As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2022.
Registration No. 333-263338
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Amendment No. 1
To
Form F-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
SaverOne 2014 Ltd.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrant’s Name into English)
State of Israel |
7371 | Not Applicable | ||
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary
Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.) |
SaverOne 2014 Ltd.
Em Hamoshavot Rd. 94
Petah Tikvah, Israel
+972-39094177
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Puglisi & Associates
850 Library Avenue, Suite 204
Newark, Delaware
(302) 738-6680
(302) 738-7210 (facsimile)
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Gary Emmanuel, Esq. David Huberman, Esq. |
Giora Gutman, Esq. Doron Tikotzky Kantor 7 Metsada Street |
Oded Har-Even, Esq. Ron Ben-Bassat, Esq. Sullivan & Worcester LLP 1633 Broadway New York, NY 10019 Tel: +1.212.660.3000 |
Reut Alfiah, Adv. Gal Cohen, Adv. Sullivan & Worcester Israel HaArba’a Towers - 28 HaArba’a St. North Tower, 35th Floor Tel-Aviv, Israel 6473925 Tel: +972.74.758.0480 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after effectiveness of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933. ☒
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information contained in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS | SUBJECT TO COMPLETION | DATED MARCH 30, 2022 |
1,385,042
American Depositary Shares
Representing 4,155,126 Ordinary Shares
SaverOne 2014 Ltd.
This is a firm commitment initial public offering of our American Depositary Shares, or ADSs. Each ADS represents three of our ordinary shares, NIS 0.01 par value.
Our ordinary shares are listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd., or the TASE, under the symbol “SAVR.” The last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 was NIS 7.756, or $2.407, per share (based on the exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel on that date, which was NIS 3.222= $1.00). Our share price on the TASE may not be indicative of actual offering price. The actual offering price will be determined between us and the underwriters at the time of pricing and may be at a discount to the current market price.
We have applied to list our ADSs on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “SVRE.” No assurance can be given that our application will be approved or that a trading market will develop.
We are both an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and, a “foreign private issuer,” as defined under the U.S. federal securities laws, and as such, are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary—Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer” for additional information.
Investing in our ADSs involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 10 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our ADSs.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Israel Securities Authority nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Per ADS | Total | |||||||
Initial public offering price | $ | $ | ||||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | $ | $ | ||||||
Proceeds to us, before expenses | $ | $ |
(1) | See “Underwriting” for a description of the compensation payable to the underwriters. |
We have granted the representative of the underwriters an option for a period of 45 days after the date of this prospectus to purchase up to 207,756 additional ADSs at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriters expect to deliver our ADSs to purchasers on or about , 2022.
ThinkEquity
The date of this prospectus is , 2022
Table of Contents
i
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any related free-writing prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information from that contained in this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by us or on our behalf. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any information that others may give. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor the sale of our ADSs means that information contained in this prospectus is correct after the date of this prospectus.
This prospectus is an offer to sell only our ADSs offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. We are not making an offer to sell our ADSs in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted or where the person making the offer or sale is not qualified to do so or to any person to whom it is not permitted to make such offer or sale.
Persons who come into possession of this prospectus and any applicable free writing prospectus in jurisdictions outside the United States are required to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions as to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus and any such free writing prospectus applicable to that jurisdiction. See “Underwriting” for additional information on these restrictions.
Until and including, 2022, 25 days after the date of this prospectus, all dealers that buy, sell or trade our ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to unsold allotments or subscriptions.
For investors outside of the United States: Neither we nor any of the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. You are required to inform yourselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus.
We are incorporated under Israeli law and under the rules of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, we are currently eligible for treatment as a “foreign private issuer.” As a foreign private issuer, we will not be required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as domestic registrants whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
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OUR HISTORY
We were incorporated in Israel on November 16, 2014 under the name Saverone 2014 Ltd.
For purposes of this Registration Statement on Form F-1, “Company”, “SaverOne”, “we” or “our” refers to SaverOne 2014 Ltd. thereafter unless otherwise required by the context.
INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA
This prospectus includes statistical, market and industry data and forecasts which we obtained from publicly available information and independent industry publications and reports that we believe to be reliable sources. These publicly available industry publications and reports generally state that they obtain their information from sources that they believe to be reliable, but they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information. Although we are responsible for all of the disclosures contained in this prospectus, including such statistical, market and industry data, we have not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources, nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon therein. In addition, while we believe the market opportunity information included in this prospectus is generally reliable and is based on reasonable assumptions, such data involves risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors.”
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The term “NIS” refers to New Israeli Shekels, the lawful currency of the State of Israel and the terms “dollar” or “$” refer to U.S. dollars, the lawful currency of the United States. We prepare our financial statements in NIS. This prospectus contains conversions of NIS amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, for the purposes of the presentation of financial data, all conversions from NIS to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to NIS were made at the rate of NIS 3.11 to $1.00, based on the representative exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel on December 31, 2021. The dollar amounts presented in this prospectus should not be construed as representing amounts that are receivable or payable in dollars or convertible into dollars, unless otherwise indicated.
We report under International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IASB. None of the financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or U.S. GAAP.
Certain figures included in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that precede them.
TRADEMARKS AND TRADENAMES
We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks and trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business, including our corporate name, logos and website names. Other trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, some of the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus are listed without the ® and ™ symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to our trademarks, service marks and trade names.
iii
This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in our ADSs. You should read this summary together with the more detailed information appearing in this prospectus, including “Risk Factors,” “Selected Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business” and our financial statements and the related notes included at the end of this prospectus, before making an investment in our ADSs. All references to “SaverOne,” “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company” and similar designations refer to SaverOne 2014 Ltd. thereafter, unless otherwise required by the context. Unless derived from our financial statements or otherwise indicated, U.S. dollar translations of NIS amounts presented in this prospectus are translated for convenience purposes using the rate of NIS 3.11 to one U.S. dollar, the exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel for December 31, 2021.
Our Company
We are a technology company engaged in the design, development and commercialization of transportation and safety solutions designed to save lives by preventing car accidents resulting from the use of mobile phones while driving. Our SaverOne system provides an advanced driver safety solution that can identify and monitor mobile phones located in the driver’s vicinity and selectively block use of life-threatening applications. We have three generations of systems, the first two of which target the automobile aftermarket and the third which is intended to target vehicle manufacturers. We have completed the development of our Generation 1.0 system and are in the pre-commercialization/early use phase while the development of our Generation 2.0 system, which will replace Generation 1.0, is nearing completion. The Generation 3.0 system is in the early stages of development.
Our SaverOne system can be utilized in vehicles owned or leased by companies that are provided to employees, or private vehicles, commercial trucks, buses and other forms of transportation. Our technology is based on our proprietary hardware, software and algorithms, and, because it meets the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA’s, guidelines for a complete solution for distracted driving as well as offers certain advantages that our competitors do not, we believe we have significant advantages over our competitors in the market.
In the past several years, we believe that public awareness and demand for driver safety technologies has grown substantially. While there are currently many driver assistant products on the market, we believe that the safety of drivers will be substantially improved with our technology. Our mission is to enhance driver safety by providing a solution that is highly reliable and able to prevent certain driver distractions related to mobile phone usage while driving, which we believe is a major cause for driver distraction related automobile accidents. Mobile phone distracted driving is a leading cause of traffic accidents in the United States. According to a survey done by the NHTSA, 660,000 drivers in the United States attempt to use their mobile phones while driving at any given moment. The National Safety Council, or NSC reports that mobile phone use during driving causes approximately 1.6 million traffic accidents annually in the United States alone, leading to the death of approximately 4,600 people and injuring an additional 391,000 people. Moreover, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, reported that 71% of commercially driven large-truck crashes occurred because of driver distraction. The number of accidents caused by distracted driving increased each year from 2015 – 2019 according to the NHTSA.
Distracted driving due to mobile phone usage is not just a problem in the United States. A number of surveys conducted across Europe and Oceania have revealed troubling statistics about its prevalence across nations. In the Czech Republic, 36% of drivers admitted to using their phone almost every time they get behind the wheel. In both Spain and Ireland, 25% of drivers admitted to using their phone while driving. In Germany, at any given moment an average of 7% of all drivers are distracted while driving. This problem of distracted driving extends to Australia as well, where one-quarter of drivers admitted to using their phone while driving.
Currently there are 277 million cars and trucks on the road in the US and 339 million cars and trucks on the road in Europe and 32 million new cars and trucks are added each year.
The ramifications of mobile phone distracted driving exceed the bounds of just physical damage, as they can be exceedingly costly for drivers as well. For example, expressed on a per death basis, the cost of all motor-vehicle crashes (fatal, nonfatal injury, and property damage) was $11,880,000 according to the NSC. In addition, the total societal and economic costs of distracted driving crashes in the United States was estimated at $871 billion according to the NHTSA. Specifically with regard to commercial vehicle crashes, the average total costs of commercial motor vehicle crashes for the years of 2009-2011 was over $83 billion per year according to the FMCSA. Accordingly, we believe that there is a tremendous financial incentive for a solution to this grave problem.
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In response to the need for a solution to distracted driving resulting from the use of mobile phones, the NHTSA has published a comprehensive study suggesting that a complete solution must contain the following features: (i) the ability to distinguish between the driver’s area of the vehicle and the rest of the vehicle, (ii) does not depend on the cooperation of the driver, and (iii) selective blocking of cell phone applications. Our SaverOne system has been designed with these features in mind.
The NHTSA’s driving guidelines do not constitute U.S. law and compliance does not result in compliance with U.S. driving safety regulations. In order to market our products to vehicle manufacturers we may be required to meet different types of regulations requirements such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26262 Functional Safety Regulations (ASIL), the International Standard for Automotive Quality Management Systems (IAFT) 16949, Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE) or other common quality management standards. In order to meet the quality requirements, we will have to cooperate with vehicle manufacturers, to receive their customers’ quality requirements that meet the requisite regulation of such customers and implement tools, processes and methodologies. Such implementation will require significant resources and funds and is expected to consume significant time and effort. We expect that only our Generation 3.0 solution, which is a solution designed for the original equipment manufacturers, or OEM market, may require compliance with the foregoing regulations, whereas our Generation 1.0 and 2.0 solutions, both after-market solutions, are not required to comply with the foregoing regulations.
The SaverOne system currently has achieved safety and radiation certifications from Hermon Laboratories, an internationally approved testing and certification lab. SaverOne’s solution is certified for operating in Israel, the United States, Europe and Japan. These certifications assure that SaverOne product complies with the regulations/legislations in these countries/regions.
Generation 1.0 is our first-generation solution and is intended for private vehicles, trucks and buses as an aftermarket product. Our Generation 1.0 was launched in late 2019 for private cars, and thereafter made commercially available to trucks and buses. It is currently marketed in Israel as part of our pre-commercialization/early user campaign. To date, over 1,400 systems have been ordered (which includes nearly 300 systems ordered as part of our ongoing Generation 1.0 pilot program and over 1,100 systems purchased in commercial orders by our Generation 1.0 pilot program customers) and nearly 700 of these systems have been installed.
Generation 2.0 is our second-generation solution that will replace Generation 1.0 and is intended as a solution for the automobile aftermarket. It includes various improvements to our Generation 1.0 solution for maximal performance, compatibility with automobiles and cellular networks, market penetration and profitability. We expect to launch the Generation 2.0 solution for sale in the second quarter of 2022 and we expect to target the global aftermarket automobile market starting with the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific, or APAC. In Europe and APAC, we are working on pilot programs with various fleet and system integrators. With respect to the U.S., we are in the process of developing a strategic marketing plan for the rollout of our Generation 2.0 solution in the U.S.
Our Generation 3.0 solution is being designed as a solution for the OEM market and we plan on it being directly integrated into the vehicle manufacturing process for seamless integration in the driving experience. We are currently working with one of the leading global OEMs in order to make the installation of the SaverOne System into vehicles system an essential part of the vehicle manufacturing process. The Generation 3.0 solution is in the early stage of development and we expect to launch the Generation 3.0 solution in 2025.
Strategy
Our objective is to develop and commercialize technologies that prevent distracted driving resulting from the use of mobile phones. We plan to market our products worldwide, primarily to commercial fleets (trucks and other vehicles), insurers, and public transportation companies, as well as coordinate with OEMs, on the integration of our SaverOne system directly into the vehicle manufacturing process.
2
In order to further advance our solutions in the market we intend to:
● | Increase the marketing and sales efforts of our current SaverOne Generation 1.0. Generation 1.0, which is an aftermarket solution that is deployed for private vehicles, commercial trucks and buses. |
● | Complete the development of the SaverOne Solution Generation 2.0 and Generation 3.0. Our Generation 2.0 solution is intended as an aftermarket solution that would be deployed for private vehicles, commercial trucks and buses, but with better performance and other advantages over our Generation 1.0 solution. Moreover, the aim of our Generation 3.0 solution is that it will be designed as a solution for the OEM market to be directly integrated into the vehicle manufacturing process for seamless integration in the driving experience. |
● | Advance our commercialization efforts and infrastructure. We are advancing our commercialization efforts and infrastructure, including increasing our sales team. As we complete the development of our Generation 2.0 solution and advance development of our Generation 3.0 solution, we intend to transition to full scale production, as we market our SaverOne systems to potential customers, directly and/or through third-party distributors. |
● | Form alliances with industry leaders (i.e. vehicle integrators, components manufacturers) and OEMs. We plan to collaborate with OEMs in order to integrate the SaverOne solution directly into the vehicle manufacturing process for seamless integration in the driving experience. |
● | Monitor and assist governmental regulatory initiatives to enable them to better enforce implementation of driver distraction prevention systems in the vehicle. We intend to approach regulators around the globe such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the NHTSA in order to position the SaverOne solution in the markets we intend to serve. |
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in Israel on November 16, 2014.
Our principal executive office is located at Em Hamoshavot Rd. 94, Petah Tikvah, Israel and our phone number is +972-3909-4177. We maintain a corporate website at https://saver.one. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.
Summary of Risks Associated with our Business
Our business is subject to a number of risks of which you should be aware before making a decision to invest in our ADSs. You should carefully consider all the information set forth in this prospectus and, in particular, should evaluate the specific factors set forth in the sections titled “Risk Factors” before deciding whether to invest in our ADSs. Among these important risks are, but not limited to, the following:
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements
● | We are a development-stage company and have a limited operating history on which to assess the prospects for our business, have incurred significant losses since the date of our inception, and anticipate that we will continue to incur significant losses until we are able to successfully commercialize our products. |
● | We have not generated any significant revenue from the sale of our current products and may never be profitable. |
● | We expect that we will need to raise substantial additional capital before we can expect to become profitable from sales of our products. This additional capital may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed may force us to delay, limit or terminate our product development efforts or other operations. |
● | Our financial statements contain an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which could prevent us from obtaining new financing on reasonable terms or at all. |
3
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
● | We depend entirely on the success of our current products in development, and we may not be able to successfully introduce these products and commercialize them. |
● | Defects in products could give rise to product returns or product liability, warranty or other claims that could result in material expenses, diversion of management time and attention, and damage to our reputation. |
● | We may not be able to introduce products acceptable to customers, improve the technology used in our current systems in response to changing technology and end-user needs and we may not be able to successfully manage our planned growth and expansion. |
● | Our operating results and financial condition may fluctuate. |
● | The markets in which we participate are competitive. Even if we are successful in completing the development of our products in development, our failure to compete successfully could cause any future revenues and the demand for our products not to materialize or to decline over time. |
● | If our relationships with suppliers for our products and services were to terminate or our manufacturing arrangements were to be disrupted, our business could be interrupted. |
● | Our planned international operations will expose us to additional market and operational risks, and failure to manage these risks may adversely affect our business and operating results. |
● | Our future success depends in part on our ability to retain our executive officers and to attract, retain and motivate other qualified personnel. |
● | Under applicable employment laws, we may not be able to enforce covenants not to compete and therefore may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of some of our former employees. |
● | Our business is subject to risks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic which has impacted and continues to impact our business. |
● | We are subject to cybersecurity risks to our various systems and software and any material failure, weakness, interruption, cyber event, incident or breach of security could prevent us from effectively operating our business, or may cause harm to our business that may or may not be reparable. |
● | Our products will be subject to automotive regulations due to the global quality requirements, which could prevent us from marketing our products to vehicle manufacturers. |
● | The COVID-19 pandemic impacts on global supply chains are impacting our ability to procure parts required for our hardware appliances. Extended lead times have been introduced in delivering products for customer orders in a timely fashion. |
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
● | If we are unable to obtain and maintain effective intellectual property rights or proprietary rights for our products, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets. |
● | Intellectual property rights of third parties could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products, and we might be required to litigate or obtain licenses from third parties in order to develop or market our SaverOne systems. Such litigation or licenses could be costly or not available on commercially reasonable terms. |
● | Patent policy and rule changes could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of any issued patents. |
● | Our use of open source software could negatively affect our ability to sell our platform and subject us to possible litigation. |
● | We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming, and unsuccessful. |
● | We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship of our intellectual property and may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world. |
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Risks Related to the Offering and the Ownership of our ADSs or Our Ordinary Shares
● | Sales of a substantial number of ADSs representing our ordinary shares in the public market by our existing shareholders could cause our share price to fall. |
● | Our principal shareholders, officers and directors beneficially own over 37.3% of our outstanding ordinary shares. They will therefore be able to exert significant control over matters submitted to our shareholders for approval. |
● | If you purchase ADSs representing our ordinary shares in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of your shares. |
● | Management will have broad discretion as to the use of the net proceeds from this offering. |
● | Holders of ADSs are not ordinary shareholders and must act through the depositary to exercise their rights. |
● | The JOBS Act, allows us to postpone the date by which we must comply with some of the laws and regulations intended to protect investors and to reduce the amount of information we provide in our reports filed with the SEC, which could undermine investor confidence in our company and adversely affect the market price of our ADSs or our ordinary shares. |
● | As a “foreign private issuer” we are permitted to and follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of otherwise applicable SEC and Nasdaq requirements, which may result in less protection than is accorded to investors under rules applicable to domestic U.S. issuers. |
● | We may be a “passive foreign investment company”, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the current taxable year or may become one in any subsequent taxable year. There generally would be negative tax consequences for U.S. taxpayers that are holders of our ADSs or our ordinary shares if we are or were to become a PFIC. |
● | We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention. |
Risks Related to Israeli Law and Our Incorporation, Location and Operations in Israel
● | We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. |
● | Provisions of Israeli law and our amended and restated articles of association may delay, prevent or otherwise impede a merger with, or an acquisition of, our company, which could prevent a change of control, even when the terms of such a transaction are favorable to us and our shareholders. |
● | It may be difficult to enforce a judgment of a United States court against us and our officers and directors in Israel or the United States, to assert United States securities laws claims in Israel or to serve process on our officers and directors. |
● | Our headquarters, research and development and other significant operations are located in Israel, and, therefore, our results may be adversely affected by political, economic and military instability in Israel. |
● | Your rights and responsibilities as a shareholder will be governed by Israeli law, which differs in some material respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders of U.S. companies. |
● | Our operations may be disrupted as a result of the obligation of management or key personnel to perform military service. |
General Risk Factors
● | Raising additional capital would cause dilution to our existing shareholders and may affect the rights of existing shareholders. |
● | Sales of a substantial number of our ADSs or our ordinary shares in the public market by our existing shareholders could cause our share price to fall. |
● | If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they adversely change their recommendations or publish negative reports regarding our business or our shares, our ADSs or ordinary shares price and trading volume could decline. |
● | We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and we may not be able to successfully implement remedial measures. |
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Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other burdens that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:
● | a requirement to present only two years of audited financial statements in addition to any required interim financial statements and correspondingly reduced Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations disclosure; |
● | to the extent that we no longer qualify as a foreign private issuer, (i) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (ii) exemptions from the requirement to hold a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation, including golden parachute compensation; |
● | an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; and |
● | an exemption from compliance with the requirement that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has adopted regarding a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Emerging Growth Company Status.” |
We may take advantage of these exemptions for up to five years or until such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest to occur of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; (iii) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC; or (iv) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of this offering. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these exemptions.
We are also considered a “foreign private issuer.” Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, as long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to United States domestic public companies, including:
● | the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations with respect to a security registered under the Exchange Act; |
● | the requirement to comply with Regulation FD, which restricts selective disclosure of material information; |
● | the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and |
● | the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K upon the occurrence of specified significant events. |
We may take advantage of these exemptions until such time as we are no longer a foreign private issuer. We would cease to be a foreign private issuer at such time as more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are held by U.S. residents and any of the following three circumstances applies: (i) the majority of our executive officers or directors are U.S. citizens or residents; (ii) more than 50% of our assets are located in the United States; or (iii) our business is administered principally in the United States.
Both foreign private issuers and emerging growth companies are also exempt from certain more stringent executive compensation disclosure rules. Thus, even if we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, but remain a foreign private issuer, we will continue to be exempt from the more stringent compensation disclosures required of companies that are neither an emerging growth company nor a foreign private issuer. As a result, we do not know if some investors will find our ADSs less attractive, which may result in a less active trading market for our ADSs or more volatility in the price of our ADSs.
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ADSs we are offering | 1,385,042 ADSs representing 4,155,126 ordinary shares (or 1,592,798 ADSs, representing 4,778,394 ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional ADSs in full). |
Ordinary shares outstanding immediately after this offering | 12,139,832 ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented by ADSs (or 12,763,100 ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional ADSs in full). |
Our ADSs | Each ADS represents three of our ordinary shares, value NIS 0.01.
The depositary will hold ordinary shares underlying our ADSs. You will have rights as provided in the deposit agreement among us, the depositary and owners and beneficial owners of ADSs from time to time.
To better understand the terms of our ADSs, you should carefully read the “Description of American Depositary Shares” section of this prospectus. You should also read the deposit agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus. |
Over-allotment option to purchase additional ADSs | We have granted the underwriters an over-allotment option to purchase up to 207,756 additional ADSs representing 623,268 ordinary shares from us within 45 days of the date of this prospectus at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. |
Use of proceeds | We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering of approximately $8,600,000, or approximately $9,980,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional ADSs in full, from the sale by us of ADSs in this offering, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
We currently expect to use the net proceeds from this offering for the following purposes: |
● | approximately $2.0 million for global sales and marketing expansion; |
● | approximately $4.0 million for Generation 2.0 and 3.0 technology development; |
● | approximately $1.0 million for accelerated R&D; |
● | the remainder for working capital and general corporate purposes and possible future acquisitions. |
The amounts and schedule of our actual expenditures will depend on multiple factors. As a result, our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds of this offering. See “Use of Proceeds” for more information. |
Risk factors | See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our ADSs. |
Depositary | The Bank of New York Mellon |
Proposed Nasdaq Capital Market symbol | “SVRE” |
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange symbol | “SAVR” |
The number of ordinary shares to be outstanding after this offering is based on 7,984,706 ordinary shares outstanding as of March 28, 2022. The number of ordinary shares referred to above to be outstanding after this offering and, unless otherwise indicated, the other information in this prospectus, excludes as of such date:
●
|
387,097 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of options (series 1) at an exercise price of NIS 38.00 ($12.22) per share; |
● | 797,382 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of options outstanding under the Saverone 2014 Ltd. 2015 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2015 Plan, at a weighted average exercise price of NIS 10.55 (approximately $3.39) per share; |
● | 52,618 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Plan. |
Unless otherwise indicated, all information contained in this prospectus assumes or gives effect to:
● | no exercise of the options, as described above; |
● | an initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS; |
● | no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to additional ADSs from us; and |
● | no exercise by the underwriters of the Representative’s Warrants. |
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The tables below set forth the following summary financial data. We have derived the following statements of comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021 and our statement of financial position as of December 31, 2021, from our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
You should read the following summary financial data in conjunction with “Selected Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The unaudited interim financial statements were prepared on a basis consistent with the audited financial statements and include, in the opinion of each company’s management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of the financial information set forth in those statements. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB, which differ in certain significant respects from U.S. GAAP.
We prepare our financial statements in NIS. This prospectus contains conversions of NIS amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, for the purposes of the presentation of financial data, all conversions from NIS to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to NIS were made at the rate of NIS 3.11 to $1.00, based on the representative exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel on December 31, 2021. The dollar amounts presented in this prospectus should not be construed as representing amounts that are receivable or payable in dollars or convertible into dollars, unless otherwise indicated.
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Summary Financial Data:
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2020 | 2021 | 2021 | ||||||||||
(NIS, in thousands, except per share data) | Convenience translation into USD in thousands except per share data (1) | |||||||||||
Statement of Comprehensive Loss: | ||||||||||||
Revenues | 316 | 450 | 145 | |||||||||
Cost of revenues | (258 | ) | (288 | ) | (93 | ) | ||||||
Gross Profit | 58 | 162 | 52 | |||||||||
Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||
Research and development expenses, net | (10,593 | ) | (18,847 | ) | (6,060 | ) | ||||||
Selling and marketing expenses | (2,399 | ) | (2,431 | ) | (782 | ) | ||||||
General and administrative expenses | (4,422 | ) | (5,149 | ) | (1,656 | ) | ||||||
Operating loss | (17,356 | ) | (26,265 | ) | (8,446 | ) | ||||||
Financing income (expense), net | 3,790 | (225 | ) | (72 | ) | |||||||
Net loss | (13,566 | ) | (26,490 | ) | (8,518 | ) | ||||||
Net loss per share, basic | (2.36 | ) | (3.33 | ) | (1.07 | ) | ||||||
Net loss per share, diluted | (2.44 | ) | (3.33 | ) | (1.07 | ) | ||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, basic | 5,739,448 | 7,960,239 | 7,960,239 | |||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, diluted | 5,798,294 | 7,960,239 | 7,960,239 |
(1) | Calculated using the exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel for December 31, 2021, at the rate of one U.S. dollar per NIS 3.11. |
Statements of Financial Position Data:
As of December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||
Actual NIS in thousands | Actual Convenience translation into USD in thousands | As Adjusted (2)(3) USD in thousands | ||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents and short-term bank deposits | 13,695 | 4,404 | 13,375 | |||||||||
Total assets | 18,756 | 6,031 | 14,631 | |||||||||
Total liabilities | 6,704 | 2,156 | 2,156 | |||||||||
Total shareholders’ equity | 12,052 | 3,875 | 12,475 |
(1) | Calculated using the exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel for December 31, 2021, at the rate of one U.S. dollar per NIS 3.11. |
(2) | As adjusted data gives additional effect to the sale of ADSs in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, as if the sale had occurred on December 31, 2021. |
(3) | A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS would increase (decrease) the as adjusted amount of each of cash and cash equivalents, total equity and total capitalization by approximately $1,274,239, assuming that the number of ADS offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Each increase (decrease) of 100,000 ADSs we are offering would increase (decrease) each of our as adjusted cash and cash equivalents, total shareholders’ equity and total capitalization by approximately $664,240, assuming no change in the assumed initial public offering price per ADS, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
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Investment in our ADSs involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below and all other information contained in this prospectus, including our financial statements and related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before you decide to purchase our ADSs. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely impacted. In that event, the trading price of our ADSs would likely decline and you might lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements
We are a development-stage company and have a limited operating history on which to assess the prospects for our business, have incurred significant losses since the date of our inception, and anticipate that we will continue to incur significant losses until we are able to successfully commercialize our products.
We are a development-stage company with a limited operating history. We have incurred net losses since our inception in 2014, including net losses of approximately NIS 13.6 million (approximately $4.4 million) for the year ended December 31, 2020 and NIS 26.5 million (approximately $8.5 million) for the year ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately NIS 76.8 million (approximately $24.7 million).
We have devoted substantially all of our financial resources to develop our SaverOne system. We have financed our operations primarily through the issuance of equity securities. The amount of our future net losses will depend, in part, on completing the development of our products, the rate of our future expenditures and our ability to obtain funding through the issuance of our securities, strategic collaborations or grants. We expect to continue to incur significant losses until we are able to successfully commercialize our products. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:
● | continue the development of our SaverOne system; | |
● | establish a sales, marketing, distribution and technical support infrastructure to commercialize our products; | |
● | seek to identify, assess, acquire, license, and/or develop other products and subsequent generations of our current products; | |
● | seek to maintain, protect, and expand our intellectual property portfolio; | |
● | seek to attract and retain skilled personnel; and | |
● | create additional infrastructure to support our operations as a public company and our product development and planned future commercialization efforts. |
We have not generated any significant revenue from the sale of our current products and may never be profitable.
While we have commenced pre-commercialization efforts of our Generation 1.0 system, we have not generated any significant revenue since our inception. Our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability depends on our ability to successfully complete the development of, and to commercialize, our products. Our ability to generate future revenue from product sales depends heavily on our success in many areas, including but not limited to:
● | completing development of our next generation SaverOne systems; | |
● | establishing and maintaining supply and manufacturing relationships with third parties that can provide adequate (in amount and quality) products to support market demand for our products; | |
● | launching and commercializing our SaverOne systems, either directly or with a collaborator or distributor; | |
● | addressing any competing technological and market developments; | |
● | identifying, assessing, acquiring and/or developing new products; | |
● | negotiating favorable terms in any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements into which we may enter; | |
● | maintaining, protecting and expanding our portfolio of intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets and know-how; and | |
● | attracting, hiring and retaining qualified personnel. |
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We expect that we will need to raise substantial additional capital before we can expect to become profitable from sales of our products. This additional capital may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed may force us to delay, limit or terminate our product development efforts or other operations.
We expect that we will require substantial additional capital to commercialize our SaverOne systems. In addition, our operating plans may change as a result of many factors that may currently be unknown to us, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including but not limited to:
● | the scope, rate of progress, results and cost of product development, and other related activities; | |
● | the cost of establishing commercial supplies of our SaverOne systems; | |
● | the cost and timing of establishing sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities; and | |
● | the terms and timing of any collaborative, licensing, and other arrangements that we may establish. |
Any additional fundraising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our products. In addition, we cannot guarantee that future financing will be available in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Moreover, the terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of our shareholders and the issuance of additional securities, whether equity or debt, by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our ADSs and ordinary shares to decline. The incurrence of indebtedness could result in increased fixed payment obligations, and we may be required to agree to certain restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. We could also be required to seek funds through arrangements with collaborative partners or otherwise at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable, and we may be required to relinquish rights to some of our technologies or products or otherwise agree to terms unfavorable to us, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and prospects. Even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans, we may seek additional capital if market conditions are favorable or if we have specific strategic considerations.
If we are unable to obtain funding on a timely basis, we may be required to significantly curtail, delay or discontinue one or more of our research or development programs or the commercialization of our SaverOne systems or be unable to expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities, as desired, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our financial statements contain an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which could prevent us from obtaining new financing on reasonable terms or at all.
Our audited financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2021, contain an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception, including net losses of approximately NIS 26.5 million (approximately $8.5 million) and NIS 13.6 million (approximately $4.4 million) for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 20120, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately NIS 76.8 million (approximately $24.7 million). These events and conditions, along with other matters, indicate that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements for 2021 do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. This going concern opinion could materially limit our ability to raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or debt securities or otherwise. Future financial statements may include an explanatory paragraph with respect to our ability to continue as a going concern. Until we can generate significant recurring revenues, we expect to satisfy our future cash needs through debt or equity financing. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. If funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate research or development plans for, or commercialization efforts with respect to our products. This may raise substantial doubts about our ability to continue as a going concern.
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Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
We depend entirely on the success of our current our SaverOne systems in development, and we may not be able to complete their development or successfully introduce these products and commercialize them.
