend required by such state authority.
5.8. Accredited Investor. Such Investor is (a) an “accredited investor” within the meaning of Rule 501(a) of Regulation D. Such Investor has executed and delivered to the Company a questionnaire in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Investor Questionnaire”), which such Investor represents and warrants is true, correct and complete. Such investor is a sophisticated institutional investor with sufficient knowledge and experience in investing in private equity transactions to properly evaluate the risks and merits of its purchase of the Shares. Such Investor has determined based on its own independent review and such professional advice as it deems appropriate that its purchase of the Shares and participation in the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (i) are fully consistent with its financial needs, objectives and condition, (ii) comply and are fully consistent with all investment policies, guidelines and other restrictions applicable to such Investor, (iii) have been duly authorized and approved by all necessary action, (iv) do not and will not violate or constitute a default under such Investor’s charter, bylaws or other constituent document or under any law, rule, regulation, agreement or other obligation by which such Investor is bound and (v) are a fit, proper and suitable investment for such Investor, notwithstanding the substantial risks inherent in investing in or holding the Shares.
15
5.9. Placement Agent. Such Investor hereby acknowledges and agrees that (a) the Placement Agent is acting solely as placement agent in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents and is not acting as an underwriter or in any other capacity and is not and shall not be construed as a fiduciary for such Investor, the Company or any other person or entity in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents, (b) the Placement Agent has not made and will not make any representation or warranty, whether express or implied, of any kind or character, and has not provided any advice or recommendation in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents, (c) the Placement Agent will not have any responsibility with respect to (i) any representations, warranties or agreements made by any person or entity under or in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents, or the execution, legality, validity or enforceability (with respect to any person) thereof, or (ii) the business, affairs, financial condition, operations, properties or prospects of, or any other matter concerning the Company, and (d) the Placement Agent will not have any liability or obligation (including without limitation, for or with respect to any losses, claims, damages, obligations, penalties, judgments, awards, liabilities, costs, expenses or disbursements incurred by such Investor, the Company or any other person or entity), whether in contract, tort or otherwise, to such Investor, or to any person claiming through it, in respect of the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents.
5.10. No General Solicitation. Such Investor did not learn of the investment in the Shares as a result of any general or public solicitation or general advertising, or publicly disseminated advertisements or sales literature, including (a) any advertisement, article, notice or other communication published in any newspaper, magazine, website, or similar media, or broadcast over television or radio, or (b) any seminar or meeting to which such Investor was invited by any of the foregoing means of communications.
5.11. Brokers and Finders. No Person will have, as a result of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, any valid right, interest or claim against or upon the Company or an Investor for any commission, fee or other compensation pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding entered into by or on behalf of such Investor.
5.12. Short Sales and Confidentiality Prior to the Date Hereof. Other than consummating the transactions contemplated hereunder, such Investor has not, nor has any Person acting on behalf of or pursuant to any understanding with such Investor, directly or indirectly executed any purchases or sales, including Short Sales, of the securities of the Company during the period commencing as of the time that such Investor was first contacted by the Company, the Placement Agent or any other Person regarding the transactions contemplated hereby and ending immediately prior to the date hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of an Investor that is a multi-managed investment vehicle whereby separate portfolio managers manage separate portions of such Investor’s assets and the portfolio managers have no direct knowledge of the investment decisions made by the portfolio managers managing other
16
portions of such Investor’s assets, the representation set forth above shall only apply with respect to the portion of assets managed by the portfolio manager that made the investment decision to purchase the Shares covered by this Agreement. Other than to other Persons party to this Agreement and other than to such Person’s outside attorney, accountant, auditor or investment advisor only to the extent necessary to permit evaluation of the investment, and the performance of the necessary or required tax, accounting, financial, legal, or administrative tasks and services and other than as may be required by law, such Investor has maintained the confidentiality of all disclosures made to it in connection with this transaction (including the existence and terms of this transaction). Notwithstanding the foregoing, for avoidance of doubt, nothing contained herein shall constitute a representation or warranty, or preclude any actions, with respect to the identification of the availability of, or securing of, available shares to borrow in order to effect Short Sales or similar transactions in the future.
5.13. No Government Recommendation or Approval. Such Investor understands that no United States federal or state agency, or similar agency of any other country, has reviewed, approved, passed upon, or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Company or the purchase of the Shares.
5.14. No Intent to Effect a Change of Control. Such Investor has no present intent to effect a “change of control” of the Company as such term is understood under the rules promulgated pursuant to Section 13(d) of the 1934 Act.
5.15. Residency. Such Investor’s office in which its investment decision with respect to the Shares was made is located at the address immediately below such Investor’s name on its signature page hereto.
5.16. No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by such Investor of the Transaction Documents and the consummation by such Investor of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby will not (i) result in a violation of the organizational documents of such Investor or (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 such Investor is a party, or (iii) result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree (including federal and state securities laws) applicable to such Investor, except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for such conflicts, defaults, rights or violations which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of such Investor to perform its obligations hereunder.
6. Conditions to Closing.
6.1. Conditions to the Investors’ Obligations. The obligation of each Investor to purchase Shares at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment to such Investor’s satisfaction, on or prior to the Closing Date, of the following conditions, any of which may be waived by such Investor (as to itself only):
(a) The representations and warranties made by the Company in Section 4 hereof shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date, as though made on and as of such date, except to the extent any such representation or warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation or warranty shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such earlier date. The Company shall have performed in all material respects all obligations and covenants herein required to be performed by it on or prior to the Closing Date.
17
(b) The Company shall have obtained any and all consents, permits, approvals, registrations and waivers necessary for the consummation of the purchase and sale of the Shares and the consummation of the other transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, all of which shall be in full force and effect.
(c) The Company shall have executed and delivered the Registration Rights Agreement.
(d) The Company shall have filed with Nasdaq a Notification Form: Listing of Additional Shares for the listing of the Shares.
(e) No judgment, writ, order, injunction, award or decree of or by any court, or judge, justice or magistrate, including any bankruptcy court or judge, or any order of or by any governmental authority, shall have been issued, and no action or proceeding shall have been instituted by any governmental authority, enjoining or preventing the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or in the other Transaction Documents.
(f) The Company shall have delivered a Certificate, executed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer or its Chief Financial Officer, dated as of the Closing Date, certifying to the fulfillment of the conditions specified in subsections (a), (b), (d), (e) and (j) of this Section 6.1.
(g) The Company shall have delivered a Certificate, executed on behalf of the Company by its Secretary, dated as of the Closing Date, certifying the resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company approving the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the other Transaction Documents and the issuance of the Shares, certifying the current versions of the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company and certifying as to the signatures and authority of persons signing the Transaction Documents and related documents on behalf of the Company.
(h) The Investors shall have received an opinion from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, the Company’s counsel, dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Investors and addressing such legal matters as the Investors may reasonably request.
(i) There shall have been no Material Adverse Effect with respect to the Company since the date hereof.
(j) No stop order or suspension of trading shall have been imposed by Nasdaq, the SEC or any other governmental or regulatory body with respect to public trading in the Common Stock.
18
6.2. Conditions to Obligations of the Company. The Company’s obligation to sell and issue the Shares at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment to the satisfaction of the Company on or prior to the Closing Date of the following conditions, any of which may be waived by the Company:
(a) The representations and warranties made by the Investors in Section 5 hereof shall be true and correct as of the date hereof, and shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date with the same force and effect as if they had been made on and as of such date. The Investors shall have performed in all material respects all obligations and covenants herein required to be performed by them on or prior to the Closing Date.
(b) The Investors shall have executed and delivered the Registration Rights Agreement and each Investor Questionnaire.
(c) Any Investor purchasing Shares at the Closing shall have paid in full its purchase price to the Company.
6.3. Termination of Obligations to Effect Closing; Effects.
(a) The obligations of the Company, on the one hand, and the Investors, on the other hand, to effect the Closing shall terminate as follows:
(i) Upon the mutual written consent of the Company and Investors that agreed to purchase a majority of the Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement;
(ii) By the Company if any of the conditions set forth in Section 6.2 shall have become incapable of fulfillment, and shall not have been waived by the Company;
(iii) By an Investor (with respect to itself only) if any of the conditions set forth in Section 6.1 shall have become incapable of fulfillment, and shall not have been waived by the Investor; or
(iv) By either the Company or any Investor (with respect to itself only) if the Closing has not occurred on or prior to the fifth Trading Day following the date of this Agreement;
provided, however, that, except in the case of clause (i) above, the party seeking to terminate its obligation to effect the Closing shall not then be in breach of any of its representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents if such breach has resulted in the circumstances giving rise to such party’s seeking to terminate its obligation to effect the Closing.
