As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 31, 2018
Registration No. 333-
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM F-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
LAIX Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrants name into English)
Cayman Islands | 8200 | Not Applicable | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
3/F, Building B, No. 1687 Changyang Road, Yangpu District
Shanghai, 200090
Peoples Republic of China
+86 21-3511-7188
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrants principal executive offices)
Puglisi & Associates
850 Library Avenue, Suite 204
Newark, Delaware 19711
+1 302-738-6680
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Z. Julie Gao, Esq. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP c/o 42/F, Edinburgh Tower, The Landmark 15 Queens Road Central Hong Kong +852 3740-4700 |
Haiping Li, Esq. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP c/o JingAn Kerry Centre, Tower II, 46/F 1539 Nanjing West Road Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China +86 21-61938200 |
David Zhang, Esq. Steve Lin, Esq. Kirkland & Ellis International LLP c/o 26/F, Gloucester Tower, The Landmark 15 Queens Road Central Hong Kong +852 3761-3300 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: as soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
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 of 1933, 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, 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 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(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. | ☐ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933. Emerging growth company |
☒ | |
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. | ☒ | |
The term new or revised financial accounting standard refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012. |
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of each class of securities to be registered |
Proposed maximum aggregate offering price (2)(3) |
Amount of registration fee |
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Class A Ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share (1) |
US$100,000,000 | US$12,450 | ||
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(1) |
American depositary shares issuable upon deposit of Class A ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No. 333- ). Each American depositary share represents Class A ordinary shares. |
(2) |
Includes Class A ordinary shares that are issuable upon the exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option. Also includes Class A ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first bona fide offered to the public. These Class A ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States. |
(3) |
Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933. |
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 Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information 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 nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion. Dated , 2018.
American Depositary Shares
LAIX Inc.
Representing Class A Ordinary Shares
This is an initial public offering of American depositary shares, or ADSs, by LAIX Inc. Each ADS represents of our Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs or our shares. We anticipate that the initial public offering price will be between US$ and US$ per ADS. We intend to apply to list the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LAIX.
We are an emerging growth company under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements.
Our outstanding share capital consists of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, each currently entitled to one vote. Immediately after the completion of this offering, each Class B ordinary share will become entitled to ten votes, whereas each Class A ordinary share will continue to be entitled to one vote. Our three founders, Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu and Dr. Hui Lin, beneficially own all of our issued Class B ordinary shares. These Class B ordinary shares will constitute approximately % of our total issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering and % of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights.
Investing in our ADSs involve risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page 15.
Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
PRICE US$ PER ADS
Initial Public
Offering Price |
Underwriting
Discounts and Commissions (1) |
Proceeds to us | ||||||||||
Per ADS |
US$ | US$ | US$ | |||||||||
Total |
US$ | US$ | US$ |
(1) For |
a description of compensation payable to the underwriters, see Underwriting. |
The underwriters have an over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional ADSs from us at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions, within 30 days from the date of this prospectus.
The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment in U.S. dollars in New York, New York on or about , 2018.
MORGAN STANLEY | GOLDMAN SACHS (ASIA) L.L.C. |
Prospectus dated , 2018.
Chainas First Al English Teacher1English Learning Strong demand from younger generation aspiring to a global lifestyle Al Teacher Brand new approach to education without relying on human teachers Mobile Internet Access to affordable education anywhere, at anytime Freemium ModelAttract users with free services and convert them into paying users 83.8MM2Registered Users 1.0 MM3Paying Users 60+ Minutes Average Daily Time Spent per User417.5 Bn Sentences2User Conversations Recorded 1.3 Bn Minutes2User Conversations Recorded1 According to the iResearch Report2 As of June 30, 20183 In the first half of 20184 Average time spent by users taking DongNi English standard courses per active day in 2017 and the six months ended June 30, 2018
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F-1 |
No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the ADSs offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
Neither we nor any of the underwriters has done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the ADSs and the distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus outside of the United States.
Until , 2018 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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The following summary is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information and financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to this summary, we urge you to read the entire prospectus carefully, especially the risks of investing in our ADSs discussed under Risk Factors, before deciding whether to buy our ADSs. This prospectus contains information from an industry report commissioned by us and prepared by iResearch, an independent research firm, to provide information regarding our industry and our market position in China. We refer to this report as the iResearch Report. We also procured certain data included in this prospectus from QuestMobile, an independent research firm. This prospectus also contains information and statistics relating to Chinas economy and the industries in which we operate which are derived from various publications issued by market research companies, international institutions and the PRC governmental entities, and have not been independently verified by us, the underwriters or any of their respective affiliates or advisers. The information in such sources may not be consistent with other information compiled in or outside of China.
Our Mission
Empower everyone to achieve their full potential and become a global citizen.
Our Business
We are a leading artificial intelligence (AI) company in China that creates and delivers products and services to popularize English learning. Our proprietary AI teacher utilizes cutting-edge deep learning and adaptive learning technologies, big data, well-established education pedagogies and the mobile internet. We believe our innovative approach fundamentally transforms learning. We were named on the list of The 100 Most Promising Private Artificial Intelligence Companies in the World for 2018 by CB Insights. We were one of seven companies from China on the list and the only Chinese company out of the two in the education category globally. We were also named on the list of 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2018 by Forbes China.
Today we live in a global community where people are increasingly interconnected. English fluency is essential for communications across the globe, has a large impact on individual career advancement and is an important enabler of a global lifestyle in the modern world. However, the traditional approach to English learning with human teachers teaching in physical classrooms is constrained by a shortage in high-quality teachers as well as time-and-space limitations.
Our founders identified the industrys key pain points and offer a groundbreaking new approach to education. Since our inception in 2013, we have built our AI-powered Liulishuo platform to deliver a user-centric, personalized and effective English learning experience accessible to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Our model is cost-effective, enabling us to offer affordable course packages at a massive scale. Our business has grown rapidly, and our AI-powered education approach has received wide acceptance. As of June 30, 2018, we had 83.8 million cumulative registered users in China and globally.
We have built our AI teacher incorporating the key characteristics and core functions of high-quality, effective teachers. We conducted deep analysis of and integrated into our products the pedagogies developed by the worlds leading educational experts and cognitive scientists. Our AI teacher was built on cutting-edge proprietary AI technologies that provide personalized teaching and guidance for all core components of a students language learning process, encompassing learning, practice, assessment and feedback. Our AI teacher can hear, understand, interact with and evaluate the performance of our users and has the ability to understand their learning needs. Leveraging our massive volume of smart user data, our AI teacher continuously evolves and delivers more personally tailored learning programs to each user.
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We provide our products and services on-demand via our mobile apps, primarily our flagship English Liulishuo mobile app launched in 2013. On our platform, AI technologies are seamlessly integrated with diverse learning content incorporating well-established language learning pedagogies, gamified features and strong social elements to deliver an engaging, adaptive learning experience. We are committed to offering a fun, interactive learning environment to motivate and engage our users. We provide a variety of courses inspired by a broad range of topics and culture themes to make English learning more interesting. Our online study advisors organize online study groups, monitor users learning progress, answer user queries and send individualized, motivating messages to users. They add a human touch to our users learning experience, which enhances user engagement and user retention.
Our business model is highly scalable and has powerful network effects, which has enabled us to develop a large and rapidly growing user base. The number of our average monthly active users increased from 2.0 million in 2016 to 4.4 million in 2017, and further increased to 7.2 million in the first half of 2018. Our freemium model allows us to attract users with free services and convert them into paying users. We began monetization in 2016 and had approximately 70,500 paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in that year. The number of paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in 2017 increased rapidly to approximately 815,700. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, we had approximately 1,016,100 paying users purchase our courses and services. We also started providing enterprise learning services in January 2017 and had over 100 corporate customers as of June 30, 2018. As a result of the foregoing, our revenues increased substantially from RMB12.3 million in 2016 to RMB165.6 million (US$25.4 million) in 2017, and also from RMB40.1 million in the first half of 2017 to RMB232.3 million (US$35.1 million) in the first half of 2018. We incurred net losses of RMB242.8 million (US$37.3 million) in 2017 and RMB182.3 million (US$27.5 million) in the first half of 2018, as compared to net losses of RMB89.2 million in 2016 and RMB67.3 million in the first half of 2017.
Our Industry
AI has emerged as a major transformative technology and it is starting to enable the proliferation of intelligent apps in a variety of fields. The rapid growth and development of the AI industry has been mainly driven by advances in deep learning algorithms, improved chips that can support the robust computing needs of AI, and the availability of big data due to the wide adoption of mobile devices. China increasingly is playing a leading role in the global AI industry. Chinas AI industry has experienced rapid growth over the past few years, increasing from a total market size of RMB6.2 billion in 2013 to RMB36.5 billion in 2017, representing a CAGR of 55.7%, and is expected to further grow to RMB814.0 billion in 2022, representing a CAGR of 86.2% from 2018 to 2022. The AI industry in China has received significant support from the government and investment from the private sector.
English language learning represents one of the most attractive and promising sectors in Chinas education market. It is estimated that there were 438 million English language learners in China in 2017, and demand for English learning products and services continues to grow as more and more people aspire to improve their language skills. In addition, younger Chinese consumers in particular increasingly desire to learn English in order to improve their general proficiency rather than for specific examination preparation. According to the iResearch Report, the size of the English language learning market, as measured by revenues, reached approximately RMB228.8 billion in 2017. The market size is expected to continue to grow to RMB548.8 billion in 2022, representing a CAGR of 19.6% from 2018 to 2022. As a further indicator of the prominence Chinese society places on English language learning, the Chinese government published its own standard in June 2018 with a focus on English language capabilities, to further improve the evaluation of the English language in China and the ability of Chinese to use the language in real-world settings.
Over time, Chinas education market has been impacted and transformed by the introduction of new technologies that change the way people learn. With the acceleration of AI technology, we believe we are now
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entering the third phase of development, Education 3.0, which will bring significant improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of education when compared to the offline (Education 1.0) and online human teacher-based (Education 2.0) models that have preceded it. Through the Education 3.0 model, AI-powered learning products and services serve as a supplement to or sometimes even a replacement for human teachers. AI-powered learning products and services can provide a personal learning experience similar to, or even better than, what the majority of human teachers can provide.
The benefits of AI technology applications in education are significant. Perhaps most importantly, AI can complement and even fully replace many of the functions served by teachers. AI can assess learner proficiency, provide real-time feedback on performance and curate and deliver educational content in a personalized manner. Furthermore, an AI-powered online education platform can be built on the shared knowledge and expertise of all of the best education researchers and teachers in the world, thereby delivering the very best in learning methodologies to every learner. Given the broad potential for AI applications for learning, AI-powered online education has a large total addressable market and high growth potential globally and in China. According to the iResearch Report, the size of the AI-powered online education market in China, as measured by revenue, reached approximately RMB3.7 billion in 2017. The market size is expected to continue to grow to RMB172.4 billion in 2022, representing a CAGR of 118.3% from 2018 to 2022.
Our Strengths
We believe that the following competitive strengths contribute to our success and differentiate us from our competitors:
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innovative AI-powered platform that is fundamentally transforming learning; |
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cutting-edge proprietary AI technologies; |
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strong product development capabilities underpinned by education pedagogies and data; |
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highly scalable business model with powerful network effects; |
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significant market opportunities in English language learning and beyond; and |
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visionary management team with strong execution capabilities. |
Our Strategies
We intend to achieve our goals by pursuing the following strategies:
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grow user base and enhance user engagement; |
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enhance the AI and machine learning capabilities of our platform; |
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further develop our products and enrich our content; |
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expand beyond English language learning across the world; |
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build a household brand; and |
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strengthen our capabilities through investments and strategic partnerships. |
Our Challenges
Our ability to realize our mission and execute our strategies is subject to risks and uncertainties, including those relating to our ability to:
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attain profitability; |
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achieve wider acceptance of our AI-powered education approach; |
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develop and innovate our technologies and platform; |
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attract and retain users; |
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provide an effective learning experience and convert non-paying into paying users; |
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sustain our growth and manage the increasing complexity of our business; |
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compete effectively; and |
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adapt to industry development and regulatory changes. |
Please see Risk Factors, Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that we face.
Corporate History and Structure
We commenced our operations and launched our flagship English Liulishuo mobile app in 2013. Our three founders are Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu and Dr. Hui Lin.
In August 2013, we incorporated LAIX Inc. (formerly known as LingoChamp Inc.) under the laws of the Cayman Islands as our offshore holding company. In the same month, LAIX Inc. established a wholly-owned Hong Kong subsidiary, LingoChamp (HK) Limited, or LingoChamp HK. In November 2013, LingoChamp HK established a wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which we refer to as Yuguan or our WFOE in this prospectus. In October 2015, LingoChamp HK also established a wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, Yuling Cultural Communication (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or Yuling. In August 2017, LAIX Inc. established a wholly-owned Delaware subsidiary, LingoChamp US, Inc., to operate our Silicon Valley AI Lab.
Due to restrictions imposed by PRC laws and regulations on foreign ownership of companies that engage in internet and other related business, we conduct such business in China through a variable interest entity structure. We currently conduct substantially all of our operations in China through Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Liulishuo. We intend to further expand operations in China through Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Mengfan, and Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd., or Jiangsu Liulishuo, and have established variable interest entity contractual arrangements with these two entities. We collectively refer to Shanghai Liulishuo, Shanghai Mengfan and Jiangsu Liulishuo as our VIEs in this prospectus. Shanghai Liulishuo was established in 2013 when we commenced our operations, Shanghai Mengfan was established in December 2014, and Jiangsu Liulishuo was established in January 2018. Our WFOE has entered into variable interest entity contractual arrangements with each of our VIEs and their respective shareholders. For more details, please see Corporate History and StructureContractual Arrangements with Our VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders. As a result of our direct ownership in our WFOE and the variable interest entity contractual arrangements, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of our VIEs. We treat them and their subsidiaries as our variable interest entities under U.S. GAAP, and have consolidated the financial results of these entities in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries and our VIEs, as of the date of this prospectus:
Notes:
(1) |
Represents the 11,753,847 Class B ordinary shares beneficially owned by Dr. Yi Wang, one of our founders, as of the date of this prospectus, each of which will be entitled to ten votes upon the completion of this offering on all matters submitted to the shareholders for a vote. Dr. Yi Wang will be able to exercise approximately % of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Please refer to the beneficial ownership table in the section headed Principal Shareholders for more information on beneficial ownership of Dr. Yi Wang in our company prior to and immediately after this offering. |
(2) |
Represents the 5,010,931 Class B ordinary shares beneficially owned by Mr. Zheren Hu, one of our founders, as of the date of this prospectus, each of which will be entitled to ten votes upon the completion of this offering on all matters submitted to the shareholders for a vote. Mr. Zheren Hu will be able to exercise approximately % of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Please refer to the beneficial ownership table in the section headed Principal Shareholders for more information on beneficial ownership of Mr. Zheren Hu in our company prior to and immediately after this offering. |
(3) |
Represents the 2,910,896 Class B ordinary shares beneficially owned by Dr. Hui Lin, one of our founders, as of the date of this prospectus, each of which will be entitled to ten votes upon the completion of this offering on all matters submitted to the shareholders for a vote. Dr. Hui Lin will be able to exercise approximately % of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Please refer to the beneficial ownership table in the section headed Principal Shareholders for more information on beneficial ownership of Dr. Hui Lin in our company prior to and immediately after this offering. |
(4) |
Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, and two other shareholders hold 37.32%, 10.51%, 6.11%, 11.88%, 11.88%, 10.38%, 5.56% and 6.36% equity interests in Shanghai Liulishuo, respectively. Among them, Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin are beneficial owners, directors and officers of our company; Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd. is an affiliate of the IDG entities that are beneficial owners of our company; Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership) is an affiliate of Trustbridge Partners V, L.P., a beneficial owner of our company; Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is an affiliate of the GGV entities that are beneficial owners of our company; Mr. Gu Jiong is an affiliated person of CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited, a |
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beneficial owner of our company; and the other two shareholders are affiliates of certain beneficial owners of our company. Each of Shanghai Mengfan and Jiangsu Liulishuo has the same shareholding structure as Shanghai Liulishuo. |
Implication of Being an Emerging Growth Company
As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an emerging growth company pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements compared to those that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in the assessment of the emerging growth companys internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. However, we have elected to opt out of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) the last day of the fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of at least US$1.07 billion; (b) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering; (c) the date on which we have, during the preceding three-year period, issued more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (d) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 3/F, Building B, No. 1687 Changyang Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86 21-3511-7188. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the office of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands.
Investors should submit any inquiries to the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices. Our main website is www.liulishuo.com . The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Puglisi & Associates, located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711.
Conventions that Apply to this Prospectus
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to:
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ADRs are to the American depositary receipts that evidence our ADSs; |
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ADSs are to our American depositary shares, each of which represents Class A ordinary shares; |
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LAIX, we, us, our company and our are to LAIX Inc., its subsidiaries and its VIEs; |
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China or the PRC are to the Peoples Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this prospectus only, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; |
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monthly active users or MAUs are to the number of registered users that launched our mobile app during a given month; we derive the average monthly active users in a certain period by computing the average of monthly active users of all months in that period; |
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paying users for a certain period are to users who make payments for any of our courses and services during that period; a user who makes payments across different courses and services offered on the same mobile app using the same registered account is counted as one paying user; a user who makes payments for the same course or service multiple times in the same period is counted as one paying user; |
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gross billings for a certain period are to the total amount of cash received from the sale of course packages in that period, net of the total amount of cash refunds paid to users in the same period; |
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RMB and Renminbi are to the legal currency of China; |
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Class A ordinary shares are to our Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share; |
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Class B ordinary shares are to our Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share; |
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shares or ordinary shares are to our Class A and Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share; and |
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US$, U.S. dollars, $, and dollars are to the legal currency of the United States. |
We also refer to the following terms in this prospectus:
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AppBase Mix refers to a comprehensive strength index for mobile applications introduced by Testin Data, a mobile application testing services provider; |
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CB Insights refers to a U.S.-based technology company that tracks private companies, investments and acquisitions. Its list of The 100 Most Promising Private Artificial Intelligence Companies in the World is well recognized in naming the teams and technologies that are successfully using AI to solve big challenges; and |
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Knowledge tracing means modeling user knowledge over time as they interact with coursework so that we can accurately predict how users will perform on future interactions. |
Unless the context indicates otherwise, all information in this prospectus assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.
Our reporting currency is the Renminbi. This prospectus also contains translations of certain foreign currency amounts into U.S. dollars for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars were made at the end of the applicable period, that is, RMB6.5063 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on December 29, 2017, or RMB6.6171 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on June 29, 2018, in each case as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. We make no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this prospectus could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. On August 24, 2018, the noon buying rate for Renminbi was RMB6.8030 to US$1.00.
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Offering price |
We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be between US$ and US$ per ADS. | |
ADSs offered by us |
ADSs (or ADSs if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full). | |
ADSs outstanding immediately after this offering |
ADSs (or ADSs if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) | |
Ordinary shares outstanding immediately after this offering |
ordinary shares, comprised of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares (or ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, comprised of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares). This number assumes the conversion, on a one-for-one basis, of all outstanding preferred shares into ordinary shares immediately upon the completion of this offering. | |
The ADSs |
Each ADS represents Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share.
The depositary will hold Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. You will have rights as provided in the deposit agreement among us, the depositary and holders and beneficial owners of ADSs from time to time.
We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. If, however, we declare dividends on our Class A ordinary shares, the depositary will pay you the cash dividends and other distributions it receives on our Class A ordinary shares after deducting its fees and expenses in accordance with the terms set forth in the deposit agreement.
You may turn in your ADSs to the depositary in exchange for Class A ordinary shares. The depositary will charge you fees for any exchange.
We may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If you continue to hold your ADSs after an amendment to the deposit agreement, you agree to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended. |
8
To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the Description of American Depositary Shares section of this prospectus. You should also read the deposit agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus. |
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Ordinary shares |
Our outstanding share capital consists of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, each currently entitled to one vote. Immediately after the completion of this offering, each Class B ordinary share will become entitled to ten votes, whereas each Class A ordinary share will continue to be entitled to one vote. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. [Upon any sale of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person other than Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin or any entity which is not ultimately controlled by any of them, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A ordinary shares.] For a description of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, see Description of Share Capital. | |
Over-allotment option |
We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable within 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an aggregate of additional ADSs. | |
Use of proceeds |
We expect that we will receive net proceeds of approximately US$ million from this offering, or approximately US$ million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, assuming an initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, which is the midpoint of the estimated range of the initial public offering price, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for (i) research and development, (ii) selling and marketing, and (iii) general corporate purposes and working capital, including potential strategic |
9
investments and acquisitions. See Use of Proceeds for more information. | ||
Lock-up |
[We, our officers, directors, shareholders and certain option holders have agreed with the underwriters not to sell, transfer or dispose of any ADSs, ordinary shares or similar securities or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for our ordinary shares or ADSs, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. See Shares Eligible for Future Sale and Underwriting.] | |
Risk Factors |
See Risk Factors and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of risks you should carefully consider before investing in the ADSs. | |
Listing |
We intend to apply to have the ADSs listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LAIX. Our ADSs and shares will not be listed on any other stock exchange or traded on any automated quotation system. | |
Payment and settlement |
The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment therefor through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company on , 2018. | |
Depositary |
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas |
The number of ordinary shares that will be outstanding immediately after this offering:
|
is based on 42,202,231 ordinary shares outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, including (i) 22,526,557 Class A ordinary shares, assuming the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C preferred shares into 22,367,696 Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering, and (ii) 19,675,674 Class B ordinary shares; |
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includes Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs that we will issue and sell in this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional ADSs; and |
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excludes 5,456,192 Class A ordinary shares reserved for future issuances under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and 5% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding immediately after this offering reserved for future issuances under our 2018 Share Incentive Plan, including 4,914,974 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. |
10
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following summary consolidated comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, summary consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 and summary consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following summary consolidated comprehensive loss data for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, summary consolidated balance sheet data as of June 30, 2018, and summary consolidated cash flow data for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018 have been derived from our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments, that we consider necessary for a fair statement of our financial position and operating results for the periods presented. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results expected for future periods. You should read this Summary Consolidated Financial Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except for share and per share data) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss: |
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Net revenues |
12,332 | 165,561 | 25,446 | 40,061 | 232,308 | 35,107 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues (1) |
(27,503 | ) | (57,691 | ) | (8,867 | ) | (22,110 | ) | (55,007 | ) | (8,313 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Gross (loss)/profit |
(15,171 | ) | 107,870 | 16,579 | 17,951 | 177,301 | 26,794 | |||||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses (1) |
(28,534 | ) | (283,055 | ) | (43,505 | ) | (62,935 | ) | (259,849 | ) | (39,269 | ) | ||||||||||||
Research and development expenses (1) |
(30,013 | ) | (53,162 | ) | (8,171 | ) | (19,648 | ) | (60,941 | ) | (9,210 | ) | ||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses (1) |
(8,754 | ) | (19,807 | ) | (3,044 | ) | (6,958 | ) | (26,291 | ) | (3,973 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Total operating expenses |
(67,301 | ) | (356,024 | ) | (54,720 | ) | (89,541 | ) |
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(347,081 |
) |
(52,452 | ) | |||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(82,472 | ) | (248,154 | ) | (38,141 | ) | (71,590 | ) | (169,780 | ) | (25,658 | ) | ||||||||||||
Other income/(expenses): |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income |
2,671 | 934 | 144 | 509 | 1,406 | 213 | ||||||||||||||||||
Foreign exchange related (losses)/gains, net |
(9,839 | ) | 7,145 | 1,098 | 3,658 | (828 | ) | (125 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of short-term investment |
59 | 750 | 115 | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Other income/(expenses), net |
412 | 2,172 | 334 | 1,469 | (604 | ) | (92 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
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Net loss before tax |
(89,169 | ) | (237,153 | ) | (36,450 | ) | (65,954 | ) | (169,806 | ) | (25,662 | ) | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
| (5,606 | ) | (862 | ) | (1,315 | ) | (12,456 | ) | (1,882 | ) | |||||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Net loss |
(89,169 | ) | (242,759 | ) | (37,312 | ) | (67,269 | ) | (182,262 | ) | (27,544 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Series A Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(3,601 | ) | (3,105 | ) | (477 | ) | (1,815 | ) | (1,313 | ) | (198 | ) | ||||||||||||
Series B Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(11,548 | ) | (12,565 | ) | (1,931 | ) | (6,077 | ) | (6,705 | ) | (1,013 | ) | ||||||||||||
Series C Preferred share redemption value accretion |
| (11,147 | ) | (1,713 | ) | (934 | ) | (10,520 | ) | (1,591 | ) | |||||||||||||
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Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders |
(104,318 | ) | (269,576 | ) | (41,433 | ) | (76,095 | ) | (200,800 | ) | (30,346 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax |
12,995 | (24,983 | ) | (3,839 | ) | (6,173 | ) | 2,596 | 392 | |||||||||||||||
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Comprehensive loss |
(76,174 | ) | (267,742 | ) | (41,151 | ) | (73,442 | ) | (179,666 | ) | (27,152 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Net loss per ordinary share attributable to ordinary shareholders |
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Basic and Diluted |
(5.28 | ) | (13.59 | ) | (2.09 | ) | (3.85 | ) | (10.12 | ) | (1.53 | ) | ||||||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in per share calculation |
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Basic and Diluted |
19,770,990 | 19,834,535 | 19,834,535 | 19,775,878 | 19,834,535 | 19,834,535 |
11
Note:
(1) |
Including share-based compensation expenses as follows: |
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
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Cost of revenues |
1,257 | 1,341 | 206 | 1,009 | 588 | 89 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses |
839 | 2,380 | 366 | 874 | 2,182 | 330 | ||||||||||||||||||
Research and development expenses |
2,285 | 3,799 | 584 | 1,718 | 12,592 | 1,903 | ||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses |
139 | 997 | 153 | 152 | 4,301 | 650 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Total |
4,520 | 8,517 | 1,309 | 3,753 | 19,663 | 2,972 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The following table presents our summary consolidated balance sheet data as of the dates indicated:
As of December 31, | As of June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Actual | Pro forma (1) |
Pro forma as
adjusted (2) |
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RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | US$ | RMB | US$ | RMB | US$ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary Consolidated Balance Sheet: |
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Current assets: |
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Cash and cash equivalents |
41,301 | 416,483 | 64,012 | 378,372 | 57,181 | 378,372 | 57,181 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Short-term investments |
121,336 | 35,422 | 5,444 | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
| 7,236 | 1,112 | 11,434 | 1,728 | 11,434 | 1,728 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prepayments and other current assets |
2,959 | 21,907 | 3,367 | 46,873 | 7,084 | 46,873 | 7,084 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total current assets |
165,596 | 481,048 | 73,935 | 436,679 | 65,993 | 436,679 | 65,993 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets |
167,214 | 494,325 | 75,976 | 467,368 | 70,630 | 467,368 | 70,630 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total current liabilities |
44,807 | 288,499 | 44,341 | 421,342 | 63,675 | 421,342 | 63,675 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total liabilities |
46,307 | 290,407 | 44,634 | 423,452 | 63,994 | 423,452 | 63,994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total mezzanine equity |
286,946 | 651,904 | 100,196 | 670,443 | 101,320 | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total shareholders (deficits)/equity |
(166,039 | ) | (447,986 | ) | (68,854 | ) | (626,527 | ) | (94,684 | ) | 43,916 | 6,636 |
Notes:
(1) |
The summary consolidated balance sheet data as of June 30, 2018 is presented on a pro forma basis to reflect the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding Series Seed preferred shares into 3,645,501 Class A ordinary shares, Series A preferred shares into 5,531,104 Class A ordinary shares, Series B preferred shares into 7,895,711 Class A ordinary shares and Series C preferred shares into 5,295,380 Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of this offering. |
(2) |
The summary consolidated balance sheet data as of June 30, 2018 is presented on a pro forma as adjusted basis to reflect (i) the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding Series Seed preferred shares into 3,645,501 Class A ordinary shares, Series A preferred shares into 5,531,104 Class A ordinary shares, Series B preferred shares into 7,895,711 Class A ordinary shares and Series C preferred shares into 5,295,380 Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of this offering; and (ii) the sale of Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, assuming the underwriters do not exercise the over-allotment option. |
12
The following table presents our summary consolidated cash flow data for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
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Summary Consolidated Cash Flow Data: |
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Net cash used in operating activities |
(38,591 | ) | (60,120 | ) | (9,240 | ) | (9,581 | ) | (61,949 | ) | (9,362 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net cash (used in)/ provided by investing activities |
(121,677 | ) | 69,901 | 10,744 | 119,128 | 22,223 | 3,359 | |||||||||||||||||
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities |
| 377,191 | 57,973 | 324,623 | (798 | ) | (121 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
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Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents |
(160,268 | ) | 386,972 | 59,477 | 434,170 | (40,524 | ) | (6,124 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
2,312 | (11,790 | ) | (1,813 | ) | (2,420 | ) | 2,413 | 365 | |||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period |
199,257 | 41,301 | 6,348 | 41,301 | 416,483 | 62,940 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period |
41,301 | 416,483 | 64,012 | 473,051 | 378,372 | 57,181 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Non-GAAP Measures
We use adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.
We believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss help identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that we include in loss from operations and net loss. We believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss provide useful information about our results of operations, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.
Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to loss from operations, net loss or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review the historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
13
Adjusted EBITDA represents net loss excluding share-based compensation expenses, depreciation, amortization, interest income and income tax. The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our net loss to adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
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Net loss |
(89,169 | ) | (242,759 | ) | (37,312 | ) | (67,269 | ) | (182,262 | ) | (27,544 | ) | ||||||||||||
Add: |
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Share-based compensation expenses |
4,520 | 8,517 | 1,309 | 3,753 | 19,663 | 2,972 | ||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment |
550 | 1,027 | 158 | 381 | 2,036 | 308 | ||||||||||||||||||
Amortization of prepaid interest expense and service fees to loan companies |
| 269 | 41 | 13 | 1,685 | 255 | ||||||||||||||||||
Income tax expenses |
| 5,606 | 862 | 1,315 | 12,456 | 1,882 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Subtract: |
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Interest income |
2,671 | 934 | 143 | 509 | 1,406 | 212 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA |
(86,770 | ) | (228,274 | ) | (35,085 | ) | (62,316 | ) | (147,828 | ) | (22,339 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Adjusted net loss represents net loss excluding share-based compensation expenses. The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our net loss to adjusted net loss for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
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Net loss |
(89,169 | ) | (242,759 | ) | (37,312 | ) | (67,269 | ) | (182,262 | ) | (27,544 | ) | ||||||||||||
Add: |
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Share-based compensation expenses |
4,520 | 8,517 | 1,309 | 3,753 | 19,663 | 2,972 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Adjusted net loss |
(84,649 | ) | (234,242 | ) | (36,003 | ) | (63,516 | ) | (162,599 | ) | (24,572 | ) | ||||||||||||
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14
An investment in our ADSs involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below, before making an investment in our ADSs. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In any such case, the market price of our ADSs could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Business
We have a limited operating history in a new market at the intersection of the rapidly evolving AI technology and education industries and our historical operating and financial results may not be indicative of future performance, which makes it difficult to predict our future business prospects and financial performance.
We have a limited operating history, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and ability to make profit. We launched our flagship mobile app, English Liulishuo, in 2013, and introduced our AI-powered DongNi English course in 2016. Through our mobile platform, we offer English learning products and services primarily based on AI technologies. Therefore, we operate at the intersection of AI technology and education industries, both of which are rapidly evolving. Our business model, on the basis of integration of AI technologies into language learning, is relatively new and we expect that it will continue to evolve as we grow.
We cannot assure you that we can successfully implement our business model. As the market and our business develop, we may modify our platform, products and services. These changes may not achieve expected results and may have a material and adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition. Although our revenues have grown rapidly since we began monetization, due to our limited operating history, our past revenues and historical growth rate may not be indicative of our future performance. We cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve similar results or grow at the same rate as we had in the past or at all. Rather than relying on our historical operating and financial results to evaluate us, you should consider our business prospects in light of the risks and difficulties we may encounter as an early-stage company operating in a new market, including, among other things, our ability to expand our user base and convert non-paying users into paying users, provide high-quality products and services, enhance our technology and data capabilities, build our reputation and promote our brand, improve our operational efficiency, attract, retain and motivate talented employees, and anticipate and adapt to changing market conditions. We may not be able to successfully address these risks and difficulties, which could significantly harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
If we are not able to continue to attract and retain users, convert non-paying users into paying users, and increase spending of paying users on our products and services, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We generate revenues primarily from users paying for our courses and services. Therefore, our ability to attract and retain users, convert our non-paying users into paying users, and increase spending of paying users on our courses and services is critical to the continued success and growth of our business. Such ability primarily depends on the overall experience we provide to our users, as well as the actual or perceived effectiveness of our courses.
Although we have been able to develop a large and rapidly growing user base, to continue to do so, we must attract users by continuing to build our brand and reputation as an effective English learning platform, as well as effectively market and precisely target our products and services to prospective users. To retain and engage our user base, we must provide personalized, superior user experience, offer quality courses and content covering a wide range of interests and formats, introduce effective learning products and services, develop engaging platform features, and build and manage a sticky user community.
15
However, we cannot assure you that our users will consider their experience satisfactory or our products and services effective. For example, users who cannot make a progress or feel like they are not making progress may attribute such failure to the ineffectiveness of our courses. In addition, some users may encounter trouble in navigating our mobile apps or experience technical difficulties, such as failure of our mobile apps to correctly recognize and properly record speech. Further, our users may not be satisfied with their experience with Weixin-based study groups, which may be caused by our online study advisors or by other users in the group. They may not like the mechanism of having a separate Weixin-based study group, and find the social interactive features of our mobile apps inadequate.
If we fail to address, among other things, any of the foregoing challenges, users may become frustrated by or dissatisfied with our products and services, and may leave our platform without making purchases, and paying users may discontinue using our products and services. As a result, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
The success and future growth of our business relies to a large extent on the public recognition and acceptance of our AI-powered education approach, the actual and perceived effectiveness of such education approach and mobile apps as learning tools.
Our products and services are primarily AI-driven, with AI technologies built into the core of our courses, which transforms the traditional approach to education. We operate our courses and services on our mobile platform, whereas it is customary in the education industry to have in-person teaching. The general public, many of whom are our potential users, may not recognize and accept the concept of learning on a mobile app rather than from a human teacher. They may also have concerns over the feasibility and effectiveness of our AI teacher and our products and services, considering that our business model is relatively new and there are few player with proven track records in the market. If our users are unable to experience actual improvements of their English proficiency after spending a reasonable amount of time with our AI teacher, they may consider our education approach ineffective. As a result of the foregoing, the general public may not choose our products and services, and may stick with traditional in-person teaching. If we fail to educate and show existing users and potential users about the value and the effectiveness of our innovative approach as well as further promote our products and services, our growth will be limited and our business, financial performance and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We have incurred, and in the future may continue to incur, net losses.
We have incurred significant losses in the past. We incurred net losses of RMB89.2 million in 2016 and RMB242.8 million (US$37.3 million) in 2017, and also net losses of RMB67.3 million in the first half of 2017 and RMB182.3 million (US$27.5 million) in the first half of 2018. We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate net profits in the future. Our ability to achieve profitability will depend primarily on our ability to increase our operating margin, either by growing our revenues at a rate faster than our operating expenses increase, such as our research and development expenses, or by reducing our operating expenses as a percentage of our net revenues, especially our sales and marketing expenses. There can be no assurance that we will achieve this goal, and we may continue to experience losses in the future.
We may fail to continue to develop, innovate and utilize our technologies, especially AI technologies, which are core to our success.
We believe our technologies are core to our success and are critical to the implementation of our business model. Our products and services are empowered by our technologies, especially our AI technologies. We also rely on our data and technology capabilities to build and maintain our platform and infrastructure. We cannot assure you that we can keep up with the fast pace of the technology industry, and continue to develop, innovate and utilize our proprietary capabilities. In particular, the application of AI technology in education is still at an early stage and under exploration. New solutions and technologies developed and introduced by competitors
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could render our technology obsolete. Developing and integrating new technologies into our existing programs and algorithms could be expensive and time-consuming. We may not succeed in developing and incorporating new technologies at all. If we fail to continue to develop, innovate and utilize our technologies effectively and on a timely basis, our business, financial performance and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
We may not be able to develop and introduce new products and services or upgrade existing products and services to meet changing user preferences in a timely and cost-effective manner, which may adversely affect our business, financial performance and prospects.
To attract users to our platform and keep our existing users engaged, we must introduce new products and services and upgrade our existing products and services to meet users evolving preferences. Users come to our platform aiming to improve their English proficiency, which is a general and broad concept. It is difficult to predict the preferences of a particular user or a specific segment of users. Changes and upgrades to our existing products and services may not be well received by our users, and newly introduced products and services may not achieve success as expected. Going forward, we may also introduce new products and services in areas beyond English learning, with which we have little or no prior experience. Such efforts may require us to make substantial investment in additional human capital and financial resources. We cannot assure you that any of such new products or services will achieve market acceptance or generate sufficient revenues to offset the costs and expenses incurred in relation to our development and promotion efforts. If we fail to improve our existing products and services and introduce new ones in a timely or cost-effective manner, our ability to attract and retain users may be impaired, and our financial performance and prospects may be adversely affected.
We incur significant expenses on and devote significant resources to generating and acquiring user traffic from third-party channels.
We may not be able to promote awareness of our brand and achieve widespread acceptance of our business model to increase direct access to our platform. Therefore, a significant portion of user traffic to our platform is generated from third-party channels, such as app stores of various major mobile brands as well as social network platforms. We have incurred significant expenses on and devoted considerable resources to branding and marketing activities and user traffic acquisition, and we may continue to do so in the future. We incurred branding and marketing expenses of RMB15.8 million in 2016, RMB165.1 million (US$25.4 million) in 2017, RMB30.6 million in the first half of 2017 and RMB130.0 million (US$19.6 million) in the first half of 2018. Our ability to convert user traffic to registered users and retain that user base depends on users satisfaction with the quality of our products and services offered on our platform. If we fail to meet these challenges, our business, financial performance and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.
If fewer users are motivated or inspired to improve their English proficiency, the demand for our products and services may decline, which may in turn adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Users choose our products and services to improve their English proficiency for various reasons. Some would like to study abroad in the future, some would like to be able to communicate in English at work, and some simply wish to improve their English pronunciation. However, without a specific target, such as standardized test preparation or improving grades at school, user demands for our products and services may be elastic. Some users may become less motivated or inspired to learn English or become occupied by work or other interests, and discontinue learning English. Some users may switch to products and services more specifically targeted at test preparation or designed to fit school curricula. If demand for our products and services decline, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We may not be able to successfully execute our strategies and effectively manage our growth and the increasing complexity of our business, which could negatively impact our brand, financial performance and prospects.
We continue to experience rapid growth in our business, which will continue to place significant demands on our management, operational and financial resources. We may encounter difficulties as we execute our
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strategies, and expand our operations, data and technology, sales and marketing, and general and administrative functions. We expect our expenses to continue to increase in the future as we acquire more users, launch new technology development projects and build additional technology infrastructure. Continued growth could also strain our ability to maintain the quality and reliability of our platform, develop and improve our operational, financial, legal and management controls, and enhance our reporting systems and procedures. Our expenses may grow faster than our revenues, and our expenses may be greater than we anticipate. We may expand into geographic areas where we do not have experience with local regulations or regulators or where local market conditions are unfavorable for our business model. Managing our growth will require significant expenditures and allocation of valuable management resources. If we fail to achieve the necessary level of efficiency in our organization as it grows, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.
For example, we may face additional challenges as we implement our strategy to attract a more global user base. We may be subject to laws and regulations of other jurisdictions that are more stringent, which may significantly increase our compliance costs and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we may not able to effectively attract global users and collect sufficient data to train our AI teacher, which may in turn impair the effectiveness of our products and services. Furthermore, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue from the global market and offset the costs incurred by the expansion, which could negatively impact our financial performance and prospects.
We face competition from players in multiple industries and may fail to compete effectively.
We potentially could face competition not only from providers of online and offline education services, but also from technology and internet players, especially those actively developing AI technology. Our success in competing against other education services, including English learning services and mobile-enabled education services, is primarily dependent on our ability to improve users learning efficiency and effectiveness, provide quality learning content and promote our brand. Technology and internet players that are larger than us may devote more resources to research and development, introduce new technology faster than us or have capabilities more advanced than ours. We also compete with them for talent with technological expertise, which is critical to the sustained development of our technology and products and services. We will also face increased competition as we expand our operations, and our competitors in new markets we expand into may have more experience than us in operating in those markets. Existing or potential competitors may have substantially greater brand recognition and possess more financial, marketing and research resources than we do. If we fail to compete effectively, our business, financial performance and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.
Our business and results of operations may be harmed by any failure to maintain and enhance the value of our brand, as well as any negative or malicious publicity about us.
Market recognition of our brand is critical for us to remain competitive. Our ability to maintain and enhance brand recognition and reputation depends primarily on the perceived effectiveness and quality of courses provided by our AI teacher. We may also engage in branding efforts such as marketing campaigns and online advertising. Our branding efforts, however, may not be successful and receive anticipated results, and we may incur significant branding costs along the way. If we are unable to maintain and further enhance our brand recognition and reputation and promote awareness of our products and services, we may not be able to maintain our current level of users, and our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, any negative or malicious publicity relating to our company, our products and services could harm our brand image and in turn materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We may not be able to successfully diversify our revenue streams.
We generate revenues primarily from our DongNi English course, which is powered by our AI teacher. In supplement to the standard courses, we also provide practice IELTS speaking tests, a dedicated course package for pronunciation improvement, and premium services which involve contract human teachers. In addition to
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individual users, we provide enterprise services to corporate customers. Going forward, we may further expand our offerings to diversify our revenue streams and user base. However, we may not be successful in doing so. For example, not every enterprise has an incentive to acquire training to improve their employees English proficiency, and the growth in our corporate clientele may reach a bottleneck. Our test-preparation and premium services may not reach the same level of acceptance as our standard courses. Our new offerings in areas other than English learning may fail to address the demands and preferences of users. If we cannot successfully diversify our revenue streams, our future growth will be hindered.
Our success relies on the continuing efforts of our senior management team and qualified key personnel, and our business may be harmed if we are unable to retain or motivate them.
Our business operations depend on the continued services of our senior management team and qualified key personnel, particularly our three founders and the executive officers named in this prospectus, as well as our AI scientists.
Although we have provided different incentives to our senior management team, we cannot assure you that we can continue to retain their services. One or more of our key executives may be unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions. Meanwhile, we have also provided attractive compensation packages to our qualified key personnel. However, considering the intense market demand and competition for qualified and skilled personnel, especially for AI scientists, we may not be able to hire and retain these personnel at compensation levels consistent with our existing compensation and salary structure. Some of the companies with which we compete for qualified and skilled personnel have greater resources than we have and may be able to offer more attractive terms of employment. In addition, we invest significant time and resources in training our employees, which increases their value to competitors who may seek to recruit them.
If we are unable to retain the services of our senior management team or qualified key personnel, we may not be able to find suitable replacements or may incur significant expenses in finding such replacements, thus our future growth may be constrained, our business may be severely disrupted and our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, although we have entered into confidentiality and non-competition agreements with our senior management team and qualified key personnel, there is no assurance that any member of our senior management team or any of our qualified key personnel will not join a competitor. In the event that any dispute arises between us, on one hand, and any of our senior management and qualified key personnel, on the other hand, we may have to incur substantial costs and expenses in order to enforce such agreements in China or we may be unable to enforce them at all.
Failure to effectively train and efficiently manage our online study advisors and our premium services teachers may materially and adversely affect the effectiveness of our courses, as well as harm our reputation and results of operations.
Our in-person services are provided primarily through our online study advisors, or OSAs. Our OSAs manage the Weixin-based study groups, which users of DongNi English and Authentic Pronunciation can join. Our OSAs help motivate users and monitor their progress, and respond to users queries through these study groups. As they are the ones who interact directly with our users, they are critical to the quality of user experience and our reputation. As of June 30, 2018, we had over 1,000 online study advisors and the average number of users managed by each online study advisor was approximately 500. With the rapid increase of our user base, we face increasing challenges in managing the capacity of our online study advisors and the quality of their services. We generally seek to hire and train qualified and dedicated personnel who have a strong command of the English language and are capable of delivering innovative and inspiring instructions. We train our online study advisors when they are on board and also provide continued training to ensure that they stay abreast of changes in user demands, user preference and other key matters necessary to provide services effectively. However, we may not be able to recruit, train and retain a sufficient number of them while maintaining consistent service quality. A shortage of qualified online study advisors or a decrease in the quality of their service, whether
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actual or perceived, or a significant increase in compensation for us to retain those qualified staff, would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, our premium services include tutoring sessions with contract human teachers. We have certain selection criteria for and provide on-board training to those teachers. We have also implemented performance reviews on a regular basis and users rating mechanism to monitor the teaching quality. However, we may not be able to train and effectively manage our premium services teachers, which may result in an unsatisfactory user experience. As a result, the effectiveness of our courses may be impaired and would in turn have a material adverse effect on business, results of operations and financial condition.
If our AI program or algorithms contain material defects, we may incur significant expenses to remediate such defects, which may cause reputational damage and market share loss.
Our courses are powered by our AI programs and algorithms, which address complex challenges in adaptive learning, autoscoring, speech recognition, grammar error detection, pragmatic error detection, synonym analysis and semantic understanding. If any part of our AI program or algorithms contains material defects, not only the corresponding portion of our courses would be impaired, but also the overall function of products and services. We may incur significant expenses to remediate such defects, or may not be able to correct them at all. We have not experienced any material defects to date, but there can be no assurance that our AI programs and algorithms are flawless. If any incidents of material defects took place, our user experience would be significantly harmed, and users may lose confidence and trust in our courses. As a result, we may incur significant reputational damage and market share loss.
We may face risks arising from the fact that we had operated our business without an ICP License, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operational results.
Regulation on value-added telecommunications services, or VATS, in China is strict and has been developing, while the interpretation and enforcement of relevant laws and regulations has been and continues to be uncertain. Pursuant to the PRC Regulations on Telecommunication, in order to engage in VATS, a service provider must obtain a value-added telecommunications business operating license, or VATS License, from the MIIT or its provincial level counterparts. According to the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, an internet information service provider is required to obtain a VATS License with the approved business scope of internet information service, or an ICP License. The operation of internet information service absent the ICP License would result in confiscation of illegal revenues generated from the provision of such service as determined by the competent government authority, imposition of fines up to several times such illegal gains, and under serious circumstances, suspension of the illegal operation.
Through one of our VIEs, Shanghai Liulishuo, we have provided online English learning courses and services through mobile apps since 2013. Prior to the promulgation of the Classified Catalog of Telecommunications Services (2015 Version), effective from March 2016, or the 2016 MIIT Catalog, the scope of VATS was defined in an earlier version of the catalog. Pursuant to that previous version of the catalog, information service, categorized as a type of VATS, was defined as the voice information services (telephone information services) or online information and data retrieval and other information services directly provided for end users through the fixed networks, mobile networks or internet and other public communications networks by means of information gathering, development, processing and the construction of the information platform. It was unclear whether information service provided through our mobile apps fell in the scope of VATS. The 2016 MIIT Catalog revised the definition of information service as the information services provided for users through public communications networks or internet by means of information gathering, development, processing and the construction of the information platform. Further, MIIT issued a Q&A to clarify certain issues in implementing the 2016 MIIT Catalog, which requires internet information service providers that provide service through mobile apps to obtain an ICP License. However, different local authorities may have different interpretations and implementation in practice.
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In order to adapt to the regulatory requirements, we applied and obtained an ICP License through Shanghai Liulishuo in May 2018 from the competent government authority, Shanghai Communications Administration, for our two currently operating mobile apps, namely English Liulishuo and IELTS Liulishuo. However, we cannot assure you that our operations before the ICP License was obtained will not be regarded by the MIIT or its local counterpart as historical non-compliance, in which case we may be subject to penalties. Our business, financial condition, expected growth and prospects would be materially and adversely affected if we were subject to such penalties.
We may face intellectual property infringement claims and other claims of third-party rights, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.
We cannot assure you that our operations, including courses and services, our technologies and mobile platforms, or any aspects of our business do not or will not infringe upon or violate intellectual property rights (including but not limited to trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how) or other rights (including but not limited to portraiture right) owned or held by third parties. We may also be subject to legal or administrative proceedings and claims relating to intellectual property rights or other rights of third parties in the future.
There may be certain unauthorized third-party content on our platform and our products, services or other aspects of our business may infringe third-party intellectual property rights, portraiture right or other rights without our awareness. To the extent that our employees or consultants use intellectual property owned by others or unauthorized portraits in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related know-how and inventions, portraits and other proprietary assets. In addition, our Liuliba community is open to all users. Content posted by our users on our Liuliba platform, may expose us to allegations by third parties of infringement of intellectual property rights, invasion of privacy, defamation and other violations of third-party rights. In particular, our users may share English learning materials or methods with other users by posting a video, audio clip or other forms of content on Liuliba, which may subject us to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights or other rights contained in the copyrighted video, audio clip or other forms of content. Although we have required our users to post only legally compliant and non-offensive materials, a third party may still find user-generated content posted on our platform infringing intellectual property rights or other rights or offensive and take action against us in connection with such content. Holders of such intellectual property rights or other rights may seek to enforce such rights against us in China, the United States or other jurisdictions. If any third-party infringement claims are brought against us, we may be forced to divert managements time and other resources from our business and operations to defend against these claims, regardless of their merits.
The application and interpretation of Chinas intellectual property right laws and the procedures and standards for granting trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights in China, and the laws governing personal rights are still evolving and remain uncertain, and we cannot assure you that PRC courts or regulatory authorities would agree with our analysis. If we were found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property or relevant contents, and we may incur licensing or usage fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own. As a result, our reputation may be harmed and our business and financial performance may be materially and adversely affected.
We may not be able to prevent others from making unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and may incur increasing costs to protect us against such infringements. If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, our brand and business may suffer.
We regard our patents, software registrations, trademarks, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we depend, to a large extent, on our ability to develop and maintain the intellectual property rights relating to our technology and course materials. We have devoted considerable time and resources to the development and improvement of, among others, our websites, mobile apps and our course materials.
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We primarily rely on a combination of intellectual property laws and contractual arrangements, including confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our management, employees and others, as well as the contractual arrangements with third-party consultants in connection with product or learning content development, to protect our proprietary rights. See BusinessIntellectual Property. However, we cannot assure you that such existing measures are sufficient and effective. Despite these measures, any of our intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or misappropriated, or such intellectual property may not be sufficient to provide us with competitive advantages. In addition, because of the rapid pace of technological change in our industry, parts of our business rely on technologies developed or licensed by third parties, and we may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these third parties on reasonable terms, or at all.
It is often difficult to maintain and enforce intellectual property rights in China. Statutory laws and regulations are subject to judicial interpretation and enforcement and may not be applied consistently due to the lack of clear guidance on statutory interpretation. Confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights in China. Monitoring and preventing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we take may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our intellectual property. In the event that we resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managerial and financial resources. We can provide no assurance that we will prevail in such litigation. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors. Any failure in protecting or enforcing our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Privacy concerns relating to our platform and the handling of user information could damage our reputation, and deter current and potential users and other customers from using our products and services.
Our platform stores and processes certain personal and other sensitive data provided by our users. Personally identifiable and other confidential information is subject to increased regulations in domestic and international jurisdictions. PRC government authorities have enacted a series of laws and regulations relating to the protection of privacy and personal information, under which internet service providers and other network operators are required to clearly indicate the purposes, methods and scope of any personal information collection and usage, to obtain appropriate user consent and to establish user information protection systems with appropriate remedial measures. However, this regulatory framework for privacy issues in China and worldwide is currently evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. We have already implemented certain technical measures to address the privacy concerns. However, we cannot assure you that our existing measures will be considered sufficient under applicable laws and regulations. We could be adversely affected if legislation or regulations in China are expanded to require changes in business practices or privacy policies, or if the PRC governmental authorities interpret or implement their legislation or regulations in ways that negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition to laws, regulations and other applicable rules regarding privacy and privacy advocacy, industry groups or other private parties may propose new and different privacy standards. Because the interpretation and application of privacy and data protection laws and privacy standards are still uncertain, it is possible that these laws or privacy standards may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices. Any inability to adequately address privacy concerns, even if unfounded, or to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, regulations and privacy standards, could result in additional cost and liability for us, damage our reputation, inhibit the use of our platform and harm our business.
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Any breaches to our security measures, including unauthorized access, computer viruses and cyber-attack, may adversely affect our database, reduce the use of our platform, impact our users experience and privacy as well as damage our reputation and brand names.
The massive volume of data that we process and store makes us or third-party service providers who host our servers an attractive target and potentially vulnerable to cyber-attacks, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins or similar disruptions. While we have taken steps to protect our database, our security measures could be breached. Because techniques used to sabotage or obtain unauthorized access to systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any accidental or willful security breaches or other unauthorized access to our platform could cause confidential information to be stolen and used for criminal purposes. Security breaches or unauthorized access to confidential information could also expose us to liability related to the loss of the information, time-consuming and expensive litigation and negative publicity. If security measures are breached because of third-party action, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise, or if design flaws in our technology infrastructure are exposed and exploited, our relationships with users and other customers could be severely damaged, we could incur significant liability and our business and operations could be adversely affected.
The PRC Cyber Security Law, effective on June 1, 2017, stipulates that a network operator, including internet information service provider among others, must adopt technical measures and other necessary measures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations as well as compulsory national and industrial standards to safeguard the safety and stability of network operations, effectively respond to network security incidents, prevent illegal and criminal activities, and maintain the integrity, confidentiality and availability of network data. We are making efforts to comply with the applicable laws, regulations and standards, there can be no assurance that our measures will be effective and sufficient under the PRC Cyber Security Law. If we were found by the regulatory authorities to have failed to comply with the PRC Cyber Security Law, we would be subject to warnings, fines, confiscation of illegal revenue, revocation of licenses, cancellation of filings, shutdown of our platform or even criminal liability and our business, results of operations and financial condition would also be adversely affected. In addition, in light of the evolving regulatory framework of China for the protection of information in cyberspace, we may be subject to uncertainties of and adjustments to our business practices, which may incur additional operating expenses and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Any significant disruption in service on our platform or in our computer systems, including events beyond our control, could reduce the attractiveness of our platform and services and result in a loss of users.
In the event of a platform outage and physical data loss, the performance of our platform and services would be materially and adversely affected. The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our platform, services and underlying technology infrastructure are critical to our operations and reputation and our ability to retain existing and attract new users. Our servers and backup system are hosted and maintained at cloud servers by a third-party service provider. Our operations depend on the ability of such third-party service provider to protect our systems against damage or interruption from natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, air quality issues, environmental conditions, computer viruses or attempts to harm our systems, criminal acts and similar events. If there is a lapse in service or damage to the facilities of such third-party service provider, we could experience interruptions and delays in our service and may incur additional expense in arranging new facilities.
Any interruptions or delays in the availability of our platform or services, whether as a result of third party or our error, natural disasters or security breaches, whether accidental or willful, could harm our reputation and our relationships with users and other customers. Additionally, we do not maintain business interruption insurance or general third-party insurance. Our disaster recovery plan has not been tested under actual disaster conditions, and we may not have sufficient capacity to recover all data and services in the event of an outage.
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These factors could damage our brand and reputation, divert our employees attention and subject us to liability, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may be held liable for information or content displayed on, retrieved from or linked to our platform or posted by us on other platform, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The PRC government has adopted regulations governing internet access and distribution of information over the internet. Under these regulations, internet content providers and internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the internet content that, among other things, violates PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China, contains terrorism, extremism, content of force or brutality, or is reactionary, obscene, superstitious, fraudulent or defamatory. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the revocation of licenses to provide internet content and other licenses, the closure of the concerned websites and criminal liabilities. In the past, failure to comply with these requirements has resulted in the closure of certain websites. The website operator may also be held liable for the censored information displayed on or linked to the website.
According to the Administrative Provisions on Mobile Internet Applications Information Services promulgated by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, effective in August 2016, providers of mobile apps may not create, copy, publish or distribute information and content that is prohibited by laws and regulations. We are required to adopt and implement management systems of information security and establish and improve procedures on content examination and administration. We must adopt such measures as warning, restricted release, suspension of updates and closure of accounts, keep relevant records, and report unlawful content to competent government authorities. We have implemented internal control procedures screening the information and content on our mobile apps to ensure their compliance with these provisions. However, there can be no assurance that all the information or content displayed on, retrieved from or linked to our mobile apps complies with the requirements of the provisions at all times. If our mobile apps were found to violate the provisions, we may be subject to administrative penalties, including warnings, service suspension or removal of our mobile apps from the relevant mobile app store, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Under current PRC laws and regulations, an information service provider that reposts news for internet publication shall first obtain a license from CAC or its local counterpart, and shall repost news issued by domestic news entities within such scope as prescribed by the government. The reposting of news published by foreign media is generally prohibited without prior approval. Certain learning materials we provide on our platform are from foreign media. Due to the ambiguity of the definition of news under the current PRC laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that our provision of such materials will not be deemed as illegally reposting foreign news by the relevant PRC government authorities, which will subject us to various penalties, including fines and suspension of such provision.
We may also become involved in governmental investigation or exposed to administrative penalty relating to content posted by us on our and other platforms. For example, we recently received a fine of RMB100,000 due to the use of certain exaggerating and inaccurate phrases regarding our platform which violated PRC Advertisement Law. We have paid such penalty as required by the administrative order from the competent authority.
In addition, we may also be subject to intellectual property infringement claims or other allegations as the content posted by us or our users on our online platform may infringe intellectual property or other rights held by any third party. See Risks Relating to our BusinessWe may face intellectual property infringement claims and other related claims of third-party rights, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.
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Our platform and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical, and if it contains undetected errors, our business could be adversely affected.
Our platform and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical and complex. In addition, our platform and internal systems depend on the ability of the software to store, retrieve, process and manage immense amounts of data. The software on which we rely has contained, and may now or in the future contain, undetected errors or bugs. Some errors may only be discovered after the code has been released for external or internal use. Errors or other design defects within the software on which we rely may result in a negative experience for users and other customers, delay introductions of new features or enhancements, result in errors or compromise our ability to protect data or our intellectual property. Any errors, bugs or defects discovered in the software on which we rely could result in harm to our reputation, loss of users or other customers or liability for damages, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may not be successful in developing or maintaining relationships with key participants in the mobile industry or in developing products and services that operate effectively with these operating systems, networks, devices and standards.
We make our products and services available on both iOS and Android systems across a variety of mobile devices. We depend on the interoperability of our products and services with popular devices and mobile operating systems that we do not control. Any changes in devices or their systems that degrade the functionality of our products and services or give preferential treatment to competitive products or services could adversely affect usage of our products and services. We may not be successful in developing relationships with key participants in the mobile industry or in developing services that operate effectively with their operating systems, networks, devices and standards. We also cooperate with key participants in the mobile industry to put our products on the front page of their respective apps stores and label our products as recommended, which helps us attract prospective users. If we cannot maintain such relationships at reasonable costs or at all, we may not get sufficient exposure on their respective platforms, which will impair our ability to acquire traffic. Moreover, we are subject to the terms, policies and conditions of the app stores. If any of the key participants finds us to be in violation of the terms, policies and conditions of its app store, it may seek economic damages from us or remove our products from its app store. Such incident would also harm our relationship with the key participant. Further, if the number of systems, networks and devices for which we develop our products and services increases, it will result in an increase in our costs and expenses, and adversely affect our net margin and results of operations.
We utilize payment collection channels to collect proceeds from our paying users purchases. Any failure by those payment collection channels to process payments effectively and securely may materially and adversely affect our revenue realization and brand recognition.
We depend on the billing and payment systems of third parties such as online third-party payment processors to maintain accurate records of payments of sales proceeds by paying users and collect such payments. We receive periodic statements from these third parties which indicate the aggregate amount of fees that were charged to paying users of our courses and services. Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected if these third parties fail to accurately account for or calculate the revenues generated from the sales of our courses and services. If there are security breaches or failure or errors in the payment process of these third parties, our user experience may be affected and our business results may be negatively impacted.
Failure to timely collect our receivables from third parties whose billing and payment systems we use and third-party payment processors may adversely affect our cash flows. Our third-party payment processors may from time to time experience cash flow difficulties. Consequently, they may delay their payments to us or fail to pay us at all. Any delay in payment or inability of current or potential third-party payment processors to pay us may significantly harm our cash flow and results of operations.
We also do not have control over the security measures of our third-party payment service providers, and security breaches of the online payment systems that we use could expose us to litigation and possible liability
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for failing to secure confidential customer information and could, among other things, damage our reputation and the perceived security of all of the online payment systems that we use. If a well-publicized internet security breach were to occur, users concerned about the security of their online payments may become reluctant to purchase our products through payment service providers even if the publicized breach did not involve payment systems or methods used by us. In addition, billing software errors could damage user confidence in these payment systems. If any of the above were to occur and damage our reputation or the perceived security of the payment systems we use, we may lose paying users as they may be discouraged from purchasing products or services on our platform, which may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our operations depend on the performance of the public communications infrastructure in China.
Almost all access to mobile and internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the MIIT. We primarily rely on a limited number of telecommunication service providers to provide us with data communications capacity through local telecommunications lines and internet data centers to host our servers. We have limited access to alternative networks or services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with Chinas public communications networks, such as mobile, internet or the fixed telecommunications networks. With the expansion of our business, we may be required to upgrade our technology and infrastructure to keep up with the increasing traffic on our platform. We cannot assure you that the public communications infrastructure in China will be able to support the demands associated with the continued growth in usage. In addition, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by public communications service providers. If the prices we pay for their services rise significantly, our financial performance may be adversely affected. Furthermore, if mobile access fees or other charges to mobile users increase, our user traffic may decline and our business may be harmed.
We rely on Weixin, a third-party social network program, to conduct parts of our courses and deliver a significant portion of our services.
We rely on Weixin, a third-party social network program, to support our AI-powered courses and deliver a significant portion of our communications with users. In particular, our paying users are invited to join Weixin-based study groups conducted by our online study advisors, who then provide more personalized assistance as well as engage in cross-selling efforts on Weixin. If we are not able to conduct the foregoing activities on WeChat or have to incur significant expenses in doing so, we may have to move the functions to our own platform or other third-party platform. However, as Weixin is one of the largest social platforms in China, other platforms that do not have the same level of user base and user engagement may not be as effective as WeChat in performing the foregoing functions. Therefore, any interruption to or discontinuation of our cooperative relationship with the operator of Weixin may severely and negatively impact our ability to deliver our services to users.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.
Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal control and procedures and we were never required to evaluate our internal control within a specified period, and, as a result, we may experience difficulty in meeting these reporting requirements in a timely manner. Our management has not completed assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, in the course of preparing and auditing our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, we and our independent registered public accounting firm respectively identified one material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. In accordance with reporting requirements set forth by the SEC, a material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our companys annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
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The material weakness identified relates to lack of sufficient competent financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate understanding of U.S. GAAP to design and implement formal period-end financial reporting policies and procedures; to address complex U.S. GAAP technical accounting issues; and to prepare and review our combined financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with U.S. GAAP and financial reporting requirements set forth by the SEC. Neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm undertook a comprehensive assessment of our internal control under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for purposes of identifying and reporting any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. We and they are required to do so only after we become a public company. Had we performed a formal assessment of our internal control over financial reporting or had our independent registered public accounting firm performed an audit of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, additional material weaknesses may have been identified.
Upon the completion of this offering, we will become a public company in the United States subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require that we include a report of management on our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. In addition, once we cease to be an emerging growth company as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, after we become a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.
During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our ADSs.
Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements from prior periods.
Future investments in and acquisitions of complementary assets, technologies and businesses may fail, and may result in equity and earnings dilution and significant diversion of management attention.
We may invest in or acquire assets, technologies and businesses that are complementary to our existing business. This may include opportunities to expand our service offerings and strengthen our technology and data capabilities. Our investments or acquisitions may not yield the results we expect. In addition, investments and acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, significant amortization expenses related to intangible assets, significant diversion of management attention and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business. Moreover, the cost of identifying and consummating investments and acquisitions, and integrating the acquired businesses into ours, may be
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significant, and the integration of acquired businesses may be disruptive to our existing business operations. In the event that our investments and acquisitions are not successful, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
We may not be able to obtain additional capital when desired, on favorable terms or at all.
We may make investments from time to time in facilities, hardware, software, technological systems and other projects to remain competitive. Due to the unpredictable nature of the capital markets and our industry, there can be no assurance that we will be able to raise additional capital on terms favorable to us, or at all, if and when required, especially if we experience disappointing results of operations. If adequate capital is not available to us as required, our ability to fund our operations, take advantage of unanticipated opportunities, develop or enhance our infrastructure or respond to competitive pressures could be significantly limited. If we do raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interests of our shareholders could be significantly diluted. These newly issued securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing shareholders.
Failure to comply with PRC labor laws and make adequate contributions to various employee benefits plans as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties.
Companies operating in China are required to register with governmental authorities and participate in various government-sponsored employee benefit plans, including certain social insurance, housing funds and other welfare-oriented payment obligations, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time at locations where our employees are based. In addition, companies registered in China are required to apply for work permits for their foreign employees. The requirement of employee benefit plans has not been implemented consistently by the local governments in China given the different levels of economic development in different locations. We have not made adequate employee benefit payments in strict compliance with the relevant PRC regulations for and on behalf of our employees and have also been reliant on third-party service provider to pay social benefits mainly for our employees based outside of Shanghai. Besides, we are still in the process of applying for work permit for some of our foreign employees. We are in the process of rectifying these practices and will continuously make efforts to comply with the relevant PRC regulations. Our failure in making contributions to various employee benefit plans in strict compliance with applicable PRC labor-related laws may subject us to late payment penalties, and we could be required to make up the contributions for these plans as well as to pay late fees and fines. Further, our failure to timely obtain work permit for our foreign employees may subject us to penalties and we may be unable to hire such foreign employees. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We have granted and may continue to grant restricted shares, share options and other share-based awards in the future, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.
We adopted a 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2014 Plan, and a 2018 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2018 Plan, for the purpose of granting share-based compensation awards to employees, directors and consultants to incentivize their performance and align their interests with ours. For further detailed information, please refer to ManagementShare Incentive Plans. For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, we recorded approximately RMB4.5 million and RMB8.5 million (US$1.4 million), respectively, in share-based compensation expenses. For the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, we recorded approximately RMB3.8 million and RMB20.0 million (US$3.0 million), respectively, in share-based compensation expenses. We believe the granting of share-based compensation is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based compensation to employees in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
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If we are not able to control our labor costs in an effective way, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.
Our labor costs are primarily incurred in China and the United States. The economy of China has been experiencing significant growth, leading to inflation and increased labor costs, particularly in the large cities, such as Shanghai. In addition, we are required by PRC laws and regulations to pay various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. In the United States, various federal and state labor laws govern the relationship with our employees and affect our labor costs, which covers workers compensation rates, mandatory health benefits and other wage and benefit requirements.
We expect that our labor costs both in China and the United States, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to grow as our business grows in scale. Significant additional government-imposed increases in the jurisdictions where we have operations may affect our profitability and results of operations, unless we are able to pass on these costs to our users by increasing prices of our programs.
A severe or prolonged downturn in the Chinese or global economy could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.
The global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges, including the end of quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the economic slowdown in the Eurozone since 2014 and uncertainties over the impact of Brexit. The growth of the PRC economy has slowed down since 2012 compared to the previous decade and the trend may continue. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the worlds leading economies, including the United States and China. There have been concerns over unrest and terrorist threats in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. There have also been concerns about the relationship between China and other countries, including surrounding Asian countries, which may potentially lead to foreign investors closing down their business or withdrawing their investment in China. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our users and other customers may reduce or delay spending with us, while we may have difficulty expanding our customer base fast enough, or at all, to offset the impact of decreased spending by our existing customers.
We have limited insurance coverage of our operations, which may expose us to significant costs and business disruption.
The insurance industry in China is still in an early stage of development, and insurance companies in China currently offer limited business-related insurance products. We do not maintain business interruption insurance or general third-party liability insurance, nor do we maintain property insurance, product liability insurance or key-man insurance. We consider this practice to be reasonable in light of the nature of our business and the insurance products that are available in China and in line with the practices of other companies in the same industry of similar size in China. Any uninsured risks may result in substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations.
Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of epidemics. In recent years, there have been breakouts of epidemics in China and globally. Our operations could be disrupted if one of our employees is suspected of having H1N1 flu, avian flu or another epidemic, since it could require our employees to be quarantined and/or our offices to be disinfected. In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent that the outbreak harms the PRC economy in general.
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We are also vulnerable to natural disasters and other calamities. Our servers and back system are hosted and maintained at cloud servers by a third-party service provider. We cannot assure you that such third-party service provider will have adequate measures to protect itself from the effects of fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events. Any of the foregoing events may give rise to server interruptions, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to provide services on our platform.
We are subject to risks relating to our leased properties
Currently, all of our offices are on leased premises. We may not be able to successfully maintain, extend or renew our leases upon expiration of the current terms on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and may therefore be forced to relocate to new offices. Besides, pursuant to relevant PRC laws and regulations, land that acquired through governmental allocation is prohibited from leasing without prior approval from competent governmental authorities. Otherwise, the relevant government authority may revoke such leases and take back these leased properties without compensation. Currently, certain of our leased properties are on land acquired through governmental allocation. If such lease agreements are revoked by the relevant government authority, we may therefore be forced to relocate to new offices.
Further, we have entered into certain lease agreements with parties who have not provided evidence of proper legal title to the leased premises or authorization from the legal owners for sublease of the premises. If such parties are not the legal owners, nor have they obtained the proper authorization from the legal owners of the premises, and the actual owners successfully challenge the validity of the relevant leases, we would be forced to relocate.
In the event we are forced to relocate, we may not be able to locate desirable alternative sites for our offices in a timely and cost-effective manner and the relocation of any of our offices may disrupt our operations and result in significant relocation expenses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, although we may seek damages from the counterparties to the lease agreements, there can be no assurance that we would be able to collect such damages or the damages we collected could cover our relocation expenses.
We have not registered our lease agreements with the relevant government authorities. Under the relevant PRC laws and regulations, we may be required to register and file with the relevant government authority executed leases. The failure to register the lease agreements for our leased properties will not affect the validity of these lease agreements, but the competent housing authorities may order us to register the lease agreements in a prescribed period of time and impose a fine ranging from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000 for each non-registered lease if we fail to complete the registration within the prescribed timeframe.
Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure
If the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with our VIEs do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.
Foreign ownership of internet-based businesses, such as internet information services, is subject to restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. For example, foreign investors are not allowed to own more than 50% of the equity interests in a value-added telecommunication service provider (except e-commerce which does not apply to us) and major foreign investor must typically have experience in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas and maintain a good track record in accordance with the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment promulgated in 2007, as most recently amended in June 2017, and other applicable laws and regulations.
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We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and our PRC subsidiaries are considered foreign-invested enterprises. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct operations in China through our VIEs. Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, and two other shareholders hold 37.32%, 10.51%, 6.11%, 11.88%, 11.88%, 10.38%, 5.56% and 6.36% equity interests in Shanghai Liulishuo, respectively. Each of Shanghai Mengfan and Jiangsu Liulishuo have the same shareholding structure as Shanghai Liulishuo. We have entered into a series of contractual arrangements with each of our VIEs and their respective shareholders, which enable us to (i) exercise effective control over our VIEs, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIEs, and (iii) have an exclusive call option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in our VIEs when and to the extent permitted by PRC laws. Because of these contractual arrangements, we are deemed the primary beneficiary of our VIEs, and hence consolidate their financial results as our variable interest entities under U.S. GAAP. For a detailed description of these contractual arrangements, see Corporate History and Structure.
In the opinion of Fangda Partners, our PRC legal counsel, (i) the ownership structure of our WFOE and our VIEs, both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, does not and will not violate applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect; and (ii) the contractual arrangements between our WFOE, our VIEs and their respective shareholders governed by PRC law, both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, are and will be valid, binding, and do not and will not violate applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect, except that the pledges on the equity interests in our VIEs would not be deemed validly created until they are registered with the competent administration of industry and commerce. However, we have been advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules, and there can be no assurance that the PRC regulatory authorities will take a view that is consistent with the opinion of our PRC legal counsel.
It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. In particular, the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, published a discussion draft of a proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments in January 2015 which, if enacted into law, would represent a major change to the laws and regulations relating to variable interest entity structures. See Risks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaOur business may be significantly affected by the draft Foreign Investment Law, if implemented as proposed. Additionally, in August 2018, the Ministry of Justice of the Peoples Republic of China published the Amendment to the Implementation Rules for Private Education Law (Draft for Approval), or the Draft Amendment for Private Education Law, for public review and comments. While there remains substantial uncertainty with respect to the final content, effective date, interpretation and implementation of the Draft Amendment for Private Education Law, if enacted into law, related party transactions to which a private school (including a private training education institution) is a party would be required to be concluded on a fair and just basis without impediment to the interests of the state, the school, the teachers and the students, which could potentially impact our contractual arrangements with our VIEs. Please see Risks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaWe face risks associated with uncertainties surrounding the PRC laws and regulations governing the education industry in general, and the online for-profit private training in particular.
If the ownership structure, contractual arrangements and businesses of our PRC subsidiaries or our VIEs are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or our PRC subsidiaries or our VIEs fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including:
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revoking the business licenses and/or operating licenses of such entities; |
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shutting down our servers or blocking our mobile apps, or discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operation through any transactions between our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs; |
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imposing fines, confiscating the income from our PRC subsidiaries or our VIEs, or imposing other requirements with which we or our VIEs may not be able to comply; |
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requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with our VIEs and deregistering the equity pledge of our VIEs, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exert effective control over our VIEs; or |
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restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of this offering to finance our business and operations in China, and taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business. |
Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these occurrences results in our inability to direct the activities of our VIEs that most significantly impact its economic performance, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from our VIEs, we may not be able to consolidate the entity in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
We rely on contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their respective shareholders to exercise control over a significant part of our business, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.
We have relied and expect to continue to rely on variable interest entity contractual arrangements to conduct a significant part of our operations in China. We rely on contractual arrangements with Shanghai Liulishuo, Shanghai Mengfan, Jiangsu Liulishuo, and their respective shareholders to conduct a significant part of our operations in China. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see Corporate History and Structure. The shareholders of our VIEs may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. If we had direct ownership of our VIEs, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our VIEs, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the contractual arrangements, we would rely on legal remedies under PRC law for breach of contract in the event that our VIEs and their respective shareholders did not perform their obligations under the contracts. These legal remedies may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our VIEs.
If our VIEs or their respective shareholders fail to perform their obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in China is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a variable interest entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. Significant uncertainties remain regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. Moreover, the shareholders of the VIEs shall pledge all equity interests they hold in the VIEs to our WFOE pursuant to the equity pledge agreements. As of the date of this prospectus, we have registered the equity pledges for Shanghai Liulishuo and Shanghai Mengfan with the local branch of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (currently known as the State Administration for Market Regulation), or the SAIC, in accordance with PRC laws to perfect their respective equity pledges, and are still in the process of completing such registration for Jiangsu Liulishuo. If any of the shareholders of our VIEs incur any liabilities, such equity interests they hold in our VIEs may be subject to recourse by their third-party creditors, before equity pledge registration is completed. In such case, our rights under these contractual
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arrangements will be adversely affected. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our VIEs, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.
The shareholders of our VIEs may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.
A significant portion of equity interests in our VIEs are held by our shareholders, directors and executive officers or affiliates thereof. They may have potential conflicts of interest with us. These equity interests holders may breach, or cause our VIEs to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIEs, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our VIEs and receive economic benefits from them. For example, the equity interests holders may be able to cause our agreements with our VIEs to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these equity interests holders and our company. For the equity interests holders who are also our directors and executive officers, we rely on them to abide by the laws of the Cayman Islands and China, which provide that directors owe a fiduciary duty to the company that requires them to act in what they consider in good faith to be in the best interests of our company and not to use their position for personal gains. There is currently no specific and clear guidance under PRC laws that address any conflict between PRC laws and laws of Cayman Islands in respect of any conflict relating to corporate governance. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the equity interests holders of our VIEs, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.
Our contractual arrangements with our VIEs may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our VIEs owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.
Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law requires every enterprise in China to submit its annual enterprise income tax return together with a report on transactions with its related parties to the relevant tax authorities. The tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arms length principles. We may face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements between our WFOE, our VIEs and our VIEs shareholders were not entered into on an arms length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust our VIEs income in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our VIEs for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing Yuguans taxable income. In addition, if Yuguan requests the shareholders of our VIEs to transfer their equity interest in or the assets of the VIEs at the price prescribed in the contractual agreements, and if such price is deemed below fair market value determined by the tax authority, or if the shareholders of our VIEs pay Yuguan any transfer price or distribution they receive in respect of the equity interests they hold in our VIEs according to the contractual arrangements, Yuguan may be subject to PRC income tax liabilities for such transactions. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our VIEs for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our VIEs tax liabilities increase or if they are required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.
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We may lose the ability to use and benefit from assets held by our VIEs that are material to the operation of our business if the entities go bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.
As part of our contractual arrangements with our VIEs, these entities hold certain assets that are material to the operation of our business. If our VIEs go bankrupt and all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Under the contractual arrangements, our VIEs may not, in any manner, sell, transfer, dispose of any of its material assets (other than those occurring in the ordinary course of business), or create any security interest or other encumbrances on any of its assets for the benefit of any third party, without our prior written consent. If our VIEs undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Doing Business in China
Changes in Chinas economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China. Accordingly, our results of operations, financial condition and prospects are influenced by economic, political and legal developments in China. Chinas economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including with respect to the degree of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. The PRC government exercises significant control over Chinas economic growth through strategically allocating resources, controlling the payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, that growth has been uneven across different regions and between industry sectors and may not continue, as evidenced by the slowing of the growth of the Chinese economy since 2012. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the Chinese government or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business and operating results, lead to reduction in demand for our services and solutions and adversely affect our competitive position.
Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.
The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.
In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since the PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection available to you and us.
Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all, and which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
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Our business may be significantly affected by the draft Foreign Investment Law, if implemented as proposed.
On January 19, 2015, MOFCOM published the draft Foreign Investment Law. At the same time, MOFCOM published an accompanying explanatory note of the draft Foreign Investment Law, which contains important information about the draft Foreign Investment Law, including its drafting philosophy and principle plans to transition to the new legal regime and treatment of business in China controlled by foreign invested enterprises. The draft Foreign Investment Law proposed significant changes to the PRC foreign investment legal regime and, when implemented, may have a significant impact on businesses in China controlled by foreign invested enterprises primarily through contractual arrangements, such as our business. MOFCOM solicited comments on the draft Foreign Investment Law in 2015, but no new draft has been published since then. There is substantial uncertainty with respect to its final content, interpretation, adoption timeline and effective date. It is anticipated, however, that the draft Foreign Investment Law will impact regulations on variable interest entities. MOFCOM suggests both registration and approval as potential options for the regulation of variable interest entity structures, depending on whether they are Chinese or foreign controlled. One of the core concepts of the draft Foreign Investment Law is de facto control, which emphasizes substance over form in determining whether an entity is Chinese or foreign-controlled. Chinese investors are individuals who are Chinese nationals, Chinese government agencies and any domestic enterprise controlled by Chinese nationals or government agencies. Foreign investors are foreign citizens, foreign governments, international organizations and entities controlled by foreign citizens and entities.
The draft Foreign Investment Law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with a variable interest entity structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by PRC parties, while it solicited comments from the public on this point by illustrating several possible options. Under these varied options, a company that has a variable interest entity structure and conducts the business on the negative list at the time of enactment of the new Foreign Investment Law has either the option or obligation to disclose its corporate structure to the authorities, while the authorities, after reviewing the ultimate share control structure of the company, may either permit the company to continue to maintain the variable interest entity structure (if the company is deemed ultimately controlled by PRC nationals), or require the company to dispose of its businesses and/or VIE structure based on circumstantial considerations. Moreover, it is uncertain whether the education and value-added telecommunications industries, in which our VIEs operate, will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in the negative list to be issued. If the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law and the final negative list mandate further actions, such as MOFCOM market entry clearance or certain restructuring of our corporate structure and operations, to be completed by companies with existing VIE structure like us, we face substantial uncertainties as to whether these actions can be completed in a timely manner, or at all, and our business and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may also materially impact our corporate governance practice and increase our compliance costs. For instance, the draft Foreign Investment Law imposes stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and applicable foreign invested enterprises. Aside from investment implementation report and an investment amendment report that are required at each investment and alteration of investment specifics, an annual report is mandatory, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria are required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these information reporting obligations may potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible may be subject to criminal liabilities.
We may face risks and uncertainties with respect to the licensing requirement for internet audio-visual programs.
On December 20, 2007, the State Administration of Press Publication Radio Film and Television, or SAPPRFT (currently known as the State Administration of Radio and Television), and MIIT, jointly promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Internet Audio-Visual Program Service, or the Audio-Visual Program
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Provisions, which became effective on January 31, 2008 and was last amended on August 28, 2015. Among other things, the Audio-Visual Program Provisions stipulated that no entities or individuals may provide internet audio-visual program services without a License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs issued by SAPPRFT or its local bureaus or completing the relevant registration procedures with SAPPRFT or its local bureaus, and only state-owned or state-controlled entities are eligible to apply for a License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs. On March 17, 2010, SAPPRFT promulgated the Tentative Categories of Internet Audio-Visual Program Services, or the Categories, clarifying the scope of internet audio-visual programs services, which was amended on March 10, 2017. The making and editing of certain specialized audio-visual programs concerning, among other things, educational content, and broadcasting such content to the general public online is covered in the Categories. However, there are still significant uncertainties relating to the interpretation and implementation of the Audio-Visual Program Provisions, in particular, the scope of internet audio-visual programs.
Our key English learning products are featured by AI teachers and as part of the components of our courses, we offer short English audio clips on our mobile apps for users to listen and repeat, and then user-recorded audios will be automatically generated, which can be repeatedly played by the users. In our premium service and live courses provided thereunder, which are supplemental to our standard courses, we deliver our courses in live streaming format where the foreign teachers are able to provide live courses to a limited number of specific users. The live audio/video data are transmitted through our mobile apps between the specific recipients instantly without any further redaction. We believe the AI-powered courseware we offer and the live courses we transmit distinguish us from general providers of internet audio-visual program services. However, we cannot assure you that the competent PRC government authorities will not take a view contrary to our opinion. In addition, our community Liuliba allows our users to post audio-visual contents in connection with English learning, which is likely to subject us to the licensing requirement for internet audio-visual programs.
The Categories describe internet audio-visual program services in a very broad, vague manner and are unclear as to whether the contents we offer or are available on our platforms fall into the definition of internet audio-visual programs. The PRC government may find that our activities mentioned above or any other content offered on our mobile apps fall within the definition of internet audio-visual programs and thus are subject to the licensing requirement for internet audio-visual programs. We currently do not hold a License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs. If the PRC government determines that our content should be considered as internet audio-visual programs for the purpose of the Audio-Visual Program Provisions, we may be required to obtain a License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs. We are, however, not eligible to apply for such license since we are not a state-owned or state-controlled entity. If this were to occur, we may be subject to penalties, fines, legal sanctions or an order to suspend the provision of our relevant content.
We face risks associated with uncertainties surrounding the PRC laws and regulations governing the education industry in general, and the online for-profit private training in particular.
The principal regulations governing private education in China primarily consist of the PRC Education Law, the Law for Promoting Private Education, or Private Education Law, the Implementation Rules for Private Education Law and the Implementation Rules on the Supervision and Administration of For-profit Private Schools, or the Implementation Rules, as amended from time to time. These PRC laws and regulations on private education generally apply to the establishment and operation of all private schools, including schools and other education institutions, and provide that, among others, (i) the establishment of a for-profit private school shall be approved by the education authorities or the authorities in charge of labor and social welfare, (ii) such for-profit private schools should be registered with the competent branch of the SAIC, and (iii) a duly approved private school will be granted a private school operating permit. The Implementation Rules further provide that the provisions contained therein should be applicable to for-profit private training institutions in an analogous manner. Shanghai, has accordingly promulgated specific local regulations to clarify the requirements and procedures for establishing and operating private schools in December 2017, however, it expressly provided that management measures and regulations applicable to private training institutions that only provide online courses
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would be promulgated separately. As of the date of this prospectus, no explicit local rules or guideline on regulation of online private training institutions have been promulgated in Shanghai, where our operating entity of our online platform and our VIE, Shanghai Liulishuo, was incorporated.
We operate online platform that provides online training programs through the internet, and our PRC subsidiaries and our operating entity of our online platform are registered with local counterparts of the SAIC as for-profit enterprises. As there lacks clear and consistent statutory interpretation regarding the implementation of the above laws and regulations, it is unclear how these regulatory requirements shall be applied to us. During our previous consultation with relevant governmental authorities, we were informed that we are not required to obtain a private school operating permit or other approval from education authorities or the authorities in charge of labor and social welfare for our operation of online education platform. However, we cannot assure you that the government authorities will not take a different view in the future. We may be required to obtain the above-mentioned, or any other approvals, licenses, permits or filings, or otherwise comply with additional regulatory requirements in the future, due to clarification or change in interpretation or implementation of laws and regulations in education industry, or promulgation of new regulations or guidelines regulating online education institutions.
In August 2018, the Ministry of Justice of the Peoples Republic of China published the Draft Amendment for Private Education Law, for public review and comments, which is still subject to discussion, potential revision and adoption by the State Council before it becomes effective. Accordingly, substantial uncertainty remains with respect to its final content, effective date, interpretation and implementation. Nevertheless, such Draft Amendment for Private Education Law proposes changes, clarifications and additional requirements with respect to private schools in addition to the currently effective Private Education Law and relevant implementation rules. In particular, the Draft Amendment for Private Education Law clarifies that the scope of private school includes private training education institutions engaging in non-degree education, which could potentially include us. According to the Draft Amendment for Private Education Law, a for-profit private institution that provides online training education or an online platform that facilitates such training education services, which does not engage in (i) cultural education related to school curriculums or tutoring services for kindergarten, primary or second school examinations or entrance requirements for primary, secondary or high school, or (ii) education that leads to a degree, would require a filing with (but not approval by) education or human resources and social security authorities. If enacted into law in its current form, the Draft Amendment for Private Education Law would represent a major change to the laws and regulations relating to private schools, including, among others, (i) the required composition of the board of directors of private schools, (ii) that related party transactions to which a private school is a party would be required to be conducted on a fair and just basis without impediment to the interests of the state, the school, the teachers and the students and any director who is interested in any related party transactions of such private school should abstain from voting to approve any such transactions, and (iii) that, for a for-profit private school, 25% of its net profit per annum should be reserved for its development. If the Draft Amendment for Private Education Law is enacted in its current form, we may be required to change our corporate governance practices and our compliance costs could increase. The Draft Amendment for Private Education Law also expressly provides that any investor controlled by a foreign entity is prohibited from establishing, participating in the establishment of, or exercising de facto control over compulsory education schools. As we do not provide compulsory education services, we believe such prohibition, even if enacted in its current form, would not apply to us.
In August 2018, the State Council issued its new Opinion on the Regulation of the Development of Extracurricular Training Institutions, or the New Opinion, which primarily regulates extracurricular training institutions targeting K-12 students. The New Opinion provides certain detailed requirements for extracurricular training institutions, including, among others, requirements for licenses and permits, training premises, safety conditions and fee collection, as well as for teaching staff and curriculum content. For more information, please see RegulationRegulation Related to Private EducationThe Law for Promoting Private Education and its Implementing Rules. The New Opinion generally does not explicitly distinguish between online training institutions and offline training institutions. During previous consultations with relevant local governmental
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authorities, we were informed that the New Opinion only applies to offline training institutions, and so does not apply to us. However, we cannot assure you that the relevant government authorities will not take a different view in the future.
If we fail to comply with any regulatory requirements, including obtaining any required licenses, approvals, permits or filings in a timely manner or at all, our continued business operations may be disrupted and we may be subject to various penalties or be unable to continue our operations, all of which will materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our failure to obtain, maintain or renew other licenses, approvals, permits, registrations or filings necessary to conduct our operations in China could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.
A number of PRC regulatory authorities, such as the SAIC, the CAC, the MIIT, the SAPPRFT, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare, oversee different aspects of our business operations, and we are required to obtain a wide range of licenses, approvals, permits, registrations and filings required for conducting our business in China, which we cannot assure you that we have obtained all of them or will continue to maintain or renew all of them.
We may be deemed as providing certain restricted services or conduct certain restricted activities and thus be subject to certain licenses, approvals, permits, registrations and filings due to lack official interpretations on certain terms under internet related PRC regulations and laws. For example, certain content posted on our mobile apps, including our course materials, the articles or audio-visual content uploaded by users in Liuliba, may be deemed as internet cultural products, and our use of those contents may be regarded as internet cultural activities, thus we may be required to obtain an Internet Culture Business Operating License for provision of those contents through our mobile apps. Also, due to the ambiguity of the definition of online publishing service, the online distribution of content, including our course materials, the articles or audio-visual contents uploaded by the users in Liuliba, through our mobile apps, may be regarded as online publishing service and therefore we may be required to obtain an Online Publishing License. In addition, we deliver certain courses in live-streaming format on our mobile apps which the relevant authorities may regard us as a live-streaming platform and may thus subject us to the requirement of making necessary filings as a live-streaming platform. We currently have not obtained any of the above licenses or have made any such filings. Under current PRC laws and regulations, an information service provider that reposts news for internet publication shall first obtain license from CAC or its local counterpart. Certain learning materials we provide on our platform are from foreign media. Due to the ambiguity of the definition of news under the current PRC laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that our provision of such materials will not be deemed by the relevant PRC government authorities as reposting news without proper license, which will subject us to various penalties, including fines and suspension of such provision. Although we do not think we are subject to any of these licenses or filing requirements, and as of the date of this prospectus, we have not been subject to any fines or other form of regulatory or administrative penalties or sanctions due to the lack of any the licenses, approvals, permits, registrations and filings, we cannot assure you that the PRC government authorities will not take a different view or will not require us to obtain any additional licenses, approvals, permits, registrations and filings in the future. If we fail to do so, we may be subject to various penalties, such as confiscation of illegal revenues, fines and discontinuation or restriction of business operations, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our existing licenses, approvals, registrations or permits necessary to provide our current online services in China, renew any of them when their current term expires, or update existing licenses or obtain additional licenses, approvals, permits, registrations or filings necessary for our business expansion from time to time. If we fail to do so, our business, financial conditions and operational results may be materially and adversely affected.
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We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.
We are a holding company, and we may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders and service any debt we may incur. For a detailed discussion of applicable PRC regulations governing distribution of dividends, see RegulationRegulations Related to Dividend Distribution, RegulationRegulations Related to Taxation and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsHolding Company Structure. Additionally, if our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may require our WFOE to adjust its taxable income under the contractual arrangements it currently has in place with our VIEs in a manner that would materially and adversely affect its ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. See Risks Relating to Our Corporate StructureOur contractual arrangements with our VIEs may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our VIEs owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.
Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business. See also Risks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaGovernmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment and Risks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaPRC regulations relating to investments in offshore companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC-resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries or limit our PRC subsidiaries ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits.
Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.
The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in Chinas political and economic conditions and by Chinas foreign exchange policies, among other things. In July 2005, the PRC government changed its decades-old policy of pegging the value of Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and we cannot assure you that the Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.
There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt a more flexible currency policy. Any significant appreciation or depreciation of the Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our ADSs in U.S. dollars. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this initial public offering into Renminbi to pay our operating expenses, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, a significant depreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings, which in turn could adversely affect the price of our ADSs.
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Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of our offshore offerings to make loans to our PRC subsidiaries and our VIEs or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
Under PRC laws and regulations, we are permitted to utilize the proceeds from this offering to fund our PRC entities by making additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries or providing loans to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs, subject to applicable government registration and approval requirements. Currently, there is no statutory limit to the amount of funding that we can provide to our PRC subsidiaries through capital contributions. However, the maximum amount we can loan to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs is subject to statutory limits. According to current PRC laws and regulations, we can provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries through loans of up to either (i) the amount of the difference between the respective registered total investment amount and registered capital of each of our PRC subsidiaries, or the Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance, or (ii) two times, or the then applicable statutory multiple, the amount of their respective net assets, calculated in accordance with PRC GAAP, or the Net Assets Limit, at our election. We may also fund our VIEs through cross-border loans and the maximum amount would be their respective Net Assets Limit. Increasing the Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance of our PRC subsidiaries is subject to governmental procedures and may require a PRC subsidiary to increase its registered capital at the same time. If we choose to make a loan to a PRC entity based on its Net Assets Limit, the maximum amount we would be able to loan to the relevant PRC entity would depend on the relevant entitys net assets and the applicable statutory multiple at the time of calculation. As of the date of this prospectus, the maximum amount we may loan to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs in aggregate is US$60 million, as only Yuguan has a positive Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance of US$60 million, and all of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs have negative or very limited net assets, which prevents us from providing loans to them using the Net Assets Limit. PRC laws and regulations may also impose more stringent limitations to cross-border loans, which will also have negative impact on our ability to fund our PRC entities. Please see RegulationRegulations Related to Foreign ExchangeRegulations on Foreign Currency Exchange and RegulationRegulations Related to Foreign ExchangeRegulations on Foreign Debt. These PRC laws and regulations may significantly limit our ability to use Renminbi converted from the net proceeds of this offering to fund the establishment of new entities in China by our PRC subsidiaries, to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies through our PRC subsidiaries, to fund our existing VIEs or to establish and fund new variable interest entities in China. Moreover, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC subsidiaries or our VIEs, or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals or we are found to be in violation of any applicable laws with respect to foreign currency exchange, our ability to use the proceeds we received or expect to receive from our offshore offerings and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected and we may be subject to penalties, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.
The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations,
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payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from or registration with appropriate governmental authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. See RegulationRegulations Related to Foreign ExchangeRegulation on Foreign Currency Exchange.
Since 2016, the PRC government has tightened its foreign exchange policies again and stepped up scrutiny of major outbound capital movement. More restrictions and a substantial vetting process have been put in place by SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions falling under the capital account. The PRC government may also restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions, at its discretion. We receive substantially all of our revenues in Renminbi. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our ADSs.
PRC regulations relating to investments in offshore companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC-resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries or limit our PRC subsidiaries ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits.
PRC residents are subject to restrictions and filing requirements when investing in offshore companies. SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, on July 4, 2014, which replaced the former circular commonly known as SAFE Circular 75 promulgated by SAFE on October 21, 2005. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including individuals and entities) to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular 37 as a special purpose vehicle. SAFE Circular 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. In the event that a PRC resident holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange controls. According to the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Policies for the Foreign Exchange Administration of Direct Investment released on February 13, 2015 by SAFE, local banks will examine and handle foreign exchange registration for overseas direct investment, including the initial foreign exchange registration and amendment registration, under SAFE Circular 37 from June 1, 2015.
Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu and Dr. Hui Lin, who are our beneficial owners and PRC residents, completed the initial SAFE registration pursuant to SAFE Circular 75, and are in the process of applying for amendment of such registration reflecting the subsequent change of our shareholding structure since then. There can be no assurance that such amendment of registration can be successfully completed in a timely manner. We have notified and requested all of our shareholders to comply with, or notify their beneficial owners who are PRC residents to comply with, applicable SAFE regulations, including their filing obligation under SAFE Circular 37 and other implementation rules. Nevertheless, we do not have control over our beneficial owners and there can be no assurance that all of our PRC-resident beneficial owners will comply with SAFE Circular 37 and other relevant implementation rules, and there is no assurance that the registration under SAFE Circular 37 and any
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amendment will be completed in a timely manner, or will be completed at all. The failure of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents to register or amend their foreign exchange registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37 and other relevant implementation rules, or the failure of future beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions. Failure to register or comply with relevant requirements may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries ability to distribute dividends to our company or conduct other foreign exchange transactions. These risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.
A number of PRC laws and regulations have established procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities in China by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. In addition to the Anti-monopoly Law itself, these include the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies, and the Rules of MOFCOM on Implementation of Security Review System of Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the Security Review Rules, promulgated in 2011. These laws and regulations impose requirements in some instances that MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. In addition, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that MOFCOM be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. Moreover, the Security Review Rules specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise national defense and security concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise national security concerns are subject to strict review by MOFCOM, and prohibit any attempt to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the relevant regulations to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including approval from MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.
Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding our employee equity incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.
Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly-listed companies due to their position as director, supervisor, senior management or employees of the PRC subsidiaries of the overseas companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies. Our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC residents and who have been granted options may follow SAFE Circular 37 to apply for the foreign exchange registration before our company becomes an overseas listed company. After our company becomes an overseas listed company upon completion of this offering, we and our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC residents and who have been granted options will be subject to the Notice on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, issued by SAFE in February 2012, according to which, employees, directors, supervisors and other management members participating in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company who are PRC residents are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. We will make efforts to comply with these requirements upon completion of our initial public offering. However, there can be no assurance that they can successfully register with SAFE in full compliance with the rules. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal
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sanctions and may also limit the ability to make payment under our equity incentive plans or receive dividends or sales proceeds related thereto, or our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries ability to distribute dividends to us or our ability to conduct other foreign exchange transactions. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional equity incentive plans for our directors and employees under PRC law.
If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes or gains realized with respect to our ADSs or shares are deemed to be from PRC sources, we and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders could be subject to unfavorable tax consequences.
Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of China with a de facto management body within China is considered a PRC resident enterprise. The implementation rules define the term de facto management body as the body that exercises full and substantial control over and overall management of the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation issued a circular, known as Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the de facto management body of a PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise is located in China. Although Circular 82 only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxations general position on how the de facto management body test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its de facto management body in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in China; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprises financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in China; (iii) the enterprises primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in China; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in China.
We believe that none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term de facto management body. If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we will be subject to the enterprise income tax on our global income at the rate of 25% and we will be required to comply with PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. In addition, gains realized on the sale or other disposition of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares may be subject to PRC tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty), if such gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. It is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs.
We may not be able to obtain certain benefits under the relevant tax arrangement for dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries to us through our Hong Kong subsidiary.
We are a holding company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and as such rely on dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiaries to satisfy part of our liquidity requirements. Pursuant to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, a withholding tax rate of 10% currently applies to dividends paid by a PRC resident enterprise to a foreign enterprise investor, unless any such foreign investors jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty or similar arrangements with China that provides for preferential tax treatment. Pursuant to the Arrangement between the Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, such withholding tax rate may be lowered to 5%
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if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns no less than 25% of a PRC enterprise. Furthermore, the Administrative Measures for Non-Resident Enterprises to Enjoy Treatments under Tax Treaties, which became effective in November 2015, require non-resident enterprises to determine whether they are qualified to enjoy the preferential tax treatment under the tax treaties and file relevant report and materials with the tax authorities. There are also other conditions for enjoying the reduced withholding tax rate according to other relevant tax rules and regulations. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsTaxationPRC. We cannot assure you that our determination regarding our qualification to enjoy the preferential tax treatment will not be challenged by the relevant tax authority or we will be able to complete the necessary filings with the relevant tax authority and enjoy the preferential withholding tax rate of 5% under the arrangement with respect to any dividends to be paid by our PRC subsidiaries to our Hong Kong subsidiary.
We and our shareholders face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises, assets attributed to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company or immovable properties located in China owned by non-PRC companies.
In February 2015, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7, which partially replaced and supplemented previous rules under the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or SAT Circular 698. In October, 2017, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Announcement on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-PRC Resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37. The SAT Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-PRC resident enterprise income tax and replaced SAT Circular 698. Pursuant to SAT Bulletin 7, an indirect transfer of assets, including equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable assets, if the arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from the indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax. According to SAT Bulletin 7, PRC taxable assets include assets attributed to an establishment in China, immovable properties located in China, and equity investments in PRC resident enterprises. Gains derived from the transfer of PRC taxable assets by a direct holder that is a non-PRC resident enterprise is subject to PRC enterprise income taxes. When determining whether an arrangement has a reasonable commercial purpose, the following factors are considered: whether the value of the equity interest of the relevant offshore enterprise is mainly derived from PRC taxable assets; whether the assets of the relevant offshore enterprise mainly consist of direct or indirect investment in China; whether the income of the relevant offshore enterprise is mainly generated from China; whether the offshore enterprise and its subsidiaries directly or indirectly holding PRC taxable assets have real commercial nature as evidenced by actual function and risk exposure; for how long the existing business model and organizational structure of the relevant offshore enterprise has existed; the replicability of the arrangement by direct transfer of PRC taxable assets; and the tax situation of such indirect transfer and applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements. Gains derived from an indirect offshore transfer of assets of a PRC establishment or place of business are to be included in the enterprise income tax filing of the PRC establishment or place of business, and are subject to a PRC enterprise income tax rate of 25%. In case of a transfer of immovable properties located in China or of equity investments in a PRC resident enterprise, which is not related to a PRC establishment or place of business of a non-resident enterprise, a PRC enterprise income tax rate of 10% applies, subject to available preferential tax treatment under applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements. The party who is obligated to pay for the transfer has the withholding obligation with respect to the transfer. Where the payor fails to withhold sufficient tax, the transferor is required to declare and pay such tax to the tax authority by itself within the statutory time limit. Late payment of applicable tax will subject the transferor to default interest. Failure to withhold applicable tax will also subject the transferee to penalties under PRC tax laws. SAT Bulletin 7 does not apply to sales of shares by investors through a public stock exchange if the shares were acquired by the investors through a public stock exchange.
We face uncertainties as to the application of SAT Bulletin 7 and/or SAT Bulletin 37, including reporting and other obligations with respect to certain past and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved,
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such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries or investments. We may be subject to filing obligations or taxed as the transferor, or subject to withholding obligations as the transferee, in the transactions. For transfer of our shares by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in filings under SAT Bulletin 7 and/or SAT Bulletin 37. We may be required to allocate valuable resources to comply with SAT Bulletin 7 and/or SAT Bulletin 37, to request relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these rules, or to establish that we should not be taxed under these rules, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our investors are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.
The independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included in this prospectus, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Because our auditors are located in China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our auditors are not currently inspected by the PCAOB.
Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside China have identified deficiencies in those firms audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditors audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.
The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditors audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.
If additional remedial measures are imposed on the big four PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, in administrative proceedings brought by the SEC alleging such firms failure to meet specific criteria set by the SEC with respect to requests for the production of documents, we could fail to timely file future financial statements in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.
In late 2012, the SEC commenced administrative proceedings under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against the Chinese affiliates of the big four accounting firms (including our auditors). The Rule 102(e) proceedings initiated by the SEC relate to these firms inability to produce documents, including audit work papers, in response to the request of the SEC pursuant to Section 106 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as the auditors located in China are not in a position to lawfully produce documents directly to the SEC because of restrictions under PRC law and specific directives issued by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC. The issues raised by the proceedings are not specific to our auditors or to us, but affect equally all audit firms based in China and all China-based businesses with securities listed in the United States.
In January 2014, the administrative judge reached an initial decision that the Chinese affiliates of the big four accounting firms should be barred from practicing before the SEC for six months. Thereafter, the accounting firms filed a petition for review of the initial decision, prompting the SEC Commissioners to review the initial decision, determine whether there had been any violation and, if so, determine the appropriate remedy to be placed on these audit firms.
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In February 2015, the Chinese affiliates of the big four accounting firms (including our auditors) each agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC and audit U.S.-listed companies. The settlement requires the firms to follow detailed procedures and to seek to provide the SEC with access to the Chinese firms audit documents via the CSRC. If future document productions fail to meet the specified criteria, the SEC retains the authority to impose a variety of additional measures (e.g., imposing penalties such as suspensions, restarting the administrative proceedings).
In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, companies listed in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in China, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and could result in delisting. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based companies listed in the United States and the market price of our shares may be adversely affected. If our independent registered public accounting firm was denied, whether temporarily or otherwise, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.
Risks Relating to Our ADSs and This Offering
An active trading market for our ordinary shares or our ADSs may not develop and the trading price for our ADSs may fluctuate significantly.
We intend to apply to list our ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange. Prior to the completion of this offering, there has been no public market for our ADSs or our ordinary shares, and we cannot assure you that a liquid public market for our ADSs will develop. If an active public market for our ADSs does not develop following the completion of this offering, the market price and liquidity of our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected. The initial public offering price for our ADSs was determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters based upon several factors, and we can provide no assurance that the trading price of our ADSs after this offering will not decline below the initial public offering price. As a result, investors in our securities may experience a significant decrease in the value of their ADSs.
The trading price of our ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.
The trading price of our ADSs is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. A number of Chinese companies have listed or are in the process of listing their securities on U.S. stock markets. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including price declines in connection with their initial public offerings. The trading performances of these Chinese companies securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance.
In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:
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variations in our revenues, earnings and cash flow; |
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announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors; |
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announcements of new services and expansions by us or our competitors; |
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announcements of new policies, rules or regulations relating to the internet or the financial services industry in China; |
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changes in financial estimates by securities analysts; |
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detrimental adverse publicity about us, our services, our competitors or our industry; |
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additions or departures of key personnel; |
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release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities; and |
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potential litigation or regulatory investigations. |
Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade.
In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our managements attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our dual-class share structure with different voting rights will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.
We have a dual-class share structure such that our ordinary shares consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Each ordinary share is currently entitled to one vote. Immediately after the completion of this offering, each Class B ordinary share will become entitled to ten votes, whereas each Class A ordinary share will continue to be entitled to one vote. We will sell Class A ordinary shares represented by our ADSs in this offering. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary share by a founder to any person who is not a founder or an affiliate of founder, or upon a change of ultimate beneficial ownership of any Class B ordinary share from a founder to any person who is not a founder or an affiliate of founder, such Class B ordinary share shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A ordinary share.
Our founders, Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, and Dr. Hui Lin, beneficially own all of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, and Dr. Hui Lin beneficially own approximately 27.9%, 11.9%, and 6.9% of the aggregate voting power of our company, and will beneficially own approximately %, %, and % of the aggregate voting power of our company upon the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of ownership, holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. They may take actions that are not in the best interest of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of our ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover
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or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial. In addition, we may incur incremental compensation expenses to the holders of Class B ordinary share as a result of their becoming entitled to high votes on each Class B ordinary share immediately after the completion of this offering.
The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may adversely affect the trading market for our ADSs.
S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have changed their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares and companies whose public shareholders hold no more than 5% of total voting power from being added to such indices. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our ordinary shares may prevent the inclusion of our ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares in such indices and may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for our ADSs. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our ADSs.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.
The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our ADSs could adversely affect their market price.
Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market after the completion of this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The ADSs sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market in the future subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable lock-up agreements. There will be ADSs (equivalent to Class A ordinary shares) outstanding immediately after this offering, or ADSs (equivalent to Class A ordinary shares) if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full. In connection with this offering, we, our shareholders, our officers, and our directors, have agreed not to sell any ordinary shares or ADSs for 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of the representatives of the underwriters. However, the underwriters may release these securities from these restrictions at any time, subject to applicable regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our ADSs. See Underwriting and Shares Eligible for Future Sale for a more detailed description of the restrictions on selling our securities after this offering.
Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future after this offering, you must rely on price appreciation of our ADSs for return on your investment.
We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings after this offering to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash
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dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in our ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.
Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiary, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in our ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of our ADSs. There is no guarantee that our ADSs will appreciate in value after this offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in our ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in our ADSs.
Because the initial public offering price is substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution.
If you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay more for each ADS than the corresponding amount paid by existing shareholders for their Class A ordinary shares. As a result, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of approximately US$ per ADS (assuming that no outstanding options to acquire Class A ordinary shares are exercised). This number represents the difference between (1) our pro forma net tangible book value as adjusted per ADS of US$ as of , after giving effect to this offering and the concurrent private placements and (2) the initial public offering price of US$ per ADS. See Dilution for a more complete description of how the value of your investment in our ADSs will be diluted upon the completion of this offering.
We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds from this offering, and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.
We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds of this offering, and our management will have considerable discretion in deciding how to apply these proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately before you make your investment decision. You must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds of this offering. We cannot assure you that the net proceeds will be used in a manner that will improve our results of operations or increase our ADS price, nor that these net proceeds will be placed only in investments that generate income or appreciate in value.
There can be no assurance that we will not be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.
A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year if either (1) at least 75% of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of passive income; or (2) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets) during such year is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income. Based on our current and expected income and assets (taking into account the expected cash proceeds and our anticipated market capitalization following this offering), we do not presently expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year or the foreseeable future. However, no assurance can be given in this regard because the determination of whether we are or will become a PFIC is a fact-intensive inquiry made on an annual basis that depends, in part, upon the composition of our income and assets. Fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years because the value of our assets for the purpose of the second part of the test described above may be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs. The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering.
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If we were to be or become a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in TaxationUnited States Federal Income Tax Considerations) holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. Holder. See TaxationUnited States Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsPassive Foreign Investment Company Rules.
The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be required in connection with this offering under PRC law.
The M&A Rules, which were adopted in 2006 by six PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals and that have been formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies or assets to obtain CSRC approval prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear, and this offering may ultimately require approval from the CSRC. If CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain how long it will take us to obtain the approval and any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval for this offering would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies, which could include fines and penalties on our operations in China, restrictions or limitations on our ability to pay dividends outside of China, and other forms of sanctions that may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our PRC counsel, Fangda Partners, has advised us that, based on its understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, we will not be required to submit an application to the CSRC for the approval of the listing and trading of our ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange because (i) our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries were established by foreign direct investment, rather than through a merger or acquisition of a domestic company as defined under the M&A Rules, and (ii) there is no statutory provision that clearly classifies the contractual arrangements among our WOFE, our VIEs and their shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction regulated by the M&A Rules. However, we cannot assure you that relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC counsel, and hence we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our operating privileges in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of the ADSs. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before settlement and delivery of the ADSs offered hereby. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.
Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs.
We will adopt amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering. Our new memorandum and articles of association contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Our dual-class voting structure gives disproportionate voting power to the Class B ordinary shares immediately after the completion of this offering. In addition, our board of directors will have the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to
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issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our Class A ordinary shares, in the form of ADS or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands, as amended from time to time, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than the memorandum and articles of associations) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. If we choose to follow home country practice, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.
As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see Description of Share CapitalDifferences in Corporate Law.
Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, most of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. All or a substantial portion of the
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assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against us, our assets, our directors and officers or their assets. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Cayman Islands and China, see Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 for so long as we are an emerging growth company until the fifth anniversary from the date of our initial listing.
The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. However, we have elected to opt out of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.
We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company.
We are a public company and expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenues for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an emerging growth company pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. After we are no longer an emerging growth company, we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC.
As a result of becoming a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. We also expect that operating as a public company will make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
In the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits against the company following periods of instability in the market price of that companys securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our managements attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict
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our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.
Because we are a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:
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the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC; |
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the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; |
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the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and |
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the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD. |
We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the New York Stock Exchange. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely than that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.
The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to vote your Class A ordinary shares.
As a holder of our ADSs, you will only be able to exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you must vote by giving voting instructions to the depositary. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with these instructions. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying shares unless you withdraw the shares. Under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering, the minimum notice period required for convening a general meeting is 14 days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice to withdraw the shares underlying your ADSs to allow you to vote with respect to any specific matter. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may have no legal remedy if the shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.
The depositary for our ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs if you do not vote at shareholders meetings, except in limited circumstances, which could adversely affect your interests.
Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if you do not vote, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs at shareholders meetings unless:
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we have failed to timely provide the depositary with notice of meeting and related voting materials; |
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we have instructed the depositary that we do not wish a discretionary proxy to be given; |
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we have informed the depositary that there is substantial opposition as to a matter to be voted on at the meeting; |
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a matter to be voted on at the meeting would have a material adverse impact on shareholders; or |
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the voting at the meeting is to be made on a show of hands. |
The effect of this discretionary proxy is that if you do not vote at shareholders meetings, you cannot prevent our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs from being voted, except under the circumstances described above. This may make it more difficult for shareholders to influence the management of our company. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.
You may not receive dividends or other distributions on our Class A ordinary shares and you may not receive any value for them, if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.
The depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying our ADSs, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Class A ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, it would be unlawful to make a distribution to a holder of ADSs if it consists of securities that require registration under the Securities Act but that are not properly registered or distributed under an applicable exemption from registration. The depositary may also determine that it is not feasible to distribute certain property through the mail. Additionally, the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may determine not to distribute such property. We have no obligation to register under U.S. securities laws any ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or other securities received through such distributions. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of ADSs. This means that you may not receive distributions we make on our Class A ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may cause a material decline in the value of our ADSs.
You may experience dilution of your holdings due to inability to participate in rights offerings.
We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.
You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.
Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of our ADSs
54
generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. The forward looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled Prospectus Summary, Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Business. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under Risk Factors, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as may, will, expect, anticipate, aim, estimate, intend, plan, believe, is/are likely to, potential, continue or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:
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our goals and strategies; |
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our future business development, financial condition and results of operations; |
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the expected growth of the AI technology and education industries in China; |
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our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our products and services; |
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our expectations regarding our relationships with users, content providers, third-party service providers and other stakeholders; |
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competition in our industry; and |
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relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry. |
These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. Our actual results could be materially different from our expectations. Important risks and factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from our expectations are generally set forth in Prospectus SummaryOur Challenges, Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Business, Regulation and other sections in this prospectus. You should read thoroughly this prospectus and the documents that we refer to with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
This prospectus contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private publications. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. The AI technology and education industries may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Failure of this market to grow at the projected rate may have a material and adverse effect on our business and the market price of our ADSs. In addition, the rapidly evolving nature of the AI technology and education industries results in significant uncertainties for any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our market. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.
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We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering of approximately US$ , or approximately US$ if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us. These estimates are based upon an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, the mid-point of the price range shown on the front cover page of this prospectus. A US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by US$ , assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us.
The primary purposes of this offering are to create a public market for our shares for the benefit of all shareholders, retain talented employees by providing them with equity incentives, and obtain additional capital. We plan to use the net proceeds of this offering as follows:
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approximately US$ for research and development, to continue to invest in and develop our technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and big data capabilities. |
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approximately US$ for selling and marketing, including marketing and promotional activities to acquire users and strengthen our brand; and |
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the balance for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital needs and potential strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances. |
The foregoing represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering. Our management, however, will have significant flexibility and discretion to apply the net proceeds of this offering. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the proceeds of this offering differently than as described in this prospectus. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our ADSs and This OfferingWe have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds from this offering, and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.
Pending any use described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing, debt instruments.
In using the proceeds of this offering, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations as an offshore holding company to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries through loans or additional capital contributions and to our VIEs only through loans, subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration and approval requirements. Currently, there is no statutory limit to the amount of funding that we can provide to our PRC subsidiaries through capital contributions. However, the maximum amount we can loan to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs is subject to statutory limits. According to current PRC laws and regulations, we can provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries through loans of up to either (i) the amount of the difference between the respective registered total investment amount and registered capital of each of our PRC subsidiaries, or the Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance, or (ii) two times, or the then applicable statutory multiple, the amount of their respective net assets, calculated in accordance with PRC GAAP, or the Net Assets Limit, at our election. We may also fund our VIEs through cross-border loans and the maximum amount would be their respective Net Assets Limit. Increasing the Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance of our PRC subsidiaries is subject to governmental procedures and may require a PRC subsidiary to increase its registered capital at the same time. If we choose to make a loan to a PRC entity based on its Net Assets Limit, the maximum amount we would be able to loan to the relevant PRC entity would depend on the relevant entitys net assets and the applicable statutory multiple at the time of calculation. As of the date of this prospectus, the maximum amount we may loan to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs in aggregate is US$60 million, as only Yuguan has a positive Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance of US$60 million, and all of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs have negative or very
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limited net assets, which prevents us from providing loans to them using the Net Assets Limit. PRC laws and regulations may also impose more stringent limitations to cross-border loans, which will also have negative impact on our ability to fund our PRC entities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Corporate StructurePRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of our offshore offerings to make loans to or make additional capital contribution to our PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
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Our board of directors has complete discretion on whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. Even if our board of directors decides to pay dividends on our ordinary shares, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant.
We do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future after this offering. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.
We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. See RegulationRegulations Related to Dividend Distributions.
If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends which are payable in respect of the Class A ordinary shares underlying our ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such Class A ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to our ADS holders in proportion to Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See Description of American Depositary Shares. Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.
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The following table sets forth our capitalization as of June 30, 2018:
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on an actual basis; |
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on a pro forma basis to reflect the automatic conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preferred shares into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately upon the completion of this offering; and |
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on a pro forma as adjusted basis to reflect (i) the automatic conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preferred shares into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately upon the completion of this offering and (ii) the sale of Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, assuming the underwriters do not exercise the over-allotment option. |
Unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net income per ordinary share reflects the effect of the conversion of preferred shares as follows, as if the conversion occurred as of the beginning of the period or the original date of issuance, if later.
You should read this table together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
As of June 30, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Actual | Pro Forma |
Pro Forma As
Adjusted (1) |
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(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | US$ | RMB | US$ | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
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Series Seed convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 3,645,501 shares authorized, issued and outstanding; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis; redemption amount of RMB11,644,222) |
28,338 | 4,282 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||
Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 5,531,104 shares authorized, issued and outstanding; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis; redemption amount of RMB80,040,266) |
74,563 | 11,268 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||
Series B convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 7,895,711 shares authorized, issued and outstanding; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis; redemption amount of RMB210,262,834) |
207,732 | 31,393 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||
Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 5,295,380 shares authorized, issued and outstanding; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis; redemption amount of RMB361,480,071) |
359,810 | 54,377 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total mezzanine equity |
670,443 | 101,320 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shareholders (deficit)/equity: |
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Class A ordinary shares (US$0.001 par value; 57,956,630 shares authorized, 158,861 shares issued and outstanding; 22,526,557 shares issued and outstanding on a pro-forma basis) |
1 | 0 | 142 | 21 |
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As of June 30, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Actual | Pro Forma |
Pro Forma As
Adjusted (1) |
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(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | US$ | RMB | US$ | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
Class B ordinary shares (US$0.001 par value; 19,675,674 shares authorized, issued and outstanding; 19,675,674 shares issued and outstanding on a pro-forma basis) |
121 | 18 | 121 | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Subscription Receivable |
(122 | ) | (18 | ) | (122 | ) | (18 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
2,025 | 306 | 672,327 | 101,605 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
2,511 | 379 | 2,511 | 379 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(631,063 | ) | (95,369 | ) | (631,063 | ) | (95,369 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Total shareholders (deficit)/equity |
(626,527 | ) | (94,684 | ) | 43,916 | 6,636 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders (deficit)/equity |
467,368 | 70,630 | 467,368 | 70,630 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Note:
(1) |
The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our additional paid-in capital, total shareholders equity and total capitalization following the completion of this offering are subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. |
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If you invest in our ADSs, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per ADS and our net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the initial public offering price per ordinary share is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares.
Our net tangible book value as of June 30, 2018 was approximately US$ , or US$ per Class A ordinary share as of that date and US$ per ADS. Net tangible book value represents the amount of our total consolidated tangible assets, less the amount of our total consolidated liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting net tangible book value per ordinary share, after giving effect to the additional proceeds we will receive from this offering, from the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per Class A ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus adjusted to reflect the ADS-to-ordinary share ratio, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
Without taking into account any other changes in net tangible book value after June 30, 2018, other than to give effect to our sale of the ADSs offered in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, the midpoint of the estimated range of the initial public offering price, after deduction of the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2018 would have been US$ , or US$ per ordinary share and US$ per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of US$ per ordinary share and US$ per ADS to the existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$ per Class A ordinary share and US$ per ADS to investors purchasing ADSs in this offering. The following table illustrates such dilution:
Per Ordinary Share | Per ADS | |||||||
Assumed initial public offering price |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Net tangible book value as of June 30, 2018 |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Pro forma net tangible book value after giving effect to the conversion of our preferred shares |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to the conversion of our preferred shares and this offering |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Amount of dilution in net tangible book value to new investors in this offering |
US$ | US$ |
A US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of US$ per ADS would increase (decrease) our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to this offering by US$ , the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS after giving effect to this offering by US$ per Class A ordinary share and US$ per ADS and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS to new investors in this offering by US$ per Class A ordinary share and US$ per ADS, assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses.
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The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of June 30, 2018, the differences between existing shareholders and the new investors with respect to the number of ordinary shares (in the form of ADSs or shares) purchased from us, the total consideration paid and the average price per ordinary share and per ADS paid before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. The total number of ordinary shares does not include Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs issuable upon the exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the underwriters.
Ordinary Shares
Purchased |
Total
Consideration |
Average
Price Per Ordinary Share |
Average
Price Per ADS |
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Number | Percent | Amount | Percent | |||||||||||||||||||||
Existing shareholders |
% | US$ | % | US$ | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
New investors |
% | US$ | % | US$ | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
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Total |
100.0 | % | US$ | 100.0 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
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The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.
The discussion and tables above assume no exercise of any outstanding share options outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. As of the date of this prospectus, there are 4,914,974 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding share options at a nominal exercise price. To the extent that any of these options are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors.
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Our reporting currency is the Renminbi because our business is mainly conducted in China and all of our revenues are denominated in Renminbi. This prospectus contains translations of Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. The conversion of Renminbi into U.S. dollars in this prospectus is based on the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi in this prospectus were made at the end of the applicable period, that is, RMB6.5063 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on December 29, 2017, or RMB6.6171 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on June 29, 2018, in each case as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, the rates stated below, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of Renminbi into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. On August 24, 2018, the noon buying rate for Renminbi was RMB6.8030 to US$1.00.
The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated. These rates are provided solely for your convenience and are not necessarily the exchange rates that we used in this prospectus or will use in the preparation of our periodic reports or any other information to be provided to you.
Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release
Note:
(1) |
Annual averages were calculated by using the average of the exchange rates on the last day of each month during the relevant year. Monthly averages are calculated by using the average of the daily rates during the relevant month. |
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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands because of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company, such as political and economic stability, an effective judicial system, a favorable tax system, the absence of foreign exchange control or currency restrictions and the availability of professional and support services. However, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States and provides less protection for investors. In addition, Cayman Islands companies do not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.
Most of our assets are located outside the United States. In addition, all of our directors and officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons, or to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against us or them, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. It may also be difficult for you to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors.
We have appointed Puglisi & Associates, located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711, as our agent to receive service of process with respect to any action brought against us in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with this offering under the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any State in the United States or any action brought against us in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the County of New York in connection with this offering under the securities laws of the State of New York.
Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would (1) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (2) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.
Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP has informed us that although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), the courts of the Cayman Islands will, at common law, recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the liquidated sum for which such judgment has been given, provided such judgment (i) is final and conclusive, (ii) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty; and (iii) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities law if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Fangda Partners, our counsel as to PRC law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of China would (1) recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States, or (2) entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
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Fangda Partners has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. There exists no treaty and few other forms of reciprocity between China and the United States or the Cayman Islands governing the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments as of the date of this prospectus. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in China will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or in the Cayman Islands. Under the PRC Civil Procedures Law, foreign shareholders may originate actions based on PRC law before a PRC court against a company for disputes relating to contracts or other property interests, the PRC court may accept a course of action based on the laws or the parties express mutual agreement in contracts choosing PRC courts for dispute resolution if (i) the contract is signed and/or performed within China, (ii) the subject of the action is located within China, (iii) the company (as defendant) has seizable properties within China, (iv) the company has a representative organization within China, or (v) other circumstances prescribed under the PRC law. The action may be initiated by a shareholder through filing a complaint with the PRC court. The PRC court will determine whether to accept the complaint in accordance with the PRC Civil Procedures Law. The shareholder may participate in the action by itself or entrust any other person or PRC legal counsel to participate on behalf of such shareholder. Foreign citizens and companies will have the same rights as PRC citizens and companies in an action unless the home jurisdiction of such foreign citizens or companies restricts the rights of PRC citizens and companies.
In addition, it will be difficult for U.S. shareholders to originate actions against us in China in accordance with PRC laws because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and it will be difficult for U.S. shareholders, by virtue only of holding our ADSs or ordinary shares, to establish a connection to China for a PRC court to have jurisdiction as required under the PRC Civil Procedures Law.
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CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE
We commenced our operations and launched our flagship English Liulishuo mobile app in 2013. Our three founders are Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu and Dr. Hui Lin.
In August 2013, we incorporated LAIX Inc. (formerly known as LingoChamp Inc.) under the laws of the Cayman Islands as our offshore holding company. In the same month, LAIX Inc. established a wholly-owned Hong Kong subsidiary, LingoChamp (HK) Limited, or LingoChamp HK. In November 2013, LingoChamp HK established a wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which we refer to as Yuguan or our WFOE in this prospectus. In October 2015, LingoChamp HK also established a wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, Yuling Cultural Communication (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or Yuling. In August 2017, LAIX Inc. established a wholly-owned Delaware subsidiary, LingoChamp US, Inc., to operate our Silicon Valley AI Lab.
Due to restrictions imposed by PRC laws and regulations on foreign ownership of companies that engage in internet and other related business, we conduct such business in China through a variable interest entity structure. We currently conduct substantially all of our operations in China through Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Liulishuo. We intend to further expand operations in China through Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Mengfan, and Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd., or Jiangsu Liulishuo, and have established variable interest entity contractual arrangements with these two entities. We collectively refer to Shanghai Liulishuo, Shanghai Mengfan and Jiangsu Liulishuo as our VIEs in this prospectus. Shanghai Liulishuo was established in 2013 when we commenced our operations, Shanghai Mengfan was established in December 2014, and Jiangsu Liulishuo was established in January 2018. Our WFOE has entered into variable interest entity contractual arrangements with each of our VIEs and their respective shareholders. For more details, please see Contractual Arrangements with Our VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders. As a result of our direct ownership in our WFOE and the variable interest entity contractual arrangements, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of our VIEs. We treat them and their subsidiaries as our variable interest entities under U.S. GAAP., and have consolidated the financial results of these entities in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
67
The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries and our VIEs, as of the date of this prospectus:
Notes: |
|
(1) |
Represents the 11,753,847 Class B ordinary shares beneficially owned by Dr. Yi Wang, one of our founders, as of the date of this prospectus, each of which will be entitled to ten votes upon the completion of this offering on all matters submitted to the shareholders for a vote. Dr. Yi Wang will be able to exercise approximately % of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Please refer to the beneficial ownership table in the section headed Principal Shareholders for more information on beneficial ownership of Dr. Yi Wang in our company prior to and immediately after this offering. |
(2) |
Represents the 5,010,931 Class B ordinary shares beneficially owned by Mr. Zheren Hu, one of our founders, as of the date of this prospectus, each of which will be entitled to ten votes upon the completion of this offering on all matters submitted to the shareholders for a vote. Mr. Zheren Hu will be able to exercise approximately % of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Please refer to the beneficial ownership table in the section headed Principal Shareholders for more information on beneficial ownership of Mr. Zheren Hu in our company prior to and immediately after this offering. |
(3) |
Represents the 2,910,896 Class B ordinary shares beneficially owned by Dr. Hui Lin, one of our founders, as of the date of this prospectus, each of which will be entitled to ten votes upon the completion of this offering on all matters submitted to the shareholders for a vote. Dr. Hui Lin will be able to exercise approximately % of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Please refer to the beneficial ownership table in the section headed Principal Shareholders for more information on beneficial ownership of Dr. Hui Lin in our company prior to and immediately after this offering. |
(4) |
Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, and two other shareholders hold 37.32%, 10.51%, 6.11%, 11.88%, 11.88%, 10.38%, 5.56% and 6.36% equity interests in Shanghai Liulishuo, respectively. Among them, Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin are beneficial owners, directors and officers of our company; Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd. is an affiliate of the IDG entities that are beneficial owners of our company; Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership) is an affiliate of Trustbridge Partners V, L.P., a beneficial owner of our company; Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is an affiliate of the GGV entities that are beneficial owners of our company; Mr. Gu Jiong is an affiliated person of CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited, a beneficial owner of our company; and the other two shareholders are affiliates of certain beneficial owners of our company. Each of Shanghai Mengfan and Jiangsu Liulishuo has the same shareholding structure as Shanghai Liulishuo. |
68
Contractual Arrangements with our VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders
The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among our wholly-owned subsidiary, Yuguan (our WFOE), our VIEs and their respective shareholders. Terms contained in each set of contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their respective shareholders are substantially similar. These contractual arrangements enable us to (i) exercise effective control over our VIEs; (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIEs; and (iii) have an exclusive call option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in and assets of our VIEs when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.
Arrangements that provide us effective control over our VIEs
Proxy Agreements. Pursuant to the proxy agreements among Yuguan, our VIEs and their respective shareholders, each shareholder of our VIEs irrevocably undertakes to appoint a PRC citizen designated by Yuguan as his/its attorney-in-fact to exercise all of his/its rights as a shareholder of our VIEs, including, but not limited to, the right to convene and attend shareholders meeting, vote on any resolution that requires a shareholder vote, such as appoint or remove directors and other senior management, other voting rights pursuant to the then-effective articles of association (subject to the amendments) of our VIEs, and execute relevant equity transfer agreements and other instruments and obtain necessary governmental approval, registration or filing on behalf of the shareholders when the equity interests held by such shareholders are transferred pursuant to the exclusive call option agreements. Each proxy agreement has an initial term of 30 years and shall be automatically renewed unless otherwise notified by our WFOE.
Equity Pledge Agreements. Pursuant to the equity pledge agreements among Yuguan, our VIEs and their respective shareholders, shareholders of our VIEs shall pledge all of their respective equity interests in our VIEs to Yuguan to guarantee their and our VIEs performance of their and our VIEs obligations under the exclusive technology service agreements, the proxy agreements, the exclusive call option agreements and the equity pledge agreements. As of the date of this prospectus, we have registered the equity pledges for Shanghai Liulishuo and Shanghai Mengfan with the local branch of the SAIC in accordance with PRC laws to perfect their respective equity pledges, and are still in the process of completing such registration for Jiangsu Liulishuo. After the completion of the equity pledge registrations, in the event of a breach by our VIEs or their shareholders of contractual obligations under these agreements, Yuguan, as pledgee, will have the right to dispose of the pledged equity interests in our VIEs. The shareholders of our VIEs also undertake that, during the term of the equity pledge agreement, unless otherwise approved by Yuguan in writing, they will not transfer the pledged equity interests or create or allow any new pledge or other encumbrance on the pledged equity interests.
Spousal Consent Letters. Pursuant to the spousal consent letters, each of the spouses of the individual shareholders of our VIEs unconditionally and irrevocably agrees that the equity interest in our VIEs held by and registered in the name of her respective spouse will be disposed of pursuant to the relevant equity pledge agreement, the exclusive call option agreement and the proxy agreement, without her consent. In addition, each of them agrees not to assert any rights over the equity interest in our VIEs held by her respective spouse. In addition, in the event that any of them obtains any equity interest in our VIEs held by her respective spouse for any reason, such spouse agrees to be bound by similar obligations and agreed to enter into similar contractual arrangements.
Agreements that allow us to receive economic benefits from our VIEs
Exclusive Technology Service Agreements. Pursuant to the exclusive technology service agreements between Yuguan and our VIEs, respectively, Yuguan has the exclusive right to provide to our VIEs services related to, among other things, technology, internet support, operation consulting, intellectual property licensing and product development. Yuguan has the exclusive ownership of intellectual property rights created as a result of the performance of this agreement. Each of our VIEs agrees to pay Yuguan a service fee every year, at an amount reasonably determined by Yuguan considering relevant VIEs revenue and other circumstances. This
69
agreement will remain effective for an initial 30-year term and will be renewed automatically except that Yuguan is entitled to terminate the agreement upon the expiration of such 30-year term as long as a 30-day prior written termination notice is provided to our VIEs.
Agreements that provide us with the option to purchase the equity interests in our VIEs
Exclusive Call Option Agreements. Pursuant to the exclusive call option agreements among Yuguan, our VIEs and their respective shareholders, the shareholders of our VIEs irrevocably grant Yuguan an exclusive option to purchase, or have its designated person to purchase, at its discretion, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of their equity interests and/or assets in our VIEs, and the purchase price shall be the higher of capital contribution amount for their equity interests or net book value of such assets, as the case may be, or the lowest price permitted by applicable PRC law. The shareholders further undertake to pay to Yuguan any purchase price or other distributions they receive in relation to the equity interests they held in the VIEs, to the extent permitted by PRC law. The shareholders of our VIEs undertake that, without prior written consent of Yuguan, they will not create any pledge or encumbrance on their equity interests in our VIEs, approve any transfer or in any manner disposal of their equity interests, dispose of or cause our company management to dispose of any material assets (other than those occurring in the ordinary course of business). The shareholders of each of our VIEs agree, among other things, without prior written consent of Yuguan, not to cause the relevant VIE to merge with any other entities, increase or decrease its registered capital, declare or distribute dividends, amend its articles of association, terminate any material contract or enter into any other contract which is in conflict with any existing material contract, appoint or remove its directors, supervisors or other management, be terminated, liquidated or dissolved, lend or borrow money or provide guarantee, or undertake any substantial obligation other than those occurred during the ordinary course of business. This agreement will remain effective till all of the equity interests and other assets of the relevant VIE have been transferred to Yuguan and/or its designated person.
In the opinions of Fangda Partners, our PRC legal counsel:
|
the ownership structures of Yuguan and our VIEs, both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, do not and will not violate applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and |
|
the contractual arrangements among Yuguan, our VIEs and their respective shareholders governed by PRC law, both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, are and will be valid and binding, and do not and will not violate applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect, except that the pledges on the equity interests in our VIEs would not be deemed validly created until they are registered with the competent administration of industry and commerce. |
However, we have been further advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may in the future take a view that is contrary to or otherwise different from the above opinions of our PRC legal counsel. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our education business do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in our businesses, we could be subject to severe penalties including being prohibited from continuing operations. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Corporate StructureWe rely on contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their shareholders to exercise control over a significant part of our business, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control. and Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaOur failure to obtain, maintain or renew other licenses, approvals, permits, registrations or filings necessary to conduct our operations in China could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.
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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following selected consolidated comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 and selected cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following selected consolidated comprehensive loss data for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, selected consolidated balance sheet data as of June 30, 2018, and selected consolidated cash flow data for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018 have been derived from our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments, that we consider necessary for a fair statement of our financial position and operating results for the periods presented. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results expected for future periods. You should read this Selected Consolidated Financial Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except for share and per share data) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net revenues |
12,332 | 165,561 | 25,446 | 40,061 | 232,308 | 35,107 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues (1) |
(27,503 | ) | (57,691 | ) | (8,867 | ) | (22,110 | ) | (55,007 | ) | (8,313 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Gross (loss)/profit |
(15,171 | ) | 107,870 | 16,579 |
|
17,951 |
|
177,301 | 26,794 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses (1) |
(28,534 | ) | (283,055 | ) | (43,505 | ) | (62,935 | ) | (259,849 | ) | (39,269 | ) | ||||||||||||
Research and development expenses (1) |
(30,013 | ) | (53,162 | ) | (8,171 | ) | (19,648 | ) | (60,941 | ) | (9,210 | ) | ||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses (1) |
(8,754 | ) | (19,807 | ) | (3,044 | ) | (6,958 | ) | (26,291 | ) | (3,973 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
(67,301 | ) | (356,024 | ) | (54,720 | ) | (89,541 | ) |
|
(347,081 |
) |
(52,452 | ) | |||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(82,472 | ) | (248,154 | ) | (38,141 | ) |
|
(71,590 |
) |
(169,780 | ) | (25,658 | ) | |||||||||||
Other income/(expenses): |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income |
2,671 | 934 | 144 | 509 | 1,406 | 213 | ||||||||||||||||||
Foreign exchange related (losses)/gains, net |
(9,839 | ) | 7,145 | 1,098 | 3,658 | (828 | ) | (125 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of short-term investment |
59 | 750 | 115 | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Other income/(expenses), net |
412 | 2,172 | 334 | 1,469 | (604 | ) | (92 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net loss before tax |
(89,169 | ) | (237,153 | ) | (36,450 | ) | (65,954 | ) | (169,806 | ) | (25,662 | ) | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
| (5,606 | ) | (862 | ) | (1,315 | ) | (12,456 | ) | (1,882 | ) | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net loss |
(89,169 | ) | (242,759 | ) | (37,312 | ) |
|
(67,269 |
) |
(182,262 | ) | (27,544 | ) | |||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Series A preferred share redemption value accretion |
(3,601 | ) | (3,105 | ) | (477 | ) | (1,815 | ) | (1,313 | ) | (198 | ) | ||||||||||||
Series B preferred share redemption value accretion |
(11,548 | ) | (12,565 | ) | (1,931 | ) |
|
(6,077 |
) |
|
(6,705 |
) |
(1,013 | ) | ||||||||||
Series C preferred share redemption value accretion |
| (11,147 | ) | (1,713 | ) | (934 | ) |
|
(10,520 |
) |
(1,591 | ) | ||||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders |
(104,318 | ) | (269,576 | ) | (41,433 | ) |
|
(76,095 |
) |
(200,800 | ) | (30,346 | ) | |||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax |
12,995 | (24,983 | ) | (3,839 | ) | (6,173 | ) | 2,596 | 392 | |||||||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss |
(76,174 | ) | (267,742 | ) | (41,151 | ) | (73,442 | ) | (179,666 | ) | (27,152 | ) | ||||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net loss per ordinary share attributable to ordinary shareholders |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted |
(5.28 | ) | (13.59 | ) | (2.09 | ) | (3.85) | (10.12 | ) | (1.53 | ) | |||||||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in per share calculation |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted |
19,770,990 | 19,834,535 | 19,834,535 | 19,775,878 | 19,834,535 | 19,834,535 |
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Note: |
|
(1) |
Including share-based compensation expenses as follows: |
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues |
1,257 | 1,341 | 206 | 1,009 | 588 | 89 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses |
839 | 2,380 | 366 | 874 | 2,182 | 330 | ||||||||||||||||||
Research and development expenses |
2,285 | 3,799 | 584 | 1,718 | 12,592 | 1,903 | ||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses |
139 | 997 | 153 | 152 | 4,301 | 650 | ||||||||||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total |
4,520 | 8,517 | 1,309 |
|
3,753 |
|
|
19,663 |
|
|
2,972 |
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The following table presents our selected consolidated balance sheet data as of the dates indicated:
As of December 31, | As of June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | US$ | ||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
41,301 | 416,483 | 64,012 | 378,372 | 57,181 | |||||||||||||||
Short-term investments |
121,336 | 35,422 | 5,444 | | | |||||||||||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
| 7,236 | 1,112 | 11,434 | 1,728 | |||||||||||||||
Prepayments and other current assets |
2,959 | 21,907 | 3,367 | 46,873 | 7,084 | |||||||||||||||
Total current assets |
165,596 | 481,048 | 73,935 | 436,679 | 65,993 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets |
167,214 | 494,325 | 75,976 | 467,368 | 70,630 | |||||||||||||||
Total current liabilities |
44,807 | 288,499 | 44,341 | 421,342 | 63,675 | |||||||||||||||
Total liabilities |
46,307 | 290,407 | 44,634 | 423,452 | 63,994 | |||||||||||||||
Total mezzanine equity |
286,946 | 651,904 | 100,196 | 670,443 | 101,320 | |||||||||||||||
Total shareholders (deficits)/equity |
(166,039 | ) | (447,986 | ) | (68,854 | ) | (626,527 | ) | (94,684 | ) |
The following table presents our selected consolidated cash flow data for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selected Consolidated Cash Flow Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(38,591 | ) | (60,120 | ) | (9,240 | ) | (9,581 | ) | (61,949 | ) | (9,362 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(121,677 | ) | 69,901 | 10,744 | 119,128 | 22,223 | 3,359 | |||||||||||||||||
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities |
| 377,191 | 57,973 | 324,623 | (798 | ) | (121 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents |
(160,268 | ) | 386,972 | 59,477 |
|
434,170 |
|
|
(40,524 |
) |
|
(6,124 |
) |
|||||||||||
Exchange rate effect on cash and cash equivalents |
2,312 | (11,790 | ) | (1,813 | ) | (2,420 | ) | 2,413 | 365 | |||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period |
199,257 | 41,301 | 6,348 | 41,301 | 416,483 | 62,940 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period |
41,301 | 416,483 | 64,012 | 473,051 | 378,372 | 57,181 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Non-GAAP Measures
We use adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.
We believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss help identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that we include in loss from operations and net loss. We believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss provide useful information about our results of operations, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.
Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to loss from operations, net loss or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review the historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
Adjusted EBITDA represents net loss excluding share-based compensation expenses, depreciation, amortization, interest income and income tax. The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our net loss to adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
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Net loss |
(89,169 | ) | (242,759 | ) | (37,312 | ) | (67,269 | ) | (182,262 | ) | (27,544 | ) | ||||||||||||
Add: |
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Share-based compensation expenses |
4,520 | 8,517 | 1,309 | 3,753 | 19,663 | 2,972 | ||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment |
550 | 1,027 | 158 | 381 | 2,036 | 308 | ||||||||||||||||||
Amortization of prepaid interest expense and service fees to loan companies |
| 269 | 41 | 13 | 1,685 | 255 | ||||||||||||||||||
Income tax expenses |
| 5,606 | 862 | 1,315 | 12,456 | 1,882 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Subtract: |
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Interest income |
2,671 | 934 | 143 | 509 | 1,406 | 212 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA |
(86,770 | ) | (228,274 | ) | (35,085 | ) | (62,316 | ) | (147,828 | ) | (22,339 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Adjusted net loss represents net loss excluding share-based compensation expenses. The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our net loss to adjusted net loss for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
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Net loss |
(89,169 | ) | (242,759 | ) | (37,312 | ) | (67,269 | ) | (182,262 | ) | (27,544 | ) | ||||||||||||
Add: |
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Share-based compensation expenses |
4,520 | 8,517 | 1,309 | 3,753 | 19,663 | 2,972 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Adjusted net loss |
(84,649 | ) | (234,242 | ) | (36,003 | ) | (63,516 | ) | (162,599 | ) | (24,572 | ) | ||||||||||||
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the section entitled Selected Consolidated Financial Data and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under Risk Factors and elsewhere in this prospectus.
Overview
We are a leading AI company in China that creates and delivers products and services to popularize English learning. Our proprietary AI teacher utilizes cutting-edge deep learning and adaptive learning technologies, big data, well-established education pedagogies and the mobile internet. We believe our innovative approach fundamentally transforms learning. We were named on the list of The 100 Most Promising Private Artificial Intelligence Companies in the World for 2018 by CB Insights. We were one of seven companies from China on the list and the only Chinese company out of the two in the education category globally. We were also named on the list of 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2018 by Forbes China.
Since our inception in 2013, we have built the Liulishuo platform from the ground-up to deliver a user-centric, personalized and effective English learning experience accessible to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Built on cutting-edge proprietary AI technologies, our AI teacher delivers a more personally tailored learning experience to each user. We provide our products and services on-demand via our mobile apps, primarily our flagship English Liulishuo mobile app. Our scalable technologies and mobile platform enable us to offer course packages with attractive pricing at a massive scale.
Our business has grown rapidly, and our AI-powered education approach has received wide acceptance. The number of our average monthly active users increased from 2.0 million in 2016 to 4.4 million in 2017, and further increased to 7.2 million in the first half of 2018. Our freemium model allows us to attract users with free services and convert them into paying users. We began monetization in 2016 and had approximately 70,500 paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in that year. The number of paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in 2017 increased rapidly to approximately 815,700. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, we had approximately 1,016,100 paying users purchase our courses and services. Our revenues increased substantially from RMB12.3 million in 2016 to RMB165.6 million (US$25.4 million) in 2017, and also from RMB40.1 million in the first half of 2017 to RMB232.3 million (US$35.1 million) in the first half of 2018. We incurred net losses of RMB242.8 million (US$37.3 million) in 2017 and RMB182.3 million (US$27.5 million) in the first half of 2018, as compared to net losses of RMB89.2 million in 2016 and RMB67.3 million in the first half of 2017, respectively.
Key Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
Our results of operations and financial condition are affected by the general factors driving Chinas private education industry. We have benefited from the rapid economic growth, significant urbanization, and higher per capita disposable income of urban households in China, which has allowed many in China to spend more disposable income on education, a category of great importance given the considerable value Chinese culture traditionally places on education. We anticipate that the demand for education will continue to grow. We have also benefited from the increasing mobile internet penetration in China. While our business is influenced by factors affecting the private education industry in China generally, we believe that our results of operations are more directly affected by company-specific factors, including the following factors.
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Market acceptance of AI-powered educational products and services
Our products and services are primarily AI-driven, with AI technologies built into the core of our courses, transforming the traditional approach to education. We operate our courses and services on the mobile platform, whereas it is customary in the education industry to have in-person teaching in physical classrooms. The market recognition and acceptance of the concept of learning on a mobile app and from an AI teacher affects the growth of our business and revenues. Our ability to educate and show existing and potential users the value and the effectiveness of our innovative approach is and will continue to be crucial for our business growth, financial performance and prospects. Our success in competing against other education services, including English learning services and mobile-enabled education services, is primarily dependent on our ability to improve users learning efficiency and effectiveness, provide quality learning content and promote our brand and products and services. We have been able to grow our user base rapidly. The number of our cumulative registered users increased from 34.0 million as of December 31, 2016 to 61.3 million as of December 31, 2017, and further increased to 83.8 million in the first half of 2018. The number of our average monthly active users increased from 2.0 million in 2016 to 4.4 million in 2017, and further increased to 7.2 million in the first half of 2018.
Our ability to grow net revenues and gross billings
We currently derive all of our net revenues from fees that we charge our users for providing online English learning services. In addition to net revenues, we consider gross billings an important indicator of the health of our business as it measures cash received from providing online English learning services, net of cash refunds paid to users. Through gross billings, we can better understand and evaluate our business performance and gain visibility of future revenues. Our net revenues and gross billings are driven by the number of our paying users and the average revenues per paying user. The growth of our paying user base is driven primarily by the growth of the number of active users and our ability to convert a greater portion of our active users into paying users. Our average revenue per paying user is primarily affected by the pricing of our courses and services and our revenue mix.
We analyze the following financial and operating metrics to evaluate our business results and operating performance, and make business plans and strategic decisions.
2016 | 2017 | First Half of 2017 | First Half of 2018 | |||||||||||||
Gross billings |
RMB25.7 million | RMB313.0 million | RMB80.3 million | RMB345.7 million | ||||||||||||
Net revenues |
RMB12.3 million | RMB165.6 million | RMB40.1 million | RMB232.3 million | ||||||||||||
Paying users |
70,500 | 815,700 | 255,200 | 1,016,100 |
Our ability to manage our cost of revenues
Our ability to manage cost of revenues directly affects our profitability. Our cost of revenues mainly consist of IT service cost, content-related cost and service fees paid to contract human teachers for our premium services. We expect our cost of revenues to increase in absolute amounts as we continue to grow our business.
Our ability to improve sales and marketing efficiency
Sales and marketing is critical to our business as we need to educate the market about the benefits of our AI-powered learning products and services as well as grow our user base. Our sales and marketing expenses have become a significant majority of our total operating expenses. Our ability to lower such expenses as a percentage of net revenues depends on our ability to improve sales and marketing efficiency, such as acquiring users in a cost-effective manner, automating certain tasks performed by OSAs, and leveraging existing brand value and word-of-mouth promotions. In the foreseeable future, we expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase in absolute amounts as we spend more to promote our brand and grow our user base.
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Our ability to develop and leverage our AI capabilities in a cost-effective manner
We have developed cutting-edge proprietary AI technologies and built a team of AI experts. Our ability to leverage our AI capabilities to develop and enhance our products and services in a cost-effective manner affects our revenues and results of operations. We expect our research and development expenses to increase as we continue to develop and enhance our AI technologies, products and services, big data capabilities and technology infrastructure.
Key Components of Results of Operations
Net revenues
Our revenues are generated from providing online English learning services. We primarily offer two types of course packages, namely prepaid standard courses and multiple course packages. Our DongNi English standard courses constitute prepaid standard courses, which allow users to purchase courses to be consumed over a certain period of time. Our premium services are provided in the form of prepaid multiple course packages, including prepaid standard courses and course credits for one-to-one tutoring sessions with contract human teachers. Such packages allow users to purchase multiple courses for use before a certain expiration date. Our paying users purchase the services by subscribing to our course packages directly from our platform or through online commerce platform partners. Subscription fees are generally paid in advance, initially recorded as deferred revenues and recognized as revenues when revenue recognition criteria are met. In 2016 and 2017, we generated net revenues of RMB12.3 million and RMB165.6 million (US$25.4 million), respectively, and in the first half of 2017 and 2018, we generated net revenues of RMB40.1 million and RMB232.3 million (US$35.1 million), respectively. As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively, we had RMB12.8 million and RMB116.4 million (US$17.9 million) of deferred revenues, and as of June 30, 2018, we had RMB238.0 million (US$36.0 million) of deferred revenues.
Cost of revenues
Our cost of revenues primarily consist of expenditures incurred in the generation of our revenue, mainly consisting of IT service cost, content-related cost and service fees paid to contract human teachers for our premium services. We had cost of revenues of RMB27.5 million and RMB57.7 million (US$8.9 million) in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and cost of revenues of RMB22.1 million and RMB55.0 million (US$8.3 million) in the first half of 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Operating expenses
The following table sets forth the components of our operating expenses by amounts and percentages of net revenues for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | % | RMB | US$ | % | RMB | % | RMB | US$ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except for percentages) |
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Operating expenses: |
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Sales and marketing expenses |
(28,534 | ) | (231.4 | %) | (283,055 | ) | (43,505 | ) | (171.0 | %) | (62,935 | ) | (157.1 | %) | (259,849 | ) | (39,269 | ) | (111.9 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Research and development expenses |
(30,013 | ) | (243.4 | %) | (53,162 | ) | (8,171 | ) | (32.1 | %) | (19,648 | ) | (49.0 | %) | (60,941 | ) | (9,210 | ) | (26.2 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses |
(8,754 | ) | (71.0 | %) | (19,807 | ) | (3,044 | ) | (12.0 | %) | (6,958 | ) | (17.4 | %) | (26,291 | ) | (3,973 | ) | (11.3 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Total operating expenses |
(67,301 | ) | (545.8 | %) | (356,024 | ) | (54,720 | ) | (215.1 | %) | (89,541 | ) | (223.5 | %) | (347,081 | ) | (52,452 | ) | (149.4 | %) |
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Our sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of (i) branding and marketing expenses, (ii) salaries and benefits for sales and marketing personnel including OSAs, (iii) commissions to online commerce platform partners for operations of our e-stores on their platforms and commissions to distribution channels (app stores), (iv) payment processing expenses, (v) rewards to users related to our user incentive programs and (vi) rental expenses associated with sales and marketing personnel. We expect our selling and marketing expenses to increase in absolute amounts in the foreseeable future as we spend more to promote our brand and grow our user base.