We have invested almost all of our efforts and financial resources in the research and development of our SaverOne systems. As a result, our business is entirely dependent on our ability to complete the development of, and to successfully commercialize, our SaverOne systems. The process of development and commercialization is long, complex, costly and uncertain of outcome. While our Generation 1.0 system is in various phases of pilot programs with Israeli organizations through which we hope to demonstrate our technology, we cannot assure you that any of these programs or any future generations of our systems will result in subsequent sales of our products. Generation 2.0 is our second-generation solution that will replace Generation 1.0 and is intended as a solution for the automobile aftermarket. While we expect to launch the Generation 2.0 solution for sale in the second quarter of 2022 and we expect to target the global aftermarket automobile market, there can be no assurance that we will complete the development of our Generation 2.0 solution or any other later generation solution or that completion of the development will be made on a timely basis.
Defects in our SaverOne systems could give rise to product returns or product liability, warranty or other claims that could result in material expenses, diversion of management time and attention, and damage to our reputation.
Even if we are successful in introducing our SaverOne systems to the market, our products may contain undetected defects or errors that, despite testing, are not discovered until after a product has been used. This could result in delayed market acceptance of those products, claims from distributors, end-users or others, increased end-user service and support costs and warranty claims, damage to our reputation and business, or significant costs to correct the defect or error. We may from time to time become subject to warranty or product liability claims that could lead to significant expenses as we need to compensate affected end-users for costs incurred related to product quality issues.
Any claim brought against us, regardless of its merit, could result in material expense, diversion of management time and attention, and damage to our reputation, and could cause us to fail to retain or attract customers. Currently, we do not maintain product liability insurance outside of Israel, which will be necessary prior to the commercialization of our products. It is likely that any product liability insurance that we will have in the future will be subject to significant deductibles and there is no guarantee that such insurance will be available or adequate to protect against all such claims, or we may elect to self-insure with respect to certain matters. Costs or payments made in connection with warranty and product liability claims and product recalls or other claims could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Furthermore, the automotive industry in general is subject to litigation claims due to the nature of personal injuries that result from traffic accidents. The emerging technologies of advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, and autonomous driving have not yet been litigated or legislated to a point whereby their legal implications are well documented. As a potential provider of such products, we may become liable for losses that exceed the current industry and regulatory norms. In addition, if any of our products are, or are alleged to be, defective, we may be required to participate in a recall of such products if the defect or the alleged defect relates to motor vehicle safety. Depending on the terms under which we supply our products, an auto manufacturer or other ADAS developers to whom we sell our software may hold us responsible for some or all of the entire repair or replacement costs of these products.
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We may not be able to introduce products acceptable to customers and we may not be able to improve the technology used in our current systems in response to changing technology and end-user needs.
The markets in which we operate are subject to rapid and substantial innovation, regulation and technological change, mainly driven by technological advances and end-user requirements and preferences, as well as the emergence of new standards and practices. Even if we are able to complete the development of our products in development, our ability to compete in the ADAS, semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicle markets will depend, in large part, on our future success in enhancing our existing products and developing new systems that will address the varied needs of prospective end-users, and respond to technological advances and industry standards and practices on a cost-effective and timely basis to otherwise gain market acceptance.
Even if we successfully introduce our existing products in development, it is likely that new systems and technologies that we develop will eventually supplant our existing systems or that our competitors will create systems that will replace our systems. As a result, any of our products may be rendered obsolete or uneconomical by our or others’ technological advances.
We may not be able to successfully manage our planned growth and expansion.
We expect to continue to make investments in our SaverOne systems in development. We expect that our annual operating expenses will continue to increase as we invest in business development, marketing, research and development, manufacturing and production infrastructure, and develop customer service and support resources for future customers. Failure to expand operational and financial systems timely or efficiently may result in operating inefficiencies, which could increase costs and expenses to a greater extent than we anticipate and may also prevent us from successfully executing our business plan. We may not be able to offset the costs of operation expansion by leveraging the economies of scale from our growth in negotiations with our suppliers and contract manufacturers. Additionally, if we increase our operating expenses in anticipation of the growth of our business and this growth falls short of our expectations, our financial results will be negatively impacted.
If our business grows, we will have to manage additional product design projects, materials procurement processes, and sales efforts and marketing for an increasing number of products, as well as expand the number and scope of our relationships with suppliers, distributors and end customers. If we fail to manage these additional responsibilities and relationships successfully, we may incur significant costs, which may negatively impact our operating results. Additionally, in our efforts to be first to market with new products with innovative functionality and features, we may devote significant research and development resources to products and product features for which a market does not develop quickly, or at all. If we are not able to predict market trends accurately, we may not benefit from such research and development activities, and our results of operations may suffer.
As our future development and commercialization plans and strategies develop, we expect to need additional managerial, operational, sales, marketing, financial and legal personnel. Our management may need to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from our day-to-day activities and devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities. We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations, which may result in weaknesses in our infrastructure, operational mistakes, loss of business opportunities, failure to deliver and timely deliver our products to customers, loss of employees and reduced productivity among remaining employees. Our expected growth could require significant capital expenditures and may divert financial resources from other projects, such as the development of additional new products. If our management is unable to effectively manage our growth, our expenses may increase more than expected, our ability to generate and/or grow revenue could be reduced, and we may not be able to implement our business strategy.
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Our operating results and financial condition may fluctuate.
Even if we are successful in introducing our SaverOne systems to the market, the operating results and financial condition of our company may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year and are likely to continue to vary due to several factors, many of which will not be within our control. If our operating results do not meet the guidance that we provide to the marketplace or the expectations of securities analysts or investors, the market price of the ADS will likely decline. Fluctuations in our operating results and financial condition may be due to several factors, including those listed below and those identified throughout this “Risk Factors” section:
● | the degree of market acceptance of our products and services; | |
● | the mix of products and services that we sell during any period; | |
● | long sale cycles; | |
● | changes in the amount that we spend to develop, acquire or license new products, technologies or businesses; | |
● | changes in the amounts that we spend to promote our products and services; | |
● | changes in the cost of satisfying our warranty obligations and servicing our installed base of systems; | |
● | delays between our expenditures to develop and market new or enhanced systems and consumables and the generation of sales from those products; | |
● | development of new competitive products and services by others; | |
● | difficulty in predicting sales patterns and reorder rates that may result from a multi-tier distribution strategy associated with new product categories; | |
● | litigation or threats of litigation, including intellectual property claims by third parties; | |
● | changes in accounting rules and tax laws; | |
● | changes in regulations and standards; | |
● | the geographic distribution of our sales; | |
● | our responses to price competition; | |
● | general economic and industry conditions that affect end-user demand and end-user levels of product design and manufacturing; | |
● | changes in interest rates that affect returns on our cash balances and short-term investments; | |
● | changes in dollar-shekel exchange rates that affect the value of our net assets, future revenues and expenditures from and/or relating to our activities carried out in those currencies; and | |
● | the level of research and development activities by our company. |
Due to all of the foregoing factors, and the other risks discussed herein, you should not rely on quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results as an indicator of our future performance.
The markets in which we participate are competitive. Even if we are successful in completing the development of our SaverOne systems, our failure to compete successfully could cause any future revenues and the demand for our products not to materialize or to decline over time.
Our business is characterized by rapid changes as well as new and disruptive technologies. We believe that the market for solutions designed to address mobile phone-related distractions while driving is a relatively new market with increasing competition for similar solutions. However, we believe that our SaverOne system is superior to the products of our competitors due to the fact that our system can differentiate between the driver’s phone and other passenger’s phones in the vehicle. Moreover, our system does not require the driver to cooperate other than on initial installation of the application on their phone.
Many of our current and potential competitors have longer operating histories and more extensive name recognition than we have and may also have greater financial, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and other resources than we have. Current and future competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer demands and to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than we can. Our current and potential competitors may develop and market new technologies that render our existing or future products obsolete, unmarketable or less competitive (whether from a price perspective or otherwise). We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain a competitive position or to compete successfully against current and future sources of competition.
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If our relationships with suppliers for our SaverOne systems were to terminate or our manufacturing arrangements were to be disrupted, our business could be interrupted.
Our SaverOne systems depend on certain third-party technology and we purchase component parts that are used in our products from third-party suppliers, some of whom may compete with us. While there are several potential suppliers of most of these component parts that we use, we currently choose to use only one or a limited number of suppliers for several of these components. Our reliance on a single or limited number of vendors involves several risks, including:
● | potential shortages of some key components; | |
● | product performance shortfalls, if traceable to particular product components, since the supplier of the faulty component cannot readily be replaced; | |
● | discontinuation of a product on which we rely; | |
● | potential insolvency of these vendors; and | |
● | reduced control over delivery schedules, manufacturing capabilities, quality and costs. |
In addition, we require any new supplier to become “qualified” pursuant to our internal procedures. The qualification process involves evaluations of varying durations, which may cause production delays if we were required to qualify a new supplier unexpectedly. We generally assemble our systems and parts based on our internal forecasts and the availability of assemblies, components and finished goods that are supplied to us by third parties, which are subject to various lead times. If certain suppliers were to decide to discontinue production of an assembly, component that we use, the unanticipated change in the availability of supplies, or unanticipated supply limitations, could cause delays in, or loss of, sales, increased production or related costs and consequently reduced margins, and damage to our reputation. If we were unable to find a suitable supplier for a particular component, we could be required to modify our existing products or the end-parts that we offer to accommodate substitute components or compounds.
Discontinuation of operations at our manufacturing sites could prevent us from timely filling customer orders and could lead to unforeseen costs for us.
We plan to assemble and test the systems that we sell at subcontractors’ facilities in various locations that are specifically dedicated to separate categories of systems and consumables. Because of our reliance on all of these production facilities, a disruption at any of those facilities could materially damage our ability to supply our products to the marketplace in a timely manner. Depending on the cause of the disruption, we could also incur significant costs to remedy the disruption and resume product shipments. Such disruptions may be caused by, among other factors, pandemics, earthquakes, fire, flood and other natural disasters. Accordingly, any such disruption could result in a material adverse effect on our revenue, results of operations and earnings, and could also potentially damage our reputation.
Our planned international operations will expose us to additional market and operational risks, and failure to manage these risks may adversely affect our business and operating results.
We expect to derive a substantial percentage of our sales from international markets. Accordingly, we will face significant operational risks from doing business internationally, including:
● | fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; | |
● | potentially longer sales and payment cycles; | |
● | potentially greater difficulties in collecting accounts receivable; | |
● | potentially adverse tax consequences; | |
● | reduced protection of intellectual property rights in certain countries, particularly in Asia and South America; | |
● | difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations; | |
● | laws and business practices favoring local competition; |
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● | costs and difficulties of customizing products for foreign countries; | |
● | compliance with a wide variety of complex foreign laws, treaties and regulations; | |
● | an outbreak of a contagious disease, such as coronavirus, which may cause us, third party vendors and manufacturers and/or customers to temporarily suspend our or their respective operations in the affected city or country; | |
● | export license constraints or restrictions due to the unique technology of our products, some of which are dual use (defense and industry); | |
● | tariffs, trade barriers and other regulatory or contractual limitations on our ability to sell or develop our products in certain foreign markets; and | |
● | being subject to the laws, regulations and the court systems of many jurisdictions. |
Our failure to manage the market and operational risks associated with our international operations effectively could limit the future growth of our business and adversely affect our operating results.
Our future success depends in part on our ability to retain our executive officers and to attract, retain and motivate other qualified personnel.
We are highly dependent on the services of both Ori Gilboa, our Chief Executive Officer, Yossi Cohen, our Chief Operating Officer and Tony Klein, our Chief Financial Officer. The loss of their services without proper replacement may adversely impact the achievement of our objectives. Messrs. Gilboa, Cohen and Klein may leave our employment at any time subject to contractual notice periods, as applicable. Also, our performance is largely dependent on the talents and efforts of highly skilled individuals, particularly our software engineers and computer vision professionals. Recruiting and retaining qualified employees, consultants, and advisors for our business, including scientific and technical personnel, will also be critical to our success. There is currently a shortage of skilled personnel in our industry, which is likely to continue. As a result, competition for skilled personnel is intense and the turnover rate can be high. We may not be able to attract and retain personnel on acceptable terms given the competition in the industry in which we operate. Moreover, certain of our competitors or other technology businesses may seek to hire our employees. The inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel, or the loss of the services of our executive officers, without proper replacement, may impede the progress of our development and commercialization objectives.
Under applicable employment laws, we may not be able to enforce covenants not to compete and therefore may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of some of our former employees.
We generally enter into non-competition agreements with our employees. These agreements prohibit our employees from competing directly with us or working for our competitors or clients for a limited period after they cease working for us. We may be unable to enforce these agreements under the laws of Israel in which our employees work, or under the laws of any other jurisdiction in which employees that we hire may work, and it may be difficult for us to restrict our competitors from benefiting from the expertise that our former employees or consultants developed while working for us. For example, Israeli courts have required employers seeking to enforce non-compete undertakings of a former employee to demonstrate that the competitive activities of the former employee will harm one of a limited number of material interests of the employer that have been recognized by the courts, such as the secrecy of a company’s confidential commercial information or the protection of its intellectual property. If we cannot demonstrate that such interests will be harmed, we may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of our former employees or consultants and our ability to remain competitive may be diminished.
Our business is subject to risks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic which has impacted and continues to impact our business.
Public health epidemics or outbreaks could adversely impact our business. In late 2019, a novel strain of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, was reported in Wuhan, China. While initially the outbreak was largely concentrated in China, it has now spread to countries across the globe, including in Israel and the United States. Many countries around the world, including in Israel and the United States, have implemented significant governmental measures to control the spread of the virus, including temporary closure of businesses, severe restrictions on travel and the movement of people, and other material limitations on the conduct of business. We implemented remote working and work place protocols for our employees in accordance with government requirements. The implementation of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in disruptions to our business development efforts which depend, in part, on attendance at in-person meetings, industry conferences and other events. It is not possible at this time to estimate the full impact that the COVID-19 pandemic could have on our operations, as the impact will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration and severity of the outbreak, and the actions that may be required to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact. In particular, the continued spread of COVID-19 globally could materially adversely impact our operations and workforce, including our research and development, business development efforts, and our ability to raise capital, each of which in turn could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
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We are subject to cybersecurity risks to our various systems and software and any material failure, weakness, interruption, cyber event, incident or breach of security could prevent us from effectively operating our business, or may cause harm to our business that may or may not be reparable.
We are at risk for interruptions, outages and breaches of its: (a) operational systems, including business, financial, accounting, product development, data processing or production processes, owned by us or our potential suppliers and strategic partners; (b) facility security systems, owned by us or our potential suppliers and strategic partners; (c) the integrated software in our products; or (d) customer data that we process and/or store in our servers or our potential suppliers and strategic partners process on our behalf. Although we have implemented several protection systems and processes to protect our IT infrastructure and data, such incidents could: materially disrupt our operational systems; result in loss of intellectual property, trade secrets or other proprietary or competitively sensitive information; compromise certain information of employees, potential customers, potential suppliers and strategic partners, or others; jeopardize the security of our facilities; or affect the performance of the integrated software in our products.
We plan to include in-vehicle services and functionality that utilize cellphone connectivity to enhance on-the-road performance by preventing drivers from using dangerous applications while driving. The availability and effectiveness of our services depend on the continued operation of information technology and communications systems. Our systems will be vulnerable to damage or interruption from, among others, physical theft, fire, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, power loss, war, telecommunications failures, viruses, denial or degradation of service attacks, ransomware, social engineering schemes, insider theft or misuse or other attempts to harm our systems. We intend to use its in-vehicle services and functionality to log information about each vehicle’s use in order to aid our in vehicle diagnostics and servicing. Our potential customer base may object to the use of this data, which may limit our offering portfolio and harm our business prospects.
Moreover, there are inherent risks associated with developing, improving, expanding and updating our current systems, such as the disruption of our data management, procurement, production execution, finance, supply chain and sales and service processes. These risks may affect our ability to manage our data and inventory, procure parts or supplies or assemble, deploy, deliver and service its products, adequately protect its intellectual property or achieve and maintain compliance with, or realize available benefits under, applicable laws, regulations and contracts. We cannot be sure that these systems upon which it relies, including those of our potential suppliers and strategic partners, will be effectively implemented, maintained or expanded as planned. If we do not successfully implement, maintain or expand these systems as planned, its operations may be disrupted, its ability to accurately and timely report its financial results could be impaired, and deficiencies may arise in its internal control over financial reporting, which may impact our ability to certify our financial results. Moreover, our proprietary information or intellectual property could be compromised or misappropriated and its reputation may be adversely affected. If these systems do not operate as we expect them to, we may be required to expend significant resources to make corrections or find alternative sources for performing these functions.
Our SaverOne system operates as a deterrent to mobile-phone distracted driving, but cannot actually prevent mobile phone distracted driving.
Our SaverOne system operates by detecting mobile phones in the driving area of a car and emitting a loud alarm in the event such phones do not have the SaverOne mobile application installed. Once installed, the SaverOne mobile application blocks potentially distracting phone applications while the car is in use that are set by the user. While these can potentially be effective deterrent methods, the SaverOne system cannot actually prevent the operation of a car by someone who is unbothered by the constant alarm in the event they attempt to drive without the SaverOne mobile application installed on their phone, it cannot prevent drivers with the SaverOne mobile application installed on their phones from allowing potentially districting mobile applications to become unblocked.
Some of our products will be subject to automotive regulations due to the global quality requirements, which could prevent us from marketing our products to vehicle manufacturers.
The automotive regulations are dynamic and changing and effected by the final customer quality requirements as well. Even if we are successful in completing the development of some of our products, our failure to comply with the different types of regulations and requirements could delay the transfer to production schedule and eventually time to market these products.
In order to market our products to vehicle manufacturers we may be required to meet different types of regulations requirements such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26262 Functional Safety Regulations (ASIL), the International Standard for Automotive Quality Management Systems (IAFT) 16949, Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE) or other common quality management standards. In order to meet the quality requirements, we will have to cooperate with vehicle manufacturers, to receive their customers’ quality requirements that meet the requisite regulation of such customers and implement tools, processes and methodologies. Such implementation will require significant resources and funds and is expected to consume significant time and effort. We expect that only our Generation 3.0 solution, which is a solution designed for the OEM market, may require compliance with the foregoing regulations, whereas our Generation 1.0 and 2.0 solutions, both after-market solutions, are not required to comply with the foregoing regulations.
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New regulations or standards or changes in existing regulations or standards in the United States or internationally related to our products may result in unanticipated costs or liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and future sales, and could place additional burdens on the operations of our business.
Our products may be subject to governmental regulations in a variety of jurisdictions. In order to achieve and maintain market acceptance, our technology and products may have to comply with these regulations as well as a significant number of industry standards. In the United States, our technology and products will have to comply with various regulations defined by the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, and others. We may also have to comply with similar international regulations. For example, our SaverOne system operates through the transmission of radio signals, and radio emissions are subject to regulation in the United States and in other countries in which we intend to do business. In the United States, various federal agencies including the Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the Food and Drug Administration, the FCC, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and various state agencies have promulgated regulations that concern the use of radio/electromagnetic emissions standards. Member countries of the European Union have enacted similar standards concerning electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility and emissions, and chemical substances and use standards.
As these regulations and standards evolve, and if new regulations or standards are implemented, we may be required to modify our technology or products or develop and support new versions of our technology or products, and our compliance with these regulations and standards may become more burdensome. The failure of technology or our products to comply, or delays in compliance, with the various existing and evolving industry regulations and standards could prevent or delay introduction of our technology or products, which could harm our business. End-customer uncertainty regarding future policies may also affect demand for communications products, including our products. Moreover, channel partners or end-customers may require us, or we may otherwise deem it necessary or advisable, to alter our technology or products to address actual or anticipated changes in the regulatory environment. Our inability to alter our technology or products to address these requirements and any regulatory changes may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our products are cost sensitive and subject to customers’ aggressive target costs. Our products are subsystems of modules as part of full semi-autonomous or autonomous systems with low cost product expectations and we may therefore be forced to lower or costs or have lower margins.
The automotive industry is one that continuously strives for cost reduction goals and optimizing the vehicle cost to meet the end customers’ expectations. For example, the target cost of ADAS, semi-autonomous and autonomous systems are being continuously reduced and while our products are cost sensitive to various costs factors, we may fail to meet these reduced market targets costs. We are working to build a robust supply chain network to support our cost reduction efforts and optimize our hardware and software costs, but may not be successful in doing so. If we are unable to reduce our costs in line with industry target cost, our results of operations may be adversely impacted.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacts on global supply chains are impacting our ability to procure parts required for our hardware appliances. Extended lead times have been introduced in delivering products for customer orders in a timely fashion.
The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact global supply chains for many organizations, including us, resulting in shortages of and delays in both raw materials and electronic components such as computer chips. Events in upstream supplies and component shortages are negatively impacting our ability to plan and deliver upon orders received in a timely fashion, and supply chain disruption, component shortages and shipping challenges are increasing our costs. These increased costs may require us to raise prices of our products in turn; such price increases may result in our products being less price-competitive in the market.
Our SaverOne solution may prevent drivers from contacting emergency services when the car is in motion.
Our SaverOne solution operates to block non-permitted applications on phones within the driving area while the vehicle is in motion. In an emergency situation where the car is not stopped, the driver may be unable to contact emergency services, if phone calls and texting are deemed as non-permitted applications on the driver’s SaverOne mobile phone application.
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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we are unable to obtain and maintain effective intellectual property rights for our products, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.
Historically, we have relied on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect the intellectual property related to our technologies and products. Since June 2015, we have also sought patent protection for certain of our products. Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection in the United States and in other countries with respect to our proprietary technology and new products.
We have sought to protect our proprietary position by filing patent applications in Israel, the United States and in other countries, with respect to our novel technologies and products, which are important to our business. Patent prosecution is expensive and time consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection.
We have a growing portfolio of four issued U.S. patents and four pending U.S. applications, one granted Chinese patent and one pending Chinese Patent application, four pending applications with the Israeli Patent Office, and two pending applications in Europe. In Israel, two of our patent applications have been allowed and subsequently opposed by a third-party. We have reached an agreement according to which, the proceedings shall be deferred until January 1, 2023, or until a divisional application of one of these two Israeli patent applications is accepted (whichever is earlier). We intend to respond as soon as the proceedings resume. It is difficult to assess at this time the likelihood of success in this action.
We cannot offer any assurances about which, if any, patent applications will issue, the breadth of any such patent or whether any issued patents will be found invalid and unenforceable or will be threatened by third parties. Any successful opposition to these patents or any other patents owned by or licensed to us after patent issuance could deprive us of rights necessary for the successful commercialization of any new products that we may develop.
Further, there is no assurance that all potentially relevant prior art relating to our patent applications has been found, which can invalidate a patent or prevent a patent from issuing from a pending patent application. Even if patents do successfully issue, and even if such patents cover our products, third parties may challenge their validity, enforceability, or scope, which may result in such patents being narrowed, found unenforceable or invalidated. Furthermore, even if they are unchallenged, our patent applications and any future patents may not adequately protect our intellectual property, provide exclusivity for our new products, or prevent others from designing around our claims. Any of these outcomes could impair our ability to prevent competition from third parties, which may have an adverse impact on our business.
If we cannot obtain and maintain effective patent rights for our products, we may not be able to compete effectively, and our business and results of operations would be harmed.
If we are unable to maintain effective proprietary rights for our products, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.
In addition to the protection afforded by any patents that may be granted, historically, we have relied on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary know-how that is not patentable or that we elect not to patent, processes that are not easily known, knowable or easily ascertainable, and for which patent infringement is difficult to monitor and enforce and any other elements of our product development processes that involve proprietary know-how, information or technology that is not covered by patents. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, and contractors. We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data, trade secrets and intellectual property by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems. Agreements or security measures may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our trade secrets and intellectual property may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors.
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We cannot provide any assurances that our trade secrets and other confidential proprietary information will not be disclosed in violation of our confidentiality agreements or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. Also, misappropriation or unauthorized and unavoidable disclosure of our trade secrets and intellectual property could impair our competitive position and may have a material adverse effect on our business. Additionally, if the steps taken to maintain our trade secrets and intellectual property are deemed inadequate, we may have insufficient recourse against third parties for misappropriating any trade secret.
Intellectual property rights of third parties could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products, and we might be required to litigate or obtain licenses from third parties in order to develop or market our SaverOne systems. Such litigation or licenses could be costly or not available on commercially reasonable terms.
It is inherently difficult to conclusively assess our freedom to operate without infringing on third party rights. Our competitive position may be adversely affected if existing patents or patents resulting from patent applications issued to third parties or other third-party intellectual property rights are held to cover our products or elements thereof, or our manufacturing or uses relevant to our development plans. In such cases, we may not be in a position to develop or commercialize products unless we successfully pursue litigation to nullify or invalidate the third-party intellectual property right concerned or enter into a license agreement with the intellectual property right holder, if available on commercially reasonable terms. There may also be pending patent applications that if they result in issued patents, could be alleged to be infringed by our new products. If such an infringement claim should be brought and be successful, we may be required to pay substantial damages, be forced to abandon our new products or seek a license from any patent holders. No assurances can be given that a license will be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
It is also possible that we have failed to identify relevant third-party patents or applications. For example, U.S. patent applications filed before November 29, 2000 and certain U.S. patent applications filed after that date that will not be filed outside the United States remain confidential until patents issue. Patent applications in the United States and in most of the other countries are published approximately 18 months after the earliest filing for which priority is claimed, with such earliest filing date being commonly referred to as the priority date. Therefore, patent applications covering our new products or platform technology could have been filed by others without our knowledge. Additionally, pending patent applications which have been published can, subject to certain limitations, be later amended in a manner that could cover our platform technologies, our new products or the use of our new products. Third party intellectual property right holders may also actively bring infringement claims against us. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully settle or otherwise resolve such infringement claims. If we are unable to successfully settle future claims on terms acceptable to us, we may be required to engage in or continue costly, unpredictable and time-consuming litigation and may be prevented from or experience substantial delays in pursuing the development of and/or marketing our new products. If we fail in any such dispute, in addition to being forced to pay damages, we may be temporarily or permanently prohibited from commercializing our new products that are held to be infringing. We might, if possible, also be forced to redesign our new products so that we no longer infringe the third party’s intellectual property rights. Any of these events, even if we were ultimately to prevail, could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business.
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Patent policy and rule changes could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of any issued patents.
Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of any patents that may issue from our patent applications or narrow the scope of our patent protection. The laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. We therefore cannot be certain that we were the first to file the invention claimed in our owned and licensed patent or pending applications, or that we or our licensor were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. Assuming all other requirements for patentability are met, in the United States prior to March 15, 2013, the first to make the claimed invention without undue delay in filing, is entitled to the patent, while outside the United States, the first to file a patent application is entitled to the patent. After March 15, 2013, the Leahy-Smith America the United States has moved to a first to file system. Changes to the way patent applications will be prosecuted could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of any issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Our use of open source software could negatively affect our ability to sell our platform and subject us to possible litigation.
We have included software in our platform covered by open source licenses. We do not own all of the open source technology in our platform and the ownership of the open source technology in our platform may not be easily determinable by us. Rather, we rely on third party open source contributors to ensure that the open source contributions to our platform are properly owned by the committers and contributors who contribute the open source technology and that such contributions do not infringe on other parties’ intellectual property rights. Moreover, the terms of certain of the open source licenses have not been interpreted by United States or other courts, and there is a risk that such licenses could be construed in a manner that is incompatible with our current business model, imposing unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to market our solutions. We or our customers may in the future receive, notices that claim we have misappropriated, misused or infringed other parties’ intellectual property rights, and, to the extent products based on the open source software gain greater market visibility, we and our customers face a higher risk of being the subject of intellectual property infringement claims. In addition, we or our customers could be subject to lawsuits by parties claiming ownership of (or that different license terms apply to) what we believe to be open source software, or seeking to enforce the terms of an open source license. By the terms of certain open source licenses, we could be required to release the source code of our proprietary software, and to make our proprietary software available under open source licenses, if we combine our proprietary software with open source software in a certain manner. In the event that portions of our proprietary software are determined to be impacted by an open source license, we could be required to publicly release the affected portions of our source code, re-engineer all or a portion of our technologies, or otherwise be limited in the licensing of our technologies and services, each of which could reduce or eliminate the value of our technologies and cause us to have to significantly alter our current business model. These claims could also result in litigation (including litigation against our customers or partners, which could result in us being obligated to indemnify our customers or partners against such litigation), require us to purchase a costly license or require us to devote additional research and development resources to change our solutions, any of which could have a negative effect on our business and operating results. In addition, if the license terms for the open source code change, we may be forced to re-engineer our solutions or incur additional costs to find alternative tools.
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In addition to risks related to license requirements, usage of open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties, support, indemnity or assurance of title or controls on origin of the software. Further, some open source projects have known vulnerabilities and architectural instabilities and are provided on an “as is” basis. Many of these risks associated with usage of open source software, such as the lack of warranties or assurances of title, cannot be eliminated, and could, if not properly addressed, negatively affect the performance of our platform and our business. In addition, we may be required to absorb these risks in our customer relationships by agreeing to provide warranties, support and indemnification with respect to such third party open source software. While we have established processes intended to alleviate these risks, we cannot assure that these measures will eliminate or significantly reduce these risks.
We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming, and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our intellectual property. If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our new products, the defendant could counterclaim that the patent covering our product is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness, or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. The validity of U.S. patents may also be challenged in post-grant proceedings before the USPTO. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable.
Derivation proceedings initiated by third parties or brought by us may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions and/or their scope with respect to our patent or patent applications or those of our licensors. An unfavorable outcome could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms. Our defense of litigation or interference proceedings may fail and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees. In addition, the uncertainties associated with litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our research programs, license necessary technology from third parties, or enter into development partnerships that would help us bring our new products to market.
Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a material adverse effect on the price of our ADSs or ordinary shares.
In Israel, two of our patent applications have been allowed and subsequently opposed by a third-party. We have reached an agreement according to which, the proceedings shall be deferred until January 1, 2023, or until a divisional application of one of these two Israeli patent applications is accepted (whichever is earlier). We intend to respond as soon as the proceedings resume. It is difficult to assess at this time the likelihood of success in this action.
We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship of our intellectual property.
We may be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in, or right to compensation, with respect to our current patent and patent applications, future patents or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. For example, we may have inventorship disputes arise from conflicting obligations of consultants or others who are involved in developing our products. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging inventorship or claiming the right to compensation. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Such an outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.
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We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting, and defending patents on products, as well as monitoring their infringement in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States.
Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and may also export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products. Future patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets, and other intellectual property protection, which could make it difficult for us to stop the marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our future patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to monitor and enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.
Risks Related to the Offering and the Ownership of Our ADSs or Our Ordinary Shares
Sales of a substantial number of ADSs representing our ordinary shares in the public market by our existing shareholders could cause our share price to fall.
Sales of a substantial number of ADSs representing our ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our ADSs and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. Furthermore, while our directors, officers and certain shareholders will be subject to lock-up agreements with the underwriters of this offering that restrict their ability to transfer our ADSs and our ordinary shares for at least six months from the date of this prospectus, approximately 50.3% of our shareholders will not be subject to such lock-up and may sell their shares at any time. We are unable to predict the effect that sales may have on the prevailing market price of our ADSs and our ordinary shares. “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.”
Our principal shareholders, officers and directors beneficially own over 56% of our outstanding ordinary shares. They will therefore be able to exert significant control over matters submitted to our shareholders for approval.
As of March 28, 2022, our principal shareholders, officers and directors beneficially own approximately 56% of our ordinary shares. Upon completion of this offering, our principal shareholders, officers and directors will, in the aggregate, beneficially own approximately 37% of our outstanding ordinary shares. This significant concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price for our ordinary shares because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning shares in companies with controlling shareholders. As a result, these shareholders, if they acted together, could significantly influence or even unilaterally approve matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers or other business combination transactions. The interests of these shareholders may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of other shareholders.
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If you purchase our ADSs in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of your shares.