(b) In the event of termination by the Company or any Investor of its obligations to effect the Closing pursuant to this Section 6.3, written notice thereof shall be given to the other Investors by the Company and the other Investors shall have the right to terminate their obligations to effect the Closing upon written notice to the Company and the other Investors. Nothing in this Section 6.3 shall be deemed to release any party from any liability for any breach by such party of the terms and provisions of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents or to impair the right of any party to compel specific performance by any other party of its obligations under this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents.
19
7. Covenants and Agreements of the Company.
7.1. No Conflicting Agreements. The Company will not take any action, enter into any agreement or make any commitment that would conflict or interfere in any material respect with the Company’s obligations to the Investors under the Transaction Documents.
7.2. Nasdaq Listing. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to continue the listing and trading of its Common Stock on Nasdaq and, in accordance therewith, will use commercially reasonable efforts to comply in all material respects with the Company’s reporting, filing and other obligations under the bylaws or rules of such market or exchange, as applicable.
7.3. Termination of Covenants. The provisions of Sections 7.1 and 7.2 shall terminate and be of no further force and effect on the date on which the Company’s obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement to register or maintain the effectiveness of any registration covering the Registrable Securities (as such term is defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) shall terminate.
7.4. Removal of Legends.
(a) In connection with any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposition of the Shares by an Investor pursuant to Rule 144 or pursuant to any other exemption under the 1933 Act such that the purchaser acquires freely tradable shares and upon compliance by the Investor with the requirements of this Agreement, if requested by the Investor, the Company shall request the transfer agent for the Common Stock (the “Transfer Agent”) to remove any restrictive legends related to the book entry account holding such Shares and make a new, unlegended entry for such book entry shares sold or disposed of without restrictive legends within two (2) Trading Days of any such request therefor from such Investor, provided that the Company has timely received from the Investor customary representations and other documentation reasonably acceptable to the Company in connection therewith.
(b) Subject to receipt from the Investor by the Company and the Transfer Agent of customary representations and other documentation reasonably acceptable to the Company and the Transfer Agent in connection therewith, upon the earliest of such time as the Shares (i) have been sold or transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement, (ii) have been sold pursuant to Rule 144, or (iii) are eligible for resale under Rule 144(b)(1) or any successor provision (such earliest date, the “Effective Date”), the Company shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.4(b) and within two (2) Trading Days of any request therefor from an Investor accompanied by such customary and reasonably acceptable documentation referred to above, (A) deliver to the Transfer Agent irrevocable instructions that the Transfer Agent shall make a new, unlegended entry for such book entry Shares, and (B) cause its counsel to deliver to the Transfer Agent one or more opinions to the effect that the removal of such legends in such circumstances may be effected under the 1933 Act if required
20
by the Transfer Agent to effect the removal of the legend in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Shares subject to legend removal hereunder may be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Investor by crediting the account of the Investor’s prime broker with the DTC System as directed by such Investor. The Company shall be responsible for the fees of its Transfer Agent and all DTC fees associated with such issuance.
(c) Each Investor, severally and not jointly with the other Investors, agrees with the Company (i) that such Investor will sell any Shares only pursuant to either the registration requirements of the 1933 Act, including any applicable prospectus delivery requirements, or an exemption therefrom, (ii) that if Shares are sold pursuant to a registration statement, they will be sold in compliance with the plan of distribution set forth therein and (iii) that if, after the effective date of the registration statement covering the resale of the Shares, such registration statement ceases to be effective and the Company has provided notice to such Investor to that effect, such Investor will sell Shares only in compliance with an exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act.
7.5. Subsequent Equity Sales.
(a) From the date hereof until forty-five (45) days after the Closing Date, without the consent of the Required Investors, the Company shall not (A) issue shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents, (B) effect a reverse stock split, recapitalization, share consolidation, reclassification or similar transaction affecting the outstanding Common Stock or (C) file with the SEC a registration statement under the 1933 Act relating to any shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents, except pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement and any other agreements to which the Company is currently a party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 7.5 shall not apply to (i) the issuance of the Shares hereunder, (ii) the issuance of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents upon the conversion or exercise of any securities of the Company outstanding on the date hereof or outstanding pursuant to clause (iii) or (v) below, (iii) the issuance of any Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents pursuant to any Company stock-based compensation plans or in accordance with Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5635(c)(4), (iv) the filing of a registration statement on Form S-8 under the 1933 Act to register the offer and sale of securities on an equity incentive plan or employee stock purchase plan or (v) the issuance of any Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents in connection with a transaction with an unaffiliated third party that includes a bona fide commercial relationship with the Company (including any joint venture, marketing or distribution arrangement, strategic alliance, collaboration agreement or corporate partnering, intellectual property license agreement or acquisition agreement or other strategic transaction or debt financing transaction with the Company); provided, however, that the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to clause (v) during the restricted period shall not exceed 10% of the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately following the Closing.
(b) The Company shall not, and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that no Affiliate of the Company shall, sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in Section 2 of the 1933 Act) that will be integrated with the offer or sale of the Shares in a manner that would require the registration under the 1933 Act of the sale of the Shares to the Investors, or that will be integrated with the offer or sale of the Shares for purposes of the rules and regulations of any trading market such that it would require stockholder approval prior to the closing of such other transaction unless stockholder approval is obtained before the closing of such subsequent transaction.
21
7.6. Fees. The Company shall be responsible for the payment of any placement agent’s fees, financial advisory fees, or broker’s commissions (other than for Persons engaged by any Investor) relating to or arising out of the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, any fees or commissions payable to the Placement Agent.
7.7. Short Sales and Confidentiality After the Date Hereof. Each Investor covenants that neither it nor any Affiliates acting on its behalf or pursuant to any understanding with it will trade in the securities of the Company or execute any Short Sales during the period from the date hereof until the earlier of such time as (i) both (a) the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first publicly announced and (b) all material information set forth in the Disclosure Schedule have been publicly disclosed by the Company or (ii) this Agreement is terminated in full. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of an Investor that is a multi-managed investment vehicle whereby separate portfolio managers manage separate portions of such Investor’s assets and the portfolio managers have no direct knowledge of the investment decisions made by the portfolio managers managing other portions of such Investor’s assets, the covenant set forth above shall only apply with respect to the portion of assets managed by the portfolio manager that made the investment decision to purchase the Shares. Each Investor covenants that until such time (i) as all material terms of the sale of the Shares to the Investors pursuant to this Agreement are publicly disclosed by the Company, such Investor and its Affiliates will maintain the confidentiality of the existence and terms of this Agreement and (ii) as all material information set forth in the Disclosure Schedule is publicly disclosed by the Company, such Investor and its Affiliates will maintain the confidentiality of all information included on the Disclosure Schedule, other than, in each case, to such Person’s outside attorney, accountant, auditor or investment advisor only to the extent necessary to permit evaluation of the investment, and the performance of the necessary or required tax, accounting, financial, legal, or administrative tasks and services and other than as may be required by law.
8. Survival and Indemnification.
8.1. Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement shall survive the Closing of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement for the applicable statute of limitations.
8.2. Indemnification. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Investor and its Affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, trustees, members, managers, employees, investment advisers and agents, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation reasonable and documented attorney fees and disbursements and other documented out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating, preparing or defending any action, claim or proceeding, pending or threatened and the costs of enforcement thereof) (collectively, “Losses”) to which such Person may become subject as a result of any breach of representation, warranty, covenant or agreement made by or to be performed on the part of the Company under the Transaction Documents, and will reimburse any such Person for all such amounts as they are incurred by such Person solely to the extent such amounts have been finally judicially determined not to have resulted from such Person’s fraud or willful misconduct.
