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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 16, 2022

 

 

MariaDB plc

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Ireland   001-41571   N/A

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

699 Veterans Blvd

Redwood City, CA 94063

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(855) 562-7423

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Mangomill plc

590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor

New York, New NY 10022

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

Written communication pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading

Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange

on which registered

Ordinary Shares, nominal value $0.01 per share   MRDB   New York Stock Exchange
Warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one Ordinary Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share   MRDBW   New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company   ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

 

 

 


Introductory Note

Overview

This Current Report on Form 8-K is being filed to report matters under items 1.01, 2.01, 3.02, 3.03, 4.01, 5.01, 5.02, 5.03, 5.05, 5.06, 7.01, and 9.01 of Form 8-K. On December 16, 2022, MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited liability company (“Legacy MariaDB”), Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“APHC”), MariaDB plc, an Irish public limited company and, initially a wholly owned subsidiary of APHC (“Irish Holdco”), and Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and wholly owned subsidiary of Irish Holdco (“Merger Sub”), consummated the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement dated January 31, 2022, by and among Legacy MariaDB, APHC, Irish Holdco and Merger Sub (as amended by Amendment No.1 to Business Combination Agreement dated as of December 9, 2022, the “Merger Agreement”), following related approvals at an extraordinary general meeting of APHC’s shareholders held on November 22, 2022 (the “Special Meeting”).

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, (i) Merger Sub merged with and into APHC, with APHC continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of Irish Holdco (the “Irish Domestication Merger”), and (ii) Legacy MariaDB then merged with and into Irish Holdco, with Irish Holdco continuing as the surviving entity (the “Merger”). As soon as practicable following the Merger, APHC will be liquidated. The Irish Domestication Merger, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement are collectively referred to as the “Business Combination”. In connection with the Business Combination, Irish Holdco (formerly known as Mangomill plc) changed its name to MariaDB plc, which is referred to in this Current Report on Form 8-K as the “Company” or “MariaDB”.

In connection with the Special Meeting and the Business Combination, the holders of 26,292,557 shares of APHC Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “APHC Class A Ordinary Shares”), or 99% of the shares with redemption rights, exercised their right to redeem their shares (and did not withdraw such exercise prior to the closing of the Merger) for cash at a redemption price of approximately $10.13 per share, for an aggregate redemption amount of $266.3 million.

Conversion and Exchange of Equity in the Merger

Immediately prior to the effective time of the Irish Domestication Merger, each issued and outstanding unit of APHC sold in APHC’s initial public offering (“APHC Public Unit”), consisting of one APHC Class A Ordinary Share and one-third of one APHC warrant (“APHC Public Warrant”), that had not been previously separated into its component parts upon the request of the holder thereof was automatically separated into its component parts of one APHC Class A Ordinary Share and one-third of one APHC Public Warrant. At the effective time of the Irish Domestication Merger, (i) each issued and outstanding APHC Class A Ordinary Share (each of the issued and outstanding APHC Class B Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “APHC Class B Ordinary Shares”), having been converted on a one-for-one basis into APHC Class A Ordinary Shares immediately prior to the effective time of the Irish Domestication Merger), was automatically cancelled and converted into the right to receive one ordinary share, nominal value of $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “MariaDB Ordinary Shares”); (ii) the issued and outstanding APHC Public Warrants were automatically adjusted to become redeemable warrants to acquire MariaDB Ordinary Shares (the “MariaDB Public Warrants”); and (iii) the issued and outstanding warrants originally issued to Angel Pond Partners LLC, APHC’s sponsor (the “Sponsor”), in a private placement (the “APHC Private Warrants”) were automatically adjusted to become warrants to acquire MariaDB Ordinary Shares (the “MariaDB Private Warrants,” and together with the MariaDB Public Warrants, the “MariaDB Warrants”).

In connection with and prior to the Merger, certain issued and outstanding warrant rights to purchase Series C Preferred Shares of Legacy MariaDB were exercised for 2,952,847 Legacy MariaDB Series C Preferred Shares.

Prior to the effective time of the Merger, each Series A Preferred Share, Series B Preferred Share, Series C Preferred Share, and Series D Preferred Share of Legacy MariaDB (collectively, the “Legacy MariaDB Preferred Shares”) issued and outstanding automatically converted into common shares of Legacy MariaDB (“Legacy MariaDB Ordinary Shares,” and together with the Legacy MariaDB Preferred Shares, the “Legacy MariaDB Shares”) in accordance with the conversion mechanism set forth in Legacy MariaDB’s articles of association and the Shareholders’ Agreement of Legacy MariaDB, as amended and restated as of January 31, 2022.

 

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At the effective time of the Merger, (i) each Legacy MariaDB Ordinary Share was automatically cancelled and converted into the right to receive a number of MariaDB Ordinary Shares equal to the exchange ratio of approximately 0.22816 (the “Exchange Ratio”); (ii) the warrants issued and outstanding to purchase Series B Preferred Shares of Legacy MariaDB were amended and restated into warrants to purchase 190,559 MariaDB Ordinary Shares at an exercise price of €2.29 per share (the “MariaDB Carry-Over Warrants”); and (iii) each right of any kind to receive Legacy MariaDB Shares, payments or benefits measured in whole or in part by the value of a number of Legacy MariaDB Shares (including options, performance shares, performance-based units, market stock units, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, phantom units, deferred stock units and dividend equivalents, but not including any 401(k) plan of Legacy MariaDB) issued and outstanding under the Legacy MariaDB’s equity incentive plans (each, a “Legacy MariaDB Equity Award”) was automatically converted into an equity award to be settled in MariaDB Ordinary Shares generally on the same terms and conditions as were applicable to such Legacy MariaDB Equity Award immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, equal to the product (rounded down to the nearest whole number) of (i) the number of Legacy MariaDB Ordinary Shares subject to such Legacy MariaDB Equity Award immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger and (ii) the Exchange Ratio, at an exercise price per share, if applicable, equal to (rounded up to the nearest whole cent) (x) the exercise price per share of such Legacy MariaDB Equity Award immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger divided by (y) the Exchange Ratio.

A description of the Business Combination and the terms of the Merger Agreement are included in the final prospectus and definitive proxy statement, dated October 24, 2022 (the “Proxy Statement/Prospectus”) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in the section titled “The Business Combination beginning on page 142 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and a description of Amendment No. 1 to Merger Agreement is included in the Form 8-K filed by APHC on December 12, 2022. The foregoing descriptions of the Merger Agreement and Amendment No. 1 to Merger Agreement are summaries only and are qualified in their entirety, as applicable, by the full text of the Merger Agreement, copies of which are filed herewith as Exhibits 2.1 and 2.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

PIPE Subscription Agreements

At the closing of the Merger, certain persons (the “PIPE Investors”) purchased from MariaDB an aggregate of 1,915,790 MariaDB Ordinary Shares (the “PIPE Shares”), for a purchase price of $9.50 per share and an aggregate purchase price of $18,200,000, pursuant to subscription agreements entered into and effective as of January 31, 2022 (the “Subscription Agreements”). Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Company granted certain registration rights to the PIPE Investors with respect to the PIPE Shares. The sale of the PIPE Shares was consummated concurrently with the closing of the Merger. A description of the Subscription Agreements is included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “The Merger Agreement and Related Agreements—Other Agreements Related to the Merger Agreement—Subscription Agreements” on page 190 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus. The foregoing description of the Subscription Agreements is a summary only and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the form of Subscription Agreement, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

Sponsor Forward Purchase Arrangements

Prior to the Irish Domestication Merger, Angel Pond Partners LLC (the “Sponsor”) transferred (i) to certain institutional and professional accredited investors with whom the Sponsor’s co-founders (Theodore T. Wang and Shihuang “Simon” Xie) had pre-existing professional relationships (the “Syndicated Investors”) an aggregate of 1,600,000 of the APHC Class B Ordinary Shares owned by the Sponsor (the “Founder Shares”), for which upfront cash payments of $3.00 per share had already been paid by the Syndicated Investors, and 1,600,000 APHC Private Warrants, for which upfront cash payments of $1.00 per warrant had already been paid by the Syndicated Investors, for aggregate consideration of $6,400,000, pursuant to certain forward purchase arrangements entered into in March 2021 between the Sponsor and the Syndicated Investors, (ii) to certain individuals who were APHC officers performing non-executive functions, an aggregate of 75,000 Founder Shares for non-cash consideration in the form of services rendered, pursuant to certain forward purchase arrangements entered into in February 2021 between the Sponsor, its co-founders, and those certain individuals, and (iii) to certain other individuals with whom the Sponsor or its co-founders had pre-existing business relationships, an aggregate of 60,000 Founder Shares for non-cash consideration in the form of services rendered, pursuant to certain other forward purchase arrangements entered into in the first half of 2022 between the Sponsor and those certain other individuals (collectively, the “Sponsor Forward Purchase Arrangements”).

 

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Item 1.01

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

Lock-Up Agreements

In connection with the closing of the Merger, MariaDB, the Sponsor, APHC, certain executive officers and directors of Legacy MariaDB and APHC, and certain other equityholders of Legacy MariaDB and APHC, entered into a lock-up agreement (the “Lock-Up Agreement”). The terms of the Lock-Up Agreement are described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “The Merger Agreement and Related Agreements—Other Agreements Related to the Merger Agreement—Lock-Up Agreement” on page 189 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus. The holders of approximately 56 million MariaDB Ordinary Shares are subject to the Lock-Up Agreement.

The foregoing description of the Lock-Up Agreement is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the form of Lock-Up Agreement, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

Registration Rights Agreement

In connection with the closing of the Merger, MariaDB entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with the Sponsor, its principals (Theodore Wang and Lionyet International Ltd.), certain directors and executive officers of Legacy MariaDB and APHC, and certain other equityholders of Legacy MariaDB and APHC (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the signatories and their permitted assigns are entitled to, among other things, certain registration rights with respect to their MariaDB Ordinary Shares and other MariaDB securities. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, MariaDB is required to register for resale the securities held by the MariaDB equityholders party to the agreement. Such holders are also entitled to certain demand and “piggy-back” registration rights on the terms and conditions set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement. The Registration Rights Agreement also provides that MariaDB will pay certain expenses relating to such registrations and indemnify the registration rights holders against (or make contributions in respect of) certain liabilities which may arise under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”).

The foregoing description of the Registration Rights Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the form of Registration Rights Agreement, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.3 and incorporated herein by reference.

Warrant Amendment Agreement and Post-Amendment Assignment and Assumption Agreement

In connection with the closing of the Merger, APHC entered into that certain Warrant Amendment Agreement, dated December 16, 2022 (the “Warrant Amendment”), by and among APHC, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as existing warrant agent (“Continental”), Computershare Inc., a Delaware corporation and its affiliate, Computershare Trust Company N.A., a federally charted trust company (together with Computershare Inc., “Computershare”). In addition, APHC, MariaDB and Computershare entered into a Post-Amendment Assignment and Assumption Agreement, dated as of December 16, 2022 (“Warrant Assignment Agreement”). The Warrant Amendment, which amended that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of May 18, 2021 between APHC and Continental (the “Warrant Agreement”), appointed Computershare as the successor warrant agent for the MariaDB Warrants, among other actions. Pursuant to the Warrant Assignment Agreement, the parties thereto acknowledged the automatic assignment to MariaDB of APHC’s rights under, and the assumption by MariaDB of APHC’s obligations under, the Warrant Agreement, as amended by the Warrant Amendment.

The foregoing descriptions of the Warrant Amendment and the Warrant Assignment Agreement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by the terms and conditions of the Warrant Amendment, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 4.2 and is incorporated herein by reference, and the Warrant Assignment Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 4.3 and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

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Assumption, Amendment and Restatement Agreement

In connection with the Merger, Legacy MariaDB, MariaDB and Kreos Capital IV entered into that certain Assumption, Amendment and Restatement Agreement, dated as of September 8, 2022 (the “Kreos Warrant Amendment”), which governs the MariaDB Carry-Over Warrants. Pursuant to the Kreos Warrant Amendment, MariaDB assumed Legacy MariaDB’s rights and obligations under that certain Warrant Agreement dated as of December 14, 2014 between Legacy MariaDB and Kreos pursuant to which Legacy MariaDB issued to Kreos certain warrants to purchase Series B Preferred Shares of Legacy MariaDB (the “Original Kreos Warrant Agreement”) and the Original Kreos Warrant Agreement was amended and restated in its entirety to, among other things, confer upon Kreos rights to subscribe for an aggregate 190,550 MariaDB Ordinary Shares at an exercise price of €2.29 per share (the “Kreos Warrants”). The Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement (the “Kreos Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement”), by and among Legacy MariaDB, MariaDB and Kreos Capital IV, became effective as of December 16, 2022. The Kreos Warrants are exercisable until May 16, 2026, may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, and otherwise are on terms and conditions that are customary for similar instruments.

The foregoing description of the Kreos Warrant Amendment, Kreos Warrants and Kreos Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the terms and conditions of the Kreos Warrant Amendment and Kreos Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.18 and Exhibit 4.6 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Deeds of Indemnity and Indemnification Agreements

As of the closing of the Merger, MariaDB entered into deeds of indemnity with each member of its board of directors and each of its executive officers (as well as certain other officers). These deeds of indemnity require MariaDB to indemnify each of MariaDB’s directors and executive officers (as well as the other officers signatory to such agreements), to the fullest extent permitted by Irish law, against damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, amounts paid in settlement and reasonable expenses incurred in connection with any actual or threatened, pending or completed action, suit, proceeding or alternative dispute resolution mechanism, hearing or investigation to which the indemnitee is a party or other participant, or is threatened to be made a party or other participant, by reason of the fact that such person is or was serving as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of MariaDB or any of its subsidiaries, or by reason of the fact that such person was serving at MariaDB’s request as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of another entity. The deeds of indemnity also provide customary rights to advancement of expenses incurred by an indemnitee in connection with such proceedings.

In addition, as of the closing of the Merger, MariaDB USA, Inc., Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of MariaDB (“MariaDB USA”), entered into indemnification agreements with each member of the MariaDB board of directors and each executive officer (as well as certain other officers) of MariaDB that provides them similar rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses from MariaDB USA to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

Also in connection with the closing of the Merger, MariaDB entered into a deed of indemnity rights with Theodore Wang, who served as a director and the chief executive officer of APHC and is a member of the MariaDB board of directors, to provide contractual indemnification rights consistent with Section 7.11 of the Merger Agreement. Pursuant to the deed of indemnity rights, MariaDB has agreed to provide Mr. Wang indemnification against losses and liabilities and rights to advancement of expenses and costs relating to claims, suits or proceedings arising from his service to APHC as director or officer occurring at or prior to the effective time of the Merger. In addition, MariaDB entered into deeds of indemnity rights on the same terms with certain other persons who served as directors and/or officers of APHC prior to the consummation of the Merger.

The foregoing descriptions of the deeds of indemnity, the indemnification agreements, and the deeds of indemnity rights are qualified in their entirety by the full text of the form of deed of indemnity, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.4 and incorporated herein by reference, the full text of the form of indemnification agreement, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.5 and incorporated herein by reference, and the full text of the form of deed of indemnity rights, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.6 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

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Item 2.01

Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.

The disclosure set forth in the “Introductory Note” above is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K.

Following the completion of the Merger, MariaDB had the following outstanding securities:

 

   

66,483,192 MariaDB Ordinary Shares;

 

   

8,850,494 MariaDB Public Warrants, each of which is exercisable for one MariaDB Ordinary Share at a price of $11.50 per share;

 

   

7,310,297 MariaDB Private Warrants, each of which is exercisable for one MariaDB Ordinary Share at a price of $11.50 per share;

 

   

190,559 MariaDB Carry-Over Warrants, each of which is exercisable for one MariaDB Ordinary Share at a price of €2.29 per share; and

 

   

9,036,139 options, each exercisable for one MariaDB Ordinary Shares (the “Options”).

FORM 10 INFORMATION

Item 2.01(f) of Form 8-K states that if the registrant was a shell company, as MariaDB plc (formerly known as Mangomill plc) was immediately before the closing of the Merger, then the registrant must disclose the information that would be required if the registrant were filing a general form for registration of securities on Form 10. Accordingly, the Company is providing below the information that would be included in a Form 10 if it were to file a Form 10. Please note that the information provided below relates to MariaDB plc, the combined company after the closing of the Merger, unless otherwise specifically indicated or the context otherwise requires.

Forward-Looking Statements

The Company makes forward-looking statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K and in documents incorporated herein by reference. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends, and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements included in or incorporated by reference in this Current Report on Form 8-K include statements regarding the Company’s future financial position and operating results, as well as the Company’s strategy, future operations, prospects, plans and objectives of management. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of terminology such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words or phrases. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, assumptions, hopes, beliefs, intentions, and strategies regarding future events or performance and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events or performance. The Company cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company, incident to its business and operations.

These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K. While management of the Company believes such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and such statements should not be read to indicate that the Company has conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

Current expectations, forecasts and assumptions involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K and in any document incorporated herein by reference should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any subsequent date, and the Company does not

 

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undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, the Company’s actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include:

 

   

the Company’s ability to retain and recruit qualified personnel, including officers, directors and other key personnel (including those with public company experience);

 

   

the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern;

 

   

the Company’s ability to secure additional funding, including debt and equity financings;

 

   

the Company’s ability to integrate technologies, personnel, and other assets (including those related to the acquisition of Sector 42 Technologies, Inc. and CubeWerx Inc. by Legacy MariaDB);

 

   

the Company’s ability to retain existing customers and attract additional customers and business;

 

   

intellectual property, information technology and privacy requirements that may subject the Company to unanticipated liabilities;

 

   

the Company’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, and the ability of the Company to manage as a public company and expand its business operations effectively;

 

   

any regulatory actions or litigation relating to the Business Combination;

 

   

the Company’s ability to maintain the listing of MariaDB Ordinary Shares and MariaDB Public Warrants on the NYSE following the Merger;

 

   

the effects of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic or other infectious diseases, health epidemics, pandemics, and natural disasters on MariaDB’s business;

 

   

the increasingly competitive environment in which the Company will operate; and

 

   

the other risks and uncertainties set forth in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 63 thereof, which are incorporated herein by reference, or as otherwise described in the section of this Current Report on Form 8-K entitled “Risk Factors”.

Business and Properties

The business and properties of APHC and Legacy MariaDB prior to the Merger are described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the sections titled “Information About APHC” and Information About MariaDB” beginning on pages 205 and 225, respectively, thereof, and such descriptions are incorporated herein by reference.

 

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Risk Factors

The risks associated with the Company’s business are described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 63 thereof and are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, our business is subject to the following risks:

Our auditors have made reference to the material uncertainty as to our ability to continue as a going concern, and there is no assurance that we will be able to continue as a going concern.

We have determined that there is material uncertainty as to our ability to continue as a going concern and our external auditors have included a reference to this matter in their audit report on the consolidated financial statements of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. The audited consolidated financial statements of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 that are included with this Current Report on Form 8-K were prepared assuming that Legacy MariaDB will continue as a going concern. Because we have determined that a material uncertainty exists as to whether MariaDB can continue as a going concern, it may be more difficult for us to attract investors after the Business Combination. In addition, since we have determined that an uncertainty exists about our ability to continue as a going concern, we may have greater difficulty in obtaining loans and other financings than businesses that do not have a qualified auditor’s opinion. Further, any loans or other financings we might obtain may be on less advantageous terms. Our future is dependent upon our ability to obtain financing and upon future profitable operations from our business.

There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and we may require additional capital to continue and support our operations, and grow our business; we cannot be certain that additional capital will be available on reasonable terms when required, or at all.

As of September 30, 2022, Legacy MariaDB had an accumulated deficit of $200.3 million, $4.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and $26 million of short-term investments. As described in Note 1 to the audited consolidated financial statements of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022 that are included with this Current Report on Form 8-K, without giving effect to the anticipated net proceeds from the Business Combination, Legacy MariaDB determined that its current cash and cash equivalents will not be sufficient to fund its operations, including capital expenditure requirements for at least 12 months from the date those audited financial statements were issued (December 22, 2022), raising substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, APHC received requests for redemption from the holders of 26,292,557 Class A Ordinary Shares of APHC and used $266.3 million in proceeds from the trust account established in connection with APHC’s IPO to redeem such shares, such that the remaining $2.6 million from the APHC trust account was available to us as a result of the closing. In addition, we raised proceeds of $18.2 million from the consummation of the PIPE Investment. We anticipate that our cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and cash provided by sales of database subscriptions and services will not be sufficient to meet our projected working capital and operating needs. We anticipate needing to raise additional capital to meet our projected working capital, operating needs, and debt repayment for periods after June 30, 2023. Historically, Legacy MariaDB funded its operations primarily through equity and debt financings and payments by its customers for use of its products and related services. Going forward, we cannot be certain when or if our operations will generate sufficient cash to fully fund our ongoing operations or the growth of our business. In addition to general operations, we expect to require significant additional capital investments for research and development, including for the purpose of further developing our intellectual property and other proprietary technologies.

Further, we intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to develop new features or otherwise enhance our database software, improve our operating infrastructure or acquire businesses and technologies. Accordingly, we will need to secure additional capital through equity or debt financings. Such additional capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Our access to capital through debt or equity markets could prove challenging due to recent volatility in the capital markets, the rising interest rate environment, changes in customer traffic, higher costs due to inflation, and labor shortages. If we raise additional equity-related capital, existing shareholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of ordinary shares. We face restrictions on our ability to obtain debt financing by the restrictive covenants under the agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness, including the loan facility with the European Investment Bank, and any failure to comply with these covenants could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any debt financing that we may secure in the future could involve restrictive

 

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covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. We may not be able to obtain additional debt financing on terms that are favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms that are satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly impaired, and our business may be harmed. In addition, because any decision to issue securities in the future to raise capital will depend on numerous considerations, including factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of any future issuance of debt or equity securities. As a result, our shareholders would bear the risk of future issuances of debt or equity securities that may reduce the value of ordinary shares and dilute existing interests.

Financial Information

Audited Consolidated Financial Statements

The audited consolidated financial statements of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 are filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Financial Information

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the year ended September 30, 2022 is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.3 and incorporated herein by reference.

Directors and Executive Officers

After the closing of the Merger, the Company’s directors and executive officers are as follows, with each person’s biography and familial relationship (other than for General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Roya Shakoori), if any, described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Management of the Combined Company” beginning on page 266 thereof, which is incorporated herein by reference. Applicable information regarding Ms. Shakoori is included below.

 

Name    Age    Position

Michael Howard

   62    Chief Executive Officer and Director

Alexander B. Suh

   61    Chair of the Board

Theodore T. Wang

   55    Director

Christine Russell

   73    Director

Harold R. Berenson

   65    Director

Jurgen Ingels

   51    Director

Jon Bakke

   51    Chief Revenue Officer

Franz Aman

   60    Chief Marketing Officer

Roya Shakoori

   45    General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Roya Shakoori has served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of MariaDB since November 2022. Prior to that, she served as General Counsel of Turntide Technologies, Inc., a sustainability-focused electrification company, from March 2021 through November 2022. From July 2017 through March 2021, she held numerous senior legal positions at ChargePoint, Inc., including Vice President of Legal. From 2015 to 2017, she was a Partner at Binder & Malter LLP. She has over seventeen years of legal experience, including law firm restructuring experience and experience in-house working with Silicon Valley start-up technology and sustainability companies. Ms. Shakoori holds a J.D. from Lincoln Law School and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Davis.

Executive Compensation

Information with respect to the compensation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and its two other most highly compensated officers is set forth in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Executive and Director Compensation” beginning on page 274 thereof, which is incorporated herein by reference, except as updated herein.

 

9


The Summary Compensation Table set forth in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus on page 276 thereof is replaced in its entirety with the following:

On December 18, 2022, the Company approved the final amount of the annual bonus payable to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer based on achievement of the EBITDA goal for fiscal year 2022.

In accordance with Item 5.02(f), the Company is providing a revised Summary Compensation Table, which now includes the total amount of the bonus payable to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer for fiscal year 2022 and a revised total compensation amount for fiscal year 2022. No other amounts previously reported in the Summary Compensation Table have changed.

The following table provides information regarding the total compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to MariaDB’s named executive officers during the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021.

 

Name and Principal Position

   Year      Salary
($)
     Bonus
($)
     Stock
Awards
($)
     Option
Awards(1)
($)
     Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)
    Change in
Pension
Value and
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings ($)
     All Other
Compensation
($)
    Total
($)
 

Michael Howard

     2022        362,500        —          —          —          173,688 (2)      —          133,250 (3)      669,438  

Chief Executive Officer

     2021        362,500        —          —          58,960        174,040       —          —         595,500  

Jon Bakke

     2022        279,167        —          —          —          273,042 (2)      —          —         552,209  

Chief Revenue Officer

     2021        270,000        —          —          —          257,783       —          —         527,783  

Franz Aman

     2022        295,833        —          —          —          115,928 (2)      —          —         411,761  

Chief Marketing Officer

     2021        290,000        —          —          1,649        105,022       —          —         396,671  

 

(1) 

The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of options computed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (ASC Topic 718) rather than the amounts paid to or realized by the named executive officers. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are described in note 9 of the consolidated financial statements of Legacy MariaDB included in this Current Report on Form 8-K.

(2) 

Bonus amounts are based on achievement of ARR goals and, for Mr. Howard, also EBITDA goals for the four quarters of fiscal year 2022. $142,031 of the bonus payable to Mr. Howard was based on achievement of ARR goals and $31,657 was based on achievement of EBITDA goals for fiscal year 2022.

(3) 

Reflects tax reimbursement in connection with option exercise.

At the closing of the Merger, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and the two other most highly compensated officers, are eligible to participate in the MariaDB plc 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Equity Incentive Plan”), subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein.

The form of the Equity Incentive Plan is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.7 and incorporated herein by reference.

Director Compensation

Information with respect to the compensation of the Company’s directors is set forth in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the sections titled “Executive and Director Compensation—Director Compensation” on page 281 thereof, which is incorporated herein by reference.

As of the closing of the Merger, the Company’s board of directors approved a compensation program for its non-employee directors. The program provides for a combination of cash and equity awards for each non-employee director’s service on the Company’s board of directors.

 

10


Cash Compensation. Under the program, each non-employee director is eligible to receive the following annual cash compensation beginning after the closing of the Merger.

 

Annual Retainers (for the Fiscal Year)

   Amount  

Board Member

   $ 45,000  

Chair of Committee:

  

Audit

   $ 20,000  

Compensation and Leadership Development

   $ 15,000  

Nominating and Corporate Governance

   $ 10,000  

Committee member:

  

Audit

   $ 10,000  

Compensation and Human Resources

   $ 7,500  

Nominating and Corporate Governance

   $ 5,000  

Lead independent director

   $ 20,000  

Non-Employee Board Chair

   $ 40,000  

Amounts are paid in arrears at the end of each applicable fiscal quarter. The amounts for service as a chair of a committee or as a member of a committee are in addition to the board member annual retainer. A chair of a committee receives the applicable amount above but does not also receive the committee member annual retainer. Amounts are pro-rated if a director’s service is not for an entire fiscal quarter.

Equity Compensation. Non-employee directors will automatically receive a grant of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) on the date of each annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders (“Annual Awards”). The annual grants will have a grant value of $175,000, which will be converted into RSUs based on the average closing price of the MariaDB Ordinary Shares over the 20 trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the grant date (rounded down to the next whole share).

Upon initial election or appointment to the MariaDB board of directors, non-employee directors will receive an Annual Award, except that the grant value will be pro-rated for any director who is not appointed or elected on the date of an annual meeting of shareholders. Such directors will also be eligible to receive an initial award having a grant value of $175,000 (the “Initial Director Award”). The number of RSUs granted will be calculated in the same manner as that for Annual Awards.

All Annual Awards vest on the earlier of (i) the one-year anniversary of the grant date and (ii) the day immediately prior to the Company’s next annual meeting of shareholders. Initial Director Awards vest in equal annual installments over three years from the grant date. Vesting is subject to a director’s continued service until the vesting date, except that RSUs fully accelerate in the event of a director’s death or disability. RSUs fully vest upon a change of control (as defined in the Equity Incentive Plan).

All non-employee directors serving on the MariaDB board of directors at the closing of the Merger will be eligible to receive a one-time RSU grant having a grant date value of $175,000, to be pro-rated to reflect the full months of anticipated service between the closing of the Merger and the anticipated date of the 2023 annual meeting of shareholders. These grants will vest as set forth above for Annual Awards. These grants will occur once the Company files a Form S-8 Registration Statement for the Equity Incentive Plan.

The foregoing description of the non-employee director compensation program is a summary only and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Company’s Non-Employee Director Compensation Program, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.11 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

11


Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of MariaDB Ordinary Shares after giving effect to the consummation of the Merger, by:

 

   

each person known by the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of MariaDB Ordinary Shares upon the closing of the Merger;

 

   

each of the Company’s executive officers and directors; and

 

   

all of the Company’s executive officers and directors as a group upon the closing of the Merger.

The SEC has defined “beneficial ownership” of a security to mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of voting power and/or investment power over such security. A person is also deemed to be, as of any date, the beneficial owner of all securities that such person has the right to acquire within 60 days after that date through (a) the exercise of any option, warrant, or similar right, (b) the conversion of a security, (c) the power to revoke a trust, discretionary account, or similar arrangement, or (d) the automatic termination of a trust, discretionary account, or similar arrangement. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, MariaDB Ordinary Shares subject to options or other rights (as described above) held by that person that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022, are deemed outstanding, while such shares are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing percentage ownership of any other person. The beneficial ownership of MariaDB Ordinary Shares is based on 66,483,192 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding as of December 16, 2022, the date on which the Merger closed.

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all of the MariaDB Ordinary Shares owned by them following the closing of the Merger. To our knowledge, no MariaDB Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by any executive officer or director have been pledged as security.

 

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)

   Number of Shares      Percentage of
Shares
 

5% and Greater Stockholders:

     
                %  

Shihuang “Simon” Xie (2)

     8,716,779        12.57

Lionyet International Ltd.(2)

     5,284,084        7.62

Theodore T. Wang (3)

     5,284,083        7.62

Intel Capital Corporation (4)

     6,282,325        9.45

Runa Capital (5)

     5,988,365        9.01

SmartFin Capital (6)

     5,878,778        8.84

Alibaba.com (Europe) (7)

     4,559,016        6.86

Open Ocean (8)

     3,506,757        5.27

Lakeside Travel Holding Ltd.(2)

     3,432,695        5.16

Executive Officers and Directors:

     

Michael Howard (9)

     2,384,564        3.54

Alexander B. Suh (10)

     4,412,323        6.64

Theodore T. Wang (3)

     5,284,083        7.62

Christine Russell (11)

     *        *  

Harold R. Berenson (12)

     *        *  

Jurgen Ingels (6)

     5,878,775        8.84

Jon Bakke (13)

     *        *  

Franz Aman (14)

     *        *  

Roya Shakoori

     *        *  

All directors and executive officers (9 individuals) as a group (15)

     18,888,911        28.03

 

12


 

*

Less than one percent.

(1)

Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the beneficial owners is c/o MariaDB plc, 699 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063.

(2)

Lakeside Travel Holding Ltd. is the record holder of 3,432,695 MariaDB Ordinary Shares and Lionyet International Ltd. is the record holder of 2,428,935 MariaDB Ordinary Shares. In addition, includes 2,855,149 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding MariaDB Private Warrants held by Lionyet International Ltd. exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022. Each of Lakeside Travel Holdings Ltd. and Lionyet International Ltd. are entities owned and controlled by Mr. Xie. The business address of Lakeside Travel Holding Ltd. and Lionyet International Ltd. is 5/F, Manulife Place, 348 Kwun Tong Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

(3)

The business address of Theodore T. Wang is 590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10022. Includes 2,855,148 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding MariaDB Private Warrants exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022.

(4)

The business address of Intel Capital Corporation is 2200 Mission College Blvd. Santa Clara, CA 95052.

(5)

Represents 2,579,856 MariaDB Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by Runa Capital Fund II L.P., 2,010,396 MariaDB Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by Runa Capital Opportunity Fund I, L.P., and 725,769 MariaDB Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by Runa Ventures I Limited. The business address of Runa Capital is Williams House, 4th Floor, 20 Reid Street, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda.

(6)

SmartFin Capital NV (private privak) and Smartfin Capital II CommV are the record holders of the shares reported herein. Mr. Ingels, a director of MariaDB, holds joint voting and investment discretion with respect to these shares. The business address of SmartFin Capital is Priester Cuypersstraat 3, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium.

(7)

The business address of Alibaba.com (Europe) is 26/F Tower One, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

(8)

Represents shares beneficially owned by Open Ocean Opportunity Fund I Ky, Open Ocean Fund Two Ky, and its directors, Patrik Backman, and Ralf Wahlsten. The business address of Open Ocean is Pohjoisesplanadi 31 00100 Helsinki, Finland.

(9)

Includes 788,077 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options under MariaDB equity plans exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022.

(10)

Represents shares beneficially owned by J.J. Jacobs Enterprises, LLC and California Technology Partners II, LLP. Mr. Suh holds joint voting and investment discretion with respect to these shares. The business address of J.J. Jacobs Enterprises and California Technology Partners is 670 N. Rosemead Blvd., Suite 201, Pasadena, California.

(11)

Includes 62,500 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options under MariaDB equity plans exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022.

(12)

Includes 7,130 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options under MariaDB equity plans exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022.

(13)

Includes 480,444 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options under MariaDB equity plans exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022.

(14)

Includes 49,380 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options under MariaDB equity plans exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022.

(15)

Includes 1,387,531 MariaDB Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options under MariaDB equity plans exercisable within 60 days of December 16, 2022.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

Certain relationships and related transactions are described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” beginning on page 326 thereof and such descriptions are incorporated herein by reference.

 

13


The MariaDB board of directors has adopted a written related person transactions policy, pursuant to which all directors and executive officers are expected to report to the Company’s General Counsel any related person transaction prior to its completion. For purposes of this policy, a related person transaction generally means any transaction between the Company and a related person in which the aggregate amount involved exceeds $120,000 and in which a related person had, has, or will have a direct or indirect material interest. For purposes of this policy, a related person is a director, executive officer, director nominee or greater than 5% beneficial owner of MariaDB Ordinary Shares, in each case since the beginning of the most recently completed fiscal year, and any immediate family members to any of these individuals.

Any potential related person transaction reported to or otherwise made known to the General Counsel will be reviewed under the policy according to the following procedures:

 

   

If the General Counsel determines that disclosure of the transaction in the Company’s annual proxy statement or annual report on Form 10-K is not required under the SEC’s related person transaction disclosure requirement, the transaction will be deemed approved and will be reported to the audit committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

   

If disclosure of the transaction in the Company’s annual proxy statement or annual report on Form 10-K is required under the SEC’s related person transaction disclosure requirement, the General Counsel will submit the transaction to the chair of the audit committee, who will review and, if authorized, will determine whether to approve or ratify the transaction. The chair is authorized to approve or ratify any related person transaction involving an aggregate amount of less than $250,000 or when it would not be practicable in the judgment of the chair and General Counsel to wait for the next audit committee meeting to review the transaction. The chair is not authorized to review a related person transaction in which the chair is involved.

 

   

If the transaction is outside the chair’s authority, the chair will submit the transaction to the audit committee for review and approval or ratification at its next regularly scheduled meeting or, if deemed necessary by the General Counsel or the chair, as applicable, at a special meeting of the audit committee called for this purpose.

 

   

If the transaction to be reviewed and acted upon by the audit committee involves a member of the audit committee (including the chair), the involved member shall recuse himself or herself from deliberations related to the transaction and the other members of the audit committee shall take appropriate action.

When determining whether to approve or ratify a related person transaction, the chair of the audit committee or the audit committee, as applicable, will review relevant facts regarding the related person transaction, including:

 

   

the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction;

 

   

whether the terms are comparable to those generally available in arm’s-length transactions; and

 

   

whether the related person transaction is consistent with the best interests of the Company.

If any related person transaction is ongoing or is part of a series of transactions, the chair or the audit committee, as applicable, may establish guidelines as necessary to appropriately review the ongoing transaction. After initial approval or ratification of the transaction, the chair or the audit committee, as applicable, will review the transaction on a regular basis (at least annually).

Director Independence

The Company’s board of directors has determined that each of Messrs. Suh, Ingels, and Berenson and Ms. Russell qualify as “independent directors,” as defined under the listing rules of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE listing rules”), and that a majority of the members of the board of directors are “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of the SEC and NYSE listing rules relating to director independence requirements.

Information with respect to the Company’s directors after the closing of the Merger is set forth in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Management of the Combined Company” beginning on page 266 thereof, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

14


Legal Proceedings

Information with respect to the Company’s currently pending legal proceedings are described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the sections titled “Information about APHC—Legal Proceedings” on page 206 thereof and “Information about MariaDB—Legal Proceedings” on page 240 thereof, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Market Price of and Dividends on the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

Market Information and Holders

APHC’s Public Units, APHC Class A Ordinary Shares and APHC Public Warrants were historically quoted on the NYSE under the symbols “APHCU,” “APHC” and “APHCW,” respectively. The MariaDB Ordinary Shares and MariaDB Public Warrants commenced trading on the NYSE under the new trading symbols “MRDB” and “MRDBW,” respectively, on December 19, 2022.

Prior to the closing of the Irish Domestication Merger, each APHC Public Unit sold in APHC’s initial public offering was separated into its components, which consisted of one APHC Class A Ordinary Share and one-third of one APHC Public Warrant, and such units no longer exist. As of the closing of the Merger, the Company had 66,483,182 shares of the MariaDB Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding held of record by 47 holders and 8,850,494 MariaDB Public Warrants outstanding held of record by 1 holder.

Dividends

Legacy MariaDB has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its capital stock, and the Company does not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We expect to retain future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. Any future determination to pay dividends on MariaDB’s capital stock will be at the discretion of the board of directors.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

Reference is made to the disclosure set forth under Item 3.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K concerning recent sales of unregistered securities.

Description of Registrant’s Securities

Ordinary Shares

A description of the MariaDB Ordinary Shares is included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Description of the Combined Company’s Securities — Authorized and Outstanding Stock” beginning on page 283 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Warrants

As further described in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, in connection with the Closing of the Merger, APHC, Continental and Computershare entered into the Warrant Amendment and APHC, MariaDB and Computershare entered into the Warrant Assignment Agreement, which, together with the Warrant Agreement, govern the MariaDB Warrants. A description of the MariaDB Warrants is included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Description of the Combined Company’s Securities —Warrants” beginning on page 298 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, which is incorporated herein by reference.

In addition to the MariaDB Warrants, MariaDB has outstanding the Kreos Warrants described in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K under the heading “Assumption, Amendment and Restatement Agreement,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

15


Indemnification of Directors and Officers

The Company is subject to the Irish Companies Act 2014, as amended (the “Irish Companies Act”). Subject to exceptions, the Irish Companies Act does not permit a company to exempt a director or certain officers from, or indemnify a director or officer against, liability in connection with any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust by a director or officer in relation to the company. The exceptions allow a company to (i) purchase and maintain director and officer insurance against any liability attaching in connection with any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust owed to the company; and (ii) indemnify a director or other officer against any liability incurred in defending proceedings, whether civil or criminal (a) in which judgement is given in his or her favor or in which he or she is acquitted or (b) in respect of which an Irish court grants him or her relief from any such liability on the grounds that he or she acted honestly and reasonably and that, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, he or she ought fairly to be excused for the wrong concerned.

Under the Company’s amended Memorandum and Articles of Association, subject to certain limitations and so far as may be permitted by the Irish Companies Act, each director, officer or employee of the Company, and each person who is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer or employee of another company, or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans maintained or sponsored by the Company, shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Company against all costs, charges, losses, expenses and liabilities incurred by him or her in the execution and discharge of his or her duties or in relation thereto, including any liability incurred by him or her in defending any proceedings, civil or criminal, which relate to anything done or omitted or alleged to have been done or omitted by him or her as a director, officer or employee of the Company or such other company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, and in which judgment is given in his or her favor (or the proceedings are otherwise disposed of without any finding or admission of any material breach of duty on his or her part) or in which he or she is acquitted or in connection with any application under any statute for relief from liability in respect of any such act or omission in which relief is granted to him or her by the court. However, any such indemnity shall not be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for fraud or dishonesty in the performance of his or her duty to the Company unless and only to the extent that the courts of Ireland or the court in which such action or suit 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 expenses as the court shall deem proper.

Reference is made to the disclosure set forth under Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K regarding the deeds of indemnity entered into by MariaDB and the indemnification agreements entered into by MariaDB USA with each member of the Board and each of MariaDB’s executive officers and is incorporated herein by reference.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Reference is made to the disclosure set forth under Item 9.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K concerning the Company’s financial statements.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Reference is made to the disclosure set forth under Item 4.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K concerning the appointment of an independent registered public accounting firm.

Financial Statements and Exhibits

The information set forth in Item 9.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 3.02

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.

The disclosure set forth in the “Introductory Note” above is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K.

The securities issued in connection with the Subscription Agreements have not been registered under the Securities Act, in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

16


Item 3.03

Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders.

The information set forth in Item 5.03 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 4.01

Changes in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant.

On December 18, 2022, the Company’s board of directors approved the engagement of MaloneBailey, LLP (“Malone Bailey”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. MaloneBailey served as the independent registered public accounting firm of Legacy MariaDB and APHC prior to the closing of the Merger.

 

Item 5.01

Changes in Control of Registrant.

The information set forth in the section titled “Introductory Note” and in the section titled “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in Item 2.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.

As a result of the completion of the Merger pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, a change of control of the Company has occurred. Prior to the effective time of the Irish Domestication Merger, the Company was a wholly owned subsidiary of APHC. The stockholders of APHC as of immediately prior to the closing of the Irish Domestication Merger held approximately 15.5% of the issued and outstanding MariaDB Ordinary Shares following the closing of the Merger.

 

Item 5.02

Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

The information set forth in the sections titled “Directors and Executive Officers” and “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” in Item 2.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.

MariaDB plc 2022 Equity Incentive Plan

At the Special Meeting, the APHC stockholders considered and approved on a non-binding basis the Equity Incentive Plan. The Equity Incentive Plan was previously approved, subject to stockholder approval, by APHC’s board of directors on October 18, 2022. The Equity Incentive Plan was approved and adopted by the board of MariaDB on December 18, 2022. The Equity Incentive Plan became effective immediately upon the closing of the Merger.

A summary of the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan is set forth in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Proposal No. 7—The 2022 Equity Incentive Plan Proposal” beginning on page 349 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such summary and the foregoing description are qualified in their entirety by reference to the text of the Equity Incentive Plan, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.7 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 5.03

Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

At the Special Meeting, the APHC stockholders considered and approved on a non-binding basis the amended Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (the “Amended MariaDB Memorandum and Articles of Association”), which is described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “Proposal No. 5 — The Irish Holdco Articles Proposal beginning on page 344 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Prior to and in connection with the closing of the Merger, APHC as sole stockholder of the Company, approved the Amended MariaDB Memorandum and Articles of Association.

A copy of the Amended MariaDB Memorandum and Articles of Association, which became effective in advance of the Irish Domestication Merger, is filed herewith as Exhibit 3.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

17


The description of the Amended MariaDB Memorandum and Articles of Association and its general effect upon the rights of holders of the Company’s capital stock are included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus under the section titled “Description of the Combined Company’s Securities” beginning on page 283 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 5.05

Amendments to the Registrant’s Code of Ethics, or Waiver of a Provision of the Code of Ethics.

In connection with the closing of the Merger, on December 18, 2022, the Company’s board of directors approved and adopted a new Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to all employees, officers and directors of the Company. A copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics can be found in the Investors section of the Company’s website at investor.mariadb.com.

 

Item 5.06

Change in Shell Company Status.

As a result of the Business Combination, Irish Holdco ceased being a shell company. Reference is made to the disclosure in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in the section titled “The Merger Agreement and Related Agreements” beginning on page 173 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, and such disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. Further reference is made to the information contained in Item 2.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

Item 7.01

Regulation FD Disclosure.

On December 19, 2022, the Company issued a press release announcing the closing of the Merger. A copy of the press release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.4 and incorporated herein by reference.

The information in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.4, is furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to liabilities under that section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into the filings of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filings. This Current Report on Form 8-K will not be deemed an admission as to the materiality of any information contained in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.4.

 

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(a) Financial Statements of Business Acquired.

The audited consolidated financial statements of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 are filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

The audited financial statements of APHC as of December 31, 2021 and for the period January 18, 2021 (inception) to December 31, 2021 and the related notes are included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus beginning on page F-2 of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and incorporated herein by reference.

The unaudited financial statements of APHC as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and the related notes are included in the APHC’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 14, 2022 and incorporated herein by reference.

(b) Pro Forma Financial Information.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the year ended September 30, 2022 is included in Exhibit 99.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

18


(c) Exhibits.

 

         Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit

Number

 

Description

  

Schedule/

    Form    

  

File No.

  

Exhibit

  

Filing Date

  2.1+   Business Combination Agreement, dated January 31, 2022    S-4    333-265755    2.1    February 1, 2022
  2.2+   Amendment No. 1 to Business Combination Agreement, dated December 9, 2022    8-K    001-40382    2.1    December 12, 2022
  3.1*   Amended MariaDB Memorandum and Articles of Association            
  4.1   Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and Angel Pond Holdings Corporation    8-K    001-40382    4.1    May 20, 2021
  4.2*   Warrant Amendment Agreement, dated as of December 16, 2022, by and among Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, and Computershare Inc., and Computershare Trust Company, N.A.            
  4.3*   Post-Amendment Assignment and Assumption Agreement, dated as of December 16, 2022, by and among MariaDB plc, Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, and Computershare Inc., and Computershare Trust Company, N.A.            
  4.4   Specimen MariaDB Stock Certificate    S-4/A    333-265755    4.6    October 20, 2022
  4.5*   Specimen MariaDB Warrant Certificate (included in Exhibit 4.2 (Exhibit A))            
4.6*   Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, effective as of December 16, 2022, by and among MariaDB Corporation Ab, Mangomill plc and Kreos Capital IV (Expert Fund) Limited.   

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

10.1   Form of Subscription Agreement    8-K    001-40382    10.1    February 1, 2022
10.2*   Form of Lock-Up Agreement            
10.3*   Form of Registration Rights Agreement            
10.4*#   Form of Deed of Indemnification            
10.5*#   Form of Indemnification Agreement            
10.6*#   Form of Deed of Indemnity Rights            
10.7*#   2022 MariaDB plc Equity Incentive Plan            
10.8*#   Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Grant Notice            
10.9*#   Form of Stock Option Grant Notice            
10.10*#   MariaDB plc Executive Annual Incentive Plan            
10.11*#   MariaDB plc Non-Employee Director Compensation Program            
10.12*#   MariaDB Corporation AB Summer 2022 USA Share Option Plan and Form of Agreement            
10.13*#   MariaDB Corporation AB Amended and Restated Global Share Option Plan 2017 USA and Form of Option Agreement            
10.14*#   SkySQL Corporation Ab Global Share Option Plan 2014 USA            
10.15*#   Employment Offer Letter, dated November 4, 2018, between MariaDB Corporation AB and Michael Howard            
10.16*#   Employment Offer Letter, dated February 12, 2018, between MariaDB Corporation Ab and Franz Aman            
10.17*#   Employment Offer Letter, dated May 15, 2017, between MariaDB Corporation Ab and Jon Bakke            
10.18*   Assumption, Amendment and Restatement Agreement, dated as of September 8, 2022, by and among MariaDB Corporation Ab, Mangomill plc and Kreos Capital IV (Expert Fund) Limited.            
21.1*   List of Subsidiaries of MariaDB            
99.1*   Audited consolidated financial statements of Legacy MariaDB as of and for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021            
99.2*   Unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information as of and for the year ended September 30, 2022            
99.3*   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for MariaDB for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021            
99.4*   Press Release            
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)            

 

*

Filed herewith.

+

Certain of the exhibits and schedules to this Exhibit have been omitted in accordance with Regulation S-K Item 601. The Company agrees to furnish a copy of all omitted exhibits and schedules to the SEC upon its request.

#

Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.

 

19


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

    MariaDB plc
Dated: December 22, 2022      
    By:  

/s/ Michael Howard

      Michael Howard
      Chief Executive Officer

 

20

Exhibit 3.1

Companies Act 2014

PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

CONSTITUTION

OF

MARIADB PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

 

1.

The name of the Company is MARIADB PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY.

 

2.

The Company is a public limited company, registered under Part 17 of the Companies Act 2014.

 

3.

The objects for which the Company is established are:

 

  3.1

To carry on the business of a holding company and to co-ordinate the administration, finances and activities of any subsidiary companies or associated companies, to do all lawful acts and things whatever that are necessary or convenient in carrying on the business of such a holding company and in particular to carry on in all its branches the business of a management services company, to act as managers and to direct or coordinate the management of other companies or of the business, property and estates of any company or person and to undertake and carry out all such services in connection therewith as may be deemed expedient by the Company’s board of directors and to exercise its powers as a shareholder of other companies.

 

  3.2

To carry on the business of a technology company operating in the software development, database, database management, e-commerce, internet and all other current and future fields of technology (within the broadest meaning of that term), and to design, engineer, manufacture, produce, supply, buy, sell, distribute, offer, service, market and provide products and services in those fields and other products and services of a technological, collaborative, scientific, charitable and/or educational character and to carry on business as promoters, facilitators, producers, suppliers, merchants of and dealers in such products and services, as aforesaid, and to do all things usually dealt in by persons carrying on the above mentioned businesses or any of them likely to be required in connection with any of the said business.

 

  3.3

To carry on the businesses of manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, retailer, service provider, investor, designer, trader and any other business (except the issuing of policies of insurance) which may seem to the Company’s board of directors capable of being conveniently carried on in connection with these objects or calculated directly or indirectly to enhance the value of or render more profitable any of the Company’s property.

 

  3.4

To carry on all or any of the businesses as aforesaid either as a separate business or as the principal business of the Company.

 

  3.5

To invest and deal with the property of the Company in such manner as may from time to time be determined by the Company’s board of directors and to dispose of or vary such investments and dealings.

 

1


  3.6

To borrow or raise money or capital in any manner and on such terms and subject to such conditions and for such purposes as the Company’s board of directors shall think fit or expedient, whether alone or jointly and/or severally with any other person or company, including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, whether by the issue of debentures or debenture stock (perpetual or otherwise) or otherwise, and to secure, with or without consideration, the payment or repayment of any money borrowed, raised or owing or any debt, obligation or liability of the Company or of any other person or company whatsoever in such manner and on such terms and conditions as the Company’s board of directors shall think fit or expedient and, in particular by mortgage, charge, lien, pledge or debenture or any other security of whatsoever nature or howsoever described, perpetual or otherwise, charged upon all or any of the Company’s property, both present and future, and to purchase, redeem or pay off any such securities or borrowings and also to accept capital contributions from any person or company in any manner and on such terms and conditions and for such purposes as the Company’s board of directors shall think fit or expedient.

 

  3.7

To lend and advance money or other property or give credit or financial accommodation to any company or person in any manner either with or without security and whether with or without the payment of interest and upon such terms and conditions as the Company’s board of directors shall think fit or expedient.

 

  3.8

To guarantee, indemnify, grant indemnities in respect of, enter into any suretyship or joint obligation, or otherwise support or secure, whether by personal covenant, indemnity or undertaking or by mortgaging, charging, pledging or granting a lien or other security over all or any part of the Company’s property (both present and future) or by any one or more of such methods or any other method and whether in support of such guarantee or indemnity or suretyship or joint obligation or otherwise, on such terms and conditions as the Company’s board of directors shall think fit, the payment of any debts or the performance or discharge of any contract, obligation or liability of any person or company (including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the payment of any capital, principal, dividends or interest on any stocks, shares, debentures, debenture stock, notes, bonds or other securities of any person, authority or company) including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any company which is for the time being the Company’s holding company or another subsidiary (as defined by the Act) of the Company’s holding company or a subsidiary of the Company or otherwise associated with the Company (including any arrangements of the Company or any of its subsidiaries), in each case notwithstanding the fact that the Company may not receive any consideration, advantage or benefit, direct or indirect, from entering into any such guarantee or indemnity or suretyship or joint obligation or other arrangement or transaction contemplated herein.

 

  3.9

To grant, convey, assign, transfer, exchange or otherwise alienate or dispose of any property of the Company of whatever nature or tenure for such price, consideration, sum or other return whether equal to or less than the market value thereof or for shares, debentures or securities and whether by way of gift or otherwise as the Company’s board of directors shall deem fit or expedient and where the property consists of real property to grant any fee farm grant or lease or to enter into any agreement for letting or hire of any such property for a rent or return equal to or less than the market or rack rent therefor or at no rent and subject to or free from covenants and restrictions as the Company’s board of directors shall deem appropriate.

 

  3.10

To purchase, take on, lease, exchange, rent, hire or otherwise acquire any property and to acquire and undertake the whole or any part of the business and property of any company or person.

 

2


  3.11

To develop and turn to account any land acquired by the Company or in which it is interested and in particular by laying out and preparing the same for building purposes, constructing, altering, pulling down, decorating, maintaining, fitting out and improving buildings and conveniences and by planting, paving, draining, farming, cultivating, letting and by entering into building leases or building agreements and by advancing money to and entering into contracts and arrangements of all kinds with builders, contractors, architects, surveyors, purchasers, vendors, tenants and any other person.

 

  3.12

To construct, improve, maintain, develop, work, manage, carry out or control any property which may seem calculated directly or indirectly to advance the Company’s interest and to contribute to, subsidise or otherwise assist or take part in the construction, improvement, maintenance, working, management, carrying out or control thereof.

 

  3.13

To draw, make, accept, endorse, discount, execute and issue promissory notes, bills of exchange, bills of lading, warrants, debentures and other negotiable or transferable instruments.

 

  3.14

To engage in currency exchange, interest rate and commodity transactions including, but not limited to, dealings in foreign currency, spot and forward rate exchange contracts, futures, options, forward rate agreements, swaps, caps, floors, collars and any other foreign exchange, interest rate or commodity hedging arrangements and such other instruments as are similar to, or derived from, any of the foregoing whether for the purpose of making a profit or avoiding a loss or managing a currency, interest rate or commodity exposure or any other exposure or for any other purpose.

 

  3.15

As a pursuit in itself or otherwise and whether for the purpose of making a profit or avoiding a loss or managing a currency, interest rate or commodity exposure or any other exposure or for any other purpose whatsoever, to engage in any currency exchange transactions, interest rate transactions and commodity transactions, derivative and/or treasury transactions and any other financial or other transactions, including (without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing) securitisation, treasury and/or structured finance transactions, of whatever nature in any manner and on any terms and for any purposes whatsoever, including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any transaction entered into in connection with or for the purpose of, or capable of being for the purposes of, avoiding, reducing, minimising, hedging against or otherwise managing the risk of any loss, cost, expense, or liability arising, or which may arise, directly or indirectly, from a change or changes in any interest rate or currency exchange rate or in the price or value of any property, asset, commodity, index or liability or from any other risk or factor affecting the Company’s business, including but not limited to dealings whether involving purchases, sales or otherwise in foreign currency, spot and/or forward rate exchange contracts, futures, options, forward rate agreements, swaps, caps, floors, collars and/or any such other currency or interest rate or commodity or other hedging, treasury or structured finance arrangements and such other instruments as are similar to, or derived from any of the foregoing.

 

  3.16

To apply for, establish, create, purchase or otherwise acquire, sell or otherwise dispose of and hold any patents, trade marks, copyrights, brevets d’invention, registered designs, licences, concessions and the like conferring any exclusive or non-exclusive or limited rights to use or any secret or other information and any invention and to use, exercise, develop or grant licences in respect of or otherwise turn to account or exploit the property, rights or information so held.

 

3


  3.17

To enter into any arrangements with any governments or authorities, national, local or otherwise and to obtain from any such government or authority any rights, privileges and concessions and to carry out, exercise and comply with any such arrangements, rights, privileges and concessions.

 

  3.18

To establish, form, register, incorporate or promote any company or companies or person, whether inside or outside of Ireland.

 

  3.19

To procure that the Company be registered or recognised whether as a branch or otherwise in any country or place.

 

  3.20

To enter into partnership or into any arrangement for sharing profits, union of interests, co-operation, joint venture, reciprocal concession or otherwise with any person or company carrying on or engaged in or about to carry on or engage in any business or transaction and to engage in any transaction in connection with the foregoing.

 

  3.21

To acquire or amalgamate with any other company or person.

 

  3.22

To acquire and undertake the whole or any part of the business, good-will and assets of any person, firm or company carrying on or proposing to carry on any of the businesses which this Company is authorised to carry on, and as part of the consideration for such acquisition to undertake all or any of the liabilities of such person, firm or company, or to acquire an interest in, amalgamate with, or enter into any arrangement for sharing profits, or for co-operation, or for mutual assistance with any such person, firm or company and to give or accept by way of consideration for any of the acts or things aforesaid or property acquired, any shares, debentures, debenture stock or securities that may be agreed upon, and to hold and retain or sell, mortgage or deal with any shares, debentures, debenture stock or securities so received.

 

  3.23

To promote freedom of contract, and to resist, insure against, counteract and discourage interference therewith, to join any lawful federation, union or association, or do any other lawful act or thing with a view to preventing or resisting directly or indirectly any interruption of or interference with the Company’s or any other trade or business or providing or safeguarding against the same, or resisting or opposing any strike, movement or organisation which may be thought detrimental to the interests of the Company or its employees and to subscribe to any association or fund for any such purposes.

 

  3.24

To make gifts to any person or company including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, capital contributions and to grant bonuses to the directors or any other persons or companies who are or have been in the employment of the Company including substitute directors and any other officer or employee.

 

  3.25

To establish and support or aid in the establishment and support of associations, institutions, funds, trusts and conveniences calculated to benefit directors, ex-directors, employees or ex-employees of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company or the dependants or connections of such persons, and to grant pensions and allowances upon such terms and in such manner as the Company’s board of directors think fit, and to make payments towards insurance and to subscribe or guarantee money for charitable or benevolent objects or for any exhibition or for any public, general or useful object, or any other object whatsoever which the Company’s board of directors may think advisable.

 

  3.26

To establish and contribute to any scheme for the purchase of shares or subscription for shares in the Company, its holding company or any of its or their respective subsidiaries, to be held for the benefit of the employees or former employees of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company including any person who is or was a director holding a salaried employment or office in the Company or any subsidiary of

 

4


  the Company and to lend or otherwise provide money to the trustees of such schemes or the employees or former employees of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to enable them to purchase shares of the Company, its holding company or any of its or their respective subsidiaries and to formulate and carry into effect any scheme for sharing the profits of the Company, its holding company or any of its or their respective subsidiaries with its employees and/or the employees of any of its subsidiaries.

 

  3.27

To remunerate any person or company for services rendered or to be rendered in placing or assisting to place or guaranteeing the placing of any of the shares of the Company’s capital or any debentures, debenture stock or other securities of the Company or in or about the formation or promotion of the Company or the conduct of its business.

 

  3.28

To obtain any Act of the Oireachtas or provisional order for enabling the Company to carry any of its objects into effect or for effecting any modification of the Company’s constitution or for any other purpose which may seem expedient and to oppose any proceedings or applications which may seem calculated directly or indirectly to prejudice the Company’s interests.

 

  3.29

To adopt such means of making known the products of the Company as may seem expedient and in particular by advertising in the press, by circulars, by purchase and exhibition of works of art or interest, by publication of books and periodicals and by granting prizes, rewards and donations.

 

  3.30

To undertake and execute the office of trustee and nominee for the purpose of holding and dealing with any property of any kind for or on behalf of any person or company; to act as trustee, nominee, agent, executor, administrator, registrar, secretary, committee or attorney generally for any purpose and either solely or with others for any person or company; to vest any property in any person or company with or without any declared trust in favour of the Company.

 

  3.31

To pay all costs, charges, fees and expenses incurred or sustained in or about the promotion, establishment, formation and registration of the Company.

 

  3.32

To do all or any of the above things in any part of the world, and as principals, agents, contractors, trustees or otherwise and by or through trustees, agents or otherwise and either alone or in conjunction with any person or company.

 

  3.33

To distribute the property of the Company in specie among the members or, if there is only one, to the sole member of the Company.

 

  3.34

To reduce the Company’s share capital in any manner permitted by law.

 

  3.35

To the extent permitted by law, to give whether directly or indirectly, any kind of financial assistance for the purpose of, or in connection with, the purchase of, or subscription for, shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations and other securities of any description of the Company or of any company which is at any given time the Company’s holding company.

 

  3.36

To do all such other things as the Company’s board of directors may think incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects or any of them.

 

5


NOTE: it is hereby declared that in this memorandum of association:

 

  a)

the word “company”, except where used in reference to this Company, shall be deemed to include a body corporate, whether a company (wherever formed, registered or incorporated), a corporation aggregate, a corporation sole and a national or local government or other legal entity;

 

  b)

the word “person”, shall be deemed to include any individual, firm, body corporate, association or partnership, government or state or agency of a state, local authority or government body or any joint venture association or partnership (whether or not having a separate legal personality) and that person’s personal representatives, successors or permitted assigns;

 

  c)

the word “property”, shall be deemed to include, where the context permits, real property, personal property including choses or things in action and all other intangible property and money and all estates, rights, titles and interests therein and includes the Company’s uncalled capital and future calls and all and every other undertaking and asset;

 

  d)

a word or expression used in this memorandum of association which is not otherwise defined and which is also used in the Companies Act 2014 shall have the same meaning here, as it has in the Companies Act 2014;

 

  e)

any phrase introduced by the terms “including”, “include” and “in particular” or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms, whether or not followed by the phrases “but not limited to”, “without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing” or any similar expression;

 

  f)

words denoting the singular number only shall include the plural number and vice versa and references to one gender includes all genders; and

 

  g)

it is intended that the objects specified in each paragraph in this clause shall, except where otherwise expressed in such paragraph, be separate and distinct objects of the Company and shall not be in any way limited or restricted by reference to or inference from the terms of any other paragraph or the order in which the paragraphs of this clause occur or the name of the Company.

 

4.

The liability of the members is limited.

 

5.

The authorised share capital of the Company is US$5,010,000 divided into 500,000,000 Ordinary Shares with a nominal value of US$0.01 each and 100,000,000 Preferred Shares with a nominal value of US$0.0001 each and €25,000 divided into 25,000 Deferred Ordinary Shares with a nominal value of €1.00 each.

 

6.

The shares forming the capital, may be increased or reduced and be divided into such classes and issued with any special rights, privileges and conditions or with such qualifications as regards preference, dividend, capital, voting or other special incidents, and be held upon such terms as may be attached thereto or as may from time to time be provided by the original or any substituted or amended articles of association and regulations of the Company for the time being, but so that where shares are issued with any preferential or special rights attached thereto such rights shall not be alterable otherwise than pursuant to the provisions of the Company’s articles of association for the time being.

 

6


MARIADB PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

(as amended by Special Resolution dated 16 December 2022)

Interpretation and general

 

1.

Sections 83, 84 and 117(9) of the Act shall apply to the Company but, subject to that, the provisions set out in these Articles shall constitute the whole of the regulations applicable to the Company and no other “optional provisions” as defined by section 1007(2) of the Act shall apply to the Company.

 

2.

In these Articles:

 

  2.1

Act” means the Companies Act 2014 and every statutory modification and re-enactment thereof for the time being in force;

 

  2.2

Acting in Concert” has the meaning given to it in Rule 2.1(a) and Rule 3.3 of Part A of the Takeover Rules;

 

  2.3

Adoption Date” means the effective date of adoption of these Articles;

 

  2.4

Adjourned Meeting” has the meaning given in Article 115.1;

 

  2.5

Agent” has the meaning given in Article 12.3;

 

  2.6

Approved Nominee” means a person appointed under contractual arrangements with the Company to hold shares or rights or interests in shares of the Company on a nominee basis;

 

  2.7

Article” means an article of these Articles;

 

  2.8

Articles” means these articles of association as from time to time and for the time being in force;

 

  2.9

Auditors” means the auditors for the time being of the Company;

 

  2.10

Board” means the board of Directors of the Company;

 

  2.11

Chairperson” means the person occupying the position of Chairperson of the Board from time to time;

 

  2.12

Chief Executive Officer” shall include any equivalent office;

 

  2.13

Clear Days” means, in relation to a period of notice, that period excluding the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given and excluding the day for which notice is being given or on which an action or event for which notice is being given is to occur or take effect;

 

  2.14

committee” has the meaning given in Article 187;

 

  2.15

Company” means the company whose name appears in the heading to these Articles;

 

  2.16

Company Secretary” means the person or persons appointed as company secretary or joint company secretary of the Company from time to time and shall include any assistant or deputy secretary;

 

7


  2.17

Concert Party” means, in relation to any person, a party who is deemed or presumed to be Acting in Concert with that person for the purposes of the Takeover Rules;

 

  2.18

contested election” has the meaning given in Article 159;

 

  2.19

Deferred Shares” means the Deferred Ordinary Shares with a nominal value of €1.00 each in the capital of the Company;

 

  2.20

Directors” means the directors for the time being of the Company or any of them acting as the Board;

 

  2.21

Director’s Certified Email Address” has the meaning given in Article 190.3;

 

  2.22

disponee” has the meaning given in Article 46.1;

 

  2.23

elected by a plurality” has the meaning given in Article 159;

 

  2.24

electronic communication” has the meaning given to that word in the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 and in addition includes in the case of notices or documents issued on behalf of the Company, such documents being made available or displayed on a website of the Company (or a website designated by the Board);

 

  2.25

Exchange” means any securities exchange or other system on which the shares of the Company may be listed or otherwise authorised for trading from time to time in circumstances where the Company has approved such listing or trading;

 

  2.26

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 of the United States, as amended;

 

  2.27

Group” means the Company and its subsidiaries from time to time and for the time being;

 

  2.28

Independent Directors” has the meaning given in Article 240.4;

 

  2.29

Institutional Investor” has the meaning given in Article 240.5

 

  2.30

Interest in a Security” has the meaning given to such term in section 1 of the Irish Takeover Panel Act 1997;

 

  2.31

Interested Person” has the meaning given in Article 240.6;

 

  2.32

member” means in relation to any share, the member whose name is entered in the Register as the holder of the share or, where the context permits, the members whose names are entered in the Register as the joint holders of shares and shall include a member’s personal representatives in consequence of his or her death or bankruptcy;

 

  2.33

Memorandum” means the memorandum of association of the Company;

 

  2.34

Office” means the registered office for the time being of the Company;

 

  2.35

Ordinary Shares” means the Ordinary Shares with a nominal value of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company;

 

  2.36

Preferred Shares” means the Preferred Shares with a nominal value of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company;

 

  2.37

Proceedings” has the meaning given in Article 255;

 

8


  2.38

Redeemable Shares” means redeemable shares as defined by section 64 of the Act;

 

  2.39

Re-designation Event” means:

 

  (a)

the transfer of Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares from a Restricted Shareholder to a shareholder or other person who is not a Restricted Shareholder;

 

  (b)

an event whereby a Restricted Shareholder ceases to be restricted from holding an Interest in Securities, by virtue of Rule 9 of the Takeover Rules, except in these circumstances the number of Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares which shall be re-designated as Ordinary Shares shall be the maximum number of Ordinary Shares that can be re-designated without the former Restricted Shareholder becoming a Restricted Shareholder on the Re-designation Event; or

 

  (c)

a Restricted Shareholder of the Company undertaking a Takeover Rules Event and the Takeover Panel consenting to some or all of the Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares being re-designated, in which case only those Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares the re-designation of which has been consented to by the Takeover Panel shall be re-designated as Ordinary Shares;

 

  2.40

Register” means the register of members of the Company to be kept as required by the Act;

 

  2.41

Restricted Shareholder” means a member of the Company or other person who is restricted from holding an Interest in Securities without a Takeover Rules Event occurring by virtue of Rule 9 of the Takeover Rules or a member or person who would be so restricted but for the limitations on voting rights set out under Article 7, provided that where two or more persons are deemed or presumed (and such presumption has not been rebutted) to be Acting in Concert for the purpose of Rule 9 of the Takeover Rules, only the person who acquired the Interest in Securities which, but for the application of Article 7, would trigger the Takeover Rules Event shall be deemed to be a Restricted Shareholder in respect only of such number of the person’s Interest in Securities which, but for the application of Article 7, would trigger the Takeover Rules Event.

 

  2.42

Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares” means:

 

  (a)

an Interest in Securities acquired by a Restricted Shareholder where the Restricted Shareholder has not elected for a Takeover Rules Event to occur; or

 

  (b)

Ordinary Shares notified by a Shareholder by at least 10 Business Days’ notice in writing to the Company that it wishes for some or all of its Ordinary Shares to be designated as Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares;

 

  2.43

Rights has the meaning given in Article 244;

 

  2.44

Rights Plan” has the meaning given in Article 243;

 

  2.45

SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;

 

  2.46

Shareholder” means a holder of shares in the capital of the Company;

 

  2.47

Takeover Panel” means the Irish Takeover Panel established under the Irish Takeover Panel Act 1997;

 

9


  2.48

Takeover Rules” means the Takeover Panel Act 1997 Takeover Rules 2013; and

 

  2.49

Takeover Rules Event” means either of the following events:

 

  (a)

a Restricted Shareholder and/or its Concert Parties (if any) extending an offer to the holders of each class of shares of the Company in accordance with Rule 9 of the Takeover Rules; or

 

  (b)

the Company obtaining approval of the Takeover Panel for a waiver of Rule 9 of the Takeover Rules in respect of a Restricted Shareholder or any of its Concert Parties (as applicable).

NOTE: it is hereby declared that in these Articles:

 

  a)

the word “company”, except where used in reference to this Company, shall be deemed to include a body corporate, whether a company (wherever formed, registered or incorporated), a corporation aggregate, a corporation sole and a national or local government or other legal entity; and

 

  b)

the word “person”, shall be deemed to include any individual, firm, body corporate, association or partnership, government or state or agency of a state, local authority or government body or any joint venture association or partnership (whether or not having a separate legal personality) and that person’s personal representatives, successors or permitted assigns; and

 

  c)

the word “property”, shall be deemed to include, where the context permits, real property, personal property including choses or things in action and all other intangible property and money and all estates, rights, titles and interests therein and includes the Company’s uncalled capital and future calls and all and every other undertaking and asset; and

 

  d)

a word or expression used in the Articles which is not otherwise defined and which is also used in the Act shall have the same meaning here, as it has in the Act; and

 

  e)

any phrase introduced by the terms “including”, “include” and “in particular” or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms, whether or not followed by the phrases “but not limited to”, “without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing” or any similar expression; and

 

  f)

words denoting the singular number only shall include the plural number and vice versa and references to one gender includes all genders.

AUTHORISED SHARE CAPITAL

 

3.

The authorised share capital of the Company is US$5,010,000 divided into 500,000,000 Ordinary Shares with a nominal value of US$0.01 each and 100,000,000 Preferred Shares with a nominal value of US$0.0001 each and €25,000 divided into 25,000 Deferred Ordinary Shares with a nominal value of €1.00 each.

RIGHTS ATTACHING TO THE ORDINARY SHARES

 

4.

The Ordinary Shares shall rank pari passu in all respects and shall:

 

  4.1

subject to the right of the Company to set record dates for the purposes of determining the identity of members entitled to notice of and/or to vote at a general meeting and the authority of the Board and Chairperson of the meeting to maintain order and security, include the right to attend any general meeting of the Company and to exercise one vote per Ordinary Share held at any general meeting of the Company;

 

10


  4.2

include the right to participate pro rata in all dividends declared by the Company; and

 

  4.3

include the right, in the event of the Company’s winding up, to participate pro rata in the total assets of the Company.

 

5.

The rights attaching to the Ordinary Shares may be subject to the terms of issue of any series or class of Preferred Shares allotted by the Directors from time to time in accordance with Article 9.

RESTRICTED VOTING ORDINARY SHARES

 

6.

If a Restricted Shareholder acquires an Interest in Securities, unless the Restricted Shareholder elects to acquire such Interest in Securities with a Takeover Rules Event occurring, any share certificates to be issued in respect of the Ordinary Shares shall bear a legend making reference to the shares as Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares. A Shareholder may also, by at least 10 Clear Days’ notice in writing to the Company or such shorter time as the Company may elect, request that the Company redesignate some or all of its Ordinary Shares as Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares.

 

7.

The following restrictions shall attach to Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares:

 

  7.1

from the time of issue until a Re-designation Event occurs, the Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares in issue will be designated as Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares and the rights attaching to such shares shall be restricted as set out in this Article 7;

 

  7.2

the Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares shall carry no rights to receive notice of or to attend or vote at any general meeting of the Company;

 

  7.3

save as provided herein, the Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares shall rank pari passu at all times and in all respects with all other Ordinary Shares;

 

  7.4

forthwith upon a Re-designation Event, each holder of Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares that are to be re-designated shall send to the Company the certificates, if any, in respect of the Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares held by him or it immediately prior to the Re-designation Event and thereupon, but subject to receipt of such certificates, the Company shall issue to such holders respectively replacement certificates for the Ordinary Shares without a legend making reference to the shares as Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares; and

 

  7.5

re-designation of the Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares shall be effected by way of a deemed automatic re-designation of such shares immediately upon and subject to a Re-designation Event, without the requirement of any approval by the Board or any shareholders of the Company.

 

8.

Any Restricted Voting Ordinary Shares in issue shall comprise a single class with any other Ordinary Shares in issue.

RIGHTS ATTACHING TO PREFERRED SHARES

 

9.

The Board is empowered to cause the Preferred Shares to be issued from time to time as shares of one or more series of Preferred Shares, and in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of Preferred Shares of each particular series, before issuance, the Board is expressly authorised to fix:

 

11


  9.1

the distinctive designation of such series and the number of shares which shall constitute such series, which number may be increased (except as otherwise provided by the Board in creating such series) or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then in issue) from time to time by resolution of the Board;

 

  9.2

the rate of dividends payable on shares of such series, if any, whether or not and upon what conditions dividends on shares of such series shall be cumulative and, if cumulative, the date or dates from which dividends shall accumulate and the preference or relation which such dividends shall bear to the dividends payable on any other class or classes or on any other series of share capital;

 

  9.3

the terms, if any, on which shares of such series may be redeemed, including without limitation, the redemption price or prices for such series, which may consist of a redemption price or scale of redemption prices applicable only to redemption in connection with a sinking fund (which term as used herein shall include any fund or requirement for the periodic purchase or redemption of shares), and the same or a different redemption price or scale of redemption prices applicable to any other redemption;

 

  9.4

the terms and amount of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of such series;

 

  9.5

the amount or amounts which shall be paid to the holders of shares of such series in case of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary;

 

  9.6

the terms, if any, upon which the holders of shares of such series may convert shares thereof into shares of any other class or classes or of any one or more series of the same class or of another class or classes;

 

  9.7

the voting rights, full or limited, if any, of the shares of such series; and whether or not and under what conditions the shares of such series (alone or together with the shares of one or more other series having similar provisions) shall be entitled to vote separately as a single class, for the election of one or more additional Directors in case of dividend arrears or other specified events, or upon other matters;

 

  9.8

whether or not the holders of shares of such series, as such, shall have any pre-emptive or preferential rights to subscribe for or purchase shares of any class or series of shares of the Company, now or hereafter authorised, or any securities convertible into, or warrants or other evidences of optional rights to purchase or subscribe for, shares of any class or series of the Company, now or hereafter authorised;

 

  9.9

the limitations and restrictions, if any, to be effective while any 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, any other class or classes of shares ranking junior to the shares of such series either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up;

 

  9.10

the conditions or restrictions, if any, upon the creation of indebtedness of the Company or upon the issuance of any additional shares (including additional shares of such series or of any other class) ranking on a parity with or prior to the shares of such series as to dividends or distribution of assets upon liquidation; and

 

  9.11

such other rights, preferences and limitations as may be permitted to be fixed by the Board of the Company under the laws of Ireland as in effect at the time of the creation of such series.

 

12


10.

The Board is authorised to change the designations, rights, preferences and limitations of any series of Preferred Shares theretofore established, no shares of which have been issued.

 

11.

The rights conferred upon the member of any pre-existing shares in the share capital of the Company shall be deemed not to be varied by the creation, issue and allotment of Preferred Shares in accordance with these Articles.

RIGHTS ATTACHING TO DEFERRED SHARES

 

12.

The Deferred Shares shall have the rights and privileges and be subject to the restrictions set out in this Article 12:

 

  12.1

the Deferred Shares are non-voting shares and do not convey upon the holder the right to be paid a dividend or to receive notice of or to attend, vote or speak at a general meeting;

 

  12.2

the Deferred Shares confer the right on a return of capital, on a winding-up or otherwise, only to the repayment of the nominal value paid up on the Deferred Shares after repayment of the nominal value of the Ordinary Shares; and

 

  12.3

any Director (the “Agent”) is appointed the attorney of the holder of a Deferred Share, with an irrevocable instruction to the Agent to execute all or any forms of transfer and/or renunciation and/or other documents in the Agent’s discretion in relation to the Deferred Shares in favour of the Company or as it may direct and to deliver such forms of transfer and/or renunciation and/or other documents together with any certificate(s) and/or other documents for registration and to do all such other acts and things as may in the reasonable opinion of the Agent be necessary or expedient for the purpose of, or in connection with, the purchase by the Company of the Deferred Shares for nil consideration or such other consideration as the Board may determine and to vest the said Deferred Shares in the Company.

ALLOTMENT AND ACQUISITION OF SHARES

 

13.

Without prejudice to any special rights conferred on the members of any existing shares or class of shares and subject to the provisions of the Act, any share may be issued with such rights or restrictions as the Company may by ordinary resolution determine.

 

14.

The following provisions shall apply:

 

  14.1

Subject to the provisions of these Articles relating to new shares, the shares shall be at the disposal of the Directors, and they may (subject to the provisions of the Act) allot, grant options over or otherwise dispose of them to such persons, on such terms and conditions and at such times as they may consider to be in the best interests of the Company and its members, but so that no share shall be issued at a discount and so that, in the case of shares offered to the public for subscription, the amount payable on application on each share shall not be less than one-quarter of the nominal amount of the share and the whole of any premium thereon.

 

  14.2

Without prejudice to the generality of the powers conferred on the Directors by other paragraphs of these Articles, and subject to any requirement to obtain the approval of the members under any laws, regulations or the rules of any Exchange, the Directors may grant from time to time options to subscribe for the unallotted shares in the capital of the Company to Directors and other persons in the service or employment of the Company or any subsidiary or associate company of the Company on such terms and subject to such conditions as may be approved from time to time by the Directors or by any committee thereof appointed by the Directors for the purpose of such approval and on the terms and conditions required to obtain the approval of any statutory authority in any jurisdiction.

 

13


  14.3

Subject to the provisions of these Articles including but not limited to Article 6, the Directors are hereby generally and unconditionally authorised to exercise all the powers of the Company to allot relevant securities within the meaning of section 1021 of the Act. The maximum amount of relevant securities which may be allotted under the authority hereby conferred shall be the amount of the authorised but unissued share capital of the Company at the Adoption Date. The authority hereby conferred shall expire on the date which is five (5) years after the Adoption Date unless and to the extent that such authority is renewed, revoked or extended prior to such date. The Company may before such expiry make an offer or agreement which would or might require relevant securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot relevant securities in pursuance of such offer or agreement, notwithstanding that the authority hereby conferred has expired.

 

  14.4

The Directors are hereby empowered pursuant to sections 1022 and 1023 of the Act to allot equity securities (within the meaning of the said section 1023) for cash pursuant to the authority conferred by Article 14.3 as if section 1022(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment. The authority conferred by this Article 14.4 shall expire on the date which is five (5) years after the Adoption Date, unless previously renewed, varied or revoked; provided that the Company may before the expiry of such authority make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of such an offer or agreement as if the power conferred by this Article 14.4 had not expired.

 

  14.5

The Company may issue permissible letters of allotment (as defined by section 1019 of the Act) to the extent permitted by the Act.

 

  14.6

Unless otherwise determined by the Directors or the rights attaching to or by the terms of issue of any particular shares, or to the extent required by the Act, any Exchange, depository or any operator of any clearance or settlement system, no person whose name is entered as a member in the Register shall be entitled to receive a share certificate for any shares of any class held by him or her in the capital of the Company (nor on transferring part of a holding, to a certificate for the balance).

 

  14.7

Any share certificate, if issued, shall specify the number of shares in respect of which it is issued and the amount paid thereon or the fact that they are fully paid, as the case may be, and may otherwise be in such form as shall be determined by the Directors. Such certificates may be under seal. All certificates for shares in the capital of the Company shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified and shall specify the shares in the capital of the Company to which they relate. The name and address of the person to whom the shares represented thereby are issued, with the number of shares and date of issue, shall be entered in the Register. All certificates surrendered to the Company for transfer shall be cancelled and no new certificate shall be issued until the former certificate for a like number of shares in the capital of the Company shall have been surrendered and cancelled. The Directors may authorise certificates to be issued with the seal and authorised signature(s) affixed by some method or system of mechanical process. In respect of a share or shares in the capital of the Company held jointly by several persons, the Company shall not be bound to issue a certificate or certificates to each such person, and the issue and delivery of a certificate or certificates to one of several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all such holders. 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 such evidence, as the Directors may prescribe, and, in the case of defacement or wearing out, upon delivery of the old certificate.

 

14


15.

The Company:

 

  15.1

may give financial assistance for the purpose of an acquisition of its shares or, where the Company is a subsidiary, its holding company where permitted by sections 82 and 1043 of the Act, and

 

  15.2

is authorised, for the purposes of section 105(4)(a) of the Act, but subject to section 1073 of the Act, to acquire its own shares.

 

16.

The Directors (and any committee established under Article 186 and so authorised by the Directors and any person so authorised by the Directors or such committee) may without prejudice to Article 168:

 

  16.1

allot, issue, grant options over and otherwise dispose of shares in the Company; and

 

  16.2

exercise the Company’s powers under Article 14,

on such terms and subject to such conditions as they think fit, subject only to the provisions of the Act and these Articles.

 

17.

Unless the Board determines otherwise, any share in the capital of the Company shall be deemed to be a Redeemable Share on, and from the time of, the existence or creation of an agreement, transaction or trade between the Company and any person (who may or may not be a member) pursuant to which the Company acquires or will acquire a share in the capital of the Company, or an interest in shares in the capital of the Company, from the relevant person, save for an acquisition for nil consideration pursuant to section 102(1)(a) of the Act. In these circumstances, the acquisition of such shares by the Company, save where acquired for nil consideration in accordance with the Act, shall constitute the redemption of a Redeemable Share in accordance with Chapter 6 of Part 3 of the Act. No resolution, whether special or otherwise, shall be required to be passed to deem any share in the capital of the Company a Redeemable Share.

VARIATION OF CLASS RIGHTS

 

18.

Without prejudice to the authority conferred on the Directors pursuant to Article 9 to issue Preferred Shares in the capital of the Company, where the shares in the Company are divided into different classes, the rights attaching to a class of shares may only be varied or abrogated if (a) the holders of 75% in nominal value of the issued shares of that class consent in writing to the variation, or (b) a special resolution, passed at a separate general meeting of the holders of that class, sanctions the variation. The quorum at any such separate general meeting, other than an Adjourned Meeting, shall be two persons holding or representing by proxy at least one-third in nominal value of the issued shares of the class in question and the quorum at an Adjourned Meeting shall be one person holding or representing by proxy shares of the class in question or that person’s proxy. The rights conferred upon the holders of any class of shares issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by a purchase or redemption by the Company of its own shares or by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu therewith or subordinate thereto.

 

19.

The redemption or purchase of Preferred Shares or any class or series of Preferred Shares shall not constitute a variation of rights of the holders of Preferred Shares.

 

15


20.

The issue, redemption or purchase of any of the Preferred Shares shall not constitute a variation of the rights of the holders of Ordinary Shares.

 

21.

The issue of Preferred Shares or any class or series of Preferred Shares which rank pari passu with, or junior to, any existing Preferred Shares or class of Preferred Shares shall not constitute a variation of the existing Preferred Shares or class of Preferred Shares.

 

22.

The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu therewith.

TRUSTS NOT RECOGNISED

 

23.

Except as required by law, no person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any share upon any trust, and the Company shall not 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 any interest in any fractional part of a share or (except only as by these Articles or by law otherwise provided) any other rights in respect of any share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the member. This shall not preclude (i) the Company from requiring the members or a transferee of shares to furnish the Company with information as to the beneficial ownership of any share when such information is reasonably required by the Company, or (ii) the Directors, where they consider it appropriate, providing the information given to the members of shares to the holders of depositary instruments in such shares.

CALLS ON SHARES

 

24.

The Directors may from time to time make calls upon the members in respect of any consideration unpaid on their shares in the Company (whether on account of the nominal value of the shares or by way of premium), provided that in the case where the conditions of allotment or issuance of shares provide for the payment of consideration in respect of such shares at fixed times, the Directors shall only make calls in accordance with such conditions.

 

25.

Each member shall (subject to receiving at least thirty days’ notice specifying the time or times and place of payment, or such lesser or greater period of notice provided in the conditions of allotment or issuance of the shares) pay to the Company, at the time or times and place so specified, the amount called on the shares.

 

26.

A call may be revoked or postponed, as the Directors may determine.

 

27.

Subject to the conditions of allotment or issuance of the shares, a call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising the call was passed and may be required to be paid by instalments if specified in the call.

 

28.

The joint holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of it.

 

29.

If the consideration called in respect of a share or in respect of a particular instalment is not paid in full before or on the day appointed for payment of it, the person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest in cash on the unpaid value from the day appointed for payment of it to the time of actual payment of such rate, not exceeding five per cent per annum or such other rate as may be specified by an order under section 2(7) of the Act, as the Directors may determine, but the Directors may waive payment of such interest wholly or in part.

 

16


30.

Any consideration which, by the terms of issue of a share, becomes payable on allotment or issuance or at any fixed date (whether on account of the nominal value of the share or by way of premium) shall, for the purposes of these Articles, be deemed to be a call duly made and payable on the date on which, by the terms of issue, that consideration becomes payable, and in the case of non-payment of such a consideration, all the relevant provisions of these Articles as to payment of interest and expenses, forfeiture or otherwise, shall apply as if such consideration had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

31.

The Directors may, on the issue of shares, differentiate between the holders of different classes as to the amount of calls to be paid and the times of payment.

 

32.

The Directors may, if they think fit:

 

  (a)

receive from any member willing to advance such consideration, all or any part of the consideration uncalled and unpaid upon any shares held by him or her; and/or

 

  (b)

pay, upon all or any of the consideration so advanced (until the amount concerned would, but for such advance, become payable) interest at such rate (not exceeding, unless the Company in a general meeting otherwise directs, five per cent per annum or such other rate as may be specified by an order under section 2(7) of the Act) as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the member paying such consideration in advance.

 

33.

The Company may:

 

  (a)

acting by its Directors, make arrangements on the issue of shares for a difference between the members in the amounts and times of payment of calls on their shares;

 

  (b)

acting by its Directors, accept from any member the whole or a part of the amount remaining unpaid on any shares held by him or her, although no part of that amount has been called up;

 

  (c)

acting by its Directors and subject to the Act, pay a dividend in proportion to the amount paid up on each share where a larger amount is paid up on some shares than on others; and

 

  (d)

by special resolution determine that any portion of its share capital which has not been already called up shall not be capable of being called up except in the event and for the purposes of the Company being wound up; upon the Company doing so, that portion of its share capital shall not be capable of being called up except in that event and for those purposes.

LIEN

 

34.

The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on every share (not being a fully paid share) for all consideration (whether immediately payable or not) called, or payable at a fixed time, in respect of that share.

 

35.

The Directors may at any time declare any share in the Company to be wholly or in part exempt from Article 34.

 

36.

The Company’s lien on a share shall extend to all dividends payable on it.

 

37.

The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any shares on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless (i) a sum in respect of which the lien exists is immediately payable; and (ii) the following conditions are satisfied:

 

  37.1

a notice in writing, stating and demanding payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is immediately payable, has been given to the registered holder of the share for the time being, or the person entitled thereto by reason of his or her death or bankruptcy; and

 

17


  37.2

a period of 14 days after the date of giving of that notice has expired.

 

38.

The following provisions apply in relation to a sale referred to in Article 37:

 

  38.1

to give effect to any such sale, the Directors may authorise some person to transfer the shares sold to the purchaser of them;

 

  38.2

the purchaser shall be registered as the holder of the shares comprised in any such transfer;

 

  38.3

the purchaser shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase consideration, nor shall his or her title to the shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale; and

 

  38.4

the proceeds of the sale 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 immediately payable, and the residue, if any, shall (subject to a like lien for sums not immediately payable as existed upon the shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the shares at the date of the sale.

FORFEITURE

 

39.

If a member of the Company fails to pay any call or instalment of a call on the day appointed for payment of it, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of the call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice on the member requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued.

 

40.

The notice referred to in Article 39 shall:

 

  40.1

specify a further day (not earlier than the expiration of 14 days after the date of service of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made; and

 

  40.2

state that, if the amount concerned is not paid by the day so specified, the shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

41.

If the requirements of the notice referred to in Article 40 are not complied with, any share in respect of which the notice has been served may at any time after the day so specified (but before, should it occur, the payment required by the notice has been made) be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect.

 

42.

On the trial or hearing of any action for the recovery of any money due for any call, it shall be sufficient to prove that the name of the member sued is entered in the Register as the holder, or one of the holders, of the shares in the capital of the Company in respect of which such debt accrued, that the resolution making the call is duly recorded in the minute book and that notice of such call was duly given to the member sued, in pursuance of these Articles, and it shall not be necessary to prove the appointment of the Directors who made such call nor any other matters whatsoever, but the proof of the matters aforesaid shall be conclusive evidence of the debt.

 

43.

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.

 

18


44.

A person whose shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a member of the Company in respect of the forfeited shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all consideration which, at the date of forfeiture, were payable by him or her to the Company in respect of the shares, but his or her liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all such consideration in respect of the shares.

 

45.

A statement in writing that the maker of the statement is a Director or the Company Secretary, and that a share in the Company has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the statement, shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the share.

 

46.

The following provisions apply in relation to a sale or other disposition of a share referred to in Article 43:

 

  46.1

the Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for the share on the sale or other disposition of it and may execute a transfer of the share in favour of the person to whom the share is sold or otherwise disposed of (the “disponee”);

 

  46.2

upon such execution, the disponee shall be registered as the holder of the share; and

 

  46.3

the disponee shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase consideration, if any, nor shall his or her title to the share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the share.

 

47.

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 in the capital of the Company, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the nominal value of the share in the capital of the Company or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

48.

The Directors may accept the surrender of any share in the capital of the Company which the Directors have resolved to have been forfeited upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed and, subject to any such terms and conditions, a surrendered share in the capital of the Company shall be treated as if it has been forfeited.

VARIATION OF COMPANY CAPITAL

 

49.

Subject to the provisions of these Articles, the Company may, by ordinary resolution and in accordance with section 83 of the Act, do any one or more of the following, from time to time:

 

  49.1

consolidate and divide all or any of its classes of shares into shares of a larger nominal value than its existing shares;

 

  49.2

subdivide its classes of shares, or any of them, into shares of a smaller nominal value, so however, 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 the case of the share from which the reduced share is derived;

 

  49.3

increase the nominal value of any of its shares by the addition to them of any undenominated capital;

 

  49.4

reduce the nominal value of any of its shares by the deduction from them of any part of that value, subject to the crediting of the amount of the deduction to undenominated capital, other than the share premium account;

 

19


  49.5

without prejudice or limitation to Articles 89 to 94 and the powers conferred on the Directors thereby, convert any undenominated capital into shares for allotment as bonus shares to holders of existing shares;

 

  49.6

increase its share capital by new shares of such amount as it thinks expedient; or

 

  49.7

cancel shares of its share capital which, 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.

 

50.

Subject to the provisions of these Articles, the Company may:

 

  50.1

by special resolution, and subject to the provisions of the Act governing the variation of rights attached to classes of shares and the amendment of these Articles, convert any of its shares into Redeemable Shares; or

 

  50.2

by special resolution, and subject to the provisions of the Act (or as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law) alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein or alter or add to these Articles.

REDUCTION OF COMPANY CAPITAL

 

51.

The Company may, in accordance with the provisions of sections 84 to 87 of the Act, reduce its company capital in any way it thinks expedient and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, may thereby:

 

  51.1

extinguish or reduce the liability on any of its shares in respect of share capital not paid up;

 

  51.2

either with or without extinguishing or reducing liability on any of its shares, cancel any paid up company capital which is lost or unrepresented by available assets; or

 

  51.3

either with or without extinguishing or reducing liability on any of its shares, pay off any paid up company capital which is in excess of the wants of the Company.

Unless the special resolution provides otherwise, a reserve arising from the reduction of company capital is to be treated for all purposes as a realised profit in accordance with section 117(9) of the Act. Nothing in this Article 51 shall, however, prejudice or limit the Company’s ability to perform or engage in any of the actions described in section 83(1) of the Act by way of ordinary resolution only.

TRANSFER OF SHARES

 

52.

Subject to the Act and to the provisions of these Articles as may be applicable, any member may transfer all or any of his shares (of any class) by an instrument of transfer in the usual common form or in any other form which the Board may from time to time approve. The instrument of transfer may be endorsed on the certificate.

 

53.

The instrument of transfer of a share shall be signed by or on behalf of the transferor and, if the share is not fully paid, by or on behalf of the transferee. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of the share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register in respect of it. All instruments of transfer may be retained by the Company.

 

54.

The instrument of transfer of any share may be executed for and on behalf of the transferor by the Company Secretary or any other party designated by the Board for such purpose (whether in respect of specific transfers or pursuant to a general standing authorisation), and the Company Secretary or any other party designated by the Board for such purpose shall be

 

20


  deemed to have been irrevocably appointed agent for the transferor of such share or shares with full power to execute, complete and deliver in the name of and on behalf of the transferor of such share or shares all such transfers of shares held by the members in the share capital of the Company. Any document which records the name of the transferor, the name of the transferee, the class and number of shares agreed to be transferred, the date of the agreement to transfer shares and the price per share, shall, once executed by the transferor or the Company Secretary or any other party designated by the Board for such purpose as agent for the transferor, be deemed to be a proper instrument of transfer for the purposes of the Act. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the member holding the share until the name of the transferee is entered on the Register in respect thereof, and neither the title of the transferee nor the title of the transferor shall be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale should the Directors so determine.

 

55.

The Company, at its absolute discretion, may, or may procure that a subsidiary of the Company shall, pay Irish stamp duty arising on a transfer of shares on behalf of the transferee of such shares of the Company. If stamp duty resulting from the transfer of shares in the Company which would otherwise be payable by the transferee is paid by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company on behalf of the transferee, then in those circumstances, the Company shall, on its behalf or on behalf of its subsidiary (as the case may be), be entitled to (i) reimbursement of the stamp duty from the transferee, (ii) set-off the stamp duty against any dividends payable to the transferee of those shares and (iii) to the extent permitted by section 1042 of the Act, claim a first and paramount lien on the shares on which stamp duty has been paid by the Company or its subsidiary for the amount of stamp duty paid. The Company’s lien shall extend to all dividends paid on those shares.

 

56.

The Directors shall have power to permit any class of shares to be held in uncertificated form and to implement any arrangements they think fit for such evidencing and transfer which accord with such regulations and in particular shall, where appropriate, be entitled to disapply or modify all or part of the provisions in these Articles with respect to the requirement for written instruments of transfer and share certificates (if any), in order to give effect to such regulations.

 

57.

The Board may, in its absolute discretion and without assigning any reason for its decision, decline to register any transfer of any share which is not a fully-paid share. The Board may also decline to register any transfer if:

 

  57.1

the instrument of transfer is not duly stamped, if required, and lodged at the Office or any other place as the Board may from time to time specify for the purpose, accompanied by the certificate (if any) 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;

 

  57.2

the instrument of transfer is in respect of more than one class of share;

 

  57.3

the instrument of transfer is in favour of more than four persons jointly;

 

  57.4

it is not satisfied that all applicable consents, authorisations, permissions or approvals of any governmental body or agency in Ireland or any other applicable jurisdiction required to be obtained under relevant law prior to such transfer have been obtained; or

 

  57.5

it is not satisfied that the transfer would not violate the terms of any agreement to which the Company (or any of its subsidiaries) and the transferor are party or subject.

 

58.

Subject to any directions of the Board from time to time in force, the Company Secretary or any other party designated by the Board for such purpose may exercise the powers and discretions of the Board under Article 57, Article 81, Article 88 and Article 90.

 

21


59.

If the Board declines to register a transfer it shall, within one month after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to the transferee notice of such refusal.

 

60.

No fee shall be charged by the Company for registering any transfer or for making any entry in the Register concerning any other document relating to or affecting the title to any share (except that the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed on it in connection with such transfer or entry).

TRANSMISSION OF SHARES

 

61.

In the case of the death of a member, the survivor or survivors, where the deceased was a joint holder, and the personal representatives of the deceased where he or she was a sole holder, shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his or her interest in the shares.

 

62.

Nothing in Article 61 shall release the estate of a deceased joint holder from any liability in respect of any share which had been jointly held by him or her with other persons.

 

63.

Any person becoming entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a member may, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time properly be required by the Directors and subject to Article 64, elect either: (a) to be registered himself or herself as holder of the share; or (b) to have some person nominated by him or her (being a person who consents to being so registered) registered as the transferee thereof.

 

64.

The Directors shall, in either of those cases, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the share by that member before his or her death or bankruptcy, as the case may be.

 

65.

If the person becoming entitled as mentioned in Article 63: (a) elects to be registered himself or herself, the person shall furnish to the Company a notice in writing signed by him or her stating that he or she so elects; or (b) elects to have another person registered, the person shall testify his or her election by executing to that other person a transfer of the share.

 

66.

All the limitations, restrictions and provisions of Articles 61 to 65 shall be applicable to a notice or transfer referred to in Article 65 as if the death or bankruptcy of the member concerned had not occurred and the notice or transfer were a transfer signed by that member.

 

67.

Subject to Article 68 and Article 69, a person becoming entitled to a share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of the holder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he or she would be entitled if he or she were the registered holder of the share.

 

68.

A person referred to in Article 67 shall not, before being registered as a member 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.

 

69.

The Directors may at any time serve a notice on any such person requiring the person to make the election provided for by Article 63 and, if the person does not make that election (and proceed to do, consequent on that election, whichever of the things mentioned in Article 65 is appropriate) within ninety days after the date of service of the notice, the Directors may thereupon withhold payment of all dividends, bonuses or other moneys payable in respect of the share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.

 

70.

The Company may charge a fee not exceeding €10 on the registration of every probate, letters of administration, certificate of death, power of attorney, notice as to stock or other instrument or order.

 

22


71.

The Directors may determine such procedures as they shall think fit regarding the transmission of shares in the Company held by a body corporate that are transmitted by operation of law in consequence of a merger or division.

CLOSING REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE

 

72.

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 Board may provide, subject to the requirements of section 174 of the Act, that the Register shall be closed for transfers at such times and for such periods, not exceeding in the whole thirty days in each year. If the Register shall be so closed for the purpose of determining members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of members, such Register shall, subject to applicable law and Exchange rules, be so closed for at least five days immediately preceding such meeting and the record date for such determination shall be the date of the closure of the Register.

 

73.

In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register, the Board may fix in advance a date as the record date (a) for any such determination of members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the members, which record date shall not, subject to applicable law and Exchange rules, be more than sixty days before the date of such meeting, and (b) for the purpose of determining the members entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of members for any other proper purpose, which record date shall not, subject to applicable law and Exchange rules, be more than sixty days prior to the date of payment of such dividend or other distribution or the taking of any action to which such determination of members is relevant.

 

74.

If the Register 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, the date immediately preceding the date on which notice of the meeting is deemed given under these Articles shall be the record date for such determination of members. Where a determination of members entitled to vote at any meeting of members has been made as provided in these Articles, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof; provided, however, that the Directors may fix a new record date of the Adjourned Meeting, if they think fit.

DIVIDENDS

 

75.

The Company in a general meeting may declare dividends, but no dividends shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors. Any general meeting declaring a dividend and any resolution of the Directors declaring an interim dividend may direct payment of such dividend or interim dividend wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets including paid up shares, debentures or debenture stocks of any other company or in any one or more of such ways, and the Directors shall give effect to such resolution.

 

76.

The Directors may from time to time:

 

  76.1

pay to the members such dividends (whether as either interim dividends or final dividends) as appear to the Directors to be justified by the profits of the Company, subject to section 117 and Chapter 6 of Part 17 of the Act;

 

  76.2

before declaring any dividend, set aside out of the profits of the Company such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for any purpose to which the profits of the Company may be properly applied, and pending such application may, at the like discretion either be employed in the business of the Company or be held as cash or cash equivalents or invested in such investments as the Directors may lawfully determine; and

 

23


  76.3

without placing the profits of the Company to reserve, carry forward any profits which they may think prudent not to distribute.

 

77.

Unless otherwise specified by the Directors at the time of declaring a dividend, the dividend shall be a final dividend.

 

78.

Where the Directors specify that a dividend is an interim dividend at the time it is declared, such interim dividend shall not constitute a debt recoverable against the Company and the declaration may be revoked by the Directors at any time prior to its payment provided that the holders of the same class of share are treated equally on any revocation.

 

79.

Subject to the rights of persons, if any, entitled to shares with special rights as to dividend (and to the rights of the Company under Articles 34 to 38 and Article 81) all dividends shall be declared and paid such that shares of the same class shall rank equally irrespective of the premium credited as paid up on such shares.

 

80.

If any share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for a dividend as from a particular date, such share shall rank for dividend accordingly.

 

81.