Our research and development expenses consist primarily of (i) salaries and benefits for research and development personnel, (ii) rental expenses associated with research and development personnel and (iii) depreciation of office premise and servers utilized by research and development personnel. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in absolute amounts as we continue to expand our product offerings and AI capabilities.
Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of (i) salaries and benefits for general and administrative personnel, (ii) rental expenses associated with general and administrative personnel, (iii) general office expenses and (iv) professional service fees. We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase in absolute amounts in the foreseeable future due to the anticipated growth of our business as well as the additional accounting, insurance, investor relations and other expenses to be incurred as a public company.
Taxation
We are subject to various rates of income tax under different jurisdictions. The following summarizes major factors affecting our applicable tax rates in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the United States and the PRC.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. In addition, the Cayman Islands does not impose withholding tax on dividend payments.
Hong Kong
Our subsidiary in Hong Kong is subject to Hong Kong profits tax rate of 16.5% on its estimated assessable profit for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017. Dividends income received from subsidiaries in China are not subject to Hong Kong profits tax.
United States
Our subsidiary incorporated in Delaware, LingoChamp US Inc., is subject to U.S. corporate income tax on its taxable income at a rate of up to 21% for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and U.S. corporate income tax on its taxable income of up to 35% for prior tax years.
PRC
Generally, our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs are subject to enterprise income tax on their taxable income at a statutory rate of 25% in China. The enterprise income tax is calculated based on the entitys global income as determined under PRC tax laws and accounting standards. Yuguan and Shanghai Liulishuo each obtained its certificate of High and New Technology Enterprises, or HNTE, with a valid period of three years in 2017. Each is therefore eligible to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15% from 2017 to 2019 to the extent it has taxable
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income under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, as long as it maintains the HNTE qualification and duly conducts relevant enterprise income tax filing procedures with the relevant tax authority. Certain PRC subsidiary and VIE are entitled to a preferential tax treatment as a Small-scaled Enterprise and thus enjoy a reduced tax rate of 20% on 50% of its taxable income in 2017.
We are subject to value-added tax at a rate of 6%, less any deductible value-added tax we have already paid or borne. We are also subject to surcharges on value-added tax payments in accordance with PRC law.
Dividends paid by our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China to our intermediary holding company in Hong Kong will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10%, unless the relevant Hong Kong entity satisfies all the requirements under the Arrangement between China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and Capital and receives approval from the relevant tax authority. If our Hong Kong subsidiary satisfies all the requirements under the tax arrangement and receives approval from the relevant tax authority, then the dividends paid to the Hong Kong subsidiary would be subject to withholding tax at the standard rate of 5%. Effective from November 1, 2015, the above mentioned approval requirement has been abolished, but a Hong Kong entity is still required to file an application package with the relevant tax authority, and settle the overdue taxes if the preferential 5% tax rate is denied based on the subsequent review of the application package by the relevant tax authority. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Corporate StructureWe may not be able to obtain certain benefits under the relevant tax arrangement for dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries to us through our Hong Kong subsidiary.
If our holding company in the Cayman Islands or any of our subsidiaries outside of China were deemed to be a resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax on its worldwide income at a rate of 25%. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaIf we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes or gains realized with respect to our ADSs or shares are deemed to be from PRC sources, we and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders could be subject to unfavorable tax consequences.
Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal control and procedures and we were never required to evaluate our internal control within a specified period, and, as a result, we may experience difficulty in meeting these reporting requirements in a timely manner. Our management has not completed assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, in the course of preparing and auditing our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, we and our independent registered public accounting firm respectively identified one material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. In accordance with reporting requirements set forth by the SEC, a material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our companys annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
The material weakness identified relates to lack of sufficient competent financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate understanding of U.S. GAAP to design and implement formal period-end financial reporting policies and procedures; to address complex U.S. GAAP technical accounting issues; and to prepare and review our combined financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with U.S. GAAP and financial reporting requirements set forth by the SEC. Neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm undertook a comprehensive assessment of our internal control under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for purposes of identifying and reporting any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. Had we performed a formal assessment of our internal control over financial reporting or had our independent
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registered public accounting firm performed an audit of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, additional material weaknesses may have been identified.
To remedy our identified material weakness subsequent to December 31, 2017, we plan to undertake steps to strengthen our internal control over financial reporting, including: (i) hiring more qualified personnel equipped with relevant U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting experience and qualifications to strengthen the financial reporting function and to set up a financial and system control framework, (ii) implementing regular and continuous U.S. GAAP accounting and financial reporting training programs for our accounting and financial reporting personnel, (iii) establishing effective oversight and clarifying reporting requirements for non-recurring and complex transactions to ensure consolidated financial statements and related disclosures are accurate, complete and in compliance with U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting requirements. Further, we plan to enhance an internal audit function as well as engaging an external consulting firm to help us assess our compliance readiness under Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act and improve overall internal control.
However, we cannot assure you that we will remediate our material weakness in a timely manner. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our BusinessIf we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.
As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an emerging growth company pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in the assessment of the emerging growth companys internal control over financial reporting.
Critical Accounting Policies
An accounting policy is considered critical if it requires an accounting estimate to be made based on assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time such estimate is made, and if different accounting estimates that reasonably could have been used, or changes in the accounting estimates that are reasonably likely to occur periodically, could materially impact the consolidated financial statements.
We prepare our financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions. We continually evaluate these estimates and assumptions based on the most recently available information, our own historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, actual results could differ from our expectations as a result of changes in our estimates. Some of our accounting policies require a higher degree of judgment than others in their application and require us to make significant accounting estimates.
The following descriptions of critical accounting policies, judgments and estimates should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and other disclosures included in this prospectus. When reviewing our financial statements, you should consider (i) our selection of critical accounting policies, (ii) the judgments and other uncertainties affecting the application of such policies and (iii) the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions.
Consolidation of VIEs
Our consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of LAIX Inc. (formerly known as LingoChamp Inc.), its subsidiaries and its VIEs. All profits, transactions and balances among the foregoing entities have been eliminated upon consolidation.
PRC laws and regulations restrict foreign ownership in value-added telecommunication services and other internet-related business. Due to these restrictions, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China
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through contractual arrangements among our WFOE, our VIEs and the shareholders of our VIEs. As a result of these contractual arrangements, the shareholders of our VIEs irrevocably granted our WFOE the power to exercise all voting rights to which they were entitled. In addition, our WFOE has the option to acquire all of the equity interests in the VIEs, to the extent permitted by then-effective PRC laws and regulations, for pre-agreed consideration, who shall in turn pay such consideration back to our WFOE. Finally, our WFOE is entitled to receive service fees for certain services to be provided to the VIEs in an amount at our WFOEs discretion. We therefore concluded that we are the primary beneficiary of our VIEs. As such, we consolidate the results of operations of the VIEs in our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue recognition
We primarily offer two types of prepaid course packages, namely prepaid standard courses and prepaid multiple course packages. Our DongNi English standard courses constitute prepaid standard courses, which allow users to purchase courses to be consumed over a certain period of time. Our premium services are provided in the form of prepaid multiple course packages, including prepaid standard courses and course credits for one-to-one tutoring sessions with contract human teachers. Such packages allow users to purchase multiple courses for their use before a certain expiration date. Our users purchase the courses by subscribing to them either directly from our platform or through our online commerce platform partners. Subscription fees are generally paid in advance and are initially recorded as deferred revenue.
For users who withdraw from contracts with us, we refund subscription fees corresponding to any remaining undelivered learning services. Withdrawals are recorded as reductions of the deferred revenue related to subscription fees received in advance and have no impact on recognized revenue.
We have assessed all variable considerations identified when determining the transaction price, taking into account the various forms that such variable considerations may take. We selectively offer performance-based refunds to incentivize our registered users to purchase prepaid course packages. We have two types of revenue models the non-refundable course model and the refundable course model. Revenues for the non-refundable course model are recognized ratably over the contractual course period as services are provided. Under the refundable course model, a user is eligible to obtain a refund if the user achieves certain agreed performance goals, including completing a minimum number of learning hours within a set period of time, achieving various measures of learning efficiency and receiving a certain overall score for each course in the package. Based on our historical records of performance-based refunds, we estimate a refund rate that constitutes a reduction of the transaction price when recognizing revenues ratably as services are provided over the contractual course period we review and supervise the refund rate on a periodic basis. By adjusting the difficulty level of the exams in the packages, we are able to maintain a stable refund rate, which constitutes a reasonable and reliable basis for us to estimate and calculate the amount of the refund. In the event that the estimated refund amount is larger than a users individual cumulative revenue basis, we recognize such negative revenue as selling expenses. Except for the aforementioned performance-based refunds to our customers, no other circumstance causes variability in the consideration promised in the online courses offered by the Company.
We recognize revenue on a gross basis as we meet the standard of a principal having control over the service or directing the service.
Prepaid standard courses
Prepaid standard courses typically range from 30 days to 360 days. A user can access the standard courses without limit within such users fixed contract period. Revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual course period.
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Prepaid multiple course packages
Prepaid multiple course packages typically range from 180 days to 720 days. Each type of course is a separate unit of accounting, as each type has a distinct nature with different patterns and measurements of transfer to users.
We determine the standalone selling price for each type of course in the package and allocate the transaction price based on the relative value of each type of course in the arrangement, if applicable. The best evidence of standalone selling price is the price we charge for a certain type of course when we sell it separately under similar circumstances to similar users. For a type of course that is not being sold separately, we determine the value of each type based on its cost plus an expected margin.
For the standard courses included in prepaid multiple course packages, revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual course period. For those one-to-one courses, revenue is recognized when the course credit is consumed with estimates for breakage from unconsumed courses at contract expiration. The expected breakage amount is recognized as revenue in proportion to the pattern of course credits consumed by the customers based on actual breakage data the Company has accumulated. The expected breakage amount is updated on a periodic basis.
Other courses
We also provide other courses, such as Authentic Pronunciation and IELTS speaking practice tests. Revenues are recognized ratably over a fixed term of the agreement or an estimated viewership period as services are provided.
User Incentive Program
We have incentive programs for our registered users to enhance user stickiness and to incentivize users. We offer points to registered users who refer new users to our platform, or when they participate in various activities in our mobile app. Users can redeem the points for free gifts. The estimated incremental costs related to free gifts are recognized as sales and marketing expenses.
Share-based compensation
Share-based compensation expenses arise from share-based awards, including share options for the purchase of ordinary shares. We account for share-based awards granted to employees in accordance with ASC 718 Stock Compensation. For share options for the purchase of ordinary shares granted to employees classified as equity awards, the related share-based compensation expenses are recognized in the consolidated financial statements based on the fair value of the awards on the grant date, which is calculated using the binomial option pricing model. The determination of the fair value is affected by the share price as well as assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables, including the expected share price volatility, actual and projected employee share option exercise behavior, risk-free interest rates and expected dividends. The fair value of the ordinary shares is assessed using the income approach/discounted cash flow method, with a discount for lack of marketability, given that the shares underlying the awards were not publicly traded at the time of grant. Share-based compensation expenses are recorded net of estimated forfeitures using straight-line method in accordance with the service period requirement, such that expenses are recorded only for those share-based awards that are expected to ultimately vest.
Fair value of our ordinary shares
We have been a private company with no quoted market prices for our ordinary shares. We therefore need to make estimates of the fair value of our ordinary shares at various dates in order to determine the fair value of our
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ordinary shares at the date of the grant of a share-based compensation award to our employees. Estimates will not be necessary to determine the fair value of new awards once the American depositary shares underlying our ordinary shares begin trading.
The following table sets forth the fair value of our ordinary shares estimated taking into account independent valuation advice:
Date of Options Grant |
Share
Options Granted |
Exercise
Price (US$/ Share) |
Fair
Value of Option (US$) |
Fair Value of
Ordinary Shares (US$) |
DLOM |
Discount
Rate |
Type of
Valuation |
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July 1, 2016 |
722,070 | 0.20 | 3.32 | 3.52 | 26 | % | 25 | % | Retrospective | |||||||||||||||||||
January 1, 2017 |
69,500 | 0.20 | 3.52 | 3.72 | 24 | % | 25 | % | Retrospective | |||||||||||||||||||
June 1, 2017 |
609,500 | 0.20 | 5.54 | 5.74 | 18 | % | 24 | % | Retrospective | |||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2017 |
558,584 | 0.60 | 7.39 | 7.99 | 15 | % | 24 | % | Retrospective | |||||||||||||||||||
April 25, 2018 |
646,000 | 0.60 | 10.90 | 11.50 | 10 | % | 23 | % | Contemporaneous | |||||||||||||||||||
July 31, 2018 |
1,489,000 | 0.60 | 12.79 | 13.39 | 5 | % | 22 | % | Contemporaneous |
The option-pricing method was used to allocate equity value of our company to preferred and ordinary shares, taking into account the guidance prescribed by the AICPA Audit and Accounting Practice Aid. This method requires making estimates of the anticipated timing of a potential liquidity event, such as a sale of our company or an initial public offering, and estimates of the volatility of our equity securities. The anticipated timing is based on the plans of our board and management.
The other major assumptions used in calculating the fair value of ordinary shares include:
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Weighted average cost of capital, or WACC: The WACCs were determined in consideration of factors including risk-free rate, comparative industry risk, equity risk premium, company size and non-systematic risk factors; |
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Comparable companies: In deriving the WACCs, which are used as the discount rates under the income approach, certain publicly traded companies in the online education industry were selected for reference as our guideline companies. |
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Discount for lack of marketability, or DLOM: DLOM was quantified by the Finnertys Average-Strike put options model. Under this option-pricing method, which assumed that the put option is struck at the average price of the stock before the privately held shares can be sold, the cost of the put option was considered as a basis to determine the DLOM. This option pricing method is one of the methods commonly used in estimating DLOM as it can take into consideration factors such as timing of a liquidity event, for instance an initial public offering, and estimated volatility of our shares. The further the valuation date is from an expected liquidity event, the higher the put option value is and thus the higher the implied DLOM is. The lower the DLOM used for the valuation is, the higher the determined fair value of the ordinary shares becomes. DLOM remained in the range of 35% to 15% in the period from 2015 to 2017. |
Significant factors contributing to the difference in fair value determined
The determined fair value of our ordinary shares increased from US$3.52 per share as of July 1, 2016 to US$3.72 per share as of January 1, 2017. We believe the increase in the fair value of our ordinary shares was primarily attributable to the following factors:
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Our net revenues grew significantly to RMB12.3 million in 2016; |
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As we progressed towards an initial public offering, the lead time to an expected liquidity event decreased, resulting in a decrease of DLOM from 26% as of July 1, 2016 to 24% as of January 1, 2017; |
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We adjusted our financial forecast to reflect the anticipated higher revenue growth rate and improved financial performance in the future due to the abovementioned developments. |
The determined fair value of our ordinary shares increased from US$3.72 per share as of January 1, 2017 to US$5.74 per share as of June 1, 2017 and further to US$7.99 per share as of December 31, 2017, We believe the increase in the fair value of our ordinary shares was primarily attributable to the following factors:
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Our net revenues grew significantly from RMB12.3 million in 2016 to RMB165.6 million in 2017, representing a substantial annual growth rate; |
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As we progressed towards an initial public offering, the lead time to an expected liquidity event decreased, resulting in a decrease of DLOM from 24% as of January 1, 2017 to 15% as of December 31, 2017; |
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As a result of the events described above and the growth of our business, the discount rate decreased from 25% as of January 1, 2017 to 24% as of December 31, 2017; and |
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We adjusted our financial forecast to reflect the anticipated higher revenue growth rate and improved financial performance in the future due to the abovementioned developments. |
The determined fair value of our ordinary shares increased from US$7.99 per share as of December 31, 2017 to US$11.50 per share as of April 25, 2018 and further to US$13.39 per share as of July 31, 2018, We believe the increase in the fair value of our ordinary shares was primarily attributable to the following factors:
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Our net revenues grew significantly from RMB40.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB232.3 million (US$35.1 million) in the six months ended June 30, 2018, representing a substantial annual growth rate; |
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As we progressed towards an initial public offering, the lead time to an expected liquidity event decreased, resulting in a decrease of DLOM from 15% as of December 31, 2017 to 10% as of April 25, 2017 and further to 5% as of July 31, 2018; |
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We began monetization of a new product, Liuli Reading, in the first quarter of 2018. The gross billings generated from this product have increased significantly since its introduction. The successful monetization of this product marked an important milestone in our business development, and as a result we revised our financial forecast upwards as of April 25, 2018. Subsequently, during the second quarter of 2018, the revenue from this product increased by approximately 350% compared with that of the first quarter of 2018, which continued to exceed our expectations and original forecast and therefore, we further revised our forecast as of July 31, 2018; |
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As a result of the events described above and the growth of our business, the discount rate decreased from 25% as of January 1, 2017 to 24% as of December 31, 2017; and |
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We adjusted our financial forecast to reflect the anticipated higher revenue growth rate and improved financial performance in the future due to the abovementioned developments. |
Income taxes
Current income taxes are provided on the basis of net income for financial reporting purposes, adjusted for income and expense items which are not assessable or deductible for income tax purposes, in accordance with the regulations of the relevant tax jurisdictions.
Deferred income taxes are accounted for using an asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences of temporary differences by applying enacted statutory rates applicable to future years to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of existing assets and liabilities. The tax base of an asset or liability is the amount attributed to that asset or
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liability for tax purpose. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss in the period of change. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the amount of deferred tax assets if it is considered more likely than not that some portion of, or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
The guidance on accounting for uncertainties in income taxes prescribes a more likely than not threshold for financial statements recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Guidance was also provided on derecognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification of current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities, accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, accounting for income taxes in interim periods, and income tax disclosures. Significant judgment is required in evaluating our uncertain tax positions and determining its provision for income taxes. We did not recognize any significant interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017. As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, we did not have any unrecognized uncertain tax positions.
Results of Operations
The following table summarizes our consolidated results of operations and as percentages of our total revenues for the periods presented.
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | % | RMB | US$ | % | RMB | % | RMB | US$ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except for percentages) |
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Net revenues |
12,332 | 100.0 | % | 165,561 | 25,446 | 100.0 | % | 40,061 | 100.0 | % | 232,308 | 35,107 | 100.0 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues (1) |
(27,503 | ) | (223.0 | %) | (57,691 | ) | (8,867 | ) | (34.8 | %) | (22,110 | ) | (55.2 | %) | (55,007 | ) | (8,313 | ) | (23.7 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Gross (loss)/ profit |
(15,171 | ) | (123.0 | %) | 107,870 | 16,579 | 65.2 | % | 17,951 | 44.8 | % | 177,301 | 26,794 | 76.3 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
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Sales and marketing expenses (1) |
(28,534 | ) | (231.4 | %) | (283,055 | ) | (43,505 | ) | (171.0 | %) | (62,935 | ) | (157.1 | %) | (259,849 | ) | (39,269 | ) | (111.9 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Research and development expenses (1) |
(30,013 | ) | (243.4 | %) | (53,162 | ) | (8,171 | ) | (32.1 | %) | (19,648 | ) | (49.0 | %) | (60,941 | ) | (9,210 | ) | (26.2 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses (1) |
(8,754 | ) | (71.0 | %) | (19,807 | ) | (3,044 | ) | (12.0 | %) | (6,958 | ) | (17.4 | %) | (26,291 | ) | (3,973 | ) | (11.3 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Total operating expenses |
(67,301 | ) | (545.8 | %) | (356,024 | ) | (54,720 | ) | (215.1 | %) | (89,541 | ) | (223.5 | %) | (347,081 | ) | (52,452 | ) | (149.4 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Loss from operations |
(82,472 | ) | (668.8 | %) | (248,154 | ) | (38,141 | ) | (149.9 | %) | (71,590 | ) | (178.7 | %) | (169,780 | ) | (25,658 | ) | (73.1 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other income and expenses: |
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Interest income |
2,671 | 21.7 | % | 934 | 144 | 0.6 | % | 509 | 1.3 | % | 1,406 | 213 | 0.7 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign exchange related (losses)/gains, net |
(9,839 | ) | (79.8 | %) | 7,145 | 1,098 | 4.3 | % | 3,658 | 9.1 | % | (828 | ) | (125 | ) | (0.4 | %) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of short-term investment |
59 | 0.5 | % | 750 | 115 | 0.5 | % | | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income/(expenses), net |
412 | 3.3 | % | 2,172 | 334 | 1.3 | % | 1,469 | 3.7 | % | (604 | ) | (92 | ) | (0.3 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Net loss before tax |
(89,169 | ) | (723.1 | %) | (237,153 | ) | (36,450 | ) | (143.2 | %) | (65,954 | ) | (164.6 | %) | (169,806 | ) | (25,662 | ) | (73.1 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
| | (5,606 | ) | (862 | ) | (3.4 | %) | (1,315 | ) | (3.3 | %) | (12,456 | ) | (1,882 | ) | (5.4 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Net loss |
(89,169 | ) | (723.1 | %) | (242,759 | ) | (37,312 | ) | (146.6 | %) | (67,269 | ) | (167.9 | %) | (182,262 | ) | (27,544 | ) | (78.5 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Note: |
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(1) |
Including share-based compensation expenses as follows: |
Year Ended December 31, | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
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Cost of revenues |
1,257 | 1,341 | 206 | 1,009 | 588 | 89 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses |
839 | 2,380 | 366 | 874 | 2,182 | 330 | ||||||||||||||||||
Research and development expenses |
2,285 | 3,799 | 584 | 1,718 | 12,592 | 1,903 | ||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses |
139 | 997 | 153 | 152 | 4,301 | 650 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Total |
4,520 | 8,517 | 1,309 | 3,753 | 19,663 | 2,972 |
Six months ended June 30, 2017 compared with six months ended June 30, 2018
Net revenues
Our net revenues increased substantially from RMB40.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB232.3 million (US$35.1 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, primarily due to a growth in subscriptions for our DongNi English standard courses. To a lesser extent, the growth in our premium services and other courses, including the introduction of the Liuli Reading in 2018, also contributed to our revenue increase. Across our platform, the number of paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform for the six months ended June 30, 2018 grew rapidly to approximately 1,016,100, as compared to approximately 255,200 for the six months ended June 30, 2017.
Cost of revenues
Our cost of revenues increased by 148.8% from RMB22.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB55.0 million (US$8.3 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, primarily due to increases in (i) salaries and benefits for certain full-time employees, (ii) IT service cost, and (iii) service fees paid to contract human teachers for our premium services, all resulting from our business growth and user base expansion. Salaries and benefits for full-time employees increased from RMB6.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB16.6 million (US$2.5 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018. Our IT service cost increased from RMB5.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB15.5 million (US$2.3 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018. The service fees paid to contract human teachers for our premium services increased from RMB2.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB9.9 million (US$1.5 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018.
Gross profit
As a result of increased economies of scale, our gross profit increased from RMB18.0 million, representing a gross margin of 44.8%, for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB177.3 million (US$26.8 million), representing a gross margin of 76.3%, for the six months ended June 30, 2018.
Operating expenses
Our total operating expenses increased by 287.6% from RMB89.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB347.1 million (US$52.5 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, as all components of operating expenses increased due to our business growth, the development and introduction of new products and the expansion of our user base.
Sales and marketing expenses . Our sales and marketing expenses increased substantially from RMB62.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB259.8 million (US$39.3 million) for the six months ended
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June 30, 2018, primarily due to increases in (i) branding and marketing expenses, (ii) salaries and benefits for sales and marketing personnel, including our OSAs, and (iii) commissions to distribution channels (app stores) and online commerce platform partners. Our branding and marketing expenses increased from RMB30.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB130.0 million (US$19.6 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018 as we invested substantially in our marketing efforts to increase our user base and enhance our brand and reputation. Salaries and benefits for sales and marketing personnel increased from RMB19.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB72.3 million (US$10.9 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018 mainly due to an increase in our OSA headcount, which increased from over 330 as of June 30, 2017 to over 1,000 as of June 30, 2018. Commissions to distribution channels (app stores) and online commerce platform partners increased from RMB6.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB27.3 million (US$4.1 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018.
Research and development expenses . Our research and development expenses increased by 210.2% from RMB19.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB60.9 million (US$9.2 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, primarily due to an increase in salaries and benefits for research and development personnel from RMB14.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB41.8 million (US$6.3 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018. The headcount of our research and development personnel increased from 111 as of June 30, 2017 to 234 as of June 30, 2018.
General and administrative expenses . Our general and administrative expenses increased by 277.8% from RMB7.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to RMB26.3 million (US$4.0 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, primarily attributable to increases in our human resources expenses and office expenses. Our general and administrative personnel headcount increased from 23 as of June 30, 2017 to 58 as of June 30, 2018.
Loss from operations
As a result of the factors set out above, we incurred loss from operation of RMB169.8 million (US$25.7 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, as compared to RMB71.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017.
Interest income
We had interest income of RMB1.4 million (US$0.2 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, as compared to RMB0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017, primarily due to a significant increase in bank interest income as a result of the deposit of our Series C financing proceeds.
Foreign exchange related (losses)/gains, net
We had a foreign exchange related loss of RMB0.8 million (US$0.1 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, as compared to a foreign exchange related gain of RMB3.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017, primarily due to the depreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar.
Other income/(expenses), net
We had net other expenses of RMB0.6 million (US$0.1 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, as compared to net other income RMB1.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017, primarily due to an increase in service fees to loan companies.
Income tax expense
We incurred income tax expense of RMB12.5 million (US$1.9 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, as compared to RMB1.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017, primarily due to an increase in taxable income in relevant tax jurisdictions.
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Net loss
As a result of the foregoing, we incurred a net loss of RMB182.3 million (US$27.5 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, as compared to a net loss of RMB67.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017.
Year ended December 31, 2017 compared with year ended December 31, 2016
Net revenues
Our net revenues increased substantially from RMB12.3 million in 2016 to RMB165.6 million (US$25.4 million) in 2017, primarily due to a growth in subscriptions for our standard DongNi English courses. To a lesser extent, the growth in our premium services and the introduction of the Authentic Pronunciation course in 2017 also contributed to our revenue increase. Across our platform, the number of paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in 2017 grew rapidly to approximately 815,700, as compared to approximately 70,500 in 2016.
Cost of revenues
Our cost of revenues increased by 109.8% from RMB27.5 million in 2016 to RMB57.7 million (US$8.9 million) in 2017, primarily due to increases in (i) IT service cost, (ii) content-related cost and (iii) service fees paid to contract human teachers for our premium services, all resulting from our business growth and user base expansion. Our IT service cost increased from RMB6.8 million in 2016 to RMB16.2 million (US$2.5 million) in 2017. Our content-related cost increased from RMB6.5 million in 2016 to RMB9.8 million (US$1.5 million) in 2017. The service fees paid to contract human teachers for our premium services increased from RMB2.1 million in 2016 to RMB7.9 million (US$1.2 million) in 2017.
Gross loss/profit
As a result of the foregoing, we incurred a gross loss of RMB15.2 million in 2016, but achieved a gross profit of RMB107.9 million (US$16.6 million), representing a gross margin of 65.2% in 2017, primarily due to increased economies of scale.
Operating expenses
Our total operating expenses increased by 429.0% from RMB67.3 million in 2016 to RMB356.0 million (US$54.7 million) in 2017, as all components of operating expenses increased due to our business growth and the expansion of our user base.
Sales and marketing expenses . Our sales and marketing expenses increased substantially from RMB28.5 million in 2016 to RMB283.1 million (US$43.5 million) in 2017, primarily due to increases in (i) branding and marketing expenses, (ii) salaries and benefits for sales and marketing personnel, including our OSAs, and (iii) commissions to distribution channels (app stores) and online commerce platform partners. Our branding and marketing expenses increased from RMB15.8 million in 2016 to RMB165.1 million (US$25.4 million) in 2017 as we invested substantially in our marketing efforts to increase our user base and enhance our brand and reputation. Salaries and benefits for sales and marketing personnel increased from RMB7.4 million in 2016 to RMB69.5 million (US$10.7 million) in 2017 mainly due to an increase in our OSA headcount, which increased from 58 as of December 31, 2016 to over 600 as of December 31, 2017. Commissions to distribution channels (app stores) and online commerce platform partners increased from RMB1.7 million in 2016 to RMB22.3 million (US$3.4 million) in 2017.
Research and development expenses . Our research and development expenses increased by 77.1% from RMB30.0 million in 2016 to RMB53.2 million (US$8.2 million) in 2017, primarily due to an increase in salaries
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and benefits for research and development personnel from RMB24.7 million in 2016 to RMB43.5 million (US$6.7 million) in 2017. The headcount of our research and development personnel increased from 53 as of December 31, 2016 to 157 as of December 31, 2017.
General and administrative expenses . Our general and administrative expenses increased by 126.3% from RMB8.8 million in 2016 to RMB19.8 million (US$3.0 million) in 2017, primarily attributable to an increase in salaries and benefits for general and administrative personnel from RMB4.3 million in 2016 to RMB8.1 million (US$1.2 million) in 2017. Our general and administrative personnel headcount increased from 14 as of December 31, 2016 to 35 as of December 31, 2017.
Loss from operations
As a result of the factors set out above, we incurred loss from operation of RMB248.2 million (US$38.1 million) in 2017, as compared to RMB82.5 million in 2016.
Interest income
We had interest income of RMB0.9 million (US$0.1 million) in 2017, as compared to RMB2.7 million in 2016, primarily because we invested our excess cash into fixed income securities during the year and recognized the return on such securities in other income.
Foreign exchange related (losses)/gains, net
We had a foreign exchange gain of RMB7.1 million (US$1.1 million) in 2017, as compared to a foreign exchange loss of RMB9.8 million in 2016, primarily due to the appreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar.
Change in fair value of short-term investment
We had change in fair value of short-term investment of RMB0.8 million (US$0.1 million) in 2017, as compared to RMB0.1 million in 2016.
Other income, net
We had net other income of RMB2.2 million (US$0.3 million) in 2017, as compared to RMB0.4 million in 2016.
Income tax expense
We incurred income tax expense of RMB5.6 million (US$0.9 million) in 2017, as compared to nil in 2016.
Net loss
As a result of the foregoing, we incurred a net loss of RMB242.8 million (US$37.3 million) in 2017, as compared to a net loss of RMB89.2 million in 2016.
Selected Quarterly Results of Operations
The following table sets forth our unaudited consolidated quarterly results of operations for the periods indicated. You should read the following table in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have prepared this unaudited condensed consolidated quarterly financial data on the same basis as we have prepared our audited consolidated financial statements. The unaudited condensed consolidated quarterly financial data includes all adjustments, consisting only of normal
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and recurring adjustments, that our management considered necessary for a fair statement of our financial position and operating results for the quarters presented.
Three Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
March 31,
2017 |
June 30,
2017 |
September 30,
2017 |
December 31,
2017 |
March 31,
2018 |
June 30,
2018 |
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(in RMB thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net revenues |
13,581 | 26,480 | 49,446 | 76,054 | 96,779 | 135,529 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues (1) |
(9,365 | ) | (12,745 | ) | (13,947 | ) | (21,634 | ) | (23,614 | ) | (31,393 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Gross profit |
4,216 | 13,735 | 35,499 | 54,420 | 73,165 | 104,136 | ||||||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
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Sales and marketing expenses (1) |
(20,171 | ) | (42,764 | ) | (83,944 | ) | (136,176 | ) | (126,943 | ) | (132,906 | ) | ||||||||||||
Research and development expenses (1) |
(7,831 | ) | (11,817 | ) | (11,886 | ) | (21,628 | ) | (24,853 | ) | (36,088 | ) | ||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses (1) |
(1,954 | ) | (5,004 | ) | (5,086 | ) | (7,763 | ) | (12,575 | ) | (13,716 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Total operating expenses |
(29,956 | ) | (59,585 | ) | (100,916 | ) | (165,567 | ) | (164,371 | ) | (182,710 | ) | ||||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(25,740 | ) | (45,850 | ) | (65,417 | ) | (111,147 | ) | (91,206 | ) | (78,574 | ) | ||||||||||||
Other income and expenses: |
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Interest income |
265 | 244 | 240 | 185 | 125 | 1,281 | ||||||||||||||||||
Foreign exchange related (losses)/gains, net |
816 | 2,842 | 1,663 | 1,824 | 4,233 | (5,061 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of short-term investment |
930 | (930 | ) | | 750 | | | |||||||||||||||||
Other income/(expenses), net |
417 | 1,052 | 508 | 195 | 528 | (1,132 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
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Net loss before tax |
(23,312 | ) | (42,642 | ) | (63,006 | ) | (108,193 | ) | (86,320 | ) | (83,486 | ) | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
| (1,315 | ) | (1,579 | ) | (2,712 | ) | (6,036 | ) | (6,420 | ) | |||||||||||||
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Net loss |
(23,312 | ) | (43,957 | ) | (64,585 | ) | (110,905 | ) | (92,356 | ) | (89,906 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Note: |
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(1) |
Including share-based compensation expenses as follows: |
Three Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
March 31,
2017 |
June 30,
2017 |
September 30,
2017 |
December 31,
2017 |
March 31,
2018 |
June 30,
2018 |
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(in thousands of RMB) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues |
560 | 449 | 131 | 201 | 260 | 328 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses |
383 | 491 | 925 | 581 | 983 | 1,199 | ||||||||||||||||||
Research and development expenses |
783 | 935 | 1,336 | 746 | 5,026 | 7,566 | ||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses |
72 | 80 | 92 | 753 | 2,031 | 2,270 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Total |
1,798 | 1,955 | 2,484 | 2,281 | 8,300 | 11,363 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Our quarterly net revenues increased substantially during these periods, especially since the third quarter of 2017, primarily due to the significant increase in popularity of our DongNi English standard courses, and to a lesser extent, due to the increases in our premium services and other courses. We believe that our enhanced ability to offer customized and tailored courses to our users has resulted in improved monetization. The net revenues trend we have experienced in the past may not apply to, or be indicative of, our future operating results.
Our quarterly cost of revenues also increased substantially during these periods, which was in line with the increase of our net revenues. Excluding the share-based compensation expenses, our total operating expenses generally increased in these periods as we grew our business and expanded our user base, except for the first quarter of 2018. The decrease in our quarterly operating expenses from the fourth quarter of 2017 to the first
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quarter of 2018 was primarily due to a decrease in sales and marketing efforts during the holiday season. Our quarterly total operating expenses as a percentage of our net revenues has shown a decreasing trend since the first quarter of 2018, primarily attributable to the combined effect of our increased economics of scale and the rapid growth of our net revenues.
As we are at a relatively early stage of development and our business is rapidly growing, our financial results have not been materially impacted by seasonality. Once our business development has reached a more matured stage, our financial results may reflect seasonal effects in the future.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods presented:
Year Ended
December 31, |
Six Months Ended
June 30, |
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2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
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Summary Consolidated Cash Flow Data: |
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Net cash used in operating activities |
(38,591 | ) | (60,120 | ) | (9,240 | ) | (9,581 | ) | (61,949 | ) | (9,362) | |||||||||||||
Net cash (used in)/provided by investing activities |
(121,677 | ) | 69,901 | 10,744 | 119,128 | 22,223 | 3,359 | |||||||||||||||||
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities |
| 377,191 | 57,973 | 324,623 | (798 | ) | (121) | |||||||||||||||||
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Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents |
(160,268 | ) | 386,972 | 59,477 | 434,170 | (40,524 | ) | (6,124) | ||||||||||||||||
Exchange rate effect on cash and cash equivalents |
2,312 | (11,790 | ) | (1,813 | ) | (2,420 | ) | 2,413 | 365 | |||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period |
199,257 | 41,301 | 6,348 | 41,301 | 416,483 | 62,940 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period |
41,301 | 416,483 | 64,012 | 473,051 | 378,372 | 57,181 | ||||||||||||||||||
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To date, we have financed our operating and investing activities through cash generated by historical sales of convertible redeemable preferred shares. As of December 31, 2016, 2017 and June 30, 2018, our cash and cash equivalents were RMB41.3 million, RMB416.5 million (US$64.0 million) and RMB378.4 million (US$57.2 million), respectively. Our cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of cash placed with banks or other financial institutions, which have original maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase and are readily convertible to known amounts of cash.
We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and our anticipated cash flows from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months. After this offering, we may decide to enhance our liquidity position or increase our cash reserve for future investments through additional capital and finance funding. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.
As of June 30, 2018, 14.6% of our cash and cash equivalents were held in China, and 10.9% were held by our VIEs and denominated in Renminbi. Although we consolidate the results of our VIEs, we only have access to the assets or earnings of our VIEs through our contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their shareholders. See Corporate History and StructureContractual Arrangements with Our VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders. For restrictions and limitations on liquidity and capital resources as a result of our corporate structure, see Holding Company Structure.
In utilizing the proceeds we expect to receive from this offering, we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these
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new PRC subsidiaries, make loans to our PRC subsidiaries, or acquire offshore entities with operations in China in offshore transactions. However, most of these uses are subject to PRC regulations.
See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaPRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of our offshore offerings to make loans to our PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business and Use of Proceeds.
We expect that substantially all of our future revenues will be denominated in Renminbi. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior SAFE approval as long as certain routine procedural requirements are fulfilled. Therefore, our PRC subsidiaries are allowed to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior SAFE approval by following certain routine procedural requirements. However, approval from or registration with competent government authorities is required where the Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may at its discretion restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future.
Operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2018 was RMB61.9 million (US$9.4 million), as compared to net loss of RMB182.3 million (US$27.5 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018. The difference was primarily due to (i) an increase in deferred revenue of RMB121.5 million (US$18.4 million), (ii) an increase in tax payable of RMB10.7 million (US$1.6 million) and (iii) an increase in salary and welfare payable of RMB9.3 million (US$1.4 million), and was partially offset by (i) an increase in prepayments and other current assets of RMB26.9 million (US$4.1 million) and (ii) an increase in accounts receivable of RMB19.6 million (US$3.0 million). The increases in deferred revenue, tax payable, salary and welfare payable, prepayments and other current assets and accounts receivable were attributable to the growth of our business. In particular, the increase in deferred revenue was attributable to growth in fees collected from paying users. The principal non-cash item affecting the difference between our net loss and our net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2018 was RMB19.7 million (US$3.0 million) in share-based compensation expenses.
Net cash used in operating activities in 2017 was RMB60.1 million (US$9.2 million), as compared to net loss of RMB242.8 million (US$37.3 million) in 2017. The difference was primarily due to (i) an increase in deferred revenue of RMB103.7 million (US$15.8 million), (ii) an increase in accounts payable of RMB53.5 million (US$8.2 million), (iii) an increase in salary and welfare payable of RMB31.3 million (US$4.8 million), and was partially offset by (i) an increase in prepayments and other current assets of RMB16.0 million (US$2.5 million) and (ii) an increase in accounts receivable of RMB10.6 million (US$1.6 million). The increases in deferred revenue, accounts payable, salary and welfare payable, prepayments and other current assets and accounts receivable were attributable to the growth of our business. In particular, the increase in deferred revenue was attributable to growth in fees collected from paying users. The principal non-cash items affecting the difference between our net loss and our net cash used in operating activities in 2017 were RMB8.5 million (US$1.3 million) in share-based compensation expenses and RMB7.1 million (US$1.1 million) in foreign exchange gain.
Net cash used in operating activities in 2016 was RMB38.6 million, as compared to net loss of RMB89.2 million in 2016. The difference was primary due to (i) an increase in deferred revenue of RMB11.8 million, (ii) an increase in accounts payable of RMB10.4 million, and (iii) an increase in salary and welfare payable of RMB9.0 million. The principal non-cash item affecting the difference between our net loss and our net cash used in operating activities in 2016 was RMB9.8 million in foreign exchange loss.
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Investing activities
Net cash generated from investing activities was RMB22.2 million (US$3.4 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, which was primarily attributable to proceeds from maturity of short-term investments of RMB34.5 million (US$5.2 million), partially offset by purchase of property and equipment of RMB7.0 million (US$1.1 million).
Net cash generated from investing activities was RMB69.9 million (US$10.7 million) in 2017, which was primarily attributable to proceeds from maturity of short-term investments of RMB224.5 million (US$34.5 million), partially offset by (i) purchase of short-term investments of RMB143.9 million (US$22.1 million) and (ii) purchase of property and equipment of RMB10.7 million (US$1.6 million).
Net cash used in investing activities was RMB121.7 million in 2016, which was primarily attributable to purchase of short-term investments of RMB163.3 million, partially offset by proceeds from maturity of short-term investments of RMB42.9 million.
Financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities was RMB0.8 million (US$0.1 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018, which was primarily attributable to repayment of cash of RMB4.2 million (US$0.6 million) as a result of termination of cooperation with a loan company, offset by cash receipts from loan companies of RMB5.6 million (US$0.8 million).
Net cash provided by financing activities was RMB377.2 million (US$58.0 million) in 2017, which was primarily attributable to proceeds from issuance of series C convertible redeemable preferred shares of RMB338.1 million (US$52.0 million), and cash receipts of RMB36.8 million (US$5.7 million) from loan companies.
We had no cash inflow or outflow resulting from financing activities in 2016.
Capital expenditures
Our capital expenditures are primarily incurred for purchases of property and equipment and lease improvement. Our capital expenditures were RMB1.3 million in 2016, RMB10.7 million (US$1.6 million) in 2017 and RMB7.0 million (US$1.1 million) for the six months ended June 30, 2018. We intend to fund our future capital expenditures with our existing cash balance and proceeds from this offering. We will continue to make capital expenditures to meet the expected growth of our business.
Contractual Obligations
The following table sets forth our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2017:
Payment due by December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
Total | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 and after | |||||||||||||
(in RMB thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Operating lease commitments (1) |
24,551 | 12,848 | 8,813 | 2,890 | ||||||||||||
Purchase commitments (2) |
11,765 | 8,824 | 2,941 | | ||||||||||||
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Total |
36,316 | 21,672 | 11,754 | 2,890 | ||||||||||||
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Notes: |
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(1) |
We lease office space under non-cancelable operating lease agreements, which expire at various dates through December 2020. For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, we incurred rental expenses of RMB2.5 million and RMB10.8 million (US$1.7 million), respectively. |
(2) |
The purchase commitments relate to royalty fee of content. |
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Other than those shown above, we did not have any significant capital and other commitments, long-term obligations, or guarantees as of December 31, 2017.
Off-Balance Sheet Commitments and Arrangements
We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. In addition, we have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholders equity or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or product development services with us.
Holding Company Structure
LAIX Inc. is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our PRC subsidiaries and our VIEs in China. As a result, LAIX Inc.s ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries. If our existing PRC subsidiaries or any newly formed ones incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. In addition, our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of its retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC law, each of our subsidiaries and our VIEs in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of their registered capital. In addition, our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China may allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to enterprise expansion funds and staff bonus and welfare funds at their discretion, and our VIEs may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to a surplus fund at their discretion. The statutory reserve funds and the discretionary funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned company out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. Our PRC subsidiaries have not paid dividends and will not be able to pay dividends until they generate accumulated profits and meet the requirements for statutory reserve funds.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Foreign Exchange Risk
Substantially all of our revenues and expenses are denominated in Renminbi. We do not believe that we currently have any significant direct foreign exchange risk and have not used any derivative financial instruments to hedge exposure to such risk. Although our exposure to foreign exchange risks should be limited in general, the value of your investment in our ADSs will be affected by the exchange rate between U.S. dollar and Renminbi because the value of our business is effectively denominated in Renminbi, while our ADSs will be traded in U.S. dollars.
The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in Chinas political and economic conditions and by Chinas foreign exchange policies, among other things. In July 2005, the PRC government changed its decades-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation subsided and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.
To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we receive from the
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conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amounts available to us.
As of June 30, 2018, we had Renminbi-denominated cash and cash equivalents of RMB52.9 million. A 10% depreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar based on the foreign exchange rate on June 29, 2018 would result in a decrease of US$0.8 million in cash and cash equivalents. A 10% appreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar based on the foreign exchange rate on June 29, 2018 would result in an increase of US$0.8 million in cash and cash equivalents.
Interest Rate Risk
Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to the interest income generated by excess cash, which is mostly held in interest-bearing bank deposits and fixed-income securities. Interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes in interest rates, and we have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure. However, our future interest income may fall short of expectations due to changes in market interest rates.
Inflation
To date, inflation in China has not materially affected our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December 2016 and 2017 were increases of 2.1% and 1.6%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we may be affected if China experiences higher rates of inflation in the future.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial InstrumentsOverall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (ASU 2016-01). The main objective of this update is to enhance the reporting model for financial instruments to provide users of financial statements with more decision-useful information. ASU 2016-01 changes how entities measure certain equity investments and present changes in the fair value of financial liabilities measured under the fair value option that are attributable to their own credit. The guidance also changes certain disclosure requirements and other aspects of current U.S. GAAP. ASU 2016-01 is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption by public entities is permitted only for certain provisions. We adopted ASU 2016-01 in the first quarter of year 2018 and do not believe the adoption will have material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (ASU 2016-02). Under the new guidance, lessees will be required to recognize a lease liability and a lease asset for all leases, including operating leases, with a term greater than 12 months on its balance sheet. The update also expands the required quantitative and qualitative disclosures surrounding leases. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years, with earlier application permitted. We expect to adopt the new standard in the first quarter of 2019 on a modified retrospective basis and are currently in the process of evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-02 on our consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial InstrumentsCredit Losses (ASU 2016-13), which introduces new guidance for credit losses on instruments within its scope. The new guidance introduces an approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including, but not limited to, trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and net investments in leases. The new guidance also modifies the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities and requires the entities to determine whether all or a portion of the unrealized loss on an
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available-for-sale debt security is a credit loss. The standard also indicates that entities may not use the length of time a security has been in an unrealized loss position as a factor in concluding whether a credit loss exists. The ASU is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-13 on our consolidated financial statements.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), a consensus of the FASBs Emerging Issues Task Force (ASU 2016-15). The new guidance is intended to reduce the diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The ASU is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including interim periods within those fiscal years. An entity that elects early adoption must adopt all of the amendments in the same period. The guidance requires application using a retrospective transition method. We have early adopted ASU 2016-15 in the current year and the adoption had no material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (ASU 2016-18). This ASU affects all entities that have restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents and are required to present a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. ASU 2016-18 requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. This update will become effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted in any interim or annual period. We have early adopted ASU 2016-18 in the current year and the adoption had no material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, CompensationStock compensation (Topic 718): Scope of modification accounting (ASU 2017-09), which clarifies when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. ASU 2017-09 is effective prospectively for all companies for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is permitted. We have early adopted ASU 2017-05 in the current year and the adoption had no material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
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Macro Environment and Mobile Internet in China
Chinas economy is continuing to grow at a rapid pace, which is driving increased consumption and a growing middle class. Chinas GDP grew at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2013 to 2017, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2018 to 2022. Per capita income is increasing rapidly and it is estimated that Chinas middle class is now as large as 520.2 million people. According to the iResearch Report, per capita disposable income grew from RMB18,311 in 2013 to RMB25,974 in 2017, representing a CAGR of 9.1%, and is projected to further increase from RMB28,196 in 2018 to RMB38,009 in 2022, representing a CAGR of 7.8%.
China has the largest mobile internet user base in the world. Mobile has become the primary mode of accessing the internet for consumers in China, and consumers are embracing an increasingly digital lifestyle. According to the iResearch Report, China has the largest mobile internet user base in the world with approximately 752.7 million mobile internet users as of December 31, 2017. Chinas mobile internet user base is expected to reach 976.6 million, as of December 31, 2022, according to the same report. Mobile internet penetration in China is expected to continue to grow rapidly from 54.1% in 2017 to 68.2% in 2022, driven by further proliferation of mobile devices and particularly smartphones, expansion of 4G coverage and broadband access, and the introduction of 5G services.
The mobile internet will continue to have a significant impact on peoples lives in China and consumer behaviors are increasingly moving online across a number of categories, including in education and learning. Due to the rise of the mobile internet, there has been a proliferation of new education products and services, as people now have the opportunity to access high-quality teachers and education resources at relatively lower costs anywhere, at anytime. In addition, the growth in mobile internet usage and the associated collection of data from daily user activities is an important driver of the development of AI technology and related applications.
Emergence of AI as a Transformative Technology
AI has emerged as a major transformative technology and it is starting to enable the proliferation of intelligent apps in a variety of fields. The rapid growth and development of the AI industry has been mainly driven by advances in deep learning algorithms, improved chips that can support the robust computing needs of AI, and the availability of big data due to the wide adoption of mobile devices, such as smartphones with microphones and cameras. It is also enabled by the large amounts of data being created across the internet and mobile internet that can be used to train AI and improve its effectiveness and sophistication. According to the iResearch Report, the annual volume of data processed globally grew from 2.9 billion TeraBytes (TB) in 2013 to 9.1 billion TB in 2017, representing a CAGR of 33.0%, and is expected to further grow to 28.4 billion TB in 2022, representing a CAGR of 25.1% from 2018 to 2022.
China is increasingly playing a leading role in the global AI industry. Chinas AI industry has experienced rapid growth over the past few years, increasing from a total market size of RMB6.2 billion in 2013 to RMB36.5 billion in 2017, representing a CAGR of 55.7%, and is expected to further grow to RMB814.0 billion in 2022, representing a CAGR of 86.2% from 2018 to 2022. The AI industry in China has received significant support from the government and investment from the private sector. According to CB Insights, China surpassed the United States in equity funding value to AI startups for the first time in 2017. In addition, China had approximately 17,000 AI patents granted as of December 31, 2017, ranking second in the world, only trailing the United States.
Chinas Education Market is Large and Growing
Overview of Chinas Education Market
Education represents a massive market in China and the demand for education services is robust. According to the iResearch Report, the size of the education market in China, as measured by revenues, reached
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approximately RMB4,002.5 billion in 2017. It is expected to continue to grow to RMB4,550.2 billion in 2022, representing a CAGR of 2.5% from 2018 to 2022. The private supplemental education market, with a CAGR of 5.8% from 2018 to 2022, is key to this growth. There are a number of factors contributing to the steady growth of Chinas private supplemental education market. The first is the increasing population of children resulting from the loosening of Chinas one-child policy in 2013 and the institution of a two-child policy in 2015. Another policy-related driver is the Chinese governments recent attempts to reform the traditional examination-focused education system, which have resulted in the growth of alternative approaches to learning. At the same time, Chinas consumers are becoming increasingly focused on finding more customized, personalized learning pathways, which is creating an environment where new learning providers, and particularly technology-enabled offerings, are achieving strong market acceptance. Finally, the changing requirements of the modern workplace as well as the desire of many people across China, from a wide array of socio-economic backgrounds, to improve their living standards is propelling a transition to life-long learning that is driving an increase of market opportunity.
Chinas education market size and growth
Chinas education market is still very fragmented with even the largest companies in the sector still having a small market share. The growth in internet and mobile internet penetration has helped drive a rapid increase in Chinas online education market in recent years. According to the iResearch Report, Chinas online education market is expected to grow to RMB431.6 billion in 2022, representing a CAGR of 19.9% from 2018 to 2022. In particular, Chinas mobile education market size, as a percentage of Chinas online education market size, is expected to increase from 20.0% in 2018 to 45.0% in 2022. However, the online penetration rate remains low at 4.3% as of 2017.
Size of online education market in China and online penetration rate
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Overview of Chinas English Language Learning Market
English language learning represents one of the most attractive and promising sectors in Chinas private education market. According to the iResearch Report, it is estimated that there are 438 million English language learners in China in 2017, and demand for English learning products and services continues to grow as more and more people aspire to improve their language skills. In addition, young Chinese consumers in particular increasingly desire to learn English in order to improve their general capabilities rather than for specific examination preparation. Many Chinese millennials aspire to be global citizens, and treat the ability to speak English and consume international news, music, movies and other media content as an important indicator of their participation in a global lifestyle. According to the iResearch Report, the size of China English language learning market, as measured by revenues, reached approximately RMB228.8 billion in 2017. The market size is expected to continue to grow to RMB548.8 billion in 2022, representing a CAGR of 19.6% from 2018 to 2022. As a further indicator of the prominence Chinese society places on English language learning, the Chinese government published its own standard in June 2018 with a focus on English language capabilities, to further improve the evaluation of the English language in China and the ability of Chinese to use the language in real-world settings.
China English language learning market
Chinas English language learning market includes various segments, typically defined across user groups and learning purposes, each of which have different scale and growth profiles. The three key segments for user groups are pre-school, K-12 and adult. Examination preparation and general proficiency improvement are the two key segments of learning purposes.
While the K-12 segment represents larger revenue share than the other two segments, the adult segment shows a higher growth rate. The examination preparation segment enjoys significant revenue share with a constant, high growth rate. This is primarily driven by K-12 English examinations preparation. The segment of English language test preparation for studying abroad is also growing rapidly in China. The capability improvement segment is still at an early stage but is gaining popularity among Chinese millennials.
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Market size and growth of adult, K-12 and pre-school segments
Market size and growth of proficiency improvement and examination preparation segments 1
Note:
1 |
Examination preparation segment includes K-12 examinations, IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT, etc. |
Chinas Education Market is Ripe for Disruption
Over time, Chinas education market has been impacted and transformed by the introduction of new technologies that change the way people learn. With the acceleration of AI technology, we believe we are now entering the third phase of development, Education 3.0, which will bring significant improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of education when compared to the offline (Education 1.0) and online human teacher-based (Education 2.0) models that have preceded it.
Education 1.0: Offline Education Model
Traditional education providers offer students offline classes, taught by teachers in physical brick and mortar learning centers. The learning experience is heavily dependent on the quality of the individual teacher in every location and every class. As a result, there are significant discrepancies across providers, learning centers and specific classes; there is also wide variation between the quality of teaching in urban centers and rural areas,
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since more experienced, better educated teachers are more likely to live in major cities. There are also constraints on the scalability of offline education models due to the limited number of quality teachers and the limitations of how many students can be accommodated in a physical classroom. Other deficiencies with offline education model include the inconvenience for students to travel long distances to learning centers, high costs to the consumer and limitations on the ability for teachers to deliver an interactive, personalized learning experience to their students. These deficiencies may be a key reason why many Chinese, even those who have studied English for many years, still cannot communicate effectively in English.
Education 2.0: Online Human Teacher-Based Education Model
The significant penetration of the internet and mobile internet has led to rapid growth in Chinas online education market over the past decade. Online education allows students to take courses at flexible times and locations in an interactive, personalized learning environment. The Education 2.0 model represents a step forward compared to the Education 1.0 model by the removal of the physical location constraints and the partial removal of the time constraints. Online human teacher-based education platforms enable students to access tutors and other learning resources from anywhere around the world. For example, students in China can receive English language lessons from teachers in the United States. They can also easily access digital content from teachers and curriculum developers from other parts of China and across the world. This increased access also applies to students in remote and rural regions of China. Furthermore, online education improves scalability, as teachers can reach a much larger audience of learners at any given time.
However, both the Education 1.0 and the Education 2.0 models face a common dilemma of balancing teacher quality, personalization and costs, as they both have human teachers playing a central role in delivering education services.
Significant variability in teacher quality. Because the quality of education received by a student relies mostly on the quality of the teachers, similar to students of the Education 1.0 model, students of the Education 2.0 model, even those of one-to-one online classes, could also experience significant variance in the quality of teachers and thus the quality of learning, particularly as the pool of online teachers grows.
High costs of one-to-one online classes . Given the one-to-one teacher to student ratio, the cost of such personalized education is expensive for most individual learners and for companies to implement.
Low interaction and personalization in large group online classes . While large group online classes can be offered at affordable costs, they have low levels of interaction and personalization, which often result in poorer learning efficacy and efficiency when compared to one-to-one classes.
Small group online classes try to strike a balance between the high costs of one-to-one online tutoring classes and the low interaction and personalization of large group classes. While such classes may appeal to certain learners, the challenges of variance in teacher quality and the tension between teacher costs and personalization remain.
Education 3.0: AI-powered education model
The Education 3.0 model powered by AI technologies make a personalized learning experience available at widely affordable costs. In doing so, it solves the common dilemma shared by both the Education 1.0 and the Education 2.0 models of balancing teacher quality, personalization and costs.
Through the AI-powered Education 3.0 model, AI-powered learning products and services serve as a supplement or sometimes even a replacement for human teachers. AI-powered learning products and services can provide a personal learning experience similar to, or even better than, what the majority of human teachers can
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provide with respect to certain components of the learning process, such as assessing spoken English language proficiency. Moreover, such AI-powered learning products and services can be provided to students at affordable costs. With the emergence of AI technologies, high quality, personalized education can be delivered to anyone, anywhere, at anytime, in a cost-effective manner.
Application of AI technology for Education Represents a Significant Opportunity
AI is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines and computer programs capable of learning and problem solving in ways that normally require human intelligence. These include natural language processing (NLP) and translation, visual perception and pattern recognition, and decision making, and the number and complexity of applications is rapidly expanding. In education, AI has the capability of delivering a personalized learning experience at lower costs through large-scale data processing, deep analysis of user behaviors, speech recognition and automatic assessment, and algorithms that recommend the most suitable content and pedagogy.
The benefits of AI technology applications in education are significant. AI can complement or even fully replace many of the functions served by teachers in a learning setting. AI can assess learner proficiency, provide real-time feedback on performance and curate and deliver educational content in a personalized manner. These capabilities can deliver personalized, one-to-one tutoring at scale. Furthermore, an AI-powered education platform can be built on the shared knowledge and expertise of all of the best education researchers and teachers in the world, thereby delivering the very best in learning methodologies to every learner.
Given the broad potential for AI applications for learning, AI-powered online education has a large total addressable market and high growth potential globally and in China. According to the iResearch Report, the size of the AI-powered online education market in China, as measured by revenue, reached approximately RMB3.7 billion in 2017. The market size is expected to continue to grow to RMB172.4 billion in 2022, representing a CAGR of 118.3% from 2018 to 2022.
Size of AI online education market in China
For English language learning specifically, AI is expected to have a significant market impact. According to the iResearch Report, AI-powered English learning products and services can substantially increase the addressable market size due to their convenience, personalized learning experience and affordable prices.
Beyond English language learning, other education segments where AI will become increasingly important include the study of other languages and other subjects, preparation for tests for English proficiency and other subjects, and professional and vocational training in a wide range of fields, such as finance, information technology, healthcare and hospitality.
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Our Mission
Empower everyone to achieve their full potential and become a global citizen.
Overview
We are a leading AI company in China that creates and delivers products and services to popularize English learning. Our proprietary AI teacher utilizes cutting-edge deep learning and adaptive learning technologies, big data, well-established education pedagogies and the mobile internet. We believe our innovative approach fundamentally transforms learning. We were named on the list of The 100 Most Promising Private Artificial Intelligence Companies in the World for 2018 by CB Insights. We were one of the seven companies from China on the list and the only Chinese company out of the two in the education category globally. We were also named on the list of 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2018 by Forbes China.
Today we live in a global community where people are increasingly interconnected. English fluency is essential for communications across the globe, has a large impact on individual career advancement and is an important enabler of a global lifestyle in the modern world. However, the traditional approach to English learning with human teachers teaching in physical classrooms is constrained by a shortage in high-quality teachers as well as time-and-space limitations.
Our founders identified the industrys key pain points and offer a groundbreaking new approach to education. Since our inception in 2013, we have built our AI-powered Liulishuo platform to deliver a user-centric, personalized and effective English learning experience accessible to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Our model is cost-effective, enabling us to offer affordable course packages at a massive scale. Our business has grown rapidly, and our AI-powered education approach has received wide acceptance. As of June 30, 2018, we had 83.8 million cumulative registered users in China and globally.
We have built our AI teacher incorporating the key characteristics and core functions of high-quality, effective teachers. We conducted deep analysis of and integrated into our products the pedagogies developed by the worlds leading educational experts and cognitive scientists. Our AI teacher was built on cutting-edge proprietary AI technologies that provide personalized teaching and guidance for all core components of a students language learning process, encompassing learning, practice, assessment and feedback. Our AI teacher can hear, understand, interact with and evaluate the performance of our users and has the ability to understand their learning needs. Leveraging our massive volume of smart user data, our AI teacher continuously evolves and delivers more personally tailored learning programs to each user.
We provide our products and services on-demand via our mobile apps, primarily our flagship English Liulishuo mobile app launched in 2013. On our platform, AI technologies are seamlessly integrated with diverse learning content incorporating well-established language learning pedagogies, gamified features and strong social elements to deliver an engaging, adaptive learning experience. We are committed to offering a fun, interactive learning environment to motivate and engage our users. We provide a variety of courses inspired by a broad range of topics and culture themes to make English learning more interesting. Our online study advisors organize online study groups, monitor users learning progress answer user queries and send individualized, motivating messages to users. They add a human touch to our users learning experience, which enhances user engagement and user retention.
Our business model is highly scalable and has powerful network effects, which has enabled us to develop a large and rapidly growing user base. The number of our average monthly active users increased from 2.0 million in 2016 to 4.4 million in 2017, and further increased to 7.2 million in the first half of 2018. Our freemium model allows us to attract users with free services and convert them into paying users. We began monetization in 2016
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and had approximately 70,500 paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in that year. The number of paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in 2017 increased rapidly to approximately 815,700. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, we had approximately 1,016,100 paying users purchase our courses and services. We also started providing enterprise learning services in January 2017 and had over 100 corporate customers as of June 30, 2018. As a result of the foregoing, our revenues increased substantially from RMB12.3 million in 2016 to RMB165.6 million (US$25.4 million) in 2017, and also from RMB40.1 million in the first half of 2017 to RMB232.3 million (US$35.1 million) in the first half of 2018. We incurred net losses of RMB242.8 million (US$37.3 million) in 2017 and RMB182.3 million (US$27.5 million) in the first half of 2018, as compared to net losses of RMB89.2 million in 2016 and RMB67.3 million in the first half of 2017.
Our Strengths
Innovative AI-powered platform that is fundamentally transforming learning
We are a leading AI company in China with an innovative platform model that is fundamentally transforming learning. We were named on the list of The 100 Most Promising Private Artificial Intelligence Companies in the World for 2018 by CB Insights. We were one of the seven companies from China on the list and the only Chinese company out of the two in the education category globally. We were also named on the list of 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2018 by Forbes China. We have developed our AI English teacher built upon our proprietary deep learning and adaptive learning technologies, big data capabilities and technology infrastructure. According to the iResearch Report, we have created Chinas first AI English teacher that, beyond simply applying AI technology to grading or voice recognition, can actually customize teaching content based on the users testing and exercise results to provide one-on-one personalized teaching and customized interactive courses.
We believe our AI teacher is able to provide students with a high quality English learning experience, solving the industry pain point of shortage in high-quality human teachers. The key benefits of our model include:
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Personalization . Leveraging AI technologies, we have transformed language learning from a teacher-centric model to a student-centric model. We have digitized and personalized the entire language learning process with users at the heart of our design. Our AI teacher enables students to enjoy a self-adaptive learning experience at their own pace with learning path and content optimized for their learning needs and interests. |
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Efficacy . Our AI-powered products significantly improve users learning effectiveness and efficiency, and provide measurable results that can motivate users. The friendly, interactive and fun experience on our platform drives user engagement, which helps further enhance the efficacy of our products. |
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Accessibility . We deliver learning content through our mobile apps instead of physical classrooms. Our model is therefore more cost-effective and subject to much less time-and-space constraints compared to the traditional education approach. This enables us to offer study packages affordable to the mass population and make English learning accessible to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. |
Our AI-powered education model has received wide acceptance and recognition. We had 83.8 million cumulative registered users in China and globally as of June 30, 2018. We started to develop our AI teacher in 2015 and won First Place in the Field of Intelligent Education by CIWEEK, a mainstream magazine in China on internet and information technology, in 2016. Our flagship mobile app, English Liulishuo, was featured as one of the Selected Apps of the Year 2013 and the Editors Choice App in the Apple app store. Since January 2017, English Liulishuo has consistently ranked among the top education apps in the Apple app store and major Android app stores.
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Cutting-edge proprietary AI technologies
Our business is founded upon cutting-edge proprietary AI technologies. We have developed a world leading multi-dimension, multi-granularity speech evaluation engine and a leading speech recognition and assessment engine. Our core capabilities lie in adaptive learning, autoscoring, speech recognition, grammar error detection, pragmatic error detection, synonym analysis and semantic understanding. Our team of AI scientists and engineers in China and Silicon Valley has extensive AI and software development experiences. We believe they are the leading experts at the forefront of both AI research and product development, and work closely together to build our strong technological capabilities.
Our AI technologies enable learning, practicing, assessment and feedback, core components of the language learning process. They are seamlessly integrated with diverse learning content incorporating well-established language learning pedagogies, gamified features and strong social elements to deliver an engaging, adaptive learning experience.
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Learning . We apply adaptive learning technology to personalize the learning process, and use natural language processing (NLP) to provide feedback on numerous questions from our users. |
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Practicing . We generate exercises based on our users proficiency levels and according to past learning and practice data, and address the mistakes that users make during practice in real time. |
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Assessment . Through our advanced auto-scoring engine and speech recognition technologies, we provide users with adaptive, personalized, real-time language proficiency assessment. |
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Feedback . We provide real-time personalized feedback in a variety of formats to our users through an interactive, gamified interface. |
As users go through the language learning process with our AI-powered products and services, we gain a massive volume of smart user data, including continuous data traces of the same individual throughout the learning process. We are able to collect the data in a cost-effective and sustainable fashion to further improve our AI technologies. We believe we have the worlds largest database of English spoken by Chinese, covering a broad range of geographic distribution and proficiency levels. As of June 30, 2018, we had recorded approximately 1.3 billion minutes of conversation and 17.5 billion sentences. As our AI technologies train on such data and continuously evolve, we are able to provide more superior learning experience and attract more users, which in turn enables more data collection, creating a virtuous circle.
Strong product development capabilities underpinned by education pedagogies and data
We have a well-established and adaptable product development system, and a strong focus on developing new products that both leverage and enhance our AI teacher. With this approach we have formed a common technological core that contributes to the success of our new products. To improve product quality and enhance user experience, we iterate on existing products through frequent software release cycles and rigorous user acceptance testing.
We build and improve our products based on advanced education pedagogies to enhance learning efficacy and efficiency. In particular, our DongNi (which means Understand You in Chinese) English course in our flagship English Liulishuo app was developed primarily based on the well-established Recursive Hierarchical Recognition (RHR) theory, which emphasizes a scientific approach of leveraging multi-modal inputs and short, frequent and systematic practices to build long-term memory. As we believe a fun learning experience engages users, we create learning products embedded with engaging elements through gamification. In our English Liulishuo app, we motivate our users to learn regularly through reward point systems, leaderboards and badges. To make learning interesting, we provide lessons in the form of interactive conversations or in themes inspired by films, TV series, songs and other popular culture themes.
We leverage the learning data that we collect from users to systematically improve our products. Our product development system is founded on a data-driven feedback loop, which allows us to refresh and iterate
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our course content in weeks as compared to years, which are typical for traditional education service providers. We also leverage user data to select the most effective pedagogical practices to meet our users learning needs.
We have strong product development capabilities in-house. Many of our employees have had product development experiences at leading technology companies. We have successfully developed well-received products, as evidenced by our user retention and user engagement. According to QuestMobile, English Liulishuo was the second largest English learning app in China in terms of number of MAUs in December 2017. According to a survey of adults who are learning or planning to improve their English conducted by Jiguang, a leading mobile big data solutions platform, in June 2018, English Liulishuo ranked first among adults who are employed or working as freelancers out of all online English education apps in China in terms of installation rate, with an installation rate of 82.8%, significantly higher than the second-ranking app which had an installation rate of 32.2%. According to Testin Data, a mobile application testing services provider, in the second quarter of 2018, English Liulishuo ranked first among all online education apps in China in terms of AppBase Mix. The average time spent by our users taking our DongNi English standard courses per active day in 2017 and the six months ended June 30, 2018 exceeds 60 minutes.
Highly scalable business model with powerful network effects
We are able to provide our services at a massive scale, as we deliver learning content through our AI teacher on a mobile internet platform, instead of by human teachers in physical classrooms or online. As of June 30, 2018, we had 83.8 million cumulative registered users in China and globally. We have a freemium model where we offer free courses designed to attract users, who we then convert into paying users by offering a variety of paid courses and services catering to various user needs. We began monetization in 2016 and had approximately 70,500 paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in that year. The number of paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in 2017 increased rapidly to approximately 815,700. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, we had approximately 1,016,100 paying users purchase our courses and services.
Our business model gives rise to powerful network effects manifested in multiple ways. More users on our platform generate more data for our AI technology, enhancing our algorithms and improving user experience and learning efficiency, which in turn attracts more users to our platform. As users generate more social interactions on our platform, their motivation to learn enhances and their loyalty to our platform increases, which lead to more word-of-mouth promotions and further growth in our user base. Further, our large user base attracts a large number of content providers, both amateur and professional ones, who provide high quality content, in turn creating a dynamic platform that attracts more users.
Significant market opportunities in English language learning and beyond
Our AI technology and platform model are highly adaptable, offering significant growth opportunities in additional markets. Relying on our existing AI capabilities and mobile platform, we have already expanded offerings within the English learning vertical. We have been able to achieve market acceptance in a timely manner in the test preparation and enterprise markets. In August 2016, we launched our IELTS Liulishuo app focused on providing paid IELTS speaking practice tests, which has diversified our revenue streams. We also started providing enterprise learning services in January 2017, and had enlisted over 100 corporate customers as of June 30, 2018.
Further to being applied to English learning, our AI capabilities, such as speech recognition, auto-scoring, NLP and deep learning, are adaptable to many other scenarios. As we develop our key capabilities in house, we are able to explore and test their application in a manner that is cost effective and consistent with our strategies. We envision that our AI technologies can be used in non-English language or even non-language learning, presenting us with tremendous growth potential in the long run.
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Visionary management team with strong execution capabilities
Our visionary management team is passionate about AI and education and has been instrumental in driving the success of our business and making a positive social impact. Many of our senior management have extensive industry experience in working at renowned internet companies, where they have accumulated strong technical knowhow and execution and management capabilities. Our founder and CEO, Dr. Yi Wang, received his Ph.D. degree in computer science from Princeton University, and worked as a product manager at Googles headquarters, where he was responsible for Google Analytics and several network infrastructure products. Our founder and CTO, Mr. Zheren Hu, was a former senior software engineer at Quantcast, an AI-driven data analytics company. Our founder and chief scientist, Dr. Hui Lin received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from University of Washington and worked as a research scientist at Googles headquarters.
Under the leadership of our senior management, we have developed strong execution capabilities which have enabled us to grow to our current scale and to create an innovative AI-powered model for learning. We have also developed a cohesive corporate culture that inspires and encourages innovation, which we believe helps to attract, retain and motivate our team to continue our rapid growth.
Our Strategies
Our vision is to become a leading global AI-powered education technology platform making high-quality learning easily accessible to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Specifically, we plan to implement the following strategies:
Grow user base and enhance user engagement
We will continue to optimize our mobile apps and promote them to a broader user base. We plan to introduce new English learning courses and services targeting different age groups with various price points. Since our inception, we have built our user community largely through word-of-mouth, viral growth, and we expect that to continue. We believe such growth is built upon the excellent learning experience and efficient learning process we have been providing to our users. However, we will also look to increase our market penetration through online and offline marketing events and campaigns, pre-installations on selected mobile devices/channels and distribution through app stores.
We plan to further enhance the functionality and features of our products and develop cutting-edge technologies to improve user engagement. We are focused on delivering efficient and effective learning for our users and providing them with an engaging learning experience. Through enhanced data insights and data analytics capabilities, we will provide our users with more personalized learning services, more precise content recommendation functionality, and more personalized feedback to visualize progress and enhance learning. We also intend to add more social elements to our platform, which will lead to greater interaction and better engagement.
Enhance the AI and machine learning capabilities of our platform
We will continue to grow the scale and diversity of our user data as we increase the number and engagement of our users. We seek to improve our ability to analyze this data, which will thereby drive enhancements in our AI technology. We intend to continue to improve our AI teachers ability to understand user needs and provide highly personalized, tailored learning pathways, thereby improving the efficacy and efficiency of our courses and services. We will also leverage AI capabilities to further enhance the scalability and effectiveness of our online study advisors, such as developing AI assisting tools to perform certain tasks for our online study advisors and hence improving their efficiency. For these purposes, we plan to attract, train and retain more talent with technological expertise, in particular AI experts and data scientists, as well as expand our research and development teams in both China and the United States.
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Further develop our products and enrich our content
We are committed to systemically broadening our offerings to provide comprehensive products and services for English language learning, delivering quality products and content serving users life-long learning needs, as well as expanding into additional market segments. We have already established early success in the attractive K-12 market considering approximately 31.4% of the active users on our platform are K-12 users, based on information provided by our active users for the six months ended June 30, 2018. Going forward, we intend to build on this K-12 user base and capture more market share by developing courses that are specifically catered to fit the interests, school curricula and developmental needs of various segments of K-12 users. We will also expand our footprint in the corporate training market. We intend to further grow our corporate customer base and develop more customized products and content for corporate training in business English and other foreign languages. We believe the depth and quality of the learning content on our platform is a key competitive advantage.
We plan to enhance our catalog of learning content by encouraging our users to create and share their own content with our community. We also plan to cooperate with top-tier content providers with strong brand name to further enrich our professional content.
Expand beyond English language learning across the world
We believe our AI-driven and interactive approach to learning will have applications across multiple subjects and in a wide array of education and training environments. We intend to continue to invest in our technology, product and content development to expand the opportunities for life-long learning available to many categories of users across the world. For instance, we plan to expand our language learning offerings beyond English. We also intend to explore the application of our AI technology in non-education fields, which present significant growth opportunities for our company.
Build a household brand
We will continue to build our brand through marketing and public relations activities, in addition to the core word-of-mouth viral organic growth we have been focusing on since our initial launch. As we expand our product portfolio, we also plan to internationalize our branding strategy in order to attract a more global user base. We are firmly committed to continuously expanding our corporate responsibility efforts, because they play an integral role in achieving our mission and create goodwill around our brand and products.
Strengthen our capabilities through investments and strategic partnerships
In addition to growing our business organically, we will selectively pursue investments, joint ventures and partnerships that we believe are highly strategic and accretive to our technology and business. We will be rigorous in our evaluation of these opportunities and will focus on those that are complementary to our vision.
The Liulishuo Platform
Overview of Our Platform
We provide AI-powered English learning products and services for both individual users and corporate customers on our Liulishuo platform. Our AI teacher enables us to offer users a personalized learning experience through the application of deep learning and adaptive learning technologies. Our mobile platform allows users to improve their English language skills anytime and anywhere.
On our flagship app, English Liulishuo ( ) , users can take paid courses as well as free lessons in various forms featuring a broad range of topics and culture themes. Our paid DongNi English ( ) course is personalized based on learners English proficiency levels and focused on systemically improving their
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general English proficiency. As a supplement to the standard DongNi English course, we provide premium services that provide one-to-one sessions with human English teachers. Users can also access a separate, paid course focused on improving English pronunciation, namely Authentic Pronunciation ( ) . Additionally, we have a complementary IELTS Liulishuo ( ) app focused on providing paid IELTS speaking practice tests. Further, we launched enterprise learning services for corporate customers in 2017. As of June 30, 2018 , we had 83.8 million cumulative registered users, as well as more than 100 corporate customers.
Our AI Teacher
Launched in July 2016, our AI teacher is powered by our proprietary deep learning and adaptive learning technologies. It enables us to provide users a personalized learning experience and real-time language proficiency assessment and feedback.
Through the application of knowledge tracing technology, whereby a machine models the knowledge of users as they interact with coursework, our AI teacher can accurately predict how users would perform under different settings and create optimal study plans for every user. Our AI teacher can hear users English speech, evaluate such speech and provide real-time and personalized feedback to users, covering the core functions of a human teacher in the process of spoken English training.
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Hearing . Our AI teacher hears through a proprietary cutting-edge speech recognition and scoring engine based on deep learning technology. In converting speech into text, it effectively addresses uncertainties introduced by background noise, as well as different speaker accents and proficiency levels. |
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Evaluation . Our AI teacher evaluates users English speech through our proprietary multi-dimension, multi-granularity speech evaluation engine. By leveraging our proprietary NLP capabilities, it can evaluate users speech based on several criteria, including pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency and coherence. |
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Feedback. Based on the above evaluation, our AI teacher provides various forms of real-time personalized feedback to users through an intuitive user-friendly interface. It also identifies errors and provides suggestions to users on how to improve their spoken English. |
We believe we have the worlds largest database of English spoken by Chinese, covering a broad range of geographic distribution and proficiency levels. As of June 30, 2018, we had recorded approximately 1.3 billion minutes of conversation and 17.5 billion sentences. Our AI teacher continuously reinforces and enhances itself by leveraging this large and growing amount of data.
Our AI teacher delivers learning content incorporating well-established language learning pedagogies. In particular, our DongNi English course was initially developed based on the Recursive Hierarchical Recognition (RHR) theory, which emphasizes a scientific approach of leveraging multi-modal inputs and short, frequent and systematic practices to develop learners pattern recognition and language chunking skills. We have also incorporated other renowned learning approaches into our platform and will continue to seek out the most effective, cutting-edge pedagogies and methodologies. Our learning content is diverse, covering a broad range of topics, such as everyday life, business, travel, academia and entertainment. Our advanced AI-based algorithms capture user data through their interactions with our AI teacher, and further analyze and study user behavior in real time, which enables us to upgrade and optimize our content in weeks as compared to years, which are typical for traditional education service providers.
Our English Learning Products and Services
English Liulishuo
We launched our flagship app, English Liulishuo in 2013. English Liulishuo combines a comprehensive suite of our courses, including free courses for leisure learning, the paid personalized standard courses, DongNi
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English, and other paid courses such as Authentic Pronunciation. The app also has additional features designed to enhance the user experience and drive user engagement. For example, we have a section named Vocabulary Notebook where users can accumulate and practice their English vocabulary as they study, based on various standardized tests or interests. We also have user leaderboards where users can view rankings across different dimensions to compare their performance with that of other users, as well as our community Liuliba for users to interact with each other.
Free courses . On the English Liulishuo app, we provide various free courses, such as English speaking courses and scenario-based simulation of English conversations. These courses incorporate gamified features and cover a variety of pop culture themes. The free courses are accessible to all our registered users. They motivate and engage our users, and help us strategically promote our paid courses to users.
DongNi English . Users wishing to systematically improve their English proficiency can take DongNi English, including the AI-powered standard course and the supplemental premium services that provide one-to-one sessions with human English teachers.
DongNi English is based on our eight internally designed language levels, from the lowest level LV1 to the highest level LV8. Our eight levels map to the six levels in the classic Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) with the lower four levels in CEFR divided into six levels of DongNi English to better fit the learning needs of Chinese English learners. Before commencing the course, each user is required to take a proprietary placement test, which gives the user a comprehensive assessment of English capabilities along several key dimensions, such as speaking, listening, reading, vocabulary and grammar, and determines the users English proficiency level. A series of personalized courses suitable for the users proficiency level is then generated for the user to learn at a customized pace.
Each level of the personalized courses is divided into two to three units, and each unit has four to five parts covering listening, vocabulary and dialogue, as well as gamified tests on the learning materials. For each part, users listen to recordings and read texts of English language materials, repeat and record their own speech and receive AI-generated real-time feedback on their speech, and respond to multi-choice and cloze questions. Once users have completed a part of the unit, they are graded on a scale of one to four stars. After a unit is completed, users can obtain a report on their performance covering several dimensions, such as pronunciation, rhythm, fluency and accuracy. Particular sentences, words and syllables that users can improve upon are also identified. A user can upgrade to the next higher level after completing all units at his current level. The recommended study time for each level is 50 to 80 hours, depending on specific proficiency level.
In supplement to the personalized learning path provided on the English Liulishuo app, users of DongNi English can participate in Weixin-based study groups led by our online study advisors (OSAs), who helps motivate and retain users. See Our Learning CommunityOSAs and Study Groups.
For users who would like to have more human touch in their learning experience, we also offer premium services to supplement the standard DongNi English course to meet these users needs. Users of our premium services have one-to-one sessions with contract human teachers. We connect users with native speaking teachers experienced in teaching non-native speakers and improving their spoken and overall English proficiency. We have a rigorous screening and training process for contract human teachers, and accept the top 5% of the applicants to teach in our premium services.
Authentic Pronunciation . This paid course is offered in the English Liulishuo app. It is focused on improving users English pronunciation. Users can watch videos of how English syllables are pronounced along with detailed explanations, practice pronouncing these syllables and receive real-time personalized feedback on their pronunciation provided by our AI algorithms. Users can also join Weixin-based study groups where our OSAs provide online instructions on systematically improving English pronunciations.
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LiuLi Reading . In 2018, we launched a new paid course called LiuLi Reading, which is currently offered in the English Liulishuo app. This course allows our users to read articles from reputable overseas publishers, supplemented by detailed learning tips and quizzes.
IELTS Liulishuo
Launched in 2016, our IELTS Liulishuo app is focused on helping users improve their scores on the IELTS spoken English proficiency test. Users can take practice speaking tests in various settings of their choice to simulate real test environments. For instance, users can choose an examiner of a particular nationality or personality. After taking a practice test, users can get a test score, a detailed analysis of their performance and suggestions on how to improve their IELTS speaking test performance, all generated by our AI algorithms. Our IELTS Liulishuo app also includes free practice questions and creates personalized study plans for users to improve their IELTS speaking test performance.
Enterprise learning services
We also provide learning services for corporate customers that desire to improve their employees English skills. Typically, a corporate customer purchases course packages from us on behalf of their employees, and the employees then use our courses with individual accounts. In addition to features available to individual users on the flagship app, we also regularly send employees detailed and personalized learning reports to our corporate customers, including hours studied and test scores, enabling our corporate customers to easily track the progress of their employees. Corporate customers can also use our platform to organize English fluency contests for their employees.
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User Experience
A typical user journey on our flagship English Liulishuo app is as follows:
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After launching the app, a user can register an account using mobile phone number, email account or other social network account such as Weixin, QQ or Weibo. Once registration is completed, the user can log on to our app to select courses and access other features. |
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The user can view free and personalized courses, enter our user community Liuliba and configure account settings by clicking on one of the three tabs at the bottom of the app interface. Below are screenshots of the app interface. |
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Our app prompts users to take a placement test in order to get an assessment of their English proficiency. After the placement test, a user is placed into one of the eight levels of English proficiency. A report is generated, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the users English skills based on several key metrics, such as speaking, listening, reading, grammar and vocabulary. Below is an example of the report. |
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The user then selects his/her target proficiency level and study time, and browses a summary of his/her personalized study plan. To access the full DongNi English course and get assigned into a Weixin-based study group, the user must pay subscription fees. See Our Pricing Model. |
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During the course of a personalized course, the user starts on a level based on his/her placement test result and studies the learning content by unit at his own pace. Each unit comprises listening, vocabulary, and dialogue classes, as well as gamified tests based on the same materials. After each unit is completed, the user receives a detailed report on his performance. The user can proceed to the next level after completing all units at his current level. |
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For free courses, the user will be recommended and can choose courses on an ad hoc basis based on his/her own interests, such as English speaking courses and scenario-based simulation of English conversations. The users performance is standardized into a score called Kou Yu Li ( ), namely oral English capability. |
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In addition to receiving real-time performance feedback to track his progress, the user can view his performance ranking on user leaderboards. He can also re-take the placement test any time to assess his current proficiency level. |
Our Users
As of June 30, 2018, we had 83.8 million cumulative registered users. The number of our average MAUs grew from 2.0 million in 2016 to 4.4 million in 2017 and further to 7.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018. We began monetization in 2016 and had approximately 70,500 paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in that year. The number of paying users who purchased courses and services on our platform in 2017 increased rapidly to approximately 815,700. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, we had approximately 1,016,100 paying users purchase our courses and services.
Based on information provided by our active users for the six months ended June 30, 2018, approximately 14.1% of our users are college students, 31.4% are students in K-12 education, and another 38.2% are employed or working as freelancers. Females comprise the majority of our user base. More than 92.7% of our users are located in China, and the remainder are located in foreign countries.
As of June 30, 2018, we had more than 100 corporate customers, including leading Chinese and global companies.
Selected User Case Studies
User A , aged 48, relocated with her son from China to the United States when her son started to attend schools in the United States. After the relocation, she started using English Liulishuo to improve her spoken English. She improved from LV3 to LV7 in one year and was admitted to a law school in the United States.
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User B , aged 30, is a graduate of a well-known university in China. He passed standardized written English exams easily but could not communicate effectively when speaking English. He started using English Liulishuo as a LV3 user. After nine months with English Liulishuo, he significantly improved his oral English ability and reached LV6. As a result, he won the first prize of the English speech contest in his company and was given the opportunity to monitor and guide the operations of several overseas subsidiaries of his company.
User C , aged 27, dropped out of high school due to poverty and had been working as a beauty advisor in a beauty salon. In her spare time, she studied English by using English Liulishuo and improved from LV1 to LV4 within 12 months. She became one of our OSAs and recently reached LV6.
Our Learning Community
OSAs and Study Groups
Our OSAs are full-time employees who are typically college graduates with good command of English and good communication skills. They play an important role in our sales and marketing efforts by making personalized recommendations to users on extending their courses or purchasing additional products and services from us. We had over 1,000 OSAs as of June 30, 2018.
Our OSAs also manage our Weixin-based study groups, which users of DongNi English and Authentic Pronunciation can join. They help motivate users and monitor their progress, and respond to users queries through the study groups they manage. Users can also interact with one another in these Weixin-based groups. As of June 30, 2018, we had over 530,000 users in our over 5,800 Weixin groups.
Our OSAs and study groups help maintain the human touch that keeps users disciplined and improves learning outcomes. To enhance our OSAs efficiency, we also apply our proprietary AI technologies to automate certain aspects of their work.
Liuliba
Liuliba is part of our English Liulishuo app designed with social features for users to interact with one another. Users can create content to showcase their English skills or share study tips. Some users are small English teaching businesses that create high-quality content through Liuliba to attract an online audience. Users can also interact with each other by following other users activities, posting comments on user-generated content, and joining interest-based user groups.
Our Pricing Model
Our freemium model allows us to attract users with free services and convert them into paying users. On our English Liulishuo app, individual users can access a number of our courses and services for free, including free courses for leisure learning, Liuliba and the Vocabulary Notebook. We convert non-paying users to paying users through a variety of means. For example, after users have taken a free course or a placement test, we will provide a three-day free trial to our users, and our app prompts personalized suggestions on how users can improve their English skills with links to our paid courses.
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The following table sets forth the fee scales of paid courses and services on the English Liulishuo app. We also selectively offer performance-based refunds to motivate our users. For example, users who have purchased 6-month access can get a refund by reaching a certain level within six months. We also offer promotional activities for corporate customers purchasing DongNi English for their employees at a discounted price.
DongNi English
(standard subscription) |
DongNi English
(premium service) |
Authentic
Pronunciation |
LiuLi Reading | |||||
Fee Scale |
RMB99 for 30-day access
RMB499 for 180-day access
up to RMB998 for 12-month access |
RMB2,880 to RMB59,880, based on course length or number of course units |
RMB49 for 14-day access |
RMB199 for 100-day access |
On our IELTS Liulishuo app, users can access practice questions and take practice speaking tests for free. However, if users want to get an instant analysis of their practice test performance, they can purchase one report at RMB45 or five reports at RMB198.
Learning Content Development and Management
Our learning content is a key component of our success.
We have developed our learning content based on well-established pedagogies. We have conducted detailed analysis of the theories, and worked closely with education experts to incorporate the pedagogies into our courses. In particular, our DongNi English course was initially developed based on the Recursive Hierarchical Recognition (RHR) theory, which emphasizes a scientific approach of leveraging multi-modal inputs and short, frequent and systematic practices to build long-term memory. We designed DongNi English to introduce content incrementally in a methodical and systematic way, allowing users to make and feel meaningful progress in a relatively short period of time. We have also developed free learning materials tailored to various interests. We continually update them to address evolving user preferences and keep up with trends in pop culture. Our advanced AI-based algorithms capture user data through their interactions with our AI teacher, and further analyze and study user behavior in real time, which enables us to upgrade and optimize our content continuously.
Our end-to-end content management system provides a number of capabilities to enable content writers to create English learning content on our platform. For example, a content writer can use our script engine in our content management system to create content with different media formats such as texts, pictures, audio and videos. The script engine also provides convenient version control for content writers. Apart from being capable of conducting end-to-end automatic content checks to ensure we present the content correctly to our end users, our content management system is integrated with our big data infrastructure so that users learning data related to certain pieces of content can be easily explored by our content writers to improve upon the data. Furthermore, our content management system is integrated with our adaptive learning engine to help us provide a personalized learning experience for our users.
As of June 30, 2018, we had a dedicated content development team of 78 employees, 58 of whom focus on developing content for the personalized courses and 20 of whom focus on developing other learning materials. In addition to the content we developed in-house, we also license quality content with reputable third-party content providers.
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Our Technologies
Artificial Intelligence
Speech recognition
We have developed our speech recognition engine based on deep learning technology to automatically convert spoken speech into text. Our speech recognition engine can not only deal with traditional challenges of speech recognition, such as the uncertainties introduced by background noise, but can also address additional challenges introduced by different speaker accents and speaker proficiency levels. We have a large and growing database of English spoken by Chinese, covering a broad range of accents and proficiency levels. In particular, our speech corpus includes a large volume of labeled speech data gathered from users reading aloud through our apps. Such labeled speech data and related transcriptions are invaluable for training speech recognition models. Our database continually trains and improves the accuracy of our speech recognition engine and creates a technology barrier against other competitors. Our speech recognition engine further enables our other AI applications, such as auto-scoring and feedback and spoken dialog system.
Auto-scoring
Our auto-scoring engine, combined with our speech recognition engine, can evaluate users listening, reading, and speaking skills. Our algorithms not only generate numerical assessments in the form of test scores but also provide feedback to users on their strengths and weaknesses to improve their English skills, such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and coherence. Our auto-scoring engine utilizes many of our NLP capabilities developed in-house, including grammar error detection, pragmatic error detection, synonym analysis and semantic understanding.
Knowledge tracing and adaptive learning
Our AI teacher applies knowledge tracing technology in both placement test and personalized study plan recommendations for users, delivering personalized and adaptive learning for our users. Knowledge tracing technology models users knowledge over time such that we can accurately predict how users will perform under different settings. Our knowledge tracing technology is based on deep learning technology, which can model complex human learning processes using artificial neural networks. The large and increasing volume of user data generated by our platform continuously trains and improves our knowledge tracing models. As a result, we can predict with approximately 90% accuracy whether users can answer certain questions correctly. Additionally, by applying knowledge tracing to model users learning behavior, our AI algorithm can run learning simulations and evaluate personalized learning paths without the need for continuous student assessment. Using this approach, our AI teacher can create optimal study plans for every user.
Our AI Lab
Led by our Chief Scientist and former Research Scientist at Google, Dr. Hui Lin, our AI lab consists of members with work experience at leading AI research institutions. We opened our Silicon Valley AI Lab in 2017, and together with our research teams in China, we aim to assemble a world-class team of scientists for AI and education. Our AI lab has approximately 50 scientists with expertise in voice recognition, NLP, deep learning, linguistics and other fields, with numerous research papers published in top industry publications.
Data and Data Security
We utilize our rich user data to continuously improve our products and services, and we are committed to safeguarding the security of user data.
We have collected a vast amount of user data through our users language learning activities. We have built proprietary tools to collect user learning data in various formats, store such data in a single data lake, and ensure
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the quality of this data. We further process user data using various proprietary and open source tools to utilize the user data for a variety of purposes. For example, our rich and increasing amount of data continuously improves our AI algorithms, which in turn improve our services. User data also power our mobile apps, such as the user-generated content created by users. Additionally, we use processed user data to generate regular business intelligence (BI) reports and provide ad hoc data queries to support our business functions.
We are committed to protecting user data in our business and operations. We endeavor to manage and use the data collected in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and make reasonable efforts to prevent the unauthorized use, loss or leak of user data. We have taken a number of measures to safeguard the security of user data. For example, we have encrypted sensitive user data in our storage systems and utilize data loss prevention solutions. We also limit and minimize authorized access to our system to protected user data through a variety of techniques, including network access authentication and division of network security domains. We continually improve and enhance our data and system security through regular security checks and timely system upgrades.
Technology Infrastructure
We have a scalable infrastructure that can support a large active mobile user base. Our users utilize our services by sending dynamic requests through their mobile apps. They typically generate peak traffic in evenings, which subsides after midnight. We utilize third-party cloud computing providers, such as Amazon Web Services, as well as our self-developed tools that are customized to better serve our needs. Such elastic infrastructure scales up and down our back-end capabilities according to our real-time traffic load.
Our Academic Advisory Committee
We have an academic advisory committee that provides academic and strategic advice to our management team. Currently, our academic advisory committee consists of three advisors: (i) Dr. Kai Li, a tenured professor of computer science at Princeton University, (ii) Dr. Dan Schwartz, Dean of the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, and (iii) Dr. Nich Turk-Browne, a professor of neuroscience at Yale University.
Intellectual Property
We seek to protect our technology, including our proprietary AI technology and technology infrastructure, through a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and confidentiality agreements. As of the date of this prospectus, we have registered 30 patents (including two invention patents and 28 design patents), over 100 trademarks, over 40 software copyrights and one written work copyright in China. We intend to protect our technology and proprietary rights vigorously, but there can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful. Even if our efforts are successful, we may incur significant costs in defending our rights. From time to time, third parties may initiate litigations against us, alleging infringement of their proprietary rights or declaring their non-infringement of our intellectual property rights. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our BusinessWe may face intellectual property infringement claims and other claims of third-party rights, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations. In addition, we have entered into intellectual property licensing agreements with third-party content providers, including royalty agreements with Lance Knowles pursuant to which we have obtained rights to publish certain content developed by Lance Knowles through our mobile apps.
Branding, Marketing and Sales
We will continue word-of-mouth promotions, and we believe that the improvements in our services and user experience will result in a better brand image as an effective and efficient English learning platform, which will allow us to attract and retain more users. We were named on the list of The 100 Most Promising Private AI Companies in the World for 2018 by CB Insights, one of seven companies from China and one of the only two education companies globally. We were also named on the list of 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2018 by
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Forbes China. We won First Place in the Field of Intelligent Education by CIWEEK in 2016. Our flagship mobile app, English Liulishuo, was featured as one of the Selected Apps of the Year 2013 and the Editors Choice App in the Apple app store. Since January 2017, English Liulishuo has consistently ranked among the top education apps in the Apple app store and the major Android app stores.
Our brand image is further promoted as our technologies, especially our proprietary AI technologies, receive more recognition. We were selected as the official language training provider to the 2016 G20 Summit held in Hangzhou, China. We are also the only company from China to be a corporate member of the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the World Economic Forum, a distinction we have held since June 2017. We also engage in brand advertising to promote our brand.
We have initiated various marketing activities to generate traffic to our platform and grow our user base. Our sales and marketing channels include Apple and Android app stores, search engines, social media, as well as offline events such as on-campus events at universities.
We utilize our Weixin official accounts to attract users, promote our products and services and communicate with our users. We provide users with timely updates about our services and useful English learning tips, as well as hyperlinks to our apps.
Our free services and features help us promote our paid courses among non-paying users. Our OSAs play an important role in our marketing efforts by making personalized recommendations to users on signing up for a paid course, extending their existing courses or purchasing additional products and services from us. We also have a team dedicated to sales to corporate customers and catering to their needs.
Social Responsibility
We have partnered with a number of non-profit organizations to implement various social responsibility initiatives.
Smart Cloud Classroom
In June 2016, we provided a series of AI English courses for free to a welfare school in a remote rural area in northwest China that provides free education to orphans. After one year of study, the average score of students High School Entrance Examination on English subject has significantly improved. 27% of the students improved one level on our English Liulishuo app. In 2017 and the first half of 2018, we continued the Smart Cloud Classroom project across the country, supporting more than 1,300 students in 28 schools.
Rural Teachers Support Plan
We have provided AI English courses to rural teachers for free to help them improve their teaching skills. In July 2017, the first recruited group of nearly 100 village teachers started their studies. The Rural Teachers Support Plan has provided AI English courses to over 1,260 rural teachers to date.
Competition
Our business is characterized by innovation, rapid change and disruptive AI, big data and mobile internet technologies. As we operate at the intersection of the technology and education industries, we potentially could face competition not only from providers of online and offline education services, but also from technology and internet players, especially those actively developing AI technology. Our success in competing against other education services, including English learning services and mobile-enabled education services, is primarily dependent on our ability to improve users learning efficiency and effectiveness, provide quality learning content and promote our brand. Technology and internet players that are larger than us may devote more resources to
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research and development, introduce new technology faster than us or have capabilities more advanced than ours. We also compete with them for talent with technological expertise, which is critical to the sustained development of our technology and products and services.
Employees
As of June 30, 2018, we had 1,689 employees. The following table sets forth the numbers of our employees categorized by function as of June 30, 2018:
As of June 30, 2018 | ||||
Function: |
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Research and development |
234 | |||
Platform operation |
126 | |||
Content development |
78 | |||
Sales and marketing |
1,193 | |||
Others |
58 | |||
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Total |
1,689 | |||
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Properties
Our headquarters is located in Shanghai, where we lease and occupy office space with an aggregate floor area of approximately 31,000 square meters. A substantial majority of our employees are based at our headquarters in Shanghai. We also lease and occupy office space located in Nanjing and Hangzhou of China as well as Silicon Valley of the United States with an aggregate floor area of approximately 2,800 square meters.
Insurance
We do not maintain insurance policies covering damages to our network infrastructures or information technology systems. We also do not maintain business interruption insurance or general third-party liability insurance, nor do we maintain product liability insurance or key personnel insurance. We consider our insurance coverage to be in line with that of other companies of similar size and business nature in China. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our BusinessWe have limited insurance coverage of our operations, which may expose us to significant costs and business disruption.
Legal Proceedings
We are currently not a party to any material legal or administrative proceedings. We may from time to time be subject to various legal or administrative claims and proceedings arising from the ordinary course of business. Litigation or any other legal or administrative proceeding, regardless of the outcome, is likely to result in substantial cost and diversion of our resources, including our managements time and attention.
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This section sets forth a summary of the most significant rules and regulations that affect our business activities in China or the rights of our shareholders to receive dividends and other distributions from us.
Regulation Related to Online Services
Regulation Related to Foreign Investment Restrictions
Investment activities in China by foreign investors are principally governed by the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment, or the Catalog, which was promulgated and is amended from time to time by MOFCOM, and the National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC. The Catalog divides industries into three categories: encouraged, restricted and prohibited. Industries not listed in the Catalog are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations. Establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises is generally allowed in encouraged and permitted industries. Some restricted industries are limited to equity or contractual joint ventures, while in some cases Chinese partners are required to hold the majority interests in such joint ventures. In addition, restricted category projects may be subject to higher-level government approvals. Foreign investors are not allowed to invest in industries in the prohibited category. Industries not listed in the Catalog are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations. Pursuant to the latest Catalog amended on June 28, 2017, or the 2017 Catalog, the provision of value-added telecommunications services falls in the restricted category and the percentage of foreign ownership cannot exceed 50% (except for e-commerce).
The Regulations on Administration of Foreign-Invested Telecommunications Enterprises, or the FITE Regulations, which took effect on January 1, 2002 and last amended on February 6, 2016, are the key regulations for foreign direct investment in telecommunications companies in China. The FITE Regulations stipulate that the foreign investor of a telecommunications enterprise is prohibited from holding more than 50% of the equity interest in a foreign-invested enterprise that provides value-added telecommunications services. In addition, for a foreign investor to acquire any equity interest in a business providing value-added telecommunications services in China, it must demonstrate a positive track record and experience in providing such services.
On July 13, 2006, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, issued the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-added Telecommunications Services, or the MIIT Circular 2006, which requires that (i) foreign investors can only operate a telecommunications business in China through establishing a telecommunications enterprise with a valid telecommunications business operation license; (ii) domestic license holders are prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunications business operation licenses to foreign investors in any form, or providing any resource, sites or facilities to foreign investors to facilitate the unlicensed operation of telecommunications business in China; (iii) value-added telecommunications services providers or their shareholders must directly own the domain names and registered trademarks they use in their daily operations; (iv) each value-added telecommunications services provider must have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and maintain such facilities in the geographic regions covered by its license; and (v) all value-added telecommunications services providers should improve network and information security, enact relevant information safety administration regulations and set up emergency plans to ensure network and information safety. The provincial communications administration bureaus, as local authorities in charge of regulating telecommunications services, may revoke the value-added telecommunications business operation licenses of those who fail to comply with the above requirements or fail to rectify such noncompliance within specified time limits. Due to the lack of any additional interpretation from the regulatory authorities, it remains unclear what impact MIIT Circular 2006 will have on us or the other PRC internet companies with similar corporate structures and contractual arrangements.
In light of the above restrictions and requirements, we conduct our value-added telecommunications businesses through our VIE, Shanghai Liulishuo.
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Regulations Related to Value-added Telecommunications Services
On September 25, 2000, the State Council issued the PRC Regulations on Telecommunications, or the Telecommunications Regulations, as amended on February 6, 2016, to regulate telecommunications activities in China. The Telecommunications Regulations divided the telecommunications services into two categories, namely infrastructure telecommunications services and value-added telecommunications services. Pursuant to the Telecommunications Regulations, operators of VATS must first obtain a VATS License, from the MIIT, or its provincial level counterparts. On March 1, 2009, the MIIT promulgated the Administrative Measures on Telecommunications Business Operating Licenses, as amended on July 3, 2017, which set forth more specific provisions regarding the types of licenses required to operate VATS, the qualifications and procedures for obtaining such licenses and the administration and supervision of such licenses.
According to the Classified Catalog of Telecommunications Services (2003 Version), information service, categorized as a type of VATS, was defined as the voice information services (telephone information services) or online information and data retrieval and other information services directly provided for end users through the fixed networks, mobile networks or internet and other public communications networks by means of information gathering, development, processing and the construction of the information platform. On December 28, 2015, the MIIT published a revised Classified Catalog of Telecommunication Services (2015 Version), effective from March 2016, or the 2016 MIIT Catalog, which continues to classify information service as a category of VATS, and revised the definition of information services as the information services provided for users through public communications networks or internet by means of information gathering, development, processing and the construction of the information platform. Moreover, information services are clarified to include information release and delivery services, information search and query services, information community platform services, information real-time interactive services, and information protection and processing services by the 2016 MIIT Catalog. The Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, or ICP Measures, promulgated by the PRC State Council on September 25, 2000 and most recently amended on January 8, 2011, set forth more specific rules on the provision of internet information services. According to ICP Measures, any company that engages in the provision of commercial internet information services shall obtain an ICP License from the relevant government authorities before providing any commercial internet information services within China. When the internet information services involve areas of news, publication, education, medical treatment, health, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, and if required by law or relevant regulations, specific approval from the respective regulatory authorities must be obtained prior to the application for an ICP License from the MIIT or its provincial level counterpart. Pursuant to the above-mentioned regulations, commercial internet information services generally refers to provision of specific information content, online advertising, web page construction and other online application services through internet for profit making purpose.
In addition to the Telecommunications Regulations and the other regulations discussed above, the provision of commercial internet information services on mobile internet applications is regulated by the Administrative Provisions on Mobile Internet Applications Information Services, which was promulgated by CAC in June 2016. The providers of mobile internet applications are subject to requirements under these provisions, including acquiring the qualifications and complying with other requirements provided by laws and regulations and being responsible for information security.
Regulation Related to Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs
The Measures for the Administration of Publication of Audio-Visual Programs through Internet or Other Information Network, or the Audio-Visual Measures, promulgated by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or the SAPPRFT (currently known as the State Administration of Radio and Television), on July 6, 2004 and put into effect on October 11, 2004, apply to the activities relating to the opening, broadcasting, integration, transmission or download of audio-visual programs using internet or other information network. Under the Audio-Visual Measures, to engage in the business of transmitting audio-visual programs, a license issued by the SAPPRFT is required, and audio-visual programs (including audio-visual
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products of films and televisions) is defined under the Audio-Visual Measures as the audio-visual programs consisting of movable pictures or sounds that can be listened to continuously, which are shot and recorded using video cameras, vidicons, recorders and other audio-visual equipment for producing programs. Foreign invested enterprises are not allowed to carry out such business. On April 13, 2005, the State Council promulgated the Certain Decisions on the Entry of the Non-state-owned Capital into the Cultural Industry. On July 6, 2005, five PRC governmental authorities, including the SAPPRFT, jointly adopted the Several Opinions on Canvassing Foreign Investment into the Cultural Sector. According to these regulations, non-state-owned capital and foreign investors are not allowed to engage in the business of transmitting audio-visual programs through information networks. However, the Audio-Visual Measures was repealed according to the Administrative Provisions on Audio-Visual Program Service through Special Network and Directed Transmission that was promulgated by the SAPPRFT on April 25, 2016, effective as of June 1, 2016.
To further regulate the provision of audio-visual program services to the public via the internet, including through mobile networks, within the territory of China, the SAPPRFT and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Internet Audio-Visual Program Service, or the Audio-Visual Program Provisions, on December 20, 2007, which came into effect on January 31, 2008 and was last amended on August 28, 2015. Under the Audio-Visual Program Provisions, internet audio-visual program services is defined as activities of producing, redacting and integrating audio-visual programs, providing them to the general public via internet, and providing service for other people to upload and transmit audio-visual programs, and providers of internet audio-visual program services are required to obtain a License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs issued by the SAPPRFT, or complete certain registration procedures with the SAPPRFT. In general, providers of internet audio-visual program services must be either state-owned or state-controlled entities, and the business to be carried out by such providers must satisfy the overall planning and guidance catalog for internet audio-visual program service determined by the SAPPRFT. On May 21, 2008, SAPPRFT issued a Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Application and Approval of License for the Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs, as amended on August 28, 2015, which sets out detailed provisions concerning the application and approval process regarding the License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs. According to the above regulations, providers of internet audio-visual program services that engaged in such services prior to the promulgation of the Audio-Visual Program Provisions are eligible to apply for the license so long as those providers did not violate the relevant laws and regulations in the past or their violation of the laws and regulations is minor in scope and can be rectified in a timely manner and they have no records of violation during the last three months prior to the promulgation of the Audio-Visual Program Provisions. Further, on March 30, 2009, SAPPRFT promulgated the Notice on Strengthening the Administration of the Content of Internet Audio-Visual Programs, which reiterates the pre-approval requirements for the audio-visual programs transmitted via the internet, including through mobile networks, where applicable, and prohibits certain types of internet audio-visual programs containing violence, pornography, gambling, terrorism, superstition or other similarly prohibited elements.
On March 17, 2010, the SAPPRFT promulgated Tentative Categories of Internet Audio-Visual Program Services, or the Categories, which clarified the scope of internet audio-visual programs services, which was amended on March 10, 2017. According to the Categories, there are four categories of internet audio-visual program services which are further divided into seventeen sub-categories. The third sub-category to the second category covers the making and editing of certain specialized audio-visual programs concerning, among other things, educational content, and broadcasting such content to the general public online. However, there are still significant uncertainties relating to the interpretation and implementation of the Audio-Visual Program Provisions, in particular, the scope of internet audio-visual programs.
On March 16, 2018, the SAPPRFT promulgated the Notice on Further Regulating the Transmission Order of Internet Audio-Visual Program Services, providing that the classic literary works, radio, film and television programs, internet original audio-visual programs shall not be re-edited, re-dubbed, re-subtitled or partly captured and consolidated as a new program without authorizations and providers of internet audio-visual program services shall strictly manage and supervise such re-edited programs uploaded by the internet users and
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shall not provide any transmission channel for those internet audio-visual programs which have political orientation issues, copyright issues or content issues.
Regulation Related to Internet Live Streaming Services
On September 2, 2016, the SAPPRFT promulgated the Notice on Strengthening the Administration of Live Streaming Services of Internet Audio-Visual Program, which provided that any company without a License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs shall not operate audio-visual live streaming business and the live streaming programs provided by the qualified company shall not contain any content forbidden by laws and regulations.
On November 4, 2016, the CAC promulgated the Provisions on the Administration of Internet Live Streaming Services, or the Internet Live Streaming Provisions, effective December 1, 2016. Internet live streaming service is defined in the Internet Live Stream Provisions as the activities of continuously releasing real-time information to the public based on the internet in such forms as videos, audios, images and texts and the internet live streaming service provider is defined therein as an entity providing internet live streaming platform services. The Internet Live Streaming Provisions provide that internet live streaming service providers shall examine the true identity information of each internet live-streaming issuer, and complete the filing with local counterparts of the CAC.
On July 12, 2017, the CAC issued a Notice on Development of the Filing Work for Enterprises providing Internet Live Streaming Services, which provided that all the companies providing internet live streaming services shall complete the filing procedure with its local authority since July 15, 2017, otherwise the CAC or its local counterparts may impose administrative sanctions on such company.
Regulation Related to Internet Culture Activities
On February 17, 2011, the Ministry of Culture, or MOC (currently known as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism), promulgated the Interim Administrative Provisions on Internet Culture, or the Internet Culture Provisions, which became effective on April 1, 2011 and was amended on December 15, 2017. The Internet Culture Provisions require ICP services providers engaging in commercial internet culture activities to obtain an Internet Culture Business Operating License from the MOC. Internet cultural activity is defined in the Internet Culture Provisions as an act of provision of internet cultural products and related services, which includes (i) the production, duplication, importation, and broadcasting of the internet cultural products; (ii) the online dissemination whereby cultural products are posted on the internet or transmitted via the internet to end-users, such as computers, fixed-line telephones, mobile phones, television sets and games machines, for online users browsing, use or downloading; and (iii) the exhibition and comparison of the internet cultural products. In addition, internet cultural products is defined in the Internet Culture Provisions as cultural products produced, broadcast and disseminated via the internet, which mainly include internet cultural products specially produced for the internet, such as online music entertainment, online games, online shows and plays (programs), online performances, online works of art and online cartoons, and internet cultural products produced from cultural products such as music entertainment, games, shows and plays (programs), performances, works of art, and cartoons through certain techniques and duplicating those to internet for dissemination.
Regulation Related to Online Publishing
On June 27, 2002, the General Administration of Press and Publication (currently known as the SAPPRFT) and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Tentative Internet Publishing Administrative Measures, or the Internet Publishing Measures, which took effect on August 1, 2002. The Internet Publishing Measures require entities that engage in internet publishing to obtain an Internet Publishing License for engaging in internet publishing from the SAPPRFT. Pursuant to the Internet Publishing Measures, the definition of internet publishing is broad and refers to the act by ICP services providers to select, edit and process works created by themselves or others and
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subsequently post such works on the internet or transmit such works to the users end through internet for the public to browse. The works as defined under the Internet Publishing Measures include (i) contents from books, newspapers, periodicals, audio-visual products, electronic publications that have already been formally published or works that have been made public in other media, and (ii) all other edited or processed works of literatures, art, natural science, social science, engineering technology, etc.
On February 4, 2016, the SAPPRFT and the MIIT jointly issued the Administrative Provisions on Online Publishing Services, or the Online Publishing Provisions. The Online Publishing Provisions, taking effect on March 10, 2016, superseded the Internet Publishing Measures. Compared with the Internet Publishing Measures, the Online Publishing Provisions set out more detailed provisions for online publishing activities, which mainly cover issues such as defining online publishing services, licensing and approvals, the administrative and supervisory regime and legal liabilities. According to the Online Publishing Provisions, all online publishing services provided within the territory of China are subject to the Online Publishing Provisions, and an online publishing services permit shall be obtained to provide online publishing services. Pursuant to the Online Publishing Provisions, online publishing services refer to providing online publications to the public through information networks; and online publications refer to digital works with publishing features such as having been edited, produced or processed and are made available to the public through information networks, including: (i) written works, pictures, maps, games, cartoons, audio/video reading materials and other original digital works containing useful knowledge or ideas in the field of literature, art, science or other fields; (ii) digital works of which the content is identical to that of any published book, newspaper, periodical, audio/video product, electronic publication or the like; (iii) network literature databases or other digital works, derived from any of the aforesaid works by selection, arrangement, collection or other means; and (iv) other types of digital works as may be determined by the SAPPRFT. As the scope of online publication is broad, certain contents we post on our website, such as video-audio clips and course materials, may be deemed as online publications.
Regulations Related to Internet Information Security and Privacy Protection
PRC government authorities have enacted laws and regulations with respect to internet information security and protection of personal information from any abuse or unauthorized disclosure. Internet information in China is regulated and restricted from a national security standpoint. The Decisions on Maintaining Internet Security which was enacted by the Standing Committee of the PRC National Peoples Congress, or the SCNPC in December 2000 and amended in August 2009, may subject violators to criminal punishment in China for any effort to: (i) gain improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance; (ii) disseminate politically disruptive information; (iii) leak state secrets; (iv) spread false commercial information; or (v) infringe intellectual property rights. The Ministry of Public Security has promulgated measures that prohibit use of the internet in ways which, among other things, result in a leakage of state secrets or a spread of socially destabilizing content. If an information service provider violates these measures, the Ministry of Public Security and the local security bureaus may revoke its operating license and shut down its websites.
Pursuant to the Decision on Strengthening the Protection of Online Information issued by the SCNPC in December 2012, any collection and use of user personal information must be subject to the consent of the user, abide by the principles of legality, rationality and necessity and in accordance with the specified purposes, methods and scopes. Any entity collecting personal information must also keep such information strictly confidential, and is further prohibited from divulging, tampering or destroying any such information, or selling or providing such information to other parties, and is required to take technical and other measures to prevent the collected personal information from any unauthorized disclosure, damage or loss. Any violation of these laws and regulations may subject the entity collecting personal information to warnings, fines, confiscation of illegal gains, revocation of licenses, cancellation of filings, closedown of websites or even criminal liabilities.
Pursuant to the Notice of the Supreme Peoples Court, the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security on Legally Punishing Criminal Activities Infringing upon the Personal Information of Citizens, issued in 2013, and the Interpretation of the Supreme Peoples Court and the Supreme Peoples
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Procuratorate on Several Issues regarding Legal Application in Criminal Cases Infringing upon the Personal Information of Citizens, which was issued on May 8, 2017 and took effect on June 1, 2017, the following activities may constitute the crime of infringing upon a citizens personal information: (i) providing a citizens personal information to specified persons or releasing a citizens personal information online or through other methods in violation of relevant national provisions; (ii) providing legitimately collected information relating to a citizen to others without such citizens consent (unless the information is processed, not traceable to a specific person and not recoverable); (iii) collecting a citizens personal information in violation of applicable rules and regulations when performing a duty or providing services; or (iv) collecting a citizens personal information by purchasing, accepting or exchanging such information in violation of applicable rules and regulations.
Pursuant to the Order for the Protection of Telecommunication and Internet User Personal Information issued by the MIIT on July 16, 2013, which became effective from September 1, 2013, any collection and use of user personal information must be subject to the consent of the user, abide by the principles of legality, rationality and necessity and be within the specified purposes, methods and scopes. Personal information is defined as information that identifies a citizen, the time or location for his/her use of telecommunication and internet services, or involves privacy of any citizen such as his/her birth date, ID card number, and address. An internet information service provider must also keep information collected strictly confidential, and is further prohibited from divulging, tampering or destroying of any such information, or selling or providing such information to other parties. Any violation of the above decision or order may subject the internet information service provider to warnings, fines, confiscation of illegal gains, revocation of licenses, cancellation of filings, closedown of websites or even criminal liabilities.
Pursuant to the Ninth Amendment to the Criminal Law issued by the SCNPC in August 2015, which became effective in November 2015, any person or entity that fails to fulfill the obligations related to internet information security administration as required by applicable laws and refuses to rectify upon orders is subject to criminal penalty for the result of (i) any dissemination of illegal information in large scale; (ii) any severe effect due to the leakage of the clients information; (iii) any serious loss of criminal evidence; or (iv) other severe situation, and any individual or entity that (i) sells or provides personal information to others in a way violating the applicable law, or (ii) steals or illegally obtain any personal information is subject to criminal penalty in severe situation.
Pursuant to the PRC Cyber Security Law issued by the SCNPC in November 2016, effective June 2017, personal information refers to all kinds of information recorded by electronic or otherwise that can be used to independently identify or be combined with other information to identify natural persons personal information including but not limited to: natural persons names, dates of birth, ID numbers, biologically identified personal information, addresses and telephone numbers, etc. The Cyber Security Law also provides that: (i) to collect and use personal information, network operators shall follow the principles of legitimacy, rightfulness and necessity, disclose their rules of data collection and use, clearly express the purposes, means and scope of collecting and using the information, and obtain the consent of the persons whose data is gathered; (ii) network operators shall neither gather personal information unrelated to the services they provide, nor gather or use personal information in violation of the provisions of laws and administrative regulations or the scopes of consent given by the persons whose data is gathered; and shall dispose of personal information they have saved in accordance with the provisions of laws and administrative regulations and agreements reached with users; (iii) network operators shall not divulge, tamper with or damage the personal information they have collected, and shall not provide the personal information to others without the consent of the persons whose data is collected. However, if the information has been processed and cannot be recovered and thus it is impossible to match such information with specific persons, such circumstance is an exception.
Regulation Related to Private Education
The laws and regulations governing foreign investments in private education institutions in China are complex and have been developing. Pursuant to the Catalog, which is the principal regulation governing foreign
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investment activities in China, foreign investments in pre-school education institutions, ordinary senior high schools and institutions of higher education fall within the foreign restricted category (limited to the form of sino-foreign cooperative joint ventures), and foreign investments in compulsory education institutions are prohibited. The Catalog does not provide specific restrictions on foreign investments in institutions like us that provide English learning products and services to the public. Besides, pursuant to the PRC Regulations on Sino-foreign Cooperative Education (2013 Revision) and other education-related laws and regulations in China, foreign education institutions and other foreign organizations or individuals may not by themselves alone establish schools or other education institutions within China which mainly enroll Chinese citizens, and sino-foreign cooperative education institutions shall have corresponding qualifications and relatively high education quality.
Education Law of China
On March 18, 1995, the PRC National Peoples Congress promulgated the PRC Education Law, or the Education Law. The Education Law stipulates that the government formulates plans for the development of education, establishes and operates schools and other types of educational institutions, and in principle, enterprises, institutions, social organizations and individuals are encouraged to operate schools and other types of educational organizations. It is provided in the Education Law that no organization or individual may establish or operate a school or any other educational institution for commercial purposes. On December 27, 2015, the SCNPC published the Decision on Amendment of the Education Law, which took effect on June 1, 2016. The SCNPC narrowed the provision prohibiting the establishment or operation of schools or other educational institutions for commercial purposes to only restricting a school or other educational institution founded with governmental funds or donated assets in the amended Education Law.
The Law for Promoting Private Education and its Implementing Rules
On December 28, 2002, the SCNPC promulgated the Law for Promoting Private Education, or the Private Education Law and was later amended on November 7, 2016, the amendment of which took effect on September 1, 2017. On March 5, 2004, the PRC State Council promulgated the Implementation Rules for the Law for Promoting Private Education, which became effective on April 1, 2004, or the PE Implementation Rules. The Private Education Law and the PE Implementation Rules provide rules for social organizations or individuals, other than state-owned entities, to establish schools or other educational organizations using non-government funds in China, such schools or educational organizations established using non-government funds are referred to as private schools.
According to the amended Private Education Law, establishment of private schools for academic education, pre-school education, self-taught examination support and other cultural education shall be subject to approval by the authorities in charge of education, while establishment of private schools for vocational qualification training and vocational skill training shall be subject to approvals from the authorities in charge of labor and social welfare. A duly approved private school will be granted a private school operating permit, and shall be registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, or MCA, or its local counterparts as a private non-enterprise institution. Entities and individuals may choose to establish non-profit private schools or for-profit private schools at their own discretion. Nonetheless, for-profit private schools that are engaged in compulsory education are not allowed.
On December 30, 2016, the Ministry of Education, or the MOE, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (currently known as the State Administration for Market Regulation), or the SAIC and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare jointly issued the Implementation Rules on the Supervision and Administration of For-profit Private Schools. Pursuant such rules, the establishment, division, merger and other material changes of a for-profit private school shall first be approved by the education authorities or the authorities in charge of labor and social welfare, and then be registered with the competent branch of SAIC. In addition, it also provides that for-profit private training institutes shall be analogically governed by these Implementation Rules on the Supervision and Administration of For-profit Private Schools.
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On August 31, 2017, SAIC and MOE jointly promulgated the Notice of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Education on the Work Concerning the Administration of the Name Registration for For-profit Private Schools, which came into effect on September 1, 2017. Such notice provides that the industry expression in the name of the private culture education institutions shall typically include training school /center, such as curriculum training school/center, extra-class education school/center, self-learning school/center, tutorship school/center, extra tutoring for examinations school/center and extra tutoring school/center and such industry expression is allowed to embody the disciplines and characteristics of such education institution, such as English training school.
In August 2018, the State Council issued the Opinion on the Regulation of the Development of Extracurricular Training Institutions, or the New Opinion, which primarily regulates extracurricular training institutions targeting K-12 students. The New Opinion reiterates prior guidance that extracurricular training institutions must obtain a private school operating permit, and further requires such institutions to meet certain minimum requirements; for example, extracurricular training institutions are required to (i) have a fixed training premise that conforms to specified safety criteria, with an average area per student of no less than 3 square meters during the applicable training period; (ii) comply with relevant fire safety, environmental protection, hygiene, food operation and other specified requirements; (iii) purchase personal safety insurance for students to reduce safety risks; and (iv) not hire any teachers who are working concurrently in primary or secondary schools. Extracurricular training institutions are prohibited from carrying out exam-oriented training, training that goes beyond the school syllabus, training in advance of the corresponding school schedule and any training activities associated with student admission. The training content of extracurricular training institutions is not to exceed the corresponding national curricular standards and training progress is not to be more accelerated than the corresponding progress of local schools. According to the New Opinion, extracurricular training institutions are also required to disclose relevant information regarding the institution, including their training content, schedule, targeted students and school timetable to the relevant education authority, and their training classes may not end later than 20:30 each day. Tuition can only be collected for courses in three months or a shorter installments. Additionally, the New Opinion requests that competent local authorities formulate relevant local standards for extracurricular training institutions within their administrative area.
Regulation Related to Online and Distance Education
Pursuant to the Interim Administrative Regulations on Educational Websites and Online and Distance Education Schools issued by the MOE, on July 5, 2000, educational websites may provide educational services in relation to higher education, elementary education, pre-school education, teaching education, occupational education, adult education, other education and public educational information services. Educational websites refer to organizations providing education or education-related information services to website visitors by means of a database or online education platform connected via the internet or an educational television station through an internet service provider. Setting up education websites is subject to approval from relevant education authorities, depending on the specific types of education. Any educational website shall, upon the receipt of approval, indicate on its website such approval information as well as the approval date and file number.
On June 29, 2004, the State Council promulgated the Decision on Setting Down Administrative Licenses for the Administrative Examination and Approval Items Really Necessary to Be Retained, pursuant to which the administrative license for educational websites was not retained.
On February 3, 2016, the State Council promulgated the Decision on Cancelling the Second Batch of 152 Items Subject to Administrative Examination and Approval by Local Governments Designated by the Central Government, further explicitly withdrew the approval requirements for operating educational websites as provided by the Administrative Regulations on Educational Websites and Online Education Schools, and reiterated the principle that administrative approval requirements may only be imposed in accordance with the PRC Administrative Licensing Law.
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In December 2017, Shanghai Municipal Government promulgated the Management Methods of Classified Registration of Private Schools, the Setting Standards for Private Training Institutions of Shanghai, the Management Measures for the For-profit Private Training Institutions of Shanghai, and the Management Methods for the Non-Profit Private Training Institutions of Shanghai (collectively, the Shanghai Implementation Regulations). Pursuant to the Shanghai Implementation Regulations, any management measures and regulations applied to the institutions that provide training services only through internet will be further promulgated separately. However no specific administration measures regarding the institutions offering training service only through internet have been promulgated by Shanghai government as of the date of this prospectus.
Regulations Related to Intellectual Property Rights
Copyright and Software Registration
The SCNPC, the State Council and the National Copyright Administration, or the NCAC, have promulgated various rules and regulations relating to the protection of software in China, including without limitation the PRC Copyright Law, adopted in 1990 and revised in 2001, 2010 respectively, with its implementation rules adopted in 1991 and revised in 2002, 2011 and 2013 respectively. The amended Copyright Law and its implementation rules extend copyright protection to internet activities, products disseminated over the internet and software products. In addition, there is a voluntary registration system administered by the China Copyright Protection Center. To address the problem of copyright infringement related to the content posted or transmitted over the internet, the NCAC and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Measures for Administrative Protection of Copyright Related to Internet on April 29, 2005, which became effective on May 30, 2005.
On December 20, 2001, the State Council promulgated Computer Software Protection Regulations which came into effect on January 1, 2002 and was later amended on January 8, 2011 and January 30, 2013. These regulations are formulated for protecting the rights and interests of computer software copyright owners, encouraging the development and application of computer software and promoting the development of software business. In order to further implement the Computer Software Protection Regulations, the NCAC issued the Computer Software Copyright Registration Procedures on February 20, 2002, which apply to software copyright registration, license contract registration and transfer contract registration.
Under these rules and regulations, software owners, licensees and transferees may register their rights in software with the NCAC or its local branches and obtain software copyright registration certificates. Although such registration is not mandatory under PRC laws, software owners, licensees and transferees are encouraged to go through the registration process to enjoy the better protections afforded to registered software rights.
Patents
The SCNPC adopted the Patent Law of the Peoples Republic of China in 1984 and amended it in 1992, 2000 and 2008, respectively. A patentable invention, utility model or design must meet three conditions, namely novelty, inventiveness and practical applicability. Patents cannot be granted for scientific discoveries, rules and methods for intellectual activities, methods used to diagnose or treat diseases, animal and plant breeds or substances obtained by means of nuclear transformation. The Patent Office under the State Intellectual Property Office is responsible for receiving, examining and approving patent applications. A patent is valid for a twenty-year term for an invention and a ten-year term for a utility model or design, both starting from the application date. Except under certain specific circumstances provided by law, any third-party user must obtain consent or a proper license from the patent owner to use the patent, otherwise the use will constitute an infringement of the rights of the patent holder.
Trademark
The PRC Trademark Law, adopted in 1982 and revised in 1993, 2001 and 2013 respectively, with its implementation rules adopted in 2002 and revised in 2014, protects registered trademarks. The PRC Trademark
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Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, currently known as PRC State Intellectual Property Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation, or the Trademark Office, handles trademark registrations and grants a protection term of ten years to registered trademarks which may be renewed for consecutive ten-year periods upon request by the trademark owner. The PRC Trademark Law has adopted a first-to-file principle with respect to trademark registration. Where a trademark for which a registration has been made is identical or similar to another trademark which has already been registered or been subject to a preliminary examination and approval for use on the same kind of or similar commodities or services, the application for registration of such trademark may be rejected. Any person applying for the registration of a trademark may not prejudice the existing right first obtained by others, nor may any person register in advance a trademark that has already been used by another party and has already gained a sufficient degree of reputation through such partys use.
Domain Name
The MIIT promulgated its Administrative Measures on Internet Domain Names in 2017. According to these measures, the MIIT is in charge of the overall administration of domain names in China. The registration of domain names in China is on a first-apply-first-registration basis. A domain name applicant will become the domain name holder upon the completion of the application procedure.
Regulations Related to Employment
On June 29, 2007, the SCNPC, adopted the Labor Contract Law, which became effective as of January 1, 2008 and was revised in 2012. The Labor Contract Law requires employers to enter into written contracts with their employees, restricts the use of temporary workers and aims to give employees long-term job security. Pursuant to the Labor Contract Law, employment contracts lawfully executed prior to the implementation of the Labor Contract Law and continuing as of the date of its implementation will continue to be performed. Where an employment relationship was established prior to the implementation of the Labor Contract Law but no written employment contract was concluded, a contract must be concluded within one month after the Labor Contract Laws implementation. All PRC enterprises are generally required to implement a standard working time system of eight hours a day and forty hours a week, and if the implementation of such standard working time system is not appropriate due to the nature of the job or the characteristics of business operation, the enterprise may implement a flexible working time system or comprehensive working time system after obtaining approvals from the relevant authorities. According to the Social Insurance Law promulgated by SCNPC and effective from July 1, 2011, the Regulation of Insurance for Work-Related Injury, the Provisional Measures on Insurance for Maternity of Employees, Regulation of Unemployment Insurance, the Decision of the State Council on Setting Up Basic Medical Insurance System for Staff Members and Workers in Cities and Towns, the Interim Regulation on the Collection and Payment of Social Insurance Premiums and the Interim Provisions on Registration of Social Insurance, an employer is required to contribute the social insurance for its employees in China, including the basic pension insurance, basic medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance and injury insurance. Under the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Funds, promulgated by the State Council on April 3, 1999 and as amended on March 24, 2002, an employer is required to make contributions to a housing fund for its employees.
Regulations Related to Foreign Exchange
Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange
The principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in China are the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, as last amended in August 2008. Under the PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. By contrast,
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approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital account items, such as direct investments, repayment of foreign currency-denominated loans, repatriation of investments and investments in securities outside of China.
In November 2012, SAFE promulgated the Circular of Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on Foreign Direct Investment, as amended on May 4, 2015, which substantially amends and simplifies the current foreign exchange procedure. Pursuant to this circular, the opening of various special purpose foreign exchange accounts, such as pre-establishment expenses accounts, foreign exchange capital accounts and guarantee accounts, the reinvestment of Renminbi proceeds derived by foreign investors in China, and remittance of foreign exchange profits and dividends by a foreign-invested enterprise to its foreign shareholders no longer require the approval or verification of SAFE, and multiple capital accounts for the same entity may be opened in different provinces, which was not possible previously. In addition, SAFE promulgated the Provisions on Foreign Exchange Administration over Direct Investment Made by Foreign Investors in China in May 2013, which specifies that the administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment by foreign investors in China must be conducted by way of registration and banks must process foreign exchange business relating to the direct investment in China based on the registration information provided by SAFE and its branches. On February 28, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. After SAFE Notice 13 became effective on June 1, 2015, instead of applying for approvals regarding foreign exchange registrations of foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment from SAFE, entities and individuals may apply for such foreign exchange registrations from qualified banks. The qualified banks, under the supervision of SAFE, may directly review the applications and conduct the registration.
On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Circular of the SAFE on Reforming the Management Approach regarding the Settlement of Foreign Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprise, or Circular 19, which expands a pilot reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of foreign-invested enterprises nationwide. Circular 19 came into force and replaced both the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues Relating to the Improvement of Business Operations with Respect to the Administration of Foreign Exchange Capital Payment and Settlement of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or Circular 142 and the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues concerning the Pilot Reform of the Administrative Approach Regarding the Settlement of the Foreign Exchange Capitals of Foreign-invested Enterprises in Certain Areas, or Circular 36 on June 1, 2015. Circular 19 allows all foreign-invested enterprises established in China to use their foreign exchange capitals to make equity investment and removes certain other restrictions had been provided in Circular 142. However, Circular 19 continues to prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, using Renminbi fund converted from its foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond its business scope and providing entrusted loans or repaying loans between non-financial enterprises. SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or Circular 16, effective in June 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in Circular 19, but compared to Circular 19, Circular 16 provides that discretionary foreign exchange settlement applies to foreign exchange capital, foreign debt offering proceeds and remitted foreign listing proceeds, and the corresponding Renminbi capital converted from foreign exchange are not restricted from extending loans to related parties or repaying the inter-company loans (including advances by third parties). However, there exist substantial uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation in practice with respect to the Circular 16 and other laws and regulations related to foreign currency exchange. Circular 19, Circular 16 and other related regulations may delay or limit us from using the proceeds of offshore offerings to make additional capital contributions or loans to our PRC subsidiaries and any violations of these circulars could result in severe monetary or other penalties.
In January 2017, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Further Improving Reform of Foreign Exchange Administration and Optimizing Genuineness and Compliance Verification, or Circular 3, which stipulates several capital control measures with respect to the outbound remittance of profit from domestic entities to offshore
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entities, including (i) under the principle of genuine transaction, banks shall check board resolutions regarding profit distribution, the original version of tax filing records and audited financial statements; and (ii) domestic entities shall hold income to account for previous years losses before remitting the profits. Moreover, pursuant to Circular 3, domestic entities shall make detailed explanations of the sources of capital and utilization arrangements, and provide board resolutions, contracts and other proof when completing the registration procedures in connection with an outbound investment.
Regulations on Foreign Debt
A loan made by a foreign entity as direct or indirect shareholder in a foreign-invested enterprise is considered to be foreign debt in China and is regulated by various laws and regulations, including the Regulation of the Peoples Republic of China on Foreign Exchange Administration, the Interim Provisions on the Management of Foreign Debts, the Statistical Monitoring of Foreign Debts Tentative Provisions, the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Provisional Regulations on Statistics and Supervision of External Debt, and the Administrative Measures for Registration of Foreign Debts. Under these rules and regulations, a shareholder loan in the form of foreign debt made to a PRC entity does not require the prior approval of SAFE. However, such foreign debt must be registered with and recorded by SAFE or its local branches within 15 business days after entering into the foreign debt contract. Pursuant to these rules and regulations, the maximum amount of the aggregate of (i) the outstanding balance of foreign debts with a term not longer than one year, and (ii) the accumulated amount of foreign debts with a term longer than one year, of a foreign-invested enterprise shall not exceed the difference between its registered total investment and its registered capital, or Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance. In addition, on January 11, 2017, the Peoples Bank of China, or PBOC, promulgated the Notice of the Peoples Bank of China on Full-coverage Macro-prudent Management of Cross-border Financing, or PBOC Circular 9, which sets forth an upper limit for PRC entities, including foreign-invested enterprises and domestic-invested enterprises, regarding their foreign debts. Pursuant to PBOC Circular 9, the limit of foreign debts for enterprises shall be calculated based on the following formula: the limit of foreign debt = net assets * cross-border financing leverage ratio * macro-prudent regulation parameter. Net assets is calculated as the net assets value stated in the relevant entitys latest audited financial statement. The cross-border financing leverage ratio for enterprises is two (2). The macro-prudent regulation parameter is one (1). The PBOC Circular 9 does not supersede the Interim Provisions on the Management of Foreign Debts, but rather serves as a supplement to it. PBOC Circular 9 provided for a one year transitional period, or the Transitional Period, from its promulgation date for foreign-invested enterprises, during which period foreign-invested enterprise could choose to calculate their maximum amount of foreign debt based on either (i) the Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance, or (ii) the Net Assets Limit. After the Transition Period, the maximum amount applicable to foreign-invested enterprises is to be determined by PBOC and SAFE separately. However, although the Transitional Period ended on January 10, 2018, as of the date of this prospectus, neither PBOC nor SAFE has issued any new regulations regarding the appropriate means of calculating the maximum amount of foreign debt for foreign-invested enterprises. Domestic-invested enterprises, have only been subject to the Net Assets Limit in calculating the maximum amount of foreign debt they may hold from the date of promulgation of PBOC Circular 9.
Regulations on Foreign Exchange Registration of Overseas Investment by PRC Residents
SAFE issued SAFE Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Residents Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, which became effective in July 2014, replacing the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues Concerning the Regulation of Foreign Exchange in Equity Finance and Return Investments by Domestic Residents through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75. SAFE Circular 37 regulates foreign exchange matters in relation to the use of special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, by PRC residents or entities to seek offshore investment and financing or conduct round trip investment in China. Under SAFE Circular 37, an SPV refers to an offshore entity established or controlled, directly or indirectly, by PRC residents (including individuals and entities) for the purpose of seeking offshore financing or making offshore investment, using legitimate onshore or
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offshore assets or interests, while round trip investment refers to direct investment in China by PRC residents through SPVs, namely, establishing foreign-invested enterprises to obtain the ownership, control rights and management rights. SAFE Circular 37 provides that, before making contribution into an SPV, PRC residents are required to complete foreign exchange registration with SAFE or its local branch. SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment in February 2015, which took effect on June 1, 2015. This notice has amended SAFE Circular 37 requiring PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing.
PRC residents who had contributed legitimate onshore or offshore interests or assets to SPVs but had not obtained registration as required before the implementation of the SAFE Circular 37 must register their ownership interests or control in the SPVs with qualified banks. An amendment to the registration is required if there is a material change with respect to the SPV registered, such as any change of basic information (including change of the PRC residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, and mergers or divisions. Failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and the subsequent notice, or making misrepresentation on or failure to disclose controllers of the foreign-invested enterprise that is established through round-trip investment, may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant foreign-invested enterprise, including payment of dividends and other distributions, such as proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, to its offshore parent or affiliate, and the capital inflow from the offshore parent, and may also subject relevant PRC residents or entities to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations.
Regulations Related to Stock Incentive Plans
SAFE promulgated the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues concerning the Administration of Foreign Exchange Used for Domestic Individuals Participation in Equity Incentive Plans of Companies Listed Overseas, or the Stock Option Rules in February 2012, replacing the previous rules issued by SAFE in March 2007. Under the Stock Option Rules and other relevant rules and regulations, PRC residents who participate in stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of the overseas publicly listed company or another qualified institution selected by the PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of the participants. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or other material changes. The PRC agent must, on behalf of the PRC residents who have the right to exercise the employee share options, apply to SAFE or its local branches for an annual quota for the payment of foreign currencies in connection with the PRC residents exercise of the employee share options. The foreign exchange proceeds received by the PRC residents from the sale of shares under the stock incentive plans granted and dividends distributed by the overseas listed companies must be remitted into the bank accounts in China opened by the PRC agents before distribution to such PRC residents.
In addition, the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, has issued certain circulars concerning employee share options or restricted shares. Under these circulars, the employees working in China who exercise share options or are granted restricted shares will be subject to PRC individual income tax. The PRC subsidiaries of such overseas listed company have obligations to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees who exercise their share options. If the employees fail to pay or the PRC subsidiaries fail to withhold their income taxes according to relevant laws and regulations, the PRC subsidiaries may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC government authorities.
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Regulations Related to Dividend Distribution
The principal regulations governing distribution of dividends of foreign holding companies include the Foreign Investment Enterprise Law, issued in 1986 and amended in 2000 and 2016, and the Implementation Rules under the Foreign Investment Enterprise Law, issued in 1990 and amended in 2001 and 2014 respectively. Under these regulations, foreign investment enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, foreign investment enterprises in China are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds unless these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. A PRC company is not permitted to distribute any profits until any losses from prior fiscal years have been offset. Profits retained from prior fiscal years may be distributed together with distributable profits from the current fiscal year.
Regulations Related to Taxation
Enterprise Income Tax
In March 2007, the National Peoples Congress enacted the Enterprise Income Tax Law, and in December 2007, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the Implementing Rules, both of which became effective on January 1, 2008, while the Enterprise Income Tax Law was further amended by SCNPC on February 24, 2017. The Enterprise Income Tax Law (i) reduces the top rate of enterprise income tax from 33% to a uniform 25% rate applicable to both foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises and eliminates many of the preferential tax policies afforded to foreign investors, (ii) permits companies to continue to enjoy their existing tax incentives, subject to certain transitional phase-out rules and (iii) introduces new tax incentives, subject to various qualification criteria. Enterprises qualified as High-Tech Enterprises are entitled to a 15% enterprise income tax rate rather than the 25% uniform statutory tax rate. The preferential tax treatment continues as long as an enterprise can retain its High-Tech Enterprise status.
The Enterprise Income Tax Law also provides that enterprises organized under the laws of jurisdictions outside China with their de facto management bodies located within China may be considered PRC resident enterprises and therefore be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on their worldwide income. The Implementing Rules further define the term de facto management body as the management body that exercises substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. If an enterprise organized under the laws of jurisdiction outside China is considered a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, it would be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on its worldwide income. Second, a 10% withholding tax would be imposed on dividends it pays to its non-PRC enterprise shareholders and a 10% tax would apply with respect to gains derived by its non-PRC enterprise shareholders from transfer of its shares. In addition, non-PRC resident enterprises without any branches in China are subject to enterprise income tax in connection with their gains from PRC source at a rate of 10%.
According to the Enterprise Income Tax Law, dividends generated after January 1, 2008 and payable by a foreign-invested enterprise in China to its foreign enterprise investors are subject to a 10% withholding tax, unless any such foreign investors jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a preferential withholding arrangement. Pursuant to the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on Negotiated Reduction of Dividends and Interest Rates, which was issued on January 29, 2008 and supplemented and revised on February 29, 2008, and the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, which became effective on December 8, 2006 and applies to income derived in any year of assessment commencing on or after April 1, 2007 in Hong Kong and in any year commencing on or after January 1, 2007 in China, such withholding tax rate may be lowered to 5% if a Hong Kong enterprise is deemed the beneficial owner of any dividend paid by a PRC subsidiary by PRC tax authorities and
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holds at least 25% of the equity interest in that particular PRC subsidiary at all times within the 12-month period immediately before distribution of the dividends. The SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues concerning Beneficial Owners in Tax Treaties, or SAT Announcement 9, which became effective from April 1 2018, replacing Notice on the Interpretation and Recognition of Beneficial Owners in Tax Treaties, or SAT Notice 601, SAT Announcement 9 stipulates that in determining whether a non-resident enterprise has the status as a beneficial owner, comprehensive analysis shall be conducted based on the factors listed therein and the actual circumstances of the specific case shall be taken into consideration. Specifically, it expressly excludes an agent or a designated payee from being considered as a beneficial owner. Pursuant to the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on the Issues concerning the Application of the Dividend Clauses of Tax Agreements, or SAT Circular 81, a Hong Kong resident enterprise must meet the following conditions, among others, in order to apply the reduced withholding tax rate: (i) it must be a company; (ii) it must directly own the required percentage of equity interests and voting rights in the PRC resident enterprise; and (iii) it must have directly owned such required percentage in the PRC resident enterprise throughout the 12 months prior to receiving the dividends. In August 2015, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Administrative Measures for Non-resident Taxpayers to Enjoy Treatment under Tax Treaties, or SAT Circular 60, which became effective on November 1, 2015. SAT Circular 60 provides that non-resident enterprises are not required to obtain pre-approval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax. Instead, non-resident enterprises and their withholding agents may, by self-assessment and on confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to post-tax filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities. Accordingly, LingoChamp (HK) Limited may be able to benefit from the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends it receives from Yuguan and Yuling, if it satisfies the conditions prescribed under SAT Circular 81 and other relevant tax rules and regulations. However, according to SAT Circular 81 and SAT Circular 60, if the relevant tax authorities consider the transactions or arrangements we have are for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment, the relevant tax authorities may adjust the favorable withholding tax in the future.
In January 2009, the SAT promulgated the Provisional Measures for the Administration of Withholding of Enterprise Income Tax for Non-resident Enterprises, or the Non-resident Enterprises Measures, pursuant to which entities that have direct obligation to make certain payments to a non-resident enterprise shall be the relevant tax withholders for such non-resident enterprise. Further, the Non-resident Enterprises Measures provides that, in case of an equity transfer between two non-resident enterprises which occurs outside China, the non-resident enterprise which receives the equity transfer payment shall, by itself or engage an agent to, file a tax declaration with the PRC tax authority located at the place of the PRC company whose equity has been transferred, and the PRC company whose equity has been transferred shall assist the tax authorities to collect taxes from the relevant non-resident enterprise. On April 30, 2009, the Ministry of Finance and the SAT jointly issued the Notice on Issues Concerning Process of Enterprise Income Tax in Enterprise Restructuring Business, or Circular 59. On December 10, 2009, the SAT issued the Notice on Strengthening the Administration of the Enterprise Income Tax concerning Proceeds from Equity Transfers by Non-resident Enterprises, or Circular 698. Both Circular 59 and Circular 698 became effective retroactively as of January 1, 2008. By promulgating and implementing these two circulars, the PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise by a non-resident enterprise.
On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Several Issues Concerning the Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Property Transfer by Non-resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7, to supersede the provisions in relation to the Indirect Transfer as set forth in Circular 698. SAT Bulletin 7 introduces a new tax regime that is significantly different from that under Circular 698. Public Notice extends its tax jurisdiction to capture not only Indirect Transfer as set forth under Circular 698 but also transactions involving transfer of immovable property in China and assets held under the establishment and place in China of a foreign company through the offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. SAT Bulletin 7 also addresses transfer of the equity interest in a foreign intermediate holding company widely.
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In addition, SAT Bulletin 7 provides clearer criteria than Circular 698 on how to assess reasonable commercial purposes and introduces safe harbor scenarios applicable to internal group restructurings. However, it also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee of the Indirect Transfer as set forth in Circular 698 as they have to make self-assessment on whether the transaction should be subject to PRC tax and to file or withhold the PRC tax accordingly.
On October 17, 2017, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect and superseded Circular 698 on December 1, 2017. The SAT Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident enterprise income tax. Among other things, the SAT Bulletin 37 provides that:
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for the income from equity investment assets, the competent tax authority for the income tax of the invested enterprise shall be the competent tax authority, while for the income from the dividends, extra dividends and other equity investment, the competent tax authority for the income tax of the enterprise distributing the income shall be the competent tax authority; |
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the withholding obligator shall declare and pay the withheld tax to the competent tax authority in the place where such withholding obligator is located within 7 days from the date of occurrence of the withholding obligation; |
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where the income obtained by the withholding obligator and required to be withheld at source is in the form of dividends, extra dividends or any other equity investment gains, the date of occurrence of the obligation for withholding relevant payable tax is the date of actual payment of the dividends, extra dividends or other equity investment gains; |
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for the income tax required to be withheld under Article 37 of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, if the withholding obligator fails to withhold in accordance with the law or is unable to perform withholding obligation, the non-resident enterprise obtaining the income shall declare and pay the tax not withheld to the competent tax authority of the place of the occurrence of the income in accordance with Article 39 of the Enterprise Income Tax Law and complete the Form of Report on Withholding of Enterprise Income Tax of the Peoples Republic of China; where the non-resident enterprise fails to declare and pay tax in accordance with Article 39 of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, the tax authority may order it to pay the tax within a specified time limit and the non-resident enterprise shall declare and pay the tax within the time limit determined by the tax authority; the non-resident enterprise that declares and pays the tax voluntarily before the tax authority orders it to pay tax within a specified time limit shall be deemed as having paid tax as scheduled; |
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the competent tax authority may require the taxpayer, withholding obligator and relevant parties with knowledge of relevant information to provide the contracts and other relevant materials relating to the withholding of tax; |
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where the withholding obligator fails to withhold the tax required to be withheld under Article 37 of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, the competent tax authority of the place where the withholding agent is located shall order the withholding obligator to make up for the withholding of tax in accordance with Article 23 of the Administrative Punishment Law of the Peoples Republic of China and hold the withholding agent liable in accordance with the law; if recovery of tax payment from the taxpayer is necessary, the competent tax authority of the place where the income occurs shall implement the recovery in accordance with the law. If the place where the withholding obligator is located is different from the place where the income occurs, the competent tax authority of the place of occurrence of the income that is responsible for recovering the tax payment shall give notice to the competent tax authority of the place where the withholding obligator is located for verifying relevant information. The competent tax authority of the place where the withholding agent is located shall, within 5 working days from the date. |
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Value-Added Tax and Business Tax
Pursuant to applicable PRC tax regulations, any entity or individual conducting business in the service industry was generally required to pay a business tax at the rate of 5% on the revenues generated from providing such services. However, if the services provided are related to technology development and transfer, such business tax may be exempted subject to approval by the relevant tax authorities. Whereas, pursuant to the Provisional Regulations on PRC Value-Added Tax and its implementation regulations, unless otherwise specified by relevant laws and regulations, any entity or individual engaged in the sales of goods, provision of processing, repairs and replacement services and importation of goods into China is generally required to pay a value-added tax, or VAT, for revenues generated from sales of products, while qualified input VAT paid on taxable purchase can be offset against such output VAT.
In November 2011, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Pilot Plan for Imposition of Value-Added Tax to Replace Business Tax. In March 2016, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation further promulgated the Notice on Fully Promoting the Pilot Plan for Replacing Business Tax by Value-Added Tax, which became effective on May 1, 2016. Pursuant to the pilot plan and relevant notices, VAT is generally imposed in lieu of business tax in the modern service industries, including the value-added telecommunications services, on a nationwide basis. VAT of a rate of 6% applies to revenue derived from the provision of some modern services. Unlike business tax, a taxpayer is allowed to offset the qualified input VAT paid on taxable purchases against the output VAT chargeable on the modern services provided.
Regulations Related to M&A and Overseas Listings
On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the MOFCOM, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the SAT, the SAIC, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC, and the SAFE, jointly issued the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009. The M&A Rules, among other things, require that (i) PRC entities or individuals obtain MOFCOM approval before they establish or control an SPV overseas, provided that they intend to use the SPV to acquire their equity interests in a PRC company at the consideration of newly issued share of the SPV, or Share Swap, and list their equity interests in the PRC company overseas by listing the SPV in an overseas market; (ii) the SPV obtains MOFCOMs approval before it acquires the equity interests held by the PRC entities or PRC individual in the PRC company by Share Swap; and (iii) the SPV obtains CSRC approval before it lists overseas.
The Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the SCNPC on August 30, 2007 and effective on August 1, 2008 requires that transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties with specified turnover thresholds must be cleared by MOFCOM before they can be completed. In addition, on February 3, 2011, the General Office of the State Council promulgated a Notice on Establishing the Security Review System for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or Circular 6, which officially established a security review system for mergers and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign investors. Further, on August 25, 2011, MOFCOM promulgated the Regulations on Implementation of Security Review System for the Merger and Acquisition of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the MOFCOM Security Review Regulations, which became effective on September 1, 2011, to implement Circular 6. Under Circular 6, a security review is required for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors having national defense and security concerns and mergers and acquisitions by which foreign investors may acquire the de facto control of domestic enterprises with national security concerns. Under the MOFCOM Security Review Regulations, MOFCOM will focus on the substance and actual impact of the transaction when deciding whether a specific merger or acquisition is subject to security review. If MOFCOM decides that a specific merger or acquisition is subject to security review, it will submit it to the Inter-Ministerial Panel, an authority established under the Circular 6 led by the NDRC, and MOFCOM under the leadership of the State Council, to carry out the security review. The regulations prohibit foreign investors from bypassing the security review by structuring transactions through trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements or offshore transactions.
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Directors and Executive Officers
The following table sets forth information regarding our directors and executive officers as of the date of this prospectus.
