XCel Brands, Inc S-1, filed Jul 2, 2025
XCel Brands, Inc. (XELB)
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 2, 2025
Registration Number 333-[·]
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
XCEL BRANDS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Delaware |
| 6794 |
| 76-0307818 |
(State or other jurisdiction of |
| (Primary Standard Industrial |
| (I.R.S. Employer |
550 Seventh Ave, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10018
(347) 727-2474
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
Robert J. D’Loren
Chief Executive Officer
550 Seventh Ave, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10018
(347) 727-2474
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)
with copies to:
Brad L. Shiffman, Esq. Blank Rome LLP 1271 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10020 (212) 885-5442 | M. Ali Panjwani, Esq. Pryor Cashman LLP 7 Times Square, 40th Floor New York, NY 10036 Tel: (212) 421-4100 Fax: (212) 326-0806 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date hereof.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |
Accelerated filer | ☐ | Emerging growth company | ☐ | |
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | | | |
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 to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a), may determine.
The information contained in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUSSUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED JULY 2, 2025
Up to 1,381,215 Shares of Common Stock
Up to 1,381,215 Pre-Funded Warrants to purchase up to 1,381,215 Shares of Common Stock
Up to 1,381,215 Shares of Common Stock Underlying such Pre-Funded Warrants
Xcel Brands, Inc.
We are offering, on a “best-efforts” basis up to 1,381,215 shares of our common stock of Xcel Brands, Inc. Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “XELB.” On June 30, 2025, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $1.81 per share, which is the per share offering price we have assumed for purposes of this preliminary prospectus.
We are also offering to those purchasers, if any, whose purchase of shares of our common stock in this offering would otherwise result in such purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, if any such purchaser so chooses, pre-funded warrants to purchase common stock (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”), in lieu of shares that would otherwise result in such purchaser’s beneficial ownership exceeding 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding shares of common stock. The public offering price of each Pre-Funded Warrant will equal the price per share in this offering, minus $0.001, and the exercise price of each Pre-Funded Warrant will equal $0.001 per share. This offering also relates to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering.
Certain members of our management have indicated an interest in purchasing up to 10% of the securities sold in this offering. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the underwriters could determine to sell or not sell shares to members of our management, and members of our management could determine to purchase or not purchase units in this offering.
The offering price of the shares represents a % discount to the last reported sale price of our common stock on , 2025. The discount to the trading price of our common stock could have a negative impact on the trading price of our common stock which could be immediate and material and could impact our ability to maintain listing of our common stock on Nasdaq. For a description of how the offering price will be determined, wee “Plan of Distribution – Determination of Offering Price and Warrant Exercise Price” beginning on page 37.
This offering will terminate on [ ], 2025 unless we decide to terminate the offering (which we may do at any time in our discretion) prior to that date. We will have one closing for all the securities purchased in this offering. The public offering price per ordinary unit and per pre-funded unit will be fixed for the duration of this offering. The offering will settle delivery versus payment/receipt versus payment. Accordingly, we and the placement agent have not made any arrangements to place investor funds in an escrow account or trust account since the placement agent will not receive investor funds in connection with the sale of the securities offered hereunder. There is no established trading market for the Pre-Funded Warrants and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to list the Pre-Funded Warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market, any other national securities exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system. Without an active market, the liquidity of these Pre-Funded Warrants will be limited.
We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined under the federal securities laws and, under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules, we have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting and disclosure requirements.
Investing in our common stock is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 10 of this prospectus and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Public offering price | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Placement Agent fees(1) | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Proceeds to us, before expenses | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
(1) | See the section of this prospectus entitled “Plan of Distribution Agent” on page 37 for a description of all compensation payable in connection with this offering. The placement agent will receive compensation in addition to the placement agent fees. The registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, also registers for sale warrants to purchase shares of common stock to be issued to the placement agent in connection with this offering. We have agreed to issue the warrants to the placement agent as a portion of the compensation payable to the placement agent in connection with this offering. |
The placement agent expects to deliver the securities sold in this offering to the purchasers on or about , 2025.
Sole Placement Agent
Maxim Group LLC
The date of this prospectus is , 2025
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Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management | 35 |
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The registration statement containing this prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the exhibits to the registration statement, and the documents incorporated by reference to the registration statement provides additional information about us and the securities being offered under this prospectus. The registration statement, including the documents incorporated by reference and the exhibits, can be read on our website and the website of the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Information contained in, and that can be accessed through our web site, www.xcelbrands.com, and websites for our respective brands and an e-commerce site are not be deemed to be part of this prospectus or incorporated herein by reference and should not be relied upon by any prospective investors for the purposes of determining whether to purchase the securities offered hereunder.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” “Xcel” and “our business” refer to Xcel Brands, Inc. and “this offering” refers to the offering contemplated in this prospectus.
Xcel Brands and our logo are some of our trademarks used in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus also include trademarks, tradenames, and service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, our trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus appear without the ® and ™ symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights, or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and tradenames.
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We incorporate by reference important information into this prospectus. You may obtain the information incorporated by reference without charge by following the instructions under “Where You Can Find More Information.” You should carefully read this prospectus as well as additional information described under “Information Incorporated by Reference,” before deciding to invest in our securities.
Neither we nor the placement agent have authorized anyone to provide you with additional information or information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and you should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any such free writing prospectus. We take no responsibility for and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We and the placement agent are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, our securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus, or any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
For investors outside the United States (“U.S.”): We and the placement agent have not done anything that would permit this offering or the possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for those purposes is required, other than in the U.S. Persons outside the U.S. who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the securities and the distribution of this prospectus outside of the U.S. We have not sought the consent of the sources to refer to their reports appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
We may also file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part that may contain material information relating to this offering. The post-effective amendment may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable post-effective amendment, you should rely on the applicable post-effective amendment, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read this prospectus, any post-effective amendment together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”
This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus contain summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.”
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Unless otherwise indicated, information in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus concerning economic conditions, our industry, our markets and our competitive position are based on a variety of sources, including information from third-party industry analysts and publications and our own estimates and research. Some of the industry and market data contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus are based on third-party industry publications. This information involves a number of assumptions, estimates and limitations.
The industry publications, surveys and forecasts and other public information generally indicate or suggest that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable and reasonable. We believe this information is reliable and reasonable as of the applicable date of its publication, however, we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information included in or assumptions relied on in these third-party publications. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any post-effective amendment may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus or any document incorporated herein by reference in this prospectus and any post-effective amendment. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.
TRADEMARKS
We own or have rights to certain trademarks that we use in conjunction with the operations of our business. Each trademark, trade name, service mark or copyright of any other company appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus belongs to its holder. Solely for convenience, trademarks, trade names, service marks and copyrights referred to in this prospectus may appear with or without the “©”, “®” or “™” symbols, but the inclusion, or not, of such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we, or the applicable owner, will not assert, to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, our or their, as applicable, rights to these trademarks, trade names service marks or copyrights. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trademarks, trade names, service marks or copyrights to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, such other companies.
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The following summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein and does not contain all the information that may be important to purchasers of our securities. Prospective purchasers of our securities should carefully read the entire prospectus, including the risks of investing in our securities discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Prospective purchasers of our securities should also carefully read the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including our financial statements, and the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Unless otherwise indicated, all share information and per share information contained in this prospectus gives effect to a 1-for 10 share reverse stock split of our common stock effected on March 25, 2025.
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Our Company
We are a media and consumer products company engaged in the design, licensing, marketing, live streaming, and social commerce sales of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods and other consumer products, and the acquisition of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands. Xcel was founded in 2011 with a vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment, and social media as one thing. Currently, our brand portfolio consists of the following:
| ● | the Halston, Judith Ripka, and C Wonder brands, which are wholly owned by Xcel; |
| ● | the Tower Hill by Christie Brinkley brand, which is a new co-branded collaboration between Xcel and Christie Brinkley that launched in May 2024; |
| ● | the Trust, Respect, Love by Cesar Millan brand, which is a new co-branded collaboration between Xcel and Cesar Millan that we expect to launch in 2026; |
| ● | the Longaberger Brand, which we manage through our 50% ownership interest in Longaberger Licensing, LLC; |
| ● | the Isaac Mizrahi Brand, in which we hold a 17.5% noncontrolling interest and continue to contribute to the operations of the brand through a service agreement; |
| ● | a new brand which will be a co-branded collaboration between Xcel and Coco Rocha that we expect to launch in 2026; |
| ● | GemmaMade, which is a co-branded collaboration between Xcel and baking influencer Gemma Stafford which we expect to launch in 2026; and |
| ● | Mesa Mia, which is a brand owned by Mexican home influencer Jenny Martinez, and for which Xcel has the television rights and expects to launch in 2026 |
In addition, we plan to develop new brands with social media influencers Gemma Stafford and Jenny Martinez, which we expect to launch in 2026.
We also currently own a 19% interest in ORME Live Inc., a short-form video and social commerce marketplace that launched in April 2024.
Xcel continues to pioneer a true omni-channel and social commerce sales strategy which includes the promotion and sale of products under its brands through interactive television, digital live-stream shopping, social commerce, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, and e-commerce channels. Our brands have generated over $5 billion in retail sales via live streaming in interactive television and digital channels alone, and our brands collectively reach over 5.0 million social media followers through Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. All of the followers may not be unique followers, as many followers may follow multiple brands and follow our brands on multiple platforms.
Xcel currently operates in a working-capital light model, with our licensees and/or retail partners responsible for the procurement and sale of inventory. As such, our revenues primarily consist of royalty revenues, and we do not have risk of carrying aged inventory. As a result, fluctuations in product costs and tariffs do not have a direct impact on us, but do impact us indirectly as our royalty revenues are typically based on the net sales and success of our licensees.
Our objective is to build a diversified portfolio of lifestyle consumer products brands through organic growth and the strategic acquisition of new brands. To grow our brands, we are focused on the following primary strategies:
| ● | licensing of our brands for sale through interactive television (e.g., QVC, HSN, JTV, etc.); |
| ● | licensing of our brands to retailers that sell to the end consumer |
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| ● | licensing our brands to manufacturers and retailers for promotion and distribution through e-commerce, social commerce, live streaming, and traditional brick-and-mortar retail channels; and |
| ● | acquiring additional consumer brands and integrating them into our operating platform, and leveraging our operating infrastructure and distribution relationships. |
We believe that Xcel offers a unique value proposition to our retail partners and our licensees for the following reasons:
| ● | our management team, including our officers’ and directors’ experience in, and relationships within the industry; |
| ● | our deep knowledge, expertise, and proprietary technology in live streaming and social commerce; |
| ● | our design, sales, marketing, and technology platform that enables us to design trend-right product; and |
| ● | our significant media and internet presence. |
Recent Developments
On March 25, 2025, we announced a co-brand master license with Gemma Stafford, a well-known baker, chef, best-selling author and creator of Bigger Bolder Baking, to launch an innovative bakeware, food and home brand designed to bring professional quality tools and delicious food to home bakers and entertainers. We expect to launch the brand in Spring 2026.
On April 22, 2025, we announced a master license with Jenny Martinez, a well-known Mexican chef and Tik Tok influencer with over 4,000,000 followers, to launch a line of cookware and food through direct response television. We expect to launch the brand in Spring 2026.
On June 10, 2025, we entered into a co-brand master license with Coco Rocha, a well-known model and social media influencer with over 5,000,000 followers, to launch a line of womens' apparel, fashion accessories, and beauty products through direct response television and other retail channels. We expect to launch the brand in Fall 2026.
On and effective April 15, 2025, we, IMWHP, LLC and IMWHP2 LLC (“IM2”) entered into a Membership Interest Transfer Agreement (the “Transfer Agreement”) pursuant to which Xcel transferred to IM2 equity interests equal to 12.5% of the outstanding equity interests of IM Topco LLC (“IM Topco”), in accordance with the Membership Interest Purchase Agreement dated November 19, 2023, as amended. As a result of the transfer, Xcel’s interest in IM Topco was reduced from a 30% equity interest to a 17.5% equity interest. We have determined that our equity interests in IM Topco are having a negative impact on our operating results and expect to incur a loss from equity method investments for the quarter ended June 30, 2025. Accordingly, we are negotiating to exchange our equity interest in IM Topco for a profit participation in a sale of IM Topco above the valuation at which we initially sold the controlling interest of IM Topco and the elimination of certain outstanding payables relating to IM Topco. If this change is completed, we will take a non-recurring loss in connection with the exchange, which, combined with the loss from equity method investments we expect to incur for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 related to IM Topco, will total approximately $5.5 million. There can be no assurance that this exchange will be completed.
On April 21, 2025 (the “Second Amendment Effective Date”), we and certain of our subsidiaries entered into the Second Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement (the “Second Amendment”) with each lender party thereto and FEAC Agent, LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent for the lenders, or the Agent, pursuant to which the original Loan and Security Agreement (the “Original Loan Agreement”), dated as of December 12, 2024, by and among us, certain of our subsidiaries, the Agent, FEF Distributors, LLC, as lead arranger and Restore Capital (XELB), LLC as agent for certain lenders, was amended to provide, among other things, for $1.5 million repayment of the $3.95 million term loan made on December 12, 2024 (“Term Loan A”) and an additional term loan in the amount of $5.12 million on the Second Amendment Effective Date (“Term Loan B”). The loans outstanding after giving effect to the Second Amendment and the application of the proceeds of the additional Term Loan B are as follows: (1) Term Loan A in the amount of $2.45 million,
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(2) Term Loan B in the amount of $9.12 million and (3) Delayed Draw Term Loan in the amount of $2.05 million (collectively, the “Term Loans”).
The proceeds from the additional Term Loan B were used to repay a portion of Term Loan A, as well as to pay fees, costs, and expenses incurred in connection with entering into the Second Amendment, and the balance will be used for working capital purposes.
On May 15, 2025, the $500,000 of the outstanding principal amount of the Term Loan A was repaid. Principal on the Term Loan A is payable on a pro rata basis in quarterly installments of $250,000 on each of March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year, commencing on March 31, 2026, with the unpaid balance due on the maturity date of December 12, 2028. Principal on the Term Loan B is payable on the maturity date of December 12, 2028.
From and after the Second Amendment Effective Date, interest on each Term Loan A accrues at an annual rate equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for an interest period equal to three months, subject to a 2.0% floor, plus 8.5%. From and after the Second Amendment Effective Date, interest on each Term Loan B accrues at an annual rate equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for an interest period equal to three months, subject to a 2.0% floor, plus 6.5%.
From and after the Second Amendment Effective Date through March 31, 2027, interest on the Term Loan B will be paid in-kind by being capitalized and added to the principal amount of the Term Loan B at the end of each calendar month.
The Term Loans are guaranteed by certain our direct and indirect subsidiaries, and are secured by all of our assets and such subsidiaries. The Second Amendment contains various customary financial covenants and reporting requirements, as specified and defined therein.
The Second Amendment provides that, among other things, (i) the outstanding principal amount of the Term Loan A shall be repaid in certain amounts within a certain amount of days after the Second Amendment Effective Date; (ii) Company is required to maintain a class or series of capital stock that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ; and (iii) Company is required to file a Form S-1 Registration Statement with applicable governmental authorities.
In connection with the Second Amendment, UTG Capital, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“UTG”), purchased a 100% undivided, participation interest in Term Loan B for a purchase price of $9.12 million.
In connection with the Original Loan Agreement, Clear Markets Capital, LLC (“IPX”), a company controlled by Robert W. D’Loren, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer purchased a $500,000 undivided, last-out, subordinated participation interest in Term Loan B made on December 12, 2024. In connection with the Second Amendment, IPX’s participation in Term Loan B was repaid and IPX purchased a $500,000 undivided, last-out, subordinated participation interest in Term Loan A.
In connection with the Second Amendment, we issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,107,455 shares of the common stock (the “UTG Warrants”) to UTG and warrants to purchase 30,000 shares of common stock (the “New Restore Warrant”) to Restore Capital (EQ-W), LLC (“Restore”) and amended warrants to purchase an aggregate of 107,333 shares of common stock held by Restore (the “Restore Warrant Amendment”) and warrants previously issued to affiliates of FEAC (the “FEAC Warrant Amendments”).
The UTG Warrants are exercisable for a period of seven years from the date of issuance at the following exercise prices:
131,100 shares at $6.60 per share
195,271 shares at $7.50 per share
195,271 shares at $10.00 per share
195,271 shares at $12.50 per share
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195,271 shares at $15.00 per share
195,271 shares at $17.50 per share
The Restore Warrant is exercisable for a period of seven years from the date of issuance at an exercise price of $6.67 per share.
The Restore Warrant Amendment reduced the exercise price of the previously outstanding warrants to purchase 107,333 shares of common stock from $6.315 per share to $2.2477 per share.
The FEAC Warrant Amendments reduced the number of shares issuable under previously outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate of 22,998 shares of common stock to 17,250 shares of common stock and reduced the exercise price of such warrants from $6.315 per share to $3.00 per share.
On April 21, 2025, each of Mr. D’Loren, Seth Burroughs, our Executive Vice President and Mark DiSanto, a director of our company, entered into a Support Agreement whereby each individual agreed to vote in favor of any proposal to approve the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the UTG Warrants, the Restore Warrant, and the warrants amended by the Restore Warrant Amendment and the FEAC Warrant Amendments in accordance with the Nasdaq Rules.
On April 21, 2025, Xcel and UTG entered into a Board Nomination Agreement pursuant to which Xcel granted UTG the right to nominate one individual to serve as a member of our board of directors, provided the individual is reasonably satisfactory to our board of directors (and/or board committee with authority over nominations of individuals to serve as directors during the Nomination Period. The term “Nomination Period” means the period commencing on the date of the Board Nomination Agreement and ending on the earlier of (i) the date all of the Loans under the Loan Agreement have been repaid and (ii) the date UTG no longer holds a participation of at least $1,000,000 principal amount in the Term Loan B; provided however, that if prior to the earlier of such dates, UTG and/or its affiliates exercise UTG Warrants to purchase at least 300,000 shares of common stock, the Nomination Period shall continue for so long as UTG and/or its affiliate continue to hold 300,000 shares of common stock issued upon exercise of the UTG Warrants.
Reverse Stock Split
We effected a reverse stock split of our outstanding common stock at a ratio of 1-for-10 shares, effected on March 25, 2025, for the purpose of satisfying the $1.00 bid price requirement applicable for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. On April 8, Nasdaq notified us that we have regained compliance with the minimum bid requirement.
Unless otherwise indicated, the share amounts and per share prices, and the conversion or exercise prices of and the number of shares issuable under our outstanding securities exercisable for common stock, in this prospectus along with the information in certain documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, have been adjusted to reflect the Reverse Stock Split.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated on August 31, 1989 in the State of Delaware under the name Houston Operating Company. On April 19, 2005, we changed our name to NetFabric Holdings, Inc. On September 29, 2011, Xcel Brands, Inc., a privately-held Delaware corporation (which we refer to as Old Xcel), Netfabric Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and our wholly owned subsidiary, and certain of our stockholders entered into an agreement of merger and plan of reorganization pursuant to which Netfabric Acquisition Corp. was merged with and into Old Xcel, with Old Xcel surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary. On September 29, 2011, we changed our name to Xcel Brands, Inc.
Our principal office is located at 550 Seventh Ave, New York, NY 10018. Our telephone number is (347) 727-2474. Our website address is www.xcelbrands.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this prospectus, and you should not rely on any such information in making the decision of whether to purchase shares of our common stock.
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Implications of Being a Smaller Reporting Company
To the extent that we continue to qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” as such term is defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, after we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company, we will continue to be permitted to make certain reduced disclosures in our periodic reports and other documents that we file with the SEC.
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Common stock offered by us | 1,381,215 shares |
Pre-Funded Warrants | We are also offering to those purchasers, if any, whose purchase of shares of common stock in this offering would otherwise result in the purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, if such purchasers so choose, Pre-Funded Warrants in lieu of shares of our common stock that would otherwise result in any such purchaser’s beneficial ownership exceeding 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding shares of common stock. The purchase price of each Pre-Funded Warrant is equal to the price at which the share of common stock is being sold to the public in this offering, minus $0.001, and the exercise price of each Pre-Funded Warrant is $0.001 per share. The Pre-Funded Warrants are exercisable at any time after the date of issuance and may be exercised at any time until all of the Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised in full. This prospectus also relates to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering. See “Description of Our Securities Offered” for a discussion of the terms of the Pre-Funded Warrants. |
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Public Offering price | $1.81 per share; and $1.809 per Pre-Funded Warrant. |
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Total common stock outstanding prior to this offering | 2,437,500 shares |
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Total common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering | 3,818,715 shares, assuming the exercise of all of the Pre-Funded Warrants offered and sold by us in this offering. |
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Use of proceeds | We estimate that we will receive net proceeds of approximately $1,900,000 from this offering, after deducting the placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses of approximately $400,000 payable by us, and assuming no sale of Pre-funded Warrants. However, because this is a best-efforts offering and there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to the closing of this offering, the actual offering amount, the placement agent’s fees and net proceeds to us are not presently determinable and may be substantially less than the maximum amounts set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including a $50,000 principal amount loan to Clear Markets Capital, LLC (“IPX”), a company controlled by Robert W. D’Loren, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. See the “Use of Proceeds” section of this prospectus beginning on page 18 for additional information. |
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Dividend Policy | We have not paid dividends on our common stock, and we do not plan to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Instead, we plan to retain any earnings to maintain and expand our existing licensing operations, further develop our trademarks, and finance the acquisition of additional trademarks. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any return on their investment. In addition, our credit facility limits the amount of cash dividends we may pay while amounts under the credit facility are outstanding. |
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Risk factors | You should read the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus beginning on page 10 and the documents referred to therein for a discussion of factors to consider carefully before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock. |
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Placement Agent Compensation | The Placement Agent will receive a fee equal to 8.0% of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering up to $5,000,000, (ii) equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering in excess of $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000, (iii) equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering equal to or greater than $10,000,000; provided, however the discount or spread with respect to the certain company identified investors shall be 5.0%. We will also reimburse the placement agent for certain out-of-pocket actual expenses related to the offering. See “Plan of Distribution.” |
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Placement Agent’s Warrants | Upon closing of this offering, we have agreed to issue the placement agent the “Placement Agent’s Warrants as compensation to purchase: (i) 4.0% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering up to $5,000,000; (ii) 3.0% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering in excess of $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000 and (iii) 0% with respect to gross proceeds equal to or in excess of $10,000,000; provided, however the number of Placement Agent’s Warrants issued with respect to certain investors identified by the Company including, but not limited to, any member of management or a director of the Company, Hilco Global, UTG Capital, Inc. or any affiliate of any of the foregoing (the “Company Identified Investors”) shall be 2.5%. The Placement Agent’s Warrants will be exercisable at a per share exercise price of $ (100% of the public offering price in connection with the offering). The Placement Agent’s Warrants are exercisable, in whole or in part, during the four and one-half year period commencing 180 days from the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of which this prospectus is apart. The Placement Agent’s Warrants are subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of FINRA. |
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Lock-up agreements | We have agreed to not sell any shares of our common stock, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable into shares of common stock, subject to certain exceptions, for a period of 90 days after the closing of this offering unless we obtain prior written consent of the placement agent. In addition, each of our directors and executive officers and their affiliates has entered into a lock-up agreement pursuant to which such individuals may not sell or transfer any common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for common stock during the period from the closing of this offering continuing through the date 90 days after the date of the placement agency agreement without first obtaining the written consent of the placement agent. |
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Nasdaq Capital Market symbol | Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “XELB.” There is no established trading market for the Pre-Funded Warrants and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to list the Pre-Funded Warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market, any other national securities |
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exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the Pre-Funded Warrants will be limited. |
The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on 2,437,500 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2025 and excludes:
| ● | 463,994 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding under our 2011 Equity Incentive Plan and our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan as of June 30, 2025 at a weighted-average exercise price of $17.18 per share; |
| ● | 176,972 shares of our common stock available for future issuance as of June 30, 2025 under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan; |
| ● | 1,401,412 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants as of June 30, 2025 with a weighted average exercise price of $10.94 per share; and |
| ● | [ ] shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Placement Agent’s Warrants. |
Except as otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus assumes no exercise of the outstanding options and warrants described above. The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding after this offering also does not take into account the shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants.