22
8.3. Conduct of Indemnification Proceedings. Any person entitled to indemnification hereunder shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification and (ii) permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party; provided that any person entitled to indemnification hereunder shall have the right to employ separate counsel and to participate in the defense of such claim, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such person unless (a) the indemnifying party has agreed in writing to pay such fees or expenses, (b) the indemnifying party shall have failed to assume the defense of such claim and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to such person or (c) in the reasonable judgment of any such person, based upon written advice of its counsel, a conflict of interest exists between such person and the indemnifying party with respect to such claims (in which case, if the person notifies the indemnifying party in writing that such person elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense of such claim on behalf of such person); and provided, further, that the failure of any indemnified party to give written notice as provided herein shall not relieve the indemnifying party of its obligations hereunder, except to the extent that such failure to give notice shall materially adversely affect the indemnifying party in the defense of any such claim or litigation. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for fees or expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys at any time for all such indemnified parties. No indemnifying party will, except with the consent of the indemnified party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement that does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect of such claim or litigation. No indemnified party will, except with the consent of the indemnifying party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement.
9. Miscellaneous.
9.1. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement may not be assigned by a party hereto without the prior written consent of the Company or each of the Investors, as applicable, provided, however, that an Investor may assign its rights and delegate its duties hereunder in whole or in part to an Affiliate or to a third party acquiring some or all of its Shares in a transaction complying with applicable securities laws without the prior written consent of the Company or the other Investors, provided such assignee agrees in writing to be bound by the provisions hereof that apply to Investors. The provisions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the respective permitted successors and assigns of the parties. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that the Company is a party to a merger, consolidation, share exchange or similar business combination transaction in which the Common Stock is converted into the equity securities of another Person, from and after the effective time of such transaction, such Person shall, by virtue of such transaction, be deemed to have assumed the obligations of the Company hereunder, the term “Company” shall be deemed to refer to such Person and the term “Shares” shall be deemed to refer to the securities received by the Investors in connection with such transaction. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective permitted successors and assigns any rights, remedies, obligations, or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement.
23
9.2. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signatures complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
9.3. Titles and Subtitles. The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are used for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement.
9.4. Notices. Unless otherwise provided, any notice required or permitted under this Agreement shall be given in writing and shall be deemed effectively given as hereinafter described (i) if given by personal delivery, then such notice shall be deemed given upon such delivery, (ii) if given by facsimile or e-mail, then such notice shall be deemed given upon receipt of confirmation of complete facsimile transmittal or confirmation of receipt of an e-mail transmission, (iii) if given by mail, then such notice shall be deemed given upon the earlier of (A) receipt of such notice by the recipient or (B) three days after such notice is deposited in first class mail, postage prepaid, and (iv) if given by an internationally recognized overnight air courier, then such notice shall be deemed given one Business Day after delivery to such carrier. All notices shall be addressed to the party to be notified at the address as follows, or at such other address as such party may designate by ten days’ advance written notice to the other party:
If to the Company:
Solid Biosciences Inc.
141 Portland Street, Fifth Floor
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
Attention: Ilan Ganot, Chief Executive Officer
Email: ilan@solidbio.com
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
60 State Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
Attention: Lia Der Marderosian
Fax: (617) 526-5000
Email: Lia.DerMarderosian@wilmerhale.com
24
If to the Investors:
Only to the addresses set forth on the signature pages hereto.
9.5. Expenses. The parties hereto shall pay their own costs and expenses in connection herewith regardless of whether the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated; it being understood that each of the Company and each Investor has relied on the advice of its own respective counsel.
9.6. Amendments and Waivers. Prior to Closing, no amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement will be effective with respect to any party unless made in writing and signed by a duly authorized representative of such party. Following the Closing, any term of this Agreement may be amended and the observance of any term of this Agreement 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 Required Investors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may not be amended and the observance of any term of this Agreement may not be waived with respect to any Investor without the written consent of such Investor unless such amendment or waiver applies to all Investors in the same fashion. Any amendment or waiver effected in accordance with this paragraph shall be binding upon (i) prior to Closing, each Investor that signed such amendment or waiver and (ii) following the Closing, each holder of any Shares purchased under this Agreement at the time outstanding, and in each case, each future holder of all such Shares and the Company.
9.7. Publicity. Except as set forth below, no public release or announcement concerning the transactions contemplated hereby shall be issued by the Investors without the prior consent of the Company, except as such release or announcement may be required by law or the applicable rules or regulations of any securities exchange or securities market, in which case the Investors shall allow the Company reasonable time to comment on such release or announcement in advance of such issuance. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Investor may identify the Company and the value of such Investor’s security holdings in the Company in accordance with applicable investment reporting and disclosure regulations or internal policies without prior notice to or consent from the Company (including, for the avoidance of doubt, filings pursuant to Sections 13 and 16 of the 1934 Act). The Company shall not include the name of any Investor or any Affiliate or investment adviser of such Investor in any press release or public announcement (which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall not include any SEC Filing to the extent such disclosure is required by SEC rules and regulations) without the prior written consent of such Investor. By 8:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the Business Day immediately following the date this Agreement is executed, the Company shall issue a press release disclosing all material terms of the sale of the Shares to the Investors pursuant to this Agreement (the “Press Release”). No later than March 31, 2021, the Company shall issue a press release and/or a Current Report on Form 8-K disclosing any material non-public information that the Company may have provided any Investor in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including any material non-public information set forth in the Disclosure Schedule (the “Cleansing Disclosure”). In addition, the Company will make such other filings and notices in the manner and time required by the SEC or Nasdaq.
25
9.8. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof but shall be interpreted as if it were written so as to be enforceable to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the parties hereby waive any provision of law which renders any provision hereof prohibited or unenforceable in any respect.
9.9. Benefit of Agreement. The Placement Agent is an intended third-party beneficiary of the representations and warranties of the Company and of each Investor set forth in Section 4 and Section 5, respectively, of this Agreement.
9.10. Entire Agreement. This Agreement, including the signature pages, Exhibits, the other Transaction Documents and the Confidentiality Agreement between the Company and each Investor constitute the entire agreement among the parties hereof with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, both oral and written, between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof.
9.11. Further Assurances. The parties shall execute and deliver all such further instruments and documents and take all such other actions as may reasonably be required to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby and to evidence the fulfillment of the agreements herein contained.
9.12. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York. Service of process in connection with any such suit, action or proceeding may be served on each party hereto anywhere in the world by the same methods as are specified for the giving of notices under this Agreement.
9.13. Independent Nature of Investors’ Obligations and Rights. The obligations of each Investor under any Transaction Document are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Investor, and no Investor shall be responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other Investor under any Transaction Document. The decision of each Investor to purchase Shares pursuant to the Transaction Documents has been made by such Investor independently of any other Investor. Nothing contained herein or in any Transaction Document, and no action taken by any Investor pursuant thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Investors as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the Investors are in any way acting in concert or as a group with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. Each Investor acknowledges that no other Investor has acted as agent for such Investor in connection with making its investment hereunder and that no Investor will be acting as agent of such Investor in connection with monitoring its investment in the Shares or enforcing its rights under the Transaction Documents. Each Investor shall be entitled to independently protect and enforce its rights, including, without limitation, the rights arising out of this Agreement or out of the other Transaction Documents, and it shall not be necessary for any other Investor to be joined as an additional party in any proceeding for such purpose. The Company acknowledges that each of the Investors has been provided with the same Transaction Documents for the purpose of closing a transaction with multiple Investors and not because it was required or requested to do so by any Investor. It is expressly understood and agreed that each provision contained in this Agreement is between the Company and an Investor, solely, and not between the Company and the Investors collectively and not between and among the Investors.
26
9.14. Exculpation of the Placement Agent. Each party hereto agrees for the express benefit of the Placements Agent and its affiliates and representatives that:
(i) none of the Placement Agent, its affiliates or any of its representatives (1) has any duties or obligations other than those specifically set forth herein or in the engagement letter, dated December 4, 2020 (the “Engagement Letter”), between the Company and the Placement Agent; (2) shall be liable for any improper payment made in accordance with the information provided by the Company; (3) makes any representation or warranty, or has any responsibilities as to the validity, accuracy, value or genuineness of any information, certificates or documentation delivered by or on behalf of the Company pursuant to this Agreement or the Transaction Documents or in connection with any of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby; or (4) shall be liable (x) for any action taken, suffered or omitted by any of them in good faith and reasonably believed to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Agreement or any Transaction Document or (y) for anything which any of them may do or refrain from doing in connection with this Agreement or any Transaction Document, except in each case for such party’s own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith.