The Directors may deduct from any dividend payable to any member, all sums of money (if any) immediately payable by him or her to the Company on account of calls or otherwise in relation to the shares of the Company.

 

82.

The Directors when declaring a dividend or bonus may direct payment of such dividend or bonus wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and, in particular, paid up shares, debentures or debenture stock of any other company or in any one or more of such ways.

 

83.

Where any difficulty arises in regard to a distribution, the Directors may settle the matter as they think expedient and, in particular, may:

 

  83.1

issue fractional certificates (subject always to the restriction on the issue of fractional shares) and fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part of them;

 

  83.2

determine that cash payments shall be made to any members upon the footing of the value so fixed, in order to adjust the rights of all the parties; and

 

  83.3

vest any such specific assets in trustees as may seem expedient to the Directors.

 

84.

Any dividend, interest or other moneys payable in cash in respect of any shares may be paid:

 

  84.1

by cheque or negotiable instrument sent by post directed to or otherwise delivered to the registered address of the holder, or where there are joint holders, to the registered address of that one of the joint holders who is first named on the register or to such person and to such address as the holder or the joint holders may in writing direct;

 

  84.2

by transfer to a bank account nominated by the payee or where such an account has not been so nominated, to the account of a trustee nominated by the Company to hold such moneys; or

 

  84.3

in the case of a person or persons entitled by transmission to a share, as if it were a notice given in accordance with Article 69,

provided that the debiting of the Company’s account in respect of the relevant amount shall be evidence of good discharge of the Company’s obligations in respect of any payment made by any such methods.

 

24


85.

Any such cheque or negotiable instrument referred to in Article 84 shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent.

 

86.

Any one of two or more joint holders may give valid receipts for any dividends, bonuses or other moneys payable in respect of the shares held by them as joint holders, whether paid by cheque or negotiable instrument or direct transfer.

 

87.

No dividend shall bear interest against the Company.

 

88.

If the Directors so resolve, any dividend or distribution which has remained unclaimed for twelve years from the date of its declaration shall be forfeited and cease to remain owing by the Company. The payment by the Directors of any unclaimed dividend, distribution or other moneys payable in respect of a share into a separate account shall not constitute the Company a trustee in respect thereof.

BONUS ISSUE OF SHARES

 

89.

Any capitalisation provided for in Articles 90 to 94 inclusive will not require approval or ratification by the members.

 

90.

The Directors may resolve to capitalise any part of a relevant sum (within the meaning of Article 91) by applying such sum in paying up in full unissued shares of a nominal value or nominal value and premium, equal to the sum capitalised, to be allotted and issued as fully paid bonus shares, to those members of the Company who would have been entitled to that sum if it were distributed by way of dividend (and in the same proportions).

 

91.

For the purposes of Article 90, “relevant sum” means: (a) any sum for the time being standing to the credit of the Company’s undenominated capital; (b) any of the Company’s profits available for distribution; (c) any sum representing unrealised revaluation reserves; or (d) a merger reserve or any other capital reserve of the Company.

 

92.

The Directors may in giving effect to any resolution under Article 90 make: (a) all appropriations and applications of the undivided profits resolved to be capitalised by the resolution; and (b) all allotments and issues of fully paid shares, if any, and generally shall do all acts and things required to give effect to the resolution.

 

93.

Without limiting Article 92, the Directors may:

 

  93.1

make such provision as they think fit for the case of shares becoming distributable in fractions (and, again, without limiting the foregoing, may sell the shares represented by such fractions and distribute the net proceeds of such sale amongst the members otherwise entitled to such fractions in due proportions);

 

  93.2

authorise any person to enter, on behalf of all the members concerned, into an agreement with the Company providing for the allotment to them, respectively credited as fully paid up, of any further shares to which they may become entitled on the capitalisation concerned or, as the case may require, for the payment by the application thereto of their respective proportions of the profits resolved to be capitalised of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing shares,

and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all the members concerned.

 

94.

Where the Directors have resolved to approve a bona fide revaluation of all the fixed assets of the Company, the net capital surplus in excess of the previous book value of the assets arising from such revaluation may be: (a) credited by the Directors to undenominated capital, other than the share premium account; or (b) used in paying up unissued shares of the Company to be issued to members as fully paid bonus shares.

 

25


GENERAL MEETINGS – GENERAL

 

95.

Subject to Article 96, the Company shall in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting in addition to any other meeting in that year, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it; and not more than 15 months shall elapse between the date of one annual general meeting of the Company and that of the next.

 

96.

The Company will hold its first annual general meeting within eighteen months of its incorporation.

 

97.

The annual general meeting shall be held in such place and at such time as the Directors shall determine.

 

98.

All general meetings of the Company other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

99.

The Directors may, whenever they think fit, convene an extraordinary general meeting. An extraordinary general meeting shall also be convened by the Directors on the requisition of members, or if the Directors fail to so convene an extraordinary general meeting, such extraordinary general meeting may be convened by the requisitioning members, in each case in accordance with section 178(3) to (7) of the Act.

 

100.

If at any time the number of Directors is less than two, any Director or any member that satisfies the criteria thereunder, may convene an extraordinary general meeting in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which meetings may be convened by the Directors.

 

101.

An annual general meeting or extraordinary general meeting of the Company may be held outside of Ireland. The Company shall make, at its expense, all necessary arrangements to ensure that members can by technological means participate in any such meeting without leaving Ireland.

 

102.

The Directors shall determine whether a general meeting is to be held as a physical meeting and/or an electronic meeting, or, for the avoidance of doubt, a combination of a physical and electronic meeting, provided that all general meetings must be held in accordance with the provisions of the Act. A general meeting of the Company may be held in two or more venues (whether inside or outside of Ireland) at the same time using any technology that provides members, as a whole, with a reasonable opportunity to participate, and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. The Directors shall specify in the notice calling the general meeting whether the meeting will be physical and/or electronic. Such notice shall also specify the time, date and place and/or electronic platform(s) of the general meeting.

NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS

 

103.

The only persons entitled to notice of general meetings of the Company are:

 

  103.1

the members;

 

  103.2

the personal representatives of a deceased member, which member would but for his death be entitled to vote;

 

  103.3

the assignee in bankruptcy of a bankrupt member of the Company (being a bankrupt member who is entitled to vote at the meeting);

 

26


  103.4

the Directors and Company Secretary; and

 

  103.5

unless the Company is entitled to and has availed itself of the audit exemption under the Act, the Auditors (who shall also be entitled to receive other communications relating to any general meeting which a member is entitled to receive).

 

104.

Subject to the provisions of the Act allowing a general meeting to be called by shorter notice, an annual general meeting and an extraordinary general meeting called for the passing of a special resolution shall be called by at least twenty-one Clear Days’ notice. Any other extraordinary general meeting shall also be called by at least twenty-one Clear Days’ notice, except that it may be called by fourteen Clear Days’ notice where:

 

  104.1

all members, who hold shares that carry rights to vote at the meeting, are permitted to vote by electronic means at the meeting; and

 

  104.2

a special resolution reducing the period of notice to fourteen days has been passed at the immediately preceding annual general meeting, or at a general meeting held since that meeting.

 

105.

Any notice convening a general meeting shall specify the time and place of the meeting and, in the case of special business, the general nature of that business and, in reasonable prominence, that a member entitled to attend, speak, ask questions and vote is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend, speak, ask questions and vote in his place and that a proxy need not be a member of the Company. Every notice shall specify such other details as are required by applicable law or the relevant code, rules and regulations applicable to the listing of the shares on any Exchange. Subject to any restrictions imposed on any shares, the notice shall be given to all the members and to the Directors and Auditors.

 

106.

The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at the meeting.

 

107.

In cases where instruments of proxy are sent out with notices, the accidental omission to send such instrument of proxy to, or the non-receipt of such instrument of proxy by, any person entitled to receive such notice shall not invalidate any resolution passed or any proceeding at any such meeting. A member present, either in person or by proxy, at any general meeting of the Company or of the holders of any class of shares in the Company will be deemed, subject to Article 110, to have received notice of that meeting and, where required, of the purpose for which it was called.

 

108.

Where, by any provision contained in the Act, extended notice is required of a resolution, the resolution shall not be effective (except where the Directors have resolved to submit it) unless notice of the intention to move it has been given to the Company not less than twenty-eight days (or such shorter period as the Act permits) before the meeting at which it is moved, and the Company shall give to the members notice of any such resolution as required by and in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

 

109.

In determining the correct period of notice for a general meeting, only Clear Days shall be counted.

 

110.

Whenever any notice is required to be given by law or by these Articles to any person or persons, a waiver thereof in writing, signed by the person or persons entitled to the notice whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent thereto. Attendance of a person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.

 

27


WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS OF THE MEMBERS

 

111.

For so long as the Company has more than one shareholder, unanimous consent of the holders of the Ordinary Shares shall be required before the shareholders may act by way of written resolution in lieu of holding a meeting.

 

112.

112.1 Except in the case of the removal of statutory auditors or Directors and subject to the Act and the provisions of Article 111, anything which may be done by resolution in general meeting of all or any class or resolution in writing, signed by all of the holders or any class thereof or their proxies (or in the case of a holder that is a corporation (whether or not a company within the meaning of the Acts) on behalf of such holder) being all of the holders of the Company or any class thereof, who at the date of the resolution in writing would be entitled to attend a meeting and vote on the resolution shall be valid and effective for all purposes as if the resolution had been passed at a general meeting of the Company or any class thereof duly convened and held, and if described as a Special Resolution shall be deemed to be a Special Resolution within the meaning of the Acts. Any such resolution in writing may be signed in as many counterparts as may be necessary.

 

  112.2

For the purposes of any written resolution under Article 112, the date of the resolution in writing is the date when the resolution is signed by, or on behalf of, the last holder to sign and any reference in any enactment to the date of passing of a resolution is, in relation to a resolution in writing made in accordance with this section, a reference to such date.

 

  112.3

A resolution in writing made in accordance with Article 112 is valid as if it had been passed by the Company in general meeting or, if applicable, by a meeting of the relevant class of holders of the Company, as the case may be. A resolution in writing made in accordance with this section shall constitute minutes for the purposes of the Act and these Articles.

 

113.

At any time that the Company is a single-member company, its sole member may pass any resolution as a written decision in accordance with section 196 of the Act.

QUORUM FOR GENERAL MEETINGS

 

114.

Two members present in person or by proxy and having the right to attend and vote at the meeting and together holding shares representing more than 50% of the votes that may be cast by all members at the relevant time shall be a quorum at a general meeting; provided, however, that at any time when the Company is a single-member company, one member of the Company present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of it shall be a quorum.

 

115.

If within 15 minutes (or such greater time determined by the Chairperson) after the time appointed for a general meeting a quorum is not present, then:

 

  115.1

the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place or to such other day and at such other time and place as the Directors may determine (the “Adjourned Meeting”); and

 

  115.2

if at the Adjourned Meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour (or such greater time determined by the Chairperson) after the time appointed for the meeting, the members present shall be a quorum.

 

28


PROXIES

 

116.

Every member entitled to attend, speak, ask questions and vote at a general meeting may appoint a proxy or proxies to attend, speak, ask questions relating to items on the agenda and vote on his behalf and may appoint more than one proxy to attend, speak, ask questions and vote at the same general meeting provided that, where a member appoints more than one proxy in relation to a general meeting, each proxy must be appointed to exercise the rights attached to different shares held by that member.

 

117.

The appointment of a proxy shall be in writing in any usual form or in any other form which the Directors may approve and shall be signed by or on behalf of the appointor. The signature on such appointment need not be witnessed. A body corporate may sign a form of proxy under its common seal or under the hand of a duly authorised officer thereof or in such other manner as the Directors may approve. A proxy need not be a member of the Company. A member shall be entitled to appoint a proxy by electronic means, to an address specified by the Company. The proxy form must make provision for three-way voting (i.e., to allow votes to be cast for or against a resolution or to be withheld) on all resolutions intended to be proposed, other than resolutions which are merely procedural. An instrument or other form of communication appointing or evidencing the appointment of a proxy or a corporate representative (other than a standing proxy or representative) together with such evidence as to its due execution as the Board may from time to time require, may be returned to the address or addresses stated in the notice of meeting or Adjourned Meeting or any other information or communication by such time or times as may be specified in the notice of meeting or Adjourned Meeting or in any other such information or communication (which times may differ when more than one place is so specified) or, if no such time is specified, at any time prior to the holding of the relevant meeting or Adjourned Meeting at which the appointee proposes to vote, and, subject to the Act, if not so delivered the appointment shall not be treated as valid.

BODIES CORPORATE ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS

 

118.

Any body corporate which is a member, or a proxy for a member, of the Company may by resolution of its directors or other governing body authorise such person or persons as it thinks fit to act as its representative or representatives at any meeting of the Company or of any class of members of the Company and, subject to evidence being furnished to the Company of such authority as the Directors may reasonably require, any person(s) so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the body corporate which he represents as that body corporate could exercise if it were an individual member of the Company or, where more than one such representative is so authorized, all or any of the rights attached to the shares in respect of which he is so authorised. Where a body corporate appoints more than one representative in relation to a general meeting, each representative must be appointed to exercise the rights attached to different shares held by that body corporate.

RECEIPT OF PROXY APPOINTMENTS

 

119.

Where the appointment of a proxy and any authority under which it is signed or a copy certified notarially or in some other way approved by the Directors is to be received by the Company:

 

  119.1

in physical form, it shall be deposited at the Office or (at the option of the member) at such other place or places (if any) as may be specified for that purpose in or by way of note to the notice convening the meeting;

 

  119.2

in electronic form, it may be so received where an address has been specified by the Company for the purpose of receiving electronic communications:

 

  (a)

in the notice convening the meeting; or

 

29


  (b)

in any appointment of proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting; or

 

  (c)

in any invitation contained in an electronic communication to appoint a proxy issued by the Company in relation to the meeting;

provided that it is so received by the Company no later than 3 hours, or such other time as may be communicated to the members, before the time for holding the meeting or Adjourned Meeting or (in the case of a poll taken otherwise than at or on the same day as the meeting or Adjourned Meeting) for the taking of the poll at which it is to be used, at which the person named in the proxy proposes to vote and in default shall not be treated as valid or, in the case of a meeting which is adjourned to, or a poll which is to be taken on, a date not later than the record date applicable to the meeting which was adjourned or the poll, it shall be sufficient if the appointment of a proxy and any such authority and certification thereof as aforesaid is so received by the Company at the commencement of the Adjourned Meeting or the taking of the poll. An appointment of a proxy relating to more than one meeting (including any adjournment thereof) having once been so received for the purposes of any meeting shall not be required to be delivered, deposited or received again for the purposes of any subsequent meeting to which it relates.

EFFECT OF PROXY APPOINTMENTS

 

120.

Effect of proxy appointments:

 

  120.1

Receipt by the Company of an appointment of a proxy in respect of a meeting shall not preclude a member from attending and voting at the meeting or at any adjournment thereof. However, if that member votes at the meeting or at any adjournment thereof, then as regards to the resolution(s) any proxy notice delivered to the Company by or on behalf of that same member shall on a poll, be invalid to the extent that such member votes in respect of the shares to which the proxy notice relates.

 

  120.2

An appointment of a proxy shall be valid, unless the contrary is stated therein, as well for any adjournment of the meeting as for the meeting to which it relates and shall be deemed to confer authority to speak at a general meeting and to demand or join in demanding a poll.

 

121.

A proxy shall have the right to exercise all or any of the rights of his appointor, or (where more than one proxy is appointed) all or any of the rights attached to the shares in respect of which he is appointed as the proxy to attend, and to speak and vote, at a general meeting of the Company. Unless his appointment provides otherwise, a proxy may vote or abstain at his discretion on any resolution put to the vote.

EFFECT OF REVOCATION OF PROXY OR OF AUTHORISATION

 

122.

A vote given or poll demanded in accordance with the terms of an appointment of a proxy or a resolution authorising a representative to act on behalf of a body corporate shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death, insanity or winding up of the principal, or the revocation of the appointment of a proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was appointed or of the resolution authorising the representative to act or the transfer of the share in respect of which the proxy was appointed or the authorisation of the representative to act was given, provided that no notice in writing (whether in electronic form or otherwise) of such death, insanity, winding up, revocation or transfer is received by the Company at the Office before the commencement of the meeting.

 

30


123.

The Directors may send to the members, at the expense of the Company, by post, electronic mail or otherwise, forms for the appointment of a proxy (with or without reply paid envelopes for their return) for use at any general meeting or at any class meeting, either in blank or nominating any one or more of the Directors or any other persons in the alternative. If, for the purpose of any meeting, invitations to appoint as proxy a person or one of a number of persons specified in the invitations are issued at the expense of the Company, such invitations shall be issued to all (and not to some only) of the members entitled to be sent a notice of the meeting and to vote thereat by proxy, but the accidental omission to issue such invitations to, or the non-receipt of such invitations by, any member shall not invalidate the proceedings at any such meeting.

THE BUSINESS OF GENERAL MEETINGS

 

124.

All business shall be deemed to be special business that is transacted at an extraordinary general meeting or that is transacted at an annual general meeting other than, in the case of an annual general meeting, the business specified in Article 128 which shall be ordinary business.

 

125.

At any meeting of the members, only such business shall be conducted as shall have been properly brought before such meeting. To be properly brought before an annual general meeting, business must be:

 

  125.1

specified in the notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board;

 

  125.2

otherwise properly brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board; or

 

  125.3

otherwise properly brought before the meeting by a member.

 

126.

Without prejudice to any procedure which may be permitted under the Act, for business to be properly brought before an annual general meeting by a member, the member must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Company Secretary. To be timely, a member’s notice must be received not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual general meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual general meeting is advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 60 days from such anniversary, notice by the member to be timely must be so received not earlier than the 90th day prior to such annual general meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (i) the 60th day prior to such annual general meeting or (ii) the tenth day following the date on which notice of the date of the annual general meeting was mailed or public disclosure thereof was made by the Company, whichever event in this clause (ii) first occurs. For the avoidance of doubt, in no event shall the adjournment or postponement of any general meeting, or the public announcement of such an adjournment or postponement, commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a member’s notice to the Company Secretary pursuant to this Article 126. Each such notice shall set forth as to each matter the member proposes to bring before the annual general meeting:

 

  126.1

a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual general meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting;

 

  126.2

the name and address, as they appear on the Register, of the member proposing such business;

 

  126.3

the class, series and number of shares of the Company which are beneficially owned by the member;

 

  126.4

whether and the extent to which any hedging, derivative or other transaction is in place or has been entered into within the prior six months preceding the date of delivery of the notice by or for the benefit of the member with respect to the Company or its subsidiaries or any of their respective securities, debt instruments or credit ratings, the

 

31


  effect or intent of which transaction is to give rise to gain or loss as a result of changes in the trading price of such securities or debt instruments or changes in the credit ratings for the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their respective securities or debt instruments (or, more generally, changes in the perceived creditworthiness of the Company or its subsidiaries), or to increase or decrease the voting power of the member, and if so, a summary of the material terms thereof; and

 

  126.5

any material interest of the member in such business.

To be properly brought before an extraordinary general meeting, other than pursuant to Article 125, business must be (i) specified in the notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board or by the Company Secretary pursuant to the applicable provisions of these Articles or (ii) otherwise properly brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board.

 

127.

The chairperson of the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to the meeting that business was not properly brought before the meeting and in accordance with the provisions of these Articles, and if he or she should so determine, any such business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted. Nothing herein shall be deemed to affect any rights of members to request inclusion of proposals in the Company’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.

 

128.

The business of the annual general meeting shall include:

 

  128.1

the consideration of the Company’s statutory financial statements and the report of the Directors and the report of the Auditors on those statements and that report;

 

  128.2

the review by the members of the Company’s affairs;

 

  128.3

the authorisation of the Directors to approve the remuneration of the Auditors (if any); and

 

  128.4

the appointment or re-appointment of Auditors.

PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS

 

129.

The Chairperson, if any, shall preside as chairperson at every general meeting of the Company, or if there is no such Chairperson, or if he or she is not present at the time appointed for the holding of the meeting or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairperson of the meeting.

 

130.

If at any meeting no Director is willing to act as chairperson or if no Director is present at the time appointed for holding the meeting, the members present shall choose one of their number to be chairperson of the meeting.

 

131.

At each meeting of members, the chairperson of the meeting shall fix and announce the date and time of the opening and the closing of the polls for each matter upon which the members will vote at the meeting and shall determine the order of business and all other matters of procedure.

 

132.

The Directors may adopt such rules, regulations and procedures for the conduct of any meeting of the members as they deem appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with any applicable rules, regulations and procedures adopted by the Board, the chairperson of any meeting may adopt such rules, regulations and procedures for the meeting, which need not be in writing, and take such actions with respect to the conduct of the meeting, as the chairperson of the meeting deems appropriate, to maintain order and safety and for the conduct of the meeting.

 

32


133.

The chairperson of the meeting may, with the consent of any 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.

 

134.

No business shall be transacted at any Adjourned Meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place.

 

135.

When a meeting is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the Adjourned Meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting but, subject to that, it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an Adjourned Meeting.

 

136.

Each Director and the Auditors shall be entitled to attend and speak at any general meeting of the Company.

 

137.

For business to be properly requested by a member to be brought before a general meeting, the member must comply with the requirements of the Act or:

 

  137.1

be a member at the time of the giving of the notice for such general meeting;

 

  137.2

be entitled to vote at such meeting; and

 

  137.3

have given timely and proper notice in writing to the Company Secretary in accordance with Article 126.

 

138.

Except where a greater majority is required by the Act or these Articles, any question proposed for a decision of the members at any general meeting of the Company or a decision of any class of members at a separate meeting of any class of shares shall be decided by an ordinary resolution.

VOTING

 

139.

At any general meeting, a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a poll.

 

140.

Save as provided in Article 141 of these Articles, a poll shall be taken in such manner as the chairperson of the meeting directs and he or she may appoint scrutineers (who need not be members) and fix a time and place for declaring the result of the poll. The result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

141.

A poll demanded on the election of a chairperson of the meeting or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken either forthwith or at such time and place as the chairperson of the meeting may direct. The demand for a poll shall not prevent the continuance of a meeting for the transaction of any business other than the question on which the poll was demanded.

 

142.

No notice need be given of a poll not taken forthwith if the time and place at which it is to be taken are announced at the meeting at which it is demanded. In any other case at least seven Clear Days’ notice shall be given specifying the time and place at which the poll is to be taken.

 

143.

If authorised by the Directors, any vote taken by written ballot may be satisfied by a ballot submitted by electronic and/or telephonic transmission, provided that any such electronic or telephonic submission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the electronic or telephonic submission has been authorised by the member or proxy.

 

33


VOTES OF MEMBERS

 

144.

Subject to the provisions of these Articles and any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of shares in the capital of the Company, every member of record present in person or by proxy shall have one vote for each share registered in his or her name in the Register.

 

145.

Where there are joint holders of a share, the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holder or holders; and for this purpose, seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the joint holders stand in the Register.

 

146.

A member who has made an enduring power of attorney, or a member in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction in cases of unsound mind, may vote by his or her committee, donee of an enduring power of attorney, receiver, guardian or other person appointed by the foregoing court, and any such committee, donee of an enduring power of attorney, receiver, guardian or other persons appointed by the foregoing court may speak or vote by proxy.

 

147.

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 such general meeting shall be valid for all purposes. Any such objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairperson of the general meeting whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

148.

A person shall be entered on the Register by the record date specified in respect of a general meeting in order to exercise the right of a member to participate and vote at the general meeting and any change to an entry on the Register after the record date shall be disregarded in determining the right of any person to attend and vote at the meeting.

 

149.

Votes may be given either personally (including by a duly authorised representative of a corporate member) or by proxy. On a poll taken at a meeting of the members of the Company or a meeting of any class of members of the Company, a member, whether present in person or by proxy, entitled to more than one vote need not, if he votes, use all his votes or cast all the votes he uses in the same way.

 

150.

Subject to such requirements and restrictions as the Directors may specify, the Company may permit members to vote by correspondence in advance of a general meeting in respect of one or more of the resolutions proposed at a meeting. Where the Company permits members to vote by correspondence, it shall only count votes cast in advance by correspondence, where such votes are received at the address and before the date and time specified by the Company, provided the date and time is no more than 24 hours before the time at which the vote is to be concluded.

 

151.

Subject to such requirements and restrictions as the Directors may specify, the Company may permit members who are not physically present at a meeting to vote by electronic means at the general meeting in respect of one or more of the resolutions proposed at a meeting.

 

152.

Where there is an equality of votes, the chairperson of the meeting shall not have a second or casting vote.

 

153.

No member shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the Company unless all calls or other sums immediately payable by him or her in respect of shares in the Company have been paid.

 

34


CLASS MEETINGS

 

154.

The provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings shall, as far as applicable, apply in relation to any meeting of any class of member of the Company.

APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS

 

155.

The number of Directors shall be such number as the Board may, by resolution, determine from time to time, provided however that the minimum number of directors shall be not less than two.

 

156.

The Board, upon recommendations of the nomination and governance committee (or equivalent committee established by the Board), shall propose nominees for election to the office of Director at each annual general meeting.

 

157.

The Directors may be appointed by the members in general meeting, provided that no person other than a Director retiring at the meeting shall, save where recommended by the Board, be eligible for election to the office of Director at any general meeting unless the requirements of Article 164 as to his or her eligibility for that purpose have been complied with.

 

158.

The Directors shall be divided into three classes, designated Class I, Class II and Class III. The initial division of the Board into classes shall be made by the decision of the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors in office and each class need not be of equal size or number.

 

  158.1

The term of the initial Class I directors shall terminate at the conclusion of the Company’s 2023 annual general meeting; the term of the initial Class II directors shall terminate on the conclusion of the Company’s 2024 annual general meeting; and the term of the initial Class III directors shall terminate on the conclusion of the Company’s 2025 annual general meeting.

 

  158.2

Subject to Article 160, at each annual general meeting of the Company beginning with the Company’s 2023 annual general meeting, all of the Directors of the class of directors whose term expires on the conclusion of that annual general meeting shall retire from office unless re-elected, and successors to that class of directors shall be elected for a three-year term.

 

  158.3

The resolution appointing any Director must designate the Director as a Class I, Class II or Class III Director.

 

  158.4

Every Director of the class retiring shall be eligible to stand for re-election at an annual general meeting.

 

  158.5

If the number of Directors is changed, any increase or decrease shall be apportioned among the classes so as to maintain the number of Directors in each class as nearly equal as possible or as the Chairperson may otherwise direct. In no case will a decrease in the number of Directors shorten the term of any incumbent Director.

 

  158.6

A Director shall hold office until the conclusion of the annual general meeting for the year in which his term expires and, subject to Article 160, until his successor shall be elected, subject however to prior death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office

 

  158.7

Any vacancy on the Board, including a vacancy that results from an increase in the number of Directors or from the death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal of a Director, shall be deemed a casual vacancy. Subject to the terms of any one or more classes or series of preferred shares, any casual vacancy shall only be filled by the decision of a majority of the Board then in office, provided that a quorum is present and provided that the appointment does not cause the number of Directors to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with these articles as the maximum number of Directors.

 

35


  158.8

Any Director of such class elected to fill a vacancy resulting from an increase in the number of Directors of such class shall hold office for a term that shall coincide with the remaining term of that class. Any Director elected to fill a vacancy not resulting from an increase in the number of Directors shall have the same remaining term as that of his predecessor or if there is no such remaining term, the Director shall retire, and be eligible to stand for re-election, at the annual general meeting immediately following their appointment at which time, if re-elected, the Director shall hold office for a term that shall coincide with the remaining term of that class. A Director retiring at a meeting shall retain office until the close or adjournment of the meeting.

 

159.

Each Director shall be elected by an ordinary resolution at such meeting, provided that if, as of, or at any time prior to, fourteen days before the filing of the Company’s definitive proxy statement with the SEC relating to such general meeting, the number of Director nominees exceeds the number of Directors to be elected (a “contested election”), each of those nominees shall be voted upon as a separate resolution and the Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at any such meeting and entitled to vote on the election of Directors.

For the purposes of this Article, “elected by a plurality” means the election of those director nominees, equalling in number to the number of positions to be filled at the relevant general meeting, that received the highest number of votes.

 

160.

Any nominee for election to the Board who is then serving as a Director and, in an uncontested election (where the number of Director nominees does not exceed the number of Directors to be elected), receives a greater number of “against” votes than “for” votes shall promptly tender his or her resignation following certification of the vote. The nomination and governance committee of the Board shall then consider the resignation offer and recommend to the Board whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken; provided that any Director whose resignation is under consideration shall not participate in the nomination and governance committee’s recommendation regarding whether to accept, reject or take other action with respect to his/her resignation. The Board shall take action on the nomination and governance committee’s recommendation within 90 days following certification of the vote, and promptly thereafter publicly disclose its decision and the reasons therefor.

 

161.

The Directors are not entitled to appoint alternate directors.

 

162.

If the number of the Directors is reduced below the prescribed minimum of two, the remaining Director shall forthwith appoint an additional Director or additional Directors to make up such minimum or shall convene a general meeting of the Company for the purpose of making such appointment or appointments. If there is no Director able or willing to so act then any member may summon a general meeting for the purpose of appointing Directors. Any additional Director so appointed shall hold office only until the conclusion of the annual general meeting of the Company next following such appointment unless such Director is re-elected during such meeting.

 

163.

The Company may by ordinary resolution, appoint another person in place of a Director removed from office under section 146 of the Act and, without prejudice to the powers of the Directors under Article 158.6, the Company in a general meeting may appoint any person to be a Director either to fill a casual vacancy or as an additional Director.

 

36


DIRECTORS—MEMBER NOMINATIONS

 

164.

The following are the requirements mentioned in Article 157 for the eligibility of a person (the “person concerned”) for election as a Director at a general meeting, namely, any member entitled to vote in the election of Directors generally may nominate one or more persons for election as Directors at an annual general meeting only pursuant to the Company’s notice of such meeting or if written notice of such member’s intent to make such nomination or nominations has been received by the Company Secretary at the Company’s Office not less than 60 nor more than 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual general meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual general meeting is advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 60 days from such anniversary, notice by the member to be timely must be so received not earlier than the 90th day prior to such annual general meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (i) the 60th day prior to such annual general meeting and (ii) the 10th day following the day on which notice of the date of the annual general meeting was mailed or public disclosure thereof was made by the Company, whichever event in this clause (ii) first occurs. Each such member’s notice shall set forth:

 

  164.1

the name and address of the member who intends to make the nomination and of the person or persons to be nominated;

 

  164.2

a representation that the member is a holder of record of shares of the Company entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the person or persons specified in the notice;

 

  164.3

a description of all arrangements or understandings between the member and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) relating to the nomination or nominations;

 

  164.4

the class and number of shares of the Company which are beneficially owned by such member and by any other members known by such member to be supporting such nominees as of the date of such member’s notice;

 

  164.5

whether and the extent to which any hedging, derivative or other transaction is in place or has been entered into within the prior six months preceding the date of delivery of the notice by or for the benefit of the member with respect to the Company or its subsidiaries or any of their respective securities, debt instruments or credit ratings, the effect or intent of which transaction is to give rise to gain or loss as a result of changes in the trading price of such securities or debt instruments or changes in the credit ratings for the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their respective securities or debt instruments (or, more generally, changes in the perceived creditworthiness of the Company or its subsidiaries), or to increase or decrease the voting power of the member, and if so, a summary of the material terms thereof;

 

  164.6

such other information regarding each nominee proposed by such member as would be required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the SEC;

 

  164.7

the consent of each nominee to serve as a Director if so elected; and

 

  164.8

for each nominee who is not an incumbent Director:

 

  (a)

their name, age, business address and residential address;

 

  (b)

their principal occupation or employment;

 

37


  (c)

the class, series and number of securities of the Company that are owned of record or beneficially by such person;

 

  (d)

the date or dates the securities were acquired and the investment intent of each acquisition;

 

  (e)

any other information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in proxies for the election of Directors under any applicable securities legislation; and

 

  (f)

any information the Company may require any proposed director nominee to furnish such as it may reasonably require to comply with applicable law and to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a Director and whether such proposed nominee would be considered independent as a Director or as a member of the audit or any other committee of the Board under the various rules and standards applicable to the Company.

VACATION OF OFFICE BY DIRECTORS

 

165.

Subject to the provisions of these Articles and in addition to the circumstances described in sections 146, 148(1) and 196(2) of the Act, the office of Director shall be vacated ipso facto, if that Director:

 

  165.1

is restricted or disqualified to act as a Director under the Act; or

 

  165.2

resigns his or her office by notice in writing to the Company or in writing offers to resign and the Directors resolve to accept such offer; or

 

  165.3

is requested to resign in writing by not less than three quarters of the other Directors.

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION AND EXPENSES

 

166.

The remuneration of the Directors shall be such as is determined, from time to time, by the Board and such remuneration shall be deemed to accrue from day to day. The Board may from time to time determine that, subject to the requirements of the Act, all or part of any fees or other remuneration payable to any Director shall be provided in the form of shares or other securities of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, or options or rights to acquire such shares or other securities, on such terms as the Board may decide.

 

167.

The Directors may also be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them: (a) in attending and returning from: (i) meetings of the Directors or any committee; or (ii) general meetings of the Company, or (b) otherwise in connection with the business of the Company.

GENERAL POWER OF MANAGEMENT AND DELEGATION

 

168.

The business of the Company shall be managed by its Directors who may pay all expenses incurred in promoting and registering the Company and may exercise all such powers of the Company as are not, by the Act or by the Memorandum of these Articles, required to be exercised by the Company in a general meeting, but subject to:

 

  168.1

any regulations contained in these Articles;

 

  168.2

the provisions of the Act; and

 

  168.3

such directions, not being inconsistent with the foregoing regulations or provisions, as the Company in a general meeting may (by special resolution) give.

 

38


169.

No direction given by the Company in a general meeting under Article 168.3 shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if that direction had not been given.

 

170.

Without prejudice to the generality of Article 168, Article 168 operates to enable, subject to a limitation (if any) arising under any of paragraphs 168.1 to 168.3 of it, the Directors exercise all powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital, or any part thereof.

 

171.

Without prejudice to section 40 of the Act, the Directors may delegate any of their powers (including any power referred to in these Articles) to such person or persons as they think fit, including committees; any such person or committee shall, in the exercise of the powers so delegated, conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Directors.

 

172.

Any reference to a power of the Company required to be exercised by the Company in a general meeting includes a reference to a power of the Company that, but for the power of the members to pass a written resolution to effect the first-mentioned power’s exercise, would be required to be exercised by the Company in a general meeting.

 

173.

The acts of the Board or of any committee established by the Board or any delegee of the Board or any such committee shall be valid notwithstanding any defect which may afterwards be discovered in the appointment or qualification of any Director, committee member or delegee.

 

174.

The Directors may appoint a sole or joint company secretary, an assistant company secretary and a deputy company secretary for such term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions as they may think fit; and any such person so appointed may be removed by them.

OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVES

 

175.

The Directors may from time to time appoint one or more of themselves to the office of Chief Executive Officer (by whatever name called including managing director) or such other office or position with the Company and for such period and on such terms as to remuneration, if any (whether by way of salary, commission, participation in profits or otherwise) as the Board may determine, and, subject to the terms of any agreement entered into in any particular case, may revoke such appointment.

 

176.

Without prejudice to any claim the person so appointed under Article 175 may have for damages for breach of any contract of service between the person and the Company, the person’s appointment shall cease upon his or her ceasing, from any cause, to be a Director.

 

177.

The Board may appoint any person whether or not he or she is a Director, to hold such executive or official position (except that of Auditor) as the Board may from time to time determine. The same person may hold more than one office of executive or official position.

 

178.

The Board shall determine from time to time, the powers and duties of any such office holder or official appointed under Articles 175 and/or Article 177, and subject to the provisions of the Act and these Articles, the Directors may confer upon an office holder or official any of the powers exercisable by them upon such terms and conditions and with such restrictions as they may think fit and in conferring any such powers, the Directors may specify that the conferral is to operate either: (a) so that the powers concerned may be exercised concurrently by them and the relevant office holder; or (b) to the exclusion of their own such powers.

 

179.

The Directors may (a) revoke any conferral of powers under Article 178 or (b) amend any such conferral (whether as to the powers conferred or the terms, conditions or restrictions subject to which the conferral is made). The use or inclusion of the word “officer” (or similar words) in the title of any executive or other position shall not be deemed to imply that the person holding such executive or other position is an “officer” of the Company within the meaning of the Act.

 

39


MEETINGS OF DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEES

 

180.

180.1 The Directors may meet together for the dispatch of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit.

 

  180.2

The Directors may establish attendance and procedural guidelines from time to time about how their meetings are to be conducted consistent with good corporate governance and applicable tax requirements.

 

  180.3

Such meetings shall take place at such time and place as the Directors may determine.

 

  180.4

Questions arising at any such meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes and where there is an equality of votes, the Chairperson of the meeting shall not have a second or casting vote.

 

  180.5

A Director may, and the Company Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors.

 

181.

All Directors shall be entitled to reasonable notice of any meeting of the Directors.

 

182.

Nothing in Article 181 or any other provision of the Act enables a person, other than a Director, to object to the notice given for any meeting of the Directors.

 

183.

The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed shall be a majority of the Directors in office at the time when the meeting is convened.

 

184.

The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their number, provided that if the number of the Directors is reduced below the prescribed minimum the remaining Director or Directors shall appoint forthwith an additional Director or additional Directors to make up such minimum or shall convene a general meeting of the Company for the purpose of making such appointment and apportion the Directors among the classes so as to maintain the number of Directors in each class as equal as possible.

CHAIRPERSON

 

185.

The Directors may elect a Chairperson and determine the period for which he or she is to hold office, but if no such Chairperson is elected, or, if at any meeting the Chairperson is not present after the time appointed for holding it, the Directors present may choose one of their members to be chairperson of a Board meeting. The Chairperson shall vacate office if he or she vacates his or her office as a Director (otherwise than by the expiration of his or her term of office at a general meeting of the Company at which he or she is re-appointed).

COMMITTEES

 

186.

The Directors may establish one or more committees consisting in whole or in part of members of the Board. The composition, function, power and obligations of any such committee will be determined by the Board from time to time.

 

187.

A committee established under Article 186 (a “committee”) may elect a chairperson of its meetings; if no such chairperson is elected, or if at any meeting the chairperson is not present after the time appointed for holding it, the members of the committee present may choose one of their number to be chairperson of the meeting.

 

188.

A committee may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Committee meetings shall take place at such time and place as the relevant committee may determine. Questions arising at any meeting of a committee shall be determined (subject to Article 186) by a majority of votes of the members of the committee present, and where there is an equality of votes, the chairperson of the committee shall not have a second or casting vote.

 

40


189.

Where any committee is established by the Directors :

 

  189.1

the meetings and proceedings of such committee shall be governed by the provisions of these Articles regulating the meetings and proceedings of the Directors so far as the same are applicable and are not superseded by any regulations imposed upon such committee by the Directors; and

 

  189.2

the Directors may authorise, or may authorise such committee to authorise, any person who is not a Director to attend all or any meetings of any such committee on such terms as the Directors or the committee think fit, provided that any such person shall not be entitled to vote at meetings of the committee.

WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS AND TELEPHONIC MEETINGS OF THE DIRECTORS

 

190.

The following provision shall apply:

 

  190.1

A resolution in writing signed by all the Directors, or by all the Directors being members of a committee referred to in Article 186, and who are for the time being entitled to receive notice of a meeting of the Directors or, as the case may be, of such a committee, shall be as valid as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors or such a committee duly convened and held.

 

  190.2

A resolution in writing shall be deemed to have been signed by a Director where the Chairperson, Company Secretary or other person designated by the Board has received an email from that Director’s Certified Email Address which identifies the resolution and states, unconditionally, “I hereby sign the resolution” or “I consent”.

 

  190.3

A Director’s Certified Email Address is such email address as the Director has, from time to time, notified to such person and in such manner as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board.

 

  190.4

The Company shall cause a copy of every email referred to in Article 190.2 to be entered in the books kept pursuant to section 166 of the Act.

 

191.

Subject to Article 192, where one or more of the Directors (other than a majority of them) would not, by reason of:

 

  191.1

the Act or any other enactment;

 

  191.2

these Articles; or

 

  191.3

an applicable rule of law or an Exchange,

be permitted to vote on a resolution such as is referred to in Article 190, if it were sought to pass the resolution at a meeting of the Directors duly convened and held, then such a resolution, notwithstanding anything in Article 190.1, shall be valid for the purposes of that subsection if the resolution is signed by those of the Directors who would have been permitted to vote on it had it been sought to pass it at such a meeting.

 

192.

In a case falling within Article 191, the resolution shall state the name of each Director who did not sign it and the basis on which he or she did not sign it.

 

193.

For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in Articles 190 to 192 dealing with a resolution that is signed by other than all of the Directors shall be read as making available, in the case of an equality of votes, a second or casting vote to the one of their number who would, or might have been, if a meeting had been held to transact the business concerned, chairperson of that meeting.

 

41


194.

The resolution referred to in Article 190 may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more Directors and for all purposes shall take effect from the time that it is signed by the last Director.

 

195.

A meeting of the Directors or of a committee referred to in Article 186 may consist of a conference between some or all of the Directors or, as the case may be, members of the committee who are not all in one place, but each of whom is able (directly or by means of telephonic, video or other electronic communication) to speak to each of the others and to be heard by each of the others and:

 

  195.1

a Director or as the case may be a member of the committee taking part in such a conference shall be deemed to be present in person at the meeting and shall be entitled to vote (subject to Article 191) and be counted in a quorum accordingly; and

 

  195.2

such a meeting shall be deemed to take place:

 

  (a)

where the largest group of those Directors participating in the conference is assembled;

 

  (b)

if there is no such group, where the Chairperson of the meeting then is; or

 

  (c)

if neither subparagraph (a) or (b) applies, in such location as the meeting itself decides.

DIRECTORS’ DUTIES, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, ETC.

 

196.

A Director may have regard to the interests of any other companies in a group of which the Company is a member to the full extent permitted by the Act.

 

197.

A Director is expressly permitted (for the purposes of section 228(1)(d) of the Act) to use vehicles, telephones, computers, aircraft, accommodation and any other Company property where such use is approved by the Board or by a person so authorised by the Board or where such use is in accordance with a Director’s terms of employment, letter of appointment or other contract or in the course of the discharge of the Director’s duties or responsibilities or in the course of the discharge of a Director’s employment.

 

198.

Nothing in section 228(1)(e) of the Act shall restrict a Director from entering into any commitment which has been approved by the Board or has been approved pursuant to such authority as may be delegated by the Board in accordance with these Articles. It shall be the duty of each Director to obtain the prior approval of the Board, before entering into any commitment permitted by sections 228(1)(e)(ii) and 228(2) of the Act.

 

199.

It shall be the duty of a Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested (within the meaning of section 231 of the Act) in a contract or proposed contract with the Company, to declare the nature of his or her interest at a meeting of the Directors.

 

200.

Subject to any applicable law or the relevant code, rules and regulations applicable to the listing of the shares on any Exchange, a Director may vote in respect of any contract, appointment or arrangement in which he or she is interested and shall be counted in the quorum present at the meeting and is hereby released from his or her duty set out in section 228(1)(f) of the Act and a Director may vote on his or her own appointment or arrangement and the terms of it.

 

42


201.

The Directors may exercise the voting powers conferred by the shares of any other company held or owned by the Company in such manner in all respects as they think fit and, in particular, they may exercise the voting powers in favour of any resolution: (a) appointing the Directors or any of them as directors or officers of such other company; or (b) providing for the payment of remuneration or pensions to the directors or officers of such other company.

 

202.

Subject to any applicable law or the relevant code, rules and regulations applicable to the listing of the shares on any Exchange, any Director may vote in favour of the exercise of such voting rights notwithstanding that he or she may be or may be about to become a Director or officer of the other company referred to in Article 201 and as such or in any other way is or may be interested in the exercise of such voting rights in the foregoing manner.

 

203.

A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than 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.

 

204.

Without prejudice to the provisions of section 228 of the Act, a Director 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 him or her as director, managing director, joint managing director, deputy managing director, executive director, manager or other officer or member of such company; provided that he or she has declared the nature of his or her position with, or interest in, such company to the Board in accordance with Article 199.

 

205.

A Director may act by himself or herself, or his or her firm, in a professional capacity for the Company; and any Director, in such a case, or his or her firm, shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he or she were not a Director, but nothing in this Article authorises a Director, or his or her firm, to act as Auditor.

 

206.

No Director or nominee for Director shall be disqualified by his or her office from contracting with the Company either with regard to his or her tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise.

 

207.

In particular, neither shall:

 

  207.1

any contract with respect to any of the matters referred to in Article 200 nor any contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which a Director is in any way interested, be liable to be avoided; nor

 

  207.2

a 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.

 

208.

A Director, notwithstanding his or her interest, may be counted in the quorum present at any meeting at which:

 

  208.1

that Director or any other Director is appointed to hold any such office or place of profit under the Company as is mentioned in Article 203; or

 

  208.2

the terms of any such appointment are arranged,

and he or she may vote on any such appointment or arrangement, subject to any applicable law or the relevant code, rules and regulations applicable to the listing of the shares on any Exchange.

 

43


209.

If any question shall arise at any meeting as to the materiality of a Director’s interest or as to the entitlement of any Director to vote and such question is not resolved by his or her voluntarily agreeing to abstain from voting, such question shall (unless the Director in question is the Chairperson in which case he or she shall withdraw from the meeting and the Board shall elect a deputy Chairperson to consider the question in place of the Chairperson) be referred to the Chairperson of the meeting and his or her ruling in relation to any other Director shall be final and conclusive, except in a case where the nature or extent of the interest of the Director concerned has not been fairly disclosed.

 

210.

For the purposes of these Articles, an interest of any person who is for any purpose of the Act (excluding any statutory modification thereof not in force when these Articles became binding on the Company) connected with a Director within the meaning of section 220 of the Act shall be taken to be the interest of that Director.

THE COMMON SEAL, OFFICIAL SEAL AND SECURITIES SEAL

 

211.

Any seal of the Company shall be used only by the authority of the Directors, a committee authorised by the Directors to exercise such authority or by any one or more persons severally or jointly so authorised by the Directors or such a committee, and the use of the seal shall be deemed to be authorised for these purposes where the matter or transaction pursuant to which the seal is to be used has been so authorised.

 

212.

Any instrument to which a Company’s seal shall be affixed shall be signed by any one of the following:

 

  212.1

a Director;

 

  212.2

the Company Secretary; or

 

  212.3

any other person authorised to sign by (i) the Directors or (ii) a committee, , either generally or specifically, for the purpose,

and the countersignature of a second such person shall not be required.

 

213.

The Company may have one or more duplicate common seals or official seals for use in different locations including for use abroad.

SERVICE OF NOTICES ON MEMBERS

 

214.

A notice required or authorised to be served on or given to a member of the Company pursuant to a provision of the Act or these Articles shall, save where the means of serving or giving it specified in Article 214.4 is used, be in writing and may be served on or given to the member in one of the following ways:

 

  214.1

by delivering it to the member;

 

  214.2

by leaving it at the registered address of the member;

 

  214.3

by sending it by post in a prepaid letter to the registered address of the member; or

 

  214.4

subject to Article 219, by electronic mail or other means of electronic communication approved by the Directors to the contact details notified to the Company by any such member for such purpose (or if not so notified, then to the contact details of the member last known to the Company). A notice or document may be sent by electronic means to the fullest extent permitted by the Act.

 

44


215.

Without prejudice or limitation to the foregoing provisions of Article 214.1 to 214.4, for the purposes of these Articles and the Act, a document shall be deemed to have been sent to a member if a notice is given, served, sent or delivered to the member and the notice specifies the website or hotlink or other electronic link at or through which the member may obtain a copy of the relevant document.

 

216.

Any notice served or given in accordance with Article 214 shall be deemed, in the absence of any agreement to the contrary between the Company (or, as the case may be, the officer of it) and the member, to have been served or given:

 

  216.1

in the case of its being delivered, at the time of delivery (or, if delivery is refused, when tendered);

 

  216.2

in the case of its being left, at the time that it is left;

 

  216.3

in the case of its being posted on any day other than a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, 24 hours after despatch and in the case of its being posted:

 

  (a)

on a Friday — 72 hours after despatch; or

 

  (b)

on a Saturday or Sunday — 48 hours after despatch;

 

  216.4

in the case of electronic means being used in relation to it, twelve hours after despatch,

but this Article is without prejudice to section 181(3) of the Act.

 

217.

Every legal personal representative, committee, receiver, curator bonis or other legal curator, assignee in bankruptcy, examiner or liquidator of a member shall be bound by a notice given as aforesaid if sent to the last registered address of such member, or, in the event of notice given or delivered pursuant to Article 214.4, if sent to the address notified to the Company by the member for such purpose notwithstanding that the Company may have notice of the death, his or her being of unsound mind, bankruptcy, liquidation or disability of such member.

 

218.

Notwithstanding anything contained in these Articles to the contrary, the Company shall not be obliged to take account of or make any investigations as to the existence of any suspension or curtailment of postal services within or in relation to all or any part of any jurisdiction.

 

219.

Any requirement in these Articles for the consent of a member in regard to the receipt by such member of electronic mail or other means of electronic communications approved by the Directors, including the receipt of the Company’s annual report, statutory financial statements and the Directors’ and Auditor’s reports thereon, shall be deemed to have been satisfied where the Company has written to the member informing him or her of its intention to use electronic communications for such purposes and the member has not, within four weeks of the issue of such notice, served an objection in writing on the Company to such member. Where a member has given, or is deemed to have given, his/her consent to the receipt by such member of electronic mail or other means of electronic communications approved by the Directors, she/he may revoke such consent at any time by requesting the Company to communicate with him or her in documented form; provided, however, that such revocation shall not take effect until five days after written notice of the revocation is received by the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article 219, no such consent shall be necessary, and to the extent it is necessary, such consent shall be deemed to have been given, if electronic communications are permitted to be used under the rules and regulations of any Exchange on which the shares in the capital of the Company or other securities of the Company are listed or under the rules of the SEC.

 

45


220.

If at any time by reason of the suspension or curtailment of postal services in any territory, the Company is unable effectively to convene a general meeting by notices sent through the post, a general meeting may be convened by a public announcement (as defined below) and such notice shall be deemed to have been duly served on all members entitled thereto at noon (Ireland time) on the day on which the said public announcement is made. In any such case the Company shall put a full copy of the notice of the general meeting on its website.

 

221.

Notice shall be given by the Company to the joint holders of a share in the capital of the Company by giving the notice to both such holders whose names stand in the Register in respect of the share.

 

222.

222.1 Every person who becomes entitled to a share in the capital of the Company shall, before his or her name is entered in the Register in respect of the share, be bound by any notice in respect of that share which has been duly given to a person from whom he or she derives his or her title.

 

  222.2

A notice may be given by the Company to the persons entitled to a share in the capital of the Company in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a member by sending or delivering it, in any manner authorised by these Articles for the giving of notice to a member, addressed to them at the address, if any, supplied by them for that purpose. Until such an address has been supplied, a notice may be given in any manner in which it might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred.

 

223.

The signature (whether electronic signature, an advanced electronic signature or otherwise) to any notice to be given by the Company may be written (in electronic form or otherwise) or printed.

SERVICE OF NOTICES ON THE COMPANY

 

224.

In addition to the means of service of documents set out in section 51 of the Act, a notice or other document may be served on the Company by an officer of the Company by email provided, however, that the Directors have designated an email address for that purpose and notified that email address to its officers for the express purpose of serving notices on the Company.

SENDING STATUTORY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS TO MEMBERS

 

225.

The Company may send by post, electronic mail or any other means of electronic communication:

 

  225.1

the Company’s statutory financial statements;

 

  225.2

the directors’ report; and

 

  225.3

the statutory auditors’ report,

and copies of those documents shall also be treated, for the purposes of the Act, as sent to a person where:

 

  (a)

the Company and that person have agreed to his or her having access to the documents on a website (instead of their being sent to him or her);

 

  (b)

the documents are documents to which that agreement applies; and

 

  (c)

that person is notified, in a manner for the time being agreed for the purpose between him or her and the Company, of:

 

46


  (i)

the publication of the documents on a website;

 

  (ii)

the address of that website; and

 

  (iii)

the place on that website where the documents may be accessed, and how they may be accessed.

 

225.4

Documents treated in accordance with Article 225 as sent to any person are to be treated as sent to him or her not less than 21 days before the date of a meeting if, and only if:

 

  (a)

the documents are published on the website throughout a period beginning at least 21 days before the date of the meeting and ending with the conclusion of the meeting; and

 

  (b)

the notification given for the purposes of Article 225.3(c) is given not less than 21 days before the date of the meeting.

 

226.

Any obligation by virtue of section 339(1) or (2) of the Act to furnish a person with a document may, unless these Articles provide otherwise, be complied with by using electronic communications for sending that document to such address as may for the time being be notified to the Company by that person for that purpose.

ACCOUNTING RECORDS

 

227.

The Directors shall, in accordance with Chapter 2 of Part 6 of the Act, cause to be kept adequate accounting records, whether in the form of documents, electronic form or otherwise, that:

 

  227.1

correctly record and explain the transactions of the Company;

 

  227.2

will at any time enable the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company to be determined with reasonable accuracy;

 

  227.3

will enable the Directors to ensure that any financial statements of the Company, required to be prepared under sections 290 or 293 of the Act, comply with the requirements of the Act; and

 

  227.4

will enable those financial statements of the Company to be readily and properly audited.

 

228.

The accounting records shall be kept on a continuous and consistent basis and entries therein shall be made in a timely manner and be consistent from year to year. Adequate accounting records shall be deemed to have been maintained if they comply with the provisions of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of the Act and explain the Company’s transactions and facilitate the preparation of financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company and, if relevant, the Group and include any information and returns referred to in section 283(2) of the Act.

 

229.

The accounting records shall be kept at the Office or, subject to the provisions of the Act, at such other place as the Directors think fit and shall be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of the Directors.

 

230.

The Directors shall determine from time to time whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounting records of the Company shall be open to the inspection of members, not being Directors. No member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any financial statement or accounting record of the Company except as conferred by the Act or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in a general meeting.

 

47


231.

In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the Directors shall cause to be prepared and to be laid before the annual general meeting of the Company from time to time such statutory financial statements of the Company and reports as are required by the Act to be prepared and laid before such meeting.

 

232.

A copy of every statutory financial statement of the Company (including every document required by law to be annexed thereto) which is to be laid before the annual general meeting of the Company together with a copy of the Directors’ report and Auditors’ report, or summary financial statements prepared in accordance with section 1119 of the Act, shall be sent, by post, electronic mail or any other means of electronic communications, not less than twenty-one Clear Days before the date of the annual general meeting, to every person entitled under the provisions of the Act to receive them; provided that where the Directors elect to send summary financial statements to the members, any member may request that he be sent a copy of the statutory financial statements of the Company. The Company may, in addition to sending one or more copies of its statutory financial statements, summary financial statements or other communications to its members, send one or more copies to any Approved Nominee. For the purposes of this Article, sending by electronic communications includes the making available or displaying on the Company’s website (or a website designated by the Board) or the website of the SEC, and each member is deemed to have irrevocably consented to receipt of every statutory financial statement of the Company (including every document required by law to be annexed thereto) and every copy of the Directors’ report and the Auditors’ report and every copy of any summary financial statements prepared in accordance with section 1119 of the Act, by any such document being made so available or displayed.

 

233.

Auditors shall be appointed and their duties regulated in accordance with the Act.

WINDING UP

 

234.

Subject to the provisions of the Act as to preferential payments, the property of the Company on its winding up shall be distributed among the members according to their rights and interests in the Company.

 

235.

Unless the conditions of issue of the shares in question provide otherwise, dividends declared by the Company more than six years preceding the commencement date of a winding up of the Company, being dividends which have not been claimed within that period of six years, shall not be a claim admissible to proof against the Company for the purposes of the winding up.

 

236.

If the Company shall be wound up and the assets available for distribution among the members as such shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the paid up or credited as paid up 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 capital paid up or credited as paid up at the commencement of the winding up on the shares in the capital of the Company held by them respectively. If in a winding up the assets available for distribution among the members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital paid up or credited as paid up at the commencement of the winding up, the excess shall be distributed among the members in proportion to the capital at the commencement of the winding up paid up or credited as paid up on the said shares held by them respectively; provided that this Article shall be subject to any specific rights attaching to any class of share capital.

 

  236.1

In case of a sale by the liquidator under section 601 of the Act, the liquidator may by the contract of sale agree so as to bind all the members, for the allotment to the members directly, of the proceeds of sale in proportion to their respective interests in the Company and may further, by the contract, limit a time at the expiration of which

 

48


  obligations or shares in the capital of the Company not accepted or required to be sold shall be deemed to have been irrevocably refused and be at the disposal of the Company, but so that nothing herein contained shall be taken to diminish, prejudice or affect the rights of dissenting members conferred by the said section.

 

  236.2

The power of sale of the liquidator shall include a power to sell wholly or partially for debentures, debenture stock, or other obligations of another company, either then already constituted or about to be constituted for the purpose of carrying out the sale.

 

237.

If the Company is wound up, the liquidator, with the sanction of a special resolution and any other sanction required by the Act, may divide amongst the members in specie or 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, for such purpose, may value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the members or different classes of members. The liquidator, with the like sanction, may vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the contributories as, with the like sanction, he or she determines, but so that no member shall be compelled to accept any assets upon which there is a liability.

BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

 

238.

In addition to any affirmative vote or consent required by law or these Articles, and except as otherwise expressly provided in Article 239, a Business Transaction (as defined in Article 240.3) with, or proposed by or on behalf of, any Interested Person (as defined in Article 240.6) or any Affiliate (as defined in Article 240.1) of any Interested Person or any person who thereafter would be an Affiliate of such Interested Person shall require approval by the affirmative vote of members of the Company holding not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the paid up ordinary share capital of the Company, excluding the voting rights attached to any shares beneficially owned by such Interested Person. Such affirmative vote shall be required notwithstanding the fact that no vote may be required, or that a lesser percentage may be specified, by law or in any agreement with any Exchange or otherwise.

 

239.

The provisions of Article 238 shall not be applicable to any particular Business Transaction, and such Business Transaction shall require only such affirmative vote, if any, as is required by law or by any other provision of these Articles, or any agreement with any Exchange, if either (i) the Business Transaction shall have been approved by a majority of the Board prior to such Interested Person first becoming an Interested Person or (ii) prior to such Interested Person first becoming an Interested Person, a majority of the Board shall have approved such Interested Person becoming an Interested Person and, subsequently, a majority of the Independent Directors (as hereinafter defined) shall have approved the Business Transaction.

 

240.

The following definitions shall apply with respect to Articles 238 to 242:

 

  240.1

The term “Affiliate” shall mean a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, a specified person.

 

  240.2

A person shall be a “beneficial owner” of any shares of the Company (a) which such person or any of its Affiliates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly; (b) which such person or any of its Affiliates has, directly or indirectly, (i) the right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable immediately or subject only to the passage of time or the occurrence of one or more events), pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, warrants or options, or otherwise, or (ii) the right to vote pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding; provided, however, that a person shall not be deemed the beneficial owner of any security if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to

 

49


  and in accordance with the Act; or (c) which is beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any other person with which such person or any of its Affiliates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting or disposing of any shares of the Company (except to the extent permitted by the proviso of clause (b)(ii) above). For the purposes of determining whether a person is an Interested Person pursuant to Article 240.6, the number of shares of the Company deemed to be outstanding shall include shares deemed beneficially owned by such person through application of this Article 240.2, but shall not include any other shares of the Company that may be issuable pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise.

 

  240.3

The term “Business Transaction” shall mean any of the following transactions when entered into by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company with, or upon a proposal by or on behalf of, any Interested Person or any Affiliate of any Interested Person:

 

  (a)

any merger or consolidation of the Company or any subsidiary with (i) any Interested Person, or (ii) any other body corporate which is, or after such merger or consolidation would be, an Affiliate of an Interested Person;

 

  (b)

any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition (in one transaction or a series of transactions), except proportionately as a member of the Company, to or with the Interested Person of assets of the Company (other than shares of the Company or of any subsidiary of the Company which assets have an aggregate market value equal to ten percent (10%) or more of the aggregate market value of all the issued share capital of the Company);

 

  (c)

any transaction that results in the issuance of shares or the transfer of treasury shares by the Company or by any subsidiary of the Company of any shares of the Company or any shares of such subsidiary to the Interested Person, except (i) pursuant to the exercise, exchange or conversion of securities exercisable for, exchangeable for or convertible into stock of the Company or any such subsidiary which securities were outstanding prior to the time that the Interested Person became such, (ii) pursuant to a dividend or distribution paid or made, or the exercise, exchange or conversion of securities exercisable for, exchangeable for or convertible into shares of the Company or any such subsidiary which security is distributed, pro rata to all holders of a class or series of shares of the Company subsequent to the time the Interested Person became such, (iii) pursuant to an exchange offer by the Company to purchase shares made on the same terms to all holders of said shares, (iv) any issuance of shares or transfer of treasury shares of the Company by the Company, provided, however, that in the case of each of the clauses (ii) through (iv) above there shall be no increase of more than one percent (1%) in the Interested Person’s proportionate share in the shares of the Company of any class or series or (v) pursuant to a public offering or private placement by the Company to an Institutional Investor;

 

  (d)

any reclassification of securities, recapitalization or other transaction involving the Company or any subsidiary of the Company which has the effect, directly or indirectly, of (i) increasing the proportionate amount of the shares of any class or series, or securities convertible into the shares of any class or series, of the Company or of any such subsidiary which is owned by the Interested Person, except as a result of immaterial changes due to fractional share adjustments or as a result of any purchase or redemption of any shares not caused, directly or indirectly, by the Interested Person or (ii) increasing the voting power, whether or not then exercisable, of an Interested Person in any class or series of shares of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company;

 

50


  (e)

the adoption of any plan or proposal by or on behalf of an Interested Person for the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company; or

 

  (f)

any receipt by the Interested Person of the benefit, directly or indirectly (except proportionately as a member of the Company), of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges, tax benefits or other financial benefits (other than those expressly permitted in subparagraphs (a) through (e) above) provided by or through the Company or any subsidiary thereof.

 

  240.4

The term “Independent Directors” shall mean the members of the Board who are not Affiliates or representatives of, or associated with, an Interested Person and who were either Directors prior to any person becoming an Interested Person or were recommended for election or elected to succeed such directors by a vote which includes the affirmative vote of a majority of the Independent Directors.

 

  240.5

The term “Institutional Investor” shall mean a person that (a) has acquired, or will acquire, all of its shares in the Company in the ordinary course of its business and not with the purpose nor with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the Company, nor in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having such purpose or effect, including any transaction subject to rule 13d-3(b) under the Exchange Act, and (b) is a registered broker dealer; a bank as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Exchange Act; an insurance company as defined in, or an investment company registered under, the Investment Company Act of 1940 of the United States; an investment advisor registered under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 of the United States; an employee benefit plan or pension fund subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 of the United States or an endowment fund; a parent holding company, provided that the aggregate amount held directly by the parent and directly and indirectly by its subsidiaries which are not persons specified in the foregoing subclauses of this clause (b) does not exceed one percent (1%) of the securities of the subject class; or a group, provided that all the members are persons specified in the foregoing subclauses of this clause (b).

 

  240.6

The term “Interested Person” shall mean any person (other than the Company, any subsidiary, any profit-sharing, employee share ownership or other employee benefit plan of the Company or any subsidiary or any trustee of or fiduciary with respect to any such plan when acting in such capacity) who (a) is the beneficial owner of shares of the Company representing ten percent (10%) or more of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of all the paid up share capital of the Company; (b) has stated in a filing with any governmental agency or press release or otherwise publicly disclosed a plan or intention to become or consider becoming the beneficial owner of shares of the Company representing ten percent (10%) or more of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of all paid up share capital of the Company and has not expressly abandoned such plan, intention or consideration more than two years prior to the date in question; or (c) is an Affiliate of the Company and at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to the date in question was the beneficial owner of shares representing ten percent (10%) or more of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of all the paid up share capital of the Company.

 

  240.7

The term “person” shall mean any individual, body corporate, partnership, unincorporated association, trust or other entity.

 

  240.8

The term “subsidiary” is as defined in section 7 of the Act.

 

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241.

A majority of the Independent Directors shall have the power and duty to determine, on the basis of information known to them after reasonable inquiry, for the purposes of (i) Articles 238 and 239, all questions arising under Articles 238 and 239 including, without limitation (a) whether a person is an Interested Person, (b) the number of shares of the Company or other securities beneficially owned by any person; and (c) whether a person is an Affiliate of another; and (ii) these Articles, the question of whether a person is an Interested Person. Any such determination made in good faith shall be binding and conclusive on all parties.

 

242.

Nothing contained in Articles 238 to 241 shall be construed to relieve any Interested Person from any fiduciary obligation imposed by law.

SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS PLAN

 

243.

Subject to applicable law, the Directors are hereby expressly authorised to adopt any shareholder rights plan (a “Rights Plan”), upon such terms and conditions as the Directors deem expedient and in the best interests of the Company, including, without limitation, where the Directors are of the opinion that a Rights Plan could grant them additional time to gather relevant information or pursue strategies in response to or anticipation of, or could prevent, a potential change of control of the Company or accumulation of shares in the Company or interests therein.

 

244.

The Directors may exercise any power of the Company to grant rights (including approving the execution of any documents relating to the grant of such rights) to subscribe for ordinary shares or preferred shares in the share capital of the Company (“Rights”) in accordance with the terms of a Rights Plan.

 

245.

For the purposes of effecting an exchange of Rights for ordinary shares or preferred shares in the share capital of the Company (an “Exchange of Rights”), the Directors may:

 

  245.1

resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of the reserves of the Company (including, but not limited to, the share premium account, capital redemption reserve, any merger reserve, any undenominated capital and profit and loss account), whether or not available for distribution, being an amount equal to the nominal value of the ordinary shares or preferred shares which are to be exchanged for the Rights; and

 

  245.2

apply that sum in paying up in full ordinary shares or preferred shares and allot such shares, credited as fully paid, to those holders of Rights who are entitled to them under an Exchange of Rights effected pursuant to the terms of a Rights Plan.

 

246.

The duties of the Directors to the Company under applicable law, including, but not limited to, the Acts and common law, are hereby deemed amended and modified such that the adoption of a Rights Plan and any actions taken thereunder by the Directors (if so approved by the Directors) shall be deemed to constitute an action in the best interests of the Company in all circumstances, and any such action shall be deemed to be immediately confirmed, approved and ratified.

UNTRACED MEMBERS

 

247.

The Company shall be entitled to sell at the best price reasonably obtainable any share of a member or any share to which a person is entitled by transmission if and provided that:

 

  247.1

for a period of twelve years no cheque or warrant sent by the Company through the post in a pre-paid letter addressed to the member or to the person entitled by transmission to the share at his address on the Register or at the last known address given by the member or the person entitled by transmission to which cheques and warrants are to be sent has been cashed and no communication has been received by the Company from the member or the person entitled by transmission (provided that during such twelve year period at least three dividends shall have become payable in respect of such share);

 

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  247.2

at the expiration of the said period of twelve years by advertisement in a national daily newspaper published in Ireland and in a newspaper circulating in the area in which the address referred to in Article 247.1 is located the Company has given notice of its intention to sell such share;

 

  247.3

during the further period of three months after the date of the advertisement and prior to the exercise of the power of sale the Company has not received any communication from the member or person entitled by transmission; and

 

  247.4

the Company has first given notice in writing to the appropriate sections of the Exchanges of its intention to sell such shares.

 

248.

Where a share, which is to be sold as provided in Article 247, is held in uncertificated form, the Directors may authorise any person to do all that is necessary to change such share into certificated form prior to its sale.

 

249.

To give effect to any such sale the Company may appoint any person to execute as transferor an instrument of transfer of such share and such instrument of transfer shall be as effective as if it had been executed by the member or the person entitled by the transmission to such share. The transferee shall be entered in the Register as the member of the shares comprised in any such transfer and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase moneys nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings in reference to the sale.

 

250.

The Company shall account to the member or other person entitled to such share for the net proceeds of such sale by carrying all moneys in respect thereof to a separate account which shall be a permanent debt of the Company and the Company shall be deemed to be a debtor and not a trustee in respect thereof for such member or other person. Moneys carried to such separate account may be either employed in the business of the Company or held as cash or cash equivalents, or invested in such investments as the Directors may think fit, from time to time.

DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS

 

251.

The Company shall be entitled to destroy all instruments of transfer which have been registered at any time after the expiration of six years from the date of registration thereof, all notifications of change of name or change of address however received at any time after the expiration of two years from the date of recording thereof and all share certificates and dividend mandates which have been cancelled or ceased to have effect at any time after the expiration of one year from the date of such cancellation or cessation. It shall be presumed conclusively in favour of the Company that every entry in the Register purporting to have been made on the basis of an instrument of transfer or other document so destroyed was duly and properly made and every instrument duly and properly registered and every share certificate so destroyed was a valid and effective document duly and properly cancelled and every other document hereinbefore mentioned so destroyed was a valid and effective document in accordance with the recorded particulars thereof in the books or records of the Company. Provided always that:

 

  251.1

the provision aforesaid shall apply only to the destruction of a document in good faith and without notice of any claim (regardless of the parties thereto) to which the document might be relevant;

 

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  251.2

nothing herein contained shall be construed as imposing upon the Company any liability in respect of the destruction of any document earlier than as aforesaid or in any other circumstances which would not attach to the Company in the absence of this Article; and

 

  251.3

references herein to the destruction of any document include references to the disposal thereof in any manner.

INDEMNIFICATION

 

252.

252.1 Subject to the provisions of and so far as may be permitted by the Act, each person who is or was a Director, officer or employee of the Company, and each person who is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer or employee of another company, or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans maintained or sponsored by the Company (including the heirs, executors, administrators and estate of such person) shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Company against all costs, charges, losses, expenses and liabilities incurred by him or her in the execution and discharge of his or her duties or in relation thereto, including any liability incurred by him or her in defending any proceedings, civil or criminal, which relate to anything done or omitted or alleged to have been done or omitted by him or her as a director, officer or employee of the Company or such other company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, and in which judgment is given in his or her favour (or the proceedings are otherwise disposed of without any finding or admission of any material breach of duty on his or her part) or in which he or she is acquitted or in connection with any application under any statute for relief from liability in respect of any such act or omission in which relief is granted to him or her by the court.

 

  252.2

In the case of any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding by or in the right of the Company, the Company shall indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by the Act, each person indicated in Article 252.1 against expenses, including attorneys’ fees actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defence or the settlement thereof, except no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for fraud or dishonesty in the performance of his or her duty to the Company unless and only to the extent that the courts of Ireland or the court in which such action or suit 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 expenses as the Court shall deem proper. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, this Article shall not extend to any matter which would render it void pursuant to the Act or to any person holding the office of auditor in relation to the Company.

 

  252.3

As far as permissible under the Act, expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in defending any action, suit or proceeding referred to in this Article shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of a written affirmation by or on behalf of the Director, officer, employee or other indemnitee of a good faith belief that the criteria for indemnification have been satisfied and a written undertaking to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such Director, officer or employee or other indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorised by these Articles.

 

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  252.4

It being the policy of the Company that indemnification of the persons specified in this Article shall be made to the fullest extent permitted by law, the indemnification provided by this Article shall not be deemed exclusive of: (a) any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under the Memorandum, these Articles, any agreement, any insurance purchased by the Company, any vote of members or disinterested Directors, or pursuant to the direction (however embodied) of any court of competent jurisdiction, or otherwise, both as to action in his or her official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, or (b) any amendments or replacements of the Act which permit for greater indemnification of the persons specified in this Article and any such amendment or replacement of the Act shall hereby be incorporated into these Articles. As used in this Article 252.4, references to the “Company” include all constituent companies in a consolidation or merger in which the Company or any predecessor to the Company by consolidation or merger was involved. The indemnification provided by this Article shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Director, officer or employee and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of such Directors, officers, employees or other indemnitees.

 

  252.5

The Directors shall have power to purchase and maintain for any Director, the Company Secretary or other officers or employees of the Company insurance against any such liability as referred to in section 235 of the Act.

 

  252.6

The Company may additionally indemnify any agent of the Company or any director, officer, employee or agent of any of its subsidiaries to the fullest extent provided by law, and purchase and maintain insurance for any such person as appropriate.

 

253.

No person shall be personally liable to the Company or its members for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a Director, provided, however, that the foregoing shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a Director:

 

  253.1

for any breach of the Director’s duty of loyalty or duty of care to the Company or its members;

 

  253.2

for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; or

 

  253.3

for any transaction from which the Director derived an improper personal benefit.

If any applicable law or the relevant code, rules and regulations applicable to the listing of the Company’s shares on any Exchange is amended hereafter to authorise corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of Directors, then the liability of a Director shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the relevant law, as so amended. Any amendment, repeal or modification of this Article 253 shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a Director existing hereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such amendment, repeal or modification.

GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION

 

254.

This constitution and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter, formation, existence, negotiation, validity, termination or enforceability (including non-contractual obligations, disputes or claims) will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Ireland.

 

255.

Subject to Article 256, the courts of Ireland are to have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute arising out of or in connection with this constitution and, for such purposes, irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts. Any proceeding, suit or action arising out of or in connection with this Constitution (the “Proceedings”) will therefore be brought in the courts of Ireland. Each shareholder irrevocably waives any objection to Proceedings in the courts referred to in this Article on the grounds of venue or on the grounds of forum non conveniens.

 

55


256.

Unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any security of the Company shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to this provision.

 

56

Exhibit 4.2

WARRANT AMENDMENT AGREEMENT

This Warrant Amendment Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of 16 December, 2022, by and among Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as existing Warrant Agent (“Continental”), Computershare Inc., a Delaware Corporation (“Computershare Inc.”) and its affiliate, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company, (“Trust Company”, and together with Computershare Inc., “Computershare”), as the successor Warrant Agent.

WHEREAS, the Company and Continental, are parties to that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of May 18, 2021, and filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20 2021, (the “Existing Warrant Agreement”);

WHEREAS, capitalized terms used herein but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Existing Warrant Agreement;

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Existing Warrant Agreement, there are 7,310,297 Private Placement Warrants and 8,850,494 Public Warrants which have been issued by the Company and are outstanding on the date hereof. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one class A ordinary share of the Company, par value US$0.0001 (an “APHC Class A Ordinary Share”) at a price of US$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described in the Existing Warrant Agreement;

WHEREAS, all of the Warrants are governed by the Existing Warrant Agreement;

WHEREAS, on January 31, 2022, a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) was entered into by and among the Company, MariaDB Public Limited Company (f.k.a. Mangomill Public Limited Company), a public company limited by shares incorporated in Ireland (“Irish Holdco”), MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited liability company and Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Irish Holdco (“Merger Sub”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, amongst other matters, by operation of Cayman Islands’ law, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Irish Holdco (the “Domestication Merger”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by sections 2.3(a) and (b) of the Business Combination Agreement, each APHC Class A Ordinary Share and each class B ordinary share of the Company, par value US$0.0001, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Domestication Merger (the “Domestication Merger Effective Time”), will, by operation of the relevant merger laws, be automatically cancelled and converted into the right to receive, by way of allotment and issue, one fully paid and non-assessable ordinary share in the capital of Irish Holdco, par value US$0.01 (an “Irish Holdco Ordinary Share”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by section 2.3(c) of the Business Combination Agreement, each Warrant issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Domestication Merger Effective Time shall remain in issue and outstanding following the Domestication Merger Effective Time, but shall, by operation of the relevant merger laws, be automatically adjusted, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, such that it will no longer be exercisable for APHC Class A Ordinary Shares, but instead will entitle the holder thereof to subscribe for one Irish Holdco Ordinary Share at a price per share of US$11.50 on the terms and subject to the conditions of the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by section 2.3(c) of the Business Combination Agreement, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) shall, by operation of the relevant merger laws, be automatically assigned to Irish Holdco, and Irish Holdco shall automatically assume all the Company’s obligations under the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby);

WHEREAS, the board of directors of the Company has determined that the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement will constitute a Business Combination (as defined in the Existing Warrant Agreement);

 

1


WHEREAS, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, the Company wishes to appoint Computershare to serve as successor Warrant Agent under the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby); and in furtherance of the foregoing the Company has waived, the requirement in Section 8.2.1 of the Existing Warrant Agreement that the successor Warrant Agent be a New York corporation with its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York;

WHEREAS, in connection with and effective upon such appointment, Continental wishes to assign all of its rights, interests and obligations as Warrant Agent under the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) to Computershare and Computershare wishes to assume all of such rights, interests and obligations and the Company wishes to approve such assignment and assumption; and

WHEREAS, section 9.8 of the Existing Warrant Agreement provides that the parties may amend the Existing Warrant Agreement without the consent of any Registered Holders for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained therein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the Existing Warrant Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the Registered Holders.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent and Transfer Agent. The Company hereby appoints Computershare to serve as successor Warrant Agent to Continental under the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, and Continental hereby assigns to Computershare, and Computershare hereby agrees to accept and assume, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, all of Continental’s rights, interests and obligations in, and under the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) and the Warrants, as Warrant Agent; provided, that, Computershare shall not assume any of Continental’s liabilities and obligations under the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) arising prior to the Domestication Merger Effective Time. Unless otherwise provided or the context otherwise requires, from and after the Domestication Merger Effective Time, any references in the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) to the “Warrant Agent” shall mean Computershare.

2. Amendment of Existing Warrant Agreement. The parties hereby amend the Existing Warrant Agreement as provided in this Section 2, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, and acknowledge and agree that the amendments to the Existing Warrant Agreement set forth in this Section 3 are necessary or desirable and that such amendments do not adversely affect the interests of the Registered Holders:

2.1 Parties. The description of the parties on page one of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by:

2.1.1 deleting the reference to “Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (theCompany”)” and replacing it with “MariaDB Public Limited Company, a public company limited by shares incorporated in Ireland (theCompany”)”; and

2.1.2 deleting the reference to “Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, as warrant agent (theWarrant Agent”)” and replacing it with “Computershare Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Computershare Inc.”) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company (“Trust Company”, and together with Computershare Inc., in such capacity as warrant agent, theWarrant Agent”)”.

As a result thereof, all references in the Existing Warrant Agreement: (i) to the “Company” in shall mean Irish Holdco; and (ii) to the “Warrant Agent” shall mean Computershare.

2.2 Recitals. The recitals in the Existing Warrant Agreement are hereby deleted and replaced in their entirety as follows:

WHEREAS, on May 18 2021, Angel Pond Holdings Corporation (“Angel Pond”) entered into that certain Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement with Angel Pond Partners LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (theSponsor”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of

 

2


8,000,000 warrants (or up to 8,900,000 warrants if the Over-allotment Option (as defined below) in connection with Angel Pond’s Offering (as defined below) was exercised in full) simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (and any closing of the Over-allotment Option, if applicable) bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit B hereto (thePrivate Placement Warrants”) at a purchase price of US$1.00 per Private Placement Warrant. On issuance, each Private Placement Warrant entitled the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share (as defined below) at a price of US$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein;

WHEREAS, Angel Pond consummated an initial public offering (theOffering) of units of Angel Pond’s equity securities (theUnits”), each such Unit comprised of one Class A ordinary share of Angel Pond, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A ordinary shares”) and one-third of one redeemable warrant (thePublic Warrantsand, together with the Private Placement Warrants, theWarrants”), and, in connection therewith, determined to issue and deliver up to 11,500,000 Public Warrants (including up to 1,500,000 Public Warrants subject to the Over-allotment Option) to public investors in the Offering. On issuance, each whole Public Warrant entitled the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of US$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein;

WHEREAS, Angel Pond filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-253990 and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the Units, the Public Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units;

WHEREAS, on January 31, 2022, a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) was entered into by and among Angel Pond, the Company, MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited liability company, and Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), which provided, among other matters for the merger, by operation of Cayman Islands’ law, of Merger Sub with and into Angel Pond, with Angel Pond surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Domestication Merger”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by sections 2.3(a) and (b) of the Business Combination Agreement, each Class A ordinary share and each class B ordinary share of Angel Pond, par value US$0.0001, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Domestication Merger (the “Domestication Merger Effective Time”), was, by operation of the relevant merger laws, automatically cancelled and converted into the right to receive, by way of allotment and issue, one fully paid and non-assessable ordinary share in the capital of the Company, par value US$0.01 (an “Ordinary Share”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by section 2.3(c) of the Business Combination Agreement, each Warrant issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Domestication Merger Effective Time remained in issue and outstanding following the Domestication Merger Effective Time, but was, by operation of the relevant merger laws, automatically adjusted, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, such that it is no longer exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, but instead entitles the holder thereof to subscribe for one Ordinary Share at a price per share of US$11.50 on the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement;

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by section 2.3(c) of the Business Combination Agreement, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, this Agreement was, by operation of the relevant merger laws, automatically assigned to the Company, and the Company automatically assumed all of Angel Pond’s obligations under this Agreement;

WHEREAS, on December, 2022, Angel Pond, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Warrant Agent entered into a Warrant Amendment Agreement (the “Warrant Amendment Agreement”) to provide for certain amendments to this Agreement, which took effect upon the Domestication Merger Effective Time, that were considered necessary or desirable to deal with certain matters related to the Domestication Merger, including the appointment of the Warrant Agent as successor warrant agent to Continental;

WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants;

 

3


WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the holders of the Warrants; and

WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent (if a physical certificate is issued), as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement”

2.3 Certain References. Unless otherwise provided or the context otherwise requires, all references in the Existing Warrant Agreement (including all Exhibits thereto): (i) to “Class A ordinary shares” shall be deleted and replaced with references to “Ordinary Shares” and (ii) to “stockholders” shall be deleted and replaced with references to “shareholders”.

2.4 Effect of Countersignature. Section 2.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

“2.2. Effect of Countersignature. If a physical certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by either manual or facsimile signature of an authorized signatory of the Warrant Agent, which need not be the same signatory for all of the Warrants, such Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.”

2.5 Detachability of Warrants. Section 2.4 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted and replaced with the following:

“[INTENTIONALLY OMITTED]”

provided, however, the defined term “Business Day” set forth therein shall be retained for all purposes of the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby).

2.6 Payment. Subsection 3.3.1 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the first full sentence thereof and replacing it with the following:

“3.3.1. Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant (if in certificated form, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent) may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by surrendering it, at the office of the Warrant Agent, or at the office of its successor as Warrant Agent, with the subscription form, as set forth in the Warrant, properly completed and duly executed (or, in the case of Warrants held through the Depositary in uncertificated or book-entry only form, through the applicable procedures of the Depositary), accompanied by any evidence of authority that may be reasonably required by the Warrant Agent, including but not limited to, a signature guarantee from an eligible guarantor institution participating in a signature guarantee program approved by the Securities Transfer Association, and by paying in full the Warrant Price for each Ordinary Share as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the Ordinary Shares and the issuance of such Ordinary Shares, as follows:”

2.7 Exercise of Warrants. A new subsection 3.3.6 is hereby inserted in the Existing Warrant Agreement as follows:

“3.3.6. Payment of Nominal Value. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the issue of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be conditional on the additional payment by, or on behalf, of the relevant holder to the Company, by way of additional subscription, of an amount in cash at least equal to the aggregate par value of such Ordinary Shares.”

2.8 Beneficial Ownership Limitation. A new subsection 3.3.7 is hereby inserted in the Existing Warrant Agreement as follows:

“3.3.7. Beneficial Ownership Limitation. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, save with the consent of the Irish Takeover Panel in accordance with Rule 9 of the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997, Takeover Rules 2022 (the “Irish Takeover Rules”), to the extent that the exercise of any Warrant to subscribe for Ordinary Shares by a holder would result (i) in a person and/or any person or persons “acting in concert” (within the meaning of the Irish Takeover Rules) with such person holding shares in the capital of the Company

 

4


representing 30% or more of the voting rights in the Company or (ii) where a person and/or any person or persons acting in concert with such person already hold(s) shares representing 30% or more of the voting rights in the Company, in the percentage of the voting rights in the Company held by such person and/or any person or persons acting in concert with such person, increasing by more than 0.05% within a 12-month period, the provisions of regulation 6 of the amended Articles of Association of the Company in place following the consummation of the Business Combination Agreement shall be applicable to such Ordinary Shares.

2.9 Cashless Exercise. A new subsection 3.3.8 is hereby inserted in the Existing Warrant Agreement as follows:

“3.3.8. Cashless Exercise. In connection with any cashless exercise of Warrants, the Company shall calculate and transmit to the Warrant Agent, and the Warrant Agent shall have no duty under this Agreement to determine, the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued on such cashless exercise, and the Warrant Agent shall have no duty or obligation to calculate or confirm whether the Company’s determination of the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued on such exercise is accurate.”

2.10 Amounts Paid up or Deemed to be Paid up on Ordinary Shares. A new subsection 3.3.9 is hereby inserted in the Existing Warrant Agreement as follows:

“3.3.9. Amounts Paid up or Deemed to be Paid up on Ordinary Shares. In the event of a cash exercise or a non-cash exercise of any Warrants, the Company shall provide the Warrant Agent with details of the amounts to be recorded as paid up or deemed to be paid up on the Ordinary Shares to be allotted and issued on exercise of such Warrants.

2.11 Notices of Changes in Warrants. Section 4.6 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended to add the following immediately after the first full sentence thereof:

“The Warrant Agent shall be entitled to rely on such notice and any adjustment or statement therein contained and shall have no duty or liability with respect thereto and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any such adjustment or any such event unless and until it shall have received such notice. The Company shall also provide to the Warrant Agent any new or amended exercise terms.”

2.12 Registration of Transfer. Section 5.1 of the of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the first full sentence thereof and replacing it with the following:

“5.1. Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, in the case of certificated warrants, properly endorsed with any evidence of authority that may be required by the Warrant Agent, including but not limited to, a signature guarantee from an eligible guarantor institution participating in a signature guarantee program approved by the Securities Transfer Association and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer, and, if applicable, a duly stamped instrument of transfer.”

2.13 Stamp Duty. A new section 5.7 is hereby inserted in the Existing Warrant Agreement as follows:

“5.7. Stamp Duty. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 5.1, the Company may require, as a condition to the registration of any transfer of a Warrant, evidence from the transferor or intended transferee, which is satisfactory to the Company, that any Irish stamp duty liability arising on such transfer has been duly paid (and any instrument of transfer, as the case may be, has been duly stamped for Irish stamp duty purposes) or that the proposed transfer is otherwise exempt from such duty. The Company, at its absolute discretion, may, or may procure that one of its subsidiaries shall, pay any Irish stamp duty arising on a transfer of Warrants on behalf of the transferee of such Warrants. If stamp duty resulting from the transfer of Warrants in the Company which would otherwise be payable by the transferee is paid by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company on behalf of the transferee, then in those circumstances, the Company shall, on its behalf or on behalf of its subsidiary (as the case may be), be entitled to (i) reimbursement of the stamp duty from the transferee, (ii) set-off the stamp duty against any dividends payable by the Company to the transferee of those Warrants and (iii) to the extent permitted by section 1042 of the Companies Act 2014 of Ireland, as amended, and every statutory modification and re-enactment thereof for the time being, claim a first and paramount lien on the Warrants (or Ordinary Shares issued upon the exercise of Warrants) on which stamp duty has been paid by the Company or its subsidiary for the amount of stamp duty paid. The Company’s lien shall extend to all dividends paid on Ordinary Shares issued upon the exercise of such Warrants.”

 

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2.14 Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants. Section 7.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

“7.2 Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may upon receipt by Warrant Agent of an open penalty surety bond satisfactory to it and holding it and Company harmless, absent notice to Warrant Agent that such certificates have been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Warrant Agent may, at its option, issue replacement Warrants for mutilated certificates upon presentation thereof without such indemnity. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.”

2.15 Reservation of Ordinary Shares. Section 7.3 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following immediately after the first full sentence thereof:

“The Company shall provide opinion[s] of counsel to the Warrant Agent prior to the Domestication Merger Effective Time and instructions to set up a reserve of Ordinary Shares. The opinion[s] shall state that:

(a) all Warrants or Ordinary Shares, as applicable:

(i) are, or will be, registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or are, or will be, exempt from such registration, and all appropriate state securities law filings have been, or will be, made with respect to the Warrants or Ordinary Shares; and

(ii) constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company; and

(b) any Ordinary Shares to be issued upon exercise of such Warrants will upon issuance in accordance with their terms be, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

2.16 Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. Subsection 8.2.1 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended as follows:

2.16.1 by deleting “shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York” and replacing it with “shall be a corporation or other entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, or any state thereof, in good standing and having its principal office in the United States of America.”; and

2.16.2 by inserting “; provided that, such predecessor Warrant Agent shall not be required to make any additional expenditure or assume any additional liability in connection with the foregoing.” at the end of the last full sentence thereof.

2.17 Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Subsection 8.2.3 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is amended to delete all references to “corporation” and replace them with “entity”.

2.18 Remuneration. Subsection 8.3.1 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

“8.3.1. Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder in accordance with a fee schedule to be mutually agreed upon and will reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all of its reasonable and documented expenses (including reasonable and documented counsel fees and expenses) incurred in connection with the preparation, delivery, negotiation, amendment, administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder.”

 

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2.19 Reliance on Company Statement. Subsection 8.4.1 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

“8.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking, suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, Chairman of the Board or other duly authorized person and delivered to the Warrant Agent; and such certificate shall be full authorization and protection to the Warrant Agent and the Warrant Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it under the provisions of this Agreement in reasonable reliance upon such certificate. The Warrant Agent shall not be held to have notice of any change of authority of any authorized officer, until receipt of written notice thereof from Company.”

2.20 Indemnity. Subsection 8.4.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

“8.4.2. Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith (in each case, as determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction). The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities loss, damage, judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement, reasonable cost or expense that is paid, incurred or to which it becomes subject, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by the Warrant Agent in connection with the execution, acceptance, administration, exercise and performance of its duties under this Agreement, including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability arising therefrom, directly or indirectly, or of enforcing its rights under this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith (in each case as determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction). Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, in no event shall the Warrant Agent be liable for special, punitive, incidental, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever, even if the Warrant Agent has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of the action. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, any liability of the Warrant Agent under this Agreement shall be limited to the amount of fees (but not including any reimbursed costs) paid by the Company to the Warrant Agent during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event for which recovery from the Warrant Agent is being sought. ”

2.21 Liability of the Warrant Agent. Section 8.4 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is amended to insert the following new subsections:

“8.4.4. Legal Counsel. The Warrant Agent may consult with legal counsel selected by it (who may be legal counsel for the Company), and the opinion or advice of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Warrant Agent as to any action taken or omitted by it in accordance with such advice or opinion in the absence of Warrant Agent’s bad faith, fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct (each as must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction).

8.4.5. Reliance on Agreement and Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the Warrants (except as to its countersignature thereof) or be required to verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by the Company only.

8.4.6. No Responsibility as to Certain Matters. The Warrant Agent shall not be under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Warrant Agent); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant; nor shall it be responsible for any change in the exercisability of the Warrant any adjustment required under this Agreement or responsible for the manner, method or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any securities to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any other securities will, when so issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

8.4.7. Freedom to Trade in Company Securities. Subject to applicable laws, including U.S. securities laws, the Warrant Agent and any stockholder, director, officer or employee of the Warrant Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Warrant or other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not Warrant Agent under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Warrant Agent or any such stockholder, director, officer or employee of the Warrant Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal entity.

 

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8.4.8. No Risk of Own Funds. No provision of this Agreement shall require the Warrant Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise any of its rights or powers if it shall reasonably believe in the absence of bad faith that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.

8.4.9. No Notice. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to take notice or be deemed to have notice of any event or condition hereunder, including any event or condition that may require action by the Warrant Agent, unless the Warrant Agent shall be specifically notified in writing of such event or condition by the Company, and all notices or other instruments required by this Agreement to be delivered to the Warrant Agent must, in order to be effective, be received by the Warrant Agent as specified in Section 9.2 hereof, and in the absence of such notice so delivered, the Warrant Agent may conclusively assume no such event or condition exists.

8.4.10. Ambiguity. In the event the Warrant Agent believes any ambiguity or uncertainty exists hereunder or in any notice, instruction, direction, request or other communication, paper or document received by the Warrant Agent shall seek clarification. If such clarification is not provided within a reasonable amount of time, the Warrant Agent, may, in its sole discretion, refrain from taking any action, and shall be fully protected and shall not be liable in any way to Company, the holder of any Warrant or any other person for refraining from taking such action, unless the Warrant Agent receives written instructions signed by the Company which eliminates such ambiguity or uncertainty to the satisfaction of Warrant Agent.

8.4.11. Non-Registration. The Warrant Agent shall not be liable or responsible for any failure of the Company to comply with any of its obligations relating to any registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or this Agreement, including without limitation obligations under applicable regulation or law.

8.4.12. Signature Guarantee. The Warrant Agent may rely on and be fully authorized and protected in acting or failing to act upon (a) any guaranty of signature by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a member or participant in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program or other comparable “signature guarantee program” or insurance program in addition to, or in substitution for, the foregoing; or (b) any related law, act, regulation or any interpretation of the same.

8.4.13. Reliance on Attorneys and Agents. The Warrant Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or by or through its attorneys or agents, and the Warrant Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, omission, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any such act, omission, default, neglect or misconduct, absent gross negligence, wilful misconduct or bad faith in the selection and continued employment thereof (which gross negligence, wilful misconduct or bad faith must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction).”

2.22 Acceptance of Agency. Section 8.5 of the Existing Warrant Agreement shall be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

“8.5. Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the express terms and conditions (and no implied terms and conditions) herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the subscription for Ordinary Shares through the exercise of the Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall act hereunder solely as agent for the Company. The Warrant Agent shall not assume any obligations or relationship of agency or trust with any of the owners or holders of the Warrants or Ordinary Shares. The Warrant Agent shall not have any duty or responsibility in the case of the receipt of any written demand from any holder of Warrants or Ordinary Shares with respect to any action or default by the Company, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any duty or responsibility to initiate or attempt to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise or to make any demand upon the Company. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility to the Company, any holders of Warrants, any holders of Ordinary Shares or any other person for interest or earnings on any moneys held by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement.”

 

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2.23 Survival. Section 8 of the Existing Warrant Agreement shall have a new section inserted as follows:

“8.7. Survival. The obligations of the Company under this Section 8 shall survive the termination of this Agreement, the resignation, replacement or removal of the Warrant Agent and the exercise, termination and expiration of the Warrant.”

2.24 Notices.

2.24.1 Section 9.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by the deletion of the introductory paragraph and its replacement with the following:

“9.2. Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when sent by hand, overnight delivery, certified mail or private courier service, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:

c/o MariaDB Public Limited Company

70 Sir John Rogerson‘s Quay

Dublin 2

Attention: Michael Howard

Email: michael.howard@mariadb.com

with a copy to:

Matheson

70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay

Dublin 2

Attention: Fergus Bolster

2.24.2 Section 9.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby further amended to delete the requirement for delivery of a copy of notices, statements or demand to be given to Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP of One Liberty Plaza, New York, New York 10006, Attention: Adam Brenneman.

2.24.3 Section 9.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby further amended to change the delivery address for any notice, statement or demand to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent, to the following:

“Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

150 Royall Street

Canton, MA 02021

Attention: Client Services”

2.25 Applicable Law. Section 9.3 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the second full sentence and replacing it with the following:

“The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and appellate courts thereof, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive.”

2.26 Counterparts. Section 9.6 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following immediately after the last full sentence thereof:

“A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect, and enforceability as an original signature.”

 

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2.27 Examination of the Warrant Agreement. Section 9.5 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by deleting “in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York,”.

2.28 Amendments. Section 9.8 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following immediately after the last full sentence thereof:

“As a condition precedent to the Warrant Agent’s execution of any amendment, the Company shall deliver to the Warrant Agent a certificate from a duly authorized officer of the Company that states that the proposed amendment is in compliance with the terms of this Section 9.8. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Warrant Agent may, but is not obligated to, execute any amendment, supplement or waiver that affects the Warrant Agent’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Agreement. No supplement or amendment to this Agreement shall be effective unless duly executed by the Warrant Agent.”

2.29 Severability. Section 9.9 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the first full sentence thereof in its entirety and replacing it with the following:

“This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof; provided, however, that if such prohibited and invalid provision shall adversely affect the rights, immunities, liabilities, duties or obligations of the Warrant Agent, the Warrant Agent shall be entitled to resign immediately upon written notice to the Company.”

2.30 Miscellaneous Provisions. Section 9 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by inserting the following new sections:

“9.10. Bank Accounts; Delivery of Exercise Price. All funds received by Computershare under this Agreement that are to be distributed or applied by Computershare in the performance of Services (the “Funds”) shall be held by Computershare as agent for the Company and deposited in one or more bank accounts to be maintained by Computershare in its name as agent for the Company. Until paid pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, Computershare will hold the Funds through such accounts in: deposit accounts of commercial banks with Tier 1 capital exceeding $1 billion or with an average rating above investment grade by S&P (LT Local Issuer Credit Rating), Moody’s (Long Term Rating) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (LT Issuer Default Rating) (each as reported by Bloomberg Finance L.P.). Computershare shall have no responsibility or liability for any diminution of the Funds that may result from any deposit made by Computershare in accordance with this paragraph, including any losses resulting from a default by any bank, financial institution or other third party. Computershare may from time to time receive interest, dividends or other earnings in connection with such deposits. Computershare shall not be obligated to pay such interest, dividends or earnings to the Company, any holder or any other party. The Warrant Agent shall forward funds received for Warrant exercises in a given month by the 5th business day of the following month by wire transfer to an account designated by the Company.

9.11. Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent and the Company agree that all books, records, information and data pertaining to the business of the other party, including inter alia, personal, non-public warrant holder information, which are exchanged or received pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this Agreement including the fees for services set forth in the attached schedule shall remain confidential, and shall not be voluntarily disclosed to any other person, except as may be required by law, including, without limitation, pursuant to subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (e.g., in divorce and criminal actions).

9.12 Force Majeure. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Warrant Agent will not be liable for any delays or failures in performance resulting from acts beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of God, terrorist acts, pandemics, epidemics, shortage of supply, breakdowns or malfunctions, interruptions or malfunction of computer facilities, or loss of data due to power failures or mechanical difficulties with information storage or retrieval systems, labor difficulties, war or civil unrest.

9.13 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the Warrants, contains the entire agreement and understanding among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, understandings, inducements and conditions, express or implied, oral or written, of any nature whatsoever with respect to the subject matter hereof. The express terms of this Agreement control and supersede any provision in the Warrants concerning the duties, obligations and immunities of the Warrant Agent.”

 

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2.31 Warrant Certificate. Exhibit A to the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by deleting Exhibit A in its entirety and replacing it with a new Exhibit A attached hereto.

3. Miscellaneous Provisions.

3.1 Effectiveness. Each of the parties hereto acknowledges and agrees that the effectiveness of this Agreement shall be expressly conditioned on and subject to the closing of the transactions provided for in the Business Combination Agreement and shall automatically be terminated and shall be null and void if the Business Combination Agreement shall be terminated for any reason.

3.2 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of any of the parties shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

3.3 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

3.4 Applicable Law. The validity, interpretation and performance of this Agreement shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflict of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The parties hereby agree that any action, proceeding or claim against a party arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. Each of the parties hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

3.5 Examination of this Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent, for inspection by the registered holder of any Warrant. Computershare may require any such holder to submit this Warrant for inspection by it. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such holder’s Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.

3.6 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. Signatures to this Agreement transmitted by electronic mail in PDF form, or by any other electronic means designed to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document (including DocuSign), will be deemed to have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing the original signatures.

3.7 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

3.8 Reference to and Effect on Agreements; Entire Agreement.

3.8.1 Any references to “this Agreement” in the Existing Warrant Agreement will mean the Existing Warrant Agreement as amended by this Agreement. Except as specifically amended by this Agreement, the provisions of the Existing Warrant Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

3.8.2 This Agreement and the Existing Warrant Agreement, as modified by this Agreement, constitutes the entire understanding of the parties and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings, arrangements, promises and commitments, whether written or oral, express or implied, relating to the subject matter hereof, and all such prior agreements, understandings, arrangements, promises and commitments are hereby canceled and terminated.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank.]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

ANGEL POND HOLDINGS CORPORATION
By:   /s/ Ted Wang
Name: Ted Wang
Title:   Board member
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
By:   /s/ Keri Ann Cuadros
Name:   Keri-Ann Cuadros
Title:   Account Manager
COMPUTERSHARE INC., and
COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,
on behalf of both entities
By:   /s/ Collin Ekeogu
Name:   Collin Ekeogu
Title:   Manager, Corporate Actions

 

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Exhibit A

Form of Warrant Certificate

Number

WARRANTS

THIS WARRANT SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO

THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR

IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW

MARIADB PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

Incorporated under the Laws of Ireland

CUSIP [•]

Warrant Certificate

This Warrant Certificate certifies that                , or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the “Warrants” and each, a “Warrant”) to purchase, by way of subscription, ordinary shares with a par value of US$0.01 per share (“Ordinary Shares”) in the capital of MariaDB Public Limited Company, a public company limited by shares incorporated in Ireland (the “Company”). Each Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable Ordinary Shares as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Exercise Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Exercise Price at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.

Each whole Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable Ordinary Share. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrant, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the Warrant holder. The number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

The initial Exercise Price per one Ordinary Share for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Exercise Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become void. The Warrants may be redeemed subject to certain conditions, as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.

This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.

 

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This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.