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties discussed under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports which have been filed with the SEC and are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as well as any updates thereto contained in subsequent filings with the SEC or any free writing prospectus, before deciding whether to purchase our securities in this offering. All of these risk factors are incorporated herein in their entirety. The risks described below and incorporated by reference are material risks currently known, expected or reasonably foreseeable by us. However, the risks described below and incorporated by reference are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition. If any of these risks actually materialize, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to the Offered Securities and this Offering
Management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds from this offering and may not use the proceeds effectively.
Our management will have broad discretion with respect to the use of proceeds of this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section of this prospectus titled “Use of Proceeds.” You will have limited information concerning our management’s specific intentions regarding the use of the proceeds of this offering and be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the proceeds of this offering. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of our existing cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. The results and effectiveness of the use of proceeds are uncertain, and we could spend the proceeds in ways that you do not agree with or that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our shareholders. Our failure to apply these funds effectively could harm our business, delay the development of our pipeline product candidates and cause the price of our common stock to decline.
The Nasdaq Capital Market may seek to delist our common stock if it concludes this offering does not qualify as a public offering as defined under Nasdaq’s stockholder approval rule.
The continued listing of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market depends on our compliance with the requirements for continued listing under the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, including but not limited to Market Place Rule 5635, or the stockholder approval rule. The stockholder approval rule prohibits the issuance of shares of common stock (or derivatives) in excess of 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock without stockholder approval, unless those shares are sold at a price that equals or exceeds the Minimum Price, as defined in the stockholder approval rule, or in what Nasdaq deems a public offering, as defined in the stockholder approval rule. The securities sold in this offering may be sold at a significant discount to the Minimum Price as defined in the stockholder approval rule, and we do not intend to obtain the approval of our stockholders for the issuance of the securities in this offering. Accordingly, we have sought to conduct, and plan to continue to conduct, this offering as a public offering as defined in the stockholder approval rule, which is a qualitative analysis based on several factors as determined by Nasdaq, including by broadly marketing and offering these securities in a best efforts offering registered under the Securities Act. Demand for the securities sold by us in this offering, and the final offering price for these securities, will be determined following a broad public marketing effort over several trading days, and final distribution of these securities will ultimately be determined by the placement agent. Nasdaq has also published guidance that an offering of securities that are “deeply discounted” to the Minimum Price (for example a discount of 50% or more) will typically preclude a determination that the offering qualifies as public offering for purposes of the stockholder approval rule. We cannot assure you that Nasdaq will determine that this offering will be deemed a public offering under the stockholder approval rule. If Nasdaq determines that this offering was not conducted in compliance with the stockholder approval rule, Nasdaq may cite a deficiency and move to delist our common stock from The Nasdaq Capital Market. Upon a delisting from The Nasdaq Capital Market, our stock would likely be
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traded in the over-the-counter inter-dealer quotation system, more commonly known as the OTC. OTC transactions involve risks in addition to those associated with transactions in securities traded on the securities exchanges, such as The Nasdaq Capital Market, or, together, Exchange-listed stocks. Many OTC stocks trade less frequently and in smaller volumes than Exchange-listed stocks. Accordingly, our stock would be less liquid than it would be otherwise. Also, the prices of OTC stocks are often more volatile than Exchange-listed stocks. Additionally, institutional investors are usually prohibited from investing in OTC stocks, and it might be more challenging to raise capital when needed.
If you purchase shares of our common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution.
Since the price per share of our common stock being offered is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants you purchase in this offering. Based on a public offering price of per share of our common stock (assuming no sales of Pre-funded Warrants, and after deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and based on a net tangible book value of our common stock of $(3.42) per share as of March 31, 2025, if you purchase shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants in this offering, you will suffer immediate dilution of $3.45 per share with respect to the net tangible book value of common stock. See “Dilution” for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur if you purchase shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants in this offering.
Future issuances of shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of common stock following this offering, including the Pre-Funded Warrants, as well as the exercise of options and warrants currently outstanding, will further dilute your ownership interests and may adversely affect the future market price of our common stock.
We expect that significant additional capital will be needed in the future to continue our planned operations. We may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings, strategic partnerships and alliances and licensing arrangements, which may cause your ownership interest to be diluted. In addition to the Pre-Funded Warrants being sold in this offering, we have a significant number of options and warrants to purchase shares of our common stock outstanding. If these securities are exercised, you may incur further dilution. Moreover, to the extent that we issue additional options or warrants to purchase, or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, shares of our common stock in the future and those options, warrants or other securities are exercised, converted or exchanged, shareholders may experience further dilution.
A substantial number of shares may be sold in the market following this offering, which may depress the market price for our common stock.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market following this offering could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. Immediately after this offering, we will have 3,818,715 outstanding shares of common stock, based on the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2025. This includes the shares that we are selling in this offering, assuming the exercise of all Pre-Funded Warrants, which may be resold in the public market immediately without restriction, unless purchased by our affiliates or certain of our existing shareholders. We have granted registration rights to holders of warrants to purchase 1,107,455 shares of our common stock at an average exercise price of $11.67 per which allows them at any time we are eligible to file a Form S-3 registration statement to require that we file a Form S-3 registration statement to register the shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. In addition, we granted registration rights to a holder of a warrant to purchase 100,000 shares of our common stock, including the right to have the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrant registered for resale in any registration statement we file, including the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We did not register such shares in this registration statement as the warrant has not vested and is not subject to vesting, in whole or in part, until at least December 31, 2025. We intend to register such shares for resale by the holder thereof prior to any vesting of the warrant. Further, we have also registered the shares of common stock that we may issue under our equity incentive plans. As a result, these shares can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to restrictions under securities laws.
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There is no public market for the Pre-Funded Warrants being offered in this offering.
There is no established public trading market for the Pre-Funded Warrants being offered in this offering, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply to list the Pre-Funded Warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system, including the Nasdaq Capital Market. Without an active market, the liquidity of the Pre-Funded Warrants will be limited.
The Pre-Funded Warrants are speculative in nature.
The Pre-Funded Warrants do not confer any rights of common stock ownership on their holders, such as voting rights or the right to receive dividends, but rather merely represent the right to acquire shares of common stock at a fixed price for a limited period of time. Specifically, commencing on the date of issuance, holders of the Pre-Funded Warrants may exercise their right to acquire shares of common stock and pay an exercise price of $0.001 per share, subject to certain adjustments. The Pre-Funded Warrants will expire when exercised in full. Moreover, following this offering, the market value of the Pre-Funded Warrants, if any, is uncertain and there can be no assurance that the market value of the Pre-Funded Warrants will equal or exceed their imputed offering price. The Pre-Funded Warrants will not be listed or quoted for trading on any market or exchange.
The holders of Pre-Funded Warrants purchased in this offering will have no rights as common stockholders until such holders exercise their Pre-Funded Warrants and acquire our common stock, except as set forth in the Pre-Funded Warrants.
Until a holder of Pre-Funded Warrants acquires the shares of common stock upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants, such holder will have no rights with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such Pre-Funded Warrants, except as set forth in the Pre-Funded Warrants. Upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants, holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of common shareholders only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.
We will not receive a significant amount or any additional funds upon the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants.
Each Pre-Funded Warrant is exercisable for $0.001 per share of common stock underlying such warrant, which may be paid by way of a cashless exercise, in which the holder would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the Pre-Funded Warrant. Accordingly, we will not receive a significant amount or any additional funds upon the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants.
Significant holders or beneficial holders of our common stock may not be permitted to exercise Pre-Funded Warrants that they hold.
A holder of a Pre-Funded Warrant will not be entitled to exercise any portion of any Pre-Funded Warrant which, upon giving effect to such exercise, would cause the aggregate number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by the holder (together with its affiliates) to exceed 4.99% of the number of shares of our common stock that would be outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise. However, any holder may increase or decrease such percentage to any other percentage not in excess of 9.99% upon at least 61 days’ prior notice from the holder to us. As a result, you may not be able to exercise your Pre-Funded Warrants for shares of our common stock at a time when it would be financially beneficial for you to do so. In such circumstance you could seek to sell your Pre-Funded Warrants to realize value, but you may be unable to do so in the absence of an established trading market for the Pre-Funded Warrants.
The offering price of the shares sold in this offering is a % discount to the market price of our common stock.
The offering price of the shares represents a % discount to the last reported sale price of our common stock on , 2025. The discount to the trading price of our common stock could have a negative impact on the trading price of our common stock which could be immediate and material and could impact our ability to maintain listing of our common stock on Nasdaq.
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The market price and trading volume of our common stock have been and may continue to be volatile.
The market price for our common stock has been volatile and may continue to fluctuate or may decline significantly in the future. An active, liquid and orderly market for our common stock may not be sustained, which could depress the trading price of our common stock or cause it to continue to be highly volatile or subject to wide fluctuations. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above the public offering price and you may lose some or all of your investment. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common stock include, among other things:
| ● | actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results; |
| ● | announcements by us, our licensees, our joint ventures or our competitors; |
| ● | execution or termination of licensing agreements and joint ventures; |
| ● | performance of our licensees and joint venture partners; |
| ● | factors affecting our licensees’ markets generally; |
| ● | changes in national or regional economic conditions; |
| ● | availability of our spokespersons; |
| ● | continued market acceptance of our brands; |
| ● | our ability to acquire or develop new brands and trademarks; |
| ● | changing customer preferences and our ability to respond; |
| ● | closures of major department stores and mass merchants; |
| ● | supply chain and sourcing disruptions affecting our industries; |
| ● | a decline in general economic conditions resulting in a decrease in consumer spending levels; |
| ● | inflation and/or a potential recession; |
| ● | fluctuations in stock market prices and trading volumes of similar companies; |
| ● | changes in accounting principles; |
| ● | litigation or public concern about the safety of products our licensees manufacture; |
| ● | sales of large blocks of our common stock, including sales by our executive officers, directors and significant shareholders; |
| ● | our announcement of financing transactions, including debt, convertible notes, etc.; and |
| ● | actions by institutional or activist shareholders. |
These broad market and industry factors may decrease the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and decreases in the
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market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. Any such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.
Our common stock has historically been thinly traded, and you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell or liquidate a substantial number of shares at one time.
Although our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, our common stock has historically been traded at relatively low volumes. As a result, the number of persons interested in purchasing our common stock at or near bid prices at any given time may be relatively small. This situation is attributable to a number of factors, including that we are currently a small company which is still relatively unknown to securities analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of such persons, they tend to be risk-averse and reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we become more seasoned and viable. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal, as compared to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. We cannot provide any assurance that a broader or more active public trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained, or that trading levels will be sustained.
We are currently listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. If we are unable to maintain listing of our securities on Nasdaq or any stock exchange, our stock price could be adversely affected and the liquidity of our stock and our ability to obtain financing could be impaired and it may be more difficult for our stockholders to sell their securities.
Although our common stock is currently listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, we may not be able to continue to meet the exchange’s minimum listing requirements or those of any other national exchange. If we are unable to maintain listing on Nasdaq or if a liquid market for our common stock does not develop or is sustained, our common stock may remain thinly traded.
The listing rules of Nasdaq require listing issuers to comply with certain standards in order to remain listed on its exchange. On March 25, 2025, we effected the Reverse Stock Split to enable us to satisfy the minimum bid requirement for continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market and were notified by Nasdaq on April 8, 2025 that we regained compliance with the minimum bid requirement for our common stock. If, for any reason, we should fail to maintain compliance with these listing standards and Nasdaq should delist our securities from trading on its exchange and we are unable to obtain listing on another national securities exchange, a reduction in some or all of the following may occur, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our stockholders:
| ● | the liquidity of our common stock; |
| ● | the market price of our common stock; |
| ● | our ability to obtain financing for the continuation of our operations; |
| ● | the number of institutional and general investors that will consider investing in our common stock; |
| ● | the number of investors in general that will consider investing in our common stock; |
| ● | the number of market makers in our common stock; |
| ● | the availability of information concerning the trading prices and volume of our common stock; and |
| ● | the number of broker-dealers willing to execute trades in shares of our common stock. |
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Our common stock may be subject to the penny stock rules adopted by the SEC that require brokers to provide extensive disclosure to their customers prior to executing trades in penny stocks. These disclosure requirements may cause a reduction in the trading activity of our common stock, which could make it more difficult for our stockholders to sell their securities.
Rule 3a51-1 of the Exchange Act establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for purposes relevant to us, as any equity security that has a minimum bid price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to a limited number of exceptions, including for having securities registered on certain national securities exchanges. If our common stock were delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market, market liquidity for our common stock could be severely and adversely affected.
For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the penny stock rules require that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks and the broker or dealer receive from the investor a written agreement to the transaction setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased. In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must obtain financial information and investment experience and objectives of the person and make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and that that person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks.
The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prepared by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form, sets forth:
| ● | the basis on which the broker or dealer made the suitability determination; and |
| ● | that the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction. |
Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading and commission payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities and the rights and remedies available to an investor in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Finally, monthly statements have to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks.
Because of these regulations, broker-dealers may not wish to engage in the above-referenced necessary paperwork and disclosures and/or may encounter difficulties in their attempt to sell shares of our common stock, which may affect the ability of selling stockholders or other holders to sell their shares in any secondary market and have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in any secondary market. These additional sales practice and disclosure requirements could impede the sale of our common stock even if and when our common stock becomes listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. In addition, the liquidity for our common stock may decrease, with a corresponding decrease in the price of our common stock.
No assurance can be given that our stock will not be subject to these “penny stock” rules in the future.
Investors should be aware that, according to Commission Release No. 34-29093, the market for “penny stocks” has suffered in recent years from patterns of fraud and abuse. Such patterns include: (1) control of the market for the security by one or a few broker-dealers that are often related to the promoter or issuer; (2) manipulation of prices through prearranged matching of purchases and sales and false and misleading press releases; (3) boiler room practices involving high-pressure sales tactics and unrealistic price projections by inexperienced sales persons; (4) excessive and undisclosed bid-ask differential and markups by selling broker-dealers; and (5) the wholesale dumping of the same securities by promoters and broker-dealers after prices have been manipulated to a desired level, along with the resulting inevitable collapse of those prices and with consequent investor losses. The occurrence of these patterns or practices could increase the future volatility of our share price.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about us and our industry, as well as statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. These forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or projected future results of our operations, including statements about potential acquisition or merger targets, strategies or plans; business strategies; prospects; future cash flows; financing plans; plans and objectives of management; any other statements regarding future cash needs, future operations, business plans and future financial results; and any other statements that are not historical facts. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws. Words such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “might,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” “pro forma,” “seeks,” “anticipates” and similar expressions, as well as statements in future tense, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and may not be accurate indications of when such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information we have when those statements are made or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ from those reflected in forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:
| ● | estimates of our addressable market, market growth, future revenue, expenses, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing; |
| ● | the implementation of our business model and strategic plans for our brands; |
| ● | competitive companies and technologies and our industry; |
| ● | our ability to manage and grow our business by expanding our portfolio brands; |
| ● | our ability to manage increased instability due to changes in trade policy; |
| ● | our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for our brands or avoid or defend claims of infringement; |
| ● | our ability to hire and retain key personnel and to manage our future growth effectively; |
| ● | our ability to obtain additional financing in future offerings; |
| ● | the volatility of the trading price of our common stock; |
| ● | our expectations regarding use of proceeds from this offering; |
These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievement to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We discuss in greater detail, and incorporate by reference into this prospectus in their entirety, many of these risks and uncertainties under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein. Moreover, we operate in a rapidly changing and competitive environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors.
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Further, it is not possible to assess the effect of all risk factors on our businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. In addition, we disclaim any obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this prospectus, except as required by law.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
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We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering, after deducting estimated placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable by us, will be approximately $1.9 million, based on an assumed public offering price of $1.81 per share, which was the closing price of our stock on Nasdaq on June 30, 2025, and assuming no sale of Pre-funded Warrants.
We currently expect to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including payment of outstanding payables, including a $50,000 principal amount loan to Clear Markets Capital, LLC (“IPX”), a company controlled by Robert W. D’Loren, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The amounts and timing of these expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the development of our current business initiatives. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds from this offering and our management will have broad discretion and flexibility in applying the net proceeds of this offering. An investor will not have the opportunity to evaluate the economic, financial or other information on which we base our decisions on how to use the proceeds. We may use the proceeds of this offering for purposes with which you do not agree. Moreover, our management may use the net proceeds for corporate purposes that may not lead to an increase in either the profitability of our company or market value of our shares of common stock.
A $0.10 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of $1.81 per share would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $ 127,000, assuming the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover of this prospectus, remains the same and assuming no sale of Pre-Funded Warrants and, after deducting placement agent fees and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us. An increase (decrease) of 250,000 in the number of shares offered by us in this offering, would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $416,000, assuming the public offering price of $1.81 per share, remains the same and assuming no sale of Pre-Funded Warrants and, after deducting placement agent fees and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us. The information above is illustrative only and will change based on the actual public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.
Pending our use of the net proceeds from this offering, we intend to invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation investments, including short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments and U.S. government securities.
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DIVIDENDS
We have not paid dividends on our common stock, and we do not plan to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Instead, we plan to retain any earnings to maintain and expand our existing licensing operations, further develop our trademarks, and finance the acquisition of additional trademarks. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any return on their investment. In addition, our credit facility limits the amount of cash dividends we may pay while amounts under the credit facility are outstanding.
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The following table sets forth our cash and our capitalization as of March 31, 2025:
| ● | on an actual basis; |
| ● | on a pro forma basis, giving effect to the issuance of 51,175 shares of common stock, of which 29,675 shares of common stock (which amount is net of shares exchanged to satisfy withholding tax obligations) were issued in lieu of payment of $63,671 of cash salary since March 31, 2025; and |
| ● | on a pro forma as adjusted basis, giving effect to the pro forma adjustments and our issuance and sale of 1,381,215 shares based on an assumed public offering price of $1.81 per share (which is the last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq on June 30, 2025), after deducting estimated placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and the application of the net proceeds received by us from this offering as described under “Use of Proceeds.” |
The pro forma as adjusted information set forth in the table below is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual public offering price and other terms of this offering as determined at pricing. You should read the information in this table together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2025, incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
($in thousands, except par value) | | March 31, 2025 | |||||||
| | | | | | Pro Forma | |||
|
| Actual |
| Pro Forma |
| As Adjusted | |||
| | | | | | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents | | $ | 298 |
| $ | 298 |
| $ | 2,198 |
| | | | | | | | | |
Current portion of long-term debt | |
| 250 | |
| 250 | |
| 250 |
Long-term debt, net, less current portion | |
| 8,470 | |
| 8,470 | |
| 8,470 |
| | | | | | | | | |
Stockholder’s equity: | |
|
| |
| | |
| |
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | |
| — | |
| — | |
| — |
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, and 2,386,325 shares issued and outstanding actual; shares issued, 2,437,500 shares outstanding pro form; and 3,818,215 shares issued and outstanding pro forma as adjusted | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | |
Paid-in capital | |
| 106,775 | |
| 106,944 | |
| 108,842 |
Accumulated deficit | |
| (79,041) | |
| (79,210) | |
| (79,210) |
| | | | | | | | | |
Total Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders’ equity | |
| 27,736 | |
| 27,736 | |
| 29,636 |
Non-controlling Interest | |
| (2,026) | |
| (2,026) | |
| (2,026) |
Total stockholders’ equity | |
| 25,710 | |
| 25,710 | |
| 27,610 |
Total capitalization | | $ | 34,430 |
| $ | 34,430 |
| $ | 36,330 |
A $0.10 increase or decrease in the assumed public offering price of $1.81 per share (which is the last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq on June 30, 2025), assuming no sale of Pre-Funded Warrants, would increase or decrease the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash and cash equivalents, additional paid-in capital, total stockholders’ equity and total capitalization by approximately $127,000, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming no sale of Pre-Funded Warrants.