(ii) The Placement Agent, its affiliates and its representatives shall be entitled to (1) rely on, and shall be protected in acting upon, any certificate, instrument, notice, letter or any other document or security delivered to any of them by or on behalf of the Company, and (2) be indemnified by the Company for acting as the Placement Agent hereunder pursuant to the indemnification provisions set forth in the Engagement Letter.
[remainder of page intentionally left blank]
27
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement or caused their duly authorized officers to execute this Agreement as of the date first above written.
| COMPANY: | SOLID BIOSCIENCES INC. | |||||
| By: | /s/ Ilan Ganot | |||||
| Name: Ilan Ganot | ||||||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | RA CAPITAL HEALTHCARE FUND, L.P. | |||||
| By: | RA Capital Healthcare Fund GP, LLC | |||||
| Its: | General Partner | |||||
| By: | /s/ Rajeev Shah | |||||
| Name: Rajeev Shah | ||||||
| Title: Manager | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | BLACKWELL PARTNERS LLC – SERIES A | |||||
| By: RA Capital Management, L.P., solely with respect to the portion of the assets for which it acts as investment manager | ||||||
| By: RA Capital Management GP, LLC, its general partner | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Rajeev Shah | |||||
| Name: Rajeev Shah | ||||||
| Title: Authorized Signatory | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | Perceptive Life Sciences Master Fund, Ltd | |||||
| By: | /s/ James H. Mannix | |||||
| Name: James H. Mannix | ||||||
| Title: COO | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | Averill Master Fund, Ltd. | |||||
| By: | /s/ Glenn Shepard | |||||
| Name: Glenn Shepard | ||||||
| Title: Authorized Signatory | ||||||
28
| INVESTOR: | BCLS SB Investco, LP | |||||
| By: Bain Capital Life Sciences Partners, LP, its general partner | ||||||
| By: | Bain Capital Life Sciences Investors, LLC, its general partner | |||||
| By: | /s/ Adam Koppel | |||||
| Name: Adam Koppel | ||||||
| Title: Managing Director | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | EcoR1 Capital Fund, L.P. | |||||
| By: EcoR1 Capital, LLC, its General Partner | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Oleg Nodelman | |||||
| Name: Oleg Nodelman | ||||||
| Title: Manager | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | EcoR1 Capital Fund Qualified, L.P. | |||||
| By: EcoR1 Capital, LLC, its General Partner | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Oleg Nodelman | |||||
| Name: Oleg Nodelman | ||||||
| Title: Manager, EcoR1 Capital LLC | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | Boxer Capital, LLC | |||||
| By: | /s/ Aaron Davis | |||||
| Name: Aaron Davis | ||||||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | ASPIRE CAPITAL FUND, LLC | |||||
| By: | /s/ Steven G. Martin | |||||
| Name: STEVEN G. MARTIN | ||||||
| Title: PRESIDENT, SGM HOLDINGS CORP, MANAGING MEMBER OF ASPIRE CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC, MANAGING MEMBER OF ASPIRE CAPITAL FUND, LLC | ||||||
29
| INVESTOR: | Ikarian Capital, LLC | |||||
| By: | /s/ Chart Westcott | |||||
| Name: Chart Westcott | ||||||
| Title: COO | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | By: | /s/ Matthew B. Arnold | ||||
| Name: Matthew B. Arnold | ||||||
| Title: | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | By: | /s/ Ian Smith | ||||
| Name: Ian Smith | ||||||
| Title: | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | By: | /s/ Ilan Ganot | ||||
| Name: Ilan Ganot | ||||||
| Title: CEO | ||||||
30
EXHIBIT A
Schedule of Investors
| Investor Name |
Number of Shares to be Purchased |
Aggregate Purchase Price of Shares |
||||||
| RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. |
4,938,282 | $ | 18,271,643.40 | |||||
| Blackwell Partners LLC - Series A |
467,123 | $ | 1,728,355.10 | |||||
| Perceptive Life Sciences Master Fund, Ltd |
4,054,054 | $ | 14,999,999.80 | |||||
| Averill Master Fund, Ltd. |
4,054,054 | $ | 14,999,999.80 | |||||
| BCLS SB Investco, LP |
3,189,189 | $ | 11,799,999.30 | |||||
| EcoR1 Capital Fund, L.P. |
421,622 | $ | 1,560,001.40 | |||||
| EcoR1 Capital Fund Qualified, L.P. |
2,281,080 | $ | 8,439,996.00 | |||||
| Boxer Capital, LLC |
2,702,702 | $ | 9,999,997.40 | |||||
| Aspire Capital Fund, LLC |
810,810 | $ | 2,999,997.00 | |||||
| Ikarian Capital, LLC |
675,675 | $ | 2,499,997.50 | |||||
| Matthew Arnold |
432,432 | $ | 1,599,998.40 | |||||
| Ian Smith |
270,270 | $ | 999,999.00 | |||||
| Ilan Ganot |
27,027 | $ | 99,999.90 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| TOTAL |
24,324,320 | $ | 89,999,984.00 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
Exhibit 10.2
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of December 10, 2020 by and among Solid Biosciences Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the “Investors” named in that certain Securities Purchase Agreement by and among the Company and the Investors, dated as of December 10, 2020 (the “Purchase Agreement”). Capitalized terms used herein have the respective meanings ascribed thereto in the Purchase Agreement unless otherwise defined herein.
The parties hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions.
As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the first paragraph.
“Allowed Delay” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(c)(ii).
“Availability Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 3(i).
“Blackout Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Company” has the meaning set forth in the first paragraph.
“Cut Back Shares” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(e).
“Effectiveness Liquidated Damages” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Effectiveness Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).
“Filing Deadline” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(i).
“Inspectors” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.
“Investors” means the Investors identified in the Purchase Agreement and any Affiliate or permitted transferee of any Investor who is a subsequent holder of Registrable Securities.
“Liquidated Damages” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Maintenance Failure” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Prospectus” means (i) the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, 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 such Registration Statement and by all other amendments and supplements to the prospectus, including post-effective amendments and all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus, and (ii) any “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act.
“Purchase Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the first paragraph.
“Qualification Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(ii).
“Qualification Deadline” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(ii).
“Records” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.
“Register,” “registered” and “registration” refer to a registration made by preparing and filing a Registration Statement or similar document in compliance with the 1933 Act, and the declaration or ordering of effectiveness of such Registration Statement or document.
“Registrable Securities” means (i) the Shares and (ii) any other securities issued or issuable with respect to or in exchange for Shares, whether by merger, charter amendment or otherwise; provided, that a security shall cease to be a Registrable Security upon (A) sale pursuant to a Registration Statement or Rule 144 under the 1933 Act, or (B) such security becoming eligible for sale without restriction by the Investor holding such security pursuant to Rule 144, including without any manner of sale or volume limitations, and without the requirement to be in compliance with Rule 144(c)(1) (or any successor thereto) promulgated under the 1933 Act.
“Registration Liquidated Damages” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(i).
“Registration Statement” means any registration statement of the Company under the 1933 Act that covers the resale of any of the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, amendments and supplements to such Registration Statement, including post-effective amendments, all exhibits and all material incorporated by reference in such Registration Statement.
“Required Investors” means the Investors holding a majority of the Registrable Securities outstanding from time to time.
“Restriction Termination Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(e).
“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“SEC Restrictions” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(e).
“Shelf Registration Statement” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(ii).
2. Registration.
(a) Registration Statements.
(i) Promptly following the Closing Date but no later than the earlier of (A) the later of (x) thirty (30) days after the Closing Date or (y) fifteen (15) days after the Cleansing Disclosure (or, if the Company’s financial statements available at such time do not comply with Rule 3-12(b) of Regulation S-X, within three (3) Business Days after the Company
2
files its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020), or (B) one hundred twenty (120) days after the Closing Date (the “Filing Deadline”), the Company shall prepare and file with the SEC one Registration Statement covering the resale of all of the Registrable Securities. Subject to any SEC comments, such Registration Statement shall include the plan of distribution attached hereto as Exhibit A; provided, however, that no Investor shall be named as an “underwriter” in such Registration Statement without the Investor’s prior written consent. Such Registration Statement also shall cover, to the extent allowable under the 1933 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder (including Rule 416), such indeterminate number of additional shares of Common Stock resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions with respect to the Registrable Securities. Such Registration Statement shall not include any shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of any other holder of securities of the Company without the prior written consent of the Required Investors. Such Registration Statement (and each amendment or supplement thereto, and each request for acceleration of effectiveness thereof) shall be provided in accordance with Section 3(c) to the Investors prior to its filing or other submission.