 

MARIADB PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

By:    
  Name:
  Title:

 

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[Reverse]

The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive            Ordinary Shares and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of [•], 2021, as amended by an Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement dated as of            , 2022 by and among Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company, the Company, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Computershare Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Computershare Inc.”) and its affiliate, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company (“Trust Company”, and together with Computershare Inc., in such capacity as warrant agent, the “Warrant Agent”) (the “Warrant Agreement”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder” meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.

Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of Election to Purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Exercise Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the principal corporate trust offices of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.

Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a registration statement covering the Ordinary Shares to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the Ordinary Shares is current, except through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.

The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a Ordinary Share, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.

Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.

Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office(s) of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other third-party charges imposed in connection therewith.

The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a shareholder of the Company.

 

15


Election to Purchase

(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)

The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate,to receive            Ordinary Shares and herewith tenders payment for such Ordinary Shares to the order of MariaDB Public Limited Company (the “Company”) in the amount of US$                    in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of                    , whose address is and that such Ordinary Shares be delivered to whose address is . If said number of Ordinary Shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares receivable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of            , whose address is             , and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to            , whose address is             .

In the event that the Warrant has been called for redemption by the Company pursuant to Section 6.2 of the Warrant Agreement and the holder has elected cashless exercise pursuant to Section 6.2 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 6.2 of the Warrant Agreement.

In the event that the Warrant is a Private Placement Warrant that is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(c) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(c) of the Warrant Agreement.

In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement.

In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive Ordinary Shares. If said number of shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares receivable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of            , whose address is            , and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to             , whose address is                    .

 

Date:    ,    (Signature)   
   (Address)   
      (Tax Identification Number)
Signature Guaranteed:      

THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO SEC RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT, OF 1934, AS AMENDED).

 

16

Exhibit 4.3

POST-AMENDMENT ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT

This Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of 16 December, 2022, by and among Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Angel Pond”), MariaDB Public Limited Company (f.k.a. Mangomill Public Limited Company), a public company limited by shares incorporated in Ireland (the “Company”), Computershare Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Computershare Inc.’’) and its affiliate, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company (“Trust Company”, and together with Computershare Inc., “Computershare”), as Warrant Agent.

WHEREAS, Angel Pond and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company (“Continental”) entered into to that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of May 18, 2021, and filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20 2021, (the “Original Warrant Agreement”, as amended by the Warrant Amendment Agreement (as defined below), the “Warrant Agreement”);

WHEREAS, on January 31, 2022, a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) was entered into by and among Angel Pond, the Company, MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited liability company, and Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), which provided, among other matters for the merger, by operation of Cayman Islands’ law, of Merger Sub with and into Angel Pond, with Angel Pond surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Domestication Merger”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by sections 2.3(a) and (b) of the Business Combination Agreement, each Class A ordinary share and each class B ordinary share of Angel Pond, par value US$0.0001, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Domestication Merger (the ‘‘Domestication Merger Effective Time”), was, by operation of the relevant merger laws, automatically cancelled and converted into the right to receive, by way of allotment and issue, one fully paid and non-assessable ordinary share in the capital of the Company, par value US$0.01 (an “ Ordinary Share”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by section 2.3(c) of the Business Combination Agreement, each Warrant issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Domestication Merger Effective Time remained in issue and outstanding following the Domestication Merger Effective Time, but was, by operation of the relevant merger laws, automatically adjusted, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, such that it is no longer exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, but instead entitles the holder thereof to subscribe for one Ordinary Share at a price per share of US$11.50 on the terms and subject to the conditions of the Warrant Agreement;

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Domestication Merger, as contemplated by section 2.3(c) of the Business Combination Agreement, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, the Warrant Agreement was, by operation of the relevant merger laws, automatically assigned to the Company, and the Company automatically assumed all of Angel Pond’s obligations under the Warrant Agreement;

WHEREAS, on             December, 2022, Angel Pond, Continental and Computershare entered into a Warrant Amendment Agreement (the “Warrant Amendment Agreement’’) to provide for certain amendments to the Original Warrant Agreement, which took effect upon the Domestication Merger Effective Time, that were considered necessary or desirable to deal with certain matters related to the Domestication Merger, including the appointment of Computershare as successor warrant agent to Continental; and

WHEREAS, capitalized terms used herein but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Warrant Agreement.

 

1


NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

1. Assignment and Assumption; Acknowledgment and Adherence. The parties hereby acknowledge the automatic assignment of the Warrant Agreement (and the rights and interests of Angel Pond therein) to the Company and the automatic assumption by the Company of all Angel Pond’s obligations under the Warrant Agreement by operation of the relevant merger laws pursuant to the Domestication Merger, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, and to the continuation of the Warrant Agreement in full force and effect from, and after, the Domestication Merger Effective Time, subject at all times to the Warrant Agreement and to all of the provisions, covenants, agreements, terms and conditions of the Warrant Agreement, and, without prejudice to the forgoing, the Company hereby agrees to adhere to and be bound, with effect from the Domestication Merger Effective Time, by the terms of the Warrant Agreement as a party of the same part as the “Company” (as defined therein).

2. Miscellaneous Provisions.

2.1 Effectiveness. Each of the parties hereto acknowledges and agrees that the effectiveness of this Agreement shall be expressly conditioned on and subject to the closing of the transactions provided for in the Business Combination Agreement and shall automatically be terminated and shall be null and void if the Business Combination Agreement shall be terminated for any reason.

2.2 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of any of the parties shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

2.3 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

2.4 Applicable Law. The validity, interpretation and performance of this Agreement shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflict of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The parties hereby agree that any action, proceeding or claim against a party arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. Each of the parties hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

2.5 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. Signatures to this Agreement transmitted by electronic mail in PDF form, or by any other electronic means designed to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document (including DocuSign), will be deemed to have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing the original signatures.

2.6 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

2


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

ANGEL POND HOLDINGS CORPORATION
By:   /s/ Ted Wang
Name:   Ted Wang
Title:   Board member
MARIADB PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
By:   /s/ Ted Wang
Name: Ted Wang
Title:   Board member
COMPUTERSHARE INC., and
COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,
on behalf of both entities
By:   /s/ Collin Ekeogu
Name:   Collin Ekeogu
Title:   Manager, Corporate Actions

 

3

Exhibit 4.6

AMENDED AND RESTATED WARRANT AGREEMENT

among

MARIADB PLC,

KREOS CAPITAL IV (EXPERT FUND) LIMITED and

MARIADB PLC, as Warrant Agent

THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED WARRANT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made, effective as of the Merger Effective Time (as defined below), by and among MariaDB plc, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland with registered number 606330 (formerly known as Mangomill plc) (the “Company”), Kreos Capital IV (Expert Fund) Limited (“Kreos”) and the Company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”).

WHEREAS, MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited company with business identity code 2344661-1 (“MariaDB”) and Kreos were parties to that certain Warrant Agreement dated as of December 24, 2014 (the “Original Kreos Warrant Agreement”), pursuant to which MariaDB issued to Kreos warrants to subscribe for series B preferred shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB (the “Original Kreos Warrants”); and

WHEREAS, all of the Original Kreos Warrants were governed by the Original Kreos Warrant Agreement; and

WHEREAS, the Original Kreos Warrants entitled Kreos to subscribe for, in aggregate, up to 835,185 series B preferred shares of no par value (convertible into, in aggregate, 835,185 ordinary shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB); and

WHEREAS, on January 31, 2022 a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) was entered into by and among Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company, MariaDB, the Company and Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company; and

WHEREAS, among other matters, subject to the terms and conditions of the Business Combination Agreement and pursuant to Chapter 16, Section 19 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act (624/2006, as amended) and the European Communities (Cross-Border Merger) Regulations 2008 of Ireland, as amended, at the Merger Effective Time (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) (the “Merger Effective Time”), MariaDB merged with and into the Company by way of a cross-border merger (the “Merger”) and, by virtue of the Merger, the Company acquired all the assets and liabilities of MariaDB and MariaDB was dissolved without going into liquidation in exchange for the issue to the shareholders of MariaDB of ordinary shares with a nominal value of US$0.01 each in the capital of the Company (“Ordinary Shares”) as merger consideration, with the Company continuing as the surviving entity following the Merger; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to that certain Assumption, Amendment and Restatement Agreement dated as of September 8, 2022 (the “Assumption Agreement”) entered into by and among MariaDB, the Company, Kreos and the Warrant Agent, with effect from the Merger Effective Time, (i) the Company assumed, and agreed to pay, perform, satisfy and discharge in full, as the same become due, all of MariaDB’s liabilities and obligations under the Original Kreos


Warrant Agreement and the Original Kreos Warrants (each as amended and restated by the Assumption Agreement), (ii) the Original Kreos Warrant Agreement was amended and restated in its entirety by the substitution of the terms set out in this Agreement in replacement, and to the exclusion, of the then existing terms of the Original Kreos Warrant Instrument, such that, with effect from the Merger Effective Time, the Original Kreos Warrants (as amended and restated by the Assumption Agreement) are governed by the terms set out in this Agreement and (iii) the Original Kreos Warrants were amended and restated to confer rights to subscribe for in aggregate such number of Ordinary Shares equal to the product of 835,185 multiplied by the Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) at a purchase price per share of €0.52204 divided by the Exchange Ratio in replacement, and to the exclusion, of all rights to subscribe for series B preferred shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB (the Original Kreos Warrants, as so amended and restated, being the “Warrants” referred to herein) ; and (iv) the Warrant Agent was appointed to serve as warrant agent under this Agreement; and

WHEREAS, the Warrants shall bear the legend set forth in Exhibit A hereto and are subject to adjustment, and the other terms and limitations as described herein; and

WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants; and

WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the holder of the Warrants; and

WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

2. Warrants.

2.1 Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall initially be issued in registered form only.

2.2 Effect of Countersignature. If a physical certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, such Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.

2.3 Registration.


2.3.1. Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the “Warrant Register”), for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company.

Physical certificates, if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Secretary or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.

2.3.2. Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the “Registered Holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on any physical certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

2.4 No Fractional Warrants. The Company shall not issue fractional Warrants. If a holder of Warrants would be entitled to receive a fractional Warrant, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number the number of Warrants to be issued to such holder.

2.5 Transfer of the Warrants. Save as otherwise agreed in writing between Kreos, the Warrant Agent (acting solely under the direction of Kreos) and the Company, the Warrants may not be transferred, assigned or sold; provided, however, that Warrants held by Kreos or any of its Permitted Transferees (as defined below) may be transferred by the holders thereof:

(a) to any members of Kreos or any affiliates of Kreos; provided, however, that these permitted transferees (the “Permitted Transferees”) must first enter into a written agreement with the Company agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions in this Agreement; and

(b) in the event of the Company’s completion of a liquidation, merger, amalgamation, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property.

3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants.

3.1 Warrant Price. Each Warrant (if in certificated form, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent), shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company (by subscription) one Ordinary Share, at a price of €0.52204 divided by the Exchange Ratio per share, subject to the adjustments


provided in Section 4 hereof. The term “Warrant Price” as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share (including in cash or by payment of Warrants pursuant to a “cashless exercise,” to the extent permitted hereunder) at which Ordinary Shares may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised.

3.2 Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the “Exercise Period”) commencing on the date hereof, and terminating on May 16, 2026 (the “Expiration Date”); provided, however, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection 3.3.2 below with respect to an effective registration statement. Each outstanding Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The term “outstanding” as used in this Agreement with respect to any securities shall mean securities that are issued and outstanding.

3.3 Exercise of Warrants.

3.3.1. Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant (if in certificated form, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent) may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by surrendering it, at the office of the Warrant Agent, or at the office of its successor as Warrant Agent, in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, with the subscription form, as set forth in the Warrant, duly executed, and by paying in full the Warrant Price for each Ordinary Share as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the Ordinary Shares and the issuance of such Ordinary Shares, as follows:

(a) in euros, the single currency of participating members of the monetary economic and monetary union as contemplated in the Treaty on European Union, in good certified check or wire payable to the Warrant Agent;

(b) subject to Section 3.3.3 hereof, by surrendering the Warrants for that number of Ordinary Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Fair Market Value” (as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b)) over the exercise price of the Warrants by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Ordinary Shares for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of exercise of the Warrant is sent to the Warrant Agent; or

(c) subject to Section 3.3.3 hereof, on a “cashless basis” as provided in Section 7.4 hereof.

 


3.3.2. Issuance of Ordinary Shares on Exercise. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrants and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a)) or in payment of the aggregate nominal value of the relevant number of Ordinary Shares in accordance with Section 3.3.3 hereof (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) or (c)), the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrants the number of Ordinary Shares to which such Registered Holder is entitled, and shall enter the name of such Registered Holder (or its nominee) in the register of members of the Company, and if any Warrants represented by a book-entry position or countersigned certificate shall not have been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned certificate, as applicable, for the number of Ordinary Shares as to which such Warrants shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to issue any Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of Warrants and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrants’ exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) covering the issuance of the Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company’s satisfying its obligations under Section 7.4. No Warrants shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue Ordinary Shares upon exercise of any Warrants unless the Ordinary shares issuable upon such Warrants’ exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the state of residence of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to Warrants, the holder of the Warrants shall not be entitled to exercise such Warrants and such Warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any Warrants. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a “cashless basis”, the holder of any Warrants would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrants, to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number, the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to such holder.

3.3.3. Payment of Nominal Value of the Ordinary Shares in Cash. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the issuance of any Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of Warrants (including, but for this Section 3.3.3, on a “cashless basis” by the surrender of Warrants pursuant to subsections 3.3.1(b) or (c) or Section 7.4 hereof) shall be conditional on the additional payment by the Registered Holder to the Company, by way of subscription, of an amount in cash at least equal to the aggregate nominal value of such Ordinary Shares.

3.3.4. Beneficial Ownership Limitation. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, save with the consent of the Irish Takeover Panel in accordance with Rule 9 of the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997, Takeover Rules 2022 (the “Irish Takeover Rules”), a Registered Holder shall not be permitted to exercise any Warrant and acquire Ordinary Shares to the extent that such exercise and acquisition would result (i) in the Registered Holder and/or any person or persons “acting in concert” (within the meaning of the Irish Takeover Rules) with the Registered Holder holding shares in the capital of the Company representing 30% or more of the voting rights in the Company or (ii) where the Registered Holder and/or any person or persons acting in concert with the Registered Holder already hold shares representing 30% or more of the voting rights in the Company, in the percentage of the voting rights in the Company held by the Registered Holder and/or any person or persons acting in concert with the Registered Holder, increasing by more than 0.05% within a 12-month period.

 


3.3.5. Valid Issuance. All Ordinary Shares issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall (i) be issued, be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, (ii) rank pari passu and form one class with the fully paid shares of the same class then in issue, subject to the articles of association of the Company and (iii) entitle the registered holder thereof to receive any dividend or other distribution announced or declared on or after their date of issuance.

4. Adjustments.

4.1 Stock Dividends.

4.1.1. Split-Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.8 below, the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares is increased by a capitalization or share dividend payable in Ordinary Shares, or by a split-up of Ordinary Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Ordinary Shares. A rights offering to holders of Ordinary Shares entitling holders to purchase Ordinary Shares at a price less than the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a share dividend of a number of Ordinary Shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Ordinary Shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Ordinary Shares) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per Ordinary Shares paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Ordinary Shares, in determining the price payable for Ordinary Shares, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Fair Market Value” means the volume weighted average price of Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Ordinary Shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.

4.1.2. Other Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Ordinary Shares on account of such Ordinary Shares (or other securities into which the Warrants are convertible), other than as described in subsection 4.1.1 above, then the Company shall at the time of the purchase of Ordinary Shares by Kreos upon exercise of the Warrants make a payment to Kreos, by way of set- off against the Warrant Price or otherwise, of a sum equal to the aggregate amount which Kreos would have received by way of a dividend or other distribution had Kreos subscribed for the number of Ordinary Shares actually purchased prior to each of the relevant record dates for all declarations or payments of dividends or other distributions made from the date of issue of the relevant Warrants up to and including the date of such subscription.


4.2 Aggregation of Shares. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.8 hereof, the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share split or reclassification of Ordinary Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share split, reclassification or similar event, the number of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Ordinary Shares.

4.3 Adjustments in Exercise Price. Whenever the number of Ordinary Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in subsection 4.1.1 or Section 4.2 above, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of Ordinary Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of Ordinary Shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.

4.4 New Equity Investment. In the event that prior to the puchase of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants the Company issues or sells any Ordinary Shares, whether directly or indirectly by way of options over such Ordinary Shares or any other debt, equity or other security that are, directly or directly, convertible into or exchagable for Ordinary Shares (the “New Round of Investment”), Kreos has a right, in its absolute discretion, to demand and the Company has, upon such demand, an obligation to execute the change of the terms and conditions of the Warrants so that the subscription price per share shall be the lowest price paid for Ordinary Shares in the relevant New Round of Investment (taking into account, where applicable, the effect of any discount or interest accumulated in relation to the conversion of investor or shareholder loans). Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, there shall be no adjustment to the subscription price with respect to any issuance or sale by the Company of: (a) Ordinary Shares issued directly or upon the exercise of options to directors, officers, employees, or consultants of the Company in connection with their service as directors of the Company, their employment by the Company or their retention as consultants by the Company; or (b) Ordinary Shares, options or convertible securities issued in connection with a transaction in which the Company, directly or indirectly, acquires another business or its tangible or intangible assets.

4.5 Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Ordinary Shares (other than a change under Section 4.1 or Section 4.2 hereof or that solely affects the nominal value of such Ordinary Shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or conversion of the Company as another entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Ordinary Shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the Ordinary Shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares or stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such


sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrants immediately prior to such event (the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however, that (i) if the holders of the Ordinary Shares were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the Ordinary Shares in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the Ordinary Shares under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) more than 50% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Ordinary Shares held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in this Section 4; provided further that if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of the Ordinary Shares in the applicable event is payable in the form of shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) (but in no event less than zero) minus (B) the Black- Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black- Scholes Warrant Model for a Capped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets (“Bloomberg”). For purposes of calculating such amount, (i) Section 6 of this Agreement shall be taken into account, (ii) the price of each Ordinary Share shall be the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event, (iii) the assumed volatility shall be the 90 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg determined as of the trading day immediately prior to the day of the announcement of the applicable event and (iv) the assumed risk-free interest rate shall correspond to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the remaining term of the Warrant. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the Ordinary Shares consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per Ordinary Share, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in Ordinary Shares covered


by subsection 4.1.1, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections 4.2, 4.3 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.4 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the nominal value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.

4.6 Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of Ordinary Shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.4, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of Warrants, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.

4.7 No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue fractional shares upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to such holder.

4.8 Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.

4.9 Other Events. In case any event shall occur affecting the Company as to which none of the provisions of the preceding subsections of this Section 4 are strictly applicable, but which would require an adjustment to the terms of the Warrants in order to (i) avoid an adverse impact on the Warrants and (ii) effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4, then, in each such case, the Company shall appoint a firm of independent public accountants, investment banking or other appraisal firm of recognized national standing, which shall give its opinion as to whether or not any adjustment to the rights represented by the Warrants is necessary to effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4 and, if they determine that an adjustment is necessary, the terms of such adjustment; provided, however, that under no circumstances shall the Warrants be adjusted pursuant to this Section 4.9 as a result of any issuance of securities in connection with the consummation of the transactions provided for in the Business Combination Agreement. The Company shall adjust the terms of the Warrants in a manner that is consistent with any adjustment recommended in such opinion.


4.10 Redemption. Should the Company decide to acquire or redeem its own Ordinary Shares through a privately negotiated transaction, the Company shall offer to repurchase Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants pro rata based upon the number of Ordinary Shares Kreos would be entitled to receive if the Warrants were exercised for Ordinary Shares immediately prior to such repurchase.

5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.

5.1 Registration of Transfer.

5.1.1. General. Subject to Section 5.1.2 hereof, the Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, in the case of certificated warrants, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.

5.1.2. Irish Stamp Duty. The Company may require, as a condition to the registration of any transfer of a Warrant, evidence from the transferor or intended transferee, which is satisfactory to the Company, that any Irish stamp duty liability arising on such transfer has been duly paid (and any instrument of transfer, as the case may be, has been duly stamped for Irish stamp duty purposes) or that the proposed transfer is otherwise exempt from such duty.

5.2 Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.

5.3 Fractional Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which shall result in the issuance of a warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a Warrant.

5.4 Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.

5.5 Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.


6. [Deliberately left blank.]

7. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.

7.1 No Rights as Shareholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as shareholders in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.

7.2 Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.

7.3 Reservation of Ordinary Shares. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.

7.4 Registration of Ordinary Shares; Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option.

7.4.1. Registration of the Ordinary Shares. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than thirty (30) Business Days after the date of this Agreement, it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission a registration statement covering the issuance, under the Securities Act, of the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the same to become effective within sixty (60) Business Days after the date of this Agreement and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the 60th Business Day following the date of this Agreement, holders of the applicable Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the 61st Business Day after the date of this Agreement and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the Commission, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the applicable Warrants, subject to compliance with Section 3.3.3 hereof, to otherwise exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by exchanging the Warrants (in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule) or another exemption) for that number of Ordinary Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Ordinary Shares underlying


the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) over the exercise price of the Warrants by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 7.4.1, “Fair Market Value” shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the Warrant Agent from the holder of such Warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. The date that notice of a “cashless exercise” is received by the Warrant Agent shall be conclusively determined by the Warrant Agent. Except as provided in subsection 7.4.2, for the avoidance of any doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised or have expired, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this subsection 7.4.1.

7.4.2. Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option. If the Ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule), the Company may, at its option, subject to compliance with Section 3.3.3 hereof, (i) require holders of the Warrants who exercise the Warrants to otherwise exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule) as described in subsection 7.4.1 and (ii) in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary.

8. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.

8.1 Payment of Taxes. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes or duties (including any Irish stamp duty) in respect of the Warrants or such shares.

8.2 Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.

8.2.1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good


standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.

8.2.2. Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the transfer agent for the Ordinary Shares not later than the effective date of any such appointment.

8.2.3. Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any corporation into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.

8.3 Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.

8.3.1. Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.

8.3.2. Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.

8.4 Liability of Warrant Agent.

8.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Secretary or Chairman of the Board of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.


8.4.2. Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, out-of-pocket costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith.

8.4.3. Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any Ordinary Shares shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and non-assessable.

8.5 Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of Ordinary Shares through the exercise of the Warrants.

9. Miscellaneous Provisions.

9.1 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

9.2 Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:

MariaDB Plc

Address 699 Veterans Blvd

Redwood City, CA 94063

E-mail: legal@mariadb.com


With a copy to:

Perkins Coie LLP 505 Howard Street

Suite 1100

San Francisco, CA 94105

Attention: Edward Wes and Gina Eiben

Email: edwes@perkinscoie.com and geiben@perkinscoie.com

Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:

MariaDB Plc

Address 699 Veterans Blvd

Redwood City, CA 94063

E-mail: legal@mariadb.com

With a copy to:

Perkins Coie LLP

505 Howard Street

Suite 1100

San Francisco, CA 94105

Attention: Edward Wes and Gina Eiben

Email: edwes@perkinscoie.com and geiben@perkinscoie.com

9.3 Applicable Law. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

9.4 Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.


9.5 Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such holder’s Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.

9.6 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which together shall constitute one instrument. Delivery of this Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law) or other transmission method, and the parties hereto agree that any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.

9.7 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

9.8 Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the Company and the Warrant Agent without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the Registered Holders. All other modifications or amendments, including any amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period, shall require the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of 65% of the then outstanding Warrants.

9.9 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

[Signature Page Follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

MARIADB PLC
By:   /s/ Michael Howard
  Name: Michael Howard
Title: Chief Executive Officer
KREOS CAPITAL IV (EXPERT FUND) LIMITED
By:   /s/ Mark Collins
  Name: Mark Collins
  Title: Director
MARIADB PLC, as Warrant Agent
By:   /s/ Michael Howard
  Name: Michael Howard
Title: Chief Executive Officer

[Signature Page - Warrant Agreement]


EXHIBIT A

LEGEND

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 2 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT AMONG MARIADB PLC, AN IRISH PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY, KREOS CAPITAL IV (EXPERT FUND) LIMITED) (WHICH AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS) AND WARRANT AGENT.”

NO. WARRANT

Exhibit 10.2

LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

THIS LOCK-UP AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of December 16, 2022, by and among Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“APHC”), MariaDB plc, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland with registered number 606330 (“Irish Holdco”), Angel Pond Partners LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), each of the parties listed on Schedule A hereto (together with any shareholders, officers or directors of MariaDB Corporation Ab or transferees who become parties hereto as “Major Holders” after the date of this Agreement, the “Major Holders”) and each of the parties listed on Schedule B-1 and Schedule B-2 hereto (together with any shareholders, officers or directors of APHC or transferees who become parties hereto as “Other Holders” after the date of this Agreement, the “Other Holders”) (together the “Parties” and each a “Party”). The Sponsor, the Major Holders and the Other Holders are referred to herein, individually, as a “Holder” and, collectively, as the “Holders.”

Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this Agreement have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Business Combination Agreement, dated as of January 31, 2022, by and among APHC, Irish Holdco, Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Irish Holdco, and MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited liability company with business identity code 2344661-1 (as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof, the “Merger Agreement”).

WHEREAS, on December 9, 2022, the Sponsor transferred certain Founder Shares (or Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion thereof) (in each case as defined in the Letter Agreement (as defined below)) (collectively, the “Holder Founder Shares”), to certain Other Holders identified on Schedule B-2 hereto (the “FPA Holders”).

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, and in view of the good and valuable consideration to be received by the parties thereunder, the Parties hereto desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the Lock-Up Shares (as defined below) shall become subject to limitations on disposition as set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth above, and for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree as follows:

1. Lock-Up Provisions.

(a) Each of the Holders hereby agree as a several but not joint obligation not to Transfer, in whole or in part, its respective Lock-Up Shares, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of Lock-Up Shares or other securities, in cash or otherwise, during the period commencing from the Closing and through the end of the Lock-Up Period (as defined below).


(b) As used in this Agreement, “Lock-Up Period” shall mean the earlier to occur of: (i) 180 days after the date of the Closing, and (ii) the date on which Irish Holdco completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization, tender offer or other similar transaction that results in all of Irish Holdco’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Irish Holdco Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property. Irish Holdco shall notify each Holder of the date of expiry of the Lock-Up Period five (5) business days prior to such expiration.

(c) As used in this Agreement, “Lock-Up Shares” shall mean, (1) with respect to all Holders other than the FPA Holders, (i) any Irish Holdco Ordinary Shares held by the Holders immediately after the Merger Effective Time or otherwise issued or issuable to the Holders in connection with the Domestication Merger or the Merger, (ii) any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Irish Holdco Ordinary Shares, or (iii) any Irish Holdco Ordinary Shares issued upon conversion, exercise or exchange of any of the securities described in clause (ii) during the Lock-Up Period, and (2) with respect to the FPA Holders, (i) any Irish Holdco Ordinary Shares held by the FPA Holders immediately after the Merger Effective Time or otherwise issued or issuable to the FPA Holders in connection with the Domestication Merger or the Merger, in each case on account of the Holder Founder Shares owned by the FPA Holders immediately prior to the Domestication Merger Effective Time; and (ii) any Private Placement Warrants (as defined in the Letter Agreement) (or Irish Holdco Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants).

(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, Transfers of the Lock-Up Shares are permitted:

i. to Irish Holdco, its officers or directors, any affiliates or immediate family members of any of Irish Holdco’s officers or directors, any members of the Sponsor, or any affiliates of the Sponsor;

ii. in the case of an entity, (A) to another entity that is an affiliate of the Holder, or to any investment fund or other entity controlling, controlled by, managing or managed by or under common control with the Holder or its affiliates or who shares a common investment advisor with the Holder, (B) as part of a distribution to members, partners or shareholders of the Holder or (C) by gift to a charitable organization;

iii. in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family, to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization;

iv. in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual;

v. in the case of an individual, pursuant to a court order, such as a qualified domestic relations order, divorce decree or separation agreement;

vi. in the case of an individual, to a partnership, limited liability company or other entity of which the individual and/or the immediate family of the individual are the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests;

 

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vii. to a nominee or custodian holding securities on behalf of a beneficial owner to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (i) through (vi) above;

viii. in the case of an entity that is a trust, to a trustor or beneficiary of the trust or to the estate of a beneficiary of such trust;

ix. in the case of an entity, by virtue of the laws of the state of the entity’s organization and the entity’s organizational documents upon dissolution of the entity;

x. in connection with any bona fide mortgage, encumbrance or pledge to a financial institution in connection with any bona fide loan or debt transaction or enforcement thereunder, including foreclosure thereof;

xi. in the case of the Sponsor, to any Person pursuant to any forward purchase agreements that have been entered into prior to the date hereof or to an individual that was an officer of APHC prior to the Closing; or

xii. in connection with a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization, tender offer or other similar transaction which results in all of the Irish Holdco’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Irish Holdco Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property.

provided, however, that in the case of the foregoing clauses (i)-(xi), any permitted transferee must enter into a written counterpart to this Agreement (it being understood that any references to “immediate family” in this Agreement shall continue to expressly refer only to the immediate family of the initial Holder and not to the immediate family of the permitted transferee), agreeing to be bound by these Transfer restrictions applicable to such permitted transferee, and such permitted transferee shall be added to Schedule A or Schedule B hereto as a Major Holder or Other Holder, as applicable based on the transferor Holder. As used in this Agreement, “immediate family” shall mean a spouse, domestic partner, child (including by adoption), father, mother, brother or sister of the undersigned, and lineal descendant (including by adoption) of the undersigned or of any of the foregoing persons; and “affiliate” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

As used in this Agreement, the term “Transfer” shall mean the (x) sale or assignment of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to, any security, (y) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (z) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in the foregoing clause (x) or (y).

 

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(e) If any Transfer prohibited by Section 1 of this Agreement is made or attempted contrary to the provisions of this Agreement, such purported Transfer shall be null and void ab initio, and Irish Holdco shall refuse to recognize any such purported transferee of the Lock-Up Shares as one of its equity holders for any purpose. In order to enforce this Section 1, Irish Holdco may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Lock-Up Shares (and permitted transferees and assigns thereof) until the end of the Lock-Up Period.

(f) During the Lock-Up Period, each certificate or book-entry position evidencing any Lock-Up Shares shall be marked with a legend in substantially the following form, in addition to any other applicable legends:

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER SET FORTH IN A LOCK-UP AGREEMENT, DATED AS OF JANUARY 31, 2022, BY AND AMONG THE ISSUER OF SUCH SECURITIES AND THE REGISTERED HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES (OR THE PREDECESSOR IN INTEREST TO THE SECURITIES). A COPY OF SUCH LOCK-UP AGREEMENT WILL BE FURNISHED WITHOUT CHARGE BY THE ISSUER TO THE HOLDER HEREOF UPON WRITTEN REQUEST.”

(g) For the avoidance of doubt, each Holder shall retain all of its rights as a shareholder of Irish Holdco with respect to the Lock-Up Shares during the Lock-Up Period, including the right to vote any Lock-Up Shares that are entitled to vote.

(h) The lock-up provisions in Section 7 of the Letter Agreement (the “Letter Agreement”), dated as of May 18, 2021, by and among APHC, the Sponsor and certain Insiders (as defined therein) signatory thereto, shall terminate and be of no further force or effect with respect to any Holder upon the Closing.

2. Miscellaneous.

(a) Binding Effect; Assignment. This Agreement and all of the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns. This Agreement and all obligations of a Holder are personal to such Holder and may not be transferred or delegated at any time.

(b) Third Parties. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon any person who is not a signatory hereto any rights or benefits, as a third party beneficiary or otherwise.

(c) GOVERNING LAW; VENUE. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PLACE WHERE THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ANY OF THE PARTIES HERETO, THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE AS APPLIED TO AGREEMENTS AMONG DELAWARE RESIDENTS ENTERED INTO AND TO BE PERFORMED ENTIRELY WITHIN DELAWARE, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION. ANY LEGAL SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR BASED UPON THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED THEREBY MAY BE INSTITUTED IN THE

 

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COURT OF CHANCERY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE OR, IF SUCH COURT DECLINES JURISDICTION, THEN TO ANY COURT IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE OR THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE, AND EACH PARTY IRREVOCABLY SUBMITS TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS IN ANY SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING.

EACH PARTY HERETO ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND, THEREFORE, EACH SUCH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT SUCH PARTY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT TO ANY ACTION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT.

(d) Interpretation. The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement. In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires: (i) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa; (ii) “including” (and with correlative meaning “include”) means including without limiting the generality of any description preceding or succeeding such term and shall be deemed in each case to be followed by the words “without limitation”; (iii) the words “herein,” “hereto,” and “hereby” and other words of similar import in this Agreement shall be deemed in each case to refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section or other subdivision of this Agreement; and (iv) the term “or” means “and/or”. The Parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. Consequently, in the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the Parties hereto, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any Party hereto by virtue of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement.

(e) Amendments and Waivers. Only upon (i) the approval by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of Irish Holdco then in office that qualify as “independent” for purposes of audit committee membership under Section 10A-3 under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may compliance with Section 1(a) of this Agreement be waived by Irish Holdco, and (ii) the prior written consent of the Major Holders and the approval by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of Irish Holdco then in office that qualify as “independent” for purposes of audit committee membership under Section 10A-3 under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may compliance with any other section of this Agreement be waived or any of the provisions, covenants or conditions set forth in this Agreement (including, for the avoidance of doubt, Section 1(a) of this Agreement) be amended or modified; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects one Holder, solely in its capacity as a holder of Lock-Up Shares, shall in addition require the consent of the Holder so affected. No course of dealing between any Party hereto or any failure or delay on the part of any Party hereto in exercising any rights or remedies under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any rights or remedies of any such Party. No single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies under this Agreement by a Party hereto shall

 

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operate as a waiver or preclude the exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder by such Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no approval by any Party shall be required with respect to any Person who hereafter becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 1 hereto or by executing a written counterpart to this Agreement (including the amendment of Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, to add information regarding such additional Major Holder or Other Holder).

(f) Conditions. The obligations of (i) each of the Holders pursuant to this Agreement are conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing and (ii) each Major Investor pursuant to this Agreement are conditioned upon all directors (other than Major Investor Directors (as defined in the Company SHA)) and officers of the Company and holders of Company Shares holding 1% of more of the Company Shares having executed and delivered an agreement substantially identical hereto prior to the Closing. Irish Holdco shall promptly (and in any event within one (1) business day of the Closing) notify each of the Holders of the date of the Closing, such notice to confirm the anticipated date of expiry of the Lock-Up Period.

(g) Release. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if any Holder is released in any manner from any restrictions under this Agreement so that such Holder becomes entitled to Transfer, in whole or in part, any of its Lock-Up Shares prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period (each such Holder, a “Released Holder,” and each such release, a “Lock-Up Release”), the same percentage (in each case, calculated as the number of Lock-Up Shares held by the Released Holder benefitting from such release divided by the total number of Lock-Up Shares held by the Released Holder immediately prior to such release) of the Lock-Up Shares held by each Major Holder shall be immediately and fully released on the same terms from any remaining lockup restrictions set forth herein. Irish Holdco hereby undertakes to each Major Holder that it shall notify such Major Holder (i) immediately upon receipt of any request for a Lock-Up Release (such notice to give full details of the request); and (ii) at least five (5) business days prior to any Lock-Up Release, such notice to give full details of the Lock-Up Release including the number of shares of the Released Holder which are released as a result of the Lock-Up Release and confirmation of the percentage of Lock-Up Shares held by the Released Holder immediately prior to the relevant Lock-Up Release which such released shares represent; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply to any release granted to current or former employees or advisors of MariaDB Corporation Ab or its subsidiaries solely to the extent required to provide them with liquidity to pay their respective tax obligations solely resulting from Merger.

(h) Termination. This Agreement shall terminate and be of no further force and effect upon the earlier to occur of (A) the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with the provisions of Article IX thereof or (B) with respect to any Holder, the date as of which such Holder no longer holds any Lock-Up Shares. Irish Holdco shall notify each of the Holders of any termination resulting from termination of the Merger Agreement within one (1) business day of such termination event occurring.

(i) Notices. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (i) delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (ii) transmission by hand delivery or electronic mail. Each notice or communication that is delivered or transmitted in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given,

 

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served, sent, and received, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery, or electronic mail, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery of receipt or the affidavit of messenger). Any notice or communication under this Agreement to a Major Holder must be addressed to such Major Holder’s address or electronic mail address as set forth on Schedule A attached hereto. Any Party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by giving written notice in the manner set forth above, and such change of address shall become effective ten (10) days after delivery of such notice as provided in this Section 2.(i).

(j) Severability. If any provision of this 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.

(k) Specific Performance. Each Holder acknowledges that its obligations under this Agreement are unique, recognizes and affirms that in the event of a breach of this Agreement by such Holder, money damages will be inadequate and Irish Holdco will have no adequate remedy at law, and agrees that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed by such Holder in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. Accordingly, Irish Holdco shall be entitled to seek an injunction or restraining order to prevent breaches of this Agreement by a Holder , this being in addition to any other right or remedy to which Irish Holdco may seek under this Agreement, at law or in equity.

(l) Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the full and entire understanding and agreement among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and any other written or oral agreement relating to the subject matter hereof existing between the Parties is expressly terminated. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall limit any of the rights or remedies of the Parties or any of the obligations of any of the Holders under any other agreement between any of the Holders and Irish Holdco or any certificate or instrument executed by any of the Holders in favor of Irish Holdco, and nothing in any other agreement, certificate or instrument shall limit any of the rights or remedies of Irish Holdco or any of the obligations of any of the Holders under this Agreement.

(m) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including facsimile or PDF counterparts), each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank; Signature Pages Follow]

 

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SCHEDULE A

MAJOR HOLDERS


SCHEDULE B-1

OTHER HOLDERS


SCHEDULE B-2

OTHER HOLDERS

FPA HOLDERS


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Lock-Up Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

ANGEL POND HOLDINGS CORPORATION

By:    
 

Name:

Title:

 

MARIADB PLC

By:    
 

Name:

Title:

 

ANGEL POND PARTNERS LLC

By:    
 

Name:

Title:

 

[Signature Page to Lock-Up Agreement]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Lock-Up Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

By:    
 

Name:

Title:

 

 

[Signature Page to Lock-Up Agreement]

Exhibit 10.3

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of December 16, 2022, is made and entered into by and among MariaDB plc, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland with registered number 606330 (the “Company”), Angel Pond Partners LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), Theodore Wang and Lionyet International Ltd. (collectively, the “Sponsor Principals”) and the undersigned parties listed under New Holders on the signature page hereto (each such party, together with any person or entity deemed a “New Holder” who hereafter becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 5.1 of this Agreement, a “New Holder” and collectively the “New Holders”). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).

RECITALS

WHEREAS, Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“APHC”) and the Sponsor are party to that certain Registration Rights Agreement dated May 18, 2021 (the “Existing Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which APHC granted the Sponsor certain registration rights with respect to certain securities of APHC;

WHEREAS, APHC has entered into that certain Business Combination Agreement (the “Merger Agreement”), dated as of January 31, 2022, by and among APHC, the Company, MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited liability company, and Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company;

WHEREAS, on the date hereof, pursuant to the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the Sponsor Principals and the New Holders received Company Ordinary Shares upon the closing of such transactions;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 5.5 of the Existing Registration Rights Agreement, the provisions, covenants and conditions set forth therein may be amended or modified upon the written consent of APHC and the holders of a majority-in-interest of the “Registrable Securities” (as such term was defined in the Existing Registration Rights Agreement) at the time in question;

WHEREAS, APHC and the Sponsor desire to terminate the Existing Registration Rights Agreement and all other registration rights that might exist with respect to the equity securities of APHC and to enter into this Agreement in order to provide the Sponsor Principals and the New Holders certain registration rights with respect to certain securities of the Company, as set forth in this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, covenants and agreements contained herein, and certain other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:


ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

1.1. Definitions. The terms defined in this Article I shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the respective meanings set forth below:

Adverse Disclosure” shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of any Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company, as applicable, (i) would be required to be made in any Registration Statement or Prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or Prospectus not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed, and (iii) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.

Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.

Block Trade” means an offering and/or sale of Registrable Securities by any Holder on a block trade or underwritten basis (whether firm commitment or otherwise) without substantial marketing efforts prior to pricing, including, without limitation, a same day trade, overnight trade or similar transaction.

Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

Commission” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Commission Guidance” means (i) any publicly-available written or oral guidance of the Commission staff, or any comments, requirements or requests of the Commission staff and (ii) the Securities Act.

Company” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.

Company Demand Notice” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.32.2.1.

Company Ordinary Shares” shall mean the Company’s ordinary shares.

Company Shelf Takedown Notice” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.3.

Demand Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.

Demanding Holders” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.

Effectiveness Deadline” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.

Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be amended from time to time.

 

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Existing Registration Rights Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.

Form S-1 Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.

Form S-3 Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.

Holders” shall mean the Sponsor Principals and the New Holders and any person or entity who hereafter becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 5.1.

Lock-Up Agreement” shall mean that certain Lock-Up Agreement, dated as of December 16, 2022, by and among the Company, the Sponsor, and certain Company shareholders and the other parties signatory thereto.

Maximum Number of Securities” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.4.

Minimum Takedown Threshold” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.4.

Merger Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.

Misstatement” shall mean an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a Registration Statement or Prospectus, or necessary to make the statements in a Registration Statement or Prospectus (in the case of the Prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.

New Holders” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.

Permitted Transferees” shall mean a person or entity to whom a Holder of Registrable Securities is permitted to transfer such Registrable Securities under any applicable agreement between such Holder and the Company, and to any transferee thereafter.

Piggyback Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.1.

Pro Rata” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.4.

Prospectus” shall mean the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as supplemented by any and all prospectus supplements and as amended by any and all post-effective amendments and including all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus.

Registrable Security” shall mean (a) any issued and outstanding Company Ordinary Shares or any other equity security of the Company held by a Holder as of the date of this Agreement (including any Company Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity security of the Company, including warrants), and (b) any other equity security of the Company issued or issuable with respect to any such Company Ordinary Shares described in the foregoing clause (a) by way of a share dividend or share split or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation or reorganization; provided, however, that, as to any particular Registrable Security, such Registrable Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (i) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such Registrable Securities

 

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shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such Registrable Securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (ii) such Registrable Securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates or book entries for such securities not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of such Registrable Securities shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (iii) such Registrable Securities shall have ceased to be outstanding; (iv) such Registrable Securities may be sold without registration and without limitations, including restrictions on volume, manner of sale or other limitations or restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission) (“Rule 144”); or (v) such Registrable Securities have been sold to, or through, a broker, dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or other public securities transaction.

Registration” shall mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.

Registration Expenses” shall mean the documented, out-of-pocket expenses of a Registration, including, without limitation, the following:

(A) all registration and filing fees (including fees with respect to filings required to be made with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.) and any securities exchange on which the Company Ordinary Shares are then listed;

(B) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or blue sky Laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of outside counsel for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of Registrable Securities);

(C) printing, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses;

(D) reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company;

(E) reasonable fees and disbursements of all independent registered public accountants of the Company incurred specifically in connection with such Registration; and

(F) reasonable fees and expenses, not to exceed $100,000, of one (1) legal counsel selected by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration or Shelf Underwritten Offering (including a Block Trade) to be registered for offer and sale in the applicable Registration.

Registration Statement” shall mean any registration statement that covers the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including the Prospectus included in such registration statement, amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registration statement, and all exhibits to and all material incorporated by reference in such registration statement.

Requesting Holder” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.

 

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Rule 144” shall have the meaning given in the definition of Registrable Security.

Rule 415” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.

SEC” shall mean the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.

Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.

Shelf Takedown Notice” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.3.

Shelf Underwritten Offering” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.4.

Sponsor” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.

Sponsor Principals” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble hereto.

Subsequent Shelf Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.3.

Transfer” shall mean the (a) sale or assignment of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to, any security, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b).

Underwriter” shall mean a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an Underwritten Offering and not as part of such dealer’s market-making activities.

Underwritten Registration” or “Underwritten Offering” shall mean a Registration in which securities of the Company are sold to an Underwriter in a firm commitment underwriting for distribution to the public.

ARTICLE II

REGISTRATIONS

2.1. Shelf Registration.

2.1.1. Initial Registration. The Company shall, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than thirty (30) days after the Closing Date (the “Filing Deadline”), file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act to permit the public resale of all the Registrable Securities held by the Holders from time to time as permitted by Rule 415 under the Securities Act (or any successor or similar provision adopted by the Commission then in effect) (“Rule 415”) on the terms and conditions specified in this subsection 2.1.1 and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause such

 

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Registration Statement to be declared effective as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, but in no event later than the earlier of (x) sixty (60) days following the earlier to occur of the Filing Deadline or the filing date of such Registration Statement (the “Effectiveness Deadline”); provided, that the Effectiveness Deadline shall be extended to ninety (90) days after the earlier to occur of the Filing Deadline or the filing date of such Registration Statement if the Registration Statement is reviewed by, and receives comments from, the Commission, and (y) the fifth (5th) Business Day after the date the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the Commission that the Registration Statement will not be “reviewed” or will not be subject to further review. The Registration Statement filed with the Commission pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1 shall be a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (a “Form S-3 Shelf”) or, if Form S-3 is not then available to the Company, on Form S-1 (a “Form S-1 Shelf” and collectively with a Form S-3 Shelf, a “Shelf”) or such other form of registration statement as is then available to effect a registration for resale of such Registrable Securities, covering such Registrable Securities, and shall contain a Prospectus in such form as to permit any Holder to sell such Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 415 at any time beginning on the effective date for such Registration Statement. A Registration Statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1 shall provide for the resale pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, the Holders. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1 to remain effective, and to be supplemented and amended to the extent necessary to ensure that such Registration Statement is available or, if not available, that another Registration Statement is available, for the resale of all the Registrable Securities held by the Holders until all such Registrable Securities have ceased to be Registrable Securities. As soon as practicable following the effective date of a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1, but in any event within two (2) Business Days of such date, the Company shall notify the Holders of the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. When effective, a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1 (including the documents incorporated therein by reference) will comply as to form in all material respects with all applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading (in the case of any Prospectus contained in such Registration Statement, in the light of the circumstances under which such statement is made).

2.1.2. Form S-3 Shelf. If the Company files a Form S-3 Shelf and thereafter the Company becomes ineligible to use Form S-3 for secondary sales, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to file a Form S-1 Shelf as promptly as practicable to replace the shelf registration statement that is a Form S-3 Shelf and have the Form S-1 Shelf declared effective as promptly as practicable and to cause such Form S-1 Shelf to remain effective, and to be supplemented and amended to the extent necessary to ensure that such Registration Statement is available or, if not available, that another Registration Statement is available, for the resale of all the Registrable Securities held by the Holders until all such Registrable Securities have ceased to be Registrable Securities. In the event the Company files a Form S-1 Shelf, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to convert the Form S-1 Shelf (and any Subsequent Shelf Registration, as defined below) to a Form S-3 Shelf as soon as practicable after the Company is eligible to use Form S-3, or any similar short- form registration.

 

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2.1.3. Subsequent Shelf Registration. If any Shelf filed by the Company ceases to be effective under the Securities Act for any reason at any time while Registrable Securities are still outstanding, the Company shall, subject to Section 3.5 below, use its reasonable best efforts to as promptly as is reasonably practicable cause such Shelf to again become effective under the Securities Act (including using its reasonable best efforts to obtain the prompt withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf), and shall use its reasonable best efforts to as promptly as is reasonably practicable amend such Shelf in a manner reasonably expected to result in the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf or file an additional registration statement as a Shelf Registration (a “Subsequent Shelf Registration”) registering the resale of all Registrable Securities (determined as of two (2) Business Days prior to such filing), and pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, any Holder named therein. If a Subsequent Shelf Registration is filed, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to (i) cause such Subsequent Shelf Registration to become effective under the Securities Act as promptly as is reasonably practicable after the filing thereof (it being agreed that the Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be an automatic shelf registration statement (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act) if the Company is a well-known seasoned issuer (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act) at the most recent applicable eligibility determination date) and (ii) keep such Subsequent Shelf Registration continuously effective, available for use to permit the Holders named therein to sell their Registrable Securities included therein and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until such time as there are no longer any Registrable Securities. Any such Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be on Form S-3 to the extent that the Company is eligible to use such form. Otherwise, such Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be on another appropriate form.

2.1.4. Requests for Underwritten Shelf Takedowns. At any time and from time to time following the effectiveness of the Shelf required by subsections 2.1.1 or 2.1.2, any Holder may request to sell all or a portion of their Registrable Securities in an underwritten offering that is registered pursuant to such shelf registration statement, including a Block Trade (a “Shelf Underwritten Offering”) provided that such Holder(s) reasonably expect aggregate gross proceeds in excess of $75,000,000 from such Shelf Underwritten Offering (“Minimum Takedown Threshold”). All requests for a Shelf Underwritten Offering shall be made by giving written notice to the Company (the “Shelf Takedown Notice”). Each Shelf Takedown Notice shall specify the approximate number of Registrable Securities proposed to be sold in the Shelf Underwritten Offering and the expected price range (net of underwriting discounts and commissions) of such Shelf Underwritten Offering. Within three (3) Business Days after receipt of any Shelf Takedown Notice (or twenty-four (24) hours thereafter in connection with an underwritten Block Trade), the Company shall give written notice of such requested Shelf Underwritten Offering to all other Holders of Registrable Securities (the “Company Shelf Takedown Notice”) and, subject to reductions consistent with the Pro Rata calculations in subsection 2.2.4, shall include in such Shelf Underwritten Offering all Registrable Securities with respect to which the Company has received written requests for inclusion therein, within five (5) days, or, in the case of a Block Trade, within twenty-four (24) hours, after sending the Company Shelf Takedown Notice. The Company and all such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through the Shelf Underwritten Offering shall enter into an underwriting agreement in a form as is customary in Underwritten Offerings of securities by companies that are similarly situated to the Company with the managing Underwriter or Underwriters selected by the Company, subject to the prior approval of the initiating Holders (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) and shall take all such other reasonable actions as are requested by the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities. In

 

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connection with any Shelf Underwritten Offering contemplated by this subsection 2.1.4, subject to Section 2.3 and Article IV, the underwriting agreement into which each Holder and the Company shall enter shall contain such representations, covenants, indemnities and other rights and obligations of the Company and the selling shareholders as are customary in underwritten offerings of securities by companies that are similarly situated to the Company. No Holder may demand more than two (2) Shelf Underwritten Offering in any twelve (12) month period. Prior to the filing of the applicable preliminary prospectus supplement for a Shelf Underwritten Offering, a majority-in-interest of Holders initiating a Shelf Underwritten Offering who timely requested to include Registrable Securities in such offering shall have the right to withdraw from such Shelf Underwritten Offering for any reason or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of such offering of their intention to withdraw from such Underwritten Shelf Offering; provided, however, that if such withdrawal(s) in the aggregate would cause the Minimum Takedown Threshold not to be satisfied, the Company shall not be obligated to effect such Shelf Underwritten Offering and the requested Shelf Underwritten Offering shall count towards the limitation in the immediately preceding sentence unless the Holders who withdrew from such offering reimburse the Company for all Registration Expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection therewith.

2.1.5. Holder Information Required for Participation in Shelf Registration. At least ten (10) Business Days prior to the first anticipated filing date of a Registration Statement pursuant to this Article II, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to notify each Holder in writing (which may be by email) of the information reasonably necessary about the Holder to include such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything else in this Agreement, the Company shall not be obligated to include such Holder’s Registrable Securities to the extent the Company has not received such information, and received any other reasonably requested agreements or certificates, on or prior to the fifth Business Day prior to the first anticipated filing date of a Registration Statement pursuant to this Article II.

2.1.6. Legend Removal. Provided the restrictions imposed on any Registrable Securities pursuant to the Lock-Up Agreement have then expired and the applicable Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Section 2.1 is then effective, a Holder of Registrable Securities who proposes to engage in a sale or other transaction in Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement may request the removal of any restrictive legend included on the such Registrable Securities and the issuance of a certificate without such legend to the Holder or a book entry statement without such legend notated thereon. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to cause the removal of such restrictive legend with respect to the number of Registrable Securities proposed to be sold or otherwise transacted pursuant to the Registration Statement and the issuance of a certificate or book entry statement with respect to such Registrable Securities without such legend promptly following such Holder’s notice (and in any event within two (2) Business Days thereof). The Company shall be responsible for the fees of its transfer agent and all DTC fees associated with such issuance. To the extent required by the transfer agent, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause its legal counsel to deliver a customary opinion within two (2) Business Days of the delivery of all reasonably necessary representations and other documentation from the Holder as reasonably requested by the Company, its counsel or the transfer agent by the Holder to the transfer agent to the effect that the removal of the restrictive legend in such circumstances may be effected under the Securities Act; provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company will not be required to deliver any such opinion, authorization, certificate or direction if it reasonably believes that removal of the legend could result in or facilitate transfers of securities in violation of applicable law.

 

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2.2. Demand Registration.

2.2.1. Request for Registration. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.2.4 and Section 2.4 hereof and provided that the Company does not have an effective Registration Statement pursuant to subsection 2.1.1 outstanding covering Registrable Securities, (a) the Sponsor Principals of at least a majority-in-interest of the then-outstanding number of Registrable Securities held by the Sponsor Principals or (b) the New Holders of at least a majority-in-interest of the then-outstanding number of Registrable Securities held by the New Holders (the “Demanding Holders”), in each case, may make a written demand for Registration of all or part of their Registrable Securities, which written demand shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such Registration and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof (such written demand a “Demand Registration”). The Company shall, within five (5) Business Days of the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, notify, in writing, all other Holders of Registrable Securities of such demand (the “Company Demand Notice”), and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration (each such Holder that includes all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration, a “Requesting Holder”) shall so notify the Company, in writing, within five (5) Business Days after the Company Demand Notice has been sent. Upon timely receipt by the Company of any such written notification from a Requesting Holder(s) to the Company, which to be deemed timely hereunder shall include all information reasonably requested by the Company from such Requesting Holder(s) with respect to such Registration, such Requesting Holder(s) shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration and the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to effect, as soon thereafter as reasonably practicable, the Registration of all Registrable Securities requested by the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders pursuant to such Demand Registration. Under no circumstances shall the Company be obligated to effect (x) more than an aggregate of two (2) Registrations pursuant to a Demand Registration by the Sponsor Principals under this subsection 2.2.1 with respect to any or all Registrable Securities held by the Sponsor Principals and their Permitted Transferees and (y) more than an aggregate of two (2) Registrations pursuant to a Demand Registration by the New Holders with respect to any or all Registrable Securities held by such New Holders and their Permitted Transferees; provided, however, that a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration shall not be counted for such purposes unless a registration statement that may be available at such time has become effective and all of the Registrable Securities requested by the Requesting Holders and the Demanding Holders to be registered on behalf of the Requesting Holders and the Demanding Holders were included in such registration statement.

2.2.2. Effective Registration. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2.2.1 above or any other part of this Agreement, a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration shall not count as a Registration unless and until (i) the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration has been declared effective by the Commission and (ii) the Company has complied in all material respects with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; provided, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, an offering of Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a

 

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Demand Registration is subsequently interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission, federal or state court or any other Governmental Entity, the Registration Statement with respect to such Registration shall be deemed not to have been declared effective unless and until (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated, and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating such Demand Registration thereafter affirmatively elect to continue with such Registration and accordingly notify the Company in writing, but in no event later than five (5) days, of such election; provided, further, that the Company shall not be obligated or required to file another Registration Statement until the Registration Statement that has been previously filed with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration becomes effective or is subsequently terminated.

2.2.3. Underwritten Offering. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.2.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, if a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so advise the Company as part of their Demand Registration that the offering of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an Underwritten Offering, then the right of such Demanding Holder or Requesting Holder (if any) to include its Registrable Securities in such Registration shall be conditioned upon such Holder’s participation in such Underwritten Offering and the inclusion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Underwritten Offering to the extent provided herein. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.2.3 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating the Demand Registration, which Underwriter(s) shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company.

2.2.4. Reduction of Underwritten Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration, in good faith, advises the Company, the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) in writing that the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) desire to sell, taken together with all other Company Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, if any, as to which a Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by any other shareholders who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of equity securities that can be sold in the Underwritten Offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of such securities, as applicable, the “Maximum Number of Securities”), then the Company shall include in such Underwritten Offering, as follows: (i) first, the Registrable Securities of the Demanding Holders (pro rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Demanding Holder has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders have requested be included in such Underwritten Registration (such proportion is referred to herein as “Pro Rata”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Registrable Securities of Requesting Holders (Pro Rata, based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Requesting Holder has so requested) exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 hereof, without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the Company

 

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Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register in a Registration pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iv) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), the Company Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.

2.2.5. Demand Registration Withdrawal. A majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration or a majority-in-interest of the Requesting Holders (if any) pursuant to a Registration under subsection 2.2.1 shall have the right to withdraw from a Registration pursuant to such Demand Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of their intention to withdraw from such Registration at least three (3) Business Day prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Registration of their Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration (or in the case of an Underwritten Registration pursuant to Rule 415, at least five (5) Business Days prior to the time of pricing of the applicable offering). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration or a Shelf Underwritten Offering prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.2.5 and any such withdrawn Demand Registration shall constitute a completed Demand Registration for purposes of determining the number of Demand Registrations that may be requested by the Holders pursuant to subsection 2.2.1.

2.3. Piggyback Registration.

2.3.1. Piggyback Rights. If the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, equity securities, for its own account or for the account of shareholders of the Company (or by the Company and by the shareholders of the Company), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed pursuant to Section 2.2, (ii) filed in connection with any employee stock option or other benefit plan, (iii) for a rights offering or an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing shareholders, (iv) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company (v) pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (or similar form that relates to a transaction subject to Rule 145 under the Securities Act or any successor rule thereto) or (vi) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall give written notice of such proposed filing to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but not less than three (3) Business Days before the anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement, which notice shall (A) describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, in such offering, and (B) offer to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities the opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as such Holders may request in writing within five (5) Business Days such written notice is sent (such Registration a “Piggyback Registration”); provided, that each Holder of Registrable Securities agrees that the fact that such a notice has been delivered shall constitute confidential information; provided further, that the exercise of any piggy-back rights with respect to any Block Trade should be done no later than twenty four (24) hours after the Company’s written notice regarding such Block Trade is sent. The Company shall, in good

 

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faith, cause such Registrable Securities to be included in such Piggyback Registration and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed Underwritten Offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested by the Holders pursuant to this subsection 2.3.1 to be included in a Piggyback Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company included in such Registration and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.3.1 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the Company.

2.3.2. Reduction of Piggyback Registration. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration that is to be a Piggyback Registration, in good faith, advises the Company and the Holders of Registrable Securities participating in the Piggyback Registration in writing that the dollar amount or number of Company Ordinary Shares that the Company desires to sell, taken together with (i) the Company Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been demanded pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, (ii) the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested pursuant to Section 2.3 hereof, and (iii) the Company Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other shareholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then:

 

  (a)

If the Registration is undertaken for the Company’s account, the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Company Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.3.1 hereof, Pro Rata, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities and (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Company Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been requested or demanded pursuant to written contractual piggy- back registration rights of other shareholders of the Company, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities;

 

  (b)

If the Registration is pursuant to a request by persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, then the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Company Ordinary Shares or other equity securities, if any, of such requesting persons or entities, other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.3.1, Pro Rata, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), Company Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.

 

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2.3.3. Piggyback Registration Withdrawal. Any Holder of Registrable Securities shall have the right to withdraw from a Piggyback Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of his, her or its intention to withdraw from such Piggyback Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Piggyback Registration (or in the case of an Underwritten Registration pursuant to Rule 415, at least two (2) Business Days prior to the time of pricing of the applicable offering). The Company (whether on its own good faith determination or as the result of a request for withdrawal by persons pursuant to separate written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement filed with the Commission in connection with a Piggyback Registration at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with the Piggyback Registration prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.3.3.

2.3.4. Unlimited Piggyback Registration Rights. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to Section 2.3 hereof shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.2 hereof or a Shelf Underwritten Offering effected under subsection 2.1.4.

2.4. Restrictions on Registration Rights. If (A) during the period starting with the date sixty (60) days prior to the Company’s good faith estimate of the date of the filing of, and ending on a date one hundred and twenty (120) days after the effective date of, a Company initiated Registration and provided that the Company has delivered written notice to the Holders prior to receipt of a Demand Registration pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 and it continues to actively employ, in good faith, all reasonable best efforts to cause the applicable Registration Statement to become effective; (B) the Holders have requested an Underwritten Registration and the Company and the Holders are unable to obtain the commitment of underwriters to firmly underwrite the offer; or (C) in the good faith judgment of the Board, such Registration would be seriously detrimental to the Company and the Board concludes as a result, that it is essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement at such time, then in each case the Company shall furnish to such Holders a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board or Chief Executive Officer stating that in the good faith judgment of the Board it would be seriously detrimental to the Company for such Registration Statement to be filed in the near future and that it is therefore essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement, then the Company shall have the right to defer such filing for a period of not more than sixty (60) days; provided, however, that the Company shall not defer its obligation in this manner more than twice in any 12-month period (the “Aggregate Blocking Period”).

2.5. Block Trades. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article II, but subject to Sections 2.4 and 3.5, if the Holders desire to effect a Block Trade, with a total offering price expected to exceed, in the aggregate, $25,000,000, the Holders shall provide written notice to the Company at least five (5) Business Days prior to the date such Block Trade will commence. As expeditiously as possible, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to facilitate such Block Trade. The

 

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Holders shall use reasonable best efforts to work with the Company and the Underwriter(s) (including by disclosing the maximum number of Registrable Securities proposed to be the subject of such Block Trade) in order to facilitate preparation of the Registration Statement, Prospectus and other offering documentation related to the Block Trade and any related due diligence and comfort procedures.

ARTICLE III

COMPANY PROCEDURES

3.1. General Procedures. If the Company is required to effect the Registration of Registrable Securities, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to effect such Registration to permit the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto the Company shall, as expeditiously as reasonably possible:

3.1.1. prepare and file with the Commission as soon as practicable (but in no event later than the Filing Date with respect to a Registration Statement filed pursuant to subsection 2.1.1) a Registration Statement with respect to such Registrable Securities and use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective (but in no event later than the Effectiveness Deadline with respect to a Registration Statement filed pursuant to subsection 2.1.1) and remain effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold or have ceased to be Registrable Securities;

3.1.2. prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement, and such supplements to the Prospectus, as may be reasonably requested by a majority-in-interest of the Holders with Registrable Securities registered on such Registration Statement or any Underwriter of Registrable Securities or as may be required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company or by the Securities Act or rules and regulations thereunder to keep the Registration Statement effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement are sold in accordance with the intended plan of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus;

3.1.3. prior to filing a Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the Underwriters, if any, and each Holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration, and such Holders’ legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary Prospectus), and such other documents as the Underwriters and each Holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration or the legal counsel for any such Holders may reasonably request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Holders, and take into consideration, prior to the filing thereof, any requested changes thereto as such Holders or their legal counsel may reasonably request;

 

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3.1.4. prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use its reasonable best efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” Laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as any Holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may reasonably request (or provide evidence satisfactory to such Holders that the Registrable Securities are exempt from such registration or qualification) and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other Governmental Entities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable to enable the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify or take any action to which it would be subject to general service of process or taxation in any such jurisdiction where it is not then otherwise so subject;

3.1.5. cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange or automated quotation system on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed;

3.1.6. provide a transfer agent or warrant agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of such Registration Statement;

3.1.7. after the filing of a Registration Statement, the Company shall promptly, and in no event more than two (2) business days after such filing, notify the Holders included in such Registration Statement of such filing, and shall further notify such Holders promptly and confirm such advice in writing in all events within two (2) business days of the occurrence of any of the following: (i) when such Registration Statement becomes effective; (ii) when any post-effective amendment to such Registration Statement becomes effective; (iii) the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order (and the Company shall take all actions required to prevent the entry of such stop order or to remove it if entered); (iv) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or threatening of any Proceeding for such purpose; and (v) any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or any prospectus relating thereto or for additional information or of the occurrence of an event requiring the preparation of a supplement or amendment to such prospectus so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of the securities covered by such Registration Statement, such prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of the prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made), not misleading, and promptly make available to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement any such supplement or amendment;

3.1.8. at least five (5) days prior to the filing of any Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or Prospectus (or such shorter period of time as may be (a) necessary in order to comply with the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or (b) advisable in order to reduce the number of days that sales are suspended pursuant to Section 3.5), furnish a copy thereof to each seller of such Registrable Securities and its counsel, including, without limitation, providing copies promptly upon receipt of any comment letters received with respect to any such Registration Statement or Prospectus;

 

15


3.1.9. notify the Holders at any time when a Prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes a Misstatement, and then to correct such Misstatement as set forth in Section 3.5 hereof;

3.1.10. permit a representative of the Holders (such representative to be selected by a majority of the participating Holders), the Underwriter(s), if any, and any attorney or accountant retained by such Holders or Underwriter(s) to participate, at each such person’s own expense, in the preparation of the Registration Statement, and cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any such representative, Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with the Registration; provided, however, that such representative or Underwriter enters into a confidentiality agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, prior to the release or disclosure of any such information;

3.1.11. obtain a “cold comfort” letter from the Company’s independent registered public accountants in the event of an Underwritten Registration, in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by “cold comfort” letters as the managing Underwriter(s) may reasonably request;

3.1.12. on the date the Registrable Securities are delivered for sale pursuant to such Registration, obtain an opinion, dated such date, of counsel representing the Company for the purposes of such Registration, addressed to the placement agent or sales agent, if any, and the Underwriter(s), if any, covering such legal matters with respect to the Registration in respect of which such opinion is being given as the Underwriter(s), placement agent(s) or sales agent(s) may reasonably request and as are customarily included in such opinions and negative assurance letters;

3.1.13. in the event of any Underwritten Offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, with the managing Underwriter of such offering;

3.1.14. make available to its security holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the Company’s first full calendar quarter after the effective date of the Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission);

3.1.15. in the event of an Underwritten offering in which the Registration involves the Registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $75,000,000, use its reasonable best efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show” presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter(s) in any Underwritten Offering; and

 

16


3.1.16. otherwise, in good faith, cooperate reasonably with, and take such customary actions as may reasonably be requested by the participating Holders, consistent with the terms of this Agreement, in connection with such Registration, including, without limitation, making available senior executives of the Company to participate in any due diligence sessions that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any Underwritten Offering.

3.2. Registration Expenses. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Registration Expenses of all Registrations shall be borne by the Company. It is acknowledged by the Holders that the Holders shall bear all incremental selling expenses relating to the sale of Registrable Securities, such as Underwriters’ commissions and discounts, brokerage fees, Underwriter marketing costs and, other than as set forth in the definition of Registration Expenses, all reasonable fees and expenses of any legal counsel representing the Holders.

3.3. Requirements for Participation in Registrations. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if any Holder does not provide the Company with the information reasonably necessary about the Holder to include such Holder’s Registrable Securities in a Registration Statement, the Company may exclude such Holder’s Registrable Securities from such Registration Statement or related Prospectus if the Company determines, based on the advice of counsel, that such information is necessary to effect the registration and such Holder continues thereafter to withhold such information. No person may participate in any Underwritten Offering for equity securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration initiated by the Company hereunder unless such person (i) agrees to sell such person’s securities on the basis provided in any underwriting, sales, placement or distribution arrangements approved by the Company and (ii) completes and executes all customary questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, lock-up agreements, underwriting or other agreements and other customary documents as may be reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting, sales, distribution or placement arrangements.

3.4. Restrictions on Transfer. In connection with any Underwritten Offering of equity securities of the Company, (i) each Holder agrees that it shall not Transfer any Company Ordinary Shares (other than those included in such offering pursuant to this Agreement), without the prior written consent of the Company, during the seven (7) calendar days prior (to the extent notice of such Underwritten Offering has been provided) to and the 90-day period beginning on the date of pricing of such offering, except in the event the Underwriter or Underwriters managing the offering otherwise agree to a reduced period which shall apply to all Holders, and further agrees to execute a customary lock-up agreement in favor of the Underwriters to such effect (in each case on substantially the same terms and conditions as all such Holders), (ii) the Company will cause each of its directors and executive officers to execute a lock-up agreement on terms at least as restrictive as that contemplated by the preceding clause (i), and (iii) the Company will not effect any public offering or distribution of its equity securities or any securities convertible or exchangeable or exercisable for such securities during the period contemplated in clause (i) (other than (A) as part of any such Underwritten Offering, (B) in connection with a registration related to any employee stock option or other benefit plan, (C) an exchange offer or offering in connection with a business acquisition or combination pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-4 or such other similar form as may be applicable, (D) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company, or (E) for a dividend reinvestment plan).

 

17


3.5. Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a Registration Statement or Prospectus contains a Misstatement, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until he, she or it has received copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus correcting the Misstatement (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as reasonably practicable after the time of such notice), or until he, she or it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any Registration at any time would require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure or would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s reasonable control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the Holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the shortest period of time, but in no event more than ninety (90) days, determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose; provided, that each day of any such suspension pursuant to this Section 3.5 shall correspondingly decrease the Aggregate Blocking Period available to the Company during any twelve (12) month period pursuant to Section 2.4 hereof. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the Holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the Prospectus relating to any Registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall notify the Holders within one (1) Business Day of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this Section 3.5.

3.6. Reporting Obligations. As long as any Holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company, at all times while it shall be a reporting company under the Exchange Act, covenants to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the Holders with true and complete copies of all such filings; provided that any documents publicly filed or furnished with the Commission pursuant to the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System shall be deemed to have been furnished or delivered to the Holders pursuant to this Section 3.6. The Company further covenants that it shall take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Holder to sell the Company Ordinary Shares held by such Holder without registration under the Securities Act within, and in accordance with, the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144, including providing any legal opinions. Upon the written request of any Holder, the Company shall deliver to such Holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements.

ARTICLE IV

INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION

4.1. Indemnification.

4.1.1. The Company agrees to indemnify, to the extent permitted by Law, each Holder of Registrable Securities, its officers and directors and each person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees) resulting from or based upon any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make

 

18


the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading, except insofar as the same are caused by or contained in any information furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein. The Company shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers and directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to the indemnification of the Holder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the indemnity obligation of the Company contained in this subsection 4.1.1 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any such claim or proceeding if such settlement is effected without the Company’s consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

4.1.2. In connection with any Registration Statement in which a Holder of Registrable Securities is participating, such Holder shall furnish to the Company in writing such information and affidavits as the Company reasonably requests for use in connection with any such Registration Statement or Prospectus and, to the extent permitted by Law, shall indemnify the Company, its directors and officers and agents and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees) resulting from or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission is contained in any information or affidavit so furnished in writing by such Holder expressly for use therein; provided, however, that the obligation to indemnify shall be several, not joint and several, among such Holders of Registrable Securities, and the liability of each such Holder of Registrable Securities shall be in proportion to and limited to the net proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. The Holders of Registrable Securities shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers, directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to indemnification of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the indemnity obligation of a Holder contained in this subsection 4.1.2 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any such claim or proceeding if such settlement is effected without such Holder’s consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

4.1.3. Any person entitled to indemnification herein shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification (provided, that the failure to give prompt notice shall not impair any person’s right to indemnification hereunder to the extent such failure has not materially prejudiced the indemnifying party) and (ii) unless in such indemnified party’s reasonable judgment a conflict of interest between such indemnified and indemnifying parties may exist with respect to such claim, permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. If such defense is assumed, the indemnifying party shall not be subject to any liability for any settlement made by the indemnified party without its consent (but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld). An indemnifying party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the defense of a claim shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one counsel for all parties indemnified by such indemnifying party with respect to such claim, unless

 

19


in the reasonable judgment of any indemnified party a conflict of interest may exist between such indemnified party and any other of such indemnified parties with respect to such claim. No indemnifying party shall, without the consent of the indemnified party, consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which cannot be settled in all respects by the payment of money (and such money is so paid by the indemnifying party pursuant to the terms of such settlement) or which settlement includes a statement or admission of fault and culpability on the part of such indemnified party or which settlement does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation.

4.1.4. The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the indemnified party or any officer, director or controlling person of such indemnified party and shall survive the Transfer of securities. The Company and each Holder of Registrable Securities participating in an offering also agrees to make such provisions as are reasonably requested by any indemnified party for contribution to such party in the event the Company’s or such Holder’s indemnification is unavailable for any reason.

4.1.5. If the indemnification provided under Section 4.1 hereof from the indemnifying party is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses referred to herein, then the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying the indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, was made (or not made by, in the case of an omission) by, or relates to information supplied by (or not supplied by, in the case of an omission), such indemnifying party or indemnified party, and the indemnifying party’s and indemnified party’s relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action; provided, however, that the liability of any Holder under this subsection 4.1.5 shall be limited to the amount of the net proceeds received by such Holder in such offering giving rise to such liability. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses or other liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in subsections 4.1.1, 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 above, any legal or other fees, charges or out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 were determined by Pro Rata allocation or by any other method of allocation, which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this subsection 4.1.5. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

 

20


ARTICLE V

MISCELLANEOUS

5.1. Notices. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (i) delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (ii) transmission by hand delivery or electronic mail. Each notice or communication that is delivered or transmitted in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given, served, sent, and received, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery or electronic mail, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery of receipt or the affidavit of messenger). Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be addressed, if to the Company to: Tekniikantie 12, 02150 Espoo, Finland, Attention: Michael Howard, Email: michael.howard@mariadb.com, and, if to any Holder, at such Holder’s address or electronic mail address as set forth on the signature pages hereto. Any party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by giving written notice in the manner set forth above, and such change of address shall become effective ten (10) days after delivery of such notice as provided in this Section 5.1.

5.2. Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries.

5.2.1. This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company and the Holders of Registrable Securities, as the case may be, hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company or the Holders of Registrable Securities, as the case may be, in whole or in part, except in connection with a Transfer of Registrable Securities by such Holder to a Permitted Transferee but only if such Permitted Transferee agrees to become bound by the restrictions set forth in this Agreement.

5.2.2. This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties and its successors and the permitted assigns of the Holders, which shall include Permitted Transferees.

5.2.3. This Agreement shall not confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not parties hereto, other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement and Section 5.1 hereof.

5.2.4. No assignment by any party hereto of such party’s rights, duties and obligations hereunder shall be binding upon or obligate the Company unless and until the Company shall have received (i) written notice of such assignment as provided in Section 5.1 hereof and (ii) the written agreement of the assignee, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by the terms and provisions of this Agreement (which may be accomplished by an addendum or certificate of joinder to this Agreement). Any transfer or assignment made other than as provided in this Section 5.1 shall be null and void.

5.3. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including facsimile or PDF counterparts), each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced.

5.4. Governing Law; Venue; Waiver of Trial by Jury. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PLACE WHERE THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ANY OF THE PARTIES HERETO, THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE AS APPLIED

 

21


TO AGREEMENTS AMONG DELAWARE RESIDENTS ENTERED INTO AND TO BE PERFORMED ENTIRELY WITHIN DELAWARE, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION. ANY LEGAL SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR BASED UPON THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED THEREBY MAY BE INSTITUTED IN THE COURT OF CHANCERY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE OR, IF SUCH COURT DECLINES JURISDICTION, THEN TO ANY COURT IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE OR THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE, AND EACH PARTY IRREVOCABLY SUBMITS TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS IN ANY SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING.

EACH PARTY HERETO ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND, THEREFORE, EACH SUCH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT SUCH PARTY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT TO ANY ACTION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT.

5.5. Amendments and Modifications. Upon the written consent of the Company and the Holders of at least a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities at the time in question, compliance with any of the provisions, covenants and conditions set forth in this Agreement may be waived, or any of such provisions, covenants or conditions may be amended or modified; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects one Holder or group of affiliated Holders, solely in its capacity as a holder of the shares of capital stock of the Company, in a manner that is materially different from the other Holders (in such capacity) shall require the consent of the Holder or group of affiliated Holders so affected. No course of dealing between any Holder or the Company and any other party hereto or any failure or delay on the part of a Holder or the Company in exercising any rights or remedies under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any rights or remedies of any Holder or the Company. No single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies under this Agreement by a party shall operate as a waiver or preclude the exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder by such party.

5.6. Other Registration Rights. The Company represents and warrants that no Person, other than a Holder of Registrable Securities, has any right to require the Company to register any securities of the Company for sale or to include such securities of the Company in any Registration filed by the Company for the sale of securities for its own account or for the account of any other Person. The parties hereby terminate the (i) Existing Registration Rights Agreement, and (ii) the Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of January 31, 2022, by and among MariaDB Corporation AB and certain parties as listed therein; in each case, which shall be of no further force and effect and are hereby superseded and replaced in their entirety by this Agreement. Further, the Company represents and warrants that this Agreement supersedes any other registration rights agreement or agreement with similar terms and conditions and in the event of a conflict between any such agreement or agreements and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.

 

22


5.7. Term. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of (i) the tenth anniversary of the date of this Agreement and (ii) with respect to any Holder, the date as of which such Holder no longer holds any Registrable Securities. The provisions of Section 2.5 and Article V shall survive any termination.

5.8. Severability. If any provision of this 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.

[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]

 

23


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above.

 

THE COMPANY:
MARIADB PLC
 

 

Name:
Title:

 

THE SPONSOR:
 

 

Name:
Title:

 

THE SPONSOR PRINCIPALS:

By:    
  Name:

 

By:    
 

Name:

 

Title:

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


NEW HOLDERS:

By:    
  Name:
  Title:

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]

Exhibit 10.4

DATED [•] 2022

MARIADB PLC

AND

[DIRECTOR]

 

 

DEED OF INDEMNIFICATION

 

 

MATHESON

70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay

Dublin 2

Ireland

TEL: + 353 1 232 2000

FAX: +353 1 232 3333


CONTENTS

Page No

 

1  

Interpretation

     1  
2  

Agreement to Serve

     5  
3  

Indemnity of [Director / Officer / Employee]

     6  
4  

Indemnification for Expenses of a Witness

     6  
5  

Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification

     6  
6  

Advancement of Expenses

     7  
7  

Remedies of Indemnitee in Cases of Determination Not to Indemnify or to Advance Expenses or Failure to Timely Pay

     8  
8  

Other Rights to Indemnification

     8  
9  

Attorneys’ Fees and Other Expenses to Enforce Deed

     9  
10  

Limitations of Indemnification

     9  
11  

Liability Insurance

     9  
12  

Duration of Deed

     9  
13  

Notice of Proceedings by the Indemnitee

     10  
14  

Notices

     10  
15  

Miscellaneous

     11  

 


THIS DEED OF INDEMNIFICATION (this “Deed”) is made on [•] 2022

BETWEEN:

 

(1)

MARIADB PLC, an Irish public limited company with company number 606330 and with its registered office located at 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland (the “Company”).

AND

 

(2)

[DIRECTOR/OFFICER/EMPLOYEE] of [address of Director/Officer/Employee] (the “Indemnitee”).

WHEREAS:

 

A.

Highly skilled and competent persons are becoming more reluctant to serve public companies as directors, officers and / or employees unless they are provided with adequate protection through insurance and indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of such companies and uncertainties relating to indemnification increase the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons.

 

B.

The Board (as defined below) has determined that an inability to attract and retain such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company and its shareholders and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection.

 

C.

The Company desires to ensure that the Company and its shareholders benefit from the services of highly skilled and competent persons such as the Indemnitee.

 

D.

It is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company to contractually obligate itself to indemnify the Indemnitee to the Fullest Extent Permitted By Law so that the Indemnitee will serve or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that the Indemnitee will not be so indemnified.

 

E.

The Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve and take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company and, as partial consideration for agreeing to do so, the Company has agreed to enter into this Deed with the Indemnitee.

NOW THEREFORE THIS DEED WITNESSES as follows:

 

1

Interpretation

 

1.1

In this Deed, the following words and expressions shall have the following meanings:

Affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under Section 12 of the Exchange Act;

Assets” means the assets of any kind owned by the Company, including, without limitation, the securities of the Subsidiaries and any of the assets owned by the Subsidiaries;

Beneficial Owner” has the meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act;

Board” means the board of directors of the Company;

 

1


Board Designee” means any director or officer of the Company as may be designated by the Board from time to time to exercise the rights of the Board Designee set forth in clause 5 in lieu of the Board unless otherwise determined by the Board [(it being acknowledged that the Board has authorized and approved that any of the Chief Executive Officer or General Counsel of the Company may act as a Board Designee under this Deed until such time as determined by the Board),] provided however, that no action taken by a Board Designee shall be valid unless notice thereof is promptly delivered to the Board and any such action shall not be in respect of any Proceedings to which such Board Designee was, is or is reasonably expected to be a party and provided further that the Board may revoke the powers of any Board Designee at any time by written notice to the Board Designee, but any such revocation shall not affect any prior act of a Board Designee unless such act is determined by the Board to have been taken by the Board Designee in bad faith;

Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday on which clearing banks are generally open for non-automated business in Ireland and in California U.S.A.;

Change in Control” means the occurrence of any event set forth in any one of the following paragraphs:

 

  (a)

any Person is, or becomes, the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of 20% or more of either: (A) the then issued ordinary shares in the capital of the Company (the “Outstanding Company Issued Shares”); or (B) the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors at general meetings of the Company (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”), excluding any Person who becomes such a Beneficial Owner in connection with a transaction that complies with clauses (A), (B) and (C) of paragraph (c) below;

 

  (b)

during any period of two (2) consecutive years (not including any period prior to the execution of this Agreement), individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a simple majority of the Board, provided however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Incumbent Board shall be considered as though such individual was a member of the Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or any other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board;

 

  (c)

the consummation of an acquisition, reorganization, reincorporation, redomestication, merger, amalgamation, consolidation, plan or scheme of arrangement, exchange offer, business combination or similar transaction of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s Assets (any of which a “Corporate Transaction”), unless, following such Corporate Transaction or series of related Corporate Transactions, as the case may be: (A) all of the individuals and Entities who were the Beneficial Owners, respectively, of the Outstanding Company Issued Shares and Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such Corporate Transaction own or beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of, respectively, the Outstanding Company Issued Shares and the combined voting power of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities entitled

 

2


  to vote generally in the election of directors (or other governing body), as the case may be, of the Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction (including, without limitation, an Entity (including any new parent Entity) which as a result of such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s Assets either directly or through one or more Entities) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership, immediately prior to such Corporate Transaction, of the Outstanding Company Issued Shares and the Outstanding Company Voting Securities, as the case may be; (B) no Person (excluding any Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction or any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company or such Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of, respectively, the then issued ordinary shares (or outstanding shares of common stock) of the Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction or the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of such Entity except to the extent that such ownership existed prior to the Corporate Transaction; and (C) at least a simple majority of the members of the board of directors (or other governing body) of the Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction were members of the Incumbent Board at the time of the approval of such Corporate Transaction; or

 

  (d)

approval or adoption by the Board or the shareholders of the Company of a plan or proposal which could result directly or indirectly in the liquidation, transfer, sale or other disposal of all or substantially all of the Company’s Assets or the dissolution of the Company, excluding any transaction that complies with clauses (A), (B) and (C) of paragraph (c) above;

Companies Act” means the Companies Act 2014 of Ireland, as amended;

Corporate Status” means the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, employee, agent, or fiduciary of the Company or any other Group Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of any other company, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Entity or enterprise;

Deed” means this Deed of Indemnification;

Disinterested Director” means a director of the Company who is not or was not a party to a Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee;

Entity” means any corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization or other business entity;

Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time;

Expenses” shall mean all costs, expenses, and obligations paid or incurred in connection with investigating, litigating, being a witness in, defending or participating in, or preparing to litigate, defend, be a witness in or participate in any matter that is the subject of a Proceeding, including attorneys’, experts’, accountants’ or other advisors’ fees and court costs;

Fullest Extent Permitted by Law” means the maximum extent authorized or permitted by the Companies Act or other applicable law, as such laws may from time to time be amended to increase the scope of such permitted indemnification;

 

3


Group Companies” means the Company and each Subsidiary (wherever incorporated or organised);

Independent Counsel” means a law firm or a member of a law firm that neither is presently nor in the past 5 years has been retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to any such party; or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing the Company or the lndemnitee in an action to determine the lndemnitee’s right to indemnification under this Deed;

Parties” means the parties to this Deed collectively, and “Party” means any one of them;

Person” shall have the meaning given in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, except that such term shall not include (i) the Company or any of the Subsidiaries; (ii) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under terms of an employee benefit and compensation plans, agreements, arrangements, programs, policies, practices, contracts or agreement of the Company and its Affiliates (collectively, “Benefit Plans”); (iii) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering by the Company of such securities; or (iv) a corporation or other Entity owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in the same proportions as their ownership of issued shares of the Company;

Proceeding” means any actual, threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened, pending or completed proceeding, inquiry, hearing or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal and whether brought by or in the right of the Company or otherwise (including, but not limited to, the investigation, defence, settlement or appeal of any of the forgoing); and

Subsidiary” means any majority-owned subsidiary of the Company or any majority-owned subsidiary thereof, or any other Entity in which the Company owns, directly or indirectly, a significant financial interest, provided that the Chief Executive Officer of the Company designates such Entity to be a Subsidiary for the purposes of this Deed.

 

1.2

In this Deed unless the context otherwise requires or unless otherwise specified:

 

  1.2.1

any reference to any statute, statutory provision or to any order or regulation shall be construed as a reference to that statute, provision, order or regulation as extended, modified, amended, replaced or re-enacted from time to time (whether before or after the date of this Deed) and all statutory instruments, regulations and orders from time to time made thereunder or deriving validity therefrom (whether before or after the date of this Deed);

 

  1.2.2

words denoting any gender include all genders and words denoting the singular include the plural and vice versa;

 

  1.2.3

all references to recitals, sections, clauses, paragraphs, schedules and annexes are to recitals in, sections, clauses and paragraphs of and schedules and annexes to this Deed, unless otherwise specifically stated;

 

  1.2.4

headings are for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Deed;

 

4


  1.2.5

general words introduced by the word “other” shall not be given a restrictive meaning by reason of the fact that they are preceded by words indicating a particular class of acts, matters or things, and general words shall not be given a restrictive meaning by reason of the fact that they are followed by particular examples intended to be embraced by the general words and any reference to the word “include” or “including” is to be construed without limitation;

 

  1.2.6

words such as “hereunder”, “hereto”, “hereof” and “herein” and other words commencing with “here” shall unless the context clearly indicates to the contrary refer to the whole of this Deed and not to any particular section, clause or paragraph hereof;

 

  1.2.7

any reference to this Deed, to any other deed, agreement or document or to any specified provision of this Deed or any other deed, agreement or document is to this Deed, that deed, agreement or document or that specified provision, in each case as amended from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Deed or that other deed, agreement or document, as the case may be;

 

  1.2.8

any reference to a “person” shall be construed as a reference to any individual, firm, company, corporation, body corporate, government, state or agency of a state or any association or partnership (whether or not having separate legal personality) of two or more of the foregoing;

 

  1.2.9

any reference to a “company” shall include any company, corporation or other body corporate, wherever and however incorporated or established;

 

  1.2.10

any reference to a Party or other person includes his, her or its successors, personal representatives and permitted assigns;

 

  1.2.11

any reference to “writing” or any similar expression includes transmission by email or other comparable means of electronic communication, provided however, that where such notice is served under this Deed by email or other comparable means of electronic communication, it must clearly and unambiguously state at the beginning of such communication that such communication constitutes a notice for the purpose of this Deed;

 

  1.2.12

if any action or duty to be taken or performed under any of the provisions of this Deed would fall to be taken or performed on a day which is not a Business Day, such action or duty shall be taken or performed on the Business Day next following such day;

 

  1.2.13

for the avoidance of doubt, any reference to Ireland does not include Northern Ireland.

 

1.3

The Parties have participated jointly in the negotiating and drafting of this Deed. In the event that an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Deed shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favouring or disfavouring either Party by virtue of the authorship of any of the provisions of this Deed.

 

2

Agreement to Serve

The lndemnitee agrees to serve as a [director, officer and / or employee] of the Company. This Deed does not create or otherwise establish any right on the part of the Indemnitee to be and continue to be elected or appointed or employed as a [director, officer and / or employee] of the Company or any other Group Company and does not create an employment contract or other employment arrangement between the Company and the Indemnitee.

 

5


3

Indemnity of [Director / Officer / Employee]

 

3.1

Subject to clause 10, the Company shall, to the Fullest Extent Permitted By Law and without prejudice to any other indemnity to which the Indemnitee may otherwise be entitled, indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Indemnitee against all damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, amounts paid in settlement, and reasonable Expenses if lndemnitee was or is a party to or participant in, or is threatened to be made a party to or participant in, any Proceeding, including a Proceeding brought by or in the right of the Company, by reason of the fact or assertion that the Indemnitee (i) is, or was, serving as a director, officer, employee, agent, or fiduciary of the Company or another Group Company or (ii) is or was serving, at the request of the Company or another Group Company, as a director, officer, employee, agent, or fiduciary of any other company, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Entity or enterprise or by reason of anything done or not done by the Indemnitee in any such capacity.

 

3.2

Subject to clause 10, if the Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Deed to indemnification for some or a portion of Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement, but not the total amount thereof, the Company shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Indemnitee for such portion of the Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, amounts paid in settlement and any other amounts that the lndemnitee becomes legally obligated to pay in connection with any Proceeding to which the lndemnitee is entitled.

 

4

Indemnification for Expenses of a Witness

Subject to clause 10, to the extent that the Indemnitee is, by reason of the Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, a witness in any Proceeding, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified by the Company against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the lndemnitee or on the Indemnitee’s behalf in connection therewith.

 

5

Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification

 

5.1

The Indemnitee shall request indemnification pursuant to this Deed by notice in writing to the General Counsel of the Company or, if not the same person, to the secretary of the Company. The secretary shall, promptly upon receipt of the Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, advise in writing the Board and the Board Designee or such other person or persons empowered to make the determination as provided in clause 5.2 that the Indemnitee has made such request for indemnification. Subject to clause 10, upon making such request for indemnification, the Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification hereunder and the Company shall have the burden of proof in the making of any determination contrary to such presumption.

 

5.2

Upon written request by the Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to clause 3.1, the entitlement of the lndemnitee to indemnification pursuant to the terms of this Deed shall be determined in the following circumstances and by the following person or persons who, in each instance, shall be empowered to make such determination:

 

  5.2.1

if a Change in Control shall not have occurred,

 

6


  (a)

by the Board, by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, or by the Board Designee; or

 

  (b)

if such Board vote or the Board Designee determination under clause 5.2.1(a) is not obtainable or, even if obtainable, if such Disinterested Directors (by majority vote) or the Board Designee so directs, by (i) Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board and the Board Designee, a copy of which shall be delivered to the Indemnitee; or (ii) a majority vote of the shareholders of the Company; and

 

  5.2.2

if a Change in Control shall have occurred,

 

  (a)

by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board and the Board Designee, a copy of which shall be delivered to the Indemnitee; or

 

  (b)

at the Indemnitee’s sole option, the Indemnitee shall have the right to direct that such determination be made in the manner provided in clause 5.2.1.

 

5.3

For the purposes of clause 5.2.1(b), Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board or the Board Designee and reasonably approved by the lndemnitee and, for the purposes of clause 5.2.2, Independent Counsel shall be reasonably selected by the Indemnitee. Upon failure of the Board or the Board Designee to so select such Independent Counsel or upon failure of the Indemnitee to so approve, such Independent Counsel shall be selected by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Such determination of entitlement to indemnification shall be made not later than 60 days after receipt by the Company of a written request for indemnification. Such request shall include documentation or information which is reasonably necessary for such determination and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee. Subject to clause 10, any reasonable Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the Indemnitee’s request for indemnification hereunder shall be borne by the Company irrespective of the outcome of the determination of the Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification. If the person or persons making such determination shall determine that the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification as to part, but not all, of the application for indemnification, such persons may, subject to clause 10, reasonably pro rate such partial indemnification among such claims, issues or matters in respect of which indemnification is requested.

 

6

Advancement of Expenses

Subject to clause 10, all reasonable Expenses incurred by, and advances of disbursements required of, the Indemnitee in connection with any Proceeding and in connection with the Indemnitee seeking an adjudication or award in arbitration pursuant to this Deed shall, at the request of the Indemnitee, be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of any such Proceeding, adjudication or arbitration as promptly as possible, and in any event within 20 days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from the Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. Such statement or statements shall reasonably evidence the Expenses incurred by, or disbursements required of, the Indemnitee in connection therewith. Notwithstanding any determination as to entitlement to indemnification made pursuant to clauses 5 or 7, the Indemnitee agrees that it will forthwith (and, in any event, not later than 20 days from the date the Company provides a written demand therefor) repay any advance of funds made by the Company pursuant to this clause 6 in the event of any allegation of fraud or dishonesty in the relevant Proceeding is proved against the Indemnitee or

 

7


if it is otherwise determined under applicable law that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified. Subject to clause 10, the Company shall have the burden of proof in any determination under this clause 6. No amounts advanced hereunder shall be deemed an extension of credit by the Company to the Indemnitee.

 

7

Remedies of Indemnitee in Cases of Determination Not to Indemnify or to Advance Expenses or Failure to Timely Pay

 

7.1

In the event that: (a) a determination is made that the lndemnitee is not entitled to indemnification hereunder; (b) payment has not been timely made following a determination of entitlement to indemnification pursuant to clause 5; or (c) Expenses or disbursements required of the Indemnitee are not advanced pursuant to clause 6, the lndemnitee shall be entitled to apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for a determination of the Indemnitee’s entitlement to such indemnification, indemnification payment or advance.

 

7.2

Alternatively to clause 7.1, the lndemnitee, at the Indemnitee’s sole option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, such award to be made within 60 days following the Indemnitee’s filing of the request for arbitration. The Company shall not oppose the Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication or award in arbitration or any other claim.

 

7.3

A judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to this clause 7 shall be made de novo and the Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of a determination otherwise made hereunder (if so made) that the Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification. If the court or arbitrator shall determine that the Indemnitee is entitled to any indemnification or advance hereunder, the Company shall pay all reasonable Expenses actually incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such adjudication or award in arbitration (including, but not limited to, any appellate proceedings) (the “Clause 7 Expenses”), provided however, that the lndemnitee agrees that it will forthwith (and, in any event, not later than 20 days from the date the Company provides a written demand therefor) repay such Clause 7 Expenses in the event that any allegation of fraud or dishonesty is proved against the Indemnitee in the Proceeding in respect of which the Indemnitee was seeking indemnification or an advance of monies hereunder.

 

8

Other Rights to Indemnification

 

8.1

The indemnification and advancement of reasonable Expenses provided by this Deed shall not be deemed exclusive of any other right to which the Indemnitee previously, now or in the future may be entitled under any provision of the Company’s memorandum or articles of association, any other agreement (including any agreement between the Indemnitee and any other Group Company), vote of shareholders of the Company, the Board or Disinterested Directors, provision of law, or otherwise, provided that the Company shall not be obligated under this Deed to make any payment pursuant to this Deed for which payment has been actually made to or on behalf of the Indemnitee by or on behalf of any of the Group Companies under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision, except in respect of any excess beyond the amount paid under any such insurance policy or other indemnity provisions.

 

8.2

In the event of any payment under this Deed, the Group Companies shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee, who shall execute at the request of the Company all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights.

 

8


9

Attorneys’ Fees and Other Expenses to Enforce Deed

In the event that the Indemnitee is subject to or intervenes in any Proceeding in which the validity or enforceability of this Deed is at issue or seeks an adjudication or award in arbitration to enforce the Indemnitee’s rights under, or to recover damages for breach of, this Deed, the Indemnitee, if the Indemnitee prevails in whole or in part in such action, shall, subject to clause 10, be entitled to recover from the Company and shall be indemnified by the Company against, any actual Expenses reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee; provided that in bringing any action for adjudication or award in arbitration to enforce the Indemnitee’s rights, the Indemnitee acted in good faith.

 

10

Limitations of Indemnification

 

10.1

Notwithstanding any other terms of this Deed, no provision of this Deed shall indemnify, the Indemnitee against, or exempt the Indemnitee from, any liability for fraud or dishonesty proved against the Indemnitee.

 

10.2

Notwithstanding any other terms of this Deed, no provision of this Deed shall indemnify the Indemnitee against, or exempt the Indemnitee from, any liability to the extent such provision would be void under applicable law, including, without limitation, the provisions of section 235 of the Companies Act 2014 (but shall otherwise have effect to the Fullest Extent Permitted By Law in effect at the relevant time). The Parties acknowledge that, at the date of this Deed, section 235 of the Companies Act renders void any provision, whether contained in the constitution of the Company, in a contract with the Company (such as this Deed) or otherwise, purporting to exempt a director or other officer of the Company from, or purporting to indemnify a director or other officer of the Company against, any liability which by virtue of any enactment or rule of law would otherwise attach to the Indemnitee in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which the Indemnitee may be guilty in relation to the Company, provided that, notwithstanding the aforesaid prohibition, the Company may indemnify a director or other officer against any liability incurred by the Indemnitee: (i) in defending proceedings, whether civil or criminal, in which judgment is given in the Indemnitee’s favour or in which the Indemnitee is acquitted; or (ii) in connection with any proceedings or an application for relief from liability under section 233 or 234 of the Companies Act in which relief is granted to the Indemnitee by the High Court of Ireland.

 

11

Liability Insurance

To the extent the Company maintains an insurance policy or policies providing directors’, officers’ and/or employees’ liability insurance, the Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies, in accordance with its or their terms, to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any Company director, officer or employee.

 

12

Duration of Deed

This Deed shall apply with respect to the lndemnitee’s occupation of any of the position(s) described in clause 3.1 of this Deed prior to the date of this Deed and with respect to all periods of such service after the date of this Deed, even though the Indemnitee may have ceased to occupy such positions(s).

 

9


13

Notice of Proceedings by the Indemnitee

 

13.1

The Indemnitee agrees promptly to notify the Company in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any Proceeding which may be subject to indemnification hereunder; provided that the failure to so notify the Company will not relieve the Company from any liability it may have to the lndemnitee except to the extent that such failure materially prejudices the Company’s ability to defend such claim. With respect to any such Proceeding as to which the lndemnitee notifies the Company of the commencement thereof:

 

  13.1.1

the Company will be entitled to participate therein at its own expense; and

 

  13.1.2

except as otherwise provided below, to the extent that it may wish, the Company jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified will be entitled to assume the defence thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to lndemnitee. After notice from the Company to the lndemnitee of its election so to assume the defence thereof, the Company will not be liable to lndemnitee under this Deed for any Expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defence thereof other than, subject to clause 10, reasonable costs of investigation or as otherwise provided below. The lndemnitee shall have the right to employ the Indemnitee’s own counsel in such Proceeding, but the fees and Expenses of such counsel incurred after notice from the Company of its assumption of the defence thereof shall be at the expense of Indemnitee and not subject to indemnification hereunder unless (a) the employment of counsel by the Indemnitee has been authorized by the Company; (b) in the reasonable opinion of counsel to the Indemnitee there is or may be a conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee in the conduct of the defence of such Proceeding; or (c) the Company shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defence of such action, in each of which cases, subject to clause 10, the reasonable Expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the Company.

 

13.2

Neither the Company nor the Indemnitee shall settle any claim without the prior written consent of the other (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed).

 

14

Notices

Any notice required to be given hereunder shall be in writing in the English language and shall be served by sending the same by prepaid recorded post, facsimile, email or by delivering the same by hand to the address of the Party or Parties in question as set out below (or such other address as such Party or Parties shall notify the other Parties of in accordance with this clause 14). Any notice sent by post as provided in this clause 14 shall be deemed to have been served five Business Days after dispatch and any notice sent by facsimile or email as provided in this clause 14 shall be deemed to have been served at the time of dispatch and in proving the service of the same it will be sufficient to prove in the case of a letter that such letter was properly stamped, addressed and placed in the post; and in the case of a facsimile or email that such facsimile or email was duly dispatched to a current facsimile number or email address of the addressee.

Company

MariaDB USA, Inc.

699 Veterans Blvd.

Redwood City, CA 94063

Attn: [•]

Email: [•]

 

10


Indemnitee

Name: [•]

Address: [•]

 

15

Miscellaneous

 

15.1

Notwithstanding the expiration or termination of this Deed howsoever arising; such expiration or termination shall not operate to affect such of the provisions hereof as are expressed or intended to remain in full force and effect.

 

15.2

If any of the clauses, conditions, covenants or restrictions of this Deed or any deed or document emanating from it shall be found to be void but would be valid if some part thereof were deleted or modified, then such clause, condition, covenant or restriction shall apply with such deletion or modification as may be necessary to make it valid and effective so as to give effect as nearly as possible to the intent manifested by such clause, condition, covenant or restriction.

 

15.3

This Deed shall be binding upon the Company and its successors and assigns (including any transferee of all or substantially all of its assets and any successor or resulting company by any Corporate Transaction or otherwise) and shall inure to the benefit of the lndemnitee and the Indemnitee’s spouse, assigns, heirs, estate, devises, executors, administrators or other legal representatives.

 

15.4

This Deed constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties relating to the matters covered hereby; provided that this Deed shall not supersede any other indemnification agreement between the Indemnitee and the Company or any Group Company (other than the Company) or any indemnification obligation of the Company or any Group Company to the Indemnitee.

 

15.5

No provision in this Deed may be amended unless such amendment is agreed to in writing and signed by the lndemnitee and by a duly authorised officer of the Company. No waiver by either Party of any breach by the other Party of any condition or provision of this Deed to be performed by such other Party shall be deemed a waiver of any other condition or provision hereof (whether similar or dissimilar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by the Indemnitee or a duly authorised officer of the Company, as the case may be.