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An increase or decrease of 250,000 shares in the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash and cash equivalents, additional paid-in capital, total stockholders’ equity and total capitalization by approximately $416,000, assuming no change in the assumed public offering price per share and after deducting the estimated placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming no sale of Pre-Funded Warrants.
The table above is based on 2,386,325 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2025; gives effect (on a pro forma and pro forma as adjusted basis) to the issuance of 51,175 shares of common stock after March 31, 2025 and 1,381,215; assumes no sale of Pre-Funded Warrants, and no issuance of Placement Agent’s Warrants in this offering; and excludes the following:
| ● | 463,994 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding under our 2011 Equity Incentive Plan and our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan as of June 30, 2025 at a weighted average exercise price of $17.18 per share; |
| ● | 176,972 shares of our common stock available for future issuance as of June 30, 2025 under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan; |
| ● | 1,401,412 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants as of May 30, 2025 with a weighted average exercise price of $10.94 per share; and |
| ● | [ ] shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Representative’s Warrants. |
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Description of certain indebtedness
On the Second Amendment Effective Date, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries entered into the Second Amendment, pursuant to which the Original Agreement was amended to provide, among other things, for $1.5 million repayment of Term Loan A and the additional Term Loan B. The loans outstanding after giving effect to the Second Amendment and the application of the proceeds of the additional Term Loan B are as follows: (1) Term Loan A in the amount of $2.45 million, (2) Term Loan B in the amount of $9.12 million and (3) Delayed Draw Term Loan in the amount of $2.05 million.
On May 15, 2025, $500,000 of the outstanding principal amount of the Term Loan A was repaid. Principal on the Term Loan A is payable on a pro rata basis in quarterly installments of $250,000 on each of March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year, commencing on March 31, 2026, with the unpaid balance due on the maturity date of December 12, 2028. Principal on the Term Loan B is payable on the maturity date of December 12, 2028.
From and after the Second Amendment Effective Date, interest on each Term Loan A accrues at an annual rate equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for an interest period equal to three months, subject to a 2.0% floor, plus 8.5%. From and after the Second Amendment Effective Date, interest on each Term Loan B accrues at an annual rate equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for an interest period equal to three months, subject to a 2.0% floor, plus 6.5%.
From and after the Second Amendment Effective Date through March 31, 2027, interest on the Term Loan B will be paid in-kind by being capitalized and added to the principal amount of the Term Loan B at the end of each calendar month.
The Term Loans are guaranteed by certain direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company, and are secured by all of the assets of the Company and such subsidiaries. The Second Amendment contains various customary financial covenants and reporting requirements, as specified and defined therein.
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES WE ARE OFFERING
We are offering 1,381,215 shares of our common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants to purchase 1,381,215 shares of our common stock. We are also registering the shares of common stock issuable from time to time upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants offered hereby.
As of the date of this prospectus, our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. As of June 30, 2025, 2,437,500 shares of common stock were outstanding and no shares of preferred stock were outstanding.
The following summary describes certain applicable provisions of Delaware law and the material terms of our capital stock. The description of our capital stock is qualified by reference to our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws.
Common Stock
Voting Rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, including the election of directors, and subject to any contractual agreement entered into by any holder of shares. Generally, all matters to be voted on by stockholders must be approved by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by all shares of our common stock that are present in person or represented by proxy. Holders of our common stock representing a majority of our capital stock issued, outstanding, and entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, are necessary to constitute a quorum at any meeting of our stockholders. A vote by the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares is required to effectuate certain fundamental corporate changes such as liquidation, merger or an amendment to our certificate of incorporation. Our certificate of incorporation does not provide for cumulative voting in the election of directors.
Dividends. The holders of shares of our common stock will be entitled to such cash dividends as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors from funds available, therefore.
Liquidation Rights. Upon liquidation, dissolution, or winding up, the holders of shares of our common stock will be entitled to receive pro rata all remaining assets available for distribution to such holders, after payment of liabilities and after provision has been made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock.
Rights and Preferences. The rights, preferences, and privileges of holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.
Preemptive or Similar Rights. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive rights and no conversion rights, and there are no redemption provisions applicable to our common stock.
Merger or Consolidation: In the event of any merger or consolidation with or into another company in connection with which shares of our common stock are converted into or exchangeable for shares of stock, other securities, or property (including cash), all holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive the same kind and amount of shares of stock and other securities and property (including cash).
Reverse Stock Split
We effected a reverse stock split of our outstanding common stock at a ratio of 1-for-10 shares, effected on March 25, 2025.
Unless otherwise indicated, the share amounts and per share prices, and the conversion or exercise prices of and the number of shares issuable under our outstanding securities exercisable for common stock, in this prospectus along with the information in certain documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, have been adjusted to reflect the Reverse Stock Split.
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Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Charter Documents and Some Provisions of Delaware Law
Delaware Law
We are incorporated in the State of Delaware. As a result, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years after the time that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, with the following exceptions:
| ● | before such time, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
| ● | upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder) those shares owned (1) by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or |
| ● | at or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
In general, Section 203 defines a “business combination” to include the following:
| ● | any merger or consolidation involving the corporation or a direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the corporation and the interested stockholder; |
| ● | any sale, lease, mortgage, pledge transfer, or other disposition of the assets of the corporation or direct or indirect majority-owned a subsidiary of the corporation to or with the interested stockholder, which assets have an aggregate value equal to 10% or more of the fair value of the assets on a consolidated basis or the aggregate market value of the outstanding stock of the corporation; |
| ● | subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation or a direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the corporation of any stock of the corporation or subsidiary to the interested stockholder; |
| ● | any transaction involving the corporation or direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock or any class or series of the corporation or the subsidiary beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or |
| ● | the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits by or through the corporation or direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the corporation. |
In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as an entity or person (other than the corporation any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the corporation) who, together with the person’s affiliates and associates, beneficially owns, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation. A Delaware corporation may “opt out” of these provisions with an express provision in its certificate of incorporation. Since we have not opted out of Section 203, Section 203 may discourage, delay or prevent mergers or other takeover or change of control attempts of us.
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Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Our certificate of incorporation provides for our board of directors to be elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders. Because our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights, stockholders holding a majority of the shares of common stock outstanding are able to elect all of our directors. Our bylaws also provide that directors may be removed by the stockholders only for cause upon the vote of 66 2/3% of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Furthermore, the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors, and vacancies and newly created directorships on the board of directors may, except as otherwise required by law or determined by the board, only be filled by a majority vote of the directors then serving on the board, even though less than a quorum.
Our certificate of incorporation, as amended, authorizes our board of directors to establish one or more series of preferred stock. Unless required by law or by any stock exchange on which our common stock is listed, the authorized shares of preferred stock will be available for issuance without further action by stockholders. Our board of directors is able to determine the designations, powers, and relative rights, privileges, preferences and other terms, including terms relating to dividend rates, redemption rates, liquidation preferences and voting, sinking fund and conversion or other rights on, a series of preferred stock.
Our bylaws provide that any action required by the General Corporation Law to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders, or any action which may be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted. Our bylaws also provide that special meetings may be called by a majority of the whole board or by any officer instructed by a majority of the whole board to call the meeting.
Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to present proposals before a meeting of stockholders to nominate candidates for election as directors at a meeting of stockholders must comply with the notice provisions set forth in the bylaws, including, but not limited to, providing timely notice in proper written form to the Secretary.
Our bylaws provide that, except as otherwise provided by the General Corporate Law or the certificate of incorporation, any amendment to, repeal of, or adoption of any provisions inconsistent with these Bylaws, which has not previously received the approval of the Board, shall require for adoption the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares present in person or represented by proxy at a meeting of stockholders and entitled to vote thereat. Our bylaws further provide that many of the provisions require for adoption the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at a duly called and convened annual or special meeting of stockholders.
The combination of these provisions makes it more difficult for our existing stockholders to replace our board of directors as well as for another party to obtain control of us by replacing our board of directors. Since our board of directors has the power to retain and discharge our officers, these provisions could also make it more difficult for existing stockholders or another party to effect a change in management. In addition, the authorization of undesignated preferred stock makes it possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change control of the Company.
These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continued stability in the composition of our board of directors and its policies and to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to reduce our vulnerability to hostile takeovers and to discourage certain tactics that may be used in proxy fights. However, such provisions could have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares and may have the effect of delaying changes in our control or management.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. The transfer agent’s address is 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004 and the transfer agent’s telephone number is (800) 509-5586 .
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Listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “XELB.”
Description of Pre-Funded Warrants
The following is a summary of the material terms and provisions of the Pre-Funded Warrants that are being offered hereby. This summary is subject to and qualified in its entirety by the provisions of the Pre-Funded Warrants. Prospective investors should carefully review the terms and provisions of the form of Pre-Funded Warrant for a complete description of the terms and conditions of the Pre-Funded Warrants.
Form
The Pre-Funded Warrants will be issued as individual warrant certificates to the investors. The form of Pre-Funded Warrant will be filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K that we expect to file with the SEC in connection with this offering.
Duration and Exercise Price
The Pre-Funded Warrants offered hereby will have an exercise price of $0.001 per share. The Pre-Funded Warrants will be immediately exercisable, do not expire and may be exercised at any time until the Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised in full. The exercise prices and numbers of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise are subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of stock dividends, stock splits, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock and the exercise price.
Exercisability
The Pre-Funded Warrants will be exercisable, at the option of each holder, in whole or in part, by delivering to us a duly executed notice of exercise accompanied by payment in full for the number of shares of our common stock purchased upon such exercise. A holder (together with its affiliates) may not exercise any portion of such holder’s Pre-Funded Warrants to the extent that the holder would own more than 4.99% (or 9.99%, at the holder’s election) of our outstanding common stock immediately after exercise, except that upon notice from the holder to us, the holder may decrease or increase the limitation of ownership of outstanding stock after exercising the holder’s Pre-Funded Warrants up to 9.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Pre-Funded Warrants, provided that any increase in such limitation shall not be effective until 61 days following notice to us.
Cashless Exercise
If at any time there is no effective registration statement registering, or no current prospectus available for, the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants, in lieu of making the cash payment otherwise contemplated to be made to us upon exercise of a Pre-Funded Warrant in payment of the aggregate exercise price, the holder may elect instead to receive upon such exercise (either in whole or in part) the net number of shares of Common Stock determined according to a formula set forth in the Pre-Funded Warrants.
Transferability
Subject to applicable laws, a Pre-Funded Warrant may be transferred at the option of the holder upon surrender of the Pre-Funded Warrant to us together with the appropriate instruments of transfer.
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Fractional Shares
No fractional shares of common stock will be issued upon the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants. Rather, the number of shares of common stock to be issued will, at our election, either be rounded up to the nearest whole number or we will pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the exercise price.
Trading Market
There is no established trading market for any of the Pre-Funded Warrants, and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to apply for a listing for any of the Pre-Funded Warrants on any securities exchange or other nationally recognized trading system. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the Pre-Funded Warrants will be limited.
Rights as a Stockholder
Except as otherwise provided in the Pre-Funded Warrants or by virtue of the holders’ ownership of shares of our common stock, the holders of Pre-Funded Warrants do not have the rights or privileges of holders of our common stock, including any voting rights, until such Pre-Funded Warrant holders exercise their Pre-Funded Warrants.
Fundamental Transaction
In the event of a fundamental transaction, as described in the Pre-Funded Warrants and generally including (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person (other than for the purpose of changing the Company’s name and /or the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company or a holding company of the Company), (ii) the company, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the company or another person) is completed pursuant to which holders of common stock are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding common stock or 50% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding common equity of the company, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the common stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the common stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property or (v) the company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off, merger or scheme of arrangement) with another person or group of persons whereby such other person or group acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of common stock or 50% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding common equity of the company (not including any shares of common stock held by the other person or persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination), the holders of the Pre-Funded Warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants the same kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the Pre-Funded Warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction.
Waivers and Amendments
No term of the Pre-Funded Warrants may be amended or waived without our written consent and the written consent of the holder of such Pre-Funded Warrant.
27
Description of Placement Agent’s Warrants
Upon closing of this offering, we have agreed to issue the placement agent the “Placement Agent’s Warrants as compensation to purchase: (i) 4.0% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering up to $5,000,000; (ii) 3.0% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering in excess of $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000 and (iii) 0% with respect to gross proceeds equal to or in excess of $10,000,000; provided, however the number of Placement Agent’s Warrants issued with respect to Company Identified Investors shall be 2.5%. The Placement Agent’s Warrants will be exercisable at a per share exercise price of $ (100% of the public offering price in connection with the offering). The Placement Agent’s Warrants are exercisable, in whole or in part, during the four and one-half year period commencing 180 days from the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form S- 1 of which this prospectus is apart.
Duration and Exercise Price
Each Placement Agent’s Warrant will have an initial exercise price equal to $[-] per warrant share. The Placement Agent’s Warrants will be immediately exercisable and will expire on the [-] anniversary of the original issuance date. The exercise price and number of warrant shares issuable upon exercise is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of stock dividends, stock splits, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common shares and the exercise price.
Exercisability
The Placement Agent’s Warrants will be exercisable, at the option of the Placement Agent, in whole or in part, by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice accompanied by payment in full for the number of warrant shares purchased upon such exercise (except in the case of a cashless exercise as discussed below).The placement agent may not exercise any portion of the Placement Agent’s Warrant to the extent that they would own more than 4.99% of the outstanding common shares immediately after exercise, except that upon at least 61 days’ prior notice from the placement agent to us, the placement agent may increase the amount of ownership of outstanding stock after exercising the Placement Agent’s Warrants up to 9.99% of the number of shares of our common shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Placement Agent’s Warrants.
Fractional Shares
No fractional warrant shares will be issued upon the exercise of the Placement Agent’s Warrants. Rather, the number of warrant shares to be issued will be rounded up, to the nearest whole number, or the Company shall pay a cash adjustment in respect of the fractional share.
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MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion describes the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the Shares and Pre-Funded Warrants acquired in this offering. This discussion is based on the current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, referred to as the Code, existing and proposed U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative rulings and court decisions in effect as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change at any time, possibly with retroactive effect. No ruling has been or will be sought from the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, with respect to the matters discussed below, and there can be no assurance the IRS will not take a contrary position regarding the tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or disposition of the shares or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering, or that any such contrary position would not be sustained by a court.
We assume in this discussion that the shares of common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering will be held as capital assets (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxes, does not discuss the potential application of the Medicare contribution tax or the alternative minimum tax and does not address state or local taxes or U.S. federal gift and estate tax laws, except as specifically provided below with respect to non-U.S. holders, or any non-U.S. tax consequences that may be relevant to holders in light of their particular circumstances. This discussion also does not address the special tax rules applicable to particular holders, such as:
| ● | persons who acquired our common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants as compensation for services; |
| ● | traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities holdings; |
| ● | persons that own, or are deemed to own, more than 5% of our common stock (except to the extent specifically set forth below); |
| ● | persons required for U.S. federal income tax purposes to conform the timing of income accruals to their financial statements under Section 451(b) of the Code (except to the extent specifically set forth below); |
| ● | persons for whom our common stock constitutes “qualified small business stock” within the meaning of Section 1202 of the Code or “Section 1244 stock” for purposes of Section 1244 of the Code; |
| ● | persons deemed to sell our common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants under the constructive sale provisions of the Code; |
| ● | banks or other financial institutions; |
| ● | brokers or dealers in securities or currencies; |
| ● | tax-exempt organizations or tax-qualified retirement plans; |
| ● | pension plans; |
| ● | regulated investment companies or real estate investment trusts; |
| ● | persons that hold the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion transaction, synthetic security or other integrated investment; |
| ● | insurance companies; |
| ● | controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, or corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax; and |
| ● | certain U.S. expatriates, former citizens, or long-term residents of the United States. |
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In addition, this discussion does not address the tax treatment of partnerships (including any entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or other pass-through entities or persons who hold shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants through such partnerships or other entities which are pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If such a partnership or other pass-through entity holds shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants, the treatment of a partner in such partnership or investor in such other pass-through entity generally will depend on the status of the partner or investor and upon the activities of the partnership or other pass-through entity. A partner in such a partnership and an investor in such other pass-through entity that will hold shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants should consult his, her or its own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants through such partnership or other pass-through entity, as applicable.
This discussion of U.S. federal income tax considerations is for general information purposes only and is not tax advice. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. income and other tax considerations of acquiring, holding and disposing of our common stock, and Pre-Funded Warrants.
For the purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes (a) an individual citizen or resident of the United States, (b) a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes), created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (c) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source, or (d) a trust if it (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more U.S. persons (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code) has the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a domestic trust. A “Non-U.S. Holder” is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a beneficial owner of shares of common stock or, Pre-Funded Warrants that is not a U.S. Holder or a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Potential Acceleration of Income
Under tax legislation signed into law in December 2017 commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, U.S. Holders that use an accrual method of accounting for tax purposes and have certain financial statements generally will be required to include certain amounts in income no later than the time such amounts are taken into account as revenue in such financial statements.
In addition, under the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law on August 16, 2022, certain large corporations (generally, corporations reporting at least $1 billion average adjusted pre-tax net income on their consolidated financial statements) are potentially subject to a 15% alternative minimum tax on the “adjusted financial statement income” of such large corporations for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022. The U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS, and other standard-setting bodies are expected to issue guidance on how the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act will be applied or otherwise administered.
The application of these rules thus may require the accrual of income earlier than would be the case under the general tax rules described below, although the precise application of these rules is unclear at this time. U.S. Holders that use an accrual method of accounting should consult with their tax advisors regarding the potential applicability of this legislation to their particular situation.
Treatment of Pre-Funded Warrants
Although it is not entirely free from doubt, a pre-funded warrant should be treated as a share of common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes and a holder of Pre-Funded Warrants should generally be taxed in the same manner as a holder of common stock, as described below. Accordingly, no gain or loss should be recognized upon the exercise of a Pre-Funded Warrant and, upon exercise, the holding period of a Pre-Funded Warrant should carry over to the share of common stock received. Similarly, the tax basis of the Pre-Funded Warrant should carry over to the share of common stock received upon exercise, increased by the exercise price of $0.0001 per share. Each holder should consult his, her or its own tax
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advisor regarding the risks associated with the acquisition of Pre-Funded Warrants pursuant to this offering (including potential alternative characterizations). The balance of this discussion generally assumes that the characterization described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Tax Considerations Applicable to U.S. Holders
Distributions
As discussed above, we currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business and do not intend to pay cash dividends in respect of shares of common stock in the foreseeable future. In the event that we do make distributions on our common stock to a U.S. Holder, those distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. tax purposes to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that is applied against and reduces, but not below zero, a U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or exchange of shares of common stock as described below under the section titled “—Disposition of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants.”
Certain Adjustments to Pre-Funded Warrants
The number of shares of common stock issued upon the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants and the exercise price of Pre-Funded Warrants are subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. Adjustments (or failure to make adjustments) that have the effect of increasing a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits may, in some circumstances, result in a constructive distribution to the U.S. Holder. Adjustments to the conversion rate made pursuant to a bona fide reasonable adjustment formula which has the effect of preventing the dilution of the interest of the holders of Pre-Funded Warrants generally should not be deemed to result in a constructive distribution. If an adjustment is made that does not qualify as being made pursuant to a bona fide reasonable adjustment formula, a U.S. Holder of Pre-Funded Warrants may be deemed to have received a constructive distribution from us, even though such U.S. Holder has not received any cash or property as a result of such adjustment. The tax consequences of the receipt of a distribution from us are described above under “Distributions.”
Disposition of Common Stock or Pre-Funded Warrants
Upon a sale or other taxable disposition (other than a redemption treated as a distribution, which will be taxed as described above under “Distributions”) of shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants sold. Capital gain or loss will constitute long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants exceeds one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations. U.S. Holders who recognize losses with respect to a disposition of shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax treatment of such losses.
Information Reporting and Backup Reporting
Information reporting requirements generally will apply to payments of distributions (including constructive distributions) on the common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants and to the proceeds of a sale or other disposition of common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants paid by us to a U.S. Holder unless such U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient, such as a corporation. Backup withholding will apply to those payments if the U.S. Holder fails to provide the holder’s taxpayer identification number, or certification of exempt status, or if the holder otherwise fails to comply with applicable requirements to establish an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against the U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding their qualification for exemption from information reporting and backup withholding and the procedure for obtaining such exemption.
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Tax Considerations Applicable to Non-U.S. Holders
Certain Adjustments to Warrants
As described under “—U.S. Holders—Certain Adjustments to Pre-Funded Warrants,” an adjustment to the Pre-Funded Warrants could result in a constructive distribution to a Non-U.S. Holder, which would be treated as described under “Distributions” below. Any resulting withholding tax attributable to deemed dividends would be collected from other amounts payable or distributable to the Non-U.S. Holder. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the proper treatment of any adjustments to the Pre-Funded Warrants.
In addition, regulations governing “dividend equivalents” under Section 871(m) of the Code may apply to the Pre-Funded Warrants. Under those regulations, an implicit or explicit payment under Pre-Funded Warrants that references a dividend distribution on our common stock would possibly be taxable to a Non-U.S. Holder as described under “Distributions” below. Such dividend equivalent amount would be taxable and subject to withholding whether or not there is actual payment of cash or other property, and the Company may satisfy any withholding obligations it has in respect of the Pre-Funded Warrants by withholding from other amounts due to the Non-U.S. Holder. Non-U.S. Holders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of Section 871(m) of the Code to the Pre-Funded Warrants.