(ii) The Registration Statement referred to in Section 2(a)(i) shall be on Form S-3. In the event that Form S-3 is not available for the registration of the resale of Registrable Securities hereunder, the Company shall (i) register the resale of the Registrable Securities on such other form as is available to the Company and (ii) so long as Registrable Securities remain outstanding, promptly following the date (the “Qualification Date”) upon which the Company becomes eligible to use a registration statement on Form S-3 to register the Registrable Securities for resale, but in no event more than forty-five (45) days after the Qualification Date (the “Qualification Deadline”), file a registration statement on Form S-3 covering the Registrable Securities (or a post-effective amendment on Form S-3 to a registration statement on Form S-1) (a “Shelf Registration Statement”) and use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such Shelf Registration Statement to be declared effective as promptly as practicable thereafter; provided that the Company shall maintain the effectiveness of the Registration Statement then in effect until such time as a Shelf Registration Statement covering the Registrable Securities has been declared effective by the SEC.
(b) Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses associated with each Registration Statement, including filing and printing fees, the Company’s counsel and accounting fees and expenses, costs associated with clearing the Registrable Securities for sale under applicable state securities laws and listing fees, but excluding discounts, commissions, fees of underwriters, selling brokers, dealer managers or similar securities industry professionals with respect to the Registrable Securities being sold.
(c) Effectiveness.
(i) The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to have each Registration Statement declared effective as soon as practicable after such Registration Statement has been filed with the SEC. By 5:30 p.m. (Eastern time) on the second Business Day following the date on which the Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC, the Company shall file with the SEC, in accordance with Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, the final prospectus to be used in connection with sales pursuant to such Registration Statement. The Company shall notify the Investors by facsimile or e-mail as promptly as practicable, and in any event, within twenty-four (24) hours, after any Registration Statement is declared effective and shall simultaneously provide the Investors with copies of any related Prospectus to be used in connection with the sale or other disposition of the securities covered thereby.
3
(ii) For not more than sixty (60) consecutive days or for a total of not more than one hundred twenty (120) days in any twelve (12) month period, the Company may suspend the use of any Prospectus included in any Registration Statement contemplated by this Section in the event that the Company determines in good faith that such suspension is necessary to (A) delay the disclosure of material nonpublic information concerning the Company, the disclosure of which at the time is not, in the good faith opinion of the Company, in the best interests of the Company or (B) amend or supplement the affected Registration Statement or the related 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 the case of the Prospectus in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (an “Allowed Delay”); provided, that the Company shall promptly (a) notify each Investor in writing of the commencement of an Allowed Delay, but shall not (without the prior written consent of an Investor) disclose to such Investor any material nonpublic information giving rise to an Allowed Delay, (b) advise the Investors in writing to cease all sales under such Registration Statement until the end of the Allowed Delay and (c) use commercially reasonable efforts to terminate an Allowed Delay as promptly as practicable.
(d) Effect of Failure to File and Obtain and Maintain Effectiveness of Registration Statement.
(i) If a Registration Statement covering the Registrable Securities is not filed with the SEC on or prior to the Filing Deadline, the Company will make pro rata payments to each Investor then holding Registrable Securities, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty (the “Registration Liquidated Damages”), in an amount equal to one percent (1.0%) of the aggregate amount invested by such Investor for the initial day of failure to file such Registration Statement by the Filing Deadline and for each subsequent 30-day period (pro rata for any portion thereof) thereafter for which no such Registration Statement is filed with respect to the Registrable Securities. Such payments shall be made to each Investor then holding Registrable Securities in cash no later than ten (10) Business Days after the end of the date of the initial failure to file such Registration Statement by the Filing Deadline and each subsequent 30-day period, as applicable. Interest shall accrue at the rate of one percent (1.0%) per month on any such liquidated damages payments that shall not be paid by the applicable payment date until such amount is paid in full.
(ii) If (A) a Registration Statement covering the Registrable Securities is not declared effective by the SEC prior to the earlier of (i) five (5) Business Days after the SEC informs the Company that no review of such Registration Statement will be made or that the SEC has no further comments on such Registration Statement or (ii) the 15th day after the Filing Deadline (or the 60th day after the Filing Deadline if the SEC reviews such Registration Statement), or (B) after a Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC, sales cannot be made pursuant to such Registration Statement for any reason (including, without limitation, by reason of a stop order or the Company’s failure to update such Registration
4
Statement), but excluding any Allowed Delay or the inability of any Investor to sell the Registrable Securities covered thereby due to market conditions (each of (A) and (B), a “Maintenance Failure”), then the Company will make pro rata payments to each Investor then holding Registrable Securities, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty (the “Effectiveness Liquidated Damages” and together with the Registration Liquidated Damages, the “Liquidated Damages”), in an amount equal to one percent (1.0%) of the aggregate amount invested by such Investor for the Registrable Securities then held by such Investor for the initial day of a Maintenance Failure and for each 30-day period (pro rata for any portion thereof) thereafter until the Maintenance Failure is cured (each, a “Blackout Period”). The Effectiveness Liquidated Damages shall be paid monthly within ten (10) Business Days of the end of the date of such Maintenance Failure and each subsequent 30-day period, as applicable. Such payments shall be made to each Investor then holding Registrable Securities in cash. Interest shall accrue at the rate of one percent (1.0%) per month on any such liquidated damages payments that shall not be paid by the applicable payment date until such amount is paid in full.
(iii) The parties agree that (1) notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in the Purchase Agreement, no Liquidated Damages shall be payable with respect to any period after the expiration of the Effectiveness Period (as defined below) (it being understood that this sentence shall not relieve the Company of any Liquidated Damages accruing prior to the expiration of the Effectiveness Period), and in no event shall the aggregate amount of Liquidated Damages payable to an Investor exceed, in the aggregate, six percent (6.0%) of the aggregate purchase price paid by such Investor pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and (2) except with respect to (A) the initial day of failure to file a Registration Statement by the Filing Deadline and (B) the initial day of any Maintenance Failure, in no event shall the Company be liable in any thirty (30) day period for Liquidated Damages under this Agreement in excess of one percent (1.0%) of the aggregate purchase price paid by the Investors pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
(iv) The Liquidated Damages described in this Section 2(d) shall constitute the Investors’ exclusive monetary remedy for any failure to meet the Filing Deadline and for any Maintenance Failure, but shall not affect the right of the Investors to seek injunctive relief.
(e) Rule 415; Cutback. If at any time the SEC takes the position that the offering of some or all of the Registrable Securities in a Registration Statement is not eligible to be made on a delayed or continuous basis under the provisions of Rule 415 under the 1933 Act or requires any Investor to be named as an “underwriter,” the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to advocate before the SEC its reasonable position that the offering contemplated by such Registration Statement is a valid secondary offering and not an offering “by or on behalf of the issuer” as defined in Rule 415 and that none of the Investors is an “underwriter.” The Investors shall have the right to select one legal counsel to review and oversee any registration or matters pursuant to this Section 2(e), including participation in any meetings or discussions with the SEC regarding the SEC’s position and to comment on any written submission made to the SEC with respect thereto, which counsel shall be designated by the holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities. In the event that, despite the Company’s commercially reasonable efforts and compliance with the terms of this Section 2(e), the SEC does not alter its position, the Company shall (i) remove from such Registration Statement such
5
portion of the Registrable Securities (the “Cut Back Shares”) and/or (ii) agree to such restrictions and limitations on the registration and resale of the Registrable Securities as the SEC may require to assure the Company’s compliance with the requirements of Rule 415 (collectively, the “SEC Restrictions”); provided, however, that the Company shall not agree to name any Investor as an “underwriter” in such Registration Statement without the prior written consent of such Investor. Any cut-back imposed on the Investors pursuant to this Section 2(e) shall be allocated among the Investors on a pro rata basis and shall be applied first to any of the Registrable Securities of such Investor as such Investor shall designate, unless the SEC Restrictions otherwise require or provide or the Investors otherwise agree. No liquidated damages shall accrue as to any Cut Back Shares until such date as the Company is able to effect the registration of such Cut Back Shares in accordance with any SEC Restrictions applicable to such Cut Back Shares (such date, the “Restriction Termination Date”). From and after the Restriction Termination Date applicable to any Cut Back Shares, all of the provisions of this Section 2 (including the Company’s obligations with respect to the filing of a Registration Statement and its obligations to use commercially reasonable efforts to have such Registration Statement declared effective within the time periods set forth herein and the liquidated damages provisions relating thereto) shall again be applicable to such Cut Back Shares; provided, however, that (i) the Filing Deadline and/or the Qualification Deadline, as applicable, for such Registration Statement including such Cut Back Shares shall be ten (10) Business Days after such Restriction Termination Date, and (ii) the date by which the Company is required to obtain effectiveness with respect to such Cut Back Shares under Section 2(c) shall be the 90th day immediately after the Restriction Termination Date (or the 120th day if the SEC reviews such Registration Statement).