 

15.6

This Deed may be executed in any number of counterparts, including fax and email and by the different Parties hereto on separate counterparts, each of which when executed and delivered shall constitute an original and all such counterparts together constituting but one and the same Deed. This Deed shall become effective and dated on the date stated at the beginning of it. Transmission of an executed counterpart of this Deed or the executed signature page of a counterpart of this Deed by email (in PDF, JPEG or other legible format) shall take effect as delivery of an executed counterpart of this Deed.

 

15.7

The terms and conditions of this Deed and the rights of the parties hereunder shall be governed by and construed in all respects in accordance with the laws of Ireland. The Parties to this Deed hereby irrevocably agree that the courts of Ireland shall have exclusive jurisdiction in respect of any dispute, suit, action, arbitration or proceedings (“Deed Proceedings”) which may arise out of or in connection with this Deed and waive any objection to Deed Proceedings in the courts of Ireland on the grounds of venue or on the basis that the Deed Proceedings have been brought in an inconvenient forum; provided that any matters that are referred to arbitration pursuant to clause 5.3 or 7.2 shall be exclusively determined by such arbitral proceedings which shall be conducted by a single arbitrator, in the English language and in California, U.S.A.

 

11


15.8

All payments made by the Company to the lndemnitee hereunder shall be deemed to have been made in the ordinary course of business of the Company, and shall not be deemed to be extraordinary payments.

 

15.9

The Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this Deed and assumed the obligations imposed on it hereby in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve, continue to serve and to take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company, and the Company acknowledges that the Indemnitee is relying upon this Deed in serving, continuing to serve and taking on additional service for or on behalf of the Company.

(Remainder of page intentionally left blank)

 

12


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, intending to be bound hereby, have duly executed this Deed as deed and delivered it on the date first written above.

GIVEN under the Common Seal of

MARIADB PLC

in the presence of:

 

 

Duly Authorised

 

Witness Signature
 
Witness Name
 
Witness Address
 
Witness Occupation

SIGNED AND DELIVERED as a deed

by [DIRECTOR]

in the presence of:

 

 

 

(Signature)

 

Witness Signature
 
Witness Name
 
Witness Address
 
Witness Occupation

 

13

Exhibit 10.5

DATED [•] 2022

MARIADB USA, INC.

AND

[DIRECTOR]

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

 

 


CONTENTS

Page No

 

1

  Interpretation      2  

2

  Agreement to Serve      6  

3

  Indemnity of [Director / Officer / Employee]      6  

4

  Indemnification for Expenses of a Witness      6  

5

  Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification      6  

6

  Advancement of Expenses      8  

7

  Remedies of Indemnitee in Cases of Determination Not to Indemnify or to Advance Expenses or Failure to Timely Pay      8  

8

  Other Rights to Indemnification      9  

9

  Attorneys’ Fees and Other Expenses to Enforce Agreement      9  

10

  Limitations of Indemnification      9  

11

  Liability Insurance      10  

12

  Duration of Agreement      10  

13

  Notice of Proceedings by the Indemnitee      10  

14

  Notices      11  

15

  Miscellaneous      11  

 


THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made on [•] 2022

BETWEEN:

 

(1)

MARIADB USA, INC., a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business at 699 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063 (the “Company”).

AND

 

(2)

[DIRECTOR/OFFICER/EMPLOYEE] of [address of Director/Officer/Employee] (the “Indemnitee”).

WHEREAS:

 

A.

The Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of MariaDB plc, an Irish public limited company (“Parent”).

 

B.

The Board (as defined below) believes that it is in the Company’s best interests for Parent to attract and retain highly skilled and competent directors, officers and employees due to direct and indirect benefits the Company derives or expects to derive from Parent as its wholly owned subsidiary, including access to capital and the ability to compensate the Company’s employees and other service providers with equity awards exercisable for or settled in Parent’s publicly-traded shares,

 

C.

Highly skilled and competent persons are reluctant to serve public companies as directors, officers and / or employees unless they are provided with adequate protection through insurance and indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of such companies and uncertainties relating to indemnification increase the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons.

 

D.

The Board has determined that Parent’s inability to attract and retain such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company and Parent, as its sole shareholder, and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection.

 

E.

The Company desires to ensure that Parent and its shareholders, as well as the Company as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, benefit from the services of highly skilled and competent persons such as the Indemnitee, and has requested that the Indemnitee serve as a [director, officer and / or employee] of Parent.

 

F.

It is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company to contractually obligate itself to indemnify the Indemnitee to the Fullest Extent Permitted By Law so that the Indemnitee will serve or continue to serve Parent free from undue concern that the Indemnitee will not be so indemnified.

 

G.

The Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve and take on additional service for or on behalf of Parent and, as partial consideration for agreeing to do so, the Company has agreed to enter into this Agreement with the Indemnitee.

 

1


NOW THEREFORE THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSES as follows:

 

1

Interpretation

 

1.1

In this Agreement, the following words and expressions shall have the following meanings:

Affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under Section 12 of the Exchange Act;

Agreement” means this Indemnification Agreement;

Assets” means the assets of any kind owned by Parent or the Company, including, without limitation, the securities of the Subsidiaries and any of the assets owned by the Subsidiaries;

Beneficial Owner” has the meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act;

Board” means the board of directors of the Company;

Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday on which clearing banks are generally open for non-automated business in California U.S.A.;

Change in Control” means the occurrence of any event set forth in any one of the following paragraphs:

 

  (a)

any Person is, or becomes, the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of 20% or more of either: (A) the then issued ordinary shares in the capital of Parent (the “Outstanding Parent Issued Shares”); or (B) the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of Parent entitled to vote generally in the election of directors at general meetings of Parent (the “Outstanding Parent Voting Securities”), excluding any Person who becomes such a Beneficial Owner in connection with a transaction that complies with clauses (A), (B) and (C) of paragraph (c) below;

 

  (b)

during any period of two (2) consecutive years (not including any period prior to the execution of this Agreement), individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Parent Board (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a simple majority of the Parent Board, provided however, that any individual becoming a director of Parent subsequent to the date hereof whose election, or nomination for election by Parent’s shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Incumbent Board shall be considered as though such individual was a member of the Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or any other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Parent Board;

 

  (c)

the consummation of an acquisition, reorganization, reincorporation, redomestication, merger, amalgamation, consolidation, plan or scheme of arrangement, exchange offer, business combination or similar transaction of Parent or any of the Subsidiaries or the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of Parent’s Assets (any of which a “Corporate Transaction”), unless, following such Corporate Transaction or series of related Corporate Transactions, as the case may be: (A) all of the individuals and Entities who were the Beneficial Owners, respectively, of the Outstanding Parent Issued Shares and Outstanding Parent Voting Securities immediately prior to such Corporate Transaction own or beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of,

 

2


  respectively, the Outstanding Parent Issued Shares and the combined voting power of the Outstanding Parent Voting Securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (or other governing body), as the case may be, of the Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction (including, without limitation, an Entity (including any new parent Entity) which as a result of such transaction owns Parent or all or substantially all of Parent’s Assets either directly or through one or more Entities) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership, immediately prior to such Corporate Transaction, of the Outstanding Parent Issued Shares and the Outstanding Parent Voting Securities, as the case may be; (B) no Person (excluding any Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction or any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of Parent or such Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of, respectively, the then issued ordinary shares (or outstanding shares of common stock) of the Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction or the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of such Entity except to the extent that such ownership existed prior to the Corporate Transaction; and (C) at least a simple majority of the members of the board of directors (or other governing body) of the Entity resulting from such Corporate Transaction were members of the Incumbent Board at the time of the approval of such Corporate Transaction;

 

  (d)

approval or adoption by the Parent Board or the shareholders of Parent of a plan or proposal which could result directly or indirectly in the liquidation, transfer, sale or other disposal of all or substantially all of Parent’s Assets or the dissolution of Parent, excluding any transaction that complies with clauses (A), (B) and (C) of paragraph (c) above;

 

  (e)

any Person (other than a Group Company) (A) becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company or (B) acquires all or substantially all of the Company’s Assets; or

 

  (f)

the dissolution of the Company;

Company Subsidiaries” means direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company;

Corporate Status” means the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, employee, agent, or fiduciary of Parent, the Company or any other Group Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of any other company, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Entity or enterprise;

Disinterested Director” means a director of the Company who is not or was not a party to a Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee;

Entity” means any corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization or other business entity;

Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time;

Expenses” shall mean all costs, expenses, and obligations paid or incurred in connection with investigating, litigating, being a witness in, defending or participating in, or preparing to litigate, defend, be a witness in or participate in any matter that is the subject of a Proceeding, including attorneys’, experts’, accountants’ or other advisors’ fees and court costs;

 

3


Fullest Extent Permitted by Law” means the maximum extent authorized or permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as such law may from time to time be amended to increase the scope of such permitted indemnification;

Group Companies” means Parent, the Company and each other Subsidiary (wherever incorporated or organised);

Independent Counsel” means a law firm or a member of a law firm that neither is presently nor in the past 5 years has been retained to represent: (i) the Company or any other Group Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to any such party; or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing the Company or the lndemnitee in an action to determine the lndemnitee’s right to indemnification under this Agreement;

Parent Board” means the board of directors of Parent;

Parent Deed of Indemnification” means that certain Deed of Indemnification between Parent and the Indemnitee.

Parties” means the parties to this Agreement collectively, and “Party” means any one of them;

Person” shall have the meaning given in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, except that such term shall not include (i) Parent, the Company or any of the other Subsidiaries; (ii) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under terms of an employee benefit and compensation plans, agreements, arrangements, programs, policies, practices, contracts or agreement of Parent, the Company and their respective Affiliates (collectively, “Benefit Plans”); (iii) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering by the Company of such securities; or (iv) a corporation or other Entity owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of Parent in the same proportions as their ownership of issued shares of Parent;

Proceeding” means any actual, threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened, pending or completed proceeding, inquiry, hearing or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal and whether brought by or in the right of Parent or the Company or otherwise (including, but not limited to, the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of any of the forgoing); and

Subsidiary” means any majority-owned subsidiary of Parent (including the Company) or any majority-owned subsidiary thereof, or any other Entity in which Parent owns, directly or indirectly, a significant financial interest, provided that the Chief Executive Officer of Parent designates such Entity to be a Subsidiary for the purposes of this Agreement.

 

1.2

In this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires or unless otherwise specified:

 

  1.2.1

any reference to any statute, statutory provision or to any order or regulation shall be construed as a reference to that statute, provision, order or regulation as extended, modified, amended, replaced or re-enacted from time to time (whether before or after the date of this Agreement) and all statutory instruments, regulations and orders from time to time made thereunder or deriving validity therefrom (whether before or after the date of this Agreement);

 

4


  1.2.2

words denoting any gender include all genders and words denoting the singular include the plural and vice versa;

 

  1.2.3

all references to recitals, sections, clauses, paragraphs, schedules and annexes are to recitals in, sections, clauses and paragraphs of and schedules and annexes to this Agreement, unless otherwise specifically stated;

 

  1.2.4

headings are for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement;

 

  1.2.5

general words introduced by the word “other” shall not be given a restrictive meaning by reason of the fact that they are preceded by words indicating a particular class of acts, matters or things, and general words shall not be given a restrictive meaning by reason of the fact that they are followed by particular examples intended to be embraced by the general words and any reference to the word “include” or “including” is to be construed without limitation;

 

  1.2.6

words such as “hereunder”, “hereto”, “hereof” and “herein” and other words commencing with “here” shall unless the context clearly indicates to the contrary refer to the whole of this Agreement and not to any particular section, clause or paragraph hereof;

 

  1.2.7

any reference to this Agreement, to any other agreement or document or to any specified provision of this Agreement or any other agreement or document is to this Agreement, that agreement or document or that specified provision, in each case as amended from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or that other agreement or document, as the case may be;

 

  1.2.8

any reference to a “person” shall be construed as a reference to any individual, firm, company, corporation, body corporate, government, state or agency of a state or any association or partnership (whether or not having separate legal personality) of two or more of the foregoing;

 

  1.2.9

any reference to a “company” shall include any company, corporation or other body corporate, wherever and however incorporated or established;

 

  1.2.10

any reference to a Party or other person includes his, her or its successors, personal representatives and permitted assigns;

 

  1.2.11

any reference to “writing” or any similar expression includes transmission by email or other comparable means of electronic communication, provided however, that where such notice is served under this Agreement by email or other comparable means of electronic communication, it must clearly and unambiguously state at the beginning of such communication that such communication constitutes a notice for the purpose of this Agreement; and

 

  1.2.12

if any action or duty to be taken or performed under any of the provisions of this Agreement would fall to be taken or performed on a day which is not a Business Day, such action or duty shall be taken or performed on the Business Day next following such day.

 

5


1.3

The Parties have participated jointly in the negotiating and drafting of this Agreement. In the event that an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring either Party by virtue of the authorship of any of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

2

Agreement to Serve

The lndemnitee agrees to serve as a [director, officer and / or employee] of Parent. This Agreement does not create or otherwise establish any right on the part of the Indemnitee to be and continue to be elected or appointed or employed as a director, officer and / or employee of Parent or any other Group Company and does not create an employment contract or other employment arrangement between the Company and the Indemnitee.

 

3

Indemnity of [Director / Officer / Employee]

 

3.1

Subject to clause 10, the Company shall, to the Fullest Extent Permitted By Law and without prejudice to any other indemnity to which the Indemnitee may otherwise be entitled, indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Indemnitee against all damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, amounts paid in settlement, and reasonable Expenses if lndemnitee was or is a party to or participant in, or is threatened to be made a party to or participant in, any Proceeding, by reason of the fact or assertion that the Indemnitee (i) is, or was, serving as a director, officer, employee, agent, or fiduciary of Parent, the Company or another Group Company or (ii) is or was serving, at the request of the Company or another Group Company, as a director, officer, employee, agent, or fiduciary of any other company, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Entity or enterprise or by reason of anything done or not done by the Indemnitee in any such capacity.

 

3.2

Subject to clause 10, if the Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification for some or a portion of Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement, but not the total amount thereof, the Company shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Indemnitee for such portion of the Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, amounts paid in settlement and any other amounts that the lndemnitee becomes legally obligated to pay in connection with any Proceeding to which the lndemnitee is entitled.

 

4

Indemnification for Expenses of a Witness

Subject to clause 10, to the extent that the Indemnitee is, by reason of the Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, a witness in any Proceeding, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified by the Company against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the lndemnitee or on the Indemnitee’s behalf in connection therewith.

 

5

Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification

 

5.1

The Indemnitee shall request indemnification pursuant to this Agreement by notice in writing to the secretary of the Company. The secretary shall, promptly upon receipt of the Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, advise in writing the Board or such other person or persons empowered to make the determination as provided in clause 5.2 that the Indemnitee has made such request for indemnification. Subject to clause 10, upon making such request for indemnification, the Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification hereunder and the Company shall have the burden of proof in the making of any determination contrary to such presumption.

 

6


5.2

Upon written request by the Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to clause 3.1, the entitlement of the lndemnitee to indemnification pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be determined in the following circumstances and by the following person or persons who, in each instance, shall be empowered to make such determination:

 

  5.2.1

if a Change in Control shall not have occurred,

 

  (a)

by the Board, by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum;

 

  (b)

by a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum;

 

  (c)

if there are no Disinterested Directors, or if such Disinterested Directors (by majority vote) so direct, by (i) Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to the Indemnitee; or (ii) a majority vote of the shareholders of the Company; and

 

  5.2.2

if a Change in Control shall have occurred,

 

  (a)

by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to the Indemnitee; or

 

  (b)

at the Indemnitee’s sole option, the Indemnitee shall have the right to direct that such determination be made in the manner provided in clause 5.2.1.

 

5.3

For the purposes of clause 5.2.1(b), Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board and reasonably approved by the lndemnitee and, for the purposes of clause 5.2.2, Independent Counsel shall be reasonably selected by the Indemnitee. Upon failure of the Board to so select such Independent Counsel or upon failure of the Indemnitee to so approve, such Independent Counsel shall be selected by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Such determination of entitlement to indemnification shall be made not later than 60 days after receipt by the Company of a written request for indemnification. Such request shall include documentation or information which is reasonably necessary for such determination and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee. Subject to clause 10, any reasonable Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the Indemnitee’s request for indemnification hereunder shall be borne by the Company irrespective of the outcome of the determination of the Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification. If the person or persons making such determination shall determine that the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification as to part, but not all, of the application for indemnification, such persons may, subject to clause 10, reasonably pro rate such partial indemnification among such claims, issues or matters in respect of which indemnification is requested.

 

7


6

Advancement of Expenses

Subject to clause 10, all reasonable Expenses incurred by, and advances of disbursements required of, the Indemnitee in connection with any Proceeding and in connection with the Indemnitee seeking an adjudication or award in arbitration pursuant to this Agreement shall, at the request of the Indemnitee, be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of any such Proceeding, adjudication or arbitration as promptly as possible, and in any event within 20 days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from the Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. Such statement or statements shall reasonably evidence the Expenses incurred by, or disbursements required of, the Indemnitee in connection therewith. Notwithstanding any determination as to entitlement to indemnification made pursuant to clauses 5 or 7, the Indemnitee agrees that it will forthwith (and, in any event, not later than 20 days from the date the Company provides a written demand therefor) repay any advance of funds made by the Company pursuant to this clause 6 if it is ultimately determined under applicable law that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified. The parties intend that the foregoing constitute the undertaking required pursuant to Section 145(e) of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Subject to clause 10, the Company shall have the burden of proof in any determination under this clause 6. No amounts advanced hereunder shall be deemed an extension of credit by the Company to the Indemnitee.

 

7

Remedies of Indemnitee in Cases of Determination Not to Indemnify or to Advance Expenses or Failure to Timely Pay

 

7.1

In the event that: (a) a determination is made that the lndemnitee is not entitled to indemnification hereunder; (b) payment has not been timely made following a determination of entitlement to indemnification pursuant to clause 5; or (c) Expenses or disbursements required of the Indemnitee are not advanced pursuant to clause 6, the lndemnitee shall be entitled to apply to an appropriate court of the State of Delaware for a determination of the Indemnitee’s entitlement to such indemnification, indemnification payment or advance.

 

7.2

Alternatively to clause 7.1, except for an application to be indemnified for any liability arising from a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company for which the Indemnitee shall have been adjudicated liable (which must be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which such Proceeding was brought), the lndemnitee, at the Indemnitee’s sole option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, such award to be made within 60 days following the Indemnitee’s filing of the request for arbitration. The Company shall not oppose the Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication or award in arbitration or any other claim.

 

7.3

A judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to this clause 7 shall be made de novo and the Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of a determination otherwise made hereunder (if so made) that the Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification. If the court or arbitrator shall determine that the Indemnitee is entitled to any indemnification or advance hereunder, the Company shall pay all reasonable Expenses actually incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such adjudication or award in arbitration (including, but not limited to, any appellate proceedings) (the “Clause 7 Expenses”), provided however, that the lndemnitee agrees that it will forthwith (and, in any event, not later than 20 days from the date the Company provides a written demand therefor) repay such Clause 7 Expenses in the event that any allegation of fraud or dishonesty is proved against the Indemnitee in the Proceeding in respect of which the Indemnitee was seeking indemnification or an advance of monies hereunder.

 

8


8

Other Rights to Indemnification

 

8.1

The indemnification and advancement of reasonable Expenses provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other right to which the Indemnitee previously, now or in the future may be entitled under any provision of the Company’s certificate of incorporation, bylaws, any other agreement (including the Parent Deed of Indemnification or any agreement between the Indemnitee and any other Group Company), vote of shareholders of the Company, the Board or Disinterested Directors, provision of law, or otherwise, provided that the Company shall not be obligated under this Agreement to make any payment pursuant to this Agreement for which payment has been actually made to or on behalf of the Indemnitee by or on behalf of any of the Group Companies under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision, except in respect of any excess beyond the amount paid under any such insurance policy or other indemnity provisions. As between Parent and the Company, Parent shall be the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to the Indemnitee are primary and the obligations of the Company to advance Expenses and to provide indemnification for the same Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, and amounts paid in settlement are secondary). To the extent not satisfied by Parent in accordance with the Parent Indemnification Agreement, the Company shall be required to advance the full amount of Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee and shall be required to indemnify the Indemnitee for the full amount of damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, amounts paid in settlement, and reasonable Expenses in settlement as required by (and subject to) the terms of this Agreement, the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or any other agreement between the Company and the Indemnitee, without regard to any rights to indemnification or advancement of Expenses the Indemnitee may have against other Entities (other than Parent).

 

8.2

In the event of any payment under this Agreement, the Group Companies shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee, who shall execute at the request of the Company all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights.

 

9

Attorneys’ Fees and Other Expenses to Enforce Agreement

In the event that the Indemnitee is subject to or intervenes in any Proceeding in which the validity or enforceability of this Agreement is at issue or seeks an adjudication or award in arbitration to enforce the Indemnitee’s rights under, or to recover damages for breach of, this Agreement, the Indemnitee, if the Indemnitee prevails in whole or in part in such action, shall, subject to clause 10, be entitled to recover from the Company and shall be indemnified by the Company against, any actual Expenses reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee; provided that in bringing any action for adjudication or award in arbitration to enforce the Indemnitee’s rights, the Indemnitee acted in good faith.

 

10

Limitations of Indemnification

 

10.1

Notwithstanding any other terms of this Agreement, no provision of this Agreement shall indemnify, the Indemnitee against, or exempt the Indemnitee from, any liability for bad faith, fraud or dishonesty proved against the Indemnitee.

 

9


10.2

Notwithstanding any other terms of this Agreement, no provision of this Agreement shall indemnify the Indemnitee against, or exempt the Indemnitee from, any liability arising in connection with a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company if the Indemnitee is adjudged liable to the Company unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or the court in which such Proceeding was brought) determines that despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, the Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification for such Expenses that such court shall deem proper.

 

11

Liability Insurance

To the extent the Company or Parent maintains an insurance policy or policies providing directors’, officers’ and/or employees’ liability insurance, the Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies, in accordance with its or their terms, to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any Parent director, officer or employee.

 

12

Duration of Agreement

This Agreement shall apply with respect to the lndemnitee’s occupation of any of the position(s) described in clause 3.1 of this Agreement prior to the date of this Agreement and with respect to all periods of such service after the date of this Agreement, even though the Indemnitee may have ceased to occupy such positions(s).

 

13

Notice of Proceedings by the Indemnitee

 

13.1

The Indemnitee agrees promptly to notify the Company in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any Proceeding which may be subject to indemnification hereunder; provided that the failure to so notify the Company will not relieve the Company from any liability it may have to the lndemnitee except to the extent that such failure materially prejudices the Company’s ability to defend such claim. With respect to any such Proceeding as to which the lndemnitee notifies the Company of the commencement thereof:

 

  13.1.1

the Company will be entitled to participate therein at its own expense; and

 

  13.1.2

except as otherwise provided below, to the extent that it may wish, the Company jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified will be entitled to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to lndemnitee. After notice from the Company to the lndemnitee of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the Company will not be liable to lndemnitee under this Agreement for any Expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defense thereof other than, subject to clause 10, reasonable costs of investigation or as otherwise provided below. The lndemnitee shall have the right to employ the Indemnitee’s own counsel in such Proceeding, but the fees and Expenses of such counsel incurred after notice from the Company of its assumption of the defense thereof shall be at the expense of Indemnitee and not subject to indemnification hereunder unless (a) the employment of counsel by the Indemnitee has been authorized by the Company; (b) in the reasonable opinion of counsel to the Indemnitee there is or may be a conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee in the conduct of the defense of such Proceeding; or (c) the Company shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defense of such action, in each of which cases, subject to clause 10, the reasonable Expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the Company.

 

13.2

Neither the Company nor the Indemnitee shall settle any claim without the prior written consent of the other (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed).

 

10


14

Notices

Any notice required to be given hereunder shall be in writing in the English language and shall be served by sending the same by prepaid recorded post, facsimile, email or by delivering the same by hand to the address of the Party or Parties in question as set out below (or such other address as such Party or Parties shall notify the other Parties of in accordance with this clause 14). Any notice sent by post as provided in this clause 14 shall be deemed to have been served five Business Days after dispatch and any notice sent by facsimile or email as provided in this clause 14 shall be deemed to have been served at the time of dispatch and in proving the service of the same it will be sufficient to prove in the case of a letter that such letter was properly stamped, addressed and placed in the post; and in the case of a facsimile or email that such facsimile or email was duly dispatched to a current facsimile number or email address of the addressee.

Company

MariaDB USA, Inc.

699 Veterans Blvd. Redwood City, CA 94063

Attn: [•]

Email: [•]

Indemnitee

Name: [•]

Address: [•]

 

15

Miscellaneous

 

15.1

Notwithstanding the expiration or termination of this Agreement howsoever arising; such expiration or termination shall not operate to affect such of the provisions hereof as are expressed or intended to remain in full force and effect.

 

15.2

If any of the clauses, conditions, covenants or restrictions of this Agreement or any agreement or document emanating from it shall be found to be void but would be valid if some part thereof were deleted or modified, then such clause, condition, covenant or restriction shall apply with such deletion or modification as may be necessary to make it valid and effective so as to give effect as nearly as possible to the intent manifested by such clause, condition, covenant or restriction.

 

15.3

This Agreement shall be binding upon the Company and its successors and assigns (including any transferee of all or substantially all of its assets and any successor or resulting company by any Corporate Transaction or otherwise) and shall inure to the benefit of the lndemnitee and the Indemnitee’s spouse, assigns, heirs, estate, devises, executors, administrators or other legal representatives.

 

15.4

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties relating to the matters covered hereby; provided that this Agreement shall not supersede any other indemnification agreement between the Indemnitee and the Company or any Group Company (other than the Company) or any indemnification obligation of the Company or any Group Company to the Indemnitee.

 

11


15.5

No provision in this Agreement may be amended unless such amendment is agreed to in writing and signed by the lndemnitee and by a duly authorized officer of the Company. No waiver by either Party of any breach by the other Party of any condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other Party shall be deemed a waiver of any other condition or provision hereof (whether similar or dissimilar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by the Indemnitee or a duly authorized officer of the Company, as the case may be.

 

15.6

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, including fax and email and by the different Parties hereto on separate counterparts, each of which when executed and delivered shall constitute an original and all such counterparts together constituting but one and the same Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective and dated on the date stated at the beginning of it. Transmission of an executed counterpart of this Agreement or the executed signature page of a counterpart of this Agreement by email (in PDF, JPEG or other legible format) shall take effect as delivery of an executed counterpart of this Agreement.

 

15.7

The terms and conditions of this Agreement and the rights of the parties hereunder shall be governed by and construed in all respects in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. The Parties to this Agreement hereby irrevocably agree that the courts of Delaware shall have exclusive jurisdiction in respect of any dispute, suit, action, arbitration or proceedings (“Agreement Proceedings”) which may arise out of or in connection with this Agreement and waive any objection to Agreement Proceedings in the courts of Delaware on the grounds of venue or on the basis that the Agreement Proceedings have been brought in an inconvenient forum; provided that any matters that are referred to arbitration pursuant to clause 5.3 or 7.2 shall be exclusively determined by such arbitral proceedings which shall be conducted by a single arbitrator, in the English language and in California, U.S.A.

 

15.8

All payments made by the Company to the lndemnitee hereunder shall be deemed to have been made in the ordinary course of business of the Company and shall not be deemed to be extraordinary payments.

 

15.9

The Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this Agreement and assumed the obligations imposed on it hereby in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve, continue to serve and to take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company, and the Company acknowledges that the Indemnitee is relying upon this Agreement in serving, continuing to serve and taking on additional service for or on behalf of the Company.

(Remainder of page intentionally left blank)

 

12


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, intending to be bound hereby, have duly executed this Agreement and delivered it on the date first written above.

 

MARIADB USA, INC.
By:    
Name:    
Title:    

SIGNED AND DELIVERED

by [DIRECTOR / OFFICER / EMPLOYEE]

 
(Signature)

 

13

Exhibit 10.6

DEED OF INDEMNITY RIGHTS

This Deed of Indemnity Rights, dated as of December 16, 2022 (this “Agreement”), is by and between MariaDB plc, an Irish public limited company (formerly known as Mangomill plc, “Irish Holdco”), and the undersigned director or officer of Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“APHC”).

WHEREAS, on January 31, 2022, APHC, Irish Holdco, Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and wholly owned subsidiary of Irish Holdco (“Merger Sub”), and MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited liability company (“MariaDB”), entered into a Business Combination Agreement (as amended, the “Business Combination Agreement”), which provides for, among other things, (i) the merger of Merger Sub with and into APHC, with APHC continuing as the surviving corporation and shareholders of APHC ordinary shares receiving shares of capital in Irish Holdco as consideration, and (ii) the merger of MariaDB with and into Irish Holdco, with Irish Holdco continuing as the surviving corporation and shareholders of MariaDB receiving shares of capital in Irish Holdco as consideration. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meaning given to such terms in the Business Combination Agreement.

WHEREAS, Section 7.11(a) of the Business Combination Agreement provides, among other things, that from and after the Merger Effective Time, Irish Holdco shall to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law indemnify and hold harmless each current and former director, officer, and manager, and, to the extent authorized under the applicable D&O Provisions, each employee, agent and representative of each Party (collectively, with such Person’s heirs, executors or administrators, the “Indemnified Persons”) against any costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, losses, claims, damages or liabilities incurred in connection with any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, arising out of or pertaining to matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Merger Effective Time, whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Merger Effective Time, to the fullest extent that each Party, as the case may be, would have been permitted under applicable Law, such Party’s Governing Documents as in effect as of the date of the Business Combination Agreement or any director indemnification agreement or employment agreement in effect on the date of the Business Combination Agreement to indemnify such Indemnified Person (including the advancing of expenses as incurred to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law).

NOW, THEREFORE the parties hereto agree as follows:

From and after the Merger Effective Time, Irish Holdco shall to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law indemnify and hold harmless the undersigned Indemnified Person against any costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, losses, claims, damages or liabilities incurred in connection with any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, arising out of or pertaining to matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Merger Effective Time, whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Merger Effective Time, to the fullest extent that APHC would have been required or permitted under applicable Law, APHC’s Governing Documents as in effect as of the date of the Business Combination Agreement or any indemnification agreement or employment agreement in effect on the date of the Business Combination Agreement to indemnify such Indemnified Person (including the advancing of expenses as incurred to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law), in each case in accordance with any procedures applicable thereto. Without limiting the foregoing, beginning on the Closing Date and continuing until the sixth (6th) anniversary of the Closing Date, Irish Holdco (i) shall maintain in effect all rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses, exculpation and other limitations on Liability to the extent provided in APHC’s Governing Documents as in effect as of the date of the Business Combination Agreement (“D&O Provisions”) in favor of the undersigned Indemnified Person, and (ii) shall not amend, repeal or modify in a manner adverse to the beneficiary thereof any provision in the D&O Provisions as it relates to the undersigned Indemnified Person, in each case relating to a state of facts existing prior to Closing, without the written consent of the undersigned Indemnified Person or as otherwise required by applicable Law. In the event that Irish Holdco or any of its successors or assigns consolidates with or merges into any other Person and is not the continuing or surviving entity or entity of such consolidation or merger or transfers or conveys all or substantially all its properties and assets to any Person, Irish Holdco shall cause proper provisions to be made so that the successors and assigns of Irish Holdco assume the obligations set forth in this Agreement.


Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Jurisdiction. The Law of the State of Delaware shall govern all claims or matters related to or arising from this Agreement (including any tort or non-contractual claims) and the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement and any questions concerning the construction, interpretation, validity and enforceability of this Agreement, and the performance of the obligations imposed by this Agreement, in each case without giving effect to any choice-of-law or conflict-of-law rules or provisions (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the Law of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware subject to the mandatory Finnish or Irish Law governing the Merger and the CDTs as is specially referred to in the Business Combination Agreement and subject to the Cayman Islands Companies Act which shall govern the Domestication Merger. EACH PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ALL RIGHTS TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY PROCEEDING BROUGHT TO RESOLVE ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN OR AMONG ANY OF THE PARTIES (WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH, RELATED OR INCIDENTAL TO THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT OR THE RELATIONSHIPS ESTABLISHED AMONG THE PARTIES UNDER THIS AGREEMENT. THE PARTIES HERETO FURTHER WARRANT AND REPRESENT THAT EACH HAS REVIEWED THIS WAIVER WITH ITS LEGAL COUNSEL, AND THAT EACH KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY WAIVES ITS JURY TRIAL RIGHTS FOLLOWING CONSULTATION WITH LEGAL COUNSEL. Each of the Parties submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of first, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or if such court declines jurisdiction, then to any court of the State of Delaware or the Federal District Court for the District of Delaware, in any proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement, agrees that all claims in respect of the proceeding shall be heard and determined in any such court and agrees not to bring any proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement in any other courts. Nothing in this section, however, shall affect the right of any Party to serve legal process in any other manner permitted by Law or at equity. Each Party agrees that a final judgment in any proceeding so brought shall be conclusive and may be enforced by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by Law or at equity.

[Signature Page Follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Deed of Indemnity Rights to be executed as a Deed as of the date first set forth above.

 

SIGNED AND DELIVERED

   

for and on behalf of and as the deed of

 

Signature of attorney

MARIADB PLC

 

by its lawfully appointed attorney

 

THEODORE WANG

   

in the presence of:

 

Print name of attorney

 
   

Signature of witness

 
 
   

Name of witness

 
 
   

Address of witness

 
 
   

Occupation of witness

 
 

 

INDEMNIFIED PERSON

     
     
       

Name:

     

[Signature Page to Deed of Indemnity Rights Agreement]

Exhibit 10.7

MARIADB PLC

2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

1. Purpose of the Plan. The Company has adopted the 2022 Equity Incentive Plan to (a) attract, retain and motivate employees, Officers and Directors of, as well as individual service providers to, the Company and its Related Companies by providing them the opportunity to acquire an equity interest in the Company and (b) align their interests and efforts with the long-term interests of the Company’s shareholders.

2. Definitions. Capitalized terms used in the Plan have the meanings set forth in Appendix A.

3. Administration.

(a) Plan Administrator. The Plan will be administered by the Board and/or the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee will be composed of two or more Directors, each of whom is (i) a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3(b)(3) under the Exchange Act, or any successor definition adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and (ii) “independent” within the meaning of applicable stock exchange listing rules or rules of a similar regulatory authority applicable to the Company.

(b) Delegation. To the extent consistent with Applicable Law, the Board or the Compensation Committee may delegate concurrent responsibility for administering the Plan, including with respect to designated classes of Eligible Persons, to different committees consisting of one or more Directors, subject to such limitations as the Board or the Compensation Committee deems appropriate, including a limit that such committees may not grant Awards to Participants who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. Members of any such committee will serve for such term as the Board or the Compensation Committee may determine, subject to removal by the Board or the Compensation Committee at any time. To the extent consistent with Applicable Law, the Board or the Compensation Committee may authorize one or more Officers to grant Awards to designated classes of Eligible Persons or make other determinations with respect to such Awards, within prescribed limits; provided, however, that no Officer will have or obtain authority to grant Awards to himself or herself or to any person subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. All references in the Plan to the “Plan Administrator” will be, as applicable, to the Board, the Compensation Committee or any other committee or Officer to whom authority to administer the Plan has been delegated.

(c) Powers of Plan Administrator. The Plan Administrator will have full power and exclusive authority, subject to the terms of the Plan, Applicable Law, any delegation of authority from the Board or the Compensation Committee, and such other orders or resolutions not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan as may from time to time be adopted by the Board or the Compensation Committee, to:

(i) select which Eligible Persons will be granted Awards;

(ii) determine the type(s) of Award to be granted, the number of Ordinary Shares covered by each Award, the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares, whether the Award carries rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, whether the Award is to be settled in cash, Ordinary Shares, or other property, and the other terms and conditions of each Award (including when the Award may vest, be exercised, or settled);


(iii) approve the forms of Award Agreements;

(iv) determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances Awards may be amended, tolled, accelerated in vesting or exercisability, cancelled or terminated;

(v) interpret and administer the Plan, any Award Agreement and any other agreements or documents related to the administration of Awards, including those provided on an Admin Portal;

(vi) establish rules, and delegate ministerial duties to the Company’s employees consistent with Applicable Law, for the proper administration of the Plan;

(vii) temporarily suspend the exercisability of an Award if the Plan Administrator deems it to be necessary or appropriate for administrative purposes, including in connection with a Change of Control; and

(viii) make any other determination and take any other action that the Plan Administrator deems necessary or desirable for administration of the Plan.

The Plan Administrator’s decisions, determinations and interpretations will be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company, any Participant, any shareholder and any Eligible Person.

(d) Repricing Prohibited. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Plan Administrator will not have the right, without shareholder approval, to (i) reduce the exercise or grant price of an Option or SAR after it is granted; (ii) cancel an Option or SAR at a time when its exercise or grant price exceeds the Fair Market Value of the underlying Ordinary Shares, in exchange for cash, another option or stock appreciation right, or other equity award (unless the cancellation and exchange occurs in connection with a merger, acquisition, spin-off or other similar transaction); or (iii) take any other action that is treated as a repricing under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

4. Ordinary Shares Subject to the Plan and Related Limits.

(a) Authorized Number of Ordinary Shares. Subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Section 14(a), the number of Ordinary Shares available for issuance under the Plan will be:

(i) 6,648,319 Ordinary Shares (the “Initial Share Reserve”); plus

(ii) an annual share increase to be added as of the first day of each fiscal year of the Company commencing after the Closing and ending on (and including) the first day of the fiscal year in 2032, equal to the lesser of (x) 5% of the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year (rounded up to the nearest whole share) and (y) an amount determined by the Plan Administrator; provided, however, that any shares that become available from any such increases in previous years that are not actually issued will continue to be available for issuance under the Plan; plus

 

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(iii) any shares subject to outstanding awards under the Prior Plans as of the Closing that, on or after the Closing, subsequently expire, terminate, or otherwise cease to be subject to such awards (other than by reason of exercise or settlement of the awards to the extent they are exercised for or settled in vested shares), up to an aggregate maximum of 9,036,139 Ordinary Shares pursuant to this clause (iii). Any such shares that become available for issuance under the Plan from the Prior Plans will cease to be set aside or reserved for issuance pursuant to the applicable Prior Plan effective on the date on which they cease to be subject to such awards thereunder, and will instead be set aside and reserved for issuance pursuant to Awards under the Plan (the amounts available for issuance under clauses (i)-(iii), the “Share Reserve”).

Ordinary Shares issued under the Plan will be drawn from authorized and unissued Ordinary Shares or Ordinary Shares redeemed by the Company and held as treasury shares.

(b) Share Use.

(i) Ordinary Shares covered by an Award will not be counted as used unless and until they are actually issued and delivered to a Participant. If (A) any Award lapses, expires, terminates or is canceled prior to the issuance of Ordinary Shares thereunder, (B) Ordinary Shares under an Award are issued to a Participant and thereafter are forfeited to or otherwise redeemed by the Company, (C) Ordinary Shares under an Award are withheld by or tendered to the Company as payment, subject to Applicable Law, for the purchase price of an Award or to satisfy tax withholding obligations related to an Award, or (D) Ordinary Shares subject to an Award that is settled in cash or in another manner where some or all of the shares covered by the Award are not issued, then those Ordinary Shares will remain, or again become, available for issuance under the Plan.

(ii) If a Participant receives dividends or dividend equivalents in respect of an Award in the form of Ordinary Shares, those shares will not reduce the Share Reserve, unless expressly determined otherwise by the Plan Administrator.

(iii) The Plan Administrator may grant Substitute Awards under the Plan. Substitute Awards will not reduce the number of Ordinary Shares authorized for issuance under the Plan. In the event that an Acquired Entity has shares available for awards or grants under one or more preexisting plans not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination and previously approved by the Acquired Entity’s shareholders, then, to the extent determined by the Board or the Compensation Committee and permitted by Applicable Law, the number of shares available for grant pursuant to the terms of such preexisting plans (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to holders of securities of the entities that are parties to such acquisition or combination) may be used for Awards under the Plan and will not reduce the number of Ordinary Shares authorized for issuance under the Plan; provided, however, that Awards using such available shares will not be made after the date awards or grants could have been made under the terms of such preexisting plans, absent the acquisition

 

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or combination, and will only be made to individuals who were not employees or Directors of the Company or a Related Company prior to such acquisition or combination. In the event that the Board approves a written agreement between the Company and an Acquired Entity pursuant to which a merger or consolidation is completed and that agreement sets forth the terms and conditions of the substitution for or assumption of outstanding awards of the Acquired Entity, those terms and conditions will be deemed to be the action of the Plan Administrator without any further action by the Plan Administrator, except as may be required for compliance with Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, and the persons holding such awards will be deemed to be Participants. Shares subject to Substitute Awards may not be re-used under the Plan pursuant to Section 4(b)(i).

(iv) The Plan Administrator will also, without limitation, have the authority to grant Awards as an alternative to or as the form of payment for grants or rights earned or due under other compensation plans or arrangements of the Company.

(c) ISO Limit. The maximum number of Ordinary Shares that may be issued upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options may not exceed 6,648,319 shares, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 14(a) (the “ISO Limit”).

(d) Non-Employee Directors. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, during any fiscal year of the Company, no Director who is also not an employee of the Company or a Related Company may be granted Awards or cash compensation solely with respect to service as a Director that exceeds in the aggregate $750,000 in value (with the value of Awards denominated in Ordinary Shares computed based on the grant date fair value for such Awards in accordance with applicable financial accounting standards). The Board or an authorized committee thereof may increase such limit to $1,000,000 for an individual Director who was appointed to the Board during the fiscal year or who serves as the non-executive chairperson of the Board, as lead independent Director, or as a member of a specially formed committee of the Board, provided that the non-employee Director receiving such additional compensation may not participate in the decision to award such compensation to such non-employee Director. For purposes of the foregoing limit, Awards granted in previous fiscal years will not count against the Award limits in subsequent fiscal years, even if the Awards from previous fiscal years are earned, vested or otherwise settled in fiscal years following the fiscal year in which they are granted.

5. Eligibility. The Plan Administrator may grant Awards (a) to any employee, Officer or Director of the Company or a Related Company and (b) to any independent contractor (including consultants and advisors) who is a natural person for bona fide services rendered to the Company or any Related Company, provided the services by any independent contractor are not in connection with the offer and sale of the Company’s securities in a capital-raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities.

6. Provisions Applicable to All Awards.

(a) Grant Date. Corporate action constituting a grant by the Company of an Award to any Participant will be deemed completed as of the date of such corporate action, unless otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator, regardless of when the Award Agreement evidencing the Award is communicated to, received by, or accepted by the Participant.

 

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(b) Clerical Errors. If the Plan Administrator’s records (e.g., consents, resolutions or minutes) documenting the corporate action granting the Award contain terms (e.g., exercise price, vesting schedule or number of Ordinary Shares) that are inconsistent with those in the Award Agreement as a result of a clerical error in the papering of the Award Agreement, the Plan Administrator’s records approving the Award will control and the Participant will have no legally binding right to the incorrect term in the Award Agreement.

(c) Evidence of Awards. The Plan Administrator will document all Awards by an Award Agreement that contains the material terms of the Award, including but not limited to any consideration to be paid to receive the Award (including the Participant’s services to the Company or a Related Company), the exercise or purchase price (if any), the vesting schedule (including any performance vesting triggers), and the Company’s rights to redeem the Ordinary Shares subject to the Award.

(d) Other Governing Documents. The Plan Administrator may require a Participant, as a condition to receiving Ordinary Shares under the Plan, to sign any additional documentation as reasonably required by the Plan Administrator for compliance with Applicable Law and the orderly administration of the Plan.

(e) Payments for Ordinary Shares and Taxes. The Plan Administrator will determine, subject to Applicable Law, the forms of consideration a Participant may use to pay the exercise or purchase price for Ordinary Shares issued under Awards and any withholding taxes or other amounts due in connection with Awards. A Participant must pay all consideration due in connection with the Award (including withholding taxes) before the Company will issue the Ordinary Shares being acquired. Subject to Section 18(f) and Applicable Law, the Plan Administrator may (but is not required to) permit the use of the following forms of consideration (including a combination thereof):

(i) cash or cash equivalents, including checks, wire transfers, and ACH payments;

(ii) having the Company withhold Ordinary Shares and any other consideration that would otherwise be issued under an Award (other than in respect of an Incentive Stock Option) that have an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to the consideration owed to the Company (a “Withhold to Cover”);

(iii) tendering (either actually or, if and so long as the Ordinary Shares are registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, by attestation) Ordinary Shares owned by the Participant free and clear of any liens, claims or other encumbrances that have an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to the consideration owed to the Company, but only if the tender will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company;

(iv) if and so long as the Ordinary Shares are registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, delivery of a properly executed agreement, together with irrevocable instructions to a brokerage firm designated or approved by the Company to deliver promptly to the Company the aggregate amount of proceeds to pay the consideration due to the Company, all in accordance with the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board; or

 

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(v) such other consideration as the Plan Administrator may permit, to the extent permitted under Applicable Law.

If a Participant engages in a Withhold to Cover transaction to pay applicable tax withholdings, the value of the Ordinary Shares so withheld may not exceed the employer’s applicable maximum required tax withholding rate or other applicable rate that is permitted, provided such tax withholding rate will not cause adverse accounting consequences to the Company and is permitted under Applicable Law, as determined by the Plan Administrator.

(f) Vesting. Unless otherwise provided by the Plan Administrator, a Participant will cease vesting in an Award at the time of the Participant’s Termination of Service and the Participant will have no further rights, title or interest in or to the unvested portion of the Award upon the Termination of Service.

(g) Performance-Based Awards. The Plan Administrator may grant Awards subject to Performance Goals. The time period during which one or more Performance Goals must be met is called the “Performance Period.”

(h) Change in Service; Leaves of Absence. Subject to Applicable Law, the Company’s chief human resources officer or other person performing that function will be authorized to determine the effect on Awards of a Participant’s leave of absence or change in hours of employment or service. In general, if, after the Grant Date of an Award to a Participant, the Participant’s regular level of time commitment in the performance of the Participant’s services for the Company and any Related Companies is reduced (for example, and without limitation, if the Participant has a change in status from a full-time employee to a part-time employee, or if the Participant goes on a leave of absence), the Company has the right in its sole discretion (and without the need to seek or obtain the consent of the affected Participant), subject to Applicable Law, to (i) make a corresponding reduction in the number of Ordinary Shares, other property or cash subject to any portion of such Award that is scheduled to vest or become payable after the date of such change in time commitment, and (ii) in lieu of or in combination with such a reduction, extend the vesting or payment schedule applicable to such Award (but only if the modification would not cause the Participant to incur penalties or additional taxation under Section 409A). If an Award is reduced, the Participant will have no right with respect to the portion of the Award that is so reduced. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any such determinations made with respect to Directors or Officers will be made by the Plan Administrator.

(i) Applicability of Award Terms to New Property. If a Participant receives new or additional Ordinary Shares, other securities, other property, or cash in respect of an Award, those shares, securities, property and cash will be subject to all the same terms of the Plan and the Award Agreement as apply to the underlying Ordinary Shares subject to that Award.

 

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(j) Recoupment. Awards will be subject to the requirements of (a) Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (regarding recovery of erroneously awarded compensation) and any implementing rules and regulations thereunder, (b) similar rules under the laws of any other jurisdiction, (c) any compensation recovery or clawback policies or clawback provisions in a Participant’s terms of employment (as applicable) adopted by the Company to implement any such requirements and (d) any other compensation recovery and clawback policies and clawback provisions in a Participant’s terms of employment (as applicable) as may be adopted from time to time by the Company, all to the extent determined by the Plan Administrator in its discretion to be applicable to a Participant. No recovery of compensation under such a recovery or clawback policy or clawback provisions in a Participant’s terms of employment (as applicable) will be an event giving rise to a right to voluntarily terminate employment or service upon a “resignation for good reason” or for a “constructive termination” or a similar term under any plan or agreement with the Company or a Related Company.

(k) Trading Policy and Other Restrictions. Transactions involving Awards are subject to the Company’s insider trading policy and other restrictions, terms, conditions and policies, as may be established by the Company (including the Board or a committee of the Board) from time to time or as may be required by Applicable Law.

(l) Investigations. Subject to Applicable Law, if a Participant’s employment or service relationship with the Company or a Related Company is suspended pending an investigation of whether the Participant will be terminated for Cause, all the Participant’s rights under any Award will likewise be suspended during the period of investigation.

(m) No Obligation to Notify or Minimize Taxes. The Company and the Plan Administrator will have no duty or obligation to any Participant to advise such holder as to the time or manner of exercising the Participant’s rights under an Award. Furthermore, except as set forth in Section 14(c), the Company will have no duty or obligation to warn or otherwise advise such holder of a pending termination or expiration of an Award. The Company has no duty or obligation to minimize the tax consequences of an Award to the holder of such Award.

(n) Dividends and Distributions. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law with regard to the declaration and making of dividends, Participants may, if the Plan Administrator so determines, other than with respect to Options or SARs, be credited with dividends or dividend equivalents with respect to Ordinary Shares underlying an Award in a manner determined by the Plan Administrator in its sole discretion. With respect to Awards that are subject to the achievement of Performance Goals or other vesting terms, any such credited dividends or dividend equivalents may be paid only with respect to the portion of such Awards that is actually vested or earned. The Plan Administrator may apply any restrictions to the dividends or dividend equivalents that the Plan Administrator deems appropriate and may determine the form of payment of dividends or dividend equivalents, including cash, Ordinary Shares, Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units. Notwithstanding the foregoing the crediting of dividends or dividend equivalents must comply with or qualify for an exemption under Section 409A.

(o) Deferrals. The Plan Administrator may permit or require a Participant to defer receipt of the payment of any Award. If any such deferral election is permitted or required, the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, will establish rules and procedures for such payment deferrals, which may include the grant of additional Awards or provisions for the payment or crediting of interest or dividend equivalents, including converting such credits to deferred share unit equivalents. Deferral of any Award or payment thereunder will comply with Applicable Law and will satisfy either the requirements for exemption from Section 409A or the requirements of Section 409A as determined by the Plan Administrator prior to such deferral.

 

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(p) Right to Repurchase Shares. To the extent any Award granted by the Company contains a contractual right on the part of the Company to repurchase Ordinary Shares, such right will, for all purposes of the Companies Act, constitute a right to redeem the Ordinary Shares (and any relevant Ordinary Shares which are issued subject to such a redemption right will be issued as redeemable Ordinary Shares without further action on the part of the Board, any committee thereof or any delegate of the Board).

7. Options & SARs.

(a) Types of Options. The Plan Administrator may grant Options designated as Incentive Stock Options or as Nonqualified Stock Options. 

(b) Exercise Price. The Plan Administrator may not grant Options or SARs with an exercise price per Ordinary Share less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares on the Grant Date (and not less than the minimum exercise price required by Section 422 of the Code with respect to Incentive Stock Options), except in the case of Substitute Awards.

(c) Term. The maximum term of an Option or SAR will be ten years from the Grant Date, subject to earlier termination in accordance with the terms of the Plan and the Award Agreement.

(d) Conditions to Exercise.

(i) To exercise an Option or SAR, the Participant must deliver (A) the exercise agreement or other permitted notice stating the number of Ordinary Shares being purchased and, if applicable, the account number or digital wallet address into which the Ordinary Shares should be deposited, (B) payment in full of the exercise price and any tax withholding obligations, and (C) any additional documents requested or required by the Company as a condition to exercise. The Company will not initiate the settlement on the exercise of an Option or SAR until all conditions necessary for the exercise of the Award have been satisfied (including compliance with Applicable Law), all the foregoing steps have been completed and the Company initiates the issuance of the Ordinary Shares in the Participant’s name.

(ii) The Plan Administrator may modify the exercise agreement form for Options and SARs, and the procedure for exercise, from time to time, including after the Grant Date of an Award, without the Participant’s consent. The Plan Administrator may restrict exercise to those times when the exercise will not violate Applicable Law or as it deems necessary or appropriate for administrative purposes.

(iii) Unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise, an Option or SAR may be exercised only for whole Ordinary Shares.

(e) Effect of Termination of Service. The Plan Administrator will establish and define in the Award Agreement how an Option or SAR will be treated on a Termination of Service.

 

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Unless otherwise set forth in the Award Agreement or otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator, the following treatment will apply:

(i) Any portion of an Award that is not vested and exercisable on the date of a Participant’s Termination of Service will expire on the date of the Participant’s Termination of Service.

(ii) Any portion of an Award that is vested and exercisable on the date of a Participant’s Termination of Service will expire on the earliest to occur of the following, if not exercised by that date:

(A) if the Participant’s Termination of Service occurs for reasons other than Cause, Disability or death, the date that is three months after such Termination of Service;

(B) if the Participant’s Termination of Service occurs by reason of Cause, the date of the Termination of Service;

(C) if the Participant’s Termination of Service occurs by reason of death or Disability, the date that is 12 months after such Termination of Service;

(D) if the Participant dies during any of the foregoing post-termination exercise periods, the date that is 12 months after death;

(E) if the Plan Administrator determines during any of the foregoing post-termination exercise periods that termination for Cause existed at the time of the Participant’s Termination of Service, immediately on such determination;

(F) if, during any of the foregoing periods, the Company undergoes a Change of Control and the successor or acquiring entity refuses to convert, continue, assume, substitute for or replace an Award, then on the date of the consummation of the Change of Control; and

(G) the Award Expiration Date.

(f) Extension of Exercise Period under Limited Circumstances. If the exercise of an Award following a Participant’s Termination of Service (other than upon the Participant’s death or Disability) would be prohibited at any time solely because the issuance of Ordinary Shares under the Award would violate the registration requirements under the Securities Act or similar requirements under the laws of any state or foreign jurisdiction, then the Award will terminate on the earlier of (A) the Award Expiration Date and (B) the date that is three months after the date of Termination of Service during which the exercise of the Award would not be in violation of such requirements.

8. Incentive Stock Option Limitations. The terms of an Incentive Stock Option must comply in all respects with Section 422 of the Code, each of which is incorporated by reference into the Plan. The Plan Administrator will construe the terms of any Option granted as an Incentive Stock Option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code, and if the Option (or a portion thereof) does not meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code, that Option (or that portion) will be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option. The requirements of Section 422 include the following:

 

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(a) ISO Granting Period. No Incentive Stock Options may be granted more than ten years after the earlier of the approval by the Board or the shareholders of the Plan (or any amendment to the Plan that constitutes the adoption of a new plan for purposes of Section 422 of the Code). For clarity, any shareholder approved amendment of the Initial Share Reserve that also amends the ISO Limit will be deemed the adoption of a new plan for purposes of Code Section 422 and therefore an extension of the period in which Incentive Stock Options may be granted, unless otherwise expressly provided for in the shareholder approval of such increase.

(b) ISO Qualification. If the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the Grant Date) of Ordinary Shares with respect to which a Participant’s Incentive Stock Options become exercisable for the first time during any calendar year (under the Plan and all other share option plans of the Company and its parent and subsidiary corporations) exceeds $100,000 (or such other limit established by the Code), or if the Option otherwise does not comply with the requirements under Section 422 of the Code, the Option (or the portion that does not meet the requirements of Section 422) will be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option. Options will be taken into account in the order in which they were granted. If the Participant holds two or more such Options that become exercisable for the first time in the same calendar year, such limitation will be applied on the basis of the order in which such Options are granted.

(c) Eligible Employees. Individuals who are not employees of the Company or one of its parent or subsidiary corporations may not be granted Incentive Stock Options. The Plan does not prohibit the grant of Incentive Stock Options to employees who reside or work outside of the United States.

(d) Exercise Price. Incentive Stock Options will be granted with an exercise price per share not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares on the Grant Date, and in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Participant who owns more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of the shares of the Company or of its parent or subsidiary corporations (as determined under the Code, a “Ten Percent Shareholder”), will be granted with an exercise price per Ordinary Share not less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares on the Grant Date. Status as a Ten Percent Shareholder will be determined in accordance with Section 422 of the Code.

(e) Option Term. The maximum term of an Incentive Stock Option will not exceed ten years, and in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Shareholder, will not exceed five years, in each case, subject to earlier termination in accordance with the terms of the Plan and the Award Agreement.

(f) Exercisability. An Option designated as an Incentive Stock Option will cease to qualify for favorable tax treatment as an Incentive Stock Option to the extent it is exercised (if permitted by the terms of the Option) (i) more than three months after the date of a Participant’s termination of employment if termination was for reasons other than death or disability, (ii) more than one year after the date of a Participant’s termination of employment if termination was by reason of disability, or (iii) more than six months following the first day of a Participant’s leave of absence that exceeds three months, unless the Participant’s reemployment rights are guaranteed by statute or contract (as such rule is explained in Section 422 of the Code).

 

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(g) Taxation of Incentive Stock Options. To obtain the tax benefits afforded to Incentive Stock Options under Section 422 of the Code, the Participant must hold the Ordinary shares acquired on the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option for two years after the Grant Date and one year after the date of exercise (that is, the Participant must not Transfer the shares until at least the day after the expiration of these periods). A Participant may be subject to the alternative minimum tax at the time of exercise of an Incentive Stock Option. The Participant must give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of Ordinary Shares acquired on the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option prior to the expiration of these holding periods.

(h) Code Definitions. For the purposes of this Section 8, “disability,” “parent corporation” and “subsidiary corporation” have the meanings attributed to those terms for purposes of Section 422 of the Code.

(i) Shareholder Approval. If the shareholders of the Company do not approve the Plan within 12 months after the Board’s adoption of the Plan (or the Board’s adoption of any amendment to the Plan that constitutes the adoption of a new plan for purposes of Section 422 of the Code), Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan after the date of the Board’s adoption (or approval) will be treated as Nonqualified Stock Options.

9. Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Unit Awards.

(a) Grants of Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Unit Awards. The Plan Administrator may grant Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Unit Awards to selected Participants on such terms and conditions and subject to such redemption or forfeiture restrictions, if any, which may be based on continuous employment or service with the Company or a Related Company or the achievement of Performance Goals, as the Plan Administrator may determine in its sole discretion, which terms, conditions and restrictions will be set forth in the Award Agreement.

(b) Vesting of Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Unit Awards. Upon the satisfaction of any terms, conditions and restrictions prescribed with respect to Restricted Stock Awards or Restricted Stock Unit Awards, or upon a Participant’s release from any terms, conditions and restrictions on Restricted Stock Awards or Restricted Stock Unit Awards, as determined by the Plan Administrator, (i) the Ordinary Shares the subject of each Award will become freely transferable by the Participant, subject to compliance with the Company’s insider trading policy and Applicable Law, and (ii) Restricted Stock Unit Awards will be paid in Ordinary Shares or, if set forth in the Award Agreement, in cash or a combination of cash and Ordinary Shares or other securities.

10. Performance Awards.

(a) Performance Share Units. The Plan Administrator may grant Awards of Performance Share Units, designate the Participants to whom Performance Share Units are to be awarded and determine the number of Performance Units and the terms and conditions of each such Award. Performance Share Units will consist of units valued by reference to a designated

 

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number of Ordinary Shares, the value of which may be paid to the Participant by delivery of Ordinary Shares or, if set forth in the Award Agreement, of such property as the Plan Administrator will determine, including, without limitation, cash, Ordinary Shares, other property, or any combination thereof, upon the attainment of Performance Goals, as established by the Plan Administrator, and other terms and conditions of such Awards. The amount to be paid under an Award of Performance Share Units may be adjusted on the basis of such further consideration as the Plan Administrator will determine in its sole discretion.

(b) Performance Units. The Plan Administrator may grant Awards of Performance Units, designate the Participants to whom Performance Units are to be awarded and determine the number of Performance Units and the terms and conditions of each such Award. Performance Units will consist of a unit valued by reference to a designated amount of cash or property other than Ordinary Shares, which value may be paid to the Participant by delivery of such property as the Plan Administrator will determine, including, without limitation, cash, Ordinary Shares, other property, or any combination thereof, upon the attainment of Performance Goals or other criteria, as established by the Plan Administrator, and other terms and conditions specified by the Plan Administrator. The amount to be paid under an Award of Performance Units may be adjusted on the basis of such further consideration as the Plan Administrator will determine in its sole discretion.

(c) Plan Administrator Approval. After completion of any Performance Period applicable to an Award of Performance Share Units or Performance Units and prior to payment, settlement or vesting of any such Award, the Plan Administrator will certify the extent to which any Performance Goal established under this Section 10 has been satisfied, and the amount payable as a result thereof (which may approved as a percentage of a target Award).

11. Other Share or Cash-Based Awards. Subject to the terms of the Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate, the Plan Administrator may grant other incentives payable in cash or in Ordinary Shares under the Plan.

12. Tax Matters.

(a) Meaning of “taxes”. Any references in the Plan and/or the supporting documents to “tax” or “taxes” includes any and all taxes, charges, levies and contributions (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any social security contributions), whether federal, state, local or otherwise, of Ireland, the United States of America or elsewhere.

(b) Withholding. The Company will require the Participant to pay to the Company or a Related Company, as applicable, the amount of (i) any taxes that the Company or a Related Company is required by applicable federal, state, local or foreign law to withhold with respect to an Award and (ii) any other amounts due from the Participant to the Company, any Related Company or any governmental authority. The Company will not be required to issue any Ordinary Shares or otherwise settle an Award under the Plan until such tax withholding obligations and other obligations are satisfied.

 

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(c) Tax Indemnity. The Participant will be accountable for any taxes, which are chargeable on any assessable income deriving from the grant, exercise, purchase, or vesting of, or other dealing in, Awards, or Stock Awards issued pursuant to an Award. None of the Plan Administrator, the Company or any Related Company will become liable for any taxes as a result of the Participant’s participation in the Plan. In respect of such assessable income, the Participant will indemnify the Company and (at the direction of the Company) any Related Company, which is or may be treated as the employer of the Participant in respect of the taxes (the “Tax Liabilities”).

(d) Payment of Tax. Pursuant to the indemnity referred to in Section 12(c), where necessary, the Participant will make such arrangements as the Plan Administrator, the Company or any Related Company requires to meet the cost of the Tax Liabilities, including at the direction of the Plan Administrator, and without limitation, any of the matters set out under Section 6(e).

(e) Section 409A. The Company intends that the Plan and Awards granted under the Plan (unless otherwise expressly provided for in the Award Agreement or Plan Administrator resolutions approving the Award) are exempt from the requirements of Section 409A to the maximum extent possible, whether pursuant to the short-term deferral exception described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(4), the exclusion applicable to share options, share appreciation rights and certain other equity-based compensation under Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(5) or 1.409A-1(b)(6), or otherwise. The Plan Administrator will use reasonable best efforts to interpret, operate and administer the Plan and any Award granted under the Plan in a manner consistent with this intention. However, the Plan Administrator makes no representations that Awards granted under the Plan will be exempt from or comply with Section 409A and makes no undertaking to preclude Section 409A from applying to Awards granted under the Plan.

(i) If Section 409A is applicable to any Award granted under the Plan (that is, to the extent not so exempt), the Plan Administrator intends that the non-exempt Award will comply with the deferral, payout, plan termination and other limitations and restrictions imposed under Section 409A.

(ii) If necessary for exemption from, or compliance with, Section 409A:

(A) All references in the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan to the termination of the Participant’s employment or service are intended to mean the Participant’s “separation from service,” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i).

(B) The Plan Administrator will treat each installment that vests or is delivered under an Award in a series of payments or installments as a separate payment for purposes of Section 409A, unless expressly set forth in the Award Agreement that each installment is not a separate payment.

(C) If the Participant is a “specified employee,” within the meaning of Section 409A, then if necessary to avoid subjecting the Participant to the imposition of any additional tax under Section 409A, amounts that would otherwise be payable under the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan during the six-month period immediately following the Participant’s “separation from service” will not be paid to the Participant during such period, but will instead be accumulated and paid to the Participant (or, in the event of the Participant’s death, the Participant’s estate) in a lump sum on the first business day after the earlier of the date that is six months following the Participant’s separation from service or the Participant’s death, unless the amounts can be paid in another manner that complies with Section 409A.

 

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(D) If, after the Grant Date of an Award, the Plan Administrator determines that an Award is reasonably likely to fail to be either exempt from or compliant with Section 409A, the Plan Administrator reserves the right, but will not be required, to unilaterally (and without the affected Participant’s consent) amend or modify the Plan and any Award granted under the Plan so that the Award qualifies for exemption from or complies with Section 409A. Any such amendment or modification made to avoid the imposition of adverse taxation under Section 409A will be deemed not to materially adversely impact the Participant.

13. Restrictions on Transfer of Awards and Ordinary Shares.

(a) General. In general, any Transfer or purported Transfer of an Award or of Ordinary Shares issued under the Plan in violation of the Plan will be null and void, will have no force or effect, and the Company will not register in its records any such purported Transfer.

(b) No Transfer of Awards. A Participant may not Transfer an Award or interest in an Award other than (i) Transfers on the Participant’s death by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and (ii) Transfers of vested Ordinary Shares after the period of restrictions have lapsed or been removed and the Ordinary Shares have been issued to the Participant, subject to compliance with the Constitution, the Company’s insider trading policy and Applicable Law. In general, during a Participant’s lifetime, only the Participant granted the Award may exercise the Award or purchase the Ordinary Shares under the Award. The Plan Administrator may permit the Transfer of an Award or an interest in an Award other than for value if it so approves and that Transfer complies with Applicable Law, such as a Transfer to a trust if the Participant is considered the sole beneficial owner of the trust (as determined under Applicable Law) or pursuant to a court-endorsed domestic relations order in a format acceptable to the Plan Administrator. If the Plan Administrator permits Transfer of an Award, the Award will be limited by any additional terms and conditions imposed by the Plan Administrator.

14. Changes to Ordinary Shares.

(a) Adjustments. In the event of a share dividend, share split, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, distribution or dividend to shareholders other than a normal cash dividend, or other change in the Company’s corporate or capital structure that constitutes an equity restructuring transaction, as that term is used in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any successor thereto) and that results in (i) the outstanding Ordinary Shares, or any securities exchanged therefor or received in their place, being exchanged or adjusted for a different number or kind of securities of the Company or any other company or (ii) new, different or additional securities of the Company or any other company being received by the holders of Ordinary Shares, then the Plan Administrator will make proportional adjustments in (A) the maximum number and kind of securities available for issuance under the Plan; (B) the maximum number and kind of securities issuable as Incentive Stock Options; (C) the number and kind of securities that are subject to any outstanding Award and the per share price of such securities, without any change in the aggregate price to be paid under the Award; and (D) any other terms of an Award that are

 

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affected by the change, in each case as necessary to prevent the diminution or enlargement of rights under the Plan. The determination by the Plan Administrator as to the terms of any of the foregoing adjustments will be conclusive and binding. For clarity, the issuance by the Company of shares of any class, or securities convertible into shares of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services rendered, either on direct sale or on the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or on conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, will not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof will be made with respect to, outstanding Awards.

(b) Dissolution or Liquidation. To the extent not previously exercised or settled, and unless otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator in its sole discretion, Awards will terminate immediately prior to the dissolution or liquidation of the Company. If a vesting condition, forfeiture provision or redemption right applicable to an Award has not been waived by the Plan Administrator, the portion of the Award subject to that condition, provision or right will be forfeited immediately prior to the consummation of the dissolution or liquidation.

(c) Change of Control.

(i) Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or any other written agreement between the Company or any Related Company and the Participant with respect to the Award, contingent on the closing or completion of the Change of Control, each Award will be treated as the Plan Administrator determines without a Participant’s consent (subject to clause (ii) immediately below), including, without limitation, that (A) Awards will be converted, continued, assumed, substituted for or replaced with awards by the Successor Company with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and purchase or exercise prices (including but not limited to, awards to acquire the same consideration paid to the stockholders of the Company pursuant to the Change of Control); (B) Awards will be terminated to the extent not vested or, with respect to vested Options and SARs, to the extent not exercised prior to the effective time of the Change of Control; (C) outstanding Awards will vest and become exercisable, realizable or payable, or restrictions applicable to an Award will lapse, in whole or in part prior to or upon the Change of Control and, to the extent the Plan Administrator determines, terminate upon or immediately prior to the Change of Control; (D) Awards will be terminated in exchange for an amount of cash and/or property, if any, equal to the excess, if any, of (1) the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or settlement of the Award as of the date of the Change of Control, over (2) the exercise or purchase price payable in connection with such Award (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if the Plan Administrator determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or settlement of the Award, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment); or (E) any combination of the foregoing.

(ii) Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or any other written agreement between the Company or any Related Company and the Participant with respect to the Award, if and to the extent that the Successor Company does not convert, continue, assume, substitute for or replace an Award (or portion thereof), (A) outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights (or portions thereof) will become fully vested and exercisable for a period of time determined by the Plan Administrator, including Ordinary Shares under the Award that would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, and such Options and Stock Appreciation Rights will

 

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thereafter terminate upon expiration of such period; and (B) all vesting or other restrictions on outstanding Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Share Units and Performance Units (or portions thereof) will lapse; provided, however, that with respect to such Awards with performance-based vesting, such Awards will be payable in accordance with the terms and the payout schedule under the Award Agreement or as otherwise permitted under Section 409A. Further, any existing deferrals or other restrictions not waived by the Plan Administrator in its sole discretion will remain in effect.

(iii) For the purposes of this Section 14(c), an Award will be considered converted, continued, assumed, substituted for or replaced by the Successor Company if following the Change of Control, the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Ordinary Share subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change of Control, the consideration (whether shares, cash or other securities or property) received in the Change of Control by holders of Ordinary Shares for each share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Ordinary Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the Change of Control is not solely Ordinary Shares of the Successor Company, the Plan Administrator may, with the consent of the Successor Company, provide for the consideration to be received pursuant to the Award, for each Ordinary Share subject thereto, to be solely Ordinary Shares of the Successor Company substantially equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Ordinary Shares in the Change of Control. The determination of such substantial equality of value of consideration will be made by the Plan Administrator, and its determination will be conclusive and binding. An Award that vests, is earned or paid out upon the satisfaction of one or more Performance Goals will not be considered converted, continued, assumed, substituted for or replaced by the Successor Company if any Performance Goals are materially modified without the Participant’s consent, in all cases, unless specifically provided otherwise under the applicable Award Agreement or other applicable written agreement applicable to the Award; provided, however, that a modification to such Performance Goals only to reflect the Successor Company’s post-Change of Control company structure will not invalidate an otherwise valid Award conversion, continuation, assumption, substitution or replacement.

(d) General. Subject to Applicable Law, the Plan Administrator need not take the same action with respect to all Awards or portions thereof, with respect to all Awards of the same type or with respect to all Participants. The Plan Administrator may take different actions with respect to the vested and unvested portions of an Award. The Plan Administrator may provide that payments may be subject to the same terms and conditions as the payment of consideration to holders of the Ordinary Shares in connection with the Change of Control, such as provisions related to escrows or other holdbacks. The Plan Administrator may also provide that payments will be made over time subject to substantially the same vesting schedule as the Award, including any performance-based vesting metrics that applied to the Award immediately prior to the closing of the Change of Control.

(e) Further Adjustment of Awards. Subject to Section 14(c), the Plan Administrator will have the discretion to take additional action as it determines to be necessary or advisable with respect to Awards. Such authorized action may include (but will not be limited to) establishing, amending or waiving the type, terms, conditions or duration of, or restrictions on, Awards so as to provide for earlier, later, extended or additional time for exercise, lifting restrictions and other

 

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modifications, and, subject to Applicable Law, the Plan Administrator may take such actions with respect to all Participants, to certain categories of Participants or only to individual Participants. The Plan Administrator may take such action before or after granting Awards to which the action relates and before or after any public announcement with respect to such sale, merger, consolidation, reorganization, liquidation, dissolution or change of control that is the reason for such action.

(f) No Limitations. The grant of Awards will in no way affect the Company’s right to adjust, reclassify, reorganize or otherwise change its capital or business structure or to merge, consolidate, dissolve, liquidate or sell or transfer all or any part of its business or assets.

(g) Payment Conditions. By accepting an Award under the Plan, each Participant agrees that if an Award is to be terminated in connection with a Change of Control in exchange for a payment in cash, securities or other property, a condition to receipt of any such payment is that the Participant execute an Award termination or similar agreement providing for, among other things, (i) the Participant’s agreement and consent to (A) the amount of such consideration to be paid in respect of the Award and (B) the termination of the Award in exchange for such consideration, (ii) the Participant’s agreement to be bound by the indemnification, escrow, earn-out, holdback or similar arrangements contained in the definitive agreements relating to the Change of Control that are applicable to holders of Ordinary Shares generally, (iii) the Participant’s agreement to keep all non-public information provided in connection with the Change of Control transaction confidential, and (iv) other customary provisions.

(h) Fractional Shares. Except as otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator, each Award will cover only the number of full Ordinary Shares resulting from any adjustment under this Section 14, and any fractional shares resulting from such adjustment will be disregarded.

15. Term of the Plan. The Plan will expire no later than ten years after the adoption of the Plan by the Board. The Plan Administrator may not grant new Awards after the expiration of the Plan or the date the Plan is otherwise terminated. Shareholders of the Company must approve the Plan and any increase in the Share Reserve (including the Initial Share Reserve) or in the ISO Limit not later than 12 months after the Plan, or an increase to the Share Reserve or the ISO Limit, as applicable, is adopted by the Board.

16. Amendment and Termination.

(a) Plan Amendment, Suspension or Termination. The Board or the Compensation Committee may amend, suspend or terminate the Plan or any portion of the Plan at any time and in such respects as it will deem advisable, provided that the Board must approve any amendment for which shareholder approval is required under Applicable Law. No amendment will be effective absent shareholder approval if required by Applicable Law, including any amendment that would increase the Share Reserve or ISO Limit. Following termination of the Plan, outstanding Awards previously granted will remain outstanding in accordance with their terms and conditions and the Plan’s terms and conditions.

 

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(b) Award Amendment. The Plan Administrator may amend any Award at any time. However, the Plan Administrator may not amend an Award in a manner that materially adversely impacts the rights of the Participant holding that Award without the Participant’s written consent. A Participant will not be deemed to have been materially adversely impacted if, without the consent of the Participant, the Plan Administrator amends an Award: (i) to maintain the qualified status of the Award as an Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code, (ii) to change the terms of an Incentive Stock Option, to the extent such change results in impairment of the Award solely because it impairs the qualified status of the Award as an Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code, (iii) to clarify the manner of exemption from, or to bring the Award into compliance with Section 409A, (iv) to correct clerical or typographical errors, or (v) to comply with other Applicable Law.

17. No Individual Rights.

(a) No individual or Participant will have any claim to be granted any Award under the Plan. Subject to Applicable Law, the Company has no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants under the Plan. Participation in this Plan is entirely discretionary and does not create any contractual or other right to any benefit arising under the Plan or to future participation in this Plan (or any future amendment or replacement of this Plan).

(b) Nothing in the Plan or any Award will be deemed to constitute an employment contract or confer or be deemed to confer on any Participant any right to continue in the employ of, or to continue any other service relationship with, the Company or any Related Company or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Related Company to terminate a Participant’s Service relationship at any time, with or without Cause.

18. Conditions on Issuance of Ordinary Shares.

(a) The Company will have no obligation to issue or deliver any Ordinary Shares under the Plan or make any other distribution of benefits under the Plan unless, in the opinion of the Company’s counsel, such issuance, delivery or distribution would comply with Applicable Law.

(b) The Company will be under no obligation to any Participant to register for offering or resale or to qualify for exemption under the Securities Act, or to register or qualify under Applicable Law, any Ordinary Shares, security or interest in a security paid or issued under, or created by, the Plan, or to continue in effect any such registrations or qualifications if made. If, after reasonable efforts and at a reasonable cost, the Company is unable to obtain from any regulatory commission or agency the authority that legal counsel for the Company deems necessary or advisable 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 under those Awards.

(c) As a condition to the receipt of Ordinary Shares under the Plan, the Plan Administrator may require the Participant to (i) represent and warrant that such shares are being purchased or received only for the Participant’s own account and without any present intention to sell or distribute such shares and (ii) undertake additional actions as necessary to comply with Applicable Law. At the option of the Company, a stop-transfer order against any such Ordinary Shares may be placed on the official share register of the Company, and a legend indicating that such shares may not be pledged, sold or otherwise transferred, unless an opinion of counsel is provided (concurred in by counsel for the Company) stating that such transfer is not in violation of any Applicable Law, may be stamped on share certificates, to ensure exemption from registration.

 

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(d) The Company may issue Ordinary Shares on a noncertificated basis, to the extent not prohibited by Applicable Law.

(e) Unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise, no fractional Ordinary Shares will be issued under the Plan, and, except as otherwise provided in the Plan, the Plan Administrator will determine the manner in which a fractional share value will be treated.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan or the terms of any Award Agreement, no Ordinary Share will be allotted or issued pursuant to the grant, exercise or vesting of an Award (including under any cashless exercise provisions of this Plan or any Award Agreement), unless such share is fully paid-up in cash on issuance to at least its nominal value and in a manner which does not contravene section 82 (financial assistance for acquisition of shares) or any other provision of the Companies Act, and all Awards will be deemed to incorporate such a term. A “cashless exercise provision” is one that entitles a holder of an Award to elect to receive a reduced number of Ordinary Shares under an Award in (or purportedly in) full, or partial, satisfaction of the relevant exercise price; for the avoidance of doubt, the nominal value of an Ordinary Share may not be satisfied in this manner, and must, in all circumstances, be paid-up in cash.

19. Indemnification.

(a) Subject to section 235 of the Companies Act, each person who is or was a member of the Board, the Compensation Committee, or a committee of the Board or an Officer of the Company to whom authority to administer the Plan was delegated in accordance with Section 3, will be indemnified and held harmless by the Company against and from any loss, cost, liability or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such person in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit or proceeding to which such person may be a party or in which such person may be involved by reason of any action taken or failure to act under the Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by such person in settlement thereof, with the Company’s approval, or paid by such person in satisfaction of any judgment in any such claim, action, suit or proceeding against such person, unless such loss, cost, liability or expense is a result of such person’s own willful misconduct or except as expressly provided by statute; provided, however, that such person will give the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before such person undertakes to handle and defend it on such person’s own behalf.

(b) The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such person may be entitled under the Constitution, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or of any power that the Company may have to indemnify or hold harmless.

20. No Rights as a Shareholder. No Participant will be deemed to be the holder of, or have any rights of a holder of, the Ordinary Shares subject to an Award unless and until the date shares that are the subject of such Award have been issued and recorded as issued in the records of the Company or those of its transfer agents or registrars. No adjustment to an Award will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the Ordinary Shares are issued, except as provided in Section 14.

 

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21. Participants in Other Countries or Jurisdictions. The Plan Administrator may grant Awards to Eligible Persons who are foreign nationals on such terms and conditions different from those specified in the Plan, as may, in the judgment of the Plan Administrator, be necessary or desirable to foster and promote achievement of the purposes of the Plan. The Plan Administrator has the authority to adopt Plan modifications, administrative procedures, Plan supplements or subplans and the like as may be necessary or desirable to comply with provisions of the Applicable Law of other countries or jurisdictions in which the Company or any Related Company may operate or have employees. Any such applicable terms and conditions will be set out in an Award Agreement. In the event of any inconsistency in the construction, supplement, variation or otherwise of the Plan created by an Award Agreement pursuant to this Section 21, the Award Agreement will take precedence.

22. No Trust or Fund. The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan. Nothing contained herein will require the Company to segregate any monies or other property, or Ordinary Shares, or to create any trusts, or to make any special deposits for any immediate or deferred amounts payable to any Participant. No Participant will have any rights that are greater than those of a general unsecured creditor of the Company. Proceeds received by the Company from the sale of Ordinary Shares pursuant to Awards will constitute general funds of the Company.

23. Successors. All obligations of the Company under the Plan with respect to Awards will be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all the business and/or assets of the Company. The Plan and the conditions of any Award will be binding on a Participant and the Participant’s estate, executor, any receiver or trustee in bankruptcy and any representative of Participant’s creditors.

24. Severability. If any provision of the Plan or any Award is determined to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, or as to any person, or would disqualify the Plan or any Award under any law deemed applicable by the Plan Administrator, such provision will be construed or deemed amended to conform to Applicable Law. If any such provision cannot be so construed or deemed amended without, in the Plan Administrator’s determination, materially altering the intent of the Plan or the Award, such provision will be stricken as to such jurisdiction, person or Award, and the remainder of the Plan and any such Award will remain in full force and effect.

25. Choice of Law and Venue. The Plan, all Awards granted thereunder, and all determinations made and actions taken pursuant hereto, to the extent not otherwise governed by the laws of the United States, will be governed by the laws of Delaware without giving effect to principles of conflicts of law. Participants irrevocably consent to the nonexclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in California.

26. Legal Requirements. The granting of Awards and the issuance of Ordinary Shares under the Plan are subject to all Applicable Law.

 

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27. Electronic Communication.Any document required to be delivered under the Plan, including under Applicable Law, may be delivered in writing or electronically. Signature also may be electronic if permitted by the Company.

28. Effective Date. The Plan will become effective on the Closing, subject to applicable shareholder approval (the “Effective Date”).

Date of Board Approval: December 18, 2022

Date of Shareholder Approval: October 18, 2022

 

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APPENDIX A

DEFINITIONS

For purposes of the Plan:

Acquired Entity” means any Entity acquired by the Company or a Related Company or with which the Company or a Related Company merges or combines.

Admin Portal” means any third-party online share plan administration portal used to document and administer the Plan and Awards granted hereunder.

Applicable Law” means the requirements relating to the administration of the Plan and the Awards granted hereunder under any applicable securities, federal, state, foreign, material local or municipal or other law, statute, constitution, principle of common law, resolution, ordinance, code, edict, decree, rule, listing rule, regulation, judicial decision, ruling or requirement issued, enacted, adopted, promulgated, implemented or otherwise put into effect by or under the authority of any governmental body (including under the authority of any applicable self-regulating organization such as the Nasdaq Stock Market, New York Stock Exchange, or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).

Award” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Unit, Performance Share Unit, Performance Unit, cash-based award or other incentive payable in Ordinary Shares or in cash under the Plan, as may be designated by the Plan Administrator from time to time.

Award Agreement” means the written, including electronic, document stating the terms of the Award. The Award Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

Award Expiration Date” means the last day of the maximum term of an Award.

Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

Cause,” unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement or unless otherwise defined for purposes of an Award in a written employment, services or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or a Related Company, means, with respect to a Participant, the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) such Participant’s commission of any felony; (ii) such Participant’s commission of a crime involving fraud or dishonesty under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or jurisdiction that are applicable to that Participant and which crime is reasonably likely to result in material adverse effects on the Company or a Related Company; (iii) such Participant’s material violation of any contract or agreement between the Participant and the Company or a Related Company or material breach of any statutory duty owed to the Company or a Related Company; (iv) such Participant’s unauthorized use or disclosure of the confidential information or trade secrets of the Company or a Related Company; or (v) such Participant’s gross misconduct that is reasonably likely to result in material adverse effects (financial, reputational or otherwise) on the Company or a Related Company. The determination that a termination of the Participant is either for Cause or without Cause will be


made by the Company’s chief human resources officer or other person performing that function or, in the case of Directors and Officers, by the Board or the Compensation Committee, in its sole discretion. Any determination by the Plan Administrator that a Participant was terminated with or without Cause for the purposes of outstanding Awards held by such Participant will have no effect on any determination of the rights or obligations of the Company or such Participant for any other purpose.

Change of Control,” unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise with respect to an Award at the time the Award is granted or unless otherwise defined for purposes of an Award in a written employment, services or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or a Related Company, means the consummation, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events:

(a) an acquisition by any Entity of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of 50% or more of the total voting power of the then outstanding securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”); provided, however, that the following acquisitions will not constitute a Change of Control: (i) any acquisition directly from the Company, other than an acquisition by virtue of the exercise of a conversion privilege where the security being so converted was not acquired directly from the Company by the party exercising the conversion privilege, (ii) any acquisition by the Company, (iii) any acquisition by any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any Related Company, (iv) any additional acquisition by an Entity then considered to own more than 50% of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities; or (v) any acquisition by any Entity pursuant to a transaction that meets the conditions of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) set forth in the definition of Company Transaction;

(b) a change in the composition of the Board during any 12-month consecutive period following the Closing such that the Directors as of the beginning of such period (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided, however, that any individual who becomes a Director subsequent to the beginning of the 12-month period, whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of Directors who were also members of the Incumbent Board (or deemed to be pursuant to this proviso) will be considered as though such individual were a member of the Incumbent Board; and provided further, that any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of or in connection with an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of Directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of an Entity other than the Board will not be considered a member of the Incumbent Board; or

(c) the consummation of a Company Transaction.

Where a series of transactions undertaken with a common purpose is deemed to be a Change of Control, the date of such Change of Control will be the date on which the last of such transactions is consummated.

 

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If necessary for compliance with Section 409A, no transaction will be a Change of Control unless it is also a change in the ownership or effective control of the Company, or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets, as provided in Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(v) of the Code and Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(i)(5).

Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. Reference to a section of the Code or regulation related to that section will include such section or regulation, any valid regulation issued or other official applicable guidance of general or direct applicability promulgated under such section or regulation, and any comparable provision of any future legislation, regulation or official guidance of general or direct applicability amending, supplementing or superseding such section or regulation.

Closing” means the closing date of the Merger as defined in the Form S-4 of Mangomill plc filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about June 22, 2022, including any amendments thereto.

Companies Act” means the Irish Companies Act 2014, as amended.

Company” means MariaDB plc, an Irish public limited company having company number 606330 and its registered office at 699 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063, or any successor thereto.

Company Transaction,” unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise with respect to an Award at the time the Award is granted or unless otherwise defined for purposes of an Award in a written employment, services or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or a Related Company, means consummation of:

(a) a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into any other company;

(b) a sale in one transaction or a series of transactions undertaken with a common purpose of all or substantially all of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities; or

(c) a sale, lease, exchange, exclusive license or other disposition in one transaction or a series of related transactions undertaken with a common purpose of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries to a Person or Entity, excluding, however, in each case, any such transaction pursuant to which:

(i) the Entities who are the beneficial owners of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such transaction will beneficially own, directly or indirectly, at least 50% of the total voting power of the then outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, of the Successor Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership, immediately prior to such transaction, of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities;

(ii) no Entity (other than the Company or a Related Company, or any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company, a Related Company or a Successor Company) will beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the total voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the Successor Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, unless such ownership resulted solely from ownership of securities of the Company prior to such transaction; and

 

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(iii) individuals who were members of the Incumbent Board will immediately after the consummation of such transaction constitute at least a majority of the members of the board of directors of the Successor Company.

Where a series of transactions undertaken with a common purpose is deemed to be a Company Transaction, the date of such Company Transaction will be the date on which the last of such transactions is consummated.

Compensation Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board or a committee of the Board otherwise named but performing similar functions, including a subcommittee thereof.

Constitution” means the Company’s memorandum and articles of association.

Director” means a member of the Board.

Disability,” unless otherwise defined by the Plan Administrator for purposes of the Plan or in an Award Agreement or unless otherwise defined for purposes of an Award in a written employment, services or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or a Related Company, means a mental or physical impairment of the Participant that is expected to result in death or that has lasted or is expected to last for a continuous period of 12 months or more and that causes the Participant to be unable to perform the Participant’s material duties for the Company or a Related Company and to be engaged in any substantial gainful activity, in each case as determined by the Company’s chief human resources officer or other person performing that function or, in the case of Directors and Officers, the Board or the Compensation Committee, each of whose determination will be conclusive and binding.

Effective Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 28 of the Plan.

Eligible Person” means any person eligible to receive an Award as set forth in Section 5 of the Plan.

Entity” means any individual, entity or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act).

Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.

Fair Market Value” means the per share fair market value of the Ordinary Shares on any given date, determined as follows:

(a) if the principal market for the Ordinary Shares is an established stock exchange or national market system, the closing sales price per Ordinary Share during regular trading, or if not trading on that date (e.g., a weekend or holiday), such price on the last preceding date on which the Ordinary Shares were traded;

 

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(b) if the principal market for the Ordinary Shares is not a national stock exchange or national market system, the average of the highest bid and lowest asked prices for the Ordinary Shares as reported on a national quotation system, or if not quoted on that date, such price on the last preceding date on which the prices were quoted; or

(c) if the principal market for the Ordinary Shares is not an established stock exchange or national market system or if the Ordinary Shares are not reported on a national quotation system, by the Plan Administrator in good faith in a manner consistent with Section 409A and 422 of the Code, as applicable.

However, in determining the value of an Ordinary Share for tax reporting purposes and such other purposes as determined by the Plan Administrator, the Plan Administrator may calculate Fair Market Value using the foregoing methods, the actual sales price in the transaction at issue (e.g., “sell to cover), or such other value determined by the Company in good faith in a manner that complies with applicable tax laws.

Grant Date” means the later of (a) the date on which the Plan Administrator completes the corporate action authorizing the grant of an Award or such later date specified by the Plan Administrator and (b) the date on which all conditions precedent to an Award have been satisfied, provided that conditions to the exercisability or vesting of Awards will not defer the Grant Date.

Incentive Stock Option” or “ISO” means an Option granted with the intention that it qualify as an “incentive stock option” as that term is defined for purposes of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision.

Initial Share Reserve” has the meaning set forth in Section 4(a)(i) of the Plan.

ISO Limit” has the meaning set forth in Section 4(c) of the Plan.

Nonqualified Stock Option” or “NSO” means an Option that does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

Officer” means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

Option” means a right to purchase Ordinary Shares granted under Section 7 of the Plan. Options are either Incentive Stock Options or Nonqualified Stock Options.

Option Term” means the maximum term of an Option as set forth in Section 7(c) of the Plan.

Ordinary Shares” means ordinary shares of US $0.01 each (nominal value) in the capital of the Company.

Participant” means any Eligible Person to whom an Award is granted.

 

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Performance Goal” means a performance goal established by the Plan Administrator upon which the grant, exercise, vesting or payment an Award may be based, including, but not limited to, the attainment of specified levels of one or any combination of the following for the Company as a whole or any affiliate or business unit of the Company: cash flows, earnings measures (including before taxes and/or interest and/or depreciation and amortization), earnings (loss) per share, operating income (loss), revenue, operating margin, return on equity, debt, share price appreciation, total or relative shareholder return, strategic initiatives, or net income (loss). Performance Goals may be established on an absolute basis or relative to the performance of other companies.

Performance Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 6(g).

Performance Share Unit” means an Award of units denominated in Ordinary Shares granted under Section 10 of the Plan.

Performance Unit” means an Award of units denominated in cash or property other than Ordinary Shares granted under Section 10 of the Plan.

Plan” means the MariaDB plc 2022 Equity Incentive Plan.

Plan Administrator” has the meaning set forth in Section 3(b) of the Plan.

Prior Plans” means all equity plans of MariaDB Corporation AB, a Finnish private limited liability company (and any predecessor thereto) (and, for the avoidance of doubt, excluding the Plan), under which options are outstanding as of immediately prior to the Closing.

Related Company” means any “parent” or “subsidiary” of the Company, as such terms are defined under Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Restricted Stock” means an Award of Ordinary Shares granted under Section 9 of the Plan, either with or without payment of a purchase price, the rights of which are subject to vesting, forfeiture or similar restrictions prescribed by the Plan Administrator.

Restricted Stock Unit” or “RSU” means an Award denominated in units of Ordinary Shares granted under Section 9 of the Plan that represents an unfunded, unsecured right to receive the Fair Market Value of one Ordinary Share for each unit subject to the Award in cash, Ordinary Shares or other securities, as of the date of vesting or settlement.

Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code.

Securities Act” means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.

Service” means there has not been a Termination of Service with respect to a Participant.

Share Reserve” has the meaning set forth in Section 4(a)(iii) of the Plan.

Stock Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means a right granted under Section 7 of the Plan to receive, in cash, Ordinary Shares or other securities, (i) the Fair Market Value per Ordinary Share on the date of exercise minus the grant price per Ordinary Share subject to the SAR, multiplied by (ii) the number of Ordinary Shares with respect to which the SAR is exercised.

 

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Stock Award” means an Award of Ordinary Shares granted under Section 9 of the Plan, the rights of ownership of which are not subject to vesting, forfeiture or similar restrictions prescribed by the Plan Administrator.

Substitute Awards” means Awards granted or Ordinary Shares issued by the Company in substitution or exchange for awards previously granted by an Acquired Entity.

Successor Company” means the surviving company, the successor company, the acquiring company or its parent, as applicable, in connection with a Change of Control.

Tax Liabilities” has the meaning set forth in Section 12(c).

Termination of Service,” unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise with respect to an Award, means a termination of employment or service relationship with the Company or a Related Company for any reason, whether voluntary or involuntary, including by reason of death or Disability. Any question as to whether and when there has been a Termination of Service for the purposes of an Award and the cause of such Termination of Service will be determined by the Company’s chief human resources officer or other person performing that function or, with respect to Directors and Officers, by the Board or the Compensation Committee, whose determination will be conclusive and binding. Transfer of a Participant’s employment or service relationship between the Company and any Related Company will not be considered a Termination of Service for purposes of an Award. Unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise, a Termination of Service will be deemed to occur if the Participant’s employment or service relationship is with an entity that has ceased to be a Related Company. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, a Participant’s change in status from an employee of the Company or a Related Company to a nonemployee Director, consultant, advisor or independent contractor of the Company or a Related Company, or a change in status from a nonemployee Director, consultant, advisor or independent contractor of the Company or a Related Company to an employee of the Company or a Related Company, will not be considered a Termination of Service.

Transfer” means, as the context may require, (a) any sale, assignment, pledge (as collateral for a loan or as security for the performance of an obligation or for any other purpose), hypothecation, mortgage, encumbrance or other disposition, whether by contract, gift, will, intestate succession, operation of law or otherwise, of all or any part of an Award or Ordinary Shares issued thereunder, as applicable and (b) any verb equivalent of the foregoing.

Vesting Commencement Date” means the Grant Date or such other date selected by the Plan Administrator as the date from which an Award begins to vest.

 

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Exhibit 10.8

MARIADB PLC

2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD GRANT NOTICE

(Global)

MariaDB plc (the “Company”) hereby grants to you under its 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) an award of Restricted Stock Units (the “RSUs”) as set forth below. The RSUs are subject to all the terms and conditions set forth in the Plan, this Restricted Stock Unit Award Grant Notice (Global) (this “RSU Notice”), and the attached Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (Global), including any additional terms and conditions for your country as set forth in the appendix thereto (the “RSU Agreement”), all of which are incorporated into this RSU Notice in their entirety. Capitalized terms not defined in this RSU Notice but defined in the Plan have the same definitions as in the Plan.

 

Participant:     
Grant Date:     
Total Number of RSUs Subject to Award:     
Vesting Commencement Date:     
Vesting Schedule (subject to continued
Service with the Company or a Related
Company through an applicable vesting
date):
  

[The RSUs will vest as follows: [vesting schedule]]

Settlement:    Subject to the terms and conditions of the RSU Agreement, each vested RSU will be settled in one Ordinary Share.

Additional Terms/Acknowledgement: By accepting this Award, you acknowledge receipt of, and understand and agree to, this RSU Notice, the RSU Agreement and the terms and conditions of the Plan. You further acknowledge that as of the Grant Date, this RSU Notice, the RSU Agreement and the Plan set forth the entire understanding between you and the Company regarding the RSUs and supersede all prior oral communications and written agreements on the subject, with the exception of any severance, change of control or other written plan or policy, or any written agreement between the Company and you, that contains terms specifically applicable to the RSUs. By accepting the RSUs, you consent to receive the documents related to the Plan by electronic delivery and to participate in the Plan through an online or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company. If this RSU Notice or the RSU Agreement conflicts with the Plan, the Plan will control.

[Signature Page Follows]


MARIADB plc       PARTICIPANT
By:            
Its:           Signature
      Date:    
      Address:    
      Email:    

 

Attachment:

1. Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (Global)

 

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MARIADB PLC

2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT

(Global)

Pursuant to your Restricted Stock Unit Award Grant Notice (Global) (the “RSU Notice”) and this Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (Global), including any special terms and conditions for your country as set forth in the appendix hereto (the “Appendix,” and together with the RSU Notice and the Restricted Stock Award Unit Agreement (Global), this “Agreement”), MariaDB plc (the “Company”) has granted to you an award of Restricted Stock Units (the “RSUs”) under its 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) for the number of RSUs indicated in your RSU Notice. This Agreement is made pursuant to the provisions of the Plan and will in all respects be construed in conformity with the express terms and provisions of the Plan. Capitalized terms not defined in this Agreement but defined in the Plan have the same definitions as in the Plan.

The details of the RSUs, in addition to those set forth in the RSU Notice, the Appendix, and the Plan, are as follows:

1. Vesting and Settlement. Subject to the limitations contained herein, the RSUs will vest as provided in the RSU Notice. As soon as administratively practicable after the RSUs vest (but in any event, no later than the fifteenth day of the third month following the tax year in which the vesting date occurs), and subject to satisfaction of the tax withholding obligations set forth in Section 7, the Company will settle the vested RSUs by delivering to you one Ordinary Share (“Share”) for each vested RSU. The delivery of Shares under this Award is intended to comply with Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(4) to the extent applicable and will be construed and administered in such a manner.

2. Compliance with Applicable Law.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or the Plan, Shares will not be issued upon RSU vesting unless the Shares issuable are registered under the Securities Act or, if such Shares are not then so registered, the Company has determined that such issuance would be exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The RSUs and the issuance of any Shares thereunder also must comply with all other Applicable Law and regulations governing the RSUs and the Shares issuable thereunder, including any U.S. and non-U.S. state, federal, and local Applicable Law, and you will not receive Shares if the Company determines that such receipt would not be in material compliance with such Applicable Law.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the RSU Notice or the Plan, no Share will be allotted or issued pursuant to the grant, vesting or settlement of an Award, unless such Share is fully paid-up in cash on issuance to at least its nominal value and in a manner which does not contravene section 82 (financial assistance for acquisition of shares) or any other provision of the Companies Act, and all Awards will be deemed to incorporate such a term.

(c) The Company is under no obligation to register or qualify the Shares with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any state or foreign securities commission (or maintain any such registration or qualification if made) or to seek approval or clearance from any governmental authority for the issuance or sale of the Shares. The inability of the Company to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority, if any, deemed by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell the Shares as to which such requisite authority is not obtained.

 

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Further, you agree that the Company will have unilateral authority to amend the Plan and this Agreement without your consent to the extent necessary to comply with securities or other laws applicable to the issuance of the Shares.

(d) You agree that you will not sell or distribute all or any part of the Shares that you may receive pursuant to the settlement of vested RSUs unless such sale complies with all Applicable Law, including, but not limited to, U.S. and non-U.S. securities, exchange control, insider trading and market abuse laws. Any such sale also must comply with the Company’s insider trading policy.

3. Restrictive Legends. The Shares issued upon settlement of the RSUs will be endorsed with appropriate legends, if any, determined by the Company.

4. Termination of Employment or Service Relationship. Upon your Termination of Service for any reason, any RSUs that have not vested in accordance with the vesting schedule in your RSU Notice will be automatically cancelled and forfeited to the Company without the payment of any consideration to you. You (and your successors, heirs, assigns, or personal representatives) will have no further rights, and the Company will have no further obligations to you, with respect to such unvested RSUs.

For purposes of this Agreement, your “Termination of Service” will be considered to occur as of the date you are no longer actively providing services to the Company or, if different, the Related Company that employs you or for which you otherwise provide services (the “Service Recipient”), regardless of the reason for such termination and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of Applicable Law in the jurisdiction where you are employed or otherwise rendering services or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any. Unless otherwise determined by the Company, your right to vest in the RSUs, if any, will cease as of the date of your Termination of Service and will not be extended by any notice period (e.g., your period of service would not include any contractual notice period or any period of “garden leave” or similar period mandated under employment law or other Applicable Law in the jurisdiction where you are employed or otherwise rendering services, or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any).

5. Limited Transferability of the RSUs. Neither the RSUs nor any right or interest in any RSUs granted hereunder may be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than, with respect to vested RSUs that have not been settled in Shares, by will or by the applicable laws of descent and distribution.

6. Dividends. You will receive no benefit or adjustment to your RSUs with respect to any cash dividend, stock dividend or other distribution, except as provided in the Plan with respect to adjustments made pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Plan.

7. Withholding Taxes; No Obligation to Minimize Taxes.

(a) Regardless of any action taken by the Company or the Service Recipient, the ultimate liability for all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, fringe benefits tax, payment on account or other tax-related items related to your participation in the Plan and legally applicable to you or deemed by the Company or the Service Recipient in its discretion to be an appropriate charge to you even if legally applicable to the Company or the Service Recipient (“Tax-Related Items”) is and remains your responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld, if any, by the Company or the Service Recipient. If you are subject to Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction, the Company and/or the Service Recipient (or former Service Recipient, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction.

 

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(b) Prior to any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, you agree to make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Service Recipient, as applicable, to satisfy all Tax-Related Items. In this regard, you authorize the Company and/or the Service Recipient, or their respective agents, at their discretion, to satisfy any applicable withholding obligations with regard to all Tax-Related Items by one or a combination of the following:

(i) requiring you to make a payment in a form acceptable to the Company;

(ii) withholding from your wages or other cash compensation paid to you by the Company and/or the Service Recipient in accordance with Applicable Law;

(iii) withholding from proceeds of the sale of Shares acquired upon settlement of the RSUs either through a voluntary sale or through a mandatory sale arranged by the Company (on your behalf pursuant to this authorization without further consent);

(iv) subject to Applicable Law, withholding Shares to be issued upon settlement of the RSUs; or

(v) any other method of withholding determined by the Company and permitted by Applicable Law.