Distributions
As discussed above, we currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business and do not intend to pay cash dividends in respect of our common stock in the foreseeable future. In the event that we do make distributions on our common stock to a Non-U.S. Holder, those distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes as described in “—U.S. Holders—Distributions.” To the extent those distributions do not constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes (i.e., the amount of such distributions exceeds both our current and our accumulated earnings and profits), they will constitute a return of capital and will first reduce a Non-U.S. Holder’s basis in our common stock (determined separately with respect to each share of common stock), but not below zero, and then will be treated as gain from the sale of that share of common stock as described below under the section titled “—Disposition of Common Stock or Pre-Funded Warrants.”
Any distribution (including constructive distributions) on shares of common stock that is treated as a dividend paid to a Non-U.S. Holder that is not effectively connected with the holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States will generally be subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and the Non-U.S. Holder’s country of residence. To obtain a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will be required to provide the applicable withholding agent with a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or other appropriate form, certifying the Non-U.S. Holder’s entitlement to benefits under that treaty. Such form must be provided prior to the payment of dividends and must be updated periodically. If a Non-U.S. Holder holds stock through a financial institution or other agent acting on the holder’s behalf, the holder will be required to provide appropriate documentation to such agent. The holder’s agent may then be required to provide certification to the applicable withholding agent, either directly or through other intermediaries. If you are eligible for a reduced rate holding tax under an income tax treaty, you should consult with your own tax advisor to determine if you are able to obtain a refund or credit of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for a refund with the IRS.
We generally are not required to withhold tax on dividends paid (or constructive dividends deemed paid) to a Non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with the holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that the holder maintains in the United States) if a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI, stating that the dividends are so connected, is furnished to us (or, if stock is held through a financial institution or other agent, to the applicable withholding agent). In general, such effectively connected dividends will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular tax rates applicable to U.S. persons. A corporate Non-U.S. Holder receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax,” which is imposed, under certain circumstances, at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable treaty) on the corporate Non-U.S. Holder’s effectively connected earnings and profits, subject to certain adjustments.
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See also the sections below titled “—Backup Withholding and Information Reporting” and “—Foreign Accounts” for additional withholding rules that may apply to dividends paid to certain foreign financial institutions or non-financial foreign entities.
Disposition of Common Stock or Pre-Funded Warrants
Subject to the discussions below under the sections titled “—Backup Withholding and Information Reporting” and “—Foreign Accounts,” a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax with respect to gain recognized on a sale or other disposition (other than a redemption treated as a distribution, which will be taxable as described above under “Distributions”) of shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants unless:
| ● | the gain is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States, and if an applicable income tax treaty so provides, the gain is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in the United States; in these cases, the Non-U.S. Holder will be taxed on a net income basis at the regular tax rates and in the manner applicable to U.S. persons, and if the Non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, an additional branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, or a lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty, may also apply; |
| ● | the Non-U.S. Holder is a nonresident alien present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met, in which case the Non-U.S. Holder will be subject to a 30% tax (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and such holder’s country of residence) on the net gain derived from the disposition, which may be offset by certain U.S.-source capital losses of the Non-U.S. Holder, if any; or |
| ● | the common stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest because we are, or have been at any time during the five-year period preceding such disposition (or the Non-U.S. Holder’s holding period of the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants, if shorter), a “U.S. real property holding corporation,” unless the common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, as defined by applicable Treasury Regulations, and the Non-U.S. Holder held no more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, directly or indirectly, during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of the disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. Holder held the common stock. Special rules may apply to the determination of the 5% threshold in the case of a holder of Pre-Funded Warrants. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the effect of holding Pre-Funded Warrants on the calculation of such 5% threshold. Generally, a corporation is a “U.S. real property holding corporation” if the fair market value of its “U.S. real property interests” (as defined in the Code and applicable regulations) equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests plus its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. Although there can be no assurance, we believe that we are not currently, and we do not anticipate becoming, a “U.S. real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. No assurance can be provided that the common stock will be regularly traded on an established securities market for purposes of the rules described above. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax considerations that could result if we are, or become a “U.S. real property holding corporation.” |
See the sections titled “—Backup Withholding and Information Reporting” and “—Foreign Accounts” for additional information regarding withholding rules that may apply to proceeds of a disposition of the common stock, Pre-Funded Warrants paid to foreign financial institutions or non-financial foreign entities.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
We must report annually to the IRS and to each Non-U.S. Holder the gross amount of the distributions (including constructive distributions) on the common stock or, Pre-Funded Warrants paid to such holder and the tax withheld, if any, with respect to such distributions. Non-U.S. Holders may have to comply with specific certification procedures to establish that the holder is not a U.S. person (as defined in the Code) in order to avoid backup withholding at the applicable rate, currently 24%, with respect to dividends (or constructive dividends) on the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants. Generally, a holder will comply with such procedures if it provides a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN (or other
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applicable Form W-8) or otherwise meets documentary evidence requirements for establishing that it is a Non-U.S. Holder, or otherwise establishes an exemption. Dividends paid to Non-U.S. Holders subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax, as described above under the heading “Distributions,” will generally be exempt from U.S. backup withholding.
Information reporting and backup withholding generally will apply to the proceeds of a disposition of the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants by a Non-U.S. Holder effected by or through the U.S. office of any broker, U.S. or foreign, unless the holder certifies its status as a Non-U.S. Holder and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption. Generally, information reporting and backup withholding will not apply to a payment of disposition proceeds to a Non-U.S. Holder where the transaction is effected outside the United States through a non-U.S. office of a broker. However, for information reporting purposes, dispositions effected through a non-U.S. office of a broker with substantial U.S. ownership or operations generally will be treated in a manner similar to dispositions effected through a U.S. office of a broker. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of the information reporting and backup withholding rules to them.
Copies of information returns may be made available to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. Holder resides or is incorporated under the provisions of a specific treaty or agreement.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules from a payment to a Non-U.S. Holder can be refunded or credited against the Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that an appropriate claim is timely filed with the IRS.
Foreign Accounts
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on dividends (including constructive dividends) on the common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants if paid to a non-U.S. entity unless (i) if the non-U.S. entity is a “foreign financial institution,” the non-U.S. entity undertakes certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations, (ii) if the non-U.S. entity is not a “foreign financial institution,” the non-U.S. entity identifies certain of its U.S. investors, if any, or (iii) the non-U.S. entity is otherwise exempt under FATCA.
Withholding under FATCA generally will apply to payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) on our common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants. While withholding under FATCA would have also applied to payments of gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants, under proposed U.S. Treasury Regulations withholding on payments of gross proceeds is currently not required. Although such regulations are not final, applicable withholding agents may rely on the proposed regulations until final regulations are issued.
An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify the requirements described in this section. Under certain circumstances, a holder may be eligible for refunds or credits of the tax. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants.
Federal Estate Tax
Common stock owned or treated as owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident of the United States (as specially defined for U.S. federal estate tax purposes) at the time of death will be included in the individual’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes and, therefore, may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax, unless an applicable estate tax or other treaty provides otherwise. The foregoing may also apply to Pre-Funded Warrants. A Non-U.S. Holder should consult his, her, or its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal estate tax consequences of the ownership or disposition of shares of the common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants.
The preceding discussion of material U.S. federal tax considerations is for information only. It is not tax advice. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the particular U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of the common stock or Pre-Funded Warrants, including the consequences of any proposed changes in applicable laws.
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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table lists, as of June 30, 2025, the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by (i) each person or entity known to the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding common stock; (ii) each named executive officer and director of the Company, and (iii) all officers and directors as a group. Information relating to beneficial ownership of common stock by our principal stockholders and management is based upon information furnished by each person using “beneficial ownership” concepts under the rules of the SEC. Under these rules, a person is deemed to be a beneficial owner of a security if that person has or shares voting power, which includes the power to vote or direct the voting of the security, or investment power, which includes the power to dispose of or direct the disposition of the security. The person is also deemed to be a beneficial owner of any security of which that person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days. Under the SEC rules, more than one person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of the same securities, and a person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of securities as to which he or she may not have any pecuniary beneficial interest. Except as noted below, each person has sole voting and investment power. The beneficial ownership percentages set forth in the table below is based on 2,437,500 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. Unless otherwise indicated, the address for such person is c/o Xcel Brands, Inc., 550 Seventh Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, New York 10018.
| | Number of | | | |
| | Shares | | | |
| | of Common | | | |
| | Stock | | Percent | |
| | Beneficially | | Beneficially | |
Name and Address |
| Owned |
| Owned | |
Named executive officers and directors: | | | | | |
Robert W. D’Loren (1) | | 705,003 | | 28.6 | % |
James F. Haran (2) | | 20,401 | | * | |
Seth Burroughs (3) | | 58,588 | | 2.4 | % |
Howard Liebman (4) | | 24,366 | | * | % |
Mark DiSanto (5) | | 201,491 | | 8.2 | % |
Deborah Weinswig (6) | | 19,550 | | * | |
James Fielding (7) | | 18,750 | | * | |
| | | | | |
All directors and executive officers as a group (7 persons) (8) | | 1,048,149 | | 41.6 | % |
| | | | | |
5% Shareholders: | |
| |
| |
Isaac Mizrahi (9) | | 167,233 | | 6.9 | % |
Summit Trail Advisors (10) | | 196,250 | | 8.1 | % |
UTG Capital, Inc. (11) | | 1,107,455 | | 31.3 | % |
* | Less than 1%. |
| (1) | Consists of (i) 250,935 shares held by Mr. D’Loren, (ii) 60,731 shares owned by Irrevocable Trust of Rose Dempsey (or the Irrevocable Trust) of which Mr. D’Loren and Mr. DiSanto are the trustees and as to which Mr. D’Loren has sole voting and dispositive power, (iii) 15,333 immediately exercisable warrants held by IPX Capital, LLC, a company controlled by Mr. D’Loren, (iv) 8,750 restricted shares, (v) 8,750 immediately exercisable stock options, (vi) 167,233 shares of common stock held in the name of Isaac Mizrahi, and (vii) 193,271 shares of common stock as to which holders thereof granted to Mr. D’Loren irrevocable proxy and attorney-in-fact with respect to the shares. Certain holders or grantees have entered into agreements, pursuant to which appoint a person designated by our board of directors as their irrevocable proxy and attorney-in-fact with respect to the shares set forth in clauses (iv) and (v). Mr. D’Loren does not have any pecuniary interest in these shares described in clauses (iv) and (v) and disclaims beneficial ownership thereof. Does not include 32,667 shares held by the D’Loren Family Trust (or the Family Trust) of which Mark DiSanto is a trustee and has sole voting and dispositive power. Does not include 257,895 options that are not yet exercisable. |
| (2) | Consists of (i) 20,401 shares of common stock. Does not include 55,263 options that are not yet exercisable. |
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| (3) | Consists of (i) 53,588 shares of common stock, (ii) 2,500 restricted shares and (iii) immediately exercisable options to purchase 2,500 shares. Does not include 36,842 options that are not yet exercisable. |
| (4) | Consists of (i) 3,616 shares of common stock, (ii) 8,000 restricted shares, and (iii) immediately exercisable options to purchase 12,750 shares. Does not include 3,750 options that are not yet exercisable. |
| (5) | Consists of (i) 2,650 shares of common stock, (ii) 8,250 restricted shares, (iii) 32,667 shares held by the D’Loren Family Trust, of which Mark DiSanto is trustee and has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares held by the D’Loren Family Trust, (iv) 130,685 shares held by Mark X. DiSanto Investment Trust, of which Mark DiSanto is trustee and has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares held by the Trust, (v) immediately exercisable options to purchase 19,000 shares, and (vi) 8,239 shares held by other trusts, of which Mark DiSanto is trustee and has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares held by the trusts. Does not include 3,750 options that are not yet exercisable. |
| (6) | Consists of (i) 6,800 restricted shares and (ii) immediately exercisable options to purchase 12,750 shares. Does not include 3,750 options that are not yet exercisable. |
| (7) | Consists of (i) 3,500 shares of common stock, (ii) 2,500 restricted shares, and (iii) immediately exercisable options to purchase 12,750 shares. Does not include 3,750 options that are not yet exercisable. |
| (8) | Includes (i) 567,012 shares of common stock, (ii) 36,800 restricted shares, (iii) 83,833 shares issuable upon exercise of options and warrants that are currently exercisable, and (iv) 360,504 other shares of common stock as to which holders thereof granted to Mr. D’Loren irrevocable proxy and attorney-in-fact with respect to the shares. |
| (9) | Consists of (i) 167,233 shares of common stock and (ii) immediately exercisable options to purchase 5,000 shares. |
| (10) | Consists of 196,250 shares of common stock. |
| (11) | Represents shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. |
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We have engaged Maxim Group LLC to act as our exclusive placement agent to solicit offers to purchase the shares of our common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants offered by this prospectus (the “Securities”). The placement agent is not purchasing or selling any such securities, nor is it required to arrange for the purchase and sale of any specific number or dollar amount of such securities, other than to use its “reasonable best efforts” to arrange for the sale of such securities by us. Therefore, we may not sell the entire amount of such securities being offered. There is no minimum amount of proceeds that is a condition to closing of this offering. We will enter into securities purchase agreements directly with the investors who purchase such securities in this offering. The placement agent may engage one or more subagents or selected dealers in connection with this offering.
The placement agency agreement that we intend to enter into with the placement agent (the “Placement Agency Agreement”) will provide that the placement agent’s obligations are subject to conditions contained in the Placement Agency Agreement.
We will deliver the applicable Securities being issued to the investors upon receipt of investor funds for the purchase of such Securities offered pursuant to this prospectus. We expect to deliver such Securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus on or about 2025.
Placement Agent Fees, Commissions and Expenses
Upon the closing of this offering, we will pay the placement agent a cash transaction fee: (i) equal to 8.0% of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering up to $5,000,000, (ii) equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering in excess of $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000, (iii) equal to six percent (6.0%) of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering equal to or greater than $10,000,000; provided, however the discount or spread with respect to the Company Identified Investors shall be 5.0%.
Pursuant to the Placement Agency Agreement, we will agree to reimburse the placement agent for certain out-of-pocket expenses of the placement agent payable by us, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $100,000. The Placement Agency Agreement, however, will provide that in the event this offering is terminated, the placement agent will only be entitled to the reimbursement of out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually incurred in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(f) and (g), as applicable.
The following table shows the public offering price, placement agent fees and proceeds, before expenses, to us.
|
| | |
| Per Pre- |
| | | |
| | | | | Funded | | | | |
|
| Per Share |
| Warrant |
| Total | |||
Public offering price | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Placement Agent fees(1) | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Proceeds, before expenses and fees, to us | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
| (1) | The placement agent shall receive fee equal to 8.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds hereunder. |
We estimate that the total expenses of this offering, excluding placement agent fees, will be approximately $ . This includes $ of fees and expenses of the placement agent which are payable by us.
Placement Agent’s Warrants
Upon closing of this offering, we have agreed to issue the placement agent the “Placement Agent’s Warrants as compensation to purchase: (i) 4.0% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering up to $5,000,000; (ii) 3.0% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering in
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excess of $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000 and (iii) 0% with respect to gross proceeds equal to or in excess of $10,000,000; provided, however the number of Placement Agent’s Warrants issued with respect to Company Identified Investors shall be 2.5%. The Placement Agent’s Warrants will be exercisable at a per share exercise price of $ (100% of the public offering price in connection with the offering). The Placement Agent’s Warrants are exercisable, in whole or in part, during the four and one-half year period commencing 180 days from the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of which this prospectus is apart.
The Placement Agent’s Warrants have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1)(A) of FINRA. The representative (or permitted assignees under Rule 5110(e)(2)) will not sell, transfer, assign, pledge, or hypothecate these warrants or the securities underlying these warrants, nor will they engage in any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the warrants or the underlying securities for a period of 180 days following the commencement of sales of the securities issued in this offering. The exercise price and number of shares issuable upon exercise of the Placement Agent’s ‘s Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the Placement Agent’s Warrant exercise price or underlying shares will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of common stock at a price below the warrant exercise price. The Placement Agent’s Warrants will also contain certain provisions for on-demand registration rights and unlimited “piggyback” registration rights for a period of three years after the closing at the Company’s expense.
Indemnification
We have agreed to indemnify the placement agent against certain liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments that the placement agent may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
Lock-Up Agreements
We have agreed to not sell any shares of our common stock, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable into shares of common stock, subject to certain exceptions, for a period of 90 days after the closing of this offering unless we obtain prior written consent of the placement agent. Consent may be given at any time without public notice, and the placement agent may consent in its sole discretion. In addition, each of our directors and executive officers and their affiliates has entered into a lock-up agreement with the placement agent. Under the lock-up agreements, subject to certain limited circumstances, our directors and officers of the Company may not sell or transfer any common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for common stock during the period from the date of this prospectus continuing through the date 90 days after the closing of this offering without first obtaining the written consent of the placement agent. This consent may be given at any time without public notice, and the placement agent may consent in its sole discretion.
Right of First Refusal
Maxim will have the right of first refusal to manage or co-manage any public or private equity, equity-linked or debt (excluding commercial bank debt) offerings for which the Company or any subsidiary or successor of the Company retains the service of an underwriter agent, advisor, finder or other person or entity in connection with such offering during the one-year period following the completion of the offering.
Until twelve months from the closing of this offering, Maxim shall have a right of first refusal to act as sole placement agent or underwriter or sales agent, at Maxim’s sole discretion, for any and all public or private equity, equity-linked or debt (excluding commercial bank debt) securities offering for which the Company or any subsidiary or successor of the Company retains the services of an underwriter, agent, advisor, finder or other person or entity in connection with such offering. Maxim’s right of first refusal shall be subject to FINRA Rules 5110(g)(5), 5110(g)(6) and 5110(g)(7).
Determination of Offering Price and Warrant Exercise Price
The actual offering prices of the Securities that we are offering, and the exercise price of the Pre-Funded Warrants that we are offering, were negotiated between us, the placement agent and the investors in the offering based on the trading of our
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shares of common stock prior to the offering, among other things. Other factors considered in determining the public offering prices of the Securities and the exercise price of the Pre-Funded Warrants that we are offering include our history and prospects, the stage of development of our business, our business plans for the future and the extent to which they have been implemented, an assessment of our management, the general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering and such other factors as were deemed relevant.
Other Relationships
The placement agent and its respective affiliates may in the future engage in investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. The placement agent may in the future receive customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
In the ordinary course of its various business activities, the placement agent and its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of its customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of the issuer. The placement agent and its affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
Regulation M
The placement agent may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act, and any commissions received by it and any profit realized on the resale of the securities sold by it while acting as principal might be deemed to be underwriting discounts or commissions under the Securities Act. As an underwriter, the placement agent would be required to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, Rule 10b-5 and Regulation M under the Exchange Act. These rules and regulations may limit the timing of purchases and sales of our securities by the placement agent acting as principal. Under these rules and regulations, the placement agent (i) may not engage in any stabilization activity in connection with our securities and (ii) may not bid for or purchase any of our securities or attempt to induce any person to purchase any of our securities, other than as permitted under the Exchange Act, until it has completed its participation in the distribution.
Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by the placement agent, if any, participating in this offering and the placement agent may distribute the prospectus electronically. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on these websites is not part of this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus form a part, has not been approved or endorsed by us or the placement agent, and should not be relied upon by investors.
Transfer Agent
The transfer agent for our common stock is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.
Listing on Nasdaq
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “XELB”.
There is no established public trading market for the Pre-Funded Warrants and we do not expect a market to develop for either security. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the Pre-Funded Warrants will be limited. In addition, we do not intend to list the Pre-Funded Warrants on Nasdaq, any other national securities exchange, or any other trading system.
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Selling Restrictions
No action has been taken in any jurisdiction (except in the United States) that would permit a public offering of our Units, or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus or any other material relating to us or our Units in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, our Units (including their constituent common shares and warrants) may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with our securities may be distributed or published, in or from any country or jurisdiction, except in compliance with any applicable rules and regulations of any such country or jurisdiction.
Notice to Investors in the United Kingdom
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a "Relevant Member State") an offer to the public of any securities which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus may not be made in that Relevant Member State except that an offer to the public in that Relevant Member State of any such securities may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive, if they have been implemented in that Relevant Member State:
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an "offer to the public" in relation to any of the securities in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any such securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase any such securities, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State and the expression "Prospectus Directive" means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.
The representative has represented, warranted and agreed that:
European Economic Area
In particular, this document does not constitute an approved prospectus in accordance with European Commission’s Regulation on Prospectuses no. 809/2004 and no such prospectus is to be prepared and approved in connection with this offering. Accordingly, in relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (being the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 2003/71/EC and including any
40
relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State) (each, a Relevant Member State), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the Relevant Implementation Date) an offer of securities to the public may not be made in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to such securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of securities to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time:
| ● | to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities; |
| ● | to any legal entity which has two or more of (1) an average of at least 250 employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more than €43,000,000; and (3) an annual net turnover of more than €50,000,000, as shown in the last annual or consolidated accounts; or |
| ● | in any other circumstances which do not require the publication by the Issuer of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive. |
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an "offer of securities to the public" in relation to any of the securities in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the securities, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State. For these purposes the shares offered hereby are "securities."
Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In the State of Israel, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the shares is directed only at, investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and "qualified individuals", each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors will be required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.
Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (the SIX) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (CISA). Accordingly, no public distribution, offering or advertising, as defined in CISA, its implementing ordinances and notices, and no distribution to any non-qualified investor, as defined in CISA, its implementing ordinances and notices,
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shall be undertaken in or from Switzerland, and the investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities
Australia
No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), in relation to the offering.
This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the Corporations Act) and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act. Any offer in Australia of the securities may only be made to persons (the Exempt Investors) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the securities without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. The securities applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring securities must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.
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Blank Rome LLP, New York, New York, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus and certain other legal matters. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the placement agent by Pryor Cashman LLP, New York, New York.
The consolidated financial statements of Xcel Brands, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2024, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the report of Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered hereby. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement or the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. For further information about us and the securities offered hereby, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits filed with the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus regarding the contents of any contract or any other document that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement are not necessarily complete, and each such statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the full text of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. The SEC also maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about registrants, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.