3. Company Obligations. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to effect the registration of the Registrable Securities in accordance with the terms hereof, and pursuant thereto the Company will, as expeditiously as possible:
(a) use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and to remain continuously effective for a period that will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the date on which all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement, as amended from time to time, have been sold, and (ii) the date on which all Shares cease to be Registrable Securities (the “Effectiveness Period”) and advise the Investors promptly in writing when the Effectiveness Period has expired;
(b) prepare and file with the SEC such amendments and post-effective amendments to such Registration Statement and the related Prospectus as may be necessary to keep such Registration Statement effective for the Effectiveness Period and to comply with the provisions of the 1933 Act and the 1934 Act with respect to the distribution of all of the Registrable Securities covered thereby;
(c) provide copies to and permit each Investor to review each Registration Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto no fewer than two (2) days prior to their filing with the SEC and to furnish reasonable comments thereon;
6
(d) furnish to each Investor whose Registrable Securities are included in any Registration Statement (i) promptly after the same is prepared and filed with the SEC, if requested by the Investor, one (1) copy of any Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, each preliminary prospectus and Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto, and each letter written by or on behalf of the Company to the SEC or the staff of the SEC, and each item of correspondence from the SEC or the staff of the SEC, in each case relating to such Registration Statement (other than any portion thereof which contains information for which the Company has sought confidential treatment), and (ii) such number of copies of a Prospectus, including a preliminary prospectus, and all amendments and supplements thereto and such other documents as each Investor may reasonably request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Investor that are covered by such Registration Statement;
(e) use commercially reasonable efforts to (i) prevent the issuance of any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness and, (ii) if such order is issued, obtain the withdrawal of any such order at the earliest practical moment;
(f) prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify or cooperate with the Investors and their counsel in connection with the registration or qualification of such Registrable Securities for the offer and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions requested by the Investors and do any and all other commercially reasonable acts or things necessary or advisable to enable the distribution in such jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to (i) qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this Section 3(f), (ii) subject itself to general taxation in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be so subject but for this Section 3(f), or (iii) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction;
(g) use commercially reasonable efforts to cause all Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement to be listed on each securities exchange, interdealer quotation system or other market on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed;
(h) promptly notify the Investors, at any time prior to the end of the Effectiveness Period, upon discovery that, or upon the happening of any event as a result of which, the Prospectus includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in light of the circumstances then existing (provided that such notice shall not, without the prior written consent of an Investor, disclose to such Investor any material nonpublic information regarding the Company), and promptly prepare, file with the SEC and furnish to such holder a supplement to or an amendment of such Prospectus as may be necessary so that such 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 not misleading in light of the circumstances then existing;
7
(i) otherwise use commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the SEC under the 1933 Act and the 1934 Act, including, without limitation, Rule 172 under the 1933 Act, file any final Prospectus, including any supplement or amendment thereof, with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, promptly inform the Investors in writing if, at any time during the Effectiveness Period, the Company does not satisfy the conditions specified in Rule 172 and, as a result thereof, the Investors are required to deliver a Prospectus in connection with any disposition of Registrable Securities and take such other actions as may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the registration of the Registrable Securities hereunder; and make available to its security holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, but not later than the Availability Date (as defined below), an earnings statement covering a period of at least twelve (12) months, beginning after the effective date of each Registration Statement, which earnings statement shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act, including Rule 158 promulgated thereunder (for the purpose of this subsection 3(i), “Availability Date” means the 45th day following the end of the fourth fiscal quarter that includes the effective date of such Registration Statement, except that, if such fourth fiscal quarter is the last quarter of the Company’s fiscal year, “Availability Date” means the 90th day after the end of such fourth fiscal quarter);
(j) if requested by an Investor, (i) as soon as practicable, incorporate in a prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment such information as an Investor reasonably requests to be included therein relating to the sale and distribution of Registrable Securities, including, without limitation, information with respect to the number of Registrable Securities being offered or sold, the purchase price being paid therefor and any other terms of the offering of the Registrable Securities to be sold in such offering; (ii) as soon as practicable, make all required filings of such prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment after being notified of the matters to be incorporated in such prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment; and (iii) as soon as practicable, supplement or make amendments to any Registration Statement if reasonably requested by an Investor holding any Registrable Securities;
(k) within two (2) Business Days after a Registration Statement which covers Registrable Securities is ordered effective by the SEC, the Company shall deliver to the transfer agent for such Registrable Securities (with copies to the Investors whose Registrable Securities are included in such Registration Statement) confirmation that such Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC; and
(l) with a view to making available to the Investors the benefits of Rule 144 (or its successor rule) and any other rule or regulation of the SEC that may at any time permit the Investors to sell shares of Common Stock to the public without registration, the Company covenants and agrees to: (i) make and keep adequate current public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144, until the earlier of (A) six months after such date as all of the Registrable Securities may be sold without restriction by the holders thereof pursuant to Rule 144 or any other rule of similar effect or (B) such date as all of the Registrable Securities shall have been resold; (ii) file with the SEC in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company under the 1934 Act; and (iii) furnish to each Investor upon request, as long as such Investor owns any Registrable Securities, (A) a written statement by the Company that it has complied with the reporting requirements of the 1934 Act, (B) a copy of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and (C) such other information as may be reasonably requested in order to avail such Investor of any rule or regulation of the SEC that permits the selling of any such Registrable Securities without registration.
8
4. Due Diligence Review; Information. The Company shall, upon reasonable prior notice, make available, during normal business hours, for inspection and review by the Investors, and advisors to and representatives of the Investors (who may or may not be affiliated with the Investors and who are reasonably acceptable to the Company) (collectively, the “Inspectors”), all pertinent financial and other records, and all other corporate documents and properties of the Company (collectively, the “Records”), as may be reasonably necessary for the purpose of such review, and cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees, within a reasonable time period, to supply all such information reasonably requested by the Inspectors (including, without limitation, in response to all questions and other inquiries reasonably made or submitted by any of them), prior to and from time to time after the filing and effectiveness of such Registration Statement for the sole purpose of enabling the Investors and their accountants and attorneys to conduct initial and ongoing due diligence with respect to the Company and the accuracy of such Registration Statement; provided, however, that each Inspector shall have agreed in writing to hold in strict confidence and to not make any disclosure (except to such Investor) or use of any Record or other information which the Company determines in good faith to be confidential, and of which determination the Inspectors are so notified, unless (a) the disclosure of such Records is necessary to avoid or correct a misstatement or omission in any Registration Statement or is otherwise required under the 1933 Act, (b) the release of such Records is ordered pursuant to a final, non-appealable subpoena or order from a court or government body of competent jurisdiction, or (c) the information in such Records has been made generally available to the public other than by disclosure in violation of this Section 4 or any other Transaction Document.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not disclose material nonpublic information to the Investors, or to advisors to or representatives of the Investors, unless prior to disclosure of such information the Company identifies such information as being material nonpublic information and provides the Investors, such advisors and such representatives with the opportunity to accept or refuse to accept such material nonpublic information for review and any Investor wishing to obtain such information enters into an appropriate confidentiality and non-use agreement with the Company with respect thereto.
5. Obligations of the Investors.
(a) Each Investor shall furnish in writing to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held by it and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable Securities held by it, as shall be reasonably required to effect the registration of such Registrable Securities, and shall execute such documents in connection with such registration as the Company may reasonably request. At least five (5) Business Days prior to the first anticipated filing date of any Registration Statement, the Company shall notify each Investor of the information the Company requires from such Investor if such Investor elects to have any of the Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement. An Investor shall provide such information to the Company at least three (3) Business Days prior to the first anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement if such Investor elects to have any of the Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement.