(c) In order to satisfy your obligations set forth in this Section 7, you may irrevocably appoint any brokerage firm acceptable to the Company for such purpose as your agent (the “Agent”), and authorize the Agent, pursuant to a plan that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Exchange Act, to:

(i) Sell on the open market at the then-prevailing market price(s), on your behalf, as soon as practicable on or after the settlement date for any vested RSUs, the minimum number of Shares (which may be rounded up to the next whole number) sufficient to generate proceeds to cover the amount of any Tax-Related Items and all applicable fees and commissions due to, or required to be collected by, the Agent; and

(ii) Remit directly to the Company the cash amount necessary to cover the payment of such Tax-Related Items, as of such date.

(d) The Company may withhold or account for Tax-Related Items by considering applicable minimum statutory withholding rates or other applicable withholding rates, including maximum applicable rates in your jurisdiction(s), in which case you may receive a refund of any over-withheld amount in cash and will have no entitlement to the equivalent in Shares. If the obligation for Tax-Related Items is satisfied by withholding Shares, for tax purposes, you are deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares for which the RSUs were settled, notwithstanding that a number of Shares are held back solely for the purpose of paying the Tax-Related Items.

(e) You agree to pay to the Company or the Service Recipient, as applicable, any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company or the Service Recipient may be required to withhold or account for as a result of your participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described. The Company may refuse to issue or deliver the Shares or the proceeds of the sale of Shares if you fail to comply with your obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items.

 

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(f) You acknowledge that the Company and/or the Service Recipient (i) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the RSUs, including, but not limited to, their grant, their vesting, the issuance of Shares upon vesting, or the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to the RSUs, and (ii) do not commit to and are under no obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the RSUs to reduce or eliminate your liability for Tax-Related Items or achieve any particular tax result. You agree and acknowledge that the Plan Administrator, the Company, any Related Company, and their respective boards of directors, officers, employees, and agents will not be held liable for any applicable costs, taxes, or penalties associated with The RSUs. By executing the RSU Notice, you agree that you will be deemed to have waived any claims with respect to any tax consequences related to the RSUs.

8. RSUs Not an Employment or Service Contract. Nothing in the Plan or this Agreement will be deemed to constitute any employment or service contract with the Company or confer or be deemed to confer any right for you to continue in the employ of, or to continue any other service relationship with, the Company, the Service Recipient, or any other Related Company, as applicable, or limit in any way the right of the Company, the Service Recipient, or of any other Related Company, as applicable, to terminate your employment or other service relationship at any time, with or without cause.

9. Severability. The provisions of this Agreement are severable and if any one or more provisions are determined to be illegal or otherwise unenforceable, in whole or in part, the remaining provisions will, nevertheless, be binding and enforceable.

10. No Waiver. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement will be valid unless in writing and signed by the person against whom such waiver is sought to be enforced, nor will failure to enforce any right hereunder constitute a continuing waiver of the same or a waiver of any other right hereunder.

11. Section 409A Compliance (Applicable Only to U.S. Taxpayers). The Company intends that the RSUs will be exempt from, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, including any applicable regulations and guidance issued thereunder, and this Agreement and the Plan will be interpreted, operated, and administered in a manner consistent with this intention. Each payment made pursuant to this Agreement will be treated as a separate payment for purposes of Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement or the Plan, the Company makes no representations that the RSUs (and the payments made pursuant to this Agreement) will be exempt from or comply with Section 409A of the Code and makes no undertaking to preclude Section 409A of the Code from applying to the RSUs (and the payments made pursuant to this Agreement).

12. Electronic Delivery and Acceptance. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to your current or future participation in the Plan by electronic means. You consent to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agree to participate in the Plan through an online or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or a third party designated by the Company.

13. Nature of Grant. By entering this Agreement and accepting the grant of the RSUs, you acknowledge, understand, and agree that:

(a) your participation in the Plan will be subject at all times to the terms of the Plan and this Agreement, as may be amended from time to time (including but not limited to any clawback provisions);

(b) you are voluntarily participating in the Plan;

 

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(c) the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and may be modified, amended, suspended, or terminated by the Company at any time, to the extent permitted by the Plan;

(d) the grant of the RSUs is discretionary, exceptional, voluntary, and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of RSUs or other awards, or benefits in lieu of RSUs or other awards, even if RSUs or other awards have been granted in the past;

(e) all decisions with respect to any future grants of RSUs or other awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Plan Administrator;

(f) the Plan and any and all related Grant Notices and Agreements do not form part of your terms and conditions of employment or service relationship with the Company or a Related Company (either expressly or impliedly by custom and practice or otherwise), and further, your participation in the Plan does not change or alter the nature or terms of your employment or service relationship with the Company or a Related Company (including, but without limitation, your remuneration); further, if you are not an employee of the Company or a Related Company, you acknowledge that the Plan does not create, or contribute towards the creation of, an employment relationship between you and the Company or any Related Company;

(g) the value of the RSUs is an extraordinary item of compensation that is outside the scope of your employment or other service contracts, if any;

(h) the RSUs and the Shares underlying the RSUs, and the income from and the value of the same, are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation, and rights under the Plan are not pensionable;

(i) the RSUs and Shares underlying the RSUs, and the income from and the value of the same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for any purpose, including, but not limited to, calculating any benefits, severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, holiday pay, holiday top-up, pension or retirement or welfare benefits, or similar mandatory payments;

(j) except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, your entitlement to participate in the Plan will cease upon your Termination of Service howsoever arising (whether lawfully, unlawfully, or in breach of contract);

(k) unless otherwise agreed with the Company in writing, the RSUs and the Shares underlying the RSUs, and the income from and the value of the same, are not granted as consideration for, or in connection with, the service you may provide as a director of the Company or a Related Company;

(l) if the RSUs vest and you are issued Shares, the value of such Shares may increase or decrease in value following the vesting date or the date the Shares are issued, even below the Fair Market Vale on the Grant Date;

(m) no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages will arise from forfeiture of the RSUs or loss of any rights or benefits under the Plan (including any rights or benefits which you would have not have lost had your employment or service not terminated) resulting from your (a) Termination of Service (for any reason whatsoever, whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of labor laws in the jurisdiction where you are employed or providing Service or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any), or (b) the application of Section 6(j) of the Plan or any

 

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compensation recovery or clawback policies adopted by the Company. You hereby acknowledge that you will not be entitled to, and you hereby waive, any right or claim (legal or otherwise) to compensation or damages as against the Company or Related Company for the loss of any rights or benefits under the Plan, or any replacement or successor plan;

(n) the future value of the Shares underlying the RSUs is unknown, indeterminable and cannot be predicted with certainty;

(o) in the event that you are not a direct service provider to the Company or a Related Company, the grant of the RSUs will not be interpreted to form (or contribute toward the creation of) an employment or other service relationship with the Company or any Related Company; and

(p) neither the Company, the Service Recipient, nor any other Related Company will be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation between your local currency and the United States Dollar that may affect (i) the value of the RSUs or of any amounts due to you pursuant to the settlement of the RSUs or the subsequent sale of any Shares acquired upon settlement or (ii) payments for Tax-Related Items.

14. Data Privacy Information.

(a) Compliance with Applicable Data Protection Laws. In administering the Plan, the Company will comply with any applicable laws that govern or otherwise apply to personal data processed in connection with the Plan, including the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 2016/679) (the “GDPR”) and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018 (the “DPA”), in each case as amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time.

(b) Data Collection and Usage. The Company and the Service Recipient collect, process, and use certain personal information about you, including, but not limited to, your name, home address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, social insurance number, passport or other identification numbers, salary, nationality, job title, any Ordinary Shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Awards granted under the Plan, or any other entitlement to Ordinary Shares awarded, cancelled, exercised, vested, unvested, or outstanding in your favor (“Data”), for the legitimate purpose of implementing, administering, and managing the Plan. Where required, the legal basis for the collection and processing of Data is set out in the applicable privacy notice.

(c) Stock Plan Administration and Stock Plan Administrator. You understand that the Company may transfer Data to a third-party stock plan administrator/broker (“Stock Plan Administrator”), which assists the Company, presently or in the future, with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan.

(d) International Data Transfers. Neither the Company nor the Stock Plan Administrator will transfer any personal data outside the European Economic Area other than in accordance with the GDPR, including by implementing an appropriate safeguarding mechanism and conducting a transfer risk assessment (if required).

(e) Data Retention. The Company will hold and use Data only as long as is necessary to implement, administer, and manage your participation in the Plan, or as required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including under tax, exchange control, securities, and labor laws. This may mean Data is retained until after your employment or other service relationship ends, plus any additional time periods necessary for compliance with the law, exercise, or defense of legal rights, archiving, back-up, and deletion purposes.

 

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(f) Voluntariness and Consequences of Participation. Participation in the Plan is voluntary and you understand that you may request to stop the transfer and processing of the Data for purposes of your participation in the Plan and that your employment or other service relationship with the Company or the Service Recipient will not be affected. The only consequence of refusing or withdrawing consent is that the Company would not be able to allow you to participate in the Plan. You understand that the Data will still be processed in relation to your employment or other service relationship for record-keeping purposes.

(g) Data Subject Rights. You may have a number of rights under data privacy laws in your jurisdiction. Depending on where you are based, such rights may include the right to (i) request access to or copies of Data that the Company processes, (ii) rectify incorrect Data, (iii) delete Data, (iv) restrict the processing of Data, (v) restrict the portability of Data, (vi) lodge complaints with competent authorities in your jurisdiction, and/or (vii) receive a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of Data. To receive clarifications regarding these rights or to exercise these rights, you can contact the Company’s Human Resources Department or, if appointed, the Company’s data privacy officer.

(h) Information Notice. Before you become a Participant in the Plan, the Company (or the Stock Plan Administrator on its behalf) will make available to you a privacy notice, which provides information in relation to the processing of personal data in connection with the Plan and complies with the transparency requirements of the GDPR and the DPA, and/or other Applicable Laws.

(i) Acknowledgement of Receipt of Transparency Notice. It will be a term and condition of participation in the Plan that you acknowledge receipt of the information provided in accordance with this Section 14(i) and that you have understood the privacy notice provided to you.

15. No Shareholder Rights. Neither you, nor any person claiming under or through you, will have any of the rights or privileges of a shareholder of the Company, including, without limitation, voting rights and rights to dividends, in respect of the RSUs and any Shares underlying the RSUs, unless and until the date the Shares underlying the RSUs have been issued and recorded as issued in the records of the Company or those of its transfer agents or registrars.

16. No Advice Regarding Grant. The Company is not providing any tax, legal, or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations or representations regarding your participation in the Plan, or your acquisition or sale of Shares acquired upon vesting. You understand and agree that you should consult with your own personal tax, legal, and financial advisors regarding your participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan. Prior to executing the RSU Notice, you either have consulted with a competent tax advisor independent of the Company to obtain tax advice concerning the receipt of the RSUs and the receipt or disposition of Shares in light of your specific situation or you have had the opportunity to consult with such a tax advisor but chose not to do so.

17. Recovery of Compensation. In accordance with Section 6(j) of the Plan, the RSUs are subject to the requirements of (a) Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (regarding recovery of erroneously awarded compensation) and any implementing rules and regulations thereunder, (b) similar rules under the laws of any other jurisdiction, (c) any compensation recovery or clawback policies or clawback provisions in your terms of employment, as applicable, adopted by the Company to implement any such requirements, or (d) any other compensation recovery or clawback policies and clawback provisions in your terms of employment, as applicable, or otherwise as may be adopted from time to time by the Company, all to the extent determined by the Plan Administrator in its discretion to be applicable to you and/or required by Applicable Law.

 

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18. Language. You acknowledge and represent that you are sufficiently proficient in the English language, or have consulted with an advisor who is sufficiently proficient in English, so as to allow you to understand the terms of this Agreement and any other documents related to the Plan. If you have received this Agreement or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English and if the meaning of the translated version is different from the English version, the English version will control.

19. Insider Trading/Market Abuse Laws. You may be subject to insider trading restrictions and/or market abuse laws in applicable jurisdictions, including the United States and, if different, your country, your broker’s country, and/or the country where Shares are listed, which may affect your ability to accept or otherwise acquire, or sell, attempt to sell, or otherwise dispose of, Shares or rights to Shares (e.g., the RSUs) under the Plan or rights linked to the value of Shares (e.g., phantom awards, futures) during such times as you are considered to have “inside information” regarding the Company (as defined by the laws or regulations in the applicable jurisdiction) or to trade in Shares or to trade in rights to Shares under the Plan. Local insider trading laws and regulations may prohibit the cancellation or amendment of orders you place before you possessed inside information. Furthermore, you could be prohibited from (a) disclosing the inside information to any third party, and (b) “tipping” third parties or otherwise causing them to buy or sell Company securities; “third parties” include fellow employees. Any restrictions under these laws or regulations are separate from and in addition to any restrictions that may be imposed under the Company’s insider trading policy. It is your responsibility to comply with any applicable restrictions and you are advised to speak to your personal advisor on this matter.

20. Foreign Asset/Account Reporting Requirements and Exchange Controls. You acknowledge that your country may have certain foreign asset and/or foreign account reporting requirements and exchange controls which may affect your ability to acquire or hold the Shares or cash received from participating in the Plan (including from any dividends paid on or sales proceeds arising from the sale of Shares acquired under the Plan) in a brokerage or bank account outside your country. You may be required to report such accounts, assets, or transactions to the tax or other authorities in your country. You also may be required to repatriate sale proceeds or other funds received as a result of your participation in the Plan to your country through a designated bank or broker within a certain time after receipt. You acknowledge that it is your responsibility to comply with such regulations, and you are advised to consult your personal legal advisor for any details.

21. Imposition of Other Requirements. The Company reserves the right to impose other requirements on your participation in the Plan, on the RSUs and on any Shares acquired under the Plan, to the extent the Company determines it is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons, and to require you to sign any additional agreements or undertakings that may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing.

22. Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign its rights under this Agreement at any time, whether or not such rights are then exercisable, to any person or entity selected by the Plan Administrator. You may not assign your rights and obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Company. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company and be binding upon you and your estate, executor, any receiver or trustee in bankruptcy, and any representative of your creditors, whether or not any such person will have become a party to this Agreement and agreed in writing to join herein and be bound by the terms and conditions hereof.

23. Notices. Any notice, demand, or request required or permitted to be given under this Agreement will be in writing and will be deemed sufficient when submitted via the Admin Portal, when delivered personally or by overnight courier or sent by email, or 48 hours after being deposited in the U.S. mail (or comparable non-U.S. postal service) as certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, addressed to the party to be notified at the party’s address on record with the Plan Administrator. Notice to the Company will be provided to its corporate headquarters.

 

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24. Restrictions. In the event the Shares are no longer to be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (as determined by the Plan Administrator), any Shares acquired in respect of the RSUs will be subject to such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator will determine, including, without limitation, restrictions on transferability, repurchase or redemption rights, the right of the Company to require that Shares be transferred in the event of certain transactions, rights of first refusal, tag-along rights, bring-along rights, redemption and co-sale rights and voting requirements. Such terms and conditions may be in addition to those contained in the Plan and may, as determined by the Plan Administrator, be contained in a shareholders’ agreement or in such other agreement as the Plan Administrator will determine, in each case in a form determined by the Plan Administrator. The Plan Administrator may condition the issuance of such Shares on your consent to such terms and conditions and your entering into such agreement or agreements.

25. Counterparts. The RSU Notice may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but which, upon execution, will constitute one and the same instrument.

26. Appendix for Non-U.S. Participants. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement, the RSUs granted under the Plan will be subject to any additional terms and conditions for your country set forth in the Appendix attached hereto. Moreover, if you relocate to one of the countries included in the Appendix, the additional terms and conditions for such country will apply to you, to the extent the Company determines that the application of such terms and conditions is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons. The Appendix constitutes part of this Agreement.

 

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APPENDIX

TO

MARIADB PLC

2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT

FOR NON-U.S. PARTICIPANTS

Capitalized terms used but not defined herein will have the meanings ascribed to them in the Plan and/or the Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (Global) to which this Appendix is attached.

Terms and Conditions

This Appendix includes additional terms and conditions that govern the RSUs granted to you under the Plan if you reside and/or work in one of the countries listed below.

If you are a citizen or resident of a country other than the one in which you are currently working and/or residing, transfer to another country after the Grant Date, or are considered a resident of another country for local law purposes, the Company will, in its discretion, determine the extent to which the special terms and conditions contained herein apply to you.

Notifications

This Appendix may also include information regarding exchange controls and certain other issues of which you should be aware with respect to your participation in the Plan. The information is based on the securities, exchange control, and other laws in effect in the respective countries as of [DATE]. Such laws are often complex and change frequently. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that you not rely on the information noted herein as the only source of information relating to the consequences of your participation in the Plan because the information may be out of date by the time you receive the RSUs or sell the Shares acquired under the Plan.

In addition, the information contained in this Appendix is general in nature and may not apply to your particular situation, and the Company is not in a position to assure you of any particular result. Accordingly, you are advised to seek appropriate professional advice as to how the Applicable Law in your country may apply to your situation.

Finally, you understand that if you are a citizen or resident of a country other than the one in which you currently reside and/or work, transfer to another country after the Grant Date, or are considered a resident of another country for local law purposes, the notifications contained herein may not apply to you in the same manner.

 

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IRELAND

Terms and Conditions

The following provisions apply to residents of Ireland.

1. Termination of Employment or Service Relationship.

The following provision replaces the second paragraph of Section 4 of the Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement:

For purposes of this Agreement, your “Termination of Service” will be considered to occur (i) where employed by either the Company or a Related Company, as of the date the written notice of the termination of your employment expires or in circumstances where you are paid in lieu of your notice period, then the date from which payment in lieu of notice is made (which is usually the date of the written notice of the termination of your employment), or, (ii) if an independent contractor, the date on which the agreement for the supply of services between you and the Company or Related Company (the “Service Recipient”) is terminated in accordance with the service agreement, regardless of the reason for such termination and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of Applicable Law, or the terms and conditions of your employment or service agreement, if any, in the jurisdiction where you are employed or otherwise rendering services. Unless otherwise determined by the Company, your right to vest in any unvested RSUs, if any, will cease as of the date of your Termination of Service.

 

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Exhibit 10.9

MARIADB PLC

2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

STOCK OPTION GRANT NOTICE

(Global)

MariaDB plc (the “Company”) hereby grants to you under its 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) a stock option (the “Option”) to purchase the Company’s Ordinary Shares (the “Shares”) as set forth below. The Option is subject to all the terms and conditions set forth in the Plan, this Stock Option Grant Notice (Global) (this “Option Notice”), the attached Stock Option Agreement (Global), including any additional terms and conditions for your country as set forth in the appendix thereto (the “Option Agreement”), all of which are incorporated into this Option Notice in their entirety. Capitalized terms not defined in this Option Notice but defined in the Plan have the same definitions as in the Plan.

 

Participant:     
Grant Date:     
Total Number of Shares Subject to Option:     
Vesting Commencement Date:     
Exercise Price per Share:     
Total Exercise Price:     
Option Expiration Date (subject to earlier termination as set forth in the Plan and the Option Agreement):     
Type of Option:   

☐   Nonqualified Stock Option

☐   Incentive Stock Option (See Sections 3 and 4 of the Option Agreement)

Vesting and Exercisability Schedule (subject to continued Service with the Company or a Related Company through an applicable vesting date):   

[The Option will vest as follows: [ vesting schedule]]

Additional Terms/Acknowledgement: By accepting this Award, you acknowledge receipt of, and understand and agree to, this Option Notice, the Option Agreement and the terms and conditions of the Plan. You further acknowledge that as of the Grant Date, this Option Notice, the Option Agreement and the Plan set forth the entire understanding between you and the Company regarding the Option and supersede all prior oral communications and written agreements on the subject, with the exception of any severance, change of control or other written plan or policy, or any written agreement between the Company and you, that contains terms specifically applicable to the Option. By accepting the Option, you consent to receive the documents related to the Plan by electronic delivery and to participate in the Plan though an online or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company. If this Option Notice or the Option Agreement conflicts with the Plan, the Plan will control.

[Signature Page Follows]


MARIADB plc     PARTICIPANT
By:          
Its:           Signature
      Date:    
      Address:    
      Email:    

Attachment:

 

1.

Stock Option Agreement (Global)


MARIADB PLC

2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

(Global)

Pursuant to your Stock Option Grant Notice (Global) (the “Option Notice”) and this Stock Option Agreement (Global), including any special terms and conditions for your country as set forth in the appendix hereto (the “Appendix,” and together with the Option Notice and the Stock Option Agreement (Global), this “Agreement”), MariaDB plc (the “Company”) has granted to you a stock option (the “Option”) under its 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) to purchase the number of Ordinary Shares indicated in your Option Notice (the “Shares”) at the exercise price indicated in your Option Notice. This Agreement is made pursuant to the provisions of the Plan and will in all respects be construed in conformity with the express terms and provisions of the Plan. Capitalized terms not defined in this Agreement but defined in the Plan have the same definitions as in the Plan.

The details of the Option, in addition to those set forth in the Option Notice, the Appendix, and the Plan, are as follows:

1. Vesting and Exercisability. Subject to the limitations contained herein, the Option will vest and become exercisable as provided in the Option Notice. Upon your Termination of Service, as further described in Section 7 of this Agreement, vesting will cease, and the unvested portion of the Option will immediately terminate and will be forfeited for no consideration. The Option may only be exercised as to the vested portion.

2. Compliance with Applicable Law.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or the Plan, you may not exercise the Option unless the Shares issuable upon exercise are registered under the Securities Act or, if such Shares are not then so registered, the Company has determined that such exercise and issuance would be exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Option and the issuance of any Shares thereunder also must comply with all other Applicable Law and regulations governing the Option and the Shares issuable thereunder, including any U.S. and non-U.S. state, federal and local Applicable Law, and you will not receive Shares if the Company determines that such receipt would not be in material compliance with such Applicable Law.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Option Notice or the Plan, no Share will be allotted or issued pursuant to the grant, exercise or vesting of an Award (including under any cashless exercise provisions of this Agreement or the Plan), unless such Share is fully paid-up in cash on issuance to at least its nominal value and in a manner which does not contravene section 82 (financial assistance for acquisition of shares) or any other provision of the Companies Act, and all Awards will be deemed to incorporate such a term. A “cashless exercise provision” is one that entitles a holder of an Award to elect to receive a reduced number of Shares under an Award in (or purportedly in) full, or partial, satisfaction of the relevant exercise price; for the avoidance of doubt, the nominal value of a Share may not be satisfied in this manner, and must, in all circumstances, be paid-up in cash.

(c) The Company is under no obligation to register or qualify the Shares with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any state or foreign securities commission (or maintain any such registration or qualification if made) or to seek approval or clearance from any governmental authority for the issuance or sale of the Shares. The inability of the Company to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority, if any, deemed by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary to the lawful

 

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issuance and sale of any Shares will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell the Shares as to which such requisite authority is not obtained. Further, you agree that the Company will have unilateral authority to amend the Plan and this Agreement without your consent to the extent necessary to comply with securities or other laws applicable to the issuance of the Shares.

(d) You agree that you will not sell or distribute all or any part of the Shares that you may receive pursuant to the exercise of the Option unless such sale complies with all Applicable Law, including, but not limited to, U.S. and non-U.S. securities, exchange control, insider trading and market abuse laws. Any such sale also must comply with the Company’s insider trading policy.

3. Incentive Stock Option Qualification. If designated in your Option Notice, all or a portion of the Option is intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option under U.S. federal income tax law, but the Company does not represent or guarantee that the Option qualifies as such. If the Option has been designated as an Incentive Stock Option and the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the grant date) of the Ordinary Shares subject to the portions of the Option and all other Incentive Stock Options you hold that first become exercisable during any calendar year exceeds $100,000, any excess portion will be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option, unless the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) changes the rules and regulations governing the $100,000 limit for Incentive Stock Options. If you are a U.S. taxpayer, you may be subject to the U.S. alternative minimum tax at the time of exercise of an Incentive Stock Option.

4. Notice of Disqualifying Disposition. To the extent the Option has been designated as an Incentive Stock Option, to obtain certain U.S. tax benefits afforded to Incentive Stock Options, you must hold the Shares issued upon the exercise of the Option for two years after the Grant Date and one year after the date of exercise. By accepting the Option, provided you are a U.S. taxpayer, you agree to promptly notify the Company if you dispose of any of the Shares within one year from the date you exercise all or part of the Option or within two years from the Grant Date.

5. Method of Exercise. You may exercise the Option by giving written notice to the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, which will state your election to exercise the Option and the number of whole Shares for which you are exercising the Option, and by completing such other documents and procedures as may be required by the Company for exercise of the Option. The notice must be accompanied by full payment of the exercise price for the number of Shares you are purchasing and, if applicable, full payment or proof of other satisfaction of Tax-Related Items (as defined below). You may make this payment, subject to Applicable Law, in any one or combination of the following:

(a) by cash or cash equivalent acceptable to the Company, including check, wire transfer, or ACH payment;

(b) if permitted by the Plan Administrator for Nonqualified Stock Options, and to the extent and in the manner permitted by Applicable Law, by having the Company withhold Ordinary Shares that would otherwise be issued on exercise of the Option that have a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the Option equal to the payment owed to the Company; provided that, on issuance, payment in cash is made in an amount at least equal to the nominal value of the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares the subject of the notice of exercise in a manner that does not contravene section 82 (financial assistance for acquisition of shares) or any other provision of the Companies Act;

(c) if permitted by the Plan Administrator and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, by using Ordinary Shares you already own that have an aggregate Fair Market Value on the date of exercise equal to the payment owed to the Company;

 

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(d) if the Ordinary Shares are registered under the Exchange Act and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, by instructing a broker to deliver to the Company the total payment required, all in accordance with the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board; or

(e) by any other method permitted by the Plan Administrator, to the extent permitted under Applicable Law.

Your exercise will not be deemed complete until the Company has verified that each of these obligations has been satisfied.

6. Restrictive Legends. The Shares issued pursuant to exercise of the Option will be endorsed with appropriate legends, if any, determined by the Company.

7. Termination of Employment or Service Relationship.

(a) The unvested portion of the Option will terminate automatically and without further notice immediately upon your Termination of Service. You (and your successors, heirs, assigns, or personal representatives) will have no further rights, and the Company will have no further obligations to you, with respect to such unvested, terminated Option.

(b) You may exercise the vested portion of the Option as follows:

(i) General Rule. You must exercise the vested portion of the Option on or before the earlier of (x) three months after your Termination of Service and (y) the Option Expiration Date;

(ii) Disability. In the event of your Termination of Service due to Disability, you must exercise the vested portion of the Option on or before the earlier of (x) 12 months after your Termination of Service and (y) the Option Expiration Date;

(iii) Death. In the event of your Termination of Service due to your death, the vested portion of the Option must be exercised on or before the earlier of (x) 12 months after your Termination of Service and (y) the Option Expiration Date. If you die after your Termination of Service but while the Option is still exercisable, the vested portion of the Option may be exercised until the earlier of (A) 12 months after the date of death and (B) the Option Expiration Date;

(iv) Cause. The vested portion of the Option will automatically expire at the time the Company first notifies you of your Termination of Service for Cause, unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise. If your employment or service relationship is suspended pending an investigation of whether you will be terminated for Cause, all your rights under the Option likewise will be suspended during the period of investigation. If any facts that would constitute termination for Cause are discovered after your Termination of Service, any Option you then hold may be immediately terminated by the Plan Administrator; and

(v) Change of Control. If, during any of the foregoing periods, the Company undergoes a Change of Control and the successor or acquiring entity (or its parent) refuses to assume, continue, replace or substitute an equivalent award for the Option, until the closing of the Change of Control.

 

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(c) The Option must be exercised within three months after termination of employment for reasons other than death or disability and 12 months after termination of employment due to disability to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment afforded Incentive Stock Options. For purposes of the preceding, “disability” has the meaning attributed to that term for purposes of Section 422 of the Code.

(d) For purposes of this Agreement, your “Termination of Service” will be considered to occur as of the date you are no longer actively providing services to the Company or, if different, the Related Company that employs you or for which you otherwise provide services (the “Service Recipient”), regardless of the reason for such termination and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of Applicable Law in the jurisdiction where you are employed or otherwise rendering services or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any. Unless otherwise determined by the Company, (i) your right to vest in the Option, if any, will cease as of the date of your Termination of Service, and (ii) your right to exercise the Option after Termination of Service, if any, will be measured from this date, and such date will not be extended by any notice period (e.g., your period of service would not include any contractual notice period or any period of “garden leave” or similar period mandated under employment law or other Applicable Law in the jurisdiction where you are employed or otherwise rendering services, or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any).

It is solely your responsibility to be aware of the date the Option terminates and is no longer exercisable following your Termination of Service. The Company has no obligation to notify you of such date.

8. Limited Transferability of the Option. During your lifetime, only you can exercise the Option. The Option is not transferable except by will or by the applicable laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, and to the extent permitted by the Plan and Section 422 of the Code with respect to Incentive Stock Options, the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, may permit you to assign or transfer the Option, subject to such terms and conditions as specified by the Plan Administrator.

9. Withholding Taxes; No Obligation to Minimize Taxes.

(a) Regardless of any action taken by the Company or the Service Recipient, the ultimate liability for all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, fringe benefits tax, payment on account or other tax-related items related to your participation in the Plan and legally applicable to you or deemed by the Company or the Service Recipient in its discretion to be an appropriate charge to you even if legally applicable to the Company or the Service Recipient (“Tax-Related Items”) is and remains your responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld, if any, by the Company or the Service Recipient. If you are subject to Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction, the Company and/or the Service Recipient (or former Service Recipient, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction.

(b) Prior to any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, you agree to make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Service Recipient, as applicable, to satisfy all Tax-Related Items. In this regard, you authorize the Company and/or the Service Recipient, or their respective agents, at their discretion, to satisfy any applicable withholding obligations with regard to all Tax-Related Items by one or a combination of the following:

(i) requiring you to make a payment in a form acceptable to the Company;

(ii) withholding from your wages or other cash compensation paid to you by the Company and/or the Service Recipient in accordance with Applicable Law;

 

4


(iii) withholding from proceeds of the sale of Shares acquired upon exercise of the Option either through a voluntary sale or through a mandatory sale arranged by the Company (on your behalf pursuant to this authorization without further consent);

(iv) subject to Applicable Law, withholding Shares to be issued upon exercise of the Option; or

(v) any other method of withholding determined by the Company and permitted by Applicable Law.

(c) The Company may withhold or account for Tax-Related Items by considering applicable minimum statutory withholding rates or other applicable withholding rates, including maximum applicable rates in your jurisdiction(s), in which case you may receive a refund of any over-withheld amount in cash and will have no entitlement to the equivalent in Shares. If the obligation for Tax-Related Items is satisfied by withholding Shares, for tax purposes, you are deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares for which the Option was exercised, notwithstanding that a number of Shares are held back solely for the purpose of paying the Tax-Related Items.

(d) You agree to pay to the Company or the Service Recipient, as applicable, any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company or the Service Recipient may be required to withhold or account for as a result of your participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described. The Company may refuse to issue or deliver the Shares or the proceeds of the sale of Shares if you fail to comply with your obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items.

(e) You acknowledge that the Company and/or the Service Recipient (i) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Option, including, but not limited to, the grant, vesting, or exercise of the Option, or the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to such exercise, and (ii) do not commit to and are under no obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the Option to reduce or eliminate your liability for Tax-Related Items or achieve any particular tax result. You agree and acknowledge that the Plan Administrator, the Company, any Related Company, and their respective boards of directors, officers, employees, and agents will not be held liable for any applicable costs, taxes, or penalties associated with this Option. By executing the Option Notice, you agree that you will be deemed to have waived any claims against the Company with respect to any tax consequences related to the Option.

10. Option Not an Employment or Service Contract. Nothing in the Plan or this Agreement will be deemed to constitute any employment or service contract with the Company or confer or be deemed to confer any right for you to continue in the employ of, or to continue any other service relationship with, the Company, the Service Recipient, or any other Related Company, as applicable, or limit in any way the right of the Company, the Service Recipient, or of any other Related Company, as applicable, to terminate your employment or other service relationship at any time, with or without cause.

11. No Right to Damages. You will have no right to bring a claim or to receive damages of any nature if you are required to exercise the vested portion of the Option within the applicable time period set forth in this Agreement following your Termination of Service or if any portion of the Option is cancelled or expires unexercised upon a Termination of Service. The loss of existing or potential profit or other rights or benefits in the Option will not constitute an element of damages in the event of your Termination of Service for any reason, even if the termination is in violation of an obligation of the Company, the Service Recipient, or any other Related Company to you.

 

5


12. Severability. The provisions of this Agreement are severable and if any one or more provisions are determined to be illegal or otherwise unenforceable, in whole or in part, the remaining provisions will, nevertheless, be binding and enforceable.

13. No Waiver. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement will be valid unless in writing and signed by the person against whom such waiver is sought to be enforced, nor will failure to enforce any right hereunder constitute a continuing waiver of the same or a waiver of any other right hereunder.

14. Section 409A Compliance (Applicable Only to U.S. Taxpayers). The Company intends that the Option will be exempt from, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, including any applicable regulations and guidance issued thereunder, and this Agreement and the Plan will be interpreted, operated, and administered in a manner consistent with this intention. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement or the Plan, if you are a U.S. taxpayer, the Plan Administrator may, at any time and without your consent, modify the terms of the Option as it determines appropriate to avoid the imposition of interest or penalties under Section 409A of the Code; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations that the Option will be exempt from or comply with Section 409A of the Code and makes no undertaking to preclude Section 409A of the Code from applying to the Option. There is no guarantee that the IRS will agree with any determination by the Plan Administrator as to the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Grant Date.

15. Electronic Delivery and Acceptance. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to your current or future participation in the Plan by electronic means. You consent to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agree to participate in the Plan through an online or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or a third party designated by the Company.

16. Nature of Grant. By entering this Agreement and accepting the grant of the Option, you acknowledge, understand, and agree that:

(a) your participation in the Plan will be subject at all times to the terms of the Plan and this Agreement, as may be amended from time to time (including but not limited to any clawback provisions);

(b) you are voluntarily participating in the Plan;

(c) the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, to the extent permitted by the Plan;

(d) the grant of the Option is discretionary, exceptional, voluntary, and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of stock options or other awards, or benefits in lieu of stock options or other awards, even if stock options or other awards have been granted in the past;

(e) all decisions with respect to any future grants of stock option or other awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Plan Administrator;

(f) the Plan and any and all related Grant Notices and Agreements do not form part of your terms and conditions of employment or service relationship with the Company or a Related Company (either expressly or impliedly by custom and practice or otherwise), and further, your participation in the Plan does not change or alter the nature or terms of your employment or service relationship with the

 

6


Company or a Related Company (including, but without limitation, your remuneration); further, if you are not an employee of the Company or a Related Company, you acknowledge that the Plan does not create, or contribute towards the creation of, an employment relationship between you and the Company or any Related Company;

(g) the value of the Option is an extraordinary item of compensation that is outside the scope of your employment or other service contracts, if any;

(h) the Option and the Shares subject to the Option, or acquired thereunder, and the income from and the value of the same, are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation, and rights under the Plan are not pensionable;

(i) the Option and the Shares subject to the Option, or acquired thereunder, and the income from and value of same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for any purpose, including, but not limited to, calculating any benefits, severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, holiday pay, holiday top-up, pension or retirement or welfare benefits, or similar mandatory payments;

(j) except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, your entitlement to participate in the Plan will cease upon your Termination of Service howsoever arising (whether lawfully, unlawfully, or in breach of contract);

(k) unless otherwise agreed with the Company in writing, the Option and the Shares subject to the Option or acquired thereunder, and the income from and the value of the same, are not granted as consideration for, or in connection with, the service you may provide as a director of the Company or a Related Company;

(l) no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages will arise from forfeiture of the Option or loss of any rights or benefits under the Plan (including any rights or benefits which you would not have lost had your employment or service not terminated) resulting from (a) your Termination of Service (for any reason whatsoever, whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of labor laws in the jurisdiction where you are employed or providing Service or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any), or (b) the application of Section 6(j) of the Plan or any compensation recovery or clawback policies adopted by the Company. You hereby acknowledge that you will not be entitled to, and you hereby waive, any right or claim (legal or otherwise) to compensation or damages as against the Company or Related Company for the loss of any rights or benefits under the Plan, or any replacement or successor plan;

(m) the future value of the Shares underlying the Option is unknown, indeterminable and cannot be predicted with certainty;

(n) if the Shares subject to the Option do not increase in value after the Grant Date, the Option will have no value;

(o) if you exercise the Option and acquire Shares, the value of such Shares may increase or decrease, even below the exercise price;

(p) in the event that you are not a direct service provider to the Company or a Related Company, the grant of the Option will not be interpreted to form (or contribute toward the creation of) an employment or other service relationship with the Company or any Related Company; and

 

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(q) neither the Company, the Service Recipient, nor any other Related Company will be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation between your local currency and the United States Dollar that may affect (i) the value of the Option or of any amounts due to you pursuant to the exercise of the Option or the subsequent sale of any Shares acquired upon exercise, or (ii) payments for Tax-Related Items.

17. Data Privacy Information.

(a) Compliance with Applicable Data Protection Laws. In administering the Plan, the Company will comply with any applicable laws that govern or otherwise apply to personal data processed in connection with the Plan, including the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 2016/679) (the “GDPR”) and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018 (the “DPA), in each case as amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time.

(b) Data Collection and Usage. The Company and the Service Recipient collect, process and use certain personal information about you, including, but not limited to, your name, home address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, social insurance number, passport or other identification numbers, salary, nationality, job title, any Ordinary Shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Awards granted under the Plan, or any other entitlement to Ordinary Shares awarded, cancelled, exercised, vested, unvested, or outstanding in your favor (“Data”), for the legitimate purpose of implementing, administering, and managing the Plan. Where required, the legal basis for the collection and processing of Data is set out in the applicable privacy notice.

(c) Stock Plan Administration and Stock Plan Administrator. You understand that the Company may transfer Data to a third-party stock plan administrator/broker (“Stock Plan Administrator”), which assists the Company, presently or in the future, with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan.

(d) International Data Transfers. Neither the Company nor the Stock Plan Administrator will transfer any personal data outside the European Economic Area other than in accordance with the GDPR, including by implementing an appropriate safeguarding mechanism and conducting a transfer risk assessment (if required).

(e) Data Retention. The Company will hold and use Data only as long as is necessary to implement, administer, and manage your participation in the Plan, or as required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including under tax, exchange control, securities, and labor laws. This may mean Data is retained until after your employment or other service relationship ends, plus any additional time periods necessary for compliance with the law, exercise, or defense of legal rights, archiving, back-up, and deletion purposes.

(f) Voluntariness and Consequences of Participation. Participation in the Plan is voluntary and you understand that you may request to stop the transfer and processing of the Data for purposes of your participation in the Plan and that your employment or other service relationship with the Company or the Service Recipient will not be affected. The only consequence of refusing or withdrawing consent is that the Company would not be able to allow you to participate in the Plan. You understand that the Data will still be processed in relation to your employment or other service relationship for record-keeping purposes.

(g) Data Subject Rights. You may have a number of rights under data privacy laws in your jurisdiction. Depending on where you are based, such rights may include the right to (i) request access to or copies of Data that the Company processes, (ii) rectify incorrect Data, (iii) delete Data, (iv) restrict the processing of Data, (v) restrict the portability of Data, (vi) lodge complaints with competent authorities in your jurisdiction, and/or (vii) receive a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of Data. To receive clarifications regarding these rights or to exercise these rights, you can contact the Company’s Human Resources Department or, if appointed, the Company’s data privacy officer.

 

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(h) Information Notice. Before you become a participant in the Plan, the Company (or the Stock Plan Administrator on its behalf) will make available to you a privacy notice, which provides information in relation to the processing of personal data in connection with the Plan and complies with the transparency requirements of the GDPR and the DPA and/or other applicable laws.

(i) Acknowledgement of Receipt of Transparency Notice. It will be a term and condition of participation in the Plan that you acknowledge receipt of the information provided in accordance with this Section 17(i) and that you have understood the privacy notice provided to you.

18. No Shareholder Rights. Neither you, nor any person entitled to exercise your rights under the Option in the event of your death, will have any of the rights or privileges of a shareholder of the Company, including, without limitation, voting rights and rights to dividends, with respect to the Shares subject to the Option unless and until the date the Shares subject to the Option have been issued and recorded as issued in the records of the Company and those of its transfer agents or registrars.

19. No Advice Regarding Grant. The Company is not providing any tax, legal, or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations or representations regarding your participation in the Plan, or your acquisition or sale of Shares subject to the Option. You understand and agree that you should consult with your own personal tax, legal, and financial advisors regarding your participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan. Prior to executing the Option Notice, you either have consulted with a competent tax advisor independent of the Company to obtain tax advice concerning the Option in light of your specific situation or you have had the opportunity to consult with such a tax advisor but chose not to do so.

20. Recovery of Compensation. In accordance with Section 6(j) of the Plan, the Option is subject to the requirements of (a) Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (regarding recovery of erroneously awarded compensation) and any implementing rules and regulations thereunder, (b) similar rules under the laws of any other jurisdiction, (c) any compensation recovery or clawback policies or clawback provisions in your terms of employment, as applicable, adopted by the Company to implement any such requirements or (d) any other compensation recovery or clawback policies and clawback provisions in your terms of employment, as applicable, or otherwise as may be adopted from time to time by the Company, all to the extent determined by the Plan Administrator in its discretion to be applicable to you and/or required by Applicable Law.

21. Language. You acknowledge and represent that you are sufficiently proficient in the English language, or have consulted with an advisor who is sufficiently proficient in English, so as to allow you to understand the terms of this Agreement and any other documents related to the Plan. If you have received this Agreement or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English and if the meaning of the translated version is different from the English version, the English version will control.

22. Insider Trading/Market Abuse Laws. You may be subject to insider trading restrictions and/or market abuse laws in applicable jurisdictions, including the United States and, if different, your country, your broker’s country and/or the country where Shares are listed, which may affect your ability to accept or otherwise acquire, or sell, attempt to sell, or otherwise dispose of, Shares or rights to Shares (e.g., the Option) under the Plan or rights linked to the value of Shares (e.g., phantom awards, futures) during such times as you are considered to have “inside information” regarding the Company (as defined by the

 

9


laws or regulations in the applicable jurisdiction) or to trade in Shares or to trade in rights to Shares under the Plan. Local insider trading laws and regulations may prohibit the cancellation or amendment of orders you place before you possessed inside information. Furthermore, you could be prohibited from (a) disclosing the inside information to any third party, and (b) “tipping” third parties or otherwise causing them to buy or sell Company securities; “third parties” include fellow employees. Any restrictions under these laws or regulations are separate from and in addition to any restrictions that may be imposed under the Company’s insider trading policy. It is your responsibility to comply with any applicable restrictions and you are advised to speak to your personal advisor on this matter.

23. Foreign Asset/Account Reporting Requirements and Exchange Controls. You acknowledge that your country may have certain foreign asset and/or foreign account reporting requirements and exchange controls which may affect your ability to acquire or hold the Shares or cash received from participating in the Plan (including from any dividends paid on or sales proceeds arising from the sale of Shares acquired under the Plan) in a brokerage or bank account outside your country. You may be required to report such accounts, assets, or transactions to the tax or other authorities in your country. You also may be required to repatriate sale proceeds or other funds received as a result of your participation in the Plan to your country through a designated bank or broker within a certain time after receipt. You acknowledge that it is your responsibility to comply with such regulations, and you are advised to consult your personal legal advisor for any details.

24. Imposition of Other Requirements. The Company reserves the right to impose other requirements on your participation in the Plan, on the Option and on any Shares acquired under the Plan, to the extent the Company determines it is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons, and to require you to sign any additional agreements or undertakings that may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing.

25. Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign its rights under this Agreement at any time, whether or not such rights are then exercisable, to any person or entity selected by the Plan Administrator. You may not assign your rights and obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Company. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company and be binding upon you and your estate, executor, any receiver or trustee in bankruptcy, and any representative of your creditors, whether or not any such person will have become a party to this Agreement and agreed in writing to join herein and be bound by the terms and conditions hereof.

26. Notices. Any notice, demand, or request required or permitted to be given under this Agreement will be in writing and will be deemed sufficient when submitted via the Admin Portal, when delivered personally or by overnight courier or sent by email, or 48 hours after being deposited in the U.S. mail (or comparable non-U.S. postal service) as certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, addressed to the party to be notified at the party’s address on record with the Plan Administrator. Notice to the Company will be provided to its corporate headquarters.

27. Restrictions. In the event the Shares are no longer to be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (as determined by the Plan Administrator), any Shares acquired upon exercise of the Option will be subject to such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator will determine, including, without limitation, restrictions on transferability, repurchase or redemption rights, the right of the Company to require that Shares be transferred in the event of certain transactions, rights of first refusal, tag-along rights, bring-along rights, redemption and co-sale rights and voting requirements. Such terms and conditions may be in addition to those contained in the Plan and may, as determined by the Plan Administrator, be contained in a shareholders’ agreement or in such other agreement as the Plan Administrator will determine, in each case in a form determined by the Plan Administrator. The Plan Administrator may condition the issuance of such Shares on your consent to such terms and conditions and your entering into such agreement or agreements.

 

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28. Counterparts. The Option Notice may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but which, upon execution, will constitute one and the same instrument.

29. Appendix for Non-U.S. Participants. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement, the Option granted under the Plan will be subject to any additional terms and conditions for your country set forth in the Appendix attached hereto. Moreover, if you relocate to one of the countries included in the Appendix, the additional terms and conditions for such country will apply to you, to the extent the Company determines that the application of such terms and conditions is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons. The Appendix constitutes part of this Agreement.

 

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APPENDIX

TO

MARIADB PLC

2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT FOR NON-U.S. PARTICIPANTS

Capitalized terms used but not defined herein will have the meanings ascribed to them in the Plan and/or the Stock Option Agreement (Global) to which this Appendix is attached.

Terms and Conditions

This Appendix includes additional terms and conditions that govern the Option granted to you under the Plan if you reside and/or work in one of the countries listed below.

If you are a citizen or resident of a country other than the one in which you are currently working and/or residing, transfer to another country after the Grant Date, or are considered a resident of another country for local law purposes, the Company will, in its discretion, determine the extent to which the special terms and conditions contained herein apply to you.

Notifications

This Appendix may also include information regarding exchange controls and certain other issues of which you should be aware with respect to your participation in the Plan. The information is based on the securities, exchange control and other laws in effect in the respective countries as of [DATE]. Such laws are often complex and change frequently. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that you not rely on the information noted herein as the only source of information relating to the consequences of your participation in the Plan because the information may be out of date by the time you exercise the Option or sell the Shares acquired under the Plan.

In addition, the information contained in this Appendix is general in nature and may not apply to your particular situation, and the Company is not in a position to assure you of any particular result. Accordingly, you are advised to seek appropriate professional advice as to how the Applicable Law in your country may apply to your situation.

Finally, you understand that if you are a citizen or resident of a country other than the one in which you currently reside and/or work, transfer to another country after the Grant Date, or are considered a resident of another country for local law purposes, the notifications contained herein may not apply to you in the same manner.

 

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IRELAND

Terms and Conditions

The following provisions apply to residents of Ireland.

 

1.

Termination of Employment or Service Relationship.

The following provision replace replaces Section 7(d) of the Stock Option Agreement:

For purposes of this Agreement, your “Termination of Service” will be considered to occur (i) where employed by either the Company or a Related Company, as of the date the written notice of the termination of your employment expires or in circumstances where you are paid in lieu of your notice period, then the date from which payment in lieu of notice is made (which is usually the date of the written notice of the termination of your employment), or, (ii) if an independent contractor, the date on which the agreement for the supply of services between you and the Company or Related Company (the “Service Recipient”) is terminated in accordance with the service agreement, regardless of the reason for such termination and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of Applicable Law, or the terms and conditions of your employment or service agreement, if any, in the jurisdiction where you are employed or otherwise rendering services. Unless otherwise determined by the Company, (x) your right to vest in any unvested Option, if any, will cease as of the date of your Termination of Service, and (x) your right to exercise any vested Option after Termination of Service, if any, will be measured from this date in accordance with this Section 7.

 

- 13 -

Exhibit 10.10

MARIADB PLC

EXECUTIVE ANNUAL INCENTIVE PLAN

(Effective as of December 18, 2022)

1. Purpose of the Plan. The MariaDB plc Executive Annual Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is intended to provide annual incentive compensation opportunities to executive officers and other senior officers or service providers of MariaDB plc (the “Company”) and its Related Companies who are selected to participate in the Plan (each, an “Eligible Person”). The purpose of the Plan is to motivate and reward such Eligible Persons by making a portion of their compensation dependent on the achievement of certain performance goals related to the performance of the Company and the Eligible Person. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in the Plan have the meanings set forth in Section 15.

2. Administration.

(a) The Committee will administer the Plan, except that the Chief Executive Officer of the Company or a Related Company (or an authorized delegate) may administer the Plan with respect to Eligible Persons who are not Section 16 Officers and who are intended to be covered by the Plan (with references to the Committee in the Plan also intended to refer to the Chief Executive Officer or an authorized delegate, as applicable, provided that only the Board or the Committee may take any action set forth in Section 14).

(b) The Committee will have the authority, in its sole discretion, subject to and not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, to exercise all the powers and authority either specifically granted to it under the Plan or as necessary or advisable to administer the Plan, including, without limitation, the authority (a) to grant Awards; (b) to determine the Eligible Persons to whom and the time or times when such Awards will be granted; (c) to determine the terms, conditions, restrictions and performance criteria, including the Performance Goals, relating to an Award; (d) to determine whether and to what extent the Performance Goals for an Award have been satisfied; (e) to construe and interpret the Plan and any Award; (f) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan; (g) to approve the Bonus Amounts payable under Awards (which may be paid in cash or in Ordinary Shares and may be adjusted to reflect individual performance); and (h) to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan. The Committee’s decisions, determinations and interpretations will be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company, any Eligible Person, any Participant, and any other person.

3. Eligibility and Participation.

(a) The Committee will select the Eligible Persons eligible to participate in the Plan for each Performance Period (the “Participants”), in consultation with Company management as appropriate; provided that such Participants are not covered by another Company incentive, bonus, commission or similar cash incentive plan. In selecting the Eligible Persons to whom Awards will be granted and the Performance Goals for an Award, the Committee will take into account such factors as it deems relevant in connection with achieving the purpose of the Plan.

(b) Awards will be communicated to Participants in such form as the Committee may from time to time deem advisable and the terms and conditions of such Awards will be set forth therein.


(c) Subject to applicable law, Awards may be adjusted by the Committee, in its sole discretion, as a result of changes in a Participant’s employment or service status during a Performance Period (e.g., due to a change in title or duties, a change to base salary or a change to hours of employment or service). An Award will be pro-rated in the event an Eligible Person first becomes a Participant during a Performance Period.

4. Termination of Employment or Service. Unless otherwise required by applicable law or by the terms of an employment or service agreement, offer letter or severance policy that applies to a Participant, a Participant who ceases employment or service with the Company or any Related Company for any reason prior to the date Bonus Amounts are paid under Awards for a Performance Period will not be eligible for and will not earn any Bonus Amount under an Award for that Performance Period. In the case of death, Disability, or exceptional circumstances, deviations from eligibility for payment under the Plan may be approved by the Committee or the Head of Human Resources on a case-by-case basis, provided that any deviation with respect to a Section 16 Officer must be approved by the Committee.

5. Awards Not Assignable. No Award, or any right thereto, is assignable or transferable by a Participant except by will or by the applicable laws of descent and distribution. Any attempted assignment or alienation will be void and of no force or effect.

6. No Trust or Fund. The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan. Nothing contained herein will require the Company to segregate any monies or other property, or Ordinary Shares, or to create any trusts, or to make any special deposits for any immediate or deferred amounts payable to any Participant. No Participant will have any rights that are greater than those of a general unsecured creditor of the Company.

7. No Individual Rights.

(a) No employee, service provider or any other individual will have any claim to be granted an Award under the Plan. Subject to applicable law, the Company has no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants under the Plan. Participation in the Plan is entirely discretionary and does not create any contractual or other right to any benefit arising under the Plan or to future participation in the Plan.

(b) Nothing in the Plan or any Award will be deemed to constitute an employment or other service contract or confer or be deemed to confer on any Participant any right to continue in the employ of, or to continue any other service relationship with, the Company or any Related Company or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Related Company to terminate a Participant’s employment or service relationship at any time, with or without cause.

8. Change of Control. Upon a Change of Control prior to completion of a Performance Period, each then outstanding Award for such Performance Period will be cancelled and in respect of a cancelled Award, a Participant will be eligible to receive a pro rata portion of the payment due under the Award, calculated by determining the achievement of the applicable Performance Goal or Performance Goals based on actual performance as of the end of the fiscal quarter immediately prior to such Change of Control, and then multiplying this amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days completed in the Performance Period prior to the Change of Control and the denominator of which is the total number of days in the Performance Period (the “Pro Rata Change of Control Amount”). Such amount will be paid within 30 days following the Change of Control.

9. Compliance with Legal Requirements. The Plan and the granting and payment of Awards, and the other obligations of the Company under the Plan, are subject to all applicable federal, state and foreign laws, rules and regulations, and to such approvals by any regulatory or governmental agency as may be required.

 

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10. Tax Withholding; Deferrals. Payments under Awards are subject to all applicable federal, state, local and other applicable withholding tax requirements.

11. Section 409A (for U.S. Taxpayers). Bonus Amounts, if any, paid under the Plan will be paid at the time or times determined by the Committee, provided that in no event will Bonus Amounts, if any, payable following a Performance Period be paid later than the later of (i) the fifteenth day of the third month following the end of the first Company fiscal year in which the applicable Award is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture (within the meaning of Section 409A), or (2) the fifteenth day of the third month following the end of the first calendar year in which the applicable Award is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture (within the meaning of Section 409A); and provided further, in all cases, Bonus Amounts, if any, paid under the Plan will be paid within 90 days following the end of the applicable Performance Period to which the Bonus Amount relates. It is intended that all Awards and Bonus Amounts payable under the Plan will be exempt from the requirements of Section 409A pursuant to the “short-term deferral” exemption or, in the alternative, comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the payments and benefits to be provided under the Plan will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities or ambiguous terms herein will be interpreted to so comply or be exempt. Further, if and to the extent necessary to avoid subjecting a Participant to additional taxation under Section 409A, payment to a Participant of all or a portion of any severance-related payment under the Plan, and any other severance payments to the Participant that are deferred compensation for purposes of Section 409A, will be delayed until the date that is six months and one day following the Participant’s separation from service. Each payment and benefit payable under the Plan is intended to constitute a separate and distinct payment for purposes of Section 409A. The Company may, in good faith and without the consent of any Participant, make any amendments to the Plan and take such reasonable actions as it deems necessary, appropriate or desirable to avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A prior to actual payment to the Participant.

12. Choice of Law. The Plan, all Awards granted thereunder, and all determinations made and actions taken pursuant hereto, to the extent not otherwise governed by the laws of the United States, will be governed by the laws of Delaware without giving effect to principles of conflicts of law.

13. Recoupment. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary and to the maximum extent allowed by applicable law, Bonus Amounts paid under the Plan are subject to (i) the requirements of the MariaDB plc Incentive Compensation Recovery Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, and any clawback provisions in a Participant’s terms of employment or service (as applicable) and (ii) any other compensation recovery policies as may be adopted from time to time by the Company to comply with applicable law and/or stock exchange requirements, or otherwise, to the extent determined by the Board or the Committee to be applicable to a Participant. No recovery of compensation under such a recovery policy or clawback provisions in a Participant’s terms of employment or service (as applicable) will be an event giving rise to a right to voluntarily terminate employment or service upon a “resignation for good reason” or for a “constructive termination” or a similar term under any plan or agreement with the Company or a Related Company.

14. Amendment and Termination. The Board or the Committee may from time to time amend, suspend or terminate the Plan in whole or in part. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment (other than an amendment necessary to comply with Section 409A or other applicable law) or termination of the Plan may adversely affect any rights of a Participant under an outstanding Award without the Participant’s consent.

 

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15. Definitions. The following terms used in the Plan have the following meanings:

(a) “Award” means an incentive compensation award granted pursuant to the Plan and contingent upon the attainment of Performance Goals with respect to a Performance Period. Awards may be denominated as a target Award that is expressed as a percentage of a Participant’s base salary or as a fixed dollar amount or based on such other formula as the Committee determines.

(b) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(c) “Bonus Amount” means the amount payable under an Award to a Participant.

(d) “Change of Control” has the meaning set forth in the Equity Incentive Plan.

(e) “Code” “means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. Reference to a section of the Code or regulation related to that section will include such section or regulation, any valid regulation issued or other official applicable guidance of general or direct applicability promulgated under such section or regulation, and any comparable provision of any future legislation, regulation or official guidance of general or direct applicability amending, supplementing or superseding such section or regulation.

(f) “Committee” means the Compensation and Human Resources Committee of the Board.

(g) “Disability” has the meaning set forth in the Equity Incentive Plan.

(h) “Equity Incentive Plan” means the Company’s 2022 Equity Incentive Plan, as it may be amended from time to time, or any successor plan thereto.

(i) “Ordinary Shares” means ordinary shares of US $0.01 each (nominal value) in the capital of the Company.

(j) “Performance Goal” means a performance goal established by the Committee upon which a Bonus Amount payable following a Performance Period is based, including, but not limited to, the attainment of specified levels of one or any combination of the following (including attainment specified as a specified percentage increase or decrease of a particular performance measure): (i) cash flows, (ii) earnings measures (including before taxes and/or interest and/or depreciation and amortization), (iii) earnings (loss) per share, (iv) operating income (loss), (v) revenue and revenue measures, (vi) operating margin, (vii) return on equity, (viii) debt, (ix) share price appreciation, (x) total or relative shareholder return, (xi) strategic initiatives, or (xii) net income (loss). Performance Goals may apply to one or more of the Company or a Related Company, or a division or strategic business unit of the Company or a Related Company, or may be made relative to the performance of other companies or subsidiaries, divisions, departments, regions, functions or other organizational units with such other companies, all as determined by the Committee. The Performance Goals may include a threshold level of performance below which no payment will be made (or no vesting will occur), levels of performance at which specified payments will be paid (or specified vesting will occur), and a maximum level of performance above which no additional payment will be made (or at which full vesting will occur).

The Committee will have the authority to make equitable adjustments to the Performance Goals in recognition of unusual or non-recurring events affecting the Company or any Related Company or the financial statements of the Company or any Related Company, in response to changes in applicable laws or regulations or to account for items of gain, loss or expense determined to be extraordinary or unusual in nature or infrequent in occurrence or related to the disposal of a segment of a business or related to a change in accounting principles.

 

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(k) “Performance Period” means, unless the Committee determines otherwise, a period that coincides with the Company’s fiscal year. An Award may have Performance Goals that apply to interim Performance Periods (e.g., an Award may be based on achievement of both Performance Goals that relate to an entire fiscal year and Performance Goals that relate to interim fiscal quarters within that fiscal year).

(l) “Related Company” means any “parent” or “subsidiary” of the Company, as such terms are defined under Rule 405 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(m) “Section 16 Officer” means any officer of the Company or a Related Company who is subject to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements under Section 16 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(n) “Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code and the regulations and guidance thereunder, as they may be amended or modified from time to time, and any applicable state law equivalents.

 

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Exhibit 10.11

MARIADB PLC

NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION PROGRAM

(Effective as of 18, 2022)

This MariaDB plc Non-Employee Director Compensation Program (the “Program”) sets forth the compensation payable to eligible members of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of MariaDB plc (the “Company”) as of the date set forth above (the “Effective Date”). Each member of the Board who is not an officer or employee of the Company or any parent or subsidiary of the Company (an “Eligible Director”) is eligible to receive the compensation set forth in the Program. All amounts set forth in the Program are in U.S. dollars.

1. Cash Compensation. Each Eligible Director is entitled to receive the cash compensation set forth below.

 

Annual Retainers (for the Fiscal Year)

   Amount (USD)  

Board Member

   $ 45,000  

Chair of Committee:

  

Audit

   $ 20,000  

Compensation and Human Resources

   $ 15,000  

Governance and Sustainability

   $ 10,000  

Committee member:

  

Audit

   $ 10,000  

Compensation and Human Resources

   $ 7,500  

Governance and Sustainability

   $ 5,000  

Lead independent director

   $ 20,000  

Non-Employee Board Chair

   $ 40,000  

The annual retainers for service as a chair of a committee or as a member of a committee are in addition to the Board member annual retainer. A chair of a committee receives the chair annual retainer for the applicable committee, but does not also receive the committee member annual retainer. All cash compensation is paid in arrears in equal quarterly installments as soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal quarter for which services were rendered. Eligible Directors who commence service mid-quarter or who terminate service mid-quarter will receive pro-rated retainers to be paid at the end of the applicable fiscal quarter.

2. Equity Compensation.

(a) Annual Awards. On the date of each annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders, each Eligible Director who is a continuing director immediately following the annual meeting will automatically be granted an award of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) having a grant value of $175,000 (the “Grant Value”). The number of RSUs granted will be calculating by dividing the Grant Value by the average closing price of the Company’s ordinary shares (“Ordinary Shares”) over the 20 trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the grant date, rounded down to the nearest whole share (the “Annual Award”).


(b) Initial Director Awards (Other than Initial Business Combination Awards).

(i) Each individual who first becomes an Eligible Director after the Effective Date (other than an Eligible Director who receives an Initial Business Combination Award, as defined below) will automatically receive on the date of such initial election or appointment to the Board (or, if such date is not a market trading day, on the first market trading day thereafter) both (i) an award of RSUs having a Grant Value of $175,000 (the “Initial Director Award”) and (ii) the Annual Award, provided that if the Eligible Director is initially elected or appointed to the Board on a date other than the date of an annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders, the $175,000 Grant Value of the Annual Award will be pro-rated, based on the number of full months between initial election or appointment and, as applicable, (i) the anticipated date of the Company’s next annual meeting of shareholders, if scheduled (which will apply until clause (ii) can apply), or (ii) the date of the first anniversary of the Company’s prior annual meeting of shareholders, if the next annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders is not yet scheduled (with full months calculated with reference to the day of applicable annual meeting of shareholders).

(iii) The number of RSUs granted pursuant to the Initial Director Award and the Annual Award will be calculated by dividing the applicable Grant Value by the average closing price of the Ordinary Shares for the 20 trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the applicable grant date, rounded down to the nearest whole share.

(iv) If an individual who was both a member of the Board and an employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries terminates employment with the Company and its subsidiaries and remains a member of the Board, such individual will not be eligible to receive an Initial Director Award or an Annual Award under this Section 2(b), but will become eligible to receive Annual Awards under Section 2(a).

(c) Initial Business Combination Awards. Effective on the trading date immediately following the effectiveness of an initial Form S-8 Registration Statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the securities issuable under the Company’s 2022 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time (the “Plan”), each Eligible Director initially appointed to the Board after completion of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement dated January 31, 2022, by and between the parties named therein, including the Company (the “Business Combination”), will automatically receive an Annual Award with a Grant Value of $175,000, such Grant Value to be pro-rated based on the number of full months between completion of the Business Combination and the anticipated date of the 2023 annual meeting of shareholders; and provided, further, that the number of RSUs granted under this award will be calculated by dividing the pro-rated Grant Value by the average closing price of the Ordinary Shares for the 60 trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the grant date (or any lesser number of trading days that have occurred as of the trading day immediately preceding such grant date), rounded down to the nearest whole share (the “Initial Business Combination Award”). For the avoidance of doubt, the Initial Business Combination Awards are one-time awards to those Eligible Directors first appointed to the Board in connection with the completion of the Business Combination and who remain Eligible Directors on the effective date of grant of the Initial Business Combination Awards. Initial Director Awards, Annual Awards and Initial Business Combination Awards are collectively referred to in the Program as “Awards.”

(d) Vesting of Awards.

(i) Each Annual Award and Initial Business Combination Award will fully vest upon the earlier of (i) the one-year anniversary of the grant date and (ii) the day immediately prior to the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders that next occurs after the grant date.

 

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(ii) Each Initial Director Award will vest as to one-third of the total number of RSUs granted on the first anniversary of the grant date of the Initial Director Award and as to an additional one-third of the total RSUs granted on each of the two subsequent anniversaries thereafter.

(iii) Vesting of Awards is subject to the Eligible Director’s continued service as a director through the vesting date, except as otherwise provided herein. In the event of a Change of Control (as defined in the Plan), Awards will become fully vested.

(e) Termination of Service. In the event an Eligible Director’s service terminates due to death or Disability (as defined in the Plan), outstanding Awards will become fully vested. In the event an Eligible Director’s service terminates for any other reason prior to the vesting date of an Award, the Award will automatically be forfeited upon such termination.

(f) Other Terms. Awards will be granted under the Plan. All provisions of the Plan not inconsistent with the Program will apply to the Awards, including the Plan’s annual limits on the amount of compensation payable to an Eligible Director. Notwithstanding anything to contrary in the Program, no Award will be granted to an Eligible Director until prior to effectiveness of the initial Form S-8 Registration Statement filed for the shares issuable under the Plan.

3. Expense Reimbursement. Eligible Directors will be reimbursed for reasonable travel and related expenses incurred in connection with attending Board and committee meetings and in connection with other Board-related business or activities.

4. Termination or Amendment. The Board may terminate or amend the Program at any time. Termination or amendment of the Program may not, without the written consent of an Eligible Director, impair or diminish any rights under an outstanding Award or compensation already paid (other than an amendment necessary to comply with Section 409A of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 409A”)).

5. Section 409A. The Company intends that payments to Eligible Directors who are U.S. taxpayers satisfy the conditions of Section 409A as set forth in the Plan.

 

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Exhibit 10.12

MARIADB CORPORATION AB

SUMMER 2022 USA SHARE OPTION PLAN

Adopted by the Board on July 4, 2022

Approved by the Company’s stockholders on July 18, 2022


1

Definitions

For purposes of the Plan and Awards granted hereunder, the following defined terms shall have the following meanings:

Board” means the board of the directors of the Company;

Business Day” means a day which is not a Saturday, Sunday or other public holiday or, with respect to the payment of promissory notes, is not equated with a public holiday in Finland and Sweden;

Change of Control” means (i) a transfer of all or substantially all the voting stock of the Company to a third party or third parties in a single transaction; (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in a single transaction; or (iii) a merger, reorganization or consolidation or other transaction in which the shareholders of the Company prior to the transaction would possess, after the transaction, less than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s capital stock or less than 50% of the voting power of the outstanding shares of the Company’s capital stock, irrespective of the nature of the consideration received;

Code” means the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time;

Common Stock” means the Company’s Ordinary shares, with no par value per share;

Company” means MariaDB Corporation Ab, formerly known as SkySQL Corporation Ab, Business ID FI 2344661-1, a limited company incorporated under the laws of Finland;

Date of Grant” or “Grant Date means the date on which an Option is granted;

Eligible Employee” means an Eligible Participant who is an employee of a Participating Company, as determined under the Code.

Eligible Participant” means any person designated by the Board who, on the Date of Grant, is an employee, consultant, member of the Board, or officer of a Participating Company; provided, however, grants to any independent contractor (including directors, consultants and advisors) must be to a natural person who provides bona fide services to a Participating Company, and (i) the services must not be in connection with the offer and sale of the Company’s securities in a capital-raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities and (ii) the grant of an Award does not cause the Company to lose the ability to make grants under this Plan in reliance on Rule 701 of the Securities Act;

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time;

Exercise Condition” means any condition related to the exercise of an Option;

Exercise Price” means the amount payable for each Share, expressed in EUR, or any other currency determined by the Board;

 

2


Fair Market Value” means the per share fair market value of the Common Stock as established in good faith by the Board. In general, if the Common Stock is listed on an established stock exchange or national market system, the Board will use either the mean between the high and low sales prices of the Shares on that date or the closing sales price for the Shares during regular trading, or if not trading on that date, such price on the last preceding date on which the Shares were traded, unless determined otherwise by the Board using such methods or procedures as it may establish. If the Shares are not listed on a national stock exchange or national market system, the Board will determine Fair Market Value in a manner consistent with Sections 409A and 422 of the Code. However, in determining the value of a Share for purposes of tax reporting purposes and such other purposes as determined by the Board, the Board may calculate Fair Market Value using the foregoing methods, the actual sales price in the transaction at issue (e.g., “sell to cover”), or such other value determined by the Company’s general counsel or principal financial officer in good faith in a manner that complies with applicable laws;

Finnish Transfer Tax” means transfer tax payable pursuant to the Finnish Transfer Tax Law 931/1996, as amended.

Grantor” means the Board;

Incentive Stock Option” or “ISO” means an Option that qualifies as an “incentive stock option” as that term is defined for purposes of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision. ISOs may only be granted to Eligible Employees;

Nonqualified Stock Option,” “Nonstatutory Stock Option,” or “NSO” means an Option that does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option;

Option” or “Award means a right granted under the Plan to acquire Shares. On a case by case basis, the Board may decide that an Option means the right to subscribe for or purchase a Warrant, in which case the Board shall on a case by case basis determine the specific terms and conditions relating to such Warrants. For the avoidance of doubt, it is stated that an Option is a contractual arrangement between the Grantor and the Option Holder and does not, unless otherwise explicitly notified on a case-by-case basis, refer to any stock option rights or special rights in accordance with the Finnish Companies Act as in force from time to time;

Option holder” or “Option Holder means a person holding an Option;

Option Period” means a period starting on the Date of Grant and ending not later than 10 years after the Date of Grant. If an Option is not an ISO, the Board may, at the Date of Grant, determine to provide an Option Period in excess of 10 years, but only to the extent doing so does not violate applicable laws;

Parent” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Company, provided each corporation in the unbroken chain (other than the Corporation) owns, at the time of the determination, shares possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares in one of the other corporations in such chain;

 

3


Participating Companies” means the Company and its Subsidiaries;

Plan” means this Summer 2022 USA Share Option Plan, as amended from time to time;

Rule 701” means Rule 701 of the Securities Act;

Rules” means the terms of the Plan, as amended from time to time;

Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code;

Securities Act” means the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time;

Share Reserve” means the number of Shares the Company’s stockholders have approved for issuance under this Plan from time to time. As of July 18, 2022 (the “Stockholder Approval Date”, the Company’s stockholders have approved for issuance under the Plan 5,150,000 Shares pursuant to Awards that the Board may grant between the Stockholder Approval Date and the first anniversary of the Stockholder Approval Date (the “Authorization Period”). Shares issued under the Plan will be new shares or treasury shares.. Shares covered by an Award will not reduce the available Share Reserve unless and until they are issued to an Option Holder on the Company’s stockholder ledger. If (A) any Award lapses, expires, terminates or is canceled prior to the issuance of shares thereunder, or (B) an Award is settled in cash, then those shares that are not issued under the Award will remain, or again become, available for issuance under the Plan. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing, the Share Reserve and the size thereof will at all times be subject to the Board having been authorized to issue Shares by the general meeting of the Company or as may be required under applicable law;

Shares” means shares of Common Stock;

Stock Exchange” means any stock exchange or authorized or regulated market place, such as NYSE, NASDAQ OMX, Helsinki Stock Exchange and Stockholm Stock Exchange;

Subsidiary” means a company in which the Company a) holds more than 50% of the voting rights or b) otherwise exercises control in in accordance with Chapter 1, Section 5 of the Finnish Bookkeeping Act; provided, however, that to the extent necessary for compliance with applicable laws, “Subsidiary” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company, provided each corporation (other than the last corporation) in the unbroken chain owns, at the time of the determination, shares possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares in one of the other corporations; and

Warrant” means an option right or a special right issued by the Company in accordance with the Finnish Companies Act as in force from time to time.

 

2

Grant of Options

 

  2.1

Grant of Options. The Board may grant to any Eligible Participant an Option to acquire Shares in accordance with the Plan. On the Date of Grant, the Board shall determine (i) the number of Shares subject to the Option, (ii) the Exercise Price, which shall not be less than the Fair Market Value per Share as determined on the Date of Grant, unless an Option may be granted with a lower Exercise Price in compliance with all applicable laws, (iii) the vesting schedule, (iv) the Exercise Period, (v) any Exercise Conditions, and (vi) all other material terms of the Option. An Option shall be evidenced in a written award agreement in the form determined by the Board.

 

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  2.2

Option Holder Rights. The Option Holder shall not be entitled to require any certificates or other particular evidence of an Option. All Options are granted and issued free of charge. An Option Holder may upon the grant of Option elect not to receive the Option by notifying the Board or any other person identified in the grant notice from time to time of such rejection. An Option Holder may additionally elect at any time during the Option Period to unilaterally terminate the Option by a corresponding notice in writing. In any of the aforesaid situations, the Option Holders shall not be entitled to present any claims against the Company for compensation or otherwise.

 

  2.3

Rule 701. Awards granted under the Plan are intended to be exempt from registration under US law pursuant to Rule 701. However, grants may be made under the Plan in reliance on another exemption from registration under US securities laws, provided such grants do not impair or eliminate the exemption from registration provided under Rule 701 for Awards granted under the Plan.

 

  2.4

Transfer Restrictions. Options granted under the Plan, and any interest therein, will not be transferable or assignable by an Option Holder, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and, with respect to Options other than Incentive Stock Options, by instrument to an inter vivos or testamentary trust in which such Options are to be passed to beneficiaries upon the death of the trustor (settlor), or by gift to “family member” as that term is defined in Rule 701. Options may not be made subject to execution, attachment or similar process. During the lifetime of the Option holder, an Option will be exercisable only by the Option holder, and any elections with respect to an Option may be made only by the Option holder. The terms of an Option shall be binding upon the executor, administrator, successors and assigns of the Option holder who is a party thereto.

 

  2.5

Administrative Errors. If the Board’s records (e.g., consents, resolutions or minutes) documenting the corporate action granting the Award contain terms (e.g., exercise price, vesting schedule or number of shares) that are inconsistent with those in the Award agreement as a result of a clerical error in the papering of the Award agreement, the Board’s records will control and the Option Holder will have no legally binding right to the incorrect term in the Award agreement. In the event of a conflict between the terms of an Option award agreement and the terms of this Plan, the Plan shall control. If the Board tries to grant an Option which is inconsistent with the Plan, the Option will be limited and will take effect from the Date of Grant on a basis consistent with the Plan to the extent possible. If the Option cannot be modified in accordance with applicable laws to be valid and consistent with the Plan, the Option will be void as of the Date of Grant and of no force or effect, and shall terminate without any consideration due to the Option holder.

 

5


3

Exercise

 

  3.1

Manner of Exercise. An Option Holder may exercise an Option, in whole or in part, in accordance with its terms and conditions. Any notice of exercise shall be made in writing in the form prescribed by the Board and addressed to the CFO of the Company or his or her designee. In order to have a valid exercise, the Option Holder must provide: (i) payment in full of the Exercise Price and all applicable withholding taxes and other payments, (ii) a signed exercise notice and stock purchase agreement and, if required by law, a subscription list in the form prescribed by the Board, and (iii) signed copies of any other relevant documentation reasonably required by the Company, including a joinder to the Company’s then-current shareholders’ agreement.

 

  3.2

Exercise Date. The exercise date of an Option (“Exercise Date”) will be the date the Company receives all required duly signed documents, the exercise price and all applicable withholding taxes. However, no Shares will be issued on or after the Exercise Date until the date the Board has undertaken all steps required by applicable law for the issuance of the Shares.

 

  3.3

Prohibitions on Exercise. If any statute, regulation or code applicable to this Plan or awards granted hereunder prohibits the exercise of Options, the Exercise Date will be the date when the Option Holder is permitted to exercise an Option without violation of such applicable statute, regulation or code. However, in no event will the application of this provision extend the Option Period.

 

  3.4

Form of Payment. The Board will determine the forms of consideration an Option Holder may use to pay the exercise or purchase price for shares issued under Awards and any withholding taxes or other amounts due in connection with Awards. An Option Holder must pay all consideration due in connection with the Award (including withholding taxes) before the Company will issue the Shares being acquired. The Board may (but is not required to) permit the use of the following forms of consideration:

a) in cash or cash equivalent, including checks, wire transfers, or ACH payments;

b) solely in respect of nonstatutory stock options and only to the extent permitted by applicable laws, by having the Company withhold Shares and any other consideration that would otherwise be issued under an Award (other than in respect of an Incentive Stock Option) that have an aggregate Fair Market Value on that date equal to the consideration owed to the Company, including in connection with a Change of Control (a “Withhold to Cover”);

c) by tendering (either actually or, if and so long as the Common Stock is registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, by attestation) Shares owned by the Option Holder free and clear of any liens, claims or other encumbrances that have an aggregate Fair Market Value on that date equal to the consideration owed to the Company, but only if the tender will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company;

 

6


d) if and so long as the Common Stock is registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and to the extent permitted by applicable laws, delivery of a properly executed agreement, together with irrevocable instructions to a brokerage firm designated or approved by the Company to deliver promptly to the Company the aggregate amount of proceeds to pay the consideration due to the Company, all in accordance with the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board (a “Public Sell to Cover”);

e) solely to the extent permitted by applicable law and approved of by the Board at the time of exercise, by delivery of a full recourse promissory note that bears interest at a rate specified by the Board that is not less than the rate required to avoid imputation of interest (taking into account any exceptions to the imputed interest rules) for federal income tax purposes, compounding semi-annually, and such other terms as are necessary to avoid adverse financial accounting charges; and/or

f) such other consideration as the Board may permit.

If an Option Holder engages in a Withhold to Cover transaction to pay for applicable tax withholdings, the value of the Shares so withheld may not exceed the employer’s applicable maximum required tax withholding rate or such other applicable rate as is necessary to avoid adverse treatment for financial accounting purposes, as determined by the Board.

 

  3.5

Issuance of Shares. The Company will issue or transfer the Shares relating to a duly exercised Option as soon as practicable after the Exercise Date. New Shares issued on the exercise of an Option will have all rights attached to them as of their registration date. Existing Shares transferred to an Option Holder will have said rights as of the date of transfer.

 

  3.6

Cash Settlement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, and solely to the extent that doing so would not result in adverse accounting treatment to the Company, the Board may in its sole discretion determine not to transfer or issue Shares upon exercise of an Option, but instead pay to the Option Holder in cash an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of the Shares (or the Warrants, as the case may be) to be issued or transferred based on the exercise of the Option on the Exercise Date, reduced by the Exercise Price of said Option and all applicable tax withholdings and deductions. If the Board so determines, the Exercise Price shall not be payable, and if already paid, shall be repaid to the Option Holder forthwith, in which cases the payment to the Option Holder shall be reduced with said amount.

 

4

Termination of Relationship with the Company

 

  4.1

No Rights to Continued Service. Nothing in the Plan or any Award will be deemed to constitute an employment contract or confer or be deemed to confer on any Option Holder any right to continue in the employ of, or to continue any other service relationship with, the Company or any Participating Company or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Participating Company to terminate an Option Holder’s service relationship at any time, with or without cause

 

7


  4.2

Vesting. Unless otherwise provided by the Board, an Option Holder will cease vesting in an Award at the time of the Option Holder’s termination of service and the Option Holder will have no further rights, title or interest in or to the unvested portion of the Award following the termination of service.

 

  4.3

Post-Termination Exercise Period. Unless specifically otherwise provided in the Plan or as otherwise decided by the Board, in the event of termination of employment or other service with the Company and all other Participating Companies, and subject to the satisfaction of any Exercise Conditions, the Option Holder must exercise the Option (to the extent vested), if at all, prior to the earliest to occur of:

 

  a)

the date that is 90 days after the Option Holder’s termination of service, unless such termination is due to death;

 

  b)

if the termination is due to the Option Holder’s death, the date that is 12 months after the Option Holder’s death;

 

  c)

if, during any of the foregoing periods, the Company undergoes a Change of Control and the successor or acquiring entity refuses to assume, continue, replace or substitute an equivalent Award, then on the closing of the Change of Control, and

 

  d)

the last day of the Option Period.

Any portion of an Option that is not exercised prior to such earliest date will be forfeited and expire, without consideration, at the close of business at the Company’s headquarters on such earliest date.

 

  4.4

Determining the Occurrence of a Termination of Service. An Option Holder shall not be considered to have ceased his or her service with a Participating Company in the case of: (i) sick leave; (ii) military leave; or (iii) any other leave of absence approved by the Option holder’s employer, provided that such leave is for a period of not more than ninety (90) days, unless reemployment upon the expiration of such leave is guaranteed by contract or statute. For purposes of determining when the post-termination exercise period applicable to an Option is triggered, the Option holder’s service shall be considered to have ceased as of the 91st day of such leave if the Option holder’s reemployment is not guaranteed either by statute or by contract. For any period of such leave of absence during which the Option holder is not paid regular salary by his or her employer in the form of sick pay or vacation pay, vesting based on continuous service shall be tolled during the unpaid leave of absence and shall resume when the leave of absence is terminated and the Option holder returns to active service. For clarity, an Option Holder will not be deemed to have had a termination of service that triggers the post-termination exercise period where the Option Holder’s service transitions between employee, consultant, officer and/or director of a Participating Company or the Option Holder continues to provide service as an employee, consultant, officer and/or director of another Participating Company.

 

8


  4.5

No Obligation to Notify. The Company and the Board will have no duty or obligation to any Option Holder to advise such holder as to the time or manner of exercising Option Holder’s rights under an Award. Furthermore, the Company will have no duty or obligation to warn or otherwise advise such holder of a pending termination or expiration of an Award or a possible period in which the Award may not be exercised. The Company has no duty or obligation to minimize the tax consequences of an Award to the holder of such Award.

 

  4.6

No Rights to Compensation. Any person who ceases to be an employee of any Participating Company because of cancellation or termination of their employment or service relationship (however caused), or who is under notice of termination, will in no circumstances be entitled to claim any compensation in respect of the Plan, including but not limited to the application of tax laws or the application of tax policies maintained by any Group Company.

 

  4.7

Option Holder’s Actions. Where the Option Holder is deprived of the legal or beneficial ownership of an Option by operation of law, or due to any action or omission on behalf of the Option Holder, said Option shall automatically become null and void.

 

5

Taxes

 

  5.1

Withholding Obligations. The Company will require the Option Holder to pay to the Company or a Participating Company, as applicable, the amount of (i) any taxes that the Company or a Participating Company is required by applicable federal, state, local or foreign law to withhold with respect to an Award and (ii) any other amounts due from the Option Holder to the Company, any Participating Company or any governmental authority. The Company will not be required to issue any shares of Common Stock or otherwise settle an Award under the Plan until such tax withholding obligations and other obligations are satisfied. The Company and each Participating Company is authorized to withhold all such amounts or take such other actions as it considers necessary to meet any liability to taxation or social security contributions so far as is possible under local law in respect of Options granted to the Option Holder pursuant to this Plan.

 

  5.2

Finnish Transfer Tax. Any Finnish Transfer Tax on the transfer of shares to the Option Holder at exercise will be paid by the Company. None of the Company nor any other Participating Company will otherwise be responsible for the funding of any other taxes due from the Eligible Participant in respect of an Award.

 

  5.3

Section 409A. The Company intends that the Plan and Awards granted under the Plan (unless otherwise expressly provided for in the Award Agreement and Board resolutions approving the Award) are exempt from the requirements of Section 409A to the maximum extent possible, whether pursuant to the short-term deferral exception described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(4), the

 

9


  exclusion applicable to stock options, stock appreciation rights and certain other equity-based compensation under Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(5) or 1.409A-1(b)(6), or otherwise. If Section 409A is applicable to any Award granted under the Plan (that is, to the extent not so exempt), the Board intends that the non-exempt Award will comply with the deferral, payout, plan termination and other limitations and restrictions imposed under Section 409A.

a) The Board will use reasonable best efforts to interpret, operate and administer the Plan and any Award granted under the Plan in a manner consistent with this intention. However, the Board makes no representations that Awards granted under the Plan will be exempt from or comply with Section 409A and makes no undertaking to preclude Section 409A from applying to Awards granted under the Plan and will have no obligation to pay for any taxes, penalties, interests or other costs associated with the application of Section 409A to an Award.

b) If necessary for exemption from, or compliance with, Section 409A:

c) All references in the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan to the termination of the Option Holder’s employment or service are intended to mean the Option Holder’s “separation from service,” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i).

d) The Board will treat each installment that vests or is delivered under an Award in a series of payments or installments as a separate payment for purposes of Section 409A, unless expressly set forth in the Award Agreement that each installment is not a separate payment.

e) If the Option Holder is a “specified employee,” within the meaning of Section 409A, then if necessary to avoid subjecting the Option Holder to the imposition of any additional tax under Section 409A, amounts that would otherwise be payable under the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan during the 6-month period immediately following the Option Holder’s “separation from service” will not be paid to the Option Holder during such period, but will instead be accumulated and paid to the Option Holder (or, in the event of the Option Holder’s death, the Option Holder’s estate) in a lump sum on the first business day after the earlier of the date that is 6 months following the Option Holder’s separation from service or the Option Holder’s death, unless the amounts can be paid in another manner that complies with Section 409A.

f) If, after the Grant Date of an Award, the Board determines that an Award is reasonably likely to fail to be either exempt from or compliant with Section 409A, the Board reserves the right, but will not be required, to unilaterally (and without the affected Option Holder’s consent) amend or modify the Plan and any Award granted under the Plan so that the Award qualifies for exemption from or complies with Section 409A. Any such amendment or modification made to avoid the imposition of adverse taxation under Section 409A will be deemed not to materially adversely impact the Option Holder.

 

10


6

Corporate Events

 

  6.1

Changes in Capitalization. The Board shall monitor all corporate actions of the Company with a possible material impact on the Options from time to time (such as a share split, demerger, bonus issue, liquidation, dissolution etc.). If the Company undertakes a stock dividend, stock split, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, distribution to stockholders other than a normal cash dividend, or other change in the Company’s corporate or capital structure that constitutes an equity restructuring transaction, as that term is used in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any successor thereto) and that results in (i) the outstanding shares of Common Stock, or any securities exchanged therefor or received in their place, being exchanged for a different number or kind of securities of the Company or any other company or (ii) new, different or additional securities of the Company or any other company being received by the holders of shares of Common Stock, then the Board will make proportional adjustments in (a) the maximum number and kind of securities available for issuance under the Plan; (b) the maximum number and kind of securities issuable as Incentive Stock Options; and (c) the number and kind of securities that are subject to any outstanding Award and the per share price of such securities, without any change in the aggregate price to be paid under the Award, in each case as necessary to prevent the diminution or enlargement of rights under this Plan. The determination by the Board as to the terms of any of the foregoing adjustments will be conclusive and binding. For clarity, the issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services rendered, either on direct sale or on the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or on conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, will not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof will be made with respect to, outstanding Awards

 

  6.2

Dissolution or Liquidation. If it is resolved that the Company shall enter into liquidation pursuant to the Finnish Companies Act, Options may not thereafter be exercised regardless of the grounds for such liquidation and will lapse immediately. In addition, upon the entry of an order placing the Company in liquidation, notwithstanding that such order may not be final, the Options may not thereafter be exercised and will lapse immediately. . Options may not be exercised following the adoption of a final resolution in respect of a liquidation.

 

  6.3

Change of Control. The following provisions will apply to Awards in the event of a Change of Control unless otherwise provided in the Award agreement or any other written agreement between the Company or any Participating Company and the Option Holder. In the event of a Change of Control, the Board may take one or more of the following actions with respect to Awards, contingent on the closing or completion of the Change of Control:

 

11


a) arrange for the surviving or acquiring company (or its parent company) to assume or continue the Award or to substitute a similar stock-based award for the Award (including, but not limited to, an award to acquire the same consideration paid to the stockholders of the Company pursuant to the Change of Control) that preserves the material terms of the original Award;

b) arrange for the assignment of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company in respect of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Award to the surviving or acquiring company (or its parent company);

c) accelerate the vesting, in whole or in part, of the Award held by an Option Holder who has not had a termination of service (and, if applicable, the time at which the Award may be exercised or settled) to a date prior to the effective time of such Change of Control as the Board determines (or, if the Board does not determine such a date, to the date that is five days prior to the effective date of the Change of Control), with such Award terminating immediately prior to the effective time of the Change of Control;

d) arrange for the lapse, in whole or in part, of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to the Award on a date prior to the effective time of such Change of Control as the Board will determine (or, if the Board will not determine such a date, on the date that is five days prior to the effective date of the Change of Control);

e) cancel or arrange for the cancellation of the Award, to the extent not vested or not exercised prior to the effective time of the Change of Control, in exchange for such cash consideration, if any, as the Board, in its sole discretion, may consider appropriate; and

f) 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 Option Holder would have received on the exercise or settlement of the Award immediately prior to the effective time of the Change of Control, over (B) any price payable by such holder in connection with such exercise or settlement, in consideration for the termination of such Award at or immediately prior to the closing. For clarity, this payment may be zero if the Fair Market Value of the property is equal to or less than the exercise or purchase price.

The Board need not take the same action with respect to all Awards or portions thereof or with respect to all Option Holders. The Board may take different actions with respect to the vested and unvested portions of an Award. The Board may provide that payments may be subject to the same terms and conditions as the payment of consideration to the holders of the Company’s Common Stock in connection with the Change of Control, including any delay as a result of escrows, earn outs, holdbacks or other contingencies. The Board may also provide that payments made over time will remain subject to substantially the same vesting schedule as the Award, including any performance-based vesting metrics that applied to the Award immediately prior to the closing of the Change of Control

 

12


7

Requirements Under US Securities Laws

 

  7.1

Restricted Securities. Both the Options (whether or not Incentive Stock Options) and Shares issued pursuant to Options granted under the Plan are deemed to be “restricted securities” as defined in Regulation Section 230.144 promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act (“Rule 144”). In addition to the restrictions on transfer of the Options by the Plan and on the Shares, resales or transfers of Shares in the United States must comply either with the registration requirements of the Securities Act or with Rule 144 or other exemption from the registration requirements under the Act. The Company will place the following legend on back of any stock certificates representing the Shares issued upon exercise of Options granted pursuant to this Plan:

“THE SHARES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAW AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, PLEDGED, OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED WITHOUT EFFECTIVE REGISTRATIONS THEREUNDER OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY AND ITS COUNSEL, THAT SUCH REGISTRATIONS ARE NOT REQUIRED.”

“THE SHARES REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF AN EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN AND/OR AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND THE STOCKHOLDER, COPIES OF WHICH ARE ON FILE WITH AND MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE COMPANY AT NO CHARGE.”

 

  7.2

No Obligation to Register. The Company shall have no obligation to register any Options or Shares with the SEC or with any state regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the issuance or sale of the Options or Shares, whether to be able to issue Options or Shares pursuant to this Plan or to provide a means for employees to sell or transfer Options or Shares acquired pursuant to this Plan.

 

  7.3

Lockup. Each Option Holder will not, without the prior written consent of the managing underwriter (if applicable) and the Company, during the period commencing on the date of (i) the final prospectus relating to an initial public offering of the Common Stock on a national stock exchange or stock market (an “IPO”) or (ii) the consummation of a special purpose acquisition company transaction (“SPAC Transaction”), as applicable, and ending on the date specified by the Company and the Company and/or the managing underwriter, as applicable (such period not to exceed 180 days, which period may be extended upon the request of the Company and/or the managing underwriter, to the extent required by any NASD, NYSE or FINRA rules, for an additional period of up to 15 days if the Company issues or proposes to issue an earnings or other public release within 15 days after the expiration of the 180-day period), (a) lend; offer; pledge; sell; 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 shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable (directly or indirectly) for Common Stock held immediately before the effective date of the registration statement for the IPO or consummation of the SPAC Transaction, as applicable, or (b) enter into any swap or other arrangement that Transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of

 

13


  the economic consequences of ownership of such securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (a) or (b) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash, or otherwise (these limitations, the “Market Standoff” or “Lockup”). The paragraph will apply only to the IPO or a SPAC Transaction, will not apply to the sale of any shares to an underwriter pursuant to an underwriting agreement, or the transfer of any shares to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the Option Holder or the immediate family of the Option Holder, provided that the trustee of the trust agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, and provided further that any such transfer does not involve a disposition for value. The underwriters of the IPO are intended third party beneficiaries of this paragraph and will have the right, power and authority to enforce the provisions hereof as though they were a party hereto. Each Option Holder further agrees to execute such agreements as may be requested by the underwriters (if applicable) and by the Company that are consistent with this paragraph or that are necessary to give further effect thereto

 

8

Amendment and Termination of the Plan

 

  8.1

Subject to any resolutions of the Company’s shareholders relating to the Plan and compliance with applicable laws, the Board is entitled to amend the Plan in their sole discretion from time to time. Option Holders affected by any amendments will be notified thereof without undue delay. Unless terminated sooner, this Plan will terminate, and no further Awards may be granted hereunder, after December 31, 2026.

 

9

Plan Administration

9.1 Administrative Powers. The Board will have full power and exclusive authority, subject to the terms of this Plan, restrictions under applicable law, and the delegation of authority from the Board, to:

a) select which Eligible Participant will be granted Awards;

b) determine the type of Option, the number of Shares covered by the Option, the Fair Market Value of the Shares, and the terms and conditions of that Award (including when the Option may vest, be exercised, or settled, whether the Option carries rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, and whether the Option is to be settled in cash, shares of Common Stock, or other property) and the form of Option agreement;

c) determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances Option may be amended (including to waive restrictions, accelerate vesting or extend exercise periods), tolled, cancelled or terminated;

d) interpret and administer the Plan, any Option agreement and any other agreements or documents related to the administration of Option;

e) establish rules, and delegate ministerial duties to the Company’s employees consistent with applicable law, for the proper administration of the Plan; and

 

14


f) make any other determination and take any other action that the Board deems necessary or desirable for administration of the Plan.

The Board’s decisions will be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company, any Option Holder, any stockholder and any Eligible Participant.

 

  9.2

SPV. The Company and any Subsidiary may establish and/or fund a trustee of a trust, a Special Purpose Vehicle (“SPV”) or any other person to enable that trustee, SPV or person to acquire Shares to be held for the purposes of the Plan, or enter into any guarantee or indemnity for those purposes, to the extent permitted by local law.

 

  9.3

Conflict with Shareholder Agreement. In the event of any discrepancies between the Plan or an Award and the Company’s shareholders’ agreement as in force from time to time, the provisions of the shareholders’ agreement shall prevail. Option Holders also holding Shares shall notice that the shareholders’ agreement contains provisions relating to the Options applicable only to holders of both Shares and Options in the Company.

 

  9.4

Notices and Administrative Portal. Any notice pursuant to the Plan may be delivered by post or email to the relevant address of an Option Holder according to the records of any relevant Participating Company or such other address, which the Company considers appropriate. Notices or other documents sent by post shall be deemed to be received five (5) days following the date of dispatch. Notices or other documents sent by email shall be deemed to be received on the date of dispatch.    By accepting an Award under this Plan, the Eligible Participant consents to receive the documents related to the Plan by electronic delivery and to participate through the third party administrative portal used by the Company in respect of the Plan.

 

10

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

 

  10.1

Choice of Law. This Plan and all matters arising out of or in connection with the Plan, including the contractual Options, shall except as this Plan otherwise specifies be interpreted, construed and governed exclusively in accordance with the laws of Finland without reference to its choice of law rules.

 

  10.2

Conflict with Laws. Should any provision of this Plan be in conflict with a mandatory provision of the Finnish Companies Act (624/2006, as amended) or any other mandatory act, regulation or provision of the state or national law applicable to an Award granted under the Plan, such mandatory provision shall prevail and the relevant provision of this Plan shall be set aside or amended accordingly and shall not be binding on or incur any liability for the Company or any other Participating Company. However, to any extent to which the laws of Finland conflict with Sections 421-424 of the Code or accompanying Treasury Regulations, the Code will prevail with respect to Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options.

 

15


  10.3

Arbitration. In the event no settlement can be reached by means of negotiations, any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to the Plan, or the breach, termination or validity thereof shall be finally settled by arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the Finnish Central Chamber of Commerce. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of one arbitrator. The arbitration shall take place in Helsinki, Finland. The arbitration shall be conducted and the arbitration award shall be given in the English language.

 

11

No Entitlements

 

  11.1

The Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, to the extent permitted under the Plan.

 

  11.2

The grant of this Award is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Awards, or benefits in lieu of Awards, even if Awards have been granted in the past. All decisions with respect to future grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Board.

 

  11.3

The Awards and any Shares acquired under the Plan, and the income from and value of same, are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation. The Awards and any Shares acquired under the Plan, and the income from and value of same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for any purpose, including, without limitation, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments.

 

  11.4

The future value of the Shares underlying the Award is unknown, indeterminable, and cannot be predicted with certainty.

 

  11.5

Awards do not create any entitlement to have the Award transferred to, or assumed by, another company, nor to be exchanged, cashed out or substituted for, in connection with any corporate transaction affecting the Shares.

 

  11.6

Neither the Company nor any other Participating Company shall be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation between the Option Holder’s local currency and the United States Dollar that may affect the value of this Award or of any amounts due pursuant to the Award or the subsequent sale of Shares.

 

  11.7

The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan. Nothing contained herein will require the Company to segregate any monies or other property, or Shares, or to create any trusts, or to make any special deposits for any immediate or deferred amounts payable to any Eligible Participant. No Eligible Participant will have any rights that are greater than those of a general unsecured creditor of the Company. Proceeds received by the Company from the sale of Shares pursuant to Options will constitute general funds of the Company.

 

16


12

Data Privacy

 

  12.1

Data Collection and Usage. The Company may collect, process and use certain personal information about Option Holders, including, but not limited to, the individual’s name, home address, email address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number, passport or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any directorships held in the Company, details of all Awards or any other entitlement to Shares awarded, canceled, vested, unvested or outstanding (“Data”), for the purposes of implementing, administering and managing the Plan. The legal basis, where required, for the processing of Data is the Option Holder’s consent.

 

  12.2

Plan Administration Service Providers. The Company transfers Data to its external law firm and third-party stock Board (the “Designated Third Party”), each an independent service provider based in the United States, which is assisting the Company with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan. The Company may select a different service provider or additional service providers and share Data with such other provider serving in a similar manner. An Option Holder may be asked to agree on separate terms and data processing practices with the Designated Third Party or other service providers, with such agreement being a condition to the ability to participate in the Plan. The Company and the Designated Third Party may not be based in the country where an Option Holder resides. Other countries or jurisdictions may have different data privacy laws and protections than the United States. The Company’s legal basis, where required, for the transfer of Data is the Option Holder’s consent.

 

  12.3

Data Retention. The Company will hold and use the Data only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage participation in the Plan, or as required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including under tax, exchange control, labor and securities laws. This period may extend beyond the Option Holder’s employment or service with the Company or any Participating Company.

 

  12.4

Voluntariness and Consequences of Consent Denial or Withdrawal. Participation in the Plan is voluntary. If an Option Holder does not consent, or later seeks to revoke consent, the Option Holder’s salary, employment or other service with the Company will not be affected; the only consequence of refusing or withdrawing consent is that the Company would not be able to grant Awards to such Option Holder or administer or maintain such Awards.

 

  12.5

Data Subject Rights. Option Holders may have a number of rights under data privacy laws in their jurisdictions. Depending on where the Option Holder is based, such rights may include the right to (i) request access or copies of Data the Company processes, (ii) rectification of incorrect Data, (iii) deletion of Data, (iv) restrictions on processing of Data, (v) portability of Data, (vi) lodge complaints with competent authorities in that jurisdiction, and/or (vii) receive a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of Data. To receive clarification regarding these rights or to exercise these rights, an Option Holder can contact the local human resources representative.

 

17


SUMMER 2022 USA SHARE OPTION PLAN

Schedule for Incentive Stock Option Grants

 

1

Rules

The terms of this Schedule to the SUMMER 2022 USA SHARE OPTION PLAN will apply to Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options under the Code. Unless the Board otherwise specify in writing, any Option granted under the Plan is intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

2

Governing Law

As provided in the Plan, Options granted pursuant to this Schedule will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Finland except that Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options will be construed in accordance with the provisions of Sections 421 and 422 of the Code (as defined in paragraph 3) so as to preserve their intended status as Incentive Stock Options. As provided in the Plan, any conflict between the laws of Finland and the requirements for Incentive Stock Options will be resolved to favor the latter.

 

3.

Requirements for Incentive Stock Options

 

3.1.

An Incentive Stock Option may be granted only to an Eligible Employee. This Plan does not prohibit the grant of Incentive Stock Options to employees who reside or work outside of the United States.

 

3.2.

No person will be granted an Incentive Stock Option if, at the time the Incentive Stock Option would otherwise be granted, that person owns shares possessing more than 10 per cent of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary), unless the Exercise Price is not less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the Date of Grant and the Option Period does not exceed five (5) years measured from the Date of Grant.

 

3.3.

If the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the Grant Date) of Common Stock with respect to which an Option Holder’s Incentive Stock Options become exercisable for the first time during any calendar year (under the Plan and all other stock option plans of the Company and its parent and subsidiary corporations) exceeds $100,000 (or such other limit established by the Code), or if the Option otherwise does not comply with the requirements under Section 422 of the Code, the Option (or the portion that does not meet the requirements of Section 422) will be treated as an NSO. Options will be taken into account in the order in which they were granted. If the Option Holder holds 2 or more such Options that become exercisable for the first time in the same calendar year, such limitation will be applied on the basis of the order in which such Options are granted.

 

18


3.4.

No Incentive Stock Option will be granted more than 10 years after the date on which the Plan is adopted by the Board or approved by the Company’s shareholders, whichever is earlier. For clarity, any stockholder approved amendment of the Share Reserve (or authorization to issue Shares) that also amends the ISO Limit will be deemed the adoption of a new plan for purposes of Code Section 422 and therefore an extension of the period in which Incentive Stock Options may be granted, unless otherwise expressly provided for in the stockholder resolutions approving such increase.