The offering price of our ADSs is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our ADSs. Therefore, if you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay a price per ADS that substantially exceeds our net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. To the extent outstanding options or warrants are exercised, you will incur further dilution. Based on the assumed initial offering price of $7.22 per ADS, you will experience immediate dilution of $4.13 per ADS, representing the difference between our as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS after giving effect to this offering and the offering price. In addition, purchasers of our ADSs in this offering will have contributed approximately 100% of the aggregate price paid by all purchasers of our ADSs but will own only approximately 34% of our ADSs outstanding after this offering. See “Dilution.”
Management will have broad discretion as to the use of the net proceeds from this offering.
Our management will have broad discretion in the allocation of the net proceeds and could use them for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of this offering. Our shareholders may not agree with the manner in which our management chooses to allocate and spend the net proceeds.
Holders of ADSs are not ordinary shareholders and must act through the depositary to exercise their rights.
Holders of our ADSs do not have the same rights as holders of ordinary shares and may only exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying ordinary shares in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under Israeli law, the minimum notice period required to convene a shareholders meeting is generally no less than 35 calendar days, but in some instances, 21 or 14 calendar days. When a shareholder meeting is convened, holders of our ADSs may not receive sufficient notice of a shareholders’ meeting to permit them to withdraw their ordinary shares to allow them to cast their vote with respect to any specific matter. In addition, the depositary and its agents may not be able to send voting instructions to holders of our ADSs or carry out their voting instructions in a timely manner. We will make all reasonable efforts to cause the depositary to extend voting rights to holders of our ADSs in a timely manner, but we cannot assure holders that they will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that they can instruct the depositary to vote their ADSs. Furthermore, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, holders of our ADSs may not be able to exercise their right to vote and they may lack recourse if their ADSs are not voted as they requested. In addition, in the capacity as a holder of ADSs, they will not be able to call a shareholders’ meeting unless they first redeem their ADSs and become holders of the underlying ordinary shares held in the Israeli market in order to allow them to submit to us a request to call a meeting with respect to any specific matter, in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Israeli Companies Law 5759-1999, or the Companies Law, and our amended and restated articles of association.
The JOBS Act, allows us to postpone the date by which we must comply with some of the laws and regulations intended to protect investors and to reduce the amount of information we provide in our reports filed with the SEC, which could undermine investor confidence in our company and adversely affect the market price of our ADSs or our ordinary shares.
For so long as we remain an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various requirements that are applicable to public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including:
● | the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that our independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting; |
● | Section 107 of the JOBS Act, which provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This means that an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies; and |
● | any rules that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report on the financial statements. |
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We intend to take advantage of these exemptions until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the date of our first sale of equity securities pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
We cannot predict if investors will find our ADSs or our ordinary shares less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our ADSs or our ordinary shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our ADSs or our ordinary shares, and our market prices may be more volatile and may decline.
As a “foreign private issuer” we are permitted to and follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of otherwise applicable SEC and Nasdaq requirements, which may result in less protection than is accorded to investors under rules applicable to domestic U.S. issuers.
Our status as a foreign private issuer also exempts us from compliance with certain SEC laws and regulations and certain regulations of the Nasdaq Stock Market, including the proxy rules, the short-swing profits recapture rules, and certain governance requirements such as independent director oversight of the nomination of directors and executive compensation. In addition, we are not required, under the Exchange Act, to file current reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. domestic companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act and we are generally exempt from filing quarterly reports with the SEC. Also, although the Companies Law requires us to disclose the annual compensation of our five most highly compensated senior officers on an individual basis, this disclosure is not as extensive as that required of a U.S. domestic issuer. For example, the disclosure required under Israeli law would be limited to compensation paid in the immediately preceding year without any requirement to disclose option exercises and vested stock options, pension benefits or potential payments upon termination or a change of control. Furthermore, as a foreign private issuer, we are also not subject to the requirements of Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
These exemptions and leniencies will reduce the frequency and scope of information and protections to which you are entitled as an investor.
We may be a “passive foreign investment company”, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the current taxable year or may become one in any subsequent taxable year. There generally would be negative tax consequences for U.S. taxpayers that are holders of our ADSs or our ordinary shares if we are or were to become a PFIC.
Based on the projected composition of our income and valuation of our assets, we may be a PFIC for 2020 and in the future, although there can be no assurance in this regard. The determination of whether we are a PFIC is made on an annual basis and will depend on the composition of our income and assets from time to time. We will be treated as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in any taxable year in which either (1) at least 75% of our gross income is “passive income” or (2) on quarterly average at least 50% of our assets by value produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income. Passive income for this purpose generally includes, among other things, certain dividends, interest, royalties, rents and gains from commodities and securities transactions and from the sale or exchange of property that gives rise to passive income. Passive income also includes amounts derived by reason of the temporary investment of funds, including those raised in a public offering. In determining whether a non-U.S. corporation is a PFIC, a proportionate share of the income and assets of each corporation in which it owns, directly or indirectly, at least a 25% interest (by value) is taken into account. The tests for determining PFIC status are applied annually and it is difficult to make accurate projections of future income and assets which are relevant to this determination. In addition, our PFIC status may depend in part on the market value of our ADSs or our ordinary shares. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we currently are not or will not become a PFIC in the future. If we are a PFIC in any taxable year during which a U.S. taxpayer holds our ADSs or our ordinary shares, such U.S. taxpayer would be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax rules. In particular, if the U.S. taxpayer did not make an election to treat us as a “qualified electing fund”, or QEF, or make a “mark-to-market” election, then “excess distributions” to the U.S. taxpayer, and any gain realized on the sale or other disposition of our ADSs or our ordinary shares by the U.S. taxpayer: (1) would be allocated ratably over the U.S. taxpayer’s holding period for our ADSs or ordinary shares; (2) the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any period prior to the first day of the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC would be taxed as ordinary income; and (3) the amount allocated to each of the other taxable years would be subject to tax at the highest rate of tax in effect for the applicable class of taxpayer for that year, and an interest charge for the deemed deferral benefit would be imposed with respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other taxable year. In addition, if the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, determines that we are a PFIC for a year with respect to which we have determined that we were not a PFIC, it may be too late for a U.S. taxpayer to make a timely QEF or mark-to-market election. U.S. taxpayers that have held our ADSs or our ordinary shares during a period when we were a PFIC will be subject to the foregoing rules, even if we cease to be a PFIC in subsequent years, subject to exceptions for U.S. taxpayer who made a timely QEF or mark-to-market election. A U.S. taxpayer can make a QEF election by completing the relevant portions of and filing IRS Form 8621 in accordance with the instructions thereto. We do not intend to notify U.S. taxpayers that hold our ADSs or our ordinary shares if we believe we will be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year in order to enable U.S. taxpayers to consider whether to make a QEF election. In addition, we do not intend to furnish such U.S. taxpayers annually with information needed in order to complete IRS Form 8621 and to make and maintain a valid QEF election for any year in which we are a PFIC. U.S. taxpayers that hold our ADSs or our ordinary shares are strongly urged to consult their tax advisors about the PFIC rules, including tax return filing requirements and the eligibility, manner, and consequences to them of making a QEF or mark-to-market election with respect to our ADSs or our ordinary shares in the event that we are a PFIC. See “Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Companies” for additional information.
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ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable results to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.
The deposit agreement governing our ADSs representing our ordinary shares provides that holders and beneficial owners of ADSs irrevocably waive the right to a trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the deposit agreement or our ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, against us or the depositary to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. If this jury trial waiver provision is prohibited by applicable law, an action could nevertheless proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a jury trial waiver under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by a federal court. However, we believe that a jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, by a court of the State of New York or a federal court, which have non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement, applying such law. In determining whether to enforce a jury trial waiver provision, New York courts and federal courts will consider whether the visibility of the jury trial waiver provision within the agreement is sufficiently prominent such that a party has knowingly waived any right to trial by jury. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and our ADSs. In addition, New York courts will not enforce a jury trial waiver provision in order to bar a viable setoff or counterclaim sounding in fraud or one which is based upon a creditor’s negligence in failing to liquidate collateral upon a guarantor’s demand, or in the case of an intentional tort claim (as opposed to a contract dispute), none of which we believe are applicable in the case of the deposit agreement or our ADSs. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any provision of the federal securities laws. If you or any other holder or beneficial owner of ADSs brings a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or our ADSs, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us and / or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us and / or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different results than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action, depending on, among other things, the nature of the claims, the judge or justice hearing such claims, and the venue of the hearing.
We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.
In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could seriously hurt our business. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they adversely change their recommendations or publish negative reports regarding our business or our shares, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our ordinary shares will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts and we cannot provide any assurance that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If any of the analysts who may cover us adversely change their recommendation regarding our shares, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, our share price would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
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Risks Related to Israeli Law and Our Incorporation, Location and Operations in Israel
We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
A major portion of our business is conducted, and a material portion of our operating expenses is incurred, outside the United States, mainly in NIS. Therefore, we are exposed to currency exchange fluctuations in other currencies, particularly in NIS and the risks related thereto. Our primary expenses paid in NIS are employee salaries, fees for consultants and subcontractors and lease payments on our Israeli facilities. As a result, we are affected by foreign currency exchange fluctuations through both translation risk and transaction risk. Thus, we are exposed to the risks that: (a) the NIS may appreciate relative to the dollar; (b) the NIS devalue relative to the dollar; (c) the inflation rate in Israel may exceed the rate of devaluation of the NIS; or (d) the timing of such devaluation may lag behind inflation in Israel. In any such event, the dollar cost of our operations in Israel would increase and our dollar-denominated results of operations would be adversely affected. Our operations also could be adversely affected if we are unable to effectively hedge against currency fluctuations in the future.
Provisions of Israeli law and our amended and restated articles of association may delay, prevent or otherwise impede a merger with, or an acquisition of, our company, which could prevent a change of control, even when the terms of such a transaction are favorable to us and our shareholders.
Israeli corporate law regulates mergers, requires tender offers for acquisitions of shares above specified thresholds, requires special approvals for transactions involving directors, officers or significant shareholders and regulates other matters that may be relevant to such types of transactions. For example, a merger may not be consummated unless at least 50 days have passed from the date on which a merger proposal is filed by each merging company with the Israel Registrar of Companies and at least 30 days have passed from the date on which the shareholders of both merging companies have approved the merger. In addition, a majority of each class of securities of the target company must approve a merger. Moreover, a tender offer for all of a company’s issued and outstanding shares can only be completed if the acquirer receives positive responses from the holders of at least 95% of the issued share capital. Completion of the tender offer also requires approval of a majority of the offerees that do not have a personal interest in the tender offer, unless, following consummation of the tender offer, the acquirer would hold at least 98% of the company’s outstanding shares. Furthermore, the shareholders, including those who indicated their acceptance of the tender offer, may, at any time within six months following the completion of the tender offer, claim that the consideration for the acquisition of the shares does not reflect their fair market value, and petition an Israeli court to alter the consideration for the acquisition accordingly, unless the acquirer stipulated in its tender offer that a shareholder that accepts the offer may not seek such appraisal rights, and the acquirer or the company published all required information with respect to the tender offer prior to the tender offer’s response date.
Israeli tax considerations also may make potential transactions unappealing to us or to our shareholders whose country of residence does not have a tax treaty with Israel exempting such shareholders from Israeli tax. See “Taxation—Israeli Tax Considerations and Government Programs” for additional information.
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It may be difficult to enforce a judgment of a United States court against us and our officers and directors in Israel or the United States, to assert United States securities laws claims in Israel or to serve process on our officers and directors.
We were incorporated in Israel. All of our executive officers and directors reside outside of the United States, and all of our assets and most of the assets of these persons are located outside of the United States. Therefore, a judgment obtained against us, or any of these persons, including a judgment based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, may not be collectible in the United States and may not necessarily be enforced by an Israeli court. It also may be difficult to affect service of process on these persons in the United States or to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in Israel. Additionally, it may be difficult for an investor, or any other person or entity, to initiate an action with respect to United States securities laws in Israel. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on an alleged violation of United States securities laws reasoning that Israel is not the most appropriate forum in which to bring such a claim. In addition, even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not United States law is applicable to the claim. If United States law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable United States law must be proven as a fact by expert witnesses, which can be a time consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law. There is little binding case law in Israel that addresses the matters described above. As a result of the difficulty associated with enforcing a judgment against us in Israel, you may not be able to collect any damages awarded by either a United States or foreign court.
Our headquarters, research and development and other significant operations are located in Israel, and, therefore, our results may be adversely affected by political, economic and military instability in Israel.
Our executive offices and research and development facilities are located in Israel. In addition, all of our key employees, officers and directors are residents of Israel. Accordingly, political, economic and military conditions in Israel may directly affect our business. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a number of armed conflicts have taken place between Israel and its neighboring Arab countries, the Hamas (an Islamist militia and political group that controls the Gaza strip) and the Hezbollah (an Islamist militia and political group based in Lebanon). Any hostilities involving Israel or the interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its trading partners could negatively affect business conditions in Israel in general and our business in particular, and adversely affect our product development, operations and results of operations. Ongoing and revived hostilities or other Israeli political or economic factors, such as, an interruption of operations at the Tel Aviv airport, could prevent or delay shipments of our components or products.
Any armed conflicts, terrorist activities or political instability in the region could adversely affect business conditions, could harm our results of operations and the market price of our ordinary shares, and could make it more difficult for us to raise capital. Parties with whom we do business may sometimes decline to travel to Israel during periods of heightened unrest or tension, forcing us to make alternative arrangements when necessary in order to meet our business partners face to face. Several countries, principally in the Middle East, still restrict doing business with Israel and Israeli companies, and additional countries may impose restrictions on doing business with Israel and Israeli companies if hostilities in Israel or political instability in the region continues or increases. Similarly, Israeli companies are limited in conducting business with entities from several countries. For instance, in 2008, the Israeli legislature passed a law forbidding any investments in entities that transact business with Iran. In addition, the political and security situation in Israel may result in parties with whom we have agreements involving performance in Israel claiming that they are not obligated to perform their commitments under those agreements pursuant to force majeure provisions in such agreements.
Our commercial insurance does not cover losses that may occur as a result of an event associated with the security situation in the Middle East. Although the Israeli government has in the past covered the reinstatement value of certain damages that were caused by terrorist attacks or acts of war, we cannot assure you that this government coverage will be maintained or, if maintained, will be sufficient to compensate us fully for damages incurred. Any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Further, in the past, the State of Israel and Israeli companies have been subjected to economic boycotts. Several countries still restrict business with the State of Israel and with Israeli companies. These restrictive laws and policies may have an adverse impact on our operating results, financial conditions or the expansion of our business. Similarly, Israeli corporations are limited in conducting business with entities from several countries.
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Your rights and responsibilities as a shareholder will be governed by Israeli law, which differs in some material respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders of U.S. companies.
The rights and responsibilities of the holders of our ordinary shares (and therefore indirectly, our ADSs) are governed by our amended and restated articles of association and by Israeli law. These rights and responsibilities differ in some material respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders in typical U.S.-based corporations. In particular, a shareholder of an Israeli company has certain duties to act in good faith and fairness toward the company and other shareholders and to refrain from abusing its power in the company, including, among other things, in voting at the general meeting of shareholders on certain matters, such as an amendment to the company’s articles of association, an increase of the company’s authorized share capital, a merger of the company, and approval of related party transactions that require shareholder approval. In addition, a shareholder who is aware that it possesses the power to determine the outcome of a shareholder vote or to appoint or prevent the appointment of a director or executive officer in the company has a duty of fairness toward the company with regard to such vote or appointment. There is limited case law available to assist us in understanding the nature of this duty or the implications of these provisions. These provisions may be interpreted to impose additional obligations on holders of our ordinary shares that are not typically imposed on shareholders of U.S. corporations.
Certain of our research and development activities and programs were supported by Israeli Governmental grants, some of which were sold or are in the process of selling. The terms of such grants may require us to pay royalties and to satisfy specified conditions in order to manufacture products and transfer technologies outside of Israel. We may be required to pay penalties in addition to repayment of the grants.
Our research and development efforts relating to our product have been financed in part through royalty-bearing grants in an aggregate amount of approximately NIS 1.7 million (approximately $0.6 million) received from the Israel Innovation Authority, or the IIA, as of December 31, 2021. With respect to the royalty-bearing grants we are committed to pay royalties at a rate of 3% to 5% on sales proceeds from our products that were developed under IIA programs up to the total amount of grants received, linked to the U.S. dollar and bearing interest at an annual London Interbank Offered Rate applicable to U.S. dollar deposits. Regardless of any royalty payment, we are further required to comply with the requirements of the Israeli Encouragement of Research, Development and Industrial Initiative Technology Law, 5744-1984, as amended, and related regulations, or the Research Law, with respect to those past grants. When a company develops know-how, technology or products using IIA grants, the terms of these grants and the Research Law restrict the transfer of such know-how, and the transfer of manufacturing or manufacturing rights of such products, technologies or know-how outside of Israel, without the prior approval of the IIA. Therefore, the discretionary approval of an IIA committee would be required for any transfer to third parties inside or outside of Israel of know-how or manufacturing or manufacturing rights related to those aspects of such technologies. We may not receive those approvals. Furthermore, the IIA may impose certain conditions on any arrangement under which it permits us to transfer technology or development out of Israel.
The transfer of IIA-supported technology or know-how outside of Israel may involve the payment of significant amounts, depending upon the value of the transferred technology or know-how, our research and development expenses, the amount of IIA support, the time of completion of the IIA-supported research project and other factors. These restrictions and requirements for payment may impair our ability to sell or otherwise transfer our technology assets outside of Israel or to outsource or transfer development or manufacturing activities with respect to any product or technology outside of Israel. Furthermore, the consideration available to our shareholders in a transaction involving the transfer outside of Israel of technology or know-how developed with IIA funding (such as a merger or similar transaction) may be reduced by any amounts that we are required to pay to the IIA.
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Our operations may be disrupted as a result of the obligation of management or key personnel to perform military service.
Our employees and consultants in Israel, including members of our senior management, may be obligated to perform one month, and in some cases longer periods, of military reserve duty until they reach the age of 40 (or older, for citizens who hold certain positions in the Israeli armed forces reserves) and, in the event of a military conflict, may be called to active duty. In response to increases in terrorist activity, there have been periods of significant call-ups of military reservists. It is possible that there will be similar large-scale military reserve duty call-ups in the future. Our operations could be disrupted by the absence of a significant number of our officers, directors, employees and consultants. Such disruption could materially adversely affect our business and operations.
General Risk Factors
Raising additional capital would cause dilution to our existing shareholders and may affect the rights of existing shareholders.
We may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations and strategic and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a holder of our ADSs and ordinary shares.
Sales of a substantial number of our ADSs or our ordinary shares in the public market by our existing shareholders could cause our share price to fall.
Sales of a substantial number of our ADSs or our ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our ADSs or our ordinary shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that sales may have on the prevailing market price of our ADSs or our ordinary shares.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they adversely change their recommendations or publish negative reports regarding our business or our shares, our ADSs or ordinary shares price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our ADSs or our ordinary shares will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts and we cannot provide any assurance that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If any of the analysts who may cover us adversely change their recommendation regarding our ADSs or ordinary shares, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, our ADSs or ordinary shares price would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our ADSs or ordinary shares price or trading volume to decline.
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We will incur significant increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.
As a public company whose ordinary shares will be listed in the United States, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the other rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and the rules and regulations of The NASDAQ Stock Market, or NASDAQ, and provisions of the Companies Law that apply to public companies such as us. The expenses that will be required in order to adequately prepare for being a public company will be material, and compliance with the various reporting and other requirements applicable to public companies will require considerable time and attention of management. For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules of the SEC and national securities exchanges have imposed various requirements on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. These rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits on coverage or incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. The impact of these events could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified personnel to serve on our board of directors, our board committees, or as executive officers.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, beginning as early as our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. In addition, we will be required to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning with our annual report on Form 20-F following the date on which we are no longer an emerging growth company. Our compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, the market price of our shares could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by NASDAQ, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
Our ability to successfully implement our business plan and comply with Section 404 requires us to be able to prepare timely and accurate financial statements. We expect that we will need to continue to improve existing, and implement new operational and financial systems, procedures and controls to manage our business effectively. Any delay in the implementation of, or disruption in the transition to, new or enhanced systems, procedures or controls, may cause our operations to suffer and we may be unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective and to obtain an unqualified report on internal controls from our auditors as required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This, in turn, could have an adverse impact on trading prices for our ordinary shares and could adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets.
We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and we may not be able to successfully implement remedial measures.
We have identified control deficiencies in our financial reporting process that constitute a material weakness for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021. The material weakness related to lack of sufficient internal accounting personnel, segregation of duties, lack of sufficient internal controls (including IT general controls, entity level controls and transaction level controls).
Following the completion of this offering, we expect to take a number of measures to address the material weaknesses that have been identified. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.” However, we cannot assure you that these measures may fully address the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or that we may conclude that they have been fully remediated.
Further, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer from other material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the future. If we fail to remediate these material weaknesses or fail to otherwise maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting in the future, such failure could result in a material misstatement of our annual or quarterly financial statements that would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis and which could cause investors and other users to lose confidence in our financial statements, limit our ability to raise capital and have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock. Additionally, failure to remediate the material weakness or otherwise maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting may also negatively impact our operating results and financial condition, impair our ability to timely file our periodic and other reports with the SEC, subject us to additional litigation and regulatory actions and cause us to incur substantial additional costs in future periods relating to the implementation of remedial measures.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
We make expressed and implied forward-looking statements in this prospectus that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, plans and objectives. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “expect,” “predict,” “potential,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on information we have when those statements are made or our management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include, but are not limited to:
● | the ability of our technology to substantially improve the safety of drivers; |
● | our planned level of revenues and capital expenditures and our belief that our existing cash and the net proceeds from this offering will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months; |
● | our ability to market and sell our products; |
● | our plans to continue to invest in research and development to develop technology for both existing and new products; |
● | our intention to advance our technologies and commercialization efforts; |
● | our intention to use local distributors in each country or region that we will conduct business to distribute our products or technology; |
● | our plan to seek patent, trademark and other intellectual property rights for our products and technologies in the United States and internationally, as well as our ability to maintain and protect the validity of our currently held intellectual property rights; |
● | our expectations regarding future changes in our cost of revenues and our operating expenses; |
● | our expectations regarding our tax classifications; |
● | interpretations of current laws and the passage of future laws; |
● | acceptance of our business model by investors; |
● | the ability to correctly identify and enter new markets; |
● | the impact of competition and new technologies; |
● | general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which we operate; |
● | projected capital expenditures and liquidity |
● | our intention to retain key employees, and our belief that we maintain good relations with all of our employees; |
● | the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulting government actions on us; and |
● | other risks and uncertainties, including those listed in the section titled “Risk Factors.” |
The preceding list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of any forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of future performance, taking into account the information available to us. These statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, you should consider the risks and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based upon information available to our management as of the date of this prospectus and, while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.
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We estimate that our net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $8,600,000 or approximately $9,980,000 if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase 207,756 additional ADSs, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price would increase (decrease) the net proceeds we receive from this offering by $1,274,239, assuming that the number of ADSs offered, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. Each increase (decrease) of 100,000 in the number of ADSs we are offering would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $664,240, assuming no change in the assumed initial public offering price per ADS.
We currently expect to use the net proceeds from this offering for the following purposes:
● | approximately $2.0 million for global sales and marketing expansion – sales force expansion in key markets via direct sales and indirect partnerships; |
● | approximately $4.0 million for Generation 2.0 and 3.0 technology development as part of our accelerating development of our technology; |
● | approximately $1.0 million for accelerated R&D in machine learning/artificial intelligence; |
● | the remainder for working capital and general corporate purposes and possible future acquisitions. |
Our expected use of net proceeds from this offering represents our current intentions based on our present plans and business condition, which could change in the future as our plans and business conditions evolve. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot predict with certainty any or all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to be received upon the closing of this offering, or the amounts, if any, that we will actually spend on the uses set forth above. The amounts and timing of our actual use of the net proceeds may vary depending on numerous factors, including our ability to obtain additional financing and changes we may make to our development plan. As a result, our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds, which may include uses not set forth above, and investors will be relying on our judgment regarding the application of the net proceeds from this offering.
Pending our use of proceeds from this offering, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in a variety of investment-grade instruments and/or to hold such proceeds as cash or interest-bearing deposits, in the currencies in which we expect to make payment.
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We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our shares and we anticipate that, for the foreseeable future, we will retain any future earnings to support operations and to finance the growth and development of our business. Therefore, we do not expect to pay cash dividends for at least the next several years.
The distribution of dividends may also be limited by the Companies Law, which permits the distribution of dividends only out of retained earnings or earnings derived over the two most recent fiscal years, whichever is higher, provided that there is no reasonable concern that payment of a dividend will prevent a company from satisfying its existing and foreseeable obligations as they become due. As of December 31, 2021, we did not have distributable earnings pursuant to the Companies Law. According to Companies Law, dividend distributions may be determined by our board of directors, as our articles of association do not provide that such distributions require shareholder approval.
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The following table sets forth our total capitalization as of December 31, 2021, as follows:
● | on an actual basis; |
● | on an adjusted basis to reflect the issuance and sale of ADSs in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
You should read this information in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, as well as the sections of this prospectus titled “Selected Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
As of December 31, 2021 | As Adjusted Convenience translation into USD in | |||||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | thousands | ||||||||||
(NIS, in thousands,
except share data) | except per share data (1) | |||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 13,695 | 41,596 | $ | 13,375 | ||||||||
Deferred offering costs | 1,155 | - | - | |||||||||
Ordinary shares, value NIS 0.01: 100,000,000 shares authorized, 7,984,706 shares issued and outstanding (actual); 12,139,832 shares issued and outstanding (as adjusted) | - | - | $ | - | ||||||||
Share capital and premium | 80,440 | 107,186 | 34,465 | |||||||||
Capital reserves in respect of share-based payment | 8,425 | 8,425 | 2,709 | |||||||||
Accumulated deficit | (76,813 | ) | (76,813 | ) | (24,699 | ) | ||||||
Total shareholders’ capital equity | 12,052 | 38,798 | $ | 12,475 |
(1) | Calculated using the exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel for December 31, 2021, at the rate of one U.S. dollar per NIS 3.11. |
(2) | Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS, would increase or decrease each of cash, total shareholders’ equity and total capitalization on an as adjusted basis by approximately $1,274,239, assuming the number of ADSs offered, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
(3) | Each 100,000 increase or decrease in the number of ADS offered in this offering would increase or decrease each of cash, total shareholders’ equity and total capitalization on an as adjusted basis by approximately $664,240, assuming that the price per ADS for the offering remains at $7.22, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
The outstanding share information in the table above excludes:
● | 387,097 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of options (series 1) at an exercise price of NIS 38.00 ($12.22) per share; | |
● | 797,382 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of options outstanding under the Saverone 2014 Ltd. 2015 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2015 Plan, at a weighted average exercise price of NIS 10.55 (approximately $3.39) per share; |
● | 52,618 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Plan. |
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If you invest in our ADSs in this offering, your ownership interest will be immediately diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per ADS and the net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the attributed initial public offering price per ADS is substantially in excess of the book value per ADS attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares. Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2021 was NIS 12,052,000 ($3,875,241), or $0.49 per ordinary share, or $1.47 per ADS (giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares to one ADS).
Net tangible book value per ordinary share or ADS was calculated by:
● | subtracting our liabilities from our tangible assets; and |
● | dividing the difference by the number of ordinary shares or ADSs outstanding, as applicable. |
After giving effect to the sale of ADSs (and the ordinary shares thereunder) in this offering at an initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value at December 31, 2021 would have been approximately $12,475,241 equivalent to $1.03 per ordinary share or $3.09 per ADS.
The following table sets forth the estimated net tangible book value per ADS after the offering and the dilution to persons purchasing ADSs based on the foregoing offering assumptions.
Assumed initial public offering price per ADS | $ | 7.22 | ||||||
Historical net tangible book value per ADS as of December 31, 2021 | $ | 1.47 | ||||||
Increase per ADS attributable to this offering | $ | 1.62 | ||||||
As adjusted net tangible book value per ADS after this offering | $ | 3.09 | ||||||
Dilution per ADS to new investors in this offering | $ | 4.13 |
Each $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS would increase (decrease) our as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS after this offering by $0.30 per ADS and the dilution to new investors by $0.70 per ADS, assuming the number of ADSs offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We may also increase or decrease the number of ADSs we are offering.
Each increase of 100,000 in the number of ADSs offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase the as adjusted net tangible book value by $0.09 per ADS and decrease the dilution to new investors by $0.09 per ADS, assuming the assumed initial public offering price remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Similarly, each decrease of 100,000 ADSs offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would decrease the as adjusted net tangible book value by $0.09 per ADS and increase the dilution to new investors by $0.09 per ADS assuming the assumed initial public offering price remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs from us is exercised in full, and assuming an initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS our as adjusted net tangible book value would be $3.27 per ADS and the dilution to new investors in this offering would be $3.95 per ADS, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
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The table below summarizes, on an as adjusted basis giving effect to an aggregate ADSs issued to certain investors in this offering, the differences for our existing shareholders and new investors in this offering, with respect to the number of ADSs purchased from us, the total consideration paid to us and the average per ADS price paid in this offering in the purchase of our ADSs from us, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. The total number of ADSs does not include ADSs issuable upon the exercise of the option granted to the underwriters.
ADSs purchased | Total consideration | Average price per | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | % | Amount | % | ADS | ||||||||||||||||
Existing shareholders | 2,661,569 | 65.8 | % | 25,864,952 | 72.1 | % | 9.72 | |||||||||||||
New investors | 1,385,042 | 34.2 | % | 10,000,000 | 27.9 | % | 7.22 | |||||||||||||
Total | 4,046,611 | 100 | % | 35,864,952 | 100 | % | 8.86 |
Each $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $7.22 per ADS, which is the U.S. dollar equivalent of the closing price of our ordinary shares on the TASE on March 28, 2022 giving effect to a ratio of three ordinary shares for each ADS, would increase (decrease) the total consideration paid by new investors by $1,385,042 and would increase (decrease) the percentage of total consideration paid by new investors by percentage points, assuming that the number of ADSs offered remains the same. Each increase of 100,000 in the number of ADSs we are offering would increase (decrease) the total consideration paid by new investors by $722,000 and would increase (decrease) the percentage of total consideration paid by new investors by percentage points, assuming no change in the assumed initial public offering price per ADS.
If the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full, the total consideration paid by new investors and the average price per ADS paid by new investors would be approximately $1,500,000 and $7.22 per ADS, respectively
The as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.
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The following tables set forth the following summary financial data. We have derived the following statements of comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, and our selected statement of financial position as of December 31, 2021, from our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
You should read the following selected financial data in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The unaudited interim financial statements were prepared on a basis consistent with our audited financial statements and include, in our management’s opinion, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments that we consider necessary for a fair presentation of the financial information set forth in those statements. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB, which differ in certain significant respects from U.S. GAAP.