(b) Each 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 a Registration Statement hereunder, unless such Investor has notified the Company in writing of its election to exclude all of its Registrable Securities from such Registration Statement.
9
(c) Each Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company of either (i) the commencement of an Allowed Delay pursuant to Section 2(c)(ii) or (ii) the happening of an event pursuant to Section 3(h), such Investor will immediately discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement covering such Registrable Securities, until the Investor is advised by the Company that such dispositions may again be made.
(d) Each Investor covenants and agrees that it will comply with the prospectus delivery requirements of the 1933 Act as applicable to it or an exemption therefrom in connection with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement.
6. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification by the Company. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Investor and its officers, directors, members, employees and agents, and each other person, if any, who controls such Investor within the meaning of the 1933 Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they may become subject under the 1933 Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission of any material fact contained in any Registration Statement, any preliminary Prospectus or final Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereof or (ii) any violation by the Company or its agents of any rule or regulation promulgated under the 1933 Act applicable to the Company or its agents and relating to action or inaction required of the Company in connection with such registration, and will reimburse such Investor, and each such officer, director, member, employee, agent and each such controlling person for any legal or other documented, out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage or liability (or action in respect thereof); provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case if and to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon (i) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission so made in conformity with information furnished by such Investor or any such controlling person in writing specifically for use in such Registration Statement or Prospectus, (ii) the use by an Investor of an outdated or defective Prospectus after the Company has notified such Investor in writing that such Prospectus is outdated or defective; (iii) an Investor’s failure to send or give a copy of the Prospectus or supplement (as then amended or supplemented), if required (and not exempted) to the Persons asserting an untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission at or prior to the written confirmation of the sale of Registrable Securities; or (iv) an Investor’s bad faith, gross negligence, recklessness, fraud or willful misconduct.
(b) Indemnification by the Investors. Each Investor agrees, severally but not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company, its directors, officers, employees, stockholders and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the 1933 Act) against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expense (including reasonable attorney fees) resulting from any untrue statement of a material fact or any
10
omission of a material fact required to be stated in any Registration Statement or Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, to the extent, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information furnished in writing by such Investor to the Company specifically for inclusion in such Registration Statement or Prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto. Except to the extent that any such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are finally judicially determined to have resulted from an Investor’s bad faith, gross negligence, recklessness, fraud or willful misconduct, in no event shall the liability of an Investor be greater in amount than the dollar amount of the proceeds (net of all expense paid by such Investor in connection with any claim relating to this Section 6 and the amount of any damages such Investor has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue statement or omission) received by such Investor upon the sale of the Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement giving rise to such indemnification obligation.
(c) Conduct of Indemnification Proceedings. Any person entitled to indemnification hereunder shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification and (ii) permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party; provided that any person entitled to indemnification hereunder shall have the right to employ separate counsel and to participate in the defense of such claim, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such person unless (a) the indemnifying party has agreed in writing to pay such fees or expenses, (b) the indemnifying party shall have failed to assume the defense of such claim and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to such person or (c) in the reasonable judgment of any such person, based upon written advice of its counsel, a conflict of interest exists between such person and the indemnifying party with respect to such claims (in which case, if the person notifies the indemnifying party in writing that such person elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense of such claim on behalf of such person); and provided, further, that the failure of any indemnified party to give written notice as provided herein shall not relieve the indemnifying party of its obligations hereunder, except to the extent that such failure to give notice shall materially adversely affect the indemnifying party in the defense of any such claim or litigation. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for fees or expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys at any time for all such indemnified parties. No indemnifying party will, except with the consent of the indemnified party, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or conditioned, consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement that does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect of such claim or litigation.
(d) Contribution. If for any reason the indemnification provided for in the preceding paragraphs (a) and (b) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient to hold it harmless, other than as expressly specified therein, then the indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage or liability in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnified party and the indemnifying party, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act shall be entitled to contribution from any person not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
11
Except to the extent that any such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are finally judicially determined to have resulted from a holder of Registrable Securities’ bad faith, gross negligence, recklessness, fraud or willful misconduct, in no event shall the contribution obligation of such holder be greater in amount than the dollar amount of the proceeds (net of all expenses paid by such holder in connection with any claim relating to this Section 6 and the amount of any damages such holder has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission) received by it upon the sale of the Registrable Securities giving rise to such contribution obligation.
7. Miscellaneous.
(a) Effective Date. This Agreement shall be effective as of the Closing, and if the Closing has not occurred on or prior to fifth Trading Day following the date of the Purchase Agreement, unless otherwise mutually agreed, then this Agreement shall be null and void.
(b) Amendments and Waivers. This Agreement may be amended only by a writing signed by the Company and the Required Investors. The Company may take any action herein prohibited, or omit to perform any act herein required to be performed by it, only if the Company shall have obtained the written consent to such amendment, action or omission to act of the Required Investors.
(c) Notices. All notices and other communications provided for or permitted hereunder shall be made as set forth in Section 9.4 of the Purchase Agreement.
(d) Assignments and Transfers by Investors. The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Investors and their respective successors and assigns. An Investor may transfer or assign, in whole or from time to time in part, to one or more persons its rights hereunder in connection with the transfer of Registrable Securities by such Investor to such person, provided that such Investor complies with all laws applicable thereto, and the provisions of the Purchase Agreement, and provides written notice of assignment to the Company promptly after such assignment is effected, and such person agrees in writing to be bound by all of the provisions contained herein.
(e) Assignments and Transfers by the Company. This Agreement may not be assigned by the Company (whether by operation of law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the Required Investors, provided, however, that in the event that the Company is a party to a merger, consolidation, share exchange or similar business combination transaction in which the Common Stock is converted into the equity securities of another Person, from and after the effective time of such transaction, such Person shall, by virtue of such transaction, be deemed to have assumed the obligations of the Company hereunder, the term “Company” shall be deemed to refer to such Person and the term “Registrable Securities” shall be deemed to include the securities received by the Investors in connection with such transaction unless such securities are otherwise freely tradable by the Investors after giving effect to such transaction.
(f) Benefits of the Agreement. The terms and conditions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the respective permitted successors and assigns of the parties. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and assigns any rights, remedies, obligations, or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement.
12
(g) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signatures complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
(h) Titles and Subtitles. The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are used for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement.
(i) Severability. Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof but shall be interpreted as if it were written so as to be enforceable to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the parties hereby waive any provision of law which renders any provisions hereof prohibited or unenforceable in any respect.
(j) Further Assurances. The parties shall execute and deliver all such further instruments and documents and take all such other actions as may reasonably be required to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby and to evidence the fulfillment of the agreements herein contained.
(k) Entire Agreement. This Agreement is intended by the parties as a final expression of their agreement and intended to be a complete and exclusive statement of the agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter contained herein. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings between the parties with respect to such subject matter.
(l) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York. Service of process in connection with any such suit, action or proceeding may be served on each party hereto anywhere in the world by the same methods as are specified for the giving of notices under this Agreement.
(m) Cumulative Remedies. The remedies provided herein are cumulative and not exclusive of any remedies provided by law.