Directors and Executive Officers |
Age |
Position/Title |
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Yi Wang |
38 | Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Zheren Hu |
34 | Director and Chief Technology Officer | ||
Hui Lin |
36 | Director and Chief Scientist | ||
Jenny Hong Wei Lee |
46 | Director | ||
Jinjian Zhang |
30 | Director | ||
Xian Chen* |
36 | Director | ||
Jun Lou* |
37 | Director | ||
Christopher Ludwig Eisgruber** |
56 | Independent Director Appointee | ||
Li-Lan Cheng** |
53 | Independent Director Appointee | ||
Bin Yu |
48 | Chief Financial Officer |
* |
Each of these directors will resign from our board of directors, effective upon the SECs declaration of the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. |
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Each of Dr. Eisgruber and Dr. Cheng has accepted our appointment to be a director of the company, effective upon the SECs declaration of the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. |
Yi Wang is one of our founders, and has served as the chairman of our board of directors and our chief executive officer since the inception of our company. Prior to that, Dr. Wang served as a product director at AdChina, a leading online advertising platform in China, from April 2011 to August 2012. From July 2009 to April 2011, he served as a product manager at Google and was responsible for various key features and systems of Google Analytics and Googles cloud infrastructure. Dr. Wang has been selected into the Thousand Talents Plan, a program established by the PRC government to recognize overseas PRC citizens who are leading experts in scientific research, innovation and entrepreneurship. He received his bachelors degree and masters degree in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University in 2003 and 2005, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in computer science from Princeton University in 2009.
Zheren Hu is one of our founders, and has served as our director and chief technology officer since the inception of our company. He has also been in charge of our English for Adults business since April 2018. From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Hu served as an engineer at Quantcast, an AI-driven data analytics company. Mr. Hu received his bachelors degree of engineering in computer science from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2006 and his masters degree of science in management information systems from the University of Arizona in 2008.
Hui Lin is one of our founders, and has served as our director and chief scientist since the inception of our company. Prior to that, Dr. Lin served as a research scientist at Google from 2012 to 2013. Dr. Lin received his bachelors degree and masters degree in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University in 2003 and in 2006, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington in 2011.
Jenny Hong Wei Lee has served as our director since June 2014. Ms. Lee has served as the managing partner of GGV Capital since 2005. Prior to that, she had operations and finance work experience at JAFCO Asia from August 2002 to April 2005, at Morgan Stanley from July 2001 to July 2002 and at Singapore Technologies Aerospace from July 1995 to September 1999. Ms. Lee also serves as a director of various privately held companies. Ms. Lee received her bachelors degree from Cornell University in 1994, her masters degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern University in 1995, and her M.B.A. degree from Kellogg School of Management in 2001.
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Jinjian Zhang has served as our director since July 2015. Mr. Zhang joined Trustbridge Partners in July 2012 and currently serves as a director. Mr. Zhang also serves as a director of various privately held companies in China. Mr. Zhang received his bachelors degree in electrical engineering from University of Electronics Science and Technology of China in 2011, and his masters degree in electronic circuit and system from Fudan University in 2014.
Xian Chen has served as our director since June 2017 . Mr. Chen has served as a managing director of CMC Capital Partners since May 2013. Prior to that, he served as a director of Providence Equity Partners from 2009 to 2013. From 2004 to 2009, he worked for Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia. Mr. Chen also serves as a director of Secoo Holding Limited (Nasdaq: SECO) and Ourgame International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 6899). Mr. Chen received his bachelors degree in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University in 2003.
Jun Lou has served as our director since June 2017. Mr. Lou has served as a managing director of IDG Capital since June 2014. Prior to that, he served as a senior manager of Alibaba Capital Partners from August 2011 to June 2014. From 2005 to 2011, Mr. Lou held different positions at various international and domestic financial institutions and professional service firms. Mr. Lou received his bachelors degree in computer science from University College London in 2005.
Christopher Ludwig Eisgruber will serve as our independent director immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Eisgruber was elected Princeton Universitys 20th president in April 2013 and has assumed office since July 2013, serving as the chief executive officer to manage a world-class university. Prior to that, he served as the provost of Princeton University for almost ten years from 2004 to 2013, serving as the second-ranking official as well as the chief academic and budgetary officer of the university. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Eisgruber served as the Laurence S. Rockefeller Professor of Public Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School and the Centre for Human Values at Princeton University. Mr. Eisgruber received his bachelors degree in physics from Princeton University in 1983, his masters degree in politics from Oxford University in 1987, and his J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1988.
Li-Lan Cheng will serve as our independent director immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Dr. Cheng has served as the chief operating officer of E-House (China) Holdings Limited, a real estate services company in China, since 2012 and previously served as its chief financial officer from 2006 to 2012. Dr. Cheng has also served as the acting chief financial officer of Leju Holdings Limited (NYSE: LEJU), since June 2017. Dr. Cheng has also been an executive director of E-House (China) Enterprise Holdings Limited (SEHK: 2048), since March 2018. From 2005 to 2006, Dr. Cheng served as the chief financial officer of SouFun Holdings Limited, a leading real estate internet portal and a leading home furnishing website in China. From 2002 to 2004, he served as an executive director and the chief financial officer of SOHO China Limited, a real estate developer in China. Currently, Dr. Cheng also serves as an independent director of 51job, Inc. (Nasdaq: JOBS). Dr. Cheng received his bachelors degree in economics from Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Cheng is a chartered financial analyst (CFA).
Bin Yu has served as our chief financial officer since September 2017. Prior to joining us, she served as the chief financial officer of InnoLight Technology Corporation from January 2015 to April 2017. From May 2013 to January 2015, she served as the chief financial officer of Star China Media Limited. From August 2012 to April 2013, she served as the senior vice president of Youku Tudou Inc. Ms. Yu served as the chief financial officer of Tudou Holdings Limited from January 2012 to April 2013, after serving as the vice president of finance of the same company from 2010 to 2011. Prior to that, Ms. Yu worked at KPMG from 1999 to 2010. Currently, Ms. Yu also serves as an independent director of Baozun Inc. (Nasdaq: BZUN), GDS Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: GDS) and Tian Ge Interactive Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1980). Ms. Yu received her bachelors degree from Xian Foreign Language University in 1992, her masters degree in accounting and her masters degree in education from the University of Toledo in 1999, and her EMBA degree from Tsinghua University and INSEAD
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in 2013. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the United States admitted by the Accountancy Board of Ohio, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Board of Directors
Our board of directors will consist of directors upon the SECs declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. A director is not required to hold any shares in our company by way of qualification. A director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction with our company is required to declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of our directors. A director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction notwithstanding that he may be interested therein, and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he shall be counted in the quorum at any meeting of our directors at which any such contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction is considered. Our directors may exercise all the powers of our company to issue debentures, debenture stock, bonds and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of our company or of any third party.
Committees of the Board of Directors
We will establish three committees under the board of directors immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. We have adopted a charter for each of the three committees. Each committees members and functions are described below.
Audit Committee. Our audit committee will consist of , and . will be the chairman of our audit committee. We have determined that , and each satisfies the independence requirements of Section 303A of the Corporate Governance Rules of the New York Stock Exchange and meet the independence standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, as amended. We have determined that qualifies as an audit committee financial expert. The audit committee will oversee our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial statements of our company. The audit committee will be responsible for, among other things:
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appointing the independent auditors and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent auditors; |
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reviewing with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties and managements response; |
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discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent auditors; |
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reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures and any steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures; |
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reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions; |
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meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent auditors; and |
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monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance. |
Compensation Committee . Our compensation committee will consist of , and . will be the chairman of our compensation committee. We have determined that , and satisfy the independence requirements of Section 303A of the Corporate Governance Rules of the New York Stock Exchange. The compensation committee will assist the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers.
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Our chief executive officer may not be present at any committee meeting during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation committee will be responsible for, among other things:
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reviewing and approving, or recommending to the board for its approval, the compensation for our chief executive officer and other executive officers; |
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reviewing and recommending to the board for determination with respect to the compensation of our non-employee directors; |
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reviewing periodically and approving any incentive compensation or equity plans, programs or similar arrangements; and |
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selecting compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser only after taking into consideration all factors relevant to that persons independence from management. |
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee . Our nominating and corporate governance committee will consist of , and . will be the chairperson of our nominating and corporate governance committee. , and satisfy the independence requirements of Section 303A of the Corporate Governance Rules of the New York Stock Exchange. The nominating and corporate governance committee will assist the board of directors in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee will be responsible for, among other things:
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selecting and recommending to the board nominees for election by the shareholders or appointment by the board; |
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reviewing annually with the board the current composition of the board with regards to characteristics such as independence, knowledge, skills, experience and diversity; |
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making recommendations on the frequency and structure of board meetings and monitoring the functioning of the committees of the board; and |
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advising the board periodically with regards to significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance as well as our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and making recommendations to the board on all matters of corporate governance and on any remedial action to be taken. |
Duties of Directors
Under Cayman Islands law, our directors owe fiduciary duties to our company, including a duty of loyalty, a duty to act honestly, and a duty to act in what they consider in good faith to be in our best interests. Our directors must also exercise their powers only for a proper purpose. Our directors also have a duty to exercise skills they actually possess and such care and diligence that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than what may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care, and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and the class rights vested thereunder in the holders of the shares. Our company has the right to seek damages if a duty owed by our directors is breached. A shareholder may in certain circumstances have rights to damages if a duty owed by the directors is breached.
Our board of directors has all the powers necessary for managing, and for directing and supervising, our business affairs. The functions and powers of our board of directors include, among others:
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convening shareholders annual general meetings and reporting its work to shareholders at such meetings; |
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declaring dividends and distributions; |
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appointing officers and determining the term of office of the officers; |
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exercising the borrowing powers of our company and mortgaging the property of our company; and |
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approving the transfer of shares in our company, including the registration of such shares in our share register. |
Terms of Directors and Officers
Our directors may be elected by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. Alternatively, our board of directors may, by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining directors present and voting at a board meeting, which shall include the affirmative vote of our founder as long as our founder is a director, appoint any person as a director to fill a casual vacancy on our board. In the event of a vacancy arising from the office of an independent director being vacated, our board may only appoint another independent director to fill such vacancy. A director may be appointed on terms that he or she shall automatically retire from office (unless he has sooner vacated office) at the next or a subsequent annual general meeting or upon any specified event or after any specified period in a written agreement between our company and the director, if any; but no such term shall be implied in the absence of express provision. Each director whose term of office expires shall be eligible for re-election at a meeting of our shareholders or re-appointment by our board of directors. A director will cease to be a director if he (a) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (b) dies or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; (c) resigns his office by notice in writing; (d) without special leave of absence from our board, is absent from meetings of our board for three consecutive meetings and our board resolves that his office be vacated; or (e) is removed from office pursuant to any other provision of our articles of association.
Our officers are appointed by and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, and may be removed by our board of directors.
Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements
We have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Under these agreements, each of our executive officers is employed for a specified time period. We may terminate employment for cause, at any time, without advance notice or remuneration, for certain acts of the executive officer, such as conviction or plea of guilty to a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, negligent or dishonest acts to our detriment, or misconduct or a failure to perform agreed duties. We may also terminate an executive officers employment without cause upon three-month advance written notice. In such case of termination by us, we will provide severance payments to the executive officer as expressly required by applicable law of the jurisdiction where the executive officer is based. The executive officer may resign at any time with a three-month advance written notice.
Each executive officer has agreed to hold, both during and after the termination or expiry of his or her employment agreement, in strict confidence and not to use, except as required in the performance of his or her duties in connection with the employment or pursuant to applicable law, any of our confidential information or trade secrets, any confidential information or trade secrets of our clients or prospective clients, or the confidential or proprietary information of any third party received by us and for which we have confidential obligations. The executive officers have also agreed to disclose in confidence to us all inventions, designs and trade secrets which they conceive, develop or reduce to practice during the executive officers employment with us and to assign all right, title and interest in them to us, and assist us in obtaining and enforcing patents, copyrights and other legal rights for these inventions, designs and trade secrets.
In addition, each executive officer has agreed to be bound by non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions during the term of his or her employment and typically for one year following the last date of
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employment. Specifically, each executive officer has agreed not to (i) approach our suppliers, clients, customers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the executive officer in his or her capacity as a representative of us for the purpose of doing business with such persons or entities that will harm our business relationships with these persons or entities; (ii) assume employment with or provide services to any of our competitors, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of our competitors, without our express consent; or (iii) seek directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of any of our employees who is employed by us on or after the date of the executive officers termination, or in the year preceding such termination, without our express consent.
We have also entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, we agree to indemnify our directors and executive officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being a director or officer of our company.
Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, we paid an aggregate of approximately RMB1.0 million (US$0.2 million) in cash to our directors and executive officers. We have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide pension, retirement or other similar benefits to our executive officers and directors. Our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs are required by law to make contributions equal to certain percentages of each employees salary for his or her pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance and other statutory benefits and a housing provident fund.
Share Incentive Plans
2014 Equity Incentive Plan
In May 2014, our board of directors and shareholders adopted the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the 2014 Plan, to secure and retain the services of valuable employees, directors or consultants, and provide incentives for such persons to exert their best efforts for the success of our business. As of the date of this prospectus, the maximum aggregate number of Class A ordinary shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the 2014 Plan is 5,456,192, subject to further amendment. As of the date of this prospectus, awards to purchase 4,914,974 Class A ordinary shares under the 2014 Plan have been granted and outstanding, excluding awards that were forfeited or cancelled after the relevant grant dates.
The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the 2014 Plan.
Types of awards . The 2014 Plan permits the awards of options, share appreciation rights, restricted share awards, restricted share unit awards, and any other type of awards approved by the plan administrator.
Plan administration . Our board of directors or a committee of one or more members of the board of directors will administer the 2014 Plan. The board of directors or the committee, as applicable, will determine, among other things, the participants to receive awards, the date and the method of each award to be granted, the type and number of awards to be granted to each participant, and the terms and conditions of each award grant.
Award agreement . Awards granted under the 2014 Plan are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth terms, conditions and limitations for each award, which may include the term of the award, the provisions applicable in the event of the grantees employment or service terminates, and our authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind the award.
Eligibility . We may grant awards to our employees, directors and consultants of our company.
Vesting schedule . In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule, which is specified in the relevant award agreement.
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Exercise of options . The plan administrator determines the exercise price for each award, which is stated in the award agreement. The vested portion of option will expire if not exercised prior to the time as the plan administrator determines at the time of its grant. However, the maximum exercisable term is ten years from the date of a grant or such shorter period specified in the award agreement.
Transfer restrictions . Awards may not be transferred in any manner by the participant other than in accordance with the exceptions provided in the 2014 Plan or the relevant award agreement or otherwise determined by the plan administrator, such as transfers by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
Termination and amendment of the 2014 Plan . Unless terminated earlier, the 2014 Plan has a term of ten years. The plan administrator has the authority to terminate, amend or modify the plan, subject to the limitations of applicable laws. Except with respect to amendments made by the plan administrator, no termination, amendment or modification may adversely affect in any material way any awards previously granted pursuant to the 2014 Plan unless agreed by the participant.
The following table summarizes, as of the date of this prospectus, the options granted under the 2014 Plan to several of our executive officers, excluding awards that were forfeited or cancelled after the relevant grant dates.
Name |
Class A Ordinary
|
Exercise Price (US$/Share) |
Date of Grant | Date of Expiration | ||||||||
Zheren Hu |
* | 0.60 | 2018/7/31 | 2028/7/31 | ||||||||
Hui Lin |
* | 0.60 | 2018/7/31 | 2028/7/31 | ||||||||
Bin Yu |
476,584 |
0.60 |
2017/12/31&2018/7/31 | 2027/12/31&2028/7/31 | ||||||||
Other grantees |
4,158,390 |
0.01~0.60 |
2014/5/26-2018/7/31 | 2024/5/26-2028/7/31 | ||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Total |
4,914,974 |
* |
Less than 1% of our total outstanding shares. |
2018 Share Incentive Plan
In July 2018, our board of directors adopted the 2018 Share Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the 2018 Plan in this prospectus, to attract and retain the best available personnel, provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants and promote the success of our business. The maximum aggregate number of shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the 2018 Plan is initially 5% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering, plus increases as approved by our board of directors from time to time, provided that (i) increase(s) to the award pool in any fiscal year shall not exceed 1.5% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year, (ii) the aggregate size of the award pool shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding at any given time, and (iii) the size of the award pool shall be equitably adjusted in the event of any share dividend, subdivision, reclassification, recapitalization, split, reverse split, combination, consolidation or similar transactions.
As of the date of this prospectus, no award has been granted under the 2018 Plan.
The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the 2018 Plan.
Types of Awards . The 2018 Plan permits the awards of options, restricted shares, restricted share units or any other type of awards approved by the plan administrator.
Plan Administration . Our board of directors or a committee of one or more members of the board of directors will administer the 2018 Plan. The committee or the full board of directors, as applicable, will determine the participants to receive awards, the type and number of awards to be granted to each participant, and the terms and conditions of each award.
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Award Agreement . Awards granted under the 2018 Plan are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth terms, conditions and limitations for each award, which may include the term of the award, the provisions applicable in the event that the grantees employment or service terminates, and our authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind the award.
Eligibility . We may grant awards to our employees, directors and consultants of our company. However, we may grant options that are intended to qualify as incentive share options only to our employees and employees of our parent companies and subsidiaries.
Vesting Schedule . In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule, which is specified in the relevant award agreement.
Exercise of Options . The plan administrator determines the exercise price for each award, which is stated in the award agreement. The vested portion of option will expire if not exercised prior to the time as the plan administrator determines at the time of its grant. However, the maximum exercisable term is ten years from the date of a grant.
Transfer Restrictions . Awards may not be transferred in any manner by the participants other than in accordance with the exceptions provided in the 2018 Plan, such as transfers by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
Termination and Amendment of the 2018 Plan . Unless terminated earlier, the 2018 Plan has a term of ten years. Our board of directors has the authority to amend or terminate the plan. However, no such action may adversely affect in any material way any awards previously granted unless agreed by the participants.
Equity Incentive Trust
Ace Creation Global Trust was established under a trust deed between us and Vistra Trust (Singapore) Pte. Limited, or Vistra Trust, as trustee, dated July 31, 2018. Through Ace Creation Global Trust, our Class A ordinary shares and other rights and interests under awards granted pursuant to our 2014 Plan may be provided to certain grant recipients. As of the date of this prospectus, some of our grantees under the 2014 Plan, who are all our employees, participated in the Ace Creation Global Trust.
Participants in Ace Creation Global Trust transfer their equity awards to Vistra Trust to be held for their benefit. Upon satisfaction of vesting conditions and request by grant recipients, Vistra Trust will exercise the equity awards and transfer the relevant Class A ordinary shares and other rights and interest under the equity awards to the relevant grant participants upon the written direction of the trust administrator. The trust deed provides that Vistra Trust shall not exercise the voting rights attached to such Class A ordinary shares unless otherwise directed by the trust administrator, which is an advisory committee consisting of authorized representatives of our company.
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Except as specifically noted, the following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus by:
|
each of our directors and executive officers; and |
|
each person known to us to own beneficially more than 5% of our ordinary shares. |
The calculations in the table below are based on 42,202,231 ordinary shares on a pro forma basis outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, and Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we have included shares that the person has the right to acquire within 60 days, including through the exercise of any option, warrant or other right or the conversion of any other security. These shares, however, are not included in the computation of the percentage ownership of any other person.
Ordinary Shares
Beneficially Owned Prior to This Offering |
Ordinary Shares
Beneficially Owned Immediately After This Offering |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A
ordinary shares |
Class B
ordinary shares |
% |
%
of
aggregate voting power |
Class A
ordinary shares |
Class B
ordinary shares |
Total
ordinary shares on an as converted basis |
% |
%
of
aggregate voting power |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Directors and Executive Officers * : |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yi Wang (1) |
| 11,753,847 | 27.9 | 27.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zheren Hu (2) |
| 5,010,931 | 11.9 | 11.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jenny Hong Wei Lee (3) |
4,947,332 | | 11.7 | 11.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hui Lin (4) |
| 2,910,896 | 6.9 | 6.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jinjian Zhang (5) |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Xian Chen (6) |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jun Lou (7) |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Christopher L. Eisgruber** |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Li-Lan Cheng** |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bin Yu |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group |
4,947,332 | 19,675,674 | 58.3 | 58.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Principal Shareholders: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joyx Holdings Ltd. (8) |
| 11,753,847 | 27.9 | 27.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IDG entities (9) |
5,663,164 | | 13.4 | 13.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. (10) |
5,663,164 | | 13.4 | 13.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Muang Holdings Ltd. (11) |
| 5,010,931 | 11.9 | 11.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GGV entities (12) |
4,947,332 | | 11.7 | 11.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ulingo Holdings Ltd. (13) |
| 2,910,896 | 6.9 | 6.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CMC Lullaby Holdings
|
2,647,690 | | 6.3 | 6.3 |
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Notes:
* |
Except as otherwise indicated below, the business address of our directors and executive officers is 3/F, Building B, No. 1687 Changyang Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. |
** |
Each of Christopher L. Eisgruber and Li-Lan Cheng has accepted our appointment to be a director of our company, effective upon SECs declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. |
|
For each person and group included in this column, percentage of voting power is calculated by dividing the voting power beneficially owned by such person or group by the voting power of all of our Class A and Class B ordinary shares as a single class. Each holder of Class A ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per share and each holder of our Class B ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per share prior to this offering, and will be entitled to ten votes per share upon the completion of this offering on all matters submitted to them for a vote. Our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law. Our Class B ordinary shares are convertible at any time by the holder thereof into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis. |
(1) |
Represents 11,753,847 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Joyx Holdings Ltd., a British Virgin Islands business company limited by shares. Joyx Holdings Ltd. is wholly owned and ultimately controlled by Dr. Wang. |
(2) |
Represents 5,010,931 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Muang Holdings Ltd., a British Virgin Islands business company limited by shares. Muang Holdings Ltd. is wholly owned and ultimately controlled by Mr. Hu. |
(3) |
Represents 4,947,332 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of (i) 28,711 Series Seed preferred shares, 51,680 Series A preferred shares, 11,337 Series B preferred shares and 10,995 Series C preferred shares held by GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. and (ii) 1,354,065 Series Seed preferred shares, 2,437,317 Series A preferred shares, 534,684 Series B preferred shares and 518,543 Series C preferred shares held by GGV Capital IV L.P.. GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. and GGV Capital IV L.P. are collectively referred to as GGV entities. Ms. Lee is one of the ultimate controlling owners of GGV entities, having shared voting and investment power in such shares. Ms. Lee disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by GGV entities, except to the extent of her pecuniary interests therein. The business address of Ms. Lee is Unit 3015, 2IFC, 8 Century Avenue, Pudong District, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. |
(4) |
Represents 2,910,896 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Ulingo Holdings Ltd., a British Virgin Islands business company limited by shares. Ulingo Holdings Ltd. is wholly owned and ultimately controlled by Dr. Lin. |
(5) |
The business address of Mr. Zhang is Zhuqiao, 669 Haike Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. |
(6) |
The business address of Mr. Chen is 13/F, South Building, Kerry Center, 1 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China. |
(7) |
The business address of Mr. Lou is RM2901, 29 th Floor, Kunhe Center, 208 Chengbei Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, Peoples Republic of China. |
(8) |
Represents 11,753,847 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Joyx Holdings Ltd., a business company limited by shares incorporated in British Virgin Islands. Joyx Holdings Ltd. is wholly owned and ultimately controlled by Dr. Wang, our director and chief executive officer. The registered address of Joyx Holdings Ltd. is Start Chambers, Wickhams Cay II., P.O. Box 2221, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. |
(9) |
Represents 5,663,164 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of (i) 1,257,069 Series Seed preferred shares directly held by IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership, (ii) 276,555 Series A preferred shares directly held by IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership, (iii) 2,065,978 Series A preferred shares, 1,473,199 Series B preferred shares and 316,987 Series C preferred shares directly held by IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership, and (iv) 146,464 Series A preferred shares, 104,440 Series B preferred shares and 22,472 Series C preferred shares directly held by IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership. IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership. IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P., IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P., IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. and IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. are collectively referred to as IDG entities. The general partner of IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P. is IDG Technology Venture Investment IV LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The general partner of IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. is IDG Technology Venture Investment V LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The general partner of IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. is IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III Associates, L.P., which in turn is controlled by IDG-Accel China Growth Fund GP III Associates Ltd, a Cayman limited company. The general partner of IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. is IDG-Accel China Growth Fund GP III Associates Ltd. Each of the IDG entities is managed and ultimately controlled by Quan Zhou and Chi Sing Ho. The registered address for each of IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P. and IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. is The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801, USA. The registered address of each of IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. and IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. is 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9005, Cayman Islands. The principal business address of each of IDG entities is c/o IDG Capital Management (HK) Limited, Unit 5505, 55/F, The Center, 99 Queens Road Central, Hong Kong. |
(10) |
Represents 5,663,164 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of 5,323,705 Series B preferred shares and 339,459 Series C preferred shares directly held by Trustbridge Partners V, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership. The investment committee of Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. has the power to make investment decisions as to the shares held by the entity. The investment committee consists of the following five members: Shujun Li, Feng Ge, Lin Ning David, Hongyan Guan and Xiaodong Liang. The registered address of Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. is P.O. Box 309 Ugland House, Grand Cayman KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. |
(11) |
Represents 5,010,931 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Muang Holdings Ltd., a business company limited by shares incorporated in British Virgin Islands. Muang Holdings Ltd. is wholly owned and ultimately controlled by Mr. Hu, our director and chief technology |
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officer. The registered address of Muang Holdings Ltd. is Start Chambers, Wickhams Cay II., P.O. Box 2221, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. |
(12) |
Represents 4,947,332 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of (i) 28,711 Series Seed preferred shares, 51,680 Series A preferred shares, 11,337 Series B preferred shares and 10,995 Series C preferred shares directly held by GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P., a California limited partnership, and (ii) 1,354,065 Series Seed preferred shares, 2,437,317 Series A preferred shares, 534,684 Series B preferred shares and 518,543 Series C preferred shares directly held by GGV Capital IV L.P., a California limited partnership. GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. and GGV Capital IV L.P. are collectively referred to as GGV entities. The general partner of each of GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. and GGV Capital IV L.P. is GGV Capital IV L.L.C., a California limited liability company, which is ultimately controlled by Jenny Hong Wei Lee, Jeff Richards, Jixun Foo, Glenn Soloman and Hans Tung. The registered address of each of GGV entities is 3000 Sand Hill Road, Suite 4-230, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. |
(13) |
Represents 2,910,896 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Ulingo Holdings Ltd., a British Virgin Islands business company limited by shares. Ulingo Holdings Ltd. is wholly owned and ultimately controlled by Dr. Lin, our director and chief scientist. The registered address of Ulingo Holdings Ltd. is Start Chambers, Wickhams Cay II., P.O. Box 2221, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. |
(14) |
Represents 2,647,690 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of 2,647,690 Series C preferred shares directly held by CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited, a Cayman Islands limited liability company. CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited is ultimately controlled by Ruigang Li. The registered address of CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited is Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. |
As of the date of this prospectus, 7,057,235 ordinary shares outstanding on an as-converted basis are held by record holders in the United States.
The ADSs that we issue in this offering will represent Class A ordinary shares.
We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.
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Contractual Arrangements with our VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders
See Corporate History and Structure.
Private Placements
See Description of Share CapitalHistory of Securities Issuances.
Shareholders Agreement
See Description of Share CapitalHistory of Securities IssuancesShareholders Agreement.
Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements
See ManagementEmployment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements.
Share Incentive Plans
See ManagementShare Incentive Plans.
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We are a Cayman Islands company and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended from time to time, and the Companies Law (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, which we refer to as the Companies Law below.
As of the date of this prospectus, our authorized share capital is US$100,000.00 divided into 100,000,000 shares, par value of US$0.001 each, of which (i) 57,861,314 shares are designated as Class A ordinary shares; (ii) 19,770,990 shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares, and (iii) 22,367,696 preferred shares, among which 3,645,501 preferred shares are designated as Series Seed preferred shares, 5,531,104 preferred shares are designated as Series A preferred shares, 7,895,711 preferred shares are designated as Series B preferred shares; and 5,295,380 preferred shares are designated as Series C preferred shares. As of the date of this prospectus, 158,861 Class A ordinary shares, 19,675,674 Class B ordinary shares, 3,645,501 Series Seed preferred shares, 5,531,104 Series A preferred shares, 7,895,711 Series B preferred shares, 5,295,380 Series C preferred shares are issued and outstanding. All of our issued and outstanding ordinary and preferred shares are fully paid.
Immediately upon the completion of this offering, there will be Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares outstanding, including a total of 22,367,696 Class A ordinary shares resulting from the automatic conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preferred shares, assuming the underwriters do not exercise the over-allotment option.
Our Post-Offering Memorandum and Articles
We expect to adopt, subject to the approval of our board of directors and shareholders, a fifth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which will become effective and replace our current fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association in its entirety immediately prior to the completion of this offering. The following are summaries of material provisions of the post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that we expect to adopt and of the Companies Law, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares.
Objects of Our Company . Under our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the objects of our company are unrestricted and we have the full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the law of the Cayman Islands.
Ordinary Shares . Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form. We may not issue shares to bearer. Our shareholders who are nonresidents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their shares. Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A Ordinary Share shall entitle the holder thereof to one (1) vote on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings, and each Class B ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to ten votes on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings. Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of members.
Conversion. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time at the option of the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person other than our three founders or any entity which is not ultimately controlled by any of them, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A ordinary shares.
Dividends . The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors. In addition, our shareholders may declare dividends by ordinary resolution, but no dividend
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shall exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Our post-offering amended and restated articles of association provide that dividends may be declared and paid out of the funds of our company lawfully available therefor. Under the laws of the Cayman islands, our company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business.
Voting Rights . Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares shall, at all times, vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote by our shareholders at any general meeting of our company. Each Class A ordinary share shall be entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share shall be entitled to ten votes, on all matters subject to a vote at general meetings of our company. Voting at any meeting of shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by the chairman of such meeting or any one shareholder present in person or by proxy.
An ordinary resolution to be passed at a meeting by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast at a meeting. A special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast attaching to the outstanding shares at a meeting, or with a written resolution signed by all members entitled to vote. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our post-offering memorandum and articles of association.
General Meetings of Shareholders . As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Law to call shareholders annual general meetings. Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we may (but are not obliged to) in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting in which case we shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, and the annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our directors.
Shareholders general meetings may be convened by the chairman of our board of directors or by a majority of our directors. Advance notice of at least ten calendar days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders meeting (if any) and any other general meeting of our shareholders. A quorum required for any general meeting of shareholders consists of, at the time when the meeting proceeds to business, one or more of our shareholders holding shares which carry in aggregate (or representing by proxy) not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all of our shares in issue and entitled to vote at such general meeting.
The Companies Law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a companys articles of association. Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that upon the requisition of shareholders holding shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings, our board will convene an extraordinary general meeting and put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. However, our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders.
Transfer of Ordinary Shares . Subject to the restrictions set out below, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in writing, and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor, and if the directors so requires, signed by the transferee.
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Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any shares which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any shares unless:
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the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; |
|
the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares; |
|
the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; and |
|
in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the share is to be transferred does not exceed four. |
|
a fee of such maximum sum as the New York Stock Exchange may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as our directors may from time to time require is paid to us in respect thereof. |
If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within three calendar months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.
The registration of transfers may, on ten calendar days notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers, by electronic means or by any other means in accordance with the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 calendar days in any calendar year as our board of directors may determine.
Liquidation . On the winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution amongst our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the paid-up capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them.
Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares . Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 calendar days prior to the specified time and place of payment. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.
Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares . We may issue shares on terms that such shares are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders of these shares, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by our board of directors or by our shareholders by special resolution. Our Company may also repurchase any of our shares on such terms and in such manner as have been approved by our board of directors or by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. Under the Companies Law, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of our Companys profits or out of the proceeds of a new issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or out of capital (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve) if our company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Law no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding or (c) if the company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.
Variations of Rights of Shares . Whenever the capital of our company is divided into different classes, the rights attached to any such class may, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any class,
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only be materially adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the shares of that class, be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation, allotment or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to them or the redemption or purchase of any shares of any class by our company. The rights of the holders of shares shall not be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation or issue of shares with preferred or other rights including, without limitation, the creation of shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights.
Issuance of Additional Shares . Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum of association authorizes our board of directors to issue additional shares (including, without limitation, preferred shares) from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares.
Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum of association also authorizes our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preference shares and to determine, with respect to any series of preference shares, the terms and rights of that series, including:
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the designation of the series; |
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the number of shares of the series; |
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the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights; and |
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the rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences. |
Our board of directors may issue preference shares without action by our shareholders to the extent authorized but unissued. Issuance of these shares may dilute the voting power of holders of ordinary shares.
Inspection of Books and Records . Holders of our ordinary shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records. However, we will provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements. See Where You Can Find Additional Information.
Anti-Takeover Provisions . Some provisions of our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:
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authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders; and |
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limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders. |
However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.
Exempted Company . We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Law. The Companies Law distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except that an exempted company:
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does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; |
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is not required to open its register of members for inspection; |
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does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
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may issue negotiable or bearer shares or shares with no par value; |
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may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance); |
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may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
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may register as a limited duration company; and |
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may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
Limited liability means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on that shareholders shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Differences in Corporate Law
The Companies Law is modeled after that of England but does not follow recent English statutory enactments and differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements . The Companies Law permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) merger means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company, and (b) a consolidation means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent companys articles of association. The plan must be filed with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.
A merger between a Cayman parent company and its Cayman subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders of that Cayman subsidiary if a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of that Cayman subsidiary to be merged unless that member agrees otherwise. For this purpose a company is a parent of a subsidiary if it holds issued shares that together represent at least ninety percent (90%) of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary.
The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest over a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands.
Save in certain limited circumstances, a shareholder of a Cayman constituent company who dissents from the merger or consolidation is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares (which, if not agreed between the
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parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) upon dissenting to the merger or consolidation, provide the dissenting shareholder complies strictly with the procedures set out in the Companies Law. The exercise of dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, save for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful.
Separate from the statutory provisions relating to mergers and consolidations, the Companies Law also contains statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies by way of schemes of arrangement, provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:
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the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met; |
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the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class; |
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the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and |
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the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Law. |
The Companies Law also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the squeeze out of dissentient minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares to the offeror on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.
If an arrangement and reconstruction by way of scheme of arrangement is thus approved and sanctioned, or if a tender offer is made and accepted, in accordance with the foregoing statutory procedures, a dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, save that objectors to a takeover offer may apply to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for various orders that the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands has a broad discretion to make, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.
Shareholders Suits . In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected (and have had occasion) to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) which permit a minority shareholder to commence a class action against, or derivative actions in the name of, our company to challenge:
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an act which is ultra vires or illegal and is therefore incapable of ratification by the shareholders; |
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an act which constitutes a fraud against the minority where the wrongdoer are themselves in control of the company; and |
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an act which requires a resolution with a qualified (or special) majority (i.e. more than a simple majority) which has not been obtained. |
Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability . Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a companys memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association provide that that we shall indemnify our directors and officers, and their personal representatives, against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such persons, other than by reason of such persons dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our companys business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.
In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Directors Fiduciary Duties . Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director acts in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He must not use his corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, the director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.
As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company and therefore it is considered that he owes the following duties to the companya duty to act in good faith in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a personal profit based on his position as director (unless the company permits him to do so), a duty not to put himself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his personal interest or his duty to a third party and a duty to exercise powers for the purpose for which such powers were intended. A director of a Cayman Islands company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.
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Shareholder Action by Written Consent . Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. Cayman Islands law and our post-offering amended and restated articles of association provide that shareholders may approve corporate matters by way of a unanimous written resolution signed by or on behalf of each shareholder who would have been entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting without a meeting being held.
Shareholder Proposals . Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.
The Companies Law provide shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a companys articles of association. Our post-offering amended and restated articles of association allow our shareholders holding shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third of all votes attaching to the outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of our shareholders, in which case our board is obliged to convene an extraordinary general meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. Other than this right to requisition a shareholders meeting, our post-offering amended and restated articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any other right to put proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings. As an exempted Cayman Islands company, we are not obliged by law to call shareholders annual general meetings.
Cumulative Voting . Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporations certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholders voting power with respect to electing such director. There are no prohibitions in relation to cumulative voting under the laws of the Cayman Islands but our post-offering amended and restated articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.
Removal of Directors . Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our post-offering amended and restated articles of association, subject to certain restrictions as contained therein, directors may be removed with or without cause, by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. An appointment of a director may be on terms that the director shall automatically retire from office (unless he has sooner vacated office) at the next or a subsequent annual general meeting or upon any specified event or after any specified period in a written agreement between the company and the director, if any; but no such term shall be implied in the absence of express provision. In addition, a directors office shall be vacated if the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (ii) is found to be or becomes of unsound mind or dies; (iii) resigns his office by notice in writing to the company; (iv) without special leave of absence from our board of directors, is absent from three consecutive meetings of the board and the board resolves that his office be vacated or; (v) is removed from office pursuant to any other provisions of our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.]
Transactions with Interested Shareholders . The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an interested shareholder for three years following the date that such
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person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the targets outstanding voting share within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the targets board of directors.
Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, it does provide that such transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.
Dissolution; Winding up . Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporations outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board.
Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so.
Variation of Rights of Shares . Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our post-offering amended and restated articles of association, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, the rights attached to any such class may be materially adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.
Amendment of Governing Documents . Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporations governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law, our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended with a special resolution of our shareholders.
Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders . There are no limitations imposed by our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.
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History of Securities Issuances
The following is a summary of our securities issuances in the past three years.
Ordinary Shares
On July 14, 2015, we repurchased an aggregate of 229,010 Class B ordinary shares from Joyx Holdings Ltd., Muang Holdings Ltd. and Ulingo Holdings Ltd. for an aggregate consideration of approximately US$0.9 million
On June 16, 2017, we re-designated an aggregate of 95,316 Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares. On the same date, we issued 63,545 Class A ordinary shares to Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. for an aggregate consideration of approximately US$0.6 million.
Preferred Shares
On July 14, 2015, we issued an aggregate of 7,895,711 Series B preferred shares to Trustbridge Partners V., L.P., IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P., IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P., GGV Capital IV L.P., GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P., HES Ventures I, Inc., RTA Capital, LLC and Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. for an aggregate consideration of US$28.9 million.
On June 16, 2017, we issued an aggregate of 5,295,380 Series C preferred shares to CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited, Wu Capital Limited, IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P., IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P., GGV Capital IV L.P., GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P., Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd, HES Ventures I, Inc. and Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. for an aggregate consideration of approximately US$50.0 million.
Option Grants
We have granted options to purchase our ordinary shares to certain of our officer and employees. See ManagementShare Incentive Plans.
Shareholders Agreement
We entered into our shareholders agreement on June 16, 2017 with our shareholders, which consist of holders of ordinary shares and preferred shares.
The shareholders agreement provide for certain special rights, including right of first refusal, co-sale rights, preemptive rights and contains provisions governing the board of directors and other corporate governance matters. Those special rights, as well as the corporate governance provisions, will automatically terminate upon the completion of a qualified initial public offering.
Registration Rights
Pursuant to our shareholders agreement dated June 16, 2017, we have granted certain registration rights to our shareholders. Set forth below is a description of the registration rights granted under the agreement.
Demand Registration Rights . At any time or from time to time after the earlier of (i) the date that is six months after the completion of this offering, or (ii) the date that the lock-up by underwriters is partially or wholly released, holders holding 30% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding registrable securities held by all holders are entitled to request in writing that we effect a registration for at least 20% of the then outstanding registrable securities held by all holders (together with the registrable securities which the other holders elect to include in such registration) or any lesser percentage if the anticipated gross receipts from the this offering
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exceed US$20,000,000. We have the right to defer filing of a registration statement for a period of not more than 90 days if our board of directors determines in good faith that filing of a registration statement in the near future will be materially detrimental to us or our shareholders, but we cannot exercise the deferral right more than once during any twelve-month period and cannot register any other securities during such period. We are not obligated to effect more than two demand registrations. Further, if the registrable securities are offered by means of an underwritten offering, and the managing underwriter advises us that marketing factors require a limitation of the number of securities to be underwritten, the underwriters may decide to exclude up to 75% of the registrable securities and the number of the registrable securities will be allocated among the holders on a pro rata basis according to the number of registrable securities then outstanding held by each holder requesting registration, provided that all other equity securities are first excluded.
Registration on Form F-3 or Form S-3 . Any holder may request us to file a registration statement on Form F-3 or Form S-3 if we qualify for registration on Form F-3 or Form S-3. The holders are entitled to an unlimited number of registrations on Form F-3 or Form S-3 so long as such registration offerings are in excess of US$1,000,000. We, however, are not obligated to consummate a registration if we have consummated two registrations within any twelve month period. We have the right to defer filing of a registration statement for a period of not more than 60 days if our board of directors determines in good faith that filing of a registration statement in the near future will be materially detrimental to us or our shareholders, but we cannot exercise the deferral right more than once during any twelve-month period and cannot register any other securities during such period.
Piggyback Registration Rights. If we propose to register for a public offering or our securities other than relating to any share incentive plan or a corporate reorganization, we must offer holders of our registrable securities an opportunity to be included in such registration. If the underwriters advise in writing that market factors require a limitation of the number of registrable securities to be underwritten, the underwriters may decide to exclude up to 75% of the registrable securities and the number of the registrable securities will be allocated among the holders on a pro rata basis according to the number of registrable securities then outstanding held by each holder requesting registration, provided that all other equity securities are first excluded (except for securities sold for the account of our company).
Expenses of Registration. We will bear all registration expenses, other than (i) the underwriting discounts and selling commissions applicable to the sale of registrable securities, (ii) the special auditing fees exceeding US$25,000, (iii) fees and disbursement of the counsel(s) engaged by each holder, and (iv) fees and expenses charged by the depositary bank and transfer tax applicable to the sale of registrable securities, incurred in connection with registrations, filings or qualification pursuant to the shareholders agreement.
Termination of Obligations. We have no obligation to effect any demand, piggyback or Form F-3 or Form S-3 registration upon the later of (i) the fifth anniversary from the date of closing of an IPO as defined in the shareholders agreement, and (ii) with respect to any holder, the date on which such holder may sell with registration, all of such holders registrable securities under Rule 144 of the Securities Act in any 90-day period.
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DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
American Depositary Shares
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary, will register and deliver the ADSs. Each ADS will represent ownership of Class A ordinary shares, deposited with Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong Branch, as custodian for the depositary. Each ADS will also represent ownership of any other securities, cash or other property which may be held by the depositary. The depositarys corporate trust office at which the ADSs will be administered is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, USA. The principal executive office of the depositary is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, USA.
The Direct Registration System, or DRS, is a system administered by The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, pursuant to which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership shall be evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary to the ADS holders entitled thereto.
We will not treat ADS holders as our shareholders and accordingly, you, as an ADS holder, will not have shareholder rights. Cayman Islands law governs shareholder rights. The depositary will be the holder of the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As a holder of ADSs, you will have ADS holder rights. A deposit agreement among us, the depositary and you, as an ADS holder, and the beneficial owners of ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. The laws of the State of New York govern the deposit agreement and the ADSs. See Jurisdiction and Arbitration.
The following is a summary of the material provisions of the deposit agreement. For more complete information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of American Depositary Receipt. For directions on how to obtain copies of those documents, see Where You Can Find Additional Information.
Holding the ADSs
How will you hold your ADSs?
You may hold ADSs either (1) directly (a) by having an American Depositary Receipt, or ADR, which is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs, registered in your name, or (b) by holding ADSs in DRS, or (2) indirectly through your broker or other financial institution. If you hold ADSs directly, you are an ADS holder. This description assumes you hold your ADSs directly. ADSs will be issued through DRS, unless you specifically request certificated ADRs. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADS holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.
Dividends and Other Distributions
How will you receive dividends and other distributions on the shares?
The depositary has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Class A ordinary shares your ADSs represent as of the record date (which will be as close as practicable to the record date for our Class A ordinary shares) set by the depositary with respect to the ADSs.
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Cash. The depositary will convert or cause to be converted any cash dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the Class A ordinary shares or any net proceeds from the sale of any Class A ordinary shares, rights, securities or other entitlements under the terms of the deposit agreement into U.S. dollars if it can do so on a practicable basis, and can transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States and will distribute promptly the amount thus received. If the depositary shall determine in its judgment that such conversions or transfers are not practical or lawful or if any government approval or license is needed |
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and cannot be obtained at a reasonable cost within a reasonable period or otherwise sought, the deposit agreement allows the depositary to distribute the foreign currency only to those ADS holders to whom it is possible to do so. It will hold or cause the custodian to hold the foreign currency it cannot convert for the account of the ADS holders who have not been paid and such funds will be held for the respective accounts of the ADS holders. It will not invest the foreign currency and it will not be liable for any interest for the respective accounts of the ADS holders. |
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Before making a distribution, any taxes or other governmental charges, together with fees and expenses of the depositary, that must be paid, will be deducted. See Taxation. It will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents and will round down fractional cents to the nearest whole cent. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert the foreign currency, you may lose some or all of the value of the distribution. |
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Shares. For any Class A ordinary shares we distribute as a dividend or free distribution, either (1) the depositary will distribute additional ADSs representing such Class A ordinary shares or (2) existing ADSs as of the applicable record date will represent rights and interests in the additional Class A ordinary shares distributed, to the extent reasonably practicable and permissible under law, in either case, net of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. The depositary will only distribute whole ADSs. It will try to sell Class A ordinary shares which would require it to deliver a fractional ADS and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed Class A ordinary shares sufficient to pay its fees and expenses, and any taxes and governmental charges, in connection with that distribution. |
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Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares. If we offer holders of our Class A ordinary shares the option to receive dividends in either cash or shares, the depositary, after consultation with us and having received timely notice as described in the deposit agreement of such elective distribution by us, has discretion to determine to what extent such elective distribution will be made available to you as a holder of the ADSs. We must timely first instruct the depositary to make such elective distribution available to you and furnish it with satisfactory evidence that it is legal to do so. The depositary could decide it is not legal or reasonably practicable to make such elective distribution available to you. In such case, the depositary shall, on the basis of the same determination as is made in respect of the Class A ordinary shares for which no election is made, distribute either cash in the same way as it does in a cash distribution, or additional ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares in the same way as it does in a share distribution. The depositary is not obligated to make available to you a method to receive the elective dividend in shares rather than in ADSs. There can be no assurance that you will be given the opportunity to receive elective distributions on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Class A ordinary shares. |
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Rights to Purchase Additional Shares. If we offer holders of our Class A ordinary shares any rights to subscribe for additional shares, the depositary shall having received timely notice as described in the deposit agreement of such distribution by us, consult with us, and we must determine whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make these rights available to you. We must first instruct the depositary to make such rights available to you and furnish the depositary with satisfactory evidence that it is legal to do so. If the depositary decides it is not legal or reasonably practicable to make the rights available but that it is lawful and reasonably practicable to sell the rights, the depositary will endeavor to sell the rights and in a riskless principal capacity or otherwise, at such place and upon such terms (including public or private sale) as it may deem proper distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. The depositary will allow rights that are not distributed or sold to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them. |
If the depositary makes rights available to you, it will establish procedures to distribute such rights and enable you to exercise the rights upon your payment of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. The Depositary shall not be obliged to
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make available to you a method to exercise such rights to subscribe for Class A ordinary shares (rather than ADSs).
U.S. securities laws may restrict transfers and cancellation of the ADSs represented by shares purchased upon exercise of rights. For example, you may not be able to trade these ADSs freely in the United States. In this case, the depositary may deliver restricted depositary shares that have the same terms as the ADSs described in this section except for changes needed to put the necessary restrictions in place.
There can be no assurance that you will be given the opportunity to exercise rights on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Class A ordinary shares or be able to exercise such rights.
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Other Distributions. Subject to receipt of timely notice, as described in the deposit agreement, from us with the request to make any such distribution available to you, and provided the depositary has determined such distribution is lawful and reasonably practicable and feasible and in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement, the depositary will distribute to you anything else we distribute on deposited securities by any means it may deem practicable, upon your payment of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. If any of the conditions above are not met, the depositary will endeavor to sell, or cause to be sold, what we distributed and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash; or, if it is unable to sell such property, the depositary may dispose of such property in any way it deems reasonably practicable under the circumstances for nominal or no consideration, such that you may have no rights to or arising from such property. |
The depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any ADS holders. We have no obligation to register ADSs, shares, rights or other securities under the Securities Act. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, shares, rights or anything else to ADS holders. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our shares or any value for them if we and/or the depositary determines that it is illegal or not practicable for us or the depositary to make them available to you.
Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation
How are ADSs issued?
The depositary will deliver ADSs if you or your broker deposit Class A ordinary shares or evidence of rights to receive Class A ordinary shares with the custodian. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver the ADSs to or upon the order of the person or persons entitled thereto.
[Except for Class A ordinary shares deposited by us in connection with this offering, no shares will be accepted for deposit during a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. The 180 day lock up period is subject to adjustment under certain circumstances as described in the section entitled Shares Eligible for Future SalesLock-up Agreements.]
How do ADS holders cancel an American Depositary Share?
You may turn in your ADSs at the depositarys corporate trust office or by providing appropriate instructions to your broker. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will deliver the Class A ordinary shares and any other deposited securities underlying the ADSs to you or a person you designate at the office of the custodian. Or, at your request, risk and expense, the depositary will deliver the deposited securities at its corporate trust office, to the extent permitted by law.
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How do ADS holders interchange between Certificated ADSs and Uncertificated ADSs?
You may surrender your ADR to the depositary for the purpose of exchanging your ADR for uncertificated ADSs. The depositary will cancel that ADR and will send you a statement confirming that you are the owner of uncertificated ADSs. Alternatively, upon receipt by the depositary of a proper instruction from a holder of uncertificated ADSs requesting the exchange of uncertificated ADSs for certificated ADSs, the depositary will execute and deliver to you an ADR evidencing those ADSs.
Voting Rights
How do you vote?
You may instruct the depositary to vote the Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying your ADSs at any meeting at which you are entitled to vote pursuant to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities. Otherwise, you could exercise your right to vote directly if you withdraw the Class A ordinary shares. However, you may not know about the meeting sufficiently enough in advance to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares.
If we ask for your instructions and upon timely notice from us by regular, ordinary mail delivery, or by electronic transmission, as described in the deposit agreement, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming meeting at which you are entitled to vote pursuant to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities, and arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. The materials will include or reproduce (a) such notice of meeting or solicitation of consents or proxies; (b) a statement that the ADS holders at the close of business on the ADS record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities, to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities represented by such holders ADSs; and (c) a brief statement as to the manner in which such instructions may be given to the depositary. Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number of Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities. For instructions to be valid, the depositary must receive them in writing on or before the date specified. The depositary will try, as far as practical, subject to applicable law and the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, to vote or to have its agents vote the Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities (in person or by proxy) as you instruct. The depositary will only vote or attempt to vote as you instruct.
We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. In addition, there can be no assurance that ADS holders and beneficial owners generally, or any holder or beneficial owner in particular, will be given the opportunity to vote or cause the custodian to vote on the same terms and conditions as the holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
The depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may have no recourse if the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.
In order to give you a reasonable opportunity to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to deposited securities, if we request the depositary to act, we will give the depositary notice of any such meeting and details concerning the matters to be voted at least 30 business days in advance of the meeting date.
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Compliance with Regulations
Information Requests
Each ADS holder and beneficial owner shall (a) provide such information as we or the depositary may request pursuant to law, including, without limitation, relevant Cayman Islands law, any applicable law of the United States of America, our memorandum and articles of association, any resolutions of our Board of Directors adopted pursuant to such memorandum and articles of association, the requirements of any markets or exchanges upon which the Class A ordinary shares, ADSs or ADRs are listed or traded, or to any requirements of any electronic book-entry system by which the ADSs or ADRs may be transferred, regarding the capacity in which they own or owned ADRs, the identity of any other persons then or previously interested in such ADRs and the nature of such interest, and any other applicable matters, and (b) be bound by and subject to applicable provisions of the laws of the Cayman Islands, our memorandum and articles of association, and the requirements of any markets or exchanges upon which the ADSs, ADRs or Class A ordinary shares are listed or traded, or pursuant to any requirements of any electronic book-entry system by which the ADSs, ADRs or Class A ordinary shares may be transferred, to the same extent as if such ADS holder or beneficial owner held Class A ordinary shares directly, in each case irrespective of whether or not they are ADS holders or beneficial owners at the time such request is made.
Disclosure of Interests
Each ADS holder and beneficial owner shall comply with our requests pursuant to Cayman Islands law, the rules and requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and any other stock exchange on which the Class A ordinary shares are, or will be, registered, traded or listed or our memorandum and articles of association, which requests are made to provide information, inter alia, as to the capacity in which such ADS holder or beneficial owner owns ADS and regarding the identity of any other person interested in such ADS and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are ADS holders or beneficial owners at the time of such requests.
Fees and Expenses
As an ADS holder, you will be required to pay the following service fees to the depositary bank and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs):
Service | Fees | |
To any person to which ADSs are issued or to any person to which a distribution is made in respect of ADS distributions pursuant to stock dividends or other free distributions of stock, bonus distributions, stock splits or other distributions (except where converted to cash) |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS issued | |
Cancellation of ADSs, including the case of termination of the deposit agreement |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS cancelled | |
Distribution of cash dividends |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held | |
Distribution of cash entitlements (other than cash dividends) and/or cash proceeds from the sale of rights, securities and other entitlements |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held | |
Distribution of ADSs pursuant to exercise of rights. |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held | |
Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held | |
Depositary services |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held on the applicable record date(s) established by the depositary bank |
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As an ADS holder, you will also be responsible to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by the depositary bank and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs) such as:
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Fees for the transfer and registration of Class A ordinary shares charged by the registrar and transfer agent for the Class A ordinary shares in the Cayman Islands (i.e., upon deposit and withdrawal of Class A ordinary shares). |
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Expenses incurred for converting foreign currency into U.S. dollars. |
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Expenses for cable, telex and fax transmissions and for delivery of securities. |
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Taxes and duties upon the transfer of securities, including any applicable stamp duties, any stock transfer charges or withholding taxes (i.e., when Class A ordinary shares are deposited or withdrawn from deposit). |
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Fees and expenses incurred in connection with the delivery or servicing of Class A ordinary shares on deposit. |
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Fees and expenses incurred in connection with complying with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to Class A ordinary shares, deposited securities, ADSs and ADRs. |
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Any applicable fees and penalties thereon. |
The depositary fees payable upon the issuance and cancellation of ADSs are typically paid to the depositary bank by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) receiving the newly issued ADSs from the depositary bank and by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) delivering the ADSs to the depositary bank for cancellation. The brokers in turn charge these fees to their clients. Depositary fees payable in connection with distributions of cash or securities to ADS holders and the depositary services fee are charged by the depositary bank to the holders of record of ADSs as of the applicable ADS record date.
The depositary fees payable for cash distributions are generally deducted from the cash being distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. In the case of distributions other than cash (i.e., share dividends, rights), the depositary bank charges the applicable fee to the ADS record date holders concurrent with the distribution. In the case of ADSs registered in the name of the investor (whether certificated or uncertificated in direct registration), the depositary bank sends invoices to the applicable record date ADS holders. In the case of ADSs held in brokerage and custodian accounts (via DTC), the depositary bank generally collects its fees through the systems provided by DTC (whose nominee is the registered holder of the ADSs held in DTC) from the brokers and custodians holding ADSs in their DTC accounts. The brokers and custodians who hold their clients ADSs in DTC accounts in turn charge their clients accounts the amount of the fees paid to the depositary banks.
In the event of refusal to pay the depositary fees, the depositary bank may, under the terms of the deposit agreement, refuse the requested service until payment is received or may set off the amount of the depositary fees from any distribution to be made to the ADS holder.
The depositary may make payments to us or reimburse us for certain costs and expenses, by making available a portion of the ADS fees collected in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as we and the depositary bank agree from time to time.
Payment of Taxes
You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental charges payable, or which become payable, on your ADSs or on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs. The depositary may refuse to register or transfer your ADSs or allow you to withdraw the deposited securities represented by your ADSs until such
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taxes or other charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell deposited securities represented by your ADSs to pay any taxes owed and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If the depositary sells deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs to reflect the sale and pay to you any net proceeds, or send to you any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes. You agree to indemnify us, the depositary, the custodian and each of our and their respective agents, directors, employees and affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless from, any claims with respect to taxes (including applicable interest and penalties thereon) arising from any refund of taxes, reduced rate of withholding at source or other tax benefit obtained for you. Your obligations under this paragraph shall survive any transfer of ADRs, any surrender of ADRs and withdrawal of deposited securities or the termination of the deposit agreement.
Reclassifications, Recapitalizations and Mergers
If we: | Then: | |
Change the nominal or par value of our Class A ordinary shares | The cash, shares or other securities received by the depositary will become deposited securities. | |
Reclassify, split up or consolidate any of the deposited securities | Each ADS will automatically represent its equal share of the new deposited securities. | |
Distribute securities on the Class A ordinary shares that are not distributed to you, or
Recapitalize, reorganize, merge, liquidate, sell all or substantially all of our assets, or take any similar action |
The depositary may distribute some or all of the cash, shares or other securities it received. It may also deliver new ADSs or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited securities. |
Amendment and Termination
How may the deposit agreement be amended?
We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the form of ADR without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges, except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, including expenses incurred in connection with foreign exchange control regulations and other charges specifically payable by ADS holders under the deposit agreement, or materially prejudices a substantial existing right of ADS holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADSs until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADSs, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement as amended . If any new laws are adopted which would require the deposit agreement to be amended in order to comply therewith, we and the depositary may amend the deposit agreement in accordance with such laws and such amendment may become effective before notice thereof is given to ADS holders.
How may the deposit agreement be terminated?
The depositary will terminate the deposit agreement if we ask it to do so, in which case the depositary will give notice to you at least 90 days prior to termination. The depositary may also terminate the deposit agreement if the depositary has told us that it would like to resign, or if we have removed the depositary, and in either case we have not appointed a new depositary within 90 days. In either such case, the depositary must notify you at least 30 days before termination.
After termination, the depositary and its agents will do the following under the deposit agreement but nothing else: collect distributions on the deposited securities, sell rights and other property and deliver Class A ordinary shares and other deposited securities upon cancellation of ADSs after payment of any fees, charges, taxes or other governmental charges. Six months or more after the date of termination, the depositary may sell
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any remaining deposited securities by public or private sale. After that, the depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the deposit agreement, for the pro rata benefit of the ADS holders that have not surrendered their ADSs. It will not invest the money and has no liability for interest. After such sale, the depositarys only obligations will be to account for the money and other cash. After termination, we shall be discharged from all obligations under the deposit agreement except for our obligations to the depositary thereunder.
Books of Depositary
The depositary will maintain ADS holder records at its depositary office. You may inspect such records at such office during regular business hours but solely for the purpose of communicating with other holders in the interest of business matters relating to the Company, the ADRs and the deposit agreement.
The depositary will maintain facilities in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York to record and process the issuance, cancellation, combination, split-up and transfer of ADRs.
These facilities may be closed at any time or from time to time when such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the depositary in connection with the performance of its duties under the deposit agreement or at our reasonable written request.
Limitations on Obligations and Liability
Limits on our Obligations and the Obligations of the Depositary and the Custodian; Limits on Liability to Holders of ADSs
The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary and the custodian. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary. The depositary and the custodian:
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are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in the deposit agreement without gross negligence or willful misconduct; |
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are not liable if any of us or our respective controlling persons or agents are prevented or forbidden from, or subjected to any civil or criminal penalty or restraint on account of, or delayed in, doing or performing any act or thing required by the terms of the deposit agreement and any ADR, by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States or any state thereof, the Cayman Islands or any other country, or of any other governmental authority or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or on account of the possible criminal or civil penalties or restraint, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of our memorandum and articles of association or any provision of or governing any deposited securities, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstances beyond its control (including, without limitation, nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, work stoppage, strikes, civil unrest, revolutions, rebellions, explosions and computer failure); |
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are not liable by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the deposit agreement or in our memorandum and articles of association or provisions of or governing deposited securities; |
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are not liable for any action or inaction of the depositary, the custodian or us or their or our respective controlling persons or agents in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, any person presenting Class A ordinary shares for deposit or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information; |
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are not liable for the inability of any holder of ADSs to benefit from any distribution on deposited securities that is not made available to holders of ADSs under the terms of the deposit agreement; |
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are not liable for any special, consequential, indirect or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement, or otherwise; |
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may rely upon any documents we believe in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party; |
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disclaim any liability for any action or inaction or inaction of any of us or our respective controlling persons or agents in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Class A ordinary shares for deposit, holders and beneficial owners (or authorized representatives) of ADSs, or any person believed in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information; and |
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disclaim any liability for inability of any holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit made available to holders of deposited securities but not made available to holders of ADS. |
The depositary and any of its agents also disclaim any liability (i) for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, the manner in which any vote is cast or the effect of any vote or failure to determine that any distribution or action may be lawful or reasonably practicable or for allowing any rights to lapse in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement, (ii) the failure or timeliness of any notice from us, the content of any information submitted to it by us for distribution to you or for any inaccuracy of any translation thereof, (iii) any investment risk associated with the acquisition of an interest in the deposited securities, the validity or worth of the deposited securities, the credit-worthiness of any third party, (iv) for any tax consequences that may result from ownership of ADSs, Class A ordinary shares or deposited securities, or (v) for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises the depositary performed its obligations without gross negligence or willful misconduct while it acted as depositary.
In the deposit agreement, we agree to indemnify the depositary under certain circumstances.
Jurisdiction and Arbitration
The laws of the State of New York govern the deposit agreement and the ADSs and we have agreed with the depositary that the federal or state courts in the City of New York shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine any dispute arising from or in connection with the deposit agreement and that the depositary will have the right to refer any claim or dispute arising from the relationship created by the deposit agreement to arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association.
In addition, the deposit agreement provides that each party to the deposit agreement (including each holder, beneficial owner and holder of interests in the ADRs) irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any right it may have to a trial by jury in any lawsuit or proceeding against the depositary or our company related to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement.
Requirements for Depositary Actions
Before the depositary will issue, deliver or register a transfer of an ADS, split-up, subdivide or combine ADSs, make a distribution on an ADS, or permit withdrawal of Class A ordinary shares, the depositary may require:
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payment of stock transfer or other taxes or other governmental charges and transfer or registration fees charged by third parties for the transfer of any Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities and payment of the applicable fees, expenses and charges of the depositary; |
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satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or any other matters contemplated in the deposit agreement; and |
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compliance with (A) any laws or governmental regulations relating to the execution and delivery of ADRs or ADSs or to the withdrawal or delivery of deposited securities and (B) such reasonable |
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regulations and procedures as the depositary may establish, from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement and applicable laws, including presentation of transfer documents. |
The depositary may refuse to issue and deliver ADSs or register transfers of ADSs generally when the register of the depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the depositary or we determine that it is necessary or advisable to do so.
Your Right to Receive the Shares Underlying Your ADSs
You have the right to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the underlying Class A ordinary shares at any time except:
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when temporary delays arise because: (1) the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books; (2) the transfer of Class A ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders meeting; or (3) we are paying a dividend on our Class A ordinary shares; |
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when you owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges; |
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when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities, or |
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other circumstances specifically contemplated by Section I.A.(l) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 (as such General Instructions may be amended from time to time); or |
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for any other reason if the depositary or we determine, in good faith, that it is necessary or advisable to prohibit withdrawals. |
The depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under the deposit agreement any Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities required to be registered under the provisions of the Securities Act, unless a registration statement is in effect as to such Class A ordinary shares.
This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.
Direct Registration System
In the deposit agreement, all parties to the deposit agreement acknowledge that the DRS and Profile Modification System, or Profile, will apply to uncertificated ADSs upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC pursuant to which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership shall be evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary to the ADS holders entitled thereto. Profile is a required feature of DRS which allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an ADS holder, to direct the depositary to register a transfer of those ADSs to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those ADSs to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the depositary of prior authorization from the ADS holder to register such transfer.
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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALES
Upon completion of this offering, we will have ADSs outstanding, representing approximately % of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. All of the ADSs sold in this offering will be freely transferable by persons other than by our affiliates without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ADSs. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares or the ADSs. We intend to apply to list the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange, but we cannot assure you that a regular trading market will develop in the ADSs. We do not expect that a trading market will develop for our ordinary shares not represented by the ADSs.
Lock-up Agreements
[We have agreed, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, [not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale, lend or otherwise dispose of, except in this offering, any of our ordinary shares or ADSs or securities that are substantially similar to our ordinary shares or ADSs, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase our ordinary shares, ADSs or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, our ordinary shares, ADSs or any such substantially similar securities (other than pursuant to employee stock option plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date such lock-up agreement was executed),] without the prior written consent of the representatives of the underwriters.
Furthermore, each of our officers, directors and shareholders and certain option holders has also entered into a similar lock-up agreement for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions, with respect to our ordinary shares, ADSs and securities that are substantially similar to our ordinary shares or ADSs. [These restrictions also apply to any ADSs acquired by our directors and executive officers in the offering pursuant to the directed share program, if any.] These parties collectively own [all of] our outstanding ordinary shares, without giving effect to this offering.]
The restrictions described in the preceding paragraphs will be automatically extended under certain circumstances. See Underwriting.
Other than this offering, we are not aware of any plans by any significant shareholders to dispose of significant numbers of our ADSs or ordinary shares. However, one or more existing shareholders or owners of securities convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for our ADSs or ordinary shares may dispose of significant numbers of our ADSs or ordinary shares in the future. We cannot predict what effect, if any, future sales of our ADSs or ordinary shares, or the availability of ADSs or ordinary shares for future sale, will have on the trading price of our ADSs from time to time. Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs or ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the trading price of our ADSs.
Rule 144
All of our ordinary shares that will be outstanding upon the completion of this offering, other than those Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering, are restricted securities as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act and may be sold publicly in the United States only if they are subject to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirement such as those provided by Rule 144 and Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act. In general, beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, a person (or persons whose shares are aggregated) who at the time of a sale is not, and has not been during the three months preceding the sale, an affiliate of ours and has beneficially owned our restricted securities for at least six months will be entitled to sell the restricted securities without registration under the Securities Act, subject only to the availability of current public information about us, and
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will be entitled to sell restricted securities beneficially owned for at least one year without restriction. Persons who are our affiliates and have beneficially owned our restricted securities for at least six months may sell a number of restricted securities within any three-month period that does not exceed the greater of the following:
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1% of the then outstanding ordinary shares of the same class, in the form of ADSs or otherwise, which immediately after this offering will equal Class A ordinary shares, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option; or |
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the average weekly trading volume of our ordinary shares of the same class, in the form of ADSs or otherwise, during the four calendar weeks preceding the date on which notice of the sale is filed with the SEC. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also subject to certain requirements relating to manner of sale, notice and the availability of current public information about us.
Rule 701
In general, under Rule 701 of the Securities Act as currently in effect, each of our employees, consultants or advisors who purchases our ordinary shares from us in connection with a compensatory stock plan or other written agreement executed prior to the completion of this offering is eligible to resell those ordinary shares in reliance on Rule 144, but without compliance with some of the restrictions, including the holding period, contained in Rule 144. However, the Rule 701 shares would remain subject to lock-up arrangements and would only become eligible for sale when the lock-up period expires.
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The following summary of the material Cayman Islands, PRC and U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this registration statement, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, such as the tax consequences under U.S. state and local tax laws or under the tax laws of jurisdictions other than the Cayman Islands, China and the United States.
Cayman Islands Taxation
The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties that are applicable to any payments made to or by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of the shares will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the Shares, nor will gains derived from the disposal of the shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.
PRC Taxation
Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside China with de facto management body within China is considered a resident enterprise. The implementation rules define the term de facto management body as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation issued a circular, known as Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the de facto management body of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxations general position on how the de facto management body text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its de facto management body in China only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in China; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprises financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in China; (iii) the enterprises primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in China; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in China.
We believe that LAIX Inc. is not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. LAIX Inc. is not controlled by a PRC enterprise or PRC enterprise group and we do not believe that LAIX Inc. meets all of the conditions above. LAIX Inc. is a company incorporated outside China. As a holding company, its key assets are its ownership interests in its subsidiaries, and its key assets are located, and its records (including the resolutions of its board of directors and the resolutions of its shareholders) are maintained, outside China. In addition, we are not aware of any offshore holding companies with a similar corporate structure as ours ever having been deemed a PRC resident enterprise by the PRC tax authorities. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term de facto management body.
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If the PRC tax authorities determine that LAIX Inc. is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of our ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including our ADS holders) may be subject to a 10% PRC tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within China. It is unclear whether our non-PRC individual shareholders (including our ADS holders) would be subject to any PRC tax on dividends or gains obtained by such non-PRC individual shareholders in the event we are determined to be a PRC resident enterprise or such income is treated as sourced from within China. If any PRC tax were to apply to such dividends or gains, it would generally apply at a rate of 20% unless a reduced rate is available under an applicable tax treaty. However, it is also unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of LAIX Inc. would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and China in the event that LAIX Inc. is treated as a PRC resident enterprise. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaIf we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes or gains realized with respect to our ADS or shares are deemed to be from PRC sources, we and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders could be subject to unfavorable tax consequences.
United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following discussion is a summary of U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the ownership and disposition of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares by a U.S. Holder (as defined below) that acquires our ADSs in this offering and holds our ADSs as capital assets (generally, property held for investment) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. This discussion is based upon existing U.S. federal tax law, which is subject to differing interpretations or change, possibly with retroactive effect. No ruling has been sought from the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, with respect to any U.S. federal income tax consequences described below, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position. This discussion does not discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual investment circumstances, including investors subject to special tax rules (including for example, financial institutions, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, broker-dealers, traders in securities that elect mark-to-market treatment, tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations)), investors who are not U.S. Holders, investors who own (directly, indirectly or constructively) 10% or more of our stock (by vote or value), investors who acquire their ADSs or Class A ordinary shares pursuant to any employee share option or otherwise as compensation, investors that will hold their ADSs or Class A ordinary shares as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, constructive sale or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, investors required to accelerate the recognition of any item of gross income with respect to our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement, or investors that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar, all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ significantly from those discussed below. This discussion, moreover, does not address the U.S. federal estate and gift tax or alternative minimum tax consequences of the ownership or disposition of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, the Medicare tax on net investment income, the base erosion and anti-abuse tax under Section 59A of the Code, or certain information reporting requirements that may apply to certain U.S. Holders. Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. income and other tax considerations of an investment in our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.
General
For purposes of this discussion, a U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created in, or organized under the law of, the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source, or (iv) a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has
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one or more U.S. persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has otherwise validly elected to be treated as a U.S. person under the Code.
If a partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partner and the partnership. Partnerships holding our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares and their partners are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding an investment in our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.
For U.S. federal income tax purposes, it is generally expected that a U.S. Holder of ADSs will be treated as the beneficial owner of the underlying shares represented by the ADSs. The remainder of this discussion assumes that a U.S. holder of our ADSs will be treated as the beneficial owner of the underlying shares represented by the ADSs. Accordingly, deposits or withdrawals of Class A ordinary shares for ADSs will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations
A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of passive income or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. For this purpose, cash and assets readily convertible into cash are each categorized as a passive asset and the companys goodwill and other unbooked intangibles are taken into account. Passive income generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents, royalties, and gains from the disposition of passive assets. We will be treated as owning a proportionate share of the assets and earning a proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, more than 25% (by value) of the stock.
Although the law in this regard is not entirely clear, we treat our VIEs as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, because we control their management decisions and we are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with these entities, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operations in our consolidated U.S. GAAP financial statements. If it were determined, however, that we do not own the stock of our VIEs for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be treated as a PFIC for the current taxable year and any subsequent taxable year.
Assuming that we are the owner of our VIEs for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and based upon our current and projected income and assets, including the proceeds from this offering, and projections as to the value of our assets, based in part on the projected market value of our ADSs following this offering, we do not expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year or in the foreseeable future. While we do not expect to be or become a PFIC in the current or future taxable years, the determination of whether we are or will become a PFIC will depend in part upon the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles (which will depend upon the market value of our ADSs from time-to-time, which may be volatile). In estimating the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, we have taken into account our anticipated market capitalization immediately following the close of this offering. Among other matters, if our market capitalization is less than anticipated or subsequently declines, we may be or become a PFIC for the current or future taxable years. In addition, the composition of our income and our assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering. Under circumstances where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes, our risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase.
Because determination of PFIC status is a fact-intensive inquiry made on an annual basis and will depend upon the composition of our assets and income, and the continued existence of our goodwill at that time, no assurance can be given that we are not or will not become classified as a PFIC. Our special U.S. counsel
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expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status and also expresses no opinion with respect to our expectations regarding our PFIC status. If we are classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, we generally will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.
The discussion below under Dividends and Sale or Other Disposition of ADSs or Class A Ordinary Shares is written on the basis that we will not be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The U.S. federal income tax rules that apply if we are treated as a PFIC are generally discussed below under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.
Dividends
Subject to the discussion below under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules, any cash distributions (including the amount of any tax withheld) paid on our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles, will generally be includible in the gross income of a U.S. Holder as dividend income on the day actually or constructively received by the U.S. Holder. Because we do not intend to determine our earnings and profits on the basis of U.S. federal income tax principles, any distribution we pay will generally be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
A non-corporate U.S. Holder will generally be subject to tax on dividend income from a qualified foreign corporation at a lower applicable capital gains rate rather than the marginal tax rates generally applicable to ordinary income provided that certain holding period requirements are met. A non-U.S. corporation (other than a corporation that is classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year) will generally be considered to be a qualified foreign corporation (i) if it is eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States which the Secretary of Treasury of the United States determines is satisfactory for purposes of this provision and which includes an exchange of information program, or (ii) with respect to any dividend it pays on stock (or ADSs in respect of such stock) which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. We intend to list our ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange. Provided the listing is approved, we believe that the ADSs will be readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, and that we will be a qualified foreign corporation with respect to dividends paid on the ADSs. Since we do not expect that our Class A ordinary shares will be listed on an established securities market, we do not believe that dividends that we pay on our Class A ordinary shares that are not represented by ADSs will meet the conditions required for the reduced tax rate. There can be no assurance that our ADSs will continue to be considered readily tradable on an established securities market in later years.
In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be eligible for the benefits of the U.S.-PRC income tax treaty (which the U.S. Treasury Department has determined is satisfactory for this purpose) and in that case we would be treated as a qualified foreign corporation with respect to dividends paid on our Class A ordinary shares or ADSs. Each non-corporate U.S. Holder is advised to consult its tax advisors regarding the availability of the reduced tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income for any dividends we pay with respect to our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. Dividends received on our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction allowed to corporations.
Dividends will generally be treated as income from foreign sources for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes and will generally constitute passive category income. In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, a U.S. Holder may be subject to PRC withholding taxes on dividends paid on our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. See TaxationPRC Taxation. In that case, depending on the U.S. Holders individual facts and circumstances, a U.S. Holder may be eligible, subject to a number of complex limitations, to claim a foreign tax credit not in excess of any applicable treaty rate in respect of any foreign withholding taxes imposed on dividends received on our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. A U.S.
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Holder who does not elect to claim a foreign tax credit for foreign tax withheld may instead claim a deduction, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in respect of such withholding, but only for a year in which such holder elects to do so for all creditable foreign income taxes. The rules governing the foreign tax credit are complex and their outcome depends in large part on the U.S. Holders individual facts and circumstances. Accordingly, U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances.
Sale or Other Disposition of ADSs or Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the discussion below under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules, a U.S. Holder will generally recognize capital gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the disposition and the holders adjusted tax basis in such ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. Any capital gain or loss will be long-term if the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares have been held for more than one year and will generally be U.S. source gain or loss for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes. Long-term capital gain of non-corporate U.S. Holders is generally eligible for a reduced rate of taxation. The deductibility of a capital loss may be subject to limitations.
In the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise under the Enterprise Income Tax Law and gain from the disposition of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares is subject to tax in China, a U.S. Holder that is eligible for the benefits of the income tax treaty between the United States and China may elect to treat the gain as PRC source income. If a U.S. Holder is not eligible for the benefits of the income tax treaty or fails to make the election to treat any gain as foreign source, then such U.S. Holder may not be able to use the foreign tax credit arising from any PRC tax imposed on the disposition of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares unless such credit can be applied (subject to applicable limitations) against U.S. federal income tax due on other income derived from foreign sources in the same income category (generally, the passive category). U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences if a foreign tax is imposed on a disposition of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, including the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances and the election to treat any gain as PRC source.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, and unless the U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election (as described below), the U.S. Holder will generally be subject to special tax rules that have a penalizing effect, regardless of whether we remain a PFIC, on (i) any excess distribution that we make to the U.S. Holder (which generally means any distribution paid during a taxable year to a U.S. Holder that is greater than 125 percent of the average annual distributions paid in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the U.S. Holders holding period for the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares), and (ii) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition, including a pledge, of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. Under the PFIC rules:
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the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holders holding period for the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares; |
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the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable years in the U.S. Holders holding period prior to the first taxable year in which we are classified as a PFIC (each, a pre-PFIC year), will be taxable as ordinary income; |
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the amount allocated to each prior taxable year, other than a pre-PFIC year, will be subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect for individuals or corporations, as appropriate, for that year; and |
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the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the tax attributable to each prior taxable year, other than a pre-PFIC year. |
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares and any of our subsidiaries is also a PFIC, such U.S. Holder would be treated as owning a proportionate
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amount (by value) of the shares of the lower-tier PFIC for purposes of the application of these rules. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to any of our subsidiaries.
As an alternative to the foregoing rules, a U.S. Holder of marketable stock in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such stock. The mark-to-market election is available only for stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the SEC, or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines is a qualified exchange that has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. Although we have applied to list our ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange, we cannot guarantee that our listing will be approved. Furthermore, we cannot guarantee that, once listed, our ADSs will continue to be listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. If a U.S. Holder makes this election, the holder will generally (i) include as ordinary income for each taxable year that we are a PFIC the excess, if any, of the fair market value of ADSs held at the end of the taxable year over the adjusted tax basis of such ADSs and (ii) deduct as an ordinary loss the excess, if any, of the adjusted tax basis of the ADSs over the fair market value of such ADSs held at the end of the taxable year, but such deduction will only be allowed to the extent of the amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. The U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in the ADSs would be adjusted to reflect any income or loss resulting from the mark-to-market election. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election in respect of a corporation classified as a PFIC and such corporation ceases to be classified as a PFIC, the holder will not be required to take into account the gain or loss described above during any period that such corporation is not classified as a PFIC. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election, any gain such U.S. Holder recognizes upon the sale or other disposition of our ADSs in a year when we are a PFIC will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as ordinary loss, but such loss will only be treated as ordinary loss to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election it will be effective for the taxable year for which the election is made and all subsequent taxable years unless the ADSs are no longer treated as marketable stock or the IRS consents to the revocation of the election. It should also be noted that it is intended that only the ADSs and not the Class A ordinary shares will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Consequently, if a U.S. Holder holds Class A ordinary shares that are not represented by ADSs, such holder generally will not be eligible to make a mark-to-market election if we are or were to become a PFIC.
Because a mark-to-market election cannot be made for any lower-tier PFICs that we may own, a U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules with respect to such U.S. Holders indirect interest in any investments held by us that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
We do not intend to provide information necessary for U.S. Holders to make qualified electing fund elections which, if available, would result in tax treatment different from the general tax treatment for PFICs described above.
If a U.S. Holder owns our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares during any taxable year that we are a PFIC, the holder must generally file an annual IRS Form 8621. Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing ADSs or Class A ordinary shares if we are or become treated as a PFIC, including the possibility of making a mark-to-market election.
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Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in an underwriting agreement dated , we have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below, for whom Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. are acting as representatives, the following respective numbers of shares of ADSs:
Underwriter |
Number
of ADSs |
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Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC |
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Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. |
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Total |
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The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters are obligated to purchase all ADSs in the offering if any are purchased, other than those ADSs covered by the over-allotment option described below. The underwriting agreement also provides that if an underwriter defaults the purchase commitments of non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the offering may be terminated.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and certain of their controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
We have granted to the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase on a pro rata basis up to additional ADSs from us at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The option may be exercised only to cover any over-allotments of ADSs.
The underwriters propose to offer ADSs initially at the public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus and to certain dealers at that price less a selling concession of $ per ADS. After the initial public offering the underwriters may change the public offering price and concession and discount to broker/dealers. The offering of the ADSs by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters right to reject any order in whole or in part.
The following table summarizes the compensation and estimated expenses we will pay:
Per ADS | Total | |||||||||||||||
Without
Over-allotment |
With
Over-allotment |
Without
Over-allotment |
With
Over-allotment |
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Public offering price |
$ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions paid by us |
$ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us |
$ | $ | $ | $ |
The estimated offering expenses payable by us, exclusive of the underwriting discounts and commissions, are approximately $ million. [We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain out-of-pocket expenses of the underwriters payable by us, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $ .]
[We have agreed that we will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any ADSs, our ordinary shares or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any ADSs or our ordinary shares, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus , except issuances pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options outstanding on the date hereof or pursuant to our dividend reinvestment plan.]
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[Our officers, directors, shareholders and certain option holders] have agreed that they will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any ADSs, our ordinary shares or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any ADSs or our ordinary shares, enter into a transaction that would have the same effect, or enter into any swap, hedge or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of ADSs or our ordinary shares, whether any of these transactions are to be settled by delivery of ADSs or our ordinary shares or other securities, in cash or otherwise, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge or disposition, or to enter into any transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement, without, in each case, the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. and for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus.]
[The 180-day restricted period described in the preceding two paragraphs will be automatically extended if: (1) during the last 17 days of the 180-day restricted period the company issues an earnings release or announces material news or a material event; or (2) prior to the expiration of the 180-day restricted period, the company announces that it will release earnings results during the 15-day period following the last day of the 180-day period, in which case the restrictions described in the preceding two paragraphs will continue to apply until the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release of the announcement of the material news or material event.]
We [have applied] to list our ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LAIX.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs. The initial public offering price was determined by negotiations among us and the representatives and will not necessarily reflect the market price of the ADSs following this offering. The principal factors that were considered in determining the initial public offering price included:
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the information presented in this prospectus and otherwise available to the underwriters; |
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the history of, and prospects for, the industry in which we will compete; |
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the ability of our management; |
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the prospects for our future earnings; |
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the present state of our development, results of operations and our current financial condition; |
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the general condition of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
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the recent market prices of, and the demand for, publicly traded common stock of generally comparable companies. |
We cannot assure you that the initial public offering price will correspond to the price at which the ADSs will trade in the public market subsequent to this offering or that an active trading market for the ADSs will develop and continue after this offering.
In connection with the offering the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions, penalty bids and passive market making in accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act).
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Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
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Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriters of ADSs in excess of the number of ADSs the underwriters are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of ADSs over-allotted by the underwriters is not greater than the number of ADSs that they may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of ADSs involved is greater than the number of ADSs in the over-allotment option. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their over-allotment option and/or purchasing ADSs in the open market. |
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Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of ADSs in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of ADSs to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of ADSs available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase ADSs through the over-allotment option. If the underwriters sell more ADSs than could be covered by the over-allotment option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying ADSs in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the ADSs in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. |
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Penalty bids permit the representatives to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the common stock originally sold by the syndicate member is purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. |
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In passive market making, market makers in the ADSs who are underwriters or prospective underwriters may, subject to limitations, make bids for or purchases of our ADSs until the time, if any, at which a stabilizing bid is made. |
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our ADSs or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the ADSs. As a result the price of our ADSs may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on the New York Stock Exchange or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the web sites maintained by one or more of the underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and one or more of the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The representatives may agree to allocate a number of ADSs to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full-service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, financing and brokerage activities and other financial and non-financial activities and services. Certain of the underwriters and their respective affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various financial advisory and investment banking services for us and for persons and entities with relationships with us, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their respective 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 their customers. These investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such assets, securities or financial instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such assets, securities and instruments.
Selling Restrictions
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
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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 ADSs 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 ADSs without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. The ADSs 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 ADSs must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions. This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any ADSs recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.
Bermuda
The ADSs may be offered or sold in Bermuda only in compliance with the provisions of the Investment Business Act of 2003 of Bermuda which regulates the sale of securities in Bermuda. Additionally, non-Bermudian persons (including companies) may not carry on or engage in any trade or business in Bermuda unless such persons are permitted to do so under applicable Bermuda legislation.
British Virgin Islands
The ADSs are not being, and may not be offered to the public or to any person in the British Virgin Islands for purchase or subscription by us or on our behalf. The ADSs may be offered to companies incorporated under the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 (British Virgin Islands) (each a BVI Company), but only where the offer will be made to, and received by, the relevant BVI Company entirely outside of the British Virgin Islands.
This prospectus has not been, and will not be, registered with the Financial Services Commission of the British Virgin Islands. No registered prospectus has been or will be prepared in respect of the ADSs for the purposes of the Securities and Investment Business Act, 2010, or SIBA or the Public Issuers Code of the British Virgin Islands.
The ADSs may be offered to persons located in the British Virgin Islands who are qualified investors for the purposes of SIBA. Qualified investors include (i) certain entities which are regulated by the Financial Services Commission in the British Virgin Islands, including banks, insurance companies, licensees under SIBA and public, professional and private mutual funds; (ii) a company, any securities of which are listed on a recognised exchange; and (iii) persons defined as professional investors under SIBA, which is any person (a) whose ordinary business involves, whether for that persons own account or the account of others, the acquisition or disposal of property of the same kind as the property, or a substantial part of our property; or (b) who has signed a declaration that he, whether individually or jointly with his spouse, has a net worth in excess of US$1,000,000 and that he consents to being treated as a professional investor.
Canada
Resale Restrictions
The distribution of ADSs in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus
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with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the ADSs in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the ADSs.
Representations of Canadian Purchasers
By purchasing ADSs in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:
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the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the ADSs without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an accredited investor as defined under National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions, |
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the purchaser is a permitted client as defined in National Instrument 31-103Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations, |
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where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and |
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the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions. |
Conflicts of Interest
Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriters are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.
Statutory Rights of Action
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the offering memorandum (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Enforcement of Legal Rights
All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Canadian purchasers of ADSs should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the ADSs in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the ADSs for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.
Cayman Islands
This prospectus does not constitute an invitation or offer to the public in the Cayman Islands of the ADSs, whether by way of sale or subscription. The underwriters have not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any ADSs in the Cayman Islands.
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Dubai International Financial Center
This document relates to an exempt offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority. This document is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in those rules. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with exempt offers. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has not approved this document nor taken steps to verify the information set out in it, and has no responsibility for it. The ADSs which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this document may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the ADSs offered should conduct their own due diligence on the ADSs. If you do not understand the contents of this document you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a Relevant Member State), each underwriter represents and agrees that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State, it has not made and will not make an offer of ADSs which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus to the public in that Relevant Member State other than:
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to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive; |
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to fewer than 100 or, if the Relevant Member State has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or |
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in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, provided that no such offer of ADSs shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive. |
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to any ADSs 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 ADSs to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the ADSs, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State and the expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.
France
Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the ADSs described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or of the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The ADSs have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the ADSs has been or will be:
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to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive; |
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to fewer than 100 or, if the relevant member state has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by us for any such offer; or |
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in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, |
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released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or |
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used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the ADSs to the public in France. |
Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:
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to qualified investors ( investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors ( cercle restreint dinvestisseurs ), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier; |
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to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or |
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in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1° -or-2° -or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations ( Règlement Général ) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer ( appel public à lépargne ). |
The ADSs may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.
Germany
This prospectus does not constitute a Prospectus Directive-compliant prospectus in accordance with the German Securities Prospectus Act ( Wertpapierprospektgesetz ) and does therefore not allow any public offering in the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany) or any other Relevant Member State pursuant to § 17 and § 18 of the German Securities Prospectus Act. No action has been or will be taken in Germany that would permit a public offering of the ADSs, or distribution of a prospectus or any other offering material relating to the ADSs. In particular, no securities prospectus ( Wertpapierprospekt ) within the meaning of the German Securities Prospectus Act or any other applicable laws of Germany, has been or will be published within Germany, nor has this prospectus been filed with or approved by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority ( Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht ) for publication within Germany.
Each underwriter will represent, agree and undertake, (i) that it has not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver the ADSs within Germany other than in accordance with the German Securities Prospectus Act ( Wertpapierprospektgesetz ) and any other applicable laws in Germany governing the issue, sale and offering of ADSs, and (ii) that it will distribute in Germany any offering material relating to the ADSs only under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of Germany.
This prospectus is strictly for use of the person who has received it. It may not be forwarded to other persons or published in Germany.
Hong Kong
The ADSs may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) to professional investors as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance, or (ii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a prospectus as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32) of Hong Kong or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the ADSs may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to ADSs which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to professional investors as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance.
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Israel
This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only to, and 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 purchasing for their own account, 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. Qualified investors may be required to submit written confirmation that they meet the criteria for one of the categories of investors set forth in the prospectus.
Italy
The offering of ADSs has not been registered with the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) pursuant to Italian securities legislation and, accordingly, no ADSs may be offered, sold or delivered, nor copies of this prospectus or any other documents relating to the ADSs may not be distributed in Italy except:
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to qualified investors, as referred to in Article 100 of Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998, as amended (the Decree No. 58) and defined in Article 26, paragraph 1, letter d) of CONSOB Regulation No. 16190 of 29 October 2007, as amended (Regulation No. 16190) pursuant to Article 34-ter, paragraph 1, letter. b) of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of 14 May 1999, as amended (Regulation No. 11971); or |
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in any other circumstances where an express exemption from compliance with the offer restrictions applies, as provided under Decree No. 58 or Regulation No. 11971. |
Any offer, sale or delivery of the ADSs or distribution of copies of this prospectus or any other documents relating to the ADSs in the Republic of Italy must be:
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made by investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in the Republic of Italy in accordance with Legislative Decree No. 385 of 1 September 1993, as amended (the Banking Law), Decree No. 58 and Regulation No. 16190 and any other applicable laws and regulations; |
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in compliance with Article 129 of the Banking Law, and the implementing guidelines of the Bank of Italy, as amended; and |
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in compliance with any other applicable notification requirement or limitation which may be imposed, from time to time, by CONSOB or the Bank of Italy or other competent authority. |
Please note that, in accordance with Article 100-bis of Decree No. 58, where no exemption from the rules on public offerings applies, the subsequent distribution of the ADSs on the secondary market in Italy must be made in compliance with the public offer and the prospectus requirement rules provided under Decree No. 58 and Regulation No. 11971.
Furthermore, ADSs which are initially offered and placed in Italy or abroad to qualified investors only but in the following year are regularly (sistematicamente) distributed on the secondary market in Italy to non-qualified investors become subject to the public offer and the prospectus requirement rules provided under Decree No. 58 and Regulation No. 11971. Failure to comply with such rules may result in the sale of the ADSs being declared null and void and in the liability of the intermediary transferring the ADSs for any damages suffered by such non-qualified investors.
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Japan
The ADSs have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, Japanese Person shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Kuwait
Unless all necessary approvals from the Kuwait Ministry of Commerce and Industry required by Law No. 31/1990 Regulating the Negotiation of Securities and Establishment of Investment Funds, its Executive Regulations and the various Ministerial Orders issued pursuant thereto or in connection therewith, have been given in relation to the marketing and sale of the ADSs, these may not be marketed, offered for sale, nor sold in the State of Kuwait. Neither this prospectus (including any related document), nor any of the information contained therein is intended to lead to the conclusion of any contract of whatsoever nature within Kuwait.
PRC
This prospectus has not been and will not be circulated or distributed in China, and the ADSs may not be offered or sold, and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to any resident of China or to persons for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, to any resident of China except pursuant to applicable PRC laws and regulations. For the purpose of this paragraph, China does not include Taiwan and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
Qatar
The ADSs have not been and will not be offered, sold or delivered at any time, directly or indirectly, in the State of Qatar (Qatar) in a manner that would constitute a public offering. This prospectus has not been reviewed or approved by or registered with the Qatar Central Bank, the Qatar Exchange or the Qatar Financial Markets Authority. This prospectus is strictly private and confidential, and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose, nor provided to any person other than the recipient thereof.
Saudi Arabia
This prospectus may not be distributed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia except to such persons as are permitted under the Offers of Securities Regulations issued by the Capital Market Authority. The Capital Market Authority does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this prospectus, and expressly disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss arising from, or incurred in reliance upon, any part of this prospectus. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered hereby should conduct their own due diligence on the accuracy of the information relating to the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial adviser.
Singapore
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of ADSs may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the ADSs be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than
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to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the SFA), |
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to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or |
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otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA. |
Where the ADSs are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
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a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
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a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the ADSs pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except: |
(i) |
to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; |
(ii) |
where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; |
(iii) |
where the transfer is by operation of law; |
(iv) |
as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or |
(v) |
as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore. |
Switzerland
This document is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the ADSs described herein. The ADSs may not be publicly offered, sold or advertised, directly or indirectly, in, into or from Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange or on any other exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the ADSs constitutes a prospectus as such term is understood pursuant to article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange or any other regulated trading facility in Switzerland, and neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the ADSs 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, nor the Company nor the ADSs have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. The ADSs are not subject to the supervision by any Swiss regulatory authority, e.g., the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and investors in the ADSs will not benefit from protection or supervision by such authority.
Taiwan
The ADSs have not been and will not be registered or filed with, or approved by, the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be offered or sold in Taiwan through a public offering or in circumstances which constitute an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan or relevant laws and regulations that require a registration, filing or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan. No person or entity in Taiwan has been authorized to offer or sell the ADSs in Taiwan.
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United Arab Emirates
(Excluding the Dubai International Financial Center)
The ADSs have not been, and are not being, publicly offered, sold, promoted or advertised in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) other than in compliance with the laws of the U.A.E. Prospective investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre should have regard to the specific selling restrictions on prospective investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre set out below.
The information contained in this prospectus does not constitute a public offer of ADSs in the U.A.E. in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law (Federal Law No. 8 of 1984 of the U.A.E., as amended) or otherwise and is not intended to be a public offer. This prospectus has not been approved by or filed with the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority or the Dubai Financial Services Authority, or DFSA. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus, you should consult an authorized financial adviser. This prospectus is provided for the benefit of the recipient only, and should not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person.
United Kingdom
Each of the underwriters severally represents warrants and agrees as follows:
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it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of the ADSs in circumstances in which Section 21 of the FSMA does not apply to us; and |
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it has complied with, and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the ADSs in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom. |
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EXPENSES RELATED TO THIS OFFERING
Set forth below is an itemization of the total expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, that we expect to incur in connection with this offering. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, filing fee, and the stock exchange application and listing fee, all amounts are estimates.
SEC Registration Fee |
US$ | |||
FINRA Fee |
US$ | |||
Stock Exchange Application and Listing Fee |
US$ | |||
Printing and Engraving Expenses |
US$ | |||
Legal Fees and Expenses |
US$ | |||
Accounting Fees and Expenses |
US$ | |||
Miscellaneous |
US$ | |||
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Total |
US$ | |||
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We are being represented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The underwriters are being represented by Kirkland & Ellis International LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The validity of the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs offered in this offering will be passed upon for us by Walkers. Certain legal matters as to PRC law will be passed upon for us by Fangda Partners and for the underwriters by JunHe LLP. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP may rely upon Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP with respect to matters governed by Cayman Islands law and Fangda Partners with respect to matters governed by PRC law. Kirkland & Ellis International LLP may rely upon JunHe LLP with respect to matters governed by PRC law.
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The consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2017 included in this prospectus have been so included in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
The registered business address of PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP is 6/F DBS Bank Tower, 1318, Lu Jia Zui Ring Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, the Peoples Republic of China.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement, including relevant exhibits, with the SEC on Form F-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs to be sold in this offering. We have also filed a related registration statement on Form F-6 with the SEC to register the ADSs. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement on Form F-1, does not contain all of the information contained in the registration statement. You should read our registration statements and their exhibits and schedules for further information with respect to us and our ADSs.
Immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form F-1 of which this prospectus forms a part, we will become subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act as applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly, we will be required to file reports, including annual reports on Form 20-F, and other information with the SEC. All information filed with the SEC can be obtained over the internet at the SECs website at www.sec.gov or inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of documents, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-732-0330 or visit the SEC website for further information on the operation of the public reference rooms.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, we intend to furnish the depositary with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, and all notices of shareholders meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and, if we so request, will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information contained in any notice of a shareholders meeting received by the depositary from us.
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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the board of directors and shareholders of LAIX Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of LAIX Inc. (formerly known as LingoChamp Inc.) and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, of changes in shareholders deficit and of cash flows for the years then ended, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Companys consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP
Shanghai, the Peoples Republic of China
June 13, 2018
We have served as the Companys auditor since 2017.
F-2
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
As of December 31, 2016 and 2017
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
F-3
As of December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note | 2016 | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pro-forma (Unaudited) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB |
US$ (Note 2(e)) |
RMB (Note 18) |
US$ (Note 2(e)) |
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Mezzanine equity: |
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Series Seed convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 3,645,501 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of December 31, 2017 (unaudited) ; redemption amount of RMB 11,644,222 as of December 31, 2017) |
10 | 28,337,639 | 28,337,639 | 4,355,415 | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 5,531,104 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of December 31, 2017 (unaudited); redemption amount of RMB 80,040,266 as of December 31, 2017) |
10 | 70,145,533 | 73,250,416 | 11,258,383 | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Series B convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 7,895,711 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of December 31, 2017 (unaudited); redemption amount of RMB 204,258,376 as of December 31, 2017) |
10 | 188,462,829 | 201,027,344 | 30,897,337 | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 5,295,380 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of December 31, 2017 (unaudited); redemption amount of RMB 351,157,316 as of December 31, 2017) |
10 | | 349,288,985 | 53,684,734 | | | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total mezzanine equity |
286,946,001 | 651,904,384 | 100,195,869 | | | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Shareholders (deficit)/equity: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A Ordinary shares (US$0.001 par value; 63,156,694 and 57,956,630 shares authorized, nil and 158,861 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively; 22,526,557 Class A Ordinary Shares on a pro-forma basis as of December 31, 2017 (unaudited)) |
11 | | 1,020 | 159 | 141,687 | 22,527 | ||||||||||||||||||
Class B Ordinary shares (US$0.001 par value; 19,770,990 and 19,675,674 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively; 19,675,674 Class B Ordinary Shares on a pro-forma basis as of December 31, 2017 (unaudited)) |
11 | 121,967 | 121,379 | 19,676 | 121,379 | 19,676 | ||||||||||||||||||
Subscriptions Receivable from founding shareholders |
(121,967 | ) | (121,967 | ) | (19,771 | ) | (121,967 | ) | (19,771 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
| | | 651,763,717 | 100,173,501 | |||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) |
24,897,112 | (84,887 | ) | (13,044 | ) | (84,887 | ) | (13,044 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(190,936,237 | ) | (447,901,925 | ) | (68,841,265 | ) | (447,901,925 | ) | (68,841,265 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total shareholders (deficit)/equity |
(166,039,125 | ) | (447,986,380 | ) | (68,854,245 | ) | 203,918,004 | 31,341,624 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders (deficit)/equity |
167,213,704 | 494,324,694 | 75,976,315 | 494,324,694 | 75,976,315 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-4
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
For the years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
Note | 2016 | 2017 | ||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$(Note 2(e)) | ||||||||||||||
Net revenues |
12,332,237 | 165,561,286 | 25,446,304 | |||||||||||||
Cost of revenues(including share-based compensation expenses of 1,257,137 and 1,341,048 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively) |
(27,503,267 | ) | (57,690,704 | ) | (8,866,899 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Gross (loss)/profit |
(15,171,030 | ) | 107,870,582 | 16,579,405 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses (including share-based compensation expenses of 839,203 and 2,380,128 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively) |
(28,534,187 | ) | (283,054,938 | ) | (43,504,747 | ) | ||||||||||
Research and development expenses (including share-based compensation expenses of 2,284,513 and 3,799,159 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively) |
(30,012,514 | ) | (53,161,512 | ) | (8,170,775 | ) | ||||||||||
General and administrative expenses (including share-based compensation expenses of 138,938 and 997,358 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively) |
(8,753,600 | ) | (19,807,191 | ) | (3,044,310 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
(67,300,301 | ) | (356,023,641 | ) | (54,719,832 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(82,471,331 | ) | (248,153,059 | ) | (38,140,427 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Interest income |
2,670,665 | 933,854 | 143,531 | |||||||||||||
Foreign exchange related (losses)/gains, net |
(9,839,784 | ) | 7,143,539 | 1,097,942 | ||||||||||||
Change in fair value of short-term investment |
59,320 | 750,154 | 115,297 | |||||||||||||
Other income, net |
412,099 | 2,171,731 | 333,789 | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Loss before income tax expenses |
(89,169,031 | ) | (237,153,781 | ) | (36,449,868 | ) | ||||||||||
Income tax expense |
14 | | (5,605,847 | ) | (861,603 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss |
(89,169,031 | ) | (242,759,628 | ) | (37,311,471 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Series A Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(3,600,996 | ) | (3,104,883 | ) | (477,212 | ) | ||||||||||
Series B Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(11,547,597 | ) | (12,564,515 | ) | (1,931,131 | ) | ||||||||||
Series C Preferred share redemption value accretion |
| (11,147,161 | ) | (1,713,287 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss attributable to LAIX Inc.s ordinary shareholders |
(104,317,624 | ) | (269,576,187 | ) | (41,433,101 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss |
(89,169,031 | ) | (242,759,628 | ) | (37,311,471 | ) | ||||||||||
Other comprehensive income/(loss) Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax |
12,994,795 | (24,981,999 | ) | (3,839,663 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Comprehensive loss |
(76,174,236 | ) | (267,741,627 | ) | (41,151,134 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss per Class A and Class B ordinary shares |
||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted |
15 | (5.28 | ) | (13.59 | ) | (2.09 | ) | |||||||||
Weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares used in per share calculation |
||||||||||||||||
Basic and Diluted |
15 | 19,770,990 | 19,834,535 | 19,834,535 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-5
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS DEFICIT
For the Years Ended December 31, 2016 and 2017
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
Class A Ordinary shares | Class B Ordinary shares |
Subscriptions
Receivable |
Additional
paid-in capital |
Accumulated
other comprehensive income/(loss) |
Accumulated
deficit |
Total
shareholders deficit |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of
Shares |
Amount |
Number of
Shares |
Amount | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of January 1, 2016 |
| | 19,770,990 | 121,967 | (121,967 | ) | | 11,902,317 | (91,138,404 | ) | (79,236,087 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense (Note 12) |
| | | | | 4,519,791 | | | 4,519,791 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion of convertible redeemable preferred shares |
| | | | | (4,519,791 | ) | | (10,628,802 | ) | (15,148,593 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the year |
| | | | | | | (89,169,031 | ) | (89,169,031 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation |
| | | | | | 12,994,795 | | 12,994,795 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2016 |
| | 19,770,990 | 121,967 | (121,967 | ) | | 24,897,112 | (190,936,237 | ) | (166,039,125 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of Class A Ordinary shares |
63,545 | 432 | | | | 4,077,919 | | | 4,078,351 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Re-designation of Class B Ordinary Shares to Class A Ordinary Shares (Note 11) |
95,316 | 588 | (95,316 | ) | (588 | ) | | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Compensation to founding shareholders in connection with the transfer of Class A Ordinary Shares to new investor (Note 11) |
| | | | | 2,398,588 | | | 2,398,588 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Repurchase of employee vested share options at fair value |
| | | | | (2,383,701 | ) | | | (2,383,701 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense (Note 12) |
| | | | | 8,517,693 | | | 8,517,693 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion of convertible redeemable preferred shares |
| | | | | (12,610,499 | ) | | (14,206,060 | ) | (26,816,559 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the year |
| | | | | | | (242,759,628 | ) | (242,759,628 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation |
| | | | | | (24,981,999 | ) | | (24,981,999 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2017 |
158,861 | 1,020 | 19,675,674 | 121,379 | (121,967 | ) | | (84,887 | ) | (447,901,925 | ) | (447,986,380 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F-6
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2016 and 2017
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$(Note 2(e)) | ||||||||||
Cash flows from operating activities |
||||||||||||
Net loss |
(89,169,031 | ) | (242,759,628 | ) | (37,311,471 | ) | ||||||
Adjustments for: |
||||||||||||
Depreciation of property and equipment |
549,883 | 1,026,728 | 157,805 | |||||||||
Amortization of prepaid interest expense and service fees to loan companies (Note 9) |
| 269,436 | 41,412 | |||||||||
Change in fair value of short-term investment |
(59,320 | ) | (750,154 | ) | (115,297 | ) | ||||||
Foreign exchange losses/(gains) |
9,839,784 | (7,143,539 | ) | (1,097,942 | ) | |||||||
Share-based compensation |
4,519,791 | 8,517,693 | 1,309,145 | |||||||||
Compensation to founding shareholders in connection with the transfer of Class A Ordinary Shares to new investor (Note 11) |
| 2,398,588 | 368,656 | |||||||||
Compensation to employees in connection with the repurchase of vested shares options |
| 1,685,470 | 259,052 | |||||||||
Changes in assets and liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Accounts receivable |
| (10,627,609 | ) | (1,633,434 | ) | |||||||
Prepayments and other current assets |
(1,210,053 | ) | (16,014,832 | ) | (2,461,435 | ) | ||||||
Other non-current assets |
| (1,498,394 | ) | (230,299 | ) | |||||||
Accounts payable |
10,375,515 | 53,462,514 | 8,217,038 | |||||||||
Salary and welfare payable |
8,969,740 | 31,271,646 | 4,806,364 | |||||||||
Tax payable |
3,186,420 | 12,721,966 | 1,955,330 | |||||||||
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities |
2,559,556 | 4,143,862 | 636,900 | |||||||||
Other non-current liabilities |
| (500,000 | ) | (76,849 | ) | |||||||
Deferred revenue, current and non-current |
11,846,331 | 103,676,386 | 15,934,769 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(38,591,384 | ) | (60,119,867 | ) | (9,240,256 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Cash flows from investing activities: |
||||||||||||
Purchase of short-term investments |
(163,327,656 | ) | (143,913,303 | ) | (22,119,070 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds from maturity of short-term investments |
42,893,786 | 224,529,548 | 34,509,560 | |||||||||
Purchase of property and equipment |
(1,266,075 | ) | (10,720,674 | ) | (1,647,737 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds from disposition of property and equipment |
23,415 | 5,706 | 877 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net cash (used in)/ provided by investing activities |
(121,676,530 | ) | 69,901,277 | 10,743,630 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Cash flows from financing activities: |
||||||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Class A Ordinary Shares |
| 4,078,351 | 626,831 | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series C Convertible redeemable Preferred Shares, net of issuance costs of RMB 1,940,058 |
| 338,141,824 | 51,971,447 | |||||||||
Cash receipts from loan companies (Note 9) |
| 36,796,945 | 5,655,587 | |||||||||
Cash payment for repurchase employee vested share options |
| (1,826,318 | ) | (280,700 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
| 377,190,802 | 57,973,165 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents |
(160,267,914 | ) | 386,972,212 | 59,476,539 | ||||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
2,312,045 | (11,790,058 | ) | (1,812,098 | ) | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of year |
199,256,753 | 41,300,884 | 6,347,830 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of year |
41,300,884 | 416,483,038 | 64,012,271 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Supplemental schedule of non-cash operating activities: |
||||||||||||
Prepaid of interest expenses and service fee (Note 9) |
| (3,202,401 | ) | (492,200 | ) | |||||||
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities: |
||||||||||||
Accounts payable related to the purchase of property and equipment |
| 472,624 | 72,641 | |||||||||
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities related to repurchase of employee options |
| 2,242,853 | 344,720 | |||||||||
Non cash settlement related to repayment of loan and corresponding de-recognition of related receivables (Note 9) |
| 3,391,335 | 521,239 | |||||||||
Accretion on redeemable Preferred Shares |
15,148,593 | 26,816,559 | 4,121,630 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-7
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
1. |
Organization and Principal Activities |
(a) |
Principal activities |
LAIX Inc. (formerly known as LingoChamp Inc.) (the Company) was incorporated on August 19, 2013 under the law of Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. The Company, through its subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) (collectively referred to as the Group) is primarily engaged in providing online English learning services through its Liulishuo mobile app in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC). Users can purchase the Companys services by subscribing the courses either directly from the Company or through authorized online commerce platform partners.
As of December 31, 2017, the Companys major subsidiaries and VIEs are as follows:
Name of subsidiaries and VIE |
Date of establishment |
Place of
incorporation |
Percentage of
direct or indirect economic ownership |
Principal activities | ||||||||||||
Wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company: |
||||||||||||||||
LingoChamp US Inc. |
|
Established
on August 15, 2017 |
|
US | 100 | % |
|
AI lab
operation |
|
|||||||
LingoChamp (HK) Limited |
|
Established
on August 29, 2013 |
|
Hong Kong | 100 | % |
|
Investment
holding |
|
|||||||
Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Yuguan WFOE) |
|
Established
on November 19, 2013 |
|
PRC | 100 | % |
|
Technology
development |
|
|||||||
Yuling Culture Communication (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Yuling WFOE) |
|
Established
on October 13, 2015 |
|
PRC | 100 | % |
|
Provision of
cross-border loan arrangement |
|
|||||||
Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) |
||||||||||||||||
Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd. (Liulishuo VIE) |
|
Established
on May 17, 2013 |
|
PRC | 100 | % |
|
Provision of
English learning services |
|
|||||||
Shanghai Mengfan Culture Communication Co., Ltd. (Mengfan VIE) |
|
Established
on December 8, 2014 |
|
PRC | 100 | % | Inactive |
(b) |
Reorganization |
The Group started its business through Liulishuo VIE. To facilitate offshore financing, an offshore corporate structure was formed in 2013 (the Reorganization), which was carried out as follows:
1) |
On August 19, 2013, the Company was incorporated in the Cayman Islands by the founders. |
2) |
On August 29, 2013, LingoChamp HK was incorporated in Hong Kong with 100% ownership by the Company. |
F-8
3) |
On November 19, 2013, Yuguan WFOE was incorporated in the PRC with 100% ownership by LingoChamp HK. |
By entering into a series of commercial agreements in 2013 and 2014 and subsequently revised in May 2018 (the VIE Agreements), Liulishuo and Mengfan became VIEs on December 19, 2013 and December 8, 2014 respectively, whose primary beneficiary is Yuguan WFOE and shareholders of liulishuo and Mengfan became the Nominee Shareholders of Liulishuo and Mengfan. The Company has therefore consolidated the financial statements of VIEs.
Please refer to below discussions for the contractual agreements.
(c) |
VIE arrangements |
There are some uncertainties as to whether applicable PRC laws and regulations prohibit foreign investors from providing internet and other business in the PRC. To comply with the relevant PRC laws and regulations, the Company operates substantially all of its business through its VIEs. To provide the Company the control of the VIEs, Yuanguan WFOE entered into a series of contractual arrangements with the VIEs or its equity holders as follows:
Contractual Agreements with VIEs
Exclusive Technology Services Agreements
Under the exclusive technology services agreements entered into between the VIEs and Yuguan WFOE, Yuguan WFOE has the exclusive right to provide to the VIEs technology support, business management consulting, marketing consultation, products research and development and technology services which are related to all of the business operations of the VIEs. Yuguan WFOE owns the exclusive ownership of intellectual property rights created because of the performance of this agreement. In return for these services, the VIEs shall pay Yuguan WFOE an annual service fee, which subject to the determination by Yuguan WFOE at its sole discretion. The term of this agreement will expire in 30 years from its establishment and then be automatically renewed except that Yuguan WFOE is entitled to terminate the agreement upon the expiration of such 30-year term as long as a 30-day prior written termination notice is provided to the VIEs. There was no service fee paid and payable from the VIEs to Yuguan WFOE for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017.
Exclusive Call Option Agreements
Under the exclusive call option agreements entered into among the VIEs, Yuguan WFOE and each of the equity holders of the VIEs, each of the equity holders of the VIEs irrevocably granted Yuguan WFOE an exclusive option to purchase, or have its designated representatives to purchase, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of his or its equity interests in the VIEs and all or part of assets of the VIEs. Yuguan WFOE or its designated representatives have sole discretion as to when to exercise such options, either in part or in full. The exercise prices for the VIEs shall be the higher of the capital contribution amount for the relevant equity interests, or net book value of such assets, or the lowest allowable purchase amount permitted by the PRC law. Without Yuguan WFOEs prior written consent, the VIEs equity holders shall not sell, transfer, mortgage or otherwise dispose their equity interests in the VIEs. The agreements expire upon transfer of all equity interest and assets of the VIEs to Yuguan WFOE or its designated representatives.
Proxy Agreements
Pursuant to the proxy agreements entered into among Yuguan WFOE, the VIEs and each of the equity holders of the VIEs, each equity holder of the VIEs irrevocably undertakes to appoint a PRC citizen designated by Yuguan WFOE as the attorney-in-fact to act on his behalf to exercise all of his rights as equity holders of the VIEs, including but not limited to the right to convene and attend shareholders meeting, voting on all matters of the VIEs under their Articles of Association, nominating and appointing
F-9
the directors and other senior management members of the VIEs. Each proxy agreement has an initial term of 30 years and shall be automatically renewed unless otherwise notified by Yuguan WFOE.
Equity Pledge Agreements
Pursuant to the equity pledge agreements among Yuguan WFOE, the VIEs and the equity holders of the VIEs, the equity holders of the VIEs shall pledge all of their equity interests in the VIEs to Yuguan WFOE to guarantee the performance by the VIEs and the equity holders performance of their respective obligations under the exclusive call option agreements, exclusive technology services agreements, the proxy agreements and the equity pledge agreements. The pledge will be effective upon registration with the local branch of the SAIC. In enforcing the pledge, if the VIEs and/or their shareholders breach their contractual obligations under those agreements, Yuguan WFOE, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights, including the right to dispose of the pledged equity interests.
Spousal Consent Letters
Each spouse of the married equity holders of the VIEs entered into a Spousal Consent Letter, which unconditionally and irrevocably agreed that the equity interests in the VIEs held by and registered in the name of their spouse will be disposed of pursuant to the equity pledge agreements, the exclusive call option agreements, and the proxy agreements. Each spouse agreed not to assert any rights over the equity interests in the VIEs held by their spouse. In addition, in the event that any of them obtains any equity interests in the VIEs held by their spouse for any reason, they agreed to be bound by similar obligations and agreed to enter into similar contractual agreements.
Through the aforementioned contractual agreements, the Company has the ability to:
|
exercise effective control over the VIEs whereby having the power to direct Liulishuo VIE and Mengfan VIEs activities that most significantly drive the economic results of them; |
|
receive substantially all of the economic benefits and residual returns, and absorb substantially all the risks and expected losses from Liulishuo and Mengfan as if it was their sole shareholder; and |
|
have an exclusive option to purchase all of the equity interests in Liulishuo and Mengfan. |
Management therefore concluded that the Company, through the above contractual arrangements, has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIEs economic performance, bears the risks of and enjoys the rewards normally associated with ownership of the VIEs, and therefore the Company is the ultimate primary beneficiary of these VIEs. Consequently, the financial results of the VIEs were included in the Groups consolidated financial statements.
F-10
(d) |
Combined financial information of the VIEs |
The following combined financial information of the Groups VIEs as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 and for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 was included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements of the Group as follows:
VIEs | ||||||||
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Assets |
||||||||
Current assets |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
2,477,947 | 20,266,154 | ||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
| 7,236,274 | ||||||
Amount due from inter-company entities |
44,417 | 8,747,168 | ||||||
Prepayments and other current assets |
1,612,334 | 19,571,426 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total current assets |
4,134,698 | 55,821,022 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Non-current assets |
||||||||
Property and equipment, net |
140,988 | 2,802,847 | ||||||
Other non-current assets |
| 961,593 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total non-current assets |
140,988 | 3,764,440 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total assets |
4,275,686 | 59,585,462 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Liabilities |
||||||||
Current liabilities |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
11,300,478 | 64,404,491 | ||||||
Amount due to inter-company entities |
7,456,347 | 8,168,510 | ||||||
Deferred revenue, current |
12,768,171 | 115,536,846 | ||||||
Salary and welfare payable |
1,474,777 | 10,638,612 | ||||||
Tax payable |
122,139 | 7,598,181 | ||||||
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities |
950,000 | 40,972,262 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total current liabilities |
34,071,912 | 247,318,902 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Deferred revenue, non-current |
| 907,711 | ||||||
Other non-current liabilities |
1,500,000 | 1,000,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total non-current liabilities |
1,500,000 | 1,907,711 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total liabilities |
35,571,912 | 249,226,613 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Net revenues |
12,294,501 | 165,152,526 | ||||||
Net loss |
(31,670,941 | ) | (170,886,299 | ) |
For the year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Net cash provided by /(used in) operating activities |
2,199,900 | (15,836,825 | ) | |||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(102,384 | ) | (3,171,913 | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
| 36,796,945 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents |
2,097,516 | 17,788,207 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
In accordance with the aforementioned agreements, the Company has power to direct activities of the VIEs, and can have assets transferred freely out of the VIEs without restrictions. Therefore the Company considers that there is no asset in the VIEs that can be used only to settle obligations of the respective VIE, except for registered
F-11
capital, as of December 31, 2016 and 2017. As the VIEs are incorporated as limited liability Companies under the PRC Company Law, the creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to the general credit of the Company. There is currently no contractual arrangement that would require the Company to provide additional financial support to the VIEs. As the Group is conducting certain businesses in the PRC through the VIEs, the Group may provide additional financial support on a discretionary basis in the future, which could expose the Group to a loss.
The VIEs assets comprise both recognized and unrecognized revenue-producing assets. The recognized revenue-producing assets mainly include leasehold improvements, computers and network equipment. The unrecognized revenue-producing assets mainly consist of patents, trademarks and assembled workforce which are not recorded in the financial statements of the VIEs as it did not meet the recognition criteria set in ASC 350-30-25.
There is no VIE where the Company has variable interest but is not the primary beneficiary.
(e) |
Risks associated with VIE arrangements |
Though the PRC has, since 1978, implemented a wide range of market-oriented economic reforms, continued reforms and progress towards a full market-oriented economy are uncertain. In addition, the telecommunication, information, and media industries remain highly regulated. Restrictions are currently in place and are unclear with respect to which segments of these industries foreign owned entities, like the Company, may operate. The Chinese government may issue from time to time new laws or new interpretations on existing laws to regulate areas such as telecommunication, information and media. Regulatory risk also encompasses the interpretation by the tax authorities of current tax laws, and the Groups legal structure and scope of operations in the PRC, which could be subject to further restrictions resulting in limitations on the Companys ability to conduct business in the PRC.
There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, rules and regulations, including but not limited to the laws, rules and regulations governing the validity and enforcement of the contractual arrangements with consolidated VIEs. Although the Group believes that the contractual arrangements among its equity holders and Yuguan WFOE comply with PRC law and are legally enforceable. However, the Company cannot assure that the PRC regulatory authorities will not adopt any new regulation to restrict or prohibit foreign investments in the internet related business through contractual arrangements in the future or that it will not determine that the ownership structure and contractual arrangements violate PRC laws, rules or regulations. If the Company and its consolidated VIEs are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including:
(a) |
revoking the business licenses of such entities; |
(b) |
discontinuing or restricting the conduct of any transactions between the Companys PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs; |
(c) |
imposing fines, confiscating the income of the VIEs or the Companys PRC subsidiaries, or imposing other requirements with which the Company or its PRC subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs may not be able to comply; |
(d) |
requiring the Company to restructure its ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and deregistering the equity pledges of the VIEs, which in turn would affect its ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exert effective control over the VIEs; or |
(e) |
restricting or prohibiting its use of the proceeds of any offering to finance its business and operations in China. |
If the imposition of any of these penalties precludes the Company from operating its business, it would no longer be in a position to generate revenue or cash from it. If the imposition of any of these penalties causes the Company to lose its rights to direct the activities of its consolidated VIEs or its rights to receive its
F-12
economic benefits, the Company would no longer be able to consolidate these entities, and its financial statements would no longer reflect the results of operations from the business conducted by VIEs except to the extent that the Company receives payments from VIEs under the contractual arrangements. Either of these results, or any other significant penalties that might be imposed on the Company in this event, would have a material adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations.
On January 19, 2015, the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC, or (the MOFCOM) released on its Website for public comment a proposed PRC law (the Draft FIE Law) that appears to include VIEs within the scope of entities that could be considered to be foreign invested enterprises (or FIEs) that would be subject to restrictions under existing PRC law on foreign investment in certain categories of industry. Specifically, the Draft FIE Law introduces the concept of actual control for determining whether an entity is considered to be an FIE. In addition to control through direct or indirect ownership or equity, the Draft FIE Law includes control through contractual arrangements within the definition of actual control. If the Draft FIE Law is passed by the Peoples Congress of the PRC and goes into effect in its current form, these provisions regarding control through contractual arrangements could be construed to reach the Groups VIE arrangement, and as a result the Groups VIE could become explicitly subject to the current restrictions on foreign investment in certain categories of industry. The Draft FIE Law includes provisions that would exempt from the definition of foreign invested enterprises entities where the ultimate controlling shareholders are either entities organized under PRC law or individuals who are PRC citizens.
The Draft FIE Law does not make clear how control would be determined for such purpose, and is silent as to what type of enforcement action might be taken against existing VIEs that operate in restricted industries and are not controlled by entities organized under PRC law or individuals who are PRC citizens. If a finding were made by PRC authorities under the Draft FIE Law if it becomes effective, that the Companys operation of certain of its operations and businesses through VIE violates the Draft FIE Law, regulatory authorities with jurisdiction over the licensing and operation of such operations and businesses may require the Company to take various actions as discussed in the paragraph above. The Groups management considers the possibility of such a finding by PRC regulatory authorities under the Draft VIE law, if it becomes effective, to be remote.
In accordance with the VIE arrangements, the Group has power to direct activities of the VIEs, and can have assets transferred out of the VIEs. Therefore, the Group considers that there is no assets of the VIEs can be used only to settle their obligations.
2. |
Principal Accounting Policies |
(a) |
Basis of preparation |
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (US GAAP).
Significant accounting policies followed by the Company in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements are summarized below.
(b) |
Use of estimates |
The preparation of the Groups consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
The Company believes that revenue recognition, liabilities related to incentive programs, consolidation of VIEs, determination of the fair value of ordinary shares, determination of share-based compensation, impairment assessment of long-lived assets and the valuation allowance of deferred tax assets reflect more significant estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.
F-13
Management makes the estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions as discussed elsewhere to the consolidated financial statements that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making estimates about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results could materially differ from these estimates.
(c) |
Consolidation |
The Groups consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries and its VIEs for which the Company or its subsidiary is the primary beneficiary. All transactions and balances among the Company, its subsidiaries and its VIEs have been eliminated upon consolidation.
Subsidiaries are those entities in which the Company, directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting powers; has the power to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors; or to cast a majority of votes at the meeting of directors; or has the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the investee under a statute or agreement among the shareholders or equity holders.
A consolidated VIE is an entity in which the Company, or its subsidiary, through contractual agreements, bears the risks of, and enjoys the rewards normally associated with ownership of the entity. In determining whether the Company or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiary, the Company considered whether it has the power to direct activities that are significant to the VIEs economic performance, and also the Groups obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The Company, through Yuguan WFOE holds all the variable interests of the VIEs, and has been determined to be the primary beneficiary of the VIEs.
(d) |
Functional Currency and Foreign Currency Translation |
The Group uses Renminbi (RMB) as its reporting currency. The functional currency of the Company and its subsidiaries incorporated outside of PRC is the United States dollar (US$), while the functional currency of the PRC entities in the Group is RMB as determined based on the criteria of ASC 830, Foreign Currency Matters.
Transactions denominated in other than the functional currencies are re-measured into the functional currency of the entity at the exchange rates prevailing on the transaction dates. Financial assets and liabilities denominated in other than the functional currency are re-measured at the balance sheet date exchange rate. The resulting exchange differences are included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss as foreign exchange related gains / loss.
The financial statements of the Group are translated from the functional currency to the reporting currency, RMB. Assets and liabilities of the Company and its subsidiaries incorporated outside of PRC are translated into RMB at fiscal year-end exchange rates, income and expense items are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the fiscal year, representing the index rates stipulated by the Peoples Bank of China. Translation adjustments arising from these are reported as foreign currency translation adjustments and are shown as a separate component of shareholders deficit on the consolidated financial statement. The exchange rates used for translation on December 31, 2016 and 2017 were US$1.00=RMB 6.9370 and RMB 6.5342, respectively, representing the index rates stipulated by the Peoples Bank of China.
(e) |
Convenience Translation |
The unaudited United States dollar (US$) amounts disclosed in the accompanying financial statements are presented solely for the convenience of the readers. Translations of amounts from RMB into US$ for the convenience of the reader were calculated at the rate of US$1 = RMB6.5063 on December 29, 2017,
F-14
representing the noon buying rate in The City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Board. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ at that rate on December 31, 2017, or at any other rate.
(f) |
Fair value of financial instruments |
Fair value is the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required or permitted to be recorded at fair value, the Group considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and it considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability.
The established fair value hierarchy requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. A financial instruments categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
The three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value include:
Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2: Observable, market-based inputs, other than quoted prices, in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
Accounting guidance also describes three main approaches to measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities: (1) market approach; (2) income approach and (3) cost approach. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated from market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present value amount. The measurement is based on the value indicated by current market expectations about those future amounts. The cost approach is based on the amount that would currently be required to replace an asset.
The Group does not have any non-financial assets or liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis.
The Groups financial instruments consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other liabilities.
As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, the carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other liabilities approximated their fair values reported in the consolidated balance sheets due to the short term maturities of these instruments.
On a recurring basis, the Group measures its short-term investments at fair value.
The following table sets forth the Groups assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are categorized using the fair value hierarchy:
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
Balance at
fair value |
|||||||||||||
As of December 2016 |
||||||||||||||||
Assets |
||||||||||||||||
Short-term investmentsWealth management products |
| 121,336,156 | | 121,336,156 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-15
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
Balance at
fair value |
|||||||||||||
As of December 2017 |
||||||||||||||||
Assets |
||||||||||||||||
Short-term investmentsWealth management products |
| 35,421,663 | | 35,421,663 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(g) |
Cash and Cash Equivalents |
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in bank placed with banks or other financial institutions, which have original maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase and are readily convertible to known amounts of cash.
(h) |
Short-term investments |
Short-term investments include investments in wealth management products issued by certain banks with maturities between three months and one year. The wealth management products are unsecured with variable interest rates. In accordance with ASC 825, for investments in financial instruments with a variable interest rate referenced to performance of underlying assets, the Group elected the fair value method at the date of initial recognition and carried these investments at fair value. Changes in the fair value are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as change in fair value of short-term investment. Fair value is estimated based on quoted prices of similar products provided by banks at the end of each period. The Group classifies the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 2 of fair value measurements.
(i) |
Accounts receivable, net |
Accounts receivable primarily consists of the subscription fee for the courses that have been consumed by customers, while still due from distribution channels, online commerce platform partners (the Third Parties), respectively, mainly due to timing difference between the Companys receipts from the Third Parties versus the Third Parties cash receipts from customers. The subscription fee for the courses that have not been consumed by customers but received by Third Parties is recorded as other current assets (Note 6). Part of the accounts receivable may also be due from the customers under the installment payment arrangement (Note 9).
Accounts receivable are presented net of allowance for doubtful accounts. The Group uses specific identification in providing for bad debts when facts and circumstances indicate that collection is doubtful and based on factors listed in the following paragraph. If the financial conditions of its customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowance may be required.
The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts which reflects its best estimate of amounts that potentially will not be collected. The Company determines the allowance for doubtful accounts on general basis taking into consideration various factors including but not limited to historical collection experience and credit-worthiness of the customers as well as the age of the individual receivables balance. Additionally, the Company makes specific bad debt provisions based on any specific knowledge the Company has acquired that might indicate that an account is uncollectible. The facts and circumstances of each account may require the Company to use substantial judgment in assessing its collectability.
F-16
(j) |
Property and equipment, net |
Property and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment loss, if any. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives. The estimated useful lives are as follows:
Leasehold improvements |
over the shorter of lease terms or estimated useful lives of the assets | |
Computers and electronic equipment |
3 years | |
Office equipment |
5 years |
Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. The gain or loss on the disposal of property and equipment is the difference between the net sales proceeds and the carrying amount of the relevant assets and is recognized in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss.
(k) |
Impairment of long-lived assets |
For other long-lived assets including property and equipment and other non-current assets, the Group evaluates for impairment whenever events or changes (triggering events) indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may no longer be recoverable. The Group assesses the recoverability of the long-lived assets by comparing the carrying value of the long-lived assets to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to receive from use of the assets and their eventual disposition. Such assets are considered to be impaired if the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the assets. The impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets.
(l) |
Deferred Revenue |
Cash proceeds received from customers are initially recorded as deferred revenue and are recognized as revenues when revenue recognition criteria are met.
(m) |
Revenue recognition |
The Group adopted ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers for all periods presented. Consistent with the criteria of Topic 606, the Group follows five steps for its revenue recognition: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.
The Group provides online English learning service to customers through its self-developed mobile app, English Liulishou. The Group generates revenue by offering a variety of courses to its customers. The Group primarily offers two types of course packages, namely prepaid standard courses and prepaid multiple course packages. Prepaid standard courses, such as DongNi English, allow customers to purchase courses to be consumed over a certain period of time. Prepaid multiple course packages which contain prepaid standard courses and course credits for one-to-one tutoring sessions with contract human teachers are provided as the Groups premium services, allow customers to purchase multiple courses for use before a certain expiration date. The customers purchase the services by subscribing to prepaid standard courses, prepaid multiple course packages or other courses either directly from the Group or through online commerce platform partners. Subscription fee is generally paid in advance and is initially recorded as deferred revenue.
The Group refunds subscription fees corresponding to any remaining undelivered learning services when customers withdraw contracts with the Group. Withdrawals are recorded as reductions of the deferred revenue related to subscription fees received in advance and have no impact on recognized revenue.
F-17
The Group has assessed all variable considerations identified when determining the transaction price and such assessment requires the Company to consider various forms that the variable considerations may take. To incentivize the subscription of its prepaid courses, the Group selectively offers performance-based refund to its customers who subscribe the prepaid courses. The amount of refund is fixed and pre-determined which may be larger than the subscription fee. Prepaid courses consists of two types of revenue modelsthe non-refundable course model and the refundable course model. Revenues for the non-refundable course model are recognized ratably over the contractual course period as services are provided. Under the refundable course model, a customer is eligible to obtain a refund if the customer achieves certain agreed performance goals, including completing a minimum number of learning hours within a set period of time, achieving various measures of learning efficiency and receiving a certain overall score for each course in the package. Based on the historical records of performance-based refunds, the Group estimates a refund rate that constitutes a reduction of the transaction price to recognize the revenues ratably as services are provided over the contractual course period. In the case that refund amount is larger than customers individual cumulative revenue basis, the Group recognizes such negative revenue as selling expenses. Except for the aforementioned performance-based refunds to its customers, there is no other circumstance causes variability in the consideration.
The Group recognizes revenue on a gross basis. The Group conducts the assessment under ASC 606 that the Group is responsible for the designation and production of all the online courses and the Group is the party contractually and substantively holding all rights to the service of delivering the courses. Therefore, it is believed that the Group meets the standards principle of having control of the service or direct the service and should be viewed as the principal in the arrangements.
Prepaid standard courses
Prepaid standard courses are the Groups standard DongNi English courses corresponding to customers proficiency levels. Such courses typically range from 30 days to 360 days. A customer can access the standard course without limit within such customers fixed contract period. Revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual course period.
Prepaid multiple course packages
Prepaid multiple course packages range are provided as the Groups premium services, including the standard DongNi English course and course credits for one-to-one courses with contract human teachers. Such course packages typically from 180 days to 720 days. Each type of course is a separate unit of accounting, as each type has distinct nature with different patterns and measurements of transfer to the customers.
The Group determines the standalone selling price for each type of course in the package and allocates the transaction price based on the relative value of each type of course in the arrangement, if applicable. The best evidence of standalone selling price is the price the Group charges for a certain type of course when the Group sells it separately in similar circumstances to similar users. For a type of course that is not being sold separately, the Group determines the value per each course based on its cost plus an expected margin.
For the standard course included in prepaid multiple course packages, revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual course period. For those one-to-one courses, revenue is recognized when the course credit is consumed with the estimated breakage from unconsumed courses at contract expiration. The expected breakage amount is recognized as revenue in proportion to the pattern of course credits consumed by the customers based on actual breakage data the Company has accumulated. The expected breakage amount is updated on a periodic basis.
F-18
Other courses and services
The Group also provides other courses and services, such as pronunciation training and practice test. Revenues are recognized ratably over a fixed term of the agreement or an estimated viewership period as services are provided.
The Group offers free courses to customers upon registration. Customers are not obligated to subscribe any course packages with the Group to obtain the free courses. The Group records the content related costs incurred in providing the free courses as sales and marketing expenses.
User Incentive Program
The Groups customers are registered users of its mobile app who have subscribed for the courses of the Group. The Group has incentive programs for its registered users to enhance user stickiness and to incentivize the use of the Groups platform. The Group offers points to the registered users who refer new registered users to its mobile app, or when they participate in various free activities in the Groups mobile app. The points can be redeemed for free gifts. The offering and the use of the points are to the customers or registered users who are not the customers and are not associated with a revenue transactions. The estimated incremental costs related to free gifts are recognized as the Groups sales and marketing expenses.
(n) |
Cost of revenues |
Cost of revenues consist of expenditures incurred in the generation of the Groups revenue, includes but not limited to the course content related costs, service fees paid to contract human teachers in one-to-one courses, rental expenses, IT service costs and depreciations for property and equipment.
(o) |
Research and development expense |
Research and development expenses consist primarily of (i) salary and welfare for research and development personnel, (ii) rental expenses in associated with research and development personnel and (iii) depreciation of office premise and servers utilized by research and development personnel. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
The Company accounts for internal use software development costs in accordance with guidance on intangible assets and internal use software. This requires capitalization of qualifying costs incurred during the softwares application development stage and to expense costs as they are incurred during the preliminary project and post implementation/operation stages. Costs capitalized for developing such software application were not material for the periods presented.
(p) |
Sales and marketing expenses |
Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of branding and marketing expenses, salary and welfare for sales and marketing personnel, commission to distribution channels (mobile app stores) and online commerce platform partners, payment processing expenses, reward to registered users related to incentive programs and rental expenses in associated with sales and marketing personnel. The branding and marketing expenses amounted to RMB 15,813,342 and RMB 165,084,520 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively.
The incremental costs of obtaining a contract are those costs that the Company incurs to obtain a contract with the customer that it would not have incurred if the contract had not been obtained. The Company recognizes the incremental costs of obtaining a contract, including the commission to distribution channels (mobile app stores) and online commerce platform partners, as an asset and amortize over the period of expected benefit. Upon the election of the practical expedient under ASC 340-40-25-4, the incremental costs of obtaining a contract are expensed when incurred if the amortization period of the asset that the entity otherwise would have recognized is one year or less. For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, the incremental cost capitalized as assets were not material.
F-19
(q) |
General and administrative expenses |
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salary and welfare for general and administrative personnel, rental expenses in associated with general and administrative personnel, general office expense and professional service fees.
(r) |
Government subsidies |
Government subsidies primarily consist of financial subsidies received from local governments for operating a business in their jurisdictions and compliance with specific policies promoted by the local governments. There are no defined rules and regulations to govern the criteria necessary for companies to receive such benefits, and the amount of financial subsidy is determined at the discretion of the relevant government authorities. The government subsidies with no further conditions to be met are recorded as Other income, net when received. The government subsidies with certain operating conditions are recorded as liabilities when received and will be recorded as operating income when the conditions are met.
(s) |
Operating leases |
Leases where substantially all the rewards and risks of ownership of assets remain with the lessor are accounted for as operating leases. Payments made under operating leases are charged to the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease periods. The Group had no capital leases for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017.
(t) |
Employee social security and welfare benefits |
Employees of the Group in the PRC are entitled to staff welfare benefits including pension, work-related injury benefits, maternity insurance, medical insurance, unemployment benefit and housing fund plans through a PRC government-mandated multi-employer defined contribution plan. The Group is required to contribute to the plan based on certain percentages of the employees salaries, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government.
The PRC government is responsible for the medical benefits and the pension liability to be paid to these employees and the Groups obligations are limited to the amounts contributed and no legal obligation beyond the contributions made.
(u) |
Income taxes |
Current income taxes are provided on the basis of net income for financial reporting purposes, adjusted for income and expense items which are not assessable or deductible for income tax purposes, in accordance with the regulations of the relevant tax jurisdictions.
Deferred income taxes are accounted for using an asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences of temporary differences by applying enacted statutory rates applicable to future years to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of existing assets and liabilities. The tax base of an asset or liability is the amount attributed to that asset or liability for tax purpose. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss in the period of change. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the amount of deferred tax assets if it is considered more likely than not that some portion of, or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Uncertain tax positions
The guidance on accounting for uncertainties in income taxes prescribes a more likely than not threshold for financial statements recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax
F-20
return. Guidance was also provided on derecognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification of current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities, accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, accounting for income taxes in interim periods, and income tax disclosures. Significant judgment is required in evaluating the Groups uncertain tax positions and determining its provision for income taxes. The Group did not recognize any significant interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017. As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, the Group did not have any unrecognized uncertain tax positions.
(v) |
Share-based compensation |
Share-based compensation costs are measured at the grant date. The share-based compensation expenses have been categorized as either cost of revenue, general and administrative expenses, selling and marketing expenses or research and development expenses, depending on the job functions of the grantees. The compensation expense in connection with the options granted to employees is recognized using the straight-line method over the requisite service period. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant, with such estimate updated periodically and with actual forfeitures recognized currently to the extent they differ from the estimate. In determining the fair value of the Companys share options, the binomial option pricing model has been applied.
(w) Statutory reserves
The Groups subsidiaries, consolidated VIE and its subsidiaries incorporated in the PRC are required on an annual basis to make appropriations of retained earnings set at certain percentage of after-tax profit determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations (PRC GAAP).
Appropriation to the statutory general reserve should be at least 10% of the after tax net income determined in accordance with the legal requirements in the PRC until the reserve is equal to 50% of the entities registered capital. The Group is not required to make appropriation to other reserve funds and the Group does not have any intentions to make appropriations to any other reserve funds.
The general reserve fund can only be used for specific purposes, such as setting off the accumulated losses, enterprise expansion or increasing the registered capital. Appropriations to the general reserve funds are classified in the consolidated balance sheets as statutory reserves.
There are no legal requirements in the PRC to fund these reserves by transfer of cash to restricted accounts, and the Group was not done so.
Relevant laws and regulations permit payments of dividends by the PRC subsidiaries and affiliated companies only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with respective accounting standards and regulations. Accordingly, the above balances are not allowed to be transferred to the Company in terms of cash dividends, loans or advances.
(x) |
Related parties |
Parties are considered to be related if one party has the ability, directly or indirectly, to control the other party or exercise significant influence over the other party in making financial and operating decisions. Parties are also considered to be related if they are subject to common control or significant influence, such as a family member or relative, shareholder, or a related corporation.
(y) |
Dividends |
Dividends are recognized when declared. No dividends were declared for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively. The Group does not have any present plan to pay any dividends on ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. The Group currently intends to retain the available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand its business.
F-21
(z) |
Loss per share |
Basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to holders of ordinary shares by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year using the two class method. Using the two class method, net loss is allocated between ordinary shares and other participating securities (i.e. preferred shares) based on their participating rights.
Diluted loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders as adjusted for the effect of dilutive ordinary equivalent shares, if any, by the weighted average number of ordinary and dilutive ordinary equivalents shares outstanding during the year. Dilutive equivalent shares are excluded from the computation of diluted loss per share if their effects would be anti-dilutive. Ordinary share equivalents consist of the ordinary shares issuable in connection with the Groups convertible redeemable preferred shares using the if-converted method, and ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of the stock options, using the treasury stock method.
(aa) |
Comprehensive loss |
Comprehensive loss is defined as the change in shareholders deficit of the Company during a period arising from transactions and other events and circumstances excluding transactions resulting from investments by shareholders and distributions to shareholders.
Comprehensive loss is reported in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. Accumulated other comprehensive losses of the Group include the foreign currency translation adjustments.
(ab) |
Segment reporting |
Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise engaging in businesses activities for which separate financial information is available that is regularly evaluated by the Groups chief operating decision makers in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Groups chief operating decision maker has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer, who reviews consolidated results including revenue, gross profit and operating profit at a consolidated level only. The Group does not distinguish between markets for the purpose of making decisions about resources allocation and performance assessment. The Group does not have any other geography besides PRC that has above 10% of revenues or long-lived assets. Hence, the Group has only one operating segment and one reportable segment.
(ac) |
Recently issued accounting pronouncements |
In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial InstrumentsOverall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (ASU 2016-01). The main objective of this update is to enhance the reporting model for financial instruments to provide users of financial statements with more decision-useful information. ASU 2016-01 changes how entities measure certain equity investments and present changes in the fair value of financial liabilities measured under the fair value option that are attributable to their own credit. The guidance also changes certain disclosure requirements and other aspects of current U.S. GAAP. ASU 2016-01 is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption by public entities is permitted only for certain provisions. The Company adopted ASU 2016-01 in the first quarter of year 2018 and does not believe the adoption will have material impact on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (ASU 2016-02). Under the new guidance, lessees will be required to recognize a lease liability and a lease asset for all leases, including operating leases, with a term greater than 12 months on its balance sheet. The update also expands the required quantitative and qualitative disclosures surrounding leases. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years, with earlier application
F-22
permitted. The Company expects to adopt the new standard in the first quarter of 2019 on a modified retrospective basis and is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-02 on its consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial InstrumentsCredit Losses (ASU 2016-13), which introduces new guidance for credit losses on instruments within its scope. The new guidance introduces an approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including, but not limited to, trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and net investments in leases. The new guidance also modifies the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities and requires the entities to determine whether all or a portion of the unrealized loss on an available-for-sale debt security is a credit loss. The standard also indicates that entities may not use the length of time a security has been in an unrealized loss position as a factor in concluding whether a credit loss exists. The ASU is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-13 on its consolidated financial statements.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), a consensus of the FASBs Emerging Issues Task Force (ASU 2016-15). The new guidance is intended to reduce the diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The ASU is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including interim periods within those fiscal years. An entity that elects early adoption must adopt all of the amendments in the same period. The guidance requires application using a retrospective transition method. The Company has early adopted ASU 2016-15 in the current year and the adoption had no material impact on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (ASU 2016-18). This ASU affects all entities that have restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents and are required to present a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. ASU 2016-18 requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. This update will become effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted in any interim or annual period. Company has early adopted ASU 2016-18 in the current year and the adoption had no material impact on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, CompensationStock compensation (Topic 718): Scope of modification accounting (ASU 2017-09), which clarifies when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. ASU 2017-09 is effective prospectively for all companies for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is permitted. The Company has early adopted ASU 2017-05 in the current year and the adoption had no material impact on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
3. |
Risks and Concentration |
(a) |
PRC regulations |
(1) |
Historical non-compliant due to lack of ICP license |
Pursuant to the PRC Regulations on Telecommunication, in order to engage in value-added telecommunications services, or VATs, a service provider must obtain a value-added telecommunications business operating license, or VATs License, from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT or its provincial level counterparts. According to the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, an internet information service provider is required to obtain a VATS License with
F-23
the approved business scope of internet information service, or an ICP License. The operation of internet information service absent the ICP License would result in confiscation of illegal revenues generated from the provision of such service as determined by the competent government authority, imposition of fines up to several times such illegal gains, and under serious circumstances, suspension of the non-complaince operation.
Through Liulishuo VIE, the Company has provided online English learning courses and services through mobile apps since 2013. Prior to the promulgation of the Classified Catalog of Telecommunications Services (2015 Version), effective from March 2016, or the 2016 MIIT Catalog, the scope of VATS was defined in an earlier version of the catalog. Pursuant to that previous version of the catalog, information service, categorized as a type of VATS, was defined as the voice information services (telephone information services) or online information and data retrieval and other information services directly provided for end users through the fixed networks, mobile networks or internet and other public communications networks by means of information gathering, development, processing and the construction of the information platform. It was unclear whether information service provided through the Companys mobile apps fell in the scope of VATS. The 2016 MIIT Catalog revised the definition of information service as the information services provided for users through public communications networks or internet by means of information gathering, development, processing and the construction of the information platform. Further, MIIT issued a Q&A to clarify certain issues in implementing the 2016 MIIT Catalog, which requires internet information service providers that provide service through mobile apps to obtain an ICP License. However, different local authorities may have different interpretations and implementation in practice.
In order to adapt to the new regulatory requirements, the Company applied and obtained an ICP License from the relevant government authority for its two currently operating mobile apps, namely English Liulishuo and IELTS Liulishuo. However, the Company cannot assure that its services provided before obtaining the ICP License will not be regarded by the MIIT or its local counterpart as historical non-compliance, in which case the Company may be subject to penalties including fines and confiscation of any gain during its operating history generated from the services as regarded by the relevant governmental authority as historical non-compliance. Either of these results, or any other significant penalties that might be imposed on the Company in this event, would have a material adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations.
The Group believes that the risks of material loss related to historical non-compliant due to lack of ICP license and penalties are remote.
(2) |
Violation of intellectual property rights of others |
Certain of the Companys courses, in particular its free course featuring pop culture themes, contain unauthorized third party content. The Company is in the process of removing unauthorized content from its platform and obtaining rights to use such content from the copyright holders. Additionally, there may be third-party intellectual property rights, portraiture right or other rights that are infringed by the Companys services or other aspects of the Companys business without awareness. To the extent that the Companys employees or consultants use intellectual property owned by others or unauthorized portraits in their work, disputes may arise as to the rights in related know-how and inventions, portraits and other proprietary assets. In addition, the Companys platform is open to all users. Content posted by users on platform, may expose the Company to allegations by third parties of infringement of intellectual property rights, invasion of privacy, defamation and other violations of third-party rights. In particular, users may share English learning materials or methods with other users by posting a video, audio clip or other forms of content on platform, which may subject the Company to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights or other rights contained in the copyrighted video, audio clip or other forms of content. Although the Company has required users to post only legally compliant and non-offensive materials, a third party may still find user-generated content posted on the Companys platform infringing intellectual property rights or other rights or offensive and take action against the Company in connection with such content. Holders of such intellectual property rights or other rights may seek to enforce such rights against the Company in China, the United
F-24
States or other jurisdictions. If any third-party infringement claims are brought against the Company, the Company may be forced to divert managements time and other resources from their business and operations to defend against these claims, regardless of their merits.
The application and interpretation of Chinas intellectual property right laws and the procedures and standards for granting trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights in China, and the laws governing personal rights are still evolving and remain uncertain, and the Company cannot assure that PRC courts or regulatory authorities would agree with the analysis. If the Company was found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, they may be subject to liability for their infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property or relevant contents, and the Company may incur licensing or using fees or be forced to develop alternatives of their own.
The Group believes that the risks of material loss related to the use of unauthorized third party contents are remote.
(b) |
Foreign exchange risk |
The Groups sales, purchase and expense transactions are generally denominated in RMB and a significant portion of the Groups liabilities are denominated in RMB. RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies.
In the PRC, foreign exchange transactions are required by law to be transacted only by authorized financial institutions at exchange rates set by the Peoples Bank of China. In addition, the Groups cash denominated in US$ subject the Group to risks associated with changes in the exchange rate of RMB against US$ and may affect the Groups results of operations going forward.
(c) |
Credit and concentration risk |
The Groups credit risk arises from cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, prepayments and other current assets, and accounts receivable. The carrying amounts of these financial instruments represent the maximum amount of loss due to credit risk.
The Group expects that there is no significant credit risk associated with the cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments which are held by reputable financial institutions in the jurisdictions where the Company, its subsidiaries and VIEs are located. The Group believes that it is not exposed to unusual risks as these financial institutions have high credit quality.
The Group has no significant concentrations of credit risk with respect to its prepayments.
Accounts receivable is typically unsecured and are derived from revenue earned either directly from customers or through distribution channels and online commerce platform partners. The risk with respect to accounts receivable is mitigated by credit evaluations performed on them.
(i) |
Concentration of revenues |
No single customer represented 10% or more of the Groups net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017.
(ii) |
Concentration of accounts receivable |
The Group has not experienced any significant recoverability issue with respect to its accounts receivable. The Group conducts credit evaluations on its distribution channels, online commerce platform partners and customers and generally does not require collateral or other security from such distribution channels, online commerce platform partners and customers.
The Group periodically evaluates the creditworthiness of the existing distribution channels, online commerce platform partners and customers in determining an allowance for doubtful accounts primarily based upon the age of the receivables and factors surrounding the credit risk of specific customers.
F-25
The following table summarized party with greater than 10% of the accounts receivable:
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Distribution channel A |
| 43 | % | |||||
|
|
|
|
4. |
Cash and cash equivalents |
Cash and cash equivalents represent cash on hand and demand deposits placed with banks or other financial institutions, which are unrestricted as to withdrawal or use. The following table sets forth a breakdown of cash and cash equivalents by currency denomination and jurisdiction as of December 31, 2016 and 2017. The overseas cash and cash equivalents are primarily held by the Company and its subsidiaries in Hong Kong and US.