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2020 | 2021 | 2021 | ||||||||||
(NIS, in thousands, except per share data) | Convenience translation into USD in thousands except per share data (1) | |||||||||||
Statement of Comprehensive Loss: | ||||||||||||
Revenues | 316 | 450 | 145 | |||||||||
Cost of revenues | (258 | ) | (288 | ) | (93 | ) | ||||||
Gross Profit | 58 | 162 | 52 | |||||||||
Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||
Research and development expenses, net | (10,593 | ) | (18,847 | ) | (6,060 | ) | ||||||
Selling and marketing expenses | (2,399 | ) | (2,431 | ) | (782 | ) | ||||||
General and administrative expenses | (4,422 | ) | (5,149 | ) | (1,656 | ) | ||||||
Operating loss | (17,356 | ) | (26,265 | ) | (8,446 | ) | ||||||
Financing income (expense), net | 3,790 | (225 | ) | (72 | ) | |||||||
Net loss | (13,566 | ) | (26,490 | ) | (8,518 | ) | ||||||
Net loss per share, basic | (2.36 | ) | (3.33 | ) | (1.07 | ) | ||||||
Net loss per share, diluted | (2.44 | ) | (3.33 | ) | (1.07 | ) | ||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, basic | 5,739,448 | 7,960,239 | 7,960,239 | |||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, diluted | 5,798,294 | 7,960,239 | 7,960,239 |
(1) | Calculated using the exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel for December 31, 2021, at the rate of one U.S. dollar per NIS 3.11. |
As of December 31, | ||||||||||||
2020 | 2021 | 2021 | ||||||||||
(NIS, in thousands) | Convenience translation into USD in thousands except per share data (1) | |||||||||||
Statements of Financial Position Data: | ||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents and bank deposits | 37,624 | 13,695 | 4,404 | |||||||||
Total assets | 39,678 | 18,756 | 6,031 | |||||||||
Total liabilities | 4,574 | 6,704 | 2,156 | |||||||||
Total shareholders’ equity | 35,194 | 12,052 | 3,875 |
(1) | Calculated using the exchange rate reported by the Bank of Israel for December 31, 2021, at the rate of one U.S. dollar per NIS 3.11. |
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following discussion is based on our financial information prepared in accordance with the IFRS, as issued by the IASB, which may differ in material respects from generally accepted accounting principles in other jurisdictions, including U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis, particularly with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should read “Risk Factors” above for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
Overview
We are a development stage technology company engaged in the design, development and commercialization of transportation and safety applications designed to save lives by preventing car accidents resulting from the use of cellular phones while driving. Our SaverOne system provides an advanced driver safety solution that can identify and monitor mobile phones located in the driver’s vicinity and selectively block use of life-threatening applications. Our technology is based on our proprietary hardware, software and algorithms, and, which we believe have significant advantages over our competitors in the market because our solution meets the NHTSA’s guidelines for a complete solution for distracted driving.
We have three generations of systems, the first two of which target the vehicle aftermarket and the third which targets vehicle manufacturers. Generation 1.0 is our first-generation solution and is intended for private vehicles, trucks and buses as an aftermarket product. Our Generation 1.0 was launched in late 2019 for private cars, and thereafter made commercially available to trucks and buses. It is currently marketed in Israel as part of our pre-commercialization/early user campaign. We are working on pilot programs with various fleet and system integrators in the United States, Europe and APAC. To date, over 1,400 systems have been ordered (which includes nearly 300 systems ordered as part of our ongoing Generation 1.0 pilot program and over 1,100 systems purchased in commercial orders by our Generation 1.0 pilot program customers) and nearly 700 of these systems have been installed.
Generation 2.0 is our second-generation solution that will replace Generation 1.0 and is intended as a solution for the automobile aftermarket. It includes various improvements to our Generation 1.0 solution for maximal performance, compatibility with automobiles and cellular networks, market penetration and profitability. We expect to launch the Generation 2.0 solution for sale in the second quarter of 2022 and we expect to target the global aftermarket automobile market starting with the U.S. and Europe.
Our Generation 3.0 solution is being designed as a solution for the OEM market and we plan on it being directly integrated into the vehicle manufacturing process for seamless integration in the driving experience. We are currently working with one of the leading global OEMs in order to make the installation of the SaverOne System into vehicles system an essential part of the vehicle manufacturing process. The Generation 3.0 solution is in the early stage of development and we expect to launch the Generation 3.0 solution in 2025.
We have experienced net losses in every period since the inception of SaverOne. We incurred net losses of NIS 26.5 million (approximately $0.8 million) and NIS 13.6 million (approximately $4.4 million) for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the year ended December 31, 2020, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of NIS 76.8 million (approximately $24.7 million). We anticipate that we will continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future as our operating expenses and capital expenditures increase substantially due to our continued investment in our research and development activities and as we hire additional employees over the coming years. Furthermore, upon closing of this offering, we expect to incur additional expenses associated with operating as a U.S. public company, including significant legal, accounting, investor relations and other expenses, the extent to which we did not incur as a TASE-listed company.
For further information regarding our business and operations, see “Business” below.
Components of Operating Results
Revenues and Cost of Revenues
Our total revenue consists of selling our Generation 1.0 SaverOne system and our cost of revenues consists of the direct cost of producing and installing the system. Currently, our business activity is only in Israel. Since we are still in the initial phase in rolling out our Generation 1.0 SaverOne system and our Generation 2.0 system is still in development, we cannot forecast our revenue in future periods.
Research and Development Expenses, Net
We have invested almost all of our efforts and financial resources in the research and development of our SaverOne system which is still in development. Research and development related activities are currently our primary expenditure. Development timelines, the probability of success and development costs can differ materially from expectations. In addition, we cannot forecast whether and when we will enter into collaboration arrangements, if at all, and to what degree such arrangements would affect our development plans and capital requirements.
We expect our research and development expenses to increase over the next several years as our development programs progress and we expect that our research and development expenses will continue to be significant in absolute dollars in future periods as we continue to invest in research and development activities related to the development of our solutions.
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Research and development expenses include the following:
● | employee-related expenses, such as salaries and share-based compensation; |
● | expenses relating to outsourced and contracted services, such as consulting, research and advisory services; |
● | supply and development costs; |
● | costs associated with regulatory compliance. |
We recognize research and development expenses as we incur them deducted by Government grants in respect of a research and development project received from the IIA which are not reasonably assured that the amount received will not be refunded
Selling and Marketing Expenses
Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of share-based compensation recorded with respect of unregistered rights to shares issued to Keshet Holdings Limited Partnership, which is managed by Keshet Broadcasting, or Keshet, who provided media and advertisement services to the Company in 2020 and 2021. As we penetrate new markets, we anticipate that our selling and marketing expenses will increase in the future as we expand our sales department and invest in the marketing of our solutions.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, including share-based compensation related to directors and employees, facility costs, patent application and maintenance expenses, and external professional service costs, including legal, accounting, audit, finance, business development, investor relations and human resource services, and other consulting fees.
We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we increase our administrative headcount and infrastructure to support our continued research and development programs and the potential commercialization of our products. We also anticipate that we will incur increased expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory and tax-related services associated with maintaining compliance with Nasdaq and SEC requirements, director and officer insurance premiums, director compensation, and other costs associated with being a public company.
Finance Income (Expenses), Net
Finance income (expenses), net, consisted primarily of bank fees and exchange differences. During the year ended December 31, 2021 , finance income resulted from a change in the fair value of instruments which are accounted for as financial liabilities measured at fair value until their exercise or expiration.
Income Taxes
We have yet to generate taxable income in Israel. As of December 31, 2021, our operating tax loss carryforwards were approximately NIS 57 million (approximately $18 million). We anticipate that we will continue to generate tax losses for the foreseeable future and that we will be able to carry forward these tax losses indefinitely to future taxable years. Accordingly, we do not expect to pay taxes in Israel until we have taxable income after the full utilization of our carry forward tax losses.
Results of Operations
Our results of operations have varied in the past and can be expected to vary in the future due to numerous factors. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results should not be relied upon as indications of future performance.
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Below is a summary of our results of operations for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
NIS thousands | ||||||||
Revenues | 450 | 316 | ||||||
Cost of revenues | (288 | ) | (258 | ) | ||||
Gross Profit | 162 | 58 | ||||||
Operating expenses: | ||||||||
Research and development expenses, net | (18,847 | ) | (10,593 | ) | ||||
Selling and marketing expenses | (2,431 | ) | (2,399 | |||||
General and administrative expenses | (5,149 | ) | (4,422 | ) | ||||
Loss from operations | (26,265 | ) | (17,356 | ) | ||||
Finance income | 3 | 3,907 | ||||||
Finance expense | (228 | ) | (117 | ) | ||||
Finance income (expense), net | (225 | ) | 3,790 | ) | ||||
Net loss | (26,490 | ) | (13,566 | ) |
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Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020
Revenues
Revenues increased by approximately NIS 134 (approximately $43,000), or 42%, to NIS 450,000 (approximately $145,000) for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to NIS 316,000 (approximately $102,000) for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was mainly the result of new agreements we entered into in 2021 related to our Generation 1.0 solution which was launched in late 2019. These agreements represented the sale of 279 of our Generation 1.0 solutions, of which 79 were sold as part of a pilot program.
Research and development expenses, net
Research and development expenses, net increased by approximately NIS 8,254,000 (approximately $2,654,000), or 78%, to approximately NIS 18,847,000 (approximately $6,060,000) for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to NIS 10,593,000 (approximately $3,406,000) for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase resulted mainly from salaries and related expenses, subcontractors and share based compensation, due to an increase in the number of employees, and an increase in research and development activity, mainly related to the development of our Generation 2.0 solution.
Selling and marketing expenses
Selling and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 were NIS 2,431,000 (approximately $782,000), compared to NIS 2,399,000 (approximately $771,000) for the year ended December 31, 2020. Selling and marketing expenses consists mainly from share-based compensation recorded with respect of unregistered rights issued to Keshet, pursuant to our arrangement with Keshet for media advertisement for us on Keshet’s various media channels.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses increased by approximately NIS 727,000 (approximately $234,000), or 16%, to approximately NIS 5,149,000 (approximately $1,656,000) for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to approximately NIS 4,422,000 (approximately $1,422,000) for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase resulted mainly from consulting fees.
Financing income (expenses), net
Financing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 were NIS 225,000 (approximately $72,000) and resulted mainly from bank fees and exchange rate differences. Financing income for the year ended December 31, 2020 were NIS 3,790,000 (approximately $1,219,000) and resulted mainly from the revaluation of a liability in respect of bridge investments and the revaluation of a liability in respect of a price protection mechanism that was measured at fair value through profit or loss, prior to the completion of our initial public offering on the TASE.
Net loss
Net loss increased by approximately NIS 12,924 (approximately $4,156,000), or 95%, to approximately NIS 26,490,000 (approximately $8,518,000) for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to NIS 13,566,000 (approximately $4,362,000) for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was mainly the result of an increase in research and development expenses and increase in financing expenses, net.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have not entered into any off-balance sheet arrangements that have had or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to investors.
Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
In connection with the audit of our financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2021, we identified control deficiencies in our financial reporting process that constitute a material weakness for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021. The material weakness related to lack of sufficient internal accounting personnel, insufficient segregation of duties, and lack of sufficient internal controls (including IT general controls, entity level controls and transaction level controls).
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As defined in the standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Following the completion of this offering, we expect to take a number of measures to address the internal control deficiencies that have been identified including expanding our existing accounting and financial reporting personnel, establishing effective monitoring and oversight controls and engaging an external consulting firm to assist us with assessment of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance requirements and improvement of overall internal controls. However, we cannot assure you that these measures may fully address the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or that we may conclude that they have been fully remediated.
The process of designing and implementing an effective financial reporting system is a continuous effort that requires us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments and to expend significant resources to maintain a financial reporting system that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligation. See “Risk Factors— Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of our ordinary shares— We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and we may not be able to successfully implement remedial measures.”
As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Critical Accounting Policies
We describe our significant accounting policies and estimates in Note 3 to our annual financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus. We believe that these accounting policies and estimates are critical in order to fully understand and evaluate our financial condition and results of operations.
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make accounting estimates and assessments that involve use of judgment and that affect the amounts of assets and liabilities presented in the financial statements, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements, the amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods and the accounting policies adopted by the Company. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Pursuant to International Accounting Standard No. 1, it is required inter alia to give disclosure to the accounting principles whose implementation involves estimates and considerations having significant sensitivity to future events, the occurrence of which may impact the reported amounts.
Recently-Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Certain recently-issued accounting pronouncements are discussed in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the financial statements included in elsewhere in this registration statement, regarding the impact of the IFRS standards as issued by the IASB that we will adopt in future periods in our financial statements.
Emerging Growth Company Status
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other burdens that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:
● | a requirement to present only two years of audited financial statements in addition to any required interim financial statements and correspondingly reduced Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations disclosure; |
● | to the extent that we no longer qualify as a foreign private issuer, (i) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (ii) exemptions from the requirement to hold a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation, including golden parachute compensation; |
● | an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; and |
● | an exemption from compliance with the requirement that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has adopted regarding a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements. |
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We may take advantage of these exemptions for up to five years or until such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest to occur of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; (iii) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC; or (iv) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of this offering. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these exemptions. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This means that an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. Given that we currently report and expect to continue to report our financial results under IFRS as issued by the IASB, we will not be able to avail ourselves of this extended transition period and, as a result, we will adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required by the IASB.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have financed our operations since our inception primarily from private and public offerings, equity bridge investment transactions and government grants for research and development project received from the IIA.
From our inception date through December 31, 2021, we raised an aggregate of NIS 82 million (approximately $26 million) in private and public offerings and equity bridge investments. As of December 31, 2021, we had NIS 13.7 million (approximately $4.4 million) in cash and cash equivalents and short-term bank deposits.
We are currently in the research and development stage and have not yet generated significant revenues from our operations. From inception date and through December 31, 2021, we reported losses and a negative cash flow from current operating activity. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of NIS 76.8 million (approximately $24.7 million) and we had a comprehensive loss and a negative cash flow from current operations in amounts of NIS 26.5 million (approximately $8.5 million) and NIS 23.1 million (approximately $7.4 million) for the year ended December 31, 2021.
We anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future as we continue the development and potential commercialization of our products and incur additional costs associated with being a public company. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern”. According to management’s estimates and based on the Company’s budget, the Company does not have sufficient liquidity resources to continue its planned activity through a period which exceeds twelve months as of today.
The table below shows a summary of our cashflows for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
NIS thousands | ||||||||
Net cash used in operating activities | (23,133 | ) | (12,390 | ) | ||||
Net cash used in investing activities | (5,197 | ) | (231 | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | (611 | ) | 50,136 | |||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | (28,941 | ) | 37,515 |
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Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020
Net cash used in operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities increased by NIS 10,743,000 (approximately $3,454,000), or 87%, to approximately NIS 23,133,000 (approximately $7,438,000) for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to approximately NIS 12,390,000 (approximately $3,984,000) for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was mainly the result of an increase in research and development expenses related to the development of the second generation of our product.
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities increased by NIS 4,966,000 (approximately $1,597,000), or 2,150%, to approximately NIS 5,197,000 (approximately $1,671,000) for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to NIS 231,000 (approximately $74,000) for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was mainly due to investments in bank deposits made in 2021.
Net cash provided by financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was 611,000 (approximately $196,000), compared to net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 totaled NIS 50,136,000 (approximately $16,121,000). This decrease was mainly due to aggregate proceeds of NIS 44.6 million (approximately $14.3. million) from public offerings on the TASE in 2020.
Future Funding Requirements
We have incurred losses and cash flow deficits from operations since the inception date, resulting in an accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2021 of approximately NIS 76.8 million (approximately $24.7 million). We anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents will not be sufficient to fund our projected cash needs in the foreseeable future We believe that the net proceeds from this offering together with our existing cash as of December 31, 2021, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, to meet future capital needs, we would need to raise additional capital through equity or debt financing or other strategic transactions. However, any such financing may not be on favorable terms or even available to us. Our failure to obtain sufficient funds on commercially acceptable terms when needed would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our forecast of the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement that involves risks and uncertainties, and the actual amount of our expenses could vary materially and adversely as a result of a number of factors. We have based our estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and our expenses could prove to be significantly higher than we currently anticipate.
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Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
● | the progress and costs of our research and development activities; |
● | the costs of development and expansion of our operational infrastructure; |
● | our ability, or that of our collaborators, to achieve development milestones and other events or developments under potential future licensing agreements; |
● | the amount of revenues and contributions we receive under future licensing, collaboration, development and commercialization arrangements with respect to our technologies; |
● | the costs of filing, prosecuting, enforcing and defending patent claims and other intellectual property rights; |
● | the costs of contracting with third parties to provide sales and marketing capabilities for us or establishing such capabilities ourselves, once our technologies are developed and ready for commercialization; |
● | the costs of acquiring or undertaking development and commercialization efforts for any future products or technology; |
● | the magnitude of our general and administrative expenses; and |
● | any additional costs that we may incur under future in- and out-licensing arrangements relating to our technologies and futures products. |
Until we can generate significant recurring revenues, we expect to satisfy our future cash needs through capital raising or by out-licensing and/or co-developing applications of one or more of our products. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. If funds are not available on favorable terms, or at all, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate research or development efforts or plans for commercialization with respect to our technologies and make necessary change to our operations to reduce the level of our expenditures in line with available resources.
We are a development-stage technology company and it is not possible for us to predict with any degree of accuracy the outcome of our research and development efforts. As such, it is not possible for us to predict with any degree of accuracy any significant trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our net loss, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause financial information to not necessarily be indicative of future operating results or financial condition. However, to the extent possible, certain trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments and events are described herein.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that we will encounter difficulty in meeting the obligations associated with our financial liabilities that are settled in cash. Cash flow forecasting is performed in our operating entity. We monitor forecasts of our liquidity requirements to ensure we have sufficient cash to meet operational needs. We may be reliant on our ability to raise additional investment capital from the issuance of both debt and equity securities to fund our business operating plans and future obligations.
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Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to us if a debtor or counterparty to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations, and arises mainly from our receivables.
We restrict exposure to credit risk in the course of our operations by investing only in bank deposits.
Equity price risk
As we have not invested in securities riskier than short-term bank deposits, we do not believe that changes in equity prices pose a material risk to our holdings. However, decreases in the market price of our ordinary shares or ADSs could make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds in the future or require us to raise funds at terms unfavorable to us.
Inflation risk
We do not believe that inflation has had, nor will it have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations in the reporting period. However, if our costs were to become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through hedging transactions. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
Currency fluctuations could affect us through increased or decreased costs, mainly for goods and services acquired outside of Israel. Currency fluctuations did not have a material effect on our results of operations year ended December 31, 2021 and the year ended December 31, 2020.
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Overview
We are a technology company engaged in the design, development and commercialization of transportation and safety solutions designed to save lives by preventing car accidents resulting from the use of mobile phones while driving. Our SaverOne system provides an advanced driver safety solution that can identify and monitor mobile phones located in the driver’s vicinity and selectively block use of life-threatening applications. We have three generations of systems, the first two of which target the automobile aftermarket and the third which is intended to target vehicle manufacturers. We have completed development of our Generation 1.0 system and are in the pre-commercialization/early use phase while the development of our Generation 2.0 system, which will replace Generation 1.0, is nearing completion and the Generation 3.0 system is in the early stages of development.
Our solution can be utilized in private vehicles, commercial trucks, buses and other forms of transportation. Our technology is based on our proprietary hardware, software and algorithms, and, because it meets the NHTSA’s guidelines for a complete solution for distracted driving as well as offers certain advantages that our competitors do not, we believe we have significant advantages over our competitors in the market.
In the past several years, we believe that public awareness and demand for driver safety technologies has grown substantially. While there are currently many driver assistant products on the market, we believe that the safety of drivers will be substantially improved due to our technology’s ability to reduce driver distraction. Our mission is to enhance driver safety by providing a solution that is highly reliable and able to prevent driver distractions related to the use of mobile phone while driving, which is the number one leading cause of traffic accidents worldwide. According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, 1.35 million people die in road crashes each year. According to a survey done by the NHTSA, 660,000 drivers in the US attempt to use their mobile phones while driving at any given moment. The National Safety Council reports that mobile phone use during driving causes approximately 1.6 million of the over 5.7 million traffic accidents annually in the United States alone, leading to the death of approximately 4,600 people and injuring an additional 391,000 people. Moreover, the FMCSA reported that 71% of commercially driven large-truck crashes occurred because of driver distraction. The number of accidents caused by distracted driving increased each year from 2015 – 2019 according to the NHTSA.
Distracted driving due to mobile phone usage is not just a problem in the United States. A number of surveys conducted across Europe and Oceania have revealed troubling statistics about its prevalence across nations. In the Czech Republic, 36% of drivers admitted to using their phone almost every time they get behind the wheel. In both Spain and Ireland, 25% of drivers admitted to using their phone while driving. In Germany, at any given moment an average of 7% of all drivers are distracted while driving. This problem of distracted driving extends to Australia as well, where one-quarter of drivers admitted to using their phone while driving.
The ramifications of mobile phone distracted driving exceed the bounds of just physical damage, as they can be exceedingly costly for drivers as well. For example, expressed on a per death basis, the cost of all motor-vehicle crashes (fatal, nonfatal injury, and property damage) was $11,880,000 according to the NSC. In addition, the total societal and economic costs of distracted driving crashes in the United States was estimated at $871 billion according to the NHTSA. Specifically with regard to commercial vehicle crashes, the average total costs of commercial motor vehicle crashes for the years of 2009-2011 was over $83 billion per year according to the FMCSA. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually in medical care, legal expenses, property damage and lost productivity. Accordingly, we believe that there is a tremendous financial incentive for private vehicle owners, employers, transportation companies and governmental entities to solve this problem.
Besides the financial and social costs of distracted driving, it is difficult to enforce violations of laws designed to prevent distracted driving and fines do not seem to discourage actions. In response to the urgent need for a solution to distracted driving resulting from the use of mobile phones, the NHTSA has published a comprehensive study suggesting that a complete solution must contain the following features: (i) the ability to distinguish between the driver’s area of the vehicle and the rest of the vehicle, (ii) does not depend on the cooperation of the driver, and (iii) selective blocking of cell phone applications The SaverOne system has been designed with these features in mind and it is for this reason that we believe that it is significantly better than the existing product solutions sold in the market.
The NHTSA’s driving guidelines do not constitute U.S. law and compliance does not result in compliance with U.S. driving safety regulations. In order to market our products to vehicle manufacturers we may be required to meet different types of regulations requirements such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26262 Functional Safety Regulations (ASIL), the International Standard for Automotive Quality Management Systems (IAFT) 16949, Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE) or other common quality management standards. In order to meet the quality requirements, we will have to cooperate with vehicle manufacturers, to receive their customers’ quality requirements that meet the requisite regulation of such customers and implement tools, processes and methodologies. Such implementation will require significant resources and funds and is expected to consume significant time and effort. We expect that only our Generation 3.0 solution, which is a solution designed for the OEM market, may require compliance with the foregoing regulations, whereas our Generation 1.0 and 2.0 solutions, both after-market solutions, are not required to comply with the foregoing regulations.
We have three main SaverOne system products: our Generation 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 solutions. Generation 1.0 is our first-generation solution and is intended for private vehicles, trucks and buses as an aftermarket product. Our Generation 1.0 was launched in late 2019 for private cars, and thereafter made commercially available to trucks and buses. It is currently marketed in Israel as part of our pre-commercialization/early user campaign. We are working on pilot programs with various fleet and system integrators in the United States, Europe and APAC. To date, over 1,400 systems have been ordered (which includes nearly 300 systems ordered as part of our ongoing Generation 1.0 pilot program and over 1,100 systems purchased in commercial orders by our Generation 1.0 pilot program customers) and nearly 700 of these systems have been installed.
Generation 2.0 is our second-generation solution that will replace Generation 1.0 and is intended as a solution for the automobile aftermarket. It includes various improvements to our Generation 1.0 solution for maximal performance, compatibility with automobiles and cellular networks, market penetration and profitability. We expect to launch the Generation 2.0 solution for sale in the second quarter of 2022 and we expect to target the global aftermarket automobile market starting with the U.S. and Europe.
Our Generation 3.0 solution is being designed as a solution for the OEM market and we plan on it being directly integrated into the vehicle manufacturing process for seamless integration in the driving experience. We are currently working with one of the leading global OEMs in order to make the installation of the SaverOne System into vehicles system an essential part of the vehicle manufacturing process. The Generation 3.0 solution is in the early stage of development and we expect to launch the Generation 3.0 solution in 2025.
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Market Opportunity
Motor vehicles are omnipresent throughout the world. As of 2015, there were over 263 million motor vehicles in the United States according to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. In Europe, there are over 340 million motor vehicles in use according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA. In New Zealand and Australia, there are a combined near 25 million vehicles on the road according to statistics from their governments’ departments of transportation. To add to this large number, according to the ACEA, there are over 80 million new motor vehicles registered each year. The prevalence of motor vehicles globally presents the risk of countless drivers who drive while being distracted.
Despite increased market adoption of new Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or ADAS and other accident prevention systems, traffic accidents and their resulting injuries remain a major unresolved problem worldwide. Driving distractions are a major contributing factor to traffic accidents. As a result, many states have enacted laws to help prevent distracted driving. These include banning texting while driving, implementing hands-free laws (laws prohibiting the use of cellphone while driving), and limiting the number of young passengers who can ride with teen drivers, due to the fact that teen drivers with two or more young passengers in the car can more than triple the risk of a fatal crash. As to date, all but two states (Montana and Missouri) have banned texting while driving, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In addition to state laws, Federal laws have also been implemented in the United States prohibiting texting while driving for federal employees.
The NHTSA has issued voluntary guidelines to promote safety by discouraging the introduction of both original, in-vehicle and portable/aftermarket electronic devices in vehicles. Similarly, in 2019, the European Union (EU) published an amendment to the EU’s “General Safety” Regulations, according to which it is expected that as of mid-2022, the European Union will require every new vehicle, truck or bus on the road to meet the European Standards that require the installation of internal sensors in the vehicle that will warn or prevent the driver from certain distractions (a phone call, for example). By 2024, only vehicles meeting the mandatory automotive safety technology requirement will be allowed to register for the first time. We believe that these types of initiatives by the NHTSA and other agencies will advance further awareness for the need of products like the SaverOne system.
According to a study by the Governors Highway Safety Association in the United States, driver distractions resulting from the use of smartphones contribute to about a quarter of all car accidents. The findings of the study indicate that more than 1,600,000 car accidents that occur annually in the United States are caused by sending text messages while driving or other dangerous use of cell phones. Such accidents take a heavy toll, resulting in the death of about 4,600 people and injuring an additional 391,000 people each year. The phenomenon known as texting while driving is the number one cause of death for young people in car accidents caused by mobile phone use.
The National Safety Council reported that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year in the United States. The NHTSA reported that there was over 6.75 million police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States in 2019, meaning that cell phone usage while driving can account for around 24% of all motor vehicle crashes in the united states. In addition, the study found that the risk of accidents by frequently distracted drivers, is six times higher than that of a driver who is not distracted at all.
The total societal and economic costs of distracted driving crashes in the United States was estimated at $871 billion.
Strategy
Our objective is to develop and commercialize technologies that prevent distracted driving resulting from the use of mobile phones. We plan to market our products worldwide, primarily to commercial fleets (trucks and other vehicles) and public transportation companies.
In order to commercialize our technologies and solutions, we intend to:
● | Increase our sale efforts of the SaverOne Solution Generation 1.0. Generation 1.0, which is an aftermarket solution that is commercially deployed for private vehicles, trucks and buses. |
● | Complete the development of the SaverOne Solution Generation 2.0 and Generation 3.0. Our 2.0 Generation is an aftermarket solution that can be commercially deployed for private vehicles, trucks and buses, as Generation 1.0, with better performance and additional advantages over our Generation 1.0 solution. Our Generation 3.0 is being designed as an OEM solution that will be integrated into the vehicle manufacturing process for seamless integration in the driving experience. |
● | Advance our commercialization efforts and infrastructure. We are advancing our commercialization efforts and infrastructure, including increasing our sales presence globally. As we complete the development of our Generation 2.0 and advance our Generation 3.0 system, we intend to transition to the production process, and to turn to potential customers, directly and/or through third-party distributors. |
● | Form alliances with industry leaders (i.e. vehicle integrators, components manufacturers) and OEMs. We plan to collaborate with OEMs in order to integrate the SaverOne solution directly into the vehicle manufacturing process for seamless integration in the driving experience. |
● | Monitor and assist governmental regulatory initiatives for enforcing implementation of driver distraction prevention systems in the vehicle. We intend to approach regulators around the globe such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the NHTSA in order to present the SaverOne solution, which we believe will help advance broad adoption of regulations that will require private vehicles to implement our solution. |
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We are currently engaged in a worldwide campaign to promote our solution. Our pre-commercialization efforts mainly entail pilot programs and collaborations with what we believe are potential strategic partners and customers. To date, we have conducted, or are in the process of conducting, more than 30 pilot programs for the evaluations of our solution. These pilots and collaborations allow the customers to test and evaluate the performance of our technology. After testing and evaluating our solution, 14 of our pilot program participants have placed, or are in process of placing, commercial orders for their vehicle fleet, while most of the remaining participants are still in the process of piloting our solution. We intend to build a global commercial infrastructure to support the commercialization of our products. Meaningful commercialization efforts are expected to commence towards the launch of our Generation 2.0 Product (targeted for the end of the second quarter of 2022). We intend to distribute our solution through local distributors in each country or region who are familiar in the logistics, automotive installation and support activities, as well as having links to our potential customers.
For more information, please see “Pilot Programs” below.
Our Product
In developing the SaverOne solution, we sought out to accomplish the criteria set forth by the NHTSA in its August 2019 report. Accordingly, the SaverOne system:
1. | Disables the use of distracting and potentially life-threatening applications for the driver; |
2. | Does not require the driver’s cooperation; and |
3. | Distinguishes between a device in the driver’s area and devices in other areas of the vehicle, so that only a device in the driver’s area is affected. |
Our solution utilizes sensors that we place in the vehicle in a concealed manner to detect the positioning of any mobile device in the vehicle. Our Phone Location Unit (a unit that is concealed under the vehicle’s dashboard) runs statistical algorithms that can evaluate the location of a mobile devices in the vehicle, based on various algorithms (e.g. relative strength of the signals received from the mobile device).
Any driver that enters a vehicle equipped with SaverOne system has to install our SaverOne mobile application in their phone in order to operate the vehicle without triggering one of the main safety features of the system: its alarm function. The alarm function works by identifying mobile phones in the driving area of a car without the SaverOne mobile application properly installed, and then activating a loud, irritating constant alarm emitting from the car. The alarm only ceases if the device is removed from the driver’s area or upon re-installing the SaverOne application in the mobile device.
When installing the SaverOne mobile application, the system defaults to blocking every application on your phone, or the non-permitted applications, except for a “white list” of applications on the phone that the SaverOne system will not block. The default “white list” consists of phone calls, navigation apps, and music apps. The fleet manager in each organization (or the insurer in the case of private users) can modify the “white list” for his organization according to the organization safety policy. The remaining, non-permitted apps will be blocked.
If a mobile device is found in the driver’s area with the SaverOne mobile application installed, then as long as the vehicle is in motion, a “safe mode” is activated for this device and prevents the driver from opening non-permitted applications on his/her mobile phone. Other passengers in the vehicle will not be affected by the SaverOne System and can use their mobile phones freely.
Moreover, the driver will not receive incoming messages. Also, as a courtesy to the sender of the message, our system automates an automatic text response to the sender, notifying them that the driver is currently driving and cannot read or respond to their message.
If the driver tries to remove the SaverOne application from his/her mobile device, the SaverOne system promptly identifies the device as a device in the driver’s area and would activate the system’s alarm. The alarm only ceases if the device is removed from the driver’s area or upon re-installing the SaverOne application in the mobile device.
Our SaverOne solution does not perform any kind of signal jamming that interferes with authorized radio communications, and therefore is compliant with the Federal Communications Commission’s anti-jamming law. Furthermore, since the solution only blocks non-permitted applications on the driver’s phone while actually driving, in an emergency situation, if the car is stopped, the driver will be fully free to use his mobile device to call for help if needed. .
At the heart of our technology are our proprietary algorithms which (from the moment the vehicle starts to move) begins to identify and evaluate the location of all mobile devices in the vehicle and precisely determine whether a mobile device is inside of the driver’s area. The algorithms’ analyze various parameters and indicate if a mobile device is in the driver’s area. In such a case, the driver’s mobile device is automatically switched to “safe-mode”, leading to a safer trip for the driver and passengers. This operation starts from the initial movement of the vehicle.