We are required to file periodic reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act. These reports, proxy statements, and other information will be available on the website of the SEC referred to above.
We also maintain a website at www.xcelbrands.com, through which you may access these materials free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Information contained on or accessed through our website is not a part of this prospectus and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference information from other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. Information in this prospectus supersedes information incorporated by reference that we filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus.
We incorporate by reference into this prospectus and the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the information or documents listed below that we have filed with the SEC (Commission File No. 001-37527):
| ● | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal December 31, 2024 (the “Annual Report”), filed with the SEC on May 28, 2025; |
| ● | Our Quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31. 2025 filed with the SEC on June 4, 2025; |
| ● | Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 28, 2025 and May 29, 2025; and |
| ● | The description of our common stock set forth in: (i) our registration statement on Form 10-SB filed with the SEC on September 18, 2000, pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act, including any amendments thereto or reports filed for the purposes of updating this description, and (ii) Exhibit 4.4 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on April 17, 2023. including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
We also incorporate by reference any future filings (other than current reports on Form 8-K or the portions thereof furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items unless such Form 8-K expressly provides to the contrary) made with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including those made (i) on or after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and prior to effectiveness of such registration statement, and (ii) on or after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering (i.e., until the earlier of the date on which all of the securities registered hereunder have been sold or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part has been withdrawn). Information in such future filings updates and supplements the information provided in this prospectus. Any statements in any such future filings will automatically be deemed to modify and supersede any information in any document we previously filed with the SEC that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference to the extent that statements in the later filed document modify or replace such earlier statements.
We will furnish without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus, including exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. You should direct any requests for documents to:
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Xcel Brands, Inc.
550 Seventh Ave, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10018
(347) 727-2474
Attn: Chief Financial Officer
You may also access these documents, free of charge, on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at https://xcelbrands.com/pages/sec-filings. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not part of, this prospectus.
In accordance with Rule 412 of the Securities Act, any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.
You should rely only on information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus a. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We are not making offers to sell the securities in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation.
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Up to 1,381,215 Shares of Common Stock
Up to 1,381,215 Pre-Funded Warrants to purchase up to Shares of Common Stock
Up to 1,381,215 Shares of Common Stock Underlying such Pre-Funded Warrants
Xcel Brands, Inc.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2025
Through and including , (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus.
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PART II — INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the expenses in connection with this registration statement. All of such expenses are estimates, other than the filing fees payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission and to FINRA.
|
| Amount to be | |
| | paid | |
SEC registration fee | | $ | 813 |
FINRA filing fee | | $ | * |
Accounting fees and expenses | | $ | 150,000 |
Legal fees and expenses | | $ | 50,000 |
Miscellaneous expenses | | $ | [100,000] |
Total | | $ | 400,000 |
*To be provided by amendment.
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) empowers a corporation to indemnify its directors and officers and to purchase insurance with respect to liability arising out of their capacity or status as directors and officers, provided that the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in our best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s actions were unlawful. The DGCL further provides that the indemnification permitted thereunder shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the directors and officers may be entitled under the corporation’s bylaws, any agreement, a vote of stockholders or otherwise.
Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director or officer of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, except (i) for any breach of the director’s or officer’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders; (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (iii) for any transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal benefit; (iv) a director for payments of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions; or (v) an officer in any action by or in the right of the corporation.
The registrant’s certificate of incorporation, as amended, eliminates, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, a director’s personal liability to the registrant or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director.
In addition, the registrant’s by-laws provide that the registrant will indemnify its officers and directors to the full extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware and the employment agreements with the registrant’s executive officers and indemnification agreements between the registrant and its directors and certain of its officers provide that the registrant will indemnify them to the full extent provided by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
The registrant maintains directors’ and officers’ liability insurance which covers certain liabilities, including liabilities to the Company and its stockholders.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
The Company has not issued unregistered securities to any person within the last three years other than:
| ● | On March 14, 2024, the Registrant entered into Subscription Agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with the officers and directors of the Registrant to purchase an aggregate of 294,644 shares of the registrant’s common |
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| stock, respectively, (the “Private Placement Shares”) at a price of $0.98 per Private Placement Share. The Private Placement Shares were sold without registration under the Act, in reliance upon the exemptions from registration provided under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act in reliance upon the exemptions from registration provided under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and Regulation D promulgated under the Act (“Regulation D”). Each purchaser represented in the Subscription Agreements, among other things, that such purchaser was acquiring the Private Placement Shares for investment for the purchaser’s account and that the purchaser was an “accredited investor” within the meaning of Regulation D. |
| ● | On December 12, 2024, the registrant issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,456,667 shares of its common stock to lenders in connection with entering into a loan agreement. The warrants have an exercise price of $0.6315 per share are immediately exercisable and expire on December 12, 2034. The warrants were issued and sold without registration under the Act, in reliance upon the exemptions from registration provided under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act in reliance upon the exemptions from registration provided under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and Regulation D. The lenders represented, among other things, that such lender was acquiring the warrants for investment for the lender’s account and that such lender was an “accredited investor” within the meaning of Regulation D. |
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
The exhibits to this registration statement are listed in the Exhibit Index to this registration statement, which immediately precedes the signature page and which Exhibit Index is hereby incorporated by reference.
Item 17. Undertakings
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| i. | to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; |
| ii. | to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement (notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of a prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement); and |
| iii. | to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this registration statement or any material change to such information in this registration statement; |
provided, however, that subparagraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those subparagraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that are incorporated by reference into this registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
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| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration, by means of a post-effective amendment, any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
| (5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| i. | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 (§ 230.424 of this chapter); |
| ii. | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| iii. | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| iv. | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
| (6) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by a Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of a Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, that Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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| (7) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
| (8) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (9) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference into the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
The exhibits listed in the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this registration statement.
Exhibit |
| Description |
| | |
1.1 | | |
| | |
3.1 | | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Xcel Brands, Inc. (7) |
| | |
3.2 | | |
| | |
3.3 | | |
| | |
4.1 | | Third Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan and Forms of Award Agreements (9) |
| | |
4.2# | | |
| | |
4.3 | | |
| | |
4.4 | | |
| | |
4.5 | | Form of Representative’s Warrant issued on March 19, 2024 (14) |
| | |
4.6 | | Form of Common Stock Warrant issued on December 31, 2024 (19) |
| | |
4.7 | | |
| | |
4.8 | | |
| | |
4.8 | | |
| | |
4.10 | | |
| | |
4.11 | | |
| | |
9.1 | | |
| | |
9.2 | | Voting Agreement between Xcel Brands, Inc. and Judith Ripka Berk, dated as of April 3, 2014 (4) |
| | |
9.3 | | |
| | |
9.4 | | |
| | |
10.1# | | Employment Agreement between the Company and Robert D’Loren dated February 27, 2019 (10) |
| | |
10.2# | | Employment Agreement between the Company and James Haran dated February 27, 2019 (10) |
| | |
10.3# | | Employment Agreement between the Company and Seth Burroughs dated February 27, 2019 (12) |
52
| | |
10.4 | | Sublease Agreement, dated as of July 8, 2015, by and between Xcel Brands, Inc. and GBG USA Inc. (6) |
| | |
10.5 | | |
| | |
10.6 | | Second Amendment to Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (15) |
| | |
10.7 | | Third Amendment to Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (15) |
| | |
10.8 | | |
| | |
10.9 | | |
| | |
10.10 | | |
| | |
10.11 | | |
| | |
10.12 | | Amendment to Employment Agreement between the Company and Robert D’Loren (17) |
| | |
10.13# | | Amendment to Employment Agreement between the Company and Seth Burroughs (17) |
| | |
10.14 | | |
| | |
10.15 | | |
| | |
10.16 | | |
| | |
10.17 | | Board Nominee Agreement by and between the Company and UTG dated April 21, 2025 (21) |
| | |
10.18 | | |
| | |
10.19 | | Membership Interest Transfer Agreement effective as of April 15, 2025 (21) |
| | |
10.20 | | |
| | |
21.1 | | |
| | |
23.1 | | |
| | |
97.1 | | |
| | |
99.1 | |
53
| | |
107 | |
| (1) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on February 15, 2019. |
| (2) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on December 24, 2013. |
| (3) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on March 20, 2014. |
| (4) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on April 9, 2014. |
| (5) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on December 24, 2014. |
| (6) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on July 14, 2015. |
| (7) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on October 24, 2017. |
| (8) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on December 8, 2017. |
| (9) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Definitive Proxy Statement on Form DEF 14-A, which was filed with the SEC on August 15, 2016. |
| (10) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on April 23, 2021. |
| (11) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the revised Definitive Proxy Statement on Form DEF 14-A, which was filed with the SEC on October 20, 2021. |
| (12) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022. |
| (13) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on June 3, 2022. |
| (14) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on March 19, 2024. |
| (15) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period year ended December 31, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on April 19, 2024. |
| (16) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on June 24, 2024. |
| (17) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on August 2, 2024. |
54
| (18) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the period year ended December 31, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on November 29, 2024. |
| (19) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on December 16, 2024. |
| (20) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on March 24, 2025. |
| (21) | This Exhibit is incorporated by reference to the appropriate Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on April 24, 2025. |
* | Filed herewith. |
# | Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be identified pursuant to Item 15(a)(3) of this report. |
55
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement on Form S-1 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 2nd day of on July, 2025.
| XCEL BRANDS, INC. | ||
| | ||
| By: | /s/ Robert W. D’Loren | |
| | Name: | Robert W. D’Loren |
| | Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement on Form S-1 has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature |
| Title |
| Date |
| | |||
/s/ Robert W. D’Loren | | Chief Executive Officer, | | July 2, 2025 |
Robert W. D’Loren | | and Chairman of the Board (Principal Executive Officer) | | |
| | |||
/s/ James F. Haran | | Chief Financial Officer and Secretary | | July 2, 2025 |
James F. Haran | | (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | | |
| | |||
* | | Director | | July 2, 2025 |
Howard Liebman. | | | ||
| | |||
* | | Director | | July 2, 2025 |
Mark DiSanto | | | ||
| | |||
* | | Director | | July 2, 2025 |
James Fielding III | | | ||
| | |||
* | | Director | | July 2, 2025 |
Deborah Weinswig | | |
| | | |
| |
*By: | /s/ James F. Haran | | | | July 2, 2025 |
| James F. Haran | | | | |
| attorney-in-fact | | | | |
56
Exhibit 1.1
| SCHEDULE I |
CONFIDENTIAL
June [-], 2025
Mr. James F. Haran
Chief Financial Officer
Xcel Brands, Inc.
550 Seventh Ave, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Dear Mr. Haran,
This agreement (the “Agreement”) constitutes the agreement between Xcel Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim” or the “Lead Manager”), that Maxim shall serve as the exclusive lead placement agent for the Company, on a “reasonable best efforts” basis (a “Placement”), in connection with the proposed offerings of securities (the “Securities”) of the Company. The terms of such Placement and the Securities shall be mutually agreed upon by the Company and the Lead Manager and, if a direct placement, the purchasers (each, a “Purchaser” and collectively, the “Purchasers”) and nothing herein grants Maxim the power or authority to bind the Company or any Purchaser or creates an obligation for the Company to issue any Securities or complete the Placement. This Agreement and the documents executed and delivered by the Company and the Purchasers in connection with the Placement shall be collectively referred to herein as the “Transaction Documents.” The date of the closing of the Placement shall be referred to herein as the “Closing Date.” The Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that Maxim’s obligations hereunder are on a reasonable best efforts basis only and that the execution of this Agreement does not constitute a commitment by Maxim to purchase the Securities and does not ensure the successful placement of the Securities or any portion thereof or the success of Maxim with respect to securing any other financing on behalf of the Company. Maxim may retain other brokers or dealers to act as sub-agents or selected-dealers on its behalf in connection with the Placement.
The sale of Securities to any Purchaser will be evidenced by a purchase agreement (“Purchase Agreement”) between the Company and such Purchaser, if required by the Purchaser, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Company and Maxim. Prior to the signing of any Purchase Agreement, officers of the Company with responsibility for financial affairs will be reasonably available to answer inquiries from prospective Purchasers.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event that Maxim determines that any of the terms provided for hereunder shall not comply with a FINRA rule, including, but not limited to, FINRA Rule 5110, then the Company shall agree to amend this Agreement in writing upon the request of Maxim to comply with any such rules; provided that any such amendments shall not provide for terms that are less favorable to the Company.
SECTION 1.Compensation and other Fees.
As compensation for the services provided by Maxim hereunder, the Company agrees to pay to Maxim the fees set forth below with respect to the Placement:
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Xcel Brands, Inc.
June [-], 2025
Page 2
(i) | A cash fee (“Cash Fee”) payable immediately upon the closing of the Placement: (i) equal to 8.0% of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering up to $5,000,000, (ii) equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering in excess of $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000, (iii) equal to six percent (6.0%) of the gross proceeds to us from the sale of the Securities in the offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering equal to or greater than $10,000,000. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Cash Fee with respect to certain investors identified by the Company as listed on Schedule I attached hereto (the “Company Identified Investors”), any member of management or a director of the Company (“Insiders”), or Hilco Global or UTG Capital, Inc (“UTG”) shall be five percent (5.0%). |
(ii) | Subject to compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(D), the Company also agrees, in case of a Closing of the Placement, to reimburse the Lead Manager for all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred, including the reasonable fees, costs and disbursements of its legal counsel, in an amount not to exceed an aggregate of $100,000; provided, however, that if the Placement is terminated, then such reimbursement shall not exceed an aggregate of $35,000. The Company will reimburse Lead Manager directly upon the Closing of the Placement from the gross proceeds raised in the Placement. |
(iii) | Warrants (“Placement Agent Warrants”) to purchase: (i) 4.0% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering up to $5,000,000; (ii) 3.0% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock and/or Pre-Funded Warrants sold in this offering with respect to gross proceeds of the offering in excess of $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000 and (iii) 0% with respect to gross proceeds equal to or in excess of $10,000,000.. Such placement agent warrants will be non-exercisable for six (6) months after the Closing Date and will expire five years after the commencement of sales of the offering. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the number of Placement Agent Warrants issued with respect to Company Identified Investors shall be two and one-half percent (2.5%), and no Placement Agent Warrants shall be issued in respect to any participation from Insiders of the Company and UTG. |
SECTION 2.RESERVED.
SECTION 3.REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Company makes to Maxim all of the representations and warranties which the Company makes to the Purchasers in the Purchase Agreement, and in addition makes the following representation:
FINRA Affiliations. There are no affiliations with any FINRA member firm among the Company’s officers, directors or, to the knowledge of the Company, any five percent (5%) or greater stockholder of the Company, except as set forth in the Company’s public filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC Filings”).
Right of First Refusal. The Company hereby grants Maxim the right of first refusal for a period of twelve (12) months after the Closing Date to act as the sole managing underwriter and book runner, or sole placement agent or sales agent, for any and all future public or private equity, equity-linked or debt (excluding commercial bank debt) offerings for which the Company retains the service of an underwriter, agent, advisor, finder or other person or entity in connection with such offering during such twelve (12) month period of the Company, or any successor to or any subsidiary of the Company (the “Subsequent Offering”). The Company shall not offer to retain any entity or person in connection with any such offering
Members FINRA & SIPC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Xcel Brands, Inc.
June [-], 2025
Page 3
on terms more favorable than terms on which it offers to retain Maxim. Such offer shall be made in writing in order to be effective. The Company shall provide Maxim with written notice of no less than three (3) business days following its election to engage in a Subsequent Offering, which notice shall describe the proposed terms and conditions of such Subsequent Offering. Maxim shall notify the Company within ten (10) business days of its receipt of the written offer contemplated above as to whether or not it agrees to accept such retention. If Maxim should decline such retention, the Company shall have no further obligations to Maxim with respect to the offering for which it has offered to retain Maxim, except as otherwise provided for herein.
SECTION 4.REPRESENTATIONS OF MAXIM. Maxim represents and warrants that it is (i) a member in good standing of FINRA, (ii) registered as a broker/dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), and (iii) licensed as a broker/dealer under the laws of the States applicable to the offers and sales of Securities by Maxim. Maxim will immediately notify the Company in writing of any change in its status as such. Maxim covenants that it will use its reasonable best efforts to conduct the Transaction hereunder in compliance with the provisions of this Agreement and the requirements of applicable law. Except as required by law or as contemplated by this agreement, Maxim will keep confidential all material nonpublic information, including information regarding the Transaction contemplated hereunder, provided to it by the Company or its affiliates or advisors and use such information only for the purposes contemplated herein.
SECTION 5.INDEMNIFICATION. The Company agrees to the indemnification and other agreements set forth in the Indemnification Provisions (the “Indemnification”) attached hereto as Addendum A, the provisions of which are incorporated herein by reference and shall survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement.
SECTION 6.ENGAGEMENT TERM. Maxim’s engagement hereunder shall become effective on the date hereof and shall continue until the earlier of (a) the Closing Date or (b) the date a party terminates the engagement according to the letter agreement entered into between the Company and Maxim on June 25, 2025 (such date, the “Termination Date”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the provisions concerning confidentiality, indemnification, contribution and the Company’s obligations to pay fees and reimburse expenses earned or due prior to the termination of the Agreement contained herein and the Company’s obligations contained in the Indemnification Provisions will survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement. Maxim agrees not to use any confidential information concerning the Company provided to Maxim by the Company for any purposes other than those contemplated under this Agreement.
SECTION 7.RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL. The Company hereby grants Maxim the right of first refusal for a period of twelve (12) months after the Closing Date to act as the sole managing underwriter and book runner, or sole placement agent or sales agent, for any and all future public or private equity, equity-linked or debt (excluding commercial bank debt) offerings for which the Company retains the service of an underwriter, agent, advisor, finder or other person or entity in connection with such offering during such twelve (12) month period of the Company, or any successor to or any subsidiary of the Company (the “Subsequent Offering”). The Company shall not offer to retain any entity or person in connection with any such offering on terms more favorable than terms on which it offers to retain Maxim. Such offer shall be made in writing in order to be effective. The Company shall provide Maxim with written notice of no less than three (3) business days following its election to engage in a Subsequent Offering, which notice shall describe the proposed terms and conditions of such Subsequent Offering. Maxim shall notify the Company within ten (10) business days of its receipt of the written offer contemplated above as to whether or not it agrees to accept such retention. If Maxim should decline such retention, the Company
Members FINRA & SIPC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Xcel Brands, Inc.
June [-], 2025
Page 4
shall have no further obligations to Maxim with respect to the offering for which it has offered to retain Maxim, except as otherwise provided for herein.
SECTION 8.LEAD MANAGER INFORMATION. The Company agrees that any information or advice rendered by Maxim in connection with this engagement is for the confidential use of the Company only in their evaluation of the Placement and, except as otherwise required by law, the Company will not disclose or otherwise refer to the advice or information in any manner without Maxim’s prior written consent.
SECTION 9.NO FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIP. This Agreement does not create, and shall not be construed as creating rights enforceable by any person or entity not a party hereto, except those entitled hereto by virtue of the Indemnification Provisions hereof. The Company acknowledges and agrees that Maxim is and shall not be construed to be a fiduciary of the Company and shall have no duties or liabilities to the equity holders or the creditors of the Company or any other person by virtue of this Agreement or the retention of Maxim hereunder, all of which are hereby expressly waived.
SECTION 10.CLOSING. The obligations of Maxim and the closing of the sale of the Securities hereunder are subject to the accuracy, when made and on the Closing Date, of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company and its Subsidiaries contained herein, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company and its Subsidiaries of their obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and conditions:
(A)All corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form, execution, delivery and validity of each of this Agreement, the Securities, and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to Maxim, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(B)Maxim shall have received from outside counsel to the Company such counsel’s written opinion, addressed to Maxim and dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Maxim.
(C)Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Filings, any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood, terrorist act or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth in or contemplated by the SEC Filings, and (ii) since such date there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the business, general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth in or contemplated by the SEC Filings, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is, in the judgment of Maxim, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by the Purchase Agreement.
(D)The common stock of the Company is registered under the Exchange Act.
Members FINRA & SIPC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Xcel Brands, Inc.
June [-], 2025
Page 5
(E)No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any governmental agency or body which would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company; and no injunction, restraining order or order of any other nature by any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction shall have been issued as of the Closing Date which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company.
(F)The Company shall have prepared and filed with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K with respect to the Placement.
(G)The Company shall have entered into Purchase Agreements with each of the Purchasers and such agreements shall be in full force and effect and shall contain representations and warranties of the Company as agreed between the Company and the Purchasers.
(H)Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to Maxim such further information, certificates and documents as Maxim may reasonably request.
SECTION 11.GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely in such State. This Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the prior written consent of the other party. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto, and their respective successors and permitted assigns. Any right to trial by jury with respect to any dispute arising under this Agreement or any transaction or conduct in connection herewith is waived. Any dispute arising under this Agreement may be brought into the courts of the State of New York or into the Federal Court located in New York, New York and, by execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company hereby accepts for itself and in respect of its property, generally and unconditionally, the jurisdiction of aforesaid courts. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by delivering a copy thereof via overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. If either party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of a Transaction Document, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its attorney’s fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding.
SECTION 12.ENTIRE AGREEMENT/MISCELLANEOUS. This Agreement (including the attached Indemnification Provisions) embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof, other than that certain engagement letter entered into between the Company and Maxim, dated April 10, 2025. If any provision of this Agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable in any respect, such determination will not affect such provision in any other respect or any other provision of this Agreement, which will remain in full force and effect. This Agreement may not be amended or otherwise modified or waived except by an instrument in writing signed by Maxim and the Company. The representations, warranties, agreements and covenants contained herein shall survive the closing of the Placement and delivery and/or exercise of the Securities, as applicable. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is
Members FINRA & SIPC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Xcel Brands, Inc.
