☐ | Preliminary Proxy Statement |
☐ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
☒ | Definitive Proxy Statement |
☐ | Definitive Additional Materials |
☐ | Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12 |
☒ | | | No fee required. |
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☐ | | | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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☐ | | | Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
• | To elect Emil Michael, Amy Cappellanti-Wolf and Philip Adam Smalley III as Class II directors to serve until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders, and until their respective successors shall have been duly elected and qualified; |
• | To approve an amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to permit officer exculpation (the “Officer Exculpation Proposal”); |
• | To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024; and |
• | To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any continuation, postponement, or adjournment of the Annual Meeting. |
• | To elect Emil Michael, Amy Cappellanti-Wolf and Philip Adam Smalley III as Class II directors to serve until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders, and until their respective successors shall have been duly elected and qualified; |
• | To approve an amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to permit officer exculpation (the “Officer Exculpation Proposal”); |
• | To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024; and |
• | To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any continuation, postponement, or adjournment of the Annual Meeting. |
• | “FOR” the election of Emil Michael, Amy Cappellanti-Wolf and Philip Adam Smalley III as Class II directors to serve until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders, and until their respective successors shall have been duly elected and qualified; |
• | “FOR” the approval of the Officer Exculpation Proposal; and |
• | “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024. |
• | If the shares are registered in your name, you should contact us either by sending a written communication to our offices at D-Wave Quantum Inc., 3033 Beta Ave., Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5G 4M9, calling us at +1 604-630-1428, or emailing us at ir@dwavesys.com. |
• | If a bank, broker or other nominee holds the shares, you should contact the bank, broker or nominee directly. |
• | by Internet—You can vote over the Internet at www.proxyvote.com by following the instructions on the Internet Notice or proxy card; |
• | by Telephone—You can vote by telephone by calling 1-800-690-6903 and following the instructions on the proxy card; |
• | by Mail—You can vote by mail by signing, dating and mailing the proxy card, which you may have received by mail; or |
• | at the virtual Annual Meeting—You can vote during the virtual Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/QBTS2024 on June 6, 2024 starting at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time by following the provided instructions. |
• | by submitting to the Secretary of the Company a duly executed proxy bearing a later date; |
• | by granting a subsequent proxy through the Internet or telephone; |
• | by giving written notice of revocation to the Secretary of the Company prior to the Annual Meeting; or |
• | by attending and voting at the virtual Annual Meeting. |
• | irrelevant to the business of the Company or to the business of the Annual Meeting; |
• | related to material non-public information of the Company, including the status or results of our business since our last Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q; |
• | related to any pending, threatened or ongoing litigation; |
• | related to personal grievances or in furtherance of the stockholder’s personal or business interests; |
• | derogatory references to individuals or that are otherwise in bad taste; |
• | substantially repetitious of questions already made by another stockholder; |
• | in excess of the two question limit; or |
• | out of order or not otherwise suitable for the conduct of the Annual Meeting as determined by the Chair of the Board of Directors or Secretary in their reasonable judgment. |
Proposal | | | Votes Required | | | Effect of Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes |
Proposal 1: Election of Directors | | | The plurality of the votes cast. This means that the three (3) nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative “FOR” votes will be elected as Class II directors. | | | Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect. |
Proposal 2: Approval of Officer Exculpation Proposal | | | The affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote at the virtual Annual Meeting. | | | Abstentions and broker non- votes will have the effect of a vote “AGAINST”. |