 

3.5.

The Exercise Price of an Incentive Stock Option will be not less than the Fair Market Value of a Share determined at the Date of Grant.

 

3.6.

In no circumstances will an Incentive Stock Option be capable of exercise later than 10 years from its Date of Grant.

 

3.7.

To obtain the tax benefits afforded to Incentive Stock Options under Section 422 of the Code, the Option Holder must hold the shares acquired on the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option for 2 years after the Grant Date and 1 year after the date of exercise (that is, the Option Holder must not transfer the Shares until at least the day after the expiration of these periods). An Option Holder may be subject to the alternative minimum tax at the time of exercise of an Incentive Stock Option. The Option Holder must give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of shares acquired on the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option prior to the expiration of these holding periods.

 

3.8.

The Option Holder must notify the Company in writing if Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option are disposed of within 2 years from the date the Option was granted or within 1 year after exercise and shall provide any other information regarding the disposition that the Company may reasonably require.

 

3.9.

The aggregate maximum number of Shares that may be issued on the exercise of “incentive stock options” that are granted under the Plan during the Authorization Period may not exceed 5,150,000 Shares (the “ISO Limit”). Each increase to the Share Reserve authorized by the Board and stockholders will also result in a corresponding increase in this ISO Limit, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Board or stockholder resolutions approving such increase.

 

3.10.

An Option designated as an Incentive Stock Option will cease to qualify for favorable tax treatment as an Incentive Stock Option to the extent it is exercised (if permitted by the terms of the Option) (i) more than 3 months after the date of an Option Holder’s termination of employment if termination was for reasons other than death or disability, (ii) more than 1 year after the date of an Option Holder’s termination of employment if termination was by reason of disability (as defined for purposes of Section 422 of the Code), or (iii) more than 6 months following the first day of an Option Holder’s leave of absence that exceeds 3 months, unless the Option Holder’s reemployment rights are guaranteed by statute or contract (as such rule is explained in Section 422 of the Code).

 

19


3.11.

Options granted under the Plan, and any interest therein, will not be transferable or assignable by an Option holder, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and, with respect to Options other than Incentive Stock Options, by instrument to an inter vivos or testamentary trust in which such Options are to be passed to beneficiaries upon the death of the trustor (settlor), or by gift to “family member” as that term is defined in Rule 701, and may not be made subject to execution, attachment or similar process. During the lifetime of the Option holder an Option will be exercisable only by the Option holder, and any elections with respect to an Option may be made only by the Option holder. The terms of an Option shall be binding upon the executor, administrator, successors and assigns of the Option holder who is a party thereto.

 

4.

Notice and Reporting Requirements

Prior to January 31 of the year following the calendar year of exercise of an Incentive Stock Option pursuant to this Plan, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Option Holder a statement that complies with the requirements of US Internal Revenue Code Form 3921 (or any successor form thereto).

 

5.

Specific Provisions Required Under California Law

 

5.1.

This Plan incorporates by reference the requirements of California Corporations Code Section 25102(o) and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

5.2.

Options (whether or not ISOs) may only be granted under the Plan until the tenth (10th) anniversary of the date the Plan is approved by the Board.

 

5.3.

This Plan will be approved by the stockholders of the Company, consistent with applicable laws, by the later of (1) within twelve (12) months before or after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board, or (2) prior to or within twelve (12) months of the granting of an Option in the State of California.

 

20


MARIADB CORPORATION AB

SUMMER 2022 USA SHARE OPTION PLAN

OPTION AWARD NOTICE

Dear _______,

MariaDB Corporation Ab (the “Company”) has granted you a stock option to purchase the number of Shares of the Company’s Common Stock set forth below (the “Option”). The Option is governed by the terms and conditions of this Option Award Notice (this “Award Notice”), the attached Stock Option Agreement (together with this Award Notice, the “Agreement”) and the MariaDB Corporation Ab Summer 2022 USA Share Option Plan (the “Plan”). Copies of the Plan and the Stock Option Agreement are attached hereto. Capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meanings specified in the Plan or the Agreement.

 

Option Holder:

   __________

Grant Date:

   __________

Vesting Commencement Date:

   __________

Number of Shares Subject to Option:

   __________

Exercise Price (per Share):

   €_________

Option Expiration Date:

   __________ (subject to earlier termination in accordance with the terms of the Plan and the Stock Option Agreement)

Type of Option:

   [Incentive Stock Option] / [Nonqualified Stock Option]

Vesting Schedule: [Prior to the date of your termination of employment or service with a Participating Company, the Option will vest with respect to 25% of the total number of Shares subject to the Option on the one-year anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date and the remaining Shares will vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter on the same day of the month as the Vesting Commencement Date (and if there is no corresponding day, the last day of the month).]

Exercisability: You may only exercise the Option as to the vested portion of the Option. The Company reserves the right to limit the dates on which you can exercise your vested Option.

Additional Terms/Acknowledgement: You acknowledge receipt of, and understand and agree to, this Award Notice, the Stock Option Agreement and the Plan. You further acknowledge that as of the Grant Date, this Award Notice, the Stock Option Agreement and the Plan set forth the entire understanding between you and the Company regarding the Option and supersede all prior oral and written agreements on the subject. If the Award Notice or the Stock Option Agreement conflict with the Plan, the Plan will control. By accepting this Option, you consent to receive the documents related to the Plan by electronic delivery.

 

MARIADB CORPORATION AB
By:
Name: Bill Munger
Title: VP, Global HR


Acknowledgment, Acceptance and Agreement:

By signing below and returning this Award Notice to MariaDB Corporation Ab, I hereby acknowledge receipt of the Agreement and the Plan, accept the Option granted to me and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Award Notice, the Agreement and the Plan.

_____________________

[Name of Option Holder]

_____________________

Date

Non-Acceptance

I do not accept the grant of the Option made to me by the Company.

 

Name:     
Date and Place:     
Signature:     

 

Signature Page to Option Award Notice and Stock Option Agreement


MARIADB CORPORATION AB

SUMMER 2022 USA SHARE OPTION PLAN

STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

MariaDB Corporation Ab, a limited company incorporated under the laws of Finland (the “Company”), hereby grants to the Option Holder named in the award notice attached hereto (the “Award Notice”) a stock option to purchase Shares of the Company’s Common Stock on the terms set forth in the Award Notice (the “Option”), this Stock Option Agreement (together with this Award Notice, this “Agreement”) and the MariaDB Corporation Ab Summer 2022 USA Share Option Plan (the “Plan”).

1. Vesting. The Option will vest as provided in the Award Notice, subject to the limitations contained in this Agreement and the Plan. On the date of termination of the Option Holder’s employment or service with a Participating Company, vesting will stop, and the portion of the Option that remains unvested will terminate and be forfeited for no consideration. The Option may only be exercised as to the vested portion.

2. Time and Manner of Exercise of Option.

2.1. Maximum Term of Option. In no event may the Option be exercised, in whole or in part, after the earlier of the Option Expiration Date set forth in the Award Notice and the date that is 10 years after the Grant Date.

2.2. Termination of Option Following Termination of Service. In the event of termination of employment or other service with the Company and all other Participating Companies, and subject to the satisfaction of any Exercise Conditions, the Option Holder must exercise the Option (to the extent vested), if at all, prior to the earliest

to occur of:

(a) the date that is 90 days after the date of the Option Holder’s termination of employment or service, unless such termination is due to death;

(b) if the termination is due to the Option Holder’s death, the date that is 12 months after the Option Holder’s death;

(c) if, during any of the foregoing periods, the Company undergoes a Change of Control and the successor or acquiring entity refuses to assume, continue, replace or substitute an equivalent award, then on the closing of the Change of Control; and

(d) the Option Expiration Date (set forth in the Award Notice).

Any portion of an Option that is not exercised prior to such earliest date will be forfeited and expire, without consideration, at the close of business at the Company’s headquarters on such earliest date.

2.3. Method of Exercise.

(a) Subject to the limitations set forth in this Agreement, the Option, to the extent vested, may be exercised by the Option Holder by delivering to the Company (1) an exercise notice in the form prescribed by the Company specifying the number of whole Shares to be purchased, (2) payment in full for the exercise price of the Shares being purchased, along with all Required Tax Payments (as defined in Section 4.1(a)), and (3) such other documents as the Company may reasonably request. No Share or certificate representing a Share shall be issued or delivered until the full purchase price therefor and any withholding taxes thereon have been paid.

(b) The Option Holder may pay the exercise price for the Option (1) by cash or cash equivalent acceptable to the Company, such as personal check, ACH, wire transfer, or other electronic transmission of fiat currency; (2) if permitted by the Company and only to the extent this Option is a Nonqualified Stock Option, by having the Company withhold whole Shares that would otherwise be delivered on exercise that have a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the Option equal to not more than the Exercise Price of the Option; and/or (3) if the Common Stock is registered under the Exchange Act and if permitted by applicable law, by instructing a broker to deliver to the Company the total payment required, all in accordance with the regulations of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.


(c) Shares to be withheld in satisfaction of the exercise price or the Required Tax Payments may not have a Fair Market Value in excess of the amount determined by applying the maximum individual statutory tax rate in the Option Holder’s jurisdiction. In addition, the Board shall be permitted to limit the number of Shares so delivered or withheld to a lesser number, if necessary, as determined by the Board, to avoid adverse accounting consequences. In addition, if a fraction of a Share would be required to satisfy the maximum individual statutory rate in the Option Holder’s jurisdiction, then the number of Shares to be delivered or withheld will be rounded down to the next nearest whole Share and the balance must be paid in cash.

2.4. Termination of Option. The Option shall terminate, to the extent not earlier terminated pursuant to Section 2.2 or exercised pursuant to Section 2.3, on the Option Expiration Date. Upon the termination of the Option, the Option and all rights hereunder shall immediately become null and void.

3. Transfer Restrictions and Investment Representations.

3.1. Nontransferability of Option. Unless otherwise permitted by the Board for Nonqualified Stock Options, the Option may not be transferred by the Option Holder other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Except to the extent permitted by the foregoing sentence, (a) during the Option Holder’s lifetime the Option is exercisable only by the Option Holder or the Option Holder’s legal representative, guardian or similar person and (b) the Option may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, hypothecated, encumbered or otherwise disposed of (whether by operation of law or otherwise) or be subject to execution, attachment or similar process. Any attempt to sell, transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate, encumber or otherwise dispose of the Option that does not comply with this Section 3.1 will be void and not recognized by the Company.

3.2. Investment Representation. The Option Holder hereby represents and covenants that (a) any Shares purchased upon exercise of the Option will be purchased for investment and not with a view to the distribution thereof within the meaning of the Securities Act, unless such purchase has been registered under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws; (b) any subsequent sale of any such Shares shall be made either pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws, or pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act and such state securities laws; and (c) if requested by the Company, the Option Holder shall submit a written statement, in a form satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such representation (x) is true and correct as of the date of any purchase of any Shares hereunder or (y) is true and correct as of the date of any sale of any such Shares, as applicable. As a further condition precedent to any exercise of the Option, the Option Holder shall comply with all regulations and requirements of any regulatory authority having control of or supervision over the issuance or delivery of the Shares and, in connection therewith, shall execute any documents which the Board shall in their sole discretion deem necessary or advisable.

4. Additional Terms and Conditions.

4.1. Tax Matters.

(a) As a condition precedent to the issuance of Shares following the exercise of the Option, the Option Holder shall, upon request by the Company, pay to the Company in addition to the purchase price of the shares, such amount as the Company determines is required, under all applicable federal, state, local or other laws or regulations, to be withheld and paid over as income or other withholding taxes (the “Required Tax Payments”) with respect to such exercise of the Option. If the Option Holder shall fail to advance the Required Tax Payments after request by the Company, the Company may, in its discretion, deduct any Required Tax Payments from any amount then or thereafter payable by the Company to the Option Holder or may deem the attempt to exercise the Option null and void to the extent of the tax deficiency. No Share or certificate representing a Share shall be issued or delivered until the Required Tax Payments have been satisfied in full.

(b) If the Option is designated as an “Incentive Stock Option” on the Award Notice, then the Option is intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under section 422 of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Option will not qualify as an “incentive stock option” if, among other fact patterns, any of the following events occur: (1) the Option Holder disposes of the Shares acquired pursuant to the Option at any time during the two-year period following the date of this Agreement or the one-year period following the date of any exercise of the Option (a “Disqualifying Disposition”); (2) except in the event of the Option Holder’s death or disability (as defined


in section 22(e)(3) of the Code), the Option Holder is not employed by a Participating Company at all times during the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the day that is three months before the date of any exercise of the Option; or (3) the aggregate fair market value of the Shares subject to “incentive stock options” held by the Option Holder which become exercisable for the first time in any calendar year (under all plans of the Participating Companies) exceeds $100,000. To the extent that all or a portion of the Option does not qualify as an “incentive stock option,” it shall not affect the validity of the Option (or portion thereof) and such excess shall constitute a separate Nonqualified Stock Option without any further action by the Company or the Option Holder. If the Option Holder disposes of any Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of the Option in a Disqualifying Disposition, the Option Holder shall notify the Company in writing within 30 days after such disposition of the date and terms of such disposition. The Option Holder also agrees to provide the Company with any information concerning any such dispositions as the Company requires for tax purposes.

4.2. Compliance with Applicable Law. The Option is subject to the condition that if the listing, registration or qualification of the Shares subject to the Option upon any securities exchange or under any law, or the consent or approval of any governmental body, or the taking of any other action is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the purchase or issuance of Shares hereunder, the Option may not be exercised, in whole or in part, and such Shares may not be issued, unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent, approval or other action shall have been effected or obtained, free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company. The Company is under no obligation to effect or obtain any such listing, registration, qualification, consent, approval or other action.

4.3. Issuance or Delivery of Shares. Upon the exercise of the Option (including the satisfaction of all Exercise Conditions), in whole or in part, the Company shall issue or deliver, subject to the conditions of this Agreement, the number of Shares purchased against full payment therefor. Such issuance shall be evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company. The Company shall take care of the duly registration of the Shares with the Finnish Trade Register. The Company shall pay only the Finnish original issue taxes or Finnish transfer taxes incident to such issuance. All other tax obligations of the Option Holder shall borne solely by the Option Holder.

4.4. Shareholders’ Agreement; Imposition of Other Requirements. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, as a condition to the receipt of Shares pursuant to this Agreement, the Option Holder shall, if required by the Company, execute and become a party to the then-current shareholders’ agreement among the Company and its shareholders (the “Shareholders’ Agreement”), which shall set forth certain restrictions on the transferability of the Shares, and such other terms as the Board shall from time to time establish. The Company reserves the right to impose other requirements on the Option and on any Shares acquired under the Option, to the extent the Company determines it is necessary or advisable to comply with applicable laws, facilitate the administration of the Plan or facilitate a Change of Control. By accepting this Agreement, the Option Holder agrees to sign any additional agreements or undertakings that may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing. Furthermore, the laws of the country in which the Option Holder is working or resides at the time of grant, vesting and exercise of the Option or the sale of Shares received pursuant to this Agreement (including any rules or regulations governing securities, foreign exchange, tax, labor, or other matters) may subject the Option Holder to additional procedural or regulatory requirements that the Option Holder is and will be solely responsible for and must fulfill

4.5. Option Confers No Rights as Shareholder. The Option Holder shall not be entitled to any privileges of ownership with respect to Shares subject to the Option unless and until such shares are purchased and issued upon the exercise of the Option, in whole or in part, and the Option Holder becomes a shareholder of record with respect to such issued Shares. The Option Holder shall not be considered a shareholder of the Company with respect to any Shares not so purchased and issued.

4.6. Option Confers No Rights to Continued Employment. In no event shall the granting of the Option or its acceptance by the Option Holder, or any provision of this Agreement or the Plan, give or be deemed to give the Option Holder any right to continued employment by or service with the Company or any Participating Company or affect in any manner the right of the Company or any Participating Company to terminate the employment or service of the Option Holder or any other person at any time.


4.7. Decisions of the Board. The Board shall have the right to resolve all questions which may arise in connection with the Option, including regarding its exercise. Any interpretation, determination or other action made or taken by the Board regarding the Plan or this Agreement shall be final, binding and conclusive on all persons.

4.8. Successors. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successor or successors of the Company and any person or persons who shall, upon the death of the Option Holder, acquire any rights hereunder in accordance with this Agreement or the Plan.

4.9. Notices. All notices, requests or other communications provided for in this Agreement shall be made, if to the Company, via electronic mail to equity@mariadb.com, and if to the Option Holder, to the last known mailing address of the Option Holder contained in the records of the Company, such electronic email address notified by the Option Holder to the Company or in the absence of the foregoing, such other address that the Company considers appropriate. All notices, requests or other communications provided for in this Agreement shall be made in writing either (a) by electronic mail with confirmation of receipt, (b) by mailing in the United States mails or (c) through the Company’s third party stock plan portal. Notices, requests or other communications sent by electronic mail shall be deemed to be received on the date of dispatch, and notices, requests or other communications sent by mailing shall be deemed to be received 5 business days following the date of dispatch; provided, however, that if a notice, request or other communication sent to the Company is not received during regular business hours, it shall be deemed to be received on the next succeeding business day of the Company.

4.10. Governing Law. Section 10 of the Plan governs this Agreement.

4.11. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the Plan constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and the Option Holder with respect to the subject matter hereof.

4.12. Partial Invalidity. The invalidity or unenforceability of any particular provision of this Agreement shall not affect the other provisions hereof and this Agreement shall be construed in all respects as if such invalid or unenforceable provisions were omitted.

4.13. Amendment and Waiver. Except as provided in the Plan, the provisions of this Agreement may be amended or waived only by the written agreement of the Company and the Option Holder, and no course of conduct or failure or delay in enforcing the provisions of this Agreement shall affect the validity, binding effect or enforceability of this Agreement.

4.14. Counterparts. The Award Notice may be executed in two counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and both of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

Exhibit 10.13

MARIADB CORPORATION AB

AMENDED AND RESTATED GLOBAL SHARE OPTION PLAN 2017 USA

Adopted by the Board on August 16, 2022

Approved by the Company’s stockholders on September 2, 2022


1

Definitions

For purposes of the Plan and Awards granted hereunder, the following defined terms shall have the following meanings:

Board” means the board of the directors of the Company;

Business Day” means a day which is not a Saturday, Sunday or other public holiday or, with respect to the payment of promissory notes, is not equated with a public holiday in Finland and Sweden;

Change of Control” means (i) a transfer of all or substantially all the voting stock of the Company to a third party or third parties in a single transaction; (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in a single transaction; or (iii) a merger, reorganization or consolidation or other transaction in which the shareholders of the Company prior to the transaction would possess, after the transaction, less than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s capital stock or less than 50% of the voting power of the outstanding shares of the Company’s capital stock, irrespective of the nature of the consideration received;

Code” means the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time;

Common Stock” means the Company’s common stock, with no par value per share;

Company” means MariaDB Corporation Ab, formerly known as SkySQL Corporation Ab, Business ID FI 2344661-1, a limited company incorporated under the laws of Finland;

Date of Grant” or “Grant Date means the date on which an Option is granted;

Eligible Employee” means an Eligible Participant who is an employee of a Participating Company, as determined under the Code.

Eligible Participant” means any person designated by the Board who, on the Date of Grant, is an employee, consultant, member of the Board, or officer of a Participating Company; provided, however, grants to any independent contractor (including directors, consultants and advisors) must be to a natural person who provides bona fide services to a Participating Company, and (i) the services must not be in connection with the offer and sale of the Company’s securities in a capital-raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities and (ii) the grant of an Award does not cause the Company to lose the ability to make grants under this Plan in reliance on Rule 701 of the Securities Act;

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time;

Exercise Condition” means any condition related to the exercise of an Option;

Exercise Price” means the amount payable for each Share, expressed in EUR, or any other currency determined by the Board;

 

2


Fair Market Value” means the per share fair market value of the Common Stock as established in good faith by the Board. In general, if the Common Stock is listed on an established stock exchange or national market system, the Board will use either the mean between the high and low sales prices of the Shares on that date or the closing sales price for the Shares during regular trading, or if not trading on that date, such price on the last preceding date on which the Shares were traded, unless determined otherwise by the Board using such methods or procedures as it may establish. If the Shares are not listed on a national stock exchange or national market system, the Board will determine Fair Market Value in a manner consistent with Sections 409A and 422 of the Code. However, in determining the value of a Share for purposes of tax reporting purposes and such other purposes as determined by the Board, the Board may calculate Fair Market Value using the foregoing methods, the actual sales price in the transaction at issue (e.g., “sell to cover”), or such other value determined by the Company’s general counsel or principal financial officer in good faith in a manner that complies with applicable laws;

Finnish Transfer Tax” means transfer tax payable pursuant to the Finnish Transfer Tax Law 931/1996, as amended;

Grantor” means the Board;

Incentive Stock Option” or “ISO” means an Option that qualifies as an “incentive stock option” as that term is defined for purposes of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision. ISOs may only be granted to Eligible Employees;

Nonqualified Stock Option,” “Nonstatutory Stock Option,” or “NSO” means an Option that does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option;

Option” or “Award means a right granted under the Plan to acquire Shares. On a case by case basis, the Board may decide that an Option means the right to subscribe for or purchase a Warrant, in which case the Board shall on a case by case basis determine the specific terms and conditions relating to such Warrants. For the avoidance of doubt, it is stated that an Option is a contractual arrangement between the Grantor and the Option Holder and does not, unless otherwise explicitly notified on a case-by-case basis, refer to any stock option rights or special rights in accordance with the Finnish Companies Act as in force from time to time. For avoidance of doubt, Options and Awards granted under the Company’s Global Share Option Plan 2017 USA prior to its amendment hereby shall be subject to the terms of the Plan;

Option holder” or “Option Holder means a person holding an Option;

Option Period” means a period starting on the Date of Grant and ending not later than 10 years after the Date of Grant. If an Option is not an ISO, the Board may, at the Date of Grant, determine to provide an Option Period in excess of 10 years, but only to the extent doing so does not violate applicable laws;

Parent” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Company, provided each corporation in the unbroken chain (other than the Corporation) owns, at the time of the determination, shares possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares in one of the other corporations in such chain;

 

3


Participating Companies” means the Company and its Subsidiaries;

Plan” means this Amended And Restated Global Share Option Plan 2017 USA, as amended from time to time;

Rule 701” means Rule 701 of the Securities Act;

Rules” means the terms of the Plan, as amended from time to time;

Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code;

Securities Act” means the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time;

Share Reserve” means the number of Shares available for issuance under this Plan from time to time. As of August 16, 2022, the Share Reserve is 37,674,421 Shares. Shares issued under the Plan will be new shares or treasury shares. Shares covered by an Award will not reduce the available Share Reserve unless and until they are issued to an Option Holder on the Company’s stockholder ledger. If (A) any Award lapses, expires, terminates or is canceled prior to the issuance of shares thereunder, or (B) an Award is settled in cash, then those shares that are not issued under the Award will remain, or again become, available for issuance under the Plan. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing, the Share Reserve and the size thereof will at all times be subject to the Board having been authorized to issue Shares by the general meeting of the Company or as may be required under applicable law;

Shares” means shares of Common Stock;

Stock Exchange” means any stock exchange or authorized or regulated market place, such as NYSE, NASDAQ OMX, Helsinki Stock Exchange and Stockholm Stock Exchange;

Subsidiary” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company, provided each corporation (other than the last corporation) in the unbroken chain owns, at the time of the determination, shares possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares in one of the other corporations; and

Warrant” means an option right or a special right issued by the Company in accordance with the Finnish Companies Act as in force from time to time.

 

2

Grant of Options

 

  2.1

Grant of Options. The Board may grant to any Eligible Participant an Option to acquire Shares in accordance with the Plan. On the Date of Grant, the Board shall determine (i) the number of Shares subject to the Option, (ii) the Exercise Price, which shall not be less than the Fair Market Value per Share as determined on the Date of Grant, unless an Option may be granted with a lower Exercise Price in compliance with all applicable laws, (iii) the vesting schedule, (iv) the Exercise Period, (v) any Exercise Conditions, and (vi) all other material terms of the Option. An Option shall be evidenced in a written award agreement in the form determined by the Board.

 

4


  2.2

Option Holder Rights. The Option Holder shall not be entitled to require any certificates or other particular evidence of an Option. All Options are granted and issued free of charge. An Option Holder may upon the grant of Option elect not to receive the Option by notifying the Board or any other person identified in the grant notice from time to time of such rejection. An Option Holder may additionally elect at any time during the Option Period to unilaterally terminate the Option by a corresponding notice in writing. In any of the aforesaid situations, the Option Holders shall not be entitled to present any claims against the Company for compensation or otherwise.

 

  2.3

Rule 701. Awards granted under the Plan are intended to be exempt from registration under US law pursuant to Rule 701. However, grants may be made under the Plan in reliance on another exemption from registration under US securities laws, provided such grants do not impair or eliminate the exemption from registration provided under Rule 701 for Awards granted under the Plan.

 

  2.4

Transfer Restrictions. Options granted under the Plan, and any interest therein, will not be transferable or assignable by an Option Holder, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and, with respect to Options other than Incentive Stock Options, by instrument to an inter vivos or testamentary trust in which such Options are to be passed to beneficiaries upon the death of the trustor (settlor), or by gift to “family member” as that term is defined in Rule 701. Options may not be made subject to execution, attachment or similar process. During the lifetime of the Option holder, an Option will be exercisable only by the Option holder, and any elections with respect to an Option may be made only by the Option holder. The terms of an Option shall be binding upon the executor, administrator, successors and assigns of the Option holder who is a party thereto.

 

  2.5

Administrative Errors. If the Board’s records (e.g., consents, resolutions or minutes) documenting the corporate action granting the Award contain terms (e.g., exercise price, vesting schedule or number of shares) that are inconsistent with those in the Award agreement as a result of a clerical error in the papering of the Award agreement, the Board’s records will control and the Option Holder will have no legally binding right to the incorrect term in the Award agreement. In the event of a conflict between the terms of an Option award agreement and the terms of this Plan, the Plan shall control. If the Board tries to grant an Option which is inconsistent with the Plan, the Option will be limited and will take effect from the Date of Grant on a basis consistent with the Plan to the extent possible. If the Option cannot be modified in accordance with applicable laws to be valid and consistent with the Plan, the Option will be void as of the Date of Grant and of no force or effect, and shall terminate without any consideration due to the Option holder.

 

5


3

Exercise

 

  3.1

Manner of Exercise. An Option Holder may exercise an Option, in whole or in part, in accordance with its terms and conditions. Any notice of exercise shall be made in writing in the form prescribed by the Board and addressed to the CFO of the Company or his or her designee. In order to have a valid exercise, the Option Holder must provide: (i) payment in full of the Exercise Price and all applicable withholding taxes and other payments, (ii) a signed exercise notice and stock purchase agreement and, if required by law, a subscription list in the form prescribed by the Board, and (iii) signed copies of any other relevant documentation reasonably required by the Company, including a joinder to the Company’s then-current shareholders’ agreement.

 

  3.2

Exercise Date. The exercise date of an Option (“Exercise Date”) will be the date the Company receives all required duly signed documents, the exercise price and all applicable withholding taxes. However, no Shares will be issued on or after the Exercise Date until the date the Board has undertaken all steps required by applicable law for the issuance of the Shares.

 

  3.3

Prohibitions on Exercise. If any statute, regulation or code applicable to this Plan or awards granted hereunder prohibits the exercise of Options, the Exercise Date will be the date when the Option Holder is permitted to exercise an Option without violation of such applicable statute, regulation or code. However, in no event will the application of this provision extend the Option Period.

 

  3.4

Form of Payment. The Board will determine the forms of consideration an Option Holder may use to pay the exercise or purchase price for shares issued under Awards and any withholding taxes or other amounts due in connection with Awards. An Option Holder must pay all consideration due in connection with the Award (including withholding taxes) before the Company will issue the Shares being acquired. The Board may (but is not required to) permit the use of the following forms of consideration:

a) in cash or cash equivalent, including checks, wire transfers, or ACH payments;

b) solely in respect of nonstatutory stock options and only to the extent permitted by applicable laws, by having the Company withhold Shares and any other consideration that would otherwise be issued under an Award (other than in respect of an Incentive Stock Option) that have an aggregate Fair Market Value on that date equal to the consideration owed to the Company, including in connection with a Change of Control (a “Withhold to Cover”);

c) by tendering (either actually or, if and so long as the Common Stock is registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, by attestation) Shares owned by the Option Holder free and clear of any liens, claims or other encumbrances that have an aggregate Fair Market Value on that date equal to the consideration owed to the Company, but only if the tender will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company;

 

 

6


d) if and so long as the Common Stock is registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and to the extent permitted by applicable laws, delivery of a properly executed agreement, together with irrevocable instructions to a brokerage firm designated or approved by the Company to deliver promptly to the Company the aggregate amount of proceeds to pay the consideration due to the Company, all in accordance with the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board (a “Public Sell to Cover”);

e) solely to the extent permitted by applicable law and approved of by the Board at the time of exercise, by delivery of a full recourse promissory note that bears interest at a rate specified by the Board that is not less than the rate required to avoid imputation of interest (taking into account any exceptions to the imputed interest rules) for federal income tax purposes, compounding semi-annually, and such other terms as are necessary to avoid adverse financial accounting charges; and/or

f) such other consideration as the Board may permit.

If an Option Holder engages in a Withhold to Cover transaction to pay for applicable tax withholdings, the value of the Shares so withheld may not exceed the employer’s applicable maximum required tax withholding rate or such other applicable rate as is necessary to avoid adverse treatment for financial accounting purposes, as determined by the Board.

 

  3.5

Issuance of Shares. The Company will issue or transfer the Shares relating to a duly exercised Option as soon as practicable after the Exercise Date. New Shares issued on the exercise of an Option will have all rights attached to them as of their registration date. Existing Shares transferred to an Option Holder will have said rights as of the date of transfer.

 

  3.6

Cash Settlement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, and solely to the extent that doing so would not result in adverse accounting treatment to the Company, the Board may in its sole discretion determine not to transfer or issue Shares upon exercise of an Option, but instead pay to the Option Holder in cash an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of the Shares (or the Warrants, as the case may be) to be issued or transferred based on the exercise of the Option on the Exercise Date, reduced by the Exercise Price of said Option and all applicable tax withholdings and deductions. If the Board so determines, the Exercise Price shall not be payable, and if already paid, shall be repaid to the Option Holder forthwith, in which cases the payment to the Option Holder shall be reduced with said amount.

 

4

Termination of Relationship with the Company

 

  4.1

No Rights to Continued Service. Nothing in the Plan or any Award will be deemed to constitute an employment contract or confer or be deemed to confer on any Option Holder any right to continue in the employ of, or to continue any other service relationship with, the Company or any Participating Company or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Participating Company to terminate an Option Holder’s service relationship at any time, with or without cause

 

 

7


  4.2

Vesting. Unless otherwise provided by the Board, an Option Holder will cease vesting in an Award at the time of the Option Holder’s termination of service and the Option Holder will have no further rights, title or interest in or to the unvested portion of the Award following the termination of service.

 

  4.3

Post-Termination Exercise Period. Unless specifically otherwise provided in the Plan, an Award Agreement, or as otherwise decided by the Board, in the event of termination of employment or other service with the Company and all other Participating Companies, and subject to the satisfaction of any Exercise Conditions, the Option Holder must exercise the Option (to the extent vested), if at all, prior to the earliest to occur of:

 

  a)

the date that is 90 days after the Option Holder’s termination of service, unless such termination is due to death or the circumstances described in paragraph b) below;

 
  b)

with respect to Options that are not intended to qualify as ISOs, the date that is six months after the Option Holder’s termination of service due to (i) ill-health, injury, disability, or redundancy; (ii) retirement; (iii) early retirement by written agreement with the Option holder’s employer; (iv) the Option Holder’s employer ceasing to be under the control of the Company, or, as a result of a transfer of the undertaking in which the Option Holder works, transfer to a company which is neither under the control of the Company nor a Participating Company; or (v) any other reason specified by the Board in its absolute discretion;

 
  c)

if the termination is due to the Option Holder’s death, the date that is 12 months after the Option Holder’s death;

 
  d)

if, during any of the foregoing periods, the Company undergoes a Change of Control and the successor or acquiring entity refuses to assume, continue, replace or substitute an equivalent Award, then on the closing of the Change of Control, and

 
  e)

the last day of the Option Period.

Any portion of an Option that is not exercised prior to such earliest date will be forfeited and expire, without consideration, at the close of business at the Company’s headquarters on such earliest date.

 

  4.4

Determining the Occurrence of a Termination of Service. An Option Holder shall not be considered to have ceased his or her service with a Participating Company in the case of: (i) sick leave; (ii) military leave; or (iii) any other leave of absence approved by the Option holder’s employer, provided that such leave is for a period of not more than ninety (90) days, unless reemployment upon the expiration of such leave is guaranteed by contract or statute. For purposes of determining when the post-termination exercise period applicable to an Option is triggered, the Option holder’s service shall be considered to have ceased as of the 91st day of such leave if the Option holder’s reemployment is not guaranteed either by statute or by

 

8


  contract. For any period of such leave of absence during which the Option holder is not paid regular salary by his or her employer in the form of sick pay or vacation pay, vesting based on continuous service shall be tolled during the unpaid leave of absence and shall resume when the leave of absence is terminated and the Option holder returns to active service. For clarity, an Option Holder will not be deemed to have had a termination of service that triggers the post-termination exercise period where the Option Holder’s service transitions between employee, consultant, officer and/or director of a Participating Company or the Option Holder continues to provide service as an employee, consultant, officer and/or director of another Participating Company.

 

  4.5

No Obligation to Notify. The Company and the Board will have no duty or obligation to any Option Holder to advise such holder as to the time or manner of exercising Option Holder’s rights under an Award. Furthermore, the Company will have no duty or obligation to warn or otherwise advise such holder of a pending termination or expiration of an Award or a possible period in which the Award may not be exercised. The Company has no duty or obligation to minimize the tax consequences of an Award to the holder of such Award.

 

  4.6

No Rights to Compensation. Any person who ceases to be an employee of any Participating Company because of cancellation or termination of their employment or service relationship (however caused), or who is under notice of termination, will in no circumstances be entitled to claim any compensation in respect of the Plan, including but not limited to the application of tax laws or the application of tax policies maintained by any Group Company.

 

  4.7

Option Holder’s Actions. Where the Option Holder is deprived of the legal or beneficial ownership of an Option by operation of law, or due to any action or omission on behalf of the Option Holder, said Option shall automatically become null and void.

 

5

Taxes

 

  5.1

Withholding Obligations. The Company will require the Option Holder to pay to the Company or a Participating Company, as applicable, the amount of (i) any taxes that the Company or a Participating Company is required by applicable federal, state, local or foreign law to withhold with respect to an Award and (ii) any other amounts due from the Option Holder to the Company, any Participating Company or any governmental authority. The Company will not be required to issue any shares of Common Stock or otherwise settle an Award under the Plan until such tax withholding obligations and other obligations are satisfied. The Company and each Participating Company is authorized to withhold all such amounts or take such other actions as it considers necessary to meet any liability to taxation or social security contributions so far as is possible under local law in respect of Options granted to the Option Holder pursuant to this Plan.

 

9


  5.2

Finnish Transfer Tax. Any Finnish Transfer Tax on the transfer of shares to the Option Holder at exercise will be paid by the Company. None of the Company nor any other Participating Company will otherwise be responsible for the funding of any other taxes due from the Eligible Participant in respect of an Award.

 

  5.3

Section 409A. The Company intends that the Plan and Awards granted under the Plan (unless otherwise expressly provided for in the Award Agreement and Board resolutions approving the Award) are exempt from the requirements of Section 409A to the maximum extent possible, whether pursuant to the short-term deferral exception described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(4), the exclusion applicable to stock options, stock appreciation rights and certain other equity-based compensation under Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(5) or 1.409A-1(b)(6), or otherwise. If Section 409A is applicable to any Award granted under the Plan (that is, to the extent not so exempt), the Board intends that the non-exempt Award will comply with the deferral, payout, plan termination and other limitations and restrictions imposed under Section 409A.

a) The Board will use reasonable best efforts to interpret, operate and administer the Plan and any Award granted under the Plan in a manner consistent with this intention. However, the Board makes no representations that Awards granted under the Plan will be exempt from or comply with Section 409A and makes no undertaking to preclude Section 409A from applying to Awards granted under the Plan and will have no obligation to pay for any taxes, penalties, interests or other costs associated with the application of Section 409A to an Award.

b) If necessary for exemption from, or compliance with, Section 409A:

c) All references in the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan to the termination of the Option Holder’s employment or service are intended to mean the Option Holder’s “separation from service,” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i).

d) The Board will treat each installment that vests or is delivered under an Award in a series of payments or installments as a separate payment for purposes of Section 409A, unless expressly set forth in the Award Agreement that each installment is not a separate payment.

e) If the Option Holder is a “specified employee,” within the meaning of Section 409A, then if necessary to avoid subjecting the Option Holder to the imposition of any additional tax under Section 409A, amounts that would otherwise be payable under the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan during the 6-month period immediately following the Option Holder’s “separation from service” will not be paid to the Option Holder during such period, but will instead be accumulated and paid to the Option Holder (or, in the event of the Option Holder’s death, the Option Holder’s estate) in a lump sum on the first business day after the earlier of the date that is 6 months following the Option Holder’s separation from service or the Option Holder’s death, unless the amounts can be paid in another manner that complies with Section 409A.

 

10


f) If, after the Grant Date of an Award, the Board determines that an Award is reasonably likely to fail to be either exempt from or compliant with Section 409A, the Board reserves the right, but will not be required, to unilaterally (and without the affected Option Holder’s consent) amend or modify the Plan and any Award granted under the Plan so that the Award qualifies for exemption from or complies with Section 409A. Any such amendment or modification made to avoid the imposition of adverse taxation under Section 409A will be deemed not to materially adversely impact the Option Holder.

 

6

Corporate Events

 

  6.1

Changes in Capitalization. The Board shall monitor all corporate actions of the Company with a possible material impact on the Options from time to time (such as a share split, demerger, bonus issue, liquidation, dissolution etc.). If the Company undertakes a stock dividend, stock split, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, distribution to stockholders other than a normal cash dividend, or other change in the Company’s corporate or capital structure that constitutes an equity restructuring transaction, as that term is used in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any successor thereto) and that results in (i) the outstanding shares of Common Stock, or any securities exchanged therefor or received in their place, being exchanged for a different number or kind of securities of the Company or any other company or (ii) new, different or additional securities of the Company or any other company being received by the holders of shares of Common Stock, then the Board will make proportional adjustments in (a) the maximum number and kind of securities available for issuance under the Plan; (b) the maximum number and kind of securities issuable as Incentive Stock Options; and (c) the number and kind of securities that are subject to any outstanding Award and the per share price of such securities, without any change in the aggregate price to be paid under the Award, in each case as necessary to prevent the diminution or enlargement of rights under this Plan. The determination by the Board as to the terms of any of the foregoing adjustments will be conclusive and binding. For clarity, the issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services rendered, either on direct sale or on the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or on conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, will not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof will be made with respect to, outstanding Awards

 

  6.2

Dissolution or Liquidation. If it is resolved that the Company shall enter into liquidation pursuant to the Finnish Companies Act, Options may not thereafter be exercised regardless of the grounds for such liquidation and will lapse immediately. In addition, upon the entry of an order placing the Company in liquidation, notwithstanding that such order may not be final, the Options may not thereafter be exercised and will lapse immediately. . Options may not be exercised following the adoption of a final resolution in respect of a liquidation.

 

11


  6.3

Change of Control. The following provisions will apply to Awards in the event of a Change of Control unless otherwise provided in the Award agreement or any other written agreement between the Company or any Participating Company and the Option Holder. In the event of a Change of Control, the Board may take one or more of the following actions with respect to Awards, contingent on the closing or completion of the Change of Control:

a) arrange for the surviving or acquiring company (or its parent company) to assume or continue the Award or to substitute a similar stock-based award for the Award (including, but not limited to, an award to acquire the same consideration paid to the stockholders of the Company pursuant to the Change of Control) that preserves the material terms of the original Award;

b) arrange for the assignment of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company in respect of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Award to the surviving or acquiring company (or its parent company);

c) accelerate the vesting, in whole or in part, of the Award held by an Option Holder who has not had a termination of service (and, if applicable, the time at which the Award may be exercised or settled) to a date prior to the effective time of such Change of Control as the Board determines (or, if the Board does not determine such a date, to the date that is five days prior to the effective date of the Change of Control), with such Award terminating immediately prior to the effective time of the Change of Control;

d) arrange for the lapse, in whole or in part, of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to the Award on a date prior to the effective time of such Change of Control as the Board will determine (or, if the Board will not determine such a date, on the date that is five days prior to the effective date of the Change of Control);

e) cancel or arrange for the cancellation of the Award, to the extent not vested or not exercised prior to the effective time of the Change of Control, in exchange for such cash consideration, if any, as the Board, in its sole discretion, may consider appropriate; and

f) 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 Option Holder would have received on the exercise or settlement of the Award immediately prior to the effective time of the Change of Control, over (B) any price payable by such holder in connection with such exercise or settlement, in consideration for the termination of such Award at or immediately prior to the closing. For clarity, this payment may be zero if the Fair Market Value of the property is equal to or less than the exercise or purchase price.

The Board need not take the same action with respect to all Awards or portions thereof or with respect to all Option Holders. The Board may take different actions with respect to the vested and unvested portions of an Award. The Board may provide that payments may be subject to the same terms and conditions as the payment of consideration to the holders of the Company’s Common Stock in

 

12


connection with the Change of Control, including any delay as a result of escrows, earn outs, holdbacks or other contingencies. The Board may also provide that payments made over time will remain subject to substantially the same vesting schedule as the Award, including any performance-based vesting metrics that applied to the Award immediately prior to the closing of the Change of Control

 

7

Requirements Under US Securities Laws

 

  7.1

Restricted Securities. Both the Options (whether or not Incentive Stock Options) and Shares issued pursuant to Options granted under the Plan are deemed to be “restricted securities” as defined in Regulation Section 230.144 promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act (“Rule 144”). In addition to the restrictions on transfer of the Options by the Plan and on the Shares, resales or transfers of Shares in the United States must comply either with the registration requirements of the Securities Act or with Rule 144 or other exemption from the registration requirements under the Act. The Company will place the following legend on back of any stock certificates representing the Shares issued upon exercise of Options granted pursuant to this Plan:

“THE SHARES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAW AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, PLEDGED, OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED WITHOUT EFFECTIVE REGISTRATIONS THEREUNDER OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY AND ITS COUNSEL, THAT SUCH REGISTRATIONS ARE NOT REQUIRED.”

“THE SHARES REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF AN EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN AND/OR AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND THE STOCKHOLDER, COPIES OF WHICH ARE ON FILE WITH AND MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE COMPANY AT NO CHARGE.”

 

  7.2

No Obligation to Register. The Company shall have no obligation to register any Options or Shares with the SEC or with any state regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the issuance or sale of the Options or Shares, whether to be able to issue Options or Shares pursuant to this Plan or to provide a means for employees to sell or transfer Options or Shares acquired pursuant to this Plan.

 

  7.3

Lockup. Each Option Holder will not, without the prior written consent of the managing underwriter (if applicable) and the Company, during the period commencing on the date of (i) the final prospectus relating to an initial public offering of the Common Stock on a national stock exchange or stock market (an “IPO”) or (ii) the consummation of a special purpose acquisition company transaction (“SPAC Transaction”), as applicable, and ending on the date specified by the Company and the Company and/or the managing underwriter, as applicable (such period not to exceed 180 days, which period may be extended upon the request of the Company and/or the managing underwriter, to the extent required by any NASD, NYSE or FINRA rules, for an additional period of up to 15 days if the

 

13


  Company issues or proposes to issue an earnings or other public release within 15 days after the expiration of the 180-day period), (a) lend; offer; pledge; sell; 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 shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable (directly or indirectly) for Common Stock held immediately before the effective date of the registration statement for the IPO or consummation of the SPAC Transaction, as applicable, or (b) 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 securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (a) or (b) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash, or otherwise (these limitations, the “Market Standoff” or “Lockup”). The paragraph will apply only to the IPO or a SPAC Transaction, will not apply to the sale of any shares to an underwriter pursuant to an underwriting agreement, or the transfer of any shares to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the Option Holder or the immediate family of the Option Holder, provided that the trustee of the trust agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, and provided further that any such transfer does not involve a disposition for value. The underwriters of the IPO are intended third party beneficiaries of this paragraph and will have the right, power and authority to enforce the provisions hereof as though they were a party hereto. Each Option Holder further agrees to execute such agreements as may be requested by the underwriters (if applicable) and by the Company that are consistent with this paragraph or that are necessary to give further effect thereto

 

8

Amendment and Termination of the Plan

 

  8.1

Subject to any resolutions of the Company’s shareholders relating to the Plan and compliance with applicable laws, the Board is entitled to amend the Plan in their sole discretion from time to time. Option Holders affected by any amendments will be notified thereof without undue delay. Unless terminated sooner, this Plan will terminate, and no further Awards may be granted hereunder, after December 31, 2026.

 

9

Plan Administration

 

  9.1

Administrative Powers. The Board will have full power and exclusive authority, subject to the terms of this Plan, restrictions under applicable law, and the delegation of authority from the Board, to:

a) select which Eligible Participant will be granted Awards;

b) determine the type of Option, the number of Shares covered by the Option, the Fair Market Value of the Shares, and the terms and conditions of that Award (including when the Option may vest, be exercised, or settled, whether the Option carries rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, and whether the Option is to be settled in cash, shares of Common Stock, or other property) and the form of Option agreement;

 

14


c) determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances Option may be amended (including to waive restrictions, accelerate vesting or extend exercise periods), tolled, cancelled or terminated;

d) interpret and administer the Plan, any Option agreement and any other agreements or documents related to the administration of Option;

e) establish rules, and delegate ministerial duties to the Company’s employees consistent with applicable law, for the proper administration of the Plan; and

f) make any other determination and take any other action that the Board deems necessary or desirable for administration of the Plan.

The Board’s decisions will be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company, any Option Holder, any stockholder and any Eligible Participant.

 

  9.2

SPV. The Company and any Subsidiary may establish and/or fund a trustee of a trust, a Special Purpose Vehicle (“SPV”) or any other person to enable that trustee, SPV or person to acquire Shares to be held for the purposes of the Plan, or enter into any guarantee or indemnity for those purposes, to the extent permitted by local law.

 

  9.3

Conflict with Shareholder Agreement. In the event of any discrepancies between the Plan or an Award and the Company’s shareholders’ agreement as in force from time to time, the provisions of the shareholders’ agreement shall prevail, provided that with respect to any issue relating to the qualification of an Option as an Incentive Stock Option, the Plan shall prevail. Option Holders also holding Shares shall notice that the shareholders’ agreement contains provisions relating to the Options applicable only to holders of both Shares and Options in the Company.

 

  9.4

Notices and Administrative Portal. Any notice pursuant to the Plan may be delivered by post or email to the relevant address of an Option Holder according to the records of any relevant Participating Company or such other address, which the Company considers appropriate. Notices or other documents sent by post shall be deemed to be received five (5) days following the date of dispatch. Notices or other documents sent by email shall be deemed to be received on the date of dispatch. By accepting an Award under this Plan, the Eligible Participant consents to receive the documents related to the Plan by electronic delivery and to participate through the third party administrative portal used by the Company in respect of the Plan.

 

10

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

 

  10.1

Choice of Law. This Plan and all matters arising out of or in connection with the Plan, including the contractual Options, shall except as this Plan otherwise specifies be interpreted, construed and governed exclusively in accordance with the laws of Finland without reference to its choice of law rules.

 

15


  10.2

Conflict with Laws. Should any provision of this Plan be in conflict with a mandatory provision of the Finnish Companies Act (624/2006, as amended) or any other mandatory act, regulation or provision of the state or national law applicable to an Award granted under the Plan, such mandatory provision shall prevail and the relevant provision of this Plan shall be set aside or amended accordingly and shall not be binding on or incur any liability for the Company or any other Participating Company. However, to any extent to which the laws of Finland conflict with Sections 421 - 424 of the Code or accompanying Treasury Regulations, the Code will prevail with respect to Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options.

 

  10.3

Arbitration. In the event no settlement can be reached by means of negotiations, any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to the Plan, or the breach, termination or validity thereof shall be finally settled by arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the Finnish Central Chamber of Commerce. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of one arbitrator. The arbitration shall take place in Helsinki, Finland. The arbitration shall be conducted and the arbitration award shall be given in the English language.

 

11

No Entitlements

 

  11.1

The Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, to the extent permitted under the Plan.

 

  11.2

The grant of this Award is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Awards, or benefits in lieu of Awards, even if Awards have been granted in the past. All decisions with respect to future grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Board.

 

  11.3

The Awards and any Shares acquired under the Plan, and the income from and value of same, are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation. The Awards and any Shares acquired under the Plan, and the income from and value of same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for any purpose, including, without limitation, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments.

 

  11.4

The future value of the Shares underlying the Award is unknown, indeterminable, and cannot be predicted with certainty.

 

  11.5

Awards do not create any entitlement to have the Award transferred to, or assumed by, another company, nor to be exchanged, cashed out or substituted for, in connection with any corporate transaction affecting the Shares.

 

  11.6

Neither the Company nor any other Participating Company shall be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation between the Option Holder’s local currency and the United States Dollar that may affect the value of this Award or of any amounts due pursuant to the Award or the subsequent sale of Shares.

 

16


  11.7

The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan. Nothing contained herein will require the Company to segregate any monies or other property, or Shares, or to create any trusts, or to make any special deposits for any immediate or deferred amounts payable to any Eligible Participant. No Eligible Participant will have any rights that are greater than those of a general unsecured creditor of the Company. Proceeds received by the Company from the sale of Shares pursuant to Options will constitute general funds of the Company.

 

12

Data Privacy

 

  12.1

Data Collection and Usage. The Company may collect, process and use certain personal information about Option Holders, including, but not limited to, the individual’s name, home address, email address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number, passport or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any directorships held in the Company, details of all Awards or any other entitlement to Shares awarded, canceled, vested, unvested or outstanding (“Data”), for the purposes of implementing, administering and managing the Plan. The legal basis, where required, for the processing of Data is the Option Holder’s consent.

 

  12.2

Plan Administration Service Providers. The Company transfers Data to its external law firm and third-party stock Board (the “Designated Third Party”), each an independent service provider based in the United States, which is assisting the Company with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan. The Company may select a different service provider or additional service providers and share Data with such other provider serving in a similar manner. An Option Holder may be asked to agree on separate terms and data processing practices with the Designated Third Party or other service providers, with such agreement being a condition to the ability to participate in the Plan. The Company and the Designated Third Party may not be based in the country where an Option Holder resides. Other countries or jurisdictions may have different data privacy laws and protections than the United States. The Company’s legal basis, where required, for the transfer of Data is the Option Holder’s consent.

 

  12.3

Data Retention. The Company will hold and use the Data only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage participation in the Plan, or as required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including under tax, exchange control, labor and securities laws. This period may extend beyond the Option Holder’s employment or service with the Company or any Participating Company.

 

  12.4

Voluntariness and Consequences of Consent Denial or Withdrawal. Participation in the Plan is voluntary. If an Option Holder does not consent, or later seeks to revoke consent, the Option Holder’s salary, employment or other service with the Company will not be affected; the only consequence of refusing or withdrawing consent is that the Company would not be able to grant Awards to such Option Holder or administer or maintain such Awards.

 

17


  12.5

Data Subject Rights. Option Holders may have a number of rights under data privacy laws in their jurisdictions. Depending on where the Option Holder is based, such rights may include the right to (i) request access or copies of Data the Company processes, (ii) rectification of incorrect Data, (iii) deletion of Data, (iv) restrictions on processing of Data, (v) portability of Data, (vi) lodge complaints with competent authorities in that jurisdiction, and/or (vii) receive a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of Data. To receive clarification regarding these rights or to exercise these rights, an Option Holder can contact the local human resources representative.

 

18


AMENDED AND RESTATED GLOBAL SHARE OPTION PLAN 2017 USA

Schedule for Incentive Stock Option Grants

 

1

Rules

The terms of this Schedule to the AMENDED AND RESTATED GLOBAL SHARE OPTION PLAN 2017 USA will apply to Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options under the Code. Unless the Board otherwise specify in writing, any Option granted under the Plan is intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

2

Governing Law

As provided in the Plan, Options granted pursuant to this Schedule will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Finland except that Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options will be construed in accordance with the provisions of Sections 421 and 422 of the Code (as defined in paragraph 3) so as to preserve their intended status as Incentive Stock Options. As provided in the Plan, any conflict between the laws of Finland and the requirements for Incentive Stock Options will be resolved to favor the latter.

 

3.

Requirements for Incentive Stock Options

 

3.1.

An Incentive Stock Option may be granted only to an Eligible Employee. This Plan does not prohibit the grant of Incentive Stock Options to employees who reside or work outside of the United States.

 

3.2.

No person will be granted an Incentive Stock Option if, at the time the Incentive Stock Option would otherwise be granted, that person owns shares possessing more than 10 per cent of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary), unless the Exercise Price is not less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the Date of Grant and the Option Period does not exceed five (5) years measured from the Date of Grant.

 

3.3.

If the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the Grant Date) of Common Stock with respect to which an Option Holder’s Incentive Stock Options become exercisable for the first time during any calendar year (under the Plan and all other stock option plans of the Company and its parent and subsidiary corporations) exceeds $100,000 (or such other limit established by the Code), or if the Option otherwise does not comply with the requirements under Section 422 of the Code, the Option (or the portion that does not meet the requirements of Section 422) will be treated as an NSO. Options will be taken into account in the order in which they were granted. If the Option Holder holds 2 or more such Options that become exercisable for the first time in the same calendar year, such limitation will be applied on the basis of the order in which such Options are granted.

 

19


3.4.

No Incentive Stock Option will be granted more than ten (10) years after the date on which the Plan is adopted by the Board or approved by the Company’s shareholders, whichever is earlier. For clarity, any stockholder approved increase of the Share Reserve (or authorization to issue Shares) that also increases the ISO Limit will be deemed the adoption of a new plan for purposes of Code Section 422 and therefore an extension of the period in which Incentive Stock Options may be granted, unless otherwise expressly provided for in the stockholder resolutions approving such increase.

 

3.5.

The Exercise Price of an Incentive Stock Option will be not less than the Fair Market Value of a Share determined at the Date of Grant.

 

3.6.

In no circumstances will an Incentive Stock Option be capable of exercise later than 10 years from its Date of Grant.

 

3.7.

To obtain the tax benefits afforded to Incentive Stock Options under Section 422 of the Code, the Option Holder must hold the shares acquired on the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option for 2 years after the Grant Date and 1 year after the date of exercise (that is, the Option Holder must not transfer the Shares until at least the day after the expiration of these periods). An Option Holder may be subject to the alternative minimum tax at the time of exercise of an Incentive Stock Option. The Option Holder must give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of shares acquired on the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option prior to the expiration of these holding periods.

 

3.8.

The Option Holder must notify the Company in writing if Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option are disposed of within 2 years from the date the Option was granted or within 1 year after exercise and shall provide any other information regarding the disposition that the Company may reasonably require.

 

3.9.

The aggregate maximum number of Shares that may be issued on the exercise of “incentive stock options” that are granted under the Plan may not exceed 37,674,421 Shares (the “ISO Limit”). Any increase to the Share Reserve authorized by the Board and stockholders will also result in a corresponding increase in this ISO Limit, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Board or stockholder resolutions approving such increase.

 

3.10.

An Option designated as an Incentive Stock Option will cease to qualify for favorable tax treatment as an Incentive Stock Option to the extent it is exercised (if permitted by the terms of the Option) (i) more than 3 months after the date of an Option Holder’s termination of employment if termination was for reasons other than death or disability, (ii) more than 1 year after the date of an Option Holder’s termination of employment if termination was by reason of disability (as defined for purposes of Section 422 of the Code), or (iii) more than 6 months following the first day of an Option Holder’s leave of absence that exceeds 3 months, unless the Option Holder’s reemployment rights are guaranteed by statute or contract (as such rule is explained in Section 422 of the Code).

 

3.11.

Options granted under the Plan, and any interest therein, will not be transferable or assignable by an Option holder, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and, with respect to Options other than Incentive Stock Options, by instrument to an inter vivos or testamentary trust in which such Options are to be passed to beneficiaries upon the death of the trustor (settlor), or by gift to “family member” as that

 

20


  term is defined in Rule 701, and may not be made subject to execution, attachment or similar process. During the lifetime of the Option holder an Option will be exercisable only by the Option holder, and any elections with respect to an Option may be made only by the Option holder. The terms of an Option shall be binding upon the executor, administrator, successors and assigns of the Option holder who is a party thereto.

 

4.

Notice and Reporting Requirements

Prior to January 31 of the year following the calendar year of exercise of an Incentive Stock Option pursuant to this Plan, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Option Holder a statement that complies with the requirements of US Internal Revenue Code Form 3921 (or any successor form thereto).

 

5.

Specific Provisions Required Under California Law

 

5.1.

This Plan incorporates by reference the requirements of California Corporations Code Section 25102(o) and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

5.2.

Options (whether or not ISOs) may not be granted under the Plan more than ten (10) years after the date the Plan is approved by the Board.

 

5.3.

This Plan will be approved by the stockholders of the Company, consistent with applicable laws, by the later of (1) within twelve (12) months before or after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board, or (2) prior to or within twelve (12) months of the granting of an Option in the State of California.

 

21


MARIADB CORPORATION AB

GLOBAL SHARE OPTION PLAN 2017 USA

OPTION AWARD NOTICE

Dear    ,

You have been awarded an option to purchase shares in MariaDB Corporation Ab (the “Company”). The option is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of the MariaDB Corporation Ab Global Share Option Plan 2017 USA (the “Plan”) and the Stock Option Agreement (together with this Award Notice, the “Agreement”). Copies of the Plan and the Stock Option Agreement are attached hereto. Capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meanings specified in the Plan or the Agreement.

 

Option:    You have been awarded an Incentive Stock Option to purchase from the Company ________ Shares of common stock, subject to adjustment as provided in the Plan.
Grant Date:   
Vesting Commencement Date:   
Exercise Price:    Eur $_______ per Share, subject to adjustment as provided in the Plan.
Vesting Schedule:    The Option shall vest with respect to 25% of the Shares subject to the Option on the Grant Date on the one-year anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date and in twelve (12) equal quarterly installments thereafter if, and only if, you are, and have been, continuously (i) employed by the Group Company, or (ii) providing services to the Group Company as an advisor or consultant, in each case, from the date of this Agreement through and including the applicable vesting date, in each case, except as otherwise provided in the Plan, the Agreement or any other agreement between any Group Company and Option Holder.
Expiration Date:    Except to the extent earlier terminated pursuant to Section 2.2 of the Agreement or earlier exercised pursuant to Section 2.3 of the Agreement, the Option shall terminate on the ten-year anniversary of the Grant Date.

 

MARIADB CORPORATION AB
By:
Name: Bill Munger
Title: VP, Global HR


Acknowledgment, Acceptance and Agreement:

By signing below and returning this Award Notice to MariaDB Corporation Ab, I hereby acknowledge receipt of the Agreement and the Plan, accept the Option granted to me and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Award Notice, the Agreement and the Plan.

 

     

[Name of option holder]

   
     

Date

   

 

Non-Acceptance

I do not accept the grant of options made to me by the Company.

Name:_________________________________________________

Date and Place:__________________________________________

Signature:______________________________________________

 

 

Signature Page to Option Award Notice and Stock Option Agreement


MARIADB CORPORATION AB

GLOBAL SHARE OPTION PLAN 2017 USA

Stock Option Agreement

MariaDB Corporation Ab, a limited company incorporated under the laws of Finland (the “Company”), hereby grants to the individual (“Option Holder”) named in the award notice attached hereto (the “Award Notice”) as of the date set forth in the Award Notice (the “Grant Date”), pursuant to the provisions of the MariaDB Corporation Ab Global Share Option Plan 2017 USA (the “Plan”), an option to purchase from the Company the number of Shares of common stock of the Company set forth in the Award Notice at the price per Share set forth in the Award Notice (the “Exercise Price”) (the “Option”), upon and subject to the terms and conditions set forth below, in the Award Notice and in the Plan. Capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meanings specified in the Plan.

1. Option Subject to Acceptance of Agreement. The Option shall be forfeited if the Option Holder does not accept this Agreement by executing the Award Notice within ninety (90) days following the Grant Date, unless otherwise determined by the Directors, in the space provided therefor and returning an original execution copy of the Award Notice to the Company (or electronically accepting this Agreement within the Option Holder’s stock plan account with the Company’s stock plan administrator according to the procedures then in effect).

2. Time and Manner of Exercise of Option.

2.1. Maximum Term of Option. In no event may the Option be exercised, in whole or in part, after the expiration date set forth in the Award Notice (the “Expiration Date”).

2.2. Vesting and Exercise of Option. The Option shall become vested and exercisable in accordance with the vesting schedule set forth in the Award Notice. The period of time prior to the full vesting of the Option shall be referred to herein as the “Vesting Period.” The Option shall be vested and exercisable following a termination of Option Holder’s employment according to the following terms and conditions:

(a) Termination due to Death. If Option Holder’s employment with the Group Company terminates prior to the end of the Vesting Period by reason of Option Holder’s death, then the Option, only to the extent vested on the effective date of such termination of employment, may thereafter be exercised by Option Holder’s executor, administrator, legal representative, guardian or similar person until and including the earlier to occur of (i) the date which is twelve (12) months after the date of such termination of employment and (ii) the Expiration Date.

(b) Termination due to Qualifying Termination. If Option Holder’s employment with the Group Company terminates prior to the end of the Vesting Period by reason of Option Holder’s Qualifying Termination, then the Option, only to the extent vested on the effective date of such termination of employment, may thereafter be exercised by Option Holder until and including the earlier to occur of (i) the date which is three (3) months after the date of such termination of employment and (ii) the Expiration Date.

(c) Termination other than due to Death or Qualifying Termination. If Option Holder’s employment with the Group Company terminates prior to the end of the Vesting Period by reason of a termination of Option Holder’s employment other than due to death or Option Holder’s Qualifying Termination, the Option, only to the extent vested on the effective date of such termination of employment, may thereafter be exercised by Option Holder until and including the earlier to occur of (i) the date which is ninety (90) days after the date of such termination of employment and (ii) the Expiration Date.

(d) Termination for Cause. If Option Holder’s employment with the Group Company terminates by reason of the Group Company’s termination of Option Holder’s employment for Cause, then the Option, whether or not vested, shall terminate immediately upon such termination of employment.

(e) Death Following Termination of Employment. If Option Holder dies during the period following a termination of employment other than for Cause and prior to the end of the post-termination exercise period described in Section 2.2(b) or (c), as applicable, the Option, only to the extent exercisable on the date of


Option Holder’s death, may thereafter be exercised by Option Holder’s executor, administrator, legal representative, guardian or similar person until and including the earlier to occur of (i) the date which is twelve (12) months after the date of Option Holder’s termination of employment and (ii) the Expiration Date.

(f) Definitions.

(i) Cause. For purposes of this Option, “Cause” shall mean one or more of the following: (A) Option Holder’s refusal (after written notice and reasonable opportunity to cure) to perform duties properly assigned which are consistent with the scope and nature of Option Holder ‘s position; (B) Option Holder’s commission of an act materially and demonstrably detrimental to the financial condition and/or goodwill of any Group Company, which act constitutes gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of duties to the Group Company; (C) Option Holder’s commission of any theft, fraud, act of dishonesty or breach of trust resulting in or intended to result in material personal gain or enrichment of Option Holder at the direct or indirect expense of the Group Company; (D) Option Holder’s conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony; (E) Option Holder’s material violation of any written policies of the Group Company or Option Holder’s violation of any statutory or common law duty of loyalty to the Group Company or its affiliates; or (F) Option Holder’s violation of any Restrictive Covenant. No act or failure to act will be considered “willful” (x) unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by Option Holder in bad faith or without reasonable belief that Option Holder’s action or omission was in the best interests of the Company or (y) if it is done, or omitted to be done, in reliance on the informed advice of the Company’s outside counsel or independent accountants or at the express direction of the Board.

(ii) Qualifying Termination. For purposes of this Option, an Option Holder experiences a “Qualifying Termination” if the Option Holder ceases to be an employee of any Group Company for any of the following reasons: (A) ill-health, injury, disability or redundancy; (B) retirement; (C) early retirement by written agreement with the Option Holder’s employer being a member of the Group Company; (D) his or her employing company ceasing to be under the control of the Company, or, as a result of a transfer of the undertaking in which the Option Holder works, transfer to a company which is neither under the control of the Company nor a member of the Group Company; or (E) any other reason specified by the Directors in their absolute discretion.

(iii) Restrictive Covenant. For purposes of this Option, “Restrictive Covenant” shall mean any non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality or protection of trade secrets (or similar provision regarding intellectual property) covenant by which Option Holder is bound under any agreement between Option Holder and any member of the Group Company.

2.3. Method of Exercise.

(a) Subject to the limitations set forth in this Agreement, the Option, to the extent vested, may be exercised by Option Holder (a) by delivering to the Company an exercise notice in the form prescribed by the Company specifying the number of whole Shares to be purchased and by accompanying such notice with payment therefor in full (or by arranging for such payment to the Company’s satisfaction) either (i) in cash, (ii) to the extent permitted by the Directors, by delivery to the Company (either actual delivery or by attestation procedures established by the Company) of Shares having an aggregate Fair Market Value, determined as of the date of exercise, equal to the aggregate purchase price payable pursuant to the Option by reason of such exercise, (iii) to the extent permitted by the Directors, by authorizing the Company to withhold whole Shares which would otherwise be delivered having an aggregate Fair Market Value, determined as of the date of exercise, equal to the amount necessary to satisfy such obligation, (iv) except as may be prohibited by applicable law and to the extent the Company is publicly traded, in cash by a broker-dealer acceptable to the Company to whom Option Holder has submitted an irrevocable notice of exercise or (v) by a combination of (i), (ii) and (iii), and (b) by executing such documents as the Company may reasonably request. No Share or certificate representing a Share shall be issued or delivered until the full purchase price therefor and any withholding taxes thereon, as described in Section 4.1, have been paid.

(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Directors may in their sole discretion determine not to transfer or issue Shares upon exercise of the Option, but instead pay to the Option Holder in cash an amount equal to the product of (i) the number of Shares subject to the portion of the Option being exercised and (ii) the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Exercise Date reduced by the Exercise Price of said Option. If the Directors so determine, the Exercise Price shall not be payable, and if already paid, shall be repaid to the Option Holder forthwith, in which cases the payment to the Option Holder shall be reduced by said amount.

 


2.4. Termination of Option. In no event may the Option be exercised after it terminates as set forth in this Section 2.4. The Option shall terminate, to the extent not earlier terminated pursuant to Section 2.2 or exercised pursuant to Section 2.3, on the Expiration Date. Upon the termination of the Option, the Option and all rights hereunder shall immediately become null and void.

3. Transfer Restrictions and Investment Representations.

3.1. Nontransferability of Option. The Option may not be transferred by Option Holder other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Except to the extent permitted by the foregoing sentence, (i) during Option Holder’s lifetime the Option is exercisable only by Option Holder or Option Holder’s legal representative, guardian or similar person and (ii) the Option may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, hypothecated, encumbered or otherwise disposed of (whether by operation of law or otherwise) or be subject to execution, attachment or similar process. Upon any attempt to so sell, transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate, encumber or otherwise dispose of the Option, the Option and all rights hereunder shall immediately become null and void.

3.2. Investment Representation. Option Holder hereby represents and covenants that (a) any Shares purchased upon exercise of the Option will be purchased for investment and not with a view to the distribution thereof within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), unless such purchase has been registered under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws; (b) any subsequent sale of any such shares shall be made either pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws, or pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act and such state securities laws; and (c) if requested by the Company, Option Holder shall submit a written statement, in a form satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such representation (x) is true and correct as of the date of any purchase of any shares hereunder or (y) is true and correct as of the date of any sale of any such shares, as applicable. As a further condition precedent to any exercise of the Option, Option Holder shall comply with all regulations and requirements of any regulatory authority having control of or supervision over the issuance or delivery of the shares and, in connection therewith, shall execute any documents which the Directors shall in their sole discretion deem necessary or advisable.

4. Additional Terms and Conditions.

4.1. Tax Matters.

(a) As a condition precedent to the issuance of Shares following the exercise of the Option, Option Holder shall, upon request by the Company, pay to the Company in addition to the purchase price of the shares, such amount as the Company determines is required, under all applicable federal, state, local or other laws or regulations, to be withheld and paid over as income or other withholding taxes (the “Required Tax Payments”) with respect to such exercise of the Option. If Option Holder shall fail to advance the Required Tax Payments after request by the Company, the Company may, in its discretion, deduct any Required Tax Payments from any amount then or thereafter payable by the Company to Option Holder.

(b) Option Holder may elect to satisfy his or her obligation to advance the Required Tax Payments by any of the following means: (i) a cash payment to the Company; (ii) to the extent permitted by the Directors, delivery to the Company (either actual delivery or by attestation procedures established by the Company) of previously owned whole Shares having an aggregate Fair Market Value, determined as of the date on which such withholding obligation arises (the “Tax Date”), equal to the Required Tax Payments; (iii) to the extent permitted by the Directors, authorizing the Company to withhold whole Shares which would otherwise be delivered to Option Holder upon exercise of the Option having an aggregate Fair Market Value, determined as of the Tax Date, equal to the Required Tax Payments; (iv) except as may be prohibited by applicable law and to the extent the Company is publicly traded, a cash payment by a broker-dealer acceptable to the Company to whom Option Holder has submitted an irrevocable notice of exercise; or (v) any combination of (i), (ii) and (iii). Shares to be delivered or withheld may not have a Fair Market Value in excess of the amount determined by applying the maximum individual statutory tax rate in the Option Holder’s jurisdiction; provided that the Directors shall be permitted to limit the number of shares so delivered or withheld to a lesser number if necessary, as determined by the Directors, to avoid adverse accounting


consequences or for administrative convenience; provided, however, that if a fraction of a Share would be required to satisfy the maximum individual statutory rate in the Option Holder’s jurisdiction, then the number of Shares to be delivered or withheld may be rounded up to the next nearest whole Share. No Share or certificate representing a Share shall be issued or delivered until the Required Tax Payments have been satisfied in full.

(c) If the Option is designated as an “Incentive Stock Option” on the Award Notice, then the Option is intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under section 422 of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Option will not qualify as an “incentive stock option” if any of the following events occur: (a) the Option Holder disposes of the Shares acquired pursuant to the Option at any time during the two-year period following the date of this Agreement or the one-year period following the date of any exercise of the Option (a “Disqualifying Disposition”); (b) except in the event of the Option Holder’s death or disability (as defined in section 22(e)(3) of the Code), the Option Holder is not employed by the Group Company at all times during the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the day that is three months before the date of any exercise of the Option; or (c) the aggregate fair market value of the Shares subject to “incentive stock options” held by the Option Holder which become exercisable for the first time in any calendar year (under all plans of the Group Company) exceeds $100,000. For purposes of clause (c) above, the “fair market value” of the Shares shall be determined as of the Grant Date. To the extent that all or a portion of the Option does not qualify as an “incentive stock option,” it shall not affect the validity of the Option (or portion thereof) and shall constitute a separate non-qualified stock option without any further action by the Company or the Option Holder. If the Option Holder disposes of any Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of the Option in a Disqualifying Disposition, the Option Holder shall notify the Company in writing within thirty (30) days after such disposition of the date and terms of such disposition. The Option Holder also agrees to provide the Company with any information concerning any such dispositions as the Company requires for tax purposes.

4.2. Compliance with Applicable Law. The Option is subject to the condition that if the listing, registration or qualification of the shares subject to the Option upon any securities exchange or under any law, or the consent or approval of any governmental body, or the taking of any other action is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the purchase or issuance of shares hereunder, the Option may not be exercised, in whole or in part, and such shares may not be issued, unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent, approval or other action shall have been effected or obtained, free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company. The Company agrees to use reasonable efforts to effect or obtain any such listing, registration, qualification, consent, approval or other action.

4.3. Issuance or Delivery of Shares. Upon the exercise of the Option, in whole or in part, the Company shall issue or deliver, subject to the conditions of this Agreement, the number of Shares purchased against full payment therefor. Such issuance shall be evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company. The Company shall pay all original issue or transfer taxes and all fees and expenses incident to such issuance, except as otherwise provided in Section 4.1.

4.4. Shareholders’ Agreement. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, and in accordance with Section 3 of the Plan, as a condition to the receipt of Shares pursuant to this Agreement, the Option Holder shall execute and become a party to the Shareholders’ Agreement among the Company and its shareholders (the “Shareholders’ Agreement”), Section 10 of which shall set forth certain restrictions on the transferability of the Shares, and such other terms as the Directors shall from time to time establish.

4.5. Option Confers No Rights as Shareholder. Option Holder shall not be entitled to any privileges of ownership with respect to Shares subject to the Option unless and until such shares are purchased and issued upon the exercise of the Option, in whole or in part, and Option Holder becomes a shareholder of record with respect to such issued shares. Option Holder shall not be considered a shareholder of the Company with respect to any such shares not so purchased and issued.

4.6. Option Confers No Rights to Continued Employment. In no event shall the granting of the Option or its acceptance by Option Holder, or any provision of this Agreement or the Plan, give or be deemed to give Option Holder any right to continued employment by the Company, any Subsidiary or any affiliate of the Company or affect in any manner the right of the Company, any Subsidiary or any affiliate of the Company to terminate the employment of any person at any time.


4.7. Decisions of Directors. The Directors shall have the right to resolve all questions which may arise in connection with the Option or its exercise. Any interpretation, determination or other action made or taken by the Directors regarding the Plan or this Agreement shall be final, binding and conclusive.

4.8. Successors. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successor or successors of the Company and any person or persons who shall, upon the death of Option Holder, acquire any rights hereunder in accordance with this Agreement or the Plan.

4.9. Notices. All notices, requests or other communications provided for in this Agreement shall be made, if to the Company, via electronic mail to equity@mariadb.com, and if to Option Holder, to the last known mailing address of Option Holder contained in the records of the Company or such other address that the Company considers appropriate. All notices, requests or other communications provided for in this Agreement shall be made in writing either (a) by electronic mail with confirmation of receipt or (b) by mailing in the United States mails. Notices, requests or other communications sent by electronic mail shall be deemed to be received on the date of dispatch, and notices, requests or other communications sent by mailing shall be deemed to be received five (5) business days following the date of dispatch; provided, however, that if a notice, request or other communication sent to the Company is not received during regular business hours, it shall be deemed to be received on the next succeeding business day of the Company.

4.10. Governing Law. This Agreement, the Option and all determinations made and actions taken pursuant hereto and thereto, to the extent not governed by the Code, shall be governed by the laws of Finland and construed in accordance therewith without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws.

4.11. Agreement Subject to the Plan. This Agreement is subject to the provisions of the Plan and shall be interpreted in accordance therewith. In the event that the provisions of this Agreement and the Plan conflict, the Plan shall control. The Option Holder hereby acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan.

4.12. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the Plan constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and the Option Holder with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Option Holder’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and the Option Holder.

4.13. Partial Invalidity. The invalidity or unenforceability of any particular provision of this Agreement shall not affect the other provisions hereof and this Agreement shall be construed in all respects as if such invalid or unenforceable provisions were omitted.

4.14. Amendment and Waiver. Except as provided in the Plan, the provisions of this Agreement may be amended or waived only by the written agreement of the Company and the Option Holder, and no course of conduct or failure or delay in enforcing the provisions of this Agreement shall affect the validity, binding effect or enforceability of this Agreement.

4.15. Counterparts. The Award Notice may be executed in two counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and both of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

Exhibit 10.14

9 March 2014

SkySQL Corporation Ab

GLOBAL SHARE OPTION PLAN 2014 USA

Rules


1

Definitions

In these Rules the following defined terms shall have the following meaning:

Board” means the Board of the Directors of the Company;

Change of Control” means (i) a transfer of all or substantially all Shares to a third party or third parties; (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; or (iii) a merger, reorganization or consolidation or other transaction in which the shareholders of the Company after the transaction would possess less than 50% of the shares and votes of the surviving entity, irrespective of the nature of the consideration received;

Company” means SkySQL Corporation Ab, Business ID FI 2344661-1, a limited company incorporated under the laws of Finland;

Date of Grant” means the date on which an Option is granted;

Directors” means the Board or any of its subcommittees duly authorized to resolve on matters set out herein;

Exercise Condition” means any condition related to the exercise of an Option;

Exercise Price” means the amount payable for a Share based on an Option expressed in EUR, or any other relevant currency;

Grantor” means the Company, any Subsidiary, the trustees of an employee benefit trust established by the Company, or any vehicle established for the purposes of the Plan who the Directors request to grant Options;

Group Company” means the Company and any of its Subsidiaries from time to time;

Option” means a right granted under the Plan to acquire Shares. On a case by case basis the Directors may decide that an Option means the right to subscribe for or purchase a Warrant, in which case the Directors shall on a case by case basis determine the specific terms and conditions relating to such Warrants. For the avoidance of doubt it is stated that an Option is a contractual arrangement between the Grantor and the Option Holder and does not, unless otherwise explicitly notified on a case-by-case basis, refer to any stock option rights or special rights in accordance with the Finnish Companies Act as in force from time to time;

Option Holder” means a person holding an Option;

Option Period” means a period starting on the Date of Grant of an Option and, unless otherwise determined on a case by case basis, ending 10 years after the Date of Grant;

Plan” means this plan known as “SkySQL Corporation Ab Global Share Option Plan 2014” constituted by this document (including its schedules) and any other relevant document related to the Plan, any of the aforesaid as amended from time to time;

Rule 701” means Rule 701 promulgated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission under the United States Securities Act of 1933.

Rules” means the rules of the Plan as amended from time to time;

Shares” means shares in the Company as specified from time to time;

 

2


“Stock Exchange” means any stock exchange or authorised or regulated market place, such as NYSE, NASDAQ OMX, Helsinki Stock Exchange and Stockholm Stock Exchange;

Subsidiary” means a company in which the Company a) holds more than 50% of the voting rights or b) otherwise exercises control in in accordance with Chapter 1, Section 5 of the Finnish Bookkeeping Act;

Warrant” means an option right or a special right issued by the Company in accordance with the Finnish Companies Act as in force from time to time.

 

2

Grant of Options

Options are issued by a Grantor based on the decisions of the Directors. Where these Rules provide that the Directors are able to exercise any discretion, such discretion shall be exercised by the Grantor in accordance with any instructions of the Directors from time to time.

When granting new Options, the Grantor shall at the same time determine:

 

  a)

the number of Shares an Option entitles the Option Holder to subscribe for or purchase;

 

  b)

the Exercise Price;

 

  c)

the subscription period(s);

 

  d)

any applicable Exercise Conditions;

 

  e)

any other terms and conditions applicable to the Option

The Option Holder shall not be entitled to require any certificates or other particular evidence of an Option.

All Options are granted and issued free of charge.

An Option Holder may upon the grant of Option elect not to receive the Option by notifying the Board or any other person identified in the grant notice from time to time of such rejection. An Option Holder may additionally elect at any time during the Option Period to unilaterally terminate the Option by a corresponding notice in writing. In any of the aforesaid situations, the Option Holders shall not be entitled to present any claims against the Company for compensation or otherwise.

Unless otherwise explicitly set out herein, neither the Options nor any beneficial or other rights pertaining to the Options may be transferred or assigned without the prior written consent of the Directors. With respect to Option Holders also holding Shares in the Company, the Directors shall duly note the requirements of the Company’s shareholders’ agreement (Section 10) applicable also to the transfer of Options.

 

3

Exercise

An Option Holder may exercise an Option in accordance with its terms and conditions partially or in full. Any exercise shall be made in writing to the CFO of the Company or any other person duly notified by the Company. Subject to any decision by the Directors, the exercise of an Option shall unless otherwise notified on a case by case basis require:

 

  a)

payment of the Exercise Price in full; and

 

3


  b)

signature of any other relevant documentation reasonably required by the Company;

Adherence to the Company’s shareholders’ agreement as in force from time to time in a form and manner required by the Company shall be an absolute condition for issuing or transferring Shares to an Option Holder upon exercise of an Option.

The exercise date of an Option (“Exercise Date”) will be the later of:

 

  a)

the date of receipt of the duly signed documents and the payment referred to in the preceding paragraph; and

 

  b)

the date on which the Directors decide that an Exercise Condition relating to the Option has been satisfied or waived by the Company, as the case may be. The Directors must decide about the satisfaction or waiver of an Exercise Condition within 14 days of receiving the duly signed documents and the payment referred to in the preceding paragraph.

If any statute, regulation or code adopted by the Company prohibits the exercise of Options, the Exercise Date will be the date when the Option Holder is permitted to exercise an Option. However, this paragraph does not extend any period in which an Option is exercisable.

In the event of a Change of Control, the Directors may, in their sole discretion, decide that such an event shall accelerate the vesting periods of the outstanding Options partially or in full and subject to such reasonable terms and conditions as decided by the Directors.

The Company will issue or transfer the Shares relating to a duly exercised Option as soon as practicable after the Option Exercise Date.

New Shares issued on the exercise of an Option will have all rights attached to them as of their registration date. Existing Shares transferred to an Option Holder will have said rights as of the date of transfer.

Any transfer or corresponding tax payable on the issue or transfer of Shares to the Option Holder at exercise will be paid by the Company.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Directors may in their sole discretion determine not to transfer or issue Shares upon exercise of an Option, but instead pay to the Option Holder in cash an amount equal to the market value of the Shares (or the Warrants, as the case may be) to be issued or transferred based on the exercise of the Option on the Exercise Date reduced with the Exercise Price of said Option. If the Directors so determine, the Exercise Price shall not be payable, and if already paid, shall be repaid to the Option Holder forthwith, in which cases the payment to the Option Holder shall be reduced with said amount.

 

4

Termination of Relationship with the Company

Unless specifically otherwise set out below in this Section 4, an Option Holder shall in the event of termination of employment or contract, subject to any Exercise Conditions or decisions by the Directors and during a period of thirty (30) days from the last date of employment or the relevant contractual relationship, be entitled to exercise all Options vested by the last date of employment (or other contract, as the case may be).

 

4


If an Option Holder ceases to be an employee of any Group Company for any of the reasons set out below in this paragraph or ceases to have a contractual relationship with any Group Company for reasons (i) and (v) set out below (“Termination”), the Options held by said Option Holder will not lapse but may irrespective of any Exercise Conditions during a period of six (6) months from last date of the employment (three (3) months in the case of options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options) or the contractual relationship (“Termination Date”) be exercised to the extent vested by the Termination Date. The reasons are:

 

  (i)

ill-health, injury, disability and redundancy;

 

  (ii)

retirement;

 

  (iii)

early retirement by written agreement with the Option holder’s employer being a Member of the Group;

 

  (iv)

his or her employing company ceasing to be under the control of the Company, or, as a result of a transfer of the undertaking in which the Option holder works, transfer to a company which is neither under the control of the Company nor a Member of the Group;

 

  (v)

any other reason specified by the Directors in their absolute discretion.

If an Option Holder despite termination of employment or contract with a Group Company continues to have any other employment or contractual relationship with any Group Company, the two preceding paragraphs shall not be applied.

If an Option Holder dies, his or her Options may irrespective of any Exercise Conditions during a period of twelve (12) months from last date of the employment or the contractual relationship be exercised by the deceased’s estate or heirs to the extent vested by the last date of the employment or the contractual relationship, after which the Options shall become null and void.

Where the Option Holder is deprived of the legal or beneficial ownership of an Option by operation of law, or due to any action or omission on behalf of the Option Holder, said Option shall automatically become null and void.

Any person who ceases to be an employee of any Group Company because of cancellation or termination of employment (however caused) or who is under notice of termination will in no circumstances be entitled to claim any compensation in respect of the Plan, including but not limited to the application of tax laws or the application of tax policies maintained by any Group Company.

 

5

Amendments

Subject to any resolutions of the Company’s shareholders relating to the Plan, the Directors are entitled to amend the Plan in their sole discretion from time to time.

Option Holders affected by any amendments will be notified thereof without undue delay.

 

6

Corporate Actions

The Directors shall monitor all corporate actions of the Company with a possible material impact on the Options from time to time (such as a share split, demerger, bonus issue, liquidation, dissolution etc.) and in its sole discretion decide on or recommend to the Company’s shareholders to decide on measures to amend the Plan and/or the Options correspondingly.

 

5


In making any alterations to outstanding grants, the Board shall take into consideration that repriced Options may, depending on the facts and circumstances, be treated as newly issued Options, and the Board may, if it deems it advisable, seek advice concerning the effects of alterations upon compliance with Rule 701.

 

7

Miscellaneous

Any notice pursuant to the Plan may be delivered by post or email to the relevant address of an Option Holder according to the records of any relevant Group Company or such other address, which the Company considers appropriate. Notices or other documents sent by post shall be deemed to be received five (5) days following the date of dispatch. Notices or other documents sent by email shall be deemed to be received on the date of dispatch.

The decision of the Directors on the interpretation of the Rules or the Plan will be final and conclusive.

Each Grantor will be responsible for a part of all costs relating to the Plan in proportion to the Options granted by said Grantor.

The Company and any Subsidiary may establish and/or fund a trustee of a trust, a Special Purpose Vehicle (“SPV”) or any other person to enable that trustee, SPV or person to acquire Shares to be held for the purposes of the Plan, or enter into any guarantee or indemnity for those purposes, to the extent permitted by local law.

The Company or any Grantor may withhold any amount and make any such arrangements, including but not limited to the sale or reduction in number of any Options or Shares on behalf of an Option holder, as it considers necessary to meet any liability to taxation or social security contributions so far as is possible under local law in respect of Options granted to the Option Holder pursuant to this Plan.

In the event of any discrepancies between the Plan and the Company’s shareholders’ agreement as in force from time to time, the provisions of the shareholders’ agreement shall prevail. Option Holders also holding Shares shall notice that the shareholders’ agreement contains provisions relating to the Options applicable only to holders of both Shares and Options in the Company.

 

8

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

This Plan and all matters arising out of or in connection with the Plan, including the contractual Options, shall except as this Plan otherwise specifies be interpreted, construed and governed exclusively in accordance with the laws of Finland without reference to its choice of law rules.

Should any provision of this Plan be in conflict with a mandatory provision of the Finnish Companies Act (624/2006, as amended) or any other mandatory act, regulation or provision of Finnish law, such mandatory provision shall prevail and the relevant provision of this Plan shall be set aside or amended accordingly and shall not be binding on or incur any liability for the Company or any Member of the Group.

In the event no settlement can be reached by means of negotiations, any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to the Plan, or the breach, termination or validity thereof shall be finally settled by arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the Finnish Central Chamber of Commerce. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of one arbitrator. The arbitration shall take place in Helsinki, Finland. The arbitration shall be conducted and the arbitration award shall be given in the English language.

 

6


Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options under US tax law, in accordance with the accompanying “Schedule for Grants of Qualifying Stock Options in the US,” will be governed in accordance with Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended. To any extent to which the laws of Finland conflict with Section 422 of the Code or accompanying Treasury Regulations, the latter will prevail with respect to options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options.

SkySQL Corporation AB Global Share Option Plan 2014

Schedule for Grants of Qualifying Stock Options in the US

 

1

Rules

The rules of the SkySQL Corporation Ab Global Share Option Plan 2012 USA (the “Plan”) will apply to Options granted or to be granted subject to the alterations in this Schedule concerning Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options under US tax law. Unless the Directors otherwise specify in writing, any Option granted under the Plan is intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

7


2

Governing Law

Options granted pursuant to this Schedule will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Finland except that Options intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options will be construed in accordance with the provisions of Sections 421 and 422 of the Code (as defined in paragraph 3) so as to preserve their intended status as Incentive Stock Options. Any conflict between the laws of Finland and the requirements for Incentive Stock Options will be resolved to favor the latter.

 

3

Operation of Scheme in US

 

  3.1

Definitions:

In addition to the terms defined in Section 1 of the Plan, the following terms apply:

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended;

“Incentive Stock Option” means an Option that qualifies as such under Sections 421 and 422 of the Code and accompanying Treasury Regulations;

“Eligible Employee” means a person other than a director who is an employee of the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary thereof),

“Fair Market Value” on a particular day, means:

 

   

where the Shares of the same class are publicly traded on the Stock Exchange on the date as of which fair market value is being determined, the fair market value is the mean between the high and low sales prices of the Shares on that date, as reported by the Stock Exchange; and

 

   

where Shares of the same class are not so listed, the fair market value of a share as determined in good faith by the Directors;

“Parent” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Company, provided each corporation in the unbroken chain (other than the Corporation) owns, at the time of the determination, shares possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares in one of the other corporations in such chain;

Subsidiary” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company, provided each corporation (other than the last corporation) in the unbroken chain owns, at the time of the determination, shares possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares in one of the other corporations in such chain.

 

  3.2

Restrictions:

 

  3.2.1

An Incentive Stock Option may be granted only to an Eligible Employee.

 

  3.2.2

No person will be granted an Incentive Stock Option if, at the time the Incentive Stock Option would otherwise be granted, that person owns shares possessing more than 10 per cent of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary), unless the Option Price is not less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the Date of Grant and the option term does not exceed five (5) years measured from the Date of Grant.

 

8


  3.2.3

No Option will be treated as an Incentive Stock Option to the extent that the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the Options (determined at the Date of Grant), when added to the Fair Market Value of Shares (determined at the date of Grant of such other Incentive Stock Option) subject to any other incentive stock option (granted under the Plan or any other incentive stock option plan of the Company or a Subsidiary Corporation) first exercisable by an Option holder in the same calendar year, exceeds One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 100,000).

 

  3.2.4

No Incentive Stock Option will be granted more than 10 years after the date on which the Plan is adopted by the Directors or approved by the Company’s shareholders, whichever is earlier.

 

  3.2.5

The Option Price of an Incentive Stock Option will be not less than the Fair Market Value of a Share determined at the Date of Grant.

 

  3.2.6

In no circumstances will an Incentive Stock Option be capable of exercise later than 10 years from its Date of Grant.

 

  3.2.7

The employee must notify the employer in writing if stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option is disposed of within 2 years from the date the option was granted or within 1 year after exercise and shall provide any other information regarding the disposition that the Company may reasonably require.

 

  3.2.8

Section 4 of the Plan is applied by substituting the words “three (3) months” for the words “six (6) months”.

 

  3.2.9

The aggregate number of Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options may be granted may not exceed [insert maximum number of shares].

 

  3.2.10

Options granted under the Plan, and any interest therein, will not be transferable or assignable by an Option holder, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and, with respect to Options other than Incentive Stock Options, by instrument to an inter vivos or testamentary trust in which such Options are to be passed to beneficiaries upon the death of the trustor (settlor), or by gift to “family member” as that term is defined in Rule 701, and may not be made subject to execution, attachment or similar process. During the lifetime of the Option holder an Option will be exercisable only by the Option holder, and any elections with respect to an Option may be made only by the Option holder. The terms of an Option shall be binding upon the executor, administrator, successors and assigns of the Option holder who is a party thereto.

 

  3.3

Options and Shares As Restricted Securities

Both the Options (whether or not Incentive Stock Options) and Shares issued pursuant to Options granted under the Plan are deemed to be “restricted securities” as defined in Regulation Section 230.144 promulgated by the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Rule 144”). In addition to the restrictions on transfer of the Options by the Plan and on the Shares, resales or transfers of Shares in the United

 

9


States must comply either with the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) or with Rule 144 or other exemption from the registration requirements under the Act. The Company will place the following legend on back of any stock certificates representing the Shares issued upon exercise of Options granted pursuant to this Plan:

THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ARE “RESTRICTED SECURITIES” WITHIN THE MEANING OF RULE 144 PROMULGATED BY THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE COMMISSION. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED WITHOUT AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF SUCH ACT. THE CORPORATION MAY REQUIRE THAT THE TRANSFEROR DELIVER AN OPINION OF COUNSEL SATISFACTORY TO THE CORPORATION TO THE EFFECT THAT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION WILL BE EXEMPT FROM REGISTRATION AS A CONDITION TO ANY TRANSFER OF THESE SECURITIES.

The Company shall have no obligation to register any Options or Shares with the SEC or with any state regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the issuance or sale of the Options or Shares, whether to be able to issue Options or Shares pursuant to this Plan or to provide a means for employees to sell or transfer Options or Shares acquired pursuant to this Plan.

 

4

Notice and Reporting Requirements

Prior to January 31 of the year following the calendar year of exercise of an Incentive Stock Option pursuant to this Plan, the employer shall furnish a statement to the Eligible Employee providing the following information:

 

  (i)

the employer’s name, address and taxpayer identification number;

 

  (ii)

the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of the person to whom the Shares pursuant to the Option are transferred;

 

  (iii)

the name and address of the corporation the stock of which is the Incentive Stock Option stock (if different than the employer);

 

  (iv)

the date the Option was granted;

 

  (v)

the date the Shares were transferred pursuant to the exercise of the Option;

 

  (vi)

the Fair Market Value of the stock on date of exercise;

 

  (vii)

the number of Shares transferred upon exercise of the Option;

 

  (viii)

a statement that the Option was an Incentive Stock Option; and

 

  (ix)

a total cost of the Shares.

 

5

Specific Provisions Required Under State Law

 

  5.1

Specific Provisions Required Under California Law

 

  5.1.1

Options may only be granted under the Plan until the tenth (10th) anniversary of the date the Plan is approved by the Board.

 

10


  5.1.2

This Plan will be approved by the stockholders of the Company, consistent with applicable laws, by the later of (1) within twelve (12) months before or after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board, or (2) prior to or within twelve (12) months of the granting of an Option in the State of California.

 

11

Exhibit 10.15

MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

OFFER LETTER

Dear Michael,

On behalf of MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish corporation (the “Company”), I am pleased to offer you the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Company. You will be employed by the Company’s US subsidiary, MariaDB USA, Inc. and, should you accept this offer (“Offer”), your employment shall be governed by the following terms and conditions.

1. Duties and Scope of Employment.

(a) Position. The Company shall employ you in the position of Chief Executive Officer, reporting to the Board of Directors. You will perform the duties and have the responsibilities and authority customarily performed and held by an employee in your position or as otherwise may be assigned or delegated to you by the Board of Directors. Your primary place of work will be the Company’s office in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Company will provide you with equipment pursuant to the Company’s policies and procedures.

(b) Obligations to the Company. During your Employment, you shall devote your full business efforts and time to the Company. During your Employment, without the prior written approval of the Board, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, you shall not render services in any capacity to any other person or entity. Notwithstanding the foregoing restriction, you may serve on civic or charitable boards or committees, deliver lectures, fulfill speaking engagements, teach at educational institutions, or manage personal investments without such advance written consent, provided that such activities do not individually or in the aggregate interfere with the performance of your duties. You shall also comply with the Company’s policies and procedures, as they may be in effect from time to time during your Employment.

(c) No Conflicting Obligations. You represent and warrant to the Company that when you commence employment, you will be under no contractual obligations or commitments that are inconsistent with your work obligations. In connection with your Employment, you shall not use or disclose any trade secrets or other proprietary information or intellectual property in which you or any other person has any right, title or interest and your Employment will not infringe or violate the rights of any other person. You represent and warrant to the Company that when you commence employment you will have returned all property and confidential information belonging to any prior employer.

(d) Commencement Date. You shall commence full-time employment as soon as reasonably practicable and in no event later than December 7, 2015 (“Commencement Date”).

(e) Non-Competition. During your Employment, you shall not engage in or in any other way participate in or promote activity that competes with the Company directly. During your Employment, you shall refrain from working for, advising or being a member of any board of directors of any other company regardless of whether it competes with the Company or not save for as approved by the Board of Directors.

(f) Non-Solicitation. Following the termination of your Employment, you are prohibited from approaching other Company employees for the purpose of hiring them away from the Company on your own behalf or for any other entity, either as consultants or employees, for a period of two (2) years.

2. Cash and Incentive Compensation.

(a) Salary. The Company shall pay you as compensation for your services an initial base annual salary at a gross rate of 300 000 USD payable in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll practices. The annual compensation specified in this subsection (a), together with any modifications in such compensation that the Company may make from time to time, is referred to in this Offer as “Base Salary.” Your Base Salary shall be reviewed on at least an annual basis.

 

1


(b) Bonus. You are eligible to participate in the Company’s management performance bonus plan, upon criteria to be determined by the Company. The Company’s Compensation Committee has the sole discretion to interpret goals, performance, and final payment amounts. The target amount for the bonus will be up to 50% of the Base Salary. The objectives are defined, measured and paid on a semiannual basis. We guarantee 50% of the total bonus for the first half year and the other 50% is based on performance objectives. You shall not earn an incentive bonus unless you are employed by the Company on the date when such bonus is payable.

(c) Stock Options. Subject to the approval of the Board, the Company shall grant you a stock option covering shares representing 5,5% of the Company’s fully-diluted Common Stock (the “Option”), with a “top off” grant after the internal funding round (December 2015/January 2016) to preserve your fully-diluted interest after giving effect to the issuance in the round. The Option shall be granted as soon as reasonably practicable after the date you commence fulltime Employment. The purchase price per share will be the fair market value, as determined by the Board when the Option is awarded in good faith compliance with applicable guidance in order to avoid having the Option be treated as deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The most current appraisal of fair market value is 0,08 euro per share, and we know of no facts or circumstances that would currently make that estimate inaccurate. The appraisal of fair market value may have to be renewed in conjunction with a financing round that is planned to close by the end of 2015. As a result the appraisal may change from 0,08 euro per share. There is no guarantee that the Internal Revenue Service will agree with the value. You should consult with your own tax advisor concerning the tax risks associated with accepting an option to purchase the Company’s Common Stock. The term of the Option shall be 10 years, subject to earlier expiration in the event of the termination of your services to the Company. So long as your service status is continuous, the Option shall vest as follows: 25% of the total number of option shares shall vest on the first anniversary of your employment start date and 1/16th of the total Option shares shall vest in equal quarterly installments thereafter. The Option will be an incentive stock option to the maximum extent allowed by the tax code and shall be subject to the other terms and conditions set forth in the Company’s Employee Stock Plan (the “Stock Plan”) and in the Company’s standard form of Stock Option Agreement (the “Stock Agreement”).

(d) Acceleration Benefit. If there is a change of control or sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, then the vesting period will accelerate two (2) years, with all options that would have vested in the subsequent two (2) years becoming fully-vested and the vesting schedule of each tranche of any options remaining unvested to be shortened by two (2) years. If Executive is released within 6 months following a change of control or 3 months prior, the all options will vest immediately. In order to be eligible for such acceleration of vesting benefit, you must execute the Company’s standard form of release of all claims agreement. For purposes of this paragraph, unless a capitalized term used in this paragraph has a meaning given to it elsewhere in this Offer, such term shall have the meaning given to it in the Stock Plan.

3. Vacation/PTO and Employee Benefits.

During the term of your Employment, you will also be entitled to Personal Time Off (“PTO”), and other benefits made available by the Company to its employees subject to applicable eligibility requirements. The Company’s current PTO policy combines both PTO and sick time at a rate of five (5) weeks per year (or about 2.08 days per month) of employment. Employees will also be given public holidays in accordance with Company policy. Such paid PTO shall not accrue in excess of that allowable under the Company policy. During your Employment you shall be permitted, to the extent you are eligible, to participate in the company sponsored 401(k), group medical, dental, life insurance and disability insurance plans, to the extent that those or similar benefit plans are made available to the Company’s employees. The Company may modify benefits as it deems necessary and such changes shall become effective upon notice. Upon termination of your Employment for any reason, any rights you may have under the Company benefit plans shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of those plans.


4. Business Expenses.

The Company will reimburse you for your necessary and reasonable business expenses incurred in connection with your work for the Company upon presentation of an itemized account and appropriate supporting documentation, all in accordance with the Company’s generally applicable policies.

5. Termination.

(a) Employment at Will. Your Employment shall be “at will,” meaning that either you or the Company shall be entitled to terminate your Employment at any time and for any reason. However, if your employment is terminated for any other reason than “Cause” (as defined below), death or “Permanent Disability” (as defined below) then employment may be terminated only with six (6) months’ written notice. The health care will then be covered a further 6 months. Any contrary representations that may have been made to you are hereby superseded.

(b) Definition of “Cause.” For all purposes during your Employment with the Company, “Cause” shall mean: (i) any material breach by you of any written agreement between you and the Company, if such breach causes material harm to the Company; (ii) any material failure by you to comply with the Company’s written policies or rules, as they may be in effect from time to time during your employment, if such failure causes material harm to the Company; (iii) your repeated failure to follow reasonable and lawful instructions from the Company; (iv) commission, conviction of, or a plea of “guilty” or “no contest” to, a felony under the laws of the United States or any State by you if such felony is work -related, materially impairs your ability to perform services for the Company, or results in a material loss to the Company or material damage to the reputation of the Company; (v) your misappropriation of funds or property of the Company; (vi) serious and repeated violations of company policies or standards of conduct; or (vii) any gross or willful misconduct by you resulting in a material loss to the Company or material damage to the reputation of the Company.

(c) Definition of “Permanent Disability.” For all purposes during your Employment with the Company, “Permanent Disability” shall mean your inability to perform the essential functions of your position with or without reasonable accommodation for a period of ninety (90) consecutive days because of your physical or mental impairment.

(d) Rights upon Termination. Upon the termination of your Employment, you shall only be entitled to the compensation and benefits earned and the reimbursements described in this Agreement for the period preceding the effective date of the termination (“Termination Date”).