Our SaverOne technology employs passive sensors that receive the signals from the cellphones and do not emit any energy during operation. As a result, our system does not cause any interference with other systems in the vehicle, thus complying with the regulatory safety and emission standards.
Our SaverOne system is also customizable, allowing for fleet managers to implement predefined policies for which mobile application will or will not be restricted for use by the vehicle’s driver. In addition, the fleet manager can receive reports from the server and different analysis about drivers’ behavior and the systems installed in the fleets.
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For private vehicles, the permitted applications could be controlled by a third party, such as a parent, guardian or an insurance company that could offer incentives for compliance with the product.
Below is a description of our product roadmap:
● | Generation 1.0: Generation 1.0 is our first-generation solution and is intended for private vehicles, trucks and buses as an aftermarket product. Our Generation 1.0 was launched in late 2019 for private cars, and thereafter made commercially available to trucks and buses. It is currently marketed in Israel as part of our pre-commercialization/early user campaign. We are working on pilot programs with various fleet and system integrators in the US, Europe and APAC. To date, over 1,400 systems have been ordered (which includes nearly 300 systems ordered as part of our ongoing Generation 1.0 pilot program and over 1,100 systems purchased in commercial orders by our Generation 1.0 pilot program customers) and nearly 700 of these systems have been installed. |
● | Generation 2.0: Generation 2.0 is our second-generation solution and is intended as a solution for the automobile aftermarket. It includes various improvements to our Generation 1.0 solution for maximal performance, compatibility with automobiles and cellular networks, market penetration and profitability. The Generation 2.0 solution has more advanced locating capabilities than the Generation 1.0 solution, by using innovative algorithms such as Angle of Arrival method, to locate the driver’s mobile device and avoid interference with passengers’ devices. In addition, it is designed to support all cellular frequencies, existing and future, to support global distribution and support of future cellular technologies. The Generation 2.0 solution is approximately one-third the size of our Generation 1.0 solution in order to improve installation and logistics aspects. It is expected that the cost of manufacturing of the Generation 2.0 solution will be lower than the Generation 1.0 solution, thus leading to what we believe will be greater scale and improved margins. We expect to launch the Generation 2.0 solution for sale in the second quarter of 2022 and we expect to target the global aftermarket automobile market starting with the U.S. and Europe regions. As of December 31, 2021, the expected development expenses related to the Generation 2 solution are $3-5 million. |
● | Generation 3.0: Our Generation 3.0 solution is being designed as a solution for the OEM market and we plan on it being directly integrated into the vehicle manufacturing process for seamless integration in the driving experience. We are currently working with one of the leading global OEMs in order to make the installation of the SaverOne System into vehicles system an essential part of the vehicle manufacturing process. We expect to launch the Generation 3.0 solution in 2025. Since the development of Generation 3.0 solution is still in an early stage, it is too early to estimate the cost of development. |
The SaverOne system currently has achieved safety and radiation certifications from Hermon Laboratories, an internationally approved testing and certification lab. SaverOne’s solution is certified for operating in Israel, the United States, Europe and Japan. These certifications assure that SaverOne product complies with the regulations/legislations in these countries/regions. In addition, we intend for the Generation 3.0 solution to achieve automotive grade certifications, as required for all devices that are integrated within the vehicle manufacturing process.
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Competition
Our business is characterized by rapid changes as well as new and disruptive technologies. We believe that the market for solutions designed to address mobile phone-related distractions while driving is a relatively new market with increasing competition for similar solutions. However, we believe that our SaverOne system is superior to the products of our competitors due to the fact that our system can differentiate between the driver’s phone and other passenger’s phones in the vehicle. Moreover, our system does not require the driver to cooperate other than on initial installation of the application on their phone.
We believe that the following companies are offering competing products to the SaverOne solution:
● | Cellcontrol, Inc. d/b/a TRUCE Software develops a driver distraction system designed for workplaces. The product can be removed by the driver and requires them to activate and maintain the system at all times while driving. Moreover, the Cellcontrol solution hovers over the entire area of the driver’s side of the vehicle and does not distinguish between the actual driver of the vehicle and the passenger in the vehicle that is seated behind the driver. |
● | Katasi, Inc. has a product known as the Groove, which blocks messages sent by the vehicles’ driver but is only activated while the vehicle is in motion, not when it is stopped (at a red light for example). It can also be neutralized at any time by the vehicle’s driver. Moreover, this solution does not distinguish between the driver’s mobile phone and other mobile phones in the vehicle such that it neutralizes all of the mobile phones in the vehicle. |
● | Cipia Vision Ltd. has developed a solution known as the Driver Sense, which focuses on driver distraction, but can only alert a driver if he is distracted and cannot prevent mobile device use. |
● | Lytx provides video analysis of the driver’s actions but cannot prevent the driver’s actions nor distinguish between using permitted apps or non-permitted apps. |
In addition, Android Auto by Google and CarPlay by Apple both mirror some of the cellphone’s applications onto the vehicle’s main display but do not prevent or alert on the use of the cellphone.
Many of our current and potential competitors have longer operating histories and more extensive name recognition than we have and may also have greater financial, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and other resources than we have. Current and future competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer demands and to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than we can. Our current and potential competitors may develop and market new technologies that render our existing or future products obsolete, unmarketable or less competitive (whether from a price perspective or otherwise). We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain a competitive position or to compete successfully against current and future sources of competition.
Sales and Marketing
We are currently engaged in a campaign to promote our SaverOne system in select jurisdictions around the world. Our pre-commercialization efforts mainly entail pilot programs and collaborations with what we believe are potential strategic partners and customers. To date, we have conducted, or are in the process of conducting, more than 30 pilot programs for the evaluations of our solution. These pilots and collaborations allow the customers to test and evaluate the performance of our technology. After testing and evaluating our solution, 14 of our pilot program participants have placed, or are in process of placing, commercial orders for their vehicle fleet, while most of the remaining participants are still in the process of piloting our solution.
To date, we have installed over 230 systems in large fleets in Israel as part of pilot programs and about 460 SaverOne systems pursuant to commercial orders. In addition, we have commercial orders for nearly 700 systems, in addition to these installations.
We intend to build a global commercial infrastructure to support the commercialization of our SaverOne system. Meaningful commercialization efforts are expected to commence towards the launch of our Generation 2.0 solution (targeted for the second quarter of 2022). We intend to distribute our solution through local distributors in each country or region who are familiar in the logistics, automotive installation and support activities, as well as having links to our potential customers.
Our current business model is to offer our Generation 1.0 SaverOne systems in pilot programs as noted below, for an all-inclusive one-time fee per unit. In the future, we intend to explore different business models, including:
● | For our Generation 2.0 aftermarket product: a one-time fee and a monthly subscription fee for value-added services (such as an in-depth analysis of driver safety based on driver activity); |
● | For our Generation 3.0 OEM product: a monthly subscription fee and a monthly subscription for value-added-services; |
In addition, we are exploring a revenue sharing collaboration with one of our partners, Eye-Net Mobile Ltd., or Eye-Net. As part of our collaboration with Eye-Net, we plan to present the Eye-Net Protect Solution (as more fully described below) to certain companies with which we have business relations, in exchange for a 10% share in the revenues from these transactions.
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We have achieved a number of significant milestones to date, which include:
Pilot Programs
We have installed over 230 systems in large fleets in Israel as part of our pilot programs. The pilot customers are offered a reduced price on their SaverOne system installations (usually 25% - 40% from our listed price) and enjoy full operational support from our technical team at no additional cost.
We have also gained valuable user feedback from the participants of our pilot programs in Israel, including the Israeli Ministry of Defense for the installation of 30 solutions in vehicles used by Israeli Defense Force vehicles, a tender that we won in June 2020.
In addition, in June 2020 we signed six other agreements for pilot projects with six fleets in Israel, including:
- | Champion Motors, the leading car importer and exclusive representative of the Volkswagen Group brands in Israel, which include Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche; |
- | Froneri Israel, one of Europe’s leading ice cream companies jointly owned by Nestlé Global, or Froneri, pursuant to which we installed the SaverOne System in 15 of Froneri’s private vehicles; |
- | Oz Group; |
- | Central Company for Shomron Development; |
- | The Millennium Group, a company that operates licensed body shops for the truck brands of Daff, Man and Mercedes; and |
- | M. Fast a company engaged in research and development of advanced orthopedic technologies. |
In December 2020, we signed pilot agreements with the following:
- | Hanson Israel, a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, a global leader in cement, aggregates, asphalt, concrete products, and concrete mixtures. Hanson Israel operates hundreds of vehicles, trucks, and private vehicles in Israel. |
- | Plasson Israel, a leading Israeli-based global leader in the development, production, marketing and distribution of technical products (i.e. flow solutions (fittings and valves), livestock equipment and products for the bathroom and kitchen) , Plason has a large fleet of private vehicles to meet the needs of its customers, |
- | Bnei Shimon Regional Council which operates a fleet of dozens of private vehicle – what are Private vehicles and a number of buses |
- | Israeli Post Office which operates a fleet of hundreds of vehicles in Israel, including trucks, commercial vehicles and private vehicles. |
In April 2021, we signed five pilot agreements including:
- | ICL Group and its subsidiary Transportation Enterprises Ltd., or ICL – an Israeli-based global leader in the production of potash, fertilizers, phosphates, magnesium, bromine and its compounds, with a total fleet of 800 vehicles. A successful pilot in 10 private cars of ICL’s fleet was completed and ICL decided to deploy SaverOne systems in 50 additional private cars and 10 trucks; |
- | Flex Israel – the Israeli subsidiary of Flextronics, or Flex Israel, a global electronic service contractor, pursuant to which we installed our SaverOne system on 10 of Flex Israel’s vehicles; |
- | Bynet Data Communications - an end-to-end solutions and integration service provider, with a fleet of about 200 vehicles; |
- | Zoko Combinations - the importer of the brand CATERPILLAR, one of Israel’s leading groups in importing, marketing and selling equipment, spare parts, initiation of projects and provision of advanced services for infrastructure, transport, energy, water, industry and automotive applications, with a fleet of about 300 vehicles; |
- | Y.S.A. Moving Ltd. - a moving company specializing in the transport of heavy earth moving equipment and cranes. They currently have a fleet of dozens of trucks. |
In May 2021, we signed a pilot agreement with Flying cargo. Flying Cargo is a parent company of several Israeli enterprises that provides supply chain solutions and transportation, distribution and logistic services. Flying Cargo’s fleet consists of 250 vehicles.
In June 2021, we launched a pilot with the Israel Electric Corporation, or IEC, for the installation of 10 systems in IEC trucks. IEC is the largest supplier of electrical power in Israel and generates and supplies electricity to all sectors in the Israeli economy. IEC’s fleet consists of about 3,000 vehicles. IEC has since ordered 300 systems for trucks and intends to expand coverage for its entire fleet. Full commercial deployment is expected to take place through the fourth quarter of 2022.
In July 2021, we signed a 24-unit pilot agreement with Tnuva, one of the largest Israeli-based food manufacturers whose sales account for 70% of the country’s dairy market as well as sales of meat, eggs and packaged food. Tnuva’s fleet consists of about 650 private vehicles and trucks.
In December 2021, we signed a pilot agreement with the Department of Transport of Abu Dhabi, or the Department, pursuant to which we will install our SaverOne Solution in 2 of the Department’s city and inter-city busses.
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Commercial Agreements
To date we have installed approximately 460 SaverOne systems and have received customer orders for about 690 additional systems pursuant to commercial orders. The commercial orders are priced based on negotiations with individual customers, and then a small discount added on (this discount differs from the 25-40% discount we offer for our pilot program installations). We have entered into agreements and received commercial orders from the following customers:
In September 2020, we signed a commercial agreement with the Millennium Group. Pursuant to the agreement, within a 12-month period it is expected that 250 SaverOne Systems will be installed in Millennium Group’s entire fleet of trucks. Millennium will act as the exclusive distributor of the SaverOne Systems in trucks in Israel.
In March 2021, we entered into an agreement for the commercial installation of SaverOne Systems in 51 of the 66 vehicles in Froneri’s fleet (41 in private vehicles and 10 in trucks).
In July 2021, pursuant to the pilot with the IEC, we entered into an agreement with the IEC, pursuant to which the IEC will purchase 300 SaverOne systems to be installed in IEC trucks. Full commercial deployment of the SaverOne System into IEC’s fleet is expected to take place by the fourth quarter of 2022.
Pursuant to the pilot with Flex Israel, in August 2021, Flex Israel has decided to install the SaverOne system in its entire fleet of about 240 vehicles at several flex sites in Israel. Flex Israel and SaverOne agreed to introduce the SaverOne system to other Flex Israel sites around the world, which may assist in the global distribution of the system. Flex Israel is the largest electronic manufacturing company in Israel and one of the largest and best-known in the world, which has about 200,000 employees worldwide and about 4,000 employees in Israel.
Pursuant to the pilot with Tnuva, in November 2021, we received a commercial order from Tnuva for installing SaverOne system in Tnuva’s entire fleet of vehicles.
Pursuant to the pilot with ICL, in December 2021, we received a commercial order from ICL for installing an additional 50 SaverOne systems in ICL’s fleet of private vehicles, and an additional 10 SaverOne system in ICL’s fleet of trucks.
Pursuant to the pilot with Flying Cargo, in December 2021, we received a commercial order from Flying Cargo for installing an additional 50 SaverOne systems in Flying Cargo’s fleet of vehicles.
Collaboration Agreements
In March 2020, we signed an agreement with Gil Car Systems (98) Ltd., or Gil Car Systems, the largest installer of after-market vehicle products in Israel, for receipt of storage, inventory management and installation services from Gil Car Systems for SaverOne systems for private vehicles.
In November 2020 and February 2021, we entered into an agreement with Eldan Transportation Ltd. and Hertz Israel (Rent a Car) Ltd., or the Leasing Companies. Under these agreements, the Leasing Companies will market the SaverOne System to their customers and SaverOne will install the systems. SaverOne will also grant a three-year warranty to Eldan for the system.
In January 2021, SaverOne signed a collaboration agreement with Kavim, the third largest public transportation company in Israel whereby the SaverOne systems will be installed in approximately 20 buses of the Kavim’s bus fleet of 1,500 busses. Kavim maintains the option to purchase SaverOne Systems for its entire fleet for a reduced price over the existing marketed price.
In March 2021, SaverOne signed a collaboration agreement with Meir Leasing Ltd., whereby SaverOne will sell, install and provide services and warranty for SaverOne systems in trucks that Meir leases to its customers. Meir Leasing is part of the Meir Group, one of the leading leasing companies in Israel for trucks in Israel.
In March 2021, we signed a cooperation agreement with Eye-Net Mobile Ltd., or Eye-Net, whereby Eye-Net will integrate its Eye-Net™ Protect solution, or Eye-Net Protect, directly into SaverOne’s solution in order to promote an integrated accident prevention solution. Eye-Net Protect is an intuitive mobile application that provides real-time pre-collision alerts to drivers.
During 2021, the Italian truck manufacturer Iveco S.p.A, or IVECO, one of the largest truck manufacturers in Europe, requested the company to examine the integration of the our SaverOne solution into its trucks. Accordingly, we entered into an agreement with IVECO with towards integrating our technology as an integral part of the safety system in IVECO vehicles worldwide. During the fourth quarter of 2021, we successfully completed a demonstration of our solution at IVECO's headquarters in Italy. During the second quarter of 2022, we aim to complete a pilot program and in the third quarter of 2022 we expect IVECO’s aftermarket division will start selling our SaverOne solution to IVECO’s customers for use in existing trucks. In addition, we have agreed with IVECO on the implementation of a proof of concept, and which will be the basis for the mobile distraction protection solution that is intended to be integrated in the production process of IVECO trucks in the fourth quarter of 2022 with full scale up in IVECO’s new and existing vehicles expected to take place in 2023. In addition, we have agreed with IVECO to examine the implementation of the SaverOne system on IVECO's buses in the future.
In March 2022, we signed a distribution agreement with ezDevSoft Technologies and Solutions of Abu Dhabi, or ezDevSoft, pursuant to which ezDevSoft will market, sell and support our systems for a variety of organizations with private vehicles, trucks and buses in the United Arab Emirates, or UAE. ezDevSoft is a technology and solutions company located in the UAE and offers consulting, engineering and software and IT development services to a variety of companies and entities in the UAE. In addition, its controlling owner has a car rental company with a number of branches in the UAE and an installation team in Abu Dhabi, which will carry out the actual installation of SaverOne systems, alongside marketing and sales activities.
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Also in March 2022, we signed a distribution agreement with Fuso New Zealand, or Fuso, pursuant to which we granted Fuso the right to be a non-exclusive distributor for our SaverOne solution in New Zealand and Australia. Fuso will advertise, promote, and install our SaverOne solution to users in New Zealand and Australia, for a period of at least 2 years, which will renew automatically for successive 1 year terms unless otherwise terminated by the parties.
Manufacturing
We have transferred our production activities to Flextronics Ltd., or Flextronics, an electronic manufacturing services contractor. Flextronics currently manufactures the SaverOne system under purchase orders from time to time according to an agreed upon pricing arrangement and other terms for our Generation 1.0 and 2.0. SaverOne solutions. We do not currently have a contract manufacturing agreement with Flextronics and as volume of purchase orders grow as we extend beyond the pilot phase program of SaverOne Generation 1.0, we expect to enter into such an agreement. In addition, we plan to use Flex Ltd.’s global presence to support its product assimilation in the global markets outside of Israel.
Intellectual Property
We seek patent and trademark protection as well as other effective intellectual property, or IP, rights such as design patents and copyright for our products and technologies in the United States and internationally. Our policy is to pursue, maintain and defend intellectual property rights developed internally and to protect the technology, inventions and improvements that are commercially important to the development of our business. Out IP portfolio cover various technological aspects of the solution to protect the solution technical and functional innovations.
We have a growing portfolio consisting of four distinct patent families spanning between them 11 patent applications pending in: the United States, the European Patent Office, Israel, China, and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO). In Addition, we have five patents already registered in the United States and in China.
In Israel, two of our patent applications have been allowed and subsequently opposed by a third-party. These are: Israeli patent application No. 249154 titled “SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING”; and Israeli patent application No. 276389 titled “SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING” which is a divisional patent application of the above application. The opponent is an Israeli company which seems to be a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE). To our knowledge, this company has not developed and does not seem to develop or sell any product or service. In accordance with the Israeli Patent law, the opponent has challenged the patentability of the aforementioned Israeli patent applications. In Israel, the grant of the patent is deferred until the opposition proceedings end. An agreement was reached according to which, the opposition proceedings shall be deferred until January 1, 2023, or until a divisional application of one of these two Israeli patent applications is allowed (whichever is earlier). As soon as the opposition proceedings resume, we intend to respond. According to our IP counsel it is difficult to assess the likelihood of success, at this early stage.
We cannot be certain that patents will be granted with respect to any of our pending patent applications or with respect to any patent applications filed by us in the future, nor can we be sure that any of our existing patents or any patents granted to us in the future will be commercially useful in protecting our technology. Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property, any of our intellectual property and proprietary rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, infringed or misappropriated, or such intellectual property and proprietary rights may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current market trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages. For more information, please see “Risks Related to our Intellectual Property.”
No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration date |
1 | USA | 15/314,295 | 22-06-2015 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone without affecting functioning of other cellphones present in the vehicle. The system includes a signal processing unit which computes an estimated signal source location which is learning-based. | 10,075,581 | Registered | 22-06-2035 |
2 | USA | 16/053,318 | 02-08-2018 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone which includes a cellphone identification functionality which utilizes at least Channel Fingerprinting technology and specifically Signal Level based technology, to distinguish the driver’s cellphone from other cellphones present in a vehicle. | 10,412,212 | Registered | 22-06-2035 |
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No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration date |
3 | USA | 16/522,178 | 25-07-2019 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone without affecting functioning of other cellphones present in the vehicle. The selective blocking apparatus is inactive since vehicle is parked, enables full functionality of the driver’s cellphone. | 10,686,929 | Registered | 22-06-2035 |
4 | USA | 16/867,276 | 05-05-2020 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone without affecting functioning of other cellphones present in the vehicle. The selective blocking apparatus is inactive since vehicle is idle, enables full functionality of the driver’s cellphone. | N/A | Pending | N/A |
5 | Israel | 249154 | 22-06-2015 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone without affecting functioning of other cellphones present in the vehicle. The system includes a signal processing unit which computes an estimated signal source location which is learning-based. | N/A | Opposed | N/A |
6 | Israel | 276389 | 22-06-2015 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone without affecting functioning of other cellphones present in the vehicle. The system includes a signal processing unit which computes an estimated signal source location is learning-based. | N/A | Opposed | N/A |
7 | Israel | 280305 | 22-06-2015 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone without affecting functioning of other cellphones present in the vehicle. The selective blocking apparatus is inactive since vehicle is parked, enables full functionality of the driver’s cellphone. | N/A | Pending | N/A |
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No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration date |
8 | Europe | 15811688.9 | 22-06-2015 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone without affecting functioning of other cellphones present in the vehicle. The system includes a signal processing unit which computes an estimated signal source location which is learning-based. In addition, there is cellphone identification functionality which utilizes at least Channel Fingerprinting technology and specifically Signal Level based technology, to distinguish the driver’s cellphone from other cellphones present in a vehicle. | N/A | Pending | N/A |
9 | China | CN201580033519.2 | 22-06-2015 | SYSTEM AND METHODS TO FACILITATE SAFE DRIVING | Selective blocking System which blocks specified functionalities of only the driver’s cellphone without affecting functioning of other cellphones present in the vehicle. The system includes a signal processing unit which computes an estimated signal source location which is learning-based. | CN106464747B | Registered | 22-06-2035 |
10 | USA | 16/064,109 | 28-11-2016 | SYSTEM AND METHODS OF LOCATING WIRELESS DEVICES IN A VOLUME | A system for localizing a transmitting wireless device within a known volume using scanning of the antenna probability density function, over time/frequency, of a parameter of quality of reception of transmission at the scanned antennas | 10,557,917 | Registered | 28-11-2036 |
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No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration
date |
11 | USA | 16/740,696 | 28-11-2016 | SYSTEM AND METHODS OF LOCATING WIRELESS DEVICES IN A VOLUME | A system for localizing a transmitting wireless device within a known volume by generating a reference PDFs bank for a desired parameter, and real-time localization of the wireless device using said reference PDFs bank. | N/A | Pending | N/A |
12 | Europe | 16815965.5 | 28-11-2016 | SYSTEM AND METHODS OF LOCATING WIRELESS DEVICES IN A VOLUME | A system for localizing a transmitting wireless device within a known volume using scanning of the antenna probability density function, over time/frequency, of a parameter of quality of reception of transmission at the scanned antennas | N/A | Pending | N/A |
13 | China | 2016800753516.00 | 28-11-2016 | SYSTEM AND METHODS OF LOCATING WIRELESS DEVICES IN A VOLUME | A system for localizing a transmitting wireless device within a known volume using scanning of the antenna probability density function, over time/frequency, of a parameter of quality of reception of transmission at the scanned antennas | N/A | Pending | N/A |
14 | Israel | 259933 | 28-11-2016 | SYSTEM AND METHODS OF LOCATING WIRELESS DEVICES IN A VOLUME | A system for localizing a transmitting wireless device within a known volume using scanning of the antenna probability density function, over time/frequency, of a parameter of quality of reception of transmission at the scanned antennas | N/A | Pending | N/A |
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No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration
date |
15 | PCT | PCT/IL2021/051160 | 23-09-2020 | A SYSTEM, METHOD AND UNIT TO SCAN COMMUNICATION CHANNELS | A method and system for prioritizing scanning of communication channels in an enclosed volume space (e.g, a car), of several devices (e.g., cell phones) that transmit each one or more communication channels. The scan is performed by initial switching over all the frequencies received by a receiver capable of receiving only one communication channel at a given moment and processing the signal received by a processor. The processor then produces a priority order for scanning the communication channels, depending on the various parameters of the signals received in the different channels. The above priorities are always updated, so that active communication channels are prioritized over those that are less active. | N/A | Pending | N/A |
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No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration
date |
16 | USA | 63/223,980 | 21-07-2021 | INCREASING DRIVING SAFETY BY PREVENTING DRIVER DISTRACTION | A system that utilizes sensor fusion within an enclosed volume to improve localization and classification of the phone, calibration and maintenance of the localization system | N/A | Pending | N/A |
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No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration
date |
17 | USA | 17/679,208 | 24/02/2022 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CLASSIFYING A MODE OF OPERATION OF A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE IN A VOLUME BASED ON SENSOR FUSION | A system and method for classifying a mode of operation of a mobile communication device within a defined volume, based on multiple sensors are provided herein. The method may include the following steps: determining a position of the mobile communication device relative to a frame of reference of the defined volume, based on any of: angle of arrival, time of flight, or received intensity of radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the mobile communication device and received by a phone location unit located within the defined volume configured to wirelessly communicate with the at least one mobile communication device; obtaining at least one sensor measurement related to the mobile communication device from various non-RF sensors; and using a computer processor to classify the mobile communication device into one of many predefined modes of operation of the mobile communication device, based on the position and the sensor readings. | N/A | Pending | N/A |
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No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration
date |
18 | USA | 17/679,204 | 24/02/2022 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CLASSIFYING A TYPE OF INTERACTION BETWEEN A HUMAN USER AND A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE IN A VOLUME BASED ON SENSOR FUSION | A system and method for classifying a type of interaction between a human user and a mobile communication device within a defined volume, based on multiple sensors. The method may include: determining a position of the mobile communication device relative to a frame of reference of the defined volume, based on: angle of arrival, time of flight, or received intensity of radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the mobile communication device and received by a phone location unit located within the defined volume configured to wirelessly communicate with the mobile communication device; obtaining at least one sensor measurement related to the mobile communication device from various non-RF sensors; repeating the obtaining, to yield a time series of sensor readings; and using a computer processor to classify the type of interaction into one of many predefined types of interactions, based on the position and the time series of sensor readings. | N/A | Pending | N/A |
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No. | Country | Application No. | Application date | Title | Abstract | Registration No. | File status | Expiration
date |
19 | USA | 17/679,210 | 24/02/2022 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CLASSIFYING A TYPE OF CALIBRATION OR MAINTENANCE EVENT OF A PHONE LOCATION UNIT IN A VOLUME BASED ON SENSOR FUSION | A system and method for classifying a type of calibration or maintenance event of a phone location unit (PLU) within a defined volume, based on at least one sensor, the method comprising: determining a position of the at least one mobile communication device relative to a frame of reference of the defined volume; obtaining at least one sensor measurement related to the at least one mobile communication device, from a sensor located on at least one of: the at least one mobile communication device, within the defined volume, or outside of the defined volume; and using a computer processor to classify the type of calibration or maintenance event of the PLU, into one of a plurality of predefined types of calibration or maintenance event, based on the position and the at least one sensor measurement. | N/A | Pending | N/A |
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We cannot be certain that patents will be granted with respect to any of our pending patent applications or with respect to any patent applications filed by us in the future, nor can we be sure that any of our existing patents or any patents granted to us in the future will be commercially useful in protecting our technology. Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property, any of our intellectual property and proprietary rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, infringed or misappropriated, or such intellectual property and proprietary rights may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current market trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages. For more information, please see “Risks Related to our Intellectual Property.”
Research and Development
Our investment in research and development is critical to driving our future growth. We expended approximately NIS 10.6 million (approximately $3.4 million) on research and development in 2020, and NIS18.8 million (approximately $6 million) in 2021. Our investment in research and development reflects the following: internal research and development programs, pilot programs, engineering efforts that incorporate customer feedback into continuous improvement efforts for our products.
Our research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and related expenses, materials and subcontractors, regulation and quality assurance, rent and maintenance and other related research and development expenses, net of grants from the IIA.
Our research and development expenses are highly dependent on the development phases of our products associated with our development projects and therefore may fluctuate highly from quarter to quarter.
Grants from the Israel Innovation Authority
Our research and development efforts are financed in part through royalty-bearing grants from the Israeli Innovations Authority, or the IIA. As of December 31, 2021, we have received the aggregate amount of NIS 1.7 million (approximately $0.6 million) from the IIA for the development of our technology. With respect to such grants we are committed to pay certain royalties up to the total grant amount. Regardless of any royalty payment, we are further required to comply with the requirements of the Research Law, with respect to those past grants. When a company develops know-how, technology or products using IIA grants, the terms of these grants and the Research Law restrict the transfer of such know-how, and the transfer of manufacturing or manufacturing rights of such products, technologies or know-how outside of Israel, without the prior approval of the IIA. We do not believe that these requirements will materially restrict us in any way.
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Property and Facilities
Our main business activities are conducted in Israel. Our corporate headquarters are located at Em Hamoshavot Rd. 94. Petah Tikvah, Israel, where we currently occupy approximately 495 square meters. We lease our facilities and our lease ends on April 30, 2024. Our current monthly rent payment is NIS 40,000 (approximately $12,000).
We consider that our current office space is sufficient to meet our anticipated needs for the foreseeable future and is suitable for the conduct of our business.
Employees
As of March 28, 2022, we employed or engaged approximately 41 employees and contractors, all of which work out of our corporate headquarters. Four of our employees are members of our senior management team. Approximately 57% of our employees are engaged in research and development, 27% are engaged in operating activity and 5% are engaged in sales and marketing. We believe that we maintain good relations with all of our employees.
All of our employment and consulting agreements include employees’ and consultants’ undertakings with respect to non-competition and assignment to us of intellectual property rights developed in the course of employment and confidentiality. The enforceability of such provisions is limited by Israeli law.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may be involved in various claims and legal proceedings relating to claims arising out of our operations.
In Israel, two of our patent applications have been allowed and subsequently opposed by a third-party. We have reached an agreement with the opponent according to which, the opposition proceedings shall be deferred until January 1, 2023, or until a divisional application of one of these two Israeli patent applications is allowed (whichever is earlier). As soon as the opposition proceedings resume, we intend to respond to the grounds of opposition. Our attorneys have advised us that it is difficult to assess the likelihood of the opposition to succeed, at this early stage.
Apart from the foregoing patent opposition proceeding, we are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings. Regardless of outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.
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Executive Officers and Directors
The following table sets forth the name, age and position of each of our executive officers and directors as of the date of this prospectus. Unless otherwise stated, the address of our executive officers and directors is SaverOne 2014 Ltd., Em Hamoshavot Rd. 94, Petah Tikvah.
Name | Age | Position | ||
Executive Officers: | ||||
Ori Gilboa | 58 | Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
Yossi Cohen | 54 | Founder and Chief Operating Officer | ||
Tony Klein | 41 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Aviram Meidan | 48 | VP, Research and Development | ||
Non-Employee Directors: | ||||
Jacob Tenenboim | 64 | Chairman of the Board | ||
Michal Brickman Marom (1)(2)(3) | 52 | Director | ||
Shlomo Shalev (1)(2)(3) | 59 | Director | ||
Gil Sheratzki | 43 | Director | ||
Yehoshua Abramovic (1)(2)(3) | 61 | Director | ||
Yaron Be’eri (3) | 59 | Director |
(1) | Member of the Audit Committee |
(2) | Member of the Compensation Committee |
(3) | Independent director as defined under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5605(a)(2) and SEC Rule 10A-3(b)(1). |
Executive Officers
Ori Gilboa, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Ori Gilboa has served as our Chief Executive Officer since September 2019 and director since June 2020. From January 2017 until August 2019, Mr. Gilboa served as the Chief Executive Officer of Negev Group, Israel’s leading home design group. From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Gilboa served as the General Manager of Israeli operations for the James Richardson Corporation, where he oversaw the operation of duty-free stores in Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. Mr. Gilboa holds a B.Sc in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.