Proposal 3: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | | | The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of shares present at the virtual Annual Meeting or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and voting affirmatively | | | Abstentions will have no effect and broker non-votes will have no effect. |
Proposal | | | Votes Required | | | Effect of Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes |
| | or negatively (excluding abstentions and broker non-votes). | | |
Name | | | Age(*) | | | Served as a Director Since | | | Position with D-Wave Quantum |
Emil Michael | | | 51 | | | August 5, 2022 | | | Director |
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf | | | 59 | | | August 5, 2022 | | | Director |
Philip Adam Smalley III | | | 52 | | | April 13, 2023 | | | Director |
(*) | Age as of April 23, 2024. |
Name | | | Age(*) | | | Served as a Director Since | | | Position with D-Wave Quantum |
Alan Baratz | | | 69 | | | January 14, 2020 | | | President, Chief Executive Officer and Director |
Ziv Ehrenfeld | | | 49 | | | April 4, 2023 | | | Director |
(*) | Age as of April 23, 2024. |
Name | | | Age(*) | | | Served as a Director Since | | | Position with D-Wave Quantum |
Steven M. West | | | 68 | | | June 29, 2009 | | | Chair |
Kirstjen Nielsen | | | 51 | | | January 10, 2023 | | | Director |
Roger Biscay | | | 56 | | | August 5, 2022 | | | Director |
(*) | Age as of April 23, 2024. |
• | Prior to the filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, reviewed and discussed with management the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements. |
• | Discussed with Grant Thornton LLP the matters required to be discussed under auditing standards established from time to time by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) and SEC rules and regulations. |
• | Evaluated Grant Thornton LLP’s qualifications, performance, and independence (consistent with SEC requirements), which included the receipt and review of the written disclosures and the letter from Grant Thornton LLP required by applicable requirements of PCAOB regarding Grant Thornton LLP’s independence and discussions with Grant Thornton LLP regarding its independence. |
Fee Category | | | 2023 (USD) | | | 2023 (USD) | | | 2022 (USD) |
| Grant Thornton | | | PwC | | | PwC | ||
Audit Fees | | | $475,000 | | | $536,000 | | | $887,500 |
Audit Related Fees | | | $— | | | $8,000 | | | $674,500 |
Tax Fees | | | $— | | | $255,000 | | | $878,000 |
All Other Fees | | | — | | | — | | | — |
Total Fees | | | $475,000 | | | $799,000 | | | $2,440,000 |
Name | | | Age(1) | | | Current Position |
Alan Baratz(2) | | | 69 | | | President, Chief Executive Officer and Director |
John M. Markovich(3) | | | 67 | | | Chief Financial Officer |
Diane Nguyen(4) | | | 39 | | | General Counsel |
(1) | Age as of April 23, 2024 |
(2) | See biography on page 13 of this proxy statement. |
(3) | Mr. Markovich has served as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer since August 2022 and previously served as D-Wave Systems’ Chief Financial Officer since August 2021. Mr. Markovich is a strategic financial leader with nearly thirty years of executive financial management experience working with rapidly growing private and public technology companies across all stages of development. He has directed the finance, accounting, tax, treasury, M&A, legal, operations, customer service, IR, HR, and IT functions for companies ranging from privately held pre-revenue startups to a NYSE-listed Fortune 500 multi-national company with over $1.2 billion in annual revenue. During his career, he has negotiated and closed over 150 debt, equity, M&A, and joint venture transactions exceeding $2.5 billion in value; over a dozen private placements; nearly a dozen M&A transactions; and several international joint ventures. From August 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Markovich had his own consulting firm where he advised early-stage technology companies on various financial and strategic matters. From June 2019 to July 2020, Mr. Markovich served as Chief Financial Officer of XANT, Inc., a privately held SaaS company with an AI-powered sales enablement platform. From August 2016 to May 2019, he served as Chief Financial Officer of OmniGuide Holdings, Inc. a private equity-backed multinational medical device manufacturer. Previously, Mr. Markovich held Chief Financial positions at three public companies including Optical Coating Laboratories, Inc., Tickets.com Inc., and Emcore Corp., and several private technology companies including Auto-By-Tel.com, Inc., Energy Innovations, Inc., Veritone, Inc. and XANT, Inc. Mr. Markovich holds a BS in Business from Miami University and an MBA from the Michigan State Graduate School of Business. |