6. Pre-Employment Conditions.

(a) Confidentiality Agreement. Your Employment with the Company is contingent upon the execution, and delivery to an officer of the Company, of the Company’s Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement, a copy of which shall be provided to you for your review and execution (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) prior to or on the Commencement Date.

(b) Right to Work. For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to the Company documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States. Such documentation must be provided to us within three (3) business days of the Commencement Date.


(c) Verification of Information. Your Employment with the Company is also contingent upon the successful verification of the information you provided to the Company during your application process, as well as any general background

check performed by the Company to confirm your suitability for employment. By accepting the Company’s offer of employment, you warrant that all information provided by you is true and correct to the best of your knowledge, you agree to execute any and all documentation necessary for the Company to conduct a background check, and you expressly release the Company from any claim or cause of action arising out of the Company’s verification of such information.

7. Successors.

(a) Company’s Successors. The terms and conditions under this Offer letter and any subsequent Agreement shall be binding upon any successor (whether direct or indirect and whether by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation, liquidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the Company’s business and/or assets. The term “Company” shall include any successor to the Company’s business or assets that become bound by this Offer or any subsequent Agreement.

(b) Your Successors. Any rights you have under this Offer or any subsequent Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, your personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors, heirs, distributees, devisees and legatees.

8. Miscellaneous Provisions.

(a) Notice. Notices and all other communications contemplated by this Offer shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when personally delivered or three business days following delivery to your personal residence by registered United States mail. In the case of the Company, mailed notices shall be addressed to its corporate headquarters, and all notices shall be directed to the attention of its head of Human Resources.

(b) Modifications and Waivers. No provision of this Offer shall be modified, waived or discharged unless the modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by you and by an authorized officer of the Company (other than you). No waiver by either party of any breach of, or of compliance with, any condition or provision of this Offer by the other party shall be considered a waiver of any other condition or provision or of the same condition or provision at another time.

(c) Whole Offer. No other agreements, representations or understandings (whether oral or written and whether express or implied) which are not expressly set forth in this Offer have been made or entered into by either party with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Offer, any subsequent Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.

(d) Withholding Taxes. All payments made under this Offer shall be subject to reduction to reflect taxes or other charges required to be withheld by law.

(e) No Assignment. This Offer and all of your rights and obligations hereunder are personal to you and may not be transferred or assigned by you at any time. The Company may assign its rights under this Offer to any entity that assumes the Company’s obligations hereunder in connection with any sale or transfer of all or a substantial portion of the Company’s assets to such entity.

(f) Counterparts. This Offer 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.


We are delighted to be able to extend you this offer and look forward to working with you. To indicate your acceptance of the Company’s Offer, please sign and date this letter in the space provided below and return it to me, along with a signed and dated copy of the Confidentiality Agreement, on or before 5 of November, 2015.

Sincerely,

 

MariaDB Corporation Ab            Accepted and Agreed
/s/ Ralf Wahlsten       /s/ Michael Howard

Ralf Wahlsten

Chairman of the Board

     

Michael Howard

Date: November 4, 2015


ADDENDUM TO OFFER LETTER

 

                                                                   
                                  

Dear Michael Howard,

Whereas you on November 4, 2015, accepted an offer of employment (the “Offer”) I made on behalf of MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish corporation (the “Company”)

Whereas the Company wishes to change your Commencement Date, as stated in 1(d) of the Offer;

1(d) of your Offer is hereby changed as follows:

(d) Commencement Date. You shall commence full time on December 1, 2015 (“Commencement Date”)

 

                                                             
                                

Sincerely,

 

MariaDB Corporation Ab            Accepted and Agreed
/s/ Ralf Wahlsten       /s/ Michael Howard

Ralf Wahlsten

Chairman of the Board

      Michael Howard

Exhibit 10.16

MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

OFFER LETTER

Dear Franz Aman,

On behalf of MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish corporation (the “Company”), I am pleased to offer you the position of CMO (Chief Marketing Officer). You will be employed by the Company’s US subsidiary, MariaDB USA, Inc. and, should you accept this offer (“Offer”), your employment shall be governed by the following terms and conditions.

1. Duties and Scope of Employment.

(a) Position. The Company shall employ you in the position of CMO, reporting to the CEO. You will perform the duties and have the responsibilities and authority customarily performed and held by an employee in your position or as otherwise may be assigned or delegated to you by your manager. Subject to mutual agreement between you and the Company, your primary place of work will be the MariaDB USA, Inc. Bay Area office, your home or other suitable offsite location with Internet and telephone access. The Company will provide you with equipment for your home office pursuant to the Company’s policies and procedures.

(b) Obligations to the Company. During your Employment, you shall devote your full business efforts and time to the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing restriction, you may serve on civic or charitable boards or committees, deliver lectures, fulfill speaking engagements, teach at educational institutions, or manage personal investments without such advance written consent, provided that such activities do not individually or in the aggregate interfere with the performance of your duties. You shall also comply with the Company’s policies and procedures, as they may be in effect from time to time during your Employment.

(c) No Conflicting Obligations. You represent and warrant to the Company that you are under no obligations or commitments, whether contractual or otherwise, that are inconsistent with your work obligations. In connection with your Employment, you shall not use or disclose any trade secrets or other proprietary information or intellectual property in which you or any other person has any right, title or interest and your Employment will not infringe or violate the rights of any other person. You represent and warrant to the Company that you have returned all property and confidential information belonging to any prior employer.

(d) Commencement Date. You shall commence full-time employment on February 12, 2018 (“Commencement Date”).

(e) Non-Competition. During your Employment, you shall not engage in or in any other way participate in or promote activity that competes with the Company directly. During your Employment, you shall refrain from working for, advising or being a member of any board of directors of any other company regardless of whether it competes with the Company or not save for as approved by the Board of Directors.

(f) Non-Solicitation. Following the termination of your Employment, you are prohibited from soliciting other Company employees for the purpose of hiring them away from the Company on your own behalf or for any other entity, either as consultants or employees, for a period of one (1) year.


MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

 

2. Cash and Incentive Compensation.

(a) Salary. The Company shall pay you as compensation for your services a pro-rated initial base annual salary at a gross rate of $280,000, payable in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll practices. The annual compensation specified in this subsection (a), together with any modifications in such compensation that the Company may make from time to time, is referred to in this Offer as “Base Salary.” Your Base Salary shall be reviewed on an annual basis, but with no guarantee for an increase thereof. The base salary is paid bi- monthly on the 15th and the last day of each month.

(b) Bonus. You will be eligible for a management performance bonus plan during the term of your employment based upon the achievement of certain mutually agreed personal and/or company objectives. The target amount for any such annual incentive bonus will be up to $100,000, and higher if you overachieve against the agreed upon objectives. This brings your annual on-target earnings to §380,000. The objectives are defined, measured and paid on a quarterly basis and will be prorated during the first quarter of your employment. Regardless of achievement your performance bonus will be paid at 100% from your start date and through CY18Q2. The bonus will be paid within 60 days of the end of each quarter. You shall not earn an incentive bonus unless you are employed by the Company on the date when such bonus is payable.

(c) Stock Options. Subject to the approval of the Board, the Company shall grant you a stock option representing 1% of the Company’s fully diluted Common Stock (the “Option”) at the date of issuing this offer. The Option shall be granted as soon as reasonably practicable after the date you commence fulltime Employment. The purchase price per share will be the fair market value as determined by the Board when the Option is awarded in good faith compliance with applicable guidance in order to avoid having the Option be treated as deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. There is no guarantee that the Internal Revenue Service will agree with this value. So long as your service status is continuous the Options shall vest as follows: 25% of the Option shall vest on the first anniversary of the date of the Board’s approval of the Option, and 1/16 of the Option shares shall vest in equal quarterly instalments thereafter. You should consult with your own tax advisor concerning the tax risks associated with accepting an option to purchase the Company’s Common Stock. The Option shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plan documents, grant notice, and option agreement between you and the Company. You shall also be eligible to receive periodic grants of options or shares at the discretion of the Company in recognition of your performance or the overall performance of the Company.

(d) Acceleration Benefit In the event of a Change in Control, then 50% of your unvested options become vested immediately. In order to be eligible for such acceleration of vesting benefit, you must execute (and not revoke) the Company’s standard form of release of all claims agreement.

3. Vacation/PTO and Employee Benefits.

During the term of your Employment, you will also be entitled to Personal Time Off (“PTO”), and other benefits made available by the Company to its employees subject to applicable eligibility requirements. The Company’s current PTO policy combines both PTO and sick time at a rate of five (5) weeks per year (or about 2.08 days per month) of employment. Employees will also be given public holidays in accordance with Company policy. Such paid PTO shall not accrue in excess of that allowable under the Company policy.

During your Employment you shall be permitted, to the extent you are eligible, to participate in the company sponsored 401(k), group medical, dental, life insurance and disability insurance plans, to the extent that those or similar benefit plans are made available to the Company’s employees. The Company may modify benefits as it deems necessary and such changes shall become effective upon notice. Upon termination of your Employment for any reason, any rights you may have under the Company benefit plans shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of those plans.


MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

 

4. Business Expenses.

The Company will reimburse you for your necessary and reasonable business expenses incurred in connection with your work for the Company upon presentation of an itemized account and appropriate supporting documentation, all in accordance with the Company’s generally applicable policies.

5. Termination.

(a) Employment at Will. Your Employment shall be “at will,” meaning that either you or the Company shall be entitled to terminate your Employment at any time and for any reason, with or without Cause with two (2) weeks’ notice. Any contrary representations that may have been made to you are hereby superseded.

(b) Rights upon Termination. Upon the termination of your Employment, you shall only be entitled to the compensation and benefits earned and the reimbursements described in this Agreement for the period preceding the effective date of the termination (“Termination Date”).

6. Termination Benefits.

(a) General Release. You shall not be entitled to any of the severance benefits described in this Section unless and until (i) you have executed (and do not revoke) a full and complete general release of all claims against the Company, and (ii) you have returned all Company property in your possession, custody or control.

(b) Severance Pay. If the Company terminates your Employment for any reason other than “Cause” (as defined below), death or “Permanent Disability” (as defined below), then, in addition to the amounts payable in accordance with Section 5(b), you shall be entitled to a lump sum payment of the amount equal to 25% of your annual Base salary, paid within fifteen (15) business days of such event.

(c) Severance Pay upon Change of Control In the event that at any time within twelve months of the closing of a Change in Control, (i) your employment is involuntarily terminated by MariaDB or its Successor other than for “Cause” (as defined below) or (ii) you receive and choose not to accept materially diminished role, you shall be entitled to a lump sum payment of the amount equal to 25% of your annual Base salary, paid within fifteen (15) business days of such triggering event.

(d) Definition of “Cause.” For all purposes during your Employment with the Company, “Cause” shall mean: (i) any material breach by you of any written agreement between you and the Company, if such breach causes material harm to the Company; (ii) any material failure by you to comply with the Company’s written policies or rules, as they may be in effect from time to time during your employment, if such failure causes material harm to the Company; (iii) your repeated failure to follow reasonable and lawful instructions from the Company; (iv) commission, conviction of, or a plea of “guilty” or “no contest” to, a felony under the laws of the United States or any State by you if such felony is work-related, materially impairs your ability to perform services for the Company, or results in a material loss to the Company or material damage to the reputation of the Company; (v) your misappropriation of funds or property of the Company; (vi) serious and repeated violations of company policies or standards of conduct; or (vii) any gross or willful misconduct by you resulting in a material loss to the Company or material damage to the reputation of the Company.


MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

 

(e) Definition of “Permanent Disability.” For all purposes during your Employment with the Company, “Permanent Disability” shall mean your inability to perform the essential functions of your position with or without reasonable accommodation for a period of ninety (90) consecutive days because of your physical or mental impairment.

7. Pre-Employment Conditions.

(a) Confidentiality Agreement. Your Employment with the Company is contingent upon the execution, and delivery to an officer of the Company, of the Company’s Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement, a copy of which shall be provided to you for your review and execution (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) prior to or on the Commencement Date.

(b) Right to Work. For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to the Company documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States. Such documentation must be provided to us within three (3) business days of the Commencement Date.

(c) Verification of Information. Your Employment with the Company is also contingent upon the successful verification of the information you provided to the Company during your application process, as well as a general background check performed by the Company to confirm your suitability for employment. By accepting the Company’s offer of employment, you warrant that all information provided by you is true and correct to the best of your knowledge, you agree to execute any and all documentation necessary for the Company to conduct a background check, and you expressly release the Company from any claim or cause of action arising out of the Company’s verification of such information.

8. Successors.

(a) Company’s Successors. The terms and conditions under this Offer letter and any subsequent Agreement shall be binding upon any successor (whether direct or indirect and whether by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation, liquidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the Company’s business and/or assets. The term “Company” shall include any successor to the Company’s business or assets that become bound by this Offer or any subsequent Agreement.

(b) Your Successors. Any rights you have under this Offer or any subsequent Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, your personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors, heirs, distributees, devisees and legatees.

9. Miscellaneous Provisions.

(a) Notice. Notices and all other communications contemplated by this Offer shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when personally delivered or when sent to your corporate email address. In the case of the Company, mailed notices shall be addressed to its corporate headquarters, and all notices shall be directed to the attention of its head of Human Resources.

(b) Modifications and Waivers. No provision of this Offer shall be modified, waived or discharged unless the modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by you and by an authorized officer of the Company (other than you). No waiver by either party of any breach of, or of compliance with, any condition or provision of this Offer by the other party shall be considered a waiver of any other condition or provision or of the same condition or provision at another time.


MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

 

(c) Whole Offer. No other agreements, representations or understandings (whether oral or written and whether express or implied) which are not expressly set forth in this Offer have been made or entered into by either party with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Offer, any subsequent Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.

(d) Withholding Taxes. All payments made under this Offer shall be subject to reduction to reflect taxes or other charges required to be withheld by law.

(e) No Assignment. This Offer and all of your rights and obligations hereunder are personal to you and may not be transferred or assigned by you at any time. The Company may assign its rights under this Offer to any entity that assumes the Company’s obligations hereunder in connection with any sale or transfer of all or a substantial portion of the Company’s assets to such entity.

(f) Counterparts. This Offer 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.

We are pleased to be able to extend this offer and look forward to working with you. To indicate your acceptance of the Company’s Offer, please sign and date this letter in the space provided below and return it to me, along with a signed and dated copy of the Confidentiality Agreement, on or before February 11, 2018. Please indicate the date on which you expect to begin work in the space provided below (the “Commencement Date”).

Sincerely,

 

MariaDB Corporation Ab     Accepted and Agreed
/s/ Boel Larsen     /s/ Franz Aman

Boel Larsen

VP Human Rsources

   

Franz Aman

Date: February 12, 2018

Exhibit 10.17

MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

OFFER LETTER

Dear Jon Bakke,

On behalf of MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish corporation (the “Company”), I am pleased to offer you the position of CRO (Chief Revenue Officer). You will be employed by the Company’s US subsidiary, MariaDB USA, Inc. and, should you accept this offer (“Offer”), your employment shall be governed by the following terms and conditions.

1. Duties and Scope of Employment.

(a) Position. The Company shall employ you in the position of CRO (Chief Revenue Officer), reporting to the CEO. You will perform the duties and have the responsibilities and authority customarily performed and held by an employee in your position or as otherwise may be assigned or delegated to you, including but not limited to Sales, Services, Renewals and Customer Satisfaction. You will also be an integral part of the Executive Team. Subject to mutual agreement between you and the Company, your primary place of work will be the MariaDB USA, Inc. Bay Area office, your home, or other suitable offsite location with Internet and telephone access. The Company will provide you with equipment for your home office pursuant to the Company’s policies and procedures.

(b) Obligations to the Company. During your Employment, you shall devote your full business efforts and time to the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing restriction, you may serve on civic or charitable boards or committees, deliver lectures, fulfill speaking engagements, teach at educational institutions, or manage personal investments without such advance written consent, provided that such activities do not individually or in the aggregate interfere with the performance of your duties. You shall also comply with the Company’s policies and procedures, as they may be in effect from time to time during your Employment.

(c) No Conflicting Obligations. You represent and warrant to the Company that you are under no obligations or commitments, whether contractual or otherwise, that are inconsistent with your work obligations. In connection with your Employment, you shall not use or disclose any trade secrets or other proprietary information or intellectual property in which you or any other person has any right, title or interest and your Employment will not infringe or violate the rights of any other person. You represent and warrant to the Company that you have returned all property and confidential information belonging to any prior employer.

(d) Commencement Date. You shall commence full-time employment no later than May 15, 2017 (“Commencement Date”).

(e) Non-Competition. During your Employment, you shall not engage in or in any other way participate in or promote activity that competes with the Company directly. During your Employment, you shall refrain from working for, advising or being a member of any board of directors of any other company regardless of whether it competes with the Company or not save for as approved by the Board of Directors.

(f) Non-Solicitation. Following the termination of your Employment, you are prohibited from soliciting other Company employees for the purpose of hiring them away from the Company on your own behalf or for any other entity, either as consultants or employees, for a period of one (1) year.


 

MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

 

2. Cash and Incentive Compensation.

(a) Salary. The Company shall pay you as compensation for your services a pro-rated initial base annual salary at a gross rate of $250,000, payable in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll practices. The annual compensation specified in this subsection (a), together with any modifications in such compensation that the Company may make from time to time, is referred to in this Offer as “Base Salary.” Your Base Salary shall be reviewed on an annual basis, but with no guarantee for an increase thereof. The Base salary shall not be decreased without your prior written consent, unless such decrease is commensurate with similar decreases for the other members of the Company’s executive management. The base salary is paid bi-monthly on the 15th and the last day of each month.

(b) Sales Commissions. You will be eligible to participate in the Company’s annual sales commission plan. There is no upper limit to your commissions. Commissions are payable in accordance with the MariaDB Sales Commissions Plan and are paid monthly. In the fiscal year 2017, your target commissions will be the pro-rata part of $250,000. The commissions will be reviewed anew by MariaDB at its discretion for each fiscal year.

(c) Non-recoverable Draw. Provided that you join the Company on or before May 15, 2017, a non- recoverable draw, an advance on commissions earned, will be paid at a rate of $20,833.33/month until September 30, 2017 (commissions payable in October, 2017). Any actual commissions earned during this period will be deducted from the draw, and commissions earned below the total draw amount will not be paid during this time. The non-recoverable draw will be pro-rated during your first month of employment.

(d) Stock Options. Subject to the approval of the Board, the Company shall grant you a stock option covering 2,105,693 shares of the Company’s Common Stock (the “Option”), representing 1.5% of the Company’s fully diluted Common Stock at the date of issuing this Offer. The Option shall be granted as soon as reasonably practicable after the date you commence fulltime Employment. The purchase price per share will be the fair market value as determined by the Board when the Option is awarded in good faith compliance with applicable guidance in order to avoid having the Option be treated as deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. There is no guarantee that the Internal Revenue Service will agree with this value. As long as your service status is continuous the Options shall vest as follows: 25% of the Option shall vest on the first anniversary of the date of the Board’s approval of the Option, and 1/16 of the Option shares shall vest in equal quarterly instalments thereafter. You should consult with your own tax advisor concerning the tax risks associated with accepting an option to purchase the Company’s Common Stock. The Option shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plan documents, grant notice, and option agreement between you and the Company. You shall also be eligible to receive periodic grants of options or shares at the discretion of the Company in recognition of your performance or the overall performance of the Company.

e) Acceleration Benefit. In the event of a Change in Control, then 50% of your unvested options become vested immediately. In order to be eligible for such acceleration of vesting benefit, you must execute the Company’s standard form of release of all claims agreement.


MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

 

3. Vacation/PTO and Employee Benefits.

During the term of your Employment, you will also be entitled to Personal Time Off (“PTO”), and other benefits made available by the Company to its employees subject to applicable eligibility requirements. The Company’s current PTO policy combines both PTO and sick time at a rate of five (5) weeks per year (or about 2.08 days per month) of employment. Employees will also be given public holidays in accordance with Company policy. Such paid PTO shall not accrue in excess of that allowable under the Company policy. During your Employment you shall be permitted, to the extent you are eligible, to participate in the company sponsored 401(k), group medical, dental, life insurance and disability insurance plans, to the extent that those or similar benefit plans are made available to the Company’s employees. The Company may modify benefits as it deems necessary and such changes shall become effective upon notice. Upon termination of your Employment for any reason, any rights you may have under the Company benefit plans shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of those plans.

4. Business Expenses.

The Company will reimburse you for your necessary and reasonable business expenses incurred in connection with your work for the Company upon presentation of an itemized account and appropriate supporting documentation, all in accordance with the Company’s generally applicable policies.

5. Termination.

(a) Employment at Will. Your Employment shall be “at will,” meaning that either you or the Company shall be entitled to terminate your Employment at any time and for any reason, with or without Cause with two (2) weeks’ notice. Any contrary representations that may have been made to you are hereby superseded.

(b) Rights upon Termination. Upon the termination of your Employment, you shall only be entitled to the compensation and benefits earned and the reimbursements described in this Agreement for the period preceding the effective date of the termination (“Termination Date”).

6. Pre-Employment Conditions.

(a) Confidentiality Agreement. Your Employment with the Company is contingent upon the execution, and delivery to an officer of the Company, of the Company’s Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement, a copy of which shall be provided to you for your review and execution (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) prior to or on the Commencement Date.

(b) Right to Work. For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to the Company documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States. Such documentation must be provided to us within three (3) business days of the Commencement Date.

(c) Verification of Information. Your Employment with the Company is also contingent upon the successful verification of the information you provided to the Company during your application process, as well as a general background check performed by the Company to confirm your suitability for employment. By accepting the Company’s offer of employment, you warrant that all information provided by you is true and correct to the best of your knowledge, you agree to execute any and all documentation necessary for the Company to conduct a background check, and you expressly release the Company from any claim or cause of action arising out of the Company’s verification of such information.


MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

 

7. Successors.

(a) Company’s Successors. The terms and conditions under this Offer letter and any subsequent Agreement shall be binding upon any successor (whether direct or indirect and whether by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation, liquidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the Company’s business and/or assets. The term “Company” shall include any successor to the Company’s business or assets that become bound by this Offer or any subsequent Agreement.

(b) Your Successors. Any rights you have under this Offer or any subsequent Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, your personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors, heirs, distributees, devisees and legatees.

8. Miscellaneous Provisions.

(a) Notice. Notices and all other communications contemplated by this Offer shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when personally delivered or when sent to your corporate email address. In the case of the Company, mailed notices shall be addressed to its corporate headquarters, and all notices shall be directed to the attention of its head of Human Resources.

(b) Modifications and Waivers. No provision of this Offer shall be modified, waived or discharged unless the modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by you and by an authorized officer of the Company (other than you). No waiver by either party of any breach of, or of compliance with, any condition or provision of this Offer by the other party shall be considered a waiver of any other condition or provision or of the same condition or provision at another time.

(c) Whole Offer. No other agreements, representations or understandings (whether oral or written and whether express or implied) which are not expressly set forth in this Offer have been made or entered into by either party with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Offer, any subsequent Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.

(d) Withholding Taxes. All payments made under this Offer shall be subject to reduction to reflect taxes or other charges required to be withheld by law.

(e) No Assignment. This Offer and all of your rights and obligations hereunder are personal to you and may not be transferred or assigned by you at any time. The Company may assign its rights under this Offer to any entity that assumes the Company’s obligations hereunder in connection with any sale or transfer of all or a substantial portion of the Company’s assets to such entity.

(f) Counterparts. This Offer 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.


MariaDB Corporation Ab Offer Letter

 

We are pleased to be able to extend this offer and look forward to working with you. To indicate your acceptance of the Company’s Offer, please sign and date this letter in the space provided below and return it to me, along with a signed and dated copy of the Confidentiality Agreement, on or before COB April 28, 2017. Please indicate the date on which you expect to begin work in the space provided below (the “Commencement Date”).

Sincerely,

 

  MariaDB Corporation Ab     Accepted and Agreed
  /s/ Michael Howard     /s/ Jon Bakke
 

Michael Howard

CEO

   

Jon Bakke

Date: May 15, 2017

Exhibit 10.18

ASSUMPTION, AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT AGREEMENT

This Assumption, Amendment and Restatement Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of September 8, 2022, by and among MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited liability company with business identity code 2344661-1 (“MariaDB”), Mangomill plc, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland with registered number 606330 (the “Company”), Kreos Capital IV (Expert Fund) Limited (“Kreos”) and Mangomill plc, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland with registered number 606330, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”).

WHEREAS, MariaDB and Kreos are parties to that certain Warrant Agreement dated as of December 24, 2014 (the “Kreos Warrant Agreement”) pursuant to which MariaDB has issued to Kreos warrants to subscribe for series B preferred shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB (the “Kreos Warrants”); and

WHEREAS, all of the Kreos Warrants are governed by the Kreos Warrant Agreement; and WHEREAS, the Kreos Warrants entitle Kreos to subscribe for, in aggregate, up to 835,185 series B preferred shares of no par value (convertible into, in aggregate, 835,185 ordinary shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB); and

WHEREAS, on January 31, 2022 a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) was entered into by and among Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company, MariaDB, the Company and Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company; and

WHEREAS, among other matters, subject to the terms and conditions of the Business Combination Agreement and pursuant to Chapter 16, Section 19 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act (624/2006, as amended) and the European Communities (Cross-Border Merger) Regulations 2008 of Ireland, as amended, at the Merger Effective Time (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) (the “Merger Effective Time”), MariaDB will merge with and into the Company by way of a cross-border merger (the “Merger”) and, by virtue of the Merger, the Company will acquire all the assets and liabilities of MariaDB and MariaDB will be dissolved without going into liquidation, in exchange for the issue to the shareholders of MariaDB of ordinary shares with a nominal value of US$0.01 each in the capital of the Company (“Ordinary Shares”) as merger consideration, with the Company continuing as the surviving entity following the Merger under the new name MariaDB plc; and

WHEREAS, MariaDB, the Company and Kreos have agreed that, with effect from the Merger Effective Time, (i) the Company will assume MariaDB’s rights and obligations under the Kreos Warrant Agreement and the Kreos Warrants (each as amended and restated hereby), (ii) the Kreos Warrant Agreement shall be amended and restated in its entirety by the substitution of the terms set out in the Schedule to this Agreement in replacement, and to the exclusion, of the existing terms of the Kreos Warrant Agreement and (iii) the Kreos Warrants shall be amended and restated to confer rights to subscribe for in aggregate such number of Ordinary Shares equal to the product of 835,185 multiplied by the Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) at a purchase price per share of €0.52204 divided by the Exchange Ratio in replacement, and to the exclusion, of all rights to subscribe for series B preferred shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB; and


WHEREAS, with effect from the Effective Time, the Company wishes to appoint the Warrant Agent to serve as warrant agent for the Kreos Warrants under the Kreos Warrant Agreement (each as amended and restated hereby); and

WHEREAS, prior to the Effective Time, it is proposed that the Company will change its name to “MariaDB plc”.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

1. Assumption. The Company hereby assumes, and agrees to pay, perform, satisfy and discharge in full, as the same become due, all of MariaDB’s liabilities and obligations under the Kreos Warrant Agreement and the Kreos Warrants (each as amended and restated hereby) with effect from the Merger Effective Time.

2. Amendment and Restatement of the Kreos Warrant Agreement. MariaDB and Kreos hereby amend and restate, with effect from the Merger Effective Time, the Kreos Warrant Agreement in its entirety by the substitution of the terms set out in the Schedule to this Agreement in replacement, and to the exclusion, of the existing terms of the Kreos Warrant Instrument, such that, with effect from the Merger Effective Time, the Kreos Warrants (as amended and restated hereby) will be governed by the Kreos Warrant Agreement (as amended and restated hereby). This is the sole remedy of Kreos in the Merger.

3. Amendment and Restatement of the Kreos Warrants. MariaDB and Kreos hereby amend and restate, with effect from the Merger Effective Time, the Kreos Warrants to confer rights to subscribe for in aggregate such number of Ordinary Shares equal to the product of 835,185 multiplied by the Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) at a purchase price per share of €0.52204 divided by the Exchange Ratio in replacement, and to the exclusion, of all rights to subscribe for series B preferred shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB.

4. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to serve as warrant agent for the Kreos Warrants under the Kreos Warrant Agreement (each as amended and restated hereby), and the Warrant Agent hereby agrees to accept such appointment, in each case with effect from the Merger Effective Date. The Parties confirm that no physical certificates have been issued or received in respect of the Kreos Warrants.

5. Miscellaneous Provisions.

5.1 Effectiveness of this Agreement. Each of the parties hereto acknowledges and agrees that the effectiveness of this Agreement shall be expressly conditioned on and subject to consummation of the Transactions (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) and shall automatically be terminated and shall be null and void if the Business Combination Agreement shall be terminated for any reason prior to consummation of the Transactions.


5.2 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

5.3 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

5.4 Applicable Law. The validity, interpretation and performance of this Agreement shall be governed in all respects by, and construed in accordance with, Finnish law. The courts of Finland shall have non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising out of or in connection with this Agreement. The Helsinki District Court (in Finnish “Helsingin käräjäokeus”) shall be the court of first instance.

5.5 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. Signatures to this Agreement transmitted by electronic mail in PDF form, or by any other electronic means designed to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document (including DocuSign), will be deemed to have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing the original signatures.

5.6 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

5.7 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, the Kreos Warrant Agreement and the Kreos Warrants (each as amended and restated by this Agreement), constitute the entire understanding of the parties and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, arrangements, promises and commitments, whether written or oral, express or implied, relating to the subject matter hereof, and all such prior agreements, understandings, arrangements, promises and commitments are hereby canceled and terminated.

[Signature Page Follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

MARIADB CORPORATION AB

By:

 

/s/ Michael Howard

 

Name: Michael Howard

 

Title: Chief Executive Officer

MANGOMILL PLC

By:

 

/s/ Theodore T. Wang

 

Name: Theodore T. Wang

 

Title: Principal Executive

KREOS CAPITAL IV (EXPERT FUND) LIMITED

By:

 

/s/ Mark Collins

 

Name: Mark Collins

 

Title: Director

MANGOMILL PLC, as Warrant Agent

By:

 

/s/ Theodore T. Wang

 

Name: Theodore T. Wang

 

Title: Principal Executive


SCHEDULE

AMENDED AND RESTATED WARRANT AGREEMENT

among

MARIADB PLC,

KREOS CAPITAL IV (EXPERT FUND) LIMITED and

MARIADB PLC, as Warrant Agent

THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED WARRANT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made, effective as of the Merger Effective Time (as defined below), by and among MariaDB plc, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland with registered number 606330 (formerly known as Mangomill plc) (the “Company”), Kreos Capital IV (Expert Fund) Limited (“Kreos”) and the Company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”).

WHEREAS, MariaDB Corporation Ab, a Finnish private limited company with business identity code 2344661-1 (“MariaDB”) and Kreos were parties to that certain Warrant Agreement dated as of December 24, 2014 (the “Original Kreos Warrant Agreement”), pursuant to which MariaDB issued to Kreos warrants to subscribe for series B preferred shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB (the “Original Kreos Warrants”); and

WHEREAS, all of the Original Kreos Warrants were governed by the Original Kreos Warrant Agreement; and

WHEREAS, the Original Kreos Warrants entitled Kreos to subscribe for, in aggregate, up to 835,185 series B preferred shares of no par value (convertible into, in aggregate, 835,185 ordinary shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB); and

WHEREAS, on January 31, 2022 a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) was entered into by and among Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company, MariaDB, the Company and Meridian MergerSub Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company; and

WHEREAS, among other matters, subject to the terms and conditions of the Business Combination Agreement and pursuant to Chapter 16, Section 19 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act (624/2006, as amended) and the European Communities (Cross-Border Merger) Regulations 2008 of Ireland, as amended, at the Merger Effective Time (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) (the “Merger Effective Time”), MariaDB merged with and into the Company by way of a cross-border merger (the “Merger”) and, by virtue of the Merger, the Company acquired all the assets and liabilities of MariaDB and MariaDB was dissolved without going into liquidation in exchange for the issue to the shareholders of MariaDB of ordinary shares with a nominal value of US$0.01 each in the capital of the Company (“Ordinary Shares”) as merger consideration, with the Company continuing as the surviving entity following the Merger; and


WHEREAS, pursuant to that certain Assumption, Amendment and Restatement Agreement dated as of September 8, 2022 (the “Assumption Agreement”) entered into by and among MariaDB, the Company, Kreos and the Warrant Agent, with effect from the Merger Effective Time, (i) the Company assumed, and agreed to pay, perform, satisfy and discharge in full, as the same become due, all of MariaDB’s liabilities and obligations under the Original Kreos Warrant Agreement and the Original Kreos Warrants (each as amended and restated by the Assumption Agreement), (ii) the Original Kreos Warrant Agreement was amended and restated in its entirety by the substitution of the terms set out in this Agreement in replacement, and to the exclusion, of the then existing terms of the Original Kreos Warrant Instrument, such that, with effect from the Merger Effective Time, the Original Kreos Warrants (as amended and restated by the Assumption Agreement) are governed by the terms set out in this Agreement and (iii) the Original Kreos Warrants were amended and restated to confer rights to subscribe for in aggregate such number of Ordinary Shares equal to the product of 835,185 multiplied by the Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) at a purchase price per share of €0.52204 divided by the Exchange Ratio in replacement, and to the exclusion, of all rights to subscribe for series B preferred shares of no par value in the capital of MariaDB (the Original Kreos Warrants, as so amended and restated, being the “Warrants” referred to herein) ; and (iv) the Warrant Agent was appointed to serve as warrant agent under this Agreement; and

WHEREAS, the Warrants shall bear the legend set forth in Exhibit A hereto and are subject to adjustment, and the other terms and limitations as described herein; and

WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants; and

WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the holder of the Warrants; and

WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

2. Warrants.

2.1 Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall initially be issued in registered form only.

2.2 Effect of Countersignature. If a physical certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, such Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.


2.3 Registration.

2.3.1. Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the “Warrant Register”), for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company.

Physical certificates, if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Secretary or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.

2.3.2. Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the “Registered Holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on any physical certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

2.4 No Fractional Warrants. The Company shall not issue fractional Warrants. If a holder of Warrants would be entitled to receive a fractional Warrant, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number the number of Warrants to be issued to such holder.

2.5 Transfer of the Warrants. Save as otherwise agreed in writing between Kreos, the Warrant Agent (acting solely under the direction of Kreos) and the Company, the Warrants may not be transferred, assigned or sold; provided, however, that Warrants held by Kreos or any of its Permitted Transferees (as defined below) may be transferred by the holders thereof:

(a) to any members of Kreos or any affiliates of Kreos; provided, however, that these permitted transferees (the “Permitted Transferees”) must first enter into a written agreement with the Company agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions in this Agreement; and

(b) in the event of the Company’s completion of a liquidation, merger, amalgamation, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property.


3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants.

3.1 Warrant Price. Each Warrant (if in certificated form, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent), shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such

Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company (by subscription) one Ordinary Share, at a price of €0.52204 divided by the Exchange Ratio per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 4 hereof. The term “Warrant Price” as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share (including in cash or by payment of Warrants pursuant to a “cashless exercise,” to the extent permitted hereunder) at which Ordinary Shares may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised.

3.2 Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the “Exercise Period”) commencing on the date hereof, and terminating on May 16, 2026 (the “Expiration Date”); provided, however, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection 3.3.2 below with respect to an effective registration statement. Each outstanding Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The term “outstanding” as used in this Agreement with respect to any securities shall mean securities that are issued and outstanding.

3.3 Exercise of Warrants.

3.3.1. Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant (if in certificated form, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent) may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by surrendering it, at the office of the Warrant Agent, or at the office of its successor as Warrant Agent, in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, with the subscription form, as set forth in the Warrant, duly executed, and by paying in full the Warrant Price for each Ordinary Share as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the Ordinary Shares and the issuance of such Ordinary Shares, as follows:

(a) in euros, the single currency of participating members of the monetary economic and monetary union as contemplated in the Treaty on European Union, in good certified check or wire payable to the Warrant Agent;

(b) subject to Section 3.3.3 hereof, by surrendering the Warrants for that number of Ordinary Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Fair Market Value” (as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b)) over the exercise price of the Warrants by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Ordinary Shares for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of exercise of the Warrant is sent to the Warrant Agent; or

(c) subject to Section 3.3.3 hereof, on a “cashless basis” as provided in Section 7.4 hereof.


3.3.2. Issuance of Ordinary Shares on Exercise. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrants and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a)) or in payment of the aggregate nominal value of the relevant number of Ordinary Shares in accordance with Section 3.3.3 hereof (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) or (c)), the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrants the number of Ordinary Shares to which such Registered Holder is entitled, and shall enter the name of such Registered Holder (or its nominee) in the register of members of the Company, and if any Warrants represented by a book-entry position or countersigned certificate shall not have been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned certificate, as applicable, for the number of Ordinary Shares as to which such Warrants shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to issue any Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of Warrants and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrants’ exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) covering the issuance of the Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company’s satisfying its obligations under Section 7.4. No Warrants shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue Ordinary Shares upon exercise of any Warrants unless the Ordinary shares issuable upon such Warrants’ exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the state of residence of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to Warrants, the holder of the Warrants shall not be entitled to exercise such Warrants and such Warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any Warrants. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a “cashless basis”, the holder of any Warrants would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrants, to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number, the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to such holder.

3.3.3. Payment of Nominal Value of the Ordinary Shares in Cash. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the issuance of any Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of Warrants (including, but for this Section 3.3.3, on a “cashless basis” by the surrender of Warrants pursuant to subsections 3.3.1(b) or (c) or Section 7.4 hereof) shall be conditional on the additional payment by the Registered Holder to the Company, by way of subscription, of an amount in cash at least equal to the aggregate nominal value of such Ordinary Shares.

3.3.4. Beneficial Ownership Limitation. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, save with the consent of the Irish Takeover Panel in accordance with Rule 9 of the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997, Takeover Rules 2022 (the “Irish Takeover Rules”), a Registered Holder shall not be permitted to exercise any Warrant and acquire Ordinary Shares to the extent that such exercise and acquisition would result (i) in the Registered Holder and/or any person or persons “acting in concert” (within the meaning of the Irish Takeover Rules) with the Registered Holder holding shares in the capital of the Company representing 30% or more of the voting rights in the Company or (ii) where the Registered Holder and/or any person or persons acting in concert with the


Registered Holder already hold shares representing 30% or more of the voting rights in the Company, in the percentage of the voting rights in the Company held by the Registered Holder and/or any person or persons acting in concert with the Registered Holder, increasing by more than 0.05% within a 12-month period.

3.3.5. Valid Issuance. All Ordinary Shares issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall (i) be issued, be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, (ii) rank pari passu and form one class with the fully paid shares of the same class then in issue, subject to the articles of association of the Company and (iii) entitle the registered holder thereof to receive any dividend or other distribution announced or declared on or after their date of issuance.

4. Adjustments.

4.1 Stock Dividends.

4.1.1. Split-Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.8 below, the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares is increased by a capitalization or share dividend payable in Ordinary Shares, or by a split-up of Ordinary Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Ordinary Shares. A rights offering to holders of Ordinary Shares entitling holders to purchase Ordinary Shares at a price less than the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a share dividend of a number of Ordinary Shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Ordinary Shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Ordinary Shares) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per Ordinary Shares paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Ordinary Shares, in determining the price payable for Ordinary Shares, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Fair Market Value” means the volume weighted average price of Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Ordinary Shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.

4.1.2. Other Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Ordinary Shares on account of such Ordinary Shares (or other securities into which the Warrants are convertible), other than as described in subsection 4.1.1 above, then the Company shall at the time of the purchase of Ordinary Shares by Kreos upon exercise of the Warrants make a payment to Kreos, by way of set- off against the Warrant Price or otherwise, of a sum equal to the aggregate amount which Kreos would have received by way of a dividend or other distribution had Kreos subscribed for the number of Ordinary Shares actually purchased prior to each of the relevant record dates for all declarations or payments of dividends or other distributions made from the date of issue of the relevant Warrants up to and including the date of such subscription.


4.2 Aggregation of Shares. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.8 hereof, the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share split or reclassification of Ordinary Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share split, reclassification or similar event, the number of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Ordinary Shares.

4.3 Adjustments in Exercise Price. Whenever the number of Ordinary Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in subsection 4.1.1 or Section 4.2 above, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of Ordinary Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of Ordinary Shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.

4.4 New Equity Investment. In the event that prior to the puchase of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants the Company issues or sells any Ordinary Shares, whether directly or indirectly by way of options over such Ordinary Shares or any other debt, equity or other security that are, directly or directly, convertible into or exchagable for Ordinary Shares (the “New Round of Investment”), Kreos has a right, in its absolute discretion, to demand and the Company has, upon such demand, an obligation to execute the change of the terms and conditions of the Warrants so that the subscription price per share shall be the lowest price paid for Ordinary Shares in the relevant New Round of Investment (taking into account, where applicable, the effect of any discount or interest accumulated in relation to the conversion of investor or shareholder loans). Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, there shall be no adjustment to the subscription price with respect to any issuance or sale by the Company of: (a) Ordinary Shares issued directly or upon the exercise of options to directors, officers, employees, or consultants of the Company in connection with their service as directors of the Company, their employment by the Company or their retention as consultants by the Company; or (b) Ordinary Shares, options or convertible securities issued in connection with a transaction in which the Company, directly or indirectly, acquires another business or its tangible or intangible assets.

4.5 Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Ordinary Shares (other than a change under Section 4.1 or Section 4.2 hereof or that solely affects the nominal value of such Ordinary Shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or conversion of the Company as another entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Ordinary Shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the Ordinary Shares immediately theretofore


purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares or stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrants immediately prior to such event (the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however, that (i) if the holders of the Ordinary Shares were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the Ordinary Shares in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the Ordinary Shares under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) more than 50% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Ordinary Shares held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in this Section 4; provided further that if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of the Ordinary Shares in the applicable event is payable in the form of shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) (but in no event less than zero) minus (B) the Black- Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black- Scholes Warrant Model for a Capped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets (“Bloomberg”). For purposes of calculating such amount, (i) Section 6 of this Agreement shall be taken into account, (ii) the price of each Ordinary Share shall be the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event, (iii) the assumed volatility shall be the 90 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg determined as of the trading day immediately prior to the day of the announcement of the applicable event and (iv) the assumed risk-free interest rate shall correspond to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the remaining term of the Warrant. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the Ordinary Shares consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per Ordinary Share, and

 


(ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in Ordinary Shares covered by subsection 4.1.1, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections 4.2, 4.3 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.4 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the nominal value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.

4.6 Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of Ordinary Shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.4, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of Warrants, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.

4.7 No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue fractional shares upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to such holder.

4.8 Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.

4.9 Other Events. In case any event shall occur affecting the Company as to which none of the provisions of the preceding subsections of this Section 4 are strictly applicable, but which would require an adjustment to the terms of the Warrants in order to (i) avoid an adverse impact on the Warrants and (ii) effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4, then, in each such case, the Company shall appoint a firm of independent public accountants, investment banking or other appraisal firm of recognized national standing, which shall give its opinion as to whether or not any adjustment to the rights represented by the Warrants is necessary to effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4 and, if they determine that an adjustment is necessary, the terms of such adjustment; provided, however, that under no circumstances shall the Warrants be adjusted pursuant to this Section 4.9 as a result of any issuance of securities in connection with the consummation of the transactions provided for in the Business Combination Agreement. The Company shall adjust the terms of the Warrants in a manner that is consistent with any adjustment recommended in such opinion.


4.10 Redemption. Should the Company decide to acquire or redeem its own Ordinary Shares through a privately negotiated transaction, the Company shall offer to repurchase Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants pro rata based upon the number of Ordinary Shares Kreos would be entitled to receive if the Warrants were exercised for Ordinary Shares immediately prior to such repurchase.

5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.

5.1 Registration of Transfer.

5.1.1. General. Subject to Section 5.1.2 hereof, the Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, in the case of certificated warrants, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.

5.1.2. Irish Stamp Duty. The Company may require, as a condition to the registration of any transfer of a Warrant, evidence from the transferor or intended transferee, which is satisfactory to the Company, that any Irish stamp duty liability arising on such transfer has been duly paid (and any instrument of transfer, as the case may be, has been duly stamped for Irish stamp duty purposes) or that the proposed transfer is otherwise exempt from such duty.

5.2 Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.

5.3 Fractional Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which shall result in the issuance of a warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a Warrant.

5.4 Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.


5.5 Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.

6. [Deliberately left blank.]

7. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.

7.1 No Rights as Shareholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as shareholders in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.

7.2 Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.

7.3 Reservation of Ordinary Shares. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.

7.4 Registration of Ordinary Shares; Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option.

7.4.1. Registration of the Ordinary Shares. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than thirty (30) Business Days after the date of this Agreement, it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission a registration statement covering the issuance, under the Securities Act, of the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the same to become effective within sixty (60) Business Days after the date of this Agreement and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the 60th Business Day following the date of this Agreement, holders of the applicable Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the 61st Business Day after the date of this Agreement and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the Commission, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the applicable Warrants, subject to compliance with Section 3.3.3 hereof, to otherwise exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by


exchanging the Warrants (in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule) or another exemption) for that number of Ordinary Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) over the exercise price of the Warrants by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 7.4.1, “Fair Market Value” shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the Warrant Agent from the holder of such Warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. The date that notice of a “cashless exercise” is received by the Warrant Agent shall be conclusively determined by the Warrant Agent. Except as provided in subsection 7.4.2, for the avoidance of any doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised or have expired, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this subsection 7.4.1.

7.4.2. Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option. If the Ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule), the Company may, at its option, subject to compliance with Section 3.3.3 hereof, (i) require holders of the Warrants who exercise the Warrants to otherwise exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule) as described in subsection 7.4.1 and (ii) in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary.

8. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.

8.1 Payment of Taxes. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes or duties (including any Irish stamp duty) in respect of the Warrants or such shares.

8.2 Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.

8.2.1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New


York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.

8.2.2. Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the transfer agent for the Ordinary Shares not later than the effective date of any such appointment.

8.2.3. Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any corporation into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.

8.3 Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.

8.3.1. Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.

8.3.2. Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.


8.4 Liability of Warrant Agent.

8.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering

any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Secretary or Chairman of the Board of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.

8.4.2. Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, out-of-pocket costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith.

8.4.3. Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any Ordinary Shares shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and non-assessable.

8.5 Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of Ordinary Shares through the exercise of the Warrants.

9. Miscellaneous Provisions.

9.1 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

9.2 Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:

MariaDB Plc

Address 699 Veterans Blvd

Redwood City, CA 94063

E-mail: legal@mariadb.com


With a copy to:

Perkins Coie LLP

505 Howard Street

Suite 1100

San Francisco, CA 94105

Attention: Edward Wes and Gina Eiben

Email: edwes@perkinscoie.com and geiben@perkinscoie.com

Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:

MariaDB Plc

Address 699 Veterans Blvd

Redwood City, CA 94063

E-mail: legal@mariadb.com

With a copy to:

Perkins Coie LLP

505 Howard Street

Suite 1100

San Francisco, CA 94105

Attention: Edward Wes and Gina Eiben

Email: edwes@perkinscoie.com and geiben@perkinscoie.com

9.3 Applicable Law. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

9.4 Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.


9.5 Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such holder’s Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.

9.6 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which together shall constitute one instrument. Delivery of this Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law) or other transmission method, and the parties hereto agree that any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.

9.7 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

9.8 Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the Company and the Warrant Agent without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the Registered Holders. All other modifications or amendments, including any amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period, shall require the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of 65% of the then outstanding Warrants.

9.9 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

[Signature Page Follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

MARIADB PLC

By:    
  Name:
  Title:
KREOS CAPITAL IV (EXPERT FUND) LIMITED
By:    
  Name:
  Title:
MARIADB PLC, as Warrant Agent
By:    
  Name:
  Title:

[Signature Page - Warrant Agreement]


EXHIBIT A

LEGEND

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 2 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT AMONG MARIADB PLC, AN IRISH PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY, KREOS CAPITAL IV (EXPERT FUND) LIMITED) (WHICH AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS) AND WARRANT AGENT.”

NO. WARRANT

Exhibit 21.1

Subsidiaries of MariaDB plc

MariaDB USA, Inc. (Delaware)

Exhibit 99.1

MARIADB CORPORATION AB

AUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

F-1


INDEX TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 206)

     F-3  

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2022 and 2021

     F-4  

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021

     F-5  

Consolidated Statements of Convertible Preferred Shares and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021

     F-6  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021

     F-7  

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-8  

 

F-2


REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of

MariaDB Corporation Ab

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of MariaDB Corporation Ab and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) as of September 30, 2022, and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, convertible preferred shares and stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2022, and 2021, 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.

Going Concern Matter

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations and has a net capital deficiency that raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s 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 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 financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the 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 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 financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ MaloneBailey, LLP

www.malonebailey.com

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021

Houston, Texas

December 22, 2022

 

F-3


MariaDB Corporation Ab

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except par value and share amounts)

 

     September 30,
2022
    September 30,
2021
 
ASSETS             

Current assets:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 4,756     $ 6,907  

Short-term investments

     25,999       —    

Accounts receivable, net

     12,154       11,692  

Prepaids and other current assets

     15,806       4,676  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

     58,715       23,275  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

     708       926  

Goodwill

     7,535       4,649  

Intangible assets, net

     1,120       706  

Operating lease right-of-use assets

     890       1,645  

Other noncurrent assets

     1,006       472  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 69,974     $ 31,673  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT             

Current liabilities:

    

Accounts payable

   $ 3,267     $ 1,938  

Accrued expenses

     8,902       6,774  

Operating lease liabilities

     496       658  

Long-term debt, current

     122       11,723  

Deferred revenue

     26,236       25,091  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     39,023       46,184  

Long-term debt, net of current

     14,622       17,513  

Operating lease liabilities, net of current

     433       1,035  

Deferred revenue, net of current

     5,321       8,118  

Warrant liabilities

     1,749       5,303  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     61,148       78,153  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 12)

    

Convertible preferred shares, par value of $0 per share; 183,565,242 and 125,343,885 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2022 and 2021

     206,969       106,226  

Stockholders’ equity (deficit):

    

Common share, par value of $0 per share; 60,764,711 and 51,107,130 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2022 and 2021

     —         —    

Additional paid-in-capital

     11,482       6,440  

Accumulated deficit

     (200,320     (151,669

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

     (9,305     (7,477
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     (198,143     (152,706
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities, convertible preferred shares and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

   $ 69,974     $ 31,673  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F-4


MariaDB Corporation Ab

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022     2021  

Revenue:

    

Subscription

   $ 38,451     $ 31,806  

Services

     5,234       4,222  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

     43,685       36,028  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cost of revenue:

    

Subscription

     6,595       5,292  

Services

     6,966       4,334  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total cost of revenue

     13,561       9,626  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     30,124       26,402  

Operating expenses:

    

Research and development

     35,416       24,828  

Sales and marketing

     27,938       19,065  

General and administrative

     15,161       8,485  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expense

     78,515       52,378  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (48,391     (25,976

Other (expense) income:

    

Interest expense

     (1,608     (2,773

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities

     (5,712     3,626  

Other income (expense), net

     7,141       (235
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income tax expense

     (48,570     (25,358

Income tax expense

     (81     (84
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

   $ (48,651   $ (25,442
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to common shares – basic and diluted

   $ (0.83   $ (0.51
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted

     58,801,357       50,361,879  

Comprehensive Loss:

    

Net loss

   $ (48,651   $ (25,442

Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes

     (4,005     654  

Unrealized gain (loss) from available-for-sale securities, net of taxes

     2,177       —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss

   $ (50,479   $ (24,788
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 

F-5


MariaDB Corporation Ab

Consolidated Statements of Convertible Preferred Shares and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

(in thousands, except shares amount)

 

     Convertible Preferred Shares      Common Shares      Additional
Paid-In
Capital
     Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income

(Loss)
    Accumulated
Deficit
    Total
Stockholders’
Equity

(Deficit)
 
     Shares      Amount      Shares      Amount                            

Balance at September 30, 2020

     125,343,885      $  106,226        49,146,308      $  —        $ 5,748      $ (8,131   $ (126,227   $ (128,610

Exercise of share options

     —          —          1,960,822        —          174        —         —         174  

Share-based compensation

     —          —          —          —          518        —         —         518  

Other comprehensive income (loss)

     —          —          —          —          —          654       —         654  

Net loss

     —          —          —          —          —          —         (25,442     (25,442
                   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at September 30, 2021

     125,343,885        106,226        51,107,130        —          6,440        (7,477     (151,669     (152,706

Exercise of share options

     —          —          9,657,581        —          1,116        —         —         1,116  

Issuance of Class D Preferred Shares

     57,633,588        99,853        —          —          —          —         —         —    

Exercise of Class C Preferred Share Warrants

     587,769        890        —          —          —          —         —         —    

Issuance of Common Shares as consideration for CubeWerx and Sector 42 acquisition

     —          —          —          —          2,056        —         —         2,056  

Share-based compensation

     —          —          —          —          1,870        —         —         1,870  

Other comprehensive income (loss)

     —          —          —          —          —          (1,828     —         (1,828

Net loss

     —          —          —          —          —          —         (48,651     (48,651
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at September 30, 2022

     183,565,242      $ 206,969        60,764,711      $  —        $  11,482      $ (9,305   $ (200,320   $ (198,143
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F-6


MariaDB Corporation Ab

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022     2021  

Operating activities:

    

Net loss

   $ (48,651   $ (25,442

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

    

Bad debt expense

     400       417  

Depreciation and amortization

     584       546  

Non-cash lease expense

     636       656  

Stock-based compensation

     1,870       518  

Change in fair value of warrant liability

     5,712       (3,626

Amortization of debt discount

     —         1,114  

Amortization of deferred commission

     1,669       600  

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     148       —    

Foreign currency (gain) loss, net

     (1,480     210  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Accounts receivable

     (2,091     (2,295

Other current assets

     (13,450     (1,829

Other noncurrent assets

     (545     (116

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     4,064       2,370  

Operating lease liability

     (645     (661

Deferred revenue

     1,455       9,001  

Net cash used in operating activities

     (50,324     (18,537
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investing activities:

    

Purchases of property and equipment

     (322     (419

Acquisition of CubeWerx and Sector 42, net of cash acquired

     (1,656     —    

Purchases of bonds

     (35,286     —    

Disposal of bonds

     9,435       —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

     (27,829     (419
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Financing activities:

    

Proceeds from stock options exercise

     1,116       174  

Proceeds from issuance of preferred shares

     95,470       —    

Proceeds from issuance of convertible note

     5,000       —    

Settlement of warrant liabilities

     (7,749     —    

Repayment of long-term debt

     (11,245     (148
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

     82,592       26  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

     (6,590     99  

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

     (2,151     (18,831

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     6,907       25,738  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

   $ 4,756     $ 6,907  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

    

Cash paid for income taxes

   $ 68     $ 84  

Cash paid for interest

   $ 2,140     $ 1,066  

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

    

Conversion of debt to Series D Preferred Shares

   $ 5,172     $ —    

Issuance of Series C Preferred Shares – Exercise of Warrant Liabilities, Fair Value

   $ 101     $ —    

Purchases of property and equipment included in accounts payable at year end

   $ 7     $ 12  

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities

   $ —       $ 163  

Issuance of common shares—CubeWerx and Sector 42 acquisition

   $ 2,056     $ —    

Contingent consideration—CubeWerx and Sector 42 acquisition

   $ 100     $ —    

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

 

F-7


MariaDB Corporation Ab

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1. Organization and Description of Business

Description of Business

MariaDB Corporation Ab (“MariaDB” or the “Company”) was originally incorporated in Finland in 2010. MariaDB is one of the most popular, general purpose, relational database. The Company’s operations consist of programming, development and sales of software programs, applications and tools related to enterprise database software, including a cloud database-as-a service, and related systems and services. In addition, the Company also provides user support, consultation and training for the software, applications, tools, and systems. The Company is active in development of both open source and closed source software.

The Company is headquartered in Espoo, Finland and has operations in Redwood City, California and Sofia, Bulgaria. The Company’s fiscal year ends September 30.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements, including the accounts of MariaDB and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). All intercompany balances and transactions among the consolidated entities have been eliminated in consolidation.

Emerging Growth Company Status

The Company is an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. The Company has elected to avail itself of this exemption and, therefore, for new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies, the Company will be subject to an extended transition period until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies.

Business Combination

On January 31, 2022, the business combination agreement (the “Merger Agreement”) was signed between Angel Pond Holdings Corporation (“APHC”), the Company, and certain other parties. In accordance with the Merger Agreement, certain holders of equity securities of the Company (the “Equity Holders”) would receive shares of the continuing public company (the “Combined Company”) following a series of mergers (the “Business Combination”). At the time of closing the Business Combination, all outstanding capital shares and stock options of the Company would become similar securities of the Combined Company. All the proceeds from APHC’s trust account available after any redemptions of APHC’s public shares in connection with the closing of the Business Combination and from the related PIPE investment, after payment of transaction expenses and deferred underwriting fees, would remain on the Combined Company’s balance sheet to fund its growth and working capital.

 

F-8


Liquidity and Going Concern

As of September 30, 2022, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $200.3 million and $4.8 million in cash and cash equivalents. Without giving effect to the anticipated net proceeds from the Business Combination, the Company does not believe that current cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund operations, including capital expenditure requirements for at least 12 months from the date the financial statements were issued. This raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

The Company’s need for additional capital may depend on many factors, including subscription revenue growth rate, subscription renewals, billing timing and frequency, the timing and extent of spending to support development efforts, the expansion of sales and marketing activities, the need for necessary technology and operating infrastructure to support the business, the introduction of new and enhanced database features and functionality and the continued market adoption of database solutions. The Company may be required to raise funds through additional equity or debt financings. However, such financings are subject to market conditions, and are not within the Company’s control, and therefore cannot be deemed probable as adequate capital may not be available to the Company when needed or on acceptable terms. There is no assurance that the Company will be successful in raising additional funds. As a result, the Company has concluded that potentially raising funds does not alleviate substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying annual financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern and do not include adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Such estimates include but are not limited to fair value measurement of financial instruments, allowances for credit losses, the incremental borrowing rate related to the Company’s lease liabilities, fair value of acquired intangible assets and goodwill, useful lives of acquired intangible assets and property and equipment, stock-based compensation, revenue recognition and accounting for income taxes. The Company based its assumptions and estimates on parameters available when the consolidated financial statements were prepared. Since future events and their effects cannot be predicted with absolute certainty, actual results could differ from current estimates.

In 2020, the global economy and financial markets had been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The continuing uncertainty around the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic required the use of judgments and estimates in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. The future impact of COVID-19 uncertainties could generate, in future reporting periods, a significant impact to the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses in these and any future consolidated financial statements. Examples of accounting estimates and judgments that may be impacted by the pandemic include, but are not limited to: revenue recognition, impairment of goodwill and intangible assets, allowance for expected credit losses, and tax provisions.

Foreign currency

The functional currency of the Company is the Euro (EUR). The functional currency of the Company’s international subsidiaries is either the EUR or the local currency in which the international subsidiary operates. For the foreign subsidiaries where the functional currency is not the local currency, local currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities are re-measured into the functional currency at current exchange rates and foreign currency

 

F-9


denominated nonmonetary assets and liabilities are re-measured into the functional currency at historical exchange rates. Transaction gains or losses from foreign currency re-measurement and settlements are included in other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. In the consolidated financial statements, the financial information of the Company and its international subsidiaries has been translated into U.S. dollars. The Company uses the exchange rate as of each balance sheet date to translate assets and liabilities and the average exchange rate during the period to translate revenue and expenses into U.S. dollars. Convertible Preferred Shares and stockholders’ equity (deficit) are translated at historical rate. Translation gains or losses resulting from translating foreign functional currency financial statements into U.S. dollars are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of stockholders’ equity (deficit).

The Company is exposed to fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the EUR. The change in the value of the EUR relative to the U.S. dollar may affect the Company’s financial results reported in the U.S. dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying changes in its business or results of operations.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash held in our bank accounts and on hand as well as highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at acquisition. The Company maintains such investments in immaterial money market funds, which have readily determinable fair values using quoted prices in active markets.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk are primarily cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. Substantially all of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are maintained at financial institutions in the United States and Finland. Cash and cash equivalents can exceed amounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Deposit Guarantee schemes of up to $250,000 and €100,000, respectively.

Customer credit risk is managed by the business and is subject to the Company’s established policy and procedures relating to customer credit risk management. The credit quality of a customer is assessed based on an extensive credit rating scorecard and individual credit limits are defined in accordance with this assessment. Outstanding customer receivables and contract assets are regularly monitored. The Company evaluates the concentration of risk with respect to trade receivables as low, as its customers are in several geographical regions and industries and operate in largely independent markets.

As of September 30, 2022, no customer accounted for more than 10% of the total balance of accounts receivable. As of September 30, 2021, one customer accounted for 12.8% of the total balance of accounts receivable. For the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, no customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s total revenues.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The standard describes a fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, as described below, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

F-10


Level 2: Quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active or observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical or similar assets or liabilities.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. These include the Black-Scholes option-pricing model which uses inputs such as expected volatility, risk-free interest rate and expected term to determine fair market valuation.

As of September 30, 2022, the Company’s investment securities consisted of $26.0 million in United States (“U.S.”) Treasury Bills, all of which mature by December 2022. During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company changed the classification of its U.S. Treasury Bills from held-to-maturity to available-for-sale based on its intent to sell the securities. The Company’s available-for-sale marketable securities are recorded at fair value. Any unrealized gains or losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income within the consolidated balance sheet. Any realized gains and losses are recorded as a part of other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in accordance with ASC 320 “Investments—Debt and Equity Security.”

The Company considers all investments with original maturities of greater than three months and less than 12 months to be short-term investments.

The fair value of available-for-sale securities on September 30, 2022 is as follows (in thousands):

 

     Amortized
Cost
     Gross
Unrealized
Gains
     Gross
Unrealized
Losses
     Effect of
Foreign
Currency
Translation
    Fair
Value
 

U.S. Treasury Bills

   $ 25,962      $ 2,177      $  —      $ (2,140   $  25,999  

Assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements. The Company reviews the fair value hierarchy classification at each reporting date. Changes in the ability to observe valuation inputs may result in a reclassification of levels for certain assets or liabilities within the fair value hierarchy. The Company did not have any transfers of assets and liabilities between the levels of the fair value measurement hierarchy during the years presented.

As of September 30, 2022 and 2021, the carrying value of the Company’s financial instruments included in current assets and current liabilities (including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, deferred revenue) approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of such items. The money market funds within cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities are classified within Level 1 of the hierarchy as the values are derived from quoted prices in active markets.

The Company’s warrants are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis. The estimation of fair value for these investments requires the use of significant unobservable inputs, and as a result, the Company classifies these liabilities as Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy. Refer to Note 7 for further details on the valuation inputs.

We have not elected the fair value option as prescribed by ASC 825, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, for our financial assets and liabilities that are not otherwise required to be carried at fair value. Under ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, material financial assets and liabilities not carried at fair value, such as our long-term debt and accounts receivable and payable, are reported at their carrying values.

 

F-11


Accounts Receivable, Net

An accounts receivable is recognized if and when an amount of consideration is due from a customer and is unconditional (i.e., only the passage of time is required before payment of the consideration is due). Accounts receivable are non- interest bearing and are generally on terms of 30 to 90 days. Generally, trade receivables are written-off if past due for more than 12 months and are not subject to enforcement activity. Accounts receivable presented on the consolidated balance sheets are adjusted for any write-offs and net of allowance for credit losses. An analysis is performed at each reporting date using a provision matrix to measure expected credit losses. The Company applies a simplified approach in calculating current expected credit losses (CECL). Therefore, the Company does not track changes in credit risk, but instead recognizes a loss allowance based on lifetime CECLs at each reporting date. The Company has established a provision matrix that is based on the Company’s historical observed default rates. The Company will calibrate the historical credit loss experience, adjusted for forward-looking factors specific to the debtors and the economic environment. The Company’s estimates of the allowance for credit losses may not be indicative of the Company’s actual credit losses requiring additional charges to be incurred to reflect the actual amount collected.

The following table presents the changes in the allowance for credit losses:

 

     Year Ended
September 30,
 
     2022      2021  
     (in thousands)  

Balance, beginning of year

   $  394      $ 246  

Add: provision for credit losses

     400        417  

Less: write-offs, net of recoveries

     (94      (255

Foreign currency translation

     (58      (14
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance, end of year

   $ 642      $ 394  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Prepaids and Other Current Assets

Prepaid expenses for the year ended September 30, 2022 were primarily related to deferred equity issuance costs in anticipation of the Business Combination. Prepaid expenses for the year ended September 30, 2021 are payments made to vendors or services providers for future services. Other current assets primarily consist of deferred commissions. Prepaid expenses totaled $13.5 million and $2.3 million as of September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The remaining balance within prepaids and other current assets related to deferred commissions, totaling $1.8 million and $2.3 million as of September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and other receivables totaling $0.5 million and $0.1 million as of September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment are recorded at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. The Company records depreciation over the estimated useful lives of the assets, typically two to five years, using the straight-line method. Repair and maintenance costs are recognized in operating expenses as incurred. Property and equipment is derecognized upon sale or disposal. Any gain or loss arising upon a sale or disposal of property and equipment is included in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss of the related period. The Company evaluates the recoverability of property and equipment for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The Company has not recorded any material impairment charges related to property and equipment during the years presented.

 

F-12


Business Combinations

We apply the provisions of ASC 805, Business Combinations (ASC 805), in accounting for our acquisitions. ASC 805 requires that we evaluate whether a transaction pertains to an acquisition of assets, or to an acquisition of a business. A business is defined as an integrated set of assets and activities that is capable of being conducted and managed for the purpose of providing a return to investors. Asset acquisitions are accounted for by allocating the cost of the acquisition to the individual assets and liabilities assumed on a relative fair value basis; whereas the acquisition of a business requires us to recognize separately from goodwill the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed at the acquisition date fair values. The Company uses its best estimates and assumptions to assign fair value to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the acquisition date. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. These estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. During the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the fair value of these tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding offset to goodwill. In addition, uncertain tax positions and tax-related valuation allowances are initially established in connection with a business combination as of the acquisition date. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the fair value of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Acquisition-related expenses are recognized separately from the business combination and are expensed as incurred.

Leases

The Company enters into various operating leases for office space. The leases expire at various dates, have certain options to renew, and may contain escalation provisions. At the inception of a contract, the Company determines whether the arrangement is or contains a lease based on the facts and circumstances present. Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities are recognized on the date the Company takes possession of the leased property (the “Commencement Date”) based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term.

Lease expense on leases containing known future scheduled rent increases is recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the respective leases beginning on the Commencement Date. The difference between lease expense and rent paid is accounted for as a component of operating lease right-of-use assets on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Landlord improvement allowances and other such lease incentives are recorded as property and equipment and as reduction of the right-of-use leased assets and are amortized on a straight-line basis as a reduction to operating lease costs. The key estimates for the Company’s leases include the incremental borrowing rate used to determine the present value of lease payments and the lease term. The Company’s leases generally do not include an implicit rate. Management determines the incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at lease commencement. The lease terms used to calculate the right-of-use asset and related lease liability include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. The Company elected the practical expedient to exclude short-term agreements of 12 months or less from capitalization. The Company evaluates the recoverability of the operating right-of-use assets for possible impairment in accordance with the long-lived assets policy.

Operating leases are reflected in operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities and operating lease liabilities, net of current on the consolidated balance sheets. Within the statements of cash flows, the Company classifies all cash payments associated with operating leases within operating activities.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of cost over fair value of identified assets acquired and liabilities assumed by the Company in an acquisition of a business. The determination of the value of goodwill and intangible assets arising from a business combination requires extensive use of accounting estimates and judgments to allocate the purchase price to the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired.

 

F-13


The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. The Company operates as a single operating segment with one reporting unit and consequently evaluates goodwill for impairment based upon an evaluation of the fair value of the Company as a whole. The Company’s single reporting unit had a negative carrying value as of September 30, 2022 and 2021. The Company may first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Company’s single operating segment is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test. If the Company prefers to bypass the qualitative assessment or determines that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount based on the qualitative factors, then the quantitative goodwill impairment test will be performed. In accordance with the Company’s policy, the Company completed its annual evaluation for impairment as of September 30, 2022 using a qualitative assessment. The annual evaluation for goodwill impairment as of September 30, 2022 and September 30, 2021 did not result in an impairment.

Intangible assets acquired separately are measured on initial recognition at cost and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life. The cost of intangible assets acquired in a business combination is their fair value at the date of acquisition. The Company evaluates the recoverability of acquired finite-lived intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Factors that could trigger an impairment review include significant under-performance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results, significant changes in the manner of the Company’s use of the acquired assets or the strategy for the Company’s overall business or significant negative industry or economic trends. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If such review indicates that the carrying amount of intangible assets is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets is reduced to fair value. The Company has not recorded any material impairment charges related to acquired finite-lived intangible assets during the years presented.

Warrant Liabilities

The Company accounts for its preferred share warrants issued in connection with its various financing transactions based upon the characteristics and provisions of the instrument. The preferred share warrants were issued for no cash consideration as detachable freestanding instruments but can be converted to convertible preferred shares at the holder’s option based on the exercise price of the warrant. However, the deemed liquidation provisions of the convertible preferred shares are considered contingent redemption provisions that are not solely within the control of the Company.

The Company recognized warrants to purchase shares of its convertible preferred shares as warrant liabilities, measured at fair value at inception and subsequently re-measured each reporting period with fair value gains and losses recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company estimates the fair value of these liabilities using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and assumptions that are based on the individual characteristics of the warrants or instruments on the valuation date, as well as assumptions for expected volatility, expected life, yield, and risk-free interest rate. The Company will continue to adjust the liability for changes in fair value until the earlier of the exercise of the warrants, the expiration of the warrants, or until such time as the warrants are no longer considered a liability.

 

F-14


Convertible Preferred Shares

The Company records all convertible preferred shares at their respective transaction prices on the dates of issuance, less issuance costs. The Company classifies its convertible preferred shares as temporary equity on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2022 and 2021 because the requirements of a deemed liquidation event as defined within the Company’s amended and restated articles of association are not entirely within the Company’s control. In the event of such deemed liquidation event, the proceeds are distributed in accordance with certain liquidation preferences, provided that the holders of preferred shares have not converted their shares into common shares. The Company has not adjusted the carrying value of outstanding preferred shares to its liquidation preference because a deemed liquidation event is not probable of occurring as of the end of the reporting period.

Convertible Notes

During the year ended September 30, 2022, we issued a convertible note and such note was converted into Company equity, with such note being accounted for in accordance with ASC 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). Under ASC 815, issuers of certain convertible debt instruments are generally required to separately account for the conversion option of the convertible debt instrument as either a derivative or equity, unless it meets the scope exemption for contracts indexed to, and settled in, an issuer’s own equity. Since this conversion option is clearly and closely related to the debt host, we have met the scope exemption, and therefore, we did not separately account for the embedded conversion option. The initial issuance and any principal repayments are classified as financing activities and interest payments are classified as operating activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows. In the second quarter, upon conversion, the convertible note was reclassified into stockholders’ equity (deficit). Refer to Note 13 for additional considerations.

Segment Information

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) who is the Company’s chief executive officer, in deciding how to allocate resources and assess our financial and operational performance. The CODM evaluates the Company’s financial information and resources and assesses the performance of these resources on a consolidated and aggregated basis. Accordingly, the Company has determined that it operates in one operating and reportable segment.

Revenue Recognition

The Company derives its revenue from (1) database-related subscription solutions, including open source software integrated with post-contract customer support (“PCS”), (2) consumption-based database-as-a-service offerings, and (3) professional services revenue that includes remote database administration, engineering architecture, software installation, monitoring, maintenance, and reporting, in addition to other services including consulting and training.

The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606) when a contract with a customer exists, the control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services, and when the identified performance obligation has been satisfied.

The Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In determining the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized as it fulfills its obligations under each of its agreements, the Company performs the following steps:

 

F-15


  A.

Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer: The Company contracts with its customers through order forms, which are generally governed by master sales agreements. The Company determines it has a contract with a customer when the contract is approved and signed, each party’s rights regarding the products or services to be transferred is identified, the payment terms for the services can be identified, the Company has determined the customer has the ability and intent to pay, and the contract has commercial substance. The Company applies judgment in determining the customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors, including the customer’s historical payment experience, credit, reputation and other financial information available. At contract inception, the Company evaluates whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single contract and whether the combined or single contract includes more than one performance obligation. The Company has concluded that its contracts with customers do not contain warranties that give rise to a separate performance obligation.

 

  B.

Identification of the performance obligations in the contract: Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the services or products that will be transferred to the customer that are both 1) capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the service or product either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available from third parties or from the Company and 2) distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the services or products is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. To the extent a contract includes multiple promised services or products, the Company applies judgment to determine whether promised services or products are capable of being distinct and distinct in the context of the contract. If these criteria are not met, the promised services or products are accounted for as a combined performance obligation.

 

  C.

Determination of the transaction price: The transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring services and products to the customer. The Company does not have variable consideration. None of the Company’s contracts contain a significant financing component.

 

  D.

Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract: If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. For contracts that contain multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative standalone selling price (“SSP”) basis. In cases where directly observable standalone sales are not available, the Company utilizes all observable data points, including competitor pricing for a similar or identical product, market and industry data points and the Company’s pricing practices establishing the SSP.

 

  E.

Recognition of revenue, when, or as the Company satisfies a performance obligation: The Company recognizes revenue as the related performance obligation is satisfied and when control of the services or products are transferred to the customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services or products. The Company records its revenue net of any value added or sales tax.

Subscription Revenue

The Company sells subscriptions directly through its sales representatives, online channels, through resellers, and indirectly through channel partners. The Company’s subscription contracts typically range from one to three years and are invoiced upfront, or annually, for multi-year contracts. The Company’s subscription contracts are generally non-cancelable and non-refundable.

 

F-16


The Company’s subscription revenue is derived from open source software integrated with PCS. The licenses provided are open source in nature and no transfer of control is required. The PCS portion represents the Company’s promise to stand ready to provide technical support and maintenance and to provide unspecified (when-and-if-available) updates, upgrades and enhancements over the course of the customer’s subscription. The Company has concluded that although these represent two distinct sets of promised services, they are both stand-ready obligations that are being provided over the same period of time and have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. As such, the PCS bundle is considered a combined performance obligation, and PCS revenues are recognized ratably over the contract duration as the performance obligation is continuously transferred to the customer.

The Company also derives subscription revenue from providing its software to customers with its database-as-a-service offerings that includes MariaDB software products offered in a cloud-based computing environment. Performance obligations related to database-as-a-service offerings are recognized on a usage-basis, as the consumption of this service represents a direct measurement of the value to the customer of the goods or services transferred to date relative to the remaining goods or services promised under the contract.

The Company has certain revenue contracts that involve the use of third-party vendors. In these arrangements, the Company determined it acts as the principal and reports revenue from these contracts on a gross basis.

Services Revenue

Service revenue includes professional services such as remote database administration, engineering architecture, software installation, monitoring, maintenance, and reporting, in addition to other services including consulting and training.

Professional services are typically billed on a time and materials basis and fixed-fee basis, and revenue is recognized as the services are performed for time and materials contracts and on a relative performance basis or ratably over the contract term for fixed-fee contracts. Professional services recognized at a point in time amounted to $0.2 million and $0.5 million and professional services recognized over time amounted to $5.0 million and $3.7 million for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Principal versus Agent

In connection with the MariaDB Enterprise subscription offering, the Company provides optional add-on tools and features, such as monitoring features that enable users to analyze data in the applications.

In these arrangements, the Company assesses the contract to determine if the revenue and expense should be presented on a gross or a net basis. The determination as to whether revenue should be reported gross of amounts billed to customers (gross basis) or net of payments to the third-party vendors (net basis) requires judgment, which is based on the Company’s assessment of whether it is acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction.

In these arrangements involving third parties, the Company determined it is the principal in the transaction with the end user as a result of controlling, hosting, and integrating the delivery of the virtual items to the end user. The Company is the primary obligor because it directs the use of the add-on features, establishes pricing, and establishes and maintains a direct relationship with the customer, and takes the risk of loss for delivery, collection, and returns. Based on these and other factors, the Company reports revenue from contracts that involve the use of third-party vendors on a gross basis.

 

F-17


Contracts with Multiple Performance Obligations

Some of the Company’s contracts with customers contain multiple performance obligations, including those described above in Subscription Revenue, such as the open source and source-available license integrated with PCS, professional services, and database-as-a-service offerings. For these contracts, the Company accounts for individual performance obligations separately if they are deemed distinct. The transaction price is allocated to the separate performance obligations on a relative SSP basis. The determination of SSP for each distinct performance obligation may require judgment. The Company determines SSP based on the price at which the performance obligation is separately sold. In cases where directly observable standalone sales are not available, the Company utilizes all observable data points, including competitor pricing for a similar or identical product, market and industry data points, and the Company’s pricing practices establishing the SSP.

Research and Development

Research and development expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, including salaries bonuses, benefits, and stock-based compensation, as well as contractor and professional services fees, software and subscription services dedicated for use by the Company’s research and development organization and allocated overhead. Costs to acquire technologies to be used in research and development that have not reached technological feasibility and have no alternative future use are expensed as incurred.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing expenses consist of personnel-related costs, including salaries, sales commissions, bonuses, benefits, stock-based compensation, third-party costs related to marketing programs, and travel-related costs as well as allocated overhead. All advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising costs incurred and recorded in sales and marketing expenses during each of the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 were approximately $5.5 million and $3.3 million, respectively.

General and Administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses consist of primarily of personnel-related costs including salaries, bonuses, benefits, and stock-based compensation associated with our finance, legal, human resources and other administrative personnel. In addition, general and administrative expenses include non-personnel costs, such as fees for professional services such as external legal, accounting and other professional services and expenses associated with software and subscription services dedicated for use by our general and administrative organization.

Interest Expense

Borrowing costs consist of interest and other costs that an entity incurs in connection with the borrowing of funds.

Pension Benefits Expense

Pension benefits expense is payroll related statutory social security costs for employees outside the United States that are paid to state-controlled insurance companies. Pension benefits expense is included in cost of revenue and operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations comprehensive loss, and totaled $0.9 million and $0.6 million for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Income Taxes

The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. This method requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Estimates and judgments occur in the calculation of certain tax liabilities and in the determination of the recoverability of certain deferred income tax assets, which arise from temporary differences and carryforwards. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount the Company believes is more likely than not to be realized.

 

F-18


The Company recognizes the tax benefit from uncertain tax positions only if it believes that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the tax authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit is measured based on the largest benefit that is more likely than not of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company recognizes interest and penalties on amounts due to taxing authorities as a component of other income (expense), net.

Stock-Based Compensation

Employees (including senior executives) of the Company are granted share-based payments in the form of stock options. MariaDB has granted options to its employees, members of the board as well as some advisors under the following plans, collectively (the “Plans”):

 

   

Summer Share Option Plan 2022 USA

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2017

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2017 USA

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2014 Europe

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2014 USA

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2012 Europe

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2012 USA

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2012 France

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2010 Europe

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2010 USA

 

   

Global Share Option Plan 2010 France

The Plans provide for the grant of equity-based awards with their terms generally similar to the Company’s Global Share Option Plan 2017 approved in 2017. In addition, on July 4, 2022, the Company’s board approved the Summer 2022 USA Share Option Plan (the “2022 US Plan”) as described in Note 9.

Stock-based compensation costs are calculated based on the fair value of the share-based award on the date the grant is made using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model for stock options and recognized as compensation expense in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period. Determining the appropriate fair value model and related input assumptions requires judgment, including estimating the fair value of the Company’s common shares, share price volatility, and expected term, which impact the fair value estimated and the expense that will be recognized.

Net Loss Per Share

The Company calculates basic net loss per share by dividing net loss attributable to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common shares outstanding during the period, less shares subject to repurchase. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period using the treasury-stock method and preferred shares using the if-converted method, to the extent they are dilutive. In computing diluted net loss per share, assumed proceeds received from the exercise of options or warrants are used to purchase common shares at the average market prices during the period, and the resulting net additional common shares are included in the calculation of weighted-average number of shares of common shares outstanding.

 

F-19


Diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share for each period presented since the effects of potentially dilutive securities are antidilutive given the net loss of the Company.

Recent Accounting Updates

Changes to GAAP are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of accounting standards updates (“ASU”). ASU’s not listed below were assessed and determined not to be applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Updates

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 605, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605). Topic 606 is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires a company to recognize revenue when goods and services are transferred to the customer in an amount that is proportionate to what has been delivered at that point and that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled for those goods or services. The Company adopted this standard on October 1, 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases” and its related amendments (collectively referred to as “Topic 842”), which requires that lessees recognize right-to-use assets and related lease liabilities for substantially all significant financing and operating leases not considered short-term leases, and specifies where in the statement of cash flows the related lease payments are to be presented. The guidance is effective for years beginning after December 15, 2020 and early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this standard on October 1, 2019 following the modified retrospective method as of the effective date. The Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance, which allowed the Company to carry forward its original assessment of (1) whether contracts are or contain leases, (2) lease classification and (3) initial direct costs. The Company also elected the practical expedient that allows lessees the option to account for lease and non-lease components together as a single component for all real estate classes of underlying assets. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet. The Company recognizes lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of operating right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities of $2.3 million as of October 1, 2019. The adoption of ASC 842 did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss or consolidated statements of cash flows. Further information regarding the Company’s leases is provided in Note 10.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments.” This guidance updates existing guidance for measuring and recording credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost by replacing the “incurred loss” model with an “expected loss” model. Accordingly, these financial assets will be presented as the net amount expected to be collected. ASU 2016-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022 for smaller reporting companies as defined by the SEC, and early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this standard on October 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

 

F-20


In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles–Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. ASU 2017-04 also clarifies the requirements for excluding and allocating foreign currency translation adjustments to reporting units related to an entity’s testing of reporting units for goodwill impairment and clarifies that an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax-deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The guidance becomes effective for smaller reporting companies on December 15, 2022 and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company early adopted this standard on October 1, 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (“Topic 718”): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting” which expanded the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. ASU 2018-07 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that fiscal year. Early adoption is permitted, but not earlier than the adoption of Topic 606. The Company adopted this standard on October 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, “Fair Value Measurement (“Topic 820”): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement”, which modifies the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by removing, modifying or adding certain disclosures. ASU 2018-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this standard on October 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract”, which requires a customer in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to follow the internal-use software guidance to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets. A customer’s accounting for the costs of the hosting component of the arrangement are not affected by the new guidance. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. The Company adopted this standard on October 1, 2020. The adoption of this did not result in a material impact to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity,” which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. This will be effective for smaller reporting companies as defined by the SEC for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, which for the Company is the first quarter of 2024, with early adoption permitted beginning first quarter of 2021. The Company adopted this standard on October 1, 2021. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

 

F-21


Recent Accounting Updates Not Yet Effective

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, “Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes.” This guidance, among other provisions, eliminates certain exceptions to existing guidance related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. This guidance also requires an entity to reflect the effect of an enacted change in tax laws or rates in its effective income tax rate in the first interim period that includes the enactment date of the new legislation, aligning the timing of recognition of the effects from enacted tax law changes on the effective income tax rate with the effects on deferred income tax assets and liabilities. Under existing guidance, an entity recognizes the effects of the enacted tax law change on the effective income tax rate in the period that includes the effective date of the tax law. ASU 2019-12 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, with early adoption permitted. The Company has not early adopted and does not expect the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In May 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-04, “Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Debt—Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718), and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40)”, which clarifies and reduces diversity in an issuer’s accounting for a modification or an exchange of a freestanding equity-classified written call option that remains equity being classified after modification or exchange as (1) an adjustment to equity and, if so, the related earnings per share (EPS) effects, if any, or (2) an expense and, if so, the manner and pattern of recognition. This will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within those years. Early application is permitted, including application in an interim period as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. The ASU should be applied prospectively. The Company has not early adopted and is currently assessing the expected impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In October 2021, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805), Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity (acquirer) to recognize and measure contract assets and liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The amendments should be applied prospectively to business combinations occurring on or after the effective date of the amendments. The Company is currently evaluating the expected impact the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Note 3. Revenue

Disaggregation of Revenue

The Company believes that the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of its revenue and cash flows and how they are affected by economic factors is most appropriately depicted through the Company’s primary geographical markets and subscription product categories. The Company’s primary geographical markets are North and South America (“Americas”); Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”); and Asia Pacific (“APAC”).

The following table provides information regarding revenue disaggregated by geographic location:

 

F-22


     Year Ended
September 30,
 
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

EMEA

   $  16,092      $  14,250  

Americas

     20,933        15,842  

APAC

     6,660        5,936  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenue

   $ 43,685      $ 36,028  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Revenue attributable to the Company’s country of domicile, Finland, comprised 4.6% and 4.8% of the total revenue for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Revenue attributable to the United States comprised 44.2% and 40.5% of the total revenue for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. No other country outside of the United States comprised more than 10% of revenue for any of the periods presented. Revenue by location is determined by the billing address of the customer.

The following table provides information regarding revenue disaggregated by subscription category:

 

     Year Ended
September 30,
 
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

MariaDB Enterprise

   $  37,283      $  30,900  

MariaDB SkySQL

     1,168        906  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total subscription revenue

   $ 38,451      $ 31,806  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Contract Balances

Contract assets

A contract asset is initially recognized for revenue in which the customer is billed after services and support have begun being provided to the customer. Contract assets relate to revenue earned from ongoing subscriptions and support that have not been billed yet (unbilled receivables). As such, the balances of this account vary and depend on the number of unbilled receivables at the end of the year. Contract assets as of September 30, 2022 and 2021 were zero in each year.

Contract liabilities

A contract liability is recognized if a payment is received from a customer before the Company transfers the control of the related goods or services. These amounts are presented as deferred revenues and deferred revenues, net of current in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Revenue recognized during the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 that was included in the contract liability beginning balance of each year was $25.5 million and $17.8 million, respectively.

Remaining Performance Obligations

Remaining performance obligations represent the aggregate amount of the transaction price in contracts allocated to performance obligations not delivered, or partially undelivered, as of the end of the reporting period. Remaining performance obligations estimates are subject to change and are affected by several factors, including terminations, changes in the scope of contracts, adjustments for revenue that have not materialized and adjustments for currency. As of September 30, 2022, approximately $55.4 million of revenue is expected to be recognized from remaining performance obligations. The Company expects to recognize revenue on approximately 47.3% of these remaining

 

F-23


performance obligations over the next 12 months. The Company’s contracts are recognized ratably over the contract term. Accordingly, the majority of the Company’s noncurrent remaining performance obligation is expected to be recognized in the next 13 to 36 months with the remainder recognized thereafter.

Cost to obtain a contract

The Company recognizes an asset for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer if it expects the benefits of those costs to be longer than one year. The Company determined certain costs related to its sales incentive program and its third-party referral fee program qualify as incremental costs of obtaining a contract. Capitalized costs are amortized consistent with the pattern of transfer to the customer for the goods and services to which the asset relates. The amortization period includes specifically identifiable contract renewals where there is no substantive renewal commission. The expected customer renewal period is estimated based on the historical life of the Company’s customers, which the Company has determined to be five years. The Company applies the practical expedient to not capitalize incremental costs of obtaining contracts if the amortization period is one year or less. Deferred commissions, which is included in other current assets, totaled $1.8 million and $2.3 million as of September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Note 4. Acquisition

On August 2, 2022, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement and completed the acquisition of 100% of the outstanding equity of Sector 42 Technologies, Inc. (“Sector 42”) a corporation registered under the laws of the Province of Ontario, and CubeWerx Inc. (“CubeWerx”), a corporation registered under the laws of the Province of Ontario, for a total purchase price of $3.8 million consisting of cash consideration of $1.7 million, inclusive of $0.1 million deferred consideration, and equity consideration of $2.0 million (in the form of 2,363,354 common shares of MariaDB). The purchase price is subject to certain customary adjustments (including closing date indebtedness and net working capital adjustments).

The components of the preliminary fair value of consideration transferred are as follows ($ in thousands):

 

Cash consideration

   $  1,661  

Equity consideration

     2,056  

Deferred consideration

     100  
  

 

 

 

Total fair value of consideration transferred

   $ 3,817  
  

 

 

 

Of the total purchase consideration, $0.1 million of cash was deferred by the Company for potential breaches of representations and warranties. The amount, net of any claims for such indemnifiable matters, is scheduled to be paid in cash to shareholders of CubeWerx and Sector 42 18 months after the acquisition date.

 

F-24


The following table summarizes the preliminary purchase price allocation as of the acquisition date ($ in thousands):

 

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 5  

Accounts receivable, net

     47  

Property, plant and equipment, net

     4  

Intangible assets, net

     670  

Other assets

     103  
  

 

 

 

Total identifiable assets acquired

   $ 829  

Accounts payable

     40  

Accrued expenses

     16  

Other liabilities

     39  
  

 

 

 

Total identifiable liabilities assumed

   $ 95  
  

 

 

 

Total identifiable net assets

   $ 734  
  

 

 

 

Goodwill

   $  3,083  
  

 

 

 

With this acquisition, the Company has acquired the technology of managing and publishing geospatial data via open web services for customer organizations that the Company expects to integrate within future product offerings. The fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed and the related preliminary acquisition accounting are based on management’s estimates and assumptions. Our estimates and assumptions are subject to change during the measurement period, not to exceed one year from the acquisition date. The primary areas of the acquisition accounting that are not yet finalized primarily relate to finalizing the review and valuation of intangible assets, including their appropriate useful lives, acquired income tax assets and liabilities, and identifying any undisclosed assets or liabilities that we may not yet be aware of but meet the requirement to qualify for recognition on the acquisition date. As the initial acquisition accounting is based on our preliminary assessments, actual values may differ (possibly materially) when final information becomes available. We believe that the information gathered to date provides a reasonable basis for estimating the preliminary fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

The following table summarizes the preliminary valuation of acquired intangible assets and estimated useful lives as of the acquisition date ($ in thousands):

 

     Estimated remaining
useful lives (in years)
     Fair Value  

Customer Relationships

     8.0      $  130  

Developed Technology

     5.0        470  

Trademarks

     3.0        70  
     

 

 

 

Total identifiable intangible assets

      $ 670  

Since the acquisition date, the operating results of CubeWerx and Sector 42 were included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The acquisition did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, revenue, net income, and pro forma financial information have not been presented.

Acquisition-related transaction costs associated with the CubeWerx and Sector 42 acquisition were immaterial,

 

F-25


Note 5. Property and Equipment

Property and equipment, net consists of the following:

 

     As of September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

Office equipment

   $ 1,084      $ 834  

Furniture and fixtures

     415        416  

Leasehold improvements and other

     524        608  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     2,023        1,858  

Less: accumulated depreciation

     (1,315      (932
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

   $ 708      $ 926  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Depreciation expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss consisted of the following:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

Cost of revenue

   $ 14      $ 8  

Research and development expenses

     96        90  

Sales and marketing expenses

     54        52  

General and administrative expenses

     196        197  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total depreciation expense

   $  360      $  347  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Note 6. Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets

The following table summarizes the change in goodwill for the year ended September 30, 2022:

 

     (in thousands)  

September 30, 2021

   $ 4,649  

Goodwill acquired

     3,083  

Foreign currency translation

     (197
  

 

 

 

September 30, 2022

   $  7,535  
  

 

 

 

Intangible assets, net consisted of the following:

 

     As of September 30, 2022  
     Gross Carrying Value      Accumulated
Amortization
     Net Book Value  
                      
     (in thousands)  

Customer relationships

   $ 711      $  (240)      $ 471  

Developed technology

     780        (289)        491  

Website

     251        (205)        46  

Other intangible assets

     150        (38)        112  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total intangible assets

   $  1,892      $  (772)      $  1,120  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

F-26


     As of September 30, 2021  
     Gross Carrying
Value
     Accumulated
Amortization
     Net Book Value  
                      
     (in thousands)  

Customer relationships

   $ 590      $  (179)      $ 411  

Developed technology

     340        (207)        133  

Website

     251        (153)        98  

Other intangible assets

     97        (33)        64  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total intangible assets

   $ 1,278      $ (572)      $  706  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The weighted average amortization period as of September 30, 2022 and 2021 of the Company’s intangible assets is 4.91 years and 4.93 years, respectively.

Amortization expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss consisted of the following:

 

     Year Ended
September 30,
 
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

Research and development expenses

   $ 43      $ —    

Sales and marketing expenses

     52        59  

General and administrative expenses

     129        140  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total amortization expense

   $  224      $  199  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of September 30, 2022, future amortization expense related to the intangible assets is as follows:

 

     Future Intangible Asset
Amortization
Expenses
 
     (in thousands)  

2023

   $ 310  

2024

     212  

2025

     192  

2026

     162  

2027

     146  

Thereafter

     98  
  

 

 

 

Total future amortization expense

   $  1,120  
  

 

 

 

Note 7. Warrants

The Company entered into a €4 million loan facility agreement with Kreos Capital IV (“Kreos”), which has been repaid in full. In connection with the Kreos loan facility, the Company has issued a total of 835,185 warrants entitling subscription of the Company’s Series B Preferred Shares. Each warrant entitles the holder to subscribe for one Series B Preferred Share at a subscription price of €0.5220 per share. In connection with the closing of the Business Combination on December 16, 2022, the warrants issued in connection with the Kreos loan facility agreement were rolled over to an amended and restated warrant agreement entered into on September 8, 2022 between the Combined Company and Kreos, pursuant to which the Combined Company assumed all rights and obligations from MariaDB. The warrants were also amended to adjust the number of ordinary shares issuable on exercise of the warrants and the exercise price in proportion to the Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Merger Agreement as Aggregate Share Consideration divided by the Diluted Share Amount). As a result of these adjustments, the Kreos warrants are exercisable for a total of 190,560 ordinary shares of the Combined Company and are exercisable at a price per share of €0.2288.

 

 

F-27


In June 2020, the Company entered into an investment agreement with several investors to issue Series C Preferred Shares. In addition to the issuance of 3,445,912 shares of Series C Preferred Shares, the Company issued a total of 3,445,912 warrants entitling subscription of the Company’s Series C Preferred Shares (“2020 Series C Warrants”). Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Series C Preferred Share at a subscription price of €1.1859. As of September 30, 2022, 587,769 warrants have been exercised and 2,858,143 remain outstanding. In connection with the Business Combination, the holders of these warrants will be given the opportunity to exercise their warrants to subscribe to Series C Preferred Shares, on a one-for-one basis. To the extent such warrants are not exercised, the subscription rights under the warrant agreements will terminate prior to the Business Combination. Refer to Note 19 for additional information for exercises subject to September 30, 2022.

In April 2017, the Company entered into a €25 million maximum loan facility with European Investment Bank (“EIB”), including the issuance of a capital loan tranche of €10 million. In October 2019, the Company entered into a €15 million term loan tranche with EIB. In connection with the capital loan tranche, the Company has issued a total of 5,326,623 warrants entitling subscription of the Company’s Series C Preferred Shares (“2017 Series C Warrants”). Each warrant entitles the holder to subscribe for one Series C Preferred Share at a subscription price of €0.01. The warrants provide for a put option that the holder of the warrants may exercise beginning 30 days prior to the maturity of the capital loan to purchase a variable number of shares at fair value for an amount up to €8 million.

On August 8, 2022, the Company received written notice from EIB exercising its put option on their 2017 Series C Warrants and requiring the Company to repurchase 5,000,194 warrants entitling subscription of the Company’s Series C Preferred Shares, at the maximum purchase price of €8 million. The Company repurchased the warrants within 30 days after receipt of the notice from EIB.

On August 17, 2022, a definitive agreement was entered into with EIB to repurchase for cash the remaining incremental 2017 Series C Warrants for 326,429 shares prior to the Business Combination or shortly thereafter, at a settlement price to be determined pursuant to the Finnish Companies Act, if EIB elects not to exercise their warrants for Series C Preferred Shares prior to the Business Combination. The estimated fair value associated with the warrants held by the EIB are included within the warrant liabilities as of September 30, 2022 and 2021. Refer to Note 19 for additional information on agreement reached with EIB subsequent to September 30, 2022.

These warrants expire between June 2025 and April 2032 if expiration is not accelerated as set out in the terms and conditions of the warrants. Refer to Note 2 for the policy on warrant accounting.

 

                   Warrants Outstanding      Fair Value  
Warrants    Number of
warrants
issued
     Purchase
price per
share in
EUR
     September 30,
2022
     September 30,
2021
     September 30,
2022
     September 30,
2021
 
                                 (in thousands)  

Series B

     835,185      0.52        835,185        835,185      $ 478      $ 65  

Series C – 2017

     5,326,623      0.01        326,429        5,326,623        335        4,546  

Series C – 2020

     3,445,912       1.19        2,858,143        3,445,912        936        692  
  

 

 

       

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     9,607,720           4,019,757        9,607,720      $  1,749      $  5,303  
  

 

 

       

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

F-28


The following tables present the rollforward of the fair values for warrant liabilities classified by the Company within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy defined above, measured using significant unobservable inputs:

 

     Warrant
liabilities
 
     (in thousands)  

September 30, 2021

   $ 5,303  

Change in fair value

     5,712  

Settlement of put option

     (7,749

Exercised

     (101

Foreign currency translation

     (1,416
  

 

 

 

September 30, 2022

   $ 1,749  
  

 

 

 

 

     Warrant
liabilities
 
     (in thousands)  

September 30, 2020

   $ 9,017  

Change in fair value

     (3,626

Foreign currency translation

     (88
  

 

 

 

September 30, 2021

   $ 5,303  
  

 

 

 

Fair values of warrants and option rights were determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following input assumptions:

 

     Year Ended September 30,
     2022    2021

Expected volatility range (weighted average)

   40.25% to 48.99% (46.71%)    35.54% to 50.00% (37.51%)

Dividend yield

   0.00%    0.00%

Risk-free interest rates range (weighted  average)

   3.85% to 4.24% (4.15%)    0.53% to 1.00% (0.94%)

Expected term range (weighted average)

   3.03 years to 9.83 years (4.56 years)    3.83 years to 10.72 years (9.75 years)

Assumptions were weighted by the relative fair value of the instruments. An increase in the expected volatility, risk-free interest rates, and expected term would result in an increase to the estimated value of the warrants while an increase in the dividend yield would result in a decrease to the estimated value of the warrants.

Note 8. Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

As of September 30, 2022, the Company had issued and outstanding a total of 183,565,242 shares of preferred shares with no par value, of which 10,118,760, 60,549,235, 55,263,659 and 57,633,588 shares were designated as Series A, Series B, Series C and Series D Preferred Shares, respectively. As of September 30, 2022, the Company had issued and outstanding a total of 60,764,711 Common shares with no par value.

During the year ended September 30, 2022, 9,657,581 common shares were registered with the Finnish Trade Register.

During the year ended September 30, 2022, 9,657,581 common shares were registered with the Finnish Trade Register for options exercised, paid and issued in the prior year. During the year ended September 30, 2022, 772,877 common shares had been issued based on options exercised and paid prior to the end of the period, but not yet registered with the Finnish Trade Register (1,379,391 options were exercised and paid prior to the end of the period, but not yet issued by the Company or registered with the Finnish Trade Register).

 

F-29


As of September 30, 2022, 2,363,354 shares were issued to the shareholders of CubeWerx and Sector 42 as equity consideration in connection with a business combination. As of September 30, 2022, the shares issued to CubeWerx and Sector 42 shareholders were not yet registered with the Finnish Trade Register.

There is no minimum or maximum number of capital shares under the Articles of Association of the Company. During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company amended and restated its Articles of Association to include Series D Preferred Shares as a new share series. The Board has been granted authorization by a general meeting of shareholders to issue additional capital shares of the Company of (i) 54,719,095 common shares with no par value for the purpose of the Company’s incentive programs and (ii) 7,780,000 shares of Series D Preferred Shares as of September 30, 2022.

Further, 4,019,757 preferred shares with no par value, may be issued and outstanding upon exercise of all warrants as of September 30, 2022.

The following table summarizes information related to issuance of the Company’s preferred shares as of September 30, 2022:

 

Preferred Shares Class

   Number of
Shares
Registered
     Shares Issued
and
Outstanding
     Carrying
Value(1)
     Price per share      Number of
Common
Shares
Equivalent
Shares
     Liquidation
Preference
 
                   (in thousands)                                         (in thousands)  

Series A

     10,118,760        10,118,760      $ 6,668        From      $ 0.61        to      $ 0.67        10,118,760      $ 6,676  

Series B

     60,549,235        60,549,235        36,851        From      $ 0.56        to      $ 0.71        60,549,235        37,622  

Series C

     55,263,659        55,263,659        63,597        From      $ 1.07        to      $ 1.34        55,263,659        65,039  

Series D(2)

     57,633,588        57,633,588        99,853        From      $ 1.78        to      $ 1.80        57,633,588        103,805  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

                

 

 

    

 

 

 
     183,565,242        183,565,242      $ 206,969                    183,565,242      $ 213,142  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

                

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)

The carrying value reflects the gross proceeds received from the sale of the preferred shares net of issuance costs and the fair value at issuance of preferred shares warrants classified as a liability.

(2)

On January 31, 2022, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an amendment to the Company’s Shareholders’ Agreement to authorize an additional series of preferred shares. The Series D Preferred Shares financing consisted of accredited investors and qualified institutional investors providing an aggregate gross amount of $103.8 million, completed on January 31, 2022.

The relative rights, terms, privileges and restrictions granted to or imposed upon preferred shareholders as of September 30, 2022 are described below:

Common shares, Series A Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares, Series C Preferred Shares, and Series D Preferred Shares have the same voting rights.