Yossi Cohen, Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Yossi Cohen has served as our Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer since November 2014. Yossi is responsible for all of our operations, including managing our intellectual property portfolio and our information technology. Prior to that, Mr. Yossi Cohen served as Business Operations Manager at Motorola Solutions in Israel from 2013 to 2014. Mr. Yossi Cohen has an MBA and Bsc in Electric Engineering from Tel-Aviv University.
Tony Klein, Chief Financial Officer
Tony Klein has served as our Chief Financial Officer since July 2020. Mr. Klein also serves as the Chief Financial Officer of D.N.A. Biomedical Solutions Ltd. since 2015 and Unicorn Technologies since September 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Klein served as the Chief Financial Officer of Electreon Wireless Ltd. from 2017 to 2019, and the Chief Financial Officer of Tikun Olam Cannabis Pharmaceuticals Ltd. from 2018 to 2020. Mr. Klein holds a BA in Economic and Accounting from the Ruppin Academic Center. Mr. Klein is qualified as a Certified Public Accountant in Israel.
Aviram Meidan, VP, Research and Development
Aviram Meidan has served as our VP, Research and Development since October 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Meidan served as VP of Research and Development and Chief Technology Officer at Micronet Ltd from 2010 to 2018. From 2018-2010, Mr. Meidan served as Chief Technology Officer at Dai Telecom. Prior to that, Mr. Meidan served as Research and Development Manager at Motorola communication from 1999 to 2008. Mr. Meidan holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University, BA in Computer & Mathematics from Haifa University and a BA in Practical Engineering from ORT College.
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Non-Executive Directors
Jacob Tenenboim, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Jacob Tenenboim has served on our board of directors as Chairman since July 2015. Since 2001, Mr. Tenanboim has served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of I.T. Net Investments Ltd. In addition to his role at I.T. Net Investments, Mr. Tenenboim has significant directorship experience. Since 2020, Mr. Tenenboim has served as a Director of Unicorn Technology. Since 2015, Mr. Tenenboim has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bobile Ltd. From September 2016 until June 2017, and then again from December 2017 until June 2021, Mr. Tenenboim has served as a Director of Somoto BVI. Mr. Tenenboim holds an M.SC in industrial engineering from Tel Aviv University.
Michal Brickman Marom, Director
Michal Brickman Marom has served on our board of directors since August 2020. Ms. Marom is founder and owner of a private consulting firm which specializes in financial and business structures, corporate governance and real estate deals. Ms. Marom has significant experience on public company boards, and currently serves as a director in the following companies: Partner Communications, Ree, Moinian Group, OPC Energy, Dan Transportation and Ichilov-Soraski Hospital. Previously Ms. Maron served on the boards of various companies including Israel Union Bank, Halman-Aldubi, Biondvax Pharmaceuticals, Panaxia, Emed, Ado Property, Spectronix, and Electreon Wireless among others. Ms. Brikman previously served as Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Linkury Technology International Group and as a professional assistant to the president of the CPA Institute in Israel. Ms. Brikman holds an MA in finance from the Baruch College of Management, New York University, and a BA from the College of Management Academic Studies in Israel.
Shlomo Shalev, Director
Shlomo Shalev has served on our board of directors since August 2020. Since 2020 Shlomo has served as the Chief Executive Officer of XTL Bio Pharmaeuticals (“XTL”) (Nasdaq: XTLB). From 2015 - 2018, Mr. Shalev served as Active Chairman of the Board of Intercure Ltd (Nasdaq: INCR) and chairman of the board of XTL. Prior to that Shlomo was CEO of GFC Green Fields Capital, an investment company publicly traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) from 2014 to 2015. From 2007 to 2014 Mr. Shalev was leading several companies in turn around and growth situations including as chairman of the board of Micronet (TASE). Prior to that Mr. Shalev served as SVP Investments at Ampal, a diversified holding company. From 1994 -1998, Mr. Shalev served as Israel’s Consul for Economic Affairs in the U.S Northwestern Region and as the Economic Advisor to the Director General, Ministry of Industry and Trade. Mr. Shalev holds an MBA from University of San Francisco, CA and a B.A. degree in Economics from Ben Gurion University, Israel.
Gil Sheratzki, Director
Gil Sheratzki has served on our board of directors since February 2017. Since 2013, Mr. Sheratzki serves as the International Activity and Business Development Officer of Ituran Location and Control Ltd., or Ituran, an Israeli company mainly engaged in the area of telematics services, consisting of stolen vehicle recovery, fleet management services, connected cars, UBI, and other tracking services. Since 2007, Mr. Sheratzki has served as the Chief Executive Officer of E-Com Global Electronic Commerce Ltd, a subsidiary of Ituran. From 2003 - 2013 Mr. Sheratzki served as advertising officer of Ituran. Mr. Sheratzki serves on the board of Ituran. Mr. Sheratzki holds a BA in Business Administration from the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.
Yehoshua Abramovic, Director
Yehoshua Abramovic has served on our board of directors since June 2020. Since 2002, Mr. Abramovic has served as the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Nurit Hagalil Investment, a private investment firm specializing in debt and equity investments in small and middle market companies. In addition, Mr. Abramovic currently served as a director for numerous public companies, including Neratech Media (since 2021), Brimag Digital (since 2021), I-Med Infinity Medical (since 2020), Glileo Tech (since 2019), Shachal TeleMedicine (since 2017), Modiin Energy (since 2015) and I.D.I Insurance Company (since 2014). Mr. Abramovic holds a BA in Economics and Management, as well as an MBA with an emphasis on Financing and Marketing from Tel Aviv University.
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Yaron Be’eri, Director
Yaron Be’eri has served on our board of directors since June 2020. Since 2019, Mr. Be’eri has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Yahad – United for Israel’s Soldiers, a nonprofit organization dedicated toward raising funds for Israeli Defense Forces soldiers. Prior to this, from 2017-2019, Mr. Be’eri served as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Aura, a large real estate company in Israel. From 2015-2017, Mr. Be’eri was the Head of the Traffic Division of the Israeli Police, and from 2011-2015, Mr. Be’eri was Head of Human Resources for the Israeli Police. Mr. Be’eri holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Haifa and an MBA in Business Administration from the University of Derby.
Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors
The aggregate compensation we paid to our executive officers and directors for the year ended December 31, 2021, was approximately NIS 4.6 million ($1.5 million). This amount includes approximately NIS 3.1 million ($1 million) paid, set aside or accrued to provide pension, severance, retirement or similar benefits or expenses and NIS 1.5 million ($0.5 million) share based compensation expenses, but does not include business travel, professional and business association dues and expenses reimbursed to office holders, and other benefits commonly reimbursed or paid by companies in our industry. As of December 31, 2021, 580,702 options to purchase ordinary shares granted to our officers and directors were outstanding under our share option plan at a weighted average exercise price of NIS 12.3 ($3.8) per share.
In accordance with the Companies Law, the table below reflects the compensation granted to our five most highly compensated officers during or with respect to the year ended December 31, 2021. For purposes of the table and the summary below, “compensation” includes base salary, bonuses, equity-based compensation, retirement or termination payments, benefits and perquisites such as car, phone and social benefits and any undertaking to provide such compensation.
Name and Principal Position | Salary(1) | Bonus(2) | Equity-Based Compensation (3) | Other
Compensation (4) | Total | |||||||||||||||
(NIS in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ori Gilboa | 1,200 | - | 1,257 | - | 2,457 | |||||||||||||||
Yossi Cohen | 562 | - | - | - | 562 | |||||||||||||||
Tony Klein | 264 | - | 49 | - | 313 | |||||||||||||||
Jacob Tenenboam | 81 | - | - | - | 81 | |||||||||||||||
Aviram Meidan | 606 | - | 230 | - | 836 |
(1) | Salary includes the officer’s gross salary plus payment by us of social benefits on behalf of the officer. Such benefits may include payments, contributions and/or allocations for savings funds (e.g., Managers’ Life Insurance Policy), pension, severance, risk insurance (e.g., life, or work disability insurance), payments for social security and tax gross-up payments, vacation, medical insurance and benefits, convalescence or recreation pay and other benefits and perquisites consistent with our policies. |
(2) | Represents annual bonuses granted to the officer based on formulas set forth in the respective resolutions of our Compensation Committee and Board of Directors with respect to 2021. |
(3) | Represents the equity-based compensation expenses recorded in our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, based on the securities’ fair value on the grant date, calculated in accordance with applicable accounting guidance for equity-based compensation. For a discussion of the assumptions used in reaching this valuation, see Note to our interim financial statements included in this prospectus. |
(4) | Represents benefits and perquisites such as car, phone and social benefits. |
(5) | Mr. Gilboa is paid through a company wholly owned by him. |
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Employment and Consulting Agreements
Our employees are employed under the terms prescribed in their respective employment contracts. The employees are entitled to the social benefits prescribed by law and as otherwise provided in their agreements. These agreements each contain provisions standard for a company in our industry regarding non-competition, confidentiality of information and assignment of inventions. Under currently applicable labor laws, we may not be able to enforce covenants not to compete and therefore may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of some of our former employees. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Business” for a further description of the enforceability of non-competition clauses. We also provide certain of our employees with a company car, which is leased from a leasing company.
Executive officers are also employed on the terms and conditions prescribed in employment agreements. These agreements provide for notice periods of varying duration for termination of the agreement by us or by the relevant executive officer, during which time the executive officer will continue to receive base salary and benefits. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Business.”
Corporate Governance Practices
As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain Israeli corporate governance practices instead of the Nasdaq Capital Market corporate governance rules, or the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, provided that we disclose which requirements we are not following and the equivalent Israeli requirements. Pursuant to the “foreign private issuer exemption”:
● | we will not have to comply with the requirements that we have a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; |
● | the quorum for a meeting of shareholders will be at least two shareholders present in person, by proxy or by a voting instrument, who hold in the aggregate at least 25% of our issued share capital (and in an adjourned meeting any number of shareholders) instead of 331∕3% of our issued share capital as required under the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules; |
● | we may adopt equity incentive plans and approve material changes to such plans without shareholder approval; |
● | in addition, we will seek shareholder approval for all corporate actions requiring such approval under the requirements of the Companies Law, rather than seeking approval for corporate actions in accordance with Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5635. In particular, under this Nasdaq Stock Market rule, shareholder approval is generally required for: (i) an acquisition of shares or assets of another company that involves the issuance of 20% or more of the acquirer’s shares or voting rights or if a director, officer or 5% shareholder has greater than a 5% interest in the target company or the consideration to be received; (ii) the issuance of shares leading to a change of control; (iii) adoption or amendment of equity compensation arrangements (although under the provisions of the Companies Law there is no requirement for shareholder approval for the adoption/amendment of the equity compensation plan); and (iv) issuances of 20% or more of the shares or voting rights (including securities convertible into, or exercisable for, equity) of a listed company via a private placement (and/or via sales by directors, officers or 5% shareholders) if such equity is issued (or sold) at below the greater of the book or market value of shares. By contrast, under the Companies Law, shareholder approval is required for, among other things: (i) transactions with directors our Chief Executive Officer concerning the terms of their service or indemnification, exemption and insurance for their service (or for any other position that they may hold at a company), for which approvals of the compensation committee, board of directors and shareholders are all required, (ii) extraordinary transactions with controlling shareholders of publicly held companies, which require the special approval, and (iii) terms of employment or other engagement of the controlling shareholder of us or such controlling shareholder has a personal interest with, which require special approval. In addition, under the Companies Law, a merger requires approval of the shareholders of each of the merging companies; |
● | Israeli law does not require that a majority of the directors serving on our board of directors be “independent,” as defined under Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5605(a)(2), and rather requires we have at least two external directors who meet the requirements of the Companies Law, as described below under “Management—External Directors.” The definition of independent director under Nasdaq Stock Market rules and external director under the Companies Law overlap to a significant degree such that we would generally expect the directors serving as external directors to satisfy the requirements to be independent under Nasdaq Stock Market rules. However, it is possible for a director to qualify as an ‘‘external director’’ under the Companies Law without qualifying as an ‘‘independent director’’ under the Nasdaq Stock Market rules, or vice-versa. Notwithstanding Israeli law, we believe that a majority of our directors are currently “independent” under the Nasdaq Stock Market rules. We are required, however, to ensure that all members of our Audit Committee are “independent” under the applicable Nasdaq and SEC criteria for independence (as we cannot exempt ourselves from compliance with that SEC independence requirement, despite our status as a foreign private issuer), and we must also ensure that a majority of the members of our Audit Committee are “independent directors” as defined in the Companies Law. Furthermore, Israeli law does not require, nor do our independent directors conduct, regularly scheduled meetings at which only they are present, which the Nasdaq Stock Market rules otherwise require; |
● | as opposed to making periodic reports to shareholders and proxy solicitation materials available to shareholders in a manner specified by the SEC and Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, the generally accepted practice in Israel is not to distribute such reports to shareholders but to make such reports available through a public website. We will mail such reports to shareholders only upon request; |
● | we will follow Israeli corporate governance practice instead of the Nasdaq requirements to obtain shareholder approval for certain dilutive events (such as issuances that will result in a change of control, certain transactions other than a public offering involving issuances of a 20% or greater interest in us and certain acquisitions of the stock or assets of another company); and |
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● | all related party transactions are approved in accordance with the requirements and procedures for approval of interested party acts and transaction as set forth in the Companies Law, which requires the approval of the audit committee, or the compensation committee, as the case may be, the board of directors and shareholders, as may be applicable, for specified transactions, rather than approval by the audit committee or other independent body of our board of directors as required under the Nasdaq Stock Market rules. See “Management—Fiduciary Duties and Approval of Related Party Transactions—Approval of Related Party Transactions” for additional information. |
In all other respects, we intend to comply with the rules generally applicable to U.S. domestic companies listed on the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. We may in the future decide to use the foreign private issuer exemption with respect to some or all of the other Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. Following the closing of this offering, we will also comply with Israeli corporate governance requirements under the Companies Law applicable to public companies. Accordingly, our shareholders may not be afforded the same protections as provided under Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
Board of Directors
Our board of directors consists of seven directors, including two directors who are deemed external directors per the requirements of the Companies Law (see “External directors”). These two directors, as well as one additional director, qualify as independent directors under the corporate governance standards of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules and the independence requirements of Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act.
Under our articles of association, our board of directors must consist of no less than three and no more than 12 directors, including external directors. Pursuant to our articles of association, other than the external directors, for whom special election requirements apply under the Companies Law, the vote required to appoint a director is a simple majority vote of holders of our voting shares participating and voting at the relevant meeting.
In addition, our articles of association allow our board of directors to appoint new directors to fill vacancies which can occur for any reason or as additional directors, provided that the number of board members shall not exceed the maximum number of directors mentioned above. The appointment of a director by the board shall be in effect until the following annual general meeting of the shareholders or until the end of his tenure in accordance with our articles of association. Our board of directors may continue to operate for as long as the number of directors is no less than the minimum number of directors mentioned above.
Our external directors have a term of office of three years under Israeli law and may be elected for up to two additional three-year terms, or more, under the circumstances described below. External directors may be removed from office only under the limited circumstances set forth in the Companies Law. See “External directors” for a description of the procedure for the election and dismissal of external directors.
In addition, under the Companies Law, our board of directors must determine the minimum number of directors who are required to have financial and accounting expertise. Under applicable regulations, a director with financial and accounting expertise is a director who, by reason of his or her education, professional experience and skill, has a high level of proficiency in and understanding of business accounting matters and financial statements. See “— External directors — Qualifications of external directors.” He or she must be able to thoroughly comprehend the financial statements of the company and initiate discussion regarding the manner in which financial information is presented. In determining the number of directors required to have such expertise, the board of directors must consider, among other things, the type and size of the company and the scope and complexity of its operations. Our board of directors has determined that we require at least one director with the requisite financial and accounting expertise and Michal Brikman Marom, Shlomo Shalev and Yehoshua Abramovich have such expertise.
Arrangements Concerning Election of Directors; Family Relationships
Our board of directors consist of seven directors, each of whom will continue to serve pursuant to their appointment until the first annual general meeting of shareholders held after this offering.
There are no family relationships among any of our officers (including directors).
Alternate Directors
Our articles of association provide, as allowed by the Companies Law, that any director may, by written notice to us, appoint another person who is qualified to serve as a director to serve as an alternate director. An alternate director has the same rights and responsibilities as a director, except for the right to appoint an alternate director. The appointment of an alternate director does not negate the responsibilities of the appointing director, who will continue to bear responsibility for the actions of the alternate, giving consideration to the circumstances of the appointment. The Companies Law specifies certain qualifications for alternate directors, and provides that one director may not serve as an alternate on the board of directors for another director, nor as an alternate on a committee of which he or she is already a member. The Companies Law stipulates that an external director may not appoint an alternate director except under very limited circumstances. As of the date of this prospectus, no director has appointed any other person as an alternate director.
External Directors
As a public Israeli company, we are required by the Companies Law to have at least two external directors who meet certain independence criteria to ensure that they are unaffiliated with us and our controlling shareholder.
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An external director must also have either financial and accounting expertise or professional qualifications, as defined in the regulations promulgated under the Companies Law, and at least one of the external directors is required to have financial and accounting expertise. An external director is entitled to reimbursement of expenses and compensation as provided in the regulations promulgated under the Companies Law, but is otherwise prohibited from receiving any other compensation from us, directly or indirectly, during his or her term and for two years thereafter.
Under the Companies Law, external directors must be elected at a shareholders’ meeting by a simple majority of the votes cast on the matter, provided that such majority includes a majority of the votes cast by non-controlling shareholders and shareholders who do not have a personal interest in the election (excluding a personal interest that did not result from the shareholder’s relationship with the controlling shareholder), unless the votes cast by such shareholders against the election did not exceed 2% of our aggregate voting rights. External directors serve for up to three terms of three years each, and our audit committee and board of directors may nominate them for additional terms under certain circumstances. Even if an external director is not nominated by our board of directors for reelection for a second or third term, shareholders holding at least 1% of our voting rights have the right to nominate the external director for reelection. In such a case, the reelection can be approved by a majority of the votes cast by non-controlling shareholders and shareholders who do not have a personal interest in the election (excluding a personal interest that did not result from the shareholder’s relationship with the controlling shareholder) and the votes cast by such shareholders approving the election exceed 2% of our aggregate voting rights. A term of an external director may be terminated prior to expiration only by a shareholder vote, by the same threshold required for election, or by a court, but in each case only if the external director ceases to meet the statutory qualifications for election or if the external director violates his or her duty of loyalty to us. If at the time of election of an external director all of the members of the board of directors (excluding controlling shareholders or relatives of controlling shareholders) are of the same gender, the external director to be elected must be of the other gender.
Under the Companies Law, each committee of a company’s board of directors that is authorized to exercise powers of the board of directors is required to include at least one external director, and all external directors must be members of the company’s audit committee and compensation committee.
We currently have two external directors: Shlomo Shalev and Michal Brikman Marom, both of whose first term commenced on August 16, 2020 and ended on August 16, 2021. Our board of directors has determined that our external directors have accounting and financial expertise and/or possess the requisite professional qualifications as required under the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has established the following committees. Each committee operates in accordance with a written charter that sets forth the committee’s structure, operations, membership requirements, responsibilities and authority to engage advisors.
Audit Committee
Under the Companies Law, the Exchange Act and Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, we are required to establish an audit committee.
The responsibilities of an audit committee under the Companies Law include identifying and addressing flaws in the business management of the company, reviewing and approving related party transactions, establishing whistleblower procedures, overseeing the company’s internal audit system and the performance of its internal auditor, and assessing the scope of the work and recommending the fees of the company’s independent accounting firm. In addition, the audit committee is required to determine whether certain related party actions and transactions are “material” or “extraordinary” for the purpose of the requisite approval procedures under the Companies Law and to establish procedures for considering proposed transactions with a controlling shareholder.
In accordance with U.S. law and Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, our audit committee is also responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of our independent auditors and for assisting our board of directors in monitoring our financial statements, the effectiveness of our internal controls and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
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Under the Companies Law, the audit committee must consist of at least three directors and must include all of the company’s external directors. The majority of the audit committee members have to be “independent directors”. The chairman of the audit committee is required to be an external director.
Under the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, we are required to maintain an audit committee consisting of at least three independent directors, all of whom are financially literate and one of whom has accounting or related financial management expertise. Each of the members of the audit committee is required to be “independent” as such term is defined in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Exchange Act.
Our audit committee currently consists of three. A majority of the members are independent directors as defined in the Companies Law. All of the members are also independent as defined in SEC rules and Nasdaq listing requirements. Our board of directors has determined that all members of our audit committee meet the requirements for financial literacy under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. Our board of directors has determined that two directors are audit committee financial experts as defined by the SEC rules and have the requisite financial experience as defined by the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
Compensation Committee
Under both the Companies Law and Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, we are required to establish a compensation committee.
The responsibilities of a compensation committee under the Companies Law include recommending to the board of directors, for ultimate shareholder approval by a special majority, a policy governing the compensation of directors and officers based on specified criteria, reviewing modifications to and implementing such compensation policy from time to time, and approving the actual compensation terms of directors and officers prior to approval by the board of directors.
The Companies Law stipulates that the compensation committee must consist of at least three directors who meet certain independence criteria and must include all of the company’s external directors, who are required to constitute a majority of its members. The chairman of the compensation committee must be an external director. The remaining members are required to meet certain independence criteria and be paid in accordance with the regulations governing the compensation of external directors.
Under Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, we are required to maintain a compensation committee consisting of at least two independent directors; each of the members of the compensation committee is required to be independent under Nasdaq Marketplace Rules relating to compensation committee members, which are different from the general test for independence of board and committee members.
Our compensation committee currently consists of Three two members are external directors or independent directors as defined in the Companies Law, and independent as defined in SEC rules and regulations, and Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
Internal Auditor
Under the Companies Law, the board of directors is required to appoint an internal auditor recommended by the audit committee. The role of the internal auditor is to examine, among other things, whether the company’s actions comply with applicable law and proper business procedures. The internal auditor may not be an interested party, a director or an officer of the company, or a relative of any of the foregoing, nor may the internal auditor be our independent accountant or a representative thereof. Our current internal auditor is Daniel Shapira.
Fiduciary Duties and Approval of Related Party Transactions
Fiduciary Duties of Directors and Officers
Israeli law imposes a duty of care and a duty of loyalty on all directors and officers of a company. The duty of care requires a director or officer to act with the level of care with which a reasonable director or officer in the same position would have acted under the same circumstances. The duty of care includes, among other things, a duty to use reasonable means, under the circumstances, to obtain information on the advisability of a given action brought for his approval or performed by virtue of his position and other important information pertaining to such action. The duty of loyalty requires the director or officer to act in good faith and for the benefit of the company.
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Approval of Related Party Transactions
Under the Companies Law, a related party transaction may be approved only if it is for the benefit of the company. A transaction that is not an extraordinary transaction in which a director or officer has a personal interest requires the approval of the board of directors, unless the articles of association of the company provide otherwise. If the transaction is an extraordinary transaction, it must be approved by the audit committee and the board of directors, and, under certain circumstances, by the shareholders of the company. An “extraordinary transaction” is a transaction other than in the ordinary course of business, other than on market terms or that is likely to have a material impact on the company’s profitability, assets or liabilities.
Pursuant to the Companies Law, extraordinary transactions in which a controlling shareholder has a personal interest require the approval of the audit committee, or the compensation committee if the transaction is in connection with employment or service with the company, the board of directors and the shareholders of the company. The shareholder approval must be by a simple majority of all votes cast, provided that (i) such majority includes a simple majority of the votes cast by non-controlling shareholders having no personal interest in the matter or (ii) the total number of votes of shareholders mentioned in clause (i) above who voted against such transaction does not exceed 2% of the total voting rights in the company.
The Companies Law generally prohibits any director who has a personal interest in an extraordinary transaction from being present for the discussion and voting pertaining to such transaction in the audit committee or board of directors. Nevertheless, a director who has a personal interest may be present at the meeting and vote on the matter if a majority of the directors or members of the audit committee have a personal interest in the approval of such transaction; in this case, however, the transaction also requires shareholder approval.
Director and Officer Compensation
Under the Companies Law, we are required to approve, at least once every three years, a compensation policy with respect to our directors and officers. Following the recommendation of our compensation committee, the compensation policy must be approved by our board of directors and a general meeting of our shareholders. The shareholder approval must be by a simple majority of all votes cast, provided that (i) such majority includes a simple majority of the votes cast by non-controlling shareholders having no personal interest in the matter or (ii) the total number of votes of shareholders mentioned in clause (i) above who voted against such transaction does not exceed 2% of the total voting rights in the company. In general, the terms of compensation of directors (other than cash compensation up to the maximum amount set forth in regulations governing the compensation of external directors), the chief executive officer and any employee or service provider who is considered a controlling shareholder must be approved separately by the compensation committee, the board of directors and the shareholders. The compensation terms of other officers who report directly to the chief executive officer require the approval of the compensation committee and the board of directors.
Directors’ Service Contracts
There are no arrangements or understandings between us and any of our directors providing for benefits upon termination of their employment or service as directors of our company.
Equity Incentive Plan
In August 2015, our board of directors adopted the Saverone 2014 Ltd. 2015 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2015 Plan, which provides for the grant of options to our directors, employees, officers and consultants. A total of 52,618 ordinary shares are reserved but unissued under our 2015 Plan as of the date of this prospectus.
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The 2015 Plan is administered by our board of directors, which, on its own or upon the recommendation of a remuneration committee or any other similar committee of the board of directors, shall determine, subject to applicable law, the identity of grantees of awards and various terms of the grant. With respect to those grantees subject to Israeli taxation, the 2015 Plan provides for granting options in compliance with Section 102 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance, 1961, or the Ordinance, under the capital gains track, and for grants to non-employee Israeli service providers, consultants and shareholders who hold 10% or more of our total share capital or are otherwise controlling shareholders pursuant to section 3(i) of the Ordinance, as further detailed below.
Section 102 of the Ordinance allows employees, directors and officers who are not controlling shareholders and are considered Israeli residents to receive favorable tax treatment for compensation in the form of shares or options. Our non-employee service providers and controlling shareholders may only be granted options under section 3(i) of the Ordinance, which does not provide for similar tax benefits. Section 102 includes two alternatives for tax treatment involving the issuance of options or shares to a trustee for the benefit of the grantees and also includes an additional alternative for the issuance of options or shares directly to the grantee. Section 102(b)(2) of the Ordinance, the most favorable tax treatment for the grantee, permits the issuance to a trustee under the “capital gain track.” However, under this track we are not allowed to deduct an expense with respect to the issuance of the options or shares.
Generally, options will not be exercisable before the first anniversary of the date of grant of options, with respect to the 25.0% of the option shares, and with respect to each additional 6.25% of the option shares, become exercisable at the end of each three-month period during the second and third years from the date of grant. Generally, options that are not exercised within ten years from the grant date shall expire.
Other than by will or laws of descent, neither the options nor any right in connection with such options are assignable or transferable. If we terminate a grantee’s employment or service for any reason whatsoever, other than for cause, any options granted to such grantee that are not vested shall immediately expire. All of the grantee’s vested options shall be deemed expired on the earlier of: (a) the expiration date of such vested options as was in effect immediately prior to such termination; or (b) three months following the date of such termination, or if such termination is the result of death or disability of the grantee, 12 months from the date of such termination. However, for certain executives and other senior management, our board of directors (and shareholders where applicable) has resolved that the expiration date of their vested options shall be between two to four years following the date of such termination. If we terminate a grantee’s employment or service for cause, all of the grantee’s vested and unvested options will expire on the date of termination. Also, and subject to applicable law, if the grantee’s employment or services is terminated for cause, then we will have a right of repurchase against any shares issued pursuant to the exercise of options. In the event that we exercise such right of repurchase, we will pay such grantee for each such share being repurchased an amount equal to the price originally paid by the grantee for such share. Alternatively, we may assign such rights of repurchase to our shareholders pro rata to their respective holdings of our issued and outstanding shares.
If we are party to a merger or consolidation, outstanding options and shares acquired under the 2015 Plan will be subject to the agreement of merger or consolidation, which will provide for one or more of the following: (i) the assumption of such options by the surviving corporation or its parent, (ii) the substitution by the surviving corporation or its parent of new options, or (iii) in the event that the successor entity neither assumes nor substitutes all outstanding options, then each respective grantee shall have a period of 15 days to exercise his or her vested options, after which all remaining options, whether vested or not shall expire. For certain individuals, if their position is terminated within a certain period after the transaction, their options shall accelerate.
In the event of any variation in our share capital, including a share dividend, share split, combination or exchange of shares, recapitalization, or any other like event, the number, class and kind of shares subject to the 2015 Plan and outstanding options, and the exercise prices of the options, will be appropriately and equitably adjusted so as to maintain the proportionate number of shares without changing the aggregate exercise price of the options.
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The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of March 28, 2022 and after this offering by:
● | each person or entity known by us to own beneficially 5% or more of our outstanding ordinary shares; |
● | each of our directors and executive officers individually; and |
● | all of our executive officers and directors as a group. |
The beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. Under these rules, a person is deemed to be a beneficial owner of a security if that person has or shares voting power, which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting of the security, or investment power, which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of the security. For purposes of the table below, we deem ordinary shares issuable pursuant to options that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of the date of this registration statement to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned by the person holding the options or warrants for the purposes of computing the percentage ownership of that person, but we do not treat them as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. The percentage of ordinary shares beneficially owned after the offering is based on ordinary shares to be outstanding immediately after the offering, which includes our ordinary shares being offered for sale in this offering. The percentage of ordinary shares beneficially owned prior to the offering is based on 7,984,706 ordinary shares outstanding as of March 28, 2022.
The percentages of ordinary shares beneficially owned after the offering assume that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional Ordinary shares in the offering. Except where otherwise indicated, we believe, based on information furnished to us by such owners, that the beneficial owners of the ordinary shares listed below have sole investment and voting power with respect to such shares.
None of our shareholders has different voting rights from other shareholders. We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company. As of the date of this registration statement, there was one holder of record of our ordinary shares in the United States.
Unless indicated below, each shareholder’s address is c/o SaverOne 2014 Ltd., Em Hamoshavot Rd. 94, Petah Tikvah, Israel.
Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to Offering | Shares Beneficially Owned After Offering | |||||||||||||||
Name of Beneficial Owner | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | ||||||||||||
5% or greater shareholders | ||||||||||||||||
Ronen Weisberg (1) | 816,312 | 10.2 | % | 816,312 | 6.7 | % | ||||||||||
Ituran Location and Control Ltd (2) | 774,057 | 9.7 | % | 774,057 | 6.4 | % | ||||||||||
Universal Motors Israel Ltd. (3) | 744,185 | 9.3 | % | 744,185 | 6.1 | % | ||||||||||
Y.D. More Investments Ltd (4) | 469,971 | 5.9 | % | 469,971 | 3.9 | % | ||||||||||
Directors and executive officers | ||||||||||||||||
Jacob Tenenboim (5) | 918,162 | 11.5 | % | 918,162 | 7.6 | % | ||||||||||
Ori Gilboa (6) | 205,537 | 2.6 | % | 205,537 | 1.7 | % | ||||||||||
Yossef Cohen (7) | 301,829 | 3.8 | % | 301,829 | 2.5 | % | ||||||||||
Tony Klein (8) | 5,550 | * | 5,550 | * | ||||||||||||
Aviram Meidan (9) | 91,004 | 1.1 | % | 91,004 | * | |||||||||||
Yehoshua Abramovich | 142,000 | 1.8 | % | 142,000 | 1.2 | % | ||||||||||
Yaron Beeri (10) | 14,912 | * | 14,912 | * | ||||||||||||
Gil Sheratzki (11) | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
Michal Marom | 4,826 | * | 4,826 | * | ||||||||||||
Shlomo Shalev | 2,200 | * | 2,200 | * | ||||||||||||
All directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons) | 1,686,020 | 21.1 | % | 1,686,020 | 13.8 | % |
* | Less than one percent (1%). |
(1) | Represents (i) 360,600 ordinary shares held directly by Mr. Weisberg, (ii) 340,149 ordinary shares held by K.O.D.M Investments Ltd, or K.O.D.M., a private company which is held by A.S.T. Investment House Ltd., or A.S.T. Investment, over which Mr. Weisberg has shared voting and dispositive power together with Jacob Tenenboim, and (iii) 115,563 ordinary shares held by Unicorn Technologies - Limited Partnership, which is controlled by K.O.D.M. The address of Mr. Weisberg is 24 Hahets, Karkur, 3714230 Israel. |
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(2) | To our knowledge, voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held by Ituran Location and Control Ltd., or Ituran, is exercised by the Sheratzki family. Each director of Ituran disclaims beneficial ownership of such securities. The address of Ituran is 3 Hashikma street, Azour, 5800182 Israel. |
(3) | Represents (i) 584,853 ordinary shares held by Universal Motors Israel Ltd., or UMI and 159,332 ordinary shares held by Eastern Holdings Co. Ltd., or Eastern Holdings. Voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held by UMI, is shared by Haim Danon, Eastern Holdings, and Taldan Motors Ltd., which is controlled by Eastern Holdings. To our knowledge, Eastern Holdings is controlled by the Einay family. The address of UMI is Hamasger 10, Lod, 7129807 Israel. |
(4) | Includes options to purchase 53,763 ordinary shares exercisable within 60 days of December 20, 2021, at an exercise price of NIS 38 (approximately $11.66) per share. Y.D. More Investments Ltd., or More Investments, is a public company under the joint control of Eli Lev, Yossi Levi, Michal Meirov, Dotan Meirov, Benjamin Meirov and Yosef Meirov. The address of each of More Investments is Derech Menachem Begin 2, Ramat Gan, 5257334, Israel. |
(5) | Includes (i) 394,896 ordinary shares held directly by Mr. Tenenboim, (ii) 67,554 ordinary shares held by I.T. Net Investments Ltd., over which Mr. Tenenboim has voting and dispositive power, (iii) 340,149 ordinary shares held by K.O.D.M., a private company which is held by A.S.T. Investment, over which Mr. Tenenboim has shared voting and dispositive power together with Ronen Weisberg, and (iv) 115,563 ordinary shares held by Unicorn Technologies - Limited Partnership, which is controlled by K.O.D.M. |
(6) | Includes options to purchase 201,633 ordinary shares exercisable within 60 days of March 28, 2022, at an exercise price of NIS 8.94 (approximately $2.74) per share. |
(7) | Includes options to purchase 55,618 ordinary shares exercisable within 60 days of March 28, 2022, at an exercise price of NIS 0.3 (approximately $0.09) per share. |
(8) | Includes options to purchase 3,750 ordinary shares exercisable within 60 days of March 28, 2022, at an exercise price of NIS 15.8 (approximately $4.85) per share. |
(9) | Represents options to purchase 87,879 ordinary shares exercisable within 60 days of March 28, 2022, at an average exercise price of NIS 8.35 (approximately $2.56) per share. |
(10) | Represents options to purchase 14,912 ordinary shares exercisable within 60 days of March 28, 2022, at an exercise price of NIS 5.02 (approximately $1.54) per share. |
(11) | Mr. Sheratzki serves as an officer and director of Ituran. He disclaims beneficial ownership over any shares held by Ituran. |
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The following is a description of the material transactions we entered into with related parties since we were incorporated in 2014. We believe that we have executed all of our transactions with related parties on terms no less favorable to us than those we could have obtained from unaffiliated third parties.
Upon the consummation of this offering, we will have adopted a related party transaction policy that provides that our Board of Directors, acting through our Audit Committee, is responsible for the review, approval, or ratification of related party transactions between us and related persons. Under Israeli law, related party transactions are subject to special approval requirements, see “Management — Fiduciary duties and approval of specified related party transactions and compensation under Israeli law.”
Employment and Service Agreements and Director Fees
We have entered into written employment agreements with each of our executive officers, which provide for notice periods of varying duration for termination of the agreement by us or by the relevant executive officer, during which time the executive officer will continue to receive base salary and benefits. These agreements also contain customary provisions regarding noncompetition, confidentiality of information and assignment of inventions. However, the enforceability of the noncompetition provisions may be limited under applicable law. See “Risk factors - Risks relating to our operations - Under applicable employment laws, we may not be able to enforce covenants not to compete” for a further description of the enforceability of non-competition clauses. For further information, see “Management - Employment and Consulting Agreements.”
In addition, we pay fees to certain of our non-executive directors in return for their service on our board of directors, in accordance with our compensation policy. For further information, see “Management – Director and Officer Compensation”.
Pilot Order of SaverOne Systems
In July 2019, Ituran Location and Control Ltd., or Ituran placed a pilot order for 45 of our SaverOne systems, to be installed in their own vehicle fleet. Ituran received a 50% discount from the list price of the system, similar to the discount provided to other pilot customers. To our knowledge, prior to this offering, Ituran currently holds approximately 9.7% of our outstanding ordinary shares and Gil Sheratzki, an officer and director of Ituran, serves as a member of our board of directors.
Unicorn Share Issuance
On May 24, 2020, our board of directors approved that the we amend an investment agreement that was originally signed on April 28, 2020 with Unicorn Technologies, Limited Partnership (“Unicorn”), whereby in consideration for an investment amount of NIS 630 (approximately $180), we issued 39,963 of our ordinary shares to Unicorn, at a price of U.S.$4.5042 per share. Unicorn is controlled by K.O.D.M., a private company which is held by A.S.T. Investment, over which Jacob Tenenboim, one of our directors, and Ronen Weisberg, one of our beneficial owners of greater than 5% of our ordinary shares, share voting and dispositive power.
Directors and Officers Insurance Policy and Indemnification and Exculpation Agreements
In accordance with our articles of association, we have obtained Directors and Officers insurance for our executive officers and directors, and provide indemnification, exculpation and exemption undertakings to each of our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the Companies Law.
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As of the date of this prospectus, our authorized share capital consisted of 100,000,000 ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.01 per share, of which 7,984,706 ordinary shares were issued and outstanding as of such date.
All of our outstanding ordinary shares are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. Our ordinary shares are not redeemable and do not have any preemptive rights.
Registration number and purposes of the company
Our registration number with the Israeli Registrar of Companies is 515154607. Our purpose as set forth in our articles of association is to engage in any lawful activity.
Voting rights and conversion
All ordinary shares will have identical voting and other rights in all respects.
Transfer of shares
Our fully-paid ordinary shares are issued in registered form and may be freely transferred under our articles of association, unless the transfer is restricted or prohibited by another instrument, applicable law or the rules of a stock exchange on which the shares are listed for trade. The ownership or voting of our ordinary shares by non-residents of Israel is not restricted in any way by our articles of association or the laws of the State of Israel, except for ownership by nationals of some countries that are, or have been, in a state of war with Israel.
Election of directors
Our ordinary shares do not have cumulative voting rights for the election of directors. As a result, the holders of a majority of the voting power represented at a shareholders meeting have the power to elect all of our directors, subject to the special approval requirements for external directors under the Companies Law described under “Management — External directors.”
Under our articles of association, our board of directors must consist of no less than three but no more than 12 directors, including external directors. Pursuant to our articles of association, other than the external directors, for whom special election requirements apply under the Companies Law, the vote required to appoint a director is a simple majority vote of holders of our voting shares participating and voting at the relevant meeting.
In addition, our articles of association allow our board of directors to appoint new directors to fill in vacancies which can occur for any reason or as additional directors, provided that the number of board members shall not exceed the maximum number of directors mentioned above. The appointment of a director by the board shall be in effect until the following annual general meeting of the shareholders or until the end of the director’s tenure in accordance with our articles of association.
Our external directors have a term of office of three years under Israeli law and may be elected for up to two additional three-year terms under the circumstances described above. External directors may be removed from office only under the limited circumstances set forth in the Companies Law. See “— External directors” for a description of the procedure for the election and dismissal of external directors.
Dividend and liquidation rights
We may declare a dividend to be paid to the holders of our ordinary shares in proportion to their respective shareholdings. Under the Companies Law, dividend distributions are determined by the board of directors and do not require the approval of the shareholders of a company unless the company’s articles of association provide otherwise. Our articles of association do not require shareholder approval of a dividend distribution and provide that dividend distributions may be determined by our board of directors.
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Pursuant to the Companies Law, the distribution amount is limited to the greater of retained earnings or earnings generated over the previous two years, according to our then last reviewed or audited financial statements, provided that the date of the financial statements is not more than six months prior to the date of the distribution, or we may distribute dividends that do not meet such criteria only with court approval. In each case, we are only permitted to distribute a dividend if our board of directors and the court, if applicable, determines that there is no reasonable concern that payment of the dividend will prevent us from satisfying our existing and foreseeable obligations as they become due. As of December 31, 2021, we did not have distributable earnings pursuant to the Companies Law.
In the event of our liquidation, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors, our assets will be distributed to the holders of our ordinary shares in proportion to their shareholdings. This right, as well as the right to receive dividends, may be affected by the grant of preferential dividend or distribution rights to the holders of a class of shares with preferential rights that may be authorized in the future. For more information, see “Dividend Policy.”
Exchange controls
There are currently no Israeli currency control restrictions on remittances of dividends on our ordinary shares, proceeds from the sale of the shares or interest or other payments to non-residents of Israel.
Shareholder meetings
Under Israeli law, we are required to hold an annual general meeting of our shareholders once each calendar year that must be held no later than 15 months after the date of the previous annual general meeting. All general meetings other than the annual meeting of shareholders are referred to in our articles of association as special meetings. Our board of directors may call special meetings whenever it sees fit, at such time and place, within or outside of Israel, as it may determine. In addition, the Companies Law provides that our board of directors is required to convene a special meeting upon the written request of (i) any two of our directors or one-quarter of the members of our board of directors or (ii) one or more shareholders holding, in the aggregate, either (a) 5% or more of our outstanding issued shares and 1% or more of our outstanding voting power or (b) 5% or more of our outstanding voting power.
Under Israeli law, one or more shareholders holding at least 1% of the voting rights at the general meeting may request that the board of directors include a matter in the agenda of a general meeting to be convened in the future, provided that it is appropriate to discuss such a matter at the general meeting. Also, one or more shareholders holding at least 5% of our voting rights may request that we convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders.
Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and the regulations promulgated thereunder, shareholders entitled to participate and vote at general meetings are the shareholders of record on a date to be decided by the board of directors, which may be between no less than 28 days and no more than 40 days prior to the date of the meeting. Furthermore, the Companies Law requires that resolutions regarding the following matters must be passed at a general meeting of our shareholders:
● | amendments to our articles of association; |
● | appointment or termination of our auditors; |
● | appointment of external directors; |
● | approval of certain related party transactions; |
● | increases or reductions of our authorized share capital; |
● | mergers; and |
● | the exercise of our board of director’s powers by a general meeting, if our board of directors is unable to exercise its powers and the exercise of any of its powers is required for our proper management. |
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Under our articles of association, we are required to publish notice of any annual or special general meeting in two widely-published, Hebrew-language daily newspapers, or on our website and are not required to give notice of any annual general meeting or special general meeting to our registered shareholders, unless otherwise required by law. The Companies Law requires that a notice of any annual general meeting or special general meeting be provided to our shareholders at least 21 days prior to the meeting and if the agenda of the meeting includes the appointment or removal of directors, the approval of transactions with office holders or interested or related parties, or an approval of a merger, or as otherwise required under applicable law, notice must be provided at least 35 days prior to the meeting. Under the Companies Law, shareholders are not permitted to take action by written consent in lieu of a meeting.
Voting rights
Quorum requirements
Pursuant to our articles of association, holders of our ordinary shares have one vote for each ordinary share held on all matters submitted to a vote before the shareholders at a general meeting. The quorum required for our general meetings of shareholders consists of at least two shareholders present in person, by proxy or written ballot who hold or represent between them at least 25% of the total outstanding voting rights. A meeting adjourned for lack of a quorum is generally adjourned to the next week at the same time and place or to a different time or date if so specified in the notice of the meeting. At the reconvened meeting, any number of shareholders present in person or by proxy shall constitute a lawful quorum, instead of 25% otherwise required by the Companies Law.
Vote requirements
Our articles of association provide that all resolutions of our shareholders require a simple majority vote, unless otherwise required by the Companies Law or by our articles of association. Pursuant to our articles of association, an amendment to our articles of association regarding any change to the board composition will require a simple majority. Under the Companies Law, each of (i) the approval of an extraordinary transaction with a controlling shareholder and (ii) the terms of employment or other engagement of the controlling shareholder of the company or such controlling shareholder’s relative (even if not extraordinary) requires the approval described above under “Management — Fiduciary duties and approval of related-party transactions — Approval of related-party transactions.” Certain transactions with respect to remuneration of our office holders and directors require further approvals described above under “Management — Fiduciary duties and approval of related-party transactions — Director and officer compensation.” Under our articles of association, any change to the rights and privileges of the holders of any class of our shares requires a simple majority of the class so affected (or such other percentage of the relevant class that may be set forth in the governing documents relevant to such class), in addition to the ordinary majority vote of all classes of shares voting together as a single class at a shareholder meeting. Another exception to the simple majority vote requirement is a resolution for the voluntary winding up, or an approval of a scheme of arrangement or reorganization, of the company pursuant to Section 350 of the Companies Law, which requires the approval of holders of 75% of the voting rights represented at the meeting, in person, by proxy or by voting deed and voting on the resolution.
Access to corporate records
Under the Companies Law, shareholders are entitled to access to minutes of our general meetings, our shareholders register and principal shareholders register, our articles of association, our financial statements and any document that we are required by law to file publicly with the Israel Securities Authority. In addition, shareholders may request any document related to an action or transaction requiring shareholder approval under the related-party transaction provisions of the Companies Law. We may deny this request if we believe it has not been made in good faith or if such denial is necessary to protect our interest or protect a trade secret or patent.
Shareholder duties
Under the Companies Law, a shareholder has a duty to act in good faith and customary manner toward the company and other shareholders and to refrain from abusing its power in the company. This duty applies, among other things, when voting at a meeting of shareholders on an amendment to the articles of association, an increase of the authorized share capital, a merger or certain related-party transactions.
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In addition, certain shareholders have a duty of fairness toward the company. These shareholders include any controlling shareholder, any shareholder that knows that it possesses the power to determine the outcome of a shareholder vote and any shareholder who, under our articles of association, has the power to appoint or to prevent the appointment of a director or officer of the company or to exercise another power with respect to the company. The Companies Law does not define the substance of this duty of fairness. However, a shareholder’s breach of the duty of fairness is subject to laws regarding breaches of contracts and takes into account the status of such shareholder with respect to the company.
Acquisitions under Israeli law
Full tender offer
A person wishing to acquire shares of a publicly-traded company incorporated in Israel, and who would, as a result, hold over 90% of the target company’s issued and outstanding share capital is required by the Companies Law to make a tender offer to all of the company’s shareholders for the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the company. If the shareholders who do not accept the offer hold less than 5% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the company, and more than half of the shareholders who do not have a personal interest in the offer accept the offer, all of the shares that the acquirer offered to purchase will be transferred to the acquirer by operation of law. However, a tender offer will also be accepted if the shareholders who do not accept the offer hold less than 2% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the company or of the applicable class of shares.
Upon a successful completion of such a full tender offer, any shareholder that was an offeree in such tender offer, whether or not such shareholder accepted the tender offer, may, within six months from the date of acceptance of the tender offer, petition an Israeli court to determine whether the tender offer was for less than fair value and that the fair value should be paid as determined by the court. However, under certain conditions, the offeror may include in the terms of the tender offer that an offeree who accepted the offer will not be entitled to petition the Israeli court as described above.
If a tender offer is not accepted in accordance with the requirements set forth above, the acquirer may not acquire shares from shareholders who accepted the tender offer that will increase its holdings to more than 90% of the company’s issued and outstanding share capital or of the applicable class.
Special tender offer
The Companies Law provides that an acquisition of shares in a public company must be made by means of a tender offer if, as a result of the acquisition, the purchaser would become a holder of 25% of the voting rights in the company, unless there is already a person holding 25% of the voting rights in the company. Similarly, the Companies Law provides that an acquisition of shares in a public company must be made by means of a tender offer if, as a result of the acquisition, the purchaser would become a holder of more than 45% of the voting rights in the company, unless there is already a person holding more than 45% of the voting rights in the company. These requirements do not apply if the acquisition (i) occurs in the context of a private placement by the company that received shareholder approval or (ii) was from a 25% or 45% shareholder, as the case may be. The tender offer must be extended to all shareholders, but the offeror is not required to purchase more than 5% of the company’s outstanding shares, regardless of how many shares are tendered by shareholders. The tender offer generally may be consummated only if (i) at least 5% of the voting rights in the company will be acquired by the offeror and (ii) the number of shares tendered in the offer exceeds the number of shares whose holders objected to the offer.
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Merger
The Companies Law permits merger transactions if approved by each party’s board of directors and, unless certain requirements described under the Companies Law are met, by a majority vote of each party’s shares.
Special rules govern a merger with an acquiror that is already affiliated with the target. Unless a court rules otherwise, the merger must also be approved by at least 50% of the votes of the shares of the target that are held by the shareholders other than (i) the acquiror and (ii) any person (or group of persons acting in concert) who holds 25% or more of the voting rights of the acquiror, or the right to appoint 25% or more of the directors of the acquiror. If, however, the merger involves a merger with a company’s own controlling shareholder or if the controlling shareholder has a personal interest in the merger, then the merger is instead subject to the same special majority approval that governs all extraordinary transactions with controlling shareholders (as described under “Management — Fiduciary duties and approval of related-party transactions— Approval of related-party transactions”). If the transaction would have been approved by the shareholders of a merging company but for the exclusion of the votes of certain shareholders as provided above, a court may still approve the merger upon the request of holders of at least 25% of the voting rights of a company, if the court holds that the merger is fair and reasonable, taking into account the value to the parties to the merger and the consideration offered to the shareholders of the company.
Upon the request of a creditor of either party to the proposed merger, the court may delay or prevent the merger if it concludes that there exists a reasonable concern that, as a result of the merger, the surviving company will be unable to satisfy the obligations of the merging entities, and may further give instructions to secure the rights of creditors.
In addition, a merger may not be consummated unless at least 50 days have passed from the date on which a proposal for approval of the merger was filed by each party with the Israeli Registrar of Companies and at least 30 days have passed from the date on which the merger was approved by the shareholders of each party.
Borrowing powers
Pursuant to the Companies Law and our articles of association, our board of directors may exercise all powers and take all actions that are not required under law or under our articles of association to be exercised or taken by our shareholders, including the power to borrow money for company purposes.
Changes in capital
Our articles of association enable us to increase or reduce our share capital. Any such changes are subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and must be approved by a resolution duly passed by our shareholders at a general meeting. In addition, transactions that have the effect of reducing capital, such as the declaration and payment of dividends in the absence of sufficient retained earnings or profits, require the approval of both our board of directors and an Israeli court.
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DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
American Depositary Shares
The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary, will register and deliver our ADSs. Each ADS will represent three ordinary shares (or a right to receive three ordinary shares) deposited with Bank Leumi, as custodian for the depositary in Israel. Each ADS will also represent any other securities, cash or other property which may be held by the depositary. The depositary’s office at which our ADSs will be administered is located at the depositary’s principal executive office, at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 10286.
You may hold ADSs either (A) directly (i) by having an ADR, which is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs, registered in your name or (ii) by having uncertificated ADSs registered in your name or (B) indirectly by holding a security entitlement in ADSs through your broker or other financial institution that is a direct or indirect participant in the Depository Trust Company, or DTC. If you hold ADSs directly, you are a registered ADS holder, also referred to as an ADS holder. This description assumes you are an ADS holder. If you hold our ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADS holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.
Registered holders of uncertificated ADSs will receive statements from the depositary confirming their holdings.
As an ADS holder, we will not treat you as one of our shareholders and you will not have shareholder rights. Israeli law governs shareholder rights. The depositary will be the holder of the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As a registered holder of ADSs, you will have ADS holder rights. A deposit agreement among us, the depositary, ADS holders and all other persons indirectly or beneficially holding ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. New York law governs the deposit agreement and our ADSs.
The following is a summary of the material provisions of the deposit agreement. For more complete information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of ADR. For directions on how to obtain copies of those documents see “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Dividends and Other Distributions
How will you receive dividends and other distributions on the shares?
The depositary has agreed to pay or distribute to ADS holders the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on ordinary shares or other deposited securities, upon payment or deduction of its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent.
Cash. The depositary will convert any cash dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the ordinary shares into U.S. dollars, if it can do so on a reasonable basis and can transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States. If that is not possible or if any government approval is needed and cannot be obtained, the deposit agreement allows the depositary to distribute the foreign currency only to those ADS holders to whom it is possible to do so. It will hold the foreign currency it cannot convert for the account of the ADS holders who have not been paid. It will not invest the foreign currency and it will not be liable for any interest.
Before making a distribution, any withholding taxes or other governmental charges that must be paid will be deducted. See “Taxation and Government Programs.” It will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents and will round fractional cents to the nearest whole cent. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert the foreign currency, you may lose some or all of the value of the distribution.
Shares. The depositary may distribute additional ADSs representing any ordinary shares we distribute as a dividend or free distribution. The depositary will only distribute whole ADSs. It will sell ordinary shares which would require it to deliver a fraction of an ADS (or ADSs representing those ordinary shares) and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. If the depositary does not distribute additional ADSs, the outstanding ADSs will also represent the new shares. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed ordinary shares (or ADSs representing those ordinary shares) sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution.
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Rights to purchase additional shares. If we offer holders of our securities any rights to subscribe for additional ordinary shares or any other rights, the depositary may (i) exercise those rights on behalf of ADS holders, (ii) distribute those rights to ADS holders or (iii) sell those rights and distribute the net proceeds to ADS holders, in each case after deduction or upon payment of its fees and expenses. To the extent the depositary does not do any of those things, it will allow the rights to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them. The depositary will exercise or distribute rights only if we ask it to and provide satisfactory assurances to the depositary that it is legal to do so. If the depositary will exercise rights, it will purchase the securities to which the rights relate and distribute those securities or, in the case of ordinary shares, new ADSs representing the new ordinary shares, to subscribing ADS holders, but only if ADS holders have paid the exercise price to the depositary. U.S. securities laws may restrict the ability of the depositary to distribute rights or ADSs or other securities issued on exercise of rights to all or certain ADS holders, and the securities distributed may be subject to restrictions on transfer.
Other Distributions. The depositary will send to ADS holders anything else we distribute on deposited securities by any means it thinks is legal, fair and practical. If it cannot make the distribution in that way, the depositary will have a choice. It may decide to sell what we distributed and distribute the net proceeds, in the same way as it does with cash. Or, it may decide to hold what we distributed, in which case ADSs will also represent the newly distributed property. However, the depositary is not required to distribute any securities (other than ADSs) to ADS holders unless it receives satisfactory evidence from us that it is legal to make that distribution. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed securities or property sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution. U.S. securities laws may restrict the ability of the depositary to distribute securities to all or certain ADS holders, and the securities distributed may be subject to restrictions on transfer.
The depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any ADS holders. We have no obligation to register ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or other securities under the Securities Act. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, shares, rights or anything else to ADS holders. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you.
Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation
How are ADSs issued?
The depositary will deliver ADSs if you or your broker deposits ordinary shares or evidence of rights to receive ordinary shares with the custodian. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver our ADSs to or upon the order of the person or persons that made the deposit.
How can ADS holders withdraw the deposited securities?
You may surrender your ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal at the depositary’s office. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will deliver the ordinary shares and any other deposited securities underlying our ADSs to the ADS holder or a person the ADS holder designates at the office of the custodian. Or, at your request, risk and expense, the depositary will deliver the deposited securities at its office, if feasible. The depositary may charge you a fee and its expenses for instructing the custodian regarding delivery of deposited securities.
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How do ADS holders interchange between certificated ADSs and uncertificated ADSs?
You may surrender your ADR to the depositary for the purpose of exchanging your ADR for uncertificated ADSs. The depositary will cancel that ADR and will send to the ADS holder a statement confirming that the ADS holder is the registered holder of uncertificated ADSs. Alternatively, upon receipt by the depositary of a proper instruction from a registered holder of uncertificated ADSs requesting the exchange of uncertificated ADSs for certificated ADSs, the depositary will execute and deliver to the ADS holder an ADR evidencing those ADSs.
Voting Rights
How do you vote?
ADS holders may instruct the depositary how to vote the number of deposited ordinary shares their ADSs represent. If we request the depositary to solicit your voting instructions (and we are not required to do so), the depositary will notify you of a shareholders’ meeting and send or make voting materials available to you. Those materials will describe the matters to be voted on and explain how ADS holders may instruct the depositary how to vote. For instructions to be valid, they must reach the depositary by a date set by the depositary. The depositary will try, as far as practical, subject to the laws of Israel and the provisions of our articles of association or similar documents, to vote or to have its agents vote the ordinary shares or other deposited securities as instructed by ADS holders. If we do not request the depositary to solicit your voting instructions, you can still send voting instructions, and, in that case, the depositary may try to vote as you instruct, but it is not required to do so.
Except by instructing the depositary as described above, you won’t be able to exercise voting rights unless you surrender your ADSs and withdraw the ordinary shares. However, you may not know about the meeting enough in advance to withdraw the ordinary shares. In any event, the depositary will not exercise any discretion in voting deposited securities and it will only vote or attempt to vote as instructed.
We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and there may be nothing you can do if your ordinary shares are not voted as you requested.
In order to give you a reasonable opportunity to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to Deposited Securities, if we request the Depositary to act, we agree to give the Depositary notice of any such meeting and details concerning the matters to be voted upon at least 45 days in advance of the meeting date.
Fees and Expenses | ||
Persons depositing or withdrawing ordinary shares or ADS holders must pay | For | |
$5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs (or portion of 100 ADSs) | Issuance of ADSs, including issuances resulting from a distribution of ordinary shares or rights or other property Cancellation of ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal, including if the deposit agreement terminates | |
$.05 (or less) per ADS | Any cash distribution to ADS holders | |
Persons depositing or withdrawing ordinary shares or ADS holders must pay | For | |
A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable if securities distributed to you had been ordinary shares and the ordinary shares had been deposited for issuance of ADSs | Distribution of securities distributed to holders of deposited securities (including rights) that are distributed by the depositary to ADS holders | |
$.05 (or less) per ADS per calendar year | Depositary services | |
Registration or transfer fees | Transfer and registration of ordinary shares on our share register to or from the name of the depositary or its agent when you deposit or withdraw ordinary shares | |
Expenses of the depositary | Cable, telex and facsimile transmissions (when expressly provided in the deposit agreement) converting foreign currency to U.S. dollars | |
Taxes and other governmental charges the depositary or the custodian has to pay on any ADSs or ordinary shares underlying ADSs, such as stock transfer taxes, stamp duty or withholding taxes | As necessary | |
Any charges incurred by the depositary or its agents for servicing the deposited securities | As necessary |
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The depositary collects its fees for delivery and surrender of ADSs directly from investors depositing ordinary shares or surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal or from intermediaries acting for them. The depositary collects fees for making distributions to investors by deducting those fees from the amounts distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. The depositary may collect its annual fee for depositary services by deduction from cash distributions or by directly billing investors or by charging the book-entry system accounts of participants acting for them. The depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable (or by selling a portion of securities or other property distributable) to ADS holders that are obligated to pay those fees. The depositary may generally refuse to provide fee-attracting services until its fees for those services are paid.
From time to time, the depositary may make payments to us to reimburse us for costs and expenses generally arising out of establishment and maintenance of the ADS program, waive fees and expenses for services provided to us by the depositary or share revenue from the fees collected from ADS holders. In performing its duties under the deposit agreement, the depositary may use brokers, dealers, foreign currency or other service providers that are owned by or affiliated with the depositary and that may earn or share fees, spreads or commissions.
The depositary may convert currency itself or through any of its affiliates, or the custodian or we may convert currency and pay U.S. dollars to the depositary. Where the depositary converts currency itself or through any of its affiliates, the depositary acts as principal for its own account and not as agent, advisor, broker or fiduciary on behalf of any other person and earns revenue, including, without limitation, transaction spreads, that it will retain for its own account. The revenue is based on, among other things, the difference between the exchange rate assigned to the currency conversion made under the deposit agreement and the rate that the depositary or its affiliate receives when buying or selling foreign currency for its own account. The depositary makes no representation that the exchange rate used or obtained by it or its affiliate in any currency conversion under the deposit agreement will be the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to ADS holders, subject to the depositary’s obligation to act without negligence or bad faith. The methodology used to determine exchange rates used in currency conversions made by the depositary is available upon request. Where the custodian converts currency, the custodian has no obligation to obtain the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or to ensure that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to ADS holders, and the depositary makes no representation that the rate is the most favorable rate and will not be liable for any direct or indirect losses associated with the rate. In certain instances, the depositary may receive dividends or other distributions from us in U.S. dollars that represent the proceeds of a conversion of foreign currency or translation from foreign currency at a rate that was obtained or determined by us and, in such cases, the depositary will not engage in, or be responsible for, any foreign currency transactions and neither it nor we make any representation that the rate obtained or determined by us is the most favorable rate and neither it nor we will be liable for any direct or indirect losses associated with the rate.
Payment of Taxes
You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental charges payable on your ADSs or on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs. The depositary may refuse to register any transfer of your ADSs or allow you to withdraw the deposited securities represented by your ADSs until such taxes or other charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell deposited securities represented by your ADSs to pay any taxes owed and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If the depositary sells deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs to reflect the sale and pay to ADS holders any proceeds, or send to ADS holders any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes.
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Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities
The depositary will not tender deposited securities in any voluntary tender or exchange offer unless instructed to do by an ADS holder surrendering ADSs and subject to any conditions or procedures the depositary may establish.
If deposited securities are redeemed for cash in a transaction that is mandatory for the depositary as a holder of deposited securities, the depositary will call for surrender of a corresponding number of ADSs and distribute the net redemption money to the holders of called ADSs upon surrender of those ADSs.
If there is any change in the deposited securities such as a subdivision, combination or other reclassification, or any merger, consolidation, recapitalization or reorganization affecting the issuer of deposited securities in which the depositary receives new securities in exchange for or in lieu of the old deposited securities, the depositary will hold those replacement securities as deposited securities under the deposit agreement. However, if the depositary decides it would not be lawful and to hold the replacement securities because those securities could not be distributed to ADS holders or for any other reason, the depositary may instead sell the replacement securities and distribute the net proceeds upon surrender of our ADSs.
If there is a replacement of the deposited securities and the depositary will continue to hold the replacement securities, the depositary may distribute new ADSs representing the new deposited securities or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited securities.
If there are no deposited securities underlying ADSs, including if the deposited securities are cancelled, or if the deposited securities underlying ADSs have become apparently worthless, the depositary may call for surrender of those ADSs or cancel those ADSs upon notice to the ADS holders.
Amendment and Termination
How may the deposit agreement be amended?
We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the ADRs without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges, except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, or prejudices a substantial right of ADS holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADSs until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADSs, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement as amended.
How may the deposit agreement be terminated?
The depositary will initiate termination of the deposit agreement if we instruct it to do so. The depositary may initiate termination of the deposit agreement if:
● | 60 days have passed since the depositary told us it wants to resign but a successor depositary has not been appointed and accepted its appointment; |
● | we delist our ordinary shares from an exchange in the United States on which they were listed and do not list the ADSs on another exchange in the United States or make arrangements for trading of ADSs on the U.S. over-the-counter market; |
● | we delist our shares from an exchange outstide the United States on which the were listed and do not list the shares on another exchange outside the United States; |
● | the depositary has reason to believe the ADSs have become, or will become, ineligible for registration on Form F-6 under the Securities Act of 1933; |
● | we appear to be insolvent or enter insolvency proceedings; |
● | all or substantially all the value of the deposited securities has been distributed either in cash or in the form of securities; |
● | there are no deposited securities underlying our ADSs or the underlying deposited securities have become apparently worthless; or |
● | there has been a replacement of deposited securities. |
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If the deposit agreement will terminate, the depositary will notify ADS holders at least 90 days before the termination date. At any time after the termination date, the depositary may sell the deposited securities. After that, the depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the deposit agreement, unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the ADS holders that have not surrendered their ADSs. Normally, the depositary will sell as soon as practicable after the termination date.