RMB amount (RMB denominated) |
RMB equivalent amount
( US$ denominated) |
Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Overseas | China | Overseas | China | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non VIE | VIE | Non VIE | VIE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2016 |
12,483,266 | 9,713,349 | 2,477,947 | 14,633,862 | 1,992,460 | | 41,300,884 | |||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2017 |
7,091,929 | 22,270,701 | 20,266,154 | 364,976,697 | 1,877,557 | | 416,483,038 |
5. |
Accounts receivable, net |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Accounts receivable, gross |
| 7,236,274 | ||||||
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts |
| | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Accounts receivable, net |
| 7,236,274 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
6. |
Other assets |
The other assets consist of the following:
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Prepayment and other current assets |
||||||||
Subscription fees receivables due from distribution channels and online commerce platform partners for unconsumed courses |
| 7,427,926 | ||||||
Prepaid interest and service fees to loan companies (Note 9) |
| 2,932,965 | ||||||
Receivables from payment- processing- service providers |
390,375 | 6,142,127 | ||||||
Prepayments of IT service fees |
| 476,038 | ||||||
Value-added tax receivable |
675,350 | 162,279 | ||||||
Prepaid rental fee |
66,000 | 1,118,113 | ||||||
Cash advanced to employees |
| 808,102 | ||||||
Rental deposits refundable within one year |
1,183,372 | 1,707,152 | ||||||
Others |
643,842 | 1,132,034 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
2,958,939 | 21,906,736 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Non-current |
||||||||
Long-term rental deposits |
| 1,498,394 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
F-26
7. |
Property and equipment, net |
Property and equipment consist of the following:
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Cost: |
||||||||
Office equipment |
2,324,303 | 6,618,512 | ||||||
Leasehold improvements |
| 6,703,389 | ||||||
Construction in progress |
285,000 | 468,520 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total cost |
2,609,303 | 13,790,421 | ||||||
Less: Accumulated depreciation |
(991,578 | ) | (2,011,832 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Property and equipment, net |
1,617,725 | 11,778,589 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Depreciation expense recognized for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 are summarized as follows:
For the years ended
December 31, |
||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Cost of revenues |
152,371 | 90,016 | ||||||
Sales and marketing expenses |
155,648 | 781,751 | ||||||
Research and development |
195,562 | 109,894 | ||||||
General and administrative expenses |
46,302 | 45,067 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
549,883 | 1,026,728 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
8. |
Tax payable |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Value added tax |
3,695 | 146,979 | ||||||
Income tax |
| 5,605,847 | ||||||
Withholding individual income tax |
3,037,226 | 10,010,061 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
3,040,921 | 15,762,887 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
The Groups revenues are subject to value-added tax at a rate of 6%.
9. |
Accrued liabilities and other liabilities |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities |
||||||||
Payable to third party loan companies (a) |
| 36,608,011 | ||||||
Payables related to repurchased employees vested options |
| 2,242,853 | ||||||
Government grant |
400,000 | 2,200,000 | ||||||
Others |
1,751,769 | 4,095,631 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
2,151,769 | 45,146,495 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Non-Current |
||||||||
Government grant |
1,500,000 | 1,000,000 |
F-27
(a) |
The Group, in cooperation with third-party financing institutions (loan companies), offers an interest-free installment payment option to its customers. The loan companies remit the subscription fee to the Group for the borrowing customers to complete their purchase of the course. The borrowing customers are obligated to repay the loan in pre-agreed installments over the periods ranging from 3 months to 12 months to the loan companies. According to the arrangement with the loan companies, the Group is obligated to repay to the loan companies for any default in repayment by the borrowing customers. The Group also agrees with the loan companies to bear the borrowing customers interest expense and related service fees, which is recorded as loan payables and prepayment of interest and service fee to loan companies respectively (Note 6). The prepayment of interest expenses and service fee are amortized during the installment period and recorded in other expense. The Group considers such arrangement as its own financing activity given the arrangement is full recourse in nature. Based on the considerations that there is no difference between the amount of promised consideration and the cash selling price of the promised services, in addition the actual length of time between when the Group transfers the promised services to the customer and when the customer pays for those services has been within one year, the Group has assessed and concludes that there is no significant financing component in place within these installment arrangements as a practical expedient in accordance with ASC 606-10-32-18. |
The Group records payable when it is remitted from the loan companies and the related receivables are not derecognized until the loan company receives the repayments from the borrowing customers. The repayment of loan and corresponding de-recognition of related receivables are presented as non-cash supplemental financing activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
10. |
Convertible redeemable preferred shares |
On December 19, 2013, the Company issued 3,645,501 shares (with par value of USD0.001) of Series Seeds Preferred Shares (the Series Seed Shares) for RMB 2.4570 (US$0.3978) per share for a total cash consideration of RMB 8,957,094 (US$1,450,000). The issuance costs were RMB 123,824.
On June 6, 2014, the Company issued 5,531,104 shares (with par value of USD0.001) of Series A Preferred Shares (the Series A Shares) for RMB 11.1315 (US$1.8080) per share for a total cash consideration of RMB 61,569,435 (US$10,000,000). The issuance costs were RMB 294,758.
On July 14, 2015, the Company issued 7,895,711 shares (with par value of USD0.001) of Series B Preferred Shares (the Series B Shares) for RMB 22.4098 (US$3.6629) per share for a total cash consideration of RMB 176,941,227 (US$28,920,905). The issuance costs were RMB 5,121,626.
On June 13, 2017, the Company issued 5,295,380 shares (with par value of USD0.001) of Series C Preferred Shares (the Series C Shares) for RMB 64.2224 (US$9.4422) per share for a total cash consideration of RMB 340,081,882 (US$49,999,995). The issuance costs were RMB 1,940,058.
The Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C shares are collectively referred to as the Preferred Shares.
The key terms of the Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C preferred shares are as follows:
Conversion rights
Each Preferred Share shall be convertible, at the option of the holder, into one Class A ordinary shares of the Company. Such conversion ratio is subject to certain anti-dilutive adjustments in case of additional equity securities issuance, share dividends, distribution, subdivisions, redemptions, combinations, or consolidation of Class A Ordinary Shares. In addition, each series of Preferred Shares would automatically be converted into Class A ordinary shares of the Company (i) upon the closing of a Qualified IPO; or (ii) with respect to Series Seed Shares or Series A Shares, upon approval of at least two-thirds of such series of Preferred Shares; with respect to Series B and Series C Preferred Shares, upon approval of at least eighty-five percent of Series B or Series C Preferred Shares, respectively, each voting as a separate class.
F-28
A Qualified IPO is defined as the criteria of gross proceeds to the Company was at least US$100,000,000 and an implied, pre-money valuation of US$600,000,000 or more, or (ii) a public offering of Class A Ordinary Shares registered under the US Securities Act or in a jurisdiction and on an internationally recognized securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system outside of the United States, including The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, with gross proceeds to the Company of at least US$100,000,000 and an implied, pre-money valuation between US$500,000,000 (inclusive) and US$600,000,000 (not inclusive) approved by the Board, or (iii) a public offering of Class A Ordinary Shares that does not meet the requirements of (i) or (ii) but is otherwise approved by the Majority Preferred Holders.
Dividend rights
The holder of each Preferred Share shall have the right to receive non-cumulative dividends, pari passu with the Class A ordinary shares, on an as-converted basis, when, as and if declared by the Board.
Voting rights
The holders of Preferred Shares and the holders of ordinary shares shall vote together based on their shareholding percentages (Refer to Note 11 for the voting rights of Class A and Class B ordinary shares) before the qualified IPO when the Preferred Shares are mandatorily converted.
Liquidation preference
In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, all assets and funds of the Company legally available for distribution to the shareholders shall be distributed to the shareholders according to the following sequence:
(1) |
The holders of the Series C Preferred Shares shall be entitled to receive the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the original issue price of Series C Preferred Shares, plus any dividends declared but unpaid (the Series C Preferred Amount); |
(2) |
For the remaining assets and funds of the Company after the above distribution, the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares shall be entitled to receive the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the original issue price of Series B Preferred Shares, plus any dividends declared but unpaid (the Series B Preference Amount); |
(3) |
For the remaining assets and funds of the Company after the above distributions, the holders of the Series A Preferred Shares and the Series Seed Preferred Shares (collectively, Pre-B Preferred Shares) shall be entitled to receive the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the original issue price of Pre-B Preferred Shares, plus any dividends declared but unpaid (the Pre-B Preference Amount). |
(4) |
If there are any assets or funds remaining after the distribution of aggregate Series C Preference Amount, Series B Preference Amount and Pre-B Preference Amount, the remaining assets and funds of the Company shall be distributed ratably among all shareholders (including the holders of the Preferred Shares), according to the relative number of Class A Ordinary Shares they held (calculated on an as-converted basis). |
Redemption right
Prior to the issuance of Series A Preferred Shares, the Series Seed Shares were redeemable only upon a liquidation event. The redemption price shall be one hundred percent (100%) of the original Series Seed issue price, plus any dividends declared but unpaid (the Series Seed Preference Amount).
Upon the issuance of Series A Preferred Shares, Series Seed Preferred Shares were modified to be redeemable, at the holders discretion, at any time (i) after the five (5) year anniversary after Series A
F-29
Preferred Shares were issued, and (ii) there is a material breach by any group company or any Founding Shareholder. The redemption price shall be one hundred and thirty percent (130%) of the respective original issue price of Pre-B Preferred Shares, plus all accrued or declared but unpaid dividends.
Upon the issuance of Series B Preferred Shares, Pre-B Preferred Shares were further modified with the third redemption condition being added, i.e. (iii) the supermajority Pre-B Preferred Shareholders require the Company to redeem the Pre-B Preferred Shares when the Company has received a Series B Redemption Notice. There was no change to the redemption price.
The Series B Preferred Shares shall be redeemable, at any time (i) after the five (5) year anniversary after Series B Preferred Shares were issued, (ii) there is a material breach by any group company or any Founding Shareholder, and (iii) the supermajority Series B Preferred Shareholders require the Company to redeem all or part of the Series B Preferred Shares when the Company has received a Pre-B Redemption Notice. The redemption price for Series B Preferred Shares shall be the original issue price per share plus a six percent (6%) annual compound interest and all accrued or declared but unpaid dividends.
Upon the issuance of Series C Preferred Shares, Series B and Pre-B Preferred Shares were modified to be redeemable, at the holders discretion, at any time (i) after the three (3) year anniversary of the date on which Series C Preferred Shares were issued, (ii) there is a material breach by any group company or any Founding Shareholder, (iii) the supermajority Pre-B Preferred Shareholders require the Company to redeem all or part of the Pre-B Preferred Shares when the Company has received a Series C Redemption Notice or a Series B Redemption Notice, and (iv) the supermajority Series B Preferred Shareholders require the Company to redeem all or part of the Series B Preferred Shares when the Company has received a Series C Redemption Notice or a Pre-B Redemption Notice. There was no change to the redemption price for Series Pre-B and Series B Preferred Shares.
The Series C Preferred Shares shall be redeemable, at any time (i) after the three (3) year anniversary of the date on which Series B Preferred Shares were issued, (ii) there is a material breach by any group company or any Founding Shareholder, and (iii) the supermajority Series C Preferred Shareholders require the Company to redeem all or part of the Series C Preferred Shares when the Company has received a Series B Redemption Notice or a Pre-B Redemption Notice. The redemption price for Series C Preferred Shares shall be the original issue price per share plus a six percent (6%) annual compound interest and all accrued or declared but unpaid dividends.
In case of insufficient funds and distribution of redemption payments
If the Companys assets or funds which are legally available on the date of redemption payment are insufficient, or if the Company is otherwise prohibited by applicable law from making such redemption payment, those assets or funds which are legally available shall be used to pay, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the holders of Preferred Shares in the following sequence: (i) first, pay the Series C Redemption Price to the holders of Series C Shares, pari passu as amongst themselves, (ii) second, after the full payment of the Series C Redemption Price, pay the Series B Redemption Price to the holders of Series B Shares, pari passu as amongst themselves, and (iii) third, after the full payment of the Series C and the Series B Redemption Price, pay the Pre-B Redemption Price to the holders of Pre-B Shares, pari passu as amongst themselves. For the redemption payment that is paid in full by the Company, the Company shall issue an one-year note (bearing 15% simple interest per annum) to such holder (the Redemption Note). For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, the Company did not issue such Redemption Note.
F-30
The Companys convertible redeemable preferred shares activities for the year ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 are summarized below:
Series Seed Shares | Series A Shares | Series B Shares | Series C Shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of
shares |
Amount
(RMB) |
Number of
shares |
Amount
(RMB) |
Number of
shares |
Amount
(RMB) |
Number of
shares |
Amount
(RMB) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances as of January 1, 2016 |
3,645,501 | 28,337,639 | 5,531,104 | 66,544,537 | 7,895,711 | 176,915,232 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion on convertible redeemable preferred shares to redemption value |
| | | 3,600,996 | | 11,547,597 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances as of December 31, 2016 |
3,645,501 | 28,337,639 | 5,531,104 | 70,145,533 | 7,895,711 | 188,462,829 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of convertible redeemable preferred shares, net of issuance costs. |
| | | | | | 5,295,380 | 338,141,824 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion on convertible redeemable preferred shares to redemption value |
| | | 3,104,883 | | 12,564,515 | | 11,147,161 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances as of December 31, 2017 |
3,645,501 | 28,337,639 | 5,531,104 | 73,250,416 | 7,895,711 | 201,027,344 | 5,295,380 | 349,288,985 |
Accounting for Preferred Shares
Prior to the issuance of the Series A Preferred Shares, the Company classified the Series Seed Preferred Shares as permanent equity which was not redeemable. Upon the issuance of the Series A Preferred Shares, the Company reclassified the Series Seed Preferred Shares, along with all other series of the Preferred Shares as the mezzanine equity because they were redeemable at the holders option any time after a certain date and were contingently redeemable upon the occurrence of certain events that are outside of the Companys control. The initial carrying value for the Preferred Shares are recorded at fair value, net of any issuance costs. For the year ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, the issuance costs incurred were nil and RMB 1,940,058, respectively.
For each reporting period, the Company recorded accretions on the Preferred Shares to the respective redemption value by using the effective interest rate method from the issuance dates to the earliest redemption dates as set forth in the original issuance. The accretion is recorded against retained earnings, or in the absence of retained earnings, by charges against additional paid-in-capital, or in the obsence of additional paid-in-capital, by charges to accumulated deficit. The accretion of the Preferred Shares was RMB15,148,593 (US$2,328,296) and RMB26,816,559 (US$4,121,630) for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017.
The Company has determined that host contract of the Preferred Shares is more akin to a debt host, given the Preferred Shares holders have potential creditors right in the event of insufficient fund upon redemption, along with other debt-like features in the terms of the Preferred Shares, including the redemption rights. The Company has assessed each embedded features in the Preferred Shares, and
F-31
determined that the conversion feature does not meet the definition of derivative in according with ASC 815-15-25, therefore does not warrant bifurcation, even though the equity-like conversion feature is not considered clearly and closely related to the debt host of the Preferred Shares. The Company also assessed the redemption features and liquidation feature in accordance with ASC 815-15-25-42, and determined that none of these debt-like features would result in any substantial premium or discount, nor would them accelerate the repayment of the contractual principal amount as it is contingently exercisable. Therefore, both the redemption feature and liquidation feature are considered to be clearly and closely related to the debt host, and none of these embedded features needs to be bifurcated from the debt host.
Modification of Preferred Shares
The Company assesses whether an amended to the terms of its convertible redeemable Preferred Shares is an extinguishment or a modification based on a qualitative evaluation of the amendment. The Company also assesses if the change in the terms results in value transfer between the Preferred Shareholders or between Preferred Shareholders and the Ordinary Shareholders.
There were modifications of Preferred Shares occurred in 2014 where redemption provisions were entitled to Series Seed Preferred Shareholders in connection with the issuance of Series A Preferred Shares. In addition, in 2015, the liquidation preference was changed and the Pre-B shareholders are allowed and entitled to share the remaining assets and funds of the Company available for distribution on an as-converted basis if there are any assets or funds remaining after the Pre-B shareholders has received the amount equal to 100% of the applicable issue price, plus any dividends declared but unpaid. In 2017, the optional redemption right the Pre-B Preferred Shares was extended from June 5, 2019 to June 12, 2020 while the optional redemption right of Series B Preferred Shares was changed from July 3, 2020 to June 12, 2020, which are to be in line with the optional redemption date of Series C Preferred Shares. The modification of the Pre-B and Series B optional redemption dates were driven by the objective to obtain financing from the issuance of Series C Preferred Shares.
From both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, the Company assessed the impact of the above modifications and concluded that these amendments represent modifications rather than extinguishment of the Preferred Shares. The Company also evaluated and concluded the impact of above modifications as immaterial for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017.
For the modification for the Series Seed Preferred Shares, the Company determined that the modification in nature should be treated as extinguishment given its qualitatively significance which provided Series Seed Preferred Shares redemption feature, and resulted in its reclassification from the permanent equity to the Mezzanine equity. Upon the reclassification, the Series Seed Preferred Shares was recorded at the new cost, which was the fair value of Series Seed Preferred Shares on the issuance date of Series A Preferred Shares. Due to that fair value of Series Seed Preferred Shares were higher than the redemption amount, therefore no accretion was recorded.
11. |
Ordinary Share |
On August 19, 2013, the Company was incorporated as limited liability company with authorized share capital of US$50,000 divided into 50,000,000 shares with par value US$0.001 each. 30,000,000 shares were unissued and 20,000,000 issued and outstanding shares were designated as ordinary shares held by the founders.
On December 19, 2013, among the total 30,000,000 authorized but unissued shares, 26,354,499 shares were re-designated as Class A Ordinary Shares and 3,645,501 shares were re-designated as preferred shares. 20,000,000 issued and outstanding ordinary shares were re-designated as Class B Ordinary Shares. The Company issued 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares to third party investors on the same day. Thereafter, 26,354,499 Class A Ordinary Shares were authorized but unissued, 20,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares and 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding. There was no financial impact to the Company on above re-designation.
F-32
On June 6, 2014, the Companys shareholders and Board of Directors approved an increase in its authorized share capital from 50,000,000 to 100,000,000,000 share, with 70,823,395 Class A Ordinary Shares, 20,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, and 9,176,605 preferred shares. On the same day, the Company issued 5,531,104 Series A Preferred Shares to third party investors. Thereafter, 70,823,395 Class A Ordinary Shares were authorized but unissued, 20,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares and 5,531,104 Series A Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding.
On July 14, 2015, the Company repurchased 229,010 Class B Ordinary Shares held by the founders, who were also the management of the Company, at the price of RMB 5,128,038 (US$838,833). The consideration that exceeded the fair value of the Class B ordinary shares at the date the repurchase with amount of RMB 2,230,071 (US$364,790) was charged as general and administrative expenses with a corresponding credit to the equity. Immediately after the closing of the repurchase of Class B Ordinary Shares, 7,666,701 authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares together with 229,010 authorized but unissued Class B Ordinary Shares were re-designated as preferred shares. The Company issued 7,895,711 Series B Preferred Shares to third party investors on the same day. Thereafter, 63,156,694 Class A Ordinary Shares were authorized but unissued, 19,770,990 Class B Ordinary Shares, 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares, 5,531,104 Series A Preferred Shares and 7,895,711 Series B Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding. There was no financial impact to the Company on above re-designation.
On June 16, 2017, 5,295,380 authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares were re-designated as preferred shares. The Company issued 5,295,380 Series C Preferred Shares to third party investors on the same day. Concurrently, 95,316 Class B Ordinary shares held by the founders were re-designated as Class A Ordinary Shares. After this re-designation, the founders, who were also the management of the Company, sold 95,316 Class A Ordinary Shares to a third party investor (Investor) for a total cash consideration of RMB 6,117,426 (US$899,992). The consideration that exceeded the fair value of the Class A ordinary shares at the date the transaction with amount of RMB 2,398,588 (US$352,878.90) was charged as general and administrative expenses with a corresponding credit to the equity. On the same day, the Company issued 63,545 Class A Ordinary Shares to the Investor for a cash consideration of RMB 4,078,347 (US$600,004). Thereafter, 57,797,769 Class A Ordinary Shares were authorized but unissued, 158,861 Class A Ordinary Shares, 19,675,674 Class B Ordinary Shares, 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares, 5,531,104 Series A Preferred Shares, 7,895,711 Series B Preferred Shares and 5,295,380 Series C Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding. There was no financial impact to the Company on above re-designation.
The proceeds of the subscription capital from founding shareholders of RMB121,967 (US$19,771) were remained outstanding and such amount was presented as subscriptions receivable, a contra-equity balance on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2016 and 2017.
The Company has a dual class voting structure under which all of the ordinary shares held by the founders are designated as Class B Ordinary Shares and all of the other ordinary shares, including the shares held by others shareholders and automatic conversion of outstanding Preferred Shares, are designated as Class A Ordinary Shares. Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Both of the Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per share before the qualified IPO. While upon the closing of the Qualified IPO, holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to ten votes per share. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances.
12. |
Share-based compensation |
On May 26, 2014, the Company adopted its 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2014 Plan), which permits the grant of restricted shares, restricted share units, options and share appreciation rights to the employees, directors and consultants of the Company. The Company granted share options under the 2014 Plan to its employees and directors. Under the plan, a total of 2,627,250 Class A Ordinary Shares were initially
F-33
reserved for issuance. The 2014 Plan is valid and effective for a term of 10 years commencing from its adoption. On July 14, 2015, the Board of Director passed a resolution to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2014 Plan by 957,405 Class A Ordinary Shares to 3,540,655 Class A Ordinary Shares.
On July 14, 2015, the Company repurchased and canceled vested 44,000 options held by 3 employees at the price of US$161,164. The consideration that exceeded the fair value of the options at the date the repurchase with amount of RMB 482,264 (US$78,888) was charged as operating expenses with a corresponding credit to the equity.
On June 13, 2017, the number of ordinary shares reserved for option issuance under the 2014 Plan increased to 5,519,737 Class A Ordinary Shares. Concurrently, the Company repurchased and canceled 63,545 options held by 5 employees at the price of RMB 4,069,171 (US$598,654). The consideration that exceeded the fair value of the options at the date the repurchase with amount of RMB 1,685,470 (US$247,965) was charged as operating expenses with a corresponding credit to the equity. After which, a total of 5,456,192 Class A Ordinary Shares are reserved for option issuance pursuant to 2014 Plan.
The Company concluded above two repurchase were isolated cases that was not considered as frequent, and the likelihood to recur is remote. Since there is no repurchase obligation in 2014 Plan, the Companys such repurchase action does not prevent the awards from being equity-classified.
The option granted are vested upon satisfaction of service condition, which is generally satisfied over four years. There were no other vesting conditions for all the awards under the 2014 Plan.
The grantees are entitled a right to extend the exercisable period of the vested options granted until after the IPO date if they are leaving the Company before an IPO. The granted option subjected to service condition are annually vested on the last day of each anniversary.
Share-based compensation expense related to the option awards granted to the employees amounted to RMB 4,519,791 and RMB 8,517,693 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017.
The following table sets forth the summary of employee option activity under the Companys 2014 Plan for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017:
Number of
options |
Weighted
Average Exercise Price |
Weighted
Average Remaining Contractual Life |
Aggregate
Intrinsic Value |
Weighted
Average Grant Date Fair Value |
||||||||||||||||
USD | In Years | USD000 | USD | |||||||||||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2016 |
1,386,345 | 0.0511 | 1.23 | |||||||||||||||||
Granted |
722,070 | 0.2000 | 3.32 | |||||||||||||||||
Forfeited |
(28,400 | ) | 0.1662 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2016 |
2,080,015 | 0.1012 | 8.21 | 7,547 | 1.94 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2017 |
2,080,015 | 0.1012 | 8.21 | 7,547 | 1.94 | |||||||||||||||
Granted |
1,237,584 | 0.3805 | 6.26 | |||||||||||||||||
Repurchased and canceled employees vested option |
(63,545 | ) | 0.0212 | |||||||||||||||||
Forfeited |
(8,500 | ) | 0.1106 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2017 |
3,245,554 | 0.2093 | 8.17 | 25,272 | 3.61 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2017 |
3,143,395 | 0.2061 | 8.14 | 24,487 | 3.56 | |||||||||||||||
Exercisable at December 31, 2017 |
1,202,375 | 0.0452 | 6.64 | 9,565 | 1.35 |
The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the options and the estimated fair value of the underlying shares of USD 3.72 and USD 7.99 at December 31, 2016 and 2017.
F-34
The total fair value of share options vested during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 was RMB 3,062,694 and RMB 4,925,090 respectively.
As of December 31, 2017, there were RMB 58,776,274 of unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to share options granted to the employees, which were expected to be recognized over a weighted-average vesting period of 2.17 years. To the extent the actual forfeiture rate is different from the Companys estimate, the actual share-based compensation related to these awards may be different from the expectation.
The binomial option pricing model is used to determine the fair value of the share options granted to employees and non-employees. The fair values of share options granted during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017.
2016 | 2017 | |||
Expected volatility |
52.03% | 50.15%~51.53% | ||
Risk-free interest rate |
1.65% | 2.45%~2.67% | ||
Exercise multiple |
2.8 | 2.8 | ||
Expected dividend yield |
0% | 0% | ||
Contractual term |
10 | 10 | ||
Expected forfeiture rate (post-vesting) |
5% | 5% | ||
Fair value of the common share on the date of option grant (US$) |
US$3.52 | US$3.72~US$7.99 |
Notes:
(i) |
The risk-free interest rate of periods within the contractual life of the share option is based on the market yield of the US Treasury Strip Bond with a maturity life equal to the expected life to expiration. |
(ii) |
The Company has no history or expectation of paying dividends on its ordinary shares. |
(iii) |
Expected volatility is estimated based on the average of historical volatilities of the comparable companies in the same industry as at the valuation dates. |
(iv) |
The estimated fair value of the Companys ordinary shares at their respective grant dates, was determined with the assistance of an independent third party valuation firm by using income approach. |
13. |
Revenue |
For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, all of the Groups revenue were generated in the PRC. The disaggregated revenues by course plans were as follow:
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Prepaid standard courses |
8,767,968 | 138,921,006 | ||||||
Prepaid multiple course packages |
2,961,508 | 15,810,940 | ||||||
Other courses |
603,466 | 10,860,363 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total revenues |
12,332,942 | 165,592,309 | ||||||
Less: tax surcharges |
(705 | ) | (31,023 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net revenues |
12,332,237 | 165,561,286 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
14. |
Employee benefits |
The full-time employees of the Companys subsidiaries and VIEs that are incorporated in the PRC are entitled to staff welfare benefits including medical insurance, basic pensions, unemployment insurance, work injury insurance, maternity insurance and housing funds. These companies are required to contribute to these benefits based on certain percentages of the employees salaries in accordance with the relevant regulations and charge the amount contributed to these benefits to the consolidated statements of
F-35
comprehensive loss. The total amounts charged to the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss for such employee benefits amounted to RMB 9,631,974 and RMB 37,490,313 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively. The PRC government is responsible for the welfare and medical benefits and ultimate pension liability to these employees.
15. |
Income Taxes |
(a) |
Cayman Islands |
Under the current tax laws of Cayman Islands, the Company is not subject to income, corporation or capital gains tax, and no withholding tax is imposed upon the payment of dividends.
(b) |
Hong Kong Profits Tax |
One of the Companys subsidiary incorporated in Hong Kong is subject to Hong Kong profits tax rate of 16.5% on its estimated assessable profit for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017. Dividends income received from subsidiaries in China are not subject to Hong Kong profits tax.
(c) |
U.S. Corporate Income Tax |
One of the Companys subsidiary is a Delaware corporation that is subject to U.S. corporate income tax on its taxable income at a rate of 21% for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and U.S. corporate income tax on its taxable income of up to 35% for prior tax years.
(d) |
PRC Enterprise Income Tax (EIT) |
On March 16, 2007, the National Peoples Congress of the PRC enacted an Enterprise Income Tax Law (EIT Law), under which Foreign Investment Enterprises (FIEs) and domestic companies would be subject to EIT at a uniform rate of 25%. The EIT law became effective on January 1, 2008.
The EIT Law also provides that an enterprise established under the laws of a foreign country or region but whose de facto management body is located in the PRC be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes and consequently be subject to the PRC income tax at the rate of 25% for its global income. The implementing Rules of the EIT Law merely define the location of the de facto management body as the place where the exercising, in substance, of the overall management and control of the production and business operation, personnel, accounting, properties, etc., of a non-PRC company is located.
The EIT Law also imposes a withholding income tax of 10% on dividends distributed by a FIE to its immediate holding company outside of China, if such immediate holding company is considered as a non-resident enterprise without any establishment or place within China or if the received dividends have no connection with the establishment or place of such immediate holding company within China, unless such immediate holding companys jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a different withholding arrangement. The Cayman Islands, where the Company incorporated, does not have such tax treaty with China. According to the arrangement between Mainland China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion in August 2006, dividends paid by a FIE in China to its immediate holding company in Hong Kong will be subject to withholding tax at a rate of no more than 5% if the immediate holding company in Hong Kong owns directly at least 25% of the shares of the FIE and could be recognized as a Beneficial Owner of the dividend from PRC tax perspective.
Yuguan WFOE and Liulishuo VIE obtained its HNTE certificate in 2017 with a valid period of three years. Therefore, Yuguan WFOE and Liulishuo VIE are eligible to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15% from 2017 to 2019 to the extent it has taxable income under the EIT Law, as long as it maintains the HNTE qualification and duly conducts relevant EIT filing procedures with the relevant tax authority. Each of Yulin and Mengfan is entitled to a preferential tax treatment as a Small-scaled Enterprise in 2017 and thus enjoy a reduced tax rate of 20% on 50% of its taxable income in 2017.
F-36
A reconciliation between the effective income tax rate and the PRC statutory income tax rate is as follows:
For the Years Ended
December 31, |
||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
% | % | |||||||
PRC Statutory income tax rates |
25.0 | % | 25.0 | % | ||||
Change in valuation allowance |
(20.1 | )% | (11.6 | )% | ||||
Permanent booktax difference |
(2.8 | )% | (0.1 | )% | ||||
Difference in EIT rates of certain subsidiaries |
(2.1 | )% | (0.8 | )% | ||||
The effect of change in the tax rate of Yuguan WFOE and Liulishuo VIE |
| (5.1 | )% | |||||
Effect of tax holiday |
| (9.8 | )% | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
| (2.4 | )% | |||||
|
|
|
|
The provisions for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2017 differ from the amounts computed by applying the EIT primarily due to preferential tax rate enjoyed by certain subsidiary and VIE of the Company. The following table sets forth the effect of preferential tax on China operations:
For the Year Ended
December 31, 2017 |
||||
Tax holiday effect |
3,737,231 | |||
Basic and diluted net loss per share effect |
0.19 |
Loss from domestic and foreign components before income tax expenses
For the Years Ended
December 31, |
||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Domestic |
77,484,442 | 232,715,320 | ||||||
Foreign |
11,684,589 | 4,438,461 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
89,169,031 | 237,153,781 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Composition of income tax expense
The current and deferred portions of income tax expense included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss are as follows:
As of
December 31, |
||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Current income tax expense |
| 5,605,847 | ||||||
Deferred income tax expense |
| | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Income tax (benefit)/expense |
| 5,605,847 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
F-37
Deferred tax assets and liabilities
Deferred taxes were measured using the enacted tax rates for the periods in which they are expected to be reversed. The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to the deferred tax asset balances as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 are as follows:
As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, the PRC entities of the Group had tax loss carryforwards of approximately RMB73,121,968 and RMB 130,682,420 respectively, which can be carried forward to offset taxable income. The carryforwards period for net operating losses under the EIT Law is five years. The net operating loss carry forward of the Group will start to expire in 2019 for the amount of RMB 740,168 if not utilized. The remaining net operating loss carryforwards will expire in varying amounts between 2020 and 2023. Other than the expiration, there are no other limitations or restrictions upon the Groups ability to use these operating loss carryforwards. There is no expiration for the advertising expenses carry-forwards.
Valuation allowance is provided against deferred tax assets when the Group determines that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be utilized in the future. In making such determination, the Group considered factors including future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and tax loss carry forwards. Valuation allowance was provided for net operating loss carry forward because it was more likely than not that such deferred tax assets will not be realized due to lack of profitable history to support the Groups estimate of its future taxable income. If events occur in the future that allow the Group to realize part or all of its deferred income tax, an adjustment to the valuation allowances will result in a decrease in tax expense when those events occur.
As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, valuation allowances of RMB 21,855,333 and RMB 49,183,288 were provided because it was more likely than not that the Group will not be able to utilize certain tax losses carry-forwards and other deferred tax assets generated by its subsidiaries and VIEs. If events occur in the future that allow the Group to realize more of its deferred tax assets than the presently recorded amount, a reversal of the valuation allowances will be made when those events occur.
Movement of valuation allowance is as follows:
December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Beginning balance |
3,893,003 | 21,855,333 | ||||||
Additions |
17,962,330 | 27,327,955 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Ending balance |
21,855,333 | 49,183,288 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
F-38
16. |
Basic and diluted net loss per share |
(a) |
Basic and diluted net loss per share |
Basic loss per share and diluted loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 are as follows:
Year Ended
December 31, 2016 |
Year Ended
December 31, 2017 |
|||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||
Net loss |
(89,169,031 | ) | (242,759,628 | ) | ||||
Accretion on Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares redemption value |
(3,600,996 | ) | (3,104,883 | ) | ||||
Accretion on Series B convertible redeemable preferred shares redemption value |
(11,547,597 | ) | (12,564,515 | ) | ||||
Accretion on Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares redemption value |
| (11,147,161 | ) | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders-Basic and diluted |
(104,317,624 | ) | (269,576,187 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator: |
||||||||
Denominator for basic and diluted loss per share Weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding (Note) |
||||||||
Basic and diluted |
19,770,990 | 19,834,535 | ||||||
Basic and diluted loss per share |
(5.28 | ) | (13.59 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
Considering that the holder of Preferred Shares has no contractual obligation to participate in the Companys losses, any losses from the Group should not be allocated to the Preferred Shares.
For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, assumed conversion of the Preferred Shares have not been reflected in the dilutive calculations pursuant to ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, due to the anti-dilutive effect as a result of the Groups net loss. The effects of all outstanding share options have also been excluded from the computation of diluted loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 due to their anti-dilutive effect.
The following ordinary shares equivalent were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per ordinary share for the periods presented because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||
Preferred sharesweighted average |
17,072,316 | 19,967,318 | ||||||
Share optionsweighted average |
1,160,121 | 1,678,007 |
F-39
17. |
Commitments and contingencies |
(a) |
Operating lease commitments |
The Group leases office space under non-cancelable operating lease agreements, which expire at various dates through December 2020. As of December 31, 2017, future minimum lease under non-cancelable operating lease agreements were as follows:
Operating Lease |
||||
RMB | ||||
Years Ending December 31, |
||||
2018 |
12,847,518 | |||
2019 |
8,812,949 | |||
2020 and thereafter |
2,889,579 | |||
|
|
|||
Total |
24,550,046 | |||
|
|
For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, the Group incurred rental expenses in the amounts of RMB 2,548,717 and RMB 10,805,723 respectively.
(b) |
Purchase Commitments |
As of December 31, 2017, purchase commitments related to royalty fee of content were as follows:
Royalty Fee | ||||
RMB | ||||
Years Ending December 31, |
||||
2018 |
8,824,000 | |||
2019 |
2,941,333 | |||
|
|
|||
Total |
11,765,333 | |||
|
|
(c) |
Capital Commitments |
As of December 31, 2017, the Group did not have capital commitments.
(d) |
Litigation |
In the ordinary course of the business, the Group is subject to periodic legal or administrative proceedings. As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, the Group is not a party to any legal or administrative proceedings which will have a material adverse effect on the Groups financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
18. |
Unaudited Pro Forma Balance Sheet and Loss Per Share for Conversion of Convertible Redeemable Preferred Shares |
Upon the completion of a qualified initial public offering as defined in Note 10, the Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares shall automatically be converted into Class A Ordinary Shares. The unaudited pro-forma balance sheet as of December 31, 2017 assumes a qualified initial public offering has occurred and presents an adjusted financial position as if the conversion of all outstanding Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares into ordinary shares at the conversion ratio of one for one occurred on December 31, 2017. Accordingly, the carrying values of the Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares, in the amounts of RMB 28,337,639 and RMB 73,250,416, RMB 201,027,344 and RMB 349,288,985 respectively, were reclassified from Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares to Class A Ordinary Shares for such pro forma adjustment.
F-40
The unaudited pro-forma loss per share for the year ended December 31, 2017 after giving effect to the assumed conversion of the convertible redeemable preferred shares into Class A Ordinary Shares as of the issuance dates at the conversion ratio of one-for-one and the weighted average number of the convertible redeemable preferred shares in 2017 are as follows:
For the year ended
December 31, 2017 |
||||||||
RMB | US$ | |||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||
Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders |
(269,576,187 | ) | (41,433,101 | ) | ||||
Pro forma adjustment of the accretion on Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares |
3,104,883 | 477,212 | ||||||
Pro forma adjustment of the accretion on Series B convertible redeemable preferred shares |
12,564,515 | 1,931,131 | ||||||
Pro forma adjustment of the accretion on Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares |
11,147,161 | 1,713,287 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
For the year ended
December 31, 2017 |
||||||||
RMB | US$ | |||||||
Numerator for pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share |
(242,759,628 | ) | (37,311,471 | ) | ||||
Denominator: |
||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding |
19,834,535 | 19,834,535 | ||||||
Pro forma effect of weighted average number of Seed Share
|
3,645,501 | 3,645,501 | ||||||
Pro forma effect of weighted average number of Preferred A Share
|
5,531,104 | 5,531,104 | ||||||
Pro forma effect of weighted average number of Preferred B Share
|
7,895,711 | 7,895,711 | ||||||
Pro forma effect of weighted average number of Preferred C Share
|
2,895,002 | 2,895,002 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator for pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share |
39,801,853 | 39,801,853 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Pro forma basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share: |
(6.10 | ) | (0.94 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
The effects of all outstanding share options have been excluded from the computation of pro forma diluted net loss per share for the year ended December 31, 2017 as their effects would be anti-dilutive.
19. |
Subsequent events |
(a) |
On January 15, 2018, Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu Liulishuo) was established in Jiangsu Province, PRC. By entering into a series of commercial agreement on May 28, 2018, Jiangsu Liulishuo became the VIE whose primary beneficiary is also the Yuguan WFOE. Jiangsu Liulishuo has the same shareholding structure as Liulishuo VIE and Mengfan VIE. Up to date of our report Jiangsu Liulishuo has no active operation. |
(b) |
On April 25, 2018, the Company granted 646,000 share options under the 2014 Plan to employees at exercise price US$0.60 with vesting period of four years. |
20. |
Restricted net assets |
Relevant PRC laws and regulations permit payments of dividends by the Groups subsidiary and the VIE incorporated in the PRC only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC
F-41
accounting standards and regulations. In addition, the Groups subsidiary and the VIE in the PRC are required to annually appropriate 10% of their net after-tax income to the statutory general reserve fund prior to payment of any dividends, unless such reserve funds have reached 50% of their respective registered capital. As a result of these and other restrictions under PRC laws and regulations, the Groups subsidiaries and the VIEs incorporated in the PRC are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to the Company either in the form of dividends, loans or advances. There are no significant differences between US GAAP and PRC accounting standards in connection with the reported net assets of the legally owned subsidiary in the PRC and the VIE. Even though the Company currently does not require any such dividends, loans or advances from the PRC entities for working capital and other funding purposes, the Company may in the future require additional cash resources from them due to changes in business conditions, to fund future acquisitions and development, or merely to declare and pay dividends or distributions to our shareholders. Except for the above, there is no other restriction on use of proceeds generated by the Groups subsidiaries and the VIEs to satisfy any obligations of the Company.
As of December 31, 2017, the total restricted net assets of the Companys subsidiaries and VIEs incorporated in PRC and subjected to restriction amounted to RMB 47,806,205.
21. |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF PARENT COMPANY |
Rules 12-04(a) and 4-08(e)(3) of Regulation S-X require condensed financial information as to the financial position, cash flows and results of operations of a parent company as of and for the same periods for which the audited consolidated financial statements have been presented when the restricted net assets of the consolidated and unconsolidated subsidiaries together exceed 25% of consolidated net assets as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year.
The following condensed financial statements of the Parent Company have been prepared using the same accounting policies as set out in the Companys consolidated financial statements except that the Parent Company used the equity method to account for its investment in its subsidiaries and VIEs. Such investment is presented on the separate condensed balance sheets of the Parent Company as Payables to subsidiaries and VIEs. The Parent Company, its subsidiaries and VIEs were included in the consolidated financial statements whereby the inter-company balances and transactions were eliminated upon consolidation. The Parent Companys share of income from its subsidiaries and VIEs is reported as share of income from subsidiaries and VIEs in the condensed financial statements.
The Parent Company is a Cayman Islands company and, therefore, is not subjected to income taxes for all years presented. The footnote disclosures contain supplemental information relating to the operations of the Company and, as such, these statements should be read in conjunction with the notes to the consolidated financial statements of the Company. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted.
As of December 31, 2017, there were no material commitments or contingencies, significant provisions for long-term obligations or guarantees of the Company, except for those which have been separately disclosed in the consolidated financial statements, if any.
F-42
Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company
BALANCE SHEETS
F-43
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
For the years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$(Note 2 (e)) | ||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||
General and administrative expense |
(433,899 | ) | (157,556 | ) | (24,217 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total operating expenses |
(433,899 | ) | (157,556 | ) | (24,217 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Loss from operations |
(433,899 | ) | (157,556 | ) | (24,217 | ) | ||||||
Other loss, net |
| (283 | ) | (43 | ) | |||||||
Loss from subsidiaries and VIEs |
(88,735,132 | ) | (242,601,789 | ) | (37,287,212 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Loss before provision for income taxes |
(89,169,031 | ) | (242,759,628 | ) | (37,311,472 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Provision for income taxes |
| | | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net loss |
(89,169,031 | ) | (242,759,628 | ) | (37,311,472 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Series A Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(3,600,996 | ) | (3,104,883 | ) | (477,212 | ) | ||||||
Series B Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(11,547,597 | ) | (12,564,515 | ) | (1,931,131 | ) | ||||||
Series C Preferred share redemption value accretion |
| (11,147,161 | ) | (1,713,287 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders |
(104,317,624 | ) | (269,576,187 | ) | (41,433,102 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net loss |
||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax |
12,994,795 | (24,981,999 | ) | (3,839,663 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Comprehensive loss |
(76,174,236 | ) | (267,741,627 | ) | (41,151,134 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | |||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$(Note2(e)) | ||||||||||
Cash flows used in operating activities |
(170,814 | ) | (8,616,197 | ) | (1,324,285 | ) | ||||||
Cash flows used in investing activities |
(3,473,400 | ) | (262,776,450 | ) | (40,388,001 | ) | ||||||
Cash flows provided by financing activities |
| 340,393,857 | 52,317,578 | |||||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash |
656,162 | (452,513 | ) | (69,550 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
(2,988,052 | ) | 68,548,697 | 10,535,742 | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year |
11,371,458 | 8,383,406 | 1,288,506 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year |
8,383,406 | 76,932,103 | 11,824,248 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-44
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
As of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
F-45
As of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note | December 31, 2017 | June 30, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pro-forma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB |
US$ (Note 2(e)) |
RMB (Note 17) |
US$ (Note 2(e)) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Non-current liabilities |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deferred revenue, non-current (including deferred revenue, non-current of the consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) without recourse to the Company of RMB 907,711 and 110,780 as of December 31, 2017 and June 30 , 2018, respectively) |
907,711 | 110,780 | 16,741 | 110,780 | 16,741 | |||||||||||||||||||
Other non-current liabilities (including Other non-current liabilities of the consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) without recourse to the Company of RMB 1,000,000 and RMB 2,000,000 as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018, respectively) |
8 | 1,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 302,248 | 2,000,000 | 302,248 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total non-current liabilities |
1,907,711 | 2,110,780 | 318,989 | 2,110,780 | 318,989 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total liabilities |
290,406,690 | 423,452,388 | 63,993,651 | 423,452,388 | 63,993,651 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Commitments and contingencies (Note 16) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mezzanine equity: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series Seed convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 3,645,501 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018, respectively; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2018; redemption amount of RMB 11,644,222 as of June 30, 2018) |
9 | 28,337,639 | 28,337,639 | 4,282,486 | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 5,531,104 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018, respectively; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2018; redemption amount of RMB 80,040,266 as of June 30, 2018) |
9 | 73,250,416 | 74,563,154 | 11,268,253 | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Series B convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 7,895,711 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018, respectively; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2018; redemption amount of RMB 210,262,834 as of June 30, 2018) |
9 | 201,027,344 | 207,731,979 | 31,393,205 | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 5,295,380 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018, respectively; none outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2018; redemption amount of RMB 361,480,071 as of June 30, 2018) |
9 | 349,288,985 | 359,809,746 | 54,375,746 | | | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total mezzanine equity |
651,904,384 | 670,442,518 | 101,319,690 | | | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Shareholders (deficit)/equity: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A Ordinary shares (US$0.001 par value; 57,956,630 shares authorized, 158,861 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018, respectively; 22,526,557 Class A Ordinary Shares on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2018) |
10 | 1,020 | 1,020 | 154 | 141,687 | 21,412 | ||||||||||||||||||
Class B Ordinary shares (US$0.001 par value; 19,675,674 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018, respectively; 19,675,674 Class B Ordinary Shares on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2018) |
10 | 121,379 | 121,379 | 18,343 | 121,379 | 18,343 | ||||||||||||||||||
Subscriptions Receivable from founding shareholders |
(121,967 | ) | (121,967 | ) | (18,432 | ) | (121,967 | ) | (18,432 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
| 2,025,344 | 306,077 | 672,327,195 | 101,604,509 | |||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)/income |
(84,887 | ) | 2,510,883 | 379,454 | 2,510,883 | 379,454 | ||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(447,901,925 | ) | (631,063,866 | ) | (95,368,646 | ) | (631,063,866 | ) | (95,368,646 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total shareholders (deficit)/equity |
(447,986,380 | ) | (626,527,207 | ) | (94,683,050 | ) | 43,915,311 | 6,636,640 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders (deficit)/equity |
494,324,694 | 467,367,699 | 70,630,291 | 467,367,699 | 70,630,291 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-46
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
For Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 and 2018
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
Note |
Six Months Ended
June 30, 2017 |
Six Months Ended
June 30, 2018 |
||||||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$(Note 2(e)) | ||||||||||||||
Net revenues |
40,060,734 | 232,308,408 | 35,107,284 | |||||||||||||
Cost of revenues(including share-based compensation expenses of RMB 1,009,078 and RMB 587,622 for six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, respectively) |
(22,109,906 | ) | (55,007,426 | ) | (8,312,920 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Gross profit |
17,950,828 | 177,300,982 | 26,794,364 | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses (including share-based compensation expenses of RMB 874,169 and RMB 2,181,860 for six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, respectively) |
(62,934,935 | ) | (259,848,496 | ) | (39,269,241 | ) | ||||||||||
Research and development expenses (including share-based compensation expenses of RMB 1,717,327 and RMB 12,592,922 for six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, respectively) |
(19,647,717 | ) | (60,941,291 | ) | (9,209,668 | ) | ||||||||||
General and administrative expenses (including share-based compensation expenses of RMB 152,285 and RMB 4,300,720 for six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, respectively) |
(6,958,275 | ) | (26,290,815 | ) | (3,973,163 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
(89,540,927 | ) | (347,080,602 | ) | (52,452,072 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(71,590,099 | ) | (169,779,620 | ) | (25,657,708 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Interest income |
508,785 | 1,405,766 | 212,444 | |||||||||||||
Foreign exchange related gains/(losses), net |
3,658,677 | (827,922 | ) | (125,119 | ) | |||||||||||
Other income/(expenses), net |
1,469,065 | (604,183 | ) | (91,306 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Loss before income tax expenses |
(65,953,572 | ) | (169,805,959 | ) | (25,661,689 | ) | ||||||||||
Income tax expense |
14 | (1,315,426 | ) | (12,455,628 | ) | (1,882,339 | ) | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss |
(67,268,998 | ) | (182,261,587 | ) | (27,544,028 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Series A Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(1,815,256 | ) | (1,312,738 | ) | (198,386 | ) | ||||||||||
Series B Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(6,076,276 | ) | (6,704,635 | ) | (1,013,229 | ) | ||||||||||
Series C Preferred share redemption value accretion |
(934,024 | ) | (10,520,761 | ) | (1,589,935 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss attributable to LAIX Inc.s ordinary shareholders |
(76,094,554 | ) | (200,799,721 | ) | (30,345,578 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss |
(67,268,998 | ) | (182,261,587 | ) | (27,544,028 | ) | ||||||||||
Other comprehensive (loss)/income: |
||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax |
(6,172,659 | ) | 2,595,770 | 392,282 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Comprehensive loss |
(73,441,657 | ) | (179,665,817 | ) | (27,151,746 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss per Class A and Class B ordinary shares |
||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted |
15 | (3.85 | ) | (10.12 | ) | (1.53 | ) | |||||||||
Weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares used in per share calculation |
||||||||||||||||
Basic and Diluted |
15 | 19,775,878 | 19,834,535 | 19,834,535 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-47
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS DEFICIT
For Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 and 2018
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
Class A Ordinary shares | Class B Ordinary shares |
Subscriptions
Receivable |
Additional
paid-in capital |
Accumulated
other comprehensive income/(loss) |
Accumulated
deficit |
Total
shareholders deficit |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of
Shares |
Amount |
Number of
Shares |
Amount | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of January 1, 2017 |
| | 19,770,990 | 121,967 | (121,967 | ) | | 24,897,112 | (190,936,237 | ) | (166,039,125 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of ordinary shares |
63,545 | 432 | | | | 4,077,919 | | | 4,078,351 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Re-designation of Class B Ordinary Shares to Class A Ordinary Shares |
95,316 | 588 | (95,316 | ) | (588 | ) | | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Compensation to founding shareholders in connection with the transfer of Class A Ordinary Shares to new investor |
| | | | | 2,398,588 | | | 2,398,588 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Repurchase of employee vested share options at fair value |
| | | | | (2,383,701 | ) | | | (2,383,701 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense (Note 11) |
| | | | | 3,752,859 | | | 3,752,859 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion of convertible redeemable preferred shares |
| | | | | (6,690,985 | ) | | (2,134,571 | ) | (8,825,556 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
| | | | | | | (67,268,998 | ) | (67,268,998 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation |
| | | | | | (6,172,659 | ) | | (6,172,659 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of June 30, 2017 |
158,861 | 1,020 | 19,675,674 | 121,379 | (121,967 | ) | 1,154,680 | 18,724,453 | (260,339,806 | ) | (240,460,241 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of January 1, 2018 |
158,861 | 1,020 | 19,675,674 | 121,379 | (121,967 | ) | | (84,887 | ) | (447,901,925 | ) | (447,986,380 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense (Note 11) |
| | | | | 19,663,124 | | | 19,663,124 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion of convertible redeemable preferred shares |
| | | | | (17,637,780 | ) | | (900,354 | ) | (18,538,134 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
(182,261,587 | ) | (182,261,587 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation |
| | | | | | 2,595,770 | | 2,595,770 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of June 30, 2018 |
158,861 | 1,020 | 19,675,674 | 121,379 | (121,967 | ) | 2,025,344 | 2,510,883 | (631,063,866 | ) | (626,527,207 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F-48
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 and 2018
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
Six Months Ended
June 30, 2017 |
Six Months Ended
June 30, 2018 |
|||||||||||
RMB | RMB | US$(Note 2(e)) | ||||||||||
Cash flows from operating activities |
||||||||||||
Net loss |
(67,268,998 | ) | (182,261,587 | ) | (27,544,028 | ) | ||||||
Adjustments for: |
||||||||||||
Depreciation of property and equipment |
380,509 | 2,035,531 | 307,617 | |||||||||
Amortization of prepaid interest expense and service fees to loan companies (Note 8) |
13,252 | 1,684,635 | 254,588 | |||||||||
Foreign exchange losses/(gains) |
(3,658,677 | ) | 827,922 | 125,119 | ||||||||
Share-based compensation |
3,752,859 | 19,663,124 | 2,971,562 | |||||||||
Compensation to founding shareholders in connection with the transfer of Class A Ordinary Shares to new investor (Note 10) |
2,398,588 | | | |||||||||
Compensation to employees in connection with the repurchase of vested shares options |
1,685,470 | | | |||||||||
Changes in assets and liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Accounts receivable |
(1,181,208 | ) | (19,625,205 | ) | (2,965,832 | ) | ||||||
Prepayments and other current assets |
(8,021,489 | ) | (26,875,362 | ) | (4,061,502 | ) | ||||||
Other non-current assets |
(1,552,394 | ) | (6,002,074 | ) | (907,055 | ) | ||||||
Accounts payable |
12,439,166 | 6,662,630 | 1,006,881 | |||||||||
Salary and welfare payable |
7,985,327 | 9,301,823 | 1,405,725 | |||||||||
Tax payable |
3,169,185 | 10,698,858 | 1,616,850 | |||||||||
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities |
4,217,261 | (595,041 | ) | (89,925 | ) | |||||||
Other non-current liabilities |
900,000 | 1,000,000 | 151,124 | |||||||||
Deferred revenue, current and non-current |
35,160,481 | 121,535,747 | 18,366,920 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(9,580,668 | ) | (61,948,999 | ) | (9,361,956 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Cash flows from investing activities: |
||||||||||||
Purchase of short-term investments |
(98,026,531 | ) | | | ||||||||
Proceeds from maturity of short-term investments |
219,267,841 | 34,543,678 | 5,220,365 | |||||||||
Purchase of property and equipment |
(2,119,099 | ) | (6,971,020 | ) | (1,053,486 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds from disposition of property and equipment |
5,706 | 100,938 | 15,254 | |||||||||
Purchase of investment in equity fund (Note 2(i)) |
| (5,460,149 | ) | (825,157 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds from return of investment in equity fund (Note 2(i)) |
| 10,216 | 1,544 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net cash provided by investing activities |
119,127,917 | 22,223,663 | 3,358,520 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Cash flows from financing activities: |
||||||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Class A ordinary shares |
4,078,351 | | | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares, net of issuance costs |
318,350,577 | | | |||||||||
Cash paid for initial public offering related costs |
| (485,223 | ) | (73,329 | ) | |||||||
Cash receipts from loan companies (Note 8) |
2,207,129 | 5,605,272 | 847,089 | |||||||||
Cash payment for repurchase employee vested share options in 2017 |
(13,683 | ) | (1,688,864 | ) | (255,227 | ) | ||||||
Repayment of cash to loan companies (Note 8) |
| (4,229,609 | ) | (639,194 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities |
324,622,374 | (798,424 | ) | (120,661 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
434,169,623 | (40,523,760 | ) | (6,124,097 | ) | |||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
(2,419,136 | ) | 2,412,729 | 364,620 | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period |
41,300,884 | 416,483,038 | 62,940,418 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period |
473,051,371 | 378,372,007 | 57,180,941 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Supplemental schedule of non-cash operating activities: |
||||||||||||
(Prepayment)/Collection of interest expenses and service fee, net (Note 8) |
(154,895 | ) | 224,041 | 33,858 | ||||||||
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities: |
||||||||||||
Accounts payable related to the purchase of property and equipment |
| 406,656 | 61,455 | |||||||||
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities related to repurchase of employee options |
4,055,488 | 553,989 | 83,721 | |||||||||
Non cash settlement related to repayment of loan and corresponding de-recognition of related receivables (Note 8) |
331,992 | 15,427,733 | 2,331,495 | |||||||||
Accretion on redeemable Preferred Shares |
8,825,556 | 18,538,134 | 2,801,550 | |||||||||
Receivables from issuance of Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares, net of issuance costs |
19,791,247 | | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-49
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(RMB, except share data and per share data, or otherwise noted)
1. |
Organization and Principal Activities |
Principal activities
LAIX Inc. (formerly known as LingoChamp Inc.) (the Company) was incorporated on August 19, 2013 under the law of Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. The Company, through its subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) (collectively referred to as the Group) is primarily engaged in providing online English learning services through its Liulishuo mobile app in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC). Users can purchase the Companys services by subscribing the courses either directly from the Company or through authorized online commerce platform partners.
As of June 30, 2018, the Companys major subsidiaries and VIEs are as follows:
Name of subsidiaries and VIE |
Date of establishment |
Place of
incorporation |
Percentage of
direct or indirect economic ownership |
Principal activities |
||||||||
Wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company: |
||||||||||||
LingoChamp US Inc. |
Established on August 15, 2017 | US | 100 | % |
AI lab operation |
|||||||
LingoChamp (HK) Limited |
Established on August 29, 2013 | Hong Kong | 100 | % |
Investment
holding |
|||||||
Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Yuguan WFOE) |
Established on November 19, 2013 | PRC | 100 | % |
Technology
development |
|||||||
Yuling Culture Communication (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Yuling WFOE) |
Established on October 13, 2015 | PRC | 100 | % | Provision of cross-border loan arrangement | |||||||
Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) |
||||||||||||
Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd. (Liulishuo VIE) |
Established on May 17, 2013 | PRC | 100 | % |
Provision of English
learning services |
|||||||
Shanghai Mengfan Culture Communication Co., Ltd. (Mengfan VIE) |
Established on December 8, 2014 | PRC | 100 | % | Inactive | |||||||
Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Techonology Co., Ltd (Jiangsu Liulishuo VIE) |
Established on January 15, 2018 | PRC | 100 | % | Inactive |
F-50
2. |
Principal Accounting Policies |
(a) |
Basis of preparation |
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (US GAAP) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by US GAAP for complete financial statements. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in our annual financial statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP have been condensed or omitted consistent with Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, the Companys consolidated interim financial statements and accompanying notes included all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary by management to a fair statement of the results of operation, financial position and cash flows for the interim periods presented. Interim results of operations are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full year or for any future periods. Theses financial statements should be read in conjunction with the annual financial statements and notes thereto also included herein.
Significant accounting policies followed by the Company in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements are summarized below.
(b) |
Consolidation |
The Groups consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries and its VIEs for which the Company or its subsidiary is the primary beneficiary. Subsidiaries are entities in which the Company, directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting powers; or has the power to govern the financial and operating policies, to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors, or to cast a majority of votes at the meeting of directors.
A consolidated VIE is an entity in which the Company, or its subsidiaries, through contractual agreements with the VIE and the Nominee Shareholder of VIE (the VIE Agreement), bears the risks of, and enjoys the rewards normally associated with ownership of the entity, and therefore the Company or one of its subsidiaries is the primary beneficiary of the entity.
All transactions and balances among the Company, its subsidiaries and its VIEs have been eliminated upon consolidation.
In accordance with the VIE Agreements, Yuguan WFOE has the power to exercise effective control over VIEs, receive substantially all of the economic benefits and residual returns, and absorb substantially all the risks and expected losses from VIEs as if it were its sole shareholder and have an exclusive option to purchase all of the equity interests in the VIEs.
F-51
The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities, results of operations and cash flows of VIEs are included in the Groups consolidated financial statements. Transactions between the VIE and its subsidiaries are eliminated in the balances presented below:
As of December 31, | As of June 30, | |||||||
2017 | 2018 | |||||||
Assets |
||||||||
Current assets |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
20,266,154 | 41,198,120 | ||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
7,236,274 | 11,433,746 | ||||||
Amount due from inter-company entities |
8,747,168 | 14,498,038 | ||||||
Prepayments and other current assets |
19,571,426 | 42,764,827 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total current assets |
55,821,022 | 109,894,731 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Non-current assets |
||||||||
Property and equipment, net |
2,802,847 | 2,258,587 | ||||||
Other non-current assets |
961,593 | 7,913,111 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total non-current assets |
3,764,440 | 10,171,698 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total assets |
59,585,462 | 120,066,429 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Liabilities |
||||||||
Current liabilities |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
64,404,491 | 72,043,246 | ||||||
Amount due to inter-company entities |
8,168,510 | 19,306,596 | ||||||
Deferred revenue, current |
115,536,846 | 237,869,524 | ||||||
Salary and welfare payable |
10,638,612 | 14,735,495 | ||||||
Tax payable |
7,598,181 | 16,049,120 | ||||||
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities |
40,972,262 | 26,345,456 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total current liabilities |
247,318,902 | 386,349,437 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Deferred revenue, non-current |
907,711 | 110,780 | ||||||
Other non-current liabilities |
1,000,000 | 2,000,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total non-current liabilities |
1,907,711 | 2,110,780 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total liabilities |
249,226,613 | 388,460,217 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
For Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||
2017 | 2018 | |||||||
Net revenues |
40,060,734 | 232,180,863 | ||||||
Net loss |
(43,535,153 | ) | (98,415,761 | ) |
For Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||
2017 | 2018 | |||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities |
7,834,339 | 15,326,694 | ||||||
Net cash provided by investing activities |
| | ||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
2,207,129 | 5,605,272 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents |
10,041,468 | 20,931,966 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
(c) |
Use of estimates |
The preparation of the Groups consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities,
F-52
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from such estimates.
The Company believes that revenue recognition, liabilities related to incentive programs, consolidation of VIEs, determination of the fair value of ordinary shares and investments, determination of share-based compensation, impairment assessment of long-lived assets and the valuation allowance of deferred tax assets reflect more significant estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.
Management makes the estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions as discussed elsewhere to the consolidated financial statements that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results could materially differ from these estimates.
(d) |
Functional Currency and Foreign Currency Translation |
The Group uses Renminbi (RMB) as its reporting currency. The functional currency of the Company and its subsidiaries incorporated outside of PRC is the United States dollar (US$), while the functional currency of the PRC entities in the Group is RMB as determined based on the criteria of ASC 830, Foreign Currency Matters.
Transactions denominated in other than the functional currencies are re-measured into the functional currency of the entity at the exchange rates prevailing on the transaction dates. Financial assets and liabilities denominated in other than the functional currency are re-measured at the balance sheet date exchange rate. The resulting exchange differences are recorded in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss as foreign exchange related gain / loss.
The financial statements of the Group are translated from the functional currency to the reporting currency, RMB. Assets and liabilities of the Company and its subsidiaries incorporated outside of PRC are translated into RMB at fiscal year-end exchange rates, income and expense items are translated at the average exchange rates prevailing during the fiscal year, representing the index rates stipulated by the Peoples Bank of China. Translation adjustments arising from these are reported as foreign currency translation adjustments and are shown as a separate component of shareholders deficit on the consolidated financial statement. The exchange rates used for translation on December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018 were US$1.00=RMB 6.5342 and RMB 6.6166, respectively, representing the index rates stipulated by the Peoples Bank of China.
(e) |
Convenience Translation |
The unaudited United States dollar (US$) amounts disclosed in the accompanying financial statements are presented solely for the convenience of the readers. Translations of amounts from RMB into US$ for the convenience of the reader were calculated at the rate of US$1 = RMB 6.6171 on June 29, 2018, representing the noon buying rate in The City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Board. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or settled into US$ at that rate on June 29, 2018, or at any other rate.
F-53
(f) |
Fair value of financial instruments |
The following table sets forth the Groups assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are categorized using the fair value hierarchy:
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
Balance at
fair value |
|||||||||||||
As of December 2017 |
||||||||||||||||
Assets |
||||||||||||||||
Short-term investmentsWealth management products |
| 35,421,663 | | 35,421,663 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
Balance at
fair value |
|||||||||||||
As of June 2018 |
||||||||||||||||
Assets |
||||||||||||||||
Short-term investmentsWealth management products |
| | | | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(g) |
Short-term investments |
Short-term investments include investments in wealth management products issued by certain banks with maturities between three months and one year. The wealth management products are unsecured with variable interest rates. In accordance with ASC 825, for investments in financial instruments with a variable interest rate referenced to performance of underlying assets, the Group elected the fair value method at the date of initial recognition and carried these investments at fair value. Changes in the fair value are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as unrealized gains in investments. Fair value is estimated based on quoted prices of similar products provided by banks at the end of each period. The Group classifies the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 2 of fair value measurements.
(h) |
Accounts receivable, net |
Accounts receivable primarily consists of the subscription fee for the courses that have been consumed by customers, while still due from distribution channels, online commerce platform partners (the Third Parties), respectively, mainly due to timing difference between the Companys receipts from the Third Parties versus the Third Parties cash receipts from customers. The subscription fee for the courses that have not been consumed by customers but received by Third Parties is recorded as other current assets (Note 6). Part of the accounts receivable may also be due from the customers under the installment payment arrangement (Note 8).
Accounts receivable are presented net of allowance for doubtful accounts. The Group uses specific identification in providing for bad debts when facts and circumstances indicate that collection is doubtful and based on factors listed in the following paragraph. If the financial conditions of its customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowance may be required.
The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts which reflects its best estimate of amounts that potentially will not be collected. The Company determines the allowance for doubtful accounts on general basis taking into consideration various factors including but not limited to historical collection experience and credit-worthiness of the customers as well as the age of the individual receivables balance. Additionally, the Company makes specific bad debt provisions based on any specific knowledge the Company has acquired that might indicate that an account is uncollectible. The facts and circumstances of each account may require the Company to use substantial judgment in assessing its collectability.
F-54
(i) |
Investment in equity fund |
Investment in equity fund represents the Companys investment in private equity fund as a limited partnerships. The Companys limited partnerships is considered as minor with no virtually influence over the operating and financial policies of the fund. The investment is measured at cost less impairment since its fair value is not readily determinable. Gains are recognized as other income when distribution are declared by the fund.
(j) |
Property and equipment, net |
Property and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment loss, if any. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives. The estimated useful lives are as follows:
Leasehold improvements |
over the shorter of lease terms or estimated useful lives of the assets | |
Computers and electronic equipment |
3 years | |
Office equipment |
5 years |
Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. The gain or loss on the disposal of property and equipment is the difference between the net sales proceeds and the carrying amount of the relevant assets and is recognized in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss.
(k) |
Impairment of long-lived assets |
For other long-lived assets including property and equipment and other non-current assets, the Group evaluates for impairment whenever events or changes (triggering events) indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may no longer be recoverable. The Group assesses the recoverability of the long-lived assets by comparing the carrying value of the long-lived assets to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to receive from use of the assets and their eventual disposition. Such assets are considered to be impaired if the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the assets. The impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets.
(l) |
Deferred Revenue |
Cash proceeds received from customers are initially recorded as deferred revenue and are recognized as revenues when revenue recognition criteria are met.
(m) |
Revenue recognition |
The Group adopted ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers for all periods presented. Consistent with the criteria of Topic 606, the Group follows five steps for its revenue recognition: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.
The Group provides online English learning service to customers through its self-developed mobile app, English Liulishou. The Group generates revenue by offering a variety of courses to its customers. The Group primarily offers two types of course packages, namely prepaid standard courses and prepaid multiple course packages. Prepaid standard courses, such as DongNi English and Liuli Reading, allow customers to purchase courses to be consumed over a certain period of time. Prepaid multiple course packages which
F-55
contain prepaid standard courses and course credits for one-to-one tutoring sessions with contract human teachers are provided as the Groups premium services, allow customers to purchase multiple courses for use before a certain expiration date. The customers purchase the services by subscribing to prepaid standard courses, prepaid multiple course packages or other courses either directly from the Group or through online commerce platform partners. Subscription fee is generally paid in advance and is initially recorded as deferred revenue.
The Group refunds subscription fees corresponding to any remaining undelivered learning services when customers withdraw contracts with the Group. Withdrawals are recorded as reductions of the deferred revenue related to subscription fees received in advance and have no impact on recognized revenue.
The Group has assessed all variable considerations identified when determining the transaction price and such assessment required the Company to consider various forms that the variable considerations may take. To incentive the subscription of its prepaid course, the Group selectively offers performance-based refund to its customers who subscribe the prepaid courses. The amount of refund is fixed and pre-determined which may be larger than the subscription fee. Prepaid courses consists of two types of revenue modelsthe non-refundable course model and the refundable course model. Revenues for the non-refundable course model are recognized ratably over the contractual course period as services are provided. Under the refundable course model, a customer is eligible to obtain a refund if the customer achieves certain agreed performance goals, including completing a minimum number of learning hours within a set period of time, achieving various measures of learning efficiency and receiving a certain overall score for each course in the package. Based on the historical records of performance-based refunds, the Group estimates a refund rate that constitutes a reduction of the transaction price to recognize the revenues ratably as services are provided over the contractual course period. In the case that refund amount is larger than customers individual cumulative revenue basis, the Group recognizes such negative revenue as selling expenses. Except for the aforementioned performance-based refunds to its customers, there is no other circumstance causes variability in the considerations.
The Group recognizes revenue on a gross basis. The Group conducts the assessment under ASC 606 that the Group is responsible for the designation and production of all the online courses and the Group is the party contractually and substantively holding all rights to the service of delivering the courses. Therefore, it is believed that the Group meets the standards principle of having control of the service or direct the service and should be viewed as the principal in the arrangements.
Prepaid standard courses
Prepaid standard courses include the Groups standard DongNi English and Liuli Reading courses corresponding to customers proficiency levels. Such courses typically range from 30 days to 360 days. A customer can access the standard course without limit within such customers fixed contract period. Revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual course period.
Prepaid multiple course packages
Prepaid multiple course packages range are provided as the Groups premium services, including the standard DongNi English course and course credits for one-to-one courses with contract human teachers. Such course packages typically from 180 days to 720 days. Each type of course is a separate unit of accounting, as each type has distinct nature with different patterns and measurements of transfer to the customers.
The Group determines the standalone selling price for each type of course in the package and allocates the transaction price based on the relative value of each type of course in the arrangement, if applicable. The best evidence of standalone selling price is the price the Group charges for a certain type of course when the Group sells it separately in similar circumstances to similar users. For a type of course that is not being sold separately, the Group determines the value per each course based on its cost plus an expected margin.
F-56
For the standard course included in prepaid multiple course packages, revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual course period. For those one-to-one courses, revenue is recognized when the course credit is consumed with the estimated breakage from unconsumed courses at contract expiration. The expected breakage amount is recognized as revenue in proportion to the pattern of course credits consumed by the customers based on actual breakage data the Company has accumulated. The expected breakage amount is updated on a periodic basis.
Other courses and services
The Group also provides other courses and services, such as pronunciation training and practice test. Revenues are recognized ratably over a fixed term of the agreement or an estimated viewership period as services are provided.
The Group offers free courses to customers upon registration. Customers are not obligated to subscribe any course packages with the Group to obtain the free courses. The Group records the content related costs incurred in providing the free courses as sales and marketing expenses.
User Incentive Program
The Groups customers are registered users of its mobile app who have subscribed for the course of the Group. The Group has incentive programs for its registered users to enhance user stickiness and to incentivize the use of the Groups platform. The Group offers points to the registered users who refer new registered users to its mobile app, or when they participate in various free activities in the Groups mobile app. The points can be redeemed for free gifts. The offering and the use of the points are to the customers or registered users who are not the customers and are not associated with a revenue transactions. The estimated incremental costs related to free gifts are recognized as the Groups sales and marketing expenses.
(n) |
Cost of revenues |
Cost of revenues consist of expenditures incurred in the generation of the Groups revenue, includes but not limited to the course content related costs, service fees paid to contract human teachers in one-to-one courses, rental expenses, IT service costs and depreciations for property and equipment.
(o) |
Research and development expense |
Research and development expenses consist primarily of (i) salary and welfare for research and development personnel, (ii) rental expenses in associated with research and development personnel and (iii) depreciation of office premise and servers utilized by research and development personnel. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
The Company accounts for internal use software development costs in accordance with guidance on intangible assets and internal use software. This requires capitalization of qualifying costs incurred during the softwares application development stage and to expense costs as they are incurred during the preliminary project and post implementation/operation stages. Costs capitalized for developing such software application were not material for the periods presented.
(p) |
Sales and marketing expenses |
Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of branding and marketing expenses, salary and welfare for sales and marketing personnel, commission to distribution channels (mobile app stores) and online commerce platform partners, payment processing expenses, reward to registered users related to incentive programs and rental expenses in associated with sales and marketing personnel. The branding and marketing expenses amounted to RMB 30,633,954 and RMB 129,964,402 during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
F-57
The incremental costs of obtaining a contract are those costs that the Company incurs to obtain a contract with the customer that it would not have incurred if the contract had not been obtained. The Company recognizes the incremental costs of obtaining a contract, including the commission to distribution channels (mobile app stores) and online commerce platform partners, as an asset and amortize over the period of expected benefit. Upon the election of the practical expedient under ASC 340-40-25-4, the incremental costs of obtaining a contract are expensed when incurred if the amortization period of the asset that the entity otherwise would have recognized is one year or less. For the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, the incremental cost capitalized as assets were not material
(q) |
General and administrative expenses |
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salary and welfare for general and administrative personnel, rental expenses in associated with general and administrative personnel, general office expense and professional service fees.
(r) |
Government subsidies |
Government subsidies primarily consist of financial subsidies received from local governments for operating a business in their jurisdictions and compliance with specific policies promoted by the local governments. There are no defined rules and regulations to govern the criteria necessary for companies to receive such benefits, and the amount of financial subsidy is determined at the discretion of the relevant government authorities. The government subsidies with no further conditions to be met are recorded as Other income, net when received. The government subsidies with certain operating conditions are recorded as liabilities when received and will be recorded as operating income when the conditions are met.
(s) |
Operating leases |
Leases where substantially all the rewards and risks of ownership of assets remain with the lessor are accounted for as operating leases. Payments made under operating leases are charged to the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease periods. The Group had no capital leases for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018.
(t) |
Employee social security and welfare benefits |
Employees of the Group in the PRC are entitled to staff welfare benefits including pension, work-related injury benefits, maternity insurance, medical insurance, unemployment benefit and housing fund plans through a PRC government-mandated multi-employer defined contribution plan. The Group is required to contribute to the plan based on certain percentages of the employees salaries, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government.
The PRC government is responsible for the medical benefits and the pension liability to be paid to these employees and the Groups obligations are limited to the amounts contributed and no legal obligation beyond the contributions made.
(u) |
Income taxes |
Current income taxes are provided on the basis of net income for financial reporting purposes, adjusted for income and expense items which are not assessable or deductible for income tax purposes, in accordance with the regulations of the relevant tax jurisdictions.
Income tax expense for the interim consolidated financial statements is determined using an estimate of the Companys annual effective tax rate, which is based upon the applicable tax rates and tax laws of the countries in which the income is generated. A deferred tax liability is recognized for all taxable temporary
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differences, and a deferred tax asset is recognized for all deductible temporary differences and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the amount of deferred tax assets if it is considered more likely than not that some portion of, or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Uncertain tax positions
The guidance on accounting for uncertainties in income taxes prescribes a more likely than not threshold for financial statements recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Guidance was also provided on derecognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification of current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities, accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, accounting for income taxes in interim periods, and income tax disclosures. Significant judgment is required in evaluating the Groups uncertain tax positions and determining its provision for income taxes. The Group did not recognize any significant interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018. As of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018, the Group did not have any unrecognized uncertain tax positions.
(v) |
Share-based compensation |
Share-based compensation costs are measured at the grant date. The share-based compensation expenses have been categorized as either cost of revenue, general and administrative expenses, selling and marketing expenses or research and development expenses, depending on the job functions of the grantees. The compensation expense in connection with the options granted to employees is recognized using the straight-line method over the requisite service period. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant, with such estimate updated periodically and with actual forfeitures recognized currently to the extent they differ from the estimate. In determining the fair value of the Companys share options, the binomial option pricing model has been applied.
(w) |
Statutory reserves |
The Groups subsidiaries, consolidated VIE and its subsidiaries incorporated in the PRC are required on an annual basis to make appropriations of retained earnings set at certain percentage of after-tax profit determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations (PRC GAAP).
Appropriation to the statutory general reserve should be at least 10% of the after tax net income determined in accordance with the legal requirements in the PRC until the reserve is equal to 50% of the entities registered capital. The Group is not required to make appropriation to other reserve funds and the Group does not have any intentions to make appropriations to any other reserve funds.
The general reserve fund can only be used for specific purposes, such as setting off the accumulated losses, enterprise expansion or increasing the registered capital. Appropriations to the general reserve funds are classified in the consolidated balance sheets as statutory reserves.
There are no legal requirements in the PRC to fund these reserves by transfer of cash to restricted accounts, and the Group was not done so.
Relevant laws and regulations permit payments of dividends by the PRC subsidiaries and affiliated companies only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with respective accounting standards and regulations. Accordingly, the above balances are not allowed to be transferred to the Company in terms of cash dividends, loans or advances.
(x) |
Recently issued accounting pronouncements |
In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial InstrumentsOverall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial
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Liabilities (ASU 2016-01). The main objective of this update is to enhance the reporting model for financial instruments to provide users of financial statements with more decision-useful information. ASU 2016-01 changes how entities measure certain equity investments and present changes in the fair value of financial liabilities measured under the fair value option that are attributable to their own credit. The guidance also changes certain disclosure requirements and other aspects of current U.S. GAAP. ASU 2016-01 is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption by public entities is permitted only for certain provisions. The Company adopted ASU 2016-01 in the first quarter of year 2018 and does not believe the adoption will have material impact on the Companys condensed consolidated financial statements and the related disclosures.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (ASU 2016-02). Under the new guidance, lessees will be required to recognize a lease liability and a lease asset for all leases, including operating leases, with a term greater than 12 months on its balance sheet. The update also expands the required quantitative and qualitative disclosures surrounding leases. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years, with earlier application permitted. The Company expects to adopt the new standard in the first quarter of 2019 on a modified retrospective basis and is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-02 on its consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial InstrumentsCredit Losses (ASU 2016-13), which introduces new guidance for credit losses on instruments within its scope. The new guidance introduces an approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including, but not limited to, trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and net investments in leases. The new guidance also modifies the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities and requires the entities to determine whether all or a portion of the unrealized loss on an available-for-sale debt security is a credit loss. The standard also indicates that entities may not use the length of time a security has been in an unrealized loss position as a factor in concluding whether a credit loss exists. The ASU is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-13 on its consolidated financial statements.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), a consensus of the FASBs Emerging Issues Task Force (ASU 2016-15). The new guidance is intended to reduce the diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The ASU is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including interim periods within those fiscal years. An entity that elects early adoption must adopt all of the amendments in the same period. The guidance requires application using a retrospective transition method. The Company has early adopted ASU 2016-15 in 2017 and the adoption had no material impact on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (ASU 2016-18). This ASU affects all entities that have restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents and are required to present a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. ASU 2016-18 requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. This update will become effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted in any interim or annual period. Company has early adopted ASU 2016-18 in 2017 and the adoption had no material impact on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, CompensationStock compensation (Topic 718): Scope of modification accounting (ASU 2017-09), which clarifies when to account for a change to the
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terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. ASU 2017-09 is effective prospectively for all companies for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is permitted. The Company has early adopted ASU 2017-09 in 2017 and the adoption had no material impact on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
3. |
Concentration and credit risk |
(i) |
Concentration of revenues |
No single customer represented 10% or more of the Groups net revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018.
(ii) |
Concentration of accounts receivable |
The Group has not experienced any significant recoverability issue with respect to its accounts receivable. The Group conducts credit evaluations on its distribution channels, online commerce platform partners and customers and generally does not require collateral or other security from such distribution channels, online commerce platform partners and customers.
The Group periodically evaluates the creditworthiness of the existing distribution channels, online commerce platform partners and customers in determining an allowance for doubtful accounts primarily based upon the age of the receivables and factors surrounding the credit risk of specific customers.
The following table summarized party with greater than 10% of the accounts receivable:
As of
December 31, 2017 |
As of
June 30, 2018 |
|||||||
Distribution channel A |
43 | % | 24 | % | ||||
Distribution channel B |
| 12 | % | |||||
|
|
|
|
(iii) |
Credit risk |
The Groups credit risk arises from cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, prepayments and other current assets, and accounts receivable. The carrying amounts of these financial instruments represent the maximum amount of loss due to credit risk.
The Group expects that there is no significant credit risk associated with the cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments which are held by reputable financial institutions in the jurisdictions where the Company, its subsidiaries and VIEs are located. The Group believes that it is not exposed to unusual risks as these financial institutions have high credit quality.
The Group has no significant concentrations of credit risk with respect to its prepayments.
Accounts receivable is typically unsecured and are derived from revenue earned either directly from customers or through distribution channels and online commerce platform partners. The risk with respect to accounts receivable is mitigated by credit evaluations performed on them.
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4. |
Cash and cash equivalents |
Cash and cash equivalents represent cash on hand and demand deposits placed with banks or other financial institutions, which are unrestricted as to withdrawal or use. The following table sets forth a breakdown of cash and cash equivalents by currency denomination and jurisdiction as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018. The overseas cash and cash equivalents are primarily held by the Company and its subsidiaries in Hong Kong and US.
RMB amount (RMB denominated) |
RMB equivalent amount
(US$ denominated) |
Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Overseas | China | Overseas | China | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non VIE | VIE | Non VIE | VIE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2017 |
7,091,929 | 22,270,701 | 20,266,154 | 364,976,697 | 1,877,557 | | 416,483,038 | |||||||||||||||||||||
June 30, 2018 |
7,312,286 | 4,353,925 | 41,198,120 | 315,905,196 | 9,602,480 | | 378,372,007 |
5. |
Accounts receivable, net |
As of
December 31, 2017 |
As of
June 30, 2018 |
|||||||
Accounts receivable, gross |
7,236,274 | 11,433,746 | ||||||
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts |
| | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Accounts receivable, net |
7,236,274 | 11,433,746 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
6. |
Other assets |
The other assets consist of the following:
As of
December 31, 2017 |
As of
June 30, 2018 |
|||||||
Prepayment and other current assets |
||||||||
Subscription fees receivables due from distribution channels and online commerce platform partners for unconsumed courses |
7,427,926 | 14,632,222 | ||||||
Prepaid advertising fees |
285,554 | 10,914,678 | ||||||
Prepaid rental fee |
1,118,113 | 5,604,122 | ||||||
Receivables from payment- processing- service providers |
6,142,127 | 5,148,065 | ||||||
Rental deposits refundable within one year |
1,707,152 | 3,467,538 | ||||||
Cash advanced to employees |
808,076 | 2,705,613 | ||||||
Prepayments of service fees |
670,213 | 1,969,785 | ||||||
Prepaid interest and service fees to loan companies (Note 8) |
2,932,965 | 1,024,289 | ||||||
Value-added tax receivable |
162,279 | 369,241 | ||||||
Others |
652,331 | 1,037,869 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total repayment and other current assets |
21,906,736 | 46,873,422 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Non-current |
||||||||
Long-term rental deposits |
1,498,394 | 4,750,468 | ||||||
Long-term prepaid expenses |
| 2,750,000 | ||||||
Prepayment for property and equipment |
| 1,734,111 | ||||||
Deferred initial public offering costs |
| 485,223 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total non-current |
1,498,394 | 9,719,802 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
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7. |
Property and equipment, net |
Property and equipment consist of the following:
As of
December 31, 2017 |
As of
June 30, 2018 |
|||||||
Cost: |
||||||||
Office equipment |
6,618,512 | 9,930,621 | ||||||
Leasehold improvements |
6,703,389 | 6,915,996 | ||||||
Construction in progress |
468,520 | 2,018,187 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total cost |
13,790,421 | 18,864,804 | ||||||
Less: Accumulated depreciation |
(2,011,832 | ) | (4,046,403 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Property and equipment, net |
11,778,589 | 14,818,401 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Depreciation expense recognized for six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018 are summarized as follows:
For Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||
2017 | 2018 | |||||||
Cost of revenues |
55,951 | 247,543 | ||||||
Sales and marketing expenses |
229,108 | 1,454,348 | ||||||
Research and development |
73,654 | 248,363 | ||||||
General and administrative expenses |
21,796 | 85,277 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
380,509 | 2,035,531 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
8. |
Accrued liabilities and other liabilities |
As of
December 31, 2017 |
As of
June 30, 2018 |
|||||||
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities |
||||||||
Payable to third party loan companies (a) |
36,608,011 | 22,331,900 | ||||||
Payables related to repurchased employees vested options |
2,242,853 | 553,989 | ||||||
Government grant |
2,200,000 | 2,200,000 | ||||||
Others |
4,095,631 | 3,500,590 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
45,146,495 | 28,586,479 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Non-Current |
||||||||
Government grant |
1,000,000 | 2,000,000 |
(a) |
The Group, in cooperated with third-party financing intuitions (loan companies), offers an interest-free installment payment option to its customers. The loan companies remit the subscription fee to the Group for the borrowing customers to complete their purchase of the course. The borrowing customers are obligated to repay the loan in pre-agreed installments over the periods ranging from 3 months to 12 months to the loan companies. According to the arrangement with the loan companies, the Group is obligated to repay to the loan companies for any default in repayment by the borrowing customers. The Group also agrees with the loan companies to bear the borrowing customers interest expense and related service fees, which is recorded as loan payables and prepayment of interest and service fee to loan companies respectively (Note 6). The prepayment of interest expenses and service fee are amortized during the installment period and recorded in other expense. The Group considers such arrangement as its own financing activity given the arrangement is full recourse in nature. Based on the considerations that there is no difference between the amount of promised consideration and the cash selling price of the promised services, in addition the actual length of time between when the Group transfers the promised services to the customer and when the customer pays for those services has been |
F-63
within one year, the Group has assessed and concludes that there is no significant financing component in place within these installment arrangements as a practical expedient in accordance with ASC 606-10-32-18. |
Given the arrangement is full recourse in nature, the Group considers such arrangement as its own financing activity. The Group records payable when it is remitted from the loan companies and the related receivables are not derecognized until the loan company receives the repayments from the borrowing customers. The repayment of loan and corresponding de-recognition of related receivables are presented as non-cash supplemental financing activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
In January 2018, the Company terminated the cooperation with a loan company and repaid outstanding loan principle. After netting off with the prepaid interest expenses, the amount of cash repayment was RMB 4,229,609.
9. |
Convertible redeemable preferred shares |
On December 19, 2013, the Company issued 3,645,501 shares (with par value of USD0.001) of Series Seeds Preferred Shares (the Series Seed Shares) for RMB 2.4570 (US$0.3978) per share for a total cash consideration of RMB 8,957,094 (US$1,450,000). The issuance costs were RMB 123,824.
On June 6, 2014, the Company issued 5,531,104 shares (with par value of USD0.001) of Series A Preferred Shares (the Series A Shares) for RMB 11.1315 (US$1.8080) per share for a total cash consideration of RMB 61,569,435 (US$10,000,000). The issuance costs were RMB 294,758.
On July 14, 2015, the Company issued 7,895,711 shares (with par value of USD0.001) of Series B Preferred Shares (the Series B Shares) for RMB 22.4098 (US$3.6629) per share for a total cash consideration of RMB 176,941,227 (US$28,920,905). The issuance costs were RMB 5,121,626.
On June 13, 2017, the Company issued 5,295,380 shares (with par value of USD0.001) of Series C Preferred Shares (the Series C Shares) for RMB 64.2224 (US$9.4422) per share for a total cash consideration of RMB 340,081,882 (US$49,999,995). The issuance costs were RMB 1,940,058.
The Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C shares are collectively referred to as the Preferred Shares.
The Series C Preferred Shares shall be redeemable, at any time (i) after the three (3) year anniversary of the date on which Series B Preferred Shares were issued, (ii) there is a material breach by any group company or any Founding Shareholder, and (iii) the supermajority Series C Preferred Shareholders require the Company to redeem all or part of the Series C Preferred Shares when the Company has received a Series B Redemption Notice or a Pre-B Redemption Notice. The redemption price for Series C Preferred Shares shall be the original issue price per share plus a six percent (6%) annual compound interest and all accrued or declared but unpaid dividends.
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The Companys convertible redeemable preferred shares activities for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018 are summarized below:
Series Seed Shares | Series A Shares | Series B Shares | Series C Shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of
shares |
Amount
(RMB) |
Number of
shares |
Amount
(RMB) |
Number of
shares |
Amount
(RMB) |
Number of
shares |
Amount
(RMB) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances as of January 1, 2017 |
3,645,501 | 28,337,639 | 5,531,104 | 70,145,533 | 7,895,711 | 188,462,829 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of convertible redeemable preferred shares, net of issuance costs |
| | | | | | 5,295,380 | 338,141,824 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion on convertible redeemable preferred shares to redemption value |
| | | 1,815,256 | | 6,076,276 | | 934,024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances as of June 30, 2017 |
3,645,501 | 28,337,639 | 5,531,104 | 71,960,789 | 7,895,711 | 194,539,105 | 5,295,380 |
|
339,075,848 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances as of January 1, 2018 |
3,645,501 | 28,337,639 | 5,531,104 | 73,250,416 | 7,895,711 | 201,027,344 | 5,295,380 | 349,288,985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion on convertible redeemable preferred shares to redemption value |
| | | 1,312,738 | | 6,704,635 | | 10,520,761 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances as of June 30, 2018 |
3,645,501 | 28,337,639 | 5,531,104 | 74,563,154 | 7,895,711 | 207,731,979 | 5,295,380 | 359,809,746 |
Accounting for Preferred Shares
Prior to the issuance of the Series A Preferred Shares, the Company classified the Series Seed Preferred Shares as permanent equity which was not redeemable. Upon the issuance of the Series A Preferred Shares, the Company reclassified the Series Seed Preferred Shares, along with all other series of the Preferred Shares as the mezzanine equity because they were redeemable at the holders option any time after a certain date and were contingently redeemable upon the occurrence of certain events that are outside of the Companys control. The initial carrying value for the Preferred Shares are recorded at fair value, net of any issuance costs. For the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, the issuance costs incurred were RMB 1,940,058 and nil, respectively.
For each reporting period, the Company recorded accretions on the Preferred Shares to the respective redemption value by using the effective interest rate method from the issuance dates to the earliest redemption dates as set forth in the original issuance. The accretion is recorded against retained earnings, or in the absence of retained earnings, by charges against additional paid-in-capital, or in the obsence of additional paid-in-capital, by charges to accumulated deficit. The accretion of the Preferred Shares was RMB 8,825,556 (US$ 1,333,750) and RMB 18,538,134 (US$ 2,801,550) for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and June 30, 2018.
The Company has determined that host contract of the Preferred Shares is more akin to a debt host, given the Preferred Shares holders have potential creditors right in the event of insufficient fund upon redemption, along with other debt-like features in the terms of the Preferred Shares, including the redemption rights. The Company has assessed each embedded features in the Preferred Shares, and determined that the conversion feature does not meet the definition of derivative in according with ASC 815-15-25, therefore does not warrant bifurcation, even though the equity-like conversion feature is not considered clearly and closely related to the debt host of the Preferred Shares. The Company also
F-65
assessed the redemption features and liquidation feature in accordance with ASC 815-15-25-42, and determined that none of these debt-like features would result in any substantial premium or discount, nor would them accelerate the repayment of the contractual principal amount as it is contingently exercisable. Therefore, both the redemption feature and liquidation feature are considered to be clearly and closely related to the debt host, and none of these embedded features needs to be bifurcated from the debt host.
Modification of Preferred Shares
The Company assesses whether an amended to the terms of its convertible redeemable Preferred Shares is an extinguishment or a modification based on a qualitative evaluation of the amendment. The Company also assesses if the change in the terms results in value transfer between the Preferred Shareholders or between Preferred Shareholders and the Ordinary Shareholders.
In 2017, the optional redemption right the Pre-B Preferred Shares was extended from June 5, 2019 to June 12, 2020 while the optional redemption right of Series B Preferred Shares was changed from July 3, 2020 to June 12, 2020, which are to be in line with the optional redemption date of Series C Preferred Shares. The modification of the Pre-B and Series B optional redemption dates were driven by the objective to obtain financing from the issuance of Series C Preferred Shares.
From both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, the Company assessed the impact of the above modifications and concluded that these amendments represent modifications rather than extinguishment of the Preferred Shares. The Company also evaluated and concluded the impact of above modifications as immaterial for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018.
10. |
Ordinary Share |
On August 19, 2013, the Company was incorporated as limited liability company with authorized share capital of US$50,000 divided into 50,000,000 shares with par value US$0.001 each. 30,000,000 shares were unissued and 20,000,000 issued and outstanding shares were designated as ordinary shares held by the founders.
On December 19, 2013, among the total 30,000,000 authorized but unissued shares, 26,354,499 shares were re-designated as Class A Ordinary Shares and 3,645,501 shares were re-designated as preferred shares. 20,000,000 issued and outstanding ordinary shares were re-designated as Class B Ordinary Shares. The Company issued 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares to third party investors on the same day. Thereafter, 26,354,499 Class A Ordinary Shares were authorized but unissued, 20,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares and 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding. There was no financial impact to the Company on above re-designation.
On June 6, 2014, the Companys shareholders and Board of Directors approved an increase in its authorized share capital from 50,000,000 to 100,000,000,000 share, with 70,823,395 Class A Ordinary Shares, 20,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, and 9,176,605 preferred shares. On the same day, the Company issued 5,531,104 Series A Preferred Shares to third party investors. Thereafter, 70,823,395 Class A Ordinary Shares were authorized but unissued, 20,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares and 5,531,104 Series A Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding.
On July 14, 2015, the Company repurchased 229,010 Class B Ordinary Shares held by the founders, who were also the management of the Company, at the price of RMB 5,128,038 (US$838,833). The consideration that exceeded the fair value of the Class B ordinary shares at the date the repurchase with amount of RMB 2,230,071 (US$364,790) was charged as general and administrative expenses with a corresponding credit to the equity. Immediately after the closing of the repurchase of Class B Ordinary Shares, 7,666,701 authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares together with 229,010 authorized but unissued Class B Ordinary Shares were re-designated as preferred shares. The Company issued 7,895,711 Series B Preferred Shares to third party investors on the same day. Thereafter, 63,156,694 Class A Ordinary
F-66
Shares were authorized but unissued, 19,770,990 Class B Ordinary Shares, 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares, 5,531,104 Series A Preferred Shares and 7,895,711 Series B Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding. There was no financial impact to the Company on above re-designation.
On June 16, 2017, 5,295,380 authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares were re-designated as preferred shares. The Company issued 5,295,380 Series C Preferred Shares to third party investors on the same day. Concurrently, 95,316 Class B Ordinary shares held by the founders were re-designated as Class A Ordinary Shares. After this re-designation, the founders, who were also the management of the Company, sold 95,316 Class A Ordinary Shares to a third party investor (Investor) for a total cash consideration of RMB 6,117,426 (US$899,992). The consideration that exceeded the fair value of the Class A ordinary shares at the date the transaction with amount of RMB 2,398,588 (US$352,878.90) was charged as general and administrative expenses with a corresponding credit to the equity. On the same day, the Company issued 63,545 Class A Ordinary Shares to the Investor for a cash consideration of RMB 4,078,347 (US$600,004). Thereafter, 57,797,769 Class A Ordinary Shares were authorized but unissued, 158,861 Class A Ordinary Shares, 19,675,674 Class B Ordinary Shares, 3,645,501 Series Seed Preferred Shares, 5,531,104 Series A Preferred Shares, 7,895,711 Series B Preferred Shares and 5,295,380 Series C Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding. There was no financial impact to the Company on above re-designation.
The proceeds of the subscription capital from founding shareholders of RMB 121,967 (US$ 19,771) were remained outstanding and such amount was presented as subscriptions receivable, a contra-equity balance on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018.
The Company has a dual class voting structure under which all of the ordinary shares held by the founders are designated as Class B Ordinary Shares and all of the other ordinary shares, including the shares held by others shareholders and automatic conversion of outstanding Preferred Shares, are designated as Class A Ordinary Shares. Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Both of the Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per share before the qualified IPO. While upon the closing of the Qualified IPO, holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to ten votes per share. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances.
11. |
Share-based compensation |
On May 26, 2014, the Company adopted its 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2014 Plan), which permits the grant of restricted shares, restricted share units, options and share appreciation rights to the employees, directors and consultants of the Company. The Company granted share options under the 2014 Plan to its employees and directors. Under the plan, a total of 2,627,250 Class A Ordinary Shares were initially reserved for issuance. The 2014 Plan is valid and effective for a term of 10 years commencing from its adoption. On July 14, 2015, the Board of Director passed a resolution to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2014 Plan by 957,405 Class A Ordinary Shares to 3,540,655 Class A Ordinary Shares. On June 13, 2017, the number of ordinary shares reserved for option issuance under 2014 plan increased to 5,519,737.
On June 13, 2017, the number of ordinary shares reserved for option issuance under the 2014 Plan increased to 5,519,737 Class A Ordinary Shares. Concurrently, the Company repurchased and canceled 63,545 options held by 5 employees at the price of RMB 4,069,171 (US$598,654). The consideration that exceeded the fair value of the options at the date the repurchase with amount of RMB 1,685,470 (US$247,965) was charged as operating expenses with a corresponding credit to the equity. After which, a total of 5,456,192 Class A Ordinary Shares are reserved for option issuance pursuant to 2014 Plan.
The option granted are vested upon satisfaction of service condition, which is generally satisfied over four years. There were no other vesting conditions for all the awards under the 2014 Plan.
F-67
The grantees are entitled a right to extend the exercisable period of the vested options granted until after the IPO date if they are leaving the Company before an IPO. The granted options subjected to service condition are annually vested on the last day of each anniversary.
Share-based compensation expense related to the option awards granted to the employees amounted to RMB 3,752,859 and RMB 19,663,124 for six months ended June 30, 2017 and June 30, 2018.
The following table sets forth the summary of employee option activity under the Companys 2014 Plan for six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018:
Number of
options |
Weighted
Average Exercise Price |
Weighted
Average Remaining Contractual Life |
Aggregate
Intrinsic Value |
Weighted
Average Grant Date Fair Value |
||||||||||||||||
USD | In Years | USD000 | USD | |||||||||||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2017 |
2,080,015 | 0.1012 | 8.21 | 7,547 | 1.94 | |||||||||||||||
Granted |
69,500 | 0.2000 | 3.52 | |||||||||||||||||
Repurchase |
(63,545 | ) | 0.0212 | |||||||||||||||||
Forfeited |
(8,500 | ) | 0.1106 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding at June 30, 2017 |
2,077,470 | 0.1069 | 7.79 | 11,722 | 2.02 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2018 |
3,245,554 | 0.2093 | 8.17 | 25,272 | 3.61 | |||||||||||||||
Granted |
646,000 | 0.6000 | 10.90 | |||||||||||||||||
Forfeited |
(303,250 | ) | 0.2000 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding at June 30, 2018 |
3,588,304 | 0.2804 | 8.04 | 47,061 | 4.94 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Vested and expected to vest at June 30, 2018 |
3,488,757 | 0.2756 | 8.00 | 45,772 | 4.87 | |||||||||||||||
Exercisable at June 30, 2018 |
1,489,821 | 0.0740 | 6.41 | 19,858 | 1.73 |
The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the options and the estimated fair value of the underlying shares of USD 7.99 and USD 13.39 at December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018.
The total fair value of share options vested during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018 was RMB 2,859,986 and RMB 6,843,463 respectively.
As of June 30, 2018, there were RMB 77,944,533 of unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to share options granted to the employees, which were expected to be recognized over a weighted-average vesting period of 2.06 years. To the extent the actual forfeiture rate is different from the Companys estimate, the actual share-based compensation related to these awards may be different from the expectation.
The binomial option pricing model is used to determine the fair value of the share options granted to employees and non-employees. The fair values of share options granted during six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018.
Option Granted In the
Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 |
Option Granted In the
Six Months Ended June 30, 2018 |
|||
Expected volatility |
50.92%~51.53% | 49.11% | ||
Risk-free interest rate |
2.45%~2.67% | 2.85% | ||
Exercise multiple |
2.8 | 2.8 | ||
Expected dividend yield |
0% | 0% | ||
Contractual term |
10 | 10 | ||
Expected forfeiture rate (post-vesting) |
5% | 5% | ||
Fair value of the common share on the date of option grant (US$) |
US$3.72~US$5.74 | US$11.50 |
F-68
Notes:
(i) |
The risk-free interest rate of periods within the contractual life of the share option is based on the market yield of the US Treasury Strip Bond with a maturity life equal to the expected life to expiration. |
(ii) |
The Company has no history or expectation of paying dividends on its ordinary shares. |
(iii) |
Expected volatility is estimated based on the average of historical volatilities of the comparable companies in the same industry as at the valuation dates. |
(iv) |
The estimated fair value of the Companys ordinary shares at their respective grant dates, was determined with the assistance of an independent third party valuation firm by using income approach. |
12. |
Revenue |
For six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, all of the Groups revenue were generated in the PRC. The disaggregated revenues by course plans were as follow:
For Six Months Ended
June 30, |
||||||||
2017 | 2018 | |||||||
Prepaid standard courses |
35,264,975 | 198,669,843 | ||||||
Prepaid multiple course packages |
3,718,173 | 19,614,826 | ||||||
Other courses |
1,097,735 | 14,027,676 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total revenues |
40,080,883 | 232,312,345 | ||||||
Less: tax surcharges |
(20,149 | ) | (3,937 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net revenues |
40,060,734 | 232,308,408 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
13. |
Employee benefits |
The full-time employees of the Companys subsidiaries and VIEs that are incorporated in the PRC are entitled to staff welfare benefits including medical insurance, basic pensions, unemployment insurance, work injury insurance, maternity insurance and housing funds. These companies are required to contribute to these benefits based on certain percentages of the employees salaries in accordance with the relevant regulations and charge the amount contributed to these benefits to the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. The total amounts charged to the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss for such employee benefits amounted to RMB 11,342,096 and RMB 37,112,874 for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, respectively. The PRC government is responsible for the welfare and medical benefits and ultimate pension liability to these employees.
14. |
Income Taxes |
Composition of income tax expense
For Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||
2017 | 2018 | |||||||
Current income tax expense |
1,315,426 | 12,455,628 | ||||||
Deferred tax expense |
| | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
1,315,426 | 12,455,628 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
F-69
Deferred tax assets and liabilities
Deferred taxes were measured using the enacted tax rates for the periods in which they are expected to be reversed. The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to the deferred tax asset balances as of December 31, 2017 and June 30, 2018 are as follows:
As of | ||||||||
December 31, 2017 | June 30, 2018 | |||||||
Deferred tax assets |
||||||||
Deductible temporary difference related to advertising expenses |
16,167,052 | 35,323,639 | ||||||
Deductible temporary difference related to accruals and other payables |
13,308,805 | 16,847,875 | ||||||
Tax losses carried forward |
19,707,431 | 33,455,753 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total deferred tax assets |
49,183,288 | 85,627,267 | ||||||
Less: Valuation allowance |
(49,183,288 | ) | (85,627,267 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total deferred tax assets |
| | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Movement of valuation allowance is as follows:
Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||
2017 | 2018 | |||||||
Beginning balance |
21,855,333 | 49,183,288 | ||||||
Additions |
17,553,264 | 36,443,979 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Ending balance |
39,408,597 | 85,627,267 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
15. |
Basic and diluted net loss per share |
(a) |
Basic and diluted net loss per share |
Basic loss per share and diluted loss per share have been calculated in accordance with ASC 260 on computation of earnings per share for six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018 are as follows:
Six Months Ended
June 30, 2017 |
Six Months Ended
June 30, 2018 |
|||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||
Net loss |
(67,268,998 | ) | (182,261,587 | ) | ||||
Accretion on Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares redemption value |
(1,815,256 | ) | (1,312,738 | ) | ||||
Accretion on Series B convertible redeemable preferred shares redemption value |
(6,076,276 | ) | (6,704,635 | ) | ||||
Accretion on Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares redemption value |
(934,024 | ) | (10,520,761 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders-Basic and diluted |
(76,094,554 | ) | (200,799,721 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator: |
||||||||
Denominator for basic and diluted loss per share Weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding (Note) |
||||||||
Basic and diluted |
(3.85 | ) | (10.12 | ) | ||||
Basic and diluted loss per share |
19,775,878 | 19,834,535 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Considering that the holder of Preferred Shares has no contractual obligation to participate in the Companys losses, any losses from the Group should not be allocated to the Preferred Shares.
F-70
For the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, assumed conversion of the Preferred Shares have not been reflected in the dilutive calculations pursuant to ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, due to the anti-dilutive effect as a result of the Groups net loss. The effects of all outstanding share options have also been excluded from the computation of diluted loss per share for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018 due to their anti-dilutive effect.
The following ordinary shares equivalent were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per ordinary share for the periods presented because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:
Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||
2017 | 2018 | |||||||
Preferred sharesweighted average |
17,572,435 | 22,367,696 | ||||||
Share optionsweighted average |
1,550,641 | 2,360,961 |
16. |
Commitments and contingencies |
(a) |
Operating lease commitments |
The Group leases office space under non-cancelable operating lease agreements, which expire at various dates through December 2024. As of June 30, 2018, future minimum lease under non-cancelable operating lease agreements were as follows:
Operating
Lease RMB |
||||
July 1 to December 31, 2018 |
21,597,497 | |||
2019 |
33,389,722 | |||
2020 |
27,800,858 | |||
2021 |
27,057,117 | |||
2022 and thereafter |
60,361,568 | |||
|
|
|||
Total |
170,206,762 | |||
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2018, the Group incurred rental expenses in the amounts of RMB 3,250,284 and RMB 14,163,135 respectively.
(b) |
Purchase Commitments |
As of June 30, 2018, purchase commitments related to royalty fee of content were as follows:
Royalty Fee
RMB |
||||
July 1 to December 31, 2018 |
4,411,000 | |||
2019 |
2,940,333 | |||
|
|
|||
Total |
7,351,333 | |||
|
|
(c) |
Capital Commitments |
As of June 30, 2018, the Group did not have capital commitments.
(d) |
Litigation |
In the ordinary course of the business, the Group is subject to periodic legal or administrative proceedings. As of June 30, 2018, the Group is not a party to any legal or administrative proceedings which will have a material adverse effect on the Groups financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
F-71
17. |
Unaudited Pro Forma Balance Sheet and Loss Per Share for Conversion of Convertible Redeemable Preferred Shares |
Upon the completion of a qualified initial public offering, the Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares shall automatically be converted into Class A Ordinary Shares. The unaudited pro-forma balance sheet as of June 30, 2018 assumes a qualified initial public offering has occurred and presents an adjusted financial position as if the conversion of all outstanding Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares into ordinary shares at the conversion ratio of one for one occurred on June 30, 2018. Accordingly, the carrying values of the Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares, in the amounts of RMB 28,337,639 and RMB 74,563,154, RMB 207,731,979 and RMB 359,809,746 respectively, were reclassified from Series Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares to Class A Ordinary Shares for such pro forma adjustment.
The unaudited pro-forma loss per share for six months ended June 30, 2018 after giving effect to the assumed conversion of the convertible redeemable preferred shares into Class A Ordinary Shares as of the issuance dates at the conversion ratio of one-for-one and the weighted average number of the convertible redeemable preferred shares in 2018 are as follows:
For Six Months Ended
June 30, 2018 |
||||||||
RMB | US$ | |||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||
Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders |
(200,799,721 | ) | (30,345,578 | ) | ||||
Pro forma adjustment of the accretion on Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares |
1,312,738 | 198,386 | ||||||
Pro forma adjustment of the accretion on Series B convertible redeemable preferred shares |
6,704,635 | 1,013,229 | ||||||
Pro forma adjustment of the accretion on Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares |
10,520,761 | 1,589,935 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Numerator for pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share |
(182,261,587 | ) | (27,544,028 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator: |
||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding |
19,834,535 | 19,834,535 | ||||||
Pro forma effect of weighted average number of Seed Share conversion |
3,645,501 | 3,645,501 | ||||||
Pro forma effect of weighted average number of Preferred A Share conversion |
5,531,104 | 5,531,104 | ||||||
Pro forma effect of weighted average number of Preferred B Share conversion |
7,895,711 | 7,895,711 | ||||||
Pro forma effect of weighted average number of Preferred C Share conversion |
5,295,380 | 5,295,380 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator for pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share |
42,202,231 | 42,202,231 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Pro forma basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share: |
(4.32 | ) | (0.65 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
The effects of all outstanding share options have been excluded from the computation of pro forma diluted net loss per share for six months ended June 30, 2018 as their effects would be anti-dilutive.
F-72
18. |
Subsequent events |
The Company has evaluated the subsequent events through August 9, 2018, the date the financial statements were available to be issued.
(a) |
On July 31, 2018, the Company granted 1,489,000 share options under the 2014 Plan to employees at exercise price US$0.60 subjected to respective vesting schedules. |
(b) |
On July 31, 2018, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a 2018 Share Incentive plan (the 2018 Plan). Under which, the Company is authorized to issue 5% of total authorized ordinary shares after completion of the Companys initial public offering. As of the financial statement issuance date, there was no award granted under the 2018 Plan. |
(c) |
On July 31, 2018, the Company has set up ACE Creation Global Trust as equity incentive trust for the purpose of holding share awards granted to certain employees and underlying shares before they are exercised as instructed by the employees. |
F-73
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a companys articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime.
The new articles of association that we expect to adopt to become effective upon the completion of this offering provide that that our company shall indemnify our directors and officers, and their personal representatives, against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such persons, other than by reason of such persons dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our companys business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.
Pursuant to the indemnification agreements the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.3 to this registration statement, we agree to indemnify our directors and executive officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being such a director or officer.
The underwriting agreement, the form of which will be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, will also provide for indemnification by the underwriters of us and our officers and directors for certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act, but only to the extent that such liabilities are caused by information relating to the underwriters furnished to us in writing expressly for use in this registration statement and certain other disclosure documents.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
II-1
Item 7. RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES.
During the past three years, we have issued the following securities. We believe that each of the following issuances was exempt from registration under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act regarding transactions not involving a public offering or in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act regarding sales by an issuer in offshore transactions. No underwriters were involved in these issuances of securities.
Securities/Purchaser |
Date of Sale or
Issuance |
Number of Securities |
Consideration |
|||
Class A ordinary shares |
||||||
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. |
June 16, 2017 | 63,545 | US$0.6 million | |||
Series B preferred shares |
||||||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
July 14, 2015 | 1,473,199 | US$5.4 million | |||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
July 14, 2015 | 104,440 | US$0.3 million | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
July 14, 2015 | 534,684 | US$2.0 million | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
July 14, 2015 | 11,337 | US$0.04 million | |||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
July 14, 2015 | 79,545 | US$0.3 million | |||
RTA Capital LLC |
July 14, 2015 | 44,111 | US$0.2 million | |||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
July 14, 2015 | 324,690 | US$0.2 million | |||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
July 14, 2015 | 5,323,705 | US$19.5 million | |||
Series C preferred shares |
||||||
CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited |
June 16, 2017 | 2,647,690 | US$25.0 million | |||
Wu Capital Limited |
June 16, 2017 | 1,323,845 | US$12.5 million | |||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
June 16, 2017 | 316,987 | US$3.0 million | |||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
June 16, 2017 | 22,472 | US$0.2 million | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
June 16, 2017 | 518,543 | US$4.9 million | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
June 16, 2017 | 10,995 | US$0.1 million | |||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. |
June 16, 2017 | 92,683 | US$0.8 million | |||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
June 16, 2017 | 22,706 | US$0.2 million | |||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
June 16, 2017 | 339,459 | US$3.2 million | |||
Options |
||||||
Certain directors, officer and employees of our company |
May 26, 2014 to
July 31, 2018 |
Options to purchase 4,914,974 Class A ordinary shares, which are outstanding as of the date of this prospectus | Past and future services to us |
Item 8. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
(a) |
Exhibits |
See Exhibit Index beginning on page II-4 of this registration statement.
The agreements included as exhibits to this registration statement contain representations and warranties by each of the parties to the applicable agreement. These representations and warranties were made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and (i) were not intended to be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those statements prove to be inaccurate; (ii) may have been qualified in such agreement by disclosure that was made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement; (iii) may apply contract standards of materiality that are different from materiality under the applicable securities laws; and (iv) were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement.
We acknowledge that, notwithstanding the inclusion of the foregoing cautionary statements, we are responsible for considering whether additional specific disclosure of material information regarding material contractual provisions is required to make the statements in this registration statement not misleading.
II-2
(b) |
Financial Statement Schedules |
Schedules have been omitted because the information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements or the Notes thereto.
Item 9. UNDERTAKINGS.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
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 provisions described in Item 6, 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 the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the 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, the 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.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) |
For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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. |
(2) |
For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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. |
II-3
LAIX Inc.
Exhibit Index
II-4
* |
To be filed by amendment. |
II-5
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Shanghai, China, on August 31, 2018.
LAIX Inc. | ||||
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
|||
Name: | Yi Wang | |||
Title: | Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer |
II-6
Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints each of Yi Wang and Bin Yu as attorneys-in-fact with full power of substitution for him or her in any and all capacities to do any and all acts and all things and to execute any and all instruments which said attorney and agent may deem necessary or desirable to enable the registrant to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of ordinary shares of the registrant (the Shares), including, without limitation, the power and authority to sign the name of each of the undersigned in the capacities indicated below to the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the Registration Statement) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to such Shares, to any and all amendments or supplements to such Registration Statement, whether such amendments or supplements are filed before or after the effective date of such Registration Statement, to any related Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and to any and all instruments or documents filed as part of or in connection with such Registration Statement or any and all amendments thereto, whether such amendments are filed before or after the effective date of such Registration Statement; and each of the undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms all that such attorney and agent shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature |
Title |
Date |
||
/s/ Yi Wang |
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer | August 31, 2018 | ||
Yi Wang |
(Principal Executive Officer) | |||
/s/ Zheren Hu |
Director and Chief Technology Officer | August 31, 2018 | ||
Zheren Hu |
||||
/s/ Hui Lin |
Director and Chief Scientist | August 31, 2018 | ||
Hui Lin |
||||
/s/ Bin Yu |
Chief Financial Officer | August 31, 2018 | ||
Bin Yu |
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |||
/s/ Jenny Hong Wei Lee |
Director | August 31, 2018 | ||
Jenny Hong Wei Lee |
||||
/s/ Jinjian Zhang |
Director | August 31, 2018 | ||
Jinjian Zhang |
||||
/s/ Xian Chen |
Director | August 31, 2018 | ||
Xian Chen |
||||
/s/ Jun Lou |
Director | August 31, 2018 | ||
Jun Lou |
II-7
SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES
Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of LAIX Inc. has signed this registration statement or amendment thereto in Newark, Delaware on August 31, 2018.
Authorized U.S. Representative | ||
By: |
/s/ Donald J. Puglisi |
|
Name: | Donald J. Puglisi | |
Title: | Managing Director |
II-8
Exhibit 3.1
THE COMPANIES LAW (2016 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES
OF
ASSOCIATION
OF
LingoChamp Inc.
(adopted by a special resolution passed on June 13, 2017)
THE COMPANIES LAW (2016 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
LingoChamp Inc.
(adopted by a special resolution passed on June 13, 2017)
1. |
The name of the Company is LingoChamp Inc. |
2. |
The Registered Office of the Company shall be at the Offices of Osiris International Cayman Limited, Suite #4-210, Governors Square, 23 Lime Tree Bay Avenue, PO Box 32311, Grand Cayman KY1-1209, Cayman Islands or at such other place as the Directors may from time to time decide. |
3. |
The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Law (2016 Revision) or as the same may be revised from time to time, or any other law of the Cayman Islands. |
4. |
The Company shall have and be capable of exercising all of the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit as provided by the Companies Law (2016 Revision). |
5. |
The liability of each Member is limited to the amount from time to time unpaid on such Members Shares. |
6. |
The authorized share capital of the Company is US$100,000 divided into (i) 57,861,314 Class A Ordinary Shares of par value US$0.001 each, (ii) 19,770,990 Class B Ordinary Shares of par value US$0.001 each, and (iii) 22,367,696 preferred shares of par value US$0.001 each (the Preferred Shares ), among which 3,645,501 preferred shares are designated as series seed preferred shares (the Series Seed Preferred Shares ), 5,531,104 preferred shares are designated as series A preferred shares (the Series A Preferred Shares ), 7,895,711 preferred shares are designated as series B preferred shares (the Series B Preferred Shares ) and 5,295,380 preferred shares are designated as series C preferred shares (the Series C Preferred Shares ). |
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7. |
If the Company is registered as exempted, its operations will be carried on subject to the provisions of the Companies Law (2016 Revision) and the Articles of Association, it shall have the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands. |
8. |
Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum of Association bear the same meaning as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company. |
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THE COMPANIES LAW (2016 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
LingoChamp Inc.
(adopted by a special resolution passed on June 13, 2017)
INTERPRETATION
1. |
In these Articles Table A in the First Schedule to the Statute does not apply and, unless there is something in the subject or context inconsistent therewith: |
Affiliate |
means, with respect to a Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, Controls, is Controlled by or is under common Control with such Person. In the case of any Investor, the term Affiliate also includes (v) any shareholder of such Investor, (w) any of such shareholders or Investors general partners or limited partners, (x) the fund manager managing such shareholders or Investor (and general partners, limited partners and officers thereof) and other funds managed by such fund manager, (y) trusts controlled by or for the benefit of any such Person referred to in (v), (w) or (x), and (z) any Subsidiary of any such Person referred to in (v), (w), (x) or (y). | |
Articles |
means these articles of association of the Company as originally formed or as from time to time altered by Special Resolution. | |
Associate |
means, with respect to any Person, (1) a corporation or organization (other than the Group Companies) of which such Person is an officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the beneficial owner of ten percent (10%) or more of any class of Equity Securities of such corporation or organization, (2) any trust or other estate in which such Person has a substantial beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar capacity, or (3) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same home as such Person. |
Auditor |
means the Person for the time being performing the duties of auditor of the Company (if any). | |
Automatic Conversion |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.2(C) hereof. | |
Additional Founder Director |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 63 hereof. | |
Board or Board of Directors |
means the board of directors of the Company. | |
Business Day |
means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday or other day on which commercial banks are required or authorized by Law to be closed in the Cayman Islands, the United States, the PRC or Hong Kong. | |
Charter Documents |
means, with respect to a particular legal entity, the articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, formation or registration (including, if applicable, certificates of change of name), memorandum of association, articles of association, bylaws, articles of organization, certificate of formation, limited liability company agreement, trust deed, trust instrument, operating agreement, joint venture agreement, business license, or similar or other constitutive, governing, or charter documents, or equivalent documents, of such entity. | |
Class A Ordinary Share |
means a Class A Ordinary Share of US$0.001 par value per share in the capital of the Company having the rights, preference and privileges attaching to it as set out herein. | |
Class B Ordinary Share |
means a Class B Ordinary Share of US$0.001 par value per share in the capital of the Company having the rights, preference and privileges attaching to it as set out herein. |
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Closing |
means the closing of the purchase of the Series C Preferred Shares pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. | |
Company |
means LingoChamp Inc. | |
Control |
of a given Person means the power or authority, whether exercised or not, to direct the business, management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; provided, that such power or authority shall conclusively be presumed to exist upon possession of beneficial ownership or power to direct the vote of more than fifty percent (50%) of the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting of the members or shareholders of such Person or power to control the composition of a majority of the board of directors of such Person. The terms Controlled and Controlling have meanings correlative to the foregoing. | |
Control Documents |
shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement. | |
Conversion Price |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.2(A) hereof. | |
Conversion Shares |
means Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion of any Preferred Shares or any Class B Ordinary Shares. | |
Director |
means a director serving on the Board for the time being of the Company and shall include an alternate Director appointed in accordance with these Articles. | |
Domestic Companies |
means, collectively, Shanghai Liulishuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. ( 上海流利说信息技术有限公司 ), a limited liability company established under the Laws of the PRC, and Shanghai Mengfan Culture Broadcasting Co., Ltd. ( 上海萌番文化传播有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC. | |
Electronic Record |
has the same meaning as given in the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision). |
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Equity Securities |
means, with respect to any Person that is a legal entity, any and all shares of capital stock, membership interests, units, profits interests, ownership interests, equity interests, registered capital, and other equity securities of such Person, and any right, warrant, option, call, commitment, conversion privilege, pre-emptive right or other right to acquire any of the foregoing, or security convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for any of the foregoing, or any contract providing for the acquisition of any of the foregoing. | |
ESOP |
shall have the meaning set forth in the Shareholders Agreement. | |
Founders |
means, collectively, Yi Wang ( 王翌 ), a citizen of the PRC with the identity card number *, Zheren Hu ( 胡哲人 ), a citizen of the PRC with the identity card number * and Hui Lin ( 林晖 ), a citizen of the PRC with the identity card number *. | |
Founder Directors |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 63 hereof. | |
Governmental Authority |
means any government of any nation or any federation, province or state or any other political subdivision thereof, any entity, authority or body exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government, including any government authority, agency, department, board, commission or instrumentality of any country, or any political subdivision thereof, any court, tribunal or arbitrator, and any self-regulatory organization. | |
Governmental Order |
means any applicable order, ruling, decision, verdict, decree, writ, subpoena, mandate, precept, command, directive, consent, approval, award, judgment, injunction or other similar determination or finding by, before or under the supervision of any Governmental Authority. | |
Group Company |
means any of the Company and all of its direct or indirect Subsidiaries, including without limitation, the HK Company, the Domestic Companies and the WFOEs. |
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HK Company |
means LingoChamp (HK) Limited ( 流利说 ( 香港 ) 有限公司 ), a company organized and existing under the Laws of Hong Kong and wholly owned by the Company. | |
Hong Kong |
means the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Peoples Republic of China. | |
Indebtedness |
of any Person means, without duplication, each of the following of such Person: (i) all indebtedness for borrowed money, (ii) all obligations issued, undertaken or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade payables entered into in the ordinary course of business), (iii) all reimbursement or payment obligations with respect to letters of credit, surety bonds and other similar instruments, (iv) all obligations evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or similar instruments, including obligations so evidenced that are incurred in connection with the acquisition of properties, assets or businesses, (v) all indebtedness created or arising under any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, or incurred as financing, in either case with respect to any property or assets acquired with the proceeds of such indebtedness (even though the rights and remedies of the seller or bank under such agreement in the event of default are limited to repossession or sale of such property), (vi) all obligations that are capitalized in accordance with US GAAP or PRC GAAP, (vii) all obligations under bankers acceptance, letter of credit or similar facilities, (viii) all obligations in respect of any interest rate swap, hedge or cap agreement, (ix) all obligations to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise acquire for value any Equity Securities of such Person, and (x) all guarantees issued in respect of the Indebtedness referred to in clauses (i) through (x) above of any other Person, but only to the extent of the Indebtedness guaranteed. | |
Issuance Date |
means (i) with respect to each Series Seed Preferred Share, the Series Seed Issuance Date, (ii) with respect to each Series A Preferred Share, the Series A Issuance Date, (iii) with respect to each Series B Preferred Share, the Series B Issuance Date, and (iv) with respect to each Series C Preferred Share, the Series C Issuance Date. |
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Issue Price |
means (i) with respect to each Series Seed Preferred Share, initially US$0.3978 per share, (ii) with respect to each Series A Preferred Share, initially US$1.80796 per share, (iii) with respect to each Series B Preferred Share, initially US$3.662863 per share, (iv) with respect to each Series C Preferred Share, initially US$9.442192 per share, in each case, as appropriately adjusted for share splits, share dividends, combinations, recapitalizations and similar events with respect to the applicable Preferred Shares. | |
Interested Transaction |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 82 hereof. | |
Investors |
means, collectively, CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited, Wu Capital Limited, Trustbridge Partners V, L.P., IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P., IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P., IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P., IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P., GGV Capital IV L.P., GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P., HES Ventures I, Inc., RTA Capital, LLC, Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. and Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. | |
Investor Directors |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 63 hereof. | |
Key Employee |
shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement. | |
Law or Laws |
means any and all provisions of any applicable constitution, treaty, statute, law, regulation, ordinance, code, rule, or rule of common law, any governmental approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, directive, requirement, or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or determination by, or any interpretation or administration of any of the foregoing by, any Governmental Authority, in each case as amended, and any and all applicable Governmental Orders. |
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Liquidation Event |
means any of the following events:
(1) any consolidation, amalgamation, scheme of arrangement or merger of any Group Company with or into any other Person or other reorganization in which the Members or shareholders of such Group Company immediately prior to such consolidation, amalgamation, merger, scheme of arrangement or reorganization own less than fifty percent (50%) of such Group Companys voting power in the aggregate immediately after such consolidation, merger, amalgamation, scheme of arrangement or reorganization, or any transaction or series of related transactions to which such Group Company is a party or target in which in excess of fifty percent (50%) of such Group Companys voting power is transferred, provided that the foregoing shall not include a bona fide equity financing of any Group Company that is approved in accordance with Article 8.3(B);
(2) a sale, transfer, lease or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Group Companies taken as a whole (or any series of related transactions resulting in such sale, transfer, lease or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Group Companies taken as a whole);
(3) the exclusive licensing of all or substantially all of the Group Companies intellectual property of the Group Companies to a third party; or
(4) any termination of, unapproved amendment to or material breach of any Control Documents or other contracts among the Group Companies and their shareholders designed to provide the Company with Control over, and the ability to consolidate the financial statements of, the Domestic Companies. |
|
Majority Ordinary Holders |
means the holders of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Ordinary Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on an as-converted basis), excluding any Ordinary Shares issued upon conversion of the Preferred Shares. |
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Majority Preferred Holders |
means the holders of at least seventy percent (70%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis), which shall include the Majority Series A Holders, the Majority Series B Holders and the Majority Series C Holder. | |
Majority Series A Holders |
means the holders of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Series A Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis). | |
Majority Series B Holders |
means the holders of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Series B Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis). | |
Majority Series C Holders |
means the largest holder of the then outstanding Series C Preferred Shares. | |
Meeting Notice |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 70 hereof. | |
Member |
has the same meaning as in the Statute. | |
Memorandum |
means the memorandum of association of the Company. | |
Option Repurchases |
shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement. | |
Ordinary Resolution |
means a resolution passed by a simple majority of the votes cast calculated in accordance with Article 50 hereof or, where passed by resolution in writing, by all Members entitled to vote as provided in Article 45 hereof. | |
Ordinary Shares |
means collectively, the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares. | |
Ordinary Share Equivalents |
means any Equity Security which is by its terms convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Class A Ordinary Shares or other share capital of the Company, including without limitation, the Preferred Shares. | |
Person |
means any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, firm, joint venture, estate, trust, unincorporated organization, association, corporation, institution, public benefit corporation, entity or governmental or regulatory authority or other enterprise or entity of any kind or nature. |
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Pre-B Preference Amount |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.1(B)(3) hereof. | |
Pre-B Preferred Shares |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.1(B)(3) hereof. | |
Pre-B Redemption Price |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(1) hereof. | |
Pre-B Redemption Date |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(1) hereof. | |
Pre-B Redemption Notice |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(1) hereof. | |
Pre-B Redemption Request |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(1) hereof. | |
PRC |
means the Peoples Republic of China, but solely for the purposes of these Articles, excluding Hong Kong, the Macau Special Administrative Region and the islands of Taiwan. | |
Preferred Shares |
means collectively, the Series Seed Preferred Shares, the Series A Preferred Shares, the Series B Preferred Shares and the Series C Preferred Shares. | |
Purchase Agreement |
means the Share Purchase Agreement, dated June 13, 2017 among the Company, the HK Company, the Domestic Companies, the WFOEs and certain other parties named therein. | |
Qualified IPO |
means any of (i) a public offering of Class A Ordinary Shares registered under the US Securities Act or in a jurisdiction and on an internationally recognized securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system outside of the United States, including The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, with gross proceeds to the Company of at least US$100,000,000 and an implied, pre-money valuation of US$600,000,000 or more, or (ii) a public offering of Class A Ordinary Shares registered under the US Securities Act or in a jurisdiction and on an internationally recognized securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system outside of the United States, including The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, with gross proceeds to the Company of at least US$100,000,000 and an implied, pre-money valuation between US$500,000,000 (inclusive) and US$600,000,000 (not inclusive) approved by the Board, or (iii) a public offering of Class A Ordinary Shares that does not meet the requirements of (i) or (ii) but is otherwise approved by the Majority Preferred Holders. |
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Redemption Date |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(3) hereof. | |
Redemption Request |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(3) hereof. | |
Register of Members |
means the register maintained in accordance with the Statute and includes (except where otherwise stated) any duplicate Register of Members. | |
Registered Office |
means the registered office for the time being of the Company. | |
Related Party |
means any Affiliate, officer, director, supervisory board member, employee, or holder of any Equity Security of any Group Company, and any Affiliate or Associate of any of the foregoing. | |
Restricted Share Agreements |
means, collectively, the Second Amended and Restated Restricted Shares Agreements entered into by the Company, the respective Founder and the other parties thereto on July 14, 2015. | |
Right of First Refusal and Co-Sale Agreement |
means the Third Amended and Restated Right of First Refusal and Co-Sale Agreement, dated June 16, 2017 among the Company and certain other parties named therein. | |
Seal |
means the common seal of the Company and includes every duplicate seal. |
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Series A Issuance Date |
means the date of the first issue of a Series A Preferred Share. | |
Series A Preferred Share |
means a Series A Preferred Share of US$0.001 par value per share in the capital of the Company having the rights, preference and privileges attaching to it as set out herein. | |
Series B Issuance Date |
means the date of the first issue of a Series B Preferred Share. | |
Series B Preference Amount |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.1(B)(2) hereof. | |
Series B Preferred Share |
means a Series B Preferred Share of US$0.001 par value per share in the capital of the Company having the rights, preference and privileges attaching to it as set out herein. | |
Series B Redemption Date |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(2) hereof. | |
Series B Redemption Notice |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(2) hereof. | |
Series B Redemption Price |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(2) hereof. | |
Series B Redemption Request |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(2) hereof. | |
Series C Issuance Date |
means the date of the first issue of a Series C Preferred Share. | |
Series C Preference Amount |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.1(B)(1) hereof. | |
Series C Preferred Share |
means a Series C Preferred Share of US$0.001 par value per share in the capital of the Company having the rights, preference and privileges attaching to it as set out herein. | |
Series C Redemption Date |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(3) hereof. |
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Series C Redemption Notice |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(3) hereof. | |
Series C Redemption Price |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(3) hereof. | |
Series C Redemption Request |
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(A)(3) hereof. | |
Series Seed Issuance Date |
means the date of the first issue of a Series Seed Preferred Share. | |
Series Seed Preferred Share |
means a Series Seed Preferred Share of US$0.001 par value per share in the capital of the Company having the rights, preference and privileges attaching to it as set out herein. | |
Share and Shares |
means a share or shares in the capital of the Company and includes a fraction of a share. | |
Share Sale |
means a transaction or series of related transactions in which a Person, or a group of Persons, acquires any Equity Securities of the Company such that, immediately after such transaction or series of related transactions, such Person or group of Persons holds Equity Securities of the Company representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding voting power of the Company. | |
Shareholders Agreement |
means the Third Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement, dated June 16, 2017 among the Company, the HK Company, the Domestic Companies, the WFOEs and certain other parties named therein. | |
Special Resolution |
means a resolution passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of votes cast at a general meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given calculated in accordance with Article 50 hereof or, where passed by resolution in writing, by all Members entitled to vote as provided in Article 45 hereof. | |
Statute |
means the Companies Law (2016 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and every statutory modification or re-enactment thereof for the time being in effect. |
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Subsidiaries or Subsidiary |
means, with respect to any given Person, any other Person that is Controlled directly or indirectly by such given Person, at any point and from time to time. | |
Supermajority Pre-B Preferred Holders |
means the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Pre-B Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on an as-converted basis). | |
Transaction Documents |
shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement. | |
US Securities Act |
means the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended. | |
WFOEs |
means, collectively, Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语冠信息技术 ( 上海 ) 有限公司 ), a wholly foreign owned enterprise incorporated under the Laws of the PRC and wholly owned by the HK Company, and Yuling Culture Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语灵文化传播 ( 上海 ) 有限公司 ), a wholly foreign owned enterprise incorporated under the Laws of the PRC and wholly owned by the HK Company. |
2. |
In the Articles: |
2.1 |
words importing the singular number include the plural number and vice-versa; |
2.2 |
words importing the masculine gender include the feminine gender; |
2.3 |
written and in writing include all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form, including in the form of an Electronic Record; |
2.4 |
references to provisions of any law or regulation shall be construed as references to those provisions as amended, modified, re-enacted or replaced from time to time; |
2.5 |
any phrase introduced by the terms including, include, in particular or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms; |
2.6 |
the term voting power refers to the number of votes attributable to the Shares (on an as-converted basis) in accordance with the terms of the Memorandum and Articles; |
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2.7 |
the term or is not exclusive; |
2.8 |
the term including will be deemed to be followed by, but not limited to or without limitation; |
2.9 |
the terms shall, will, and agrees are mandatory, and the term may is permissive; |
2.10 |
the term day means calendar day, and month means calendar month; |
2.11 |
the phrase directly or indirectly means directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediate Persons or through contractual or other arrangements, and direct or indirect has the correlative meaning; |
2.12 |
references to any documents shall be construed as references to such document as the same may be amended, supplemented or novated from time to time; |
2.13 |
all references to dollars or to US$ are to currency of the United States of America and all references to RMB are to currency of the PRC; and |
2.14 |
headings are inserted for reference only and shall be ignored in construing these Articles. |
3. |
For the avoidance of doubt, each other Article herein is subject to the provisions of Articles 8 and 63 , and, subject to the requirements of the Statute, in the event of any conflict, the provisions of Articles 8 and 63 shall prevail over any other Article herein. |
COMMENCEMENT OF BUSINESS
4. |
The business of the Company may be commenced as soon after incorporation as the Directors shall see fit notwithstanding that any part of the Shares may not have been allotted. The Company shall have perpetual existence until wound up or struck off in accordance with the Statute and these Articles. |
5. |
The Directors may pay, out of the capital or any other monies of the Company, all expenses incurred in or about the formation and establishment of the Company, including the expenses of registration. |
ISSUE OF SHARES
6. |
Subject to the provisions, if any, in the Memorandum (and to any direction that may be given by the Company in a general meeting) and to the provisions of Articles 8 and 9 and Schedule A hereto and without prejudice to any rights, preferences and privileges attached to any existing Shares, (a) the Directors may allot, issue, grant options or warrants over or otherwise dispose of the Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares; (b) the Preferred Shares may be allotted and issued from time to time in one (1) or more series; and (c) the series of Preferred Shares shall be designated prior to their allotment and issue. In the event that any Preferred Shares shall be converted pursuant to Article 8.2 hereof, the Preferred Shares so converted shall be cancelled and shall not be re-issuable by the Company. Further, any Preferred Share acquired by the Company by reason of redemption, repurchase, conversion or otherwise shall be cancelled and shall not be re-issuable by the Company. |
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7. |
The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer. |
PREFERRED SHARES AND CONVERSION OF CLASS B ORDINARY SHARES
8. |
Certain rights, preferences and privileges of the Preferred Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares and conversion rights of the Preferred Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares are as follows: |
8.1 |
Dividend Rights; Liquidation Rights . |
A. |
Dividend Rights . Subject to Article 8.3(B), the Company shall make any dividends or distributions to all Members pro rata according to the relative number of Class A Ordinary Shares held by each such Member (calculated on an as-converted basis). |
B. |
Liquidation Preferences . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, all assets and funds of the Company legally available for distribution to the Members (after satisfaction of all creditors claims and claims that may be preferred by law) shall be distributed to the Members of the Company as follows: |
(1) First, the holders of the Series C Preferred Shares shall be entitled to receive for each Series C Preferred Share held by such holder, on parity with each other and prior and in preference to any distribution of any of the assets or funds of the Company to the holders of any other class or series of shares of the Company by reason of their ownership of such shares, the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the applicable Issue Price, plus any dividends declared but unpaid on such Series C Preferred Shares (the Series C Preference Amount ). If the assets and funds thus distributed among the holders of the Series C Preferred Shares shall be insufficient to permit the payment to such holders of the full Series C Preference Amount, then the entire assets and funds of the Company legally available for distribution shall be distributed ratably among the holders of the Series C Preferred Shares in proportion to the aggregate Series C Preference Amount each such holder is otherwise entitled to receive pursuant to this Article 8.1(B)(1) .
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(2) Second, the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares shall be entitled to receive for each Series B Preferred Share held by such holder, on parity with each other and prior and in preference to any distribution of any of the assets or funds of the Company to the holders of any other class or series of shares of the Company (other than the Series C Preferred Shares) by reason of their ownership of such shares, the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the applicable Issue Price, plus any dividends declared but unpaid on such Series B Preferred Shares (the Series B Preference Amount ). If the assets and funds thus distributed among the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares shall be insufficient to permit the payment to such holders of the full Series B Preference Amount, then the entire assets and funds of the Company legally available for distribution to the holders of Series B Preferred Shares shall be distributed ratably among the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares in proportion to the aggregate Series B Preference Amount each such holder is otherwise entitled to receive pursuant to this Article 8.1(B)(2) .
(3) Third , the holders of the Series A Preferred Shares and the Series Seed Preferred Shares (collectively, Pre-B Preferred Shares ) shall be entitled to receive for each Pre- B Preferred Share held by such holder, on parity with each other and prior and in preference to any distribution of any of the assets or funds of the Company to the holders of any other class or series of shares of the Company (other than the Series C Preferred Shares and the Series B Preferred Shares) by reason of their ownership of such shares, the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the applicable Issue Price, plus any dividends declared but unpaid on such Pre-B Preferred Shares (the Pre-B Preference Amount ). If the assets and funds thus distributed among the holders of the Pre-B Preferred Shares shall be insufficient to permit the payment to such holders of the full Pre-B Preference Amount, then the entire assets and funds of the Company legally available for distribution to the holders of the Pre-B Preferred Shares shall be distributed ratably among the holders of the Pre-B Preferred Shares in proportion to the aggregate Pre-B Preference Amount each such holder is otherwise entitled to receive pursuant to this Article 8.1(B)(3) .
(4) If there are any assets or funds remaining after the aggregate Series C Preference Amount, Series B Preference Amount and Pre-B Preference Amount have been distributed or paid in full to the holders of Preferred Shares pursuant to Article 8.1(B)(1) , Article 8.1(B)(2) and Article 8.1(B)(3) above, the remaining assets and funds of the Company available for distribution to the Members shall be distributed ratably among all Members (including the holders of the Preferred Shares), according to the relative number of Class A Ordinary Shares held by each such Member (calculated on an as-converted basis).
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(5) Without prejudice to Article 8.1(B) , unless the Majority Preferred Holders otherwise agree in writing, a Liquidation Event shall be deemed to be a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company for purposes of Article 8.1(B) , and any proceeds, whether in cash or properties, resulting from a Liquidation Event shall be distributed in accordance with the terms of Article 8.1(B) .
C. |
Valuation of Properties . In the event the Company proposes to distribute assets other than cash in connection with any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or any Liquidation Event pursuant to Article 8.1(B) , the value of the assets to be distributed to the Members shall be determined in good faith by the Board (including the affirmative vote of all of the Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 ); provided that any securities not subject to investment letter or similar restrictions on free marketability shall be valued as follows: |
(1) If traded on a securities exchange, the value shall be deemed to be the average of the securitys closing prices on such exchange over the thirty (30) day period ending one (1) day prior to the distribution;
(2) If traded over-the-counter, the value shall be deemed to be the average of the closing bid prices over the thirty (30) day period ending three (3) days prior to the distribution; and
(3) If there is no active public market, the value shall be the fair market value thereof as determined in good faith by the Board (including the affirmative vote of all of the Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 );
provided further that the method of valuation of securities subject to investment letter or other restrictions on free marketability shall be adjusted to make an appropriate discount from the market value determined as above in clauses (1) , (2) or (3) to reflect the fair market value thereof as determined in good faith by the Board (including the affirmative vote of all of the Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 ).
D. |
Notices . In the event that the Company shall propose at any time to consummate a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or a Liquidation Event, then, in connection with each such event, subject to any necessary approval required in the Statute and these Articles, the Company shall send to the holders of Preferred Shares at least ten (10) days prior written notice of the date when the same shall take place; provided , however, that the foregoing notice periods may be shortened or waived with the vote or written consent of the Majority Preferred Holders. |
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8.2 |
Conversion Rights |
Each Class B Ordinary Share is convertible at any time by the holder thereof into one (1) Class A Ordinary Share, provided that the conversion ratio shall be appropriately adjusted for share splits, share dividends, combinations, recapitalizations and similar events to reflect the effect of any recapitalization with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares occurring after the date of adoption of these Articles, so as to provide holders of Class B Ordinary Shares with the same number of Class A Ordinary Shares that such holders of Class B Ordinary Shares would have received if the conversion had occurred immediately prior to such recapitalization. The right of the holder of Class B Ordinary Shares to convert shall be exercisable by such holder delivering a written notice to the Company that such holder elects to convert a specified number of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares. In no event shall Class A Ordinary Shares be convertible into Class B Ordinary Shares. The conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares shall become effective forthwith upon entries being made in the Register of Members to record the re-designation of the relevant Class B Ordinary Shares as Class A Ordinary Shares.
The holders of the Preferred Shares shall have the rights described below with respect to the conversion of the Preferred Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares:
A. |
Conversion Ratio . Each Preferred Share shall be convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of fully paid and non-assessable Class A Ordinary Shares as determined by dividing the applicable Issue Price by the then-effective applicable Conversion Price. The Conversion Price shall initially be the Issue Price, resulting in an initial conversion ratio for the Preferred Shares of 1:1, and shall be subject to adjustment and readjustment from time to time as hereinafter provided. |
B. |
Optional Conversion . Subject to the Statute and these Articles, any Preferred Share may, at the option of the holder thereof, be converted at any time after the date of issuance of such shares, without the payment of any additional consideration, into fully-paid and non assessable Class A Ordinary Shares based on the then-effective Conversion Price. |
C. |
Automatic Conversion . Each series of Preferred Share shall automatically be converted, based on the then-effective Conversion Price, without the payment of any additional consideration, into fully-paid and non assessable Class A Ordinary Shares upon the earlier of (i) the closing of a Qualified IPO, or (ii) with respect to Series Seed Preferred Shares or Series A Preferred Shares, upon the written consent of holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of such series of Preferred Shares; with respect to Series B Preferred Shares, upon the written consent of holders of at least eighty-five percent (85%) of the voting power of such series of Preferred Shares; with respect to Series C Preferred Shares, upon the written consent of holders of at least eighty-five percent (85%) of the voting power of such series of Preferred Shares. Any conversion pursuant to this Article 8.2(C) shall be referred to as an Automatic Conversion . |
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D. |
Conversion Mechanism . The conversion hereunder of the Preferred Shares (or Class B Ordinary Shares, as applicable) shall be effected in the following manner: |
(1) Except as provided in Articles 8.2(D)(2) and 8.2 (D)(3) below, before any holder of any Preferred Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares shall be entitled to convert the same into Class A Ordinary Shares, such holder shall surrender the certificate or certificates therefor duly endorsed (or in lieu thereof shall deliver an affidavit of lost certificate and indemnity therefor) at the office of the Company or of any transfer agent for such share and shall give notice to the Company at its principal corporate office, of the election to convert the same. The Company shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, issue and deliver at such office to such holder of the Preferred Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares, or to the nominee or nominees of such holder, a certificate or certificates for the number of Class A Ordinary Shares to which such holder shall be entitled as aforesaid and shall update the register of members. Such conversion shall be deemed to have been made immediately prior to the close of business on the date of such surrender of the Preferred Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares to be converted, the Register of Members of the Company shall be updated accordingly to reflect the same, and the Person or Persons entitled to receive the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon such conversion shall be treated for all purposes as the record holder or holders of such Class A Ordinary Shares as of such date.
(2) If the conversion is in connection with an underwritten public offering of securities, the conversion will be conditioned upon the closing with the underwriter(s) of the sale of securities pursuant to such offering and the Person(s) entitled to receive the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon such conversion shall not be deemed to have converted the applicable Preferred Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares until immediately prior to the closing of such sale of securities.
(3) Upon the occurrence of an event of Automatic Conversion, the holders of the Preferred Shares shall surrender the certificates representing such shares at the office of the Company or any transfer agent for the Preferred Shares. Thereupon, there shall be issued and delivered to such holder promptly at such office and in its name as shown on the register of members, a certificate or certificates for the number of Class A Ordinary Shares into which the Preferred Shares surrendered were convertible on the date on which such Automatic Conversion occurred. Upon such Automatic Conversion, the Preferred Shares shall be converted automatically into Class A Ordinary Shares without any further action by the holders of such shares and whether or not the certificates representing such shares are surrendered to the Company or its transfer agent; provided , however, that the Company shall not be obligated to issue certificates for any Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon the Automatic Conversion of any Preferred Shares unless the certificate or certificates evidencing such Preferred Shares are either delivered to the Company or its transfer agent, or the holder notifies the Company or its transfer agent that such certificate has been lost, stolen or destroyed and executes an agreement satisfactory to the Company to indemnify the Company from any loss incurred by it in connection with such certificate and the register of members shall be updated accordingly.
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(4) The Directors of the Company may effect the conversion of the Preferred Shares (or Class B Ordinary Shares, as applicable) in any manner in compliance with applicable Law, including redeeming or repurchasing the Preferred Shares and applying the proceeds thereof towards payment for the new Class A Ordinary Shares. For purposes of the repurchase or redemption, the Directors may, subject to the Company being able to pay its debts in the ordinary course of business, make payments out of its capital.
(5) No fractional Class A Ordinary Shares shall be issued upon conversion of any Preferred Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares. In lieu of any fractional shares to which the holder would otherwise be entitled, the Company shall at the discretion of the Board of Directors either (i) pay cash equal to such fraction multiplied by the fair market value for the applicable Preferred Share or Class B Ordinary Shares as determined by the Board of Directors, or (ii) issue one whole Class A Ordinary Share for each fractional share to which the holder would otherwise be entitled.
(6) Upon conversion, all declared but unpaid share dividends on the applicable Preferred Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares shall be paid in shares and all declared but unpaid cash dividends on the applicable Preferred Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares shall be paid either in cash or by the issuance of further Class A Ordinary Shares with a value equal to such cash amount, as determined in good faith by the Board (including the affirmative vote of all of the Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 ).
E. |
Adjustment of Conversion Price . The Conversion Price shall be adjusted from time to time as provided below: |
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(1) Adjustment for Share Splits and Combinations . If the Company shall at any time, or from time to time, effect a subdivision of the outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares, the respective Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such subdivision shall be proportionately decreased. Conversely, if the Company shall at any time, or from time to time, combine the outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares into a smaller number of shares, the respective Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such combination shall be proportionately increased. Any adjustment under this paragraph shall become effective at the close of business on the date the subdivision or combination becomes effective.
(2) Adjustment for Ordinary Share Dividends and Distributions . If the Company makes (or fixes a record date for the determination of holders of Class A Ordinary Shares entitled to receive) a dividend or other distribution to the holders of Class A Ordinary Shares payable in additional Ordinary Shares, the respective Conversion Price then in effect shall be decreased as of the time of such issuance (or in the event such record date is fixed, as of the close of business on such record date) by multiplying such conversion price by a fraction (i) the numerator of which is the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding immediately prior to the time of such issuance or the close of business on such record date (calculated on an as-converted basis), and (ii) the denominator of which is the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding immediately prior to the time of such issuance or the close of business on such record date plus the number of Ordinary Shares issuable in payment of such dividend or distribution (calculated on an as-converted basis).
(3) Adjustments for Other Dividends. If the Company at any time, or from time to time, makes (or fixes a record date for the determination of holders of Ordinary Shares entitled to receive) a dividend or other distribution to the holders of Class A Ordinary Shares payable in securities of the Company other than Class A Ordinary Shares or any other asset or property (other than cash), then, and in each such event, provision shall be made so that, upon conversion of any Preferred Share thereafter, the holder thereof shall receive, in addition to the number of Class A Ordinary Shares issuable thereon, the amount of securities of the Company or other asset or property which the holder of such share would have received in connection with such event had the Preferred Shares been converted into Class A Ordinary Shares immediately prior to such event, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
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(4) Adjustments for Reorganizations, Mergers, Consolidations, Reclassifications, Exchanges, Substitutions. If at any time, or from time to time, any capital reorganization or reclassification of the Class A Ordinary Shares (other than as a result of a share dividend, subdivision, split or combination otherwise treated above) occurs or the Company is consolidated, merged or amalgamated with or into another Person (other than a consolidation, merger or amalgamation treated as a liquidation in Article 8.1(B)(4)), then in any such event, provision shall be made so that, upon conversion of any Preferred Share thereafter, the holder thereof shall receive the kind and amount of shares and other securities and property which the holder of such shares would have received in connection with such event had the relevant Preferred Shares been converted into Class A Ordinary Shares immediately prior to such event, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein, or with respect to such other securities or property, in accordance with any terms applicable thereto.
(5) Adjustments to Conversion Price for Dilutive Issuance.
(a) Special Definition. For purpose of this Article 8.2(E)(5) , the following definitions shall apply:
(i) Options mean rights, options or warrants to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire either Class A Ordinary Shares or Convertible Securities.
(ii) Convertible Securities shall mean any indebtedness, shares or other securities directly or indirectly convertible into or exchangeable for Class A Ordinary Shares.
(iii) New Securities shall mean any Equity Securities of the Company issued after the date on which these Articles are adopted, except for:
a). |
Ordinary Shares, options, restricted share units and/or other awards therefor reserved for issuance to or granted to employees, officers, directors, contractors, advisors or consultants of the Group Companies under the employee share option plans of the Company ( ESOP ), provided that such reserve is in accordance with the terms of the ESOP and the ESOP has been duly approved in accordance with Article 8.3(B) ; |
b). |
Ordinary Shares actually issued upon the conversion or exchange of Ordinary Share Equivalents, provided such issuance is in accordance with the terms of such Ordinary Share Equivalents (which Ordinary Share Equivalents have been duly approved in accordance with these Articles or issued prior to the date of the Shareholders Agreement in accordance with any similar shareholders agreement of the Company in effect as of the date of such issuance); |
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c). |
any Equity Securities of the Company issued pursuant to the bona fide acquisition of another corporation or entity by the Company by consolidation, merger, purchase of assets, or other reorganization in which the Company acquires, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, all or substantially all assets of such other corporation or entity, or fifty percent (50%) or more of the equity ownership or voting power of such other corporation or entity, provided that any such foregoing transaction has been duly approved in accordance with Article 8.3(B) ; |
d). |
any Equity Securities issued under the Purchase Agreement (as defined in the Purchased Agreement) and any Class A Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to the conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares; |
e). |
any Equity Securities issued or issuable pursuant to a share split, share dividend, combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction of the Company in which all Preemptive Rights Holders are entitled to participate on a pro rata basis; |
f). |
any Equity Securities issued pursuant to a Qualified IPO; and |
g). |
any Equity Securities issued as part of any debt financing or financial lease with any financial institution, provided that any such foregoing transaction has been duly approved in accordance with Article 8.3(B) . |
(b) No Adjustment of Conversion Price. No adjustment in the Conversion Price of a class or series of Preferred Shares shall be made in respect of the issuance of New Securities unless the consideration per Class A Ordinary Share (determined pursuant to Article 8.2(E)(5)(e) hereof) for the New Securities issued or deemed to be issued by the Company is less than the Conversion Price of that class or series of Preferred Shares in effect immediately prior to such issuance, as provided for by Article 8.2(E)(5)(d) . No adjustment or readjustment in the Conversion Price otherwise required by this Article 8.2 shall affect any Class A Ordinary Shares issued upon conversion of any applicable Preferred Share prior to such adjustment.