When distributing a dividend, each Series D Preferred Share has dividend rights such that each Series D Preferred holder shall first receive, before any other class of share, a dividend on each outstanding Series D Preferred Share in an amount at least equal to the amount of the aggregate declared and unpaid dividends on such Series D Preferred Share. Furthermore, if the Company declares, pays or sets aside a dividend or makes a distribution on shares of any other class or series of equity securities in the Company, the dividend payable or assets to be distributed to the holders of Series D Preferred Shares shall be equal to or greater than the highest dividend or distribution per share paid to the holder of any other class or series of equity security. At the time of and after giving effect to payment of such senior dividend or distribution to the holders of Series D Preferred Shares, if the Company declares any additional dividends or makes any additional distributions to the holders of Series C Preferred Shares, each such holder shall be entitled to a preferred dividend or distribution prior and in preference to the holders of Series B Preferred Shares, Series A Preferred Shares and common shares equal to 5% of the subscription price for such Series

 

F-30


C Shares. All other possible dividends to be paid to the holders of Series C Preferred Shares shall be distributed to such holders based on their pro rata shareholding. Simultaneously with or after the senior dividends or distributions to holders of Series D Preferred Shares and Series C Preferred Shares described above, all possible dividends or distributions of Company assets on shares shall be distributed to the shareholders based on their pro rata shareholding in the Company on an as converted basis.

In any solvent or insolvent liquidation, bankruptcy, dissolution, winding up of the Company or any key subsidiary or a merger, takeover, trade sale, listing of the Company on a recognized stock exchange (other than a qualified IPO or qualified de-SPAC), recapitalization, reorganization, or other type of transaction in which (i) control of the Company or (ii) all or substantially all of its business or assets (including any intellectual property rights) are transferred, otherwise disposed of, leased or exclusively licensed to a third party, the Series D Preferred Shares will have priority over the Series C Preferred Shares in connection with the distribution of the proceeds up to the amount of the original subscription price of the Series D Preferred Shares. The Series C Preferred Shares will in turn have priority over the Series B Preferred Shares up to the amount of the amount of the original subscription price of the Series C Preferred Shares. The Series B Preferred Shares will in turn have priority over the Series A Preferred Shares up to the amount of the amount of the original subscription price of the Series B Preferred Shares. The Series A Preferred Shares will in turn have priority over the common shares up to the amount of the amount of the original subscription price of the Series A Preferred Shares. A “qualified IPO” means a listing of the Company on an internationally recognized stock exchange with net proceeds (or in case of a merger the aggregate value of the shares) of at least $97.5 million and a Company valuation of at least $750 million. A “qualified de-SPAC” means a business combination with Angel Pond Holding Corporation or another special purpose acquisition corporation with securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, or such other internationally recognized exchange.

In case the amount to be distributed to the owners of the Series D Preferred Shares is not sufficient to cover the Series D Preferred Share owners right to prioritized funds, the amount available for distribution will be divided between the owners of Series D Preferred Shares in proportion with the Series D preference amount each owner would otherwise be entitled to receive. In case the amount to be distributed to the owners of the Series C Preferred Shares, after the above-mentioned settlement of the Series D Preferred Share owners prioritized distribution, is not sufficient to cover the Series C Preferred Share owners’ rights to funds, the amount available for distribution will be divided between the owners of Series C Preferred Shares in proportion with the Series C preference amount each owner would otherwise be entitled to receive. In case the amount to be distributed to the owners of the Series B Preferred Shares, after the above-mentioned settlement of the Series C Preferred Share owners prioritized distribution, is not sufficient to cover the Series B Preferred Share owners’ rights to funds, the amount available for distribution will be divided between the owners of Series B Preferred Shares in proportion with the Series B preference amount each owner would otherwise be entitled to receive. In case the amount to be distributed to the owners of the Series A Preferred Shares, after the above-mentioned settlement of the Series B Preferred Share owners prioritized distribution, is not sufficient to cover the Series A Preferred Share owners’ rights to funds, the amount available for distribution will be divided between the owners of Series A Preferred Shares in proportion with the Series A preference amount each owner would otherwise be entitled to receive.

The distribution of funds, after the settlement of the Series D Preferred, Series C Preferred, Series B Preferred and Series A Preferred share owners’ share of the funds in accordance with the above-mentioned procedure, shall be executed evenly between all of the shares regardless of share series, up to an amount of $0.29 per share. If the funds distributed per share would exceed $0.29, the amount of funds distributed to Series D Preferred, Series C Preferred, Series B Preferred and Series A Preferred shares shall cap at $0.29 and the funds remaining after that shall be distributed evenly among all the common shares of the Company.

 

F-31


Each preferred share is convertible at the option of the holder, at any time after the date of issuance, into common shares at an initial conversion rate of one-for-one. The conversion rate is subject to adjustment for antidilution provisions, as defined in the Company’s Shareholders’ Agreement.

Each preferred share will automatically be converted into a common share upon a qualified IPO or a qualified de-SPAC, as defined above. All of the shares in a single preferred share series (A, B, C, or D) will also be automatically converted into common shares on a date agreed to by holders of more than 50% of the shares of the preferred share series in question.

The following table summarizes information related to issuance of the Company’s preferred shares as of September 30, 2021:

 

Preferred

Shares Class

   Number of
Shares
Registered
     Shares Issued
and
Outstanding
     Carrying
Value(1)
     Price per share      Number of
Common
Shares
Equivalent
Shares
     Liquidation
Preference
 
                   (in thousands)             (in thousands)  

Series A

     10,118,760        10,118,760      $ 6,668      From $ 0.61 to $0.67        10,118,760      $ 6,676  

Series B

     60,549,235        60,549,235        36,851      From $ 0.56 to $0.71        60,549,235        37,622  

Series C

     54,675,890        54,675,890        62,707      From $ 1.07 to $1.34        54,675,890        64,249  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

 

    

 

 

 
     125,343,885        125,343,885      $  106,226           125,343,885      $  108,547  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) 

The carrying value reflects the gross proceeds received from the sale of the preferred shares net of issuance costs and the fair value at issuance of preferred shares warrants classified as a liability.

Note 9. Stock-Based Compensation

Stock Options Plans

On December 8, 2017, the Company adopted the Global Share Option Plan 2017 (the “2017 Plan”) and Global Share Option Plan 2017 USA (the “2017 US Plan”) that entitle employees, members of the board as well as advisors to purchase shares in the Company. Under these programs, holders of vested options are entitled to purchase shares at a stated price determined at the grant date. All options are to be settled by the physical delivery of shares. Stock options granted under the 2017 US Plan and the 2017 Plan are incentive stock options to the extent permitted under the U.S. tax laws (“ISOs”) and non-qualified/nonstatutory stock options (“NSOs”), respectively. Options granted under both plans are exercisable over a maximum term of 10 years. Stock option awards under both plans generally vest over a period of four years with 25% vesting on the one year anniversary of the award and the remainder vesting monthly over the next 12 quarters of the grantee’s service to the Company as an employee or an advisor/consultant. During the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, 5,647,000 and 11,765,299 options, respectively, were granted under the 2017 Plan and 2017 US Plan.

On July 4, 2022, the Company adopted the 2022 US Plan that entitles employees, members of the board as well as advisors to purchase shares in the Company. Under the program, holders of vested options are entitled to purchase shares at a stated price determined at the grant date. All options are to be settled by the physical delivery of shares. Stock options granted under the 2022 US Plan are ISOs to the extent permitted under U.S. tax laws and NSOs. Options granted under the plan are exercisable over a maximum term of 10 years. Stock options granted under the 2022 US Plan generally vest 25% on the one-year anniversary and the remainder vesting quarterly during the grantee’s service to the Company as an employee or as an advisor/consultant. During the year ended September 30, 2022, 4,406,674 options were granted under the 2022 US Plan.

 

F-32


Stock Options

The following table summarizes stock option activity under the Company’s incentive plans for the periods covered:

 

     Number
of Shares
     Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price Per
Share
     Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life
     Aggregated
Intrinsic
Value
 
                   (in years)      (in thousands)  

Options outstanding, September 30, 2021(1)

     47,156,876      $  0.13        

Granted

     10,053,674      $ 0.81        

Exercised

     (9,657,581    $ 0.09        

Forfeited

     (4,788,705    $ 0.48        
  

 

 

          

Options outstanding, September 30, 2022

     42,764,264      $ 0.24        7.69      $  26,907  
  

 

 

          

Options Exercisable, September 30, 2022

     25,951,862      $ 0.11        6.81      $ 19,655  
  

 

 

          

Vested and expected to vest after September 30, 2022

     41,954,393      $ 0.24        7.69      $ 26,338  
  

 

 

          

 

(1)

The options outstanding as of September 30, 2021 have been reduced by 1,106,511 options to reflect miscellaneous prior period true up adjustments.

The weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted during the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was $0.38 and $0.08, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, was $2.1 million and $0.2 million, respectively. The aggregate grant date fair value of stock options vested during each of the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, was $0.5 million and $0.4 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2022 and September 30, 2021, there was $2.3 million and $0.7 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to outstanding stock options granted to employees that is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.9 years and 2.3 years, respectively.

Fair Value Valuation Assumptions

The fair value of options granted is estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following input assumptions:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022     2021  
     Range   Weighted
Average
    Range   Weighted
Average
 

Dividend yield (%)

   0%   -    0%     0   0%   -    0%     0

Expected volatility (%)

   43.21%   -    46.94%     44.87   40.19%   -    57.16%     41.71

Risk–free interest rate (%)

   1.17%   -    3.27%     2.81   0.06%   -    1.39%     0.83

Expected life of stock options (years)

   5.00   -    7.02     6.01     0.10   -    7.50     5.98  

Fair value of common stock ($)

   $0.32   -    $0.87   $ 0.81     $0.20   -    $0.20   $ 0.20  

Total stock-based compensation expense recognized in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss is as follows:

 

F-33


     Year Ended
September 30,
 
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

Cost of revenue

   $ 143      $ 13  

Research and development expenses

     687        187  

Sales and marketing expenses

     383        81  

General and administrative expenses

     657        237  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total stock-based compensation expense

   $  1,870      $ 518  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Note 10. Accrued Expenses

The following represents the components of accrued expenses contained within our consolidated balance sheets as of the end of each period:

 

     September 30,
2022
     September 30,
2021
 
     (in thousands)  

Accrued payroll and payroll related liabilities

   $  2,904      $ 2,310  

Accrued bonuses

     1,208        1,206  

Taxes payable

     897        1,429  

Other accrued expenses

     3,893        1,236  

Accrued interest

     —          593  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total accrued expenses

   $ 8,902      $  6,774  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Note 11. Leases

The Company leases real estate for use in daily operations. The leases generally have lease terms of 1 to 5 years, some of which include options to terminate or extend leases for up to 1 to 3 years or on a month-to-month basis. The Company includes the options that are reasonably certain to be exercised as part of the determination of lease terms. The Company’s obligations under its leases are secured by the lessor’s title to the leased assets. Generally, the Company is restricted from assigning and subleasing the leased assets. The Company recognizes operating lease costs on a straight-line basis over the term of the agreement, taking into account adjustments for market provisions such as free or escalating base monthly rental payments or deferred payment terms such as rent holidays that defer the commencement date of the required payments. The Company also has certain leases with lease terms of 12 months or less.

The Company cannot readily determine the interest rate implicit in the lease, therefore, it uses its incremental borrowing rate (IBR) to measure lease liabilities. The IBR is the rate of interest the Company would have to pay to borrow funds on a collateralized basis over a similar term and in a similar economic environment.

 

F-34


Variable operating lease expenses primarily consist of real estate taxes. The components of the Company’s lease costs included in its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss were as follows:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

Operating lease costs

   $ 653      $ 715  

Short term lease costs

     18        31  

Variable lease costs

     55        20  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total lease cost

   $ 726      $ 766  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

Research and development

   $ 29      $ 116  

Sales and marketing expenses

     3        7  

General and administrative expenses

     694        643  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total lease cost

   $  726      $  766  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The balances of the Company’s operating leases were recorded on the consolidated balance sheet as of the end of each period as follows:

 

     September 30, 2022      September 30, 2021  
     (in thousands)  

Operating lease right-of-use assets

   $  890      $  1,645  

Operating lease liabilities, current

   $ 496      $ 658  

Operating lease liabilities, net of current

     433        1,035  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating lease liabilities

   $ 929      $ 1,693  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The following table presents supplemental information related to the Company’s operating leases:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022     2021  
              
     (in thousands, except weighted-
average information)
 

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities

   $ 664     $ 694  

Weighted-average remaining lease term (in years)

     1.86       2.63  

Weighted-average discount rate

     3.22     3.20

Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases on an annual undiscounted cash flow basis as of September 30, 2022 were as follows (in thousands):

 

Year ended September 30:

  

2023

   $ 519  

2024

     421  

2025

     18  
  

 

 

 

Total minimum payments

   $ 958  

Less imputed interest

     (29
  

 

 

 

Present value of future minimum lease payments

     929  
  

 

 

 

Less current obligations under leases

     (496
  

 

 

 

Non-current lease obligations

   $ 433  
  

 

 

 

 

F-35


Note 12. Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is subject to claims and assessments from time to time in the ordinary course of business, including without limitation, actions with respect to intellectual property, employment, regulatory, product liability and contractual matters. In connection with these proceedings or matters, the Company regularly assesses the probability and amount (or range) of possible issues based on the developments in these proceedings or matters. A liability is recorded in the accompanying consolidated financial statements if it is determined that it is probable that a loss has been incurred, and that the amount (or range) of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company’s management does not believe that any such matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Note 13. Long-term Debt

The components of debt are as follows:

 

     September 30,
2022
     September 30,
2021
 
               
     (in thousands)  

Term loan

   $ 14,622      $ 17,369  

Capital loan

     —          11,579  

R&D loan

     122        288  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $  14,744      $ 29,236  

Less: Current portion

     (122      (11,723
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Long-term debt

   $ 14,622      $ 17,513  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Finnish R&D Loan

On April 1, 2015, the Company entered into a R&D loan agreement with the Finnish State Treasury (“R&D Loan”) in the aggregate amount of €0.5 million for research and development purposes. The loan accrued interest at 1.0% per annum with a maturity date of November 9, 2022. During the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company made partial payments on the R&D Loan in the amount of $0.1 million each year.

The Company fully repaid the R&D Loan on the maturity date.

European Investment Bank Loan Facility

On April 7, 2017, EIB and MariaDB entered into a loan facility agreement (the “Facility”), according to which EIB granted a loan facility in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding €25 million for the purpose of financing certain research and development and growth-related expenditures of MariaDB. The Facility granted pursuant to the contract is structured partly as a capital loan of €10 million (“Capital Loan”), and partly as a term loan of €15 million (“Term Loan”).

The Capital Loan was disbursed on April 28, 2017 with the original maturity date of April 28, 2021. No interest was required to be accrued or paid on the Capital Loan under its original terms. On April 26, 2021, the Capital Loan was amended to extend the maturity date to the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021, or (ii) the date falling 15 days after a new equity round and required interest accruing at a rate of 12.0% per annum from April 28, 2021 through maturity. The amendment was accounted for as an extinguishment of debt and the related gain on extinguishment was immaterial.

 

F-36


The Term Loan was disbursed on October 11, 2019 with a maturity date of October 11, 2023. The Term Loan accrues interest between 6.0%—9.5% per annum, depending on the Company’s monthly recurring revenue. The effective interest rate on the Term Loan for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was 6.0%.

As part of EIB’s remuneration for the Facility, in connection with the Capital Loan tranche, EIB was granted warrants for Series C Preferred Shares. Warrants related to the Capital Loan were accounted for as a liability and effectively represent debt discount. The debt discount was amortized over the original term of the loan using effective interest method. The debt discount was fully amortized as of September 30, 2021.

The agreement contains customary representations, warranties, affirmative and negative covenants, including a financial covenant, events of default and indemnification provisions in favor of the EIB. The agreement includes a financial covenant that requires the Company to (maintain, at all times, a minimum gross profit margin. The negative covenants include restrictions regarding the incurrence of prohibited encumbrance and indebtedness, derivative transactions, certain merger and acquisition transactions, dispositions, change in business, guarantees or payments and other matters, all subject to certain exceptions. As of September 30, 2022, the Company was in compliance with its covenants.

Pursuant to the agreement, obligations owed are guaranteed by the Company’s subsidiary MariaDB USA, Inc.

The schedule of required principal payments remaining on debt outstanding as of September 30, 2022 is as follows:

 

Year ending September 30,

   Principal
Payments
 
     (in thousands)  

2023

   $ 122  

2024

     14,622  
  

 

 

 

Total principal payments

   $ 14,744  
  

 

 

 

Shares Issued in Connection with Conversion of Convertible Note and Interest

In December 2021, the Company issued a $5 million principal convertible note (the “Convertible Note”) to an existing investor. The Convertible Note was issued at a 3% discount and accrued interest at 6% per annum. Unless earlier repaid, converted or extended by the investor, outstanding principal and unpaid accrued interest on the Convertible Note was due on October 20, 2023 (“Maturity Date”).

The terms of the Convertible Note stated the Convertible Note would automatically convert into preferred equity units upon the earlier of (i) a preferred equity financing of at least $50 million prior to the completion of a merger, consolidation, or acquisition of substantially all of the assets of the Company that resulted in the existing shareholders owning less than 50% of the Company (“Acquisition”) or ii) preferred equity financing (irrespective of the amount) prior to an Acquisition or repayment of the Convertible Note that was approved by the investor.

On January 31, 2022, the Company completed its Series D Preferred Shares financing, at which time the Convertible Note automatically converted into 2,860,997 Series D Preferred Shares. Upon conversion on the Convertible Note, the Company recorded a $0.1 million loss on debt extinguishment because the fair market value of the shares issued at the conversion date exceeded the carrying value of the principal balance.

 

F-37


Note 14. Income Taxes

The components of loss before income tax expense was as follows:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

Domestic

   $ (11,785    $ (17,340

Foreign

     (36,785      (8,018
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss before provision income tax expense

   $ (48,570    $ (25,358
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The provision for income taxes charged to operations was as follows:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  
Current tax expense      

U.S. federal

   $  —        $  —    

State and local

     13        1  

Foreign

     68        83  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current

   $ 81      $ 84  

Deferred tax expense:

     

U.S. federal

   $ —        $ —    

State and local

     —          —    

Total deferred

     —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total income tax expense

   $ 81      $ 84  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

A reconciliation of the income tax expense with the expected income tax computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate to loss before provision for income taxes and a reconciliation of the statutory federal rate and the effective rate was calculated as follows:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022     2021  

Tax computed at federal statutory rate

     21.00     21.00

State income tax—net of federal benefit

     (0.02 )%     

Foreign rate differential

     (16.05 )%      (6.97 )% 

Change in valuation allowance

     0.09     (18.13 )% 

Stock-based compensation

         (0.12 )% 

Research and development tax credit

         8.86

Other

     (0.04 )%      (0.35 )% 

Prior period net operating loss true-up adjustment

     0.01     (4.62 )% 

Transaction costs

     1.58    

Deferred adjustment true up

     (6.74 )%     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax expense

     (0.17 )%      (0.33 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

F-38


The significant components that comprised the Company’s net deferred taxes are as follows:

 

     As of September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               
Deferred tax assets:    (in thousands)  

Net operating losses

   $ 64,013      $ 55,516  

Tax credit carryforwards

     4,183        8,366  

Allowances and reserves

     36        62  

Deferred revenue

     473        673  

Depreciation

     17        92  

Amortization

     3,067        3,918  

Accrued interest

     —          1,428  

Accrued payroll

     619        508  

Right-of-use assets

     9        7  

Other

     29        3  

Unrealized gain (loss)

     (567      —    

Less: valuation allowance

     (71,879      (70,573
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total deferred tax assets

   $ —        $ —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities (including the impact of available carryback and carryforward periods), projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. Following this assessment, management believes it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be realized; accordingly, the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance as of September 30, 2022 and 2021.

The following table presents a rollforward of the valuation allowance for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021:

 

     Year Ended
September 30,
 
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands)  

Beginning balance

   $ (70,573    $ (64,065

Additions

     (8,643      (9,868

Deductions

     7,337        3,360  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Ending balance

   $ (71,879    $ (70,573
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Subsequent to the original issuance of the Company’s financial statements as of and for the year ended September 30, 2021, the Company’s management determined that the table above incorrectly presented the deferred tax asset net operating loss and valuation allowance, including the valuation allowance rollforward. The prior disclosure has been updated. The immaterial correction of this footnote disclosure did not result in a change to or modify any amounts presented in the historical financial statements or require any other disclosure amendments aside from in this footnote.

On the basis of this evaluation, as of September 30, 2022, a valuation allowance of $71.9 million has been recorded to recognize only the portion of the deferred tax asset that is more likely than not to be realized. The amount of the deferred tax asset considered realizable, however, could be adjusted if estimates of future taxable income during the carryforward period are reduced or increased or if objective negative evidence in the form of cumulative losses is no longer present and additional weight is given to subjective evidence such as the Company’s projections for growth.

 

 

F-39


At September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company had federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $184.7 million and $160.3 million, respectively and state net operating loss carryforwards of $141.4 million and $143.4 million, respectively. The federal and state loss carryforwards begin to expire in 2030, unless previously utilized. As of September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company also had federal research and development tax credit carry-forwards of approximately $2.2 million and $4.5 million, respectively, and state research and development tax credit carry-forwards of approximately $1.9 million and $3.9 million, respectively. The federal research and development tax credits will begin to expire in 2032. The state research and development tax credits have an indefinite life and do not expire. At September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company had foreign net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $39.7 million and $46.5 million, respectively. The foreign net operating loss carryforward will begin to expire in 2023.

Utilization of the federal and state net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to substantial annual limitation due to ownership change limitations that may have occurred or that could occur in the future, as required by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), as well as similar state provisions. These ownership changes may limit the amount of net operating loss carryforwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income and tax, respectively. In general, an “ownership change,” as defined by Section 382 of the Code, results from a transaction or series of transactions over a three-year period resulting in an ownership change of more than 50 percentage points of the outstanding stock of a company by certain stockholders or public groups.

Any uncertain tax positions would be related to tax years that remain open and subject to examination by the relevant tax authorities. The Company has not accrued for interest or penalties associated with unrecognized tax liabilities. The Company is subject to U.S. federal tax authority examinations and U.S. state tax authority examinations for all years due to the net operating loss carryforwards. The Company files a federal U.S. tax return and several U.S. state income tax returns with varying statues of limitations.

On March 27, 2020, the United States enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”). The CARES Act is an emergency economic stimulus package that includes spending and tax breaks to strengthen the United States economy and fund a nationwide effort to curtail the effects of COVID-19. While the CARES Act provides sweeping tax changes in response to the pandemic, some of the more significant provisions which could be expected to impact the Company’s financial statements include removal of certain limitations on utilization of net operating losses, increasing the loss carryback period for certain losses to five years and increasing the ability to deduct interest expense, as well as amending certain provisions of the previously enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The Company does not believe that the CARES Act will have a material impact on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Note 15. Related-Party Transactions

During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded sales from related parties, which are comprised of several shareholders. The sales to and purchases from related parties are made on terms equivalent to those that prevail in arm’s length transactions. The Company had no accounts receivable from related party shareholders as of September 30, 2022 and $0.4 million as of September 30, 2021 due from one related party shareholder. The Company had related party sales for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 of $0.7 million from one related party shareholder and $2.0 million from three related party shareholders, respectively.

 

F-40


The Company incurred expenses of $0.2 million related to the MariaDB Foundation (discussed below) for the years ended September 30, 2022 and $0.5 million related to the MariaDB Foundation and other expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business for the year ended September 30, 2021.

MariaDB Community Server is built from the MariaDB Open Source Project and proclaimed by the MariaDB Foundation. The Company helped establish the independently run MariaDB Foundation as a steward of the MariaDB Open Source Project to encourage adoption and grow the MariaDB ecosystem. We continue to be a sponsor of the MariaDB Foundation and pay the MariaDB Foundation an agreed upon sponsorship fee.

The Company had no accounts payable to related party shareholders as of September 30, 2022 and 2021.

Outstanding balances are unsecured and interest free and settlement occurs in cash. There have been no guarantees provided or received for any related party receivables or payables.

Note 16. Net Loss Per Share

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common shareholders for the periods presented:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               
     (in thousands, except shares and
per share data)
 

Net loss attributable to common shareholders

     

Basic and diluted

   $ (48,651    $ (25,442

Weighted-average shares outstanding used to compute net loss per share attributable to common shareholders

     

Basic and diluted

     58,801,357        50,361,879  

Net loss per share attributable to common shareholders

     

Basic and diluted

   $ (0.83    $ (0.51

The following potentially dilutive securities were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the periods presented because the impact of including them would have been anti-dilutive:

 

     Year Ended September 30,  
     2022      2021  
               

Warrants

     4,019,757        9,607,720  

Stock options

     42,764,264        48,263,387  

Convertible preferred shares

     183,565,242        125,343,885  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     230,349,263        183,214,992  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

F-41


Note 17. Geographical Information

The following table sets forth long-lived assets, which primarily include property and equipment, net, and operating lease right-of-use assets by geographic location:

 

     As of September 30,  
     2022      2021  

United States

   $  1,303      $  1,876  

Bulgaria

     123        317  

Finland

     131        355  

Other counties

     41        23  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total long-lived assets

   $ 1,598      $ 2,571  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Note 18. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The following summarizes Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021:

 

     Foreign
Currency
Translation
     Net
Unrealized
Gain on
Securities
     Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
 

Balance at September 30, 2020

   $ (8,131    $ —        $ (8,131

Other comprehensive income (loss)

     654        —          654  

Balance at September 30, 2021

   $ (7,477    $ —        $ (7,477

Other comprehensive income (loss)

     (4,005      2,177        (1,828
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at September 30, 2022

   $ (11,482    $  2,177      $ (9,305

 

F-42


Note 19. Subsequent Events

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through December 22, 2022, the date the financial statements were available to be issued, noting the following items that would impact the accounting for events or transactions in the current period or require additional disclosure.

As described in Note 7, the holders of 2020 Series C Warrants were given the opportunity to exercise their warrants to subscribe to Series C Preferred Shares on a one-for-one basis in connection with the Business Combination and any warrants not exercised prior to the completion of the Business Combination would be canceled. In October and November 2022, certain warrant holders exercised 2,365,078 warrants at an exercise price of €1.1859 per share in exchange for 2,365,078 Series C Preferred Shares, providing the Company with gross proceeds of €2.8 million. In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, which occurred on December 16, 2022, the remaining 493,065 warrants were canceled.

On November 30, 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with EIB to repurchase the remaining 326,429 2017 Series C Warrants at a determined settlement price of €1.19 per option, to be cash settled within ten business days of the closing of the Business Combination.

On December 16, 2022, the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement were consummated. In connection with the Business Combination, Mangomill plc. changed its name to “MariaDB plc.” Beginning on December 19, 2022, the Company’s shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, the Company modified its share-based compensation plans to convert each stock option issued and outstanding under a MariaDB Corporation Ab option plan into a stock option of the Combined Company to purchase that number of the Combined Company’s ordinary shares based on the Exchange Ratio, with an adjusted per share exercise price also based on the Exchange Ratio. Additionally effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, the Company modified its share-based compensation plans to convert the exercise prices of outstanding options denominated in Euros to U.S. dollar equivalents based on the European Central Bank FX reference rate published on December 16, 2022. Management is currently evaluating the accounting impacts of this modification to its financial statements for the first quarter of the year ending September 30, 2023.

 

F-43

Exhibit 99.2

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Defined terms included below shall have the same meaning as terms defined and included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus.

Description of the Business Combination

On January 31, 2022, APHC entered into the Merger Agreement with MariaDB, Irish Holdco, and Merger Sub, a wholly owned subsidiary of Irish Holdco. Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, APHC and Irish Holdco entered into subscription agreements with the PIPE Investors pursuant to which, among other things, the PIPE Investors agreed to subscribe for and purchase, and Irish Holdco agreed to issue and sell to the PIPE Investors, in a private placement an aggregate amount of 1,915,790 Combined Company Ordinary Shares at the closing of the Business Combination in exchange for an aggregate purchase price of $18.2 million as set forth in the subscription agreements.

On December 16, 2022, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Domestication Merger and the Merger were consummated. In addition, the PIPE Investment was completed.

In connection with the Domestication Merger:

 

  (i)

each APHC Ordinary Share issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Domestication Merger was canceled and converted into the right to receive one Combined Company Ordinary Share; and

 

  (ii)

each issued and outstanding APHC Warrant to purchase APHC Class A Ordinary Shares was adjusted to become warrants to acquire an equal number of Combined Company Ordinary Shares.

In connection with the Merger:

 

  (i)

each MariaDB Preferred Share issued and outstanding prior to the effective time of the Merger was converted into common shares of MariaDB in accordance with MariaDB’s articles of association and shareholders’ agreement;

 

  (ii)

then each MariaDB Ordinary Share issued and outstanding was canceled and converted into the right to receive a number of Combined Company Ordinary Shares equal to the Exchange Ratio; and

 

  (iii)

each equity MariaDB Equity Award as of immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger was converted into an equity award to be settled in Combined Company Ordinary Shares on generally the same terms and conditions as were applicable to such MariaDB Equity Award immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, equal to the product of (i) the number of MariaDB Ordinary Shares subject to such MariaDB Equity Award and (ii) the Exchange Ratio, at an exercise price per share equal to (x) the exercise price per share of such MariaDB Equity Award divided by (y) the Exchange Ratio.

Accounting Treatment of the Business Combination

The Business Combination is being accounted for as a reverse recapitalization in accordance with U.S. GAAP. APHC has been determined to be the acquired company based on evaluation of the following facts and circumstances:

 

   

MariaDB comprising the ongoing operations of the Combined Company;

 

   

MariaDB’s senior management comprising the senior management of the Combined Company; and

 

   

The MariaDB Shareholders controlling the board of directors or having a majority of the voting power of the Combined Company.

Under this method of accounting, APHC is being treated as the acquired company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the financial statements of the Combined Company after the closing of the Merger represents a continuation of the financial statements of MariaDB, with the Business Combination treated as the equivalent of Irish Holdco issuing shares for the net assets of APHC, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of APHC are stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded.


Basis of Pro Forma Presentation

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information has been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X. The adjustments in the unaudited pro forma combined financial information have been identified and presented to provide relevant information necessary for an illustrative understanding of the Combined Company upon consummation of the Business Combination in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Assumptions and estimates underlying the unaudited pro forma adjustments set forth in the unaudited pro forma combined financial information are described in the accompanying notes.

Prior to the Business Combination, APHC and MariaDB had different fiscal years. APHC’s fiscal year ended on December 31, whereas MariaDB’s fiscal year ended on September 30. The Combined Company’s fiscal year ends on September 30. In addition, prior to the Business Combination, Irish Holdco was a wholly owned subsidiary of APHC, and its financial information has been included in APHC’s consolidated financial statements.

The following unaudited pro forma combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2022 combines the historical balance sheet of APHC as of September 30, 2022 with the historical balance sheet of MariaDB as of September 30, 2022 on a pro forma basis as if the Business Combination had been consummated on September 30, 2022.

The unaudited pro forma combined statement of operations for the year ended September 30, 2022 combine the historical unaudited statement of operations of APHC for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and the historical statement of operations for the three months ended December 31, 2021, and the historical audited statement of operations of MariaDB for the year ended September 30, 2022 on a pro forma basis as if the Business Combination had been consummated on October 1, 2021.

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the what the Combined Company’s financial condition or results of operations would have been had the Business Combination been consummated on the dates indicated, and do not reflect adjustments for any anticipated synergies, operating efficiencies, tax savings or cost savings. The unaudited pro forma combined financial information also may not be useful in predicting the future financial condition and results of operations of the Combined Company. The actual financial position and results of operations of the Combined Company may differ significantly from the pro forma amounts reflected herein due to a variety of factors.

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information was derived from and should be read in conjunction with the following historical financial statements and the accompanying notes, which are included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, Exhibit 99.1 of the Current Report on Form 8-K of which the unaudited pro forma combined financial information is a part, or APHC’s Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022 filed with the SEC:

 

   

the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements;

 

   

the historical audited financial statements of APHC for the period from January 18, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 and the related notes;

 

   

the historical unaudited financial statements of APHC as of September 30, 2021 and for the period from January 18, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 and the related notes;

 

   

the historical unaudited financial statements of APHC as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and the related notes;

 

   

the historical audited consolidated financial statements of MariaDB as of and for the year ended September 30, 2022 and the related notes; and

 

   

other information relating to APHC and MariaDB included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, including the Merger Agreement and the description of certain terms thereof and related transactions set forth under the sections titled “The Business Combination Agreement and Related Agreements” and “The Business Combination.”

 

- 2 -


The unaudited pro forma combined financial information also should be read together with the section titled “APHC Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and other financial information included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and “MariaDB’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Exhibit 99.3 of the Current Report on Form 8-K of which the unaudited pro forma combined financial information is a part.

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information has been prepared considering:

 

   

approval of the Business Combination by MariaDB shareholders on October 26, 2022 and APHC Shareholders on November 22, 2022;

 

   

actual total redemption of 26,292,557 APHC Class A Ordinary Shares in connection with completion of the Merger, at an assumed redemption price approximating $10.07 per share as of September 30, 2022. As of the actual redemption date on December 19, 2022, the redemption price was $10.13; and

 

   

waiver by MariaDB of (i) the Minimum Cash Condition and (ii) the $15 Million Condition of the Merger Agreement, in connection with completion of the Merger.

The following summarizes the number of the Combined Company Ordinary Shares outstanding after giving effect to the redemption of APHC Class A Ordinary Shares in connection with the closing of the Merger on December 16, 2022:

 

     Number of Shares      % of Ownership  

MariaDB Sellers (continuing shareholders) (1)

     57,670,607        86.7

Sponsors (co-founders) (2)

     4,857,870        7.3

Sponsors (other)

     1,780,000        2.7

PIPE Investors (3)

     1,915,790        2.9

APHC public shareholders

     258,925        0.4
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     66,483,192        100.0

 

(1)

Based on the issuance of the Aggregate Merger Consideration of 57,670,607 Combined Company Ordinary Shares, in connection with completion of the Merger, excluding 5,136,482 Combined Company Ordinary Shares set aside for the vested MariaDB Equity Awards not yet exercised.

(2)

Excludes the APHC Private Warrants sold in connection with the APHC IPO and as part of the Private Placement. These securities were divided equally and distributed to each co-founder respectively in connection with completion of the Business Combination.

(3)

Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements for the PIPE Investment, Combined Company Ordinary Shares valued at $10.00 per share were issued at a price of $9.50 per share to PIPE Investors.

The following unaudited pro forma combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2022 and the unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations for the year ended September 30, 2022 are based on the historical unaudited and audited financial statements of MariaDB and APHC. The unaudited pro forma adjustments are based on information currently available, assumptions, and estimates underlying the unaudited pro forma adjustments and are described in the accompanying notes. Actual facts may differ materially from the information currently available, assumptions, and estimates used to present the accompanying unaudited pro forma combined financial information.

 

- 3 -


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED BALANCE SHEET

AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

(in thousands)

 

     Historical Financials                     
     APHC
(As of September 30,
2022)
    MariaDB
(As of September 30,
2022)
    Transaction
Accounting
Adjustments
           Pro Forma Combined  

Current assets:

           

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 128     $ 4,756     $ 267,379       A      $ 1,605  
         (13,358     B     
         (9,359     C     
         (3,224     E     
         (264,772     M     
         18,200       J     
         (379     G     
         2,734       H     
         (500     I     

Short-term investments

     —         25,999       —            25,999  

Accounts receivable, net

     —         12,154       —            12,154  

Prepaids and other current assets

     264       15,806       (7,163     E        8,907  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total current assets

     392       58,715       (10,442        48,665  

Property and equipment, net

     —         708       —            708  

Goodwill

     —         7,535       —            7,535  

Intangible assets, net

     —         1,120       —            1,120  

Operating lease right-of-use assets

     —         890       —            890  

Other noncurrent assets

     —         1,006       —            1,006  

Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account

     267,379       —         (267,379     A        —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 267,771     $ 69,974     $ (277,821      $ 59,924  

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

           

Current liabilities:

           

Accounts payable

   $ —       $ 3,267     $ 189       D      $ 3,456  

Accrued expenses

     —         8,902       (406     B        7,085  
         (1,271     C     
         (1,411     E     
         1,271       D     

Operating lease liabilities

     —         496       —            496  

Long-term debt, current

     —         122       —            122  

Deferred revenue

     —         26,236       —            26,236  

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     1,460       —         (1,460     D        —    

Note payable – related party

     150       —         —            150  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     1,610       39,023       (3,088        37,545  

Long-term debt, net of current

     —         14,622       —            14,622  

Operating lease liabilities, net of current

     —         433       —            433  

Deferred revenue, net of current

     —         5,321       —            5,321  

Warrant liabilities

     4,333       1,749       (335     G        4,812  
         (935     H     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     5,943       61,148       (4,358        62,733  

Commitments and contingencies

           

Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption (APHC)

     267,379       —         (264,772     M        —    
         (2,607     L     

Convertible preferred shares (MariaDB)

     —         206,969       (206,969     K        —    

Stockholders’ equity (deficit):

           

Common share, par value of $0 per share (MariaDB)

     —         —         —            —    

Ordinary Stock of Combined Company, par value of $0.01 per share

     —         —         69       L        664  
         5       H     
         19       J     
         571       K     

Class A Ordinary Shares (APHC)

     —         —         —            —    

Class B Ordinary Shares (APHC)

     1       —         (1     L        —    

Additional paid-in-capital

     7,140       11,482       206,398       K        227,575  
         (8,976     E     
         (12,692     F     
         3,503       H     
         18,181       J     
         2,539       L     

Accumulated deficit

     (12,692     (200,320     161       H        (221,743
         (500     I     
         12,692       F     
         (12,952     B     
         (8,088     C     
         (44     G     

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

     —         (9,305     —            (9,305
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     (5,551     (198,143     200,885          (2,809

Total liabilities, convertible preferred shares and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

   $ 267,771     $ 69,974     $ (277,821      $ 59,924  


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

     Historical Financials                     
     APHC
(For the twelve months
ended September 30,
2022)
    MariaDB
(For the twelve months
ended September 30,
2022)
    Transaction
Accounting
Adjustments
           Pro Forma Combined  

Revenue:

           

Subscription

   $ —       $ 38,451     $ —          $ 38,451  

Services

     —         5,234       —            5,234  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total revenue

     —         43,685       —            43,685  

Cost of revenue:

           

Subscription

     —         6,595       —            6,595  

Services

     —         6,966       —            6,966  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total cost of revenue

     —         13,561       —            13,561  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Gross profit

     —         30,124       —            30,124  

Operating expenses:

           

Research and development

     —         35,416            35,416  

Sales and marketing

     —         27,938            27,938  

General and administrative

     —         15,161       500       AA        39,122  
         12,952       CC     
         8,088       DD     
         2,421       EE     

Formation costs and other operating expenses

     2,421       —         (2,421     EE        —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     2,421       78,515       21,540          102,476  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

     (2,421     (48,391     (21,540        (72,352

Other (expense) income:

           

Interest expense

     —         (1,608     —            (1,608

Interest income

     1,860       —         (1,860     BB        —    

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities

     8,508       (5,712     —            2,796  

Settlement of deferred underwriters payable

     302       —         —            302  

Other income (expense), net

     —         7,141       161       FF        7,258  
         (44     GG     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Income (Loss) before income tax expense

     8,249       (48,570     (23,283        (63,604

Income tax benefit (expense)

     —         (81     4,804       HH        4,723  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net Income (Loss)

   $ 8,249     $ (48,651   $ (18,479      $ (58,881
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to common shares – basic and diluted

     —       $ (0.83        $ (0.89

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted

     —         58,801,357            66,483,192  

Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A redeemable ordinary shares, basic and diluted

     26,551,482           

Basic and diluted net income per ordinary share of Class A redeemable shares

   $ 0.31           

Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B non-redeemable ordinary shares, basic and diluted

     6,637,870           

Basic and diluted net income per share of Class B non-redeemable ordinary shares

   $ 1.24           

 

- 5 -


Transaction Accounting Adjustments to Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Balance Sheet

The Transaction Accounting Adjustments included in the unaudited pro forma balance sheet as of September 30, 2022 are as follows:

 

(A)

Reflects the reclassification of $267.4 million cash and cash equivalents held in the Trust Account that potentially became available for transaction consideration, transaction expenses, underwriting commission, and operating activities of MariaDB following the Merger.

 

(B)

Represents transaction cost incurred by MariaDB of $13.4 million inclusive of advisory, banking, printing, legal, director and officer insurance, and accounting fees that are paid in connection with the Business Combination. The unaudited pro forma combined balance sheet reflects a cost of $13.4 million as a reduction of cash, with $0.4 million having been accrued, but unpaid as of the pro forma balance sheet date. Transaction cost expensed through accumulated deficit are included in the unaudited pro forma combined statement of operations discussed in note (CC) below. These costs are exclusive of equity issuance costs associated with the Business Combination incurred directly in connection with effecting the transaction as discussed in note (E) below.

 

(C)

Reflects estimated transaction cost incurred by APHC of $9.4 million, inclusive of legal and advisory fees that are expensed and paid in connection with the Business Combination, with approximately $1.3 million having been accrued as of the pro forma balance sheet date. Expensed costs are exclusive of $0.3 million of equity issuance costs associated with the PIPE Investment, included in note (E) below. Expensed costs are shown in accumulated deficit and included in note (DD) below.

 

(D)

Reflects a mapping adjustment to classify accrued expenses and accounts payable to align with MariaDB accounting policy.

 

(E)

Reflects cash payments for offering costs of approximately $3.2 million inclusive of legal, tax, registration fees, and accounting fees, incurred in connection with the Business Combination, of which $1.4 million was accrued on the balance sheet, and deferred as a prepaid cost as of September 30, 2022. In addition, other previously paid cash costs were deferred in prepaids and other current assets. Equity issuance costs are recorded as reductions in additional paid-in-capital, and accordingly, were reclassified on the pro forma balance sheet.

 

(F)

Reflects the reclassification of APHC historical accumulated deficit.

 

(G)

The adjustment reflects the cash outlay and the resulting loss on the cash settlement of warrants issued to EIB in 2017 (“2017 Series C Warrants”) at the closing of the Merger. Refer to note (GG) below.

 

(H)

Reflects the exercising of 2,365,078 series C warrants issued in June 2020 (“2020 Series C Warrants”) in connection with the Business Combination and subsequently converted into Combined Company Ordinary Shares, in addition to the cancelation of 493,065 2020 Series C Warrants in connection with the closing of the Business Combination.

 

(I)

Reflects the cash payment of non-recurring bonuses to certain MariaDB employees in connection with the Business Combination. These bonuses are expensed through accumulated deficit included in the unaudited pro forma statement of operations discussed in note (AA) below.

 

(J)

Represents the proceeds from the private placement of 1,915,790 Combined Company Ordinary Shares at $9.50 per share pursuant to the PIPE Investment.

 

- 6 -


(K)

Reflects the conversion of MariaDB Series A Preferred Shares, MariaDB Series B Preferred Shares, MariaDB Series C Preferred Shares, and MariaDB Series D Preferred Shares, MariaDB Ordinary Shares, and shares issued to the sellers of CubeWerx and Sector 42 in connection with its acquisition, into Combined Company Ordinary Shares at par value of $.01. The adjustment does not include the 2020 Series C Warrants in note (H).

 

(L)

Reflects the conversion of 258,925 APHC Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding and subject to possible redemption and 6,637,870 of APHC Class B Ordinary Shares outstanding into Combined Company Ordinary Shares in connection with the Business Combination.

 

(M)

Reflects the actual redemption of 26,292,557 APHC Class A Ordinary Shares in connection with completion of the Merger, for an aggregate redemption payment of $264.8 million at a redemption price of $10.07 per share based on a pro forma redemption date of September 30, 2022. As of the actual redemption date of December 16, 2022, the redemption price was $10.13 per share.

 

- 7 -


Transaction Accounting Adjustments to Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Statement of Operations

The Transaction Accounting Adjustments included in the unaudited pro forma combined statement of operations for the year ended September 30, 2022:

 

(AA)

Reflects $0.5 million of non-recurring bonus expense related to the payment of bonuses to certain MariaDB employees in connection with the Business Combination. This is a non-recurring item.

 

(BB)

Reflects the elimination of investment income related to the marketable securities held in the Trust Account. This is a non-recurring item.

 

(CC)

Reflects the total transaction costs associated with MariaDB, which are reflected as if incurred on October 1, 2021, the date the Business Combination occurred for the purposes of the unaudited pro forma combined statement of operations. This is a non-recurring item.

 

(DD)

Reflects the total transaction costs associated with APHC, which are reflected as if incurred on October 1, 2021, the date the Business Combination occurred for the purposes of the unaudited pro forma combined statement of operations. This is a non-recurring item.

 

(EE)

Reflects a mapping adjustment to classify formation costs and other operating expenses to general and administrative expenses to align with MariaDB accounting policy. This is a non-recurring item.

 

(FF)

Reflects the gain resulting from the 493,065 2020 Series C Warrants canceled in connection with the closing of the Business Combination as discussed in note (H). This is a non-recurring item.

 

(GG)

Reflects the loss on the additional cash settlement remitted in connection with the settlement of the remaining EIB 2017 Series C Warrants as discussed in note (G). This is a non-recurring item.

 

(HH)

Represents an adjustment to record the income tax impact of MariaDB’s income statement activity at a statutory rate of 20% assuming a Finnish taxes rate would apply after the Business Combination. The income tax impacts associated with APHC activity was applied at the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21%.

Loss per Share of the Combined Company

Represents the net loss per share of the Combined Company calculated using the historical weighted average shares outstanding, and the issuance of additional shares in connection with the Business Combination, assuming the shares were outstanding since October 1, 2021. As the Business Combination and related transactions are being reflected as if they had occurred at the beginning of the period presented, the calculation of weighted average shares outstanding for basic and diluted net income (loss) per share assumes that the shares issuable relating to the Business Combination have been outstanding for the entire periods presented.

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information has been prepared assuming actual total redemption of 26,292,557 APHC Class A Ordinary Shares in connection with completion of the Merger, for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in APHC’s Trust Account for the year ended September 30, 2022.

 

     Year Ended September 30,
2022
 

Pro forma net loss attributable to common shareholders

   $ (58,881

Pro Forma weighted average shares calculation, basic and diluted

  

MariaDB Equity Holders (continuing shareholders) (1)

     57,670,607  

Sponsors (Co-founders)

     4,857,870  

Sponsors (Other)

     1,780,000  

PIPE Investors

     1,915,790  

APHC public shareholders

     258,925  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding—basic and diluted

     66,483,192  
  

 

 

 

Net loss per share—basic and diluted

   $ (0.89

 

(1)

Based on the issuance of the Aggregate Merger Consideration of 57,670,607 Combined Company Ordinary Shares, in connection with completion of the Merger, excluding 5,136,482 Combined Company Ordinary Shares set aside for the vested MariaDB Equity Awards not yet exercised.

 

- 8 -

Exhibit 99.3

MARIADB MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “MariaDB” “we”, “us” or “our” refer to MariaDB Corporation Ab and its consolidated subsidiaries prior to the closing of the Business Combination described below.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements of MariaDB Corporation Ab and the related notes that appear in Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K (the “MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements”). Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis, including information with respect to our planned investments in our research and development, sales and marketing, payment of our debt, and general and administrative functions, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the sections “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K or incorporated by reference herein from the final prospectus and definitive proxy statement of Mangomill plc filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 24, 2022 for a discussion of forward-looking statements and important factors that could cause actual financial results and condition to differ materially from the results and condition described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Additionally, our historical results and condition are not necessarily indicative of the financial results or condition that may be expected as of any other date or for any period in the future.

Overview

MariaDB is a new generation cloud database company whose products are used by companies big and small, reaching over a billion users through Linux distributions, downloaded over a billion times, and used across all types of use cases and industries. Built for all clouds (public, private and hybrid), our new generation relational database delivers the flexibility and elasticity businesses need in today’s world with the reliability and dependability necessary to power the most mission critical applications. Rooted in open source, MariaDB is open and transparent, working hand-in-hand with customers to solve their data storage and access challenges at a fraction of the cost of legacy databases.

We generate revenue primarily from two sources:

 

   

Subscriptions: subscriptions to MariaDB Enterprise solutions and SkySQL, our fully managed Database-as-a-service (“DBaaS”), which are sold in conjunction with post-contract support, or PCS. Our subscription agreements for Maria DB Enterprise solutions typically have terms of one to three years. MariaDB SkySQL subscriptions are available to customers on either a pay-as-you-go or one or multi-year subscription agreements. Our subscription agreements generally provide for future updates, upgrades, enhancements, and technical product support.

 

   

Services: professional services consisting primarily of consulting, training, remote database administration, and engineering architecture services.

MariaDB database solutions, including both MariaDB Enterprise and MariaDB SkySQL, are capable of supporting an organization’s growth, scaling to millions of users and millions of transactions per second with ease. The commercial components of our enterprise database solutions are the MariaDB Enterprise Server, MariaDB MaxScale, MariaDB Enterprise ColumnStore, and MariaDB Xpand, our distributed SQL database. These components, which can be installed by the customer on their specific hardware in a private data center or in a public cloud, are provided under a licensing framework that aims to protect our intellectual property and drive our software subscription model while still allowing for contributions to MariaDB open source code, which fosters a healthy, growing MariaDB ecosystem.


MariaDB SkySQL is a DBaaS in the cloud that enables customers to use MariaDB Enterprise Server, MariaDB Xpand or MariaDB ColumnStore analytical databases as a service, fully managed by MariaDB. This offering makes our database solutions available everywhere and offers enhanced growth opportunities by leveraging the market momentum of cloud services. MariaDB SkySQL can deploy and manage databases across Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud (GCP) at scale with full availability redundancies.

To support our database solutions and increase customer satisfaction and retention, we provide professional services to aid our customers in making their applications on the MariaDB platform successful. Our service revenue accounted for 12% of our total revenue for each of the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. We continue to invest in our professional service offerings as part of our customer retention and expansion strategy.

Our database solutions are used globally by organizations of all sizes across a broad range of industries. We currently offer our products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”), and Asia-Pacific, (“APAC”). Our revenue from those regions constituted 48%, 37%, and 15%, respectively, of our revenue for the year ended September 30, 2022, and 44%, 40%, and 16%, respectively, of our revenue for the year ended September 30, 2021. We believe international expansion represents a meaningful opportunity to generate further demand for our solutions in international markets. We plan to invest in our operations internationally to reach new customers by expanding in targeted key geographies where we believe there are opportunities for significant return on investment.

Business Combination

On January 31, 2022, we entered into the business combination agreement with Angel Pond Holdings Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“APHC”), Mangomill plc, an Irish public limited company and wholly owned subsidiary of APHC (“Irish Holdco”), and Meridian Merger Sub Inc. (“Merger Sub”), a Cayman Islands exempted company and wholly owned subsidiary of Irish Holdco (the “Merger Agreement”).

Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, APHC and Irish Holdco entered into Subscription Agreements with certain investors (the “PIPE Investors”) pursuant to which, among other things, the PIPE Investors agreed to subscribe for and purchase, and Irish Holdco agreed to issue and sell to the PIPE Investors, an aggregate amount of 1,915,790 Combined Company Ordinary Shares at the effective time of the Merger (as defined below) in exchange for an aggregate purchase price of $18.2 million, as set forth in the Subscription Agreements (the “PIPE Investment”).

On December 16, 2022, certain transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement were consummated. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, (i) Merger Sub merged with and into APHC with APHC being the surviving entity and a subsidiary of Irish Holdco (the “Domestication Merger”); and (ii) MariaDB merged with and into Irish Holdco with Irish Holdco continuing as the surviving entity (the “Merger”). In addition, the PIPE Investment was consummated. The Domestication Merger, the Merger, and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement are collectively considered the “Business Combination.” In connection with the Business Combination, Irish Holdco changed its name to “MariaDB plc”. As soon as practicable following the Merger, APHC will be liquidated. The continuing entity after the closing of the Merger is referred to as the “Combined Company.”

Recent Acquisition

On August 2, 2022, MariaDB entered into a stock purchase agreement and completed the acquisition of 100% of the outstanding equity of Sector 42 Technologies, Inc. (“Sector 42”) a corporation registered under the laws of the Province of Ontario, and CubeWerx Inc. (“CubeWerx”), a corporation registered under the laws of the Province of Ontario, for a total purchase price of $3.8 million, consisting of cash consideration of $1.7 million, $0.1 million of deferred cash consideration, and equity consideration of $2.0 million (in the form of 2,363,354 common shares of MariaDB). The purchase price was subject to certain customary adjustments (including closing date indebtedness and net working capital adjustments). As of September 30, 2022, the common shares were issued but not registered with the Finnish Trade Registrar (although in November 2022 such shares were registered). With this acquisition, MariaDB acquired technology for managing and publishing geospatial data via open web services. Geographic data and information are becoming increasingly important and critical to businesses everywhere. New drones, satellites and sensors are contributing to the growing amount of location-based and imagery data available. We intend to offer the geospatial product to enable customers to manage and consume this type of data through our fully managed cloud service, MariaDB SkySQL.

 

2


Key Factors Affecting Our Performance

Adoption of Our Cloud Platform. Our future success depends in part on the market adoption of MariaDB SkySQL, our fully managed DBaaS solution, and our ability to compete with hyperscalers like AWS or GCP. While we see growing demand for MariaDB SkySQL, many large enterprises have invested substantial financial, technical and human resources in their legacy database products, despite their inherent limitations. Although this makes it difficult to predict customer adoption rates and future demand, we believe that the benefits of our DBaaS solution should enable us to capture a meaningful portion of a large market opportunity. Further, while we are attracting customers who are dissatisfied with the scalability and availability delivered by hyperscalers and are attracted to a better price / performance ratio with MariaDB SkySQL, the public cloud companies have more resources at their disposal. We believe that our differentiated technology and intellectual property will enable us to win over a meaningful number of AWS and GCP customers.

Acquiring New Customers. We believe that there is significant opportunity to expand our customer base by continuing to make substantial investments in sales, marketing, and brand awareness. Our ability to attract new customers will depend on several factors, including our success in recruiting, training, retaining, and scaling our sales and marketing organization, as well as our ability to capitalize on the competitive dynamics of our target markets. While our database solutions are built for organizations of all sizes and industries, we intend to expand our direct sales force with a primary focus on increasing sales to large enterprises. Secondarily, sales force expansion will be necessary to cover a wider array of global markets that are currently underserved.

Expansion Within Our Existing Customer Base. We believe that there is also a significant opportunity to drive additional sales to existing customers, and we expect to invest in sales and marketing and customer success personnel and activities to achieve additional revenue growth from existing customers. Our customers may potentially expand their subscriptions to our database solutions as they migrate additional existing applications or build new applications, either within the same department or in other lines of business or geographies. Further, as customers modernize their information technology infrastructure and move to the cloud, they may migrate applications from legacy databases. Our goal is to increase the number of customers that standardize on our database within their organization.

Investing in Growth and Scale of our Business. We are focused on our long-term revenue potential. We believe that our market opportunity is large, and we will continue to invest significantly in scaling across all organizational functions in order to grow our operations both domestically and internationally. We have a history of introducing successful new features and capabilities on our platform, and we intend to continue to invest heavily to grow our business to take advantage of our expansive market opportunity rather than optimize for profitability or cash flow in the near term.

Impact of the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has created significant uncertainty in the global economy. There have been no comparable recent events that provide guidance as to the effect the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic may have, and, as a result, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 and the extent to which COVID-19 continues to impact our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and difficult to predict.

While the full impact of the pandemic to our business remains unknown and we believe that our results of operations and financial condition have not been materially adversely impacted to date, we also believe that the pandemic has had some impact on our business. Our potential customers, existing customers, or partners may have experienced, or in the future could experience, downturns or uncertainty in their own business operations due to COVID-19, which may have affected or could affect purchasing and operating decisions.

In addition, the pandemic may have caused or cause potential customers to delay their purchasing decisions, or to extend their payment terms. In addition to the impact on customers, the pandemic has had some impact to our supply chain. In some instances, the timing of receipt of equipment ordered for internal use took much longer than normal, meaning cash was expended well before receipt of goods. Accordingly, our supply chain in the future may be disrupted, or we may be unable to obtain related equipment essential to our business on favorable terms or at all. However, based on the impact from the pandemic to date, we believe we have sufficient reserves to minimize any material impact to our business operations should such a disruption occur.

 

3


In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 16, 2020, we temporarily closed our office in Redwood City, CA, enabled our workforce to work remotely, and implemented travel restrictions for non-essential business. These changes remained in effect until June 15, 2021, when we officially reopened our office. The changes we have implemented to date have not affected and are not expected to materially affect our ability to maintain operations, including financial reporting systems, internal controls over financial reporting, and disclosure controls and procedures. Furthermore, after the outbreak of COVID-19, we have seen slower growth in certain operating expenses due to reduced business travel and the virtualization or cancellation of customer and employee events.

The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted. The global impact of COVID-19 continues to evolve, and we will continue to monitor the situation and the effects on our business and operations.

Key Business Metrics

We monitor the key business metrics set forth below to help us evaluate our business and growth trends, establish budgets, measure the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts, and assess operational efficiencies. The definition and calculation of the key business metrics discussed below may differ from other similarly titled metrics used by other companies, competitors, industry experts, securities analysts, and investors. The following sets forth our key business metrics for the periods presented:

 

($ in thousands)    For the year ended
September 30,
 
     2022     2021  

Total Annual Recurring Revenue

   $ 50,223     $ 40,242  

Total Net Revenue Retention Rate

     107     108

Customers

     697       571  

Annual Recurring Revenue

We view Annual Recurring Revenue (“ARR”) as an important indicator of our financial performance and operating results given the renewable nature of our business. ARR does not have a standardized meaning and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similarly titled metrics presented by other companies.

We define ARR as the annualized revenue for our subscription customers, excluding revenue from nonrecurring contract services (e.g., time and material consulting services). For our annual subscription customers, we calculate ARR as the annualized value of their subscription contracts as of the measurement date, assuming any contract that expires during the next 12 months is renewed on its existing terms (including contracts for which we are negotiating a renewal).

In the event that we are negotiating a renewal with a customer after the expiration of their subscription, we continue to include that revenue in ARR if we are actively in discussion with the customer for a new subscription or renewal, or until we are notified that the customer will not be renewing its subscription.

Additionally, a subset of customers under the MariaDB SkySQL subscription service offering has monthly pay-as-you-go contract terms. We calculate ARR as their monthly recurring revenue as of the measurement date, multiplied by 12. We consider these annualized pay-as-you-go revenues relevant in the determination of ARR as it aligns with our strategic goal to convert the pay-as-you-go customers to annual subscription customers.

Our calculation of ARR is not adjusted for the impact of any known or projected events that may cause any such contract not to be renewed on its existing terms. Consequently, our ARR may fluctuate within each quarter and from quarter to quarter. This metric should be viewed independently of U.S. GAAP revenue and does not represent U.S. GAAP revenue on an annualized basis, as it is an operating metric that can be impacted by contract start and end dates and renewal rates. ARR is not intended to be a replacement for or forecast of revenue.

 

4


Net Revenue Retention Rate

We believe that net revenue retention rate is an important measure of the health of our business and our future growth prospects as it measures the growth in the use of our database by our existing subscription customers.

We calculate our dollar-based net retention rate as of a period end by starting with the ARR from the cohort of all subscription customers as of 12 months prior to such period end, or prior period value. We then calculate the ARR from this same customer cohort as of the current period end, or current period value, which includes any growth in the value of subscriptions and reflects the growth or contraction in customer attrition over the prior 12 months. We then divide the current period value by the prior period value to arrive at our dollar-based net retention rate. The dollar-based net retention rate includes the effect of our subscriptions that expand, renew, contract, or terminate, but excludes ARR from new customers in the current period. Our dollar-based net retention rate is subject to adjustments for acquisitions, consolidations, spin-offs, and other market activity.

Customers

We believe the number of customers is an important indicator of the growth in our business and future revenue trends. We calculate our total number of customers at the end of each period, and we include in this calculation each customer account that has an active subscription contract with us or with which we are negotiating a renewal contract at the end of a given period. Each party with which we enter into a subscription contract is considered a unique customer and, in some cases, a single organization may be counted as more than one customer (i.e., when two or more business units of an enterprise customer each enter into subscription contracts). We exclude pay-as-you-go customers from our calculation. Our customer count is subject to adjustments for acquisitions, consolidations, spin-offs, and other market activity.

Key Components of Results of Operations

Revenue

We derive revenue primarily from subscriptions, and to a lesser extent, services.

Subscription revenue. Our subscription revenue is primarily derived from open source term-based software to MariaDB Enterprise Server and our other enterprise solutions integrated with post-contract support, or PCS, as well as DBaaS-based revenue from our SkySQL offering. PCS includes technical support and maintenance and the right to receive unspecified (when-and-if-available) updates, upgrades and enhancements during the subscription term. Because subscription contracts are generally structured with a one-year and/or multi-year commitments, we record a large portion of that revenue on our balance sheets as deferred revenue, which is then recognized ratably on our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss over the term of the subscription. The non-cancelable term of our subscription arrangements typically ranges from one to three years (with the exception of some SkySQL customers who have month-to-month, or “pay-as-you-go” arrangements).

Revenue from SkySQL, our cloud-based offering, is based on usage-based minimum commitments and is recognized on a usage basis, as usage represents a direct measurement of the value to the customer of the subscription transferred as of a particular date relative to the total value to be delivered over the term of the contract. Pricing is based on the consumption of computational resources, network resources and storage resources. Customers have the option to pay monthly or annually based upon negotiated payment terms.

Services revenue. Services revenue consists of revenue from professional services, including remote database administration, engineering architecture, software installation, monitoring, maintenance, and reporting, as well as other services including consulting and training.

We expect our total revenue may vary from period to period based on, among other things, the timing and size of new subscriptions, the rate of customer renewals and expansions, delivery of professional services, ramp time and productivity of our sales force, the impact of significant transactions, seasonality, and fluctuations in customer consumption for our usage-based offering.

 

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Cost of revenue

Cost of subscription revenue. Cost of subscription revenue consists of expenses for providing our database products and services to our customers. These expenses include third-party cloud infrastructure costs, network and bandwidth costs, credit card processing fees, and revenue share associated with selling third-party software tools. We expect our cost of subscription revenue to increase in absolute dollars and as a percent of revenue as our subscription revenue increases.

Cost of services revenue. Cost of services revenue primarily includes personnel-related costs, including salaries, bonuses, benefits, and stock-based compensation, for employees associated with our professional services, including our remote database administration and engineering architecture services, and travel-related costs. We expect our cost of services revenue to increase both in absolute dollars and as a percent of revenue as our services revenue increases.

Gross profit and gross margin

Gross profit. Gross profit represents revenue less cost of revenue.

Gross margin. Gross margin, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue, has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, including the average sales price of our subscriptions and services, changes in our revenue mix, including the mix of revenue between our subscription and service offerings, volume-based pricing discounts for purchases of third-party cloud infrastructure services, and infrastructure optimization. We expect our gross margin to fluctuate over time depending on the factors described above.

Operating expenses

Our operating expenses consist of research and development (R&D), sales and marketing, and general and administrative expenses. Personnel-related costs are the most significant component of each category of operating expenses.

Research and development. Research and development expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs, including salaries, bonuses, benefits and stock-based compensation, as well as contractor and professional services fees, software and subscription services dedicated for use by our research and development organization, and allocated overhead. We expect our research and development expenses will continue to increase in absolute dollars as our business grows and we continue to invest in our product and service offerings.

Sales and marketing. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs, including salaries, sales commissions, bonuses, benefits, stock-based compensation, third-party costs related to marketing programs, and travel-related costs, as well as allocated overhead. Sales commissions are generally paid upfront on sales bookings; however, the timing of payment is based on sales incentive plans and customer contractual terms related to the underlying customer contract. The deferred commission amounts are recoverable through the future revenue streams under the non-cancelable customer contracts. For customer contracts greater than one year, commissions are deferred, recorded on the balance sheet and amortized over the life of the contract. Amortization of deferred commissions is included in sales and marketing expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Marketing programs consist of advertising, events, corporate communications, and brand-building and developer-community activities. We expect our sales and marketing expenses will increase in absolute dollars over time as we expand our sales force, increase our marketing resources, and expand into new markets.

General and administrative. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs, including salaries, bonuses, benefits, and stock-based compensation associated with our finance, legal, human resources, and other administrative personnel. In addition, general and administrative expenses include non-personnel related costs, such as fees for professional services, and expenses associated with software and subscription services dedicated for use by our general and administrative functions. Following the closing of the

 

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Business Combination, we expect to incur additional expenses as a result of operating as a public company, including costs to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to companies listed on a national securities exchange, costs related to SEC compliance and reporting obligations, and increased expenses for investor relations and professional services. We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in absolute dollars as our business grows.

Other (expense) income

Interest expense. Interest expense consists primarily of interest on short-and-long term debt on the consolidated balance sheets.

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities. Change in fair value of warrant liabilities includes remeasurement to fair value each reporting period of our warrant liabilities. We will continue to record adjustments to the fair value of the preferred share warrants until they are exercised, expire or at such time as the warrants qualify for equity accounting treatment. See “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Warrant Liabilities” for further discussion.

Other income (expense), net. Other income (expense), net, consists primarily of foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

Income tax expense. Income tax expense consists primarily of federal and state income taxes in the United States and income taxes in certain foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business. We assess the need for a valuation allowance against our deferred income tax assets. In assessing the ability to realize the deferred tax assets, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of the deferred tax asset is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which these temporary differences become deductible. We believe it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset will not be realized, and we have accordingly recorded a full valuation allowance as of September 30, 2022 and 2021.

 

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of operations for the periods indicated (amounts stated in thousands):

Overview for Years Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021

 

     Year Ended
September 30,
 
     2022      2021  

Revenue:

     

Subscription

   $ 38,451      $ 31,806  

Services

     5,234        4,222  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenue

     43,685        36,028  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cost of revenue:

     

Subscription

     6,595        5,292  

Services

     6,966        4,334  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cost of revenue

     13,561        9,626  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Gross profit

     30,124        26,402  

Operating expenses:

     

Research and development

     35,416        24,828  

Sales and marketing

     27,938        19,065  

General and administrative

     15,161        8,485  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     78,515        52,378  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (48,391      (25,976

Other (expense) income:

     

Interest expense

     (1,608      (2,773

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities

     (5,712      3,626  

Other income (expense), net

     7,141        (235
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss before income tax expense

     (48,570      (25,358

Income tax expense

     (81      (84
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss

   $ (48,651    $ (25,442
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Comparison of Years Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021

Revenue

 

     For the year ended
September 30,
     Change  
     2022      2021      $      %  
                             
     (in thousands)  

Revenue

           

Subscription

   $ 38,451      $ 31,806        6,645        20.9

Services

     5,234        4,222        1,012        24.0
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenue

   $ 43,685      $ 36,028        7,657        21.3
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Subscription revenue

Subscription revenue increased by $6.6 million, or 20.9%, from $31.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $38.5 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. Approximately 67% of the increase in revenue was attributable to growth from existing customers with the remaining increase attributable to new customers. Our customer base grew from 571 customers as of September 30, 2021 to 697 customers as of September 30, 2022.

 

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Services revenue

Services revenue increased by $1.0 million, or 24%, from $4.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $5.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. The increase in services revenue was primarily due to an increase in new engineering architecture and remote database administration services deals closed.

Cost of revenue, Gross profit and Gross margin

 

     For the year ended
September 30,
    Change  
     2022     2021     $      %  
                           
     (in thousands)  

Cost of revenue

         
Subscription    $ 6,595     $ 5,292       1,303        24.6
Services      6,966       4,334       2,632        60.7
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cost of revenue

   $ 13,561     $ 9,626       3,935        40.9
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Gross profit

     30,124       26,402       3,722        14.1

Gross margin

     69.0     73.3     NA        NA  

Cost of subscription revenue

Cost of subscription revenue increased by $1.3 million, or 24.6%, from $5.3 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $6.6 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. The increase in cost of subscription revenue was primarily due to a 79.7% increase in third-party hosting infrastructure related to growth in our customer base, a 59% increase in personnel-related costs associated with increased headcount, and a 24.8% increase in costs related to third-party tools.

Cost of services revenue

Cost of services revenue increased by $2.6 million, or 60.7%, from $4.3 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $7.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. The increase in cost of services revenue was due to personnel-related costs associated with increased headcount in our services organization.

Gross margin

Gross margin declined from 73.3% in the year ended September 30, 2021 to 69.0% for the year ended September 30, 2022. While services headcount at September 30, 2022 increased 50% from September 30, 2021, a portion of the headcount took on additional pre-sales work for which there was no corresponding revenue. This negatively impacted our overall gross margin.

Operating expenses

 

     For the year ended
September 30,
     Change  
     2022      2021      $      %  
                             
     (in thousands)  

Operating expenses

           

Research and development

   $ 35,416      $ 24,828        10,588        42.6

Sales and marketing

     27,938        19,065        8,873        46.5

General and administrative

     15,161        8,485        6,676        78.7
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

   $ 78,515      $ 52,378        26,137        49.9
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Research and development

Research and development expense increased by $10.6 million, or 42.6%, from $24.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $35.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. The increase was primarily attributable to a $6.0 million increase in personnel-related expenses associated with the growth in headcount, a $4.0 million increase in costs associated with subscription services for use by our internal R&D organization, and a $0.6 million increase in other operating expenses such as travel and facilities.

Sales and marketing

Sales and marketing expense increased by $8.9 million, or 46.5%, from $19.1 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $27.9 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. The increase was primarily attributable to a $5.7 million increase in personnel-related expenses associated with the growth in headcount, a $2.2 million increase in demand generation and other marketing activities, the purpose of which is to drive growth in the pipeline with high-quality leads, and a $1 million increase in other operating expenses, including professional fees and travel associated with more in-person company events and conferences compared to the prior year.

General and administrative

General and administrative expenses increased by $6.7 million, or 78.7%, from $8.5 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $15.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. Professional fees grew $3.9 million due to the additional resources needed to effect the Business Combination and to effect the Series D Preferred Shares financing described in Note 8 to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements. In addition, personnel-related expenses grew $1.9 million, which includes headcount growth in all administrative areas to support growth in business activities, and other operating expenses grew $0.9 million, reflecting higher technology-related costs to support the business along with higher office and facilities expenses related to increases in annual rent and maintenance expenses.

Interest expense

 

     For the year ended
September 30,
     Change  
     2022      2021      $      %  
                             
     (in thousands)  

Interest expense

   $ (1,608    $ (2,773      1,165        (42.0 )% 

Interest expense decreased by $1.2 million, or 42%, from $2.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $1.6 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. The decline was due to repayment in early 2022 of the Capital Loan with the European Investment Bank (“EIB”) described in Note 13 to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, thus resulting in less amortization of debt discount.

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities

 

     For the year ended
September 30,
     Change  
     2022      2021      $      %  
                             
     (in thousands)  

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities

   $ (5,712    $ 3,626        (9,338      NM  

Our warrant liabilities are remeasured at the end of each quarter to reflect changes in the fair value of warrant liabilities. Fair value is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The primary driver of the increase to change in fair value of warrant liabilities was the increase in fair value associated with the 2017 Series C Warrants held by EIB (“2017 Series C Warrants”) that were repurchased by the Company, subject to the maximum purchase price settlement of €8 million in the year ended September 30, 2022. The change in remaining unsettled warrants as of September 30, 2022 was driven by mark-to-market adjustment to reflect the fair value of the warrants. The change in fair value is recorded on the consolidated statement of operations until the warrants are exercised, expire, or other facts and circumstances lead the warrant liabilities to be reclassified to stockholders’ equity (deficit). For additional information, see Note 7 to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Other income (expense), net

 

     For the year ended
September 30,
     Change  
     2022      2021      $      %  
                             
     (in thousands)  

Other income (expense), net

   $ 7,141      $ (235      7,376        NM  

Other income (expense), net increased by $7.4 million from ($0.2) million for the year ended September 30, 2021 to $7.1 million for the year ended September 30, 2022. The increase was related to currency exchange gains related to transactions denominated in a foreign currency.

Income taxes

The effective tax rate realized for each period was significantly below the statutory rate of 21%, as we incurred significant operating losses during each reporting period and did not recognize an income tax benefit associated with these losses because a full valuation allowance is maintained against our net deferred income tax assets in our primary taxable jurisdiction. Amounts reflected in income tax expense generally represent various foreign income taxes. Based on the weight of negative evidence and our projections of future taxable income, we expect to maintain our valuation allowance for the foreseeable future.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our financial results which are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we provide investors with non-GAAP financial measures including Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin, as defined below. These measures are presented for supplemental informational purposes only, have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of these measures as tools for comparison. Because of these limitations, when evaluating our performance, you should consider each of these non-GAAP financial measures alongside other financial performance measures, including the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP and our other GAAP results. A reconciliation of each of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP is set forth below.

 

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Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net loss before (1) interest expense, (2) income tax expense or benefit, (3) depreciation and amortization, (4) stock-based compensation, (5) change in fair value of warrant liabilities, and (6) other income (expense), net, and any other one-time non-recurring transaction amounts impacting the statement of operations during the relevant period. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors and other users of our financial statements in evaluating our operating performance because it provides them with an additional tool to compare business performance across periods. Our management uses Adjusted EBITDA to assess our operating performance and to evaluate our ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA, when considered together with our GAAP financial results, provides meaningful supplemental information regarding our operating performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations or outlook, such as the impact of our capital structure (primarily interest charges) and asset base (primarily depreciation and amortization), items outside the control of the management team (taxes), expenses that do not relate to our core operations, and other non-cash items, including stock-based compensation, unrealized gains and losses related to foreign currency translation (included in other income (expense), net), and changes in fair value of warrant liabilities. We consider Adjusted EBITDA to be an important measure because it helps illustrate underlying trends in our business and our historical operating performance on a more consistent basis.

Adjusted EBITDA margin means Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue determined in accordance with GAAP. We calculate Adjusted EBITDA margin by dividing Adjusted EBITDA by total GAAP revenue. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA margin helps us to better understand MariaDB’s normalized operating performance (excluding certain non-indicative items) in the context of GAAP revenue providing management with important supplemental information in understanding business efficiency and trends.

Our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin may differ from how other companies, including companies in our industry, calculate these or similarly titled non-GAAP measures, which could reduce the usefulness of these measures as tools for comparison. Because of these limitations, when evaluating our performance, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin alongside other financial performance measures, including our net loss and other GAAP results.

 

($ in thousands)    For the year ended
September 30,
 
     2022     2021  

Net Loss

   $ (48,651   $ (25,442

Adjustments:

    

Interest expense

     1,608       2,773  

Income tax expense

     81       84  

Depreciation and amortization

     584       546  

Stock-based compensation

     1,870       518  

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities

     5,712       (3,626

Other income (expense), net

     (7,141     235  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ (45,937   $ (24,912
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Loss Margin

     (111 )%      (71 )% 

Adjusted EBITDA Margin

     (105 )%      (69 )% 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

To date, our primary sources of liquidity are from the collection of proceeds from the subscriptions of customers, funds raised through private placements of equity securities, and debt borrowings. In January 2022, we completed an equity financing in which we raised gross proceeds totaling $103.8 million from the issuance of our Series D Preferred Shares.

 

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We measure liquidity in terms of our ability to fund the cash requirements of our business operations, including working capital, capital expenditure needs, contractual obligations, and other commitments, with cash flows from operations and other sources of funding. Our primary short-term requirements for liquidity and capital relate mainly to employee compensation and benefits, funds for general working capital, expenses relating to the Business Combination, debt interest payments, and redemption of EIB’s remaining 2017 Series C Warrants as described below. Our primary long-term liquidity needs are related to potential acquisitions and the repayment of our loans. Our ability to expand and grow our business will depend on many factors, including working capital needs and the evolution of our operating cash flows.

We have incurred losses and generated negative cash flow from operations since inception, including the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. As of September 30, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $200.3 million.

As of September 30, 2022, we had $4.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and $26.0 million of short-term investments. We do not believe our existing cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, cash provided by sales of database subscriptions, and sales of our services will be sufficient to meet our projected operating requirements and capital expenditures over the next 12 months following the date on which the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements were issued. We believe that this raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. As a result of our growth plans, both domestically and internationally, we expect that losses and negative cash flows from operations will continue in the future. Our future capital requirements may depend on many factors, including our subscription revenue growth rate, subscription renewals, billing timing and frequency, the timing and extent of spending to support development efforts, the expansion of sales and marketing activities, the need for necessary technology and operating infrastructure to support the business, the introduction of new and enhanced database features and functionality, and the continued market adoption of our database solutions. We may in the future pursue acquisitions of businesses, technologies, assets and talent, which may also require additional capital.

We have not been and are not currently profitable and cannot provide assurance that we will ever be profitable. We are likely to be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. Our liquidity may be significantly affected because of our access to cash through debt or equity markets potentially proving challenging due to recent volatility in the capital markets, the rising interest rate environment, changes in customer traffic, higher costs due to inflation, and labor shortages. Additional financing from outside sources may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations and invest in new technologies or businesses, our competitive position could weaken, and our business, growth prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. See Note 1 to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on this assessment.

In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, APHC received requests for redemption from the holders of 26,292,557 Class A Ordinary Shares of APHC and used $266.3 million in proceeds from the trust account established in connection with APHC’s IPO to redeem such shares, such that the remaining $2.6 million from the APHC trust account was available to the Combined Company after the closing. In addition, the Combined Company raised proceeds of $18.2 million from the consummation of the PIPE Investment. We anticipate that the Combined Company’s cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and cash provided by sales of database subscriptions and services will not be sufficient to meet the Combined Company’s projected working capital and operating needs. The Combined Company anticipates needing to raise additional capital to meet its projected working capital, operating needs, and debt repayment for periods after June 30, 2023. The Combined Company’s future capital requirements will also be dependent on the same factors described above with respect to MariaDB, as well as other factors, including increased costs associated with being a public company. Additional debt or equity financing may not be available to the Combined Company on acceptable terms or at all. If the Combined Company is unable to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand its operations and invest in new technologies or businesses, its competitive position could weaken, and its business, growth prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

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Deferred Revenue

We typically invoice our subscription customers annually in advance. Therefore, a substantial source of our cash is from such prepayments, which are included on our consolidated balance sheets as deferred revenue. Deferred revenue consists of billed fees for our subscriptions, prior to satisfying the criteria for revenue recognition, which are subsequently recognized as revenue in accordance with our revenue recognition policy. As of September 30, 2022, we had total deferred revenue of $31.6 million, and a remaining performance obligation of $55.4 million. We expect to recognize revenue on approximately 47.3% of these remaining performance obligations over the next 12 months. Our subscription contracts are recognized ratably over the contract terms; accordingly, the majority of our noncurrent remaining performance obligation is expected to be recognized in the next 13 to 36 months, with the remainder recognized thereafter.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as structured finance or special purpose entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements.

Leases

We have non-cancelable operating lease contracts primarily for facilities for office use expiring from November 2022 to October 2024, some of which include options to extend the lease. Leases of facilities generally have lease terms between 1 and 5 years. As of September 30, 2022, we had fixed minimum lease payments of $0.7 million.

Debt

R&D loan

On April 1, 2015, we entered into a R&D loan agreement with the Finnish State Treasury (“R&D Loan”) in the aggregate amount of €0.5 million for research and development purposes. The R&D Loan accrued interest at 1.0% per annum with a maturity date of November 9, 2022. These funds were used to support our R&D efforts.

The Company fully repaid the R&D Loan on the maturity date.

Loan facility agreement with European Investment Bank

On April 7, 2017, we entered into a loan facility agreement (the “Facility”) with EIB in the aggregate principal amount not exceeding €25 million for the purpose of financing certain research and development and growth-related expenditures. The Facility is structured partly as a capital loan of €10 million (“Capital Loan”), and partly as a term loan of €15 million (“Term Loan”).

The Term Loan was disbursed on October 11, 2019 and has a maturity date of October 11, 2023. The Term Loan accrues interest between 6.0%-9.5% per annum, depending on MariaDB’s monthly recurring revenue. The effective interest rate on the Term Loan for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was 6.0%. As of September 30, 2022, we had an aggregate principal amount of $14.6 million (€15 million) of long-term debt.

The Capital Loan was disbursed on April 28, 2017 and had an original maturity date of April 28, 2021. No interest was required to be accrued or paid on the Capital Loan under its original terms. On April 26, 2021, the Capital Loan was amended to extend the maturity date to the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 or (ii) the date falling 15 days after a new equity financing, and required interest accruing at a rate of 12.0% per annum from April 28, 2021 through maturity.

In December 2021, we amended our Facility to extend the maturity date of the Capital Loan to the earlier of (i) June 30, 2022 or (ii) 30 days after a new equity financing. On March 2, 2022, in connection with the Series D Preferred Shares financing described in Note 8 to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, the Capital Loan became due. We repaid the outstanding principal of $11.6 million and accrued interest of $1.1 million.

Under the terms of the Facility, EIB was issued 2017 Series C Warrants with a put option. The original terms provided EIB the right (no earlier than 30 days prior to the maturity date of the Capital Loan) to require us to purchase a substantial portion of the warrants, with our obligation capped at the maximum amount of €8 million in connection with the exercise of the put option. On August 8, 2022, we received written notice from EIB exercising

 

14


its put option under its 2017 Series C Warrants described in Note 7 to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements. As a result of EIB’s exercise of its put option, we were required to repurchase 5,000,194 warrants at the maximum purchase price of €8 million. During the fourth quarter of the year ended September 30, 2022, we net settled the warrants subject to the put option at a purchase price of $7.7 million. The remaining 2017 Series C Warrants held by EIB were settled upon consummation of the Business Combination as described in Note 19 to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

Cash Flows

The following table presents a summary of our cash flows for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021:

 

     For the year ended
September 30,
 
     2022      2021  

Net cash provided by (used in)

     

Operating activities

   $ (50,324    $ (18,537

Investing activities

   $ (27,829    $ (419

Financing activities

   $ 82,592      $ 26  

Operating activities

Cash used in operating activities consists mainly of our net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items, including stock-based compensation, depreciation of property and equipment, changes in fair value of warrant liabilities, amortization of acquired intangible assets, non-cash operating lease costs, amortization of deferred commissions, amortization of debt discount, loss on extinguishment of debt, net foreign exchange differences, and changes in operating assets and liabilities during the period.

For the year ended September 30, 2022, cash used in operating activities was $50.3 million, primarily consisting of our net loss of $48.7 million, adjusted for non-cash losses of $9.5 million, offset by net cash outflows of $11.2 million related to changes in our operating assets and liabilities. Non-cash losses included $1.5 million of unrealized foreign currency gains, offset by a change in the fair value of warrant liabilities of $5.7 million and other normal recurring non-cash charges. The main driver of the changes in operating assets and liabilities was a result of deferred equity issuance costs currently classified to prepaid expenses in anticipation of the Business Combination.

For the year ended September 30, 2021, cash used in operating activities was $18.5 million, primarily consisting of our net loss of $25.4 million, adjusted for non-cash charges of $0.4 million and net cash inflows of $6.5 million provided by changes in our operating assets and liabilities. Non-cash charges consisted of a $3.6 million gain on the change in fair value of warrant liabilities, which was offset by other normal non-cash charges. The main driver of the changes in operating assets and liabilities was an inflow resulting primarily from increased deferred revenue related to prepaid contract arrangements, partially offset by a related increase in deferred commissions.

Investing activities

Cash used in investing activities for the year ended September 30, 2022 was $27.8 million. The cash outflow resulted from the purchase of short-term investments of $35.3 million, the payment of $1.7 million representing the cash portion of the purchase price of the CubeWerx and Sector 42 acquisition, and the purchase of property and equipment to support operations of $0.3 million, offset by the subsequent sale of a portion of the short-term investments of $9.4 million.

Cash used in investing activities during the year ended September 30, 2021 was $0.4 million, resulting from the purchase of property and equipment to support operations.

 

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Financing activities

Cash provided by financing activities for the year ended September 30, 2022 totaled $82.6 million and consisted of net proceeds for issuance of preferred stock of $95.5 million, net proceeds for the issuance of convertible notes of $5.0 million, and proceeds from the exercise of share options of $1.1 million, offset by the repayment of borrowings under the EIB Capital Loan of $11.2 million and settlement of a portion of EIB’s 2017 Series C Warrants for $7.7 million.

Cash provided by financing activities for the year ended September 30, 2021 was an immaterial amount and consisted of proceeds from stock option exercises, offset by principal repayments of long-term debt.

Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business. Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. Our market risk exposure is primarily the result of fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates.

Interest Rate Risk

As of September 30, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $4.8 million. On January 31, 2022, we closed our Series D Preferred Shares financing. Currently, the remaining related funds along with our other cash balances are held in cash accounts and short-term investments. Our short-term goal is to invest a portion of our cash in short-to-medium term investments in accordance with the investment parameters laid out in our Investment Policy Strategy. Currently we have little exposure to market risk due to fluctuations in interest rates but may in the future depending on the nature of our investments. The rate of interest on our EIB Term Loan that was disbursed on October 11, 2019 is not tied to fluctuations in interest rates; therefore, any change in market rates is not expected to impact the current interest rate on the Term Loan.

As of September 30, 2022, we had investment securities consisting of $26.0 million in U.S. Treasury Bills, all of which mature by December 2022. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

We conduct business in several locations outside of the U.S. with a portion of our operating expenses denominated in the currencies of the countries in which our operations are located. These include Europe, United Kingdom, Canada, and India, among others. The volatility of exchange rates depends on many factors that we cannot forecast with reliable accuracy. We have experienced and will continue to experience fluctuations in foreign exchange gains (losses) related to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, which may be significant. In the event our foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities, revenue, or expenses increase, our results of operations may be more greatly affected by fluctuations in the exchange rates of the currencies in which we do business. We have not engaged in the hedging of foreign currency transactions to date, although we may choose to do so in the future.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses, as well as related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results and condition could differ from these estimates.

While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, we believe that the accounting policies discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates and therefore involve a greater degree of estimation uncertainty.

 

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Revenue Recognition

We derive our revenue from (1) database-related subscription solutions, including term license and post-contract customer support, (2) consumption-based database-as-a-service offerings, and (3) professional services that include remote database administration, engineering architecture, software installation, monitoring, maintenance, and reporting, in addition to other services including consulting and training.

We recognize revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, when a contract with a customer exists, the control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers and the performance obligation has been satisfied, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer. The determination of distinct performance obligations may require judgment.

Our contracts with customers often contain multiple performance obligations that require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative standalone selling price. If the standalone selling price is not determinable, an estimate is used. We recognize revenue as the performance obligation is satisfied.

Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately, versus together, may require judgment. For arrangements that contain multiple performance obligations we allocate the transaction price to the various performance obligations based on standalone selling price, or SSP. Therefore, judgment is required to determine SSP for each distinct performance obligation. We utilize several inputs when determining SSP, including sales of goods and services sold on a standalone basis, our overall pricing strategies, market conditions and data, including the geographic locations in which the products and services are sold, the useful life of our products, and market data. We may modify our go-to-market practices in the future, which may result in changes to SSP for one or more of our performance obligations. Any such changes to SSP could impact the pattern and timing of revenue recognition for identical arrangements executed in future periods but will not change the total revenue recognized for any given arrangement.

We have certain revenue contracts that involve the use of third-party vendors. As part of our product and service offerings, we offer our customers with optional add-on tools that enable customers to utilize these third-party applications with our products. As such, these contracts with customers involve both the purchase and sale of services with the third-party vendor counterparty. In these arrangements, we assess each contract to determine if the revenue and expense should be presented on a gross or net basis. The determination as to whether revenue should be reported gross of amounts billed to customers (gross basis) or net of payments to the third vendors (net basis) requires judgment, which is based on our assessment of whether we are acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction. We have determined that we act as the principal with the optional add-on tools provided by vendors because we are the primary obligor in the arrangement, we direct the use of the add-on features, we establish pricing, and we establish and maintain a direct relationship with the customer. Based on these and other factors, we report revenue from contracts that involve the use of third-party vendors on a gross basis.

Goodwill Impairment Assessment

Goodwill represents the excess of cost over fair value of identified assets acquired and liabilities assumed by MariaDB in an acquisition of a business. The determination of the value of goodwill and intangible assets arising from a business combination requires extensive use of accounting estimates and judgments to allocate the purchase price to the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired. We test goodwill for impairment at least annually or more frequently whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. We use qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (likelihood of more than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, including goodwill. Some of the qualitative factors considered in applying this test include consideration of macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors affecting the business, and overall financial performance of the business. If qualitative factors are not deemed sufficient to conclude that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the

 

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reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, then a one-step approach is applied in making an evaluation. The evaluation utilizes multiple valuation methodologies, including a market approach (market price multiples of comparable companies) and an income approach (discounted cash flow analysis). The computations require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, including, among other things, selection of comparable companies, the discount rate applied to future earnings reflecting a weighted average cost of capital, and earnings growth assumptions. A discounted cash flow analysis requires management to make various assumptions about future sales, operating margins, capital expenditures, working capital and growth rates. If the evaluation results in the fair value of the reporting unit being lower than the carrying value, an impairment charge is recorded.

Changes in the technology industry occur frequently and quickly. Therefore, there can be no assurance that a charge to operating expenses will not occur as a result of future goodwill impairment tests. To date, we have not recorded any impairment charges related to our goodwill.

Warrant Liabilities

We account for our preferred share warrants issued in connection with various financing transactions based upon the characteristics and provisions of the instrument. The preferred share warrants were issued for no cash consideration as detachable freestanding instruments but can be converted to convertible preferred shares at the holder’s option based on the exercise price of the warrant. However, the deemed liquidation provisions of the convertible preferred shares are considered contingent redemption provisions that are not solely within the control of MariaDB.

We recognize warrants to purchase shares of our convertible preferred shares as warrant liabilities, measured at fair value at inception and subsequently re-measured each reporting period with fair value gains and losses recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. We estimate the fair value of these liabilities using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and assumptions that are based on the individual characteristics of the warrants or instruments on the valuation date, as well as assumptions for expected volatility, expected life, yield, and risk-free interest rate. We will continue to adjust the liability for changes in fair value until the earlier of the exercise of the warrants, the expiration of the warrants, or until such time as the warrants are no longer considered a liability.

Stock Based Compensation

We recognize stock-based compensation expense for all stock awards based on the grant-date fair value of the awards. We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model for valuing stock option awards. The fair value of an award is recognized as an expense ratably over the requisite service period. We account for forfeitures as they occur.

The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the fair value of the underlying common shares, the expected term of the option, the expected volatility of the market, risk-free interest rates, and the expected dividend yield of our common shares. The assumptions used to determine the fair value of the option awards represent management’s best estimates. These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment.

Common Stock Share Valuations

The fair value of the common shares underlying our stock-based awards has historically been determined by our board of directors with input from management and corroboration from contemporaneous third-party valuations. We believe that our board of directors has the relevant experience and expertise to determine the fair value of our common shares. Given the absence of a public trading market of our common shares, and in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately-Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, our board of directors exercised reasonable judgment and considered numerous objective and subjective factors to determine the best estimate of the fair value of our common shares at each grant date. These factors include:

 

   

Contemporaneous valuations of our common shares performed by independent third-party specialists;

 

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The prices, rights, preferences, and privileges of our convertible preferred shares relative to those of our common shares;

 

   

The prices paid for common or convertible preferred shares sold to third-party investors by us and prices paid in secondary transactions for shares repurchased by us in arm’s-length transactions, including any tender offers;

 

   

The lack of marketability inherent in our common shares;

 

   

Our actual operating and financial performance;

 

   

Our current business conditions and projections;

 

   

The hiring of key personnel and the experience of our management;

 

   

The history of our company and the introduction of new products;

 

   

Our stage of development;

 

   

The likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as an initial public offering (IPO), a merger, or acquisition of our company given prevailing market conditions;

 

   

The operational and financial performance of comparable publicly traded companies; and

 

   

The U.S. and global capital market conditions and overall economic conditions.

In valuing our common shares, the fair value of our business was determined using various valuation methods, including combinations of income and market approaches with input from management. The income approach estimates value based on the expectation of future cash flows that a company will generate. These future cash flows are discounted to their present values using a discount rate that is derived from an analysis of the cost of capital of comparable publicly traded companies in our industry or similar business operations as of each valuation date and is adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in our cash flows. The market approach estimates value based on a comparison of our company to comparable public companies in a similar line of business. From the comparable companies, a representative market value multiple is determined and then applied to the subject company’s financial forecasts to estimate the value of our company.

For each valuation, the fair value of our business determined by the income and market approaches was then allocated to the common shares using either (1) current value method, (2) the probability-weighted expected return method, or the (3) the option-pricing method. Based on the analysis of these allocation methods, it was concluded that the Option Pricing Method was the most likely to provide meaningful valuation information.

Application of these approaches and methodologies involves the use of estimates, judgments, and assumptions that are highly complex and subjective, such as those regarding our expected future revenue, expenses, and future cash flows, discount rates, market multiples, the selection of comparable public companies, and the probability of and timing associated with possible future events. Changes in any or all of these estimates and assumptions or the relationships between those assumptions impact our valuations as of each valuation date and may have a material impact on the valuation of our common shares.

For valuations after the closing of the Business Combination, the board of directors of the Combined Company will determine the fair value of each Combined Company Ordinary Share based on the closing price of the Combined Company Ordinary Shares as reported on the date of grant.

Income Tax Provision

The provision for income taxes in the historical consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss consists of local and foreign income taxes. Following the Business Combination, we will be subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes, in addition to local and foreign income taxes, with respect to our allocable share of any taxable income that will flow through to its interest holders, including us.

Taxes are accounted for using the asset and liability method of accounting. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis, using tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period when the change is enacted.

 

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Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when it is more-likely-than-not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Significant judgment is required in determining any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. In assessing the realizability of our deferred tax assets, we review all available positive and negative evidence, including reversal of deferred tax liabilities, potential carrybacks, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies, and recent financial performance. As we have sustained a cumulative pre-tax loss, we considered it appropriate to maintain a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets at September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We intend to continue maintaining a full valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets until there is sufficient evidence to support the reversal of all or some portion of these allowances. Release of the valuation allowance could result in the recognition of certain deferred tax assets and liabilities in the period the release is recorded. However, the exact timing and amount of the valuation allowance release are subject to change on the basis of the level of profitability that we are able to actually achieve.

U.S. GAAP requires us to recognize tax benefits in an amount that is more-likely-than-not to be sustained by the relevant taxing authority upon examination. We analyze our tax filing positions in all of the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax jurisdictions where we are required to file income tax returns, as well as for all open tax years in these jurisdictions. If, based on this analysis, we determine that uncertainties in tax positions exist that do not meet the minimum threshold for recognition of the related tax benefit, a liability is recorded in the combined financial statements. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. If recognized, the entire amount of unrecognized tax positions would be recorded as a reduction in the provision for income taxes.

Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective governmental taxing authorities. Significant judgment is required in determining tax expense and in evaluating tax positions, including evaluating uncertainties under U.S. GAAP. We review our tax positions quarterly and adjust our tax balances as new information becomes available.

Business Combinations

We apply the provisions of ASC 805, Business Combinations, in accounting for our acquisitions. We allocate the fair value of purchase consideration to the tangible and intangible assets acquired, and liabilities assumed, based on their estimated fair values. The excess fair value of purchase considerations over the values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, our management makes significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates in valuing certain identifiable assets include, but are not limited to, the selection of valuation methodologies, expected future cash flows, discount rates, customer attrition rates, and useful lives. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the business acquisition date, we record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of a business acquisition’s measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to our consolidated statements of operations.

Although we believe that the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Unanticipated events and circumstances may occur that may affect the accuracy or validity of such assumptions, estimates or actual results.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

For more information, see Note 2 to the MariaDB Audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. The JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This provision allows an “emerging growth company” to delay the adoption of some accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this exemption and, therefore, for new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies, we will be subject to an extended transition period until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to use the extended transition period under the JOBS Act until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an “emerging growth company” or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates. The Combined Company will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which the market value of Combined Company Ordinary Shares that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which the Combined Company has total annual gross revenue of $1.235 billion or more during such fiscal year (as indexed for inflation), (iii) the date on which the Combined Company has issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in the prior three-year period or (iv) September 30, 2026.

Additionally, the Combined Company will qualify as a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. The Combined Company will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of Combined Company ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (ii) its annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of Combined Company ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent the Combined Company takes advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of its financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

 

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Exhibit 99.4

MariaDB Completes Merger and Lands on NYSE as “MRDB”

MariaDB Ordinary Shares and Warrants to Begin Trading December 19, 2022

 

   

MariaDB announces the closing of its business combination with Angel Pond Holdings Corporation

 

   

The combined company has been renamed MariaDB plc and is dual headquartered in Redwood City, California and Dublin, Ireland

 

   

MariaDB ended FY22 with over $50m in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) and has over 600 customers in over 60 countries

 

   

MariaDB is a new generation cloud database company whose products are used by businesses ranging from the smallest to the Fortune 500, reaching more than a billion users through Linux distributions and having been downloaded over one billion times

 

   

Customers of MariaDB save up to 90% of total database costs by migrating away from legacy databases

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & DUBLIN – (BUSINESSWIRE) – December 19, 2022 MariaDB plc (NYSE:MRDB), a new generation cloud database company, today announced the completion of its previously announced business combination with Angel Pond Holdings Corporation (“APHC”), a previously publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, resulting in a combined company that is an Irish public limited company renamed MariaDB plc (“MariaDB” or the “Company”).

Beginning on December 19, 2022, MariaDB’s ordinary shares and warrants will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbols “MRDB” and “MRDB WS,” respectively.

MariaDB delivers the backbone of services used by people every day – when accessing data on their smartphone devices, filling prescriptions, using 5G or making financial transactions. MariaDB’s new generation relational database products are engineered to support any workload, any scale and any cloud enabling customers to do more with their data. MariaDB is focused on delivering cloud data services through MariaDB SkySQL that address a broad customer base.

“Today is an exciting day that marks a new chapter for MariaDB and an important milestone in the cloud industry,” said Michael Howard, CEO of MariaDB plc. “Our customers increasingly come to us because they are struggling with the scalability and availability offered by the hyperscalers. With MariaDB SkySQL, we deliver better price and performance while freeing businesses from vendor lock-in with a multicloud offering. I am incredibly proud to work with our talented team and our investors as we continue to build success in the cloud for companies around the world.”

“I am thrilled to bring MariaDB to the public market. The MariaDB database is one of the most popular and is proving to be a critical ingredient for businesses’ success in their cloud transformations. With MariaDB’s differentiated product offering and extensive experience building world-class databases, the company is positioned well to support the tidal wave of cloud database migrations that are only just beginning,” said Theodore T. Wang, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of APHC, who has joined MariaDB’s board of directors.

Michael Howard will continue to lead MariaDB as CEO, along with the current MariaDB management team.

Transaction Overview

The business combination was unanimously approved by APHC’s and MariaDB Corporation Ab’s boards of directors and approved by MariaDB Corporation Ab’s shareholders on October 26, 2022 and by APHC shareholders on November 22, 2022.

Advisors

Perkins Coie LLP served as U.S. legal counsel to MariaDB, Fondia served as Finnish legal counsel to MariaDB, Matheson LLP served as Irish legal counsel to MariaDB, and Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP served as Cayman legal counsel to MariaDB.


Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP served as U.S. legal counsel to APHC, Hannes Snellman Attorneys Ltd served as Finnish legal counsel to APHC, Arthur Cox LLP served as Irish legal counsel to APHC, and Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP served as Cayman legal counsel to APHC.

About MariaDB

MariaDB is a new generation cloud database company whose products are used by companies big and small, reaching more than a billion users through Linux distributions and have been downloaded over one billion times. Deployed in minutes and maintained with ease, leveraging cloud automation, our database products are engineered to support any workload, any cloud and any scale – all while saving up to 90% of proprietary database costs. Trusted by organizations such as Bandwidth, DigiCert, InfoArmor, Oppenheimer, Samsung, SelectQuote and SpendHQ, MariaDB’s software is the backbone of critical services that people rely on every day. Learn more at mariadb.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “see,” “will,” “would,” “target,” similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, such the benefits of the business combination, future opportunities for the combined company and products and any other statements regarding MariaDB’s future operations, anticipated growth, financial or operating results, capital allocation, market opportunities, strategies, anticipated business levels, future earnings, planned activities, dividend policy, debt ratio, competitions, and other expectations and targets for future periods.

As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, the Company’s actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: (a) the ability to maintain the NYSE or other applicable stock exchange listing standards and comply with securities and other corporate laws and regulations following the consummation of the business combination; (b) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, and the ability of the Company to manage its growth and expand its business operations effectively; (c) the Company’s ability to transition to being a public company, including managing costs, building out applicable operations and controls, and obtaining and retaining appropriate personnel and management; (d) the Company’s ability to secure additional funding, including new equity or debt financing; (e) the Company’s ability to acquire and integrate technologies, personnel, and other assets; (f) the Company’s ability to retain existing customers and attract additional customers, and expand business with its customers; (g) intellectual property, information technology and privacy requirements that may subject the Company to unanticipated liabilities; (h) any regulatory actions or litigation relating to the business combination; (i) the effects of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic or other infectious diseases, health epidemics, pandemics, and natural disasters, or the effects of international sanctions, war, economic crises, on the Company’s business; (j) the increasingly competitive environment, including the markets in which the Company operates; and (k) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the Company’s SEC filings, including those under “Risk Factors” therein, and other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by the Company.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company assumes no obligation and, except as required by law, do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The Company gives no assurance that it will achieve its expectations or plans, which may change over time.

Source: MariaDB

Contacts

Investors:

ir@mariadb.com

Media:

pr@mariadb.com