June [-], 2025
Page 6
delivered by facsimile transmission or a “.pdf” format file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile signature page were an original thereof.
SECTION 13.CONFIDENTIALITY. Maxim (i) will keep the Confidential Information (as such term is defined below) confidential and will not (except as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, regulation or legal process), without the Company’s prior written consent, disclose to any person any Confidential Information, and (ii) will not use any Confidential Information other than in connection with its evaluation of the Transaction. Maxim further agrees to disclose the Confidential Information only to its Representatives who need to know the Confidential Information for the purpose of evaluating the Transaction, and who are informed by Maxim of the confidential nature of the Confidential Information. The term “Confidential Information” shall mean, all confidential, proprietary and non-public information (whether written, oral or electronic communications) furnished by the Company to Maxim or its Representatives in connection with Maxim’s evaluation of the Transaction. The term “Confidential Information” will not, however, include information which (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by Maxim or its Representatives in violation of this Agreement, (ii) is or becomes available to Maxim or any of its Representatives on a nonconfidential basis from a third-party, (iii) is known to Maxim or any of its Representatives prior to disclosure by the Company or any of its Representatives, (iv) is or has been independently developed by Maxim and/or the Representatives without use of any Confidential Information furnished to it by the Company, or (v) is required to be disclosed pursuant to applicable legal or regulatory authority.. The term “Representatives” shall mean a party's directors, board committees, officers, employees, financial advisors, attorneys and accountants. This provision shall be in full force until the earlier of (a) the date that the Confidential Information ceases to be confidential and (b) two years from the date hereof.
SECTION 14.NOTICES. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (a) the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number specified on the signature pages attached hereto prior to 6:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a business day, (b) the next business day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a business day or later than 6:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any business day, (c) the business day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications shall be as set forth on the signature pages hereto.
[Signature page follows]
Members FINRA & SIPC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Xcel Brands, Inc.
June [-], 2025
Page 7
We are excited about this equity offering and look forward to working with you. Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth our agreement by signing and returning the enclosed copy of this Agreement.
Very truly yours,
Maxim Group LLC
By:______________________
Ritesh M. Veera
Co-Head of Investment Banking
Address for notice:
300 Park Avenue
16th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Accepted and Agreed to as of
the date first written above:
XCEL BRANDS, INC.
By:______________________
Name:
Title:
Address for notice:
Xcel Brands, Inc.
550 Seventh Ave, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Members FINRA & SIPC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Xcel Brands, Inc.
June [-], 2025
Page 8
ADDENDUM
INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS
In connection with the engagement of Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim”) by Xcel Brands, Inc.
(the “Company”) pursuant to this Agreement, the Company hereby agrees as follows:
1. | To the extent permitted by law, the Company will indemnify Maxim and each of its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and controlling persons (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) against all losses, claims, damages, expenses and liabilities, as the same are incurred (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel), relating to or arising out of its activities hereunder or pursuant to the Agreement, except, with regard to Maxim, to the extent that any losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) are found in a final judgment (not subject to appeal) by a court of law to have resulted primarily and directly from Maxim’s willful misconduct, gross negligence, bad faith or intentional misconduct in performing the services described herein, as the case may be. |
2. | Promptly after receipt by Maxim of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action or proceeding with respect to which Maxim is entitled to indemnity hereunder, Maxim will notify the Company in writing of such claim or of the commencement of such action or proceeding, and the Company will assume the defense of such action or proceeding and will employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to Maxim and will pay the fees and expenses of such counsel. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, Maxim will be entitled to employ counsel separate from counsel for the Company and from any other party in such action if counsel for Maxim reasonably determines that it would be inappropriate under the applicable rules of professional responsibility for the same counsel to represent both the Company and Maxim. In such event, the reasonable fees and disbursements of no more than one such separate counsel for all indemnified parties will be paid by the Company. The Company will have the exclusive right to settle the claim or proceeding provided that the Company will not settle any such claim, action or proceeding without the prior written consent of Maxim, which will not be unreasonably withheld, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of Maxim from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of Maxim. |
3. | The Company agrees to notify Maxim promptly of the assertion against it or any other person of any claim or the commencement of any action or proceeding relating to a transaction contemplated by the Agreement. |
4. | If for any reason the foregoing indemnity is unavailable to Maxim or insufficient to hold Maxim harmless, then the Company shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by Maxim, as the case may be, as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand, and Maxim on the other, but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and Maxim on the other that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any relevant equitable considerations. The amounts paid or payable by a party in respect of losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees and expenses incurred in defending any litigation, proceeding or other action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions hereof, Maxim’s share of the liability hereunder shall not be in excess of the amount of fees actually received, or to be received, by |
Members FINRA & SIPC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Xcel Brands, Inc.
June [-], 2025
Page 9
Maxim under the Agreement (excluding any amounts received as reimbursement of expenses incurred by Maxim).
5. | These Indemnification Provisions shall remain in full force and effect whether or not the transaction contemplated by the Agreement is completed and shall survive the termination of the Agreement, and shall be in addition to any liability that the Company might otherwise have to any indemnified party under the Agreement or otherwise. |
Very truly yours,
Maxim Group LLC
By:______________________
Larry Glassberg
Co-Head of Investment Banking
Address for notice:
300 Park Avenue
16th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Accepted and Agreed to as of
the date first written above:
XCEL BRANDS, INC.
By:______________________
Name:
Title:
Address for notice:
Xcel Brands, Inc.
550 Seventh Ave, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Members FINRA & SIPC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
| SCHEDULE I |
Company Identified Investors
1.
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10022 * (212) 895-3500 * (800) 724-0761 * fax (212) 895-3783 * www.maximgrp.com
Exhibit 4.11
PRE-FUNDED COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT
Xcel Brands, Inc.
Warrant Shares: [-] Issue Date: [-], 2025
THIS PRE-FUNDED COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received, Xcel Brands, Inc. or its assigns (the “Holder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time on or after the date hereof (the “Initial Exercise Date”) and until this Warrant is exercised in full (the “Termination Date”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Xcel Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), up to shares (as subject to adjustment hereunder, the “Warrant Shares”) of Common Stock. The purchase price of one share of Common Stock under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b).
Section 1. Definitions. Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in that certain Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), dated [-], 2025, among the Company and the purchaser signatory thereto.
Section 2. Exercise.
a) | Exercise of Warrant. Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery to the Company of a duly executed facsimile copy or PDF copy submitted by e-mail (or e-mail attachment) of the Notice of Exercise in the form annexed hereto (the “Notice of Exercise”). Within the earlier of (i) two (2) Trading Days and (ii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period (as defined in Section 2(d)(i) herein) following the date of exercise as aforesaid, the Holder shall deliver the aggregate Exercise Price for the Warrant Shares specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank unless the cashless exercise procedure specified in Section 2(c) below is specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise. No ink-original Notice of Exercise shall be required, nor shall any medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any Notice of Exercise be required. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days of the date on which the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise within one (1) Trading Day of receipt of such notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Notice(s) of Exercise delivered on or prior to 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Trading Day prior to the Initial Exercise Date, which may be delivered at any time after the time of execution of the Purchase Agreement, the Company agrees to deliver the Warrant Shares subject to such notice(s) by 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Initial Exercise Date and the Initial Exercise Date shall be the Warrant Share Delivery Date for purposes hereunder, provided that payment of the aggregate Exercise Price (other than in the case of a cashless exercise) is received by the Warrant Share Delivery Date. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant Shares hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof. |
b) Exercise Price. The aggregate exercise price of this Warrant, except for a nominal exercise price of $0.001 per Warrant Share, was pre-funded to the Company on or prior to the Initial Exercise Date and, consequently, no additional consideration (other than the nominal exercise price of $0.001 per Warrant Share) shall be required to be paid by the Holder to any Person to effect any exercise of this Warrant. The Holder shall not be entitled to the return or refund of all, or any portion, of such pre-paid aggregate exercise price under any circumstance or for any reason whatsoever, including in the event this Warrant shall not have been exercised prior to the Termination Date. The remaining unpaid exercise price per share of Common Stock under this Warrant shall be $0.001, subject to adjustment hereunder (the “Exercise Price”).
c) Cashless Exercise. If at the time of exercise hereof there is no effective registration statement registering, or the prospectus contained therein is not available for the issuance of the Warrant Shares to the Holder, then this Warrant may also be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive a number of Warrant Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:
(A) = as applicable: (i) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is (1) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a day that is not a Trading Day or (2) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a Trading Day prior to the opening of “regular trading hours” (as defined in Rule 600(b) of Regulation NMS promulgated under the federal securities laws) on such Trading Day, (ii) at the option of the Holder, either (y) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise or (z) the Bid Price of the Common Stock on the principal Trading Market as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (“Bloomberg”) as of the time of the Holder’s execution of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is executed during “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day and is delivered within two (2) hours thereafter (including until two (2) hours after the close of “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day) pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof or (iii) the VWAP on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if the date of such Notice of Exercise is a Trading Day and such Notice of Exercise is both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof after the close of “regular trading hours” on such Trading Day;
(B) = the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and
(X) = the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise.
If Warrant Shares are issued in such a cashless exercise, the parties acknowledge and agree that in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, the Warrant Shares shall take on the registered characteristics of the Warrants being exercised. The Company agrees not to take any position contrary to this Section 2(c).
“Bid Price” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the bid price of the Common Stock for the time in question (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if OTCQB or OTCQX is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported on The Pink Open Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the
holders of a majority in interest of the Securities then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if OTCQB or OTCQX is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported on The Pink Open Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the holders of a majority in interest of the Securities then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
d) | Mechanics of Exercise. |
i. Delivery of Warrant Shares Upon Exercise. The Company shall cause the Warrant Shares purchased hereunder to be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s or its designee’s balance account with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) if the Company is then a participant in such system and either (A) there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to or resale of the Warrant Shares by the Holder or (B) this Warrant is being exercised via cashless exercise, and otherwise by physical delivery of a certificate, registered in the Company’s share register in the name of the Holder or its designee, for the number of Warrant Shares to which the Holder is entitled pursuant to such exercise to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise by the date that is the earliest of (i) two (2) Trading Days after the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise, (ii) one (1) Trading Day after delivery of the aggregate Exercise Price to the Company and (iii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period after the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise (such date, the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”). Upon delivery of the Notice of Exercise, the Holder shall be deemed for all corporate purposes to have become the holder of record of the Warrant Shares with respect to which this Warrant has been exercised, irrespective of the date of delivery of the Warrant Shares, provided that payment of the aggregate Exercise Price (other than in the case of a cashless exercise) is received within the earlier of (i) two (2) Trading Days and (ii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period following delivery of the Notice of Exercise. If the Company has received payment of the aggregate Exercise Price and fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder the Warrant Shares subject to a Notice of Exercise by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of Warrant Shares subject to such exercise (based on the VWAP of the Common Stock on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise), $10 per Trading Day (increasing to $20 per Trading Day on the fifth Trading Day after the Warrant Share Delivery Date) for each Trading Day after such Warrant Share Delivery Date until such Warrant Shares are delivered or Holder rescinds such exercise. The Company agrees to maintain a transfer agent that is a participant in the FAST program so long as this Warrant remains outstanding and exercisable. As used herein, “Standard Settlement Period” means the standard settlement period, expressed in a number of Trading Days, on the Company’s primary Trading Market with respect to the Common Stock as in effect on the date of delivery of the Notice of Exercise.
ii. Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this
Warrant certificate, at the time of delivery of the Warrant Shares, deliver to the Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.
iii. Rescission Rights. If the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise.
iv. Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Warrant Shares Upon Exercise. In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(d)(i) above pursuant to an exercise on or before the Warrant Share Delivery Date (other than any such failure that is solely due to any action or inaction by the Holder with respect to such exercise), and if after such date the Holder is required by its broker to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise) or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant Shares which the Holder anticipated receiving upon such exercise (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder the amount, if any, by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the shares of Common Stock so purchased exceeds (y) the amount obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue times (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed, and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of the Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant Shares for which such exercise was not honored (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder. For example, if the Holder purchases Common Stock having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of shares of Common Stock with an aggregate sale price giving rise to such purchase obligation of $10,000, under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Company, evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof.
v. No Fractional Shares or Scrip. No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.
vi. Charges, Taxes and Expenses. Issuance of Warrant Shares shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such Warrant Shares, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such Warrant Shares shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided, however, that, in the event that Warrant Shares are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by the Assignment Form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental
thereto. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees required for same-day processing of any Notice of Exercise and all fees to the Depository Trust Company (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions) required for same-day electronic delivery of the Warrant Shares.
vii. Closing of Books. The Company will not close its stockholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.
e) Holder’s Exercise Limitations. The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and a Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates (such Persons, “Attribution Parties”)), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below). For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates and Attribution Parties shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of shares of Common Stock which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, nonexercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or nonconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other Common Stock Equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. Upon the written or oral request of a Holder, the Company shall within one Trading Day confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates or Attribution Parties since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 9.99% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant.
Section 3. Certain Adjustments.
a) Stock Dividends and Splits. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions on shares of its Common Stock or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in shares of Common Stock (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides outstanding shares of Common Stock into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split or consolidation) outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues by reclassification of shares of the Common Stock any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.
b) Subsequent Rights Offerings. In addition to any adjustments pursuant to Section 3(a) above, if at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any Common Stock Equivalents or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to the record holders of any class of shares of Common Stock (the “Purchase Rights”), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of shares of Common Stock are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights (provided, however, that, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Purchase Right would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to such extent (or beneficial ownership of such shares of Common Stock as a result of such Purchase Right to such extent) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation).
c) Pro Rata Distributions. During such time as this Warrant is outstanding, if the Company shall declare or make any dividend or other distribution of its assets (or rights to acquire its assets) to holders of shares of Common Stock, by way of return of capital or otherwise (including, without limitation, any distribution of cash, stock or other securities, property or options by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction) (a “Distribution”), at any time after the issuance of this Warrant, then, in each such case, the Holder shall be entitled to participate in such Distribution to the same extent that the Holder would have participated therein if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date of which a record is taken for such Distribution, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of shares of Common Stock are to be determined for the participation in such Distribution (provided, however, that, to the extent that the Holder's right to participate in any such Distribution would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Distribution to such extent (or in the beneficial ownership of any shares of Common Stock as a result of such Distribution to such extent) and the portion of such Distribution shall be held in abeyance for the benefit of the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation).
d) Fundamental Transaction. If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company into another Person (excluding a merger effected solely to change the Company’s name or a re-domestication), (ii) the Company (and all of its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole), directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Stock are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Stock, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the Common Stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off, merger or scheme of arrangement) with another Person or group of Persons whereby such other Person or group acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (not including any shares of Common Stock held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination) (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, at the option of the Holder (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant), the number of shares of Common Stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant). For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one share of Common Stock in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Common Stock are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction. The Company shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Company is not the survivor (the “Successor Entity”) to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(d) pursuant to written agreements prior to such Fundamental Transaction and shall, at the option of the Holder, deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Warrant which is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the shares of Common Stock acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on the exercise of this Warrant) prior to such Fundamental Transaction, and with an exercise price which applies the exercise price hereunder to such shares of capital stock (but taking into account the relative value of the shares of Common Stock pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction). Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Warrant referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right and power of the Company and shall assume all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein.
e) Calculations. All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.
f) Notice to Holder.
i. Adjustment to Exercise Price. Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly deliver to the Holder by facsimile or email a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and any resulting adjustment to the number of Warrant Shares and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.
ii. Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder. If (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Stock, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Stock, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Stock, any consolidation or merger to which the Company is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of its assets, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Stock is converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be delivered by facsimile or email to the Holder at its last facsimile number or email address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice (unless such information is filed with the Commission, in which case a notice shall not be required) stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Stock of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Stock of record shall be entitled to exchange their shares of the Common Stock for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to deliver such notice or any defect therein or in the delivery thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice provided in this Warrant constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.
Section 4. Transfer of Warrant.
a) Transferability. Subject to compliance with any applicable securities laws, this Warrant and all rights hereunder are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this
Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. The Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company within three (3) Trading Days of the date on which the Holder delivers an assignment form to the Company assigning this Warrant in full. The Warrant, if properly assigned in accordance herewith, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued.
b) New Warrants. This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the original Issue Date and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.
c) Warrant Register. The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company for that purpose (the “Warrant Register”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.
Section 5. Miscellaneous.
a) No Rights as Stockholder Until Exercise; No Settlement in Cash. This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, dividends or other rights as a stockholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof as set forth in Section 2(d)(i), except as expressly set forth in Section 3. Without limiting any rights of a Holder to receive Warrant Shares on a “cashless exercise” pursuant to Section 2(c) or to receive cash payments pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) and Section 2(d)(iv) herein, in no event, including if the Company is for any reason unable to issue and deliver Warrant Shares upon exercise of the this Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof, shall the Company be required to net cash settle an exercise of this Warrant or cash settle in any other form.
b) Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any stock certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it (which, in the case of the Warrant, shall not include the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate.
c) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Trading Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Trading Day.
d) Authorized Shares.
The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Stock a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of issuing the necessary Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Common Stock may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by
this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).
Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the Holder, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its certificate of incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.
Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.
e) Jurisdiction. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Purchase Agreement.
f) [Reserved]
g) Nonwaiver and Expenses. No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice the Holder’s rights, powers or remedies. Without limiting any other provision of this Warrant or the Purchase Agreement, if the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to the Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by the Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder.
h) Notices. Any notice, request or other document required or permitted to be given or delivered to the Holder by the Company shall be delivered in accordance with the notice provisions of the Purchase Agreement.
i) Limitation of Liability. No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by the Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of the Holder, shall give rise to any liability of the Holder for the purchase price of any Common Stock or as a stockholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.
j) Remedies. The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Warrant. The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred
by reason of a breach by it of the provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.
k) Successors and Assigns. Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares.
l) Amendment. This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company and the Holder.
m) Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.
n) Headings. The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.
********************
(Signature Page Follows)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.
XCEL BRANDS, INC. | |||
By: | |||
Name: | |||
Title: | |||
NOTICE OF EXERCISE
TO: XCEL BRANDS, INC.
(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase ________ Warrant Shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the attached Warrant (only if exercised in full), and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.
(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):
[ ] in lawful money of the United States; or
[ ] if permitted the cancellation of such number of Warrant Shares as is necessary, in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection 2(c), to exercise this Warrant with respect to the maximum number of Warrant Shares purchasable pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure set forth in subsection 2(c).
(3) Please issue said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:
_______________________________
The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number:
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
Name of Investing Entity: ________________________________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: _________________________________________________
Name of Authorized Signatory: ___________________________________________________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory: ____________________________________________________________________
Date: ________________________________________________________________________________________
EXHIBIT B
ASSIGNMENT FORM
(To assign the foregoing Warrant, execute this form and supply required information. Do not use this form to purchase shares.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to
Name: | ______________________________________ |
(Please Print) | |
Address: | ______________________________________ |
(Please Print) | |
Phone Number: Email Address: | ______________________________________ ______________________________________ |
Dated: _______________ __, ______ | |
Holder’s Signature: | |
Holder’s Address: |
Exhibit 10.20
SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This Securities Purchase Agreement (this “Agreement”) is dated as of [-], 2025 between Xcel Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and each purchaser identified on the signature pages hereto (each, including its successors and assigns, a “Purchaser” and collectively the “Purchasers”).
WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act (as defined below) as to the Shares and the Pre-Funded Warrants, the Company desires to issue and sell to each Purchaser, and each Purchaser, severally and not jointly, desires to purchase from the Company, securities of the Company as more fully described in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and each Purchaser agree as follows:
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth in this Section 1.1:
“Acquiring Person” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.5.
“Action” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(j).
“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company.
“Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York generally are open for use by customers on such day.
“Closing” means the closing of the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to Section 2.1.
“Closing Date” means the Trading Day on which all of the Transaction Documents have been executed and delivered by the applicable parties thereto, and all conditions precedent to (i) the Purchasers’ obligations to pay the Subscription Amount and (ii) the Company’s obligations to deliver the Securities, in each case, have been satisfied or waived, but in no event later than the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date hereof.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share, and any other class of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.
“Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, right, option, warrant or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Stock.
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“Disclosure Time” means, (i) if this Agreement is signed on a day that is not a Trading Day or after 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) and before midnight (New York City time) on any Trading Day, 9:01 a.m. (New York City time) on the Trading Day immediately following the date hereof, unless otherwise instructed as to an earlier time by the Placement Agent, and (ii) if this Agreement is signed between midnight (New York City time) and 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, no later than 9:01 a.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof, unless otherwise instructed as to an earlier time by the Placement Agent.
“Evaluation Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(s).
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Exempt Issuance” means the issuance of (a) shares of Common Stock, options or other equity awards to employees, officers, consultants or directors of the Company pursuant to any incentive, stock or option plan duly adopted for such purpose, by a majority of the non-employee members of the Board of Directors or a majority of the members of a committee of non-employee directors established for such purpose for services rendered to the Company, (b) securities upon the exercise or exchange of or conversion of any Securities issued hereunder, and/or other securities exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding on the date of this Agreement, provided that such securities have not been amended since the date of this Agreement to increase the number of such securities or to decrease the exercise price, exchange price or conversion price of such securities (other than in connection with stock splits or combinations or otherwise pursuant to the terms in effect on the date hereof), (c) Securities issued to a lender in connection with the incurrence of indebtedness and Securities issuable upon exercise, exchange or conversion thereof, provided, however, that such issued Securities will be subject to a 90-day lock-up in accordance with the terms of the Lock-up Agreement attached herein under Exhibit A and (d) securities issued pursuant to mergers, acquisitions, business combinations, joint ventures or strategic transactions approved by a majority of the disinterested directors of the Company, provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equityholders of a Person) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or an owner of an asset in a business synergistic with the business of the Company and shall provide to the Company additional benefits in addition to the investment of funds, but shall not include a transaction in which the Company is issuing securities primarily for the purpose of raising capital or to an entity whose primary business is investing in securities.
“FCPA” means the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
“GAAP” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).