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(c) Deemed Issuance of New Securities. In the event the Company at any time or from time to time after the applicable Issuance Date shall issue any Options or Convertible Securities or shall fix a record date for the determination of holders of any series or class of securities entitled to receive any such Options or Convertible Securities, then the maximum number of Class A Ordinary Shares (as set forth in the instrument relating thereto without regard to any provisions contained therein for a subsequent adjustment of such number for anti-dilution adjustments) issuable upon the exercise of such Options or, in the case of Convertible Securities and Options therefor, the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities or the exercise of such Options, shall be deemed to be New Securities issued as of the time of such issue or, in case such a record date shall have been fixed, as of the close of business on such record date, provided that such New Securities shall not be deemed to have been issued unless the consideration per Class A Ordinary Share (determined pursuant to Article 8.2(E)(5)(e) hereof) of such New Securities would be less than the applicable Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issue or record date, as provided for by Article 8.2(E)(5)(d) , and provided further that in any such case in which New Securities are deemed to be issued:
(i) no further adjustment in the Conversion Price shall be made upon the subsequent issue of Convertible Securities or Class A Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of such Options or conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities or upon the subsequent issue of Options for Convertible Securities or Class A Ordinary Shares;
(ii) if such Options or Convertible Securities by their terms provide, with the passage of time or otherwise, for any change in the consideration payable to the Company, or change in the number of Class A Ordinary Shares issuable, upon the exercise, conversion or exchange thereof, the then effective Conversion Price, computed upon the original issue thereof (or upon the occurrence of a record date with respect thereto), and any subsequent adjustments based thereon, shall, upon any such change becoming effective, be recomputed to reflect such change insofar as it affects such Options or the rights of conversion or exchange under such Convertible Securities;
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(iii) no readjustment pursuant to Article 8.2(E)(5)(c)(ii) shall have the effect of increasing the then effective Conversion Price, to an amount which exceeds the Conversion Price, that would have been in effect had no adjustments in relation to the issuance of the Options or Convertible Securities as referenced in Article 8.2(E)(5)(c)(ii) been made;
(iv) upon the expiration of any such Options or any rights of conversion or exchange under such Convertible Securities that have not been exercised, the then effective Conversion Price, computed upon the original issue thereof (or upon the occurrence of a record date with respect thereto) and any subsequent adjustments based thereon shall, upon such expiration, be recomputed as if;
(x) in the case of Convertible Securities or Options for Class A Ordinary Shares, the only New Securities issued were the Class A Ordinary Shares, if any, actually issued upon the exercise of such Options or the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities and the consideration received therefor was the consideration actually received by the Company for the issue of such exercised Options plus the consideration actually received by the Company upon such exercise or for the issue of all such Convertible Securities that were actually converted or exchanged, plus the additional consideration, if any, actually received by the Company upon such conversion or exchange;
(y) in the case of Options for Convertible Securities, only the Convertible Securities, if any, actually issued upon the exercise thereof were issued at the time of issue of such Options, and the consideration received by the Company for the New Securities deemed to have been then issued was the consideration actually received by the Company for the issue of such exercised Options, plus the consideration deemed to have been received by the Company (determined pursuant to Article 8.2(E)(5)(e) ) upon the issue of the Convertible Securities with respect to which such Options were actually exercised; and
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(v) if such record date shall have been fixed and such Options or Convertible Securities are not issued on the date fixed therefor, the adjustment previously made in the Conversion Price which became effective on such record date shall be canceled as of the close of business on such record date, and thereafter the Conversion Price shall be adjusted pursuant to this Article 8.2(E)(5)(c) as of the actual date of their issuance.
(d) Adjustment of Conversion Price upon Issuance of New Securities . In the event of an issuance of New Securities, at any time after the applicable Issuance Date, for a consideration per Class A Ordinary Share (calculated on an as converted basis) received by the Company (net of any selling concessions, discounts or commissions) less than the applicable Conversion Price of any class or series of Preferred Shares in effect immediately prior to such issue, then and in such event, the Conversion Price of such class or series of Preferred Shares shall be reduced, concurrently with such issue, to a price determined by multiplying such Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issue by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately prior to such issue, plus the number of Class A Ordinary Shares which the aggregate consideration received by the Company for the total number of New Securities so issued would purchase at such Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issue, and the denominator of which shall be the number of Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately prior to such issue plus the number of such New Securities so issued. For the purposes of this Article 8.2(E)(5)(d) , all Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion of all outstanding Convertible Securities and the exercise and/or conversion of any other outstanding Options shall be deemed to be outstanding.
(e) Determination of Consideration . In the case of the issuance of New Securities for cash, the consideration shall be deemed to be the amount of cash received by the Company. In the case of the issuance of the New Securities for a consideration in whole or in part other than cash, the consideration other than cash shall be deemed to be the fair market value thereof, as determined by the Board (including the affirmative vote of all of the Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 ).
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(6) Other Dilutive Events. In case any event shall occur as to which the other provisions of this Article 8.2(E) are not strictly applicable, but the failure to make any adjustment to the Conversion Price would not fairly protect the conversion rights of the holders of the Preferred Shares in accordance with the essential intent and principles hereof, then, in each such case, the Company, in good faith, shall determine the appropriate adjustment to be made, on a basis consistent with the essential intent and principles established in this Article 8.2(E) , necessary to preserve the conversion rights of the holders of such Preferred Shares.
(7) No Impairment. The Company will not, by amendment of these Articles or through any reorganization, recapitalization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, amalgamation, scheme of arrangement, 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 to be observed or performed hereunder by the Company, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all the provisions of this Article 8.2 and in the taking of all such action as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the conversion rights of the holders of Preferred Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares against impairment.
(8) Certificate of Adjustment. In the case of any adjustment or readjustment of the Conversion Price, the Company shall compute such adjustment or readjustment in accordance with the provisions hereof and prepare a certificate showing such adjustment or readjustment, and shall deliver such certificate by notice to each registered holder of such Preferred Shares at the holders address as shown in the Companys books. The certificate shall set forth such adjustment or readjustment, showing in detail the facts upon which such adjustment or readjustment is based, including a statement of (i) the consideration received or deemed to be received by the Company for any New Securities issued or sold or deemed to have been issued or sold, (ii) the number of New Securities issued or sold or deemed to be issued or sold, (iii) the Conversion Price in effect before and after such adjustment or readjustment, and (iv) the type and number of Equity Securities of the Company, and the type and amount, if any, of other property which would be received upon conversion of such Preferred Shares after such adjustment or readjustment.
(9) Notice of Record Date. In the event the Company shall propose to take any action of the type or types requiring an adjustment set forth in this Article 8.2(E) , the Company shall give notice to the holders of the relevant Preferred Shares, which notice shall specify the record date, if any, with respect to any such action and the date on which such action is to take place. Such notice shall also set forth such facts with respect thereto as shall be reasonably necessary to indicate the effect of such action (to the extent such effect may be known at the date of such notice) on the Conversion Price, and the number, kind or class of shares or other securities or property which shall be deliverable upon the occurrence of such action or deliverable upon the conversion of the relevant Preferred Shares. In the case of any action which would require the fixing of a record date, such notice shall be given at least ten (10) days prior to the date so fixed (or such lesser period as may be approved by the Majority Preferred Holders) prior to the taking of such proposed action.
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(10) Reservation of Shares Issuable Upon Conversion. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available out of its authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares, solely for the purpose of effecting the conversion of the Preferred Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, such number of its Class A Ordinary Shares as shall from time to time be sufficient to effect the conversion of all outstanding Preferred Shares and all outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares. If at any time the number of authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares shall not be sufficient to effect the conversion of all then outstanding Preferred Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, in addition to such other remedies as shall be available to the holders of Preferred Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, the Company and its Members will take such corporate action as may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary to increase its authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares to such number of shares as shall be sufficient for such purpose.
(11) Payment of Taxes. The Company will pay all taxes (other than taxes based upon income) and other governmental charges that may be imposed with respect to the issue or delivery of Class A Ordinary Shares upon conversion of the Preferred Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, excluding any tax or other charge imposed in connection with any transfer involved in the issue and delivery of Class A Ordinary Shares in a name other than that in which such Preferred Share or Class B Ordinary Share, as applicable, so converted were registered.
(12) Notices. Any notice required or permitted pursuant to this Article 8.2 shall be given in writing and shall be given in accordance with Articles 108 through 112 .
8.3 |
Voting Rights. |
A. |
General Rights . Subject to the provisions of the Memorandum and these Articles, at all general meetings of the Company: |
(1) each holder of Preferred Shares shall be entitled to such number of votes as equals the whole number of Class A Ordinary Shares into which such holders collective Preferred Shares are convertible immediately after the close of business on the record date of the determination of the Companys Members entitled to vote or, if no such record date is established, at the date such vote is taken or any written consent of the Companys Members is first solicited. Fractional votes shall not, however, be permitted and any fractional voting rights available on an as converted basis (after aggregating all shares into which the Preferred Shares held by such holder could be converted) shall be rounded to the nearest whole number (with one-half being rounded upward). To the extent that the Statute or these Articles allow the Preferred Shares to vote separately as a class or series with respect to any matters, such Preferred Shares shall have the right to vote separately as a class or series with respect to such matters;
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(2) each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares shall be entitled to one (1) vote for each Class A Ordinary Share thereof held; and
(3) each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares shall be entitled to one (1) vote for each Class B Ordinary Share thereof held, provided that , subject to the prior written approval of the Majority Preferred Holders, upon the closing of a Qualified IPO, each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares shall be entitled to ten (10) votes for each Class B Ordinary Share thereof held.
B. |
Protective Provisions . |
1. |
Acts of the Group Companies Requiring Approval of Majority Preferred Holders. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein, or in the Charter Documents of any Group Company but subject to the provisions of Article 4 of Schedule A (which shall prevail over the provisions of this Article 8.3(B)) , the Company shall not take, permit to occur, approve, authorize, or agree or commit to do any of the following, whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, whether directly or indirectly, and whether or not by amendment, merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement, amalgamation, or otherwise, unless, when determining (a) Articles 8.3.B1 (3) , 8.3.B1 (5) , 8.3.B1 (9) , 8.3.B1 (11) , 8.3.B1 (13) , 8.3.B1 (14) , and 8.3.B1 (17) , approved by the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis), (b) Articles 8.3.B1 (1) , 8.3.B1 (2) , 8.3.B1 (4) , 8.3.B1 (6) , 8.3.B1 (7) , 8.3.B1 (8) , 8.3.B1 (10) , 8.3.B1 (12) , 8.3.B1 (15) and 8.3.B1 (16) , approved by the Majority Preferred Holders, and (c) 8.3B1(5) , 8.3B1(13) , 8.3B1(14) and 8.3B1(17) , approved by the Majority Series C Holder, in each case, in writing in advance, provided that where any such action requires a Special Resolution of the shareholders in accordance with the Companies Law (2016 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and if the shareholders vote in favour of such act but the approval of the Majority Preferred Holders or the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Preferred Shares (as applicable) has not yet been obtained, the Majority Preferred Holders or the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Preferred Shares (as applicable) shall have the voting rights equal to the aggregate voting power of all the shareholders who voted in favour of such act plus one: |
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(1) any change in any Group Companys Articles of Association or similar constitutional documents, or any other action, that may materially alter or change the rights or preferences of any of the Preferred Shares;
(2) any action that authorizes, creates or issues (A) any class or series of Equity Securities having rights, preferences, privileges, powers, limitations or restrictions superior to or on a parity with the Preferred Shares, whether as to liquidation, conversion, dividend, voting, redemption, or otherwise, or any Equity Securities convertible into, exchangeable for, or exercisable into any Equity Securities having rights, preferences, privileges, powers, limitations or restrictions superior to or on a parity with of the Preferred Shares, whether as to liquidation, conversion, dividend, voting, redemption or otherwise, or (B) any Equity Securities of any Group Company except for Ordinary Shares, options, restricted share units and/or other awards therefor, that have been reserved as of the date on which these Articles are adopted for issuance to employees, officers, directors, contractors, advisors or consultants of the Group Companies in accordance with the terms of the ESOP;
(3) any Liquidation Event as defined under this Memorandum and Articles, or any merger, amalgamation, scheme or arrangement or consolidation of any Group Company with any Person, provided, that if such transaction has an implied equity valuation of the Company of less than US$900,000,000, the prior written approval of the Majority Series C Holder shall be required;
(4) any material change in the share capital or registered capital of any Group Company;
(5) any liquidation, winding up or bankruptcy, reorganization or other analogous insolvency proceeding of any Group Company;
(6) any material change of the nature of the business of any Group Company unless approved by the Board (including the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors);
(7) any transactions by any Group Company exceeding RMB 4,000,000 with any Related Party, unless such transaction is expressly contemplated under the Transaction Documents;
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(8) incurrence by any Group Company of Indebtedness or guarantees of Indebtedness in excess of RMB4,000,000, unless approved by the Board (including the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors) or unless otherwise set forth in the Annual Budget;
(9) any entry into any contract with the management personnel of any Group Company, other than the contracts with respect to arrangements for employment or any contract relating to the ESOP;
(10) the appointment or removal of the auditors, or the change of accounting standard or the term of the fiscal year for any Group Company;
(11) the approval of, or any material deviation from or material amendment of, the Annual Budget of any Group Company, unless approved by the Board (including the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors);
(12) any declaration or payment of any dividend or other distribution, or determination of the dividend policy of such Group Company;
(13) any purchase, repurchase, redemption or retirements of any Equity Security of any Group Company, other than (A) the purchase, repurchase or redemption of Ordinary Shares by the Company at no more than the original purchase price from terminated employees, officers or consultants in accordance with the ESOP, and (B) the purchase, repurchase or redemption of the Shares pursuant to Article 8.4 , and (C) the Option Repurchases;
(14) any sale, transfer, license on an exclusive basis, pledge, encumber or otherwise disposal of any material intellectual property or other material assets of any Group Company or any of its Affiliates to a third party;
(15) any increase or decrease of the size and composition of the Board not otherwise provided for herein;
(16) appointment or removal of any management personnel of any Group Company at the senior VP-level or above (including chief executive office, chief operation officer and chief financial officer), unless approved by the Board (including the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors); or
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(17) any sale, transfer, pledge, mortgage or other disposal of any equity interest (whether directly or indirectly) in any Subsidiaries of the Company.
2. |
Acts of the Group Companies Requiring Investor Directors Approval. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein, or in the Charter Documents of any Group Company, but subject to the provisions of Article 4 of Schedule A (which shall prevail over the provisions of this Article 8.3(B)), the Company shall not take, permit to occur, approve, authorize, or agree or commit to do any of the following, whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, whether directly or indirectly, and whether or not by amendment, merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement, amalgamation, or otherwise, unless approved in writing by (a) a majority of the votes of the Directors of the Board (which must include the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors) and (b) when determining Article8.3B2(4) or (7) , approved by the Series C Director, for as long as the Majority Series C Holder has the right to appoint, remove and replace a director to the Board pursuant to Article 63 : |
(1) any sale, transfer or other disposal of by any Group Company of any assets, businesses, interests, properties or securities valued in excess of RMB8,000,000 individually or RMB13,000,000 in the aggregate during any fiscal year, or the disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of any Group Company (or any series of related transactions having similar effect);
(2) any acquisition of or investment in any business by any Group Company valued in excess of RMB8,000,000;
(3) the incurrence by any Group Company of any capital expenditure in excess of RMB8,000,000 unless authorized in the Annual Budget;
(4) the adoption, amendment or termination of the ESOP or any other equity incentive, purchase or participation plan, including any amendment of the number of shares of the Company reserved under the ESOP, for the benefit of any employees, officers, directors, contractors, advisors or consultants of any of the Group Companies;
(5) any action to grant options or other awards under the ESOP to key management personnel of any Group Company, or to any Person representing ten percent (10%) or more of the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares reserved under the ESOP;
(6) any debt financing by any Group Company in excess of RMB8,000,000, or any borrowing from banks or other financial institutions outside the Annual Budget; and
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(7) any public offering of any Equity Securities of any Group Company other than a Qualified IPO, including the determination of the terms, valuation, stock exchange, the underwriters therefor.
8.4 |
Redemption . |
The Preferred Shares may be redeemed as provided in this Article 8.4 .
A. |
Optional Redemption . |
(1) Subject to any legal restrictions under applicable Laws, upon the earlier of the occurrence of any following event: (i) at any time after the expiration of the third (3 th ) anniversary of the Series C Issuance Date, (ii) any Material Breach, or (iii) the Company has received a Series C Redemption Request or a Series B Redemption Request, the Supermajority Pre-B Preferred Holders may by written request to the Company (the Pre-B Redemption Request ), require that the Company redeem all or part of the Pre-B Preferred Shares held by such holders in accordance with the following terms. The Pre-B Redemption Request shall be given by hand or by mail to the principal business office of the Company at least sixty (60) days prior to the date set forth therein on which the Pre-B Preferred Shares are to be redeemed. For the purpose of this Article 8.4A(1) , Material Breach means (a) any material breach by any of the Warrantors of (i) Sections 3.1 (Organization, Good Standing and Qualification), 3.2 (Capitalization and Voting Rights), 3.3 (Corporate Structure; Subsidiaries), 3.4 (Authorization), 3.5 (Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares), 3.6 (Consents; No conflicts), 3.7 (Compliance with Laws; Consents), 3.9 (Financial Statements), 3.12 (Material Contracts), 3.16 (Intellectual Property Rights) or 3.24 (Full Disclosure) of the Purchase Agreement, (ii) Sections 7 (Preemptive Right), 10 (Protective Provisions), 11 (Drag-Along Rights), 12.2 (Compliance with Laws) 12.11 (Restrictions on Transfers), or 12.15 (Control Documents) of the Shareholders Agreement or the corresponding provisions of the Memorandum and Articles, or (iii) Section 2 (Restriction on Transfers; Right of First Refusal and Co-Sale Rights) of the Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement or the corresponding provisions of the Memorandum and Article; and, in each of the foregoing cases, the Company or the relevant Group Company having failed to cure, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Supermajority Pre-B Preferred Holders, such material breach within forty-five (45) days upon receipt of a written notice sent by the Supermajority Pre-B Preferred Holders regarding such breach, and such material breach has been determined by the relevant arbitration tribunal in accordance with Section 13.4 of the Shareholders Agreement to have resulted in Losses to (x) the Company or any Group Company, taken as a whole, of US$67,500,000 or more, or (y) the holders of the Pre-B Preferred Shares of an amount equal to US$67,500,000 multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the then issued and outstanding Pre-B Preferred Shares (calculated on an as-converted basis), and the denominator is the total number of the issued and outstanding Shares (calculated on an as-converted basis), or (b) any other material breach by the Warrantors of any of the Transaction Documents, which breach has resulted in a Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Purchase Agreement).
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Following receipt of the Pre-B Redemption Request, the Company shall within ten (10) calendar days give written notice (the Pre-B Redemption Notice ) to each holder on record of Pre-B Preferred Shares, each holder of the Series C Preferred Shares and each holder of the Series B Preferred Shares, at the address last shown on the records of the Company for such holder(s). Such notice shall indicate that the Supermajority Pre-B Preferred Holders have elected the redemption of certain Pre-B Preferred Shares pursuant to the provisions of this Article 8.4 , shall specify the redemption date and shall indicate that the other holder(s) of Pre-B Preferred Shares may also submit their share certificates to the Company on or before the scheduled redemption date if they wish to also participate in such redemption. The redemption price for a Pre-B Preferred Share redeemed pursuant to this Article 8.4(A)(1) (the Pre-B Redemption Price ) shall be the amount equal to one hundred and thirty percent (130%) of the respective Issue Price, plus all accrued or declared but unpaid dividends on such Pre-B Preferred Share. The redemption of any Pre-B Preferred Share pursuant to this Article 8.4(A)(1) will take place within sixty (60) days of the date of such Pre-B Redemption Notice at the offices of the Company, or such earlier date or other place as the Supermajority Pre-B Preferred Holders and the Board of Directors may mutually agree in writing (each a Pre-B Redemption Date ). At a Pre-B Redemption Date, the Company will, from any source of assets or funds legally available therefor, subject to any legal restrictions under applicable Law, redeem all the Pre-B Preferred Shares required to be redeemed by paying in cash therefor the Pre-B Redemption Price against surrender by such holder at the Companys principal business office of the certificate representing such share. Upon completion of the redemption and the payment of the applicable redemption price by the Company to each of the redeeming holders of Pre-B Preferred Shares, all rights of the holder of such Pre-B Preferred Share(s) (except the right to receive the applicable redemption price) will cease with respect to the Pre-B Preferred Shares being redeemed by it, and such Pre-B Preferred Shares will not thereafter be transferred on the books of the Company or be deemed outstanding for any purpose whatsoever and the Company shall update the register of members accordingly.
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(2) Subject to any legal restrictions under applicable Laws, upon the earlier of the occurrence of any following event: (i) at any time after the expiration of the third (3 rd ) anniversary of the Series C Issue Date, if the Company has not completed a Qualified IPO by that anniversary date, (ii) any Material Breach, or (iii) the Company has received a Series C Redemption Request or a Pre-B Redemption Request, the Majority Series B Holders may by written request to the Company (the Series B Redemption Request ), require that the Company redeem all or part of the Series B Preferred Shares held by such holders in accordance with the following terms. The Series B Redemption Request shall be given by hand or by mail to the principal business office of the Company at least sixty (60) days prior to the date set forth therein on which the Series B Preferred Shares are to be redeemed. For the purpose of this Article 8.4A(2) , Material Breach means (a) any material breach by any of the Warrantors of (i) Sections 3.1 (Organization, Good Standing and Qualification), 3.2 (Capitalization and Voting Rights), 3.3 (Corporate Structure; Subsidiaries), 3.4 (Authorization), 3.5 (Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares), 3.6 (Consents; No conflicts), 3.7 (Compliance with Laws; Consents), 3.9 (Financial Statements), 3.12 (Material Contracts), 3.16 (Intellectual Property Rights) or 3.24 (Full Disclosure) of the Purchase Agreement, (ii) Sections 7 (Preemptive Right), 10 (Protective Provisions), 11 (Drag-Along Rights), 12.2 (Compliance with Laws) 12.11 (Restrictions on Transfers), or 12.15 (Control Documents) of the Shareholders Agreement or the corresponding provisions of the Memorandum and Articles, or (iii) Section 2 (Restriction on Transfers; Right of First Refusal and Co-Sale Rights) of the Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement or the corresponding provisions of the Memorandum and Article; and, in each of the foregoing cases, the Company or the relevant Group Company having failed to cure, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Majority Series B Holder, such material breach within forty-five (45) days upon receipt of a written notice sent by the Majority Series B Holder regarding such breach, and such material breach has been determined by the relevant arbitration tribunal in accordance with Section 13.4 of the Shareholders Agreement to have resulted in Losses to (x) the Company or any Group Company, taken as a whole, of US$67,500,000 or more, or (y) the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares of an amount equal to US$67,500,000 multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the then issued and outstanding Series B Preferred Shares (calculated on an as-converted basis), and the denominator is the total number of the issued and outstanding Shares (calculated on an as-converted basis), or (b) any other material breach by the Warrantors of any of the Transaction Documents, which breach has resulted in a Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Purchase Agreement).
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Following receipt of the Series B Redemption Request, the Company shall within ten (10) calendar days give written notice (the Series B Redemption Notice ) to each holder on record of the Series B Preferred Shares, to each holder on record of the Series C Preferred Shares and to each holder on record of the Pre-B Preferred Shares, at the address last shown on the records of the Company for such holder(s). Such notice shall indicate that the Majority Series B Holders have elected the redemption of certain Series B Preferred Shares pursuant to the provisions of this Article 8.4(A)(2) , shall specify the redemption date and shall indicate that the other holder(s) of the Series B Preferred Shares may also submit their share certificates to the Company on or before the scheduled redemption date if they wish to also participate in such redemption. The redemption price for a Series B Preferred Share redeemed pursuant to this Article 8.4(A)(2) (the Series B Redemption Price ) shall be the amount equal to the Series B Issue Price, plus a 6% annual compound interest thereon for a period of time commencing from the Series B Issue Date and ending on the date that the Series B Redemption Price is paid in full by the Company in respect of such Series B Preferred Share, plus all accrued or declared but unpaid dividends on such Series B Preferred Share. The redemption of any Series B Preferred Share pursuant to this Article 8.4(A)(2) will take place within sixty (60) days of the date of the Series B Redemption Notice at the offices of the Company, or such earlier date or other place as the Majority Series B Holders and the Board of Directors may mutually agree in writing (each a Series B Redemption Date ). At the Series B Redemption Date, the Company will, from any source of assets or funds legally available therefor, subject to any legal restrictions under applicable Law, redeem all the Series B Preferred Shares required to be redeemed by paying in cash therefor the Series B Redemption Price, against surrender by such holder at the Companys principal business office of the certificate representing such share. Upon completion of the redemption and the payment of the applicable redemption price by the Company to each of the redeeming holders of the Series B Preferred Shares, all rights of the holder of such Series B Preferred Share(s) (except the right to receive the applicable redemption price) will cease with respect to the Series B Preferred Shares being redeemed by it, and such Series B Preferred Shares will not thereafter be transferred on the books of the Company or be deemed outstanding for any purpose whatsoever and the Company shall update the register of members accordingly
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(3) Subject to any legal restrictions under applicable Laws, upon the earlier of the occurrence of any following event: (i) at any time after the expiration of the third (3 rd ) anniversary of the Series C Issue Date, if the Company has not completed a Qualified IPO by that anniversary date, (ii) any Material Breach, or (iii) the Company has received a Series B Redemption Request or a Pre-B Redemption Request, the Majority Series C Holders may by written request to the Company (the Series C Redemption Request , together with the Series B Redemption Request and the Pre-B Redemption Request, each, a Redemption Request ), require that the Company redeem all or part of the Series C Preferred Shares held by such holders in accordance with the following terms. The Series C Redemption Request shall be given by hand or by mail to the principal business office of the Company at least sixty (60) days prior to the date set forth therein on which the Series C Preferred Shares are to be redeemed. For the purpose of this Article 8.4A(3) , Material Breach means (a) any material breach by any of the Warrantors of (i) Sections 3.1 (Organization, Good Standing and Qualification), 3.2 (Capitalization and Voting Rights), 3.3 (Corporate Structure; Subsidiaries), 3.4 (Authorization), 3.5 (Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares), 3.6 (Consents; No conflicts), 3.7 (Compliance with Laws; Consents), 3.9 (Financial Statements), 3.12 (Material Contracts), 3.16 (Intellectual Property Rights) or 3.24 (Full Disclosure) of the Purchase Agreement, (ii) Sections 7 (Preemptive Right), 10 (Protective Provisions), 11 (Drag-Along Rights), 12.2 (Compliance with Laws) 12.11 (Restrictions on Transfers), or 12.15 (Control Documents) of the Shareholders Agreement or the corresponding provisions of the Memorandum and Articles, or (iii) Section 2 (Restriction on Transfers; Right of First Refusal and Co-Sale Rights) of the Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement or the corresponding provisions of the Memorandum and Article; and, in each of the foregoing cases, the Company or the relevant Group Company having failed to cure, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Majority Series C Holder, such material breach within forty-five (45) days upon receipt of a written notice sent by the Majority Series C Holder regarding such breach, and such material breach has been determined by the relevant arbitration tribunal in accordance with Section 13.4 of the Shareholders Agreement to have resulted in Losses to (x) the Company or any Group Company, taken as a whole, of US$67,500,000 or more, or (y) the holders of the Series C Preferred Shares of an amount equal to US$67,500,000 multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the then issued and outstanding Series C Preferred Shares (calculated on an as-converted basis), and the denominator is the total number of the issued and outstanding Shares (calculated on an as-converted basis), or (b) any other material breach by the Warrantors of any of the Transaction Documents, which breach has resulted in a Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Purchase Agreement).
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Following receipt of the Series C Redemption Request, the Company shall within ten (10) calendar days give written notice (the Series C Redemption Notice ) to each holder on record of the Series C Preferred Shares, each holder on record of the Series B Preferred Shares and each holder on record of the Pre-B Preferred Shares, at the address last shown on the records of the Company for such holder(s). Such notice shall indicate that the Majority Series C Holders have elected the redemption of certain Series C Preferred Shares pursuant to the provisions of this Article 8.4(A)(3) , shall specify the redemption date and shall indicate that the other holder(s) of the Series C Preferred Shares may also submit their share certificates to the Company on or before the scheduled redemption date if they wish to also participate in such redemption. The redemption price for a Series C Preferred Share redeemed pursuant to this Article 8.4(A)(3) (the Series C Redemption Price ) shall be the amount equal to the Series C Issue Price, plus a 6% annual compound interest thereon for a period of time commencing from the Series C Issue Date and ending on the date that the Series C Redemption Price is paid in full by the Company in respect of such Series C Preferred Share, plus all accrued or declared but unpaid dividends on such Series C Preferred Share. The redemption of any Series C Preferred Share pursuant to this Article 8.4(A)(3) will take place within sixty (60) days of the date of the Series C Redemption Notice at the offices of the Company, or such earlier date or other place as the Majority Series C Holders and the Board of Directors may mutually agree in writing (each a Series C Redemption Date , together with the Series B Redemption Date and the Pre-B Redemption Date, each a Redemption Date ). At the Series C Redemption Date, the Company will, from any source of assets or funds legally available therefor, subject to any legal restrictions under applicable Law, redeem all the Series C Preferred Shares required to be redeemed by paying in cash therefor the Series C Redemption Price, against surrender by such holder at the Companys principal business office of the certificate representing such share. Upon completion of the redemption and the payment of the applicable redemption price by the Company to each of the redeeming holders of the Series C Preferred Shares, all rights of the holder of such Series C Preferred Share(s) (except the right to receive the applicable redemption price) will cease with respect to the Series C Preferred Shares being redeemed by it, and such Series C Preferred Shares will not thereafter be transferred on the books of the Company or be deemed outstanding for any purpose whatsoever and the Company shall update the register of members accordingly.
(4) On each Redemption Date, if the total number of Series C Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares and Pre-B Preferred Shares which could be redeemed by the Company in light of the assets and funds available to the Company or otherwise is less than the total number of Series C Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares and Pre-B Preferred Shares requested to be redeemed pursuant to the Redemption Request, (i) the Company shall not redeem any Shares unless and until all Series C Preferred Shares requested to be redeemed in the applicable Redemption Notice have been redeemed by the Company, and (ii) the Company shall not redeem any Shares (other than the Series C Preferred Shares) unless and until all Series C Preferred Shares and Series B Preferred Shares requested to be redeemed in the applicable Redemption Notice have been redeemed by the Company.
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B. |
Insufficient Funds . If the Companys assets or funds which are legally available on the date that any redemption payment under this Article 8.4 is due are insufficient to pay in full all redemption payments to be paid at the Redemption Date, or if the Company is otherwise prohibited by applicable Law from making such redemption, those assets or funds which are legally available shall be used to pay, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, the holders of Preferred Shares in the following sequence: (i) first, pay the Series C Redemption Price to the holders of Series C Shares, pari passu as amongst themselves, (ii) second, after the full payment of the Series C Redemption Price, pay the Series B Redemption Price to the holders of Series B Shares, pari passu as amongst themselves, and (iii) third, after the full payment of the Series C Redemption Price and the Series B Redemption Price, pay the Pre-B Redemption Price to the holders of Pre-B Shares, pari passu as amongst themselves. |
To the extent the Company is unable to redeem any Preferred Shares in accordance with this Article 8.4 , the remaining Preferred Shares to be redeemed but with respect to which the redemption price for such series of Preferred Shares due and payable has not been paid in full shall be carried forward and redeemed as soon as the Company has legally available funds or assets to redeem such remaining Preferred Shares, in the sequence set forth in this Article 8.4(B) .
If the Company fails to redeem any Preferred Shares on its due date for redemption, then, as from such date until the date on which the same are redeemed, the Company shall not declare or pay any dividend nor otherwise make any distribution of or otherwise decrease its profits available for distribution or redeem or repurchase any other shares or securities of the Company (other than the Preferred Shares subject to redemption).
To the extent permitted by applicable Law, upon and following receipt of a redemption notice, the Company shall use best efforts to procure that the profits of each other Group Company (including the Domestic Companies) for the time being available for distribution shall be paid to the Company by way of dividend if and to the extent that, but for such payment, the Company would not itself otherwise have sufficient profits available for distribution to make the redemption of Preferred Shares required to be made pursuant to this Article 8.4 .
Prior to the payment of the applicable redemption price in full to any holder of Preferred Shares in accordance with this Article 8.4 , such shares shall continue to have all the powers, designations, preferences and relative participating, optional and other special rights which such shares had as set forth hereunder.
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C. |
At the election of the holder of the balance of any Preferred Shares subject to redemption hereunder with respect to which the Company has become obligated to pay the redemption payment but which it has not paid in full, the Company shall issue an one-year note (bearing 15% simple interest per annum) to such holder. |
ORDINARY SHARES
9. |
Except as provided in the Memorandum and these Articles, the Shareholders Agreement, the Right of First Refusal and Co-Sale Agreement and the Restricted Share Agreements, the Shares of the Company shall have the same rights, preferences, privileges and limitations. Save and except for voting rights and conversion rights as set out in these Articles, the Class B Ordinary Shares and the Class A Ordinary Shares shall rank pari passu and shall have the same rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions. |
REGISTER OF MEMBERS
10. |
The Company shall maintain or cause to be maintained the Register of Members in accordance with the Statute. The Register of Members shall be the only evidence as to who are the Members entitled to examine the Register of Members, the list required to be sent to Members under Article 42 , or the other books and records of the Company, or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of Members. |
CLOSING REGISTER OF MEMBERS OR FIXING RECORD DATE
11. |
For the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of Members or any adjournment thereof, or Members entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other proper purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period that shall not in any case exceed forty (40) days. If the Register of Members shall be closed for the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of Members, the Register of Members shall be closed for at least ten (10) days immediately preceding the meeting and the record date for such determination shall be the date of the closure of the Register of Members. |
12. |
In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of Members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Members, or any adjournment thereof, and for the purpose of determining the Members entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within ninety (90) days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination. |
13. |
If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of Members or Members entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is sent or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. When a determination of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof. |
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CERTIFICATES FOR SHARES
14. |
Share certificates representing Shares, if any, shall be in such form as the Directors may determine. Share certificates shall be signed by one or more Directors or other Person authorised by the Directors. The Directors may authorise certificates to be issued with the authorised signature(s) affixed by mechanical process. All certificates for Shares shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified and shall specify the Shares to which they relate. All certificates surrendered to the Company for transfer shall be cancelled and, subject to these Articles, no new certificate shall be issued until the former certificate representing a like number of relevant Shares shall have been surrendered and cancelled. |
15. |
The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one (1) certificate for Shares held jointly by more than one Person and delivery of a certificate to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them. |
16. |
If a share certificate is defaced, worn out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity and on the payment of such expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating evidence, as the Directors may prescribe, and (in the case of defacement or wearing out) upon delivery of the old certificate. |
TRANSFER OF SHARES
17. |
The Shares of the Company are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth in these Articles (including Schedule A hereto), the Shareholders Agreement, the Restricted Shares Agreements and the Right of First Refusal and Co-Sale Agreement. The Company will only register transfers of Shares that are made in accordance with such agreements and will not register transfers of Shares that are not made in accordance with such agreements. |
18. |
The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor (and, if the Directors so require, signed by the transferee). The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members. The registration of transfers may be suspended at such time and for such periods as a majority of the votes of the Board of Directors may from time to time determine, provided always that such registration shall not be suspended for more than forty five (45) days in any year. |
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REDEMPTION AND REPURCHASE OF SHARES
19. |
Subject to the provisions of the Statute and Article 8 , the Company may issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Member or the Company; provided that none of the Preferred Shares is liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company (except in relation to the conversion thereof pursuant to Article 8.2 ). |
20. |
Subject to the provisions of the Statute and Articles 8 and 9 , the Directors may authorize the redemption or purchase by the Company of its own Shares in such manner and on such terms as they think fit. |
21. |
Subject to the provisions of the Statute and Articles 8 and 9 , the Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Statute, including out of capital. |
VARIATION OF RIGHTS OF SHARES
22. |
Subject to Article 8, if at any time the share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class) may, whether or not the Company is being wound-up, be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Shares of that class. |
23. |
Subject to Article 8 , the rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the Shares, be deemed to be varied by the creation, re-designation or issue of further Shares ranking senior thereto or pari passu therewith, and the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings shall apply to, to the extent applicable, every class meeting of the holders of one class of Shares except the necessary quorum shall be one or more Persons holding or representing by proxy at least a majority of the issued Shares of the class. |
COMMISSION ON SALE OF SHARES
24. |
Subject to Article 8, Company may, with the approval of a majority of the votes of the Board of Directors (which majority shall include the vote of two (2) or more Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 ), so far as the Statute permits, pay a commission to any Person in consideration of his or her subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares of the Company. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash and/or the issue of fully or partly paid-up Shares. The Company may also on any issue of Shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful. |
NON-RECOGNITION OF INTERESTS
25. |
The Company shall not be bound by or compelled to recognise in any way (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share, or (except only as is otherwise provided by these Articles or the Statute) any other rights in respect of any Share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the registered holder. |
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TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
26. |
If a Member dies, the survivor or survivors where such Member was a joint holder, and his or her legal personal representatives where such Member was a sole holder, shall be the only Persons recognised by the Company as having any title to such Members interest. The estate of a deceased Member is not thereby released from any liability in respect of any Share that had been jointly held by such Member. |
27. |
Any Person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other way than by transfer) may, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors, elect either to become the holder of the Share or to have some Person nominated by him or her as the transferee. If he or she elects to become the holder, he or she shall give written notice to the Company to that effect but the Directors shall, in any case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer by that Member before his death or bankruptcy, as the case may be. |
28. |
If the Person so becoming entitled shall elect to be registered as the holder, such Person shall deliver or send to the Company a notice in writing signed by such Person stating that he or she so elects. |
AMENDMENTS OF MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION AND ALTERATION OF CAPITAL
29. |
Subject to Article 8 , the Company may by Ordinary Resolution: |
29.1 |
increase the share capital by such sum as the resolution shall prescribe and with such rights, priorities and privileges annexed thereto, as the Company in general meeting may determine; |
29.2 |
consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares; |
29.3 |
by subdivision of its existing Shares or any of them divide the whole or any part of its share capital into Shares of smaller amount than is fixed by the Memorandum or into Shares without par value; |
29.4 |
cancel any Shares that at the date of the passing of the resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any Person; and |
29.5 |
perform any action not required to be performed by Special Resolution pursuant to applicable Laws. |
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30. |
Subject to the provisions of the Statute and the provisions of these Articles as regards the matters to be dealt with by Ordinary Resolution, and subject further to Article 8 , the Company may by Special Resolution: |
30.1 |
change its name; |
30.2 |
alter or add to these Articles; |
30.3 |
alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein; and |
30.4 |
reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve fund. |
REGISTERED OFFICE
31. |
Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Company may by resolution of the Directors change the location of its Registered Office. |
GENERAL MEETINGS
32. |
All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings. |
33. |
The Company shall, if required by the Statute, in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. The annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Directors shall appoint. At these meetings, the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented. |
34. |
The Company may hold an annual general meeting, but shall not (unless required by Statute) be obliged to hold an annual general meeting. |
35. |
The Directors may call general meetings, and, subject to Articles 36 and 37 , they shall on a Members requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company. |
36. |
A Members requisition is a requisition by Members holding 50% or more of the voting power of all of the then outstanding Shares. |
37. |
The requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the Registered Office, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one (1) or more requisitionists. |
38. |
If the Directors do not within twenty-one (21) days from the date of the deposit of the requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one (21) days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three (3) months after the expiration of the said twenty-one (21) days. |
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39. |
A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are to be convened by Directors. |
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
40. |
At least five (5) days notice shall be given of any general meeting unless such notice is waived either before, at or after such meeting both by the Majority Ordinary Holders and the Majority Preferred Holders (or their proxies). Every notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is given or deemed to be given and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner, if any, as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice period specified in this regulation has been given and whether or not the provisions of the Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed both by the Majority Ordinary Holders and the Majority Preferred Holders (or their proxies). |
41. |
The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any Person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of that meeting. |
42. |
The officer of the Company who has charge of the Register of Members of the Company shall prepare and make, at least two (2) days before every general meeting, a complete list of the Members entitled to vote at the general meeting, arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each Member and the number of shares registered in the name of each Member. Such list shall be open to examination by any Member for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours, for a period of at least two (2) days prior to the meeting, either at a place within the city where the meeting is to be held, which place shall be specified in the notice of the meeting, or, if not so specified, at the place where the meeting is to be held. The list shall also be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any Member of the Company who is present. |
PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
43. |
The Majority Ordinary Holders and the Majority Preferred Holders, together, present in person or by proxy or if a company or other non-natural Person by its duly authorised representative shall be a quorum. Subject to Article 46 , no business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. |
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44. |
A Person may participate at a general meeting by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the Persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation by a Person in a general meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting. |
45. |
A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) shall be as valid and effective as if the resolution had been passed at a duly convened and held general meeting of the Company if: it is signed by all Members for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings. |
46. |
A quorum, once established, shall not be broken by the withdrawal of enough votes to leave less than a quorum and the votes present may continue to transact business until adjournment. If, however, such quorum shall not be present or represented at any general meeting, the Members (or their proxies) holding a majority of the aggregate voting power of all of the Shares of the Company represented at the meeting may adjourn the meeting from time to time, until a quorum shall be present or represented; provided that, if notice of such meeting has been duly delivered to all Members seven (7) days prior to the scheduled meeting in accordance with the notice procedures hereunder, and the quorum is not present within one hour from the time appointed for the meeting solely because of the absence of any of the Majority Preferred Holders, the meeting shall be adjourned to the third following business day at the same time and place (or to such other time or such other place as the directors may determine) with notice delivered to all Members two (2) Business Days prior to the adjourned meeting in accordance with the notice procedures under Articles 108 through 112 and, if at the adjourned meeting, the quorum is not present within one half hour from the time appointed for the meeting solely because of the absence of any of the Majority Preferred Holders, then the presence of the absent holder shall not be required at such adjourned meeting for purposes of establishing a quorum, provided that if the Majority Preferred Holders are not present at such adjourned meeting, (i) the present Members shall only discuss the matters as described in the notice of such meeting, and (ii) no Members resolutions shall be passed in such adjourned meeting in respect to anything that requires approval of the Majority Preferred Holders as provided in the Transaction Documents. At such adjourned meeting, any business may be transacted that might have been transacted at the meeting as originally notified. For the avoidance of double, the provisions of this Article 46 shall be without prejudice to any of the provisions in Article 8.3(B) , and the Company shall, and the Members shall cause the Company to, comply at all times with Article 8.3(B) . |
47. |
The chairman, if any, of the Board of Directors shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company, or if there is no such chairman, or if he or she shall not be present within ten (10) minutes after the time appointed for the holding of the meeting, or is unwilling or unable to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number, or shall designate a Member, to be chairman of the meeting. |
48. |
With the consent of a general meeting at which a quorum is present, the chairman may (and shall if so directed by the meeting), adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a general meeting is adjourned, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. |
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49. |
A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided by a poll and not on a show of hands. |
VOTES OF MEMBERS
50. |
Except as otherwise required by Law or these Articles, the holders of Class A Ordinary Shares, Class B Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares shall vote together on an as converted basis on all matters submitted to a vote of Members. |
51. |
In the case of joint holders of record, the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders, and seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the Register of Members. |
52. |
A Member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court, having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote by his or her committee, receiver, or other Person on such Members behalf appointed by that court, and any such committee, receiver, or other Person may vote by proxy. |
53. |
No Person shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting or at any separate meeting of the holders of a series of Shares unless he or she is registered as a Member on the record date for such meeting and all calls or other monies then payable by such Member in respect of Shares have been paid. |
54. |
No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the general meeting or adjourned general meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive. |
55. |
Votes may be cast either personally or by proxy. A Member may appoint more than one proxy or the same proxy under one or more instruments to attend and vote at a meeting. |
56. |
A Member holding more than one Share need not cast the votes in respect of his or her Shares in the same way on any resolution and therefore may vote a Share or some or all such Shares either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares and, subject to the terms of the instrument appointing him or her, a proxy appointed under one or more instruments may vote a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he or she is appointed either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting. |
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PROXIES
57. |
The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing, be executed under the hand of the appointer or of his or her attorney duly authorised in writing, or, if the appointer is a corporation, under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised for that purpose. A proxy need not be a Member of the Company. |
58. |
The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, no later than the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting. The chairman may in any event, at his or her discretion, direct that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted shall be invalid. |
59. |
The instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form and may be expressed to be for a particular meeting or any adjournment thereof or generally until revoked. |
60. |
Votes given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death or insanity of the principal or revocation of the proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was executed, or the transfer of the Share in respect of which the proxy is given unless notice in writing of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer was received by the Company at the Registered Office before the commencement of the general meeting or adjourned meeting at which it is sought to use the proxy. |
CORPORATE MEMBERS
61. |
Any corporation or other non-natural Person that is a Member may in accordance with its constitutional documents, or in the absence of such provision by resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorise such Person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or any class of Members, and the Person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he or she represents as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual Member. |
SHARES THAT MAY NOT BE VOTED
62. |
Shares in the Company that are beneficially owned by the Company or held by it in a fiduciary capacity shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding Shares at any given time. |
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APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS
63. |
The authorized number of directors on the Board shall be up to nine (9). The Majority Ordinary Holders shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time five (5) directors on the Board (the Founder Directors ), one of whom shall be Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) as of the date of the Closing, with Yi Wang being the chairman of the Board, (b) so long as the issued and outstanding Preferred Shares held by IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 7.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. or its Affiliate shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) director (the IDG Director ) on the Board, (c) so long as the issued and outstanding Preferred Shares held by GGV Capital IV L.P. and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 7.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), GGV Capital IV L.P. shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) director (the GGV Director ) on the Board, (d) so long as the issued and outstanding Series B Preferred Shares (together with any Ordinary Shares converted therefrom) represent in the aggregate 7.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), the Majority Series B Holders shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) director (the Series B Director ) on the Board, and (e) so long as the issued and outstanding Series C Preferred Shares (together with any Ordinary Shares converted therefrom) represent in the aggregate 7.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), the Majority Series C Holder shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) director (the Series C Director , together with the IDG Director, the GGV Director and the Series B Director, collectively the Investor Directors and each, an Investor Director ) on the Board. Each of the Investor Directors shall have one (1) vote. The Founder Directors shall in total have five (5) votes, and if the Majority Ordinary Holders appoint less than five (5) Founder Directors, each such appointed Founder Director shall have one (1) vote; provided , however , that in the case of Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) being one of the Founder Directors, Yi Wang shall have a number of votes that is equal to (i) five (5) minus (ii) the number of the other Founder Directors (if any) that are actually appointed by the Majority Ordinary Holders. The director appointment right described herein shall terminate immediately upon the close of a Qualified IPO. |
POWERS OF DIRECTORS
64. |
Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Memorandum and these Articles, including Article 8, and to any directions given by Special Resolution, the business of the Company shall be managed by or under the direction of the Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company. No alteration of the Memorandum or these Articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors that would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given. A duly convened meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Directors. |
65. |
All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments and all receipts for monies paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed as the case may be in such manner as the Directors shall determine. |
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66. |
Subject to Article 8 , the Directors on behalf of the Company may pay a gratuity or pension or allowance on retirement to any Director who has held any other salaried office or place of profit with the Company or to his or her spouse or dependants and may make contributions to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such gratuity, pension or allowance. |
67. |
Subject to Article 8 , the Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture shares, mortgages, bonds and other such securities whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party. |
VACATION OF OFFICE AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTOR
68. |
The office of a Director shall be vacated if: |
72.1 |
such Director gives notice in writing to the Company that he or she resigns the office of Director; or |
72.2 |
such Director dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with such Directors creditors generally; or |
72.3 |
such Director is found to be or becomes of unsound mind. |
69. |
Any Director who shall have been elected by a specified group of Members may be removed during the aforesaid term of office, either for or without cause, by, and only by, the affirmative vote of such specified group, given at a special meeting of such Members duly called or by an action by written consent for that purpose. Any vacancy in the Board of Directors caused as a result of such removal or one or more of the events set out in Article 68 of any such Director who shall have been elected by a specified group of Members, may be filled by, and only by, the vote of such specified group given at a special meeting of such Members or by an action by written consent, unless otherwise agreed upon among such Members . |
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PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS
70. |
A Director may by a written instrument appoint an alternate who need not be a Director and an alternate is entitled to attend meetings in the absence of the Director who appointed him and to vote or consent in place of the Director. At all meetings of the Board of Directors, four (4) Directors then in office (which must in all cases include Yi Wang as long as he is a Director and a majority of the Investor Directors) shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and a majority of the votes of the Directors present (in person or in alternate) at any meeting at which there is a quorum, shall be the act of the Board of Directors, except as may be otherwise specifically provided by the Statute, the Memorandum, these Articles, or the Shareholders Agreement. If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the Board of Directors, the Directors present thereat may adjourn the meeting, until a quorum shall be present, provided that , if notice of the board meeting (the Meeting Notice ) has been duly delivered to all directors of the Board four (4) Business Days prior to the scheduled meeting in accordance with the notice procedures hereunder, and the quorum is not present within one half hour from the time appointed for the meeting solely because of the absence of any Director, the meeting shall be adjourned to the third following Business Day at the same time and place (or to such other time or such other place as the Directors may determine) with notice delivered to all Directors two (2) Business Days prior to the adjourned meeting in accordance with the notice procedures under Articles 108 through 112 and, if at the adjourned meeting, the quorum is not present within one half hour from the time appointed for the meeting solely because of the absence of any Director, then the presence of such Director, as the case may be, shall not be required at such adjourned meeting for purposes of establishing a quorum, provided that if any Investor Director is not present at such adjourned meeting, (i) the present Directors shall only discuss the matters as described in the Meeting Notice, and (ii) no Directors resolutions shall be passed in such adjourned meeting in respect to anything that requires approval of such Investor Director as provided in the Shareholders Agreement and in these Memorandum and Articles, including Article 8. |
71. |
Subject to the provisions of these Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit, provided however that the board meetings shall be held at least once every fiscal quarter and that a written notice of each meeting, agenda of the business to be transacted at the meeting and all documents and materials to be circulated at or presented to the meeting shall be sent to all Directors entitled to receive notice of the meeting at least four (4) Business Days before the meeting and a copy of the minutes of the meeting shall be sent to such Persons at least four (4) days prior to the next regularly scheduled board meeting. |
72. |
A Person may participate in a meeting of the Directors or committee of the Board of Directors by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the Persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other at the same time. Participation by a Person in a meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the Directors, the meeting shall be deemed to be held at the place where the chairman is at the start of the meeting. |
73. |
A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of the Board of Directors shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors, or committee of the Board of Directors as the case may be, duly convened and held. |
74. |
Meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the chairman, any Investor Director or the chief executive officer on forty-eight (48) hours notice to each Director in accordance with Articles 108 through 112 . Without limitation to the foregoing, meetings shall be called by the chairman, chief executive officer or the secretary in like manner and on like notice on the written request of two (2) Directors unless the Board consists of only one (1) Director; in which case meetings shall be called by the chairman, chief executive officer or secretary in like manner or on like notice on the written request of the sole Director. |
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75. |
The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to that number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose. |
76. |
The Directors may elect a chairman of their Board and determine the period for which he or she is to hold office; but if no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman shall not be present within ten (10) minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the Directors present may choose one of their members to be chairman of the meeting. |
77. |
All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of the Board of Directors shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such Person had been duly appointed and qualified to be a Director. |
PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT
78. |
Intentionally Deleted. |
DIRECTORS INTERESTS
79. |
Subject to Article 82 , a Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of Auditor) in conjunction with his or her office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine. |
80. |
Subject to Article 82 , a Director may act by himself or herself or his or her firm in a professional capacity for the Company and such Director or firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if such Director were not a Director. |
81. |
Subject to Article 82 , a Director of the Company may be or become a director or other officer of or otherwise interested in any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as Member or otherwise, and no such Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by such Director as a director or officer of, or from his or her interest in, such other company. |
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82. |
In addition to any further restrictions set forth in these Articles, including Article 8, no Person shall be disqualified from the office of Director or prevented by such office from contracting with the Company, either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director shall be in any way interested (each, an Interested Transaction ) be or be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such Interested Transaction by reason of such Director holding office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established, so long as the material facts of the interest of each Director in the agreement or transaction and his interest in or relationship to any other party to the agreement or transaction are disclosed in good faith to and are known by the other Directors. |
MINUTES
83. |
The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purpose of all appointments of officers made by the Directors, all proceedings at meetings of the Company or the holders of any series of Shares and of the Directors, and of committees of the Board of Directors, including the names of the Directors present at each meeting. |
DELEGATION OF DIRECTORS POWERS
84. |
Subject to these Articles, the Board of Directors (including the affirmative vote of Yi Wang for as long as he is a Director and a majority of the Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 ) may establish any committees, and approve the delegation of any of their powers to any committee consisting of one or more Directors. For the avoidance of doubt, notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in Articles 84 to 88 , the provisions of Articles 84 to 88 shall be without prejudice to any of the provisions in Article 8.3(B) , and the Company shall not undertake any action, through a committee of Directors or otherwise, that it would otherwise be prohibited to undertake pursuant to Article 8.3(B) . |
85. |
Any committee, to the extent allowed by Law and provided in the resolution establishing such committee, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and affairs of the Company with the majority approval of all members of such committee. Each committee shall keep regular minutes and report to the Board of Directors when required. Subject to these Articles, the proceedings of a committee of the Board of Directors shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of the Board of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying. |
86. |
The Board of Directors may also, with the prior written consent of Yi Wang for as long as he is a Director and a majority of the Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 , delegate to any managing Director or any Director holding any other executive office such of their powers as they consider desirable to be exercised by such Person provided that the appointment of a managing Director shall be revoked forthwith if he or she ceases to be a Director. Any such delegation may be made subject to any conditions the Board of Directors may impose, and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and may be revoked or altered. |
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87. |
The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any company, firm, Person or body of Persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or authorised signatory of the Company for such purpose and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of Persons dealing with any such attorneys or authorised signatories as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him or her. |
88. |
Subject to these Articles, the Directors may appoint such officers as they consider necessary on such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the Directors may think fit. Unless otherwise specified in the terms of an officers appointment, an officer may be removed by resolution of the Directors or Members. |
NO MINIMUM SHAREHOLDING
89. |
There is no minimum shareholding required to be held by a Director. |
REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS
90. |
The remuneration to be paid to the Directors, if any, shall be such remuneration as determined by the Board (including the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the Investor Directors as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 ). The Directors shall also be entitled to be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors or committees of the Board of Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or separate meetings of the holders of any series of Shares or debentures of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Board of Directors, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other. |
91. |
The Directors may by resolution of a majority of the votes of the Board of Directors (including the affirmative vote of at least one (1) Investor Director as long as the Investors are entitled to appoint Investor Directors pursuant to Article 63 ) approve additional remuneration to any Director for any services other than his or her ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel or solicitor to the Company, or otherwise serves it in a professional capacity shall be in addition to his or her remuneration as a Director. |
SEAL
92. |
The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a seal. The seal shall only be used by the authority of the Directors or of a committee of the Board of Directors authorised by the Board of Directors. Every instrument to which the seal has been affixed shall be signed by at least one Person who shall be either a Director or some officer or other Person appointed by the Directors for the purpose. |
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93. |
The Company may have for use in any place or places outside the Cayman Islands a duplicate seal or seals each of which shall be a facsimile of the common seal of the Company and, if the Directors so determine, with the addition on its face of the name of every place where it is to be used. |
94. |
A Director or officer, representative or attorney of the Company may without further authority of the Directors affix the seal over his or her signature alone to any document of the Company required to be authenticated by him or her under seal or to be filed with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere wheresoever. |
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND RESERVE
95. |
Subject to the Statute and these Articles, the Directors may declare dividends and distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the dividends or distributions out of the assets of the Company lawfully available therefor. No dividend or distribution shall be paid except out of the realised or unrealised profits of the Company, or out of the share premium account or as otherwise permitted by the Statute. |
96. |
All dividends and distributions shall be declared and paid according to the provisions of Articles 8 and 9 . |
97. |
The Directors may deduct from any dividend or distribution payable to any Member all sums of money (if any) then payable by such Member to the Company on account of calls or otherwise. |
98. |
Subject to the provisions of Articles 8 and 9 , the Directors may declare that any dividend or distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular of shares, debentures or securities of any other company or in any one or more of such ways and where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular may issue fractional Shares and fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any Members upon the basis of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Members and may vest any such specific assets in trustees as may seem expedient to the Directors. |
99. |
Any dividend, distribution, interest or other monies payable in cash in respect of Shares shall be paid by wire transfer to the holder sent through the post directed to the registered address of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the registered address of the holder who is first named on the Register of Members or to such Person and to such address as such holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the Person to whom it is sent. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any dividends, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share held by them as joint holders. |
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100. |
No dividend or distribution shall bear interest against the Company, except as expressly provided in these Articles. |
101. |
Any dividend that cannot be paid to a Member and/or that remains unclaimed after six (6) months from the date of declaration of such dividend may, in the discretion of the Directors, be paid into a separate account in the Companys name, provided that the Company shall not be constituted as a trustee in respect of that account and the dividend shall remain as a debt due to the Member. Any dividend that remains unclaimed after a period of six (6) years from the date of declaration of such dividend shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company. |
CAPITALIZATION
102. |
Subject to these Articles, including Article 8 , the Directors may capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Companys reserve accounts (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution and to appropriate such sum to Members in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst them had the same been a distribution of profits by way of dividend as set forth in Articles 8 and 9 hereof and to apply such sum on their behalf in paying up in full unissued Shares for allotment and distribution credited as fully paid-up to and amongst them in the proportion aforesaid. In such event, the Directors shall do all acts and things required to give effect to such capitalization, with full power to the Directors to make such provisions as they think fit for the case of Shares becoming distributable in fractions (including provisions whereby the benefit of fractional entitlements accrue to the Company rather than to the Members concerned). The Directors may authorise any Person to enter on behalf of all of the Members interested into an agreement with the Company providing for such capitalization and matters incidental thereto and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all concerned. |
BOOKS OF ACCOUNT
103. |
The Directors shall cause proper books of account to be kept at such place as they may from time to time designate with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt or expenditure takes place, all sales and purchases of goods by the Company and the assets and liabilities of the Company. Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Companys affairs and to explain its transactions. The Directors shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places, and under what conditions or regulations, the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to inspection of Members not being Directors and no such Member shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by the Statute or authorized by the Directors or the Company in general meeting. |
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104. |
The Directors may from time to time cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general meeting profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts (if any) and such other reports and accounts as may be required by Law. |
AUDIT
105. |
The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by a resolution of the Directors, and may fix the Auditors remuneration. |
106. |
Every Auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the Auditor. |
107. |
Auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company that is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an ordinary company, and at the next extraordinary general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company that is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an exempted company and at any other time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members. |
NOTICES
108. |
Except as otherwise provided in these Articles, notices shall be in writing. Notice may be given by the Company to any Member or Director either personally or by sending it by next-day or second-day courier service, fax, electronic mail or similar means to such Member or Director (as the case may be) or to the address of such Member or Director as shown in the Register of Members or the Register of Directors (as the case may be) (or where the notice is given by electronic mail by sending it to the electronic mail address provided by such Member or Director). |
109. |
Where a notice is sent by next-day or second-day courier service, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre-paying and sending by next-day or second-day service through an internationally-recognized courier a letter containing the notice, with a confirmation of delivery, and to have been effected at the expiration of two (2) Business Days after the letter containing the same is sent as aforesaid. Where a notice is sent by fax to a fax number provided by the intended recipient, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected when the receipt of the fax is acknowledged by the recipient. Where a notice is given by electronic mail to the electronic mail address provided by the intended recipient, service shall be deemed to be effected when the receipt of the electronic mail is acknowledged by the recipient. |
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110. |
A notice may be given by the Company to the Person or Persons that the Company has been advised are entitled to a Share or Shares in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member in the same manner as other notices that are required to be given under these Articles and shall be addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt, or by any like description at the address supplied for that purpose by the Persons claiming to be so entitled, or at the option of the Company, by giving the notice in any manner in which the same might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred. |
111. |
Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner hereinbefore authorised to every Person shown as a Member in the Register of Members on the record date for such meeting except that in the case of joint holders the notice shall be sufficient if given to the joint holder first named in the Register of Members and every Person upon whom the ownership of a Share devolves by reason of his or her being a legal personal representative or a trustee in bankruptcy of a Member of record where the Member of record but for his or her death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting, and no other Person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings. |
112. |
Whenever any notice is required by Law or these Articles to be given to any Director, member of a committee or Member, a waiver thereof in writing, signed by the Person or Persons entitled to said notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent thereto. |
WINDING UP
113. |
If the Company shall be wound up, assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be distributed, in accordance with Articles 8 and 9 . |
114. |
If the Company shall be wound up, the liquidator may, with the sanction of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other sanction required by the Statute, divide amongst the Members in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and, subject to Articles 8 and 9 , determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like sanction, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability. |
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INDEMNITY
115. |
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Law, the Directors and officers for the time being of the Company and any trustee for the time being acting in relation to any of the affairs of the Company and their heirs, executors, administrators and personal representatives respectively shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company from and against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses that they or any of them shall or may incur or sustain by reason of any act done or omitted in or about the execution of their duty in their respective offices or trusts, except such (if any) as they shall incur or sustain by or through their own fraud or dishonesty, and no such Director or officer or trustee shall be answerable for the acts, receipts, neglects or defaults of any other Director or officer or trustee or for joining in any receipt for the sake of conformity or for the solvency or honesty of any banker or other Persons with whom any monies or effects belonging to the Company may be lodged or deposited for safe custody or for any insufficiency of any security upon which any monies of the Company may be invested or for any other loss or damage due to any such cause as aforesaid or which may happen in or about the execution of his or her office or trust unless the same shall happen through the fraud or dishonesty of such Director or officer or trustee. Except with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification pursuant to this Article, the Company shall indemnify any such indemnitee pursuant to this Article in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors. The right to indemnification conferred in this Article 115 shall include the right to be paid by the Company the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition to the maximum extent provided by, and subject to the requirements of, applicable Law, so long as the indemnitee agrees with the Company to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal that such indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under this Article. |
116. |
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Law, the Directors and officers for the time being of the Company and any trustee for the time being acting in relation to any of the affairs of the Company and their heirs, executors, administrators and personal representatives respectively shall not be personally liable to the Company or its Members for monetary damages for breach of their duty in their respective offices, except such (if any) as they shall incur or sustain by or through their own fraud or dishonesty respectively. |
FINANCIAL YEAR
117. |
Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on the 31 st of December in each year and, following the year of incorporation, shall begin on the 1 st of January in each year. |
TRANSFER BY WAY OF CONTINUATION
118. |
If the Company is exempted as defined in the Statute, it shall, subject to the provisions of the Statute and with the approval of a Special Resolution, have the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate under the Laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands. |
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Schedule A
1. Preemptive Right.
1.1 General. Each holder of Preferred Shares (the Preemptive Rights Holder ) shall have the right of first refusal (and any oversubscription, as provided below) to purchase such Preemptive Rights Holders Pro Rata Share (as defined in this Schedule A ), of all (or any part) of any New Securities (as defined in the Shareholders Agreement) that the Company may from time to time issue after the Closing (as defined in the Purchase Agreement) (the Preemptive Right ).
1.2 Pro Rata Share. A Preemptive Rights Holders Pro Rata Share for purposes of the Preemptive Right is the ratio of (a) the number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including any class of shares calculated on as-converted basis) held by such Preemptive Rights Holder, to (b) the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including any class of shares calculated on as-converted basis and any Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants and options) then outstanding immediately prior to the issuance of New Securities giving rise to the Preemptive Right.
1.3 New Securities. For purposes hereof, New Securities shall mean any Equity Securities of the Company issued after the date hereof, except for:
(i) Ordinary Shares, options, restricted share units and/or other awards therefor reserved for issuance to or granted to employees, officers, directors, contractors, advisors or consultants of the Group Companies under the ESOP, provided that such reserve is in accordance with the terms of the ESOP and the ESOP has been duly approved in accordance with Article 8.3(B) ;
(ii) Ordinary Shares actually issued upon the conversion or exchange of Ordinary Share Equivalents, provided such issuance is in accordance the terms of such Ordinary Share Equivalents (which Ordinary Share Equivalents have been duly approved in accordance with Article 8.3(B) or issued prior to the date of the Shareholders Agreement in accordance with the Prior Shareholders Agreement or any other similar shareholders agreement in effect as of the date of such issuance);
(iii) any Equity Securities of the Company issued pursuant to the bona fide acquisition of another corporation or entity by the Company by consolidation, merger, purchase of assets, or other reorganization in which the Company acquires, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, all or substantially all assets of such other corporation or entity, or fifty percent (50%) or more of the equity ownership or voting power of such other corporation or entity, provided that any such foregoing transaction has been duly approved in accordance with Article 8.3(B) ;
(iv) any Equity Securities issued under the Purchase Agreement (as defined in the Purchased Agreement) and any Class A Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to the conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares;
(v) any Equity Securities issued or issuable pursuant to a share split, share dividend, combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction of the Company in which all Preemptive Rights Holders are entitled to participate on a pro rata basis;
(vi) any Equity Securities issued pursuant to a Qualified IPO; and
(vii) any Equity Securities issued as part of any debt financing or financial lease with any financial institution, provided that any such foregoing transaction has been duly approved in accordance with Article 8.3(B) .
1.4 Procedures.
(i) First Participation Notice . In the event that the Company proposes to undertake an issuance of New Securities (in a single transaction or a series of related transactions), it shall give to each Preemptive Rights Holder written notice of its intention to issue New Securities (the First Participation Notice ), describing the amount and type of New Securities, the price and the general terms upon which the Company proposes to issue such New Securities and the details relating to the identity of the proposed buyer of such New Securities. Each Preemptive Rights Holder shall have fifteen (15) Business Days from the date of receipt of any such First Participation Notice to agree in writing to purchase up to such Preemptive Rights Holders Pro Rata Share of such New Securities for the price and upon the terms and conditions specified in the First Participation Notice by giving written notice to the Company and stating therein the quantity of New Securities to be purchased (not to exceed such Preemptive Rights Holders Pro Rata Share). If any Preemptive Rights Holder fails to so respond in writing within such fifteen (15) Business Days period to purchase such Preemptive Rights Holders full Pro Rata Share of an offering of New Securities, then such Preemptive Rights Holder shall forfeit the right hereunder to purchase that part of its Pro Rata Share of such New Securities that it did not agree to purchase, but shall not be deemed to forfeit any right with respect to any other issuance of New Securities.
(ii) Second Participation Notice; Oversubscription . If any Preemptive Rights Holder fails or declines to exercise its Preemptive Rights in accordance with subsection (i) above, the Company shall promptly give notice (the Second Participation Notice ) to other Preemptive Rights Holders who exercised in full their Preemptive Rights (the Oversubscription Participants ) in accordance with subsection (i) above. Each Oversubscription Participant shall have ten (10) Business Days from the date of the Second Participation Notice (the Second Participation Period ) to notify the Company of its desire to purchase more than its Pro Rata Share of the New Securities, stating the number of the additional New Securities it proposes to buy (the Additional Number ). Such notice may be made by telephone if confirmed in writing within five (5) Business Days. If, as a result thereof, such oversubscription exceeds the total number of the remaining New Securities available for purchase, each Oversubscription Participant will be cut back by the Company with respect to its oversubscription to such number of remaining New Securities equal to the lesser of (x) the Additional Number and (y) the product obtained by multiplying (i) the number of the remaining New Securities available for subscription by (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including any class of shares calculated on an as-converted basis) held by such Oversubscription Participant and the denominator of which is the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including any class of shares calculated on an as-converted basis) held by all the Oversubscription Participants.
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1.5 Failure to Exercise. Upon the expiration of the Second Participation Period, or in the event no Preemptive Rights Holder exercises the Preemptive Rights within fifteen (15) Business Days following the issuance of the First Participation Notice, the Company shall have ninety (90) days thereafter to complete the sale of the New Securities described in the First Participation Notice with respect to which the Preemptive Rights hereunder were not exercised at the same or higher price and upon non-price terms not more favorable to the purchasers thereof than specified in the First Participation Notice. In the event that the Company has not issued and sold such New Securities within such ninety (90) days period, then the Company shall not thereafter issue or sell any New Securities without again first offering such New Securities to the Preemptive Rights Holders pursuant to this Article 1 of this Schedule A .
1.6 Termination. The Preemptive Right described herein shall terminate immediately upon the close of a Qualified IPO.
2. Restriction on Transfers; Rights of First Refusal and Co-Sale Rights
2.1 Restriction on Transfers.
(i) Restrictions on Transfers. No Ordinary Holder, as defined in the Shareholders Agreement, shall, regardless of his employment status with the Company, directly or indirectly sell, assign, transfer, pledge, hypothecate, or otherwise encumber or dispose of in any way or otherwise grant any interest or right with respect to ( Transfer ) all or any part of any interest in any Equity Securities of the Company now or hereafter owned or held directly or indirectly by such Ordinary Holder, without the prior written consent of the Majority Preferred Holders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Founder may, without such consent, (i) Transfer any of his direct or indirect interest in the Equity Securities of the Company to Permitted Transferees (as defined below) in accordance with Article 2.5 of this Schedule A , and (ii) through his Founder Holding Company Transfer, taking into account any and all Transfers by such Founder of the Equity Securities of the Company after the date of the Shareholders Agreement and prior to such Transfer, up to twenty percent (20%) of the total Ordinary Shares of the Company (including all Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, and calculated on an as converted to Class A Ordinary Shares basis) held directly or indirectly by such Founder as of the date hereof, provided that (i) such Transfer shall be limited by and subject to the right of first refusal of the Company and the Preferred Holders under Article 2.2 of this Schedule A and the Preferred Holders co-sale rights under Article 2.3 of this Schedule A , and (ii) each transferee (other than a Preferred Holder exercising its right of first refusal under Article 2.2 of this Schedule A ), prior to the completion of such Transfer, shall have executed an instrument of accession and other relevant documents in a standard and customary form and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Majority Preferred Holders, assuming the obligations of such Transferor under each Transaction Document as an Ordinary Holder with respect to the transferred Equity Securities.
(ii) Prohibited Transfers Void. Any Transfer of Equity Securities of the Company not made in compliance with this Schedule A shall be null and void as against the Company, shall not be recorded on the books of the Company and shall not be recognized by the Company and any other Party.
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(iii) No Indirect Transfers. Each Ordinary Holder shall not circumvent or otherwise avoid the transfer restrictions or intent thereof set forth in this Schedule A, whether by holding the Equity Securities of the Company indirectly through another Person (including any other holding company through which such Ordinary Holder holds the Equity Securities of the Company (each a Holding Company, collectively, the Holding Companies)) (if any) or by causing or effecting, directly or indirectly, the Transfer or issuance of any Equity Securities by any such Person (including a Holding Company), or otherwise. Any purported Transfer, sale or issuance of any Equity Securities of any Holding Company in contravention of this Schedule A shall be void and ineffective for any and all purposes and shall not confer on any transferee or purported transferee any rights whatsoever, and no Party (including without limitation, any Founder, Ordinary Holder or Holding Companies) shall recognize any such Transfer, sale or issuance.
2.2 Rights of First Refusal.
(i) Transfer Notice. Subject to Articles 2.1 , 2.3 and 2.5 of this Schedule A , if an Ordinary Holder ( Transferor ) proposes to Transfer any Equity Securities of the Company to one or more Persons, then the Transferor shall give the Company and each Preferred Holder written notice of the Transferors intention to make the Transfer (the Transfer Notice ), which shall include (i) a description of the Equity Securities of the Company to be transferred (the Offered Shares ), (ii) the identity and address of the prospective transferee and (iii) the consideration and the material terms and conditions upon which the proposed Transfer is to be made. The Transfer Notice shall certify that the Transferor has received a definitive offer from the prospective transferee and in good faith believes a binding agreement for the Transfer is obtainable on the terms set forth in the Transfer Notice.
(ii) Right of First Refusal of the Company. The Company shall have an option for a period of ten (10) Business Days following receipt of the Transfer Notice (the Option Period ) to elect to purchase all or any portion of the Offered Shares from the Transferor, at the same price and subject to the same material terms and conditions as described in the Transfer Notice, by notifying the Transferor and the Preferred Holders in writing before expiration of the Option Period as to the number of such Offered Shares the Company wishes to Purchase.
(iii) Right of First Refusal of Preferred Holders.
(a) If the Company fails to exercise or fully exercise its right to purchase the Offered Shares, the Transferor shall deliver a written notice (the Second Transfer Notice ) within five (5) Business Days after the expiration of the Option Period to the Preferred Holders, which shall include (i) a description of the remaining Equity Securities to be transferred (the Remaining Offered Shares ), (ii) the identity and address of the prospective transferee and (iii) the consideration and the material terms and conditions upon which the proposed Transfer is to be made. Each Preferred Holder shall have an option for a period of fifteen (15) Business Days following receipt of the Second Transfer Notice (the Second Option Period ) to elect to purchase all or any portion of such holders respective Pro Rata Share of the Remaining Offered Shares from the Transferor, at the same price and subject to the same material terms and conditions as described in the Second Transfer Notice, by notifying the Transferor and the Company in writing before expiration of the Second Option Period as to the number of such Remaining Offered Shares that such Preferred Holder wishes to purchase.
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(b) For the purposes of this Article 2.2(ii) of this Schedule A , a Preferred Holders Pro Rata Share shall be equal to a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the aggregate number of Class A Ordinary Shares held by such Preferred Holder on the date of the Transfer Notice (including all Shares held by such Preferred Holder calculated on an as-converted to Class A Ordinary Share basis) and the denominator of which shall be the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares held by all Preferred Holders on such date (including all Shares held by such Preferred Holders calculated on an as-converted to Class A Ordinary Share basis).
(c) If any Preferred Holder fails to exercise its right to purchase its full Pro Rata Share of the Remaining Offered Shares, the Transferor shall deliver a written notice (the Over-Allotment Notice ) within five (5) Business Days after the expiration of the Second Option Period to each Preferred Holder that elected to purchase its entire Pro Rata Share of the Remaining Offered Shares (an Exercising Shareholder ). The Exercising Shareholders shall have a right to purchase such unpurchased Remaining Offered Shares (the Over-Allotment Offered Shares ) by notifying the Transferor and the Company in writing within ten (10) Business Days after receipt of the Over-Allotment Notice (the Over-Allotment Period ); provided, however, that if the Exercising Shareholders desire to purchase in aggregate more than the number of such Over-Allotment Offered Shares, then such Over-Allotment Offered Shares will be allocated to the extent necessary among the Exercising Shareholders in accordance with their relative Pro Rata Shares.
(iv) Closing. If the Company or any Preferred Holder gives the Transferor notice that it desires to purchase the Offered Shares, and, as the case may be, its re-allotment, then payment for the Offered Shares to be purchased shall be by wire transfer in immediately available funds of the purchase price as provided hereunder, against delivery of such Offered Shares to be purchased, together with an executed instrument of transfer, at the time agreed by the parties participating in such transaction (the completion of the foregoing actions, the Closing); provided, that if the Company is the purchaser of the Offered Shares or if the parties participating in such transaction are unable to agree to a time for Closing, then on the sixtieth (60th) day after the Companys receipt of the Transfer Notice, unless in the event that the Company is not the purchaser and such notice contemplated a later closing date with the prospective transferee or unless the value of the purchase price has not yet been established pursuant to Article 2.2(v) of this Schedule A , in which case the closing shall be on such later date or on as provided in Article 2.2(v)(d) of this Schedule A .
(v) Valuation of Property.
(a) Should the purchase price specified in the Transfer Notice be payable in property other than cash or evidences of indebtedness, the Preferred Holders shall have the right to pay the purchase price in the form of cash equal in amount to the fair market value of such property.
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(b) If the Transferor and the Exercising Shareholders cannot agree on such cash value before the expiration date of the Second Option Period or the Over-Allotment Period (as the case may be), the valuation shall be made by an appraiser of internationally recognized standing jointly selected by the Transferor on one hand and the Exercising Shareholders holding a majority of the Offered Shares elected to be purchased by all Exercising Shareholders on the other hand, or, if they cannot agree on an appraiser before the expiration date of the Second Option Period or the Over-Allotment Period (as the case may be), each shall select an appraiser of internationally recognized standing and the two appraisers shall designate a third appraiser of internationally recognized standing, whose appraisal shall be determinative of such value.
(c) The cost of such appraisal shall be shared equally by the Transferor, on the one hand, and the Exercising Shareholders, on the other hand, with the portion of the cost borne by the Exercising Shareholders to be borne pro rata by each Exercising Shareholder based on the number of shares such Exercising Shareholder has elected to purchase pursuant to this Article 2.2 of this Schedule A .
(d) If the value of the purchase price offered by the prospective transferee is not determined within sixty (60)-day period specified in Article 2.2(iv) of this Schedule A , the closing of the purchase of Offered Shares by the Exercising Shareholders shall be held on or prior to the fifth (5 th ) Business Day after such valuation shall have been made pursuant to this Article 2.2(v) of this Schedule A , but in any event not later than thirty (30) days after expiration of such sixty (60)-day period.
2.3 Right of Co-Sale.
(i) Subject to Article 2.5 of this Schedule A , to the extent any Preferred Holder does not exercise its respective right of first refusal as to all of the Offered Shares pursuant to Article 2.2 of this Schedule A , each Preferred Holder that did not exercise its right of first refusal pursuant to Article 2.2 of this Schedule A with respect to such Offered Shares shall have the right to participate in such sale of Offered Shares on the same terms and conditions as specified in the Transfer Notice (but in no event less favorable to the Transferor) by notifying the Transferor in writing within ten (10) Business Days following the expiration of Second Option Period (or if there is an over-allotment in accordance with Article 2.2(iii)(c) of this Schedule A , the Over-Allotment Period) (such Preferred Holder, a Selling Shareholder ). Such Selling Shareholders notice to the Transferor shall indicate the number of Equity Securities the Selling Shareholder wishes to sell under its right to participate. To the extent one or more Preferred Holders exercise such right of participation in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth below, the number of Equity Securities of the Company that the Transferor may sell in the Transfer shall be correspondingly reduced proportionally.
(ii) The total number of Equity Securities that each Selling Shareholder may elect to sell shall be equal to the product of (i) the aggregate number of the remaining Offered Shares after giving effect to the exercise of all rights of first refusal pursuant to Article 2.2 of this Schedule A , multiplied by (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including all Shares held by such Preferred Holder calculated on an as-converted to Class A Ordinary Share basis) owned by such Selling Shareholder on the date of the Transfer Notice and the denominator of which is the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including all Shares held by such Preferred Holder calculated on an as-converted to Class A Ordinary Share basis) owned (directly or indirectly) by the Transferor and all Preferred Holders electing to exercise their co-sale right hereunder.
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(iii) Each Selling Shareholder shall effect its participation in the sale by promptly delivering to the Transferor for Transfer to the prospective transferee one or more certificates, together with an executed instrument of transfer which represent the type and number of Equity Securities of the Company which such Selling Shareholder elects to Transfer; provided, however that if the prospective transferee objects to the delivery of Ordinary Share Equivalents in lieu of Class A Ordinary Shares, such Selling Shareholder shall only deliver Class A Ordinary Shares (and therefore shall convert any such Ordinary Share Equivalents into Class A Ordinary Shares) and certificates corresponding to such Class A Ordinary Shares, and the Company shall effect any such conversion concurrent with the actual Transfer of such shares to the purchaser and contingent on such Transfer. If the Equity Securities which such Selling Shareholder elects to sell are Class B Ordinary shares, then it shall also be a condition to any Transfer that such Class B Ordinary Shares be converted into Class A Ordinary Shares prior to effectiveness of such Transfer (other than in connection with a Transfer that is to a Permitted Transferee).
(iv) The share certificate or certificates and instrument of transfer that a Selling Shareholder delivers to the Transferor pursuant to this Article 2.3(iv) of this Schedule A shall be transferred to the prospective transferee and the register of members shall be updated in consummation of the sale of the Equity Securities of the Company pursuant to the terms and conditions specified in the Transfer Notice, and the Transferor shall concurrently therewith remit to such Selling Shareholder that portion of the sale proceeds to which such Selling Shareholder is entitled by reason of its participation in such Transfer; provided, that no Selling Shareholder shall be required to give or make any representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities or other agreements relating to the business and operations of any Group Company, and all documents and agreements in connection with such Transfer shall be in a form customary for transactions of a similar nature.
(v) To the extent that any prospective transferee prohibits the participation by a Selling Shareholder exercising its co-sale rights hereunder in a proposed Transfer or otherwise refuses to purchase Equity Securities of the Company from a Selling Shareholder exercising its co-sale rights hereunder, the Transferor shall not sell to such prospective transferee any Equity Securities of the Company unless and until, simultaneously with such sale, the Transferor shall purchase from such Selling Shareholder such Equity Securities of the Company that such Selling Shareholder would otherwise be entitled to Transfer to the prospective transferee pursuant to its co-sale rights for the applicable consideration and on the same terms and conditions as the proposed Transfer described in the Transfer Notice.
2.4 Non-Exercise of Rights.
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(i) To the extent that the right of first refusal is not exercised in full by the Preferred Holders in accordance with Article 2.2 of this Schedule A , and subject to the right of the Preferred Holders to exercise their rights to participate in the sale within the time periods specified in Article 2.3 of this Schedule A , the Transferor shall have a period of ninety (90) days from the expiration of such rights specified in Article 2.2 of this Schedule A in which to sell the remaining Offered Shares to the transferee identified in the Transfer Notice upon terms and conditions (including the purchase price) no more favorable to the purchaser than those specified in the Transfer Notice, so long as any such sale is effected in accordance with any applicable securities Laws. Each such transferee, prior to and as a condition to the consummation of any Transfer, shall execute and deliver to the Parties an instruction of accession and other relevant documents assuming the obligations of such Transferor under this Schedule A with respect to the Offered Shares, and the Transfer shall not be effective and shall not be recognized by any Party until such documents and instruments are so executed and delivered.
(ii) In the event the Transferor does not consummate the sale or disposition of any Offered Shares within ninety (90) days from the expiration of such rights, rights of the Preferred Holders under Article 2.2 and Article 2.3 of this Schedule A , as the case may be, shall be re-invoked and shall be applicable to each subsequent disposition of such Offered Shares by the Transferor until such rights lapse in accordance with the terms of this Schedule A .
(iii) The exercise or non-exercise of the rights of the Preferred Holders under this Article 2 of this Schedule A to purchase Equity Securities of the Company from a Transferor or participate in the Transfer of Equity Securities of the Company by a Transferor shall not adversely affect their rights to make subsequent purchases from the Transferor of Equity Securities of the Company or subsequently participate in sales of Equity Securities of the Company by the Transferor hereunder.
2.5 Limitations to Restriction on Transfers, Rights of First Refusal and Co-Sale. Subject to the requirements of applicable Law (including compliance with applicable securities Laws), the transfer restrictions set forth in Article 2.1 of this Schedule A and the right of first refusal and right of co-sale of the Preferred Holders under Articles 2.2 and 2.3 of this Schedule A shall not apply to:
(i) the Transfer of any Equity Securities of the Company now or hereafter held by any of the Founders and Ordinary Holders to his Immediate Family Members, or to a trustee, executor, or other fiduciary for his benefit or the benefit of his Immediate Family Members and/or to the wholly-owned Subsidiaries of such Founder or Ordinary Holder (each such transferee above, a Permitted Transferee, and collectively, the Permitted Transferees) for bona fide estate planning or tax purposes (such Transfer, a Permitted Transfer); provided, that each such Permitted Transferee, prior to the completion of the Transfer, shall have executed an instrument of accession and other relevant documents in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Majority Preferred Holders assuming the obligations of such Transferor under each Transaction Document as an Ordinary Holder with respect to the transferred Equity Securities; provided further, that (a) such Transferor shall remain liable for any breach by such Permitted Transferee of any provision under the Transaction Documents; (b) if any such Permitted Transferee ceases to be a Permitted Transferee (as defined hereunder), the relevant Transferor shall cause its Permitted Transferee to immediately Transfer any and all Equity Securities of the Company held by such Permitted Transferee back to the relevant Transferor, and (c) such Transferor shall cause its Permitted Transferee not to Transfer any Equity Securities of the Company to any Person that is not a Permitted Transferee.
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(ii) (ii) (a) Transfer of Offered Shares in connection with any restructuring of the Company and its Affiliates for purposes of a Qualified IPO, provided that the Majority Preferred Holders shall have agreed to such restructuring in writing in advance, (b) taking into account any and all Transfers by such Founder of the Equity Securities of the Company after the date of the Shareholders Agreement and prior to such Transfer, any Transfer by any Founder (or any Ordinary Holder controlled by such Founder) of up to in the aggregate of 3% of the total Ordinary Shares (including all Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares on an as converted to Class A Ordinary Shares basis) held by such Founder (or any Ordinary Holder controlled by such Founder) as of the date hereof, provided that in any event of above (a) and (b), (x) each such transferee, prior to the completion of the Transfer, shall have executed an accession instrument and other relevant documents in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Majority Preferred Holders assuming the obligations of such Transferor under each Transaction Document as an Ordinary Holder with respect to the transferred Equity Securities, and (y) such Transfer shall not have any material adverse effect on the completion of a Qualified IPO;
(iii) (iii) Transfer of any Equity Securities of the Company now or hereafter held by any of the Founders and Ordinary Holders to the public pursuant to an effective registration statement; or
(iv) (iv) Transfer (or proposing to Transfer) any Equity Securities of the Company or any interest therein in a Qualified IPO, a Liquidation Event, or a liquidation, winding up or dissolution of the Company, in each case, which has been approved by the Board and the shareholders in accordance with these Articles and the Shareholders Agreement.
2.6 Conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares. If any Offered Shares in a Transfer are Class B Ordinary Shares, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, it shall be a condition to the closing of such Transfer that such Class B Ordinary Shares shall be converted into Class A Ordinary Shares prior to closing of such Transfer (other than in connection with a Transfer that is to a Permitted Transferee).
2.7 No Transfer Restriction on Preferred Holders Shares. Without the prior written consent of the Company and the Majority Ordinary Holders, no Preferred Holder or Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. shall Transfer all or any part of any interest in any Equity Securities of the Company now or hereafter owned or held directly or indirectly by such Preferred Holder or Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd., as applicable, to a Company Competitor, as defined in the Shareholders Agreement.
2.8 Termination. Subject to the requirements of applicable Law, the transfer restriction set forth in Article 2.1 of this Schedule A and the right of first refusal and right of co-sale of the Preferred Holders under Articles 2.2 and 2.3 of this Schedule A shall terminate upon the consummation of a Qualified IPO of the Company.
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3. Legend. Each existing or replacement certificate for Equity Securities of the Company now owned or hereafter acquired by the Ordinary Holders and their permitted transferees shall bear the following legend:
THE SALE, PLEDGE, HYPOTHECATION, ASSIGNMENT OR TRANSFER OF THESE SECURITIES IS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF A CERTAIN RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL AND CO-SALE AGREEMENT (AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME) BY AND AMONG THE SHAREHOLDERS AND THE COMPANY. COPIES OF SUCH AGREEMENT MAY BE OBTAINED UPON WRITTEN REQUEST TO THE COMPANY.
The Company may annotate its register of members with an appropriate, corresponding legend. At such time as such Equity Securities are no longer subject to this Schedule A , the Company shall, at the request of the holder of such Equity Securities, issue replacement certificates for such Equity Securities without such legend.
In order to ensure compliance with the terms of this Schedule A , the Company may issue appropriate stop transfer instructions to its transfer agent, if any, and, if the Company acts as transfer agent for its own securities, it may make appropriate notations to the same effect in its own records.
4. Drag-Along Rights
4.1 In the event that holders of sixty percent (60%) or more of the voting power of all the Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted to Class A Ordinary Share basis) and Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) (collectively, the Drag Holders ) have approved a Liquidation Event or a Share Sale, whether or not structured as a merger, consolidation, reorganization, asset sale or sale of control of the Company or otherwise (the Drag-Along Sale ), to any Person that is not a Drag Holder or an Affiliate of any Drag Holder (the Offeror ), and the valuation of the Group Companies in the Drag-Along Sale is no less than US$500 million, the Drag Holders, may, at their option, by delivery of a written notice (the Drag-Along Notice ), require each of the other holder of Equity Securities of the Company (the Dragged Holders ) to, and whereupon each Dragged Holder shall:
(i) sell, at the same time as the Drag Holders sell to the Offeror, in the Drag-Along Sale, all of its Equity Securities of the Company or the same percentage of its Equity Securities of the Company as the Drag Holders sell, on the same terms and conditions as were agreed to by the Drag Holders, and the aggregate purchase price or other consideration of the Company in respect of such Drag-Along Sale shall be distributed to the holders of Shares of the Company subject to such sale in accordance with their relative liquidation preferences as set forth in Article 8.1(B) , as if such Drag-Along Sale is a Liquidation Event;
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(ii) vote all of its Equity Securities of the Company (a) in favor of such Drag-Along Sale, (b) against any other consolidation, recapitalization, amalgamation, merger, sale of securities, sale of assets, business combination, or transaction that would interfere with, delay, restrict, or otherwise adversely affect such Drag-Along Sale, and (c) against any action or agreement that would result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Company under the definitive agreement(s) related to such Drag-Along Sale or that could result in any of the conditions to the closing obligations under such agreement(s) not being fulfilled, and, in connection therewith, to be present (in person or by proxy) at all relevant meetings of the shareholders of the Company (or adjournments thereof) or to approve and execute all relevant written consents in lieu of a meeting;
(iii) not exercise any dissenters or appraisal rights under applicable Law with respect to such Drag-Along Sale;
(iv) take all necessary actions in connection with the consummation of such Drag-Along Sale as reasonably requested by the Drag Holders, including the execution and delivery of any share transfer or other agreements prepared in connection with such Drag-Along Sale, and the delivery, at the closing of such Drag-Along Sale involving a sale of shares, of all certificates representing shares held or controlled by such holder, duly endorsed for transfer or accompanied by a duly executed share transfer form, or affidavits and indemnity undertakings with respect to lost certificates; and
(v) restructure such Drag-Along Sale, as and if reasonably requested by the Drag Holders, as a merger, consolidation, restructuring or similar transaction, or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or otherwise.
In any such Drag-Along Sale, (i) each such holder shall bear a proportionate share (based upon the relative proceeds received in such transaction) of the Drag Holders reasonable fees and expenses incurred in the transaction, including legal, accounting and investment banking fees and expenses, and (ii) each such holder shall severally, not jointly, join on a pro rata basis (based upon the relative proceeds received in such transaction) in any indemnification obligations that are part of the terms and conditions of such Drag-Along Sale (other than those that relate specifically to a particular holder, such as indemnification with respect to representations and warranties given by such holder regarding such holders title to and ownership of shares, due authorization, enforceability, and no conflicts, which shall instead be given solely by such holder) but only up to the net proceeds paid to such holder in connection with such Drag-Along Sale; provided, that no Investor shall be required to give or make any representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities or other agreements relating to the business and operations of any Group Company.
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4.2 In the event that any of the Dragged Holders (the Defaulting Holder ) fails for any reason to take any of the foregoing actions within fifteen (15) days after receiving the Drag-Along Notice, each of the Drag Holders shall have the right to sell to the Defaulting Holder the type and number of Equity Securities equal to the number of Equity Securities such Drag Holder would have transferred to the Offeror had the Defaulting Holder taken each of the foregoing actions within such fifteen (15) days. The price per share at which the shares are to be sold to the Defaulting Holder shall be equal to the price per share that would have been paid by the Offeror to the Drag Holders in the Drag-Along Sale. The Defaulting Holder shall also reimburse each Drag Holder for any and all reasonable fees and expense, including legal fees and expenses, incurred pursuant to the exercise or the attempted exercise of such Drag Holders rights under Article 4.2 of this Schedule A . The Drag Holders shall, if exercising the option created hereby, deliver to the Defaulting Holder an instrument of transfer and either the certificate or certificates representing shares to be sold under this Article 4.2 of this Schedule A by the Drag Holders, each certificate to be properly endorsed for transfer, or an affidavit of lost certificate. The Defaulting Holder shall, upon receipt of the foregoing, pay the aggregate purchase price therefor and the amount of reimbursable fees and expenses, in cash by wire transfer of immediately available funds or by other means acceptable to the Drag Holders. The Company shall concurrently therewith record such transfer on its books and update its register of members and will promptly thereafter and in any event within five (5) days reissue certificates to the Drag Holders reflecting the new securities held by them giving effect to such transfer. None of the transfer restrictions set forth in this Schedule A or other agreements imposing restrictions on transfer by such Person of Equity Securities of the Company shall apply in connection with a Drag-Along Sale, notwithstanding anything contained to the contrary herein and therein.
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Exhibit 3.2
THE COMPANIES LAW (2018 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
FIFTH AMENDED AND RESTATED
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
LAIX INC.
(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on August 30, 2018 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the initial public offering of the Companys American Depositary Shares representing its Class A Ordinary Shares)
1. |
The name of the Company is LAIX Inc. |
2. |
The Registered Office of the Company will be situated at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland house, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, or at such other location within the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
3. |
The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Law or any other law of the Cayman Islands. |
4. |
The Company shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit as provided by the Companies Law. |
5. |
The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands. |
6. |
The liability of each Shareholder is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the Shares held by such Shareholder. |
7. |
The authorised share capital of the Company is US$250,000 divided into 250,000,000 shares comprising (i) 200,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.001 each, (ii) 25,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.001 each and (iii) 25,000,000 shares of a par value of US$0.001 each of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with Article 9 of the Articles. Subject to the Companies Law and the Articles, the Company shall have power to redeem or purchase any of its Shares and to increase or reduce its authorised share capital and to sub-divide or consolidate the said Shares or any of them and to issue all or any part of its capital whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced with or without any preference, priority, special privilege or other rights or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions whatsoever and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly provide every issue of shares whether stated to be ordinary, preference or otherwise shall be subject to the powers on the part of the Company hereinbefore provided. |
8. |
The Company has the power contained in the Companies Law to deregister in the Cayman Islands and be registered by way of continuation in some other jurisdiction. |
9. |
Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum of Association bear the same meanings as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company. |
THE COMPANIES LAW (2018 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
FIFTH AMENDED AND RESTATED
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
LAIX INC.
(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on August 30, 2018 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the initial public offering of the Companys American Depositary Shares representing its Class A Ordinary Shares)
TABLE A
The regulations contained or incorporated in Table A in the First Schedule of the Companies Law shall not apply to the Company and the following Articles shall comprise the Articles of Association of the Company.
INTERPRETATION
1. |
In these Articles the following defined terms will have the meanings ascribed to them, if not inconsistent with the subject or context: |
ADS | means an American Depositary Share representing Class A Ordinary Shares; | |
Affiliate | means in respect of a Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such Person, and (i) in the case of a natural person, shall include, without limitation, such persons spouse, parents, children, siblings, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, a trust for the benefit of any of the foregoing, and a corporation, partnership or any other entity wholly or jointly owned by any of the foregoing, and (ii) in the case of an entity, shall include a partnership, a corporation or any other entity or any natural person which directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such entity. The term control shall mean the ownership, directly or indirectly, of shares possessing more than fifty per cent (50%) of the voting power of the corporation, partnership or other entity (other than, in the case of a corporation, securities having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency), or having the power to control the management or elect a majority of members to the board of directors or equivalent decision-making body of such corporation, partnership or other entity; | |
Articles | means these articles of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time; | |
Board and Board of Directors and Directors | means the directors of the Company for the time being, or as the case may be, the directors assembled as a board or as a committee thereof; | |
Chairman | means the chairman of the Board of Directors; |
2
Class or Classes | means any class or classes of Shares as may from time to time be issued by the Company; | |
Class A Ordinary Share | means an Ordinary Share of a par value of US$0.001 in the capital of the Company, designated as a Class A Ordinary Shares and having the rights provided for in these Articles; | |
Class B Ordinary Share | means an Ordinary Share of a par value of US$0.001 in the capital of the Company, designated as a Class B Ordinary Share and having the rights provided for in these Articles; | |
Commission | means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America or any other federal agency for the time being administering the Securities Act; | |
Company | means LAIX Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company; | |
Companies Law | means the Companies Law (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and any statutory amendment or re-enactment thereof; | |
Companys Website | means the main corporate/investor relations website of the Company, the address or domain name of which has been disclosed in any registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission in connection with its initial public offering of ADSs, or which has otherwise been notified to Shareholders; | |
Designated Stock Exchange | means the stock exchange in the United States on which any Shares and ADSs are listed for trading; | |
Designated Stock Exchange Rules | means the relevant code, rules and regulations, as amended, from time to time, applicable as a result of the original and continued listing of any Shares or ADSs on the Designated Stock Exchange; | |
electronic | has the meaning given to it in the Electronic Transactions Law and any amendment thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefor; | |
electronic communication | means electronic posting to the Companys Website, transmission to any number, address or internet website or other electronic delivery methods as otherwise decided and approved by not less than two-thirds of the vote of the Board; | |
Electronic Transactions Law | means the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and any statutory amendment or re-enactment thereof; | |
electronic record | has the meaning given to it in the Electronic Transactions Law and any amendment thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefor; | |
Founders | refer to Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu and Dr. Hui Lin, each of whom is referred to as a Founder; | |
Founder Affiliates | means any entity that is ultimately controlled by any of the Founders; | |
Memorandum of Association | means the memorandum of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time; | |
Ordinary Resolution |
meansa resolution:
(a) passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorised representatives, at a general meeting of the Company held in accordance with these Articles; or |
3
(b) approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument, or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed; |
||
Ordinary Share | means a Class A Ordinary Share or a Class B Ordinary Share; | |
paid up | means paid up as to the par value in respect of the issue of any Shares and includes credited as paid up; | |
Person | means any natural person, firm, company, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association or other entity (whether or not having a separate legal personality) or any of them as the context so requires; | |
Register | means the register of Members of the Company maintained in accordance with the Companies Law; | |
Registered Office | means the registered office of the Company as required by the Companies Law; | |
Seal | means the common seal of the Company (if adopted) including any facsimile thereof; | |
Secretary | means any Person appointed by the Directors to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company; | |
Securities Act | means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States of America, as amended, or any similar federal statute and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time; | |
Share | means a share in the capital of the Company. All references to Shares herein shall be deemed to be Shares of any or all Classes as the context may require. For the avoidance of doubt in these Articles the expression Share shall include a fraction of a Share; | |
Shareholder or Member | means a Person who is registered as the holder of one or more Shares in the Register; | |
Share Premium Account | means the share premium account established in accordance with these Articles and the Companies Law; | |
signed | means bearing a signature or representation of a signature affixed by mechanical means or an electronic symbol or process attached to or logically associated with an electronic communication and executed or adopted by a Person with the intent to sign the electronic communication; | |
Special Resolution |
means a special resolution of the Company passed in accordance with the Companies Law, being a resolution:
(a) passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorised representatives, at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given; or
|
4
(b) approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the special resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed; |
||
Treasury Share |
means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Companies Law; and | |
United States |
means the United States of America, its territories, its possessions and all areas subject to its jurisdiction. |
2. |
In these Articles, save where the context requires otherwise: |
(a) |
words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa; |
(b) |
words importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and any Person as the context may require; |
(c) |
the word may shall be construed as permissive and the word shall shall be construed as imperative; |
(d) |
reference to a dollar or dollars (or US$) and to a cent or cents is reference to dollars and cents of the United States of America; |
(e) |
reference to a statutory enactment shall include reference to any amendment or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force; |
(f) |
reference to any determination by the Directors shall be construed as a determination by the Directors in their sole and absolute discretion and shall be applicable either generally or in any particular case; |
(g) |
reference to in writing shall be construed as written or represented by any means reproducible in writing, including any form of print, lithograph, email, facsimile, photograph or telex or represented by any other substitute or format for storage or transmission for writing including in the form of an electronic record or partly one and partly another; |
(h) |
any requirements as to delivery under the Articles include delivery in the form of an electronic record or an electronic communication; |
(i) |
any requirements as to execution or signature under the Articles, including the execution of the Articles themselves, can be satisfied in the form of an electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Transaction Law; and |
(j) |
Sections 8 and 19(3) of the Electronic Transactions Law shall not apply. |
3. |
Subject to the last two preceding Articles, any words defined in the Companies Law shall, if not inconsistent with the subject or context, bear the same meaning in these Articles. |
PRELIMINARY
4. |
The business of the Company may be conducted as the Directors see fit. |
5. |
The Registered Office shall be at such address in the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine. The Company may in addition establish and maintain such other offices and places of business and agencies in such places as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
5
6. |
The expenses incurred in the formation of the Company and in connection with the offer for subscription and issue of Shares shall be paid by the Company. Such expenses may be amortised over such period as the Directors may determine and the amount so paid shall be charged against income and/or capital in the accounts of the Company as the Directors shall determine. |
7. |
The Directors shall keep, or cause to be kept, the Register at such place as the Directors may from time to time determine and, in the absence of any such determination, the Register shall be kept at the Registered Office. |
SHARES
8. |
Subject to these Articles, all Shares for the time being unissued shall be under the control of the Directors who may, in their absolute discretion and without the approval of the Members, cause the Company to: |
(a) |
issue, allot and dispose of Shares (including, without limitation, preferred shares) (whether in certificated form or non-certificated form) to such Persons, in such manner, on such terms and having such rights and being subject to such restrictions as they may from time to time determine; |
(b) |
grant rights over Shares or other securities to be issued in one or more classes or series as they deem necessary or appropriate and determine the designations, powers, preferences, privileges and other rights attaching to such Shares or securities, including dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the powers, preferences, privileges and rights associated with the then issued and outstanding Shares, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper; and |
(c) |
grant options with respect to Shares and issue warrants or similar instruments with respect thereto. |
9. |
The Directors may authorise the division of Shares into any number of Classes and the different Classes shall be authorised, established and designated (or re-designated as the case may be) and the variations in the relative rights (including, without limitation, voting, dividend and redemption rights), restrictions, preferences, privileges and payment obligations as between the different Classes (if any) may be fixed and determined by the Directors or by a Special Resolution. The Directors may issue Shares with such preferred or other rights, all or any of which may be greater than the rights of Ordinary Shares, at such time and on such terms as they may think appropriate. Notwithstanding Article 17, the Directors may issue from time to time, out of the authorised share capital of the Company (other than the authorised but unissued Ordinary Shares), series of preferred shares in their absolute discretion and without approval of the Members; provided, however, before any preferred shares of any such series are issued, the Directors shall by resolution of Directors determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series, including: |
(a) |
the designation of such series, the number of preferred shares to constitute such series and the subscription price thereof if different from the par value thereof; |
(b) |
whether the preferred shares of such series shall have voting rights, in addition to any voting rights provided by law, and, if so, the terms of such voting rights, which may be general or limited; |
(c) |
the dividends, if any, payable on such series, whether any such dividends shall be cumulative, and, if so, from what dates, the conditions and dates upon which such dividends shall be payable, and the preference or relation which such dividends shall bear to the dividends payable on any shares of any other class or any other series of shares; |
(d) |
whether the preferred shares of such series shall be subject to redemption by the Company, and, if so, the times, prices and other conditions of such redemption; |
(e) |
whether the preferred shares of such series shall have any rights to receive any part of the assets available for distribution amongst the Members upon the liquidation of the Company, and, if so, the terms of such liquidation preference, and the relation which such liquidation preference shall bear to the entitlements of the holders of shares of any other class or any other series of shares; |
6
(f) |
whether the preferred shares of such series shall be subject to the operation of a retirement or sinking fund and, if so, the extent to and manner in which any such retirement or sinking fund shall be applied to the purchase or redemption of the preferred shares of such series for retirement or other corporate purposes and the terms and provisions relative to the operation thereof; |
(g) |
whether the preferred shares of such series shall be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or any other series of preferred shares or any other securities and, if so, the price or prices or the rate or rates of conversion or exchange and the method, if any, of adjusting the same, and any other terms and conditions of conversion or exchange; |
(h) |
the limitations and restrictions, if any, to be effective while any preferred shares of such series are outstanding upon the payment of dividends or the making of other distributions on, and upon the purchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Company of, the existing shares or shares of any other class of shares or any other series of preferred shares; |
(i) |
the conditions or restrictions, if any, upon the creation of indebtedness of the Company or upon the issue of any additional shares, including additional shares of such series or of any other class of shares or any other series of preferred shares; and |
(j) |
any other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof; |
and, for such purposes, the Directors may reserve an appropriate number of Shares for the time being unissued. The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer.
10. |
The Company may insofar as may be permitted by law, pay a commission to any Person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the lodgement of fully or partly paid-up Shares or partly in one way and partly in the other. The Company may also pay such brokerage as may be lawful on any issue of Shares. |
11. |
The Directors may refuse to accept any application for Shares, and may accept any application in whole or in part, for any reason or for no reason. |
CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES AND CLASS B ORDINARY SHARES
12. |
Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares shall at all times vote together as one class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by the Members. Each Class A Ordinary Share shall entitle the holder thereof to one (1) vote on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of the Company, and each Class B ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to ten (10) votes on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of the Company. |
13. |
Each Class B Ordinary Share is convertible into one (1) Class A Ordinary Share at any time at the option of the holder thereof. The right to convert shall be exercisable by the holder of the Class B Ordinary Share delivering a written notice to the Company that such holder elects to convert a specified number of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares. In no event shall Class A Ordinary Shares be convertible into Class B Ordinary Shares. |
14. |
Any conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares pursuant to these Articles shall be effected by means of the re-designation of each relevant Class B Ordinary Share as a Class A Ordinary Share. Such conversion shall become effective forthwith upon entries being made in the Register to record the re-designation of the relevant Class B Ordinary Shares as Class A Ordinary Shares. |
7
15. |
Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B Ordinary Share by a Shareholder to any person who is not a Founder or Founder Affiliate, or upon a change of ultimate beneficial ownership of any Class B Ordinary Share to any Person who is not a Founder or Founder Affiliate, such Class B Ordinary Share shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A Ordinary Share. For the avoidance of doubt, (i) a sale, transfer, assignment or disposition shall be effective upon the Companys registration of such sale, transfer, assignment or disposition in its Register; and (ii) the creation of any pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right of whatever description on any Class B Ordinary Shares to secure a holders contractual or legal obligations shall not be deemed as a sale, transfer, assignment or disposition unless and until any such pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right is enforced and results in the third party holding legal title to the relevant Class B Ordinary Shares, in which case all the related Class B Ordinary Shares shall be automatically converted into the same number of Class A Ordinary Shares. For purpose of this Article 15, beneficial ownership shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. |
16. |
Save and except for voting rights and conversion rights as set out in Articles 12 to 16 (inclusive), the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares shall rank pari passu with one another and shall have the same rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions. |
MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS
17. |
Whenever the capital of the Company is divided into different Classes the rights attached to any such Class may, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any Class, only be materially adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued Shares of that Class or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of that Class. To every such separate meeting all the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the Company or to the proceedings thereat shall, mutatis mutandis , apply, except that the necessary quorum shall be one or more Persons holding or representing by proxy at least one-third in nominal or par value amount of the issued Shares of the relevant Class (but so that if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum as above defined is not present, those Shareholders who are present shall form a quorum) and that, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, every Shareholder of the Class shall on a poll have one vote for each Share of the Class held by him. For the purposes of this Article the Directors may treat all the Classes or any two or more Classes as forming one Class if they consider that all such Classes would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate Classes. |
18. |
The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any Class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, be deemed to be materially adversely varied by, inter alia, the creation, allotment or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to them or the redemption or purchase of any Shares of any Class by the Company. The rights of the holders of Shares shall not be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation or issue of Shares with preferred or other rights including, without limitation, the creation of Shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights. |
CERTIFICATES
19. |
Every Person whose name is entered as a Member in the Register may, without payment and upon its written request, request a certificate within two calendar months after allotment or lodgement of transfer (or within such other period as the conditions of issue shall provide) in the form determined by the Directors. All certificates shall specify the Share or Shares held by that Person, provided that in respect of a Share or Shares held jointly by several Persons the Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate, and delivery of a certificate for a Share to one of several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all. All certificates for Shares shall be delivered personally or sent through the post addressed to the Member entitled thereto at the Members registered address as appearing in the Register. |
20. |
Every share certificate of the Company shall bear legends required under the applicable laws, including the Securities Act. |
8
21. |
Any two or more certificates representing Shares of any one Class held by any Member may at the Members request be cancelled and a single new certificate for such Shares issued in lieu on payment (if the Directors shall so require) of one dollar (US$1.00) or such smaller sum as the Directors shall determine. |
22. |
If a share certificate shall be damaged or defaced or alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, a new certificate representing the same Shares may be issued to the relevant Member upon request, subject to delivery up of the old certificate or (if alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed) compliance with such conditions as to evidence and indemnity and the payment of out-of-pocket expenses of the Company in connection with the request as the Directors may think fit. |
23. |
In the event that Shares are held jointly by several Persons, any request may be made by any one of the joint holders and if so made shall be binding on all of the joint holders. |
FRACTIONAL SHARES
24. |
The Directors may issue fractions of a Share and, if so issued, a fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to nominal or par value, premium, contributions, calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights (including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, voting and participation rights) and other attributes of a whole Share. If more than one fraction of a Share of the same Class is issued to or acquired by the same Shareholder such fractions shall be accumulated. |
LIEN
25. |
The Company has a first and paramount lien on every Share (whether or not fully paid) for all amounts (whether presently payable or not) payable at a fixed time or called in respect of that Share. The Company also has a first and paramount lien on every Share registered in the name of a Person indebted or under liability to the Company (whether he is the sole registered holder of a Share or one of two or more joint holders) for all amounts owing by him or his estate to the Company (whether or not presently payable). The Directors may at any time declare a Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Companys lien on a Share extends to any amount payable in respect of it, including but not limited to dividends. |
26. |
The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors in their absolute discretion think fit, any Share on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless an amount in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable nor until the expiration of fourteen calendar days after a notice in writing, demanding payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, has been given to the registered holder for the time being of the Share, or the Persons entitled thereto by reason of his death or bankruptcy. |
27. |
For giving effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise a Person to transfer the Shares sold to the purchaser thereof. The purchaser shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale. |
28. |
The proceeds of the sale after deduction of expenses, fees and commissions incurred by the Company shall be received by the Company and applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, and the residue shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares prior to the sale) be paid to the Person entitled to the Shares immediately prior to the sale. |
CALLS ON SHARES
29. |
Subject to the terms of the allotment, the Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Shareholders in respect of any moneys unpaid on their Shares, and each Shareholder shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen calendar days notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on such Shares. A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed. |
9
30. |
The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay calls in respect thereof. |
31. |
If a sum called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest upon the sum at the rate of eight percent per annum from the day appointed for the payment thereof to the time of the actual payment, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part. |
32. |
The provisions of these Articles as to the liability of joint holders and as to payment of interest shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
33. |
The Directors may make arrangements with respect to the issue of partly paid Shares for a difference between the Shareholders, or the particular Shares, in the amount of calls to be paid and in the times of payment. |
34. |
The Directors may, if they think fit, receive from any Shareholder willing to advance the same all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any partly paid Shares held by him, and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become presently payable) pay interest at such rate (not exceeding without the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution, eight percent per annum) as may be agreed upon between the Shareholder paying the sum in advance and the Directors. No such sum paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such sum to any portion of a dividend declared in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such sum would, but for such payment, become presently payable. |
FORFEITURE OF SHARES
35. |
If a Shareholder fails to pay any call or instalment of a call in respect of partly paid Shares on the day appointed for payment, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of such call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice on him requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued. |
36. |
The notice shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of fourteen calendar days from the date of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made, and shall state that in the event of non-payment at or before the time appointed, the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited. |
37. |
If the requirements of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with, any Share in respect of which the notice has been given may at any time thereafter, before the payment required by notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect. |
38. |
A forfeited Share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. |
39. |
A Person whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Shareholder in respect of the forfeited Shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of the Shares forfeited, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company receives payment in full of the amount unpaid on the Shares forfeited. |
40. |
A certificate in writing under the hand of a Director that a Share has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the facts in the declaration as against all Persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. |
41. |
The Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for a Share on any sale or disposition thereof pursuant to the provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture and may execute a transfer of the Share in favour of the Person to whom the Share is sold or disposed of and that Person shall be registered as the holder of the Share and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the disposition or sale. |
10
42. |
The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which by the terms of issue of a Share becomes due and payable, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
TRANSFER OF SHARES
43. |
The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, approve and be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and if in respect of a nil or partly paid up Share, or if so required by the Directors, shall also be executed on behalf of the transferee and shall be accompanied by the certificate (if any) of the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. The transferor shall be deemed to remain a Shareholder until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register in respect of the relevant Shares. |
44. |
(a) The Directors may in their absolute discretion decline to register any transfer of Shares which is not fully paid up or on which the Company has a lien. |
(b) |
The Directors may also decline to register any transfer of any Share unless: |
(i) |
the instrument of transfer is lodged with the Company, accompanied by the certificate for the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Board may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; |
(ii) |
the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one Class of Shares; |
(iii) |
the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; |
(iv) |
in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the Share is to be transferred does not exceed four; and |
(v) |
a fee of such maximum sum as the Designated Stock Exchange may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as the Board of Directors may from time to time require, is paid to the Company in respect thereof. |
45. |
The registration of transfers may, on ten calendar days notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers, by electronic means or by any other means in accordance with the Designated Stock Exchange Rules, be suspended and the Register closed at such times and for such periods as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, from time to time determine, provided always that such registration of transfer shall not be suspended nor the Register closed for more than thirty calendar days in any calendar year. |
46. |
All instruments of transfer that are registered shall be retained by the Company. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer of any Shares, they shall within three calendar months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company send notice of the refusal to each of the transferor and the transferee. |
TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
47. |
The legal personal representative of a deceased sole holder of a Share shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. In the case of a Share registered in the name of two or more holders, the survivors or survivor, or the legal personal representatives of the deceased survivor, shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. |
48. |
Any Person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors, have the right either to be registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share or, instead of being registered himself, to make such transfer of the Share as the deceased or bankrupt Person could have made; but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the deceased or bankrupt Person before the death or bankruptcy. |
11
49. |
A Person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered Shareholder, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company, provided however, that the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such Person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the Share, and if the notice is not complied with within ninety calendar days, the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all dividends, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with. |
REGISTRATION OF EMPOWERING INSTRUMENTS
50. |
The Company shall be entitled to charge a fee not exceeding one U.S. dollar (US$1.00) on the registration of every probate, letters of administration, certificate of death or marriage, power of attorney, notice in lieu of distringas, or other instrument. |
ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL
51. |
The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the share capital by such sum, to be divided into Shares of such Classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe. |
52. |
The Company may by Ordinary Resolution: |
(a) |
increase its share capital by new Shares of such amount as it thinks expedient; |
(b) |
consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of a larger amount than its existing Shares; |
(c) |
subdivide its Shares, or any of them, into Shares of an amount smaller than that fixed by the Memorandum, provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; and |
(d) |
cancel any Shares that, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any Person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled. |
53. |
The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorised by the Companies Law. |
REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES
54. |
Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and these Articles, the Company may: |
(a) |
issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Shareholder or the Company. The redemption of Shares shall be effected in such manner and upon such terms as may be determined, before the issue of such Shares, by either the Board or by the Shareholders by Special Resolution; |
(b) |
purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) on such terms and in such manner and terms as have been approved by the Board or by the Members by Ordinary Resolution, or are otherwise authorised by these Articles; and |
(c) |
make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Companies Law, including out of capital. |
12
55. |
The purchase of any Share shall not oblige the Company to purchase any other Share other than as may be required pursuant to applicable law and any other contractual obligations of the Company. |
56. |
The holder of the Shares being purchased shall be bound to deliver up to the Company the certificate(s) (if any) thereof for cancellation and thereupon the Company shall pay to him the purchase or redemption monies or consideration in respect thereof. |
57. |
The Directors may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share. |
TREASURY SHARES
58. |
The Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share. |
59. |
The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration). |
GENERAL MEETINGS
60. |
All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings. |
61. |
(a) The Company may (but shall not be obliged to) in each calendar year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. The annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by the Directors. |
(b) |
At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented. |
62. |
(a) The Chairman or a majority of the Directors may call general meetings, and they shall on a Shareholders requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company. |
(b) |
A Shareholders requisition is a requisition of Members holding at the date of deposit of the requisition Shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3) of all votes attaching to all issued and outstanding Shares of the Company that as at the date of the deposit carry the right to vote at general meetings of the Company. |
(c) |
The requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the Registered Office, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists. |
(d) |
If there are no Directors as at the date of the deposit of the Shareholders requisition, or if the Directors do not within twenty-one calendar days from the date of the deposit of the requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one calendar days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three calendar months after the expiration of the said twenty-one calendar days. |
(e) |
A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are to be convened by Directors. |
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
63. |
At least ten (10) calendar days notice shall be given for any general meeting. Every notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is given or deemed to be given and of the day for which it is given and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of these Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed: |
13
(a) |
in the case of an annual general meeting, by all the Shareholders (or their proxies) entitled to attend and vote thereat; and |
(b) |
in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by two-thirds (2/3rd ) of the Shareholders having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, present in person or by proxy or, in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy. |
64. |
The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by any Shareholder shall not invalidate the proceedings at any meeting. |
PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
65. |
No business except for the appointment of a chairman for the meeting shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of Shareholders is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. One or more Shareholders holding Shares which carry in aggregate (or representing by proxy) not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all Shares in issue and entitled to vote at such general meeting, present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative, shall be a quorum for all purposes. |
66. |
If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be dissolved. |
67. |
If the Directors wish to make this facility available for a specific general meeting or all general meetings of the Company, participation in any general meeting of the Company may be by means of a telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. |
68. |
The Chairman, if any, of the Board of Directors shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company. |
69. |
If there is no such Chairman of the Board of Directors, or if at any general meeting he is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting or is unwilling to act as chairman of the meeting, any Director or Person nominated by the Chairman (or, in the absence of such Chairman nomination, the Directors) shall preside as chairman of that meeting, failing which the Shareholders present in person or by proxy shall choose any Person present to be chairman of that meeting. |
70. |
The chairman may with the consent of any general meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting, or adjourned meeting, is adjourned for fourteen calendar days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Save as aforesaid it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting. |
71. |
The Directors may cancel or postpone any duly convened general meeting at any time prior to such meeting, except for general meetings requisitioned by the Shareholders in accordance with these Articles, for any reason or for no reason, upon notice in writing to Shareholders. A postponement may be for a stated period of any length or indefinitely as the Directors may determine. |
72. |
At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by the chairman of the meeting or any Shareholder present in person or by proxy, and unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman of the meeting that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book of the proceedings of the Company, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of, or against, that resolution. |
14
73. |
If a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman of the meeting directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded. |
74. |
All questions submitted to a meeting shall be decided by an Ordinary Resolution except where a greater majority is required by these Articles or by the Companies Law. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or at which the poll is demanded, shall be entitled to a second or casting vote. |
75. |
A poll demanded on the election of a chairman of the meeting or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the chairman of the meeting directs. |
VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS
76. |
Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Share, on a show of hands every Shareholder present in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall, at a general meeting of the Company, each have one vote and on a poll every Shareholder present in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall have one (1) vote for each Class A Ordinary Share and ten (10) votes for each Class B Ordinary Share of which he is the holder. |
77. |
In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior who tenders a vote whether in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders and for this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register. |
78. |
Shares carrying the right to vote that are held by a Shareholder of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction in lunacy, may be voted, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, or other Person in the nature of a committee appointed by that court, and any such committee or other Person may vote in respect of such Shares by proxy. |
79. |
No Shareholder shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the Company unless all calls, if any, or other sums presently payable by him in respect of Shares carrying the right to vote held by him have been paid. |
80. |
On a poll votes may be given either personally or by proxy. |
81. |
Each Shareholder, other than a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)), may only appoint one proxy on a show of hand. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor is a corporation, either under Seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy need not be a Shareholder. |
82. |
An instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve. |
83. |
The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company: |
(a) |
not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote; or |
(b) |
in the case of a poll taken more than 48 hours after it is demanded, be deposited as aforesaid after the poll has been demanded and not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll; or |
15
(c) |
where the poll is not taken forthwith but is taken not more than 48 hours after it was demanded be delivered at the meeting at which the poll was demanded to the chairman or to the secretary or to any director; |
provided that the Directors may in the notice convening the meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, direct that the instrument appointing a proxy may be deposited at such other time (no later than the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting) at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company. The Chairman may in any event at his discretion direct that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted shall be invalid.
84. |
The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll. |
85. |
A resolution in writing signed by all the Shareholders for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings of the Company (or being corporations by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the same had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held. |
CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS
86. |
Any corporation which is a Shareholder or a Director may by resolution of its directors or other governing body authorise such Person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any meeting of holders of a Class or of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, and the Person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as that corporation could exercise if it were an individual Shareholder or Director. |
DEPOSITARY AND CLEARING HOUSES
87. |
If a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) is a Member of the Company it may, by resolution of its directors or other governing body or by power of attorney, authorise such Person(s) as it thinks fit to act as its representative(s) at any general meeting of the Company or of any Class of Shareholders provided that, if more than one Person is so authorised, the authorisation shall specify the number and Class of Shares in respect of which each such Person is so authorised. A Person so authorised pursuant to this Article shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) which he represents as that recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) could exercise if it were an individual Member holding the number and Class of Shares specified in such authorisation, including the right to vote individually on a show of hands. |
DIRECTORS
88. |
(a) Unless otherwise determined by the Company in general meeting, the number of Directors shall not be less than three (3) Directors, the exact number of Directors to be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors. |
(b) |
The Board of Directors shall elect and appoint a Chairman by a majority of the Directors then in office. The period for which the Chairman will hold office will also be determined by a majority of all of the Directors then in office. The Chairman shall preside as chairman at every meeting of the Board of Directors. To the extent the Chairman is not present at a meeting of the Board of Directors within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the attending Directors may choose one of their number to be the chairman of the meeting. |
(c) |
The Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director. |
(d) |
The Board may, by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors present and voting at a Board meeting, which shall include the affirmative vote of the Founder as long as the Founder is a Director, appoint any person as a Director, to fill a casual vacancy on the Board arising from the office of any Director being vacated in any of the circumstances described in Article 109. In the event of a vacancy arising from the office of an independent director being vacated, the Board may only appoint another independent director to fill such vacancy. |
16
(e) |
An appointment of a Director may be on terms that the Director shall automatically retire from office (unless he has sooner vacated office) at the next or a subsequent annual general meeting or upon any specified event or after any specified period in a written agreement between the Company and the Director, if any; but no such term shall be implied in the absence of express provision. Each Director whose term of office expires shall be eligible for re-election at a meeting of the Shareholders or re-appointment by the Board. |
89. |
A Director may be removed from office by Ordinary Resolution of the Company, notwithstanding anything in these Articles or in any agreement between the Company and such Director (but without prejudice to any claim for damages under such agreement). A vacancy on the Board created by the removal of a Director under the previous sentence may be filled by Ordinary Resolution or by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors present and voting at a Board meeting. The notice of any meeting at which a resolution to remove a Director shall be proposed or voted upon must contain a statement of the intention to remove that Director and such notice must be served on that Director not less than ten (10) calendar days before the meeting. Such Director is entitled to attend the meeting and be heard on the motion for his removal. |
90. |
[ Reserved ] |
91. |
A Director shall not be required to hold any Shares in the Company by way of qualification. A Director who is not a Member of the Company shall nevertheless be entitled to attend and speak at general meetings. |
92. |
The remuneration of the Directors may be determined by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution. |
93. |
The Directors shall be entitled to be paid their travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in going to, attending and returning from meetings of the Directors, or any committee of the Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company, or to receive such fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors from time to time, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other. |
ALTERNATE DIRECTOR OR PROXY
94. |
Any Director may in writing appoint another Person to be his alternate and, save to the extent provided otherwise in the form of appointment, such alternate shall have authority to sign written resolutions on behalf of the appointing Director, but shall not be required to sign such written resolutions where they have been signed by the appointing director, and to act in such Directors place at any meeting of the Directors at which the appointing Director is unable to be present. Every such alternate shall be entitled to attend and vote at meetings of the Directors as a Director when the Director appointing him is not personally present and where he is a Director to have a separate vote on behalf of the Director he is representing in addition to his own vote. A Director may at any time in writing revoke the appointment of an alternate appointed by him. Such alternate shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director of the Company and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him. The remuneration of such alternate shall be payable out of the remuneration of the Director appointing him and the proportion thereof shall be agreed between them. |
95. |
Any Director may appoint any Person, whether or not a Director, to be the proxy of that Director to attend and vote on his behalf, in accordance with instructions given by that Director, or in the absence of such instructions at the discretion of the proxy, at a meeting or meetings of the Directors which that Director is unable to attend personally. The instrument appointing the proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointing Director and shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve, and must be lodged with the chairman of the meeting of the Directors at which such proxy is to be used, or first used, prior to the commencement of the meeting. |
17
POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
96. |
Subject to the Companies Law, these Articles and to any resolutions passed in a general meeting, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors, who may pay all expenses incurred in setting up and registering the Company and may exercise all powers of the Company. No resolution passed by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors that would have been valid if that resolution had not been passed. |
97. |
Subject to these Articles, the Directors may from time to time appoint any natural person or corporation, whether or not a Director to hold such office in the Company as the Directors may think necessary for the administration of the Company, including but not limited to, chief executive officer, and for such term and at such remuneration (whether by way of salary or commission or participation in profits or partly in one way and partly in another), and with such powers and duties as the Directors may think fit. Any natural person or corporation so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors. The Directors may also appoint one or more of their number to the office of managing director upon like terms, but any such appointment shall ipso facto terminate if any managing director ceases for any cause to be a Director, or if the Company by Ordinary Resolution resolves that his tenure of office be terminated. |
98. |
The Directors may appoint any natural person or corporation to be a Secretary (and if need be an assistant Secretary or assistant Secretaries) who shall hold office for such term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions and with such powers as they think fit. Any Secretary or assistant Secretary so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors or by the Company by Ordinary Resolution. |
99. |
The Directors may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of their body as they think fit; any committee so formed shall in the exercise of the powers so delegated conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Directors. |
100. |
The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney (whether under Seal or under hand) or otherwise appoint any company, firm or Person or body of Persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys or authorised signatory (any such Person being an Attorney or Authorised Signatory, respectively) of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretion (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such power of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of Persons dealing with any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory as the Directors may think fit, and may also authorise any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretion vested in him. |
101. |
The Directors may from time to time provide for the management of the affairs of the Company in such manner as they shall think fit and the provisions contained in the three next following Articles shall not limit the general powers conferred by this Article. |
102. |
The Directors from time to time and at any time may establish any committees, local boards or agencies for managing any of the affairs of the Company and may appoint any natural person or corporation to be a member of such committees or local boards and may appoint any managers or agents of the Company and may fix the remuneration of any such natural person or corporation. |
103. |
The Directors from time to time and at any time may delegate to any such committee, local board, manager or agent any of the powers, authorities and discretions for the time being vested in the Directors and may authorise the members for the time being of any such local board, or any of them to fill any vacancies therein and to act notwithstanding vacancies and any such appointment or delegation may be made on such terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may think fit and the Directors may at any time remove any natural person or corporation so appointed and may annul or vary any such delegation, but no Person dealing in good faith and without notice of any such annulment or variation shall be affected thereby. |
104. |
Any such delegates as aforesaid may be authorised by the Directors to sub-delegate all or any of the powers, authorities, and discretion for the time being vested in them. |
18
BORROWING POWERS OF DIRECTORS
105. |
The Directors may from time to time at their discretion exercise all the powers of the Company to issue debentures, debenture stock, bonds and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party. |
THE SEAL
106. |
The Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of the Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixing of the Seal. The Seal shall be affixed in the presence of a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose and every Person as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the Seal is so affixed in their presence. |
107. |
The Company may maintain a facsimile of the Seal in such countries or places as the Directors may appoint and such facsimile Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of such facsimile Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of such facsimile Seal. The facsimile Seal shall be affixed in the presence of such Person or Persons as the Directors shall for this purpose appoint and such Person or Persons as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the facsimile Seal is so affixed in their presence and such affixing of the facsimile Seal and signing as aforesaid shall have the same meaning and effect as if the Seal had been affixed in the presence of and the instrument signed by a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose. |
108. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Secretary or any assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix the Seal, or the facsimile Seal, to any instrument for the purposes of attesting authenticity of the matter contained therein but which does not create any obligation binding on the Company. |
DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS
109. |
The office of Director shall be vacated, if the Director: |
(a) |
becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; |
(b) |
dies or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; |
(c) |
resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company; |
(d) |
without special leave of absence from the Board, is absent from meetings of the Board for three consecutive meetings and the Board resolves that his office be vacated; or |
(e) |
is removed from office pursuant to any other provision of these Articles. |
PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS
110. |
The Directors may meet together (either within or outside the Cayman Islands) for the despatch of business, adjourn, and otherwise regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. At any meeting of the Directors, each Director present in person or represented by his proxy or alternate shall be entitled to one vote. In case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may, and a Secretary or assistant Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors. |
111. |
A Director may participate in any meeting of the Directors, or of any committee appointed by the Directors of which such Director is a member, by means of telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. |
19
112. |
The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Board may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed, the quorum shall be a majority of Directors then in office. A Director represented by proxy or by an alternate Director at any meeting shall be deemed to be present for the purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present. |
113. |
A Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction with the Company shall declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the Directors. A general notice given to the Directors by any Director to the effect that he is a member of any specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested in any contract or transaction which may thereafter be made with that company or firm shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of interest in regard to any contract so made or transaction so consummated. A Director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction notwithstanding that he may be interested therein and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the Directors at which any such contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction shall come before the meeting for consideration. |
114. |
A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms (as to remuneration and otherwise) as the Directors may determine and no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting with the Company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director is in any way interested be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director, notwithstanding his interest, may be counted in the quorum present at any meeting of the Directors whereat he or any other Director is appointed to hold any such office or place of profit under the Company or whereat the terms of any such appointment are arranged and he may vote on any such appointment or arrangement. |
115. |
Any Director may act by himself or through his firm in a professional capacity for the Company, and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director; provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as auditor to the Company. |
116. |
The Directors shall cause minutes to be made for the purpose of recording: |
(a) |
all appointments of officers made by the Directors; |
(b) |
the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and |
(c) |
all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company, and of the Directors and of committees of Directors. |
117. |
When the chairman of a meeting of the Directors signs the minutes of such meeting the same shall be deemed to have been duly held notwithstanding that all the Directors have not actually come together or that there may have been a technical defect in the proceedings. |
118. |
A resolution in writing signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be (an alternate Director, subject as provided otherwise in the terms of appointment of the alternate Director, being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointer), shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a duly called and constituted meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be. When signed a resolution may consist of several documents each signed by one or more of the Directors or his duly appointed alternate. |
119. |
The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but if and for so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors may act for the purpose of increasing the number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose. |
20
120. |
Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, a committee appointed by the Directors may elect a chairman of its meetings. If no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the committee members present may choose one of their member to be chairman of the meeting. |
121. |
A committee appointed by the Directors may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the committee members present and in case of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. |
122. |
All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, or by any Person acting as a Director, shall notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or Person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such Person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director. |
PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT
123. |
A Director who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which an action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairman or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered post to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action. |
DIVIDENDS
124. |
Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. |
125. |
Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Company by Ordinary Resolution may declare dividends, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors. |
126. |
The Directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, in the absolute discretion of the Directors, be applicable for meeting contingencies or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied, and pending such application may in the absolute discretion of the Directors, either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments (other than Shares of the Company) as the Directors may from time to time think fit. |
127. |
Any dividend payable in cash to the holder of Shares may be paid in any manner determined by the Directors. If paid by cheque it will be sent by mail addressed to the holder at his address in the Register, or addressed to such person and at such addresses as the holder may direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall, unless the holder or joint holders otherwise direct, be made payable to the order of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the order of the holder whose name stands first on the Register in respect of such Shares, and shall be sent at his or their risk and payment of the cheque or warrant by the bank on which it is drawn shall constitute a good discharge to the Company. |
128. |
The Directors may determine that a dividend shall be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets (which may consist of the shares or securities of any other company) and may settle all questions concerning such distribution. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Directors may fix the value of such specific assets, may determine that cash payment shall be made to some Shareholders in lieu of specific assets and may vest any such specific assets in trustees on such terms as the Directors think fit. |
21
129. |
Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the Shares, but if and for so long as nothing is paid up on any of the Shares dividends may be declared and paid according to the par value of the Shares. No amount paid on a Share in advance of calls shall, while carrying interest, be treated for the purposes of this Article as paid on the Share. |
130. |
If several Persons are registered as joint holders of any Share, any of them may give effective receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable on or in respect of the Share. |
131. |
No dividend shall bear interest against the Company. |
132. |
Any dividend unclaimed after a period of six calendar years from the date of declaration of such dividend may be forfeited by the Board of Directors and, if so forfeited, shall revert to the Company. |
ACCOUNTS, AUDIT AND ANNUAL RETURN AND DECLARATION
133. |
The books of account relating to the Companys affairs shall be kept in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Directors. |
134. |
The books of account shall be kept at the Registered Office, or at such other place or places as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection of the Directors. |
135. |
The Directors may from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Shareholders not being Directors, and no Shareholder (not being a Director) shall have any right to inspect any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by law or authorised by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution. |
136. |
The accounts relating to the Companys affairs shall be audited in such manner and with such financial year end as may be determined from time to time by the Directors or failing any determination as aforesaid shall not be audited. |
137. |
The Directors may appoint an auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by a resolution of the Directors and may fix his or their remuneration. |
138. |
Every auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the auditors. |
139. |
The auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment, and at any time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members. |
140. |
The Directors in each calendar year shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, an annual return and declaration setting forth the particulars required by the Companies Law and deliver a copy thereof to the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. |
CAPITALISATION OF RESERVES
141. |
Subject to the Companies Law, the Directors may: |
(a) |
resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of reserves (including a Share Premium Account, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account), which is available for distribution; |
(b) |
appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the Shareholders in proportion to the nominal amount of Shares (whether or not fully paid) held by them respectively and apply that sum on their behalf in or towards: |
22
(i) |
paying up the amounts (if any) for the time being unpaid on Shares held by them respectively, or |
(ii) |
paying up in full unissued Shares or debentures of a nominal amount equal to that sum, |
and allot the Shares or debentures, credited as fully paid, to the Shareholders (or as they may direct) in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other, but the Share Premium Account, the capital redemption reserve and profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in paying up unissued Shares to be allotted to Shareholders credited as fully paid;
(c) |
make any arrangements they think fit to resolve a difficulty arising in the distribution of a capitalised reserve and in particular, without limitation, where Shares or debentures become distributable in fractions the Directors may deal with the fractions as they think fit; |
(d) |
authorise a Person to enter (on behalf of all the Shareholders concerned) into an agreement with the Company providing for either: |
(i) |
the allotment to the Shareholders respectively, credited as fully paid, of Shares or debentures to which they may be entitled on the capitalisation, or |
(ii) |
the payment by the Company on behalf of the Shareholders (by the application of their respective proportions of the reserves resolved to be capitalised) of the amounts or part of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing Shares, |
and any such agreement made under this authority being effective and binding on all those Shareholders; and
(e) |
generally do all acts and things required to give effect to the resolution. |
142. |
Notwithstanding any provisions in these Articles, the Directors may resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of reserves (including the share premium account, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account) or otherwise available for distribution by applying such sum in paying up in full unissued Shares to be allotted and issued to: |
(a) |
employees (including Directors) or service providers of the Company or its Affiliates upon exercise or vesting of any options or awards granted under any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or the Members; |
(b) |
any trustee of any trust or administrator of any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme to whom shares are to be allotted and issued by the Company in connection with the operation of any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or Members; or |
(c) |
any depositary of the Company for the purposes of the issue, allotment and delivery by the depositary of ADSs to employees (including Directors) or service providers of the Company or its Affiliates upon exercise or vesting of any options or awards granted under any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or the Members. |
SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT
143. |
The Directors shall in accordance with the Companies Law establish a Share Premium Account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share. |
23
144. |
There shall be debited to any Share Premium Account on the redemption or purchase of a Share the difference between the nominal value of such Share and the redemption or purchase price provided always that at the discretion of the Directors such sum may be paid out of the profits of the Company or, if permitted by the Companies Law, out of capital. |
NOTICES
145. |
Except as otherwise provided in these Articles, any notice or document may be served by the Company or by the Person entitled to give notice to any Shareholder either personally, or by posting it by airmail or a recognised courier service in a prepaid letter addressed to such Shareholder at his address as appearing in the Register, or by electronic mail to any electronic mail address such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by facsimile to any facsimile number such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by placing it on the Companys Website should the Directors deem it appropriate. In the case of joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to that one of the joint holders whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the joint holding, and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint holders. |
146. |
Notices sent from one country to another shall be sent or forwarded by prepaid airmail or a recognised courier service. |
147. |
Any Shareholder present, either personally or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have received due notice of such meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which such meeting was convened. |
148. |
Any notice or other document, if served by: |
(a) |
post, shall be deemed to have been served five calendar days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted; |
(b) |
facsimile, shall be deemed to have been served upon production by the transmitting facsimile machine of a report confirming transmission of the facsimile in full to the facsimile number of the recipient; |
(c) |
recognised courier service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier service; or |
(d) |
electronic means, shall be deemed to have been served immediately (i) upon the time of the transmission to the electronic mail address supplied by the Shareholder to the Company or (ii) upon the time of its placement on the Companys Website. |
In proving service by post or courier service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or documents was properly addressed and duly posted or delivered to the courier service.
149. |
Any notice or document delivered or sent by post to or left at the registered address of any Shareholder in accordance with the terms of these Articles shall notwithstanding that such Shareholder be then dead or bankrupt, and whether or not the Company has notice of his death or bankruptcy, be deemed to have been duly served in respect of any Share registered in the name of such Shareholder as sole or joint holder, unless his name shall at the time of the service of the notice or document have been removed from the Register as the holder of the Share, and such service shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient service of such notice or document on all Persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under him) in the Share. |
150. |
Notice of every general meeting of the Company shall be given to: |
(a) |
all Shareholders holding Shares with the right to receive notice and who have supplied to the Company an address for the giving of notices to them; and |
(b) |
every Person entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting. |
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No other Person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.
INFORMATION
151. |
Subject to the relevant laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company, no Member shall be entitled to require discovery of any information in respect of any detail of the Companys trading or any information which is or may be in the nature of a trade secret or secret process which may relate to the conduct of the business of the Company and which in the opinion of the Board would not be in the interests of the Members of the Company to communicate to the public. |
152. |
Subject to due compliance with the relevant laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company, the Board shall be entitled to release or disclose any information in its possession, custody or control regarding the Company or its affairs to any of its Members including, without limitation, information contained in the Register and transfer books of the Company. |
INDEMNITY
153. |
Every Director (including for the purposes of this Article any alternate Director appointed pursuant to the provisions of these Articles), Secretary, assistant Secretary, or other officer for the time being and from time to time of the Company (but not including the Companys auditors) and the personal representatives of the same (each an Indemnified Person) shall be indemnified and secured harmless against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such Indemnified Person, other than by reason of such Indemnified Persons own dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of the Companys business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. |
154. |
No Indemnified Person shall be liable: |
(a) |
for the acts, receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other Director or officer or agent of the Company; or |
(b) |
for any loss on account of defect of title to any property of the Company; or |
(c) |
on account of the insufficiency of any security in or upon which any money of the Company shall be invested; or |
(d) |
for any loss incurred through any bank, broker or other similar Person; or |
(e) |
for any loss occasioned by any negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgement or oversight on such Indemnified Persons part; or |
(f) |
for any loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities, or discretions of such Indemnified Persons office or in relation thereto; |
unless the same shall happen through such Indemnified Persons own dishonesty, willful default or fraud.
FINANCIAL YEAR
155. |
Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on December 31 st in each calendar year and shall begin on January 1st in each calendar year. |
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NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS
156. |
No Person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share upon any trust and the Company shall not, unless required by law, be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share or (except only as otherwise provided by these Articles or as the Companies Law requires) any other right in respect of any Share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in each Shareholder registered in the Register. |
WINDING UP
157. |
If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, with the sanction of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other sanction required by the Companies Law, divide amongst the Members in species or in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like sanction, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability. |
158. |
If the Company shall be wound up, and the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them. If in a winding up the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up subject to a deduction from those Shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise. This Article is without prejudice to the rights of the holders of Shares issued upon special terms and conditions. |
AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
159. |
Subject to the Companies Law, the Company may at any time and from time to time by Special Resolution alter or amend these Articles in whole or in part. |
CLOSING OF REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE
160. |
For the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at any meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination as to who is a Shareholder for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not exceed in any case thirty calendar days in any calendar year. |
161. |
In lieu of or apart from closing the Register, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of the Shareholders and for the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within ninety calendar days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend, fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination. |
162. |
If the Register is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of those Shareholders entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is posted or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Shareholders. When a determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof. |
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REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION
163. |
The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. In furtherance of a resolution adopted pursuant to this Article, the Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company. |
DISCLOSURE
164. |
The Directors, or any service providers (including the officers, the Secretary and the registered office agent of the Company) specifically authorised by the Directors, shall be entitled to disclose to any regulatory or judicial authority any information regarding the affairs of the Company including without limitation information contained in the Register and books of the Company. |
27
Exhibit 4.4
THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT
THIS THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT (this Agreement ) is entered into on June 16, 2017 (the Effective Date ), by and among:
1. | LingoChamp Inc., a company incorporated under the Laws of Cayman Islands (the Company ); |
2. | LingoChamp (HK) Limited ( 流利说 ( 香港 ) 有限公司 ), a company organized and existing under the Laws of Hong Kong and wholly owned by the Company (the HK Company ); |
3. | Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语冠信息技术(上海)有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC and wholly owned by the HK Company ( Shanghai Yuguan ); |
4. | Yuling Culture Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语灵文化传播 ( 上海 ) 有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC and wholly owned by the HK Company ( Shanghai Yuling , and together with Shanghai Yuguan, each a WFOE and collectively, the WFOEs ); |
5. | Shanghai Liulishuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. ( 上海流利说信息技术有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC ( Shanghai Liulishuo ); |
6. | Shanghai Mengfan Culture Broadcasting Co., Ltd. ( 上海萌番文化传播有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC ( Shanghai Mengfan , and together with Shanghai Liulishuo, each a Domestic Company and collectively, the Domestic Companies ); |
7. | each of the individuals and their respective holding companies listed in Schedule I attached hereto (each such individual, a Founder and collectively, the Founders , each such holding company, a Founder Holding Company and collectively, the Founder Holding Companies ); |
8. | each Person listed in Part A of Schedule II hereto (each, a Series C Investor and collectively, the Series C Investors ); |
9. | each Person listed in Part B of Schedule II hereto (each, a Series B Investor and collectively, the Series B Investors ); |
10. | each Person listed in Part C of Schedule II hereto (each, a Series A Investor and collectively, the Series A Investors ); |
11. | each Person listed in Part D of Schedule II hereto (each, a Series Seed Investor and collectively, the Series Seed Investors , together with the Series C Investors, the Series B Investors, the Series A Investors, collectively, the Investors and each, an Investor ); and |
12. | Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. |
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Each of the parties listed above referred to herein individually as a Party and collectively as the Parties .
This Agreement shall be effective as to all Parties as of the date hereof.
Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings set forth in the Purchase Agreement (as defined below).
RECITALS
A | The Series C Investors and certain other parties thereto have entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (the Purchase Agreement ) on June 13, 2017, pursuant to which the Series C Investors have agreed to purchase from the Company, and the Company has agreed to sell to the Series C Investors, certain Series C Preferred Shares of the Company on the term and conditions set forth therein. |
B | The Purchase Agreement provides that it shall be a condition precedent to the consummation of the transactions contemplated under the Purchase Agreement at the Closing that the Parties have entered into this Agreement. |
C | The Parties (other than CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited, Wu Capital Limited and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd.) have entered into certain Second Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement on July 14, 2015 (the Prior Shareholders Agreement ). |
D | The Parties desire to enter into this Agreement to amend and restate the Prior Shareholders Agreement in its entirety and make the respective representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein on the terms and conditions set forth herein. |
WITNESSETH
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties intending to be legally bound hereto hereby agree as follows:
1. | Definitions. |
1.1 The following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them below:
Affiliate means, with respect to a Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, Controls, is Controlled by or is under common Control with such Person. In the case of any Investor, the term Affiliate also includes (v) any shareholder of such Investor, (w) any of such shareholders or Investors general partners or limited partners, (x) the fund manager managing such shareholders or Investor (and general partners, limited partners and officers thereof) and other funds managed by such fund manager, (y) trusts controlled by or for the benefit of any such Person referred to in (v), (w) or (x), and (z) any Subsidiary of any such Person referred to in (v), (w), (x) or (y).
Additional Number has the meaning set forth in Section 7.4 .
Agreement has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
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Annual Budget has the meaning set forth in Section 8.1 .
Applicable Securities Laws means (i) with respect to any offering of securities in the United States, or any other act or omission within that jurisdiction, the securities laws of the United States, including the Exchange Act and the Securities Act, and any applicable Law of any state of the United States, and (ii) with respect to any offering of securities in any jurisdiction other than the United States, or any related act or omission in that jurisdiction, the applicable Laws of that jurisdiction.
Arbitration Notice has the meaning set forth in Section 13.4 .
Associate means, with respect to any Person, (1) a corporation or organization (other than the Group Companies) of which such Person is an officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the beneficial owner of ten percent (10%) or more of any class of Equity Securities of such corporation or organization, (2) any trust or other estate in which such Person has a substantial beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar capacity, or (3) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same home as such Person.
Big 4 means any of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, KPMG International, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, or Ernst & Young, or any successor entity thereto.
Board or Board of Directors means the board of directors of the Company.
Business Day means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday or other day on which commercial banks are required or authorized by Law to be closed in the Cayman Islands, the United States, the PRC or Hong Kong.
CFC means a controlled foreign corporation as defined in the Code.
Charter Documents means, with respect to a particular legal entity, the articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, formation or registration (including, if applicable, certificates of change of name), memorandum of association, articles of association, bylaws, articles of organization, certificate of formation, limited liability company agreement, trust deed, trust instrument, operating agreement, joint venture agreement, business license, or similar or other constitutive, governing, or charter documents, or equivalent documents, of such entity.
Closing shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement.
CMC Observer shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9.7 .
Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
Company Competitor has the meaning set forth in Section 13.10 .
Confidential Information has the meaning set forth in Section 12.10 .
Commission means (i) with respect to any offering of securities in the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States or any other federal agency at the time administering the Securities Act, and (ii) with respect to any offering of securities in a jurisdiction other than the United States, the regulatory body of the jurisdiction with authority to supervise and regulate the offering or sale of securities in that jurisdiction.
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Consent means any consent, approval, authorization, release, waiver, permit, grant, franchise, concession, agreement, license, exemption or order of, registration, certificate, declaration or filing with, or report or notice to, any Person, including any Governmental Authority.
Control of a given Person means the power or authority, whether exercised or not, to direct the business, management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; provided, that such power or authority shall conclusively be presumed to exist upon possession of beneficial ownership or power to direct the vote of more than fifty percent (50%) of the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting of the members or shareholders of such Person or power to control the composition of a majority of the board of directors of such Person. The terms Controlled and Controlling have meanings correlative to the foregoing.
Conversion Shares means Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion of any Preferred Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares.
Defaulting Holder has the meaning set forth in Section 11.1 .
Direct US Investor has the meaning set forth in Section 12.9 .
Director means a director serving on the Board.
Disclosing Party has the meaning set forth in Section 12.10 .
Dispute has the meaning set forth in Section 13.4 .
Domestic Company has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Drag-Along Notice , Drag-Along Sale , Dragged Holders and Drag Holders each has the meaning set forth in Section 11.1 .
Effective Date has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Equity Securities means, with respect to any Person that is a legal entity, any and all shares of capital stock, membership interests, units, profits interests, ownership interests, equity interests, registered capital, and other equity securities of such Person, and any right, warrant, option, call, commitment, conversion privilege, preemptive right or other right to acquire any of the foregoing, or security convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for any of the foregoing, or any Contract providing for the acquisition of any of the foregoing.
ESOP means the employee share option plan of the Company in effect at any time and from time to time.
ESOP Increase has the meaning set forth in Section 13.22 .
Exchange Act means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Exemption Registrations has the meaning set forth in Section 3.4 .
4
First Participation Notice has the meaning set forth in Section 7.4 .
Form F-3 means Form F-3 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act or any successor form or substantially similar form then in effect.
Form S-3 means Form S-3 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act or any successor form or substantially similar form then in effect.
Founder and Founder Holding Company each has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
Founder Directors has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1 .
fully-diluted basis means, for the purpose of calculating share numbers, that the calculation is to be made assuming that all outstanding options, warrants and other Equity Securities directly or indirectly convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares (whether or not by their terms then currently convertible, exercisable or exchangeable) and Equity Securities which have been reserved for issuance pursuant to the ESOP have been so converted, exercised, exchanged or issued.
GGV means GGV Capital IV L.P. and GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P.
GGV Director each has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1 .
GGV Observer shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9.7 .
Governmental Authority means any government of any nation or any federation, province or state or any other political subdivision thereof, any entity, authority or body exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government, including any government authority, agency, department, board, commission or instrumentality of any country, or any political subdivision thereof, any court, tribunal or arbitrator, and any self-regulatory organization.
Governmental Order means any applicable order, ruling, decision, verdict, decree, writ, subpoena, mandate, precept, command, directive, consent, approval, award, judgment, injunction or other similar determination or finding by, before or under the supervision of any Governmental Authority.
Group Company means each of the Company and its Subsidiaries (including the HK Company, the WFOEs and the Domestic Companies), and Group refers to all of Group Companies collectively.
HK Company has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
HKIAC and HKIAC Rules each has the meaning set forth in Section 13.4 .
Holders means the holders of Registrable Securities who are parties to this Agreement from time to time, and their permitted transferees that become parties to this Agreement from time to time.
Hong Kong means the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.
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IDG means IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. and IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P.
IDG Director each has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1 .
IDG Observer shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9.7 .
Indebtedness of any Person means, without duplication, each of the following of such Person: (i) all indebtedness for borrowed money, (ii) all obligations issued, undertaken or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade payables entered into in the ordinary course of business), (iii) all reimbursement or payment obligations with respect to letters of credit, surety bonds and other similar instruments, (iv) all obligations evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or similar instruments, including obligations so evidenced that are incurred in connection with the acquisition of properties, assets or businesses, (v) all indebtedness created or arising under any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, or incurred as financing, in either case with respect to any property or assets acquired with the proceeds of such indebtedness (even though the rights and remedies of the seller or bank under such agreement in the event of default are limited to repossession or sale of such property), (vi) all obligations that are capitalized in accordance with US GAAP or PRC GAAP, (vii) all obligations under bankers acceptance, letter of credit or similar facilities, (viii) all obligations in respect of any interest rate swap, hedge or cap agreement, (ix) all obligations to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise acquire for value any Equity Securities of such Person, and (x) all guarantees issued in respect of the Indebtedness referred to in clauses (i) through (ix) above of any other Person, but only to the extent of the Indebtedness guaranteed.