(4) | Diane Nguyen has served as the Company's General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since May 1, 2023 and previously served as Vice-President, Legal from July 2021 through April 2023. Ms. Nguyen oversees all legal aspects of D-Wave’s day-to-day operations and the proper governance of the company, and leads the Intellectual Property team in the development and protection of D-Wave’s world-class patent portfolio. Ms. Nguyen holds over 10 years of broad-based legal experience, including negotiating commercial agreements, corporate governance, business financing, intellectual property, and risk assessment. She joined D-Wave in 2018. From 2012 to 2017, she practiced corporate, commercial and intellectual property law at Morency, Société d’avocats, LLP. She also served on the Board of the BC SPCA. Ms. Nguyen is a member of the bars of British Columbia and Quebec, an Authorized House Counsel with the Florida Bar and is a registered trademark agent. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Law from the University of Montreal. |
Name | | | Audit | | | Compensation | | | Nominating and Governance |
Alan Baratz | | | | | | | |||
Roger Biscay | | | Chair | | | | | ||
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf | | | | | Chair | | | ||
Ziv Ehrenfeld | | | X | | | X | | | |
Emil Michael | | | | | | | X | ||
Kirstjen Nielsen | | | | | X | | | ||
Philip Adam Smalley III | | | X | | | | | X | |
Steven M. West | | | X | | | | | Chair |
• | helping the Board of Directors oversee corporate accounting and financial reporting processes; |
• | overseeing compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
• | managing the selection, engagement, qualifications, independence and performance of a qualified firm to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the financial statements; |
• | discussing the scope and results of the audit with the independent registered public accounting firm, and reviewing, with management and the independent accountants, the interim and year-end operating results; |
• | developing procedures for employees to submit concerns anonymously about questionable accounting or audit matters; |
• | reviewing related person transactions; |
• | obtaining and reviewing a report by the independent registered public accounting firm at least annually that describes internal quality control procedures, any material issues with such procedures and any steps taken to deal with such issues when required by applicable law; |
• | approving or, as permitted, pre-approving, audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm; and |
• | monitoring compliance with the Company’s Code of Conduct, and oversee, review and discuss with management the implementation and effectiveness of the Company’s compliance and ethics programs. |
• | reviewing and approving the compensation of the chief executive officer, other executive officers and senior management; |
• | administering the equity incentive plans and other benefit programs; |
• | reviewing, adopting, amending and terminating all incentive compensation and equity plans, bonus plans, change-of-control protections and any other compensatory arrangements for the executive officers and other senior management; |
• | reviewing and establishing general policies relating to compensation and benefits of the employees, including the overall compensation philosophy; and |
• | reviewing and making recommendations to the Board with respect to executive officer and director indemnification and insurance matters. |
• | identifying and evaluating candidates, including the nomination of incumbent directors for reelection and nominees recommended by stockholders, to serve on the Board of Directors; |
• | considering and making recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the composition and chairpersons of the committees of the Board of Directors; |
• | developing and making recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding corporate governance guidelines and matters, including in relation to corporate social responsibility; |
• | reviewing and recommending to the Board of Directors for approval the compensation to be paid to non-executive directors; and |
• | overseeing periodic evaluations of the performance of the Board of Directors, including its individual directors and committees. |
• | Alan E. Baratz, President, Chief Financial Officer and Director; |
• | John M. Markovich, Chief Financial Officer; and |
• | Diane Nguyen, General Counsel. |
Name and Principal Position | | | Year | | | Salary ($) | | | Stock Awards ($)(1) | | | Option Awards ($)(2) | | | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)(3) | | | All Other Compensation ($)(4) | | | Total ($) |
Alan E. Baratz President & Chief Executive Officer, Director | | | 2023 | | | 575,000 | | | 153,900 | | | — | | | 316,250 | | | — | | | 1,045,150 |
| 2022 | | | 491,667 | | | 10,050,000 | | | — | | | 273,333 | | | 1,348 | | | 10,816,348 | ||
John M. Markovich Chief Financial Officer | | | 2023 | | | 400,000 | | | 102,600 | | | — | | | 179,200 | | | — | | | 681,800 |
| 2022 | | | 350,000 | | | 3,517,500 | | | — | | | 144,000 | | | 51 | | | 4,011,551 | ||
Diane Nguyen (5) General Counsel | | | 2023 | | | 255,000 | | | 43,790 | | | — | | | 86,400 | | | — | | | 385,190 |
| 2022 | | | N/A | | | | | | | | | | |