“Indebtedness” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(aa).
“Intellectual Property Rights” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(p).
“Liens” means a lien, charge, pledge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restriction.
“Lock-Up Agreement” means the Lock-Up Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and among the Company and the directors and officers of the Company, in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto.
“Material Adverse Effect” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1(b).
“Material Permits” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(n).
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“Per Share Purchase Price” equals $[-], subject to adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits, stock dividends, stock combinations and other similar transactions of the Common Stock that occur after the date of this Agreement; provided that the purchase price per Pre-Funded Warrant shall be the Per Share Purchase Price minus $[-].
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Placement Agent” means Maxim Group LLC.
“Pre-Funded Warrant” means, collectively, the Pre-Funded Common Stock purchase warrants delivered to the Purchasers at the Closing in accordance with Section 2.2(a) hereof, which Pre-Funded Warrants shall be exercisable immediately upon issuance and shall expire in accordance with the terms thereof, in the form of Exhibit B attached hereto.
“Pre-Funded Warrant Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants.
“Proceeding” means an action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced or threatened.
“Product” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(hh).
“Prospectus” means the final prospectus filed for the Registration Statement.
“Prospectus Supplement” means the supplement to the Prospectus complying with Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act that is filed with the Commission and delivered by the Company to each Purchaser at the Closing.
“Purchaser Party” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.8.
“Registration Statement” means the effective registration statement with Commission File No. 333-[-] which registers the sale of the Shares and Pre-Funded Warrants and Pre-Funded Warrant Shares to the Purchasers.
“Required Approvals” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(e).
“Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“Rule 424” means Rule 424 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“SEC Reports” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).
“Securities” means the Shares, the Pre-Funded Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable to each Purchaser pursuant to this Agreement.
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“Short Sales” means all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act (but shall not be deemed to include locating and/or borrowing shares of Common Stock).
“Subscription Amount” means, as to each Purchaser, the aggregate amount to be paid for Shares and Warrants purchased hereunder as specified below such Purchaser’s name on the signature page of this Agreement and next to the heading “Subscription Amount,” in United States dollars and in immediately available funds.
“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company as set forth on in the SEC Reports, and shall, where applicable, also include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company formed or acquired after the date hereof.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the principal Trading Market is open for trading.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, the Pink Open Market, OTCQB or the OTCQX (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transaction Documents” means this Agreement, the Pre-Funded Warrants, all exhibits and schedules thereto and hereto and any other documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder.
“Transfer Agent” means Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the current transfer agent of the Company, with an address at 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004 and any successor transfer agent of the Company.
ARTICLE II.
PURCHASE AND SALE
2.1 Closing. On the Closing Date, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, substantially concurrent with the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the parties hereto, the Company agrees to sell, and each Purchaser, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase, (i) such number of Shares and/or (ii) a Pre-Funded Warrant to purchase such number of shares of Common Stock, in each case, as set forth on such Purchaser’s signature page hereto, for an aggregate total purchase price equal to the Subscription Amount set forth on such Purchaser’s signature page hereto. Each Purchaser’s Subscription Amount as set forth on the signature page hereto executed by such Purchaser shall be made available for “Delivery Versus Payment” settlement with the Company or its designee. The Company shall deliver to each Purchaser its respective Shares and Pre-Funded Warrant as determined pursuant to Section 2.2(a), and the Company and each Purchaser shall deliver the other items set forth in Section 2.2 deliverable at the Closing. Upon satisfaction of the covenants and conditions set forth in Sections 2.2 and 2.3, the Closing shall take place remotely by electronic transfer of the Closing documentation. Unless otherwise directed by the Placement Agent, settlement of the Shares shall occur via “Delivery Versus Payment” (“DVP”) (i.e., on the Closing Date, the Company shall issue the Shares registered in the Purchasers’ names and addresses and released by the Transfer Agent directly to the account(s) at the Placement Agent identified by each Purchaser; upon receipt of such Shares, the Placement Agent shall promptly electronically deliver such Shares to the applicable Purchaser, and payment therefor shall be made by the Placement Agent (or its clearing firm) by wire transfer to the Company). Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Notice(s) of Exercise (as defined in the Pre-Funded Warrants) delivered on or prior to 12:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Closing Date, which may be delivered at any time after the time of execution of this Agreement, the Company agrees to deliver the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares subject to such notice(s) by 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Closing Date and the Closing Date shall be the Warrant Share Delivery Date (as defined in the Pre-Funded Warrants) for purposes hereunder.
2.2 Deliveries.
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(a) On or prior to the Closing Date (except as indicated below), the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to each Purchaser the following:
(i) this Agreement duly executed by the Company;
(ii) a legal opinion of Blank Rome LLP and a legal opinion of [-] (intellectual property counsel to the Company), each such legal opinion, substantially in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent;
(iii) subject to the last sentence of Section 2.1, the Company shall have provided each Purchaser with the Company’s wire instructions, on Company letterhead;
(iv) subject to the last sentence of Section 2.1, a copy of the irrevocable instructions to the Transfer Agent instructing the Transfer Agent to deliver on an expedited basis via The Depository Trust Company Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) a number of Shares equal to the number of Shares set forth on such Purchaser’s signature page hereto;
(v) if, applicable, a Pre-Funded Warrant registered in the name of such Purchaser to purchase up to a number of shares of Common Stock equal to such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount divided by the Per Share Purchase Price (rounded down to the nearest whole Share) (such number the “Specified Base Share Number”), minus the number of Shares required to be delivered pursuant to Section 2.2(a)(iv), with an exercise price equal to $0.001, subject to adjustment therein.
(vi) On the date hereof, the Placement Agent shall have received from each ofMarcum LLP and CBIZ CPAs P.C. a letter dated the date of its delivery, addressed to the Placement Agent, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent and counsel to the Placement Agent, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountant’s “comfort letters” to underwriters, delivered according to Statement of Auditing Standards No. 72 (or any successor bulletin), with respect to the audited and unaudited financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. At the Closing Date, the Placement Agent shall have received from each ofMarcum LLP and CBIZ CPAs P.C.a letter dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent and counsel to the Placement Agent, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished by them pursuant to the preceding sentence and have conducted additional procedures with respect to certain financial figures included in the Prospectus, except that the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than three business days prior to the Closing Date;
(vii) At the Closing Date, there shall be furnished to the Placement Agent a certificate, dated the date of its delivery, signed by each of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, in their capacities as such, and not individually, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent and counsel to the Placement Agent, certifying and confirming the satisfaction of the closing conditions listed in Section 2.3(b);
(viii) the duly executed Lock-Up Agreements; and
(ix) the Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement (which may be delivered in accordance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).
(b) On or prior to the Closing Date, each Purchaser shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Company, the following:
(i) this Agreement duly executed by such Purchaser; and
(ii) such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount, which shall be made available for “Delivery Versus Payment” settlement with the Company or its designee.
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2.3 Closing Conditions.
(a) The obligations of the Company hereunder in connection with the Closing are subject to the following conditions being met:
(i) the accuracy in all material respects (or, to the extent representations or warranties are qualified by materiality, in all respects) on the Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Purchasers contained herein (unless as of a specific date therein in which case they shall be accurate in all material respects (or, to the extent representations or warranties are qualified by materiality, in all respects) as of such date);
(ii) all obligations, covenants and agreements of each Purchaser required to be performed at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed; and
(iii) the delivery by each Purchaser of the items set forth in Section 2.2(b) of this Agreement.
(b) The respective obligations of the Purchasers hereunder in connection with the Closing are subject to the following conditions being met:
(i) the accuracy in all material respects (or, to the extent representations or warranties are qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in all respects) when made and on the Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein (unless as of a specific date therein in which case they shall be accurate in all material respects or, to the extent representations or warranties are qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in all respects) as of such date);
(ii) all obligations, covenants and agreements of the Company required to be performed at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed;
(iii) the delivery by the Company of the items set forth in Section 2.2(a) of this Agreement;
(iv) there shall have been no Material Adverse Effect with respect to the Company since the date hereof; and
(v) from the date hereof to the Closing Date, trading in the Common Stock shall not have been suspended by the Commission or the Company’s principal Trading Market, and, at any time prior to the Closing Date, trading in securities generally as reported by Bloomberg L.P. shall not have been suspended or limited, or minimum prices shall not have been established on securities whose trades are reported by such service, or on any Trading Market, nor shall a banking moratorium have been declared either by the United States or New York State authorities nor shall there have occurred any material outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other national or international calamity of such magnitude in its effect on, or any material adverse change in, any financial market which, in each case, in the reasonable judgment of such Purchaser, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to purchase the Securities at the Closing.
ARTICLE III.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
3.1 Representations and Warranties of the Company. Except as explicitly described in the SEC Reports, which descriptions shall be deemed a part hereof and shall qualify any representation or otherwise made herein to the extent of the disclosure contained in the applicable SEC Report, the Company hereby makes the following representations and warranties to each Purchaser:
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(a) Subsidiaries. All of the direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company are set forth in the SEC Reports. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary which it owns, free and clear of any Liens, and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. If the Company has no subsidiaries, all other references to the Subsidiaries or any of them in the Transaction Documents shall be disregarded.
(b) Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation nor default of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”) and no Proceeding has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.
(c) Authorization; Enforcement. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Board of Directors, a committee of the Board of Directors or the Company’s stockholders in connection herewith or therewith, in each case, other than in connection with the Required Approvals and subject to any stockholder approval that may be requested by the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC,. This Agreement and each other Transaction Document to which it is a party has been (or upon delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(d) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, 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 upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, anti-dilution or similar adjustments, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(e) Filings, Consents and Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than: (i) the filings required pursuant to Section 4.4 of this Agreement, (ii) with respect to applicable federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry regulatory Authority, Inc., and (iii) application(s) to each applicable Trading Market for the listing of the Shares and the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares for trading thereon in the time and manner required thereby (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).
(f) Issuance of the Securities; Registration. The Securities are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the applicable Transaction Documents, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Pre-Funded Warrant Shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Pre-Funded Warrants, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Company has prepared and filed the Registration Statement in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act, which became effective on [-], 2025, including the Prospectus, and such amendments and supplements thereto as may have been required to the date of this Agreement. The Registration Statement is effective under the Securities Act and no stop order preventing or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus has been issued by the Commission and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, are threatened by the Commission. At the time the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto became effective, at the date of this Agreement and at the Closing Date, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto conformed and will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading (other than information with respect to Maxim Group LLC, as to which the Company makes no representation); and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto was issued and at the Closing Date, conformed and will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (other than information with respect to Maxim Group LLC, as to which the Company makes no representation).
(g) Capitalization. The capitalization of the Company as of March 31, 2025, is as set forth in the SEC Reports. The Company has not issued any capital stock since its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act, other than pursuant to (i) the exercise of employee stock options and granting of restricted stock units under the Company’s stock option plans and (ii) the issuance of shares of Common Stock to employees pursuant to the Company’s employee stock purchase plans and pursuant to the conversion and/or exercise of Common Stock Equivalents outstanding as of the date of the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act or set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. No Person has any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents which right has not been waived or satisfied. There are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any shares of Common Stock or the capital stock of any Subsidiary, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents or capital stock of any Subsidiary. The issuance and sale of the Securities will not obligate the Company or any Subsidiary to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other than the Purchasers). There are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary with any provision that adjusts the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price of such security or instrument upon an issuance of securities by the Company or any Subsidiary. There are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary that contain any redemption or similar provisions, and there are no contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to redeem a security of the Company or such Subsidiary. The Company does not have
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any stock appreciation rights or “phantom stock” plans or agreements or any similar plan or agreement. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. There are no stockholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s stockholders.
(h) SEC Reports; Financial Statements. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the two years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, together with the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) As of their respective dates (except to the extent any such SEC Report was subsequently amended), the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company is an issuer subject to Rule 144(i) under the Securities Act, and is not currently a “shell company” and at least one year has passed since it filed “Form 10 Information” with the Commission. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments.
(i) Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, except as set forth in the SEC Reports, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant to existing Company stock option plans. The Company does not have pending before the Commission any request for confidential treatment of information. Except for the issuance of the Securities contemplated by this Agreement, no event, liability, fact, circumstance, occurrence or development has occurred or exists or is reasonably expected to occur or exist with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, prospects, properties, operations, assets or financial condition that would be required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is made or deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least one Trading Day prior to the date that this representation is made.
(j) Litigation. There is no action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) (collectively, an “Action”) which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company. Neither the Company nor any
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Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act.
(k) Labor Relations. No labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company, which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their employees are good. To the knowledge of the Company, no executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary, is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. To the knowledge of the Company, the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects with all U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(l) Compliance. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is 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 or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary 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), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental authority or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except in each case as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with all federal, state, local and foreign laws relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata), including laws relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, or toxic or hazardous substances or wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) into the environment, or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials, as well as all authorizations, codes, decrees, demands, or demand letters, injunctions, judgments, licenses, notices or notice letters, orders, permits, plans or regulations, issued, entered, promulgated or approved thereunder (“Environmental Laws”); (ii) have received all permits licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval where in each clause (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to so comply could be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Regulatory Permits. The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports, except where the failure to possess such permits could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (“Material Permits”), and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit.
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(o) Title to Assets. The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for (i) Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries and (ii) Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, for which appropriate reserves have been made therefor in accordance with GAAP and, the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance, except where such failure could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(p) Intellectual Property. The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or required for use in connection with their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports and which the failure to so have would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). Other than as set forth in the SEC Reports, none of, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of, the Intellectual Property Rights has expired, terminated or been abandoned, or is expected to expire or terminate or be abandoned, within two (2) years from the date of this Agreement, except as could not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, a written notice of a claim or otherwise has any knowledge that the Intellectual Property Rights violate or infringe upon the rights of any Person, except as could not have or reasonably be expected to not have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, all such Intellectual Property Rights are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights, except as could not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) Insurance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers it believes to be of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged, including, but not limited to, directors and officers insurance coverage. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business without a significant increase in cost.
(r) Transactions With Affiliates and Employees. None of the officers or directors of the Company or any Subsidiary and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, providing for the borrowing of money from or lending of money to or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee, stockholder, member or partner, in each case in excess of $120,000 other than for (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including stock option agreements under any stock option plan of the Company.
(s) Sarbanes-Oxley; Internal Accounting Controls. The Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, that are effective as of the date hereof, and any and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder that are effective as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date. The Company and
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the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls with the goal of providing reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company and the Subsidiaries have established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and the Subsidiaries and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the end of the period covered by the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation Date”). The Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no changes in the internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in the Exchange Act) of the Company and its Subsidiaries that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial reporting of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(t) Certain Fees. Except for fees payable by the Company to the Placement Agent, no brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any Subsidiary to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Purchasers shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, other than any obligations incurred directly by a Purchaser.
(u) Investment Company. The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately after receipt of payment for the Securities, will not be or be an Affiliate of, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become an “investment company” subject to registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(v) Registration Rights. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, no Person has any right to cause the Company or any Subsidiary to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary.
(w) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration. The Company has not, in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is or has been listed or quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of such Trading Market. The Common Stock is currently eligible for electronic transfer through the Depository Trust Company or another established clearing corporation and the Company is current in payment of the fees to the Depository Trust Company (or such other established clearing corporation) in connection with such electronic transfer.
(x) Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and the Board of Directors have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s certificate of incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Purchasers as a result of the Purchasers and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising their rights under the Transaction Documents, including
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without limitation as a result of the Company’s issuance of the Securities and the Purchasers’ ownership of the Securities.
(y) Disclosure. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, the Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided any of the Purchasers or their agents or counsel with any information that it believes constitutes or might constitute material, non-public information which is not otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus Supplement. The Company understands and confirms that the Purchasers will rely on the foregoing representation in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. The Company acknowledges and agrees that no Purchaser makes or has made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in Section 3.2 hereof.
(z) No Integrated Offering. Assuming the accuracy of the Purchasers’ representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.2, neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause this offering of the Securities to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of any applicable shareholder approval provisions of any Trading Market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated.
(aa) [RESERVED].
(bb) Tax Status. Except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries each (i) has made or filed all United States federal, state and local income and all foreign income and franchise tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations and (iii) has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment of all material taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply. There are no unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of the Company or of any Subsidiary know of no basis for any such claim.
(cc) Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company or any Subsidiary (or made by any person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation of law, or (iv) violated in any material respect any provision of FCPA.
(dd) Accountants. To the knowledge and belief of the Company, the Company’s accounting firm (i) is a registered public accounting firm as required by the Exchange Act and (ii) shall express its opinion with respect to the financial statements to be included in the Company’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025 (or such other fiscal year end then applicable to the Company).
(ee) Acknowledgment Regarding Purchasers’ Purchase of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that each of the Purchasers is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company further acknowledges that no Purchaser is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby and any advice given by any Purchaser or any of their respective representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is merely incidental to the Purchasers’ purchase of the Securities. The Company further represents to each Purchaser that the Company’s decision
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to enter into this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company and its representatives.
(ff) Acknowledgment Regarding Purchaser’s Trading Activity. Anything in this Agreement or elsewhere herein to the contrary notwithstanding (except for Sections 3.2(f) and 4.14 hereof), it is understood and acknowledged by the Company that: (i) none of the Purchasers has been asked by the Company to agree, nor has any Purchaser agreed, to desist from purchasing or selling, long and/or short, securities of the Company, or “derivative” securities based on securities issued by the Company or to hold the Securities for any specified term; (ii) past or future open market or other transactions by any Purchaser, specifically including, without limitation, Short Sales or “derivative” transactions, before or after the closing of this or future private placement transactions, may negatively impact the market price of the Company’s publicly-traded securities; (iii) any Purchaser, and counter-parties in “derivative” transactions to which any such Purchaser is a party, directly or indirectly, presently may have a “short” position in the Common Stock, and (iv) each Purchaser shall not be deemed to have any affiliation with or control over any arm’s length counter-party in any “derivative” transaction. The Company further understands and acknowledges that (y) one or more Purchasers may engage in hedging activities at various times during the period that the Securities are outstanding, including, without limitation, during the periods that the value of the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares deliverable with respect to Securities are being determined, and (z) such hedging activities (if any) could reduce the value of the existing stockholders’ equity interests in the Company at and after the time that the hedging activities are being conducted. The Company acknowledges that such aforementioned hedging activities do not constitute a breach of any of the Transaction Documents.
(gg) Regulation M Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Placement Agent in connection with the placement of the Securities.
(hh)[INTENTIONALLY OMITTED]
(ii) Stock Option Plans. Each stock option granted by the Company under the Company’s stock option plan was granted (i) in accordance with the terms of the Company’s stock option plan and (ii) with an exercise price at least equal to the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date such stock option would be considered granted under GAAP and applicable law. No stock option granted under the Company’s stock option plan has been backdated. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no Company policy or practice to knowingly grant, stock options prior to, or otherwise knowingly coordinate the grant of stock options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its Subsidiaries or their financial results or prospects.
(jj) Cybersecurity. Except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Event, (i)(x) there has been no security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of its respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of it), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) and (y) other than as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company and the Subsidiaries have not been notified of, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any security breach or other compromise to its IT Systems and Data which had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, the Company and the Subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable safeguards to maintain and protect its material confidential information
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and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and Data; and (iv) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.
(kk) Office of Foreign Assets Control. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”).
(ll) U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Company shall so certify upon Purchaser’s request.
(mm) Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.
(nn) Money Laundering. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, applicable money laundering statutes and applicable rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no Action or Proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, threatened.
(oo) Other Covered Persons. Other than the Placement Agent, the Company is not aware of any person (other than any Issuer Covered Person) that has been or will be paid (directly or indirectly) remuneration for solicitation of purchasers in connection with the sale of any Securities.
(pp) Notice of Disqualification Events. The Company will notify the Purchasers in writing, prior to the Closing Date of (i) any Disqualification Event relating to any Issuer Covered Person and (ii) any event that would, with the passage of time, reasonably be expected to become a Disqualification Event relating to any Issuer Covered Person, in each case of which it is aware.
3.2 Representations and Warranties of the Purchasers. Each Purchaser, for itself and for no other Purchaser, hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date to the Company as follows (unless as of a specific date therein, in which case they shall be accurate as of such date):
(a) Organization; Authority. Such Purchaser is either an individual or an entity duly incorporated or formed, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation with full right, corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents and performance by such Purchaser of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar action, as applicable, on the part of such Purchaser. Each Transaction Document to which it is a party has been duly executed by such Purchaser, and when delivered by such Purchaser in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of such Purchaser, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws
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relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(b) Own Account. Such Purchaser is acquiring the Securities as principal for its own account and has no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with any other persons to distribute or regarding the distribution of such Securities. Such Purchaser is acquiring the Securities hereunder in the ordinary course of its business.
(c) Experience of Such Purchaser. Such Purchaser, either alone or together with its representatives, has such knowledge, sophistication and experience in business and financial matters so as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment in the Securities, and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment. Such Purchaser is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities and, at the present time, is able to afford a complete loss of such investment.
(d) Access to Information. Such Purchaser acknowledges that it has had the opportunity to review the Transaction Documents (including all exhibits and schedules thereto) and the SEC Reports and has been afforded, (i) the opportunity to ask such questions as it has deemed necessary of, and to receive answers from, representatives of the Company concerning the terms and conditions of the offering of the Securities and the merits and risks of investing in the Securities all such questions, if any, have been answered to its satisfaction; (ii) access to information about the Company and its financial condition, results of operations, business, properties, management and prospects sufficient to enable it to evaluate its investment; and (iii) the opportunity to obtain such additional information that the Company possesses or can acquire without unreasonable effort or expense that is necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the investment. Such Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that neither the Placement Agent nor any Affiliate of the Placement Agent has provided such Purchaser with any information or advice with respect to the Securities nor is such information or advice necessary or desired. Neither the Placement Agent nor any Affiliate has made or makes any representation as to the Company or the quality of the Securities and the Placement Agent and any Affiliate may have acquired non-public information with respect to the Company which such Purchaser agrees need not be provided to it. In connection with the issuance of the Securities to such Purchaser, neither the Placement Agent nor any of its Affiliates has acted as a financial advisor or fiduciary to such Purchaser.