Indemnification Agreement has the meaning set forth in Section 9.6 .
Independent Auditor has the meaning set forth in Section 13.10 .
Indirect US Investor has the meaning set forth in Section 12.9 .
Initiating Holders means, with respect to a request duly made under Section 2.1 or Section 2.2 to Register any Registrable Securities, the Holders initiating such request.
Intellectual Property means any and all (i) patents, patent rights and applications therefor and reissues, reexaminations, continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions, and patent term extensions thereof, (ii) inventions (whether patentable or not), discoveries, improvements, concepts, innovations and industrial models, (iii) registered and unregistered copyrights, copyright registrations and applications, mask works and registrations and applications therefor, authors rights and works of authorship (including artwork, software, computer programs, source code, object code and executable code, firmware, development tools, files, records and data, and related documentation), (iv) URLs, web sites, web pages and any part thereof, (v) technical information, know-how, trade secrets, drawings, designs, design protocols, specifications, proprietary data, customer lists, databases, proprietary processes, technology, formulae, and algorithms, (vi) trade names, trade dress, trademarks, domain names, service marks, logos, business names, and registrations and applications therefor, and (vii) the goodwill symbolized or represented by the foregoing.
Investor Directors has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1 .
6
IPO means the first firm underwritten registered public offering by the Company or any other Group Company of its shares or securities (or, as the case may be, the shares or securities of the relevant entity resulting from any merger, reorganization or other arrangements made by or to the Company or any Group Company for the purposes of public offering) pursuant to a Registration Statement that is filed with and declared effective by either the Commission under the Securities Act or any other similar registration statement filed with any other Governmental Authority in accordance with the securities Laws of such relevant jurisdiction.
Key Employee has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Purchase Agreement.
Law or Laws means any and all provisions of any applicable constitution, treaty, statute, law, regulation, ordinance, code, rule, or rule of common law, any governmental approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, directive, requirement, or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or determination by, or any interpretation or administration of any of the foregoing by, any Governmental Authority, in each case as amended, and any and all applicable Governmental Orders.
Lien means any claim, charge, easement, encumbrance, lease, covenant, security interest, lien, option, pledge, rights of others, or restriction (whether on voting, sale, transfer, disposition or otherwise), whether imposed by contract, understanding, law, equity or otherwise, but excluding in each case as may be imposed by the Charter Documents of any Group Company.
Liquidation Event shall have the meaning set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Majority Ordinary Holders means the holders of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Ordinary Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis), excluding any Ordinary Shares issued upon conversion of any Preferred Shares.
Majority Preferred Holders means the holders of at least seventy percent (70%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis), which shall include the Majority Series A Holders, the Majority Series B Holders and the Majority Series C Holder.
Majority Series A Holders means the holders of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Series A Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis).
Majority Series B Holders means the holders of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Series B Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis).
Majority Series C Holder means the largest holder of the then outstanding Series C Preferred Shares, at any time and from time to time.
Meeting Notice has the meaning set forth in Section 9.3 .
Memorandum and Articles means the Fourth Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association of the Company and the Fourth Amended and Restated Articles of Association of the Company, as each may be amended and/or restated from time to time.
7
New Securities has the meaning set forth in Section 7.3 .
Observers has the meaning set forth in Section 9.7 .
Option Repurchases shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement.
Ordinary Holders means any Person who directly or indirectly holds any Ordinary Shares of the Company (including the Founders, the Founder Holding Companies and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. but excluding the Investors and their permitted transferees and assignees).
Ordinary Share Equivalents means any Equity Security which is by its terms convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Class A Ordinary Shares or other share capital of the Company, including the Preferred Shares.
Ordinary Shares means the Class A Ordinary Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, and the Class B Ordinary Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share.
Oversubscription Participants has the meaning set forth in Section 7.4 .
Party has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Person means any individual, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, proprietorship, association, limited liability company, firm, trust, estate or other enterprise or entity.
PFIC means passive foreign investment company as defined in the Code.
PFIC Annual Information Statement and PFIC Shareholder each has the meaning set forth in Section 12.9 .
PRC means the Peoples Republic of China, but solely for the purposes of this Agreement, excluding Hong Kong, the Macau Special Administrative Region and the islands of Taiwan.
PRC GAAP means generally accepted accounting principles in PRC, as in effect from time to time.
Preferred Shares means collectively the Series C Preferred Shares, the Series B Preferred Shares, the Series A Preferred Shares and the Series Seed Preferred Shares.
Preemptive Rights Holder and Preemptive Right each has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1 .
Prior Shareholders Agreement has the meaning set forth in the Recitals .
Pro Rata Share has the meaning set forth in Section 7.2 .
8
Public Official means any executive, official, or employee of a Governmental Authority, political party or member of a political party, political candidate; executive, employee or officer of a public international organization; or director, officer or employee or agent of a wholly owned or partially state-owned or controlled enterprise, including a PRC state-owned or controlled enterprise.
Purchase Agreement has the meaning set forth in the Recitals .
Qualified IPO has the meaning given to such term in the Memorandum and Articles.
Registrable Securities means (i) the Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon conversion of the Preferred Shares, (ii) any Ordinary Shares of the Company issued as a dividend or other distribution with respect to, in exchange for, or in replacement of, the shares referenced in (i) herein, and (iii) any Ordinary Shares owned or hereafter acquired by any of the Investors prior to an IPO; excluding in all cases, however, any of the foregoing sold by a Person in a transaction other than an assignment pursuant to this Agreement hereunder. For purposes of this Agreement, Registrable Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when such Registrable Securities have been disposed of pursuant to an effective Registration Statement.
Registration means a registration effected by preparing and filing a Registration Statement and the declaration or ordering of the effectiveness of that Registration Statement; and the terms Register and Registered have meanings concomitant with the foregoing.
Registration Statement means a registration statement prepared on Form F-1, F-3, S-1, or S-3 under the Securities Act (including Rule 415 under the Securities Act), or on any comparable form in connection with registration in a jurisdiction other than the United States.
Related Party means any Affiliate, officer, director, supervisory board member, Key Employee, or holder of any Equity Security of any Group Company, and any Affiliate or Associate of any of the foregoing.
Restricted Share Agreements has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Purchase Agreement.
Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Purchase Agreement.
Second Participation Notice and Second Participation Period each has the meaning set forth in Section 7.4 .
Securities Act means the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Series A Investor has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Series A Preferred Shares means the Series A Preferred Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Series B Director each has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1 .
Series B Investor has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
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Series B Preferred Shares means the Series B Preferred Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Series C Director has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1 .
Series C Investor has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Series C Preferred Shares means the Series C Preferred Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Series Seed Preferred Shares means the Series Seed Preferred Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Shanghai Lilishuo , Shanghai Mengfan, Shanghai Yuguan and Shanghai Yuling each has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Share Sale shall have the meaning set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Shares means the Ordinary Shares and the Preferred Shares.
Subsidiary means, with respect to any given Person, any other Person that is Controlled directly or indirectly by such given Person, at any time and from time to time.
Subsidiary Board has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1 .
TBP means Trustbridge Partners V, L.P.
TBP Observer shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9.7 .
Third Party Assignee has the meaning set forth in Section 13.10 .
Transaction Documents has the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement.
Transfer has the meaning set forth in Section 12.11 .
U.S. means the United States of America.
United States Person means United States person as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
US GAAP means U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, as in effect from time to time.
Violation has the meaning set forth in Section 5.1 .
WFOE has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Wu Observer has the meaning set forth in Section 9.7 .
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1.2 Interpretation. For all purposes of this Agreement, except as otherwise expressly herein provided, (i) the terms defined in this Section 1 shall have the meanings assigned to them in this Section 1 and include the plural as well as the singular, (ii) all references in this Agreement to designated Sections and other subdivisions are to the designated Sections and other subdivisions of the body of this Agreement, (iii) pronouns of either gender or neuter shall include, as appropriate, the other pronoun forms, (iv) the words herein, hereof and hereunder and other words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular Section or other subdivision, (v) all references in this Agreement to designated Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices are to the Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices attached to this Agreement, (vi) references to this Agreement, any other Transaction Documents and any other document shall be construed as references to such document as the same may be amended, supplemented or novated from time to time, (vii) the term or is not exclusive, (viii) the term including will be deemed to be followed by , but not limited to, or without limitation (ix) the terms shall, will, and agrees are mandatory, and the term may is permissive, (x) the phrase directly or indirectly means directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediate Persons or through contractual or other arrangements, and direct or indirect has the correlative meaning, (xi) the term voting power refers to the number of votes attributable to the Shares (on an as-converted basis) in accordance with the terms of the Memorandum and Articles, (xii) the expression Investor, Ordinary Holder, Holder and Founder shall, unless expressly provided otherwise, include their respective successors, transferees and assigns (as permitted according to the terms herein), (xiii) the headings used in this Agreement are used for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement, (xiv) references to laws include any such law modifying, re-enacting, extending or made pursuant to the same or which is modified, re-enacted, or extended by the same or pursuant to which the same is made, and (xv) all references to dollars or to US$ are to currency of the United States of America and all references to RMB are to currency of the PRC.
2. | Demand Registration. |
2.1 Registration Other Than on Form F-3 or Form S-3. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, at any time or from time to time after the earlier of (i) the date that is six (6) months after the closing of a Qualified IPO or an IPO, or (ii) the date that the lock-up by underwriters is partially or wholly released, Holders holding thirty percent (30%) or more of the voting power of the then outstanding Registrable Securities held by all Holders are entitled to request in writing that the Company effect a Registration for at least twenty percent (20%) of the then outstanding Registrable Securities held by all Holders (together with the Registrable Securities which the other Holders elect to include in such Registration) or any lesser percentage if the anticipated gross receipts from the offering exceed US$20,000,000 on any internationally recognized exchange that is reasonably acceptable to such requesting Holders. Upon receipt of such a request, the Company shall (x) promptly give written notice of the proposed Registration to all other Holders and (y) as soon as practicable, use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Registrable Securities specified in the request, together with any Registrable Securities of any Holder who requests in writing to join such Registration within fifteen (15) days after the Companys delivery of written notice, to be Registered and/or qualified for sale and distribution in such jurisdiction as the Initiating Holders may request. The Company shall not be obligated to effect more than two (2) Registrations pursuant to this Section 2.1 that have been declared and ordered effective; provided that if the sale of all of the Registrable Securities sought to be included pursuant to this Section 2.1 is not consummated for any reason other than solely due to the action or inaction of the Holders including Registrable Securities in such Registration, such Registration shall not be deemed to constitute one of the Registration rights granted pursuant to this Section 2.1 .
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2.2 Registration on Form F -3 or Form S-3 . The Company shall use its best efforts to qualify for registration on Form F-3 or Form S-3. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, if the Company qualifies for registration on Form F-3 or Form S-3 (or any comparable form for Registration in a jurisdiction other than the United States), any Holder is entitled to request the Company to file, in any jurisdiction in which the Company has had a registered underwritten public offering, unlimited number of Registration Statements on Form F-3 or Form S-3 (or any comparable form for Registration in a jurisdiction other than the United States), including any registration statements filed under the Securities Act providing for the registration of, and the sale on a continuous or a delayed basis by the Holders of, all of the Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act and/or any similar rule that may be adopted by the Commission, provided that the anticipated gross receipts from the sale of Registrable Securities sought to be included in such Registration Statement shall exceed US$1,000,000. Upon receipt of such a request, the Company shall (i) promptly give written notice of the proposed Registration to all other Holders and (ii) as soon as practicable, cause the Registrable Securities specified in the request, together with any Registrable Securities of any Holder who requests in writing to join such Registration within fifteen (15) days after the Companys delivery of written notice, to be Registered and qualified for sale and distribution in such jurisdiction. The Company shall be obligated to effect no more than two (2) Registrations that have been declared and ordered effective within any twelve (12)-month period pursuant to this Section 2.2 ; provided that if the sale of all of the Registrable Securities sought to be included pursuant to this Section 2.2 is not consummated for any reason other than solely due to the action or inaction of the Holders including Registrable Securities in such Registration, such Registration shall not be deemed to constitute one of the Registration rights granted pursuant to this Section 2.2 .
2.3 Right of Deferral.
(i) The Company shall not be obligated to Register or qualify Registrable Securities pursuant to this Section 2 :
(1) during the period starting with the date of filing by the Company of, and ending six (6) months following the effective date of, any Registration Statement pertaining to Ordinary Shares of the Company other than an Exempt Registration, provided, that the Holders are entitled to join such Registration in accordance with Section 3 ;
(2) in any jurisdiction in which the Company would be required to execute a general consent to service of process in effecting such Registration or qualification, unless the Company is already subject to service of process in such jurisdiction; or
(3) with respect to the registration on Form F-3 or Form S-3 (or any comparable form for Registration in a jurisdiction other than the United States), if Form F-3 or Form S-3 is not available for such offering by the Holders.
(ii) If, after receiving a request from Holders pursuant to Section 2.1 or Section 2.2 hereof, the Company furnishes to the Holders a certificate signed by the chief executive officer of the Company stating that, in the good faith judgment of the Board, it would be materially detrimental to the Company or its members for a Registration Statement to be filed in the near future, then the Company shall have the right to defer such filing for a period during which such filing would be materially detrimental, provided , that the Company may not utilize this right (x) for a Registration under Section 2.1 for more than ninety (90) days and (y) for a Registration under Section 2.2 for more than sixty (60) days, on any one occasion or more than once during any twelve (12) month period; provided , further , that the Company may not Register any other of its Securities during such period (except for Exempt Registrations).
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2.4 Underwritten Offerings . If, in connection with a request to Register Registrable Securities under Section 2.1 or Section 2.2 , the Initiating Holders seek to distribute such Registrable Securities in an underwritten offering, they shall so advise the Company as a part of the request, and the Company shall include such information in the written notice to the other Holders described in Section 2.1 and Section 2.2 . In such event, the right of any Holder to include its Registrable Securities in such Registration shall be conditioned upon such Holders participation in such underwritten offering and the inclusion of such Holders Registrable Securities in the underwritten offering (unless otherwise mutually agreed by the Initiating Holders and such Holder) to the extent provided herein. All Holders proposing to distribute their securities through such underwritten offering shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the underwriter or underwriters of internationally recognized standing selected for such underwritten offering by the Company and reasonably acceptable to the holders of a majority of the voting power of all Registrable Securities proposed to be included in such Registration. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if the managing underwriter advises the Company that marketing factors (including the aggregate number of securities requested to be Registered, the general condition of the market, and the status of the Persons proposing to sell securities pursuant to the Registration or other customary factors) require a limitation of the number of Registrable Securities to be underwritten in a Registration pursuant to Section 2.1 or Section 2.2 , the underwriters may exclude up to seventy-five percent (75%) of the Registrable Securities requested to be Registered but only after first excluding all other Equity Securities from the Registration and underwritten offering, provided , that the number of shares to be included in the Registration on behalf of the non-excluded Holders is allocated among all Holders in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the respective amounts of Registrable Securities requested by such Holders to be included. If any Holder disapproves the terms of any underwriting, the Holder may elect to withdraw therefrom by written notice to the Company and the underwriters delivered at least ten (10) days prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement. Any Registrable Securities excluded or withdrawn from such underwritten offering shall be withdrawn from the Registration. To facilitate the allocation of shares in accordance with the above provisions, the Company or the underwriters may round the number of shares allocated to a Holder to the nearest one hundred (100) shares.
3. | Piggyback Registrations. |
3.1 Registration of the Company s Securities. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, if the Company proposes to Register for its own account any of its Equity Securities, or for the account of any holder (other than a Holder) of Equity Securities any of such holders Equity Securities, in connection with the public offering of such securities (except for Exempt Registrations), the Company shall promptly give each Holder written notice of such Registration and, upon the written request of any such Holder given within fifteen (15) days after delivery of such notice, the Company shall include in such Registration any Registrable Securities thereby requested to be Registered by such Holder. If a Holder decides not to include all or any of its Registrable Securities in such Registration by the Company, such Holder shall nevertheless continue to have the right to include any Registrable Securities in any subsequent Registration Statement or Registration Statements as may be filed by the Company, all upon the terms and conditions set forth herein.
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3.2 Right to Terminate Registration. The Company shall have the right to terminate or withdraw any Registration initiated by it under Section 3.1 prior to the effectiveness of such Registration, whether or not any Holder has elected to participate therein. The expenses of such withdrawn Registration shall be borne by the Company in accordance with Section 4.3 .
3.3 Underwriting Requirements.
(i) In connection with any offering involving an underwriting of the Companys Equity Securities, the Company shall not be required to Register the Registrable Securities of a Holder under this Section 3 unless such Holders Registrable Securities are included in the underwritten offering and such Holder enters into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the underwriter or underwriters of internationally recognized standing selected by the Company and reasonably acceptable to the holders of a majority of the voting power of all Registrable Securities of the Company then outstanding and setting forth such terms for the underwritten offering as have been agreed upon between the Company and the underwriters. In the event the underwriters advise Holders seeking Registration of Registrable Securities pursuant to this Section 3 in writing that market factors (including the aggregate number of Registrable Securities requested to be Registered, the general condition of the market, and the status of the Persons proposing to sell securities pursuant to the Registration or other customary factors) require a limitation of the number of Registrable Securities to be underwritten, the underwriters may exclude up to seventy-five percent (75%) of the Registrable Securities requested to be Registered but only after first excluding all other Equity Securities (except for securities sold for the account of the Company) from the Registration and underwriting, provided , that the number of shares to be included in the Registration on behalf of the non-excluded Holders is allocated among all Holders in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the respective amounts of Registrable Securities requested by such Holders to be included. To facilitate the allocation of shares in accordance with the above provisions, the Company or the underwriters may round the number of shares allocated to a Holder to the nearest one hundred (100) shares.
(ii) If any Holder disapproves the terms of any underwriting, the Holder may elect to withdraw therefrom by written notice to the Company and the underwriters delivered at least ten (10) days prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement. Any Registrable Securities excluded or withdrawn from the underwritten offering shall be withdrawn from the Registration.
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3.4 Exempt Registrations. The Company shall have no obligation to Register any Registrable Securities under this Section 3 in connection with a Registration by the Company (i) relating solely to the sale of securities to participants in a Company share incentive plan, or (ii) relating to a corporate reorganization or other transaction under Rule 145 of the Securities Act (or comparable provision under the Laws of another jurisdiction, as applicable) (collectively, Exempt Registrations ).
4. | Registration Procedures. |
4.1 Registration Procedures and Obligations. Whenever required under this Agreement to effect the Registration of any Registrable Securities held by the Holders, the Company shall, as expeditiously as reasonably possible:
(i) Prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement with respect to those Registrable Securities and use its reasonable best efforts to cause that Registration Statement to become effective, and, upon the request of the Holders holding a majority in voting power of the Registrable Securities Registered thereunder, keep the Registration Statement effective until the distribution thereunder has been completed;
(ii) Prepare and file with the Commission amendments and supplements to that Registration Statement and the prospectus used in connection with the Registration Statement as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of Applicable Securities Laws with respect to the disposition of all securities covered by the Registration Statement;
(iii) Furnish to the Holders the number of copies of a prospectus, including a preliminary prospectus, required by Applicable Securities Laws, and any other documents as they may reasonably requested in order to facilitate the disposition of Registrable Securities owned by them;
(iv) Use its reasonable best efforts to Register and qualify the securities covered by the Registration Statement under the securities Laws of any jurisdiction, as reasonably requested by the Holders, provided , that the Company shall not be required to qualify to do business or file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdictions;
(v) In the event of any underwritten public offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in customary form, with the managing underwriter(s) of the offering;
(vi) Promptly notify each Holder of Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement at any time when a prospectus relating thereto is required to be delivered under Applicable Securities Laws of (a) the issuance of any stop order by the Commission, or (b) the happening of any event or the existence of any condition as a result of which any prospectus included in the Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, or if in the opinion of counsel for the Company it is necessary to supplement or amend such prospectus to comply with applicable Laws and regulations, and at the request of any such Holder promptly prepare and furnish to such Holder a reasonable number of copies of a supplement to or an amendment of such prospectus as may be necessary so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of such securities, such prospectus shall not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in light of the circumstances under which they were made or such prospectus, as supplemented or amended, shall comply with applicable Laws and regulations;
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(vii) Furnish, at the request of any Holder requesting Registration of Registrable Securities pursuant to this Agreement, on the date that such Registrable Securities are delivered for sale in connection with a Registration pursuant to this Agreement, (A) an opinion, dated the date of the sale, of the counsel representing the Company for the purposes of the Registration, in form and substance as is customarily given to underwriters in an underwritten public offering; and (B) comfort letters dated as of (x) the effective date of the registration statement covering such Registrable Securities, and (y) the closing date of the offering, from the independent certified public accountants of the Company, in form and substance as is customarily given by independent certified public accountants to underwriters in an underwritten public offering, addressed to the underwriters;
(viii) Otherwise comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission to the extent applicable to the applicable registration statement and use its reasonable best efforts to make generally available to its security holders (or otherwise provide in accordance with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act) an earnings statement satisfying the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act, no later than forty-five (45) days after the end of a twelve (12) month period (or ninety (90) days, if such period is a fiscal year) beginning with the first month of the Companys first fiscal quarter commencing after the effective date of such registration statement, which statement shall cover such twelve (12) month period, subject to any proper and necessary extensions;
(ix) Not, without the written consent of the holders of at least two thirds (2/3) of voting power of the then outstanding Registrable Securities, make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Act;
(x) Provide a transfer agent and registrar for all Registrable Securities Registered pursuant to the Registration Statement and, where applicable, a number assigned by the Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures for all those Registrable Securities, in each case not later than the effective date of the Registration; and
(xi) Take all reasonable action necessary to list the Registrable Securities on the primary exchange on which the Companys securities are then traded or, in connection with a Qualified IPO, the primary exchange on which the Companys securities will be traded.
4.2 Information from Holder. It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the Company to take any action pursuant to Section 2 and Section 3 hereof with respect to the Registrable Securities of any selling Holder that such Holder shall furnish to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held by it, and the intended method of disposition of such securities as shall be reasonably required to effect the Registration of such Holders Registrable Securities.
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4.3 Expenses of Registration. All expenses, other than (i) the underwriting discounts and selling commissions applicable to the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to this Agreement (which shall be borne by the Holders requesting Registration on a pro rata basis in proportion to their respective numbers of Registrable Securities sold in such Registration), (ii) the special auditing fees exceeding US$25,000 and incurred from the demand registration pursuant to Section 2.1 of this Agreement (which shall be borne by the Holders requesting Registration on a pro rata basis in proportion to their respective numbers of Registrable Securities sold in such Registration), (iii) fees and disbursement of the counsel(s) engaged by each Holder (which shall be borne by such Holder) and (iv) fees and expenses charged by the depositary bank and transfer tax applicable to the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to this Agreement (which shall be borne by the Holders requesting Registration on a pro rata basis in proportion to their respective numbers of Registrable Securities sold in such Registration), incurred in connection with Registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to this Agreement, including all Registration, filing and qualification fees, printers and accounting fees, fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and reasonable fees and disbursement of no more than US$100,000 of one (1) counsel for all selling Holders, shall be borne by the Company. The Company shall not, however, be required to pay for any expenses of any Registration proceeding begun pursuant to Section 2.1 or Section 2.2 of this Agreement if the Registration request is subsequently withdrawn at the request of the Holders holding a majority of the voting power of the Registrable Securities requested to be Registered by all Holder in such Registration (in which case all participating Holders shall bear such expenses pro rata based upon the number of Registrable Securities that were to be thereby Registered in the withdrawn Registration) unless the Holders of at least two thirds (2/3) of the voting power of the Registrable Securities then outstanding agree that such registration constitutes the use by the Holders of one (1) demand registration pursuant to Section 2.1 (in which case such registration shall also constitute the use by all Holders of Registrable Securities of one (1) such demand registration); provided, however, that if at the time of such withdrawal, the Holders have learned of a material adverse change in the condition, business or prospects of the Company not known to the Holders at the time of their request and have withdrawn the request with reasonable promptness following disclosure by the Company of such material adverse change, then the Holders shall not be required to pay any of such expenses and the Company shall pay any and all such expenses.
5. | Registration-Related Indemnification. |
5.1 Company Indemnity.
(i) To the maximum extent permitted by Law and Memorandum and Articles, the Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Holder, such Holders partners, officers, directors, shareholders, members, and legal counsel, any underwriter (as defined in the Securities Act) and each Person, if any, who controls (as defined in the Securities Act) such Holder or underwriter, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (joint or several) to which they may become subject under Laws which are applicable to the Company and relate to action or inaction required of the Company in connection with any Registration, qualification, or compliance, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any of the following statements, omissions or violations (each a Violation ): (a) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in such Registration Statement (unless Holder is actually aware of and consent in writing to the making of such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement), on the effective date thereof (including any preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein or any amendments or supplements thereto), (b) the omission or alleged omission to state in the Registration Statement, on the effective date thereof (including any preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein or any amendments or supplements thereto), a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or (c) any violation or alleged violation by the Company of Applicable Securities Laws, or any rule or regulation promulgated under Applicable Securities Laws. The Company will reimburse, as incurred, each such Holder, underwriter or controlling person for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action.
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5.2 Holder Indemnity.
(i) To the maximum extent permitted by Law, each selling Holder that has included Registrable Securities in a Registration will, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers, any other Holder selling securities in connection with such Registration and each Person, if any, who controls (within the meaning of the Securities Act) the Company, such underwriter or other Holder, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (joint or several) to which any of the foregoing persons may become subject, under Applicable Securities Laws, or any rule or regulation promulgated under Applicable Securities Laws, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereto) arise out of or are based upon any Violation, in each case to the extent (and only to the extent) that such Violation occurs solely in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished by such Holder for express use in such Registration; and each such Holder will reimburse, as incurred, any Person intended to be indemnified pursuant to this Section 5.2 , for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Person in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action. No Holders liability under this Section 5.2 (when combined with any amounts paid by such Holder pursuant to Section 5.4 ) shall exceed the net proceeds received by such Holder from the offering of securities made in connection with that Registration.
(ii) The indemnity contained in this Section 5.2 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action if such settlement is effected without the consent of the Holder (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed).
5.3 Notice of Indemnification Claim. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under Section 5.1 or Section 5.2 of notice of the commencement of any action (including any governmental action), such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against any indemnifying party under Section 5.1 or Section 5.2 , deliver to the indemnifying party a written notice of the commencement thereof and the indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in, and, to the extent the indemnifying party so desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, to assume the defense thereof with counsel mutually satisfactory to the indemnifying parties. An indemnified party (together with all other indemnified parties that may be represented without conflict by one counsel) shall have the right to retain one (1) separate counsel, with the reasonably incurred fees and expenses to be paid by the indemnifying party, if representation of such indemnified party by the counsel retained by the indemnifying party would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between such indemnified party and any other party represented by such counsel in such proceeding. The failure to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of the commencement of any such action, if prejudicial to its ability to defend such action, shall relieve such indemnifying party, to the extent so prejudiced, of any liability to the indemnified party under this Section 5 , but the omission to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party will not relieve it of any liability that it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 5 . No indemnifying party, in the defense of any such claim or litigation, shall, except with the consent of each indemnified party, consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or the plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation.
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5.4 Contribution. If any indemnification provided for in Section 5.1 or Section 5.2 is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to an indemnified party with respect to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense referred to herein, the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party hereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party, on the one hand, and of the indemnified party, on the other, in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and of the indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the indemnifying party or by the indemnified party and the parties relative intent, knowledge, access to information, and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission; provided , however , that, in any such case: (A) no Holder will be required to contribute any amount (after combined with any amounts paid by such Holder pursuant to Section 5.2 ) in excess of the net proceeds to such Holder from the sale of all such Registrable Securities offered and sold by such Holder pursuant to such registration statement; and (B) no person or entity guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person or entity who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
5.5 Underwriting Agreement. To the extent that the provisions on indemnification and contribution contained in the underwriting agreement entered into in connection with the underwritten public offering are in conflict with the foregoing provisions, the provisions in the underwriting agreement shall control.
5.6 Survival. The obligations of the Company and Holders under this Section 5 shall survive the completion of any offering of Registrable Securities in a Registration Statement under this Agreement, regardless of the expiration of any statutes of limitation or extensions of such statutes.
6. | Additional Registration-Related Undertakings. |
6.1 Reports under the Exchange Act. With a view to making available to the Holders the benefits of Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act and any comparable provision of any Applicable Securities Laws that may at any time permit a Holder to sell securities of the Company to the public without Registration or pursuant to a Registration on Form F-3 or Form S-3 (or any comparable form in a jurisdiction other than the United States), the Company agrees to:
(i) make and keep public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144 (or comparable provision, if any, under Applicable Securities Laws in any jurisdiction where the Companys securities are listed), at all times following 90 days after the effective date of the first Registration under the Securities Act filed by the Company for an offering of its securities to the general public;
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(ii) file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company under all Applicable Securities Laws; and
(iii) at any time following ninety (90) days after the effective date of the first Registration under the Securities Act filed by the Company for an offering of its securities to the general public by the Company, promptly furnish to any Holder holding Registrable Securities, upon request (a) a written statement by the Company that it has complied with the reporting requirements of all Applicable Securities Laws at any time after it has become subject to such reporting requirements or, at any time after so qualified, that it qualifies as a registrant whose securities may be resold pursuant to Form F-3 or Form S-3 (or any form comparable thereto under Applicable Securities Laws of any jurisdiction where the Companys securities are listed), (b) a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company and such other reports and documents as filed by the Company with the Commission, and (c) such other information as may be reasonably requested in availing any Holder of any rule or regulation of the Commission, that permits the selling of any such securities without Registration or pursuant to Form F-3 or Form S-3 (or any form comparable thereto under Applicable Securities Laws of any jurisdiction where the Companys Securities are listed).
6.2 Limitations on Subsequent Registration Rights. From and after the date of this Agreement, the Company shall not, without the written consent of holders of at least a majority of the voting power of the then outstanding Registrable Securities held by all Holders (calculated on an as-converted to Class A Ordinary Share basis) (which shall include the written consent of the Majority Preferred Holders), enter into any agreement with any holder or prospective holder of any Equity Securities of the Company that would allow such holder or prospective holder to cause the Company to include such Equity Securities in any Registration filed under Section 2 or Section 3 hereof on a basis pari passu with or more favorable to such holder or prospective holder than is provided to the Holders of Registrable Securities.
6.3 Termination of Registration Rights. The registration rights set forth in Section 2 and Section 3 of this Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the date that is five (5) years from the date of closing of an IPO, (ii) with respect to any Holder, the date on which such Holder may sell without registration, all of such Holders Registrable Securities under Rule 144 of the Securities Act in any ninety (90)-day period.
6.4 Exercise of Ordinary Share Equivalents. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary provided in this Agreement, the Company shall have no obligation to Register Registrable Securities which, if constituting Ordinary Share Equivalents, have not been exercised, converted or exchanged, as applicable, for Ordinary Shares as of the effective date of the applicable Registration Statement, but the Company shall cooperate and facilitate any such exercise, conversion or exchange as requested by the applicable Holder.
6.5 Intent . The terms of Sections 2 through 6 are drafted primarily in contemplation of an offering of securities in the United States of America. The Parties recognize, however, the possibility that securities may be qualified for registration or registered for offering to the public in a jurisdiction other than the United States of America where registration rights have significance or that the Company might effect an offering in the United States of America in the form of American Depositary Receipts or American Depositary Shares. Accordingly:
(i) it is their intention that, whenever this Agreement refers to a Law, form, process or institution of the United States of America but the Parties wish to effectuate qualification or registration in a different jurisdiction where registration rights have significance, reference in this Agreement to the Laws or institutions of the United States shall be read as referring, mutatis mutandis , to the comparable Laws or institutions of the jurisdiction in question; and
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(ii) it is agreed that the Company will not undertake any listing of American Depositary Receipts, American Depositary Shares or any other security derivative of the Ordinary Shares unless arrangements have been made reasonably satisfactory to the Majority Preferred Holders to ensure that the spirit and intent of this Agreement will be realized and that the Company is committed to take such actions as are necessary such that the Holders will enjoy rights corresponding to the rights hereunder to sell their Registrable Securities in a public offering in the United States of America as if the Company had listed Ordinary Shares in lieu of such derivative securities.
6.6 Assignment of Registration Rights . The registration rights of a Holder under Section 2 to 6 hereof may be assigned to any person acquiring Registrable Securities, provided that (i) all or at least 100,000 Registrable Securities (subject to share split, share combination, share dividend or such other similar recapitalization event) held by such Holder are transferred; or (ii) the assignees of those Registrable Securities agree to designate one (1) representative to represent them to exercise the Registration Rights under Section 2 to 6 ; provided further, that in either case no party may be assigned any of the foregoing rights unless the Company is given written notice by the assigning party stating the name and address of the assignee and identifying the securities of the Company as to which the rights in question are being assigned; and provided further, that any such assignee shall receive such assigned rights subject to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the provisions of this Section 6. 6 , and such assignee shall agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
7. | Preemptive Right. |
7.1 General . The Company hereby grants to each holder of Preferred Shares (the Preemptive Rights Holder ) the right of first refusal (and any oversubscription right, as provided below) to purchase such Preemptive Rights Holders Pro Rata Share (as defined below), of all (or any part) of any New Securities (as defined below) that the Company may from time to time issue after the date of this Agreement (the Preemptive Right ).
7.2 Pro Rata Share . A Preemptive Rights Holders Pro Rata Share for purposes of the Preemptive Right is the ratio of (a) the number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including any class of shares calculated on as-converted basis) held by such Preemptive Rights Holder, to (b) the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including any class of shares calculated on as-converted basis and any Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants and options) then outstanding immediately prior to the issuance of New Securities giving rise to the Preemptive Right.
7.3 New Securities . For purposes hereof, New Securities shall mean any Equity Securities of the Company issued after the date hereof, except for:
(i) Ordinary Shares, options, restricted share units and/or other awards therefor reserved for issuance to or granted to employees, officers, directors, contractors, advisors or consultants of the Group Companies under the ESOP, provided that such reserve is in accordance with the terms of the ESOP and the ESOP has been duly approved in accordance with this Agreement;
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(ii) Ordinary Shares actually issued upon the conversion or exchange of Ordinary Share Equivalents, provided such issuance is in accordance the terms of such Ordinary Share Equivalents (which Ordinary Share Equivalents have been duly approved in accordance with this Agreement or issued prior to the date of this Agreement in accordance with the Prior Shareholders Agreement or any other similar shareholders agreement in effect as of the date of such issuance);
(iii) any Equity Securities of the Company issued pursuant to the bona fide acquisition of another corporation or entity by the Company by consolidation, merger, purchase of assets, or other reorganization in which the Company acquires, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, all or substantially all assets of such other corporation or entity, or fifty percent (50%) or more of the equity ownership or voting power of such other corporation or entity, provided that any such foregoing transaction has been duly approved in accordance with this Agreement;
(iv) any Equity Securities issued under the Purchase Agreement (as defined in the Purchased Agreement) and any Class A Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to the conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares;
(v) any Equity Securities issued or issuable pursuant to a share split, share dividend, combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction of the Company in which all Preemptive Rights Holders are entitled to participate on a pro rata basis;
(vi) any Equity Securities issued pursuant to a Qualified IPO; and
(vii) any Equity Securities issued as part of any debt financing or financial lease with any financial institution, provided that any such foregoing transaction has been duly approved in accordance with this Agreement.
7.4 Procedures.
(i) First Participation Notice . In the event that the Company proposes to undertake an issuance of New Securities (in a single transaction or a series of related transactions), it shall give to each Preemptive Rights Holder written notice of its intention to issue New Securities (the First Participation Notice ), describing the amount and type of New Securities, the price and the general terms upon which the Company proposes to issue such New Securities and the details relating to the identity of the proposed buyer of such New Securities. Each Preemptive Rights Holder shall have fifteen (15) Business Days from the date of receipt of any such First Participation Notice to agree in writing to purchase up to such Preemptive Rights Holders Pro Rata Share of such New Securities for the price and upon the terms and conditions specified in the First Participation Notice by giving written notice to the Company and stating therein the quantity of New Securities to be purchased (not to exceed such Preemptive Rights Holders Pro Rata Share). If any Preemptive Rights Holder fails to so respond in writing within such fifteen (15) Business Days period to purchase such Preemptive Rights Holders full Pro Rata Share of an offering of New Securities, then such Preemptive Rights Holder shall forfeit the right hereunder to purchase that part of its Pro Rata Share of such New Securities that it did not agree to purchase, but shall not be deemed to forfeit any right with respect to any other issuance of New Securities.
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(ii) Second Participation Notice; Oversubscription . If any Preemptive Rights Holder fails or declines to exercise its Preemptive Rights in accordance with subsection (i) above, the Company shall promptly give notice (the Second Participation Notice ) to other Preemptive Rights Holders who exercised in full their Preemptive Rights (the Oversubscription Participants ) in accordance with subsection (i) above. Each Oversubscription Participant shall have ten (10) Business Days from the date of the Second Participation Notice (the Second Participation Period ) to notify the Company of its desire to purchase more than its Pro Rata Share of the New Securities, stating the number of the additional New Securities it proposes to buy (the Additional Number ). Such notice may be made by telephone if confirmed in writing within five (5) Business Days. If, as a result thereof, such oversubscription exceeds the total number of the remaining New Securities available for purchase, each Oversubscription Participant will be cut back by the Company with respect to its oversubscription to such number of remaining New Securities equal to the lesser of (x) the Additional Number and (y) the product obtained by multiplying (i) the number of the remaining New Securities available for subscription by (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including any class of shares calculated on as-converted basis) held by such Oversubscription Participant and the denominator of which is the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares (including any class of shares calculated on an as-converted basis) held by all the Oversubscription Participants.
7.5 Failure to Exercise . Upon the expiration of the Second Participation Period, or in the event no Preemptive Rights Holder exercises the Preemptive Rights within fifteen (15) Business Days following the issuance of the First Participation Notice, the Company shall have ninety (90) days thereafter to complete the sale of the New Securities described in the First Participation Notice with respect to which the Preemptive Rights hereunder were not exercised at the same or higher price and upon non-price terms not more favorable to the purchasers thereof than specified in the First Participation Notice. In the event that the Company has not issued and sold such New Securities within such ninety (90) days period, then the Company shall not thereafter issue or sell any New Securities without again first offering such New Securities to the Preemptive Rights Holders pursuant to this Section 7 .
8. | Information and Inspection Rights. |
8.1 Delivery of Financial Statements. For as long as any holder of Preferred Shares and its Affiliates continues to hold Preferred Shares representing 2% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), the Group Companies shall deliver to such holder of Preferred Shares the following documents or reports:
(i) within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, a consolidated income statement and statement of cash flows for the Group Companies for such fiscal year and a consolidated balance sheet for the Group Companies as of the end of the fiscal year, all prepared in accordance with the US GAAP, audited and certified by one of the Big 4 or a reputable firm of independent certified public accountants acceptable to the Majority Preferred Holders, and a management report including a comparison of the financial results of such fiscal year with the corresponding annual budget prepared in accordance with the US GAAP (provided that such financial statements may be unaudited if the Majority Preferred Holders determines that the Group Companies are not required to obtain audited financial statements);
(ii) within forty-five (45) days after the end of each quarter, a consolidated unaudited income statement and statement of cash flows for such quarter and a consolidated balance sheet for the Group Companies as of the end of such quarter, all prepared in accordance with the US GAAP;
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(iii) within thirty (30) days after the end of each month, operating and financial information of that month prepared by or otherwise available to the Company and any other Group Company in the ordinary course of business;
(iv) an annual budget and strategic plan (the Annual Budget ) at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year approved in accordance with Section 10.1(xi) hereof; and
(v) as soon as practicable, any other material information relating to the financial condition and Business of the Group Companies reasonably requested by any holder of Preferred Shares (including monthly or other periodic operating information), provided , however , that the Group Companies shall not be obligated under this Section 8.1(v) to provide information (i) that the Board reasonably determines in good faith to be a trade secret or (ii) the disclosure of which would adversely affect the attorney-client privilege between the Group Companies and their counsel.
8.2 Inspection Rights. For as long as any holder of Preferred Shares and its Affiliates continues to hold Preferred Shares representing 2% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), each Group Company covenants and agrees that, upon a reasonable prior notice of at least five (5) Business Days to the Company, such holder of Preferred Shares shall have the right to inspect facilities, properties, records and books (including but not limited to the books of account) of each Group Company at any time during regular working hours for a reasonable purpose and the right to discuss the business, operation and conditions of a Group Company with any Group Companys directors, officers, employees, independent accountants, legal counsels and investment bankers, at the cost of such holder of Preferred Shares.
9. | Election of Directors. |
9.1 Board of Directors.
(i) The Company shall have, and the Parties agree to cause the Company to have, a Board consisting of up to nine (9) authorized directors, with the composition of the Board determined as follows: (a) the Majority Ordinary Holders shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time five (5) directors on the Board (the Founder Directors ), one of whom shall be Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) as of the date of the Closing, with Yi Wang being the chairman of the Board, (b) so long as the issued and outstanding Preferred Shares held by IDG and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 7.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), IDG shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) director (the IDG Director ) on the Board, (c) so long as the issued and outstanding Preferred Shares held by GGV and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 7.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), GGV shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) director (the GGV Director ) on the Board, (d) so long as the issued and outstanding Series B Preferred Shares (together with any Ordinary Shares converted therefrom) represent in the aggregate 7.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), the Majority Series B Holders shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) director (the Series B Director ) on the Board, and (e) so long as the issued and outstanding Series C Preferred Shares (together with any Ordinary Shares converted therefrom) represent in the aggregate 7.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), the Majority Series C Holder shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) director (the Series C Director , together with the IDG Director, the GGV Director and the Series B Director, collectively the Investor Directors and each, an Investor Director ) on the Board. Each of the Investor Directors shall have one (1) vote. The Founder Directors shall in total have five (5) votes, and if the Majority Ordinary Holders appoint less than five (5) Founder Directors, each such appointed Founder Director shall have one (1) vote; provided , however , that in the case of Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) being one of the Founder Directors, Yi Wang shall have a number of votes that is equal to (i) five (5) minus (ii) the number of the other Founder Directors (if any) that are actually appointed by the Majority Ordinary Holders.
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(ii) Each of the other Group Companies shall have, and the Ordinary Holders and the Company agree to cause each of the other Group Companies to have the same number of directors in its respective board (the Subsidiary Board and collectively, the Subsidiary Board s ) as the Companys Board, and the Majority Ordinary Holders, IDG, GGV, the Majority Series B Holders and the Majority Series C Holder shall be entitled to appoint the same number of directors to each Group Company as they are entitled to appoint to the Companys Board.
9.2 Voting Agreements
(i) With respect to each election of directors of the Board, each holder of voting securities of the Company shall vote at each meeting of shareholders of the Company, or in lieu of any such meeting shall give such holders written consent with respect to, as the case may be, all of such holders voting securities of the Company as may be necessary (x) to keep the authorized size of the Board at up to nine (9) directors, (y) to cause the election or re-election as members of the Board, and during such period to continue in office, each of the individuals designated pursuant to Section 9.1 , and (z) against any nominees not designated pursuant to Section 9.1 .
(ii) Any Director designated pursuant to Section 9.1 may be removed from the Board only upon the vote or written consent of the Person or group of Persons entitled to designate such Director pursuant to Section 9.1 , and the Parties agree not to seek, vote for or otherwise effect the removal of any such Director without such vote or written consent. Any Person or group of Persons entitled to designate any individual to be elected as a Director on the Board shall have the exclusive right at any time or from time to time to remove any such Director occupying such position and to fill any vacancy caused by the death, disability, retirement, resignation or removal of any Director occupying such position, and each other Party agrees to cooperate with such Person or group of Persons in connection with the exercise of such right. Each holder of voting securities of the Company agrees to always vote such holders respective voting securities of the Company (and given written consents in lieu thereof) in support of the foregoing.
(iii) The Company agrees to take such action, and each other Party hereto agrees to take such action, as is necessary to cause the election or appointment to each Subsidiary Board of the Investor Directors pursuant to Section 9.1 . Upon a removal or replacement of any Investor Director from the Board in accordance with Section 9.2(ii) , the Company agrees to take such action, and each other Party hereto agrees to take such action, as is necessary to cause the removal of such director from each Subsidiary Board.
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9.3 Quorum. The Board shall hold no less than one (1) board meeting during each fiscal quarter. A meeting of the Board shall only proceed where there are present (whether in person or by means of a conference telephone or any other equipment which allows all participants in the meeting to speak to and hear each other simultaneously) four (4) directors of the Company then in office (which must in all cases include Yi Wang as long as he is a Director and two (2) or more Investor Directors), and the Parties shall cause the foregoing to be the quorum requirements for the Board. A meeting of each Subsidiary Board shall only proceed where there are present (whether in person or by means of a conference telephone or any other equipment which allows all participants in the meeting to speak to and hear each other simultaneously) four (4) directors then in office (which must in all cases include Yi Wang as long as he is a Director and two (2) or more Investor Directors), and the Parties shall cause the foregoing to be the quorum requirements for each Subsidiary Board. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if notice of the board meeting (the Meeting Notice ) has been duly delivered to all directors of the Board or the applicable Subsidiary Board four (4) Business Days prior to the scheduled meeting in accordance with the notice procedures under the Charter Documents of the applicable Group Company, and the number of directors required to be present under this Section 9.3 for such meeting to proceed is not present within one half hour from the time appointed for the meeting because of the absence of any Director, the meeting shall be adjourned to the third following Business Day at the same time and place (or to such other time or such other place as the directors may determine) with notice delivered to all directors one day prior to the adjourned meeting in accordance with the notice procedures under the Charter Documents of the applicable Group Company and, if at the adjourned meeting, the number of directors required to be present under this Section 9.3 for such meeting to proceed is not present within one half hour from the time appointed for the meeting because of the absence of any Director, then the presence of such Director(s), shall not be required at such adjourned meeting, provided that if any Investor Director is not present at such adjourned meeting, (i) the present Directors shall only discuss the matters as described in the Meeting Notice, and (ii) no Directors resolutions shall be passed in such adjourned meeting in respect to anything that requires approval of such Investor Director as provided in the Transaction Documents.
9.4 Expenses . The Company will promptly pay or reimburse each non-employee Board member for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending board or committee meetings and otherwise performing their duties as directors and committee members.
9.5 Alternates. Subject to applicable Law, each Director or each director on any Subsidiary Board shall be entitled to appoint an alternate to serve at any meeting of the Board or the applicable Subsidiary Board, and such alternate shall be permitted to attend all meetings of the Board or the applicable Subsidiary Board and vote on behalf of the Director or the director on the applicable Subsidiary Board for whom he is serving as an alternate.
9.6 Director Indemnification. To the maximum extent permitted by the Laws of the jurisdiction in which the Company is organized, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each Investor Director and shall comply with the terms of the respective director indemnification agreement (the Indemnification Agreement ), and at the request of any Investor Director who is not a party to an Indemnification Agreement, shall enter into an director indemnification agreement with such Investor Director in similar form to the Indemnification Agreement.
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9.7 Board Observer. So long as (i) the Shares held by Wu Capital Limited and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 1.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), Wu Capital Limited or its Affiliate shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) observer (the Wu Observer ) to attend all meetings of the Board, in a non-voting observer capacity, (ii) the Shares held by CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 1.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), but CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited or its Affiliate otherwise does not have the right to appoint a director to the Board pursuant to Section 9.1 , CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited or its Affiliate shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) observer (the CMC Observer ) to attend all meetings of the Board, in a non-voting observer capacity, (iii) the Shares held by IDG and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 1.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), but IDG or its Affiliate otherwise does not have the right to appoint a director to the Board pursuant to Section 9.1 , IDG or its Affiliate shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) observer (the IDG Observer ) to attend all meetings of the Board, in a non-voting observer capacity, (iv) the Shares held by GGV and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 1.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), but GGV or its Affiliate otherwise does not have the right to appoint a director to the Board pursuant to Section 9.1 , GGV or its Affiliate shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) observer (the GGV Observer to attend all meetings of the Board, in a non-voting observer capacity, and (v) the Shares held by TBP and its Affiliates represent in the aggregate 1.5% or more of the total share capital of the Company (on an as-converted and fully-diluted basis), but TBP or its Affiliate otherwise does not have the right to appoint a director to the Board pursuant to Section 9.1 , TBP or its Affiliate shall be entitled to appoint, replace and reappoint at any time or from time to time one (1) observer (the TBP Observer , together with the Wu Observer, the CMC Observer, the IDG Observer and the GGV Observer, the Observers ) to attend all meetings of the Board, in a non-voting observer capacity; provided , however , that the Board, acting in good faith and upon advice of legal counsel, reserves the right to withhold any information and to exclude any Observer from any meeting or portion thereof if access to such information or attendance at such meeting could adversely affect the attorney-client privilege between the Group Companies and their counsel or result in disclosure of highly confidential proprietary technical information. Each Observer shall agree to hold in confidence and trust all information provided by the Company.
10. | Protective Provisions |
10.1 Acts of the Group Companies Requiring Approval of Majority Preferred Holders . Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein or in the Charter Documents of any Group Company but subject to the provisions of Section 11 (which shall prevail over the provisions of this Section 10 ), and no Party shall permit any Group Company to, and the shareholders of the Company shall not permit the Company to, take, permit to occur, approve, authorize, or agree or commit to do any of the following, whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, whether directly or indirectly, and whether or not by amendment, merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement, amalgamation, or otherwise, unless, when determining (a) Sections 10.1 (iii) , 10.1 (v) , 10.1 (ix) , 10.1 (xi) , 10.1 (xiii) , 10.1 (xiv) , and 10.1 (xvii) , approved by the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted basis), (b) Sections 10.1 (i) , 10.1 (ii) , 10.1 (iv) , 10.1 (vi) , 10.1 (vii) , 10.1 (viii) , 10.1 (x) , 10.1 (xii) , 10.1 (xv) and 10.1 (xvi) , approved by the Majority Preferred Holders, and (c) 10.1 (v) , 10.1 (xiii) , 10.1 (xiv) , and 10.1 (xvii) , approved by the Majority Series C Holder, in each case, in writing in advance, provided that where any such action requires a Special Resolution of the shareholders in accordance with the Companies Law (2016 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and if the shareholders vote in favour of such act but the approval of the Majority Preferred Holders or the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Preferred Shares (as applicable) has not yet been obtained, the Majority Preferred Holders or the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the voting power of the then outstanding Preferred Shares (as applicable) shall have the voting rights equal to the aggregate voting power of all the shareholders who voted in favour of such act plus one:
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(i) any change in any Group Companys Articles of Association or similar constitutional documents, or any other action, that may materially alter or change the rights or preferences of any of the Preferred Shares;
(ii) any action that authorizes, creates or issues (A) any class or series of Equity Securities having rights, preferences, privileges, powers, limitations or restrictions superior to or on a parity with the Preferred Shares, whether as to liquidation, conversion, dividend, voting, redemption, or otherwise, or any Equity Securities convertible into, exchangeable for, or exercisable into any Equity Securities having rights, preferences, privileges, powers, limitations or restrictions superior to or on a parity with of the Preferred Shares, whether as to liquidation, conversion, dividend, voting, redemption or otherwise, or (B) any Equity Securities of any Group Company, except for Ordinary Shares, options, restricted share units and/or other awards therefor that have been reserved as of the date hereof for issuance to employees, officers, directors, contractors, advisors or consultants of the Group Companies in accordance with the terms of the ESOP;
(iii) any Liquidation Event as defined under the Memorandum and Articles, or any merger, amalgamation, scheme or arrangement or consolidation of any Group Company with any Person; provided, that if such transaction has an implied equity valuation of the Company of less than US$900,000,000, the prior written approval of the Majority Series C Holder shall be required;
(iv) any material change in the share capital or registered capital of any Group Company;
(v) any liquidation, winding up or bankruptcy, reorganization or other analogous insolvency proceeding of any Group Company;
(vi) any material change of the nature of the business of any Group Company unless approved by the Board (including the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors);
(vii) any transactions by any Group Company exceeding RMB4,000,000 with any Related Party, unless such transaction is expressly contemplated under the Transaction Documents;
(viii) incurrence by any Group Company of Indebtedness or guarantees of Indebtedness in excess of RMB4,000,000, unless approved by the Board (including the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors) or unless otherwise set forth in the Annual Budget;
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(ix) any entry into any contract with the management personnel of any Group Company, other than the contracts with respect to arrangements for employment or any contract relating to the ESOP;
(x) the appointment or removal of the auditors, or the change of accounting standard or the term of the fiscal year for any Group Company;
(xi) the approval of, or any material deviation from or material amendment of, the Annual Budget of any Group Company, unless approved by the Board (including the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors);
(xii) any declaration or payment of any dividend or other distribution, or determination of the dividend policy of such Group Company;
(xiii) any purchase, repurchase, redemption or retirements of any Equity Security of any Group Company, other than (A) the purchase, repurchase or redemption of Ordinary Shares by the Company at no more than the original purchase price from terminated employees, officers or consultants in accordance with the ESOP, (B) the purchase, repurchase or redemption of the Shares pursuant to Article 8.4 of the Memorandum and Articles, and (C) the Option Repurchases;
(xiv) any sale, transfer, license on an exclusive basis, pledge, encumber or otherwise disposal of any material intellectual property or other material assets of any Group Company or any of its Affiliates to a third party;
(xv) any increase or decrease of the size and composition of the Board not otherwise provided for herein;
(xvi) appointment or removal of any management personnel of any Group Company at the senior VP-level or above (including chief executive office, chief operation officer and chief financial officer), unless approved by the Board (including the affirmative vote of a majority of the Investor Directors); or
(xvii) any sale, transfer, pledge, mortgage or other disposal of any equity interest (whether directly or indirectly) in any Subsidiaries of the Company.
10.2 Acts of the Group Companies Requiring Investor Directors Approval. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein or in the Charter Documents of any Group Company, but subject to the provisions of Section 11 (which shall prevail over the provisions of this Section 10 ), no Group Company shall take, permit to occur, approve, authorize, or agree or commit to do any of the following, and no Party shall permit any Group Company to, and the shareholders of the Company shall not permit the Company to, take, permit to occur, approve, authorize, or agree or commit to do any of the following, whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, whether directly or indirectly, and whether or not by amendment, merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement, amalgamation, or otherwise, unless approved in writing by (a) a majority of the votes of the Directors of the Board (which must include the affirmative votes of a majority of the Investor Directors), and (b) when determining Sections 10.2(iv) or (vii) , approved by the Series C Director, for as long as the Majority Series C Holder has the right to appoint, remove and replace a director to the Board pursuant to Section 9.1 :
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(i) any sale, transfer or other disposal of by any Group Company of any assets, businesses, interests, properties or securities valued in excess of RMB8,000,000 individually or RMB13,000,000 in the aggregate during any fiscal year, or the disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of any Group Company (or any series of related transactions having similar effect);
(ii) any acquisition of or investment in any business by any Group Company valued in excess of RMB8,000,000;
(iii) the incurrence by any Group Company of any capital expenditure in excess of RMB8,000,000 unless authorized in the Annual Budget;
(iv) the adoption, amendment or termination of the ESOP or any other equity incentive, purchase or participation plan, including any amendment of the number of shares of the Company reserved under the ESOP, for the benefit of any employees, officers, directors, contractors, advisors or consultants of any of the Group Companies;
(v) any action to grant options or other awards under the ESOP to key management personnel of any Group Company, or to any Person representing ten percent (10%) or more of the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares reserved under the ESOP;
(vi) any debt financing by any Group Company in excess of RMB8,000,000, or any borrowing from banks or other financial institutions outside the Annual Budget; and
(vii) any public offering of any Equity Securities of any Group Company other than a Qualified IPO, including the determination of the terms, valuation, stock exchange, the underwriters therefor.
11. | Drag-Along Rights |
11.1 In the event that holders of sixty percent (60%) or more of the voting power of all the Preferred Shares (voting together as a single class and calculated on as-converted to Class A Ordinary Share basis) and Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) (collectively, the Drag Holders ) have approved a Liquidation Event or a Share Sale, whether or not structured as a merger, consolidation, reorganization, asset sale or sale of control of the Company or otherwise (the Drag-Along Sale ), to any Person that is not a Drag Holder or an Affiliate of any Drag Holder (the Offeror ), and the valuation of the Group Companies in the Drag-Along Sale is no less than US$500 million, the Drag Holders, may, at their option, by delivery of a written notice (the Drag-Along Notice ), require each of the other holder of Equity Securities of the Company (the Dragged Holders ) to, and whereupon each Dragged Holder hereby irrevocably agrees to:
(i) sell, at the same time as the Drag Holders sell to the Offeror, in the Drag-Along Sale, all of its Equity Securities of the Company or the same percentage of its Equity Securities of the Company as the Drag Holders sell, on the same terms and conditions as were agreed to by the Drag Holders, and the aggregate purchase price or other consideration of the Company in respect of such Drag-Along Sale shall be distributed to the holders of Shares of the Company subject to such sale in accordance with the provisions set forth in Article 8.1(B) (Liquidation Preferences) of the Memorandum and Articles, as if such Drag-Along Sale is a Liquidation Event;
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(ii) vote all of its Equity Securities of the Company (a) in favor of such Drag-Along Sale, (b) against any other consolidation, recapitalization, amalgamation, merger, sale of securities, sale of assets, business combination, or transaction that would interfere with, delay, restrict, or otherwise adversely affect such Drag-Along Sale, and (c) against any action or agreement that would result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Company under the definitive agreement(s) related to such Drag-Along Sale or that could result in any of the conditions to the closing obligations under such agreement(s) not being fulfilled, and, in connection therewith, to be present (in person or by proxy) at all relevant meetings of the shareholders of the Company (or adjournments thereof) or to approve and execute all relevant written consents in lieu of a meeting;
(iii) not exercise any dissenters or appraisal rights under applicable Law with respect to such Drag-Along Sale;
(iv) take all necessary actions in connection with the consummation of such Drag-Along Sale as reasonably requested by the Drag Holders, including the execution and delivery of any share transfer or other agreements prepared in connection with such Drag-Along Sale, and the delivery, at the closing of such Drag-Along Sale involving a sale of shares, of all certificates representing shares held or controlled by such holder, duly endorsed for transfer or accompanied by a duly executed share transfer form, or affidavits and indemnity undertakings with respect to lost certificates; and
(v) restructure such Drag-Along Sale, as and if reasonably requested by the Drag Holders, as a merger, consolidation, restructuring or similar transaction, or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or otherwise.
In any such Drag-Along Sale, (i) each such holder shall bear a proportionate share (based upon the relative proceeds received in such transaction) of the Drag Holders reasonable fees and expenses incurred in the transaction, including legal, accounting and investment banking fees and expenses, and (ii) each such holder shall severally, not jointly, join on a pro rata basis (based upon the relative proceeds received in such transaction) in any indemnification obligations that are part of the terms and conditions of such Drag-Along Sale (other than those that relate specifically to a particular holder, such as indemnification with respect to representations and warranties given by such holder regarding such holders title to and ownership of shares, due authorization, enforceability, and no conflicts, which shall instead be given solely by such holder) but only up to the net proceeds paid to such holder in connection with such Drag-Along Sale; provided, that no Investor shall be required to give or make any representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities or other agreements relating to the business and operations of any Group Company.
11.2 In the event that any of the Dragged Holders (the Defaulting Holder ) fails for any reason to take any of the foregoing actions within fifteen (15) days after receiving the Drag-Along Notice, each of the Drag Holders shall have the right to sell to the Defaulting Holder the type and number of Equity Securities equal to the number of Equity Securities such Drag Holder would have transferred to the Offeror had the Defaulting Holder taken each of the foregoing actions within such fifteen (15) days. The price per share at which the shares are to be sold to the Defaulting Holder shall be equal to the price per share that would have been paid by the Offeror to the Drag Holders in the Drag-Along Sale. The Defaulting Holder shall also reimburse each Drag Holder for any and all reasonable fees and expense, including legal fees and expenses, incurred pursuant to the exercise or the attempted exercise of such Drag Holders rights under Section 11.2 . The Drag Holders shall, if exercising the option created hereby, deliver to the Defaulting Holder an instrument of transfer and either the certificate or certificates representing shares to be sold under this Section 11.2 by the Drag Holders, each certificate to be properly endorsed for transfer, or an affidavit of lost certificate. The Defaulting Holder shall, upon receipt of the foregoing, pay the aggregate purchase price therefor and the amount of reimbursable fees and expenses, in cash by wire transfer of immediately available funds or by other means acceptable to the Drag Holders. The Company shall concurrently therewith record such transfer on its books and update its register of members and will promptly thereafter and in any event within five (5) days reissue certificates to the Drag Holders reflecting the new securities held by them giving effect to such transfer. None of the transfer restrictions set forth in this Agreement or other Transaction Documents shall apply in connection with a Drag-Along Sale, notwithstanding anything contained to the contrary herein and therein.
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12. | Additional Covenants. |
12.1 Control of Subsidiaries. The Company shall, and each of the Founders and the Founder Holding Companies shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Company to, institute and keep in place such arrangements as are reasonably satisfactory to the Majority Preferred Holders such that the Company (i) will at all times control the operations of each other Group Company, and (ii) will at all times be permitted to properly consolidate the financial results for each other Group Company in the consolidated financial statements for the Company prepared under the US GAAP.
12.2 Compliance with Laws. The Group Companies shall, and each Party (other than the Investors) shall cause the Group Companies to, conduct their respective business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Laws, and obtain, make and maintain in effect, all Consents from the relevant Governmental Authority or other Person required in respect of the due and proper establishment and operations of each Group Company as now conducted in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Laws. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, none of the Group Companies shall, and the Parties (other than the Investors) shall cause each Group Company not to, and the Parties shall ensure that its and their respective Affiliates and its respective officers, directors, and representatives shall not, directly or indirectly, (a) offer or give anything of value to any Public Official with the intent of obtaining any improper advantage, affecting or influencing any act or decision of any such Person, assisting any Group Company in obtaining or retaining business for, or with, or directing business to, any Person, or constituting a bribe, kickback or illegal or improper payment to assist any Group in obtaining or retaining business, (b) take any other action, in each case, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the United States of America, as amended (as if it were a U.S. Person), or any other applicable similar anti-corruption, recordkeeping and internal controls Laws, or (c) establish or maintain any fund or assets in which any Group Company has proprietary rights that have not been recorded in its books and records of Group Company.
12.3 Insurance . The Company shall, and each of the Founders and the Founder Holding Companies shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Company to, promptly purchase and maintain, and shall cause the Group Companies to promptly purchase and maintain, in effect, insurance policies with respect to the Group Companys properties, employees, products, operations, and/or business, each in the amounts not less than that are customarily obtained by companies of similar size, in a similar line of business, and with operations in PRC.
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12.4 Future Holders of Ordinary Shares . Except with the written consent of the Majority Preferred Holders, the Company shall, and each of the Founders and the Founder Holding Companies shall use reasonable best efforts to cause (i) all future holders of more than one percent (1%) the Companys Ordinary Shares and all future holders of Ordinary Share Equivalents convertible, exchangeable or exercisable for more than one percent (1%) of the Companys Ordinary Shares (other than the Investors), and (ii) each Subsidiary of the Company, in each case, to join this Agreement as a party. The Parties hereby agree that such future holders may become parties to this Agreement by executing an instrument of accession to this Agreement in a standard and customary form reasonably satisfactory to the Majority Preferred Holders, without any amendment to this Agreement, pursuant to this Section 12.4
12.5 Intellectual Property Protection . Except with the written consent of the Board (including the affirmative vote of at least one (1) Investor Director), the Group Companies shall, and shall cause each of the other Group Companies to, take all reasonable steps to protect their respective material Intellectual Property rights, including (a) registering their material respective trademarks, brand names, domain names and copyrights, and (b) requiring each employee and consultant of each Group Company to enter into a confidentiality and invention assignment agreement and a non-competition agreement requiring such persons to protect and keep confidential such Group Companys confidential information, intellectual property and trade secrets, prohibiting such persons from competing with such Group Company for a reasonable time after their tenure with any Group Company, and requiring such persons to assign all ownership rights in their work product to such Group Company, in each case in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Board (including the affirmative vote of at least one (1) Investor Director).
12.6 Internal Control System. Each Group Company shall, and each of the Founders and the Founder Holding Companies shall use reasonable best efforts to cause each Group Company to, maintain the books and records in accordance with sound business practices and implement and maintain an adequate system of procedures and controls with respect to finance, management, and accounting that meets international standards of good practice and is reasonably satisfactory to the Majority Preferred Holders to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions by it are executed in accordance with managements general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions by it are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with the respective PRC GAAP or US GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets of it is permitted only in accordance with managements general or specific authorization, (iv) the recorded accountability for assets of it is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any material differences, (v) segregating duties for cash deposits, cash reconciliation, cash payment, proper approval is established, and (vi) any personal assets or bank accounts of the employees, directors, officers are not mingled with the corporate assets or corporate bank account, and no Group Company uses any personal bank accounts of any employees, directors, officers thereof during the operation of the business.
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12.7 Non-compete. Unless with the prior written consent of the Majority Preferred Holders, each Founder (a) shall devote his full time and attention to the business of the Group Companies, shall not manage, work for or render service for Nanjing Yunshijie Information Technology Co., Ltd. ( 南京云视界信息技术有限公司 ), despite his position of CEO and executive director in such company, and shall use his commercially reasonable efforts to develop the business and interests of the Group Companies, (b) during the time when such Founder is a director, officer, employee, consultant or a direct or indirect holder of Equity Securities of a Group Company and for two (2) years after such Founder is no longer a director, officer, employee, consultant or a direct or indirect holder of Equity Securities of a Group Company, shall not, and shall cause his Affiliate or Associate not to, directly or indirectly, (i) own, manage, engage in, operate, control, work for, consult with, render services for, do business with, maintain any interest in (proprietary, financial or otherwise) or participate in the ownership, management, operation or control of, any business, whether in corporate, proprietorship or partnership form or otherwise, that competes with the business of any Group Company (a Restricted Business ); provided , however , that the restrictions contained in this clause (i) shall not restrict the acquisition by such Founder, directly or indirectly, of less than 0.5% of the outstanding share capital of any publicly traded company engaged in a Restricted Business; (ii) solicit any Person who is or has been at any time a customer of the Group for the purpose of offering to such customer goods or services similar to or competing with those offered by any Group Company, or canvass or solicit any Person who is or has been at any time a supplier or licensor or customer of any Group Company for the purpose of inducing any such Person to terminate its business relationship with such Group Company; or (iii) solicit or entice away or endeavor to solicit or entice away any director, officer, consultant or employee of any Group Company, and (c) except as otherwise contemplated under the Transaction Documents, shall not disclose to others or use, whether directly or indirectly (except on behalf of and for the benefit of the Group Companies), any material information about the business conducted by any Group Company, or in relation to any Group Company, their respective clients, customers, suppliers and franchisees, and any proprietary information of any Group Company, in whatever media. Each Founder expressly agrees that the limitations set forth in this Section 12. 7 are reasonably tailored and reasonably necessary in light of the circumstances. Furthermore, if any provision of this Section 12. 7 is more restrictive than permitted by the Laws of any jurisdiction in which a Party seeks enforcement thereof, then this Section 12. 7 will be enforced to the greatest extent permitted by Law. Each of the undertakings contained in this Section 12. 7 shall be enforceable by each Group Company and the Investor separately and independently of the right of the other Group Companies and the other Investors (if any).
12.8 No Avoidance; Voting Trust. Each Founder, Founder Holding Company and Group Company will not, by any voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms to be performed hereunder by such Party, and each such Party will at all times in good faith assist and take action as appropriate in the carrying out of all of the provisions of this Agreement. Except for (i) the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and (ii) the grant of voting proxy or power of attorney to Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) with respect to the voting and other powers of the Shares that such Ordinary Holder may be entitled to pursuant to the ESOP and in accordance with the terms of the ESOP, each Ordinary Holder agrees that it shall not enter into any other agreements or arrangements of any kind with respect to the voting of any Shares or deposit any Shares in a voting trust or other similar arrangement.
12.9 United States Tax Matters.
(i) None of the Group Companies will take any action inconsistent with its treatment of the Company as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes or elect to be treated as an entity other than a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
(ii) The Company shall use, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to use, its commercially reasonable efforts to arrange its management and business activities in such a way that the Company and each of its Subsidiaries are not treated as residents for tax purposes, or is otherwise subject to income tax in, a jurisdiction other than the jurisdiction in which they have been organized.
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(iii) The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to avoid future status of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as a PFIC. At the request of GGV Capital IV L.P. or IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P., within forty-five (45) days from the end of each taxable year of the Company, the Company shall determine, in consultation with a reputable accounting firm, whether the Company or any of its Subsidiaries was a PFIC in such taxable year (including whether any exception to PFIC status may apply). If the Company determines that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries was a PFIC in such taxable year (or if a Government Authority or an Investor informs the Company that it has so determined), it shall, within sixty (60) days from the end of such taxable year, provide the following information to each holder of Preferred Shares that is a United States Person ( Direct US Investor ) and each United States Person that holds either direct or indirect interest in such holder ( Indirect US Investor ) (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a PFIC Shareholder ): (i) all information reasonably available to the Company to permit such PFIC Shareholder to (a) accurately prepare its U.S. tax returns and comply with any other reporting requirements, if any, arising from its investment in the Company and relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries classification as a PFIC and (b) make any election (including a qualified electing fund election under Section 1295 of the Code), with respect to the Company (or any of its Subsidiaries); and (ii) a completed PFIC Annual Information Statement as described under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1295-1(g). The Company shall be required to provide the information described above to an Indirect US Investor only if the relevant holder of Preferred Share requests in writing that the Company provide such information to such Indirect US Investor and furnish the Company with written identifying information (such as name, address, and other identifying information) about the Indirect US Investor.
(iv) Other than with respect to Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) (who is a United States Person) and his Founder Holding Company, each of the Ordinary Holders represents that such Person is not a United States Person and such Person is not owned, wholly or in part, directly or indirectly, by any United States Person. Each of the Ordinary Holders shall provide prompt written notice to the Company of any subsequent change in its United States Person status. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to avoid future status of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as a CFC. Upon written request of a holder of Preferred Shares from time to time, the Company will promptly provide in writing such information concerning its shareholders and the direct and indirect interest holders in each shareholder sufficient for such holder of Preferred Shares to determine whether the Company is a CFC. In the event that the Company does not have in its possession all the information necessary for the holder of Preferred Shares to make such determination, the Company shall promptly procure such information from its shareholders. The Company shall, (i) upon written request of a holder of Preferred Shares, furnish on a timely basis all information requested by such holder to satisfy its (or any Indirect US Investors) U.S. federal income tax return filing requirements, if any, arising from its investment in the Company and relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries classification as a CFC. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to avoid generating for any taxable year in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a CFC, income that would be includible in the income of such holder of Preferred Shares (or any Indirect US Investor) pursuant to Section 951 of the Code.
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(v) The Company shall comply, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to comply, with all record-keeping, reporting, and other requests necessary for the Company and each of its Subsidiaries to comply with any applicable U.S. tax law or to allow each holder of Preferred Shares to avail itself of any provision of U.S. tax laws. The Company shall also provide each holder of Preferred Shares with any information requested by such holder of Preferred Shares to allow such holder of Preferred Shares to comply with U.S. tax laws or to avail itself of any provision of U.S. tax laws. Each Ordinary Holder and holders of Preferred Shares shall cooperate with the Company and provide reasonable information requested by the Company in order for the Company to comply with its obligations hereunder.
(vi) The cost incurred by the Company in providing the information that it is required to provide, or is required to cause to be provided, and the cost incurred by the Company in taking the action, or causing the action to be taken, as described in this Section 12.9 shall be borne by the Company.
12.10 Confidentiality.
(i) Disclosure of Terms . The existence and provisions of any Transaction Document, the negotiations relating to any Transaction Document and any non-public material information with respect to a Partys business and operations (collectively, the Confidential Information ), shall be considered confidential information and shall not be disclosed by any Party to any third party.
(ii) Press Releases . No announcement regarding any of the Confidential Information in a press release, conference, advertisement, announcement, professional or trade publication, mass marketing materials or otherwise to the general public may be made by any Party without the prior written consent of other Parties. Any press release issued by any Party shall not disclose any of the Confidential Information and the final form of such press release shall be approved in advance in writing by other Parties.
(iii) Permitted Disclosures . Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Section 12.10 , this Section 12.10(i) shall not apply to (a) Confidential Information which a Party learns from a third party which such third party reasonably believes to have the right to make the disclosure, provided that the restricted Party complies with any restrictions imposed by such third party; (b) Confidential Information which is rightfully in the restricted partys possession prior to the time of disclosure by the protected party and not acquired by the restricted party under a confidentiality obligation; (c) Confidential Information which enters the public domain without breach of confidentiality by the restricted party, (d) disclosures of Confidential Information by a Party to its current or bona fide prospective investor, Affiliates and their respective employees, bankers, lenders, accountants, legal counsels, business partners or representatives or advisors who need to know such information, in each case only where such persons or entities are informed of the confidential nature of the Confidential Information and are under appropriate nondisclosure obligations substantially similar to those set forth in Section 12.10 , (e) disclosures of Confidential Information to a bona fide prospective purchaser or transferee of the Shares held by the Investors where such purchaser or transferee is informed of the confidential nature of the Confidential Information and are under appropriate nondisclosure obligations substantially similar to those set forth in this Section 12.10 , (f) disclosures of Confidential Information if such disclosure is approved in writing by the Company, the Majority Ordinary Holders and the Majority Preferred Holders, and (g) disclosures of Confidential Information to the extent required pursuant to applicable Law (including the applicable rules of any stock exchange), in which case the party required to make such disclosure (the Disclosing Party ) shall provide the other Parties with prompt written notice of that fact, shall consult with the other Parties regarding such disclosure, and shall, to the extent reasonably practicable and legally permissible and with the cooperation and reasonable efforts of the other Parties, seek a protective order, confidential treatment or other appropriate remedy. In such event, the Disclosing Party shall furnish only that portion of the information which is legally required to be disclosed.
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(iv) The provisions of this Section 12. 10 shall terminate and supersede the provisions of any separate nondisclosure agreement executed by any of the Parties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, including any term sheet, letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or other similar agreement entered into by any of the Group Companies, the Ordinary Holders and the Investors in respect of the transactions contemplated hereby.
12.11 Restrictions on Transfers . Unless it is in compliance with the Transaction Documents, each of the Founders and Founder Holding Companies shall not (regardless of his employment status with the Group Companies), and shall cause the other equity holders of each Domestic Company (other than those designated by the Investors) not to, directly or indirectly sell, assign, transfer, pledge, hypothecate, or otherwise encumber or dispose of in any way or otherwise grant any interest or right with respect to ( Transfer ) all or any part of any interest in any Equity Securities of each Domestic Company now or hereafter owned or held directly or indirectly by the Founders or other equity holders (other than those designated by the Investors), without the prior written consent of the Majority Preferred Holders. Any Transfer of Equity Securities of any Domestic Company or other Group Company not made in compliance with the terms of the Transaction Documents shall be null and void, shall not be recorded on the books of such Domestic Company or other Group Company and shall not be recognized by any Party.
12.12 Ordinary Holders Further Covenants . So long as he is an officer, director, employee or shareholder of any of the Group Companies, each Ordinary Holder hereby agrees to take, or cause to be taken, all necessary and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary under applicable Laws to abide by the terms of this Agreement, the Transaction Documents and the Memorandum and Articles, and to cause each Group Company (including exercising his voting power) to conduct its business as if bound by the Memorandum and Articles. Each Ordinary Holder further agrees to execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, such other documents, certificates, agreements and other writings and to take, or cause to be taken, such other actions as deemed necessary in order to consummate or implement expeditiously the provisions of the Companys Memorandum and Articles.
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12.13 Market Stand-Off Agreement. Each holder of Shares agrees that it will not during the period commencing on the date of the final prospectus relating to the Companys IPO and ending on the date specified by the Company (such period not to exceed one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of such final prospectus, or such other period as may be requested by the Company to accommodate regulatory restrictions on (1) the publication or other distribution of research reports and (2) analyst recommendations and opinions, including, but not limited to, the restrictions contained in FINRA Rule 2711(f)(4) or NYSE Rule 472(f)(4), or any successor provisions or amendments thereto) (i) lend, offer, pledge, hypothecate, hedge, sell, make any short sale of, loan, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Equity Securities of the Company owned at the time of the IPO (other than those included in such offering), or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of such Equity Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Equity Securities of the Company or such other securities, in cash or otherwise; provided , that (x) the foregoing provisions of this Section 12.13 shall not be applicable to any Holder unless all directors, officers and all other holders of at least one percent (1%) of the outstanding share capital of the Company (calculated on an as-converted to Class A Ordinary Share basis) must be bound by restrictions at least as restrictive as those applicable to any such Holder pursuant to this Section 12.13 , (y) this Section 12. 1 3 shall not apply to a Holder to the extent that any other Person subject to substantially similar restrictions is released in whole or in part, and (z) the lockup agreements shall permit a Holder to transfer their Equity Securities to their respective Affiliates so long as the transferees enter into the same lockup agreement. The underwriters in connection with the Companys IPO are intended third party beneficiaries of this Section 12.13 and shall have the right, power and authority to enforce the provisions hereof as though they were a party hereto. In order to enforce the foregoing covenant, the Company may place restrictive legends on the certificates and impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Equity Securities of each shareholder (and the shares or securities of every other person subject to the foregoing restriction) until the end of such period.
12.14 Qualified IPO. Each of the Founder, the Founder Holding Companies and the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to consummate a Qualified IPO on or before the third anniversary of the date hereof.
12.15 Control Documents.
(i) The Founders and the Founder Holding Companies shall ensure that each party to the relevant Control Documents (other than the nominee shareholders appointed by the Investors) fully perform its/his/her respective obligations thereunder and carry out the terms and the intent of the Control Documents. Any termination, or material modification or waiver of, or material amendment to any Control Documents, in each case except for such termination, modification, waiver or amendment as expressly contemplated by the Transaction Documents, shall require the written consent of the Majority Preferred Holders.
(ii) If any of the Control Documents becomes illegal, void or unenforceable under PRC Laws, the Parties shall cooperate with each other and act in good faith to, to the extent permitted under applicable Laws (a) enter into alternative transaction documents with nominees of the Investors to provide each of the Investors all of its material rights and interests under the Transaction Documents, including all of the economic and other benefits conferred to such Investor under the Transaction Documents, or (b) devise a feasible alternative legal structure which gives effect to the intentions of the parties in each Control Document and the economic arrangement thereunder as closely as possible, in each case, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Investors (the transactions set forth in clauses (a) and (b), collectively, the Restructuring Transactions ).
12.16 Equity Transfer to the Investors Nominee. Each Investor shall have the right to require the shareholders of any consolidated variable interest entity of the Company that is incorporated, organized or established in the PRC (excluding such variable interest entities in which the Company or any variable interest entity of the Company has any direct or indirect equity interest), at any time and from time to time, to transfer or cause to transfer or issuance of the same percentage of equity interests in such entity as such Investor holds in the Company to a Person designated by such Investor at the minimum price acceptable by applicable PRC Laws. Further, in the event of such equity transfer, the Founders, such Investor and any other Investor who has designated Persons to hold on its behalf the equity interest in such entity shall, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to procure the Person(s) designated by it to, amend and restate the Control Documents, to the extent such amendment and restatement is necessary to enable the Company to Control and consolidate the financial statements of such entity in their entirety.
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12.17 Waiver from Investors. Each of the Investors (other the CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited and Wu Capital Limited) hereby (a) waives and releases each of the Group Companies from any Actions such Investor may have and for any Losses resulting therefrom relating to any breach by any Group Company of Sections 8.17 Licenses, Permits and Contracts, 8.18 Equity Transfer in Domestic Companies, and 8.19 Registration of Equity Pledge of the Series B Purchase Agreement and Sections 8.11 Filings of the Equity Transfer, and 8.12 SAFE Registration Amendment of the Series A Purchase Agreement, and (b) acknowledges that, as of the date hereof, it is not aware of any other breach by any Group Company of any contract or agreement entered into between such Group Company and such Investor prior to the date hereof.
13. | Miscellaneous. |
13.1 Termination . This Agreement shall terminate, with respect to any Party, upon the time it no longer holds any Shares; provided, that the provisions of Sections 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , and 12 (except for Sections 12.10 and 12.13 ) shall, with respect to all Parties, terminate on the consummation of a Qualified IPO. If this Agreement terminates with respect to any Party, such Party shall be released from its obligations under this Agreement, except in respect of (i) any obligation stated, explicitly or otherwise, to continue to exist after the termination of this Agreement (including those under Sections 2 through 6 , and Section 13 ), and (ii) any obligation or liability of such Party arising out of or relating to any breach or violation of this Agreement by such Party prior to its termination, which obligation or liability shall survive such termination.
13.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed under the Laws of the State of New York.
13.3 Further Assurances. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein, each of the Parties agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to take or cause to be taken all action, to do or cause to be done, to execute such further instruments, and to assist and cooperate with the other Parties in doing, all things necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Laws or otherwise to consummate and make effective, in the most expeditious manner practicable, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and, to the extent reasonably requested by another Party, to enforce rights and obligations pursuant hereto.
13.4 Dispute Resolution.
(i) Any dispute, controversy or claim (each, a Dispute ) arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or the interpretation, breach, termination, validity or invalidity thereof, shall be referred to arbitration upon the demand of any of the Parties with notice (the Arbitration Notice ) to the other Parties.
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(ii) The Dispute shall be settled by arbitration in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (the HKIAC ) in accordance with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre Administered Arbitration Rules (the HKIAC Rules ) in force when the Arbitration Notice is submitted in accordance with the HKIAC Rules. There shall be one (1) arbitrator. The HKIAC Council shall select the arbitrator, who shall be qualified to practice law in the State of New York. The seat of arbitration shall be Hong Kong.
(iii) The arbitral proceedings shall be conducted in English. To the extent that the HKIAC Rules are in conflict with the provisions of this Section, including the provisions concerning the appointment of the arbitrators, the provisions of this Section shall prevail.
(iv) Each party to the arbitration shall cooperate with each other party to the arbitration in making full disclosure of and providing complete access to all information and documents requested by such other party to arbitration in connection with such arbitral proceedings, subject only to any confidentiality obligations binding on such party.
(v) The award of the arbitral tribunal shall be final and binding upon the parties thereto, and the prevailing party may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for enforcement of such award.
(vi) The arbitral tribunal shall decide any Dispute submitted by the parties to the arbitration strictly in accordance with the substantive Laws of New York.
(vii) Any party to the Dispute shall be entitled to seek preliminary injunctive relief, if possible, from any court of competent jurisdiction pending the constitution of the arbitral tribunal.
(viii) During the course of the arbitral tribunals adjudication of the Dispute, this Agreement shall continue to be performed except with respect to the part in dispute and under adjudication.
13.5 Notices. Any notice required or permitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be given in writing and shall be given either personally or by sending it by next-day or second-day courier service, fax, electronic mail or similar means to the address of the relevant Party as shown on Schedule III (or at such other address as such Party may designate by fifteen (15) days advance written notice to the other Parties given in accordance with this Section 13.5 ). Where a notice is sent by next-day or second-day courier service, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre-paying and sending by next-day or second-day service through an internationally-recognized courier a letter containing the notice, with a written confirmation of delivery, and to have been effected at the earlier of (i) delivery (or when delivery is refused) and (ii) expiration of two (2) Business Days after the letter containing the same is sent as aforesaid. Where a notice is sent by fax or electronic mail, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, and sending such notice through a transmitting device, with a written confirmation of delivery, and to have been effected on the day the same is sent as aforesaid, if such day is a Business Day and if sent during normal business hours of the recipient, otherwise the next Business Day. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent a with a copy to address is designated, notice must also be given to such address in the manner above for such notice, request, consent or other communication hereunder to be effective.
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13.6 Rights Cumulative; Specific Performance. Each and all of the various rights, powers and remedies of a Party hereto will be considered to be cumulative with and in addition to any other rights, powers and remedies which such Party may have at Law or in equity in the event of the breach of any of the terms of this Agreement. The exercise or partial exercise of any right, power or remedy will neither constitute the exclusive election thereof nor the waiver of any other right, power or remedy available to such Party. Without limiting the foregoing, the Parties acknowledge and agree irreparable harm may occur for which money damages would not be an adequate remedy in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the Parties shall be entitled to seek injunction to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
13.7 Severability. In case any provision of the Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. If, however, any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable under any such applicable Law in any jurisdiction, it shall, as to such jurisdiction, be deemed modified to conform to the minimum requirements of such Law, or, if for any reason it is not deemed so modified, it shall be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable only to the extent of such invalidity, illegality, or limitation on enforceability without affecting the remaining provisions of this Agreement, or the validity, legality, or enforceability of such provision in any other jurisdiction.
13.8 Successor Indemnification . If any Group Company or any of its successors or assignees consolidates with or merges into any other Person and is not the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger, then to the extent necessary, proper provision shall be made so that the successors and assignees of such Group Company assume the obligations of such Group Company with respect to indemnification of the Investor Directors as in effect immediately before such transaction, whether such obligations are contained in the Charter Documents, or elsewhere, as the case may be.
13.9 Amendments and Waivers. Any provision in this Agreement may be amended and the observance thereof may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance and either retroactively or prospectively), only by the written consent of (i) as to the Group Companies, only by the Company; (ii) as to the holders of Series A Preferred Shares, by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding Series A Preferred Shares, at any time and from time to time; (iii) as to the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares, by the Majority Series B Holders; (iv) as to the holders of the Series C Preferred Shares, by the Majority Series C Holder; (v) as to each Founder, by such Founder; and (vi) as to the Ordinary Holders, only by the Majority Ordinary Holders; provided, however, that no amendment or waiver shall be effective or enforceable in respect of an Ordinary Holder, a holder of Preferred Shares or a Founder, as the case may be, if such amendment or waiver affects such Ordinary Holder, holder of Preferred Shares or Founder, respectively, materially and adversely differently from the other Ordinary Holders, holders of the Preferred Shares or Founders, respectively, unless such Ordinary Holder, holder of Preferred Shares or Founder, as the case may be, consents in writing to such amendment or waiver. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Party hereunder may waive any of its/his rights hereunder without obtaining the consent of any Parties. Any amendment or waiver effected in accordance with this Section 13.9 shall be binding upon all the Parties.
41
13.10 Successors and Assigns; Third Party Beneficiaries . Except as otherwise provided herein, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the respective successors and assigns of the Parties whose rights or obligations hereunder are affected by such terms and conditions. Each of the Investors and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. may assign its rights hereunder to any of its Affiliate or any other third party (the Third Party Assignee ) in connection with the transfer of Equity Securities of the Company held by such Investor or Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd., as appropriate, but only to the extent of such transfer, without prior written consent of the other Parties; provided, that the Third Party Assignee shall not be an entity in the list set forth in Schedule IV hereto (the entities set forth in Schedule IV, as may be amended from time to time in accordance with this Section 13.10 , the Company Competitors ); provided, that the list of entities set forth in Schedule IV may be updated by the Board, once every twelve (12) months, in good faith, to replace one or more existing entities on such list with new entities that the Board determines, in good faith, are entities that are direct competitor(s) of the Company and whose business and operations compete directly with the Companys core business; provided further, that the list of entities set forth in Schedule IV may not contain more than twenty (20) such Company Competitors (which numerical cap shall not apply to Subsidiaries of such Company Competitors), at any time and from time to time. For the avoidance of doubt, any update by the Board to the list of Company Competitors shall become effective and binding on all Investors and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. immediately upon the passing of the relevant resolution of the Board regarding such update. The Company shall notify each Investor of such update within two (2) Business Days of such update. Within one (1) month of such update from the Board, any Investor that disagrees with the Boards determination with respect to any of the newly added Company Competitors shall have the right to require the Company to engage one of the Big 4 independent certified public accountants that is not the then auditor of the Company and agreed by such Investor (the Independent Auditor ) to make a determination as promptly as reasonably practicable as to whether the entity or entities in dispute are direct competitor(s) of the Company and whose business and operations compete directly with the Companys core business. The determination of the Independent Auditor shall be binding on all of the Parties and the list of entities in Schedule IV shall reflect such determination. Each of the Founders and the Founder Holding Companies may assign its rights hereunder to any of its Affiliate or any other third party in connection with the transfer of Equity Securities of the Company held by such Founder or Founder Holding Company, as appropriate, but only to the extent of such transfer, without the prior written consent of the other Parties; provided, that such transfer is in compliance with this Agreement and the Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement. As a condition of such assignment in the preceding sentences, each successor or assignee shall agree in writing to be subject to each of the terms of this Agreement by executing an instrument of accession to this Agreement in a standard and customary form, without any amendment to this Agreement, and shall be deemed to be a party hereto as if the signature of such successor or assignee appeared on the signature pages of this Agreement. This Agreement and the rights and obligations herein may not be assigned by any of the Group Companies without the prior written consent of the Majority Preferred Holders. Except as otherwise provided herein, no Person other than the Parties and their successors and permitted assigns is intended to be a beneficiary of this Agreement.
13.11 No Waiver. Failure to insist upon strict compliance with any of the terms, covenants, or conditions hereof will not be deemed a waiver of such term, covenant, or condition, nor will any waiver or relinquishment of, or failure to insist upon strict compliance with, any right, power or remedy hereunder at any one or more times be deemed a waiver or relinquishment of such right, power or remedy at any other time or times.
42
13.12 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power or remedy accruing to any Party under this Agreement, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power or remedy of such non-breaching or non-defaulting Party nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of or in any similar breach or default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any single breach or default be deemed a waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind or character on the part of any Party of any breach or default under this Agreement, or any waiver on the part of any Party of any provisions or conditions of this Agreement, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing.
13.13 No Presumption. The Parties acknowledge that any applicable Law that would require interpretation of any claimed ambiguities in this Agreement against the Party that drafted it has no application and is expressly waived. If any claim is made by a Party relating to any conflict, omission or ambiguity in the provisions of this Agreement, no presumption or burden of proof or persuasion will be implied because this Agreement was prepared by or at the request of any Party or its counsel.
13.14 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Facsimile and e-mailed copies of signatures shall be deemed to be originals for purposes of the effectiveness of this Agreement.
13.15 Entire Agreement. This Agreement together with the other Transaction Documents (and all exhibits and schedules hereto and thereto) and the other instruments and agreements referenced herein constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all other prior agreements (including the Prior Shareholders Agreement) and understandings, both written and oral, among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.
13.16 Control. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between any of the terms of this Agreement and any of the terms of any of the Charter Documents for any of the Group Companies, or in the event of any dispute related to any such Charter Document, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail in all respects as regards the parties other than the Company. The Parties (other than the Company) shall give full effect to and act in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement over the provisions of the Charter Documents, and the Parties (other than the Company) shall exercise all voting and other rights and powers (including to procure any required alteration to such Charter Documents to resolve such conflict or inconsistency) to make the provisions of this Agreement effective, and not to take any actions that impair any provisions in this Agreement.
13.17 Aggregation of Shares . All Shares held or acquired by any Affiliates of any Party shall be aggregated together for the purpose of determining the availability of any rights of any Party under this Agreement.
13.18 Adjustments for Share Splits, Etc . Wherever in this Agreement there is a reference to a specific number of Shares of the Company, then, upon the occurrence of any subdivision, combination or share dividend of the relevant class or series of the Shares, the specific number of shares so referenced in this Agreement shall automatically be proportionally adjusted to reflect the effect on the outstanding shares of such class or series of Shares by such subdivision, combination or share dividend.
43
13.19 Grant of Proxy. Upon the failure of any Ordinary Holder to vote the Equity Securities of the Company held thereby, to implement the provisions of and to achieve the purposes of this Agreement, such Ordinary Holder, hereby grants to a Person designated by the Board (which shall include the affirmative vote of all of the Investor Directors) a proxy coupled with an interest in all Equity Securities of the Company held by it/him, which proxy shall be irrevocable until this Agreement terminates pursuant to its terms or this Section 13.19 is amended to remove such grant of proxy in accordance with Section 13.9 hereof, to vote all such Equity Securities to implement the provisions of and to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.
13.20 Use of English Language . This Agreement has been executed and delivered in the English language. Any translation of this Agreement into another language shall have no interpretive effect. All documents or notices to be delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement shall be in the English language or, if any such document or notice is not in the English language, accompanied by an English translation thereof, and the English language version of any such document or notice shall control for purposes thereof.
13.21 Independent Nature of Investors Obligations and Rights . The obligations of each Investor under this Agreement are several and not joint or joint and several, and no Investor is responsible in any way for the performance or conduct of any other Investor in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. Nothing contained herein and no action taken by any Investor pursuant hereto shall be or shall be deemed to constitute a partnership, association, joint venture, or joint group with respect to the Investors. Each Investor agrees that no other Investor has acted as an agent for such Investor in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby.
13.22 ESOP . Each of the Parties acknowledges and agrees that the number of Class A Ordinary Shares reserved under the Companys ESOP has been increased to 5,456,192 (the ESOP Increase ) as of the date hereof, which, together with any other Equity Securities of the Company reserved under the Companys ESOP, represents 11.45% of the Companys total share capital on a fully diluted basis, and each holder of the Shares agrees to and has duly approved the ESOP Increase in accordance with this Agreement and the Memorandum and Articles. The Company agrees and acknowledges that no additional reserves in connection with the Companys ESOP or other similar employment or equity incentive plans of the Company or any Group Company and that would have a dilutive effect on any Investor will be made prior to a Qualified IPO.
13.23 Approvals and Waivers under the Prior Shareholders Agreement . The Parties (except for CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited, Wu Capital Limited and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd.) hereby grant their consents and approvals, and waive their rights, as may be required by or set forth in the Prior Shareholders Agreement, including Sections 7 and 10 thereof, in connection with (i) the execution of, and the completion of the transactions contemplated by, the Purchase Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, and (ii) the ESOP Increase. The Parties hereby grant their consents and approvals, and waive their rights, as may be required by or set forth in this Agreement in connection with the Option Repurchases.
44
13.24 Termination of Prior Shareholders Agreement . In consideration of the mutual covenants and promises contained herein, each of the Parties that are parties to the Prior Shareholders Agreement confirms and acknowledges that the Prior Shareholders Agreement shall hereby be terminated in its entirety with no further force and effect, and each of the Parties (other than CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited, Wu Capital Limited and the Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd.) hereby waives any claims and releases each of the Group Companies from any and all obligations and liabilities arising out of or relating to any breach by such Group Companies of the Prior Shareholders Agreement.
[ The remainder of this page has been intentionally left blank. ]
45
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
GROUP COMPANIES : | LingoChamp Inc. | |||
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
|||
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||||
Title: Director | ||||
LingoChamp (HK) Limited ( 流利说 ( 香港 ) 有限公司 ) |
||||
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
|||
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||||
Title: Director |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
GROUP COMPANIES : |
Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语冠信息技术(上海)有限公司 ) |
|||
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
|||
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||||
Title: Legal Representative | ||||
Yuling Culture Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语灵文化传播(上海)有限公司 ) |
||||
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
|||
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||||
Title: Legal Representative | ||||
Shanghai Liulishuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. ( 上海流利说信息技术有限公司 ) |
||||
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
|||
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||||
Title: Legal Representative | ||||
Shanghai Mengfan Culture Broadcasting Co., Ltd. ( 上海萌番文化传播有限公司 ) |
||||
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
|||
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||||
Title: Legal Representative |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
FOUNDERS :
/s/ Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
/s/ Zheren Hu ( 胡哲人 ) |
Zheren Hu ( 胡哲人 ) |
/s/ Hui Lin ( 林晖 ) |
Hui Lin ( 林晖 ) |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
FOUNDER HOLDING COMPANIES : | Joyx Holdings Ltd | |||
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
|||
Name: Yi Wang | ||||
Title: Director | ||||
Ulingo Holdings Ltd | ||||
By: |
/s/ Hui Lin |
|||
Name: Hui Lin | ||||
Title: Director | ||||
Muang Holdings Ltd. | ||||
By: |
/s/ Zheren Hu |
|||
Name: Zheren Hu | ||||
Title: Director |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P. | |||
By: IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, LLC, Its General Partner |
||||
By: |
/s/ Chi Sing Ho |
|||
Name: Chi Sing Ho | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory | ||||
IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. | ||||
By: IDG Technology Venture Investment V, LLC, Its General Partner |
||||
By: |
/s/ Chi Sing Ho |
|||
Name: Chi Sing Ho | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | IDG-ACCEL CHINA GROWTH FUND III L.P. | |||
By: IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III Associates L.P., its General Partner |
||||
By: IDG-Accel China Growth Fund GP III Associates Ltd., its General Partner |
||||
By: |
/s/ Chi Sing Ho |
|||
Name: Chi Sing Ho | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory | ||||
IDG-ACCEL CHINA III INVESTORS L.P. | ||||
By: IDG-Accel China Growth Fund GP III Associates Ltd., its General Partner |
||||
By: |
/s/ Chi Sing Ho |
|||
Name: Chi Sing Ho | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | GGV Capital IV L.P. | |||
By: GGV Capital IV L.L.C., its General Partner | ||||
By: |
/s/ Stephen Hyndman |
|||
Name: Stephen Hyndman | ||||
Title: Attorney in Fact | ||||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. | ||||
By: GGV Capital IV L.L.C., its General Partner | ||||
By: |
/s/ Stephen Hyndman |
|||
Name: Stephen Hyndman | ||||
Title: Attorney in Fact |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | HES Ventures I, Inc. | |||||||
By: |
/s/ Kenneth A. Bronfin |
|||||||
Name: Kenneth A. Bronfin | ||||||||
Title: Senior Managing Director Hearst Communications, Inc. |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. | |||
By: |
/s/ Matt Cheng |
|||
Name: Matt Cheng | ||||
Title: Managing Partner | ||||
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. | ||||
By: |
/s/ Matt Cheng |
|||
Name: Matt Cheng |
||||
Title: Director |
||||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. | ||||
By: |
/s/ Matt Cheng |
|||
Name: Matt Cheng |
||||
Title: Director |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | RTA Capital, LLC | |||
By: RTA Capital Management, LLC, its managing member | ||||
By: |
/s/ Steven G Suda |
|||
Name: Steven G Suda | ||||
Title: Managing Partner |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. | |||
By: | /s/ Authorized Signatory | |||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | CMC Capital: | |||
CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited | ||||
By: |
/s/ CHEN Xian |
|||
Name: CHEN Xian | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | Wu Capital: | |||
Wu Capital Limited | ||||
By: |
/s/ WU Yajun |
|||
Name: WU Yajun | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
Signature Page to Shareholders Agreement
SCHEDULE I
LIST OF FOUNDERS AND FOUNDER HOLDING COMPANIES
Founders |
Founder Holding Companies |
Current Number of Class B Ordinary Shares |
||
Yi Wang | Joyx Holdings Ltd | 11,753,847 | ||
Zheren Hu | Muang Holdings Ltd. | 5,010,931 | ||
Hui Lin | Ulingo Holdings Ltd | 2,910,896 | ||
Total | / | 19,675,674 |
Schedule I of Shareholders Agreement
SCHEDULE II PART A
SCHEDULE OF SERIES C INVESTORS
Series C Investors |
Class of Shares |
Number of Shares |
||
CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited |
Series C Preferred Shares | 2,647,690 | ||
Wu Capital Limited |
Series C Preferred Shares | 1,323,845 | ||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 316,987 | ||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 22,472 | ||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 518,543 | ||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 10,995 | ||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 92,683 | ||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 22,706 | ||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 339,459 | ||
Total |
/ | 5,295,380 |
Schedule II of Shareholders Agreement
SCHEDULE II PART B
SCHEDULE OF SERIES B INVESTORS
Series B Investors |
Class of Shares |
Number of Shares |
||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 1,473,199 | ||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 104,440 | ||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 534,684 | ||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 11,337 | ||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 79,545 | ||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series B Preferred Shares | 44,111 | ||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 324,690 | ||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 5,323,705 | ||
Total |
/ | 7,895,711 |
Schedule II of Shareholders Agreement
SCHEDULE II PART C
SCHEDULE OF SERIES A INVESTORS
Series A Investors |
Class of Shares |
Number of Shares |
||
IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 276,555 | ||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 2,065,978 | ||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 146,464 | ||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 2,437,317 | ||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 51,680 | ||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 276,555 | ||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series A Preferred Shares | 27,655 | ||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 248,900 | ||
Total |
/ | 5,531,104 |
Schedule II of Shareholders Agreement
SCHEDULE II PART D
SCHEDULE OF SERIES SEED INVESTORS
Series Seed Investors |
Class of Shares |
Number of Shares |
||
IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 1,257,069 | ||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 1,354,065 | ||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 28,711 | ||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 628,535 | ||
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 79,430 | ||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 171,984 | ||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 125,707 | ||
Total |
/ | 3,645,501 |
Schedule II of Shareholders Agreement
SCHEDULE III
ADDRESS FOR NOTICES
If to the Group Companies and the Founder Holding Companies :
Address: Room 2101, Building 9, Hai Shang Hai,
NO.970, Dalian Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, 200092, P.R. China
( 上海市杨浦区大连路 970 号海上海 9 号楼 1308 室 , 200092)
Attn: Yi Wang
Tel:
With a Copy to:
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
42/F, Edinburgh Tower, The Landmark, 15 Queens Road Central, Hong Kong
Fax:
Attn: Julie Z. Gao
If to TBP:
c/o Trustbridge Partners V, L.P.
Unit 1206, One Lujiazui, No.68 Yincheng Zhong Road, Pudong New District, Shanghai ( 上海市浦东新区银城中路 68 号时代金融中心 1206 室 )
Attn: JinJian Zhang
Fax:
If to IDG:
c/o IDG Capital Management (HK) Ltd.
Unit 5505, 55/F., The Center
99 Queens Road
Central, Hong Kong
Attn: Chi Sing Ho
Fax:
With a Copy to:
Floor 6, Tower A, COFCO Plaza,
8 Jianguomennei Dajie
Beijing, 100005, P.R. China
Attn: Ms. Yilan Xie
Fax:
If to GGV
Attn: Stephen Hyndman
Address: 3000 Sand Hill Road, Building 4, Suite 230
Menlo Park, CA 94025, U.S.A.
Fax No. :
Tel:
Schedule III of Shareholders Agreement
with a copy to
Attn: Jenny Lee
Address: Unit 3501, IFC II,
8 Century Avenue
Shanghai 200120, P. R. C
Fax No. :
Tel:
If to RTA Capital, LLC
c/o RTA Capital, LLC
Address: 574 Jersey St. San Francisco, CA 94114
If to Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P.
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd.
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd.
c/o Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P.
7F no.6 Alley 3 Lane 225,
Min-Tsu West Road,
Taipei, Taiwan, zip code: 103
Tel:
If to HES Ventures I, Inc.
c/o Hearst Communications, Inc.
300 W. 57th Street
NY, NY 10019
Attn: Kenneth Bronfin
With a copy to:
The Hearst Corporation
Office of General Counsel
300 W. 57th Street
NY, NY 10019
Attn: Eve Burton
If to CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited
Address: Suite 1008, Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central, Hong Kong
Tel:
Fax:
Attn: Peter Wong, Finance Director
With a copy to:
Address: Unit 2208, North Tower, Beijing Kerry Center, No.1 Guang Hua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020
Schedule III of Shareholders Agreement
Tel:
Fax:
Attn: Alex Chen, Managing Director
If to Wu Capital Limited
Address: Room 1902, Guanjie Building, Tower 1, No. 16 Tai Yang Gong Zhong Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China
Attn: Yan ZHANG
Tel:
Fax:
Schedule III of Shareholders Agreement
SCHEDULE IV
LIST OF THE COMPANY COMPETITORS
Schedule IV of Shareholders Agreement
Exhibit 5.1
Our ref VSL/742996-000001/13312076v4
LAIX Inc.
3/F, Building B, No. 1687 Changyang Road
Yangpu District
Shanghai, 200090
Peoples Republic of China
31 August 2018
Dear Sirs
LAIX Inc.
We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to LAIX Inc. (the Company ) in connection with the Companys registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the Registration Statement ), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended to date relating to the offering by the Company of certain American depositary shares (the ADSs ) representing the Companys Class A ordinary shares of par value US$0.001 each (the Shares ).
We are furnishing this opinion as Exhibits 5.1, 8.1 and 23.2 to the Registration Statement.
1 |
Documents Reviewed |
For the purposes of this opinion, we have reviewed only originals, copies or final drafts of the following documents:
1.1 |
The certificate of incorporation of the Company dated 19 August 2013 and the certificate of incorporation on change of name dated 22 August 2018 issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. |
1.2 |
The fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as adopted by special resolution passed on 13 June 2017 (the Pre -IPO Memorandum and Articles ). |
1.3 |
The fifth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as conditionally adopted by a special resolution passed on 30 August 2018 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the Companys initial public offering of the ADSs representing the Shares (the IPO Memorandum and Articles ). |
1.4 |
The written resolutions of the directors of the Company dated 30 August 2018 (the Directors Resolutions ). |
1.5 |
The written resolutions of the shareholders of the Company dated 30 August 2018 (the Shareholders Resolutions ). |
1.6 |
A certificate from a director of the Company, a copy of which is attached hereto (the Directors Certificate ). |
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1.7 |
A certificate of good standing dated 20 August 2018, issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands (the Certificate of Good Standing ). |
1.8 |
The Registration Statement. |
2 |
Assumptions |
The following opinions are given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion letter. These opinions only relate to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion letter. In giving these opinions we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy, as of the date of this opinion letter, of the Directors Certificate and the Certificate of Good Standing. We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:
2.1 |
Copies of documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals. |
2.2 |
All signatures, initials and seals are genuine. |
2.3 |
There is nothing contained in the minute book or corporate records of the Company (which we have not inspected) which would or might affect the opinions set out below. |
2.4 |
There is nothing under any law (other than the law of the Cayman Islands), which would or might affect the opinions set out below. |
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Opinion |
Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set out below and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:
3.1 |
The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands. |
3.2 |
The authorised share capital of the Company, with effect immediately prior to the completion of the Companys initial public offering of the ADSs representing the Shares, will be US$250,000 divided into 250,000,000 shares comprising, par value US$0.001 each, comprising of (i) 200,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, (ii) 25,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, and (iii) 25,000,000 shares of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with the IPO Memorandum and Articles. |
3.3 |
The issue and allotment of the Shares have been duly authorised and when allotted, issued and paid for as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Shares will be legally issued and allotted, fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman law, a share is only issued when it has been entered in the register of members (shareholders). |
3.4 |
The statements under the caption Taxation in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, to the extent that they constitute statements of Cayman Islands law, are accurate in all material respects and that such statements constitute our opinion. |
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4 |
Qualifications |
In this opinion the phrase non-assessable means, with respect to the Shares in the Company, that a shareholder shall not, solely by virtue of its status as a shareholder, be liable for additional assessments or calls on the Shares by the Company or its creditors (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Except as specifically stated herein, we make no comment with respect to any representations and warranties which may be made by or with respect to the Company in any of the documents or instruments cited in this opinion or otherwise with respect to the commercial terms of the transactions, which are the subject of this opinion.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings Enforceability of Civil Liabilities, Taxation and Legal Matters and elsewhere in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Yours faithfully
/s/ Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP
Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP
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Exhibit 10.1
L INGO C HAMP I NC .
2014 E QUITY I NCENTIVE P LAN
A DOPTED BY THE B OARD OF D IRECTORS : M AY 26, 2014
A PPROVED BY THE S HAREHOLDERS : M AY 26, 2014
T ERMINATION D ATE : M AY 25, 2024
1. | G ENERAL . |
(a) Eligible Share Award Recipients. Employees, Directors and Consultants are eligible to receive Share Awards.
(b) Available Share Awards. The Plan provides for the grant of the following types of Share Awards: (i) Options, (ii) Share Appreciation Rights, (iii) Restricted Share Awards, (iv) Restricted Share Unit Awards, and (v) Other Share Awards.
(c) Purpose. The Plan, through the granting of Share Awards, is intended to help the Company to secure and retain the services of eligible award recipients, provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for the success of the Company and any Affiliate and provide means by which the eligible recipients may benefit from increases in value of the Ordinary Shares.
2. | A DMINISTRATION . |
(a) Administration by Board. The Board will administer the Plan. The Board may delegate administration of the Plan to a Committee or Committees, as provided in Section 2(c).
(b) Powers of Board. The Board will have the power, subject to, and within the limitations of, the express provisions of the Plan:
(i) To determine from time to time (A) who will be granted Share Awards; (B) when and how each Share Award will be granted; (C) what type of Share Award will be granted; (D) the provisions of each Share Award (which need not be identical), including when a person will be permitted to exercise or otherwise receive cash or Ordinary Shares under the Share Award; (E) the number of Ordinary Shares subject to a Share Award; and (F) the Fair Market Value applicable to a Share Award.
(ii) To construe and interpret the Plan and Share Awards granted under it, and to establish, amend and revoke rules and regulations for administration of the Plan and Share Awards. The Board, in the exercise of these powers, may correct any defect, omission or inconsistency in the Plan or in any Share Award Agreement, in a manner and to the extent it will deem necessary or expedient to make the Plan or Share Award fully effective.
(iii) To settle all controversies regarding the Plan and Share Awards granted under it.
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(iv) To accelerate, in whole or in part, the time at which a Share Award may be exercised or vest (or at which cash or Ordinary Shares may be issued).
(v) To suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. Except as otherwise provided in the Plan or a Share Award Agreement, suspension or termination of the Plan will not impair a Participants rights under his or her then-outstanding Share Award without his or her written consent except as provided in subsection (viii) below.
(vi) To amend the Plan in any respect the Board deems necessary or advisable, subject to the limitations, if any, of applicable law. However, if required by applicable law, and except as provided in Section 9(a) relating to Capitalization Adjustments, the Company will seek shareholder approval of any amendment of the Plan that (A) materially increases the number of Ordinary Shares available for issuance under the Plan, (B) materially expands the class of individuals eligible to receive Share Awards under the Plan, (C) materially increases the benefits accruing to Participants under the Plan, (D) materially reduces the price at which Ordinary Shares may be issued or purchased under the Plan, (E) materially extends the term of the Plan, or (F) materially expands the types of Share Awards available for issuance under the Plan. Except as provided in the Plan (including subsection (viii) below) or a Share Award Agreement, no amendment of the Plan will impair a Participants rights under an outstanding Share Award unless (1) the Company requests the consent of the affected Participant, and (2) such Participant consents in writing.
(vii) To submit any amendment to the Plan for shareholder approval, including, but not limited to, amendments to the Plan intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 422 of the Code regarding Incentive Share Options.
(viii) To approve forms of Share Award Agreements for use under the Plan and to amend the terms of any one or more Share Awards, including, but not limited to, amendments to provide terms more favorable to the Participant than previously provided in the Share Award Agreement, subject to any specified limits in the Plan that are not subject to Board discretion; provided however, that a Participants rights under any Share Award will not be impaired by any such amendment unless (A) the Company requests the consent of the affected Participant, and (B) such Participant consents in writing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) a Participants rights will not be deemed to have been impaired by any such amendment if the Board, in its sole discretion, determines that the amendment, taken as a whole, does not materially impair the Participants rights, and (2) subject to the limitations of applicable law, if any, the Board may amend the terms of any one or more Share Awards without the affected Participants consent (A) to maintain the tax qualified status of the Share Award (B) to clarify the manner of exemption from, or to bring the Share Award into compliance with, Section 409A or Section 457A of the Code; or (C) to comply with other applicable laws.
(ix) Generally, to exercise such powers and to perform such acts as the Board deems necessary or expedient to promote the best interests of the Company and that are not in conflict with the provisions of the Plan or Share Awards.
2.
(x) To adopt such procedures and sub-plans as are necessary or appropriate to permit participation in the Plan by Employees, Directors or Consultants who are foreign nationals or employed outside China (provided that Board approval will not be necessary for immaterial modifications to the Plan or any Share Award Agreement that are required for compliance with the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Board is specifically authorized to adopt rules, procedures and subplans, regarding, without limitation, conversion of local currency, obligations to pay payroll tax, determination of beneficiary designation requirements, withholding procedures and handling of share issuances, which may vary according to local requirements.
(xi) To effect, with the consent of any adversely affected Participant, (A) the reduction of the exercise, purchase or strike price of any outstanding Share Award; (B) the cancellation of any outstanding Share Award and the grant in substitution therefor of a new (1) Option, (2) Share Appreciation Right, (3) Restricted Share Award, (4) Restricted Share Unit Award, (5) Other Share Award, (6) cash and/or (7) other valuable consideration determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, with any such substituted award (x) covering the same or a different number of Ordinary Shares as the cancelled Share Award and (y) granted under the Plan or another equity or compensatory plan of the Company; or (C) any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles.
(c) Delegation to Committee. The Board may delegate some or all of the administration of the Plan to a Committee or Committees. If administration of the Plan is delegated to a Committee, the Committee will have, in connection with the administration of the Plan, the powers theretofore possessed by the Board that have been delegated to the Committee, including the power to delegate to a subcommittee of the Committee any of the administrative powers the Committee is authorized to exercise (and references in this Plan to the Board will thereafter be to the Committee or subcommittee). Any delegation of administrative powers will be reflected in resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, adopted from time to time by the Board or Committee (as applicable). The Committee may, at any time, abolish the subcommittee and/or revest in the Committee any powers delegated to the subcommittee. The Board may retain the authority to concurrently administer the Plan with the Committee and may, at any time, revest in the Board some or all of the powers previously delegated.
(d) Delegation to an Officer. The Board may delegate to one (1) or more Officers the authority to do one or both of the following: (i) designate Employees who are not Officers to be recipients of Options and SARs (and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, other Share Awards) and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the terms of such Share Awards, and (ii) determine the number of Ordinary Shares to be subject to such Share Awards granted to such Employees; provided, however, that the Board resolutions regarding such delegation will specify the total number of Ordinary Shares that may be subject to the Share Awards granted by such Officer and that such Officer may not grant a Share Award to himself or herself. Any such Share Awards will be granted on substantially the form of Share Award Agreement most recently approved for use by the Committee or the Board, unless otherwise provided in the resolutions approving the delegation authority. The Board may not delegate authority to an Officer who is acting solely in the capacity of an Officer (and not also as a Director) to determine the Fair Market Value pursuant to Section 13(s) below.
(e) Effect of Board s Decision. All determinations, interpretations and constructions made by the Board in good faith will not be subject to review by any person and will be final, binding and conclusive on all persons.
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3. | S HARES S UBJECT TO THE P LAN . |
(a) Share Reserve .
(i) Subject to Section 9(a) relating to Capitalization Adjustments, the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares that may be issued pursuant to Share Awards from and after the Effective Date will not exceed 2,627,250 Ordinary Shares (the Share Reserve ). For clarity, the Share Reserve in this Section 3(a) is a limitation on the number of Ordinary Shares that may be issued pursuant to the Plan. Accordingly, this Section 3(a) does not limit the granting of Share Awards except as provided in Section 6(a).
(b) Reversion of Shares to the Share Reserve . If a Share Award or any portion thereof (i) expires or otherwise terminates without all of the shares covered by such Share Award having been issued or (ii) is settled in cash ( i.e. , the Participant receives cash rather than share), such expiration, termination or settlement will not reduce (or otherwise offset) the number of Ordinary Shares that may be available for issuance under the Plan. If any Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to a Share Award are forfeited back to or repurchased by the Company because of the failure to meet a contingency or condition required to vest such shares in the Participant, then the shares that are forfeited or repurchased will revert to and again become available for issuance under the Plan. Any shares reacquired by the Company in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations on a Share Award or as consideration for the exercise or purchase price of a Share Award will again become available for issuance under the Plan.
(c) Source of Shares. The shares issuable under the Plan will be authorized but unissued or reacquired Ordinary Shares, including shares repurchased by the Company on the open market or otherwise.
4. | E LIGIBILITY . |
(a) Eligibility for Specific Share Awards . Share Awards may be granted to Employees, Directors and Consultants.
(b) Consultants. A Consultant will not be eligible for the grant of a Share Award if, at the time of grant, either the offer or sale of the Companys securities to such Consultant is not exempt under Rule 701 because of the nature of the services that the Consultant is providing to the Company, because the Consultant is not a natural person, or because of any other provision of Rule 701, unless the Company determines that such grant need not comply with the requirements of Rule 701 and will satisfy another exemption under the Securities Act, as applicable, as well as comply with the securities laws of all other relevant jurisdictions.
5. | P ROVISIONS R ELATING TO O PTIONS AND S HARE A PPRECIATION R IGHTS . |
Each Option or SAR will be in such form and will contain such terms and conditions as the Board deems appropriate. The provisions of separate Options or SARs need not be identical; provided, however , that each Share Award Agreement for Options or SARs will conform to (through incorporation of provisions hereof by reference in the applicable Share Award Agreement or otherwise) the substance of each of the following provisions:
(a) Term. No Option or SAR will be exercisable after the expiration of ten (10) years from the date of its grant or such shorter period specified in the Share Award Agreement.
4.
(b) Exercise Price. The exercise or strike price of each Option or SAR granted to a US Participant will be not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares subject to the Option or SAR on the date the Share Award is granted. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Option or SAR may be granted with an exercise or strike price lower than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares subject to the Share Award to a US Participant if such Share Award is granted pursuant to an assumption of or substitution for another option or share appreciation right pursuant to a Corporate Transaction and in a manner consistent with the provisions of Section 409A of the Code and other applicable law. Each SAR will be denominated in Ordinary Share equivalents. The exercise or strike price of each Option or SAR granted to a Participant that is not a U.S. Participant shall be determined by the Board and shall comply with applicable laws. In addition, no Option or SAR may be granted with an exercise or strike price lower than the par value of the Ordinary Shares, if any.
(c) Purchase Price for Options. The purchase price of Ordinary Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Option may be paid, to the extent permitted by applicable law and as determined by the Board in its sole discretion, by any combination of the methods of payment set forth below. Any Ordinary Shares that are not fully paid will be subject to the forfeiture provisions in the Companys memorandum and articles of association (as amended from time to time). The Board will have the authority to grant Options that do not permit all of the following methods of payment (or otherwise restrict the ability to use certain methods) and to grant Options that require the consent of the Company to use a particular method of payment. The permitted methods of payment are as follows:
(i) by cash, check, bank draft or money order payable to the Company;
(ii) pursuant to a program (developed under Regulation T as promulgated by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board or similar regulations in other applicable jurisdictions, if required for compliance with the laws of the relevant jurisdiction) that, prior to the issuance of the share subject to the Option results in either the receipt of cash (or check) by the Company or the receipt of irrevocable instructions to pay the aggregate exercise price to the Company from the sales proceeds;
(iii) by delivery to the Company (either by actual delivery or attestation) of Ordinary Shares;
(iv) if an Option is a Nonstatutory Share Option, by a net exercise arrangement pursuant to which the Company will reduce the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise by the largest whole number of shares with a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price; provided, however, that the Company will accept a cash or other payment from the Participant to the extent of any remaining balance of the aggregate exercise price not satisfied by such reduction in the number of whole shares to be issued. Ordinary Shares will no longer be subject to an Option and will not be exercisable thereafter to the extent that (A) shares issuable upon exercise are used to pay the exercise price pursuant to the net exercise, (B) shares are delivered to the Participant as a result of such exercise, and (C) shares are withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations;
5.
(v) according to a deferred payment or similar arrangement with the Optionholder; provided, however , that interest will compound at least annually and will be charged at the minimum rate of interest necessary to avoid (A) the imputation of interest income to the Company and compensation income to the Optionholder under any applicable provisions of the Code, and (B) the classification of the Option as a liability for financial accounting purposes; or
(vi) in any other form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the Board and specified in the applicable Share Award Agreement.
(d) Exercise and Payment of a SAR. To exercise any outstanding SAR, the Participant must provide written notice of exercise to the Company in compliance with the provisions of the Share Award Agreement evidencing such SAR. The appreciation distribution payable on the exercise of a SAR will be not greater than an amount equal to the excess of (A) the aggregate Fair Market Value (on the date of the exercise of the SAR) of a number of Ordinary Shares equal to the number of Ordinary Shares equivalents in which the Participant is vested under such SAR, and with respect to which the Participant is exercising the SAR on such date, over (B) the aggregate strike price of the number of Ordinary Shares equivalents with respect to which the Participant is exercising the SAR on such date. The appreciation distribution may be paid in Ordinary Shares, in cash, in any combination of the two or in any other form of consideration, as determined by the Board and contained in the Share Award Agreement evidencing such SAR.
(e) Transferability of Options and SARs. The Board may, in its sole discretion, impose such limitations on the transferability of Options and SARs as the Board will determine. In the absence of such a determination by the Board to the contrary, the following restrictions on the transferability of Options and SARs will apply:
(i) Restrictions on Transfer . An Option or SAR will not be transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution (and pursuant to subsections (ii) and (iii) below), and will be exercisable during the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant. The Board may permit transfer of the Option or SAR in a manner that is not prohibited by applicable tax and securities laws. Except as explicitly provided herein, neither an Option nor a SAR may be transferred for consideration.
(ii) Domestic Relations Orders . Subject to the approval of the Board or a duly authorized Officer, an Option or SAR may be transferred pursuant to the terms of a domestic relations order, official marital settlement agreement or other divorce or separation instrument as permitted by Treasury Regulation 1.421-1(b)(2) or regulations in other applicable jurisdictions.
6.
(iii) Beneficiary Designation . Subject to the approval of the Board or a duly authorized Officer, a Participant may, by delivering written notice to the Company, in a form approved by the Company (or the designated broker), designate a third party who, upon the death of the Participant, will thereafter be entitled to exercise the Option or SAR and receive the Ordinary Shares or other consideration resulting from such exercise. In the absence of such a designation, upon the death of the Participant, the executor or administrator of the Participants estate will be entitled to exercise the Option or SAR and receive the Ordinary Shares or other consideration resulting from such exercise. However, the Company may prohibit designation of a beneficiary at any time, including due to any conclusion by the Company that such designation would be inconsistent with the provisions of applicable laws.
(f) Vesting Generally. The total number of Ordinary Shares subject to an Option or SAR may vest and become exercisable in periodic installments that may or may not be equal. The Option or SAR may be subject to such other terms and conditions on the time or times when it may or may not be exercised (which may be based on the satisfaction of performance goals or other criteria) as the Board may deem appropriate. The vesting provisions of individual Options or SARs may vary. The provisions of this Section 5(f) are subject to any Option or SAR provisions governing the minimum number of Ordinary Shares as to which an Option or SAR may be exercised.
(g) Termination of Continuous Service. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Share Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if a Participants Continuous Service terminates (other than for Cause and other than upon the Participants death or Disability), the Participant may exercise his or her Option or SAR (to the extent that the Participant was entitled to exercise such Share Award as of the date of termination of Continuous Service) within the period of time ending on the earlier of (i) the date three (3) months following the termination of the Participants Continuous Service (or such longer or shorter period specified in the applicable Share Award Agreement, which period will not be less than thirty (30) days if necessary to comply with applicable laws unless such termination is for Cause) and (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the Share Award Agreement. If, after termination of Continuous Service, the Participant does not exercise his or her Option or SAR within the applicable time frame, the Option or SAR (as applicable) will terminate.
(h) Extension of Exercise Period. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Share Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if the exercise of an Option or SAR following the termination of the Participants Continuous Service (other than for Cause and other than upon the Participants death or Disability) would be prohibited at any time solely because the issuance of Ordinary Shares would violate the registration requirements under the Securities Act or any comparable securities law of any jurisdiction, or foreign exchange laws of any other jurisdiction (including without limitation Chinas foreign exchange laws and regulations), then the Option or SAR will terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of a total period of time (that need not be consecutive) equal to the applicable post termination exercise period after the termination of the Participants Continuous Service during which the exercise of the Option or SAR would not be in violation of such legal requirements, or (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the applicable Share Award Agreement. In addition, unless otherwise provided in a Participants Share Award Agreement, if the sale of any Ordinary Shares received upon exercise of an Option or SAR following the termination of the Participants Continuous Service (other than for Cause) would violate any laws prohibiting insider trading or the Companys insider trading policy, then the Option or SAR will terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of a period of time (that need not be consecutive) equal to the applicable post-termination exercise period after the termination of the Participants Continuous Service during which the sale of the Ordinary Shares received upon exercise of the Option or SAR would not be in violation of any laws prohibiting insider trading or the Companys insider trading policy, or (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the applicable Share Award Agreement.
7.
(i) Disability of Participant. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Share Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if a Participants Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participants Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option or SAR (to the extent that the Participant was entitled to exercise such Option or SAR as of the date of termination of Continuous Service), but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of (i) the date twelve (12) months following such termination of Continuous Service (or such longer or shorter period specified in the Share Award Agreement, which period will not be less than six (6) months if necessary to comply with applicable laws), and (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the Share Award Agreement. If, after termination of Continuous Service, the Participant does not exercise his or her Option or SAR within the applicable time frame, the Option or SAR (as applicable) will terminate.
(j) Death of Participant. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Share Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if (i) a Participants Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participants death, or (ii) the Participant dies within the period (if any) specified in the Share Award Agreement for exercisability after the termination of the Participants Continuous Service (for a reason other than death), then the Option or SAR may be exercised (to the extent the Participant was entitled to exercise such Option or SAR as of the date of death) by the Participants estate, by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option or SAR by bequest or inheritance or by a person designated to exercise the Option or SAR upon the Participants death, but only within the period ending on the earlier of (i) the date eighteen (18) months following the date of death (or such longer or shorter period specified in the Share Award Agreement, which period will not be less than six (6) months if necessary to comply with applicable laws), and (ii) the expiration of the term of such Option or SAR as set forth in the Share Award Agreement. If, after the Participants death, the Option or SAR is not exercised within the applicable time frame, the Option or SAR (as applicable) will terminate.
(k) Termination for Cause. Except as explicitly provided otherwise in a Participants Share Award Agreement or other individual written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant, if a Participants Continuous Service is terminated for Cause, the Option or SAR will terminate immediately upon such Participants termination of Continuous Service, and the Participant will be prohibited from exercising his or her Option or SAR from and after the time of such termination of Continuous Service.
(l) Early Exercise of Options. An Option may, but need not, include a provision whereby the Optionholder may elect at any time before the Optionholders Continuous Service terminates to exercise the Option as to any part or all of the Ordinary Shares subject to the Option prior to the full vesting of the Option.
8.
(m) Right of Repurchase or Right of First Refusal . The Option or SAR may include a provision whereby the Company may elect to repurchase all or any part of the vested Ordinary Shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to the exercise of the Option or SAR. In addition, the Option or SAR may include a provision whereby the Company may elect to exercise a right of first refusal following receipt of notice from the Participant of the intent to transfer all or any part of the Ordinary Shares received upon the exercise of the Option or SAR. The terms of any repurchase right or right of first refusal will be specified in the Share Award Agreement. The repurchase price for vested Ordinary Shares will be the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares on the date of repurchase. The repurchase price for unvested Ordinary Shares will be the lower of (i) the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares on the date of repurchase or (ii) their original purchase price.
6. | P ROVISIONS OF S HARE A WARDS O THER THAN O PTIONS AND SAR S . |
(a) Restricted Share Awards. Each Restricted Share Award Agreement will be in such form and will contain such terms and conditions as the Board deems appropriate. To the extent consistent with the Companys memorandum and articles of association (as amended from time to time) and other constitutional and governance documents, at the Boards election, Ordinary Shares underlying a Restricted Share Award may be held in book entry form subject to the Companys instructions until any restrictions relating to the Restricted Share Award lapse; and may be evidenced by a certificate, which certificate will be held in such form and manner as determined by the Board. The terms and conditions of Restricted Share Award Agreements may change from time to time, and the terms and conditions of separate Restricted Share Award Agreements need not be identical. Each Restricted Share Award Agreement will conform to (through incorporation of the provisions hereof by reference in the agreement or otherwise) the substance of each of the following provisions:
(i) Consideration . A Restricted Share Award may be awarded in consideration for (A) cash, check, bank draft or money order payable to the Company, (B) past services to the Company or an Affiliate, or (C) any other form of legal consideration (including future services) that may be acceptable to the Board, in its sole discretion, and permissible under applicable law.
(ii) Vesting . Subject to the Right of Repurchase in Section 5(m), Ordinary Shares awarded under the Restricted Share Award Agreement may be subject to forfeiture to the Company in accordance with a vesting schedule to be determined by the Board.
(iii) Termination of Participants Continuous Service . If a Participants Continuous Service terminates, the Company may receive through a forfeiture condition or a repurchase right, any or all of the Ordinary Shares held by the Participant as of the date of termination of Continuous Service under the terms of the Restricted Share Award Agreement.
(iv) Transferability . Rights to acquire Ordinary Shares under the Restricted Share Award Agreement will be transferable by the Participant only upon such terms and conditions as are set forth in the Restricted Share Award Agreement, as the Board will determine in its sole discretion, so long as Ordinary Shares awarded under the Restricted Share Award Agreement remains subject to the terms of the Restricted Share Award Agreement.
9.
(v) Dividends. A Restricted Share Award Agreement may provide that any dividends paid on Restricted Shares will be subject to the same vesting and forfeiture restrictions as apply to the shares subject to the Restricted Share Award to which they relate.
(b) Restricted Share Unit Awards. Each Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement will be in such form and will contain such terms and conditions as the Board deems appropriate. The terms and conditions of Restricted Share Unit Award Agreements may change from time to time, and the terms and conditions of separate Restricted Share Unit Award Agreements need not be identical. Each Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement will conform to (through incorporation of the provisions hereof by reference in the Agreement or otherwise) the substance of each of the following provisions:
(i) Consideration. At the time of grant of a Restricted Share Unit Award, the Board will determine the consideration, if any, to be paid by the Participant upon delivery of each Ordinary Share subject to the Restricted Share Unit Award. The consideration to be paid (if any) by the Participant for each Ordinary Share subject to a Restricted Share Unit Award may be paid in any form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the Board, in its sole discretion, and permissible under applicable law.
(ii) Vesting. At the time of the grant of a Restricted Share Unit Award, the Board may impose such restrictions on or conditions to the vesting of the Restricted Share Unit Award as it, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.
(iii) Payment . A Restricted Share Unit Award may be settled by the delivery of Ordinary Shares, their cash equivalent, any combination thereof or in any other form of consideration, as determined by the Board and contained in the Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement.
(iv) Additional Restrictions. At the time of the grant of a Restricted Share Unit Award, the Board, as it deems appropriate, may impose such restrictions or conditions that delay the delivery of the Ordinary Shares (or their cash equivalent) subject to a Restricted Share Unit Award to a time after the vesting of such Restricted Share Unit Award.
(v) Dividend Equivalents. Dividend equivalents may be credited in respect of Ordinary Shares covered by a Restricted Share Unit Award, as determined by the Board and contained in the Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement. At the sole discretion of the Board, such dividend equivalents may be converted into additional Ordinary Shares covered by the Restricted Share Unit Award in such manner as determined by the Board. Any additional shares covered by the Restricted Share Unit Award credited by reason of such dividend equivalents will be subject to all of the same terms and conditions of the underlying Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement to which they relate.
(vi) Termination of Participant s Continuous Service. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement, such portion of the Restricted Share Unit Award that has not vested will be forfeited upon the Participants termination of Continuous Service.
10.
(c) Other Share Awards . Other forms of Share Awards valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, Ordinary Shares, including the appreciation in value thereof (e.g., options or share rights with an exercise price or strike price less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares at the time of grant) may be granted either alone or in addition to Share Awards provided for under Section 5 and the preceding provisions of this Section 6. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Board will have sole and complete authority to determine the persons to whom and the time or times at which such Other Share Awards will be granted, the number of Ordinary Shares (or the cash equivalent thereof) to be granted pursuant to such Other Share Awards and all other terms and conditions of such Other Share Awards.
7. | C OVENANTS OF THE C OMPANY . |
(a) Availability of Shares. The Company will keep available at all times the number of Ordinary Shares reasonably required to satisfy then-outstanding Share Awards.
(b) Securities Law Compliance. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to seek to obtain from each regulatory commission or agency having jurisdiction over the Plan such authority as may be required to grant Share Awards and to issue and sell Ordinary Shares upon exercise of the Share Awards; provided, however, that this undertaking will not require the Company to register the Plan, any Share Award or any Ordinary Shares issued or issuable pursuant to any such Share Award under the Securities Act or other applicable securities regulatory scheme. If, after reasonable efforts and at a reasonable cost, the Company is unable to obtain from any such regulatory commission or agency the authority that counsel for the Company deems necessary for the lawful issuance and sale of Ordinary Shares under the Plan, the Company will be relieved from any liability for failure to issue and sell Ordinary Shares upon exercise of such Share Awards unless and until such authority is obtained. A Participant will not be eligible for the grant of a Share Award or the subsequent issuance of cash or Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Share Award if such grant or issuance would be in violation of any applicable securities law or any other applicable law or regulation.
(c) No Obligation to Notify or Minimize Taxes. The Company will have no duty or obligation to any Participant to advise such holder as to the time or manner of exercising such Share Award. Furthermore, the Company will have no duty or obligation to warn or otherwise advise such holder of a pending termination or expiration of a Share Award or a possible period in which the Share Award may not be exercised. The Company has no duty or obligation to minimize the tax consequences of a Share Award to the holder of such Share Award.
8. | M ISCELLANEOUS . |
(a) Use of Proceeds from Sales of Ordinary Share. Proceeds from the sale of Ordinary Shares pursuant to Share Awards will constitute general funds of the Company.
(b) Corporate Action Constituting Grant of Share Awards. Corporate action constituting a grant by the Company of a Share Award to any Participant will be deemed completed as of the date of such corporate action, unless otherwise determined by the Board, regardless of when the instrument, certificate, or letter evidencing the Share Award is communicated to, or actually received or accepted by, the Participant. In the event that the corporate records (e.g., Board consents, resolutions or minutes) documenting the corporate action constituting the grant contain terms (e.g., exercise price, vesting schedule or number of shares) that are inconsistent with those in the Share Award Agreement as a result of a clerical error in the papering of the Share Award Agreement, the corporate records will control and the Participant will have no legally binding right to the incorrect term in the Share Award Agreement.
11.
(c) Shareholder Rights. No Participant will be deemed to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to, any Ordinary Shares subject to a Share Award unless and until (i) such Participant has satisfied all requirements for exercise of, or the issuance of Ordinary Shares under, the Share Award pursuant to its terms, and (ii) the issuance of the Ordinary Shares subject to the Share Award has been entered into the books and records of the Company and the register of members of the Company has been accordingly updated.
(d) No Employment or Other Service Rights. Nothing in the Plan, any Share Award Agreement or any other instrument executed thereunder or in connection with any Share Award granted pursuant thereto will confer upon any Participant any right to continue to serve the Company or an Affiliate in the capacity in effect at the time the Share Award was granted or will affect the right of the Company or an Affiliate to terminate (i) the employment of an Employee pursuant to an employment contract, if any, or applicable employment laws and regulations, (ii) the service of a Consultant pursuant to the terms of such Consultants agreement with the Company or an Affiliate, or (iii) the service of a Director pursuant to the Companys memorandum and articles of association (as amended from time to time) and other constitutional and governance documents of the Company or an Affiliate, and any provisions of the applicable laws of the jurisdiction in which the Company or the Affiliate is incorporated, as the case may be.
(e) Investment Assurances. The Company may require a Participant, as a condition of exercising or acquiring Ordinary Shares under any Share Award, (i) to give written assurances satisfactory to the Company as to the Participants knowledge and experience in financial and business matters and/or to employ a purchaser representative reasonably satisfactory to the Company who is knowledgeable and experienced in financial and business matters and that he or she is capable of evaluating, alone or together with the purchaser representative, the merits and risks of exercising the Share Award; and (ii) to give written assurances satisfactory to the Company stating that the Participant is acquiring Ordinary Shares subject to the Share Award for the Participants own account and not with any present intention of selling or otherwise distributing the Ordinary Shares. The foregoing requirements, and any assurances given pursuant to such requirements, will be inoperative if (A) the issuance of the shares upon the exercise or acquisition of Ordinary Shares under the Share Award has been registered under a then currently effective registration statement under the Securities Act, or (B) as to any particular requirement, a determination is made by counsel for the Company that such requirement need not be met in the circumstances under the then applicable securities laws or other applicable laws. The Company may, upon advice of counsel to the Company, place legends on share certificates issued under the Plan as such counsel deems necessary or appropriate in order to comply with applicable securities laws or other applicable laws, including, but not limited to, legends restricting the transfer of the Ordinary Shares.
12.
(f) Withholding Obligations. Unless prohibited by the terms of a Share Award Agreement, the Company may, in its sole discretion, satisfy any tax withholding obligation relating to a Share Award by any of the following means or by a combination of such means: (i) causing the Participant to tender a cash payment; (ii) withholding Ordinary Shares from the Ordinary Shares issued or otherwise issuable to the Participant in connection with the Share Award; provided, however , that no Ordinary Shares are withheld with a value exceeding the minimum amount of tax required to be withheld by law (or such lesser amount as may be necessary to avoid classification of the Share Award as a liability for financial accounting purposes); (iii) withholding cash from a Share Award settled in cash; (iv) withholding payment from any amounts otherwise payable to the Participant; or (v) which may be set forth in the Share Award Agreement.
(g) Electronic Delivery . Any reference herein to a written agreement or document will include any agreement or document delivered electronically or posted on the Companys intranet (or other shared electronic medium controlled by the Company to which the Participant has access).
(h) Deferrals. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Board, in its sole discretion, may determine that the delivery of Ordinary Shares or the payment of cash, upon the exercise, vesting or settlement of all or a portion of any Share Award may be deferred and may establish programs and procedures for deferral elections to be made by Participants. The Board is authorized to make deferrals of Share Awards and determine when, and in what annual percentages, Participants may receive payments, including lump sum payments, following the Participants termination of Continuous Service, and implement such other terms and conditions consistent with the provisions of the Plan and in accordance with applicable law.
9. | A DJUSTMENTS UPON C HANGES IN O RDINARY S HARE ; O THER C ORPORATE E VENTS . |
(a) Capitalization Adjustments . In the event of a Capitalization Adjustment, the Board will appropriately and proportionately adjust: (i) the class(es) and maximum number of securities subject to the Plan pursuant to Section 3(a), (ii) the class(es) and maximum number of securities that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Share Options pursuant to Section 11(a)(i), and (iii) the class(es) and number of securities and price per share of shares subject to outstanding Share Awards. The Board will make such adjustments, and its determination will be final, binding and conclusive.
(b) Dissolution or Liquidation . Except as otherwise provided in the Share Award Agreement, in the event of a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, all outstanding Share Awards (other than Share Awards consisting of vested and outstanding Ordinary Shares not subject to a forfeiture condition or the Companys right of repurchase) will terminate immediately prior to the completion of such dissolution or liquidation, and the Ordinary Shares subject to the Companys repurchase rights or subject to a forfeiture condition may be repurchased or reacquired by the Company notwithstanding the fact that the holder of such Share Award is providing Continuous Service, provided, however, that the Board may, in its sole discretion, cause some or all Share Awards to become fully vested, exercisable and/or no longer subject to repurchase or forfeiture (to the extent such Share Awards have not previously expired or terminated) before the dissolution or liquidation is completed but contingent on its completion.
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(c) Corporate Transactions. The following provisions will apply to Share Awards in the event of a Transaction unless otherwise provided in the Share Award Agreement or any other written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant or unless otherwise expressly provided by the Board at the time of grant of a Share Award. In the event of a Transaction, then, notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Board may take one or more of the following actions with respect to Share Awards, contingent upon the closing or completion of the Transaction:
(i) arrange for the surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or the surviving or acquiring corporations parent company) to assume or continue the Share Award or to substitute a similar share award for the Share Award (including, but not limited to, an award to acquire the same consideration paid to the shareholders of the Company pursuant to the Transaction);
(ii) arrange for the assignment of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company in respect of Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to the Share Award to the surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or the surviving or acquiring corporations parent company);
(iii) accelerate the vesting, in whole or in part, of the Share Award (and, if applicable, the time at which the Share Award may be exercised) to a date prior to the effective time of such Transaction as the Board determines (or, if the Board does not determine such a date, to the date that is five (5) days prior to the effective date of the Transaction), with such Share Award terminating if not exercised (if applicable) at or prior to the effective time of the Transaction; provided, however, that the Board may require Participants to complete and deliver to the Company a notice of exercise before the effective date of a Transaction, which exercise is contingent upon the effectiveness of such Transaction;
(iv) arrange for the lapse, in whole or in part, of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to the Share Award;
(v) cancel or arrange for the cancellation of the Share Award, to the extent not vested or not exercised prior to the effective time of the Transaction, in exchange for such cash consideration, if any, as the Board, in its sole discretion, may consider appropriate; and
(vi) make a payment, in such form as may be determined by the Board equal to the excess, if any, of (A) the value of the property the Participant would have received upon the exercise of the Share Award immediately prior to the effective time of the Transaction, over (B) any exercise price payable by such holder in connection with such exercise. For clarity, this payment may be zero ($0) if the value of the property is equal to or less than the exercise price. Payments under this provision may be delayed to the same extent that payment of consideration to the holders of the Companys Ordinary Shares in connection with the Transaction is delayed as a result of escrows, earn outs, holdbacks or any other contingencies.
The Board need not take the same action or actions with respect to all Share Awards or portions thereof or with respect to all Participants. The Board may take different actions with respect to the vested and unvested portions of a Share Award.
14.
(d) Change in Control. A Share Award may be subject to additional acceleration of vesting and exercisability upon or after a Change in Control as may be provided in the Share Award Agreement for such Share Award or as may be provided in any other written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant, but in the absence of such provision, no such acceleration will occur.
10. | P LAN T ERM ; E ARLIER T ERMINATION OR S USPENSION OF THE P LAN . |
(a) Plan Term. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. Unless terminated sooner by the Board, the Plan will automatically terminate on the day before the tenth (10th) anniversary of the earlier of (i) the date the Plan is adopted by the Board, or (ii) the date the Plan is approved by the shareholders of the Company. No Share Awards may be granted under the Plan while the Plan is suspended or after it is terminated.
(b) No Impairment of Rights. Suspension or termination of the Plan will not impair rights and obligations under any Share Award granted while the Plan is in effect except with the written consent of the affected Participant or as otherwise permitted in the Plan.
11. | A DDITIONAL P ROVISIONS A PPLICABLE TO US P ARTICIPANTS . |
(a) Incentive Share Options .
(i) Subject to Section 9(a) relating to Capitalization Adjustments, the aggregate maximum number of Ordinary Shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Share Options will be the Share Reserve.
(ii) Unless otherwise specifically authorized by the Board, Incentive Share Options may be granted only to employees of the Company or a parent corporation or subsidiary corporation thereof (as such terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code).
(iii) To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the time of grant) of Ordinary Shares with respect to which Incentive Share Options are exercisable for the first time by any Optionholder during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Affiliates) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) (or such other limit established in the Code) or otherwise does not comply with the rules governing Incentive Share Options, the Options or portions thereof that exceed such limit (according to the order in which they were granted) or otherwise do not comply with such rules will be treated as Nonstatutory Share Options, notwithstanding any contrary provision of the applicable Option Agreement(s).
(b) Compliance with Section 409A of the Code. To the extent that the Board determines that any Share Award granted hereunder is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Share Award Agreement evidencing such Share Award shall incorporate the terms and conditions necessary to avoid the consequences specified in Section 409A(a)(1) of the Code. To the extent applicable, the Plan and Share Award Agreements shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code.
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12. | C HOICE OF L AW ; A RBITRATION . |
(a) Governing Law. The laws of the State of New York, the United States of America will govern all questions concerning the construction, validity and interpretation of this Plan, without regard to that states conflict of laws rules.
(b) Dispute Resolution. All and any of the disputes arising from and in connection with this Agreement shall be referred to Hong Kong International Arbitration Center (HKIAC) for binding arbitration in Hong Kong by a sole arbitrator in accordance with the rules then in effect of the HKIAC. The parties shall jointly select the sole arbitrator. If the parties fail to reach an agreement on the arbitrator, such an arbitrator shall be appointed by the Secretary-General of HKIAC. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final, conclusive and binding on the parties to the arbitration. Judgment may be entered on the arbitrators decision in any competent court having jurisdiction. The parties to the arbitration shall each pay an equal share of the costs and expenses of such arbitration, and each party shall separately pay for its respective counsel fees and expenses, provided, however, that the prevailing party in any such arbitration shall be entitled to recover from the non prevailing party its reasonable costs and attorney fees.
13. | D EFINITIONS . As used in the Plan, the following definitions will apply to the capitalized terms indicated below: |
(a) Affiliate means, at the time of determination, any Subsidiary and any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company, as such terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code. The Board will have the authority to determine the time or times at which parent corporation or subsidiary corporation status is determined within the foregoing definition.
(b) Board means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(c) Capitalization Adjustment means any change that is made in, or other events that occur with respect to, the Ordinary Shares subject to the Plan or subject to any Share Award after the Effective Date without the receipt of consideration by the Company through merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, reincorporation, share dividend, dividend in property other than cash, large nonrecurring cash dividend, share split, reverse share split, liquidating dividend, combination of shares, exchange of shares, change in corporate structure, or any similar equity restructuring transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the conversion of any convertible securities of the Company will not be treated as a Capitalization Adjustment.
(d) Cause will have the meaning ascribed to such term in any written agreement between the Participant and the Company defining such term and, in the absence of such agreement, such term means, with respect to a Participant, the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) such Participants commission of any felony or any crime involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction; (ii) such Participants attempted commission of, or participation in, a fraud or act of dishonesty against the Company; (iii) such Participants intentional, material violation of any contract or agreement between the Participant and the Company or of any statutory duty owed to the Company; (iv) such Participants unauthorized use or disclosure of the Companys confidential information or trade secrets; or (v) such Participants gross misconduct. The determination that a termination of the Participants Continuous Service is either for Cause or without Cause will be made by the Company, in its sole discretion. Any determination by the Company that the Continuous Service of a Participant was terminated with or without Cause for the purposes of outstanding Share Awards held by such Participant will have no effect upon any determination of the rights or obligations of the Company or such Participant for any other purpose.
16.
(e) Change in Control means the occurrence, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events:
(i) there is consummated a merger, consolidation or similar transaction involving (directly or indirectly) the Company and, immediately after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or similar transaction, the shareholders of the Company immediately prior thereto do not Own, directly or indirectly, either (A) outstanding voting securities representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined outstanding voting power of the surviving Entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction or (B) more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined outstanding voting power of the parent of the surviving Entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction, in each case in substantially the same proportions as their Ownership of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately prior to such transaction;
(ii) the shareholders of the Company approve or the Board approves a plan of complete dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or a complete dissolution or liquidation of the Company will otherwise occur, except for a liquidation into a parent corporation; or
(iii) there is consummated a sale, lease, exclusive license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, other than a sale, lease, license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries to an Entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are Owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their Ownership of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately prior to such sale, lease, license or other disposition.
Notwithstanding the foregoing definition or any other provision of this Plan, (A) the term Change in Control will not include a sale of assets, merger or other transaction effected exclusively for the purpose of changing the domicile of the Company, and (B) the definition of Change in Control (or any analogous term) in an individual written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant will supersede the foregoing definition with respect to Share Awards subject to such agreement; provided, however, that if no definition of Change in Control or any analogous term is set forth in such an individual written agreement, the foregoing definition will apply.
(f) Code means the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including any applicable regulations and guidance thereunder.
17.
(g) Committee means a committee of one (1) or more Directors to whom authority has been delegated by the Board in accordance with Section 2(c).
(h) Company means LingoChamp Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of Cayman Islands.
(i) Consultant means any person, including an advisor, who is (i) engaged by the Company or an Affiliate to render consulting or advisory services and is compensated for such services, or (ii) serving as a member of the board of directors of an Affiliate and is compensated for such services. However, service solely as a Director, or payment of a fee for such service, will not cause a Director to be considered a Consultant for purposes of the Plan.
(j) Continuous Service means that the Participants service with the Company or an Affiliate, whether as an Employee, Director or Consultant, is not interrupted or terminated. A change in the capacity in which the Participant renders service to the Company or an Affiliate as an Employee, Director or Consultant or a change in the Entity for which the Participant renders such service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participants service with the Company or an Affiliate, will not terminate a Participants Continuous Service; provided, however , that if the Entity for which a Participant is rendering services ceases to qualify as an Affiliate, as determined by the Board in its sole discretion, such Participants Continuous Service will be considered to have terminated on the date such Entity ceases to qualify as an Affiliate. For example, a change in status from an Employee of the Company to a Consultant of an Affiliate or to a Director will not constitute an interruption of Continuous Service. To the extent permitted by law, the Board or the chief executive officer of the Company, in that partys sole discretion, may determine whether Continuous Service will be considered interrupted in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Board or chief executive officer, including sick leave, military leave or any other personal leave, or (ii) transfers between the Company, an Affiliate, or their successors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a leave of absence will be treated as Continuous Service for purposes of vesting in a Share Award only to such extent as may be provided in the Companys leave of absence policy, in the written terms of any leave of absence agreement or policy applicable to the Participant, or as otherwise required by law.
(k) Corporate Transaction means the consummation, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events:
(i) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all, as determined by the Board in its sole discretion, of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries;
(ii) a sale or other disposition of at least ninety percent (90%) of the outstanding securities of the Company;
(iii) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which the Company is not the surviving corporation; or
(iv) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which the Company is the surviving corporation but the Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately preceding the merger, consolidation or similar transaction are converted or exchanged by virtue of the merger, consolidation or similar transaction into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise.
18.
(l) Director means a member of the Board.
(m) Disability means, with respect to a Participant, the inability of such Participant to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months, and will be determined by the Board on the basis of such medical evidence as the Board deems warranted under the circumstances.
(n) Effective Date means the effective date of this Plan, which is the earlier of (i) the date that this Plan is first approved by the Companys shareholders, and (ii) the date this Plan is adopted by the Board.
(o) Employee means any person employed by the Company or an Affiliate. However, service solely as a Director, or payment of a fee for such services, will not cause a Director to be considered an Employee for purposes of the Plan.
(p) Entity means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity.
(q) Exchange Act means the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(r) Fair Market Value means, as of any date, the value of the Ordinary Shares determined by the Board.
(s) Incentive Share Option means an Option that is intended to be, and that qualifies as, an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
(t) Nonstatutory Share Option means any Option that does not qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
(u) Officer means any person designated by the Company as an officer.
(v) Option means an option to purchase Ordinary Shares granted pursuant to the Plan.