(1) | The amounts reported in this column reflect the grant date fair value of restricted share unit awards made under the 2022 Plan to the NEOs listed in this table, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 for stock-based compensation transactions. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in Note 12 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. |
(2) | The amounts reported in this column reflect the grant date fair value of stock option awards made under the 2022 Plan and 2020 Plan to the NEOs, computed in accordance with ASC 718 for stock-based compensation transactions. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in Note 12 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. These amounts do not reflect the actual economic value that will be realized by the NEO upon the vesting of the stock options, the exercise of the stock options, or the sale of the Common Shares underlying such stock options. |
(3) | For 2023, the amounts reported in this column reflect annual cash incentive earned by each NEO determined by the Company’s Compensation Committee. |
(4) | For 2023 and 2022, the amounts reported in this column represent life insurance premiums paid by D-Wave for the benefit of the NEOs and represent a reimbursement to Dr. Baratz for tax accounting expenses. |
(5) | Effective as of May 1, 2023, Ms. Nguyen assumed the role of General Counsel. Ms. Nguyen’s 2023 amounts reflect all of her compensation for the full fiscal year. |
| | Option Awards | | | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||
Name | | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable(1) | | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable(1) | | | Option Exercise Price ($) | | | Option Expiration Date | | | Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) | | | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($)(9) |
Alan E. Baratz | | | 2,920,208 | | | — | | | 0.81 | | | 5/5/2030 | | | 1,550,000(6) | | | 1,364,000 |
John M. Markovich | | | 938,390 | | | 562,996(2) | | | 0.82 | | | 8/20/2031 | | | 637,500(7) | | | 561,000 |
Diane Nguyen | | | 43,108 | | | 1,152(3) | | | 0.81 | | | 5/5/2030 | | | 178,672(8) | | | 157,231 |
| | 7,601 | | | 1,517(4) | | | 0.81 | | | 11/17/2030 | | | | | |||
| | 34,475 | | | 18,904(5) | | | 0.82 | | | 8/20/2031 | | | | |
(1) | Except as otherwise noted, these amounts represent Common Shares issuable upon exercise of previously granted options of D-Wave Systems, following the Merger. |
(2) | The remaining portion of the option vests in equal monthly installments on the 20th of each month through August 20, 2025. |
(3) | The remaining portion of the option vests in equal monthly installments on the 5th of each month through May 5, 2024. |
(4) | The remaining portion of the option vests in equal monthly installments on the 1st of each month through November 1, 2024. |
(5) | The remaining portion of the option vests in equal monthly installments on the 16th of each month through July 16, 2025. |
(6) | 500,000 of these restricted share units vest on second anniversary of the grant date of October 27, 2022. 750,000 of these restricted share units vest in equal tranches on the second and third anniversaries of the grant date of October 27, 2022. 300,000 of these restricted share units vest at a rate of 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date of March 27, 2023, with the remaining restricted share units vesting in twelve, equal quarterly installments through March 27, 2027. |
(7) | 437,500 of these restricted share units vest in equal tranches on each of the second and third anniversaries of the grant date of October 27, 2022. 200,000 of these restricted shares units vest at a rate of 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date of March 27, 2023, with the remaining restricted share units vesting in twelve, equal quarterly installments through March 27, 2027. |
(8) | 93,312 of these restricted share units vest in equal tranches on each of the second and third anniversaries of the grant date of October 13, 2022. 85,360 of these restricted shares units vest at a rate of 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date of March 27, 2023, with the remaining restricted share units vesting in twelve, equal quarterly installments through March 27, 2027. |
(9) | The market value of these shares is based on the closing price of D-Wave Quantum on December 29, 2023 ($0.88 per share). |
Name | | | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | | | Stock Awards ($)(1) | | | All Other Compensation ($) | | | Total ($) |
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf | | | 37,500 | | | 140,000 | | | — | | | 177,500 |
Emil Michael | | | 32,250 | | | 140,000 | | | — | | | 172,250 |
Kirstjen Nielsen | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — |
Philip Adam Smalley III | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — |
Steven M. West | | | 54,750 | | | 140,000 | | | — | | | 194,750 |
Roger Biscay | | | 41,250 | | | 140,000 | | | — | | | 181,250 |
Ziv Ehrenfeld | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — |
(1) | RSUs awarded and will vest 100% on May 31, 2024. |
Name | | | Shares Underlying Options Outstanding at Fiscal Year End (#) | | | Stock Awards Outstanding at Fiscal Year End (#)(1) |
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf | | | — | | | 75,675 |
Emil Michael | | | — | | | 75,675 |
Kirstjen Nielsen | | | — | | | — |
Philip Adam Smalley III | | | — | | | — |
Steven M. West | | | 311,973 | | | 75,675 |
Roger Biscay | | | — | | | 75,675 |
Ziv Ehrenfeld | | | — | | | — |
(1) | RSUs awarded and will vest 100% on May 31, 2024. |
• | each person who is known to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding Common Shares; |
• | each of the Company’s current named executive officers, directors and director nominees; and |
• | all current executive officers and directors of the Company as a group. |
Beneficial Owner | | | Number of Common Shares | | | % of Total Voting Power |
Directors and Executive Officers of D-Wave Quantum(1) | | | | | ||
Alan Baratz(2) | | | 4,068,091 | | | 2.52% |
John M. Markovich(2) | | | 1,578,293 | | | * |
Diane Nguyen | | | 332,851 | | | * |
Steven M. West(3) | | | 466,328 | | | * |
Emil Michael(4) | | | 4,938,167 | | | 3.05% |
Philip Adam Smalley III | | | — | | | — |
Roger Biscay | | | 112,196 | | | * |
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf | | | 112,196 | | | * |
Kirstjen Nielsen | | | 70,431 | | | * |
Ziv Ehrenfeld | | | — | | | — |
All Directors and Executive Officers of D-Wave Quantum as a Group (10 individuals)(5) | | | 11,678,553 | | | 7.22% |
Five Percent Holders of D-Wave Quantum | | | | | ||
PSP(6) | | | 59,431,311 | | | 36.76% |
* | Less than one percent. |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is D-Wave Quantum Inc., 3033 Beta Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia V5G 4M9, Canada. |
(2) | Includes Common Shares underlying D-Wave Options. |
(3) | Includes Common Shares held by Emerging Company Partners LLC, an entity controlled by Steven M. West and Common Shares underlying D-Wave Options. |
(4) | Includes Common Shares of which each of Mr. Michael and the Emil Michael Living Trust dated 7/28/2017 (the “Trust”) is the record holder and 3,939,091 Common Shares underlying Warrants issued to the Sponsor in the Merger in exchange for Private Warrants and distributed to Mr. Michael on August 22, 2023, which Warrants were exercisable as of September 4, 2022. Mr. Michael is the trustee of the Trust, and, as such, has voting and dispositive power over the securities held by the Trust and may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of such securities. Mr. Michael disclaims beneficial ownership of such securities except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. |
(5) | Includes Common Shares underlying D-Wave Options, Warrants and Exchangeable Shares. |
(6) | Based on Schedule 13G filed on February 14, 2023 in which PSP reported that, as of December 31, 2022, it had sole voting power and sole dispositive power over 59,431,311 Common Shares and Common Shares underlying Exchangeable Shares. PSP is a Canadian Crown corporation with a share capital created by a special act of Legislature in Canada on September 14, 1999. All the shares of PSP are held by the President of Treasury Board on behalf of his Majesty in Right of Canada, in accordance with the Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act, S.C. 1999, c.34, as amended from time to time. Deborah K. Orida, the CEO of PSP, has authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by PSP. The business address for PSP is 1250 René-Lévesque Boulevard West, Suite 1400, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3B 5E9. On September 26, 2022, D-Wave Quantum and PSP entered into the PSP Side Letter Agreement (as described in the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions”). |
• | the benefits to the Company; |
• | the impact on a director’s independence in the event the related person is a director, immediate family member of a director or an entity in which a director is a partner, shareholder or executive officer; |
• | the availability of other sources for comparable products or services; |
• | the terms of the transaction; and |
• | the terms available to unrelated third parties or to employees generally. |
• | the amounts involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000; and |
• | any of the Company’s current directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of the Company’s capital stock, or any member of the immediate family of, or person sharing the household with, the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. |
Stockholder | | | Common Shares | | | Total Purchase Price |
PSP(1) | | | 4,362,397 | | | $30,000,000 |
GS(2) | | | 727,066 | | | $5,000,000 |
Emil Michael(3) | | | 36,353 | | | $250,000 |
(1) | PSP beneficially owned more than 5% of the Company’s capital stock as of the Closing Date. |
(2) | GS beneficially owned more than 5% of the Company’s capital stock as of the Closing Date. |
(3) | Emil Michael is a member of our Board of Directors. |