(e) Certain Transactions and Confidentiality. Other than consummating the transactions contemplated hereunder, such Purchaser has not, nor has any Person acting on behalf of or pursuant to any understanding with such Purchaser, 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 Purchaser first received a term sheet (written or oral) from the Company or any other Person representing the Company setting forth the material pricing terms of the transactions contemplated hereunder and ending immediately prior to the execution hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of a Purchaser that is a multi-managed investment vehicle whereby separate portfolio managers manage separate portions of such Purchaser’s assets and the portfolio managers have no direct knowledge of the investment decisions made by the portfolio managers managing other portions of such Purchaser’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 Securities covered by this Agreement. Other than to other Persons party to this Agreement or to such Purchaser’s representatives, including, without limitation, its officers, directors, partners, legal and other advisors, employees, agents and Affiliates, such Purchaser 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 the avoidance of doubt, nothing contained herein shall constitute a representation or warranty, or preclude any actions, with respect to locating or borrowing shares in order to effect Short Sales or similar transactions in the future.
The Company acknowledges and agrees that the representations contained in this Section 3.2 shall not modify, amend or affect such Purchaser’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or any representations and warranties contained in any other Transaction Document or any other document or instrument executed and/or delivered in connection with this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for the avoidance of doubt, nothing contained herein shall
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constitute a representation or warranty, or preclude any actions, with respect to locating or borrowing shares in order to effect Short Sales or similar transactions in the future.
ARTICLE IV.
OTHER AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES
4.1 Legends. The Shares, Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants shall be issued free of legends.
4.2 Furnishing of Information. Until the earlier of the time that no Purchaser owns Securities, the Company covenants to use its best efforts to timely file (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to the Exchange Act even if the Company is not then subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act.
4.3 Integration. The Company shall not sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in Section 2 of the Securities Act) that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Securities in a manner that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Securities for purposes of the rules and regulations of any Trading Market such that it would require shareholder approval prior to the closing of such other transaction unless shareholder approval is obtained before the closing of such subsequent transaction.
4.4 Securities Laws Disclosure; Publicity. The Company shall (a) by the Disclosure Time, issue a press release disclosing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby, and (b) file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including the Transaction Documents as exhibits thereto, with the Commission within the time required by the Exchange Act. From and after the issuance of such press release. The Company represents to the Purchasers that it shall have publicly disclosed all material, non-public information delivered to any of the Purchasers by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, Affiliates or agents, including, without limitation, the Placement Agent, in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. In addition, effective upon the issuance of such press release, the Company acknowledges and agrees that any and all confidentiality or similar obligations under any agreement, whether written or oral, between the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, Affiliates or agents, including, without limitation, the Placement Agent, on the one hand, and any of the Purchasers or any of their Affiliates on the other hand, shall terminate and be of no further force or effect. The Company understands and confirms that each Purchaser shall be relying on the foregoing covenant in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. The Company and each Purchaser shall consult with each other in issuing any other press releases with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, and neither the Company nor any Purchaser shall issue any such press release nor otherwise make any such public statement without the prior consent of the Company, with respect to any press release of any Purchaser, which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld or delayed, except if such disclosure is required by law, in which case the disclosing party shall promptly provide the other party with prior notice of such public statement or communication. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not publicly disclose the name of any Purchaser, or include the name of any Purchaser in any filing with the Commission or any regulatory agency or Trading Market, without the prior written consent of such Purchaser, except (a) as required by federal securities law in connection with the filing of final Transaction Documents with the Commission and (b) to the extent such disclosure is required by law or Trading Market regulations, in which case the Company shall provide the Purchasers with prior notice of such disclosure permitted under this clause (b) and reasonably cooperate with such Purchaser regarding such disclosure.
4.5 Shareholder Rights Plan. No claim will be made or enforced by the Company or, with the consent of the Company, any other Person, that any Purchaser is an “Acquiring Person” under any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or similar anti-takeover plan or arrangement in effect or hereafter adopted by the Company, or that any Purchaser could be deemed to trigger the provisions of any such plan or arrangement, by virtue of receiving Securities under the Transaction Documents or under any other agreement between the Company and the Purchasers.
4.6 Non-Public Information. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, which shall be disclosed pursuant to Section 4.4, the Company covenants and agrees that, unless requested by a Purchaser, neither it, nor any other Person acting on its behalf will provide any Purchaser or its agents or counsel with any information that constitutes, or the Company reasonably believes
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constitutes, material non-public information, unless prior thereto such Purchaser shall have consented in writing to the receipt of such information and agreed in writing with the Company to keep such information confidential. The Company understands and confirms that each Purchaser shall be relying on the foregoing covenant in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. To the extent that the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, agents, employees or Affiliates delivers any material, non-public information to a Purchaser without such Purchaser’s consent, the Company hereby covenants and agrees that such Purchaser shall not have any duty of confidentiality to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, Affiliates or agents, including, without limitation, the Placement Agent, or a duty to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, Affiliates or agents, including, without limitation, the Placement Agent, not to trade on the basis of, such material, non-public information, provided that the Purchaser shall remain subject to applicable law. To the extent that any notice provided pursuant to any Transaction Document constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously with the delivery of such notice file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K. The Company understands and confirms that each Purchaser shall be relying on the foregoing covenant in effecting transactions in securities of the Company.
4.7 Use of Proceeds. The Company shall use the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder in the manner set forth in the Prospectus, and shall not use such proceeds: (a) for the satisfaction of any portion of the Company’s debt (other than payment of trade payables and accrued liabilities in the ordinary course of the Company’s business and prior practices), (b) for the redemption of any Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents, (c) for the settlement of any outstanding litigation or (d) in violation of FCPA or OFAC regulations.
4.8 Indemnification of Purchasers. Subject to the provisions of this Section 4.8, the Company will indemnify and hold each Purchaser and its directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, employees and agents (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title), each Person who controls such Purchaser (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the directors, officers, shareholders, agents, members, partners or employees (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling persons (each, a “Purchaser Party”) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations, claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments, amounts paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of investigation that any such Purchaser Party may suffer or incur as a result of or relating to (a) any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents or (b) any action instituted against the Purchaser Parties in any capacity (including a Purchaser Party’s status as an investor), or any of them or their respective Affiliates, by the Company or any stockholder of the Company who is not an Affiliate of such Purchaser Party, arising out of or relating to any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification provided herein is intended to, and shall also cover, direct claims brought by the Company against the Purchaser Parties; provided, however, that such indemnification shall not cover any loss, claim, damage or liability to the extent it is finally judicially determined to be attributable to any Purchaser Party’s breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by such Purchaser Party in any Transaction Document or any conduct by a Purchaser Party which is finally judicially determined to constitute fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct. If any action shall be brought against any Purchaser Party in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to this Agreement, such Purchaser Party shall promptly notify the Company in writing, and, except with respect to direct claims brought by the Company, the Company shall have the right to assume the defense thereof with counsel of its own choosing reasonably acceptable to the Purchaser Party (Blank Rome LLP is acceptable to the Purchasers). Any Purchaser Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Purchaser Party except to the extent that (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized by the Company in writing, (ii) the Company has failed after a reasonable period of time to assume such defense and to employ counsel or (iii) in such action there is, in the reasonable opinion of counsel to the applicable Purchaser Party (which may be internal counsel), a material conflict on any material issue between the position of the Company and the position of such Purchaser Party, in which case the Company shall be responsible for the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one such separate counsel for all Purchasers. The Company will not be liable to any Purchaser Party under this Agreement for any settlement by a Purchaser Party effected without the Company’s prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. In addition, if any Purchaser Party takes actions to collect amounts due under
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any Transaction Documents or to enforce the provisions of any Transaction Documents, then the Company shall pay the costs incurred by such Purchaser Party for such collection, enforcement or action, including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees and disbursements. The indemnification and other payment obligations required by this Section 4.8 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation, defense, collection, enforcement or action, as and when bills are reasonably incurred and received; provided, that if any Purchaser Party is finally judicially determined not to be entitled to indemnification or payment under this Section 4.8, such Purchaser Party shall promptly reimburse the Company for any payments that are advanced under this sentence. The indemnity agreements contained herein shall be in addition to any cause of action or similar right of any Purchaser Party against the Company or others and any liabilities the Company may be subject to pursuant to law.
4.9 Reservation of Common Stock. As of the date hereof, the Company has reserved and the Company shall continue to reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock for the purpose of enabling the Company to issue the Shares pursuant to this Agreement and Pre-Funded Warrant Shares pursuant to any exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants. The Company shall reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock for the purpose of enabling the Company to issue the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares pursuant to any exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants.
4.10 Listing of Common Stock. For as long as any Pre-Funded Warrants are outstanding and exercisable, the Company hereby agrees to use reasonable best efforts to maintain the listing or quotation of the Common Stock on the Trading Market on which it is currently listed, and concurrently with the Closing, the Company shall apply to list or quote all of the Shares and the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares on such Trading Market and promptly secure the listing of all of the Shares and the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares on such Trading Market. The Company further agrees, if the Company applies to have the Common Stock traded on any other Trading Market, it will then include in such application all of the Shares and the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares, and will take such other action as is necessary to cause all of the Shares and the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares to be listed or quoted on such other Trading Market as promptly as possible. The Company will then take all action reasonably necessary to continue the listing and trading of its Common Stock on a Trading Market and will comply in all material respects with the Company’s reporting, filing and other obligations under the bylaws or rules of the Trading Market. For so long as the Company maintains a listing or quotation of the Common Stock on a Trading Market, the Company agrees to maintain the eligibility of the Common Stock for electronic transfer through the Depository Trust Company or another established clearing corporation, including, without limitation, by timely payment of fees to the Depository Trust Company or such other established clearing corporation in connection with such electronic transfer.
4.11 Subsequent Equity Sales.
(a) From the date hereof until 90 days after the date hereof, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary shall issue, enter into any agreement to issue or announce the issuance or proposed issuance of any shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents.
(b) From the date hereof until one (1) year after the Closing Date, the Company shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect any issuance by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents (or a combination of units thereof) involving a Variable Rate Transaction. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional shares of Common Stock either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price or exchange rate or other price that is based upon, and/or varies with, the trading prices of or quotations for the shares of Common Stock at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Stock or (ii) enters into, or effects a transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit or an “at-the-market offering”, whereby the Company may issue securities at a future determined price regardless of whether shares pursuant to such agreement have actually been issued and regardless of whether such agreement is subsequently canceled. Any Purchaser shall be entitled to obtain injunctive relief against the Company to preclude any such issuance, which remedy shall be in addition to any right to collect damages.
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(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section 4.11 shall not apply in respect of an Exempt Issuance, except that no Variable Rate Transaction shall be an Exempt Issuance.
4.12 Equal Treatment of Purchasers. No consideration (including any modification of any Transaction Document) shall be offered or paid to any Person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of the Transaction Documents unless the same consideration is also offered to all of the parties to the Transaction Documents. For clarification purposes, this provision constitutes a separate right granted to each Purchaser by the Company and negotiated separately by each Purchaser, and is intended for the Company to treat the Purchasers as a class and shall not in any way be construed as the Purchasers acting in concert or as a group with respect to the purchase, disposition or voting of Securities or otherwise.
4.13 Certain Transactions and Confidentiality. Each Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other Purchasers, covenants that neither it nor any Affiliate acting on its behalf or pursuant to any understanding with it will execute any purchases or sales, including Short Sales of any of the Company’s securities during the period commencing with the execution of this Agreement and ending at such time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first publicly announced pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.4. Each Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other Purchasers, covenants that until such time as the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are publicly disclosed by the Company pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.4, such Purchaser will maintain the confidentiality of the existence and terms of this transaction (other than as disclosed to its legal and other representatives). Notwithstanding the foregoing and notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that (i) no Purchaser makes any representation, warranty or covenant hereby that it will not engage in effecting transactions in any securities of the Company after the time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first publicly announced pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.4, (ii) no Purchaser shall be restricted or prohibited from effecting any transactions in any securities of the Company in accordance with applicable securities laws from and after the time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first publicly announced pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.4 and (iii) no Purchaser shall have any duty of confidentiality or duty not to trade in the securities of the Company to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, Affiliates or agent, including, without limitation, the Placement Agent, after the issuance of the initial press release as described in Section 4.4. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of a Purchaser that is a multi-managed investment vehicle whereby separate portfolio managers manage separate portions of such Purchaser’s assets and the portfolio managers have no direct knowledge of the investment decisions made by the portfolio managers managing other portions of such Purchaser’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 Securities covered by this Agreement.
4.14 Exercise Procedures. The form of Notice of Exercise included in the Pre-Funded Warrants set forth the totality of the procedures required of the Purchasers in order to exercise such Pre-Funded Warrants, as applicable. No additional legal opinion, other information or instructions shall be required of the Purchasers to exercise such Pre-Funded Warrants. Without limiting the preceding sentences, no ink-original Notice of Exercise shall be required, nor shall any medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any Notice of Exercise form be required in order to exercise such Pre-Funded Warrants. The Company shall honor exercises of such Pre-Funded Warrants and shall deliver the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares, as applicable, in accordance with the terms, conditions and time periods set forth in the Transaction Documents.
4.15 Lock-Up Agreements. The Company shall not amend, modify, waive or terminate any provision of any of the Lock-Up Agreements except to extend the term of the lock-up period and shall enforce the provisions of each Lock-Up Agreement in accordance with its terms. If any party to a Lock-Up Agreement breaches any provision of a Lock-Up Agreement, the Company shall promptly use its best efforts to seek specific performance of the terms of such Lock-Up Agreement.
ARTICLE V.
MISCELLANEOUS
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5.1 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated by any Purchaser, as to such Purchaser’s obligations hereunder only and without any effect whatsoever on the obligations between the Company and the other Purchasers, by written notice to the other parties, if the Closing has not been consummated on or before the fifth (5th) Trading Day following the date hereof; provided, however, that no such termination will affect the right of any party to sue for any breach by any other party (or parties).
5.2 Fees and Expenses. Except as expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents to the contrary, each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees (including, without limitation, any fees required for same-day processing of any instruction letter delivered by the Company and any exercise notice delivered by a Purchaser), stamp taxes and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the delivery of any Securities to the Purchasers.
5.3 Entire Agreement. The Transaction Documents, together with the exhibits and schedules thereto, the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, with respect to such matters, which the parties acknowledge have been merged into such documents, exhibits and schedules.
5.4 Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of: (a) the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via email attachment at the email address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto at or prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via email attachment at the email address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c) the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications shall be as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto.
5.5 Amendments; Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified, supplemented or amended except in a written instrument signed, in the case of an amendment, by the Company and Purchasers which purchased at least 50.1% in interest of the Shares based on the initial Subscription Amounts hereunder (or, prior to the Closing, the Company and each Purchaser) or, in the case of a waiver, by the party against whom enforcement of any such waived provision is sought, provided that if any amendment, modification or waiver disproportionately and adversely impacts a Purchaser (or group of Purchasers), the consent of such disproportionately impacted Purchaser (or group of Purchasers) shall also be required. No waiver of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right. Any proposed amendment or waiver that disproportionately, materially and adversely affects the rights and obligations of any Purchaser relative to the comparable rights and obligations of the other Purchasers shall require the prior written consent of such adversely affected Purchaser. Any amendment effected in accordance with this Section 5.5 shall be binding upon each Purchaser and holder of Securities and the Company.
5.6 Headings. The headings herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof.
5.7 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their successors and permitted assigns. The Company may not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Purchaser (other than by merger). Any Purchaser may assign any or all of its rights under this Agreement to any Person to whom such Purchaser assigns or transfers any Securities, provided that such transferee agrees in writing to be bound, with respect to the transferred Securities, by the provisions of the Transaction Documents that apply to the “Purchasers.”
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5.8 No Third-Party Beneficiaries. The Placement Agent shall be a third party beneficiary of the representations and warranties of the Company in Section 3.1 and the representations and warranties of the Purchasers in Section 3.2. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, except as otherwise set forth in Section 4.8 and this Section 5.8.
5.9 Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of the Transaction Documents shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all legal Proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and any other Transaction Documents (whether brought against a party hereto or its respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect to the enforcement of any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any Action or Proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such Action or Proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such Proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such Action or Proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. If any party shall commence an Action or Proceeding to enforce any provisions of the Transaction Documents, then, in addition to the obligations of the Company under Section 4.8, the prevailing party in such Action or Proceeding shall be reimbursed by the non-prevailing party for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such Action or Proceeding.
5.10 Survival. The representations and warranties contained herein shall survive the Closing and the delivery of the Securities.
5.11 Execution. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to each other party, it being understood that the parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
5.12 Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.
5.13 Rescission and Withdrawal Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without limiting any similar provisions of) any of the other Transaction Documents, whenever any Purchaser exercises a right, election, demand or option under a Transaction Document and the Company does not timely perform its related obligations within the periods therein provided, then such Purchaser may rescind or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon written notice to the Company, any relevant notice, demand or election in whole or in part without prejudice to its future actions and rights; provided, however, that in the case of a rescission of an exercise of a Pre-Funded Warrant or Warrant, the applicable Purchaser shall be required to return any shares of Common Stock subject to any such rescinded exercise notice concurrently with the return to such Purchaser of the aggregate exercise price paid to the Company for such shares and the restoration of such Purchaser’s right to acquire such shares pursuant
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to such Purchaser’s Pre-Funded Warrant or Warrant (including, issuance of a replacement warrant certificate evidencing such restored right).
5.14 Replacement of Securities. If any certificate or instrument evidencing any Securities is mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation thereof (in the case of mutilation), or in lieu of and substitution therefor, a new certificate or instrument, but only upon receipt of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Company of such loss, theft or destruction. The applicant for a new certificate or instrument under such circumstances shall also pay any reasonable third-party costs (including customary indemnity) associated with the issuance of such replacement Securities.
5.15 Remedies. In addition to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted by law, including recovery of damages, each of the Purchasers and the Company may be entitled to specific performance under the Transaction Documents. The parties agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of any breach of obligations contained in the Transaction Documents and hereby agree to waive and not to assert in any Action for specific performance of any such obligation the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate.
5.16 Payment Set Aside. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to any Purchaser pursuant to any Transaction Document or a Purchaser enforces or exercises its rights thereunder, and such payment or payments or the proceeds of such enforcement or exercise or any part thereof are subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside, recovered from, disgorged by or are required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise restored to the Company, a trustee, receiver or any other Person under any law (including, without limitation, any bankruptcy law, state or federal law, common law or equitable cause of action), then to the extent of any such restoration the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such enforcement or setoff had not occurred.
5.17 Independent Nature of Purchasers’ Obligations and Rights. The obligations of each Purchaser under any Transaction Document are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Purchaser, and no Purchaser shall be responsible in any way for the performance or non-performance of the obligations of any other Purchaser under any Transaction Document. Nothing contained herein or in any other Transaction Document, and no action taken by any Purchaser pursuant hereto or thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Purchasers as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the Purchasers 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 Purchaser 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 Purchaser to be joined as an additional party in any Proceeding for such purpose. Each Purchaser has been represented by its own separate legal counsel in its review and negotiation of the Transaction Documents. For reasons of administrative convenience only, each Purchaser and its respective counsel have chosen to communicate with the Company through Pryor Cashman LLP. Pryor Cashman LLP does not represent any of the Purchasers and only represents the Placement Agent. The Company has elected to provide all Purchasers with the same terms and Transaction Documents for the convenience of the Company and not because it was required or requested to do so by any of the Purchasers. It is expressly understood and agreed that each provision contained in this Agreement and in each other Transaction Document is between the Company and a Purchaser, solely, and not between the Company and the Purchasers collectively and not between and among the Purchasers.
5.18 Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day.
5.19 Construction. The parties agree that each of them and/or their respective counsel have reviewed and had an opportunity to revise the Transaction Documents and, therefore, the normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of the Transaction Documents or any amendments thereto. In addition, each and every reference to share prices and shares of Common Stock in any Transaction Document shall be subject to adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits,
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stock dividends, stock combinations and other similar transactions of the Common Stock that occur after the date of this Agreement.
5.20 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, OR PROCEEDING IN ANY JURISDICTION BROUGHT BY ANY PARTY AGAINST ANY OTHER PARTY, THE PARTIES EACH KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY, TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HEREBY ABSOLUTELY, UNCONDITIONALLY, IRREVOCABLY AND EXPRESSLY WAIVES FOREVER TRIAL BY JURY.
(Signature Pages Follow)
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.
XCEL BRANDS, INC. | | ||
| |||
By: | | ||
Name: | | ||
Title: | | ||
Address for Notice:
E-Mail:
With a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Blank Rome LLP
[-]
[-]
E-mail: [-]
Attention: [-], Esq.
[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
SIGNATURE PAGE FOR PURCHASER FOLLOWS]
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[PURCHASER SIGNATURE PAGES TO AEMD SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.
Name of Purchaser: ________________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Purchaser: _________________________________
Name of Authorized Signatory: _______________________________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory: ________________________________________________
Email Address of Authorized Signatory:_________________________________________
Principal Place of Business:
Address for Notice to Purchaser:
Address for Delivery of Warrants to Purchaser (if not same as address for notice):
Subscription Amount: $_________________
Shares: _________________
Pre-Funded Warrant Shares: ___________
Class A Warrant Shares: __________________
Class B Warrant Shares: __________________
EIN Number: _______________________
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EXHIBIT A
Form of Lock-up Agreement
EXHIBIT B
Form of Pre-Funded Warrant
Exhibit 23.1
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM’S CONSENT
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-1 of our report dated May 27, 2025 relating to the financial statements appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Xcel Brands, Inc. and Subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2024. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
/s/ Marcum llp | |
| |
New York, NY | |
July 2, 2025 | |