(w) Option Agreement means a written agreement between the Company and an Optionholder evidencing the terms and conditions of an Option grant. Each Option Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(x) Optionholder means a person to whom an Option is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Option.
(y) Ordinary Share means a Class A Ordinary Share of the Company.
19.
(z) Other Share Award means an award based in whole or in part by reference to the Ordinary Shares which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(c).
(aa) Other Share Award Agreement means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of an Other Share Award evidencing the terms and conditions of an Other Share Award grant. Each Other Share Award Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(bb) Own , Owned , Owner , Ownership means a person or Entity will be deemed to Own, to have Owned, to be the Owner of, or to have acquired Ownership of securities if such person or Entity, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares voting power, which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting, with respect to such securities.
(cc) Participant means a person to whom a Share Award is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Share Award.
(dd) Plan means this LingoChamp Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.
(ee) Restricted Share Award means an award of Ordinary Shares which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(a).
(ff) Restricted Share Award Agreement means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a Restricted Share Award evidencing the terms and conditions of a Restricted Share Award grant. Each Restricted Share Award Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(gg) Restricted Share Unit Award means a right to receive Ordinary Shares which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(b).
(hh) Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a Restricted Share Unit Award evidencing the terms and conditions of a Restricted Share Unit Award grant. Each Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(ii) Rule 405 means Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act.
(jj) Rule 701 means Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act.
(kk) Securities Act means the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(ll) Share Appreciation Right or SAR means a right to receive the appreciation on Ordinary Shares that is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 5.
(mm) Share Appreciation Right Agreement means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a Share Appreciation Right evidencing the terms and conditions of a Share Appreciation Right grant. Each Share Appreciation Right Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
20.
(nn) Share Award means any right to receive Ordinary Shares granted under the Plan, including an Option, a Restricted Share Award, a Restricted Share Unit Award, a Share Appreciation Right or any Other Share Award.
(oo) Share Award Agreement means a written agreement between the Company and a Participant evidencing the terms and conditions of a Share Award grant. Each Share Award Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(pp) Subsidiary means, with respect to the Company, (i) any corporation of which more than fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding capital share having ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors of such corporation (irrespective of whether, at the time, share of any other class or classes of such corporation will have or might have voting power by reason of the happening of any contingency) is at the time, directly or indirectly, Owned by the Company, and (ii) any partnership, limited liability company or other entity in which the Company has a direct or indirect interest (whether in the form of voting or participation in profits or capital contribution) of more than fifty percent (50%).
(qq) Transaction means a Corporate Transaction or a Change in Control.
(rr) US means the United States.
(ss) US Participant means a Participant that is either a US resident or a US taxpayer.
21.
Exhibit 10.2
LingoChamp Inc.
2018 Share Incentive Plan
ARTICLE 1
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Plan is to promote the success and enhance the value of LingoChamp Inc., an exempted company formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company ), by linking the personal interests of the Directors, Employees, and Consultants to those of the Companys shareholders and by providing such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance to generate superior returns to the Companys shareholders.
ARTICLE 2
DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION
Wherever the following terms are used in the Plan they shall have the meanings specified below, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The singular pronoun shall include the plural where the context so indicates.
2.1 Applicable Laws means the legal requirements relating to the Plan and the Awards under applicable provisions of the corporate, securities, tax and other laws, rules, regulations and government orders, and the rules of any applicable stock exchange or national market system, of any jurisdiction applicable to Awards granted to residents therein.
2.2 Award means an Option, Restricted Share, Restricted Share Units or other types of award approved by the Committee granted to a Participant pursuant to the Plan.
2.3 Award Agreement means any written agreement, contract, or other instrument or document evidencing an Award, including through electronic medium.
2.4 Board means the Board of Directors of the Company.
2.5 Cause with respect to a Participant means (unless otherwise expressly provided in the applicable Award Agreement, or another applicable contract with the Participant that defines such term for purposes of determining the effect that a for cause termination has on the Participants Awards) a termination of employment or service based upon a finding by the Service Recipient, acting in good faith and based on its reasonable belief at the time, that the Participant:
(a) has been negligent in the discharge of his or her duties to the Service Recipient, has refused to perform stated or assigned duties or is incompetent in or (other than by reason of a disability or analogous condition) incapable of performing those duties;
(b) has been dishonest or committed or engaged in an act of theft, embezzlement or fraud, a breach of confidentiality, an unauthorized disclosure or use of inside information, customer lists, trade secrets or other confidential information;
(c) has breached a fiduciary duty, or willfully and materially violated any other duty, law, rule, regulation or policy of the Service Recipient; or has been convicted of, or plead guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony or misdemeanor (other than minor traffic violations or similar offenses);
(d) has materially breached any of the provisions of any agreement with the Service Recipient;
(e) has engaged in unfair competition with, or otherwise acted intentionally in a manner injurious to the reputation, business or assets of, the Service Recipient; or
(f) has improperly induced a vendor or customer to break or terminate any contract with the Service Recipient or induced a principal for whom the Service Recipient acts as agent to terminate such agency relationship.
A termination for Cause shall be deemed to occur (subject to reinstatement upon a contrary final determination by the Committee) on the date on which the Service Recipient first delivers written notice to the Participant of a finding of termination for Cause.
2.6 Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of the United States, as amended.
2.7 Committee means a committee of the Board described in Article 10.
2.8 Consultant means any consultant or adviser if: (a) the consultant or adviser renders bona fide services to a Service Recipient; (b) the services rendered by the consultant or adviser are not in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital-raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Companys securities; and (c) the consultant or adviser is a natural person who has contracted directly with the Service Recipient to render such services.
2.9 Corporate Transaction , unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, means any of the following transactions, provided, however, that the Committee shall determine under (d) and (e) whether multiple transactions are related, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive:
(a) an amalgamation, arrangement or consolidation or scheme of arrangement (i) in which the Company is not the surviving entity, except for a transaction the principal purpose of which is to change the jurisdiction in which the Company is incorporated or (ii) following which the holders of the voting securities of the Company do not continue to hold more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the surviving entity;
(b) the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company;
(c) the complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company;
2
(d) any reverse takeover or series of related transactions culminating in a reverse takeover (including, but not limited to, a tender offer followed by a reverse takeover) in which the Company is the surviving entity but (A) the Companys equity securities outstanding immediately prior to such takeover are converted or exchanged by virtue of the takeover into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise, or (B) in which securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Companys outstanding securities are transferred to a person or persons different from those who held such securities immediately prior to such takeover or the initial transaction culminating in such takeover, but excluding any such transaction or series of related transactions that the Committee determines shall not be a Corporate Transaction; or
(e) acquisition in a single or series of related transactions by any person or related group of persons (other than the Company or by a Company-sponsored employee benefit plan) of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) of securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Companys outstanding securities but excluding any such transaction or series of related transactions that the Committee determines shall not be a Corporate Transaction.
2.10 Director , means a member of the Board or a member of the board of directors of any Subsidiary of the Company.
2.11 Disability , unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, means that the Participant qualifies to receive long-term disability payments under the Service Recipients long-term disability insurance program, as it may be amended from time to time, to which the Participant provides services regardless of whether the Participant is covered by such policy. If the Service Recipient to which the Participant provides service does not have a long-term disability plan in place, Disability means that a Participant is unable to carry out the responsibilities and functions of the position held by the Participant by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment for a period of not less than ninety (90) consecutive days. A Participant will not be considered to have incurred a Disability unless he or she furnishes proof of such impairment sufficient to satisfy the Committee in its discretion.
2.12 Effective Date shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11.1.
2.13 Employee means any person, including an officer or a Director, who is in the employment of a Service Recipient, subject to the control and direction of the Service Recipient as to both the work to be performed and the manner and method of performance. The payment of a directors fee by a Service Recipient shall not be sufficient to constitute employment by the Service Recipient.
2.14 Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 of the United States, as amended.
2.15 Fair Market Value means, as of any date, the value of Shares determined as follows:
(a) If the Shares are listed on one or more established stock exchanges or national market systems, including without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ Stock Market, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such shares (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on the principal exchange or system on which the Shares are listed (as determined by the Committee) on the date of determination (or, if no closing sales price or closing bid was reported on that date, as applicable, on the last trading date such closing sales price or closing bid was reported), as reported on the website maintained by such exchange or market system or such other source as the Committee deems reliable; or
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(b) In the absence of an established market for the Shares of the type described in (a) above, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined by the Committee in good faith and in its discretion by reference to (i) the placing price of the latest private placement of the Shares and the development of the Companys business operations and the general economic and market conditions since such latest private placement, (ii) other third party transactions involving the Shares and the development of the Companys business operation and the general economic and market conditions since such transaction, (iii) an independent valuation of the Shares, or (iv) such other methodologies or information as the Committee determines to be indicative of Fair Market Value.
2.16 Group Entity means any of the Company and Subsidiaries of the Company.
2.17 Incentive Share Option means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision thereto.
2.18 Independent Director means (i) if the Shares or other securities representing the Shares are not listed on a stock exchange, a Director of the Company who is a Non-Employee Director; and (ii) if the Shares or other securities representing the Shares are listed on one or more stock exchange, a Director of the Company who meets the independence standards under the applicable corporate governance rules of the stock exchange(s).
2.19 Non-Employee Director means a member of the Board who qualifies as a Non-Employee Director as defined in Rule 16b-3(b)(3) of the Exchange Act, or any successor definition adopted by the Board.
2.20 Non-Qualified Share Option means an Option that is not intended to be an Incentive Share Option.
2.21 Option means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Article 5 of the Plan to purchase a specified number of Shares at a specified price during specified time periods. An Option may be either an Incentive Share Option or a Non-Qualified Share Option.
2.22 Participant means a person who, as a Director, Consultant or Employee, has been granted an Award pursuant to the Plan.
2.23 Parent means a parent corporation under Section 424(e) of the Code.
2.24 Plan means this 2018 Share Incentive Plan of LingoChamp Inc., as amended and/or restated from time to time.
2.25 Related Entity means any business, corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity in which the Company, a Parent or Subsidiary of the Company holds a substantial ownership interest, directly or indirectly, or controls through contractual arrangements and consolidates the financial results according to applicable accounting standards, but which is not a Subsidiary and which the Board designates as a Related Entity for purposes of the Plan.
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2.26 Restricted Share means a Share awarded to a Participant pursuant to Article 6 that is subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture.
2.27 Restricted Share Unit means the right granted to a Participant pursuant to Article 7 to receive a Share at a future date.
2.28 Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States, as amended.
2.29 Service Recipient means the Company or Subsidiary of the Company to which a Participant provides services as an Employee, a Consultant or a Director.
2.30 Share means the ordinary shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, and such other securities of the Company that may be substituted for Shares pursuant to Article 9.
2.31 Subsidiary means any corporation or other entity of which a majority of the outstanding voting shares or voting power is beneficially owned directly or indirectly by the Company.
2.32 Trading Date means the closing of the first sale to the general public of the Shares pursuant to a registration statement filed with and declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act.
ARTICLE 3
SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
3.1 Number of Shares .
(a) Subject to the provisions of Article 9 and Section 3.1(b), the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be issued pursuant to all Awards (including Incentive Share Options) (the Award Pool ) shall initially be 5% of the total number of Shares of the Company issued and outstanding immediately after the completion of the Companys initial public offering, plus increases as approved by the Board from time to time, provided that (i) increase(s) to the Award Pool in any fiscal year shall not exceed 1.5% of the total number of Shares of the Company issued and outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year, (ii) the aggregate size of the Award Pool shall not exceed 5% of the total number of Shares of the Company issued and outstanding at any given time, and (iii) the size of the Award Pool shall be equitably adjusted in the event of any share dividend, subdivision, reclassification, recapitalization, split, reverse split, combination, consolidation or similar transactions.
(b) To the extent that an Award terminates, expires, or lapses for any reason, any Shares subject to the Award shall again be available for the grant of an Award pursuant to the Plan. To the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, Shares issued in assumption of, or in substitution for, any outstanding awards of any entity acquired in any form or combination by a Group Entity shall not be counted against Shares available for grant pursuant to the Plan. Shares delivered by the Participant or withheld by the Company upon the exercise of any Award under the Plan, in payment of the exercise price thereof or tax withholding thereon, may again be optioned, granted or awarded hereunder, subject to the limitations of Section 3.1(a). If any Restricted Shares are forfeited by the Participant or repurchased by the Company, such Shares may again be optioned, granted or awarded hereunder, subject to the limitations of Section 3.1(a). Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 3.1(b), no Shares may again be optioned, granted or awarded if such action would cause an Incentive Share Option to fail to qualify as an incentive share option under Section 422 of the Code.
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3.2 Shares Distributed . Any Shares distributed pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Shares, treasury Shares (subject to Applicable Laws) or Shares purchased on the open market. Additionally, at the discretion of the Committee, any Shares distributed pursuant to an Award may be represented by American Depository Shares. If the number of Shares represented by an American Depository Share is other than on a one-to-one basis, the limitations of Section 3.1 shall be adjusted to reflect the distribution of American Depository Shares in lieu of Shares.
ARTICLE 4
ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
4.1 Eligibility . Persons eligible to participate in this Plan include Employees, Consultants, and Directors, as determined by the Committee.
4.2 Participation . Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee may, from time to time, select from among all eligible individuals, those to whom Awards shall be granted and shall determine the nature and amount of each Award. No individual shall have any right to be granted an Award pursuant to this Plan.
ARTICLE 5
OPTIONS
5.1 General . The Committee is authorized to grant Options to Participants on the following terms and conditions:
(a) Exercise Price . The exercise price per Share subject to an Option shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement which may be a fixed price or a variable price related to the Fair Market Value of the Shares. The exercise price per Share subject to an Option may be amended or adjusted in the absolute discretion of the Committee, the determination of which shall be final, binding and conclusive. For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent not prohibited by Applicable Laws or any exchange rule, a downward adjustment of the exercise prices of Options mentioned in the preceding sentence shall be effective without the approval of the Companys shareholders or the approval of the affected Participants.
(b) Time and Conditions of Exercise . The Committee shall determine the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part, including exercise prior to vesting; provided that the term of any Option granted under the Plan shall not exceed ten years, except as provided in Section 12.1. The Committee shall also determine any conditions, if any, that must be satisfied before all or part of an Option may be exercised.
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(c) Payment . The Committee shall determine the methods by which the exercise price of an Option may be paid, the form of payment, including, without limitation (i) cash or check denominated in U.S. Dollars, (ii) to the extent permissible under the Applicable Laws, cash or check in Chinese Renminbi, (iii) cash or check denominated in any other local currency as approved by the Committee, (iv) Shares held for such period of time as may be required by the Committee in order to avoid adverse financial accounting consequences and having a Fair Market Value on the date of delivery equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Option or exercised portion thereof, (v) after the Trading Date the delivery of a notice that the Participant has placed a market sell order with a broker with respect to Shares then issuable upon exercise of the Option, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to the Company in satisfaction of the Option exercise price; provided that payment of such proceeds is then made to the Company upon settlement of such sale, (vi) other property acceptable to the Committee with a Fair Market Value equal to the exercise price, or (vii) any combination of the foregoing. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Participant who is a member of the Board or an executive officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act shall be permitted to pay the exercise price of an Option in any method which would violate Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act.
(d) Effects of Termination of Employment or Service on Options . Termination of employment or service shall have the following effects on Options granted to the Participants:
(i) Dismissal for Cause . Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participants employment by or service to the Service Recipient is terminated by the Service Recipient for Cause, the Participants Options will terminate upon such termination, whether or not the Option is then vested and/or exercisable;
(ii) Death or Disability . Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participants employment by or service to the Service Recipient terminates as a result of the Participants death or Disability:
(a) |
the Participant (or his or her legal representative or beneficiary, in the case of the Participants Disability or death, respectively), will have until the date that is 12 months after the Participants termination of Employment to exercise the Participants Options (or portion thereof) to the extent that such Options were vested and exercisable on the date of the Participants termination of Employment on account of death or Disability; |
(b) |
the Options, to the extent not vested and exercisable on the date of the Participants termination of Employment or service, shall terminate upon the Participants termination of Employment or service on account of death or Disability; and |
(c) |
the Options, to the extent exercisable for the 12-month period following the Participants termination of Employment or service and not exercised during such period, shall terminate at the close of business on the last day of the 12-month period. |
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(iii) Other Terminations of Employment or Service . Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participants employment by or service to the Service Recipient terminates for any reason other than a termination by the Service Recipient for Cause or because of the Participants death or Disability:
(a) |
the Participant will have until the date that is 90 days after the Participants termination of Employment or service to exercise his or her Options (or portion thereof) to the extent that such Options were vested and exercisable on the date of the Participants termination of Employment or service; |
(b) |
the Options, to the extent not vested and exercisable on the date of the Participants termination of Employment or service, shall terminate upon the Participants termination of Employment or service; and |
(c) |
the Options, to the extent exercisable for the 90-day period following the Participants termination of Employment or service and not exercised during such period, shall terminate at the close of business on the last day of the 90-day period. |
5.2 Incentive Share Options . Incentive Share Options may be granted to Employees of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company. Incentive Share Options may not be granted to employees of a Related Entity or to Independent Directors or Consultants. The terms of any Incentive Share Options granted pursuant to the Plan, in addition to the requirements of Section 5.1, must comply with the following additional provisions of this Section 5.2:
(a) Individual Dollar Limitation . The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time the Option is granted) of all Shares with respect to which Incentive Share Options are first exercisable by a Participant in any calendar year may not exceed $100,000 or such other limitation as imposed by Section 422(d) of the Code, or any successor provision. To the extent that Incentive Share Options are first exercisable by a Participant in excess of such limitation, the excess shall be considered Non-Qualified Share Options.
(b) Exercise Price . The exercise price of an Incentive Share Option shall be equal to the Fair Market Value on the date of grant. However, the exercise price of any Incentive Share Option granted to any individual who, at the date of grant, owns Shares possessing more than ten percent of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company may not be less than 110% of Fair Market Value on the date of grant and such Option may not be exercisable for more than five years from the date of grant.
(c) Transfer Restriction . The Participant shall give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of Shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Share Option within (i) two years from the date of grant of such Incentive Share Option or (ii) one year after the transfer of such Shares to the Participant.
(d) Expiration of Incentive Share Options . No Award of an Incentive Share Option may be made pursuant to this Plan after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date.
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(e) Right to Exercise . During a Participants lifetime, an Incentive Share Option may be exercised only by the Participant.
ARTICLE 6
RESTRICTED SHARES
6.1 Grant of Restricted Shares . The Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Shares to Participants as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. The Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine the number of Restricted Shares to be granted to each Participant.
6.2 Restricted Shares Award Agreement . Each Award of Restricted Shares shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the period of restriction, the number of Restricted Shares granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, Restricted Shares shall be held by the Company as escrow agent until the restrictions on such Restricted Shares have lapsed.
6.3 Issuance and Restrictions . Restricted Shares shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability and other restrictions as the Committee may impose (including, without limitation, limitations on the right to vote Restricted Shares or the right to receive dividends on the Restricted Shares). These restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such times, pursuant to such circumstances, in such installments, or otherwise, as the Committee determines at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter.
6.4 Forfeiture/Repurchase . Except as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable restriction period, Restricted Shares that are at that time subject to restrictions shall be forfeited or repurchased in accordance with the Award Agreement; provided, however, the Committee may (a) provide in any Restricted Share Award Agreement that restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Shares will be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and (b) in other cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Shares.
6.5 Certificates for Restricted Shares . Restricted Shares granted pursuant to the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Committee shall determine. If certificates representing Restricted Shares are registered in the name of the Participant, certificates must bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Shares, and the Company may, at its discretion, retain physical possession of the certificate until such time as all applicable restrictions lapse.
6.6 Removal of Restrictions . Except as otherwise provided in this Article 6, Restricted Shares granted under the Plan shall be released from escrow as soon as practicable after the last day of the period of restriction. The Committee, in its discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions shall lapse or be removed. After the restrictions have lapsed, the Participant shall be entitled to have any legend or legends under Section 6.5 removed from his or her Share certificate, and the Shares shall be freely transferable by the Participant, subject to applicable legal restrictions. The Committee (in its discretion) may establish procedures regarding the release of Shares from escrow and the removal of legends, as necessary or appropriate to minimize administrative burdens on the Company.
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ARTICLE 7
7.1 Grant of Restricted Share Units . The Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Share Units to Participants as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. The Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine the number of Restricted Share Units to be granted to each Participant.
7.2 Restricted Share Units Award Agreement . Each Award of Restricted Share Units shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify any vesting conditions, the number of Restricted Share Units granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine.
7.3 Form and Timing of Payment of Restricted Share Units . At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the date or dates on which the Restricted Share Units shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable. Upon vesting, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may pay Restricted Share Units in the form of cash, Shares or a combination thereof.
7.4 Forfeiture/Repurchase . Except as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable restriction period, Restricted Share Units that are at that time unvested shall be forfeited or repurchased in accordance with the Award Agreement; provided, however , the Committee may (a) provide in any Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement that restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Share Units will be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and (b) in other cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Share Units.
ARTICLE 8
PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO AWARDS
8.1 Award Agreement . Awards under the Plan shall be evidenced by Award Agreements that set forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each Award which may include the term of an Award, the provisions applicable in the event the Participants employment or service terminates, and the Companys authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind an Award.
8.2 No Transferability; Limited Exception to Transfer Restrictions .
8.2.1 Limits on Transfer . Unless otherwise expressly provided in (or pursuant to) this Section 8.2, by applicable law and by the Award Agreement, as the same may be amended:
(a) all Awards are non-transferable and will not be subject in any manner to sale, transfer, anticipation, alienation, assignment, pledge, encumbrance or charge;
(b) Awards will be exercised only by the Participant; and
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(c) amounts payable or shares issuable pursuant to an Award will be delivered only to (or for the account of), and, in the case of Shares, registered in the name of, the Participant.
In addition, the shares shall be subject to the restrictions set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
8.2.2 Further Exceptions to Limits on Transfer . The exercise and transfer restrictions in Section 8.2.1 will not apply to:
(a) transfers to the Company or a Subsidiary;
(b) transfers by gift to immediate family as that term is defined in SEC Rule 16a-1(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act;
(c) the designation of a beneficiary to receive benefits if the Participant dies or, if the Participant has died, transfers to or exercises by the Participants beneficiary, or, in the absence of a validly designated beneficiary, transfers by will or the laws of descent and distribution; or
(d) if the Participant has suffered a disability, permitted transfers or exercises on behalf of the Participant by the Participants duly authorized legal representative; or
(e) subject to the prior approval of the Committee or an executive officer or director of the Company authorized by the Committee, transfer to one or more natural persons who are the Participants family members or entities owned and controlled by the Participant and/or the Participants family members, including but not limited to trusts or other entities whose beneficiaries or beneficial owners are the Participant and/or the Participants family members, or to such other persons or entities as may be expressly approved by the Committee, pursuant to such conditions and procedures as the Committee or may establish. Any permitted transfer shall be subject to the condition that the Committee receives evidence satisfactory to it that the transfer is being made for estate and/or tax planning purposes and on a basis consistent with the Companys lawful issue of securities.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Section 8.2.2 to the contrary, but subject to compliance with all Applicable Laws, Incentive Share Options, Restricted Shares and Restricted Share Units will be subject to any and all transfer restrictions under the Code applicable to such Awards or necessary to maintain the intended tax consequences of such Awards. Notwithstanding clause (b) above but subject to compliance with all Applicable Laws, any contemplated transfer by gift to immediate family as referenced in clause (b) above is subject to the condition precedent that the transfer be approved by the Administrator in order for it to be effective.
8.3 Beneficiaries . Notwithstanding Section 8.2, a Participant may, in the manner determined by the Committee, designate a beneficiary to exercise the rights of the Participant and to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the Participants death. A beneficiary, legal guardian, legal representative, or other person claiming any rights pursuant to the Plan is subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan and any Award Agreement applicable to the Participant, except to the extent the Plan and Award Agreement otherwise provide, and to any additional restrictions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee. If the Participant is married and resides in a community property state, a designation of a person other than the Participants spouse as his or her beneficiary with respect to more than 50% of the Participants interest in the Award shall not be effective without the prior written consent of the Participants spouse. If no beneficiary has been designated or survives the Participant, payment shall be made to the person entitled thereto pursuant to the Participants will or the laws of descent and distribution. Subject to the foregoing, a beneficiary designation may be changed or revoked by a Participant at any time provided the change or revocation is filed with the Committee.
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8.4 Performance Objectives and Other Terms . The Committee, in its discretion, shall set performance objectives or other vesting criteria which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value of the Awards that will be granted or paid out to the Participants.
ARTICLE 9
CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE
9.1 Adjustments . In the event of any dividend, share split, combination or exchange of Shares, amalgamation, arrangement or consolidation, spin-off, recapitalization or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of Company assets to its shareholders, or any other change affecting the shares of Shares or the share price of a Share, the Committee shall make such proportionate adjustments, if any, as the Committee in its discretion may deem appropriate to reflect such change with respect to (a) the aggregate number and type of shares that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the limitations in Section 3.1); (b) the terms and conditions of any outstanding Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto); and (c) the grant or exercise price per share for any outstanding Awards under the Plan.
9.2 Corporate Transactions . Except as may otherwise be provided in any Award Agreement or any other written agreement entered into by and between the Company and a Participant, if the Committee anticipates the occurrence, or upon the occurrence, of a Corporate Transaction, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide for (i) any and all Awards outstanding hereunder to terminate at a specific time in the future and shall give each Participant the right to exercise the vested portion of such Awards during a period of time as the Committee shall determine, or (ii) the purchase of any Award for an amount of cash equal to the amount that could have been attained upon the exercise of such Award (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of such date the Committee determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment), or (iii) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Committee in its sole discretion or the assumption of or substitution of such Award by the successor or surviving corporation, or a Parent or Subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of Shares and prices, or (iv) payment of such Award in cash based on the value of Shares on the date of the Corporate Transaction plus reasonable interest on the Award through the date as determined by the Committee when such Award would otherwise be vested or have been paid in accordance with its original terms, if necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code.
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9.3 Outstanding Awards Other Changes . In the event of any other change in the capitalization of the Company or corporate change other than those specifically referred to in this Article 9, the Committee may, in its absolute discretion, make such adjustments in the number and class of shares subject to Awards outstanding on the date on which such change occurs and in the per share grant or exercise price of each Award as the Committee may consider appropriate to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights.
9.4 No Other Rights . Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no Participant shall have any rights by reason of any subdivision or consolidation of Shares of any class, the payment of any dividend, any increase or decrease in the number of shares of any class or any dissolution, liquidation, merger, or consolidation of the Company or any other corporation. Except as expressly provided in the Plan or pursuant to action of the Committee under the Plan, and no issuance by the Company of shares of any class, or securities convertible into shares of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of Shares subject to an Award or the grant or exercise price of any Award.
ARTICLE 10
ADMINISTRATION
10.1 Committee . The Plan shall be administered by the Board or a committee of one or more members of the Board (the Committee ) to whom the Board shall delegate the authority to grant or amend Awards to Participants other than any of the Committee members, Independent Directors and executive officers of the Company. Reference to the Committee shall refer to the Board in absence of the Committee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the full Board, acting by majority of its members in office, shall conduct the general administration of the Plan if required by Applicable Laws, and with respect to Awards granted to the Committee members, Independent Directors and executive officers of the Company and for purposes of such Awards the term Committee as used in the Plan shall be deemed to refer to the Board.
10.2 Action by the Committee . A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. The acts of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, and acts approved unanimously in writing all members of the Committee in lieu of a meeting, shall be deemed the acts of the Committee. Each member of the Committee is entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to that member by any officer or other employee of a Group Entity, the Companys independent certified public accountants, or any executive compensation consultant or other professional retained by the Company to assist in the administration of the Plan.
10.3 Authority of the Committee . Subject to any specific designation in the Plan, the Committee has the exclusive power, authority and discretion to:
(a) designate Participants to receive Awards;
(b) determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant;
(c) determine the number of Awards to be granted and the number of Shares to which an Award will relate;
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(d) determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted pursuant to the Plan, including, but not limited to, the exercise price, grant price, or purchase price, any restrictions or limitations on the Award, any schedule for lapse of forfeiture restrictions or restrictions on the exercisability of an Award, and accelerations or waivers thereof, and any provisions related to non-competition and recapture of gain on an Award, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee in its sole discretion determines;
(e) determine whether, to what extent, and pursuant to what circumstances an Award may be settled in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in, cash, Shares, other Awards, or other property, or an Award may be canceled, forfeited, or surrendered;
(f) prescribe the form of each Award Agreement, which need not be identical for each Participant;
(g) decide all other matters that must be determined in connection with an Award;
(h) establish, adopt, or revise any rules and regulations as it may deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;
(i) interpret the terms of, and any matter arising pursuant to, the Plan or any Award Agreement;
(j) amend terms and conditions of Award Agreements; and
(k) make all other decisions and determinations that may be required pursuant to the Plan or as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to administer the Plan, including design and adopt from time to time new types of Awards that are in compliance with Applicable Laws.
10.4 Decisions Binding . The Committees interpretation of the Plan, any Awards granted pursuant to the Plan, any Award Agreement and all decisions and determinations by the Committee with respect to the Plan are final, binding, and conclusive on all parties.
ARTICLE 11
EFFECTIVE AND EXPIRATION DATE
11.1 Effective Date . The Plan shall become effective as of the date on which the Board adopts the Plan or as otherwise specified by the Board when adopting the Plan (the Effective Date ).
11.2 Expiration Date . The Plan will expire on, and no Award may be granted pursuant to the Plan after, the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date. Any Awards that are outstanding on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date shall remain in force according to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.
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ARTICLE 12
AMENDMENT, MODIFICATION, AND TERMINATION
12.1 Amendment, Modification, and Termination . At any time and from time to time, the Board may terminate, amend or modify the Plan; provided, however, that (a) to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws or stock exchange rules, the Company shall obtain shareholder approval of any Plan amendment in such a manner and to such a degree as required, unless the Company decides to follow home country practice, and (b) unless the Company decides to follow home country practice, shareholder approval is required for any amendment to the Plan that (i) increases the number of Shares available under the Plan (other than any adjustment as provided by Article 9 or Section 3.1(a)), or (ii) permits the Committee to extend the term of the Plan or the exercise period for an Option beyond ten years from the date of grant.
12.2 Awards Previously Granted . Except with respect to amendments made pursuant to Section 12.1, no termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted pursuant to the Plan without the prior written consent of the Participant.
ARTICLE 13
GENERAL PROVISIONS
13.1 No Rights to Awards . No Participant, employee, or other person shall have any claim to be granted any Award pursuant to the Plan, and neither the Company nor the Committee is obligated to treat Participants, employees, and other persons uniformly.
13.2 No Shareholders Rights . No Award gives the Participant any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company unless and until Shares are in fact issued to such person in connection with such Award.
13.3 Taxes . No Shares shall be delivered under the Plan to any Participant until such Participant has made arrangements acceptable to the Committee for the satisfaction of any income and employment tax withholding obligations under Applicable Laws. The Company or any Subsidiary shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy all applicable taxes (including the Participants payroll tax obligations) required or permitted by Applicable Laws to be withheld with respect to any taxable event concerning a Participant arising as a result of this Plan. The Committee may in its discretion and in satisfaction of the foregoing requirement allow a Participant to elect to have the Company withhold Shares otherwise issuable under an Award (or allow the return of Shares) having a Fair Market Value equal to the sums required to be withheld. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the number of Shares which may be withheld with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of any Award (or which may be repurchased from the Participant of such Award after such Shares were acquired by the Participant from the Company) in order to satisfy any income and payroll tax liabilities applicable to the Participant with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of the Award shall, unless specifically approved by the Committee, be limited to the number of Shares which have a Fair Market Value on the date of withholding or repurchase equal to the aggregate amount of such liabilities based on the minimum statutory withholding rates for the applicable income and payroll tax purposes that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income.
13.4 No Right to Employment or Services . Nothing in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Service Recipient to terminate any Participants employment or services at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue in the employment or services of any Service Recipient.
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13.5 Unfunded Status of Awards . The Plan is intended to be an unfunded plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give the Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the relevant Group Entity.
13.6 Indemnification . To the extent allowable pursuant to Applicable Laws, each member of the Committee or of the Board shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action or failure to act pursuant to the Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in satisfaction of judgment in such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her; provided he or she gives the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled pursuant to the Companys Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.
13.7 Expenses . The expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Group Entities.
13.8 Fractional Shares . No fractional Shares shall be issued and the Committee shall determine, in its discretion, whether cash shall be given in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares shall be eliminated by rounding up or down as appropriate.
13.9 Government and Other Regulations . The obligation of the Company to make payment of awards in Shares or otherwise shall be subject to all Applicable Laws, and to such approvals by government agencies as may be required. The Company shall be under no obligation to register any of the Shares paid pursuant to the Plan under the Securities Act or any other similar law in any applicable jurisdiction. If the Shares paid pursuant to the Plan may in certain circumstances be exempt from registration pursuant to the Securities Act or other Applicable Laws, the Company may restrict the transfer of such Shares in such manner as it deems advisable to ensure the availability of any such exemption.
13.10 Governing Law . The Plan and all Award Agreements shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands.
13.11 Section 409A . To the extent that the Committee determines that any Award granted under the Plan is or may become subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Award Agreement evidencing such Award shall incorporate the terms and conditions required by Section 409A of the Code. To the extent applicable, the Plan and the Award Agreements shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code and the U.S. Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretative guidance issued thereunder, including without limitation any such regulation or other guidance that may be issued after the Effective Date. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the event that following the Effective Date the Committee determines that any Award may be subject to Section 409A of the Code and related Department of Treasury guidance (including such Department of Treasury guidance as may be issued after the Effective Date), the Committee may adopt such amendments to the Plan and the applicable Award agreement or adopt other policies and procedures (including amendments, policies and procedures with retroactive effect), or take any other actions, that the Committee determines are necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Award from Section 409A of the Code and/or preserve the intended tax treatment of the benefits provided with respect to the Award, or (b) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and related U.S. Department of Treasury guidance.
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Exhibit 10.3
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (this Agreement ) is made as of , 2018 by and between LAIX Inc., an exempted company with limited liability incorporated and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company ), and ([Passport/ID] Number ) (the Indemnitee ).
WHEREAS, the Indemnitee has agreed to serve as a director or executive officer of the Company and in such capacity will render valuable services to the Company; and
WHEREAS, in order to induce and encourage highly experienced and capable persons such as the Indemnitee to render valuable services to the Company, the board of directors of the Company (the Board of Directors ) has determined that this Agreement is not only reasonable and prudent, but necessary to promote and ensure the best interests of the Company and its shareholders;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual agreements hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, including, without limitation, the service of the Indemnitee, the receipt of which hereby is acknowledged, and in order to induce the Indemnitee to render valuable services the Company, the Company and the Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions. As used in this Agreement:
(a) Change in Control shall mean a change in control of the Company of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or in response to any similar item on any similar or successor schedule or form) promulgated under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the Act ), whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement; provided, however, that, without limitation, such a Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred (irrespective of the applicability of the initial clause of this definition) if (i) any person (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Act, but excluding any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities pursuant to an employee benefit or welfare plan or employee share plan of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company, or any entity organized, appointed, established or holding securities of the Company with voting power for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing 30% or more of the combined voting power of the Companys then outstanding securities without the prior approval of at least two-thirds of the Continuing Directors (as defined below) in office immediately prior to such persons attaining such interest; (ii) the Company is a party to a merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement, sale of assets or other reorganization, or a proxy contest, as a consequence of which Continuing Directors in office immediately prior to such transaction or event constitute less than a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company (or any successor entity) thereafter; or (iii) during any period of two (2) consecutive years, Continuing Directors cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company.
(b) Continuing Director shall mean an individual (i) who served on the Board of Directors of the Company at the effective date of the Companys registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Companys initial public offering; or (ii) whose election or nomination for election by the Companys shareholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Continuing Directors then in office.
(c) Disinterested Director with respect to any request by the Indemnitee for indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder shall mean a director of the Company who neither is nor was a party to the Proceeding (as defined below) in respect of which indemnification or advancement is being sought by the Indemnitee.
(d) The term Expenses shall mean, without limitation, expenses of Proceedings, including attorneys fees, disbursements and retainers, accounting and witness fees, expenses related to preparation for service as a witness and to service as a witness, travel and deposition costs, expenses of investigations, judicial or administrative proceedings and appeals, amounts paid in settlement of a Proceeding by or on behalf of the Indemnitee, costs of attachment or similar bonds, any expenses of attempting to establish or establishing a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses, under this Agreement, the Companys Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association as currently in effect (the Articles ), applicable law or otherwise, and reasonable compensation for time spent by the Indemnitee in connection with the investigation, defense or appeal of a Proceeding or action for indemnification for which the Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party. The term Expenses shall not include the amount of judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are actually levied against or sustained by the Indemnitee to the extent sustained after final adjudication.
(e) The term Independent Legal Counsel shall mean any firm of attorneys reasonably selected by the Board of Directors of the Company, so long as such firm has not represented the Company, the Companys subsidiaries or affiliates, the Indemnitee, any entity controlled by the Indemnitee, or any party adverse to the Company, within the preceding five (5) years. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term Independent Legal Counsel shall not include any person who, under applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or the Indemnitee in an action to determine the Indemnitees right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement, the Companys Articles, applicable law or otherwise.
(f) The term Proceeding shall mean any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, or other proceeding (including, without limitation, an appeal therefrom), formal or informal, whether brought in the name of the Company or otherwise, whether of a civil, criminal, administrative or investigative nature, and whether by, in or involving a court or an administrative, other governmental or private entity or body (including, without limitation, an investigation by the Company or its Board of Directors), by reason of (i) the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, whether or not the Indemnitee is serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification or reimbursement is to be provided under this Agreement, (ii) any actual or alleged act or omission or neglect or breach of duty, including, without limitation, any actual or alleged error or misstatement or misleading statement, which the Indemnitee commits or suffers while acting in any such capacity, or (iii) the Indemnitee attempting to establish or establishing a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to this Agreement, the Companys Articles, applicable law or otherwise.
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(g) The phrase serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise or any similar terminology shall mean, unless the context otherwise requires, serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, employee benefit or welfare plan or other enterprise, foreign or domestic. The phrase serving at the request of the Company shall include, without limitation, any service as a director/an executive officer of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director/executive officer with respect to the Company or any of the Companys subsidiaries, affiliates, employee benefit or welfare plans, such plans participants or beneficiaries or any other enterprise, foreign or domestic. In the event that the Indemnitee shall be a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, employee benefit or welfare plan or other enterprise, foreign or domestic, 50% or more of the ordinary shares, combined voting power or total equity interest of which is owned by the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof, then it shall be presumed conclusively that the Indemnitee is so acting at the request of the Company.
2. Services by the Indemnitee . The Indemnitee agrees to serve as a director or officer of the Company under the terms of the Indemnitees agreement with the Company for so long as the Indemnitee is duly elected or appointed or until such time as the Indemnitee tenders a resignation in writing or is removed from the Indemnitees position; provided, however, that the Indemnitee may at any time and for any reason resign from such position (subject to any other contractual obligation or other obligation imposed by operation of law).
3. Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company . The Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee if the Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, against all Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement of such a Proceeding, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner the Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company; except that no indemnification under this section shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudicated by final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to be liable to the Company for willful misconduct in the performance of his/her duty to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the court in which such Proceeding was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such amounts which such other court shall deem proper.
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4. Proceeding Other Than a Proceeding by or in the Right of the Company . The Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee if the Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any Proceeding (other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company) by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, against all Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such a Proceeding, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law; provided, however, that any settlement of a Proceeding must be approved in advance in writing by the Company (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld).
5. Indemnification for Costs, Charges and Expenses of Witness or Successful Party . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (except as set forth in subparagraph 9(a) hereof), and without a requirement for determination as required by Paragraph 8 hereof, to the extent that the Indemnitee (a) has prepared to serve or has served as a witness in any Proceeding in any way relating to (i) the Company or any of the Companys subsidiaries, affiliates, employee benefit or welfare plans or such plans participants or beneficiaries or (ii) anything done or not done by the Indemnitee as a director or officer of the Company or in connection with serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, or (b) has been successful in defense of any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, on the merits or otherwise, including the dismissal of a Proceeding without prejudice or the settlement of a Proceeding without an admission of liability, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection therewith to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.
6. Partial Indemnification . If the Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for a portion of the Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any Proceeding, but not, however, for the total amount of the Indemnitees Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify the Indemnitee for the portion of such Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties to which the Indemnitee is entitled.
7. Advancement of Expenses . The Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in any Proceeding shall be paid promptly by the Company in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding at the written request of the Indemnitee, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law; provided, however, that the Indemnitee shall set forth in such request reasonable evidence that such Expenses have been incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such Proceeding, a statement that such Expenses do not relate to any matter described in subparagraph 9(a) of this Agreement, and an undertaking in writing to repay any advances if it is ultimately determined as provided in subparagraph 8(b) of this Agreement that the Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement.
8. Indemnification Procedure; Determination of Right to Indemnification .
(a) Promptly after receipt by the Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any Proceeding, the Indemnitee shall, if a claim for indemnification or advancement of Expenses in respect thereof is to be made against the Company under this Agreement, notify the Company of the commencement thereof in writing. The failure and delay to so notify the Company will not relieve the Company from any liability which the Company may have to the Indemnitee under this Agreement unless the Company shall have lost significant substantive or procedural rights with respect to the defense of any Proceeding as a result of such omission to so notify.
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(b) The Indemnitee shall be conclusively presumed to have met the relevant standards of conduct, if any, as defined by applicable law, for indemnification pursuant to this Agreement and shall be absolutely entitled to such indemnification, unless a determination is made that the Indemnitee has not met such standards by (i) the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum thereof consisting of Disinterested Directors, (ii) the shareholders of the Company by majority vote of a quorum thereof consisting of shareholders who are not parties to the Proceeding due to which a claim for indemnification is made under this Agreement, (iii) Independent Legal Counsel as set forth in a written opinion (it being understood that such Independent Legal Counsel shall make such determination only if the quorum of Disinterested Directors referred to in clause (i) of this subparagraph 8(b) is not obtainable or if the Board of Directors of the Company by a majority vote of a quorum thereof consisting of Disinterested Directors so directs), or (iv) a court of competent jurisdiction; provided, however, that if a Change in Control shall have occurred and the Indemnitee so requests in writing, such determination shall be made only by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) If a claim for indemnification or advancement of Expenses under this Agreement is not paid by the Company within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of written notice thereof, the rights provided by this Agreement shall be enforceable by the Indemnitee in any court of competent jurisdiction. Such judicial proceeding shall be made de novo. The burden of proving that indemnification or advances are not appropriate shall be on the Company. Neither the failure of the directors or shareholders of the Company or Independent Legal Counsel to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification or advancement of Expenses is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct, if any, nor an actual determination by the directors or shareholders of the Company or Independent Legal Counsel that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct shall be a defense to an action by the Indemnitee or create a presumption for the purpose of such an action that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct. The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself (i) create a presumption that the Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the Company and/or its shareholders, and, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, that the Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful or (ii) otherwise adversely affect the rights of the Indemnitee to indemnification or advancement of Expenses under this Agreement, except as may be provided herein.
(d) If a court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that the Indemnitee is entitled to any indemnification or advancement of Expenses hereunder, the Company shall pay all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such adjudication (including, but not limited to, any appellate proceedings).
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(e) With respect to any Proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of Expenses is requested, the Company will be entitled to participate therein at its own expense and, except as otherwise provided below, to the extent that it may wish, the Company may assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnitee. After notice from the Company to the Indemnitee of its election to assume the defense of a Proceeding, the Company will not be liable to the Indemnitee under this Agreement for any Expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defense thereof, other than as provided below. The Company shall not settle any Proceeding in any manner which would impose any penalty or limitation on the Indemnitee without the Indemnitees written consent. The Indemnitee shall have the right to employ his/her own counsel in any Proceeding, but the fees and expenses of such counsel incurred after notice from the Company of its assumption of the defense of the Proceeding shall be at the expense of the Indemnitee, unless (i) the employment of counsel by the Indemnitee has been authorized by the Company, (ii) the Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee in the conduct of the defense of a Proceeding, or (iii) the Company shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defense of a proceeding, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of the Indemnitees counsel shall be advanced by the Company. The Company shall not be entitled to assume the defense of any Proceeding brought by or on behalf of the Company or as to which the Indemnitee has reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee.
9. Limitations on Indemnification . No payments pursuant to this Agreement shall be made by the Company:
(a) To indemnify or advance funds to the Indemnitee for Expenses with respect to (i) Proceedings initiated or brought voluntarily by the Indemnitee and not by way of defense, except with respect to Proceedings brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification under this Agreement or any other statute or law or otherwise as required under applicable law or (ii) Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with preparing to serve or serving as a witness in cooperation with any party or entity who or which has threatened or commenced any action or proceeding against the Company, or any director, officer, employee, trustee, agent, representative, subsidiary, parent corporation or affiliate of the Company, but such indemnification or advancement of Expenses in each such case may be provided by the Company if the Board of Directors finds it to be appropriate;
(b) To indemnify the Indemnitee for any Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties sustained in any Proceeding for which payment is actually made to the Indemnitee under a valid and collectible insurance policy, except in respect of any excess beyond the amount of payment under such insurance;
(c) To indemnify the Indemnitee for any Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties sustained in any Proceeding for an accounting of profits made from the purchase or sale by the Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Act or similar provisions of any foreign or United States federal, state or local statute or regulation;
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(d) To indemnify the Indemnitee for any Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties for which the Indemnitee is indemnified by the Company otherwise than pursuant to this Agreement;
(e) To indemnify the Indemnitee for any Expenses (including without limitation any Expenses relating to a Proceeding attempting to enforce this Agreement), judgments, fines, interest or penalties on account of the Indemnitees conduct if such conduct shall be finally adjudged to have been knowingly fraudulent or deliberately dishonest or to have constituted willful misconduct, including, without limitation, breach of the duty of loyalty; or
(f) If a court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that any indemnification hereunder is unlawful. In this respect, the Company and the Indemnitee have been advised that the Securities and Exchange Commission takes the position that indemnification for liabilities arising under securities laws is against public policy and is, therefore, unenforceable;
(g) To indemnify the Indemnitee in connection with Indemnitees personal tax matter; or
(h) To indemnify the Indemnitee with respect to any claim related to any dispute or breach arising under any contract or similar obligation between the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates and such Indemnitee.
10. Continuation of Indemnification . All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period that the Indemnitee is a director or officer of the Company (or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, foreign or domestic) and shall continue thereafter so long as the Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible Proceeding by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee was a director or officer of the Company or serving in any other capacity referred to in this Paragraph 10.
11. Indemnification Hereunder Not Exclusive . The indemnification provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed to be exclusive of any other rights to which the Indemnitee may be entitled under the Companys Articles, any agreement, vote of shareholders or vote of Disinterested Directors, provisions of applicable law, or otherwise, both as to action or omission in the Indemnitees official capacity and as to action or omission in another capacity on behalf of the Company while holding such office.
12. Successors and Assigns .
(a) This Agreement shall be binding upon the Indemnitee, and shall inure to the benefit of, the Indemnitee and the Indemnitees heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, whether or not the Indemnitee has ceased to be a director or officer, and the Company and its successors and assigns. Upon the sale of all or substantially all of the business, assets or share capital of the Company to, or upon the merger of the Company into or with, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other person, this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon both the Indemnitee and such purchaser or successor person. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the prior written consent of the other party hereto.
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(b) If the Indemnitee is deceased and is entitled to indemnification under any provision of this Agreement, the Company shall indemnify the Indemnitees estate and the Indemnitees spouse, heirs, executors, administrators and assigns against, and the Company shall, and does hereby agree to assume, any and all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by or for the Indemnitee or the Indemnitees estate, in connection with the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any Proceeding. Further, when requested in writing by the spouse of the Indemnitee, and/or the Indemnitees heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, the Company shall provide appropriate evidence of the Companys agreement set out herein to indemnify the Indemnitee against and to itself assume such Expenses.
13. Subrogation . In the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee, who shall execute all documents required and shall do all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable the Company effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.
14. Severability . Each and every paragraph, sentence, term and provision of this Agreement is separate and distinct so that if any paragraph, sentence, term or provision thereof shall be held to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable for any reason, such invalidity, unlawfulness or unenforceability shall not affect the validity, unlawfulness or enforceability of any other paragraph, sentence, term or provision hereof. To the extent required, any paragraph, sentence, term or provision of this Agreement may be modified by a court of competent jurisdiction to preserve its validity and to provide the Indemnitee with the broadest possible indemnification permitted under applicable law. The Companys inability, pursuant to a court order or decision, to perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement.
15. Savings Clause . If this Agreement or any paragraph, sentence, term or provision hereof is invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify the Indemnitee as to any Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are incurred with respect to any Proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by any (a) applicable paragraph, sentence, term or provision of this Agreement that has not been invalidated or (b) applicable law.
16. Interpretation; Governing Law . This Agreement shall be construed as a whole and in accordance with its fair meaning and any ambiguities shall not be construed for or against either party. Headings are for convenience only and shall not be used in construing meaning. This Agreement shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
17. Amendments . No amendment, waiver, modification, termination or cancellation of this Agreement shall be effective unless in writing signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought. The indemnification rights afforded to the Indemnitee hereby are contract rights and may not be diminished, eliminated or otherwise affected by amendments to the Companys Articles, or by other agreements, including directors and officers liability insurance policies, of the Company.
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18. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other.
19. Notices . Any notice required to be given under this Agreement shall be directed to the Chief Financial Officer of the Company at 3/F, Building B, No.1687 Changyang Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China, and to the Indemnitee at or to such other address as either shall designate to the other in writing.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Indemnification Agreement as of the date first written above.
INDEMNITEE | ||
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Name: | ||
LAIX Inc. |
By: |
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Name: | ||
Title: |
[ Signature Page to Indemnification Agreement ]
Exhibit 10.4
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the Agreement ) is entered into as of , 20 by and between LAIX Inc., an exempted company incorporated and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company ) and , an individual with [passport/ID number] (the Executive ).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company desires to employ the Executive and to assure itself of the services of the Executive during the term of Employment (as defined below) and under the terms and conditions of the Agreement;
WHEREAS, the Executive desires to be employed by the Company during the term of Employment and under the terms and conditions of the Agreement;
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained, the Company and the Executive agree as follows:
1. |
EMPLOYMENT |
The Company hereby agrees to employ the Executive and the Executive hereby accepts such employment, on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth (the Employment ).
2. |
TERM |
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, the initial term of the Employment shall be years, commencing on , 20 (the Effective Date ) and ending on , 20 (the Initial Term ), unless terminated earlier pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. Upon expiration of the Initial Term of the Employment, the Employment shall be automatically extended for successive periods of months each (each, an Extension Period ) unless either party shall have given 60 days advance written notice to the other party, in the manner set forth in Section 19 below, prior to the end of the Extension Period in question, that the term of this Agreement that is in effect at the time such written notice is given is not to be extended or further extended, as the case may be (the period during which this Agreement is effective being referred to hereafter as the Term ).
3. |
POSITION AND DUTIES |
(a) |
During the Term, the Executive shall serve as of the Company or in such other position or positions with a level of duties and responsibilities consistent with the foregoing with the Company and/or its subsidiaries and affiliated entities as the board of directors of the Company (the Board ) may specify from time to time and shall have the duties, responsibilities and obligations customarily assigned to individuals serving in the position or positions in which the Executive serves hereunder and as assigned by the Board, or with the Boards authorization, by the Companys Chief Executive Officer. |
(b) |
The Executive agrees to serve without additional compensation, if elected or appointed thereto, as a director of the Company or any subsidiaries or affiliated entities of the Company (collectively, the Group ) and as a member of any committees of the board of directors of any such entity, provided that the Executive is indemnified for serving in any and all such capacities on a basis no less favorable than is currently provided to any other director of any member of the Group. |
(c) |
The Executive agrees to devote all of his/her working time and efforts to the performance of his/her duties for the Company and to faithfully and diligently serve the Company in accordance with the Agreement and the guidelines, policies and procedures of the Company approved from time to time by the Board. |
4. |
NO BREACH OF CONTRACT |
The Executive hereby represents to the Company that: (i) the execution and delivery of the Agreement by the Executive and the performance by the Executive of the Executives duties hereunder shall not constitute a breach of, or otherwise contravene, the terms of any other agreement or policy to which the Executive is a party or by which the Executive is otherwise bound, except that the Executive does not make any representation with respect to agreements required to be entered into by and between the Executive and any member of the Group pursuant to the applicable law of the jurisdiction in which the Executive is based, if any; (ii) that the Executive is not in possession of any information (including, without limitation, confidential information and trade secrets) the knowledge of which would prevent the Executive from freely entering into the Agreement and carrying out his/her duties hereunder; and (iii) that the Executive is not bound by any confidentiality, trade secret or similar agreement with any person or entity other than any member of the Group.
5. |
LOCATION |
The Executive will be based in or any other location as requested by the Company during the Term.
6. |
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS |
(a) |
Cash Compensation . As compensation for the performance by the Executive of his/her obligations hereunder, during the Term, the Company shall pay the Executive cash compensation (inclusive of the statutory benefit contributions that the Company is required to set aside for the Executive under applicable law) pursuant to Schedule A hereto, subject to annual review and adjustment by the Board or any committee designated by the Board. |
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(b) |
Equity Incentives . During the Term, the Executive shall be eligible to participate, at a level comparable to similarly situated executives of the Company, in such long-term compensation arrangements as may be authorized from time to time by the Board, including any share incentive plan the Company may adopt from time to time in its sole discretion. |
(c) |
Benefits . During the Term, the Executive shall be entitled to participate in all of the employee benefit plans and arrangements made available by the Company to its similarly situated executives, including, but not limited to, any retirement plan, medical insurance plan and travel/holiday policy, subject to and on a basis consistent with the terms, conditions and overall administration of such plans and arrangements. |
7. |
TERMINATION OF THE AGREEMENT |
The Employment may be terminated as follows:
(a) |
Death . The Employment shall terminate upon the Executives death. |
(b) |
Disability . The Employment shall terminate if the Executive has a disability, including any physical or mental impairment which, as reasonably determined by the Board, renders the Executive unable to perform the essential functions of his/her position at the Company, even with reasonable accommodation that does not impose an undue burden on the Company, for more than 180 days in any 12-month period, unless a longer period is required by applicable law, in which case that longer period shall apply. |
(c) |
Cause . The Company may terminate the Executives employment hereunder for Cause. The occurrence of any of the following, as reasonably determined by the Company, shall be a reason for Cause, provided that, if the Company determines that the circumstances constituting Cause are curable, then such circumstances shall not constitute Cause unless and until the Executive has been informed by the Company of the existence of Cause and given an opportunity of ten business days to cure, and such Cause remains uncured at the end of such ten-day period: |
(1) |
continued failure by the Executive to satisfactorily perform his/her duties; |
(2) |
willful misconduct or gross negligence by the Executive in the performance of his/her duties hereunder, including insubordination; |
(3) |
the Executives conviction or entry of a guilty or nolo contendere plea of any felony or any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; |
(4) |
the Executives commission of any act involving dishonesty that results in material financial, reputational or other harm, monetary or otherwise, to any member of the Group, including but not limited to an act constituting misappropriation or embezzlement of the property of any member of the Group as determined in good faith by the Board; or |
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(5) |
any material breach by the Executive of this Agreement. |
(d) |
Good Reason . The Executive may terminate his/her employment hereunder for Good Reason upon the occurrence, without the written consent of the Executive, of an event constituting a material breach of this Agreement by the Company that has not been fully cured within ten business days after written notice thereof has been given by the Executive to the Company setting forth in sufficient detail the conduct or activities the Executive believes constitute grounds for Good Reason, including but not limited to: the failure by the Company to pay to the Executive any portion of the Executives current compensation or to pay to the Executive any portion of an installment of deferred compensation under any deferred compensation program of the Company, within twenty business days of the date such compensation is due. |
(e) |
Without Cause by the Company; Without Good Reason by the Executive . The Company may terminate the Executives employment hereunder at any time without Cause upon 60-day prior written notice to the Executive. The Executive may terminate the Executives employment voluntarily for any reason or no reason at any time by giving 60-day prior written notice to the Company. |
(f) |
Notice of Termination . Any termination of the Executives employment under the Agreement shall be communicated by written notice of termination ( Notice of Termination ) from the terminating party to the other party. The notice of termination shall indicate the specific provision(s) of the Agreement relied upon in effecting the termination. |
(g) |
Date of Termination . The Date of Termination shall mean (i) the date specified in the Notice of Termination, or (ii) if the Executives employment is terminated by the Executives death, the date of his/her death. |
(h) |
Compensation upon Termination . |
(1) |
Death . If the Executives employment is terminated by reason of the Executives death, the Company shall have no further obligations to the Executive under this Agreement and the Executives benefits shall be determined under the Companys retirement, insurance and other benefit and compensation plans or programs then in effect in accordance with the terms of such plans and programs. |
(2) |
By Company without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason . If the Executives employment is terminated by the Company other than for Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall (i) continue to pay and otherwise provide to the Executive, during any notice period, all compensation, base salary and previously earned but unpaid incentive compensation, if any, and shall continue to allow the Executive to participate in any benefit plans in accordance with the terms of such plans during such notice period; and (ii) pay to the Executive, in lieu of benefits under any severance plan or policy of the Company, any such amount as may be agreed between the Company and the Executive. |
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(3) |
By Company for Cause or by the Executive other than for Good Reason . If the Executives employment shall be terminated by the Company for Cause or by the Executive other than for Good Reason, the Company shall pay the Executive his/her base salary at the rate in effect at the time Notice of Termination is given through the Date of Termination, and the Company shall have no additional obligations to the Executive under this Agreement. |
(i) |
Return of Company Property . The Executive agrees that following the termination of the Executives employment for any reason, or at any time prior to the Executives termination upon the request of the Company, he/she shall return all property of the Group that is then in or thereafter comes into his/her possession, including, but not limited to, any Confidential Information (as defined below) or Intellectual Property (as defined below), or any other documents, contracts, agreements, plans, photographs, projections, books, notes, records, electronically stored data and all copies, excerpts or summaries of the foregoing, as well as any automobile or other materials or equipment supplied by the Group to the Executive, if any. |
(j) |
Requirement for a Release . Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Companys obligations to pay or provide any benefits shall (1) cease as of the date the Executive breaches any of the provisions of Sections 8, 9 and 11 hereof, and (2) be conditioned on the Executive signing the Companys customary release of claims in favor of the Group and the expiration of any revocation period provided for in such release. |
8. |
CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONDISCLOSURE |
(a) |
Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure . |
(1) |
The Executive acknowledges and agrees that: (A) the Executive holds a position of trust and confidence with the Company and that his/her employment by the Company will require that the Executive have access to and knowledge of valuable and sensitive information, material, and devices relating to the Company and/or its business, activities, products, services, customers and vendors, including, but not limited to, the following, regardless of the form in which the same is accessed, maintained or stored: the identity of the Companys actual and prospective customers and, as applicable, their representatives; prior, current or future research or development activities of the Company; the products and services provided or offered by the Company to customers or potential customers and the manner in which such services are performed or to be performed; the product and/or service needs of actual or prospective customers; pricing and cost information; information concerning the development, engineering, design, specifications, acquisition or disposition of products and/or services of the Company; user base personal data, programs, software and source codes, licensing information, personnel information, advertising client information, vendor information, marketing plans and techniques, forecasts, and other trade secrets ( Confidential Information ); and (B) the direct and indirect disclosure of any such Confidential Information would place the Company at a competitive disadvantage and would do damage, monetary or otherwise, to the Companys business. |
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(2) |
During the Term and at all times thereafter, the Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, whether individually, as a director, stockholder, owner, partner, employee, consultant, principal or agent of any business, or in any other capacity, publish or make known, disclose, furnish, reproduce, make available, or utilize any of the Confidential Information without the prior express written approval of the Company, other than in the proper performance of the duties contemplated herein, unless and until such Confidential Information is or shall become general public knowledge through no fault of the Executive. |
(3) |
In the event that the Executive is required by law to disclose any Confidential Information, the Executive agrees to give the Company prompt advance written notice thereof and to provide the Company with reasonable assistance in obtaining an order to protect the Confidential Information from public disclosure. |
(4) |
The failure to mark any Confidential Information as confidential shall not affect its status as Confidential Information under this Agreement. |
(b) |
Third Party Information in the Executives Possession . The Executive agrees that he/she shall not, during the Term, (i) improperly use or disclose any proprietary information or trade secrets of any former employer or other person or entity with which the Executive has an agreement or duty to keep in confidence information acquired by Executive, if any, or (ii) bring into the premises of Company any document or confidential or proprietary information belonging to such former employer, person or entity unless consented to in writing by such former employer, person or entity. The Executive will indemnify the Company and hold it harmless from and against all claims, liabilities, damages and expenses, including reasonable attorneys fees and costs of litigation, arising out of or in connection with any violation of the foregoing. |
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(c) |
Third Party Information in the Companys Possession . The Executive recognizes that the Company may have received, and in the future may receive, from third parties their confidential or proprietary information subject to a duty on the Companys part to maintain the confidentiality of such information and to use it only for certain limited purposes. The Executive agrees that the Executive owes the Company and such third parties, during the Term and thereafter, a duty to hold all such confidential or proprietary information in strict confidence and not to disclose such information to any person or firm, or otherwise use such information, in a manner inconsistent with the limited purposes permitted by the Companys agreement with such third party. |
This Section 8 shall survive the termination of the Agreement for any reason. In the event the Executive breaches this Section 8, the Company shall have right to seek remedies permissible under applicable law.
9. |
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY |
(a) |
Prior Inventions . The Executive has attached hereto, as Schedule B , a list describing all inventions, ideas, improvements, designs and discoveries, whether or not patentable and whether or not reduced to practice, original works of authorship and trade secrets made or conceived by or belonging to the Executive (whether made solely by the Executive or jointly with others) that (i) were developed by Executive prior to the Executives employment by the Company (collectively, Prior Inventions ), (ii) relate to the Company actual or proposed business, products or research and development, and (iii) are not assigned to the Company hereunder; or, if no such list is attached, the Executive represents that there are no such Prior Inventions. Except to the extent set forth in Schedule B , the Executive hereby acknowledges that, if in the course of his/her service for the Company, the Executive incorporates into a Company product, process or machine a Prior Invention owned by the Executive or in which he/she has an interest, the Company is hereby granted and shall have a nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right and license (which may be freely transferred by the Company to any other person or entity) to make, have made, modify, use, sell, sublicense and otherwise distribute such Prior Invention as part of or in connection with such product, process or machine. |
(b) |
Assignment of Intellectual Property . The Executive hereby assigns to the Company or its designees, without further consideration and free and clear of any lien or encumbrance, the Executives entire right, title and interest (within the United States and all foreign jurisdictions) to any and all inventions, discoveries, improvements, developments, works of authorship, concepts, ideas, plans, specifications, software, formulas, databases, designees, processes and contributions to Confidential Information created, conceived, developed or reduced to practice by the Executive (alone or with others) during the Term which (i) are related to the Companys current or anticipated business, activities, products, or services, (ii) result from any work performed by Executive for the Company, or (iii) are created, conceived, developed or reduced to practice with the use of Company property, including any and all Intellectual Property Rights (as defined below) therein ( Work Product ). Any Work Product which falls within the definition of work made for hire, as such term is defined in the U.S. Copyright Act, shall be considered a work made for hire, the copyright in which vests initially and exclusively in the Company. The Executive waives any rights to be attributed as the author of any Work Product and any droit morale (moral rights) in Work Product. The Executive agrees to immediately disclose to the Company all Work Product. For purposes of this Agreement, Intellectual Property shall mean any patent, copyright, trademark or service mark, trade secret, or any other proprietary rights protection legally available. |
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(c) |
Patent and Copyright Registration . The Executive agrees to execute and deliver any instruments or documents and to do all other things reasonably requested by the Company in order to more fully vest the Company with all ownership rights in the Work Product. If any Work Product is deemed by the Company to be patentable or otherwise registrable, the Executive shall assist the Company (at the Companys expense) in obtaining letters of patent or other applicable registration therein and shall execute all documents and do all things, including testifying (at the Companys expense) as necessary or appropriate to apply for, prosecute, obtain, or enforce any Intellectual Property right relating to any Work Product. Should the Company be unable to secure the Executives signature on any document deemed necessary to accomplish the foregoing, whether due to the Executives disability or other reason, the Executive hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Company and each of its duly authorized officers and agents as the Executives agent and attorney-in-fact to act for and on the Executives behalf and stead to take any of the actions required of Executive under the previous sentence, with the same effect as if executed and delivered by the Executive, such appointment being coupled with an interest. |
This Section 9 shall survive the termination of the Agreement for any reason. In the event the Executive breaches this Section 9, the Company shall have right to seek remedies permissible under applicable law.
10. |
CONFLICTING EMPLOYMENT. |
The Executive hereby agrees that, during the Term, he/she will not engage in any other employment, occupation, consulting or other business activity related to the business in which the Company is now involved or becomes involved during the Term, nor will the Executive engage in any other activities that conflict with his/her obligations to the Company without the prior written consent of the Company.
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11. |
NON-COMPETITION AND NON-SOLICITATION |
(a) |
Non-Competition . In consideration of the compensation provided to the Executive by the Company hereunder, the adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by the parties hereto, the Executive agree that during the Term and for a period of one year following the termination of the Employment for whatever reason, the Executive shall not engage in Competition (as defined below) with the Group. For purposes of this Agreement, Competition by the Executive shall mean the Executives engaging in, or otherwise directly or indirectly being employed by or acting as a consultant or lender to, or being a director, officer, employee, principal, agent, stockholder, member, owner or partner of, or permitting the Executives name to be used in connection with the activities of, any other business or organization which competes, directly or indirectly, with the Group in the Business; provided , however , it shall not be a violation of this Section 11(a) for the Executive to become the registered or beneficial owner of up to five percent (5%) of any class of the capital stock of a publicly traded corporation in Competition with the Group, provided that the Executive does not otherwise participate in the business of such corporation. |
For purposes of this Agreement, Business means any business which the Group engages in, or is preparing to become engaged in, during the Term.
(b) |
Non-Solicitation; Non-Interference . During the Term and for a period of one year following the termination of the Executives employment for any reason, the Executive agrees that he/she will not, directly or indirectly, for the Executives benefit or for the benefit of any other person or entity, do any of the following: |
(1) |
approach the suppliers, clients, direct or end customers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the Executive in his/her capacity as a representative of the Group for the purpose of doing business of the same or of a similar nature to the Business or doing business that will harm the business relationships of the Group with the foregoing persons or entities; |
(2) |
assume employment with or provide services to any competitors of the Group, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of the Groups competitors, without the Groups express consent; or |
(3) |
seek, directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of, or hire or engage, any person who is known to be employed or engaged by the Group; or |
(4) |
otherwise interfere with the business or accounts of the Group. |
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(c) |
Injunctive Relief; Indemnity of Company . The Executive agrees that any breach or threatened breach of subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 11 would result in irreparable injury and damage to the Company for which an award of money to the Company would not be an adequate remedy. The Executive therefore also agrees that in the event of said breach or any reasonable threat of breach, the Company shall be entitled to seek an immediate injunction and restraining order to prevent such breach and/or threatened breach and/or continued breach by the Executive and/or any and all persons and/or entities acting for and/or with the Executive. The terms of this paragraph shall not prevent the Company from pursuing any other available remedies for any breach or threatened breach hereof, including, but not limited to, remedies available under this Agreement and the recovery of damages. The Executive and the Company further agree that the provisions of this Section 11 are reasonable. The Executive agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company from and against all reasonable expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) which may be incurred by the Company in connection with, or arising out of, any violation of this Agreement by the Executive. This Section 11 shall survive the termination of the Agreement for any reason. |
12. |
WITHHOLDING TAXES |
Notwithstanding anything else herein to the contrary, the Company may withhold (or cause there to be withheld, as the case may be) from any amounts otherwise due or payable under or pursuant to the Agreement such national, state, provincial, local or any other income, employment, or other taxes as may be required to be withheld pursuant to any applicable law or regulation.
13. |
ASSIGNMENT |
The Agreement is personal in its nature and neither of the parties hereto shall, without the consent of the other, assign or transfer the Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder; provided, however, that the Company may assign or transfer the Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder to any member of the Group without such consent. If the Executive should die while any amounts would still be payable to the Executive hereunder if the Executive had continued to live, all such amounts unless otherwise provided herein, shall be paid in accordance with the terms of this Agreement to the Executives devisee, legatee, or other designee or, if there be no such designee, to the Executives estate. The Company will require any and all successors (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company to expressly assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it if no such succession had taken place. Failure of the Company to obtain such assumption and agreement prior to the effectiveness of any such succession shall be a breach of this Agreement and shall entitle the Executive to compensation from the Company in the same amount and on the same terms as the Executive would be entitled to hereunder if the Company had terminated the Executives employment other than for Cause, except that for purposes of implementing the foregoing, the date on which any such succession becomes effective shall be deemed the Date of Termination. As used in this Section, Company shall mean the Company as herein before defined and any successor to its business and/or assets as aforesaid which executes and delivers the agreement provided for in this Section 13 or which otherwise becomes bound by all the terms and provisions of this Agreement by operation of law.
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14. |
SEVERABILITY |
If any provision of the Agreement or the application thereof is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the Agreement which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications and to this end the provisions of the Agreement are declared to be severable.
15. |
ENTIRE AGREEMENT |
The Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the Executive and the Company regarding the terms of the Employment and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral or written agreements concerning such subject matter. The Executive acknowledges that he/she has not entered into the Agreement in reliance upon any representation, warranty or undertaking which is not set forth in the Agreement.
16. |
GOVERNING LAW |
The Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of the State of New York.
17. |
AMENDMENT |
The Agreement may not be amended, modified or changed (in whole or in part), except by a formal, definitive written agreement expressly referring to the Agreement, which agreement is executed by both of the parties hereto.
18. |
WAIVER |
Neither the failure nor any delay on the part of a party to exercise any right, remedy, power or privilege under the Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise of the same or of any right, remedy, power or privilege, nor shall any waiver of any right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any other occurrence. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and is signed by the party asserted to have granted such waiver.
19. |
NOTICES |
All notices, requests, demands and other communications required or permitted under the Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given and made if (i) delivered by hand, (ii) otherwise delivered against receipt therefor, (iii) sent by a recognized courier with next-day or second-day delivery to the last known address of the other party; or (iv) sent by e-mail with confirmation of receipt.
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20. |
COUNTERPARTS |
The Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original as against any party whose signature appears thereon, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. The Agreement shall become binding when one or more counterparts hereof, individually or taken together, shall bear the signatures of all of the parties reflected hereon as the signatories. Photographic copies of such signed counterparts may be used in lieu of the originals for any purpose.
21. |
NO INTERPRETATION AGAINST DRAFTER |
Each party recognizes that the Agreement is a legally binding contract and acknowledges that such party has had the opportunity to consult with legal counsel of choice. In any construction of the terms of the Agreement, the same shall not be construed against either party on the basis of that party being the drafter of such terms.
[ Remainder of the page intentionally left blank. ]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Agreement has been executed as of the date first written above.
COMPANY: | LAIX Inc. | |||
a Cayman Islands exempted company |
By: |
|
Name: | ||||
Title: |
EXECUTIVE: | ||||
|
||||
Name: | ||||
Address: |
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SCHEDULE A
Cash Compensation
14
SCHEDULE B
Prior Inventions
15
Exhibit 10.5
English Translation
Proxy Agreement
This Proxy Agreement (this Agreement ) is entered into as of in Shanghai, China by and among the following parties:
1. |
Shareholders: |
2. |
Company: |
3. |
WFOE: |
(In this Agreement, the above parties are hereinafter referred to individually as a Party and collectively as the Parties .)
WHEREAS:
1. |
The Shareholders are the present shareholders of the Company, which jointly hold 100% equity of the Company; |
2. |
The Shareholders intend to severally entrust the individual designated by WFOE with the exercise of their voting rights in the Company and WFOE is willing to designate such individual to accept such entrustment. |
NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties, after friendly consultations, hereby agree below:
Article 1 Voting Right Entrustment
1.1 |
The Shareholders hereby irrevocably undertake to sign a power of attorney in the form and substance as set forth in Annex 1 after execution of this Agreement to entrust the individual designated by WFOE (hereinafter, the Entrusted Person ) to exercise on their respective behalf the following rights they, as the shareholders of the Company, are entitled to under the then effective articles of association of the Company (collectively, the Entrusted Rights ): |
(1) |
Proposing to convene and attending shareholders meetings of the Company as the representative of the Shareholders according to the articles of association of the Company; |
(2) |
On behalf of the Shareholders, exercising voting rights on all the issues needing to be discussed and resolved by the shareholders meetings of the Company, including but not limited to the appointment of the Companys directors and other officers needing to be appointed and removed by shareholders; |
(3) |
Exercise other shareholder voting rights as specified in the articles of association of the Company (including any other shareholder voting rights as specified in the amended articles of association). |
1
(4) | When the equity held by each Shareholder in the Company is transferred pursuant to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, sign relevant equity transfer agreement and other related documents and handle the government examination, approval, registration and filing formalities required for such transfer on behalf of such shareholder. |
The above authorization and entrustment are granted subject to the status of the Entrusted Person as a PRC citizen and the approval by WFOE. Upon and only upon written notice of dismissing and replacing the Entrusted Person (s) given by WFOE to the Shareholders, the Shareholders shall promptly entrust another PRC citizen then designated by WFOE to exercise the above Entrusted Rights, and once new entrustment is made, the original entrustment shall be replaced. The Shareholders shall not cancel the authorization and entrustment for the Entrusted Person (s) otherwise.
1.2 | The Entrusted Person shall perform the fiduciary obligations within the scope of authorization with due care and diligence and in compliance with laws. The Shareholders acknowledge and assume relevant liabilities for any legal consequences of the Entrusted Persons exercise of the foregoing Entrusted Rights. |
1.3 | The Shareholders hereby acknowledge that the Entrusted Person is not required to seek advice from the Shareholders prior to the exercise of the foregoing Entrusted Rights. However, the Entrusted Person shall inform the Shareholders in a timely manner of any resolution or any proposal on convening interim shareholders meeting after such resolution or proposal is made. |
Article 2 Right to Information
2.1 | For the purpose of exercising the Entrusted Rights hereunder, the Entrusted Person is entitled to know the information with regard to the Companys operation, business, customers, finance, staff, etc., and shall have access to the relevant materials of the Company. The Company shall adequately cooperate with the Entrusted Person in this regard. |
Article 3 Exercise of Entrusted Rights
3.1 | The Shareholders will provide adequate assistance to the exercise of the Entrusted Rights by the Entrusted Person, including timely execution of the resolutions of the shareholders meeting of the Company adopted by the Entrusted Person or other related legal documents when necessary (e.g., when it is necessary for examination and approval of or registration or filing with governmental departments). |
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3.2 | If at any time during the term of this Agreement, the grant or exercise of the Entrusted Rights hereunder is unenforceable for any reason (except for default of any Shareholder or the Company), the Parties shall immediately seek a most similar substitute for the unenforceable provision and, if necessary, enter into a supplementary agreement to amend or adjust the provisions herein, in order to ensure the realization of the purpose of this Agreement. |
Article 4 Exemption and Compensation
4.1 | The Parties acknowledge that WFOE shall not be requested to be liable to or compensate (monetary or otherwise) other Parties or any third party due to exercise of the Entrusted Rights hereunder by the individuals designated by it. |
4.2 | The Shareholders and the Company agree to indemnify and hold harmless WFOE from and against all losses incurred or likely to be incurred by it due to exercise of the Entrusted Rights by the Entrusted Person designated by WFOE, including without limitation, any loss resulting from any litigation, demand, arbitration or claim initiated or raised by any third party against it or from administrative investigation or penalty of governmental authorities (collectively, the Losses), PROVIDED THAT the above indemnity in respect of any Losses shall not be available to WFOE to the extent that such Losses have been caused by the willful default or gross negligence on the part of the Entrusted Person. |
Article 5 Representations and Warranties
5.1 | Each Shareholder hereby represents and warrants that: |
5.1.1 | It is a Chinese citizen or a limited liability company duly organized and validly existing under PRC Law (as the case may be) with full capacity. It has the full and independent legal status and legal capacity to, and has been duly authorized to, execute, deliver and perform this Agreement. It may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
5.1.2 | It has the full power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction contemplated hereby and to be executed by it. It also has the full power and authority to consummate the transaction contemplated hereby. This Agreement, when duly executed and delivered, shall constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation enforceable against it in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. |
5.1.3 | It is the recorded legal shareholder of the Company as of the effective date of this Agreement, and except for the rights under this Agreement, the Equity Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Call Option Agreement entered into among the Shareholders, the Company and WFOE, the Entrusted Rights are free of any third-party right. Pursuant to this Agreement, the Entrusted Person may fully and sufficiently exercise the Entrusted Rights in accordance with the then effective articles of association of the Company. |
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5.2.1 | Each of WFOE and the Company hereby represents and warrants that: |
5.2.1 | It is a limited liability company duly organized and validly existing under the PRC Law with an independent legal personality. It has the full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
5.2.2 | It has the full corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction contemplated hereby and to be executed by it. It also has the full power and authority to consummate the transaction contemplated hereby. |
5.2.2 | The Company further represents and warrants that: |
5.3.1 | Each Shareholder is the recorded legal shareholder of the Company as of the effective date of this Agreement, and except for the rights under this Agreement, the Equity Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Call Option Agreement entered into among the Shareholders, the Company and WFOE, the Entrusted Rights are free of any third-party right. Pursuant to this Agreement, the Entrusted Person may fully and sufficiently exercise the Entrusted Rights in accordance with the then effective articles of association of the Company. |
Article 6 Term
6.1 | Subject to the provisions of Articles 6.2 and 6.3 hereof, this Agreement shall become effective as of the date of the due execution by the Parties. For both the Company and the WFOE, its validity shall be retroactive to the date of founding of the Company; for each Shareholder, its validity shall be retroactive to the date when such Shareholder becomes a shareholder of the Company. This Agreement shall have a term of thirty (30) years after its effectiveness, unless prematurely terminated by the Parties in writing or pursuant to Article 9.1 hereof. Upon expiration, the term of this Agreement will be automatically extended for one (1) year, unless WFOE gives the other Parties written notice of its intention not to extend at least thirty (30) days prior to expiration. |
6.2 | If the Company or WFOE, upon expiry of its duration, fails to handle the examination, approval and registration procedures concerning the extension thereof, this Agreement shall be terminated upon expiry of the duration of the Company or WFOE. |
6.3 | In case that a Shareholder transfers all of the equity interest held by it in the Company with WFOEs prior consent, such Shareholder shall cease to be a party to this Agreement whilst the obligations and commitments of the other Parties under this Agreement shall not be adversely affected thereby. |
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Article 7 Notices
7.1 | Any notice, request, demand and other communications required to be made or given under or pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and served on the relevant Party. |
7.2 | The above notices or other communications shall be deemed duly given or served: if sent by fax or telex, immediately upon transmission; if delivered in person, at the time of delivery; if posted by mail, five (5) days after posting. |
Article 8 Confidentiality
8.1 | Regardless of whether this Agreement is terminated or not, each Party shall keep strictly confidential all the business secrets, proprietary information, customer information and other information of a confidential nature about the other Parties known by it during the execution and performance of this Agreement (collectively, the Confidential Information ). The receiving Party shall not disclose any Confidential Information to any third party except with the prior written consent of the disclosing Party or in accordance with relevant laws or regulations or under requirements of the place where its affiliate is listed on a stock exchange. The receiving Party shall not use or indirectly use any Confidential Information other than for performing this Agreement. |
8.2 | The following information shall not be deemed part of the Confidential Information: |
(a) | any information already known by the receiving Party by legal means prior to disclosure, which is substantiated in writing; |
(b) | any information being part of public knowledge through no fault of the receiving Party; or |
(c) | any information rightfully received by the receiving Party from other sources after disclosure. |
8.3 | The receiving Party may disclose the Confidential Information to its relevant employees, agents or engaged professionals, but the receiving Party shall guarantee that they are in compliance with the relevant terms and conditions of this Agreement and assume any responsibility arising from any breach thereof by them. |
8.4 | Notwithstanding any other provision herein, the validity of this Article shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
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Article 9 Defaulting Liability
9.1 | The Parties agree and acknowledge that, if any of the Parties (the Defaulting Party ) materially breaches any provision herein or materially fails to perform or delays performance of any of the obligations hereunder, such breach, failure or delay shall constitute a default under this Agreement (a Default ). In such event, any of the other Parties without default (the Non-defaulting Party ) shall have the right to require the Defaulting Party to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within a reasonable period. If the Defaulting Party fails to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within such reasonable period or within ten (10) days of the Non-defaulting Party notifying the Defaulting Party in writing and requiring the Default to be rectified, then: |
9.1.1 | if any Shareholder or the Company is the Defaulting Party, WFOE shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement and require the Defaulting Party to indemnify all damages; |
9.1.2 | if WFOE is the Defaulting Party, the Non-defaulting Party shall be entitled to require the Defaulting Party to indemnify all damages. |
9.2 | Except as otherwise provided for by law, in no event shall any Shareholder have the right to terminate or cancel this Agreement. |
9.3 | Notwithstanding any other provision herein, the validity of this Article shall survive the suspension or termination of this Agreement. |
Article 10 Miscellaneous
10.1 | This Agreement is written in Chinese and executed in originals, with one (1) original to be retained by each Party hereto. |
10.2 | The formation, validity and interpretation of, resolution of disputes in connection with, this Agreement, shall be governed by PRC Law. |
10.3 | Dispute Resolution |
10.3.1 | Any dispute arising hereunder and in connection herewith shall be resolved through consultations among the Parties, and if the Parties fail to reach a mutual agreement within thirty (30) days of its occurrence, any Party may submit such dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission ( CIETAC ) for arbitration in accordance with CIETACs arbitration rules in effect at the time of applying for arbitration. The seat of arbitration shall be Shanghai and the language used in arbitration proceedings shall be Chinese. The arbitral award shall be final and binding on the Parties. |
10.3.2 | During dispute resolution, the Parties shall continue to perform the terms of this Agreement other than those relating to disputes. |
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10.4 | Any right, power or remedy conferred on any Party by any provision of this Agreement shall not be exclusive of any other right, power or remedy available to it at law and under the other provisions of this Agreement, and the exercise by such Party of any of its rights, powers and remedies shall not preclude the exercise of any other rights, powers and remedies it may have. |
10.5 | No failure or delay by a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers and remedies available to it hereunder or at law (hereinafter, the Partys Rights ) shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall the waiver of any single or partial exercise of the Partys Rights shall preclude such Party from exercising such rights in any other way and exercising the remaining part of the Partys Rights. |
10.6 | The headings contained herein shall be for reference only, and in no circumstances shall such headings be used in or affect the interpretation of the provisions hereof. |
10.7 | Each provision contained herein shall be severable and independent from each of other provisions, and if at any time any one or more provisions herein become invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall not be affected as a result thereof. |
10.8 | This Agreement, when executed, shall supersede any prior other legal document among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. Any amendment or supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall become effective only upon due execution by the Parties hereto, but other than WFOEs transfer of its rights hereunder according to Article 10.9 hereof. |
10.9 | Without WFOEs prior written consent, any other Party shall not transfer any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party. The other Parties hereby agree that without the prior written consent of the other Parties, WFOE is entitled to transfer any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party upon written notice thereof to the other Parties. |
10.10 | This Agreement shall be binding on the legal assignees, successors or heirs of the Parties. Each Shareholder warrants to WFOE that it has made and will continue to make all such arrangements and has signed and will continue to sign all such documents as are necessary to ensure that upon its death, incapacity, bankruptcy, divorce or the occurrence of any other circumstance that prevents it from exercising the equity, the persons that may acquire the equity of the Company or related rights as a result thereof, including its successor, heir, guardian, creditor or spouse, will not affect or impede the performance of this Agreement. |
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[Signature Page]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date and in the place as first above written.
Shareholders |
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Company |
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WFOE |
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Annex 1:
Form of Power of Attorney
THIS POWER OF ATTORNEY (this Power of Attorney ) is executed and issued to [ ] (ID card number: [ ]) (the Entrusted Person ) by [Shareholder of the Company] (ID card number: [ ]) as of [ ], 2018.
I/we, [ ], hereby entrust the Entrusted Person as my/our representative to exercise the following rights owned by me/us as a shareholder of ( the Company ) on my/our behalf and in my/our name:
(1) | On my/our behalf, proposing to convene and attending shareholders meetings of the Company according to the articles of association of the Company; |
(2) | On my/our behalf, exercising voting rights on all the issues needing to be discussed and resolved by the shareholders meetings of the Company, including but not limited to the appointment of the Companys directors and other officers needing to be appointed and removed by shareholders meeting; |
(3) | On my/our behalf, exercise other shareholder voting rights as specified in the articles of association of the Company (including any other shareholder voting rights as specified in the amended articles of association). |
I/we hereby irrevocably acknowledge that unless ( WFOE ) gives me/us a decision of replacing the Entrusted Person, this Power of Attorney shall be valid until the Proxy Agreement executed by and among WFOE, the Company and the Companys shareholders as of [ ], 2018 expires or is prematurely terminated.
Entrusted by: |
Signature: |
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Date: , 2018 |
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Schedule A
The following schedule sets forth all major similar agreements the registrant entered into with each of its variable interest entities. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such agreements and this exhibit.
VIE |
Executing Parties |
Execution Date |
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Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd. |
Shareholders : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd.;
WFOE : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 | ||
Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. |
Shareholders : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.;
WFOE : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 |
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Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd. |
Shareholders : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd.;
WFOE : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 |
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Exhibit 10.6
English Translation
Equity Pledge Agreement
This Equity Pledge Agreement (this Agreement ) is entered into as of in Shanghai, China by and among the following parties:
1. |
Pledgors: |
2. |
Company: |
3. |
Pledgee: |
(In this Agreement, the above parties are hereinafter referred to individually as a Party and collectively as the Parties .)
WHEREAS:
(1) |
The Pledgors are all the recorded shareholders of the Company, which leally hold all the equity interests of the Company (the Company Equity ). Their respective capital contributions and shareholding percentages in the Companys registered capital as of the execution date of this Agreement are given in Annex 1 attached hereto. |
(2) |
The Parties have entered into the Shareholder Voting Right Proxy Agreement (Proxy Agreement) on , pursuant to which the Pledgors irrevocably entrusts the person designated by the Pledgee with the full power to exercise on their behalf all their shareholder voting rights in the Company. |
(3) |
The Company and the Pledgee have entered into the Exclusive Technical Service Agreement ( Service Agreement ) on , pursuant to which the Company exclusively engages the Pledgee to provide related services and agrees to pay the corresponding service fee to the Pledgee with respect to such services. |
(4) |
The Parties have entered into the Exclusive Call Option Agreement ( Call Option Agreement ) on , pursuant to which the Pledgors shall, to the extent permitted by PRC Law and at the request of the Pledgee, transfer all or part of their equity interests and/or assets in the Company to the Pledgee and/or any entity or individual designated by the Pledgee. |
(5) |
As the guarantee for performance by the Pledgors of the Contractual Obligations (as defined below) and repayment of the Guaranteed Liabilities (as defined below), the Pledgors agree to pledge all their Company Equity to the Pledgee and grant the Pledgee the right to request for repayment in first priority and the Company agrees to such equity pledge arrangement. |
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NOW, THEREFORE , the Parties hereby have reached the following agreement upon mutual consultations:
Article 1 Definitions
1.1 | As used herein, the following terms shall be interpreted to have the following meanings, unless the context otherwise requires: |
Contractual Obligations | Means all the contractual obligations of the Pledgors under the Proxy Agreement and Call Option Agreement; all the contractual obligations of the Company under the Proxy Agreement, Service Agreement and Call Option Agreement; and all the contractual obligations of the Pledgors and the Company under this Agreement. | |
Guaranteed Liabilities | Means all direct, indirect and consequential losses and losses of foreseeable profits suffered by the Pledgee due to any Event of Default (as defined below) on the part of the Pledgors and/or the Company, which are based on (including, but not limited to) the Pledgees reasonable business plan and profit forecast; and all fees incurred by the Pledgee for the enforcement of the Contractual Obligations of the Pledgors and/or the Company. | |
Transaction Agreements | Means the Proxy Agreement, Service Agreement and Call Option Agreement. | |
Event of Default | Means any breach by any Pledgor of any of its Contractual Obligations under the Proxy Agreement, Call Option Agreement and/or this Agreement; and any breach by the Company of any of its Contractual Obligations under the Proxy Agreement, Service Agreement, Call Option Agreement and/or this Agreement. | |
Pledged Equity | Means the entire Company Equity which is legally owned by the Pledgors as of the effective date hereof and is to be pledged to the Pledgee by the Pledgors according to provisions hereof as the guarantee for the performance of the Contractual Obligations by the Pledgors and the Company (for details of such equity interest, see Annex 1), and the increased capital contribution and equity interest described in Articles 2.6 and 2.7 hereof. | |
PRC Law | Means the then-current laws, administrative regulations, administrative rules, local regulations, judicial interpretations and other binding regulatory documents of the Peoples Republic of China. |
1.2 | The application to any PRC Law herein shall be deemed to include: |
(1) | a reference to the PRC Law as modified, amended, supplemented or reenacted, effective either before or after the date hereof; and |
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(2) | a reference to any other decision, circular or rule made thereunder or effective as a result thereof. |
1.3 | Unless otherwise required by the context, a reference to a provision, clause, section or paragraph shall be a reference to a provision, clause, section or paragraph of this Agreement. |
Article 2 Equity Pledge
2.1 | Each Pledgor hereby agrees to pledge the Pledged Equity, which it legally owns and has the right to dispose of, to the Pledgee according to the provisions hereof as the guarantee for the repayment of the Guaranteed Liabilities. The Company hereby agrees that the Pledgors pledge the Pledged Equity to the Pledgee according to the provisions hereof. |
2.2 | Each Pledgor hereby undertakes that it will be responsible for recording the arrangement of the equity pledge hereunder ( Equity Pledge ) on the shareholders register of the Company on the date hereof. Each Pledgor further undertakes that it will make its best endeavors and take all necessary actions to handle the pledge registration of the Equity Pledge hereunder with the relevant industrial and commercial administration as soon as possible after the execution of this Agreement. |
2.3 | During the term of this Agreement, except for the willful misconduct or gross negligence of the Pledgee which has direct cause and effect relationship to the reduction in value of the Pledged Equity, the Pledgee shall not be liable in any way to, nor shall the Pledgors have any right to claim in any way or propose any demand on the Pledgee, in respect of the said reduction in value of the Pledged Equity. |
2.4 | To the extent not violating the provisions of Article 2.3 above, in case of any possibility of obvious reduction in value of the Pledged Equity which is sufficient to jeopardize the Pledgees rights, the Pledgee may at any time auction or sell off the Pledged Equity on behalf of Pledgors, and discuss with the Pledgors to use the proceeds from such auction or sale-off for the prepayment of the Guaranteed Liabilities, or may deposit such proceeds with the local notary institution in the place where the Pledgee is domiciled (any fees incurred in relation thereto shall be borne by the Pledgee). Additionally, at the Pledgees request, the Pledgors shall provide other property as the guarantee for the Guaranteed Liabilities. |
2.5 | In case of any Event of Default, the Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of the Pledged Equity in the manner as set out in Article 4 hereof. |
2.6 | Only upon prior consent by the Pledgee shall the Pledgors be able to increase their capital contribution to the Company. Further capital contributions made by the Pledgors to the registered capital of the Company shall also be a part of the Pledged Equity. |
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2.7 | Only upon prior consent by the Pledgee shall the Pledgors be able to receive dividends in respect of the Pledged Equity. The dividends received by the Pledgors in respect of the Pledged Equity shall be deposited in the account designated by the Pledgee, supervised by the Pledgee and first used to clear off the Guaranteed Liabilities. |
2.8 | In case of any Event of Default, the Pledgee shall be entitled to dispose of any Pledged Equity of any Pledgor pursuant to the provisions hereof. |
Article 3 Release of Pledge
3.1 | Upon full and complete performance of all the Contractual Obligations and full and complete repayment of all the Guaranteed Liabilities by the Pledgors and the Company, the Pledgee shall, at the request of the Pledgors, release the Equity Pledge hereunder and shall cooperate with the Pledgors to go through the formalities to cancel the record of the Equity Pledge in the shareholders register of the Company and at the industrial and commercial administration governing the Company. The reasonable fees incurred in connection with such release shall be borne by the Pledgee. |
Article 4 Disposal of Pledged Equity
4.1 | The Parties hereby agree that, in case of any Event of Default, the Pledgee shall be entitled to, upon giving written notice to the Pledgors, exercise all the remedial rights and powers available to it under PRC Law, Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, including, but not limited to, being compensated in first priority with proceeds from auctions or sale-offs of the Pledged Equity. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss as a result of its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers. |
4.2 | The Pledgee shall have the right to designate in writing its legal counsel or other agent to exercise on its behalf any and all rights and powers set out above, and neither Pledgors nor the Company shall not oppose thereto. |
4.3 | The reasonable costs incurred by the Pledgee in connection with its exercise of any and all rights and powers set out above shall be borne by the Pledgors, and the Pledgee shall have the right to deduct the actual costs from the sums received as a result of its exercise of the rights and powers. |
4.4 | The sums received by the Pledgee as a result of the exercise of its rights and powers shall be used in order of precedence as follows: |
First, to pay any cost incurred in connection with the disposal of the Pledged Equity and the exercise by the Pledgee of its rights and powers (including remunerations paid to its legal counsel and agent);
Second, to pay any taxes and levies payable for the disposal of the Pledged Equity; and
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Third, to repay the Pledgee for the Guaranteed Liabilities.
In case of any balance after payment of the above amounts, the Pledgee shall return the same to the Pledgors or other persons entitled thereto according to the relevant laws and regulations or deposit the same with the local notary institution in the place where the Pledgee is domiciled (any fees incurred in relation thereto shall be borne by the Pledgee).
4.5 | The Pledgee may exercise, simultaneously or in sequence, any default remedies available to it. The Pledgee shall not be obliged to exercise other default remedies before its exercise of the right to the auctions or sale-offs of the Pledged Equity hereunder. |
Article 5 Expenses and Costs
5.1 | All the expenses and costs actually incurred in connection with the creation of the Equity Pledge hereunder, including, but not limited to, stamp duty, other taxes and all legal fees, shall be borne by the Company. |
Article 6 Continuity and No Waiver
6.1 | The Equity Pledge hereunder is a continuing guarantee, with its validity to continue until the full performance of the Contractual Obligations or the full repayment of the Guaranteed Liabilities. No exemption or grace period granted by the Pledgee to the Pledgors in respect of their breach, and no delay by the Pledgee in exercising any of its rights under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement shall affect the rights of the Pledgee under this Agreement, relevant PRC Law and the Transaction Agreements to demand at any time thereafter the strict performance of the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement by the Pledgors or the rights the Pledgee may have with respect to any subsequent breach by the Pledgors of the obligations under the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement. |
Article 7 Representations and Warranties by the Pledgors
The Pledgors hereby severally represent and warrant to the Pledgee that:
7.1 | Each Pledgor is a Chinese citizen or a limited liability company duly organized and validly existing under PRC Law (as the case may be) with full capacity, has the legal right and capacity to execute and perform this Agreement and may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
7.2 | All the reports, documents and information concerning the Pledgors and all the matters as required by this Agreement which are provided by the Pledgors to the Pledgee before this Agreement comes into effect are true and accurate in all material aspects as of the execution hereof. |
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7.3 | All the reports, documents and information concerning the Pledgors and all the matters as required by this Agreement which are provided by the Pledgors to the Pledgee after this Agreement comes into effect are true and effective in all material aspects when provided. |
7.4 | At the time of the effectiveness of this Agreement, the Pledgors are the sole legal owners of the Pledged Equity, free and clear of any existing dispute whatever concerning the ownership of the Pledged Equity. The Pledgors have the right to dispose of the Pledged Equity or any part thereof. |
7.5 | Except for the security interest created on the Pledged Equity hereunder and the rights created under the Transaction Agreements, the Pledged Equity is free and clear of any other security interest, third party interest or other restriction. |
7.6 | The Pledged Equity is capable of being pledged or transferred according to the laws, and the Pledgors have the full right and power to pledge the Pledged Equity to the Pledgee pursuant to the provisions hereof. |
7.7 | This Agreement, when duly executed by the Pledgors, constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Pledgors. |
7.8 | Other than the equity pledge registration with the industry and commerce administration, any consent, permit, waiver or authorization by any third person, or any approval, permit or exemption by any government authority, or any registration or filing formalities (if required by laws) with any government authority to be handled or obtained in respect of the execution and performance hereof and the Equity Pledge hereunder have already been handled or obtained, and will remain in full force throughout the term of this Agreement. |
7.9 | The execution and performance by the Pledgors of this Agreement do not violate or conflict with any laws applicable to them, or any agreement to which they is a party or by which their assets are bound, any court judgment, any arbitration award, or any decision of any administration authority. |
7.10 | The pledge hereunder constitutes the security interest (first in order) on the Pledged Equity. |
7.11 | All the taxes and fees payable in connection with acquisition of the Pledged Equity have already been paid by the Pledgors in full. |
7.12 | There is no litigation, legal proceedings or demand at any court or any arbitral tribunal pending or, to the knowledge of the Pledgors, threatened against the Pledgors or their property or the Pledged Equity, nor is there any litigation, legal proceedings or demand at any government authority or any administrative authority pending or, to the knowledge of the Pledgors, threatened against the Pledgors or their property or the Pledged Equity, which has a material adverse effect on the economic status of the Pledgors or their ability to perform the obligations hereunder and the Guaranteed Liabilities. |
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7.13 | The Pledgors hereby warrant to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will remain true and accurate at any time and under any circumstance before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Guaranteed Liabilities are fully repaid, and will be fully complied with. |
Article 8 Representations and Warranties by the Company
The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:
8.1 | The Company is a limited liability company duly organized and validly existing under PRC Law with an independent legal personality. It also has the full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
8.2 | All the reports, documents and information concerning the Pledged Equity and all the matters as required by this Agreement which are provided by the Company to the Pledgee before this Agreement comes into effect are true and accurate in all material aspects as of the execution hereof. |
8.3 | All the reports, documents and information concerning the Pledged Equity and all the matters as required by this Agreement which are provided by the Company to the Pledgee after this Agreement comes into effect are true and effective in all material aspects when provided. |
8.4 | This Agreement, when duly executed by the Company, constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company. |
8.5 | It has the full corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction contemplated hereby and to be executed by it. It also has the full power and authority to consummate the transaction contemplated hereby. |
8.6 | There is no litigation, legal proceedings or demand at any court or any arbitral tribunal pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Pledged Equity, the Company or its property, nor is there any litigation, legal proceedings or demand at any government authority or any administrative authority pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Pledged Equity, the Company or its property, which has a material adverse effect on the economic status of the Company or the Pledgors ability to perform the obligations hereunder and the Guaranteed Liabilities. |
8.7 | The Company hereby agrees to bear joint responsibilities to the Pledgee in respect of the representations and warranties made by the Pledgors under Articles 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.8 and 7.10 hereof. |
8.8 | The Company hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will remain true and accurate at any time and under any circumstance before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Guaranteed Liabilities are fully repaid, and will be fully complied with. |
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Article 9 Undertakings by the Pledgors
The Pledgors hereby severally agree and undertake to the Pledgee that:
9.1 | Without the prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgors shall not create or permit to be created any new pledge or other security interest on the Pledged Equity. Any pledge or other security interest created on all or part of the Pledged Equity without the prior written consent of the Pledgee shall be null and void. |
9.2 | Without first giving written notice to the Pledgee and having the Pledgees prior written consent, the Pledgors shall not transfer the Pledged Equity, and any attempted transfer by the Pledgors shall be null and void. The proceeds from transfer of the Pledged Equity by the Pledgors shall be first used to repay to the Pledgee in advance the Guaranteed Liabilities or deposited with any third person as agreed with the Pledgee. |
9.3 | In case of any litigation, arbitration or other demand which may be adverse to the interests of the Pledgors or the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and hereunder or to the Pledged Equity, the Pledgors shall notify the Pledgee thereof in writing as practicable as possible and at the reasonable request of the Pledgee, take all necessary actions to ensure the pledge interests of the Pledgee in the Pledged Equity. |
9.4 | The Pledgors shall, within three (3) months prior to the expiry of the Companys duration, complete the registration procedures concerning the extension thereof so as to maintain the validity of this Agreement. |
9.5 | The Pledgors shall not do or permit any act that may be adverse to the interests of the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and hereunder or to the Pledged Equity. Each Pledgor shall waive the preemptive right at the exercise of the right of pledge hereunder by the Pledgee. |
9.6 | Upon execution of this Agreement, the Pledgors shall do its best and take all necessary actions to handle the pledge registration of the Equity Pledge hereunder with the relevant industrial and commercial administration as promptly as possible. At the Pledgees reasonable request, the Pledgors shall take all such actions and execute all such documents (including but not limited to any supplementary agreement hereto) as may be necessary to ensure the pledge interests of the Pledgee in the Pledged Equity and the exercise and realization of the rights thereof. |
9.7 | If assignment of any Pledged Equity arises as a result of the exercise of the right of pledge hereunder, the Pledgors shall take all such actions as may be necessary or requisite for such assignment. |
9.8 | The Pledgors shall warrant that the convening procedures of and method and contents of voting at the meetings of the board of shareholders and board of directors (or executive directors) of the Company held for the execution of this Agreement, the creation of the right of pledge hereunder and the exercise of the right of pledge hereunder will not be in violation of any law, administrative regulations or the Companys articles of association. |
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9.9 | The Pledgors undertake to, within twenty (20) business days following the execution of this Agreement, apply to the competent industrial and commercial administration for the registration of the Equity Pledge in respect of the Equity Pledge hereunder and provide all necessary cooperation to complete such registration in time. |
Article 10 Undertakings by the Company
10.1 | If any consent, permit, waiver or authorization by any third person, or any approval, permit or exemption by any government authority, or any registration or filing formalities (if required by laws) with any government authority need to be handled or obtained in respect of the execution and performance hereof and the Equity Pledge hereunder, the Company shall do its best to cooperate to handle or obtain them and ensure that they will remain in full force throughout the term of this Agreement. |
10.2 | Without the prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Company shall not assist or permit the Pledgors to create any new pledge or other security interest on the Pledged Equity. |
10.3 | Without the prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Company shall not assist or permit the Pledgors to transfer the Pledged Equity. |
10.4 | In case of any litigation, arbitration or other demand which may be adverse to the interests of the Company or the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and hereunder or to the Pledged Equity, the Company shall notify the Pledgee thereof in writing as practicable as possible and at the reasonable request of the Pledgee, take all necessary actions to ensure the pledge interests of the Pledgee in the Pledged Equity. |
10.5 | The Company shall, within three (3) months prior to the expiry of its duration, complete the registration procedures concerning the extension thereof so as to maintain the validity of this Agreement. |
10.6 | The Company shall not do or permit any act that may be adverse to the interests of the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and hereunder or to the Pledged Equity. |
10.7 | The Pledgors shall provide to the Pledgee the Companys financial statements for the previous calendar quarter within the first month of each calendar quarter, including, but not limited to, balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. |
10.8 | At the Pledgees reasonable request, the Company shall take all such actions and execute all such documents (including, but not limited to, any supplemental agreement hereto) as may be necessary to ensure the pledge interests of the Pledgee in the Pledged Equity and the exercise and realization of the rights thereof. |
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10.9 | If assignment of any Pledged Equity arises as a result of the exercise of the right of pledge hereunder, the Company shall take all such actions as may be necessary or requisite for such assignment. |
10.10 | The Company undertakes to, within ten (10) business days following the execution of this Agreement, assist the Pledgors to apply to the competent industrial and commercial administration for the registration of the Equity Pledge in respect of the Equity Pledge hereunder and provide all necessary cooperation to complete such registration in time. |
Article 11 Change of Circumstances
11.1 | As a supplement and subject to compliance with the Transaction Agreements and the other terms of this Agreement, in case that at any time the promulgation or change of any PRC Law, regulations or rules, or change in interpretation or application of such laws, regulations and rules, or the change of the relevant registration procedures makes the Pledgee hold that it will be illegal or in conflict with such laws, regulations or rules to maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement and/or dispose of the Pledged Equity in the manner provided herein, the Pledgors and the Company shall, at the written direction of the Pledgee and in accordance with the reasonable request of the Pledgee, promptly take actions and/or execute any agreement or other document, in order to: |
1) | maintain the validity of this Agreement; |
2) | facilitate the disposal of the Pledged Equity in the manner provided herein; and/or |
3) | maintain or realize the guaranty created or intended to be created hereunder. |
Article 12 Effectiveness and Term
12.1 | This Agreement shall become effective upon the satisfaction of all of the following conditions: |
(1) | this Agreement is duly executed by the Parties; and |
(2) | the Equity Pledge hereunder has been legally recorded in the shareholders register of the Company. |
12.2 | This Agreement shall be valid until the full performance of the Contractual Obligations or the full repayment of the Guaranteed Liabilities. |
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Article 13 Notices
13.1 | Any notice, request, demand and other communications required to be made or given under or pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered to the relevant Party. |
13.2 | The abovementioned notices or other communications shall be deemed duly given or served: if sent by fax or telex, immediately upon transmission; if delivered in person, at the time of delivery; if posted by mail, five (5) days after posting. |
Article 14 Miscellaneous
14.1 | The Pledgors and the Company agree that the Pledgee may, upon notice to the Pledgors and the Company but not necessarily with the consent of the Pledgors and the Company, assign the Pledgees rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party, provided that the Pledgors or the Company may not, without the Pledgees prior written consent, assign their rights, obligations and/or liabilities hereunder to any third party. |
14.2 | When the Pledgee exercises its right of pledge to the Pledged Equity pursuant to the provisions hereof, the amount of the Guaranteed Liabilities determined by the Pledgee at its own discretion shall be regarded as the conclusive evidence of the Guaranteed Liabilities hereunder. |
14.3 | This Agreement is written in Chinese and executed in eleven (11) originals, with one (1) original to be retained by each Party hereto. |
14.4 | The formation, validity and interpretation of, resolution of disputes in connection with, this Agreement, shall be governed by PRC Law. |
14.5 | Dispute Resolution |
(1) | Any dispute arising hereunder and in connection herewith shall be resolved through consultations among the Parties, and if the Parties fail to reach a mutual agreement within thirty (30) days of its occurrence, any Party may submit such dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission ( CIETAC ) for arbitration in accordance with CIETACs arbitration rules in effect at the time of applying for arbitration. The seat of arbitration shall be Shanghai and the language used in arbitration proceedings shall be Chinese. The arbitral award shall be final and binding on the Parties. |
(2) | During dispute resolution, the Parties shall continue to perform the terms of this Agreement other than those relating to disputes. |
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14.6 | Any right, power or remedy conferred on any Party by any provision of this Agreement shall not be exclusive of any other right, power or remedy available to it at law and under the other provisions of this Agreement, and the exercise by such Party of any of its rights, powers and remedies shall not preclude the exercise of any other rights, powers and remedies it may have. |
14.7 | No failure or delay by a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers and remedies available to it hereunder or at law (hereinafter, the Partys Rights ) shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall the waiver of any single or partial exercise of the Partys Rights shall preclude such Party from exercising such rights in any other way and exercising the remaining part of the Partys Rights. |
14.8 | The headings contained herein shall be for reference only, and in no circumstances shall such headings be used in or affect the interpretation of the provisions hereof. |
14.9 | Each provision contained herein shall be severable and independent from each of other provisions, and if at any time any one or more provisions herein become invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall not be affected as a result thereof. |
14.10 | This Agreement, when executed, shall supersede any prior other legal document among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. Any amendment or supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall become effective only upon due execution by the Parties hereto, but other than Pledgees transfer of its rights hereunder according to Article 14.1 hereof. |
14.11 | This Agreement shall be binding on the legal assignees, successors or heirs of the Parties. The successors, heirs or permitted assignees (if any) of the Pledgors and the Company shall continue to perform the obligations of the Pledgors and the Company under this Agreement. Each Pledgor warrants to the Pledgee that it has made (and will continue to make) all such arrangements and has signed all such documents as are necessary to ensure that upon its death, incapacity, bankruptcy, divorce or the occurrence of any other circumstance that prevents it from exercising the equity, the persons that may acquire the Company Equity or related rights as a result thereof, including its heir, guardian, creditor or spouse, will not affect or impede the performance of this Agreement. |
14.12 | At the time of execution hereof, each Pledgor shall sign a power of attorney ( Power of Attorney , the form of which is given in Annex 2) to authorize any person designated by the Pledgee to sign, on the Pledgees behalf and according to this Agreement, any and all legal documents necessary for the exercise of Pledgees rights hereunder. Such Power of Attorney shall be delivered to the Pledgee to keep in custody and, when necessary, the Pledgee may at any time submit the Power of Attorney to the relevant government authority. |
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[Signature Page]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date and in the place as first above written.
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Annex 1:
Companys General Information
Company name:
Registered capital: RMB
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Shareholding structure:
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contribution |
Method of
contribution |
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Annex 2:
Form of Power of Attorney
I/we, , hereby irrevocably entrust (ID card number: ) as my or our authorized representative to sign all the necessary or useful legal documents for the exercise of the rights by under the Equity Pledge Agreement about among , me/us and .
Signature: |
Date: |
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Schedule A
The following schedule sets forth all major similar agreements the registrant entered into with each of its variable interest entities. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such agreements and this exhibit.
VIE |
Executing Parties |
Execution Date |
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Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd. |
Pledgors : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd.;
Pledgee : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 | ||
Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. |
Pledgors : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.;
Pledgee : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 |
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Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd. |
Pledgors : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd.;
Pledgee : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 |
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Exhibit 10.7
English Translation
Exclusive Technology Service Agreement
This Exclusive Technology Service Agreement (this Agreement ) is entered into as of in Shanghai, China by and among the following parties:
1. | Party A: | |
2. | Party B: |
(In this Agreement, Party A and Party B are hereinafter referred to individually as a Party and collectively as the Parties .)
W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, Party A is a limited liability company duly registered and lawfully existing in , which is mainly engaged in technology development, technology consulting, technology transfer and technical service in IT field; selling of computer, software and auxiliary devices (other than computer information system security products); telecommunication business.
WHEREAS, Party B is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise duly registered and lawfully existing in , which is mainly engaged in development, design and making of computer software; selling of self-produced products; network technology development; and provision of related technical consulting and technical services.
WHEREAS, Party A needs Party B to provide it with the technical services relating to Party A Business (as defined below) and Party B agrees to provide such services to Party A.
NOW, THEREFORE, upon friendly discussions, the Parties agree as follows:
Article 1 Definitions
1.1 |
Unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise required by the context, the following terms shall have the following meanings in this Agreement: |
Party A Business | Means all of the business activities operated and developed by Party A now and at any time during the term hereof, including, without limitation, education consulting, education software development; technology development, technology consulting, technology transfer and technical service in IT field; selling of computer, software and auxiliary devices (other than computer information system security products); telecommunication business. |
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Services | Means the services to be provided by Party B on an exclusive basis within its business scope to Party A in relation to Party A Business, including, without limitation, the services as set out in Annex 1 hereto. | |
Annual Business Plan | Means the Party A Business development plan and budget report for the next calendar year to be prepared by Party A in accordance with this Agreement by November 30 of each year or such other date as may be agreed by the Parties with the assistance of Party B. | |
Service Fees | Means all the fees payable by Party A to Party B under Article 3 hereof in respect of the services provided by Party B. | |
Devices | Means any and all devices owned or acquired from time to time by Party B and utilized for the purposes of the provision of the Services. | |
Business-Related Technology | Means any and all intellectual property developed by Party A on the basis of the Services provided by Party B hereunder in relation to Party A Business. | |
Confidential Information | Has the meaning ascribed to it in Article 6.2 hereof. | |
Defaulting Party | Has the meaning ascribed to it in Article 11.1 hereof. | |
Default | Has the meaning ascribed to it in Article 11.1 hereof. | |
Partys Rights | Has the meaning ascribed to it in Article 13.5 hereof. |
1.2 | In this Agreement, any reference to any laws and regulations ( Laws ) shall be deemed to include: |
(1) | a reference to such Laws as modified, amended, supplemented or reenacted, effective either before or after the date hereof; and |
(2) | a reference to any other decision, circular or rule made thereunder or effective as a result thereof. |
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1.3 | Unless otherwise required by the context, a reference to a provision, clause, section or paragraph shall be a reference to a provision, clause, section or paragraph of this Agreement. |
Article 2 Services
2.1 | During the term hereof, Party B shall, in accordance with the requirements of Party A Business, diligently provide the Services to Party A. |
2.2 | Party B shall be equipped with the resources and personnel reasonably necessary for the provision of the Services and shall, in accordance with Party As Annual Business Plan and Party As reasonable requests, procure and purchase new Devices and intellectual property and add new personnel so as to meet the requirement of providing quality Services to Party A in accordance with this Agreement. |
2.3 | For the purpose of the provision of the Services hereunder, Party B shall communicate and exchange with Party A the information pertaining to Party A Business. |
2.4 | Notwithstanding any other provisions hereof, Party B shall have the right to designate any third party to provide any or all of the Services hereunder or fulfill, in lieu of Party B, Party Bs obligations hereunder. Party A hereby agrees that Party B has the right to assign to any third party its rights and interests hereunder. |
Article 3 Service Fees
3.1 | In connection with the Services provided by Party B hereunder, Party B has the right to reasonably determine the amount of the annual service fees after considering the following factors and Party As revenue: (i) technical difficulty and complexity of consulting and management services; (ii) the time required for Party Bs provision of the Services; and (iii) the specific contents and commercial value of the Services. Upon determining the annual service fees, Party B shall inform Party A in writing; upon receiving the written payment notice from Party B, Party A shall make payments according to the payment timetable reasonably requested in Party Bs written notice. |
3.2 | Party A shall not refuse to pay the Service Fees determined by Party B under Article 3.1 hereof without good reasons. However, the Parties agree that in principle, the payment of the said Service Fees shall not result in the cash flow and operating difficulties to either Party for the then current year. For such purpose and to the extent of achieving the said principle, Party B agrees that Party A may delay the payment of the Service Fees. |
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Article 4 Party As Obligations
4.1 | Party Bs Services hereunder shall be exclusive; during the term hereof, without prior written consent of Party B, Party A shall not enter into any agreement or otherwise with any third party and thereby accept from such third party services identical or similar to the Services of Party B. |
4.2 | Party A shall by October 30 of each year provide to Party B its fixed Annual Business Plan of the next year such that Party B may prepare the relevant Services plan and procure required software, Devices, personnel and technical services resources. If Party A needs Party B to procure additional Devices or personnel on an ad hoc basis, it shall consult with Party B fifteen (15) days in advance so as to reach mutual agreement. |
4.3 | In order to facilitate Party Bs provision of the Services, Party A shall at Party Bs request provide in a timely manner such information as has been required by Party B. |
4.4 | Party A shall in accordance with Article 3 pay the full amount of the Service Fees in a timely manner. |
4.5 | Party A shall maintain its own good reputation, actively expand its business and seek maximization of its profits. |
4.6 | During the term of this Agreement, Party A agrees to cooperate with Party B and Party Bs parent company (direct or indirect) about connected party transaction audits and other various kinds of audits, and provide Party B, Party Bs parent company or the auditor engaged by Party B with the information and materials about Party As operations, business, customers, finance and employees and further agrees that Party Bs parent company may disclose any such information and materials for the purpose of complying with the regulatory requirements of the venue where its securities are listed. |
Article 5 Intellectual Property
5.1 | All of the intellectual properties, which are either originally owned by Party B or acquired by it during the term hereof, including the intellectual property to and in the work results created during its provision of the Services, shall belong to Party B. |
5.2 | Considering that the conduct of Party A Business is dependent upon the Services provided by Party B hereunder, Party A agrees to the following arrangement with respect to the Business-Related Technology developed on the basis of such Services: |
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(i) | If the Business-Related Technology is developed and derived by Party A under Party Bs entrustment or is derived by Party A through joint development with Party B, then such Business-Related Technology and relevant patent application right shall be owned by Party B; |
(ii) | If the Business-Related Technology is derived by Party A through further independent development, then it shall be owned by Party A, provided however that: (A) Party A shall timely inform Party B of the details of such Business-Related Technology and shall provide relevant documents required by Party B; (B) if Party A intends to license or transfer such Business-Related Technology, Party A shall, to the extent not contrary to mandatory requirements of PRC Laws, transfer the same to Party B or grant an exclusive license to Party B on a preemptive basis, and Party B may use such Business-Related Technology within the specific scope of transfer or license (however, Party B may determine in its discretion whether to accept such transfer or license); if and only if Party B has waived its right to preemptive purchase or its right to exclusive license with respect to such Business-Related Technology, Party A may then transfer the title of, or license, such Business-Related Technology, to a third party on terms and conditions no more favorable than those proposed to Party B (including, without limitation, transfer price or royalty) but shall ensure that such third party shall fully comply with and perform the liabilities and obligations to be performed by Party A hereunder; (C) except in the case of a circumstance described in (B), during the term hereof, Party B shall have the right to demand to purchase such Business-Related Technology, and in the event that such a request is so made, Party A shall, to the extent not contrary to mandatory requirements of PRC Laws, agree to such purchase request of Party B at the lowest purchase price then permissible by PRC Laws. |
5.3 | In the event that Party B is granted, in accordance with Article 5.2(ii), an exclusive license to use the Business-Related Technology, such license shall comply with the following requirements: |
(i) | The term of the license shall be no less than ten (10) years (from the date of effectiveness of the relevant license agreement); |
(ii) | The scope of the rights granted under the license shall be as broad as possible; |
(iii) | During the term of the license, no one (including Party A) other than Party B and its affiliate shall in any way use or license another party to use such Business-Related Technology within the scope of the license; |
(iv) | To the extent not contrary to Article 5.3(iii), Party A shall have the right to relicense, in its discretion, such Business-Related Technology to other third party; |
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(v) | Upon expiry of the term of the license, Party B shall have the right to demand to renew the license agreement and Party A shall grant its consent, and upon such renewal, the terms of such license agreement shall remain unchanged other than amendments thereto which have been confirmed by Party B. |
5.4 | Notwithstanding Article 5.2(ii), a patent application in respect of any Business-Related Technology described therein shall be dealt with as follows: |
(i) | If Party A intends to file a patent application with respect to any Business-Related Technology described in Article 5.2(ii), it shall first obtain written consent from Party B; |
(ii) | If and only if Party B has waived its right to purchase the patent application right for such Business-Related Technology, Party A may then file such patent application on its own or assign such right to a third party. Prior to so transferring such patent application right to a third party, Party A shall ensure that such third party shall fully comply with and perform the liabilities and obligations to be performed by Party A hereunder; in addition, the terms on which Party A transfers such patent application right to a third party (including, without limitation, transfer price) shall not be more favorable than those proposed by Party A to Party B under Article 5.4(iii); |
(iii) | During the term hereof, Party B may at any time request Party A to file patent applications with respect to such Business-Related Technology and may decide in its discretion whether to purchase the right to file such patent application. If so requested by Party B, Party A shall, to the extent not contrary to the mandatory requirements of PRC Laws, transfer such right to file patent applications to Party B at the lowest transfer price then permissible by PRC Laws; once Party B has been granted patents upon its so acquiring the right to file patent applications with respect to such Business-Related Technology and so filing such applications, Party B shall become the lawful owner of such patents. |
5.5 | Each Party undertakes to the other Party that it will indemnify the other Party against any and all economic losses suffered by the other Party as a result of its infringement of third party intellectual properties (including copyrights, trademarks, patents and know-hows). |
Article 6 Confidentiality
6.1 | Regardless of whether this Agreement is terminated or not, each Party shall keep strictly confidential all the business secrets, proprietary information, customer information and other information of a confidential nature about the other Party known by it during the execution and performance of this Agreement (collectively, the Confidential Information ). The receiving Party shall not disclose any Confidential Information to any third party except with the prior written consent of the disclosing Party or in accordance with relevant laws or regulations or under requirements of the place where its affiliate is listed on a stock exchange. The receiving Party shall not use or indirectly use any Confidential Information other than for performing this Agreement. |
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6.2 |
The following information shall not be deemed part of the Confidential Information: |
(a) |
any information already known by the receiving Party by legal means prior to disclosure, which is substantiated in writing; |
(b) |
any information being part of public knowledge through no fault of the receiving Party; or |
(c) |
any information rightfully received by the receiving Party from other sources after disclosure. |
6.3 |
The receiving Party may disclose the Confidential Information to its relevant employees, agents or engaged professionals, but the receiving Party shall guarantee that they are in compliance with the relevant terms and conditions of this Agreement and assume any responsibility arising from any breach thereof by them. |
6.4 |
Notwithstanding any other provision herein, the validity of this Article shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
Article 7 Representations and Warranties by Party A
Party A hereby represents and warrants to Party B that:
7.1 |
It is a limited liability company duly registered and validly existing under PRC Laws with independent legal personality, has full and independent legal status and capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
7.2 |
It has full internal corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and all other documents to be executed by it in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder as well as full power and authority to consummate the transactions contemplated hereunder. This Agreement will be lawfully and duly executed and delivered by it, and will constitute its legal and binding obligations enforceable against it in accordance with its terms. |
7.3 |
It shall timely inform Party B of any circumstance which has or is likely to have a material adverse effect on Party A Business or operations thereof and shall use its best efforts to prevent the occurrence of such circumstance and/or the expansion of losses. |
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7.4 |
Without written consent of Party B, Party A will not dispose of its material assets or change its current shareholding structure in whatsoever manner. |
Article 8 Representations and Warranties by Party B
Party B hereby represents and warrants to Party A that:
8.1 |
It is a limited liability company duly registered and validly existing under PRC Laws with independent legal personality, has full and independent legal status and capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
8.2 |
It has full internal corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and all other documents to be executed by it in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder as well as full power and authority to consummate the transactions contemplated hereunder. This Agreement will be lawfully and duly executed and delivered by it, and will constitute its legal and binding obligations enforceable against it in accordance with its terms. |
Article 9 Term of Agreement
9.1 |
This Agreement shall become effective upon due execution by the Parties and its validity shall be retroactive until Party As date of founding. The Parties acknowledge that prior to the signing of this Agreement, the Services have been provided and the fees have been settled in the manner provided herein. Unless expressly agreed herein or terminated by the Parties in writing, this Agreement shall have a term of thirty (30) years. The term of this Agreement will be automatically extended for one (1) year, unless Party B gives Party A written notice of its intention not to extend at least thirty (30) days prior to expiration. |
9.2 |
If Party A or Party B, upon expiry of its duration, fails to handle the examination, approval and registration procedures concerning the extension thereof, this Agreement shall be terminated upon expiry of the duration of Party A or Party B. Party A or Party B shall, within three (3) months prior to expiry of its duration, complete the examination, approval and registration procedures concerning the extension thereof so as to maintain the validity of this Agreement. |
9.3 |
Upon termination of this Agreement, the Parties shall continue to comply with their respective obligations under Article 6 hereof. |
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Article 9 Notices
10.1 | Any notice, request, demand and other communications required to be made or given under or pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and served on the relevant Party. |
10.2 | The above notices or other communications shall be deemed duly given or served: if sent by fax or telex, immediately upon transmission; if delivered in person, at the time of delivery; if posted by mail, five (5) days after posting. |
Article 11 Defaulting Liability
11.1 | The Parties agree and acknowledge that if any Party ( Defaulting Party ) substantially breaches any provision hereunder, or substantially fails to perform or substantially delays in performing any obligations hereunder, such breach, failure or delay shall constitute a default hereunder ( Defaul t) and that in such event, the non-defaulting Party shall have the right to demand the Defaulting Party to cure such Default or take remedial measures within a reasonable time. If the Defaulting Party fails to cure such Default or take remedial measures within such reasonable time or within ten (10) days after the non-defaulting Party notifies the Defaulting Party in writing and requests it to cure such Default, the non-defaulting Party may elect, in its discretion, to (i) terminate this Agreement and demand the Defaulting Party to fully indemnify for damage; or (ii) demand enforced performance by the Defaulting Party of its obligations hereunder and full indemnification from the Defaulting Party for damage. |
11.2 | Notwithstanding Article 11.1 above, the Parties agree and acknowledge that unless otherwise stipulated by Laws, Party A shall in no event be permitted to demand to terminate this Agreement on the ground of any reason |
11.3 | Notwithstanding any other provisions hereof, the validity of this Article 11 shall not be affected by any termination of this Agreement. |
Article 12 Force Majeure
12.1 | If there occurs an earthquake, typhoon, flood, war, computer virus, tool software design loophole, hacking attack on the Internet, change of policy or law or any other force majeure event which is unforeseeable and whose consequences are insurmountable or unavoidable and a Party is directly affected thereby in its performance of this Agreement or is prevented thereby from performing this Agreement on agreed terms, such prevented Party shall immediately notify the other Party by fax of the same and shall within thirty (30) days provide an evidencing document to be issued by the notary body of the place of the force majeure event setting forth the details of such force majeure and the reasons for such failure to perform, or for the need for postponed performance of, this Agreement. The Parties shall in light of the extent of the effect of such force majeure event on the performance of this Agreement, agree on whether to waive performance of part of this Agreement or to permit postponed performance thereof. No Party shall be held liable to indemnify the other Party against its economic losses resulting from a force majeure event. |
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Article 13 Miscellaneous
13.1 | This Agreement is written in Chinese and executed in two (2) originals, with one (1) original to be retained by each Party hereto. |
13.2 | The formation, validity and interpretation of, resolution of disputes in connection with, this Agreement, shall be governed by PRC Law. |
13.3 | Dispute Resolution |
(1) | Any dispute arising hereunder and in connection herewith shall be resolved through consultations among the Parties, and if the Parties fail to reach a mutual agreement within thirty (30) days of its occurrence, any Party may submit such dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission ( CIETAC ) for arbitration in accordance with CIETACs arbitration rules in effect at the time of applying for arbitration. The seat of arbitration shall be Shanghai and the language used in arbitration proceedings shall be Chinese. The arbitral award shall be final and binding on the Parties. |
(2) | During dispute resolution, the Parties shall continue to perform the terms of this Agreement other than those relating to disputes. |
13.4 | Any right, power or remedy conferred on any Party by any provision of this Agreement shall not be exclusive of any other right, power or remedy available to it at law and under the other provisions of this Agreement, and the exercise by such Party of any of its rights, powers and remedies shall not preclude the exercise of any other rights, powers and remedies it may have. |
13.5 | No failure or delay by a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers and remedies available to it hereunder or at law (hereinafter, the Partys Rights ) shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall the waiver of any single or partial exercise of the Partys Rights shall preclude such Party from exercising such rights in any other way and exercising the remaining part of the Partys Rights. |
13.6 | The headings contained herein shall be for reference only, and in no circumstances shall such headings be used in or affect the interpretation of the provisions hereof. |
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13.7 | Each provision contained herein shall be severable and independent from each of other provisions, and if at any time any one or more provisions herein become invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall not be affected as a result thereof. |
13.8 | This Agreement, when executed, shall supersede any prior other legal document among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. Any amendment or supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall become effective only upon due execution by the Parties hereto, but other than Party Bs transfer of its rights hereunder according to Article 13.9 hereof. |
13.9 | Without Party Bs prior written consent, Party A shall not transfer any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party. Party A hereby agrees that without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B is entitled to transfer any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party upon written notice thereof to Party A. |
13.10 | This Agreement shall be binding on the legal assignees, successors or heirs of the Parties. |
13.11 | Each Party agrees to declare and pay the taxes in connection with the transaction hereunder in accordance with law. |
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[Signature Page]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date and in the place as first above written.
Party A |
By: |
Name: |
Title: |
(Company seal) |
Party B |
By: |
Name: |
Title: |
(Company seal) |
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Annex 1:
List of Services
Party B shall provide Party A with the following services in accordance with this Agreement:
(1) | License Party A to use the relevant intellectual property (including, but not limited to, copyright, patent, etc.) that is lawfully owned by Party B and required for the Party A Business and provide relevant technical application and implementation on the operation of Party A Business, including, but not limited to, system general design plan, system installation and commissioning and system trial operation. |
(2) | Be responsible for the research, development, maintenance and updating of relevant technologies and application software required for the Party A Business, including developing, designing and producing database software, user interface software and other related technologies used to store related business information and licensing them to Party A; |
(3) | Providing advisory services for the procurement of relevant Devices and software and hardware systems required for Party As network operation, including, but not limited to, the selection, system installation and debugging of various tool software, applications and technical platforms, and the selection, models and performances of all kinds of supporting hardware facilities and Devices; |
(4) | Be responsible for the daily management, maintenance, monitoring, debugging, troubleshooting and updating of Party As computer network equipment and other hardware equipment and database A, including inputting in time the users information into the database, or updating the database in time on the basis of the other business information provided by Party A., updating the user interface regularly, and providing other related technical services; |
(5) | Provide technical training, technical support and assistance to Party As related personnel, including, but not limited to, providing appropriate training to Party As related personnel, including customer service or technical and other training; introducing knowledge and experience about the installation and operation of system and equipment to Party As related personnel and assisting Party A in solving the problems that occur at any time during the installation and operation of the system and equipment; providing Party A with the advices on the use of other online editing platforms and software applications and assisting Party A in compiling and collecting various kinds of information contents. |
(6) | In order to improve the quality of technical services hereunder, assist in collecting and analyzing technical data about website operation, including error and defect information; and |
(7) | Other related services which shall be provided from time to time at the request of Party A. |
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Schedule A
The following schedule sets forth all major similar agreements the registrant entered into with each of its variable interest entities. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such agreements and this exhibit.
VIE |
Executing Parties |
Execution Date |
||
Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd. |
Party A : Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd.;
Party B : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 | ||
Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. |
Party A : Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.;
Party B : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 | ||
Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd. |
Party A : Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd.;
Party B : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 |
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Exhibit 10.8
English Translation
Exclusive Call Option Agreement
This Exclusive Call Option Agreement (this Agreement ) is entered into as of in Shanghai, China by and among the following parties:
1. |
Existing Shareholders: |
2. |
Company: |
3. |
WFOE: |
(In this Agreement, the above parties are hereinafter referred to individually as a Party and collectively as the Parties .)
WHEREAS:
(1) |
The Existing Shareholders are all the recorded shareholders of the Company and legally hold all the equity interests of the Company. Their respective capital contributions and shareholding percentages in the Company Registered Capital as of the execution date hereof are set out in Annex 1 attached hereto. |
(2) |
To the extent permitted by PRC Law, the Existing Shareholders intend to transfer all their respective equity interests held in the Company to WFOE, and WFOE intends to accept such transfer. |
(3) |
To the extent permitted by PRC Law, the Company intends to transfer its assets to WFOE, and WFOE intends to accept such transfer. |
(4) |
For the purpose of the foregoing equity or asset transfer, the Existing Shareholders and the Company agree to respectively grant to WFOE an exclusive and irrevocable Equity Transfer Option and Asset Purchase Option. Pursuant to such Equity Transfer Option and Asset Purchase Option, at WFOEs request, the Existing Shareholders or the Company shall, to the extent permitted by PRC Law, transfer the underlying Option Equity or Company Assets (as defined below) to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement. |
NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties, after friendly consultations, hereby agree below:
Article 1 Definitions
1.1 |
As used herein, the following terms shall be interpreted to have the following meanings, unless the context otherwise requires: |
PRC Law | Means the then-current laws, administrative regulations, administrative rules, local regulations, judicial interpretations and other binding regulatory documents of the Peoples Republic of China. |
Equity Transfer Option | Means the option to purchase the equity of the Company granted to WFOE by the Existing Shareholders pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. | |
Asset Purchase Option | Means the option to purchase any Company Assets granted to WFOE by the Company pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. | |
Option Equity | Means, in respect of each Existing Shareholder, all the equity interests held by it in the Company Registered Capital (as defined below); in respect of all the Existing Shareholders, the equity interests covering 100% of the Company Registered Capital. | |
Company Registered Capital | Means the registered capital of the Company as of the date hereof, i.e. RMB million (in figures: RMB ), which shall include any expanded registered capital as a result of any capital increase within the term of this Agreement. | |
Transferred Equity | Means the equity interest of the Company which WFOE has the right to require the Existing Shareholders to transfer to it or its designated entity or individual when WFOE exercises its Equity Transfer Option in accordance with Article 3 herein, the quantity of which may be all or part of the Option Equity and the details of which shall be determined by WFOE at its sole discretion in accordance with the then-current PRC Law and from its commercial consideration. | |
Transferred Assets | Means the Company Assets which WFOE has the right to require the Company to transfer to it or its designated entity or individual when WFOE exercises its Asset Purchase Option in accordance with Article 3 herein, the quantity of which may be all or part of the Company Assets and the details of which shall be determined by WFOE at its sole discretion in accordance with the then-current PRC Law and from its commercial consideration. | |
Exercise of Option | Means the exercise by WFOE of its Equity Transfer Option or Asset Purchase Option. | |
Transfer Price | Means all the consideration that WFOE or its designated entity or individual is required to pay to the Existing Shareholders or the Company in order to acquire the Transferred Equity or the Company Assets upon each Exercise of Option. |
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Business Permits | Means any approvals, permits, filings, registrations, etc. which the Company is required to have for legally and validly operating all its businesses, including, but not limited to, Business License of Corporate Legal Person, Value-added Telecommunications Business License and such other relevant permits and licenses as required by the then-current PRC Law. | |
Company Assets | Means all the tangible and intangible assets which the Company owns or has the right to dispose of during the term of this Agreement, including but not limited to any immoveable and moveable assets as well as such intellectual property rights as trademarks, copyrights, patents, know-how, domain names and software use rights. | |
Material Agreement | Means an agreement to which the Company is a party and which has a material effect on the businesses or assets of the Company, including, but not limited to, the Exclusive Technical Service Agreement and other important agreements regarding the business of the Company executed by the Company and WFOE as of the date hereof. | |
Exercise Notice | Has the meaning ascribed to such term in Article 3.7 hereof. | |
Property Income | Has the meaning ascribed to such term in Article 6.5 hereof. | |
Confidential Information | Has the meaning ascribed to such term in Article 8.1 hereof. | |
Defaulting Party | Has the meaning ascribed to such term in Article 11.1 hereof | |
Default | Has the meaning ascribed to such term in Article 11.1 hereof. | |
Partys Rights | Has the meaning ascribed to such term in Article 12.5 hereof. |
1.2 | The application to any PRC Law herein shall be deemed to include: |
(1) | a reference to the PRC Law as modified, amended, supplemented or reenacted, effective either before or after the date hereof; and |
(2) | a reference to any other decision, circular or rule made thereunder or effective as a result thereof. |
1.3 | Unless otherwise required by the context, a reference to a provision, clause, section or paragraph shall be a reference to a provision, clause, section or paragraph of this Agreement. |
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Article 2 Grant of Equity Transfer Option and Asset Purchase Option
2.1 | The Existing Shareholders hereby severally and jointly agree to grant WFOE an irrevocable, unconditional and exclusive Equity Transfer Option. Pursuant to such Equity Transfer Option, WFOE is entitled to, to the extent permitted by PRC Law, require the Existing Shareholders to transfer the Option Equity to WFOE or its designated entity or individual according to the terms and conditions hereunder and WFOE agrees to accept such Equity Transfer Option. |
2.2 | The Company hereby agrees that the Existing Shareholders grant such Equity Transfer Option to WFOE according to Article 2.1 above and the other provisions of this Agreement. |
2.3 | The Company hereby agrees to grant WFOE an irrevocable, unconditional and exclusive Asset Purchase Option. Pursuant to such Asset Purchase Option, WFOE is entitled to, to the extent permitted by PRC Law, require the Company to transfer all or part of the Company Assets to WFOE or its designated entity or individual according to the terms and conditions hereunder and WFOE agrees to accept such Asset Purchase Option. |
2.4 | The Existing Shareholders hereby severally and jointly agree that the Company grants such Asset Purchase Option to WFOE according to Article 2.3 above and the other provisions of this Agreement. |
Article 3 Method of Exercise of Option
3.1 | Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, WFOE shall have the sole discretion to determine the specific time, method and times of its Exercise of Option to the extent permitted by PRC Law. |
3.2 | Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, WFOE shall have the right to, at any time, require the Existing Shareholders to transfer all or part of the equity of the Company to WFOE or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE, to the extent permitted by the then-current PRC Law. |
3.3 | Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, WFOE shall have the right to, at any time, require the Company to transfer all or part of the Company Assets to WFOE or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE to the extent permitted by the then-current PRC Law. |
3.4 | With regard to the Equity Transfer Option, at each Exercise of Option, WFOE shall have the right to determine the amount of the equity to be transferred by the Existing Shareholders to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it. The Existing Shareholders shall transfer the Transferred Equity to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it in the amount required by WFOE. WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it shall pay the Transfer Price with respect to the Transferred Equity at each Exercise of Option to the Existing Shareholder transferring such Transferred Equity. |
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3.5 | With regard to the Asset Purchase Option, at each Exercise of Option, WFOE shall have the right to determine the specific Company Assets to be transferred by the Company to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it. The Company shall transfer the Transferred Assets to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it according to WFOEs requirement. WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it shall pay the Transfer Price to the Company with respect to the Transferred Assets at each Exercise of Option. |
3.6 | At each Exercise of Option, WFOE may accept the Transferred Equity or Transferred Assets by itself or designate any third party to accept all or part of the Transferred Equity or Transferred Assets. |
3.7 | On deciding each Exercise of Option, WFOE shall issue to the Existing Shareholders or the Company a notice for exercising the Equity Transfer Option or a notice for exercising the Asset Purchase Option (hereinafter, the Exercise Notice ), the form of which is set out as Annex 2 or Annex 3 hereto). The Existing Shareholders or the Company shall, upon receipt of the Exercise Notice, forthwith transfer all the Transferred Equity or Company Assets in accordance with the Exercise Notice to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE in such method as described in Article 3.4 or Article 3.5 herein. |
Article 4 Transfer Price
4.1 | With regard to the Equity Transfer Option, the Transfer Price to be paid by WFOE or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE to each Existing Shareholder at each Exercise of Option shall be the corresponding capital contribution of the relevant Transferred Equity in the Company Registered Capital. But if the lowest price permitted by the then-current PRC Law is higher than the above capital contribution, the lowest price permitted by PRC Law shall prevail. |
4.2 | With regard to the Asset Purchase Option, WFOE or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE shall pay the net book value of relevant assets to the Company at each Exercise of Option. But if the lowest price permitted by the then-current PRC Law is higher than the above net book value, the lowest price permitted by PRC Law shall prevail. |
Article 5 Representations and Warranties
5.1 | The Existing Shareholders hereby severally and not jointly represent and warrant that: |
5.1.1 | The natural persons among the Existing Shareholders are Chinese citizens with full capacity. They have the full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement. They may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
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5.1.2 | The legal persons among the Existing Shareholders are the limited liability companies duly organized and validly existing under the PRC Law with an independent legal personality. They have the full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement. They may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
5.1.3 | The Company is a limited liability company duly organized and validly existing under the PRC Law with an independent legal personality. It has the full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
5.1.4 | Each of them has the full power and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction contemplated hereby and to be executed by it. It also has the full power and authority to consummate the transaction contemplated hereby. |
5.1.5 | This Agreement, when duly executed and delivered by the Existing Shareholders, shall constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation enforceable against them in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. |
5.1.6 | The Existing Shareholders are the recorded legal owners of the Option Equity as of the effective date of this Agreement, and except for the right of pledge under the Equity Pledge Agreement signed by the Company, WFOE and the Existing Shareholders on and the entrusted rights under the Shareholders Voting Rights Proxy Agreement signed by the Company, WFOE and the Existing Shareholders on , the Option Equity is free and clear of any lien, pledge, claim and other security interest and third party rights. Pursuant to this Agreement, WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it may, after the Exercise of Option, acquire the good title to the Transferred Equity, free and clear of any lien, pledge, claim and other security interest or third party rights. |
5.1.7 | To the knowledge of the Existing Shareholders, the Company Assets are free and clear of any lien, pledge, claim and other security interest and third party rights. Pursuant to this Agreement, WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it may, after the Exercise of Option, acquire the good title to the Company Assets, free and clear of any lien, pledge, claim and other security interest or third party rights. |
5.2 | The Company hereby represents and warrants that: |
5.2.1 | It is a limited liability company duly organized and validly existing under the PRC Law with an independent legal personality. It has the full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
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5.2.2 | It has the full corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction contemplated hereby and to be executed by it. It also has the full power and authority to consummate the transaction contemplated hereby. |
5.2.3 | This Agreement, when duly executed and delivered by it, shall constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation for it. |
5.2.4 | The Company Assets are free and clear of any lien, pledge, claim and other security interest and third party rights. Pursuant to this Agreement, WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by it may, after the Exercise of Option, acquire the good title to the Company Assets, free and clear of any lien, pledge, claim and other security interest or third party rights. |
5.3 | WFOE hereby represents and warrants that: |
5.3.1 | It is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise duly organized and validly existing under the PRC Law with an independent legal personality. It has the full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may sue or be sued as an independent party. |
5.3.2 | It has the full corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction contemplated hereby and to be executed by it. It also has the full power and authority to consummate the transaction contemplated hereby. |
5.3.3 | This Agreement, when duly executed and delivered by it, shall constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation for it. |
Article 6 Undertakings by the Existing Shareholders
Each of the Existing Shareholders hereby undertakes that:
6.1 | Within the valid term of this Agreement, without WFOEs prior written consent: |
6.1.1 | it shall not transfer or otherwise dispose of any Option Equity or create any security interest or other third party rights on any Option Equity; |
6.1.2 | it shall not increase or decrease the Company Registered Capital or be merged with any other entity; |
6.1.3 | it shall not dispose of or cause the management of the Company to dispose of any material Company Assets (other than in the ordinary course of business); |
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6.1.4 | it shall not terminate or cause the management of the Company to terminate any Material Agreement entered into by the Company, or enter into any other agreement in conflict with the existing Material Agreements; |
6.1.5 | it shall not appoint or dismiss and replace any director or any supervisor of the Company or any other officer of the Company that shall be appointed or dismissed by the Existing Shareholders; |
6.1.6 | it shall not cause the Company to declare the distribution of or in practice distribute any distributable profit or dividend; |
6.1.7 | it shall ensure that the Company validly exists and is not terminated, liquidated or dissolved; |
6.1.8 | it shall not amend the articles of association of the Company; and |
6.1.9 | it shall ensure that the Company will not lend or borrow any money, or provide any guaranty or engage in security activities in any other form, or bear any substantial obligations other than in the ordinary course of business. |
6.2 | Within the term of this Agreement, it shall do its best to develop the business of the Company and ensure that the Companys operations are legal and in compliance with the regulations and it shall not engage in any act or omission which may damage the Companys assets or goodwill or affect the validity of the Business Permits of the Company. |
6.3 | Within the term of this Agreement, it shall timely notify WFOE of any circumstance that is expected to have a material adverse effect on the existence, business operations, financial conditions, assets or goodwill of the Company and timely take all the measures approved by WFOE to remove such adverse circumstance or take effective remedial measures with respect thereto. |
6.4 | Once WFOE gives the Exercise Notice, |
6.4.1 | it shall promptly, by way of shareholders decisions and all other necessary actions, approve the Existing Shareholders or the Company to transfer all the Transferred Equity or the Transferred Assets at the Transfer Price to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE; |
6.4.2 | it shall promptly enter into an equity transfer agreement with WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE to transfer all the Transferred Equity at the Transfer Price to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE and provide necessary support to WFOE (including executing and delivering all relevant legal documents, performing all government approval and registration procedures and undertaking all relevant obligations) in accordance with WFOEs requirements, laws and regulations so that WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE acquires all the Transferred Equity, free and clear of any legal defect or any security interest, third party limitation or other limitation on the equity. |
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6.5 | If any Existing Shareholder receives the Transfer Price or receives any form of profit or dividend distribution or liquidation property distribution from the Company ( Property Income ), with respect to the Transferred Equity held by it, then such Existing Shareholder agrees that, to the extent permitted by PRC Law, has the right to receive such Property Income. Such Existing Shareholder shall instruct the relevant transferee or the Company to pay such Property Income to the bank account designated by WFOE until then. |
Article 7 Undertakings by the Company
7.1 | The Company hereby undertakes that: |
7.1.1 | If any consent, permit, waiver or authorization by any third party, or any approval, permit or exemption by any government authority, or any registration or filing formalities (if required by laws) with any government authority needs to be obtained or handled with respect to the execution and performance of this Agreement and the grant of the Equity Transfer Option or Asset Purchase Option hereunder, the Company shall try its best to assist in satisfying the above conditions. |
7.1.2 | Without WFOEs prior written consent, the Company will not assist or permit the Existing Shareholders to transfer or otherwise dispose of any Option Equity or create any security interest or other third party rights on any Option Equity. |
7.1.3 | Without WFOEs prior written consent, the Company will not transfer or otherwise dispose of any material Company Assets (other than during the ordinary course of business) or create any security interest or other third party rights on any Company Assets. |
7.1.4 | The Company shall not do or permit any act that may adversely affect the interests of WFOE under this Agreement, including, but not limited to, any act that is subject to Article 6.1. |
7.2 | Once WFOE gives the Exercise Notice, |
7.2.1 | the Company shall promptly cause the Existing Shareholders to convene a shareholders meeting, pass resolutions and take all other necessary actions to approve the Company to transfer all the Transferred Assets at the Transfer Price to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE; |
7.2.2 | the Company shall promptly enter into an asset transfer agreement with WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE to transfer all the Transferred Assets at the Transfer Price to WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE and cause shareholders to provide necessary support to WFOE (including executing and delivering all relevant legal documents, performing all government approval and registration procedures and undertaking all relevant obligations) in accordance with WFOEs requirements, laws and regulations so that WFOE and/or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE acquires all the Transferred Assets, free and clear of any legal defect or any security interest, third party limitation or other limitation on the Company Assets. |
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Article 8 Confidentiality
8.1 | Regardless of whether this Agreement is terminated or not, each Party shall keep strictly confidential all the business secrets, proprietary information, customer information and other information of a confidential nature about the other Parties known by it during the execution and performance of this Agreement (collectively, the Confidential Information ). The receiving Party shall not disclose any Confidential Information to any third party except with the prior written consent of the disclosing Party or in accordance with relevant laws or regulations or under requirements of the place where its affiliate is listed on a stock exchange. The receiving Party shall not use or indirectly use any Confidential Information other than for performing this Agreement. |
8.2 | The following information shall not be deemed part of the Confidential Information: |
(a) | any information already known by the receiving Party by legal means prior to disclosure, which is substantiated in writing; |
(b) | any information being part of public knowledge through no fault of the receiving Party; or |
(c) | any information rightfully received by the receiving Party from other sources after disclosure. |
8.3 | The receiving Party may disclose the Confidential Information to its relevant employees, agents or engaged professionals, but the receiving Party shall guarantee that they are in compliance with the relevant terms and conditions of this Agreement and assume any responsibility arising from any breach thereof by them. |
8.4 | Notwithstanding any other provision herein, the validity of this Article shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
Article 9 Term of Agreement
This Agreement shall become effective upon due execution by the Parties and be terminated until all the Option Equity and the Company Assets are lawfully transferred to WFOE or any other entity or individual designated by WFOE pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
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Article 10 Notices
10.1 | Any notice, request, demand and other communications required to be made or given under or pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered to the relevant Party. |
10.2 | The above notices or other communications shall be deemed duly given or served: if sent by fax or telex, immediately upon transmission; if delivered in person, at the time of delivery; if posted by mail, five (5) days after posting. |
Article 11 Defaulting Liability
11.1 | The Parties agree and acknowledge that, if any of the Parties (the Defaulting Party) materially breaches any provision herein or materially fails to perform or delays performance of any of the obligations hereunder, such breach, failure or delay shall constitute a default under this Agreement (a Default). In such event, any of the other Parties without default (a Non-defaulting Party) shall have the right to require the Defaulting Party to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within a reasonable period. If the Defaulting Party fails to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within such reasonable period or within ten (10) days of the Non-defaulting Party notifying the Defaulting Party in writing and requiring the Default to be rectified, then: |
11.1.1 | if any Existing Shareholder or the Company is the Defaulting Party, WFOE shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement and require the Defaulting Party to indemnify all damages; |
11.1.2 | if WFOE is the Defaulting Party, the Non-defaulting Party shall be entitled to require the Defaulting Party to indemnify all damages. |
11.2 | Except as otherwise provided for by law, in no event shall the Existing Shareholder and the Company have the right to terminate or cancel this Agreement. |
11.3 | Notwithstanding any other provision herein, the validity of this Article shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
Article 12 Miscellaneous
12.1 | This Agreement is written in Chinese and executed in ( ) originals, with one (1) original to be retained by each Party hereto. |
12.2 | The formation, validity and interpretation of, resolution of disputes in connection with, this Agreement, shall be governed by PRC Law. |
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12.3 | Dispute Resolution |
12.3.1 | Any dispute arising hereunder and in connection herewith shall be resolved through consultations among the Parties, and if the Parties fail to reach a mutual agreement within thirty (30) days of its occurrence, any Party may submit such dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission ( CIETAC ) for arbitration in accordance with CIETACs arbitration rules in effect at the time of applying for arbitration. The seat of arbitration shall be Shanghai and the language used in arbitration proceedings shall be Chinese. The arbitral award shall be final and binding on the Parties. |
12.3.2 | During dispute resolution, the Parties shall continue to perform the terms of this Agreement other than those relating to disputes. |
12.4 | Any right, power or remedy conferred on any Party by any provision of this Agreement shall not be exclusive of any other right, power or remedy available to it at law and under the other provisions of this Agreement, and the exercise by such Party of any of its rights, powers and remedies shall not preclude the exercise of any other rights, powers and remedies it may have. |
12.5 | No failure or delay by a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers and remedies available to it hereunder or at law (hereinafter, the Party s Rights ) shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall the waiver of any single or partial exercise of the Partys Rights shall preclude such Party from exercising such rights in any other way and exercising the remaining part of the Partys Rights. |
12.6 | The headings contained herein shall be for reference only, and in no circumstances shall such headings be used in or affect the interpretation of the provisions hereof. |
12.7 | Each provision contained herein shall be severable and independent from each of other provisions, and if at any time any one or more provisions herein become invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall not be affected as a result thereof. |
12.8 | This Agreement, when executed, shall supersede any prior other legal document among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. Any amendment or supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall become effective only upon due execution by the Parties hereto, but other than WFOEs transfer of its rights hereunder according to Article 12.9 hereof. |
12.9 | Without WFOEs prior written consent, any other Party shall not transfer any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party. The other Parties hereby agree that without the prior written consent of the other Parties, WFOE is entitled to transfer any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party upon written notice thereof to the other Parties. |
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12.10 | This Agreement shall be binding on the legal assignees, successors or heirs of the Parties. Each Existing Shareholder warrants to WFOE that it has made (and will continue to make) all such arrangements and has signed all such documents as are necessary to ensure that upon its death, incapacity, bankruptcy, divorce or the occurrence of any other circumstance that prevents it from exercising the equity, the persons that may acquire the equity of the Company or related rights as a result thereof, including its successor, heir, guardian, creditor or spouse, will not affect or impede the performance of this Agreement. |
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[SIGNATURE PAGE]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Parties hereto have executed this Exclusive Call Option Agreement on the date and in the place first above written.