[remainder of page intentionally left blank]
13
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement or caused their duly authorized officers to execute this Agreement as of the date first above written.
| COMPANY: | SOLID BIOSCIENCES INC. | |||||
| By: | /s/ Ilan Ganot | |||||
| Name: Ilan Ganot | ||||||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | RA CAPITAL HEALTHCARE FUND, L.P. | |||||
| By: | RA Capital Healthcare Fund GP, LLC | |||||
| Its: | General Partner | |||||
| By: | /s/ Rajeev Shah | |||||
| Name: Rajeev Shah | ||||||
| Title: Manager | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | BLACKWELL PARTNERS LLC – SERIES A | |||||
| By: RA Capital Management, L.P., solely with respect to the portion of the assets for which it acts as investment manager | ||||||
| By: RA Capital Management GP, LLC, its general partner | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Rajeev Shah | |||||
| Name: Rajeev Shah | ||||||
| Title: Authorized Signatory | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | Perceptive Life Sciences Master Fund, Ltd | |||||
| By: | /s/ James H. Mannix | |||||
| Name: James H. Mannix | ||||||
| Title: COO | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | Averill Master Fund, Ltd. | |||||
| By: | /s/ Glenn Shepard | |||||
| Name: Glenn Shepard | ||||||
| Title: Authorized Signatory | ||||||
14
| INVESTOR: | BCLS SB Investco, LP | |||||
| By: Bain Capital Life Sciences Partners, LP, its general partner | ||||||
| By: Bain Capital Life Sciences Investors, LLC, its general partner | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Adam Koppel | |||||
| Name: Adam Koppel | ||||||
| Title: Managing Director | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | EcoR1 Capital Fund, L.P. | |||||
| By: EcoR1 Capital, LLC, its General Partner | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Oleg Nodelman | |||||
| Name: Oleg Nodelman | ||||||
| Title: Manager | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | EcoR1 Capital Fund Qualified, L.P. | |||||
| By: EcoR1 Capital, LLC, its General Partner | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Oleg Nodelman | |||||
| Name: Oleg Nodelman | ||||||
| Title: Manager | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | Boxer Capital, LLC | |||||
| By: | /s/ Aaron Davis | |||||
| Name: Aaron Davis | ||||||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | ASPIRE CAPITAL FUND, LLC | |||||
| By: | /s/ Steven G. Martin | |||||
| Name: STEVEN G. MARTIN | ||||||
| Title: PRESIDENT, SGM HOLDINGS CORP, | ||||||
| MANAGING MEMBER OF ASPIRE CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC, MANAGING MEMBER OF ASPIRE CAPITAL FUND, LLC | ||||||
15
| INVESTOR: | Ikarian Capital, LLC | |||||
| By: | /s/ Chart Westcott | |||||
| Name: Chart Westcott | ||||||
| Title: COO | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | By: | /s/ Matthew B. Arnold | ||||
| Name: Matthew B. Arnold | ||||||
| Title: | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | By: | /s/ Ian Smith | ||||
| Name: Ian Smith | ||||||
| Title: | ||||||
| INVESTOR: | By: | /s/ Ilan Ganot | ||||
| Name: Ilan Ganot | ||||||
| Title: CEO | ||||||
16
Plan of Distribution
The selling stockholders, which as used herein includes donees, pledgees, transferees or other successors-in-interest selling shares of common stock or interests in shares of common stock received after the date of this prospectus from a selling stockholder as a gift, pledge, partnership distribution or other transfer, may, from time to time, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of their shares of common stock or interests in shares of common stock on any stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the shares are traded or in private transactions. These dispositions may be at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market price, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices.
The selling stockholders may use any one or more of the following methods when disposing of shares or interests therein:
– ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers;
– block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;
– purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;
– an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange;
– privately negotiated transactions;
– short sales;
– through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise;
– broker-dealers may agree with the selling stockholders to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share;
– a combination of any such methods of sale; and
– any other method permitted by applicable law.
The selling stockholders may, from time to time, pledge or grant a security interest in some or all of the shares of common stock owned by them and, if they default in the performance of their secured obligations, the pledgees or secured parties may offer and sell the shares of common stock, from time to time, under this prospectus, or under an amendment to this prospectus under Rule 424(b)(3) or other applicable provision of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), amending the list of selling stockholders to include the pledgee, transferee or other successors in interest as selling stockholders under this prospectus. The selling stockholders also may transfer the shares of common stock in other circumstances, in which case the transferees, pledgees or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus.
In connection with the sale of our common stock or interests therein, the selling stockholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the common stock in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The selling stockholders may also sell shares of our common stock short and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the common stock to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The selling stockholders may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of shares offered by this prospectus, which shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).
The aggregate proceeds to the selling stockholders from the sale of the common stock offered by them will be the purchase price of the common stock less discounts or commissions, if any. Each of the selling stockholders reserves the right to accept and, together with their agents from time to time, to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of common stock to be made directly or through agents. We will not receive any of the proceeds from this offering.
The selling stockholders also may resell all or a portion of the shares in open market transactions in reliance upon Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, provided that they meet the criteria and conform to the requirements of that rule.
The selling stockholders and any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents that participate in the sale of the common stock or interests therein may be “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the Securities Act. Any discounts, commissions, concessions or profit they earn on any resale of the shares may be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Selling stockholders who are “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the Securities Act will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act.
To the extent required, the shares of our common stock to be sold, the names of the selling stockholders, the respective purchase prices and public offering prices, the names of any agents, dealer or underwriter, and any applicable commissions or discounts with respect to a particular offer will be set forth in an accompanying prospectus supplement or, if appropriate, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.
In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the common stock may be sold in these jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states the common stock may not be sold unless it has been registered or qualified for sale or an exemption from registration or qualification requirements is available and is complied with.
We have advised the selling stockholders that the anti-manipulation rules of Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may apply to sales of shares in the market and to the activities of the selling stockholders and their affiliates. In addition, to the extent applicable, we will make copies of this prospectus (as it may be supplemented or amended from time to time) available to the selling stockholders for the purpose of satisfying the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. The selling stockholders may indemnify any broker-dealer that participates in transactions involving the sale of the shares against certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.
We have agreed to indemnify the selling stockholders against liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act and state securities laws, relating to the registration of the shares offered by this prospectus.
We have agreed with the selling stockholders to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the registration statement of which this prospectus constitutes a part effective and to remain continuously effective until the earlier of (1) such time as all of the shares covered by this prospectus have been disposed of pursuant to and in accordance with such registration statement or (2) the date on which all of the shares may be sold without restriction pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act.
Exhibit 99.1
Solid Biosciences Announces $90 Million Private Placement
Cambridge, MA – December 11, 2020 - Solid Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: SLDB), a life sciences company focused on advancing meaningful therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne), today announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with a select group of institutional investors and accredited investors for a $90 million private placement, which is expected to close on or about December 15, 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
The private placement includes new investors Suvretta Capital Management, LLC and Aspire Capital Fund, LLC and existing investors, including RA Capital Management, Perceptive Advisors, LLC, Bain Capital Life Sciences, EcoR1 Capital, LLC, Boxer Capital, and Ikarian Capital, LLC, as well as certain board members and executive officers.
Barclays acted as the exclusive placement agent to the Company in connection with the private placement.
In this private placement, the Company is selling 24,324,320 shares of common stock at a price of $3.70 per share.
The Company expects to use net proceeds from the private placement to fund research and development expenses, including the advancement of SGT-001, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
The securities to be sold in the private placement have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any state or other applicable jurisdiction’s securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state or other jurisdictions’ securities laws. The Company has agreed to file a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) registering the resale of the shares of common stock issued in the private placement no later than the 120th day after the closing of the private placement.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Any offering of the securities under the resale registration statement will only be made by means of a prospectus.
About Solid Biosciences
Solid Biosciences is a life sciences company focused on advancing transformative treatments to improve the lives of patients living with Duchenne. Disease-focused and founded by a family directly impacted by Duchenne, our mandate is simple yet comprehensive – work to address the disease at its core by correcting the underlying mutation that causes Duchenne with our lead gene therapy candidate, SGT-001.
1
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those regarding: the anticipated closing of the private placement; the use of proceeds from the private placement; the filing of a registration statement to register the resale of the shares to be issued and sold in the private placement; and Solid’s plans, strategies and prospects for its business. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from current expectations and beliefs, including but not limited to: whether the conditions for the closing of the private placement will be satisfied; risks associated with Solid’s ability to resume and/or continue IGNITE DMD on the timeline expected or at all, obtain and maintain necessary approvals from the FDA and other regulatory authorities, obtain and maintain the necessary approvals from investigational review boards at IGNITE DMD clinical trial sites and the IGNITE DMD independent data safety monitoring board, enroll patients in IGNITE DMD, continue to advance SGT-001 in clinical trials, replicate in clinical trials positive results found in preclinical studies and earlier stages of clinical development, advance the development of its product candidates under the timelines it anticipates in current and future clinical trials, successfully optimize and scale its manufacturing process, obtain, maintain or protect intellectual property rights related to its product candidates, compete successfully with other companies that are seeking to develop Duchenne treatments and gene therapies, manage expenses, and raise the substantial additional capital needed, on the timeline necessary, to continue development of SGT-001, achieve its other business objectives and continue as a going concern; and other important risk factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in Solid’s most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Solid specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Investor Contact:
David Carey
FINN Partners
212-867-1768
David.Carey@finnpartners.com
Media Contact:
Erich Sandoval
FINN Partners
917-497-2867
Erich.Sandoval@finnpartners.com
2