Existing Shareholders |
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Company |
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WFOE |
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Annex 1:
Companys General Information
Company name:
Registered capital: RMB mn
Legal representative:
Shareholding structure:
Shareholders name |
Contribution in registered
capital (RMB yuan) |
Percentage of
contribution |
Method of
contribution |
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Total |
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Annex 2:
Form of Exercise Notice
To: [Name of the Existing Shareholder]
WHEREAS, our company entered into an Exclusive Call Option Agreement ( Option Agreement ) with you/your company and (the Company ) on , 20 , which stipulates that you/your company shall transfer the equity held by you/your company in the Company to our company or any third party designated by our company at our companys request to the extent permitted by PRC Law and regulations.
Therefore, our company hereby gives this Notice to you/your company as follows:
Our company hereby requires to exercise the Equity Transfer Option under the Option Agreement and our company/[●] [ name of company/individua l] designated by our company shall accept the [●] equity held by you/your company in the Company ( Proposed Accepted Equity ). You/your company are/is required to forthwith transfer all the Proposed Accepted Equity to our company/[ name of designated company/individua l] pursuant to the provisions of the Option Agreement upon receipt of this Notice.
Best regards,
(Seal)
|
Authorized representative:
|
Date: |
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Annex 3:
Form of Exercise Notice
To:
WHEREAS our company, entered into an Exclusive Call Option Agreement ( Option Agreement ) with your company, on , 20 , which stipulates that you company shall transfer your companys assets to our company or any third party designated by our company at our companys request to the extent permitted by PRC Law and regulations.
Therefore, our company hereby gives this Notice to you company as follows:
Our company hereby requires to exercise the Asset Purchase Option under the Option Agreement and our company/[●] [name of company/individual] designated by our company shall accept the assets stated in a separate list and owned by your company (hereinafter, the Proposed Accepted Assets). You company is required to forthwith transfer all the Proposed Accepted Assets to our company/[name of designated company/individual] pursuant to the provisions of the Option Agreement upon receipt of this Notice.
Best regards,
(Seal)
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Authorized representative:
|
Date: |
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Schedule A
The following schedule sets forth all major similar agreements the registrant entered into with each of its variable interest entities. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such agreements and this exhibit.
VIE |
Executing Parties |
Execution Date |
||
Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd. |
Existing Shareholders : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd.;
WFOE : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 | ||
Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. |
Existing Shareholders : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.;
WFOE : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 |
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Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd. |
Existing Shareholders : Dr. Yi Wang, Mr. Zheren Hu, Dr. Hui Lin, Zhuhai Xinran Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Zhimei Fifth Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Jiwei Enterprise Management and Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Gu Jiong, Dazi Tongxin Kaiyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., and Beijing Wu Capital Investment Management;
Company : Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd.;
WFOE : Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
May 29, 2018 |
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Exhibit 10.9
English Translation
Spousal Consent Letter
I, (ID Card Number: ), am the lawful spouse of (ID Card Number: ). I hereby unconditionally and irrevocably agree that signs the following documents ( Transaction Documents ) on and further agree that the equity interests held by in (the Company ) and recorded under his name will be disposed of pursuant to the provisions of the following documents:
(1) |
The Equity Pledge Agreement entered into with ; |
(2) |
The Exclusive Call Option Agreement entered into with ; and |
(3) |
The Shareholder Voting Right Proxy Agreement entered into with . |
I confirm that I hold no equity in the Company and undertake that I will not make any claim against the equity of the Company. I further confirm that the performance of the Transaction Documents and any further amendment or termination thereto by will not require my authorization or consent.
I undertake to sign all such documents and do all such acts as are necessary to ensure the proper performance of the Transaction Documents (as may be amended from time to time).
I agree and undertake that if I acquire any equity of the Company for whatever reason, I will be bound by the Transaction Documents (as may be amended from time to time) and (as a shareholder of the Company) the obligations thereunder; and for this purpose, at the request of WFOE, I will sign a series of written documents in both the form and substance substantially identical to the Transaction Documents (as may be amended from time to time).
(Signature of spouse) |
Date: |
Exhibit 10.10
Execution version
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
THIS SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this Agreement ) is made and entered into on June 13, 2017 ( Effective Date ) by and among:
1. |
LingoChamp Inc., a company incorporated under the Laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company ); |
2. |
LingoChamp (HK) Limited ( 流利说 ( 香港 ) 有限公司 ), a company organized and existing under the Laws of Hong Kong and wholly-owned by the Company (the HK Company ); |
3. |
Yuling Culture Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语灵文化传播(上海)有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC and wholly-owned by the HK Company ( Shanghai Yuling ); |
4. |
Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语冠信息技术 ( 上海 ) 有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC and wholly-owned by the HK Company ( Shanghai Yuguan , and together with Shanghai Yuling, each, a WFOE , and collectively, the WFOEs ); |
5. |
Shanghai Liulishuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. ( 上海流利说信息技术有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC ( Shanghai Liulishuo ); |
6. |
Shanghai Mengfan Culture Broadcasting Co., Ltd. ( 上海萌番文化传播有限公司 ), a limited liability company organized and existing under the Laws of the PRC ( Shanghai Mengfan , and together with Shanghai Liulishuo, each, a Domestic Company and collectively, the Domestic Companies ); |
7. |
each of the individuals and their respective holding companies listed in Part A of Schedule I attached hereto (each such individual, a Founder and collectively, the Founders , each such holding company, a Holding Company and collectively, the Holding Companies ); |
8. |
each Person listed in Part E of Schedule I hereto and noted as an Angel Investor (each, an Angel Investor and collectively, the Angel Investors ); |
9. |
each Person listed in Schedule II hereto and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. (each, an Investor and collectively, the Investors ); and |
10. |
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Each of the parties listed above is referred to herein individually as a Party and collectively as the Parties .
RECITALS
A. |
The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investors and the Investors desire to purchase from the Company certain number of Series C Preferred Shares on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. The Holding Companies desire to sell to Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. desires to purchase from the Holding Companies certain number of Class A Ordinary Shares on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. The Angel Investors desire to sell to Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. and Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd., and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. and Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. desire to purchase from the Angel Investors certain number of Series Seed Preferred Shares on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. |
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Execution version
B. | Each Domestic Company is an enterprise established under the Laws of the PRC. Shanghai Liulishuo is engaged in the business of technology development, technology consulting, technology transfer, technology service in information technology domain, sales of computer, software and auxiliary equipment, and Shanghai Mengfan plans to engage in the business of technology consulting, technology transfer, software development, advertising and animation design (together with the business scopes of the WFOEs, the Business ). |
C. | The HK Company has established the WFOEs and Shanghai Yuguan has established effective control over the business and operation of the Domestic Companies by a captive structure pursuant to the Control Documents (as defined below). |
D. | The Group Companies, the Founders, the Holding Companies and certain parties thereto have entered into a Share Purchase Agreement on June 6, 2014 (the Series A Purchase Agreement ) and certain other Transaction Documents (as defined therein) (together, with the Series A Purchase Agreement, the Series A Transaction Documents ) in connection with the purchase and sale by the Company to certain investors of Series A Preferred Shares of the Company. |
E. | The Group Companies, the Founders, the Holding Companies and certain parties thereto have entered into a Share Purchase Agreement on July 14, 2015 (the Series B Purchase Agreement ) and certain other Transaction Documents (as defined therein) (together, with the Series B Purchase Agreement, the Series B Transaction Documents ) in connection with the purchase and sale by the Company to certain investors of Series B Preferred Shares of the Company. |
F. | The Parties desire to enter into this Agreement and make the respective representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein on the terms and conditions set forth herein. |
WITNESSETH
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties intending to be legally bound hereto hereby agree as follows:
1. | Definitions. |
1.1 | The following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them below: |
Action means any notice, charge, claim, action, complaint, petition, investigation, appeal, suit, litigation, grievance, inquiry or other proceeding, whether administrative, civil, regulatory or criminal, whether at law or in equity, or otherwise under any applicable Law, and whether or not before any mediator, arbitrator or Governmental Authority.
2 |
Execution version
Affiliate means, with respect to a Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, Controls, is Controlled by or is under common Control with such Person. In the case of any Investor, the term Affiliate also includes (v) any shareholder of such Investor, (w) any of such shareholders or Investors general partners or limited partners, (x) the fund manager managing such shareholders or Investor (and general partners, limited partners and officers thereof) and other funds managed by such fund manager, (y) trusts controlled by or for the benefit of any such Person referred to in (v), (w) or (x), and (z) any Subsidiary of any such Person referred to in (v), (w), (x) or (y).
Ancillary Agreements means, collectively, the Shareholders Agreement, the Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement, the Indemnification Agreement, the Management Rights Letters, the Control Documents and the Memorandum and Articles.
Arbitration Notice has the meaning set forth in Section 10.6 .
Associate means, with respect to any Person, (1) a corporation or organization (other than the Group Companies) of which such Person is an officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the beneficial owner of ten percent (10%) or more of any class of Equity Securities of such corporation or organization, (2) any trust or other estate in which such Person has a substantial beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar capacity, or (3) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same home as such Person.
Board or Board of Directors means the board of directors of the Company.
Business has the meaning set forth in the Recitals .
Business Day means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday or other day on which commercial banks are required or authorized by Law to be closed in the Cayman Islands, the United States, the PRC or Hong Kong.
Circular 13 means the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Simplifying and Improving the Foreign Exchange Administration Policies for Direct Investment [Hui Fa (2015) No.13] ( 国家外汇管理局关于进一步简化和改进直接投资外汇管理政策的通知 [ 汇发 (2015)13 号 ]) issued by the SAFE with effect from June 1, 2015.
Circular 37 means the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Residents to Engage in Overseas Investment and Financing and Round Trip Investment via Special Purpose Companies [Hui Fa (2014) No. 37] ( 国家外汇管理局关于境内居民通过特殊目的公司境外投融资及返程投资外汇管理有关问题的通知 [ 汇发 (2014)37 号 ]) issued by the SAFE with effect from July 14, 2014.
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Execution version
Charter Documents means, with respect to a particular legal entity, the articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, formation or registration (including, if applicable, certificates of change of name), memorandum of association, articles of association, bylaws, articles of organization, certificate of formation, limited liability company agreement, trust deed, trust instrument, operating agreement, joint venture agreement, business license, or similar or other constitutive, governing, or charter documents, or equivalent documents, of such entity.
Cherubic Purchaser means each of Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. and Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd., collectively, the Cherubic Purchasers and each, a Cherubic Purchaser .
Class A Ordinary Shares means the Class A Ordinary Shares of the Company, par value of US$0.001 per share, each having the rights set out in the Memorandum and Articles.
Class B Ordinary Shares means the Class B Ordinary Shares of the Company, par value of US$0.001 per share, each having the rights set out in the Memorandum and Articles.
Closing has the meaning set forth in Section 2.3 .
CMC Capital means CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited.
Company has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Company IP has the meaning set forth in Section 3.16 .
Company Owned IP has the meaning set forth in Section 3.16 .
Company Registered IP has the meaning set forth in Section 3.16 .
Compliance Laws has the meaning set forth in Section 3.13 .
Confidential Information has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1 .
Consent means any consent, approval, authorization, release, waiver, permit, grant, franchise, concession, agreement, license, exemption or order of, registration, certificate, declaration or filing with, or report or notice to, any Person, including any Governmental Authority.
Contract means, a contract, agreement, understanding, indenture, note, bond, loan, instrument, lease, mortgage, franchise, license, commitment, purchase order, purchasing arrangement and other legally binding arrangement, whether written or oral.
Control of a given Person means the power or authority, whether exercised or not, to direct the business, management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by Contract or otherwise; provided, that such power or authority shall conclusively be presumed to exist upon possession of beneficial ownership or power to direct the vote of more than fifty percent (50%) of the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting of the members or shareholders of such Person or power to control the composition of a majority of the board of directors of such Person. The terms Controlled and Controlling have meanings correlative to the foregoing.
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Execution version
Control Documents means all of the agreements and documents set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto, whereby substantially all of the business operations of each Domestic Company shall be controlled by Shanghai Yuguan and substantially all of the income generated by each Domestic Company shall be transferred to the Shanghai Yuguan.
Disclosing Party has the meaning set forth in Section 7.3 .
Disclosure Schedule has the meaning set forth in Section 3 .
Dispute has the meaning set forth in Section 10.6 .
Domestic Company has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Domestic Companies Equity Transfers has the meaning set forth in Section 8.17 .
Equity Securities means, with respect to any Person that is a legal entity, any and all shares of capital stock, membership interests, units, profits interests, ownership interests, equity interests, registered capital, and other equity securities of such Person, and any right, warrant, option, call, commitment, conversion privilege, preemptive right or other right to acquire any of the foregoing, or security convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for any of the foregoing, or any Contract providing for the acquisition of any of the foregoing.
ESOP means the employee share option plan of the Company in effect at any time and from time to time.
FCPA means Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the United States of America, as amended from time to time.
Financial Statements has the meaning set forth in Section 3.9 .
Founder has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Governmental Authority means any government of any nation or any federation, province or state or any other political subdivision thereof, any entity, authority or body exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government, including any government authority, agency, department, board, commission or instrumentality of any country, or any political subdivision thereof, any court, tribunal or arbitrator, and any self-regulatory organization.
Governmental Order means any applicable order, ruling, decision, verdict, decree, writ, subpoena, mandate, precept, command, directive, consent, approval, award, judgment, injunction or other similar determination or finding by, before or under the supervision of any Governmental Authority.
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Execution version
Group Company means each of the Company and its Subsidiaries (including the HK Company, the Domestic Companies and the WFOEs), and Group or Group Companies refers to all of Group Companies collectively.
Hong Kong means the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.
HK Company has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
HKIAC and HKIAC Rules each has the meaning set forth in Section 10.6 .
Holding Company has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Indemnification Agreement means the Director Indemnification Agreement to be entered into on or prior to the Closing by the Company and CHEN Xian, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B .
Indemnifiable Loss means, with respect to any Person, any action, claim, cost, damage, deficiency, diminution in value, disbursement, expense, Liability, loss, obligation, penalty or settlement of any kind or nature imposed on or otherwise incurred or suffered by such Person, including legal, accounting and other professional fees and expenses incurred in the investigation, collection, prosecution and defense of claims and amounts paid in settlement and Taxes payable by such Person by reason of the indemnification but excluding in each case any punitive or consequential damages.
Indemnitee has the meaning set forth in Section10.2 .
Indemnitor has the meaning set forth in Section10.2 .
Intellectual Property means any and all (i) patents, patent rights and applications therefore and reissues, reexaminations, continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions, and patent term extensions thereof, (ii) inventions (whether patentable or not), discoveries, improvements, concepts, innovations and industrial models, (iii) registered and unregistered copyrights, copyright registrations and applications, mask works and registrations and applications therefore, authors rights and works of authorship (including artwork, software, computer programs, source code, object code and executable code, firmware, development tools, files, records and data, and related documentation), (iv) URLs, web sites, web pages and any part thereof, (v) technical information, know-how, trade secrets, drawings, designs, design protocols, specifications, proprietary data, customer lists, databases, proprietary processes, technology, formulae, and algorithms, (vi) trade names, trade dress, trademarks, domain names, service marks, logos, business names, and registrations and applications therefore, and (vii) the goodwill symbolized or represented by the foregoing.
Investor has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Issued Ordinary Shares has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Key Employee means the president, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, chief technical officer, chief sales and marketing officer, and any other employees with similar senior managerial duties, including Yi Wang ( 王翌 ), Zheren Hu ( 胡哲人 ), Hui Lin ( 林晖 ), Xiangjian Weng ( 翁翔坚 ), Muyang Liu ( 刘牧洋 ), Xin Zhao ( 赵欣 ), Hua Chen ( 陈华 ) and Ze Sun ( 孙怿 ).
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Execution version
to the Knowledge of , to the belief of , as far as a Person is aware , or other similar expressions, means, with respect to the Warrantors, the actual knowledge of any of the Warrantors and the Founders, and that knowledge which should have been acquired by each Warrantor or the Founders after making such due inquiry and exercising such due diligence as a prudent business person would have made or exercised in the management of his business affairs, including but not limited to due inquiry of all officers, directors, employees, consultants and professional advisers (including attorneys, accountants and auditors) of the Group and of its Affiliates who would reasonably be expected based on the position and title to have knowledge of the matters in question.
Law or Laws means any and all provisions of any applicable constitution, treaty, statute, law, regulation, ordinance, code, rule, or rule of common law, any governmental approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, directive, requirement, or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or determination by, or any interpretation or administration of any of the foregoing by, any Governmental Authority, in each case as amended, and any and all applicable Governmental Orders.
Leased Properties has the meaning set forth in Section 3.14 .
Leases has the meaning set forth in Section 3.14 .
Liabilities means, with respect to any Person, all liabilities, obligations and commitments of such Person of any nature, whether accrued, absolute, contingent or otherwise, and whether due or to become due.
Licenses has the meaning set forth in Section 3.16 .
Lien means any claim, charge, easement, encumbrance, lease, covenant, security interest, lien, option, pledge, rights of others, or restriction (whether on voting, sale, transfer, disposition or otherwise), whether imposed by Contract, understanding, law, equity or otherwise, but excluding in each case as may be imposed by the Charter Documents of any Group Company.
Management Rights Letters means Management Rights Letters to be issued by the Company to each of Wu Capital Limited and HES Ventures I, Inc. on or prior the Closing, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C .
Material Adverse Effect means any (i) event, occurrence, fact, condition, change or development that has had, has, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or together with other events, occurrences, facts, conditions, changes or developments, a material adverse effect on the business, properties, assets, employees, operations, results of operations, condition (financial or otherwise), assets or liabilities of the Group taken as a whole, (ii) material impairment of the ability of any party (other than any Investor) to consummate the transactions contemplated under the Transaction Documents, or (iii) material impairment of the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document; provided , that in determining whether a Material Adverse Effect has occurred, there shall be excluded any effect on the Business or the Group to the extent relating to or arising in connection with (i) any action required to be taken pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document or taken at the written direction of the Investors, (ii) changes affecting the industry in which the Business or the Group operates or the economy or financial, credit or securities markets or political conditions generally in the PRC; provided , that in each case such changes do not have a unique or disproportionate impact on the Business or the Group; (iii) effects resulting from any breach of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document by the Investors or their Affiliates; or (iv) the announcement or consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
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Execution version
Material Contracts has the meaning set forth in Section 3.12 .
Memorandum and Articles means the fourth amended and restated memorandum of association of the Company and the fourth amended and restated articles of association of the Company, to be adopted in accordance with applicable Law on or prior to the Closing, which shall be in the form satisfactory to the Investors and attached hereto as Exhibit D .
MOFCOM means the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC or, with respect to any matter to be submitted for examination and approval by the Ministry of Commerce, any Governmental Authority which is delegated or authorized by the Ministry of Commerce to examine and approve such matter under the Laws of the PRC.
Ordinary Issuance Price has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Ordinary Purchase Price has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Option Repurchases has the meaning given to such term in Section 2.2 .
Ordinary Shares means the Companys Class A Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.001 per share, and Class B Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.001 per share.
Party has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Person means any individual, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, proprietorship, association, limited liability company, firm, trust, estate or other enterprise or entity.
PN7 means the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Several Issues concerning the Enterprise Income Tax on the Indirect Transfers of Properties by Non-Resident Enterprises ( 《 国家税务总局关于非居民企业间接转让财产企业所得税若干问题的公告 》 ,promulgated by the State Administration of Taxation on February 3, 2015 (No. 7 [2015])).
PRC means the Peoples Republic of China, but solely for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, excluding Hong Kong, the Macau Special Administrative Region and the islands of Taiwan.
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Execution version
PRC GAAP means generally accepted accounting principles in PRC, as in effect from time to time.
Proceeds has the meaning set forth in Section 8.8 .
Preferred Purchase Price has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Purchased Series Seed Preferred Shares has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Prohibited Person means any Person that is (1) a national or resident of any U.S. embargoed or restricted country, (2) included on, or Affiliated with any Person on, the United States Commerce Departments Denied Parties List, Entities and Unverified Lists; the U.S. Department of Treasurys Specially Designated Nationals, Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers or Specially Designated Terrorists, or the Annex to Executive Order No. 13224; the Department of States Debarred List; UN Sanctions, (3) a member of any PRC military organization, or (4) a Person with whom business transactions, including exports and re-exports, are restricted by a U.S. Governmental Authority, including, in each clause above, any updates or revisions to the foregoing and any newly published rules.
Public Official means any executive, official, or employee of a Governmental Authority, political party or member of a political party, political candidate; executive, employee or officer of a public international organization; or director, officer or employee or agent of a wholly owned or partially state-owned or controlled enterprise, including a PRC state-owned or controlled enterprise.
Public Software means any Software that contains, or is derived in any manner (in whole or in part) from, any software that is distributed as free software, open source software ( e.g. , Linux) or similar licensing or distribution models, including software licensed or distributed under any of the following licenses or distribution models, or licenses or distribution models similar to any of the following: (A) GNUs General Public License (GPL) or Lesser/Library GPL (LGPL), (B) the Artistic License (e.g., PERL), (C) the Mozilla Public License, (D) the Netscape Public License, (E) the Sun Community Source License (SCSL), (F) the Sun Industry Standards License (SISL), (G) the BSD License, and (H) the Apache License.
Purchased Ordinary Shares has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Purchased Preferred Shares has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Purchase Price has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Purchased Shares has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
Related Party means any Affiliate, officer, director, supervisory board member, employee or holder of any Equity Security of any Group Company, and any Affiliate or Associate of any of the foregoing.
Representatives has the meaning set forth in Section 3.13 .
Required Consent has the meaning set forth in Section 3.7 .
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Execution version
Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement means the Third Amended and Restated Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement to be entered into by and among the parties named therein on or prior to the Closing, which shall be in the form satisfactory to the Investors and attached hereto as Exhibit E .
SAFE shall mean the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC.
SAFE Circulars shall mean Circular 13, Circular 37 and any applicable Laws of the PRC in force from time to time which operate to restate, amend or repeal the aforesaid SAFE Circulars or any part thereof.
SAIC means the State Administration of Industry and Commerce of the PRC or, with respect to the issuance of any business license or filing or registration to be effected by or with the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, any Governmental Authority which is similarly competent to issue such business license or accept such filing or registration under the Laws of the PRC.
Shanghai Liulishuo , Shanghai Mengfan , Shanghai Yuguan and Shanghai Yuling each has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
SEC has the meaning set forth in Section 4.3 .
Securities Act means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended and interpreted from time to time.
Series A Preferred Shares means the Series A Preferred Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, with the rights, preferences, and privileges as set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Series A Purchase Agreement has the meaning set forth in the Recitals .
Series A Transaction Documents has the meaning set forth in the Recitals .
Series B Preferred Shares means the Series B Preferred Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, with the rights, preferences, and privileges as set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Series B Purchase Agreement has the meaning set forth in the Recitals .
Series B Transaction Documents has the meaning set forth in the Recitals .
Series C Preferred Shares means the Series C Preferred Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, with the rights, preferences, and privileges as set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Series Seed Preferred Shares means the Series Seed Preferred Shares of the Company, par value US$0.001 per share, with the rights, preferences, and privileges as set forth in the Memorandum and Articles.
Shareholders Agreement means the Third Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement to be entered into by and among the parties named therein on or prior to the Closing, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F .
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Execution version
Software means any and all (A) computer programs, including any and all software implementations of algorithms, models and methodologies, including all source code and executable code, whether embodied in software, firmware or otherwise, documentation, development tools, designs, files, verilog files, RTL files, HDL, VHDL, net lists, records, data and mask works; and (B) databases and compilations, including any and all data and collections of data, whether machine readable or otherwise, and all rights therein.
Statement Date has the meaning set forth in Section 3.9 .
Subsidiary means, with respect to any given Person, any other Person that is Controlled directly or indirectly by such given Person, at any time and from time to time.
Tax means (i) all national, provincial, municipal, local or foreign taxes, charges, fees, imposts, levies, or other assessments, including all net income, gross receipts, value added, consumption, business, customs duties, import value added, land value added, deed, real estate, surtaxes, ad valorem, capital, sales, use, transfer, franchise, profits, inventory, capital stock, license, withholding, payroll, employment, social insurance (including pension, medical, unemployment, and housing), excise, severance, stamp, occupation, property, and estimated taxes, fees, assessments and charges of any kind whatsoever, and (ii) all interest, penalties, fines, additions to tax or additional amounts imposed by any Taxing authority in connection with any item described in clause (i).
Tax Return means any return, report or statement showing Taxes, used to pay Taxes, or required to be filed with respect to any Tax (including any elections, declarations, schedules or attachments thereto, and any amendment thereof), including any information return, claim for refund, amended return or declaration of estimated or provisional Tax. Transaction Documents means this Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements and each of the other agreements and documents otherwise required in connection with implementing the transactions contemplated by any of the foregoing.
Transaction Expenses has the meaning set forth in Section 10.9 .
US GAAP means U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, as in effect from time to time.
Warrantor means each of the Group Companies and the Holding Companies, collectively, the Warrantors and each, a Warrantor ; provided, that in the event of any breach or violation by any Founder or Holding Company of Section 2 (Restriction on Transfers; Rights of First Refusal and Co-Sale Rights) of the Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement that has materially and adversely affected, or would reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect, the ability of the Holding Company Controlled by such Founder to perform or satisfy the obligations of such Holding Company under the Transaction Documents, including its obligations under Section 10.2 (Indemnification) herein, such breaching Founder shall immediately and automatically be deemed to be a Warrantor under this provision, without any further action of any Party, and such Founder shall be subject to the rights and obligations of a Warrantor hereunder.
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Execution version
WFOE has the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
Wu Capital means Wu Capital Limited.
2. | Transactions . |
2.1 Authorization . The Company shall (i) adopt and cause to be effective the Memorandum and Articles, and (ii) authorize the issuance of, and issue, pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, such number of Series C Preferred Shares to each Investor as set forth against such Investors name in Schedule III attached hereto, free and clear of all Liens, in each case, as of the Closing.
2.2 Agreement to Purchase and Sell . Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at the Closing:
(i) each Holding Company shall sell to Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. such number of Class A Ordinary Shares as set forth against such Holding Companys name in Part B of Schedule I attached hereto (the Purchased Ordinary Shares ), and Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. shall purchase and pay for the Purchased Ordinary Shares for an amount set forth against such Holding Companys name in Part B of Schedule I attached hereto (the Ordinary Purchase Price );
(ii) the Company shall issue and sell to such Investor, and such Investor shall purchase and pay for, such number of Class A Ordinary Shares as set forth against such Investors name in Part D of Schedule I attached hereto (the Issued Ordinary Shares ) for an aggregate amount set forth against such Investors name in Part D of Schedule I attached hereto (collectively, the Ordinary Issuance Price );
(iii) each Angel Investor shall sell to such Cherubic Purchaser (and Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. shall promptly perform any instruction given by the Angel Investors with respect to such sale), and such Cherubic Purchaser shall purchase and pay for, such number of Series Seed Preferred Shares as set forth against such Cherubic Purchasers name in Part E of Schedule I attached hereto (the Purchased Series Seed Preferred Shares ) for an aggregate amount set forth against such Cherubic Purchasers name in Part E of Schedule I attached hereto (the Series Seed Purchase Price );
(iv) the Company shall issue and sell to each Investor, and each Investor shally purchase and pay for, on a several basis, such number of Series C Preferred Shares as set forth against such Investors name in Schedule II attached hereto (the Purchased Preferred Shares ) for an aggregate amount set forth against such Investors name in Schedule II attached hereto (collectively, the Preferred Purchase Price ). The Purchased Ordinary Shares, the Issued Ordinary Shares, the Purchased Series Seed Preferred Shares and the Purchased Preferred Shares are collectively referred to herein as the Purchased Shares . The Ordinary Purchase Price, the Ordinary Issuance Price, the Series Seed Purchase Price and the Preferred Purchase Price are collectively referred to herein as the Purchase Price ; and
(v) the Company shall complete the repurchase of such number of options granted and vested in accordance with the ESOP as set forth against such option holders name in Part C of Schedule I attached hereto (the Option Repurchases ) for an aggregate amount set forth against such Investors name in Schedule I attached hereto (the Option Repurchase Price ).
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2.3 Closing .
(i) Closing. The consummation of the sale and purchase of the Purchased Shares pursuant to Section 2.2 (the Closing ) shall take place remotely via the electronic exchange of documents and signatures as soon as practicable, but in no event later than five (5) Business Days after all closing conditions specified in Section 5 and Section 6 hereof have been waived or satisfied (other than those conditions to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver thereof at the Closing), or at such other time and place as the Company and the Investors shall mutually agree in writing.
(ii) Deliveries by the Warrantors at the Closing . At the Closing, the Company shall, and the other Warrantors shall cause the Company to, deliver to each Investor:
(1) | the updated copy of the register of members of the Company, certified as true and accurate by the registered agent of the Company, reflecting the Purchased Shares purchased by the Investors at the Closing; |
(2) | the updated copy of the register of directors of the Company, certified as true and accurate by the registered agent of the Company, reflecting the appointment of CHEN Xian as a director of the Company; |
(3) | duly executed share certificates issued by the Company representing the Purchased Shares purchased by the Investors; |
(4) | a copy of the duly adopted written resolutions of the shareholders of the Company approving, among other things, (A) the issuance and sale of the Purchased Shares to the Investors, (B) the issue of new share certificates in respect of the Purchased Shares to the Investors, (C) the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party, (D) the adoption of the Memorandum and the Articles, (E) the appointment of CHEN Xian as a director of the Company, (F) irrevocable waivers of such shareholders pre-emptive rights, rights of first refusal, consent rights and any other similar rights with respect to the Purchased Shares, and (G) the Option Repurchases; |
(5) | a copy of the duly adopted written resolutions of the Board approving, among other things, (A) the issuance and sale of the Purchased Shares to the Investors, (B) the issue of new share certificates in respect of the Purchased Shares to the Investors, (C) the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party, (D) the adoption of the Memorandum and the Articles, (E) the appointment of CHEN Xian as a director of the Company, and (F) the Option Repurchases; |
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(6) | duly adopted directors and/or shareholders resolutions of other Group Companies, where appropriate, approving, among other things, the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents to which such Group Company is a party; |
(7) | each Transaction Document to which it is a named party together with any other items the delivery of which by a Warrantor is made an express condition to such Investors obligations at the Closing pursuant to Section 5; and |
(8) | a copy of the option repurchase agreement, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit K , duly executed by the Company and each holder of options of the Company subject to the Option Repurchases. |
(iii) Deliveries by the Investors at the Closing . At the Closing, each Investor shall severally, not jointly or jointly and severally:
(1) | pay to the Company its respective portion of the Purchase Price to be purchased by such Investor at the Closing by wire transfer of US dollars in immediately available funds to the bank account which shall be designated by the Company in writing to the Investors not less than two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing; |
(2) | in the case of Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd., pay to each Holding Company the Ordinary Purchase Price for the Class A Ordinary Shares to be purchased by Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. at the Closing by wire transfer of US dollars in immediately available funds to the bank account which shall be designated by such Holding Company in writing to Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. not less than two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing; |
(3) | in the case of the Cherubic Purchasers, pay to each Angel Investor the Purchase Price for the Series Seed Preferred Shares to be sold by such Angel Investor at the Closing by wire transfer of US dollars in immediately available funds to the bank account which shall be designated by such Angel Investor in writing to the Cherubic Purchasers not less than two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing; and |
(4) | execute and deliver to the Warrantors each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a named party together with any other items the delivery of which by such Investor is made an express condition to the Warrantors obligations at the Closing pursuant to Section 6 . |
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(iv) Deliveries by the Angel Investors at the Closing . At the Closing, each Angel Investor shall (a) deliver to the Company a duly executed instrument of transfer in favor of the Cherubic Purchasers for the Series Seed Preferred Shares to be sold by such Angel Investor at the Closing, and (b) execute and deliver to the Cherubic Purchasers the termination agreement(s), in form(s) reasonably satisfactory to the Cherubic Purchasers, terminating the nominee shareholding relationship between such Angel Investor and affiliates of the Cherubic Purchasers.
(v) Capitalization Table Immediately After Closing . Schedule IV hereof sets forth a complete list of all holders of outstanding Equity Securities of the Company immediately after the Closing, indicating the type and number of Equity Securities held by each such holder.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Warrantors . Subject to such exceptions as may be specifically set forth in the disclosure schedule delivered by the Warrantors to the Investors as of the date of this Agreement, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit G (the Disclosure Schedule ), which Disclosure Schedule shall be deemed to be exceptions to the representations and warranties of the Warrantors to the Investors, each of the Warrantors jointly and severally represents and warrants to the Investors as of the date of this Agreement and the Closing that the following statements are true, correct, complete and not misleading.
3.1 Organization, Good Standing and Qualification . Each Group Company is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under, and by virtue of, the Laws of the place of its incorporation or establishment and has all requisite power and authority to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted, and to perform each of its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party.
3.2 Capitalization and Voting Rights .
(i) The authorized share capital of the Company is and immediately prior to the Closing shall be US$100,000 divided into (a) a total of 77,632,304 authorized Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.001 per share, of the Company, 57,861,314 of which have been designated as Class A Ordinary Shares, none of which are issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Closing, and 19,770,990 of which are designated as Class B Ordinary Shares, and all of which are issued and outstanding as set forth in the capitalization table attached hereto as Schedule III , and 5,519,737 Class A Ordinary Shares are reserved for the ESOP; (b) a total of 22,367,696 authorized preferred shares, par value US$0.001 per share, 3,645,501 of which have been designated as Series Seed Preferred Shares and all of which are issued and outstanding, 5,531,104 of which have been authorized as Series A Preferred Shares and all of which are issued and outstanding, 7,895,711 of which have been authorized as Series B Preferred Shares and all of which are issued and outstanding, and 5,295,380 of which have been authorized as Series C Preferred Shares, none of which are issued and outstanding.
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(ii) Options and Reserved Shares . Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company has reserved 3,645,501 Class A Ordinary Shares for the conversion of Series Seed Preferred Shares, 5,531,104 Class A Ordinary Shares for conversion of Series A Preferred Shares, 7,895,711 Class A Ordinary Shares for conversion of Series B Preferred Shares, 5,295,380 Class A Ordinary Shares for conversion of Series C Preferred Shares, 5,519,737 Class A Ordinary Shares for the ESOP, and 19,770,990 Class A Ordinary Shares for the conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares. Except for the conversion privileges of the Series Seed Preferred Shares, Series A Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares, Series C Preferred Shares, Class B Ordinary Shares or as provided in this Agreement or other Transaction Documents, there are no options, warrants, conversion privileges or other rights, or agreements with respect to the issuance thereof, presently outstanding to purchase any of the Equity Securities of the Company. Except as noted in this Section 3.2 and the rights provided in the Transaction Documents, no Equity Securities (including the Purchased Shares) of the Companys outstanding share capital, or shares issuable upon exercise or exchange of any outstanding options or other shares issuable by the Company, are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase such Equity Securities (whether in favor of the Company or any other Person). Immediately following the Closing, 5,456,192 Class A Ordinary Shares will have been reserved for the ESOP, of which options in respect of 3,073,270 Class A Ordinary Shares will have been granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of the ESOP. All of the options repurchased by the Company pursuant to the Option Repurchases have fully vested in accordance with the terms of the ESOP.
(iii) Outstanding Security Holders . A complete and current list of all outstanding shareholders, option holders and other holders of Equity Securities of the Company (a) as of the date hereof and immediately prior to the Closing is set forth in Schedule III, and (b) immediately after the Closing is set forth in Schedule IV, in each case, indicating the type and number of shares, options or other Equity Securities held by each such holder, but (A) excluding the identities of the holders of any options or other awards granted by the Company pursuant to the ESOP and (B) aggregating the number of options or other awards granted by the Company pursuant to the ESOP into one line item. All outstanding share capital of each Group Company has been duly and validly issued (or subscribed for), is fully paid and is non-assessable, free of limitation in voting rights, preemptive rights, any other restrictions on transfer and other Liens (except for any restrictions on transfer under applicable Laws and the Transaction Documents), and has been issued in compliance with all applicable Laws, Contracts and preemptive rights. Except for those expressly provided in this Agreement or any Transaction Document, and except for the Option Repurchases, there are no (a) resolutions pending to increase the authorized share capital of any Group Company; (b) dividends which have accrued or been declared but are unpaid by any Group Company; (c) obligations, contingent or otherwise, of any Group Company to repurchase, redeem, or otherwise acquire any Equity Securities of any Person; or (d) any voting trusts, shareholder agreements, registration rights, proxies or other agreements or understandings in effect with respect to the voting, issuance, redemption, acquisition or transfer of any Equity Securities of any Group Company. The registered capital of each Domestic Company is set forth opposite its name in Section 3.2(iii) of the Disclosure Schedule . The registered capital of each Domestic Company is fully paid according to PRC Laws and its Charter Document as of the date hereof.
(iv) Acceleration of Vesting . Other than as set forth in the Transaction Documents, no Group Companys Contracts relating to its Equity Securities provides for acceleration of vesting (or lapse of a repurchase right) or other changes in the vesting provisions or other terms of such agreement or understanding upon the occurrence of any event or combination of events. No Group Company has ever adjusted or amended the exercise price of any share options previously awarded, whether through amendment, cancellation, replacement grant, re-pricing, or any other means.
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3.3 Corporate Structure; Subsidiaries .
(i) Section 3.3(i) of the Disclosure Schedule includes a chart setting forth each Group Company (other than the Company), in each case, (a) immediately prior to the Closing and (b) immediately following the Closing, and lists the issued and outstanding share capital of such Group Company, the name of each equity holder of such Group Company and the number of shares or Equity Securities held by such equity holder, the form of legal entity of such Group Company, the location/jurisdiction where such Group Company was organized, each jurisdiction in which such Group Company is required to be licensed to do business as a foreign Person and a brief summary of such Group Companys business.
(ii) Except in respect of any interest held in any Group Company, none of the Company and other Group Companies has any Subsidiaries or owns or controls, directly or indirectly, any interest in any other corporation, partnership, trust, joint venture, association or other entity. Except as set forth in Section 3.3(ii) of the Disclosure Schedule , none of the Company or the Group Companies maintains any offices or any branches.
(iii) The Company is a holding company and up until the date of the Closing has had no business activities or assets (including Intellectual Property) other than the ownership of one hundred percent (100%) of the equity interests in the HK Company. The HK Company is a holding company and up until the date of the Closing has had no business activities or assets (including Intellectual Property) other than the ownership of one hundred percent (100%) of the equity interests in the WFOEs. Other than the HK Company, the Domestic Companies and the WFOEs, the Company does not, directly or indirectly, own any shares or equity interests in any other Person. The Company has no material Liabilities or obligations, has no employees and is not a party to any Contract, other than those relating solely to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and any transaction documents relating to the issuance of the Series Seed Preferred Shares, Series A Preferred Shares and Series B Preferred Shares.
(iv) Each Holding Company is a holding company and has had no business activities or assets (including Intellectual Property) other than the ownership of certain number of Class B Ordinary Shares in the Company. Other than the Group Companies, each Holding Company does not, directly or indirectly, own any shares or equity interests in any other Person. Each Holding Company has no material Liabilities or obligations, has no employees and is not a party to any Contract, other than those relating solely to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and any transaction documents relating to the issuance of the Series Seed Preferred Shares, Series A Preferred Shares and Series B Preferred Shares.
3.4 Authorization . Each party to the Transaction Documents (other than the Investors) has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver such Transaction Document and to carry out and perform its obligations thereunder. All actions on the part of such party (and, as applicable, its officers, directors and shareholders) necessary for the authorization, execution and delivery of such Transaction Document and the performance of all obligations of such party thereunder has been taken. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by each party thereto (other than the Investors) and constitutes, and each Transaction Document when executed and delivered by each party thereto (other than the Investors) will constitute, valid and legally binding obligations of such party, enforceable against such party in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other Laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by Laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
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3.5 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares . The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold and delivered in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free and clear of any Liens. All outstanding share capital of the Company has been duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and all outstanding shares, options, warrant and other Equity Securities of the Company have been issued in full compliance with the requirements of all applicable securities Laws (to the extent applicable, the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act or the applicable exemptions therefrom).
3.6 Consents; No Conflicts . All Consents from or with any Governmental Authority or any other Person required in connection with the valid execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, in any case on the part of any party thereto (other than the Investors) have been duly obtained or completed (as applicable) and are in full force and effect. The execution, delivery and performance of each Transaction Document by each party thereto (other than the Investors) do not, and the consummation by such party of the transactions contemplated thereby will not, (a) result in a violation of the Charter Documents of any applicable Warrantor, (b) conflict with or result in a breach or violation in any Law applicable to any Warrantor, or (c) conflict with or result in a breach or violation in, or constitute a default under, any material Contract to which any Warrantor is a party or by which any Warrantor is bound, in the case of the foregoing clauses (b) and (c), in any material respects. The Charter Documents of each applicable Warrantor are in the form provided to the Investors. No Warrantor, if applicable, is in violation or breach of any of its Charter Documents. Except as disclosed on Section 3.6 of the Disclosure Schedule , each Person, who is a Domestic Resident as defined in the Circular 37 and legally or beneficially holds any Equity Securities of the Company (including but not limitation to the Founders and the Holding Companies) and is required to comply with the SAFE Circulars has obtained registration with respect to (1) his direct and indirect holding of Equity Securities in the Company, the Holding Companies and the HK Company, and (2) the change of the Equity Securities in the Company contemplated under the Series B Transaction Documents with SAFE in accordance with the SAFE Circulars and other applicable Laws of the PRC.
3.7 Compliance with Laws; Consents . Each Group Company is, and has been, in compliance with all applicable Laws in any material respect. Except as disclosed on Section 3.7 of the Disclosure Schedule , all Consents from the relevant Governmental Authority or other Person required in respect of the due and proper establishment and operations of each Group Company as now conducted (collectively, the Required Consents ), have been duly obtained or completed in accordance with all applicable Laws, except for any Consent, the failure to have which would not be material to any Group Company. No Required Consent contains any materially burdensome restrictions or conditions, and each Required Consent is in full force and effect and will remain in full force and effect upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. None of the Group Companies is in default in any material respect under any Required Consent. No Group Company is in receipt of any letter or notice from any relevant authority notifying revocation of any material Required Consent issued to it for non-compliance or the need for compliance or remedial actions in respect of the activities carried out directly or indirectly by it. In respect of any material Required Consent requisite for the conduct of any part of the business of the Domestic Companies which are subject to periodic renewal, none of the Warrantors has any reason to believe that such requisite renewals will not be granted by the relevant PRC Governmental Authorities.
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3.8 Tax Matters .
(i) All Tax Returns required to be filed by each Group Company for all taxable periods ending prior to the Closing have been duly and timely (within any applicable extension periods) filed with the appropriate Government Authorities in all jurisdictions in which such Tax Returns are required to be filed and all such Tax Returns are true, correct and complete in all material respects. None of such Tax Returns contains a statement that is false or misleading or omits any matter that is required to be included or without which the statement would be false or misleading. No reporting position was taken on any such Tax Return which has not been disclosed to the appropriate Tax authority or in such Tax Return, as may be required by Law, except as would not be material to the Group. All records relating to such Tax Returns or to the preparation thereof required by applicable Law to be maintained by applicable Group Company have been duly maintained. No written claim has been made by a Governmental Authority in a jurisdiction where the Group does not file Tax Returns that any applicable Group Company is or may be subject to taxation by that jurisdiction.
(ii) Each Group Company has timely paid all Taxes owed by it which are due and payable (whether or not shown on any Tax Return) and withheld and remitted to the appropriate Governmental Authority all Taxes it is obligated to withhold and remit from amounts owing to any employee, creditor, customer or third party. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, each Group Company is under no Liability to pay any penalty or interest in connection with any claim for Taxes. No Group Company has waived any statute of limitations with respect to Taxes or agreed to any extension of time with respect to a Tax assessment or deficiency.
(iii) The assessment of any additional Taxes with respect to any Group Company for periods for which Tax Returns have been filed is not expected to exceed the recorded Liability therefor in the most recent balance sheet of the relevant Group Company, and there are no unresolved questions or claims concerning any Liability for Taxes of any Group Company. Since the Statement Date, no Group Company has incurred any Liability for Taxes outside the ordinary course of business or otherwise inconsistent with past custom and practice.
(iv) No Group Company has been the subject of any Action by any Tax authority relating to the conduct of its business or the payment or withholding of Taxes that has not been resolved or is currently the subject of any examination or investigation by any Tax authority relating to the conduct of its business or the payment or withholding of Taxes.
(v) The Group Companies have been in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Laws relating to all Tax credits and Tax holidays enjoyed by the Group Companies established under the Laws of the PRC or otherwise under applicable Laws which is not and will not be subject to any retroactive deduction or cancellation except as a result of retroactive effect of changes) in the applicable Laws.
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3.9 Financial Statements .
(i) Section 3.9 of the Disclosure Schedule sets forth (a) the unaudited consolidated balance sheet, income statement and cash flows for the Domestic Companies and the WFOEs as of and for the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2016, and as of, and for the three-month period ending March 31, 2017 (the Statement Date ) and (b) the audited balance sheets, income statements and cash flows for each of Shanghai Liulishuo and Shanghai Yuguan as of and for the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2015 (collectively, the financial statements referred to above, the Financial Statements ). The Financial Statements (a) have been prepared in accordance with the books and records of the Domestic Companies and the WFOEs or Shanghai Liulishuo and Shanghai Yuguan, as applicable, (b) are true, correct and complete, and fairly present in all material respects the financial condition and position of the Domestic Companies and the WFOEs or Shanghai Liulishuo and Shanghai Yuguan, as applicable, as of the dates indicated therein and the results of operations and cash flows of the Domestic Companies and the WFOEs or Shanghai Liulishuo and Shanghai Yuguan, as applicable, for the periods indicated therein, and (c) have been prepared in accordance with the PRC GAAP applied consistent with past practice, except in the case of unaudited financial statements for the omission of notes thereto and normal year-end audit adjustments that are not material.
(ii) All of the accounts receivables owing to any of the Group Companies as of the date of the Closing, including all accounts receivable set forth on the Financial Statements constitute valid and enforceable claims and are current and collectible in the ordinary course of business, net of any reserves shown on the Financial Statements.
(iii) No Group Company has any Liabilities except for (i) liabilities set forth in the Financial Statements that have not been satisfied since the Statement Date, and (ii) current Liabilities incurred since the Statement Date in the ordinary course of the Groups business consistent with its past practices.
(iv) None of the Group Companies has any indebtedness for borrowed money that it has directly or indirectly created, incurred, assumed, or guaranteed, or with respect to which the Group Company has otherwise become directly or indirectly liable. None of the Group Companies is a guarantor or indemnitor of any Liabilities of any other Person.
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3.10 Changes . Since the Statement Date, except as disclosed on Section 3.10 of the Disclosure Schedule and contemplated under the Transaction Documents, (i) each of the Group Companies has operated its business in the ordinary course consistent with its past practice, (ii) each of the Group Companies used its reasonable best efforts to preserve its business, and (iii) no Group Company has engaged in any new line of business, or entered into any agreement, transaction or activity or made any commitment except those in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (iv) there has not been any Material Adverse Effect or any material change in the way each Group Company conducts its business, (v) there has been no waiver, termination, cancellation, settlement or compromise of a material valuable right or of a material debt or claim by or of any Group Company, (vi) there has been no incurrence, creation, assumption, repayment, satisfaction, or discharge of any material Lien, indebtedness or guarantee, or the making of any loan or advance (other than reasonable and normal advances to employees or customers for bona fide expenses that are incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice), or the making of any investment or capital contribution, (vii) there has been no material change in any compensation arrangement with any employee of any Group Company (other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice), or adoption of any new employee benefit plan, or made any material change in any employee benefit plan, (viii) there has been no commencement or settlement of any material Action, (ix) there has been no resignation or termination of any Key Employee, (x) there has been no purchase, acquisition, sale, lease, disposal of or other transfer of any assets of any Group Company that are individually or in the aggregate material to its business, whether tangible or intangible, other than the purchase or sale of inventory in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice, and no acquisition (by merger, consolidation or other combination, or acquisition of share or assets, or otherwise) of any business or other Person or division thereof, (xi) there has been no material capital expenditure or commitment for any material capital expenditure by any Group Company, (xii) except in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice, there has been no amendment to any Material Contract, any entry into any new Material Contract, or any termination of any Contract that would have been a Material Contract if in effect on the date hereof, or any amendment to or waiver under any Charter Document of any Group Company; (xiii) there has been no declaration, setting aside or payment or other distribution with respect to any Equity Securities of any Group Company, or any direct or indirect redemption, purchase or other acquisition of any Equity Securities of any Group Company, (xiv) there has been no damage, destruction or loss, whether or not covered by insurance, materially and adversely affecting the assets, properties, financial condition, operation or business of any Group Company, (xv) there has been no change in accounting methods or practices or any revaluation of any of its assets of any Group Company, (xvi) except in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice, there has been no entry into any settlement agreement with respect to material Taxes, settlement of any claim or assessment with respect to any material Taxes, or consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any claim or assessment with respect to any material Taxes, entry into or change of any material Tax election, change of any method of accounting resulting in any material amount of additional Tax or filing of any material amended Tax Return, in each case, in respect of any Group Company, (xvii) there has been no commencement or settlement of any Action, and (xviii) there has been no agreement or commitment to perform any of the items described in this Section 3.10 .
3.11 Actions . Except as disclosed in Section 3.11 of the Disclosure Schedule , there is no Action pending or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, threatened against or affecting any of the Warrantors or any of its officers, directors or employees with respect to its businesses or proposed business activities, or any Key Employee or director of any Warrantor in connection with such Persons respective relationship with any Group Company, nor is any Warrantor aware of any basis for any of the foregoing, including with respect to any Action involving the prior employment of any employees of any Group Company, their use in connection with such Group Companys business or any information or techniques allegedly proprietary to any of their former employers or their obligations under any agreements with prior employers. There is no Governmental Order in effect and binding on any of the Group Companies or their respective assets or properties. There is no Action pending by any Group Company against any third party nor does any Group Company intend to commence any such Action. No Government Authority has at any time challenged or questioned in writing the legal right of any Group Company to conduct its business as presently being conducted or proposed to be conducted. No Group Company has received any opinion or memorandum or advice from legal counsel to the effect that it is exposed, from a legal standpoint, to any Liability or disadvantage which may be material to its business.
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3.12 Material Contracts .
(i) A true, fully-executed copy of each Material Contract including all amendments and supplements thereto (and a written summary of all terms and conditions of each non-written Material Contract) has been delivered to the Investors, all of which are listed in Section 3.12(i) of the Disclosure Schedule . Material Contracts means, collectively, each Contract to which a Group Company or any of its properties or assets is bound or subject to that is currently effective and (a) involves obligations (contingent or otherwise) or payments in excess of US$100,000 individually or in the aggregate per annum or has an unexpired term in excess of two (2) years, (b) involves Intellectual Property that is material to a Group Company (other than generally-available off-the-shelf shrink-wrap software licenses obtained by the Group Companies on non-exclusive and non-negotiated terms), including the Licenses, (c) restricts the ability of a Group Company to compete or to conduct or engage in any business or activity or in any territory, (d) relates to the sale, issuance, grant, exercise, award, purchase, repurchase or redemption of any Equity Securities, (e) involves any provisions providing for exclusivity, termination or acceleration of rights upon a change in control, most favored nations, rights of first refusal or first negotiation or similar rights, or grants a power of attorney, agency or similar authority, (f) is with a Related Party (except for employment or compensation-related Contracts), (g) involves indebtedness, an extension of credit, a guaranty, surety or assumption of any obligation or any secondary or contingent Liabilities, deed of trust, or the grant of a Lien, (h) involves the lease, license, sale, use, disposition or acquisition of a material amount of assets or of a business, (i) involves the waiver, compromise, or settlement of any material dispute, claim, litigation or arbitration, (j) involves the ownership or lease of, title to, use of, or any leasehold or other interest in, any real or personal property (except for personal property leases involving payments of less than US$50,000 per annum), including the Leases, (k) involves the establishment, contribution to, or operation of a partnership, joint venture, alliance or similar entity, or involving a sharing of profits or losses (including joint development and joint marketing Contracts), or any investment in, loan to or acquisition or sale of the securities, equity interests or assets of any Person, (l) is with a Governmental Authority, state-owned enterprise, or sole-source supplier of any material product or service (other than utilities and other ordinary course arms-length contracts), (m) is a benefits plan, or a collective bargaining agreement or is with any labor union or other representatives of the employees, (n) is a brokerage or finders agreement, or material sales agency, marketing or distributorship Contract, (o) is a power of attorney given by any Group Company, (p) is otherwise material to a Group Company or is one on which a Group Company is substantially dependent, or (q) is outside the ordinary course of business of any Group Company.
(ii) Each Material Contract is a valid and binding agreement of the Group Company that is a party thereto, the performance of which does not and will not violate, in any material respect, any applicable Law or Governmental Order, and is in full force and effect and enforceable against the parties thereto, except (a) as may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (b) as may be limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other remedies in the nature of equitable remedies. Each Group Company has duly performed its material obligations under each Material Contract to the extent that such obligations to perform have accrued, and no breach or default, alleged breach or alleged default, or event which would (with the passage of time, notice or both) constitute a breach or default thereunder by such Group Company or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, any other party or obligor with respect thereto, has occurred, or as a result of the execution, delivery, and performance of the Transaction Documents will occur. No Group Company has given notice (whether or not written) that it intends to terminate a Material Contract or that any other party thereto has breached, violated or defaulted under any Material Contract. No Group Company has received any notice (whether written or not) that it has breached, violated or defaulted under any Material Contract or that any other party thereto intends to terminate such Material Contract.
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(iii) Each Warrantor and Founder has fully complied with the terms of the Series A Transaction Documents and the Series B Transaction Documents to which such Warrantor or Founder is a party, and the obligations of each Warrantor and Founder under the Series A Transaction Documents and the Series B Transaction Documents have been fully fulfilled, except where a written waiver is given by the Series B Investors.
3.13 Ethical Business Practices . Each Group Company and its respective directors, officers, employees, agents and other persons acting on its behalf (collectively, Representatives ) are and have been in compliance with all applicable Laws relating to anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, record keeping and internal control laws (collectively, the Compliance Laws ) including the FCPA if it were a U.S. Person. In connection with the business of the Group Companies, none of the Group Companies or its shareholders, directors or officers, and, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, none of the employees of the Group Companies has offered, paid, promised to pay, or authorized the payment of any money or anything else of value, whether directly or indirectly, to any Government Officials (a) with the intent or purpose of (i) influencing any act or decision of such Government Official in his official capacity or (ii) inducing such Government Official to use his influence with a government or instrumentality thereof or (b) in violation of any applicable anti-bribery or anticorruption law. No Government Official in the PRC (i) holds an ownership or other economic interest, direct or indirect, in any of the Group Companies or in the contractual relationship formed by this Agreement or (ii) serves as an officer, director or employee of any Group Company. No Group Company or any of its Representatives is a Prohibited Person, and no Prohibited Person will be given an offer to become an employee, officer, consultant or director of any Group Company. No Group Company has conducted or agreed to conduct any business, or entered into or agreed to enter into any transaction with a Prohibited Person.
3.14 Assets and Properties . The assets included in the Financial Statements or acquired by the relevant Group Company since the Statement Date and all other assets used or employed by the relevant Group Company are the property of the relevant Group Company free from any Lien, and all such assets a re in the possession or under the control of the relevant Group Company. All machinery, vehicles, equipment and other tangible personal property owned or leased by a Group Company are in good condition and repair in all material respects (reasonable wear and tear excepted). The foregoing assets plus the intangible property owned by the Group Companies collectively represent in all material respects all assets (including all rights and properties) necessary for the conduct of the business of each Group Company in the manner as presently conducted. Each Group Company has the legal right to occupy each real property rented to such Group Company, the leasehold interests of which are set forth in Section 3.14 of the Disclosure Schedule (the Leased Properties ) upon the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreements, a true and complete copy of which has been delivered to the Investors (collectively, the Leases ). Each of the Leased Properties are being used for lawful purposes, which is permitted by the relevant Lease agreement and the actual occupation has not violated any relevant land, construction or user regulations applicable to the Leased Properties. No Group Company owns any real property.
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3.15 Related Party Transactions . Except as set forth in Section 3.15 of the Disclosure Schedule, no Related Party has any Contract (other than the employment agreement, the confidentiality and invention assignment agreement, the non-competition agreement and the ESOP-related Contract, each in substantially the same form, the true and complete copy of which has been delivered to the Investors) with, or is indebted to, any Group Company or has any direct or indirect ownership interest in any Group Company other than as set forth in Section 3.2 hereof, nor is any Group Company indebted (or committed to make loans or extend or guarantee credit) to any Related Party (other than for accrued salaries, reimbursable expenses or other standard employee benefits).
3.16 Intellectual Property Rights .
(i) Company IP . Each Group Company owns or otherwise has the sufficient rights (including but not limited to the rights of development, maintenance, licensing and sale) to all Intellectual Property necessary and sufficient to conduct its business as currently conducted by such Group Company ( Company IP ) without any conflict with or infringement of the rights of any other Person. For the purposes of this Agreement, Company Owned IP means Intellectual Property owned by, purported to be owned by, or exclusively licensed to, the Group Companies, and Company Registered IP means Company Owned IP that are patents, patent applications, trademarks and trademark applications owned by the Company. Section 3.16(i) of the Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and accurate list of all Company Owned IP of each Group Company, including for each the relevant name or description, registration/certification or application number, and filing, registration or issue date .
(ii) IP Ownership . All Company Registered IP is owned by and registered or applied for solely in the name of a Group Company, is valid and subsisting and has not been abandoned, and all necessary registration, maintenance and renewal fees with respect thereto and currently due have been satisfied. No Group Company or any of its officers or directors, or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, any of its employees has taken any actions or failed to take any actions that would cause any Company Registered IP to be invalid, unenforceable or not subsisting. No funding or facilities of a Governmental Authority or a university, college, other educational institution or research center was use in the development of any Company IP. No Company Owned IP is the subject of any Lien, license or other Contract granting rights therein to any other Person. No Group Company is or has been a member or promoter of, or contributor to, any industry standards bodies, patent pooling organizations or similar organizations that could require or obligate a Group Company to grant or offer to any Person any license or right to any Company Owned IP. No Company Owned IP is subject to any proceeding or outstanding Governmental Order or settlement agreement or stipulation that restricts in any manner the use, transfer or licensing thereof, or any Group Companys products or services, by any Group Company or may affect the validity, use or enforceability of such Company Owned IP. Each Founder has assigned and transferred to the Group Companies any and all Company IP related to the Business and each of such transfers is irrevocable and cannot be withdrawn. No Group Company has (a) transferred or assigned any material Company Owned IP; (b) authorized the joint ownership of, any material Company Owned IP; or (c) permitted the rights of any Group Company in any Company Owned IP to lapse or enter the public domain.
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(iii) Infringement, Misappropriation and Claims . Except as disclosed in Section 3.16(iii) of the Disclosure Schedule , no Group Company has violated, infringed or misappropriated any Intellectual Property of any other Person, nor has any Group Company received any written notice alleging any of the foregoing. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, (a) no Person has violated, infringed or misappropriated any Company Owned IP of any Group Company, and no Group Company has given any written notice to any other Person alleging any of the foregoing, and (b) no Person has challenged the ownership or use of the Company Owned IP by a Group Company. No Group Company has agreed to indemnify any Person for any infringement, violation or misappropriation of any Intellectual Property by such Person.
(iv) Assignments and Prior IP . All material inventions and material know-how conceived by employees of a Group Company related to the business of such Group Company are currently owned exclusively by a Group Company. All employees, contractors, agents and consultants of a Group Company who are or were involved in the creation of any Company Owned IP for such Group Company have executed an assignment of inventions agreement that vests in a Group Company exclusive ownership of all right, title and interest in and to such Company Owned IP, to the extent not already provided by Law. None of the Founders or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, any of the employees, consultants or independent contractors, currently or previously employed or otherwise engaged by any Group Company, (a) is in violation of any current or prior confidentiality, non-competition or non-solicitation obligations to such Group Company or to any other Persons, including former employers or (b) is obligated under any Contract, or subject to any Governmental Order, that would interfere with the use of his best efforts to promote the interests of the Group Companies or that would conflict with the business of such Group Company as presently conducted.
(v) Licenses . Section 3.16(v) of the Disclosure Schedule contains a complete and accurate list of (a) all material licenses, sublicenses, and other Contracts to which any Group Company is a party and pursuant to which any third party is authorized to use, exercise or receive any benefit from any Company Owned IP, and (b) all material licenses, sublicenses and other Contracts to which any Group Company is a party and pursuant to which such Group Company is authorized to use, exercise, or receive any benefit from any Intellectual Property of another Person, in each case except for (1) agreements involving off-the-shelf commercially available software, and (2) non-exclusive licenses to customers in the ordinary course of a Group Companys business (the agreements referred to under clauses (a) and (b) , collectively, the Licenses ). The Group Companies have paid all license and royalty fees required to be paid under the Licenses.
(vi) Protection of IP . Each Group Company has taken reasonable and appropriate steps to register (as applicable), protect, maintain and safeguard material Company Owned IP and made all appropriate filings, registrations and payments of fees in connection with the foregoing. Without limiting the foregoing, all current and former officers, employees, consultants and independent contractors of any Group Company and all suppliers, customers, distributors, and other third parties having access to any material Company IP have executed and delivered to such Group Company an agreement or otherwise subject to obligations requiring the protection of such trade secret or proprietary information. To the extent that any Company Owned IP has been developed or created independently or jointly by an independent contractor or other third party for any Group Company, or is incorporated into any products or services of any Group Company, such Group Company has a written agreement with such independent contractor or third party and has thereby obtained ownership of, and is the exclusive owner of all such independent contractors or third partys Intellectual Property in such work, material or invention by operation of law or valid assignment.
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(vii) No Public Software . No Software included in any Company Owned IP has been or is being distributed, in whole or in part, or was used, or is being used in conjunction with any Public Software in a manner which would require that such Software be disclosed or distributed in source code form or made available at no charge.
3.17 Employment Matters .
(i) To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, no circumstances have arisen under which any Group Company will be required to pay any material damages for wrongful dismissal, to make any statutory severance, redundancy or long service payment or to make or pay any compensation for unreasonable dismissal or to make any other material payment under any employment protection legislation or to reinstate or re-engage any former employee. No circumstances have arisen under which any Group Company will be required to pay damages or compensation, or suffer any penalty or be required to take corrective action or be subject to any form of discipline under any laws conferring protection against discrimination, harassment, victimization or vilification by reason of age, gender, family circumstances, race, religion or disability.
(ii) There are no existing service or other Contracts between any Group Company and any of its directors or executives or employees which cannot be lawfully terminated by notice of three (3) calendar months or less without giving rise to any claim for damages or compensation other than a statutory redundancy or severance or long service payment, and each Group Company has complied with all its obligations under all applicable Laws in connection with its employees and contracts with its employees.
(iii) Each Group Company, upon its establishment, has complied in all material respects with all its obligations under applicable Laws or otherwise related to labor or employment, including provisions thereof relating to wages, hours, working conditions, benefits, retirement, social welfare, equal opportunity and collective bargaining, and, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, there are no claims capable of arising or threatened or pending by any employee or third party in respect of any accident or injury which are not fully covered by insurance.
(iv) Save as any scheme which a Group Company is or may become obliged to join or subscribe under any applicable Laws, there are no scheme or funds in respect of retirement, pension, health insurance, housing, bonus, incentive, share option or other benefits to directors, officers, staff, employees or any other party to which any of the Group Companies is a party.
(v) Except as disclosed on Section 3.17(v) of the Disclosure Schedule , no Key Employee is in violation of any term of any contract or any Governmental Order relating to the right of any such individual to be employed by, or to Contract with, such Group Company. No Group Company has received any notice alleging that any such violation has occurred. No Key Employee or any group of employees of any Group Company has given any notice of intent to terminate their employment with any Group Company, nor does any Group Company have a present intention to terminate the employment of any such individual or any group of employees.
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(vi) The employment agreements, confidential and invention assignment agreements and non-competition agreements entered into between each Key Employee and Shanghai Liulishuo or Shanghai Yuguan under the Series B Transaction Documents has been fully complied with by each Key Employee thereto and the Shanghai Liulishuo or Shanghai Yuguan (as the case may be).
3.18 Entire Business. Except as disclosed in Section 3.18 of the Disclosure Schedule, there are no facilities, services, assets or properties shared with or provided by any other entity which is not a Group Company, which are used in connection with any business of any Group Company.
3.19 Non-competition . There is no Contract entered by any of the Group Companies and the Founders (including any Contract with a Founders prior employers) (i) including non-competition, confidentiality or similar clauses that might directly or indirectly impair, restrict or impose conditions on any Group Companys or Founders right to carry on the Business or the business of any Group Company and to enter into this Agreement and any other Transaction Documents and consummate the transactions contemplated hereunder and thereunder or (ii) having caused or might cause to any infringement of any Intellectual Property of any Group Company or any Action relating to any Intellectual Property of any Group Company.
3.20 Securities Laws Matters . Subject to the representations and warranties of the Investors in Section 4, the offer and sale of the Purchased Shares are exempted from the registration or qualification requirements of all applicable securities laws and regulations, and the issuance of Ordinary Shares upon conversion of the Purchased Shares in accordance with the Companys Memorandum and Articles, as may be amended from time to time, will be exempted from such registration or qualification requirements.
3.21 Charter Documents; Books and Records . The Charter Documents of each Group Company are in the form provided to the Investors. Each Group Company has been in compliance with its Charter Documents in all material respects and none of the Group Companies has violated or breached any of their respective Charter Documents. Each Group Company has made available to the Investors a copy of its minute books. Such copy is true and correct, and contains all material amendments and all minutes of important meetings and actions taken by its shareholders and directors since the time of formation through the date hereof and reflects all transactions referred to in such minutes accurately in all material respects. Each Group Company maintains its books of accounts and records in the usual, regular and ordinary manner, on a basis consistent with prior practice, and which permits its Financial Statements to be prepared in accordance with the applicable PRC GAAP or US GAAP. None of the books of account or records of any Group Company contains any falsified entries. The register of members and directors (if applicable) of each Group Company is true and correct, there has been no notice of any proceedings to rectify any such register. All documents required to be filed by each Group Company with the applicable Governmental Authority in respect of the relevant jurisdiction in which the relevant Group Company is incorporated or established have been properly prepared and filed.
3.22 Internal Control . Each Group Company has devised and maintained a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed and access to assets is permitted only in accordance with managements general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of periodic financial statements and to maintain accountability for assets; and (iii) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
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3.23 Registration Rights . Except as provided in the Shareholders Agreement, no Warrantor has granted or agreed to grant any person or entity any registration rights (including piggyback registration rights) with respect to, nor is any Group Company obliged to list, any of such Group Companys Equity Securities on any securities exchange. Except as contemplated under the Transaction Documents, there are no voting or similar agreements which relate to the Equity Securities of any of the Group Companies.
3.24 Full Disclosure . The Warrantors and Founders have provided the Investors with all the information that the Investors have requested for deciding whether to consummate the transactions contemplated under this Agreement. None of the Transaction Documents or any other statements or certificates or other materials made or delivered, or to be made or delivered, to the Investors in connection herewith or therewith, contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements herein or therein not misleading. No representation or warranty by the Warrantors in this Agreement and no information or materials provided to each Investor in connection with its due diligence investigation of the Group Company or the negotiation and execution of the Transaction Documents, taken as a whole, contains or will contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omits or will omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statement therein, in light of the circumstances in which they are made, not misleading.
3.25 Other Representations and Warranties Relating to the Founders.
(i) No Founder is, as a result of the nature of the business of the Group or for any other reason, in violation of any Contract or Governmental Order binding on such Founder and relating to or affecting the right of such Founder to be employed by or serve as a director or consultant to any Group Company. No Contract or Governmental Order conflicts with a Founders obligations to use his best efforts to promote the interests of any Group Company nor does the execution and delivery of this Agreement, nor such Founders carrying on any Group Companys business as a director, officer, consultant or Founder of any Group Company, conflict with any Contract or Governmental Order which such Founder is a party or is otherwise subject.
(ii) No Founder has been (a) subject to voluntary or involuntary petition under any bankruptcy or insolvency law or the appointment of a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer by a court for his business or property; (b) convicted in a criminal proceeding or named as a subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses); (c) subject to any Governmental Order permanently or temporarily enjoining him from engaging, or otherwise imposing limits or conditions on his engagement in any securities, investment advisory, banking, insurance, or other type of business or acting as an officer or director of a public company; or (d) found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by any Governmental Authority to have violated any securities, commodities or unfair trade practices law, which such judgment or finding has not been subsequently reversed, suspended, or vacated.
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(iii) Each Founder has assigned to the Group Companies all Intellectual Property rights owned by such Founder that are related to the Group Companies business.
(iv) No Founder, either on his/her own account or through any of his/her Affiliates, or in conjunction with or on behalf of any other Person, carry on or are engaged, concerned or interested directly or indirectly whether as shareholder, director, employee, partner, agent or otherwise carry on any business in direct or indirect competition with the business of any Group Company. No Founder is subject to any Contracts or any other obligations which prohibit, restrict or otherwise adversely affect such Founders investment or involvement in any Group Company.
4. Representations and Warranties of the Investors . Each Investor represents and warrants, severally but not jointly or jointly and severally, to the Company at the Closing that the following statements are true, correct and not misleading.
4.1 Due Organization . Such Investor is duly incorporated, organized, validly existing and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization.
4.2 Authorization . Such Investor has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and each Transaction Document to which it is a party and to carry out and perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder. All action on such Investors part (and, as applicable, its officers, directors and shareholders) necessary for the authorization, execution and delivery of this Agreement and each Transaction Document and the performance of all its obligations hereunder and thereunder has been taken. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by such Investor and constitutes, and each Transaction Document to which it is a party when executed and delivered by it will constitute, valid and legally binding obligations of it, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except (1) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other Laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (2) as limited by Laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
4.3 Status of Investor . Such Investor is either (i) an accredited investor within the meaning of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC ) Rule 501 of Regulation D, as presently in effect, under the Securities Act, or (ii) not a U.S. person as defined in Rule 902 of Regulation S of the Securities Act and is at the time of the offer and execution of this Agreement, domiciled outside of the United States. Such Investor, 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 Purchased Shares and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment.
4.4 Disclosure of Information. Such Investor has had an opportunity to discuss the Companys business, management, financial affairs and the terms and conditions of the offering of the Purchased Shares with the Companys management and has had an opportunity to review the Companys facilities.
4.5 Compliance. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents by it will not violate any Law applicable to it.
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4.6 Investment for Own Account. Such Investor is subscribing the Purchased Shares for its own account for investment only, and not with a view towards their distribution.
5. Conditions of the Investors Obligations at the Closing . The obligations of each Investor to consummate the transactions contemplated by Section 2.2 of this Agreement are subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing, or waiver by such Investor, of the following conditions:
5.1 Representations and Warranties . Each of the representations and warranties of the Warrantors contained in Section 3 shall have been true, correct, complete and not misleading when made and shall be true, correct, complete and not misleading on and as of the Closing with the same effect as though such representations and warranties had been made on and as of the date of the Closing, except in either case for those representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date, which representations will have been true, correct, complete and not misleading as of such particular date.
5.2 Performance . Each Warrantor shall have performed and complied with all obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement and any Transaction Document that are required to be performed or complied with by them, on or before the Closing. In the case of the Cherubic Purchasers, the conditions of the Cherubic Purchasers obligation at the Closing to purchase the Purchased Series Seed Preferred Shares shall only be applicable to the closing of the purchase and sale of the Purchased Series Seed Preferred Shares pursuant to Section 2.2(iii) , and not the closing of the purchase and sale of any other Purchased Shares.
5.3 Authorizations ; no Prohibition . All Consents of any competent Governmental Authority or of any other Person that are required to be obtained by any Party hereto (other than the Investors) in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall have been duly obtained and effective as of the Closing and evidence thereof shall have been delivered to the Investors. There shall not be any Governmental Order or any condition imposed or provision under any Law which would, in the reasonable judgment of any Investor, (a) prohibit or restrict (i) the sale and issuance of the Purchased Shares or (ii) the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Transaction Documents, (b) subject any Investor to any material penalty or onerous condition under or pursuant to any Law if the Purchased Shares were to be sold and issued hereunder.
5.4 Proceedings and Documents . All corporate and other proceedings of the Warrantors, if applicable, in connection with the transactions to be completed as of the Closing and all documents incident thereto, including written approval and waiver of any consent rights, anti-dilution rights, rights of first refusal, pre-emptive rights and all similar rights, from all of the then current holders of Equity Securities of the Company, as applicable, with respect to this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, shall have been completed or obtained, and copies of such documents shall have been delivered to such Investor.
5.5 Memorandum and Articles. The Memorandum and Articles shall have been duly adopted by all necessary actions of the members of the Company to approve the issuance of the Series C Preferred Shares together with the rights of the Series C Preferred Shares, and such adoption shall have become effective on or prior to the Closing without any alteration or amendment as of the Closing, and reasonable evidence thereof shall have been delivered to such Investor.
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5.6 Transaction Documents . Each of the parties to the Transaction Documents, other than the Investors, shall have executed and delivered such Transaction Documents to such Investor in the forms satisfactory to such Investor.
5.7 Board of Directors and Observer . The Warrantors shall have taken all necessary corporate action to approve and appoint CHEN Xian as a director of the Company and Yan ZHANG as an observer to the Board.
5.8 Closing Certificate . The Warrantors shall have executed and delivered to the Investors at the Closing a certificate dated as of the Closing (i) stating that the conditions specified in this Section 5 have been fulfilled as of the Closing, and (ii) attaching thereto (a) the Charter Documents of the Group Companies as then in effect, and (b) copies of all resolutions approved by the shareholder(s) and boards of directors of each Group Company related to the transactions contemplated hereby.
5.9 No Material Adverse Effect. There has not been any Material Adverse Effect since the date of this Agreement.
5.10 Employment Agreement, Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement and Non-Competition Agreement . Each of the Key Employees (including but not limited to the Founders) of the Group Companies shall have executed an employment agreement (with a term not less than three years from the Closing), a confidentiality and invention assignment agreement and a non competition agreement with any of the WFOEs or Domestic Companies, substantially in the forms set forth in Exhibit H attached hereto, and copies thereof shall have been delivered to CMC Capital.
5.11 No Litigation. No action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation shall have been threatened or instituted against the Founders or the Group Companies seeking to enjoin, challenge the validity of, or assert any liability against any of them on account of, any transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Transaction Document.
5.12 Opinion of Legal Counsel . The Investors shall have received a PRC and Cayman Islands legal opinions, substantially in the forms set forth in Exhibit I attached hereto.
5.13 Interconditionality . The completion of the purchase and sale by all of the Investors of its Purchased Shares pursuant to Section 2.2 shall take place simultaneously or otherwise on or around the same date.
5.14 Transfer of Equity Securities in Domestic Companies . The current shareholders of the Domestic Companies shall have executed one or more agreement(s) for the purpose of transferring 5.56% and 2.78%, respectively, of the equity interest in the Domestic Companies to a Person with PRC nationality designated by CMC Capital and a Person with PRC nationality designated by Wu Capital, respectively, for nil consideration or the lowest purchase price permitted under PRC Laws and substantially in the forms set forth in Exhibit J attached hereto, and evidence of such execution shall have been delivered to CMC Capital and Wu Capital.
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6. Conditions of the Company s Obligations at the Closing . The obligations of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated by Section 2.2 of this Agreement, with respect to any Investor, are subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing, or waiver by the Company, of the following conditions:
6.1 Representations and Warranties . The representations and warranties of such Investor contained in Section 4 shall have been true and correct when made and shall be true and complete on and as of the Closing with the same effect as though such representations and warranties had been made on and as of the date of the Closing, except in either case for those representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date, which representations will have been true and correct as of such particular date.
6.2 Performance . Such Investor shall have performed and complied with all covenants, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by such Investor on or before the Closing.
6.3 Authorizations; no prohibition . All Consents of any competent Governmental Authority or of any other Person that are required to be obtained by such Investor in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall have been duly obtained and effective as of the Closing.
6.4 Transaction Documents . Such Investor shall have executed and delivered to the Warrantors the Transaction Documents to which it is a party.
6.5 Director Acceptance Documents. The Company shall have received (i) a duly executed director acceptance letter from Mr. CHEN Xian in form reasonably satisfactory to the Company and the registered agent of the Company, and (ii) such documents reasonably requested by the registered agent for the purpose of updating the register of directors of the Company to reflect Mr. CHEN Xian as a director of the Company.
6.6 Instruments of Transfer from the Angel Investors. The Company shall have received from each Angel Investor a duly executed instrument of transfer in favor of the Cherubic Purchasers for the Series Seed Preferred Shares to be sold by such Angel Investor at the Closing. For the avoidance of doubt, this condition of the Companys obligation at the Closing shall only be applicable to the closing of the purchase and sale of the Purchased Series Seed Preferred Shares pursuant to Section 2.2(iii) , and not the closing of the purchase and sale of any other Purchased Shares.
7. Confidentiality .
7.1 Disclosure of Terms . The existence and provisions of any Transaction Document, the negotiations relating to any Transaction Document and any non-public material information with respect to a Partys business and operations (collectively, the Confidential Information ), shall be considered confidential information and shall not be disclosed by any Party to any third party.
7.2 Press Releases . No announcement regarding any of the Confidential Information in a press release, conference, advertisement, announcement, professional or trade publication, mass marketing materials or otherwise to the general public may be made without the prior written consent of the other Parties. Any press release issued by any Party shall not disclose any of the Confidential Information and the final form of such press release shall be approved in advance in writing by the other Parties.
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7.3 Permitted Disclosures . Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in Section 7.1 , Section 7 shall not apply to (a) Confidential Information which a restricted party learns from a third party which such third party reasonably believes to have the right to make the disclosure, provided that the restricted party complies with any restrictions imposed by such third party; (b) Confidential Information which is rightfully in the restricted partys possession prior to the time of disclosure by the protected party and not acquired by the restricted party under a confidentiality obligation; (c) Confidential Information which enters the public domain without breach of confidentiality by the restricted party; (d) disclosures of Confidential Information by a Party to its current or bona fide prospective investor, Affiliates and their respective employees, bankers, lenders, accountants, legal counsels, business partners or representatives or advisors who need to know such information, in each case only where such persons or entities are informed of the confidential nature of the Confidential Information and are under appropriate nondisclosure obligations substantially similar to those set forth in this Section 7 ; (e) disclosures of Confidential Information to a bona fide prospective investor or transferee of the Purchased Shares held by the Investors where such investor or transferee is informed of the confidential nature of the Confidential Information and are under appropriate nondisclosure obligations substantially similar to those set forth in this Section 7 ; (f) disclosures of Confidential Information if such disclosure is approved in writing by the Company, the Founders and the Investors; and (g) disclosures of Confidential Information to the extent required pursuant to applicable Law (including the applicable rules of any stock exchange), in which case the party required to make such disclosure (the Disclosing Party ) shall, to the extent reasonably practicable and legally permissible, (i) provide the other Parties hereto with prompt written notice of that fact, and (ii) shall consult with the other Parties hereto regarding such disclosure, and shall, to the extent reasonably possible and with the cooperation and reasonable efforts of the other Parties, seek a protective order, confidential treatment or other appropriate remedy. In such event, the Disclosing Party shall furnish only that portion of the information which is legally required to be disclosed.
7.4 The provisions of this Section 7 shall terminate and supersede the provisions of any separate nondisclosure agreement executed by any of the Parties hereto with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, including any term sheet, letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or other similar agreement entered into by the Company and the Investors in respect of the transactions contemplated hereby.
8. Undertaking .
8.1 Exclusivity . From the date hereof until the earlier of (i) the date of the Closing and (ii) the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 9 hereof, the Warrantors jointly and severally undertake that, without the written consent of the Investors, none of the Founders, the Warrantors, their Related Parties or any of their representatives and agents shall, directly or indirectly, (a) solicit, initiate, encourage or otherwise facilitate offers or proposals from, or engage in or continue any discussion or negotiation with, any other Person (other than the Investors) for the sale or other disposition of all or any portion of the equity interests or (outside the ordinary course of business) the assets of any of the Group Companies or the merger, consolidation or other combination of any Group Company or its businesses or assets with any other Person (other than the Investors); or (b) provide or offer to provide any information to any other Person (other than the Investors) or otherwise cooperate in any way with, or assist or participate in, facilitate or encourage, any effort or attempt by any other Person (other than the Investors) to engage or seek to engage in any of the foregoing.
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8.2 Full Access . Between the date hereof and the date of the Closing, the Warrantors shall permit the Investors and their representatives and agents, during normal business hours to visit and inspect any of the properties and examine the books of account, records, contracts and documents of the Group Companies, and to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the Group Companies with their respective directors, officers, employees, accountants, legal counsel and investment bankers, upon reasonable prior notice by the Investors.
8.3 Covenants . Between the date hereof and the date of the Closing, unless the Investors otherwise agree in writing, each of the Group Companies shall (and the Warrantors shall cause each of the Group Companies to) (a) conduct its business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice, as a going concern and in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Laws and Contracts of any Group Company, (b) pay or perform its debts, taxes, and other obligations when due, (c) maintain its assets in a condition comparable to their current condition, reasonable wear, tear and depreciation excepted, (d) use reasonable best efforts to preserve intact its current business organizations and keep available the services of its current officers and Key Employees and to preserve its relationships with customers, suppliers and others having business dealings with it, (e) otherwise periodically report to the Investors concerning the status of its business, operations and finance, and (f) take all actions reasonably necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents promptly, including the taking of all reasonable acts necessary to cause all of the conditions precedent of the Investors to be satisfied.
8.4 Negative Covenants . Between the date hereof and the date of the Closing, unless the Investors otherwise agree in writing or otherwise expressly contemplated under this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, none of the Group Companies shall (and the Warrantors shall not permit any of the Group Companies to) (a) take any action that would make any representation and warranty of the Warrantors inaccurate at the Closing, (b) take any action that would reasonably be expected to materially impair the value of the Group Companies, (d) issue, sell, or grant any Equity Security, (e) declare, issue, make, or pay any dividend or other distribution with respect to any Equity Securities of the Company, (f) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or capital lease commitments or assume or guarantee any indebtedness of any Person, (g) enter into any Contract or other transaction with any Related Party with a value exceeding US$100,000, (h) take any action that would require any of the Investors consent or approval under Section 10.2 (Protective Provisions) of the Shareholders Agreement or Article 8.3B(2) (Protective Provisions) of the Memorandum and Articles, or (i) authorize, approve or agree to any of the foregoing.
8.5 Notice of Litigation and Proceedings . Between the date hereof and the date of the Closing, the Warrantors shall give prompt notice in writing to the Investors of any litigation, arbitral proceeding and regulatory proceedings affecting any of the Group Companies or any of their respective properties or the transactions contemplated under the Transaction Documents.
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8.6 Notice of Developments . Between the date hereof and the date of the Closing, the Warrantors shall give prompt written notice to the other Parties of (i) any material adverse development that results in or would reasonably be expected to result in a material breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in this Agreement, or (ii) any matter that may affect the willingness of a prudent investor to purchase the Purchased Shares or the amount of consideration which each Investor would be prepared to pay for the Purchased Shares. No such disclosure by the Warrantors, pursuant to this Section 8.6 shall be deemed to amend or supplement the Disclosure Schedules attached hereto or to prevent or cure any breach of representation, warranty, covenant or agreement without the prior written consent of the Investors.
8.7 Facilitating the Closings . Each Warrantor shall use its best efforts to cause the satisfaction of all the conditions precedent set forth in Section 5 hereof and to consummate the Closing. Each Investor shall use its best efforts to cause the satisfaction of all the conditions precedent set forth in Section 6 hereof and to consummate the Closing.
8.8 Use of Proceeds . Unless otherwise agreed by the Investors in writing or contemplated by the Transaction Documents, each of the Warrantors shall procure that the proceeds received by the Company from the issuance and sale of the Purchased Preferred Shares (the Proceeds ) shall only be used for working capital purposes, the daily operation and business expansion of the Group and such other matters approved by the Board.
8.9 Stamped Memorandum and Articles . The Company shall, and each of the Warrantors shall procure the Company to, obtain the duly stamped Memorandum and Articles and provide the scanned copy of the same to the Investors within fifteen (15) Business Days after the Closing.
8.10 Business of the Group Companies . Unless otherwise agreed by the Investors in writing, each of the Warrantors shall procure that:
(i) the business of the Company shall be restricted to the holding, management and disposition of its equity interest in the HK Company;
(ii) the business of the HK Company shall be restricted to the holding, management and disposition of its equity interest in the WFOEs;
(iii) the business of Shanghai Yuguan shall be restricted to its permitted business scope and the establishment of effective control over the Domestic Companies;
(iv) the business of Shanghai Yuling shall be restricted to its permitted business scope; and
(v) the business of each Domestic Company shall be restricted to its permitted business scope.
8.11 Control Documents . Each of the Warrantors shall comply with all the Control Documents to which it is a party and cause all of the transactions contemplated thereunder to be consummated in accordance with the terms and conditions thereof.
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8.12 Employment Agreement, Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement and Non-competition Agreement . Each Group Company shall, and each of the Warrantors shall procure each Group Company, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Laws, to enter into an employment agreement, a confidentiality and invention assignment agreement and a non-competition agreement with each of the newly employed employees who have managerial duties or who may have access to the Company or any other Group Companys Intellectual Property, trade secrets or other proprietary information hereafter employed by any Group Company (or engaged by any Group Company as a consultant or independent contractor), in the forms acceptable to the Board (with the approval of a majority of the Investor Directors (as defined in the Shareholders Agreement)). In addition, no Group Company shall, and each of the Warrantors shall procure that no Group Company shall, amend, modify, terminate, waive or otherwise alter, in whole or in part, any of the above referenced agreements without the consent of the Board (with the approval of a majority of the Investor Directors (as defined in the Shareholders Agreement)).
8.13 Compliance with Laws.
(i) Each Person who is a PRC resident (including each of the Founders) and holds Equity Securities of the Company (including but not limitation to the Founders) shall, at his sole cost and expense, fully comply with all requirements of the PRC Governmental Authorities with respect to his holding of the Equity Securities of the Company on a continuing basis (including, but not limited to, all reporting, registration and filing obligations imposed by, and all Consents required by SAFE under SAFE Circulars and other PRC Governmental Authorities in connection therewith).
(ii) The Group Companies shall, and each Warrantor shall cause each of the Group Companies to, conduct their respective business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Laws, and obtain, make and maintain in effect, all Consents from any relevant Governmental Authority or other Person required in respect of the due and proper establishment and operations of each Group Company as being conducted from time to time in compliance in all material respects with applicable Laws.
(iii) Without limiting the generality of the provisions in Section 8.13(ii) above, none of the Group Companies shall, and each of the Warrantors shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause each Group Company not to, and the Warrantors shall use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that its and their respective Affiliates and its respective officers, directors, and representatives shall not, directly or indirectly, (a) offer or give anything of value to any Public Official with the intent of obtaining any improper advantage, affecting or influencing any act or decision of any such Person, assisting any Group Company in obtaining or retaining business for, or with, or directing business to, any Person, or constituting a bribe, kickback or illegal or improper payment to assist any Group in obtaining or retaining business, (b) take any other action, in each case, in violation of the FCPA, the Bribery Act, 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable similar anti-corruption, recordkeeping and internal controls Laws, or (c) establish or maintain any fund or assets in which any Group Company has proprietary rights that have not been recorded in its books and records of Group Company. Each of the Warrantors shall, and shall procure each Group Company to, maintain systems of internal controls (including accounting systems, purchasing systems and billing systems) to ensure compliance with the FCPA, the Bribery Act, 2010 of the United Kingdom, and any other applicable similar anti-corruption, recordkeeping and internal controls Laws.
8.14 ESOP Increase . Each of the Investors acknowledges and agrees that the increase in the number of Class A Ordinary Shares reserved for ESOP to 5,456,192 shares will be duly completed prior to the Closing.
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8.15 Use of Name .
(i) Unless required by applicable Law (including the applicable rules of any stock exchange), without the prior written consent of CMC Capital, none of the Warrantors shall use the name or brand of CMC Capital or its Affiliates, claim itself as a partner of CMC Capital or its Affiliates, or make any similar representations. Unless required by applicable Law (including the applicable rules of any stock exchange), without the prior written approval of CMC Capital, none of the Warrantors shall make, or cause to be made, any press release, public announcement or other disclosure to any third party in respect of this Agreement, or CMC Capitals subscription of any Equity Securities of the Company.
(ii) Unless required by applicable Law (including the applicable rules of any stock exchange), without the prior written consent of HES Ventures I, Inc., none of the Warrantors shall use the name or brand of HES Ventures I, Inc. or its Affiliates, claim itself as a partner of HES Ventures I, Inc. or its Affiliates, or make any similar representations. Unless required by applicable Law (including the applicable rules of any stock exchange), without the prior written approval of HES Ventures I, Inc., none of the Warrantors shall make, or cause to be made, any press release, public announcement or other disclosure to any third party in respect of this Agreement, or HES Ventures I, Inc.s subscription of any Equity Securities of the Company.
8.16 Licenses, Permits and Contracts.
(i) Each of Warrantors shall procure that each of the Group Companies established in the PRC shall obtain a permit for the adoption of flexible working hours system ( 不定时工作制 ) as soon as practicable after the date hereof, but in no event later than three (3) months after the Closing, and shall pay social insurance and housing funds for its employees in accordance with applicable Law of the PRC) as soon as practicable after the date hereof, but in no event later than three (3) months after the Closing.
(ii) Each of the Group Companies hiring foreign employees shall obtain working permits for such foreign employees as soon as practicable after the date hereof, but in no event later than three (3) months after the Closing.
8.17 Equity Transfer in the Domestic Companies. As soon as practicable after the Closing but no later than three (3) months after the Closing, the Domestic Companies shall, and the Founder Holding Companies shall use reasonable best efforts to procure, the issuance or transfer of certain percentage of equity interest in each of the Domestic Companies to a nominee of CMC Capital and Wu Capital for the lowest consideration permissible under applicable Law, following which the share percentage held by such nominees in each of the Domestic Companies shall be substantially equal to the share percentage held by CMC Capital and Wu Capital, respectively, in the Company immediately after the Closing (collectively, the Domestic Companies Equity Transfers ). Concurrently with the closing of the Domestic Companies Equity Transfers, the Parties agree that the Control Documents shall be revised to reflect such Domestic Companies Equity Transfers and to ensure that the Company can continue to consolidate the financial results of the Domestic Companies in their entirety. CMC Capital and Wu Capital shall cause their nominee shareholders of the Domestic Companies to enter into the revised Control Documents concurrently with the closing of the Domestic Companies Equity Transfers.
8.18 Registration of Equity Pledge . As soon as practicable after the Closing but no later than three (3) months after the Closing, each of the Domestic Companies shall complete the registration of the equity pledges created in favor of Shanghai Yuguan pursuant to the Control Documents which reflect the Domestic Companies Equity Transfers with the SAIC.
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8.19 Conversion . Each of the Warrantors shall procure the Company to, at all times, reserve sufficient Ordinary Shares or, if the reserve is insufficient, the Warrantors shall take all actions necessary to authorize such additional Ordinary Shares, for issuance upon conversion of all Purchased Shares pursuant to the Transaction Documents.
8.20 Full Time Commitment . Each Founder undertakes and covenants to each Investor that, as long as he/she is and remains an employee of any of the Group Companies, he/she shall commit all of his/her efforts to furthering the business of the Group Companies and shall not, without the prior written consent of each Investor, either on his/her own account or through any of his/her Affiliates, or in conjunction with or on behalf of any other Person, (i) possess, directly or indirectly, the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and business operation of any entity whether (a) through the ownership of any equity interest in such entity, or (b) by occupying half or more of the board seats of the entity; or (c) by contract or otherwise; or (ii) devote time to carry out the business operation of any other entity.
8.21 Tax . Each of the Holding Companies, severally but not jointly, acknowledges, covenants and agrees that (i) the Company and any other Group Company shall have no obligation to pay any Tax of any nature that is required by applicable Law to be paid by it, including any Tax under PN7, arising out of or in connection with (a) any purchase, redemption or repurchase by the Company of any Equity Securities of the Company held by such Holding Company that has been completed prior to the date hereof, or (b) the Option Repurchases, (ii) such Holding Company shall bear and pay any Tax of any nature that is required by applicable Laws, including under PN7, to be paid by it arising out of or in connection with the purchase, redemption or repurchase by the Company of the Equity Securities of the Company held by it that has been completed prior to the date hereof, (iii) such Holding Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company or the relevant Group Company for any Indemnifiable Losses arising out of or resulting from any breach or violation by such Holding Company of this Section 8.21 . Each of the Holding Companies and Angel Investors shall be solely responsible for any Tax arising out of or in connection with the sale by such Holding Company or Angel Investor of its Purchased Ordinary Shares or Purchased Series Seed Preferred Shares, as applicable, to Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from the Ordinary Purchase Price and Series Seed Purchase Price the Taxes to be imposed on Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. arising from the purchase of the Purchased Ordinary Shares and the Purchased Series Seed Preferred Shares under applicable Law. Each of the Holding Companies and Angel Investors, severally but not jointly with the others, shall indemnify Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. and its Affiliates and hold them harmless from and against any losses arising from or related to such Taxes or any claims of the applicable tax authorities related to such Taxes.
8.22 Renewal of Service Agreement with Shanghai Jukaopu Investment Consulting Co., Ltd. As soon as practicable after the Closing but no later than three (3) months after the Closing, Shanghai Liulishuo shall renew its China Telecom Innovation Base (Yangpu) Incubation Service Agreement ( 中国电信创新创业基地(杨浦)孵化服务协议 ) with Shanghai Jukaopu Investment Consulting Co., Ltd. ( 上海聚靠谱投资咨询有限公司 ) dated October 31, 2016, relating to its rental of labor headcounts from Shanghai Jukaopu Investment Consulting Co., Ltd.
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8.23 Termination of Sales relating to Lai Shixiong Teaching Materials. As soon as practicable after the Closing but no later than three (3) months after the Closing, the Group Companies shall terminate sales of any Lai Shixiong American English teaching materials in their English Liulishuo mobile applications.
8.24 Intellectual Property . Each of the Warrantors shall procure that each of the Group Companies uses reasonable best efforts to protect their respective material Intellectual Property rights, including (i) promptly applying for the registration of their trademarks in the PRC for adequate categories of products and services, including category 35 and 38, and (ii) using reasonable best efforts to obtain authorization from relevant third parties with respect to the use by the Group Companies of such third partys videos, content or other Intellectual Property without such third partys consent during their operation.
8.25 Agreement with Lance Knowles . As soon as practicable after the Closing, the relevant Group Company shall enter into a written agreement with Lance Knowles to reflect their then existing business relationship, the terms of which shall be no less favorable to the relevant Group Company than those under the Contracts between the relevant Group Company and Lance Knowles existing as of the date hereof. Further, the relevant Group Company shall use reasonable best efforts to cause such written agreement to specify that the ownership of all Intellectual Property rights relating to Lance Knowles service rendered to the Group Company shall belong to the Company, and such written agreement shall replace all existing agreements with respect to the same matter between such parties.
9. Termination.
9.1 Termination before the Closing . This Agreement may be terminated prior to the Closing (a) by mutual written consent of the Parties, (b) by any Party if the Closing has not been consummated within thirty days (30) days after the date hereof, (c) by the Company (with respect to any Investor) by written notice to the other Parties if there has been a material misrepresentation or material breach of a covenant or agreement contained in this Agreement on the part of such Investor, and such breach, if curable, has not been cured within thirty (30) days of such notice, (d) by any Investor (with respect to any Warrantor) by written notice to the other Parties if there has been a material misrepresentation or material breach of a covenant or agreement contained in this Agreement on the part of any Warrantor, and such breach, if curable, has not been cured within thirty (30) days of such notice, or (e) by any Party if an arbitral tribunal established in accordance with Section 10.6 hereof determines that, due to change of applicable Laws, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder is prohibited by any applicable Laws; provided, that no Party may terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1 if the failure of Closing to occur is caused directly or directly by any breach or violation of any provision, obligation or agreement of such Party hereunder.
9.2 Effects of Termination. If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Section 9 , this Agreement will be of no further force or effect upon termination; provided, that (i) the termination will not relieve any Party from any liability for any breach of this Agreement prior to its termination, and (ii) Sections 7 , 9.2 , 10.1 , 10.2 , 10.5 and 10.6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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10. Miscellaneous .
10.1 Survival of Warranties. The warranties, representations, agreements and covenants of the Warrantors contained in or made pursuant to this Agreement and the indemnities given by the Warrantors pursuant to Section 10.2 , respectively, shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Closing and shall in no way be affected by any investigation of the subject matter thereof made by or on behalf of the Investors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the representations and warranties of the Warrantors under this Agreement shall survive three (3) years after the Closing, provided that the representations and warranties set forth in Sections 3.1 to 3.6 shall survive indefinitely, and the representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.8 (Tax Matters) shall survive until the expiration of the relevant statute of limitations.
10.2 Indemnity .
(i) Each Warrantor (each, an Indemnitor ) hereby agrees to jointly and severally indemnify and hold harmless each of the Investors, and each of the Investors directors, employees, Affiliates, agents, permitted assigns and transferees (each, an Indemnitee ), from and against any and all Indemnifiable Losses directly or indirectly incurred or suffered by such Indemnitee as a result of, or based upon or arising from any inaccuracy in or breach or nonperformance of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements by a Warrantor in this Agreement, any other Transaction Document or any certificate delivered pursuant to this Agreement (including the closing certificate delivered pursuant to Section 5.8 ); provided, that the Warrantors shall have a thirty (30) day period to cure any such inaccuracy or breach or nonperformance upon their receipt of a notice of such inaccuracy or breach or nonperformance from any Indemnitee.
(ii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each of the Warrantors shall, jointly and severally, indemnify and hold harmless each Indemnitee from and against any and all Indemnifiable Losses incurred or suffered by such Indemnitee, directly or indirectly, as a result of, or based upon or arising from (a) any Action in connection with any failure to pay social insurance contribution or housing funds by any Group Company; (b) any dispute or infringement claim in connection with the ownership or use of any Company IP, provided that such dispute or infringement claim is caused by a Warrantors willful misconduct or gross negligence; and (c) any Tax Liability of any Group Company accrued before the Closing, and such indemnification set forth in the foregoing clauses (a) to (c) shall not be prejudiced by or be otherwise subject to any disclosure (in the Disclosure Schedule or otherwise) and shall apply regardless of whether the Warrantors or Investors have any actual or constructive knowledge with respect thereto.
(iii) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, (a) except for those Indemnifiable Losses resulting from fraud or willful misconduct or gross misconduct of any Warrantor, the aggregate amount of the Indemnifiable Losses indemnified by the Warrantors to each Indemnitee shall not exceed the aggregate amount of the Purchase Price paid by such Indemnitee to the Company or the Holding Companies, as the case may be, for the subscription or purchase of the relevant Purchased Shares by such Indemnitee, and (b) an Indemnitor shall not have liability to any Indemnitee unless the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Losses incurred by such Indemnitee exceeds US$100,000, and, in such event, such Indemnitor shall be required to indemnify the entire amount of all such Indemnifiable Losses to such Indemnitee.
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(iv) The rights of an Indemnitee to indemnification or any other remedy under this Agreement shall not be impacted or limited by any knowledge that such Indemnitee may have acquired, or could have acquired, whether before or after the Closing Date, nor by any investigation or diligence by such Indemnitee. The Warrantors hereby acknowledge that, regardless of any investigation or diligence made (or not made) by or on behalf of each Investor, and regardless of the results of any such investigation or diligence, each Investor has entered into this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents in express reliance upon the representations and warranties of the Warrantors made herein and therein.
10.3 Further Assurances . Upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein, each of the Warrantors agrees to take or cause to be taken all action, to do or cause to be done, to execute such further instruments, and to assist and cooperate with the other Parties hereto in doing, all things necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Laws or otherwise to consummate and make effective, in the most expeditious manner practicable, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and, to the extent reasonably requested by another Party, to enforce rights and obligations pursuant hereto or thereto.
10.4 Successors and Assigns; Third Party Beneficiaries . Except as otherwise provided herein, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the respective successors and assigns of the Parties hereto whose rights or obligations hereunder are affected by such terms and conditions. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by any Party without the prior written consent of the other Parties. Except as otherwise provided herein, no Person other than the Parties and their successors and permitted assigns is intended to be a beneficiary of this Agreement.
10.5 Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed under the Laws of the State of New York.
10.6 Dispute Resolution .
(i) Any dispute, controversy or claim (each, a Dispute ) arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or the interpretation, breach, termination, validity or invalidity thereof, shall be referred to arbitration upon the demand of any of the Parties with notice (the Arbitration Notice ) to the other Parties.
(ii) The Dispute shall be settled by arbitration in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (the HKIAC ) in accordance with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre Administered Arbitration Rules (the HKIAC Rules ) in force when the Arbitration Notice is submitted in accordance with the HKIAC Rules. There shall be one (1) arbitrator. The HKIAC Council shall select the arbitrator, who shall be qualified to practice law in the State of New York. The seat of arbitration shall be Hong Kong.
(iii) The arbitral proceedings shall be conducted in English. To the extent that the HKIAC Rules are in conflict with the provisions of this Section 10.6 , including the provisions concerning the appointment of the arbitrators, the provisions of this Section 10.6 shall prevail.
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(iv) Each party to the arbitration shall cooperate with each other party to the arbitration in making full disclosure of and providing complete access to all information and documents requested by such other party to the arbitration in connection with such arbitral proceedings, subject only to any confidentiality obligations binding on such party.
(v) The award of the arbitral tribunal shall be final and binding upon the parties thereto, and the prevailing party may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for enforcement of such award.
(vi) Any party to the Dispute shall be entitled to seek preliminary injunctive relief, if possible, from any court of competent jurisdiction pending the constitution of the arbitral tribunal.
(vii) During the course of the arbitral tribunals adjudication of the Dispute, this Agreement shall continue to be performed except with respect to the part in dispute and under adjudication.
10.7 Notices . Any notice required or permitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be given in writing and shall be given either personally or by sending it by next-day or second-day courier service, fax, electronic mail or similar means to the address of the relevant Party as provided in the Shareholders Agreement (or at such other address as such Party may designate by fifteen (15) days advance written notice to the other Parties to this Agreement given in accordance with this Section 10.7 ). Where a notice is sent by next-day or second-day courier service, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre-paying and sending by next-day or second-day service through an internationally-recognized courier a letter containing the notice, with a written confirmation of delivery, and to have been effected at the earlier of (i) delivery (or when delivery is refused) and (ii) expiration of two (2) Business Days after the letter containing the same is sent as aforesaid. Where a notice is sent by fax or electronic mail, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, and sending such notice through a transmitting device, with a written confirmation of delivery, and to have been effected on the day the same is sent as aforesaid, if such day is a Business Day and if sent during normal business hours of the recipient, otherwise the next Business Day. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent a with a copy to address is designated, notice must also be given to such address in the manner above for such notice, request, consent or other communication hereunder to be effective.
10.8 Rights Cumulative; Specific Performance . Each and all of the various rights, powers and remedies of a party hereto will be considered to be cumulative with and in addition to any other rights, powers and remedies which such Party may have at Law or in equity in the event of the breach of any of the terms of this Agreement. The exercise or partial exercise of any right, power or remedy will neither constitute the exclusive election thereof nor the waiver of any other right, power or remedy available to such Party. Without limiting the foregoing, the Parties hereto acknowledge and agree irreparable harm may occur for which money damages would not be an adequate remedy in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the Parties shall be entitled to such injunction to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
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10.9 Fees and Expenses . The Parties shall pay all of their own costs and expenses incurred in connection with the negotiation, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and other Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if the Closing occurs, the Warrantors shall promptly reimburse all reasonable costs and expenses (including fees and expenses for lawyers, accountants and technical consultants) (the Transaction Expenses ) incurred by CMC Capital in an aggregate amount not in excess of US$120,000 within fifteen (15) Business Days after CMC Capital has provided the Company with evidence of the Transaction Expenses.
10.10 Severability . In case any provision of the Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. If, however, any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable under any such applicable Law in any jurisdiction, it shall, as to such jurisdiction, be deemed modified to conform to the minimum requirements of such Law, or, if for any reason it is not deemed so modified, it shall be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable only to the extent of such invalidity, illegality, or limitation on enforceability without affecting the remaining provisions of this Agreement, or the validity, legality, or enforceability of such provision in any other jurisdiction.
10.11 Amendments and Waivers . Any term of this Agreement may be amended, only with the written consent of each of (i) the Warrantors, and (ii) the Investors. Any amendment effected in accordance with this paragraph shall be binding upon each of the Parties hereto. The observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance and either retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of the Party against whom such waiver is sought.
10.12 No Waiver . Failure to insist upon strict compliance with any of the terms, covenants, or conditions hereof will not be deemed a waiver of such term, covenant, or condition, nor will any waiver or relinquishment of, or failure to insist upon strict compliance with, any right, power or remedy power hereunder at any one or more times be deemed a waiver or relinquishment of such right, power or remedy at any other time or times.
10.13 Delays or Omissions . No delay or omission to exercise any right, power or remedy accruing to any Party under this Agreement, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power or remedy of such non-breaching or non-defaulting Party nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of or in any similar breach or default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any single breach or default be deemed a waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind or character on the part of any Party of any breach or default under this Agreement, or any waiver on the part of any Party of any provisions or conditions of this Agreement, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing.
10.14 No Presumption . The Parties acknowledge that any applicable Law that would require interpretation of any claimed ambiguities in this Agreement against the Party that drafted it has no application and is expressly waived. If any claim is made by a Party relating to any conflict, omission or ambiguity in the provisions of this Agreement, no presumption or burden of proof or persuasion will be implied because this Agreement was prepared by or at the request of any Party or its counsel.
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Execution version
10.15 Headings and Subtitles; Interpretation . The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are used for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement. Unless a provision hereof expressly provides otherwise: (i) the term or is not exclusive; (ii) words in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural include the singular; (iii) the terms herein, hereof, and other similar words refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section, subsection, paragraph, clause, or other subdivision; (iv) the term including will be deemed to be followed by, but not limited to or without limitation; (v) the masculine, feminine, and neuter genders will each be deemed to include the others; (vi) the terms shall, will, and agrees are mandatory, and the term may is permissive; (vii) the term day means calendar day, and month means calendar month; (viii) all references in this Agreement to designated Sections and other subdivisions are to the designated Sections and other subdivisions of the body of this Agreement; (ix) all references in this Agreement to designated Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices are to the Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices attached to this Agreement; (x) the phrase directly or indirectly means directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediate Persons or through contractual or other arrangements, and direct or indirect has the correlative meaning; (xi) references to laws include any such law modifying, re-enacting, extending or made pursuant to the same or which is modified, re-enacted, or extended by the same or pursuant to which the same is made; (xii) each representation, warranty, agreement, and covenant contained herein will have independent significance, regardless of whether also addressed by a different or more specific representation, warranty, agreement, or covenant; (xiii) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned under the U.S. GAAP; (xiv) pronouns of either gender or neuter shall include, as appropriate, the other pronoun forms; (xv) references to this Agreement, any other Transaction Documents and any other document shall be construed as references to such document as the same may be amended, supplemented or novated from time to time; and (xvi) all references to dollars or to US$ are to currency of the United States of America and all references to RMB are to currency of the PRC.
10.16 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Facsimile and e-mailed copies of signatures shall be deemed to be originals for purposes of the effectiveness of this Agreement.
10.17 Entire Agreement . This Agreement and the Transaction Documents, together with all schedules and exhibits hereto and thereto, constitute the full and entire understanding and agreements among the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof, and supersede all other agreements between or among any of the Parties with respect to the subject matters hereof and thereof, and no Party shall be liable or bound to any other Party in any manner by any warranties, representations, or covenants except as specifically set forth herein or therein.
10.18 Finder s Fee . Each of the Warrantors represents and warrants, jointly and severally, to each Investor that it neither is nor will be obligated for any finders fee or commission in connection with transaction contemplated hereunder.
10.19 Use of English Language . This Agreement has been executed and delivered in the English language. Any translation of this Agreement into another language shall have no interpretive effect. All documents or notices to be delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement shall be in the English language or, if any such document or notice is not in the English language, accompanied by an English translation thereof, and the English language version of any such document or notice shall control for purposes thereof.
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Execution version
10.20 Independent Nature of Investors Obligations and Rights . The obligations of each Investor under this Agreement are several and not joint or joint and several, and no Investor is responsible in any way for the performance or conduct of any other Investor in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. Nothing contained herein and no action taken by any Investor pursuant hereto shall be or shall be deemed to constitute a partnership, association, joint venture, or joint group with respect to the Investors. Each Investor agrees that no other Investor has acted as an agent for such Investor in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby
[ The remainder of this page has been intentionally left blank. ]
45 |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
GROUP COMPANIES : | LingoChamp Inc. |
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
Title: Director | ||
LingoChamp (HK) Limited ( 流利说 ( 香港 ) 有限公司 ) |
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
Title: Director |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
GROUP COMPANIES :
Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语冠信息技术(上海)有限公司 ) |
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||
Title: Legal Representative | ||
Yuling Culture Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( 语灵文化传播(上海)有限公司 ) |
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||
Title: Legal Representative | ||
Shanghai Liulishuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. ( 上海流利说信息技术有限公司 ) |
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||
Title: Legal Representative | ||
Shanghai Mengfan Culture Broadcasting Co., Ltd. ( 上海萌番文化传播有限公司 ) |
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
Name: Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) | ||
Title: Legal Representative |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
FOUNDERS :
/s/ Yi Wang |
Yi Wang ( 王翌 ) |
/s/ Zheren Hu |
Zheren Hu ( 胡哲人 ) |
/s/ Hui Lin |
Hui Lin ( 林晖 ) |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
HOLDING COMPANIES :
Joyx Holdings Ltd. |
By: |
/s/ Yi Wang |
Name: | Yi Wang | |
Title: | Director |
Ulingo Holdings Ltd. |
By: |
/s/ Hui Lin |
Name: | Hui Lin | |
Title: | Director |
Muang Holdings Ltd. |
By: |
/s/ Zheren Hu |
Name: | Zheren Hu | |
Title: | Director |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited | |||
By: |
/s/ CHEN Xian |
|||
Name: CHEN Xian | ||||
Title: Managing Director |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | Wu Capital Limited | |||
By: |
/s/ WU Yajun |
|||
Name: WU Yajun | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. | |||
By: IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III Associates L.P., its General Partner |
||||
By: IDG-Accel China Growth Fund GP III Associates Ltd., its General Partner |
||||
By: |
/s/ Chi Sing Ho |
|||
Name: Chi Sing Ho | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory | ||||
INVESTORS : | IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. | |||
By: IDG-Accel China Growth Fund GP III Associates Ltd., its General Partner |
||||
By: |
/s/ Chi Sing Ho |
|||
Name: Chi Sing Ho | ||||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | GGV Capital IV L.P. | |||
By: GGV Capital IV L.L.C., its General Partner |
By: |
/s/ Stephen Hyndman |
|||
Name: Stephen Hyndman | ||||
Title: Attorney in Fact |
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. | ||||
By: GGV Capital IV L.L.C., its General Partner |
By: |
/s/ Stephen Hyndman |
|||
Name: Stephen Hyndman | ||||
Title: Attorney in Fact |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. | |||
By: |
/s/ Matt Cheng |
|||
Name: Matt Cheng | ||||
Title: Director | ||||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. | ||||
By: |
/s/ Matt Cheng |
|||
Name: Matt Cheng | ||||
Title: Director |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
By: |
/s/ Matt Cheng |
Name: | Matt Cheng |
Title: | Managing Director |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : | HES Ventures I, Inc. | |||
By: |
/s/ Kenneth A. Bronfin |
|||
Name: | Kenneth A. Bronfin | |||
Title: |
Senior Managing Director Hearst Communications, Inc. |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
INVESTORS : |
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
By: |
/s/ Authorized Signatory |
Name: | ||||||
Title: |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
ANGEL INVESTORS :
/s/ Xuemei Gu |
Xuemei Gu |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
ANGEL INVESTORS :
/s/ Guanchun Wang |
Guanchun Wang |
Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement
SCHEDULE I
PART A
LIST OF FOUNDERS AT CLOSING
Founder |
PRC ID Card Number |
Holding Companies |
||
Yi Wang |
PRC ID Card Number *** |
Joyx Holdings Ltd | ||
Zheren Hu |
PRC ID Card Number *** |
Muang Holdings Ltd. | ||
Hui Lin |
PRC ID Card Number *** |
Ulingo Holdings Ltd | ||
Total |
/ | / |
PART B
PURCHASED ORDINARY SHARES AT CLOSING
Seller |
Purchaser |
Class of Purchased Shares |
Number of Purchased Shares |
Purchase Price |
||||
Joyx Holdings Ltd |
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. | Class A Ordinary Shares | 31,772 | $299,997.32 | ||||
Muang Holdings Ltd. |
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. | Class A Ordinary Shares | 31,772 | $299,997.32 | ||||
Ulingo Holdings Ltd |
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. | Class A Ordinary Shares | 31,772 | $299,997.32 | ||||
Total |
/ | / | 95,316 | $899,991.96 |
Schedule I
PART C
OPTION REPURCHASES AT CLOSING
Option Holder |
Purchaser |
Number of Options |
Purchase Price |
|||
Nan Wang ( 王楠 ) |
LingoChamp Inc. | 28,066 | $264,723.90 | |||
Junli Dai ( 代军利 ) |
LingoChamp Inc. | 13,768 | $129,862.42 | |||
Pingfeng Sun ( 孙平峰 ) |
LingoChamp Inc. | 13,768 | $129,862.42 | |||
Xiaofei Yang ( 杨晓飞 ) |
LingoChamp Inc. | 5,295 | $49,466.91 | |||
Zhi Wang ( 王智 ) |
LingoChamp Inc. | 2,648 | $24,738.12 | |||
Total |
/ | 63,545 | $598,653.77 |
PART D
ISSUED ORDINARY SHARES AT CLOSING
Seller |
Purchaser |
Class of Purchased Shares |
Number of Purchased Shares |
Purchase Price |
||||
LingoChamp Inc. |
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. | Class A Ordinary Shares | 63,545 | $600,004.09 |
Schedule I
PART E
PURCHASED SERIES SEED PREFERRED SHARES AT CLOSING
Angel Investors |
PRC ID
Passport Number |
Purchaser |
Class of Purchased Shares |
Number of Purchased Shares |
Purchase Price |
|||||
Xuemei Gu |
Passport Number *** |
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. |
Series Seed
Preferred Shares |
79,430 | $749,993.31 | |||||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. |
Series Seed
|
46,277 |
$436,956.32 |
|||||||
Guanchun Wang |
PRD ID Card Number *** |
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. |
Series Seed
Preferred Shares |
125,707 | $1,186,949.63 | |||||
Total |
/ | / | / | 251,414 | $2,373,899.26 |
Schedule I
SCHEDULE II
SCHEDULE OF INVESTORS AT CLOSING
Investors |
Class of Purchased Shares |
Number of Purchased Shares |
Purchase Price |
|||
CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited |
Series C Preferred Shares | 2,647,690 | US$24,999,997.34 | |||
Wu Capital Limited |
Series C Preferred Shares | 1,323,845 | US$12,499,998.67 | |||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 316,987 | US$2,993,052.12 | |||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 22,472 | US$212,184.94 | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 518,543 | US$4,896,182.57 | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 10,995 | US$103,816.90 | |||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 92,683 | US$875,130.68 | |||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 22,706 | US$214,394.41 | |||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 339,459 | US$3,205,237.05 | |||
Total |
/ | 5,295,380 | US$49,999,994.67 |
Schedule II
SCHEDULE III
CAPITALIZATION TABLE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE CLOSING
Name of Shareholder |
Class of Shares |
Number of Shares |
Percentage |
|||
Joyx Holdings Ltd. |
Class B Ordinary Shares | 11,785,619 | 27.82% | |||
Muang Holdings Ltd. |
Class B Ordinary Shares | 5,042,703 | 11.90% | |||
Ulingo Holdings Ltd. |
Class B Ordinary Shares | 2,942,668 | 6.95% | |||
ESOP |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 5,519,737 | 13.03% | |||
Subtotal |
Ordinary Shares | 25,290,727 | 59.70% | |||
IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 1,257,069 | 2.97% | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 1,354,065 | 3.20% | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 28,711 | 0.07% | |||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 879,949 | 2.08% | |||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 125,707 | 0.30% | |||
Subtotal |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 3,645,501 | 8.61% | |||
IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 276,555 | 0.65% | |||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 2,065,978 | 4.88% | |||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 146,464 | 0.35% | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 2,437,317 | 5.75% | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 51,680 | 0.12% | |||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 276,555 | 0.65% | |||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series A Preferred Shares | 27,655 | 0.07% |
Schedule III
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 248,900 | 0.59% | |||
Subtotal |
Series A Preferred Shares | 5,531,104 | 13.06% | |||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 1,473,199 | 3.48% | |||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 104,440 | 0.25% | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 534,684 | 1.26% | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 11,337 | 0.03% | |||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 79,545 | 0.19% | |||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series B Preferred Shares | 44,111 | 0.10% | |||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 324,690 | 0.77% | |||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 5,323,705 | 12.57% | |||
Subtotal |
Series B Preferred Shares | 7,895,711 | 18.64% | |||
Total |
42,363,043 | 100% |
Schedule III
SCHEDULE IV
CAPITALIZATION TABLE IMMEDIATELY AFTER CLOSING
Name of Shareholder |
Class of Shares |
Number of Shares |
Percentage |
|||
Joyx Holdings Ltd. |
Class B Ordinary Shares | 11,753,847 | 24.66% | |||
Muang Holdings Ltd. |
Class B Ordinary Shares | 5,010,931 | 10.51% | |||
Ulingo Holdings Ltd. |
Class B Ordinary Shares | 2,910,896 | 6.11% | |||
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 158,861 | 0.33% | |||
ESOP |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 5,456,192 | 11.45% | |||
Subtotal |
Ordinary Shares | 25,290,727 | 53.07% | |||
IDG Technology Venture Investment IV, L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 1,257,069 | 2.64% | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 1,354,065 | 2.84% | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 28,711 | 0.06% | |||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 628,535 | 1.32% | |||
Cherubic Ventures SSG Ltd. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 79,430 | 0.17% | |||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 171,984 | 0.36% | |||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 125,707 | 0.26% | |||
Subtotal |
Series Seed Preferred Shares | 3,645,501 | 7.65% | |||
IDG Technology Venture Investment V, L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 276,555 | 0.58% | |||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 2,065,978 | 4.33% |
Schedule IV
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 146,464 | 0.31% | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 2,437,317 | 5.11% | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 51,680 | 0.11% | |||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 276,555 | 0.58% | |||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series A Preferred Shares | 27,655 | 0.06% | |||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series A Preferred Shares | 248,900 | 0.52% | |||
Subtotal |
Series A Preferred Shares | 5,531,104 | 11.61% | |||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 1,473,199 | 3.09% | |||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 104,440 | 0.22% | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 534,684 | 1.12% | |||
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 11,337 | 0.02% | |||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 79,545 | 0.17% | |||
RTA Capital, LLC |
Series B Preferred Shares | 44,111 | 0.09% | |||
Cherubic Ventures Fund II, L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 324,690 | 0.68% | |||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
Series B Preferred Shares | 5,323,705 | 11.17% | |||
Subtotal |
Series B Preferred Shares | 7,895,711 | 16.57% | |||
CMC Lullaby Holdings Limited |
Series C Preferred Shares | 2,647,690 | 5.56% | |||
Wu Capital Limited |
Series C Preferred Shares | 1,323,845 | 2.78% | |||
IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 316,987 | 0.67% | |||
IDG-Accel China III Investors L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 22,472 | 0.05% | |||
GGV Capital IV L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 518,543 | 1.09% |
Schedule IV
GGV Capital IV Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 10,995 | 0.02% | |||
Cherubic Ventures SSG II Ltd. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 92,683 | 0.19% | |||
HES Ventures I, Inc. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 22,706 | 0.05% | |||
Trustbridge Partners V, L.P. |
Series C Preferred Shares | 339,459 | 0.71% | |||
Subtotal |
Series C Preferred Shares | 5,295,380 | 11.11% | |||
Total |
47,658,423 | 100% |
Schedule IV
EXHIBIT A
Control Documents
1. | Exclusive Option Agreement; |
2. | Exclusive Technical Development, Consultation and Service Agreement; |
3. | Equity Interest Pledge Agreement; |
4. | Power of Attorney; and |
5. | Spouse Commitment Letter. |
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Indemnification Agreement
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
Form of Management Rights Letter
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
Fourth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Exhibit D
EXHIBIT E
Third Amended and Restated Right of First Refusal and Co-Sale Agreement
Exhibit E
EXHIBIT F
Third Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement
Exhibit F
EXHIBIT G
Disclosure Schedule
Exhibit G
EXHIBIT H
Forms of Employment-related Agreements
Exhibit H
EXHIBIT I-1
Form of PRC Legal Opinion Letter
Exhibit I-1
EXHIBIT I-2
Form of Cayman Islands Legal Opinion Letter
Exhibit I-2
EXHIBIT J
Form of Domestic Company Equity Interest Transfer Agreements
Exhibit J
EXHIBIT K
Form of Option Repurchase Agreement
Exhibit K
Exhibit 21.1
Principal Subsidiaries and Variable Interest Entities of the Registrant
Principal Subsidiaries |
Place of Incorporation |
|
LingoChamp US Inc. |
Delaware | |
LingoChamp (HK) Limited |
Hong Kong | |
Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
PRC | |
Yulin Cultural Communication (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. |
PRC | |
Variable Interest Entities |
Place of Incorporation |
|
Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. |
PRC | |
Shanghai Liulishuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. |
PRC | |
Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd. |
PRC |
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the use in this Registration Statement on Form F-1 of LAIX Inc. (formerly known as LingoChamp Inc.) of our report dated June 13, 2018 relating to the financial statements, which appears in this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading Experts in such Registration Statement.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP
Shanghai, the Peoples Republic of China
August 31, 2018
Exhibit 23.4
August 25, 2018
LAIX Inc. (the Company)
3/F, Building B, No.1687 Changyang Road, Yangpu District
Shanghai, 200090
Peoples Republic of China
+(86) 21 3511 7188
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, I hereby consent to the reference of my name as a director of the Company, effective immediately upon the effectiveness of the Companys registration statement on Form F-1 initially filed by the Company on June 13, 2018 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Christopher Ludwig Eisgruber |
Name: Christopher Ludwig Eisgruber |
Exhibit 23.5
August 23, 2018
LAIX Inc. (the Company)
3/F, Building B, No.1687 Changyang Road, Yangpu District
Shanghai, 200090
Peoples Republic of China
+(86) 21 3511 7188
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, I hereby consent to the reference of my name as a director of the Company, effective immediately upon the effectiveness of the Companys registration statement on Form F-1 initially filed by the Company on June 13, 2018 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Li-Lan Cheng |
Name: Li-Lan Cheng |
Exhibit 99.1
LAIX INC.
CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
(Adopted by the Board of Directors of LAIX Inc. on August 30, 2018, effective upon the effectiveness of its registration statement on Form F-1 relating to its initial public offering)
I. |
PURPOSE |
This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the Code ) contains general guidelines for conducting the business of LAIX Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, the Company ) consistent with the highest standards of business ethics, and is intended to qualify as a code of ethics within the meaning of Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder. To the extent this Code requires a higher standard than required by commercial practice or applicable laws, rules or regulations, the Company adheres to these higher standards.
This Code is designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:
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honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships; |
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full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC ) and in other public communications made by the Company; |
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compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations; |
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prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code; and |
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accountability for adherence to the Code. |
II. |
APPLICABILITY |
This Code applies to all directors, officers and employees of the Company, whether they work for the Company on a full-time, part-time, consultative or temporary basis (each, an employee and collectively, the employees ). Certain provisions of the Code apply specifically to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, other chief officers, senior financial officer, controller, senior vice presidents, vice presidents and any other persons who perform similar functions for the Company (each, a senior officer , and collectively, the senior officers ).
The Board of Directors of LAIX Inc. (the Board ) has appointed the chief financial officer of LAIX Inc. as the Compliance Officer for the Company (the Compliance Officer ). If you have any questions regarding the Code or would like to report any violation of the Code, please contact the Compliance Officer by email at bin.yu@liulishuo.com.
III. |
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST |
Identifying Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an employees private interest interferes, or appears to interfere, in any way with the interests of the Company as a whole. An employee should actively avoid any private interest that may impact such employees ability to act in the interests of the Company or that may make it difficult to perform the employees work objectively and effectively. In general, the following are considered conflicts of interest:
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Competing Business . No employee may be employed by a business that competes with the Company or deprives it of any business. |
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Corporate Opportunity . No employee may use corporate property, information or his/her position with the Company to secure a business opportunity that would otherwise be available to the Company. If an employee discovers a business opportunity that is in the Companys line of business through the use of the Companys property, information or position, the employee must first present the business opportunity to the Company before pursuing the opportunity in his/her individual capacity. |
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Financial Interests . |
(i) |
No employee may have any financial interest (ownership or otherwise), either directly or indirectly through a spouse or other family member, in any other business or entity if such interest adversely affects the employees performance of duties or responsibilities to the Company, or requires the employee to devote time to it during such employees working hours at the Company; |
(ii) |
No employee may hold any ownership interest in a privately held company that is in competition with the Company; |
(iii) |
An employee may hold less than 5% ownership interest in a publicly traded company that is in competition with the Company; provided that if the employees ownership interest in such publicly traded company increases to 5% or more, the employee must immediately report such ownership to the Compliance Officer; |
(iv) |
Unless pre-approved by the Compliance Officer, no employee may hold any ownership interest in a company that has a business relationship with the Company if such employees duties at the Company include managing or supervising the Companys business relations with that company; and |
(v) |
Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Code, |
(a) a director or any family member of such director (collectively, Director Affiliates ) or a senior officer or any family member of such senior officer (collectively, Officer Affiliates ) may continue to hold his/her investment or other financial interest in a business or entity (an Interested Business ) that:
(1) |
was made or obtained either (x) before the Company invested in or otherwise became interested in such business or entity; or (y) before the director or senior officer joined the Company (for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of whether the Company had or had not already invested in or otherwise become interested in such business or entity at the time the director or senior officer joined the Company); or |
(2) |
may in the future be made or obtained by the director or senior officer, provided that at the time such investment or other financial interest is made or obtained, the Company has not yet invested in or otherwise become interested in such business or entity; |
provided that such director or senior officer shall disclose such investment or other financial interest to the Board;
(b) an interested director or senior officer shall refrain from participating in any discussion among senior officers of the Company relating to an Interested Business and may not be involved in any proposed transaction between the Company and an Interested Business; and
(c) before any Director Affiliate or Officer Affiliate (i) invests, or otherwise acquires any equity or other financial interest, in a business or entity that is in competition with the Company; or (ii) enters into any transaction with the Company, the related director or senior officer shall obtain prior approval from the Audit Committee of the Board.
For purposes of this Code, a company or other entity is deemed to be in competition with the Company if it competes with the Companys products and services and any other business in which the Company engages in.
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Loans or Other Financial Transactions . No employee may obtain loans or guarantees of personal obligations from, or enter into any other personal financial transaction with, any company that is a material customer, supplier or competitor of the Company. This guideline does not prohibit arms-length transactions with recognized banks or other financial institutions. |
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Service on Boards and Committees . No employee may serve on a board of directors or trustees or on a committee of any entity (whether profit or not-for-profit) whose interests could reasonably be expected to conflict with those of the Company. Employees must obtain prior approval from the Board before accepting any such board or committee position. The Company may revisit its approval of any such position at any time to determine whether an employees service in such position is still appropriate. |
The above is in no way a complete list of situations where conflicts of interest may arise. The following questions might serve as a useful guide in assessing a potential conflict of interest situation not specifically addressed above:
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Is the action to be taken legal? |
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Is it honest and fair? |
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Is it in the best interests of the Company? |
Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
The Company requires that employees fully disclose any situations that could reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest. If an employee suspects that he/she has a conflict of interest, or a situation that others could reasonably perceive as a conflict of interest, the employee must report it immediately to the Compliance Officer. Conflicts of interest may only be waived by the Board, or the appropriate committee of the Board, and will be promptly disclosed to the public to the extent required by law and applicable rules of the applicable stock exchange.
Family Members and Work
The actions of family members outside the workplace may also give rise to conflicts of interest because they may influence an employees objectivity in making decisions on behalf of the Company. If a member of an employees family is interested in doing business with the Company, the criteria as to whether to enter into or continue the business relationship and the terms and conditions of the relationship must be no less favorable to the Company compared with those that would apply to an unrelated party seeking to do business with the Company under similar circumstances.
Employees are required to report any situation involving family members that could reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest to their supervisor or the Compliance Officer. For purposes of this Code, family members or members of employees family include an employees spouse, parents, children and siblings, whether by blood, marriage or adoption or anyone residing in such employees home.
IV. |
GIFTS, MEALS AND ENTERTAINMENT |
All employees are required to comply with the anti-corruption compliance policy of the Company regarding gifts, meals and entertainment.
V. |
PROTECTION AND USE OF COMPANY ASSETS |
Employees should protect the Companys assets and ensure their efficient use for legitimate business purposes only. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the Companys profitability. Any use of the funds or assets of the Company, whether for personal gain or not, for any unlawful or improper purpose is strictly prohibited.
To ensure the protection and proper use of the Companys assets, each employee is required to:
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Exercise reasonable care to prevent theft, damage or misuse of Company property; |
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Promptly report any actual or suspected theft, damage or misuse of Company property; |
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Safeguard all electronic programs, data, communications and written materials from unauthorized access; and |
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Use Company property only for legitimate business purposes. |
Except as approved in advance by the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, the Company prohibits political contributions (directly or through trade associations) by any employee on behalf of the Company. Prohibited political contributions include:
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any contributions of the Companys funds or other assets for political purposes; |
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encouraging individual employees to make any such contribution; and |
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reimbursing an employee for any political contribution. |
VI. |
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND CONFIDENTIALITY |
Employees shall abide by the Companys rules and policies in protecting the intellectual property and confidential information, including the following:
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All inventions, creative works, computer software, and technical or trade secrets developed by an employee in the course of performing the employees duties or primarily through the use of the Companys assets or resources while working at the Company are the property of the Company. |
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Employees shall maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to them by the Company or entities with which the Company has business relations, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated. Confidential information includes all non-public information that might be of use to competitors, or harmful to the company or its business associates, if disclosed. |
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The Company maintains a strict confidentiality policy. During an employees term of employment with the Company, the employee shall comply with any and all written or unwritten rules and policies concerning confidentiality and shall fulfill the duties and responsibilities concerning confidentiality applicable to the employee. |
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In addition to fulfilling the responsibilities associated with his/her position in the Company, an employee may not, without obtaining prior approval from the Company, disclose, announce or publish trade secrets or other confidential business information of the Company, nor may an employee use such confidential information outside the course of his/her duties to the Company. |
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Even outside the work environment, an employee must maintain vigilance and refrain from disclosing important information regarding the Company or its business, business associates or employees. |
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An employees duty of confidentiality with respect to the confidential information of the Company survives the termination of such employees employment with the Company for any reason until such time as the Company discloses such information publicly or the information otherwise becomes available in the public sphere through no fault of the employee. |
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Upon termination of employment, or at such time as the Company requests, an employee must return to the Company all of its property without exception, including all forms of medium containing confidential information, and may not retain duplicate materials. |
VII. |
ACCURACY OF FINANCIAL REPORTS AND OTHER PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS |
The Company is required to report its financial results and other material information about its business to the public and the SEC. It is the Companys policy to promptly disclose accurate and complete information regarding its business, financial condition and results of operations. Employees must strictly comply with all applicable standards, laws, regulations and policies for accounting and financial reporting of transactions, estimates and forecasts. Inaccurate, incomplete or untimely reporting will not be tolerated and can severely damage the Company and result in legal liability.
Employees should be on guard for, and are required to promptly report, any possibility of inaccurate or incomplete financial reporting. Particular attention should be paid to:
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Financial results that seem inconsistent with the performance of the underlying business; |
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Transactions that do not seem to have an obvious business purpose; and |
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Requests to circumvent ordinary review and approval procedures. |
The Companys senior financial officers and other employees working in the finance department have a special responsibility to ensure that all of the Companys financial disclosures are full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable. These individuals are required to report any practice or situation that might undermine this objective to the Compliance Officer.
Employees are prohibited from directly or indirectly taking any action to coerce, manipulate, mislead or fraudulently influence the Companys independent auditors for the purpose of rendering the financial statements of the Company materially misleading. Prohibited actions include but are not limited to:
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issuing or reissuing a report on the Companys financial statements that is not warranted in the circumstances (due to material violations of U.S. GAAP, generally accepted auditing standards or other professional or regulatory standards); |
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not performing audit, review or other procedures required by generally accepted auditing standards or other professional standards; |
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not withdrawing an issued report when withdrawal is warranted under the circumstances; or |
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not communicating matters as required to the Companys Audit Committee. |
VIII. |
COMPANY RECORDS |
Accurate and reliable records are crucial to the Companys business and form the basis of its earnings statements, financial reports and other disclosures to the public. The Companys records are a source of essential data that guides business decision-making and strategic planning. Company records include, but are not limited to, booking information, payroll, timecards, travel and expense reports, e-mails, accounting and financial data, measurement and performance records, electronic data files and all other records maintained in the ordinary course of business.
All Company records must be complete, accurate and reliable in all material respects. There is never an acceptable reason to make false or misleading entries. Undisclosed or unrecorded funds, payments or receipts are strictly prohibited. An employee is responsible for understanding and complying with the Companys recordkeeping policy. An employee should contact the Compliance Officer if he/she has any questions regarding the recordkeeping policy.
IX. |
COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS |
Each employee has an obligation to comply with the laws of the cities, provinces, regions and countries in which the Company operates. This includes, without limitation, laws covering commercial bribery and kickbacks, patent, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, information privacy, insider trading, offering or receiving gratuities, employment harassment, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, false or misleading financial information, misuse of corporate assets and foreign currency exchange activities. Employees are expected to understand and comply with all laws, rules and regulations that apply to their positions at the Company. If any doubt exists about whether a course of action is lawful, the employee should seek advice immediately from the Compliance Officer.
X. |
DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT |
The Company is firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, national origin or any other protected class. For further information, employees should consult the Compliance Officer.
XI. |
FAIR DEALING |
Each employee should endeavor to deal fairly with the Companys customers, suppliers, competitors and employees. No employee may take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other unfair-dealing practice.
XII. |
HEALTH AND SAFETY |
The Company strives to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment. Each employee has responsibility for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for other employees by following environmental, safety and health rules and practices and reporting accidents, injuries and unsafe equipment, practices or conditions. Violence or threats of violence are not permitted.
Each employee is expected to perform his/her duty to the Company in a safe manner, free of any influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or other controlled substances. The use of illegal drugs or other controlled substances in the workplace is prohibited.
XIII. |
VIOLATIONS OF THE CODE |
All employees have a duty to report any known or suspected violation of this Code, including any violation of laws, rules, regulations or policies that apply to the Company. Reporting a known or suspected violation of this Code by others will not be considered an act of disloyalty, but an action to safeguard the reputation and integrity of the Company and its employees.
If an employee knows of or suspects a violation of this Code, it is such employees responsibility to immediately report the violation to the Compliance Officer, who will work with the employee to investigate his/her concern. All questions and reports of known or suspected violations of this Code will be treated with sensitivity and discretion. The Compliance Officer and the Company will protect the employees confidentiality to the extent possible, consistent with the law and the Companys need to investigate the employees concern.
It is the Companys policy that any employee who violates this Code will be subject to appropriate discipline, including termination of employment, based upon the facts and circumstances of each particular situation. An employees conduct, if it does not comply with the law or with this Code, can result in serious consequences for both the employee and the Company.
The Company strictly prohibits retaliation against an employee who, in good faith, seeks help or reports known or suspected violations. An employee inflicting reprisal or retaliation against another employee for reporting a known or suspected violation will be subject to disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
XIV. |
WAIVERS OF THE CODE |
Waivers of this Code will be granted on a case-by-case basis and only in extraordinary circumstances. Waivers of this Code may be made only by the Board, or the appropriate committee of the Board, and may be promptly disclosed to the public if so required by applicable laws and regulations and rules of the applicable stock exchange.
XV. |
CONCLUSION |
This Code contains general guidelines for conducting the business of the Company consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. If employees have any questions about these guidelines, they should contact the Compliance Officer. The Company expects all employees to adhere to these standards. Each employee is separately responsible for his/her actions. Conduct that violates the law or this Code cannot be justified by claiming that it was ordered by a supervisor or someone in higher management positions. If an employee engages in conduct prohibited by the law or this Code, such employee will be deemed to have acted outside the scope of his/her employment. The prohibited conduct will subject the employee to disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Shanghai· Beijing·Shenzhen ·Hong Kong ·Guangzhou
http://www.fangdalaw.com
288
24
200041
E-mail: email@fangdalaw.com
Tel.: 86-21-2208-1166
Fax: 86-21-5298-5599/5577
Ref. 18CF0255
Exhibit 99.2
FANGDA PARTNERS
24/F HKRI Centre Two HKRI Taikoo Hui 288 Shi Men Yi Road Shanghai 200041, PRC
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To: LAIX Inc.
August 31, 2018
Re: Legal Opinion on Certain PRC Law Matters
Dear Sirs,
We are lawyers qualified in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC , which, for the purpose of this opinion, does not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan) and are qualified to issue an opinion on PRC Laws (as defined below).
We are acting as PRC legal counsel to LAIX Inc. (formerly known as LingoChamp Inc., the Company ), solely in connection with (A) the Companys registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the Registration Statement ), filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC ) under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, relating to the initial public offering (the Offering ) by the Company of a certain number of the Companys American depositary shares (the ADSs ), each representing a certain number of ordinary share of par value US$0.001 per share of the Company, and (B) the proposed issuance and sale of the Companys ADSs and the proposed listing and trading of the Companys ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange.
As used in this opinion, (A) PRC Authorities means any national, provincial or local governmental, regulatory or administrative authority, agency or commission in the PRC, or any court, tribunal or any other judicial or arbitral body in the PRC; (B) PRC Laws means all laws, statutes, regulations, orders, decrees, notices, circulars, judicial interpretations and other legislations of the PRC effective and available to the public as of the date hereof; (C) Governmental Authorizations means all approvals, consents, certificates, authorizations, filings, registrations, exemptions, permissions, annual inspections, qualifications, permits and licenses required by any PRC Authorities pursuant to any applicable PRC Laws; (D) WFOE s means Yuguan Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ( Yuguan ), and Yulin Cultural Communication (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.; (E) VIE Entit ies means Shanghai Liulishuo Information and Technology Co., Ltd. ( Shanghai Liulishuo ), Shanghai Mengfan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. ( Shanghai Mengfan ), and Jiangsu Liulishuo Education Technology Co., Ltd. ( Jiangsu Liulishuo ); (F) the M&A Rules means the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, which was issued by six PRC regulatory agencies, namely, the Ministry of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the CSRC ) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, on August 8, 2006 and became effective on September 8, 2006, as amended by the Ministry of Commerce on June 22, 2009. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Registration Statement.
1
In so acting, we have examined the originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, provided to us by the Company, the WFOEs and the VIE Entities and such other documents, corporate records, certificates, Governmental Authorizations and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of rendering this opinion, including, without limitation, originals or copies of the agreements listed in Appendix A hereof (the VIE Agreements ) and the certificates issued by the PRC Authorities and officers of the Company, the WFOEs and the VIE Entities (collectively, the Documents ).
In reviewing the Documents and for the purpose of this opinion, we have assumed without further inquiry or investigation:
(1) |
the genuineness of all the signatures, seals and chops; |
(2) |
the authenticity of the Documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity with the originals of the Documents provided to us as copies and the authenticity of such originals; |
(3) |
the truthfulness, accuracy, completeness and fairness of all the Documents, as well as the factual statements contained in such Documents; |
(4) |
that the Documents provided to us remain in full force and effect up to the date of this opinion and have not been revoked, amended, varied or supplemented except as otherwise indicated in such Documents; |
(5) |
that all information (including factual statements) provided to us by the Company, the WFOEs and the VIE Entities in response to our enquiries for the purpose of this opinion is true, accurate, complete and not misleading, and that the Company, the WFOEs and the VIE Entities have not withheld anything that, if disclosed to us, would reasonably cause us to alter this opinion in whole or in part; |
(6) |
that all parties other than the WFOEs and the VIE Entities have the requisite power and authority to enter into, execute, deliver and perform the Documents to which they are parties; |
2
(7) |
that all parties other than the WFOEs and the VIE Entities have duly executed, delivered and performed the Documents to which they are parties, and all parties will duly perform their obligations under the Documents to which they are parties; |
(8) |
that all Governmental Authorizations and other official statement or documentation are obtained from competent PRC Authorities by lawful means in due course; |
(9) |
that all the Documents are legal, valid, binding and enforceable under all such laws as govern or relate to them other than PRC Laws; and |
(10) |
that no issuance and sale of the ADSs have been or will be made directly or indirectly within the PRC in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement and each of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement is not executed in the PRC. |
I. |
Opinions |
Based on the foregoing and subject to the disclosures contained in the Registration Statement and the qualifications set out below, we are of the opinion that, as of the date hereof, so far as PRC Laws are concerned:
(i) |
Based on our understanding of the current PRC Laws (a) the ownership structure of Yuguan and the VIE Entities, both currently and immediately after giving effect to the Offering, does not and will not violate applicable PRC Laws; and (b) VIE Agreements among Yuguan, the VIE Entities and their respective shareholders governed by PRC law both currently and immediately after giving effect to the Offering are valid, binding, and do not and will not violate applicable PRC Laws, except that the pledge of equity interest in Jiangsu Liulishuo is still pending for registration with the local branch of the State Administration for Market Regulation (formerly known as the State Administration for Industry and Commerce), or the SAIC, before completion of which, the pledge over the equity interests in Jiangsu Liulishuo would not be deemed validly created. However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC Laws and future PRC laws and regulations, and there can be no assurance that the PRC Authorities will take a view that is not contrary to or otherwise different from our opinion stated above. |
(ii) |
The M&A Rules, among other things, purport to require that offshore special purpose vehicles that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals and that have been formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies or assets to obtain CSRC approval prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear, and this Offering may ultimately require approval from the CSRC. Based on our understanding of the PRC Laws (including the M&A Rules), a prior approval from the CSRC is not required under the M&A Rules for the Offering because (i) our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries were established by foreign direct investment, rather than through a merger or acquisition of a domestic company as defined under the M&A Rules, and (ii) there is no statutory provision that clearly classifies the contractual arrangements among Yuguan, the VIE Entities and their respective shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction regulated by the M&A Rules. However, uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted and implemented and our opinion stated above is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. |
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(iii) |
The summary of the contractual arrangements under the heading Corporate History and Structure Contractual Arrangements with Our VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders, to the extent that it constitutes matters of PRC Laws, are correct and accurate in all material aspects, and nothing has been omitted from such statements which would make the same misleading in any material aspect. |
(iv) |
The statements made in the Registration Statement under the heading Taxation PRC Taxation, to the extent that the discussion states definitive legal conclusions under PRC tax laws and regulations, subject to the qualifications therein, constitute our opinion on such matters. |
II. |
Qualifications |
This opinion is subject to the following qualifications:
(a) |
This opinion is subject to, in so far as it relates to the validity and enforceability of a contract, (i) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws in the PRC affecting creditors rights generally; (ii) possible judicial, arbitral or administrative actions or any PRC Law affecting creditors rights; (iii) certain equitable, legal or statutory principles affecting the validity and enforceability of contractual rights generally under the concepts of public interest, interest of the state, national security, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, and applicable statutes of limitation; (iv) any circumstance in connection with formulation, execution or performance of any legal documents that would be deemed materially mistaken, clearly unconscionable, fraudulent, or coercionary at the conclusions thereof; and (v) any possible judicial discretion, discretion of arbitration tribunal or administrative action affecting creditors rights or with respect to the availability of indemnifications, remedies, defenses or injunctive relief, the calculation of damages, the entitlement of attorneys fees and other costs, and the waiver of immunity from jurisdiction of any court or from legal process. |
(b) |
This opinion is subject to the discretion of any competent PRC legislative, administrative, judicial or arbitration tribunals in exercising their authority to change any PRC Laws or the implementation, interpretation or application thereof in any form. |
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(c) |
This opinion relates only to PRC Laws and we express no opinion as to any other laws and regulations. This opinion is based on PRC Laws currently in force and the interpretation and implementation thereof as of the date of this opinion. There is no guarantee that any of PRC Laws, or the interpretation thereof or implementation thereof, will not be changed, amended, revoked or replaced in the immediate future or in the longer term with or without retrospective effect. |
(d) |
No independent search, investigation or other verification action has been conducted by us with the PRC Authorities for the purpose of issuing this opinion. |
(e) |
As used in this opinion, the term enforceable or enforceability means that the obligations assumed by the relevant obligors under the relevant documents are a type, which the courts of the PRC may enforce. It does not mean that those obligations will necessarily be enforced in all circumstances in accordance with their respective terms and/or additional terms that may be imposed by the courts. |
This opinion is intended to be used in the context which is specifically referred to herein and each paragraph should be looked at as a whole regarding the same subject matter and no part should be extracted and referred to independently.
This opinion is delivered by us in our capacity as the Companys PRC legal advisers solely for the purpose of and in connection with the Registration Statement publicly submitted to the SEC on the date of this opinion and may not be used for any other purpose without our prior written consent.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and to the use of our firms name under the captions Risk Factors, Enforceability of Civil Liabilities, Corporate History and Structure, Regulation and Legal Matters in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours sincerely,
/s/ Fangda Partners
Fangda Partners, PRC Lawyers
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Appendix A List of VIE Agreements
(1) |
Exclusive Technology Service Agreement between Shanghai Liulishuo and Yuguan dated May 29, 2018; |
(2) |
Proxy Agreement among Yuguan, Shanghai Liulishuo and the shareholders of Shanghai Liulishuo dated May 29, 2018; |
(3) |
Exclusive Call Option Agreement among Yuguan, Shanghai Liulishuo and the shareholders of Shanghai Liulishuo dated May 29, 2018; |
(4) |
Equity Pledge Agreements among Yuguan, Shanghai Liulishuo and the shareholders of Shanghai Liulishuo dated May 29, 2018; |
(5) |
Exclusive Technology Service Agreement between Shanghai Mengfan and Yuguan dated May 29, 2018; |
(6) |
Proxy Agreement among Yuguan, Shanghai Mengfan and the shareholders of Shanghai Mengfan dated May 29, 2018; |
(7) |
Exclusive Call Option Agreement among Yuguan, Shanghai Mengfan and the shareholders of the VIE Entity dated May 29, 2018; |
(8) |
Equity Pledge Agreements among Yuguan, Shanghai Mengfan and the shareholders of Shanghai Mengfan dated May 29, 2018; |
(9) |
Exclusive Technology Service Agreement between Jiangsu Liulishuo and Yuguan dated May 29, 2018; |
(10) |
Proxy Agreement among Yuguan, Jiangsu Liulishuo and the shareholders of Jiangsu Liulishuo dated May 29, 2018; |
(11) |
Exclusive Call Option Agreement among Yuguan, Jiangsu Liulishuo and the shareholders of Jiangsu Liulishuo dated May 29, 2018; and |
(12) |
Equity Pledge Agreements among Yuguan, Jiangsu Liulishuo and the shareholders of Jiangsu Liulishuo dated May 29, 2018. |
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Exhibit 99.3
Shanghai iResearch Co., Ltd, China
R701 Tower B, Zhongjin International, Caoxi North No. 333, Xuhui District
Shanghai, China
August 27, 2018
LAIX Inc.
3/F, Building B, No.1687 Changyang Road
Yangpu District, Shanghai 200090
The Peoples Republic of China
+86 21-3511-7188
Re: LAIX Inc.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We, Shanghai iResearch Co., Ltd., China, understand that LAIX Inc. (the Company) plans to file a registration statement on Form F-1 (the Registration Statement) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with its proposed initial public offering (the Proposed IPO).
We hereby consent to the references to our name and the inclusion of information, data and statements from our research reports and amendments thereto (collectively, the Reports), and any subsequent amendments to the Reports, as well as the citation of our independent valuation reports and amendments thereto, in the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, in any other future filings with the SEC by the Company, including, without limitation, filings on Form 20-F or Form 6-K or other SEC filings (collectively, the SEC Filings), on the websites of the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, in institutional and retail road shows and other activities in connection with the Proposed IPO, and in other publicity materials in connection with the Proposed IPO.
We further hereby consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and as an exhibit to any other SEC Filings.
Yours faithfully,
For and on behalf of
Shanghai iResearch Co., Ltd., China
/s/ Jason Hao |
Name: Jason Hao |
Title: Partner |
Exhibit 99.4
August 31, 2018
LAIX Inc.
3/F, Building B, No.1687 Changyang Road
Yangpu District, Shanghai 200090
The Peoples Republic of China
+86 21-3511-7188
Re: LAIX Inc.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We, Beijing Guishi Information Technology Limited, understand that LAIX Inc. (the Company) plans to file a registration statement on Form F-1 (the Registration Statement) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with its proposed initial public offering (the Proposed IPO).
We hereby consent to the references to our name and the inclusion of information, data and statements from our research reports provided to LAIX Inc. for the abovementioned purpose and amendments thereto (collectively, the Reports), and any subsequent amendments to the Reports, as well as the citation of our independent valuation reports and amendments thereto, in the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, in any other future filings with the SEC by the Company, including, without limitation, filings on Form 20-F or Form 6-K or other SEC filings (collectively, the SEC Filings), on the websites of the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, in institutional and retail road shows and other activities in connection with the Proposed IPO, and in other publicity materials in connection with the Proposed IPO.
We further hereby consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and as an exhibit to any other SEC Filings.
Yours faithfully,
For and on behalf of |
Beijing Guishi Information Technology Limited |
/s/ CUI Zhanguo |
Name: CUI Zhanguo |
Title: Senior Director of Sales |