After the termination date and before the depositary sells, ADS holders can still surrender their ADSs and receive delivery of deposited securities, except that the depositary may refuse to accept a surrender for the purpose of withdrawing deposited securities, or reverse previously-accepted surrenders of that kind that have not settled, if it would interfere with the selling process. The depositary may refuse to accept a surrender for the purpose of withdrawing sale proceeds until all the deposited securities have been sold. The depositary will continue to collect distributions on deposited securities, but, after the termination date, the depositary is not required to register any transfer of ADSs or distribute any dividends or other distributions on deposited securities to our ADSs holder (until they surrender their ADSs) or give any notices or perform any other duties under the deposit agreement except as described in this paragraph.
Limitations on Obligations and Liability
Limits on our Obligations and the Obligations of the Depositary; Limits on Liability to Holders of ADSs
The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary. We and the depositary:
● | are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in the deposit agreement without negligence or bad faith, and the depositary will not be a fiduciary or have any fiduciary duty to holders of ADSs; |
● | are not liable if we are or it is prevented or delayed by law or by events or circumstances beyond our or its ability to prevent or counteract with reasonable care or effort from performing our or its obligations under the deposit agreement; |
● | are not liable if we exercise or it exercises discretion permitted under the deposit agreement; |
● | are not liable for the inability of any holder of ADSs to benefit from any distribution on deposited securities that is not made available to holders of ADSs under the terms of the deposit agreement, or for any special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement; |
● | have no obligation to become involved in a lawsuit or other proceeding related to our ADSs or the deposit agreement on your behalf or on behalf of any other person; |
● | may rely upon any documents we believe or it believes in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person; |
● | are not liable for the acts or omissions of any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system; and |
● | the depositary has no duty to make any determination or provide any information as to our tax status, or any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by ADS holders as a result of owning or holding ADSs or be liable for the inability or failure of an ADS holder to obtain the benefit of a foreign tax credit, reduced rate of withholding or refund of amounts withheld in respect of tax or any other tax benefit. |
In the deposit agreement, we and the depositary agree to indemnify each other under certain circumstances.
Requirements for Depositary Actions
Before the depositary will deliver or register a transfer of ADSs, make a distribution on ADSs, or permit withdrawal of shares, the depositary may require:
● | payment of stock transfer or other taxes or other governmental charges and transfer or registration fees charged by third parties for the transfer of any ordinary shares or other deposited securities; |
● | satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or other information it deems necessary; and |
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● | compliance with regulations it may establish, from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement, including presentation of transfer documents. |
The depositary may refuse to deliver ADSs or register transfers of ADSs when the transfer books of the depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the depositary or we think it advisable to do so.
Your Right to Receive the Ordinary Shares Underlying your ADSs
ADS holders have the right to cancel their ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares at any time except:
● | when temporary delays arise because: (i) the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books; (ii) the transfer of ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting; or (iii) we are paying a dividend on our shares; |
● | when you owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges; or |
● | when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of ordinary shares or other deposited securities. |
This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.
Jury Trial Waiver
The deposit agreement provides that, to the extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws. If we are the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable in the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with applicable case law.
You will not, by agreeing to the terms of the deposit agreement, be deemed to have waived our or the depositary’s compliance with U.S. federal securities laws or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Direct Registration System
In the deposit agreement, all parties to the deposit agreement acknowledge that the Direct Registration System, or DRS, and Profile Modification System, or Profile, will apply to our ADSs. DRS is a system administered by DTC that facilitates interchange between registered holding of uncertificated ADSs and holding of security entitlements in ADSs through DTC and a DTC participant. Profile is feature of DRSs that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of a registered holder of uncertificated ADSs, to direct the depositary to register a transfer of those ADSs to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those ADSs to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the depositary of prior authorization from the ADS holder to register that transfer.
In connection with and in accordance with the arrangements and procedures relating to DRS/Profile, the parties to the deposit agreement understand that the depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an ADS holder in requesting registration of transfer and delivery as described in the paragraph above has the actual authority to act on behalf of the ADS holder (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). In the deposit agreement, the parties agree that the depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the depositary through the DRS/Profile system and in accordance with the deposit agreement will not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the depositary.
Shareholder communications; inspection of register of holders of ADSs
The depositary will make available for your inspection at its office all communications that it receives from us as a holder of deposited securities that we make generally available to holders of deposited securities. The depositary will send you copies of those communications or otherwise make those communications available to you if we ask it to. You have a right to inspect the register of holders of ADSs, but not for the purpose of contacting those holders about a matter unrelated to our business or our ADSs.
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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Prior to this offering our ordinary shares have been traded only on the TASE. In connection with this offering, we have applied to have our ADSs listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “SVRE.”
Upon closing of this offering, we will have 12,139,832 outstanding ordinary shares (including those represented by ADSs), assuming the underwriters do not exercise their stock option to purchase additional ADSs. All of our ADSs sold in this offering will be freely transferable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act by persons other than by our affiliates. Under Rule 144, an “affiliate” of a company is a person that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by or is under common control with that company. Affiliates may sell only the volume of shares described below and their sales are subject to additional restrictions described below.
Sales of substantial amounts of our ordinary shares in the public market would adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ordinary shares and ADSs. Our ordinary shares will be held by our existing shareholders. Because substantially all of these shares were sold outside the United States to persons residing outside the United States at the time, and are currently traded on the TASE, they will continue to be freely tradable on TASE without restriction or further registration, except for the restrictions described below, and except for the lock-up restrictions described under “Underwriting” below.
Lock-up agreements
Pursuant to certain “lock-up” agreements, we and our executive officers and directors have agreed, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, and with respect to the holders of 5% or greater of our ordinary shares, for a period of 90 days from the date of this prospectus, not to engage in any of the following, whether directly or indirectly, without the Representative’s consent: offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, grant, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, our ordinary shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our ordinary shares, or the Lock-Up Securities; enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities; make any demand for or exercise any right or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any Lock-Up Securities; enter into any transaction, swap, hedge, or other arrangement relating to any Lock-Up Securities, subject to customary exceptions; or publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing.
Each of these agreements is subject to certain exceptions, as set forth in “Underwriting.”
Rule 144
Shares held for six months
In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, and subject to the terms of any lock-up agreement, commencing 90 days after the date of this prospectus, a person, including an affiliate, who has beneficially owned our ordinary shares (including ADSs representing our ordinary shares) for six months or more, including the holding period of any prior owner other than one of our affiliates (i.e., commencing when the shares were acquired from us or from an affiliate of us as restricted securities), is entitled to sell our shares, subject to the availability of current public information about us (which information will be deemed to be available as long as we continue to file required reports with the SEC). In the case of an affiliate shareholder, the right to sell is also subject to the fulfillment of certain additional conditions, including manner of sale provisions, notice requirements, and a volume limitation that limits the number of shares that may be sold thereby, within any three-month period, to the greater of:
● | 1% of the number of ordinary shares (including ADSs representing our ordinary shares) then outstanding; or |
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● | the average weekly trading volume of our ordinary shares (including ADSs representing our ordinary shares) on the Nasdaq Capital Market during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Rule 144 also provides that affiliates that sell our ordinary shares (including ADSs representing our ordinary shares) that are not restricted securities must nonetheless comply with the same restrictions applicable to restricted securities, other than the holding period requirement.
Shares held by non-affiliates for one year
Under Rule 144 as currently in effect, a person who is not considered to have been one of our affiliates at any time during the three months preceding a sale and who has beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least one year, including the holding period of any prior owner other than one of our affiliates, is entitled to sell his, her or its shares under Rule 144 without complying with the provisions relating to the availability of current public information or with any other conditions under Rule 144.
Rule 701
In general, under Rule 701 as currently in effect, each of our employees, consultants or advisors who purchases our securities from us in connection with a compensatory stock plan or other written agreement executed prior to the closing of this offering is eligible to resell such securities in reliance on Rule 144, but without compliance with some of the restrictions, as described below.
Rule 701 will apply to the stock options granted under our incentive plans prior to the closing of this offering, along with the shares acquired upon exercise of these stock options, including exercises after the closing of this offering. Securities issued in reliance on Rule 701 are restricted securities and may be sold beginning 90 days after the closing of this offering in reliance on Rule 144 by:
● | persons other than affiliates, without restriction; and |
● | affiliates, subject to the manner-of-sale, current public information and filing requirements of Rule 144, in each case, without compliance with the six-month holding period requirement of Rule 144. |
Regulation S
Regulation S under the Securities Act provides generally that sales made in offshore transactions (as that term is defined in Regulation S) are not subject to the registration or prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, provided that no directed selling efforts (as that term is defined in Regulation S) are made in the U.S., subject to certain other conditions. In general, this means that our common shares may be sold in some manner outside the U.S. without registration in the U.S. being required.
Form S-8 registration statements
Regulation S under the Securities Act provides generally that sales made in offshore transactions (as that term is defined in Regulation S) are not subject to the registration or prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, provided that no directed selling efforts (as that term is defined in Regulation S) are made in the U.S., subject to certain other conditions. In general, this means that our common shares may be sold in some manner outside the U.S. without registration in the U.S. being required.
Following the closing of this offering, we intend to file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register, in the aggregate, a number of ordinary shares equal to 100% of our outstanding ordinary shares following this offering, issued or reserved for issuance under our incentive plans. The registration statement on Form S-8 will become effective automatically upon filing. Ordinary shares issued upon exercise of a share option or other award and registered pursuant to the Form S-8 registration statement will, subject to vesting provisions and Rule 144 volume limitations applicable to our affiliates, be available for sale in the open market immediately unless they are subject to the 180-day lock-up or, if subject to the lock-up, immediately after the 180-day lock-up period expires.
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TAXATION AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
The following is a general summary of certain material Israeli and U.S. federal income tax considerations. The discussion is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, legal or tax advice to any particular shareholder or prospective shareholder. The discussion is based on laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change or different interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect.
Israeli tax considerations and government programs
The following is a summary of the current tax regime in the State of Israel, which applies to us and to persons who hold our ordinary shares or ADSs.
This summary does not discuss all the aspects of Israeli tax law that may be relevant to a particular investor in light of his or her personal investment circumstances or to some types of investors subject to special treatment under Israeli law. Examples of this kind of investor include traders in securities or persons who do not hold our ordinary shares or ADSs as a capital asset. Some parts of this discussion are based on a new tax legislation which has not been subject to judicial or administrative interpretation. The discussion should not be construed as legal or professional tax advice and does not cover all possible tax considerations.
HOLDERS AND POTENTIAL INVESTORS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE ISRAELI OR OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs, INCLUDING, IN PARTICULAR, THE EFFECT OF ANY FOREIGN, STATE OR LOCAL TAXES.
General corporate tax structure in Israel
Israeli resident companies are generally subject to corporate tax on both ordinary income and capital gains, currently at the rate of 23% of a company’s taxable income. Capital gains derived by an Israeli resident company are subject to tax at the prevailing corporate tax rate. Under Israeli tax law, a corporation will be considered as an “Israeli resident” if it meets one of the following: (a) it was incorporated in Israel; or (b) the control and management of its business are operated from Israel.
Taxation of our shareholders
Capital gains
Capital gains tax is imposed on the disposal of capital assets by an Israeli resident, and on the disposal of capital assets by a non-resident of Israel if those assets (i) are located in Israel, (ii) are shares or a right to shares in an Israeli resident corporation, (iii) represent, directly or indirectly, rights to assets located in Israel, unless a tax treaty between Israel and the seller’s country of residence provides otherwise, or (iv) a right in a foreign resident corporation, which in its essence is the owner of a direct or indirect right to property located in Israel (with respect to the portion of the gain attributed to the property located in Israel). The Israeli tax law (“ITL”) distinguishes between “Real Gain” and “Inflationary Surplus.” Real Gain is the excess of the total capital gain over Inflationary Surplus. The Inflationary Surplus is a portion of the total capital gain which is equivalent to the increase of the relevant asset’s price that is attributable to the increase in the Israeli consumer price index or, in certain circumstances, a foreign currency exchange rate, between the date of purchase and the date of sale. Inflationary Surplus is not subject to tax in Israel under certain conditions.
Real Gain accrued by individuals on the sale of our ordinary shares or ADSs will be taxed at the rate of up to 25%. However, if the individual shareholder is a “Substantial Shareholder” (i.e., a person who holds, directly or indirectly, alone or together with another, 10% or more of one of the Israeli resident company’s means of control) at the time of sale or at any time during the preceding 12-month period, such gain will be taxed at the rate of 30%. In addition, capital gains generated by an individual claiming deduction of financing expenses in respect of such gain will be taxed at the rate of up to 30%. In addition, capital gains generated by an individual claiming deduction of financing expenses in respect of such gain will be taxed at the rate of up to 30%. Real Capital Gain derived by corporations will be generally subject to a corporate tax rate of 23% (in 2021).
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Individual (that the income in his hands from the sale of the securities is in the form of income from a “business”) and corporate shareholders dealing in securities in Israel are taxed at the tax rates applicable to business income in 2021, a tax rate of 23% for corporations and a marginal tax rate of up to 47% for individuals. In addition, a 3% excess tax is levied on individuals whose total taxable income in Israel in 2021 exceeds NIS 647,640 (approximately $199,000). To the extent that the securities registered according to the shelf offer report are deleted from trading on the stock exchange, the tax rate to be deducted at source at the time of sale (after deletion) will be at a rate of thirty percent (30%), As long as no approval has been issued by the Assessing Officer instructing the rate of tax deduction at another source, including exemption from withholding tax.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, capital gain derived from the sale of our ordinary shares or ADSs by a shareholder who is a non-resident of Israel may be exempt from Israeli taxation, provided that all of the following conditions are met: (i) the ordinary shares or ADSs were purchased upon or after the listing of the securities on the stock exchange, (ii) the seller does not have a permanent establishment in Israel to which the derived capital gain is attributable, (iii) if the seller is a corporation, no more than 25% of its means of control are held, directly and indirectly, by shareholders who are Israeli residents, and (iv) if the seller is a corporation, there are no Israeli residents that are directly or indirectly entitled to 25% or more of the revenues or profits of the corporation. In addition, the sale of ordinary shares or ADSs may be exempt from Israeli capital gains tax under the provisions of an applicable tax treaty. For example, the U.S.-Israel Tax Treaty, or the Treaty, generally exempts U.S. residents from Israeli capital gains tax in connection with such sale, provided (i) the U.S. treaty resident did not own, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the Israeli resident company’s voting power at any time within the 12-month period preceding such sale; (ii) the seller, if an individual, is present in Israel for less than 183 days during the taxable year; and (iii) the capital gain from the sale was not derived through a permanent establishment of the U.S. resident in Israel. However, under the United States-Israel Tax Treaty, a Treaty U.S. Resident may be permitted to claim a credit for the Israeli tax against the U.S. federal income tax imposed with respect to the sale, exchange or disposition of the shares, subject to the limitations under U.S. laws applicable to foreign tax credits. The United States-Israel Tax Treaty does not provide such credit against any U.S. state or local taxes.
Upon the sale of securities, the purchaser, the Israeli stockbroker or the Israeli financial institution through which the shares are held is obligated, subject to the above exemptions, to withhold tax from the Real Gain at the rate of 25% or 23% in respect of an individual or corporation, respectively.
Upon the sale of securities traded on a stock exchange, a detailed return, including a computation of the tax due, must be filed and an advance payment must be made on January 31 and July 31 of every tax year, in respect of sales of securities made within the previous six months by Israeli residents for whom tax has not already been deducted. However, if all tax due was withheld at source according to applicable provisions of the ITO and the regulations promulgated thereunder, there is no need to file a return and no advance payment must be paid. Capital gains are also reportable on the annual income tax return.
Regardless of whether non-Israeli shareholders may be liable for Israeli capital gains tax on the sale of our ordinary shares or ADSs, the payment of the consideration for such sale may be subject to withholding of Israeli tax at source and holders of our ordinary shares may be required to demonstrate that they are exempt from tax on their capital gains in order to avoid withholding at source at the time of sale. Specifically, the Israel Tax Authority may require shareholders who are not liable for Israeli capital gains tax on such a sale to sign declarations in forms specified by the Israel Tax Authority, provide documentation (including, for example, a certificate of residency) or obtain a specific exemption from the Israel Tax Authority confirming their status as non-Israeli residents (and, in the absence of such declarations or exemptions, the Israel Tax Authority may require the purchaser of the shares to withhold tax at source).
Dividends
A shareholder who is an Israeli resident individual generally will be subject to income tax at a rate of 25% on dividends we pay. However, a 30% tax rate will apply if the dividend recipient is a Substantial Shareholder, as defined above, at the time of distribution or at any time during the preceding 12 month period. If the recipient of the dividend is an Israeli resident corporation, such dividend generally will not be included in the company’s taxable income, provided that the source of the dividend is income that was derived or accrued within Israel.
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Dividends distributed by an Israeli resident company to a non-resident of Israel (either individual or corporation) are generally subject to tax at the rate of 25% (30% if the dividend recipient is a Substantial Shareholder at the time of distribution or at any time during the preceding 12-month period). These rates may be reduced under the provisions of an applicable tax treaty. Under the Treaty, the following tax rates will apply in respect of dividends distributed by an Israeli resident company to a U.S. resident: (i) if, during that portion of the taxable year which precedes the payment of the dividend and during the whole of its prior taxable year (if any), the U.S. resident is a corporation that holds at least 10% of the outstanding voting shares of the Israeli corporation and not more than 25% of the gross income of the Israeli corporation for such prior taxable year (if any) consists of certain types of interest or dividends, the tax rate is 12.5%; (ii) if both the conditions mentioned in section (i) above are met and the dividend is paid from an Israeli resident company’s income that was entitled to a reduced tax rate applicable to a Benefited or Privileged Enterprise under the Encouragement Law the tax rate is 15%; and (iii) in all other cases, the tax rate is 25%. The reduced rates under the Treaty will not apply if the dividend income is attributable to a permanent establishment of the U.S. treaty resident in Israel. We are obligated to withhold tax upon the distribution of dividends.
Surtax
Subject to the provisions of an applicable tax treaty, individuals who are subject to income tax in Israel (whether any such individual is an Israeli resident or non-Israeli resident) are also subject to an additional tax at a rate of 3% on annual income (including, but not limited to, income derived from dividends, interest and capital gains) exceeding NIS 647,640 (approximately $199,000) for 2021, which amount is linked to the annual change in the Israeli consumer price index.
Foreign exchange regulations
Non-residents of Israel who hold our ordinary shares or ADSs are able to receive any dividends, and any amounts payable upon the dissolution, liquidation and winding up of our affairs, in non-Israeli currency at the prevailing rate of exchange. However, Israeli income tax is generally required to have been paid or withheld on these amounts. In addition, the statutory framework for the potential imposition of currency exchange control has not been eliminated, and these controls may be restored at any time by administrative action.
Estate and gift tax
Israeli law presently does not impose estate or gift taxes.
Material United States federal income tax considerations
The following discussion describes material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of shares or ADSs by a U.S. Holder (as defined below) that acquires our shares or ADSs in this offering and holds them as a capital asset. This discussion is based on the tax laws of the United States, including the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, Treasury regulations promulgated or proposed thereunder, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as in effect on the date hereof. These tax laws are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, and subject to differing interpretations that could affect the tax consequences described herein. In addition, this section is based in part upon the representations of the depositary and the assumption that each obligation in the deposit agreement and any related agreements will be performed in accordance with its terms. This discussion does not address the tax consequences to a U.S. Holder under the laws of any state, local or foreign taxing jurisdiction.
For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our shares or ADSs that, for United States federal income tax purposes, is:
● | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, |
● | a domestic corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation); |
● | an estate the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
● | a trust if (1) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) a valid election under the Treasury regulations is in effect for the trust to be treated as a United States person. |
A “Non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our ordinary shares or ADSs that is neither a U.S. Holder nor a partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes).
This discussion does not address all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be applicable to U.S. Holders in light of their particular circumstances or status (including, for example, banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies, broker and dealers in securities or currencies, traders that have elected to mark securities to market, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, partnerships or other pass-through entities, corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax, tax-exempt organizations, pension plans, persons that hold our shares as part of a straddle, hedge or other integrated investment, persons subject to alternative minimum tax or whose “functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar).
If a partnership (including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) holds our shares or ADSs, the tax treatment of a person treated as a partner in the partnership for United States federal income tax purposes generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships (and other entities or arrangements so treated for United States federal income tax purposes) and their partners should consult their own tax advisors.
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In general, and taking into account the earlier assumptions, for United States federal income and Israeli tax purposes, a holder that holds ADRs evidencing ADSs will be treated as the owner of the shares represented by those ADRs. Exchanges of shares for ADRs, and ADRs for shares, generally will not be subject to United States federal income or to Israeli tax.
This discussion addresses only U.S. Holders and does not discuss any tax considerations other than United States federal income tax considerations. Prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the United States federal, state, and local, and foreign tax consequences of the purchase, ownership, and disposition of our shares or ADSs.
Dividends
We do not expect to make any distribution with respect to our shares or ADSs. However, if we make any such distribution, under the United States federal income tax laws, and subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, the gross amount of any dividend we pay out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined for United States federal income tax purposes) will be includible in income for a U.S. Holder and subject to United States federal income taxation. Dividends paid to a noncorporate U.S. Holder that constitute qualified dividend income will be taxable at a preferential tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains of, currently, 20 percent, provided that the U.S. Holder holds the shares or ADSs for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date and meets other holding period requirements. If we are treated as a PFIC, dividends paid to a U.S. Holder will not be treated as qualified dividend income. If we are not treated as a PFIC, dividends we pay with respect to the shares or ADSs generally will be qualified dividend income, provided that the holding period requirements are satisfied by the U.S. Holder.
A U.S. Holder must include any Israeli tax withheld from the dividend payment in the gross amount of the dividend even though the holder does not in fact receive it. The dividend is taxable to the holder when the holder, in the case of shares, or the Depositary, in the case of ADSs, receives the dividend, actually or constructively. Because we are not a United States corporation, the dividend will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to United States corporations in respect of dividends received from other United States corporations. The amount of the dividend distribution includible in a U.S. Holder’s income will be the U.S. dollar value of the NIS payments made, determined at the spot NIS/U.S. dollar rate on the date the dividend distribution is includible in income, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. Generally, any gain or loss resulting from currency exchange fluctuations during the period from the date the dividend payment is included in income to the date the payment is converted into U.S. dollars will be treated as ordinary income or loss and will not be eligible for the special tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income. The gain or loss generally will be income or loss from sources within the United States for foreign tax credit limitation purposes.
Dividends paid with respect to our ordinary shares or ADSs will be treated as foreign source income, which may be relevant in calculating the holder’s foreign tax credit limitation. The limitation on foreign taxes eligible for credit is calculated separately with respect to specific classes of income. For this purpose, dividends that we distribute generally should constitute “passive category income,” or, in the case of certain U.S. Holders, “general category income.” A foreign tax credit for foreign taxes imposed on distributions may be denied if holders do not satisfy certain minimum holding period requirements. The rules relating to the determination of the foreign tax credit are complex, and you should consult your tax advisor to determine whether and to what extent you will be entitled to this credit.
To the extent a distribution with respect to our shares or ADSs exceeds our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles, the distribution will be treated, first, as a tax-free return of the U.S. Holder’s investment, up to the holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares or ADSs, and, thereafter, as capital gain, which is subject to the tax treatment described below in “—Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition.”
Subject to certain limitations, the Israeli tax withheld in accordance with the Treaty and paid over to Israel will be creditable or deductible against a U.S. Holder’s United States federal income tax liability.
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Subject to the discussion below under “Information reporting and backup withholding,” if you are a Non-U.S. Holder, you generally will not be subject to United States federal income (or withholding) tax on dividends received by you on your ordinary shares or ADSs, unless you conduct a trade or business in the United States and such income is effectively connected with that trade or business (or, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the dividends are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).
Gain on sale, exchange or other taxable disposition
Subject to the PFIC rules described below under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations,” a U.S. Holder that sells, exchanges or otherwise disposes of shares or ADSs in a taxable disposition generally will recognize capital gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes equal to the difference between the U.S. Dollar value of the amount realized and the holder’s tax basis, determined in U.S. Dollars, in the shares or ADSs. Gain or loss recognized on such a sale, exchange or other disposition of shares or ADSs generally will be long-term capital gain if the U.S. Holder’s holding period in the shares or ADSs exceeds one year. Long-term capital gains of non-corporate U.S. Holders are generally taxed at preferential rates. The gain or loss generally will be income or loss from sources within the United States for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. A U.S. Holder’s ability to deduct capital losses is subject to limitations.
Subject to the discussion below under “Information reporting and backup withholding,” if you are a Non-U.S. Holder, you generally will not be subject to United States federal income or withholding tax on any gain realized on the sale or exchange of such ordinary shares unless:
● | such gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States (or, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the gain is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States); or |
● | you are an individual and have been present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of such sale or exchange and certain other conditions are met. |
For a cash basis taxpayer, units of foreign currency paid or received are translated into U.S. dollars at the spot rate on the settlement date of the purchase or sale. In that case, no foreign currency exchange gain or loss will result from currency fluctuations between the trade date and the settlement date of such a purchase or sale. An accrual basis taxpayer, however, may elect the same treatment required of cash basis taxpayers with respect to purchases and sales of our ordinary shares or ADSs that are traded on an established securities market, provided the election is applied consistently from year to year. Such election may not be changed without the consent of the IRS. An accrual basis taxpayer who does not make such election may recognize exchange gain or loss based on currency fluctuations between the trade date and the settlement date. Any foreign currency gain or loss a U.S. Holder realizes will be U.S. source ordinary income or loss.
The determination of whether our ADSs or ordinary shares are traded on an established securities market is not entirely clear under current U.S. federal income tax law. Please consult your tax advisor regarding the proper treatment of foreign currency gains or losses with respect to a sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares or ADSs.
Passive foreign investment company considerations
If we were classified as a PFIC in any taxable year, a U.S. Holder would be subject to special rules with respect to distributions on and sales, exchanges and other dispositions of the shares or ADSs. We will be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year in which at least 75 percent of our gross income is “passive income” or at least 50 percent of our gross assets during the taxable year, assuming we were not a controlled foreign corporation for the year being tested, based on the average of the fair market values of the assets determined at the end of each quarterly period, are assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. Passive income for this purpose generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents, royalties, gains from commodities and securities transactions, and gains from assets that produce passive income. However, rents and royalties received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business are not considered passive income for purposes of the PFIC test. In determining whether we are a PFIC, a pro rata portion of the income and assets of each corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, at least a 25% interest (by value) is taken into account.
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Excess distribution rules
If we were a PFIC with respect to a U.S. Holder, then unless the holder makes one of the elections described below, a special tax regime would apply to the U.S. Holder with respect to (a) any “excess distribution” (generally, aggregate distributions in any year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distribution received by the holder in the shorter of the three preceding years or the holder’s holding period for the shares or ADSs) and (b) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the shares or ADSs. Under this regime, any excess distribution and realized gain will be treated as ordinary income and will be subject to tax as if (a) the excess distribution or gain had been realized ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period, (b) the amount deemed realized in each year had been subject to tax in each year of that holding period at the highest marginal rate for such year (other than income allocated to the current period or any taxable period before we became a PFIC, which would be subject to tax at the U.S. Holder’s regular ordinary income rate for the current year and would not be subject to the interest charge discussed below), and (c) the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax had been imposed on the taxes deemed to have been payable in those years.. In addition, dividend distributions would not qualify for the lower rates of taxation applicable to long-term capital gains discussed above under “Dividends”.
A U.S. Holder that holds the shares or ADSs at any time during a taxable year in which we are classified as a PFIC generally will continue to treat such shares or ADSs as shares or ADSs in a PFIC, even if we no longer satisfy the income and asset tests described above, unless the U.S. Holder elects to recognize gain, which will be taxed under the excess distribution rules as if such shares or ADSs had been sold on the last day of the last taxable year for which we were a PFIC.
Certain elections by a U.S. Holder would alleviate some of the adverse consequences of PFIC status and would result in an alternative treatment of the shares or ADSs, as described below. However, we do not currently intend to provide the information necessary for U.S. Holders to make “QEF elections,” as described below, and the availability of a “mark-to-market election” with respect to the shares or ADSs is a factual determination that will depend on the manner and quantity of trading of our shares or ADSs, as described below.
QEF election
If we were a PFIC, the rules above would not apply to a U.S. Holder that makes an election to treat our shares or ADSs as stock of a “QEF. A U.S. Holder that makes a QEF election is required to include in income its pro rata share of our ordinary earnings and net capital gain as ordinary income and long-term capital gain, respectively, subject to a separate election to defer payment of taxes, which deferral is subject to an interest charge. A U.S. Holder makes a QEF election generally by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 to a timely filed United States federal income tax return for the year beginning with which the QEF election is to be effective (taking into account any extensions). A QEF election can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. In order for a U.S. Holder to make a valid QEF election, we must annually provide or make available to the holder certain information. We do not intend to provide to U.S. Holders the information required to make a valid QEF election and we currently make no undertaking to provide such information.
Mark-to-market election
If we were a PFIC, the rules above also would not apply to a U.S. Holder that makes a “mark-to-market” election with respect to the shares or ADSs, but this election will be available with respect to the shares or ADSs only if they meet certain minimum trading requirements to be considered “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules. Shares or ADSs will be marketable stock if they are regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the SEC or on a non-U.S. exchange or market that meets certain requirements under the Treasury regulations. Shares or ADSs generally will be considered regularly traded during any calendar year during which they are traded, other than in de minimis quantities, on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter. Any trades that have as their principal purpose meeting this requirement will be disregarded.
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A U.S. Holder that makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first tax year in which the holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our shares or ADSs and for which we are a PFIC will be required to include each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of such shares or ADSs the holder owns as of the close of the taxable year over the holder’s adjusted tax basis in such shares or ADSs. The U.S. Holder will be entitled to a deduction for the excess, if any, of the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares or ADSs over the fair market value of such shares or ADSs as of the close of the taxable year, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains with respect to such shares or ADSs included by the U.S. Holder under the election for prior taxable years. The U.S. Holder’s basis in such shares or ADSs will be adjusted to reflect the amounts included or deducted pursuant to the election. Amounts included in income pursuant to a mark-to-market election, as well as gain on the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of such shares or ADSs, will be treated as ordinary income. The deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss, as well as loss on a sale, exchange or other disposition of our shares or ADSs to the extent that the amount of such loss does not exceed net mark-to-market gains previously included in income, will be treated as ordinary loss.
The mark-to-market election applies to the taxable year for which the election is made and all subsequent taxable years, unless the shares cease to be treated as marketable stock for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consents to its revocation. The excess distribution rules described above generally will not apply to a U.S. Holder for tax years for which a mark-to-market election is in effect. However, if we were a PFIC for any year in which the U.S. Holder owns the shares or ADSs but before a mark-to-market election is made, the interest charge rules described above would apply to any mark-to-market gain recognized in the year the election is made.
PFIC reporting obligations
A U.S. Holder of PFIC shares must generally file an annual information return on IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund) containing such information as the U.S. Treasury Department may require. The failure to file IRS Form 8621 could result in the imposition of penalties and the extension of the statute of limitations with respect to U.S. federal income tax.
U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to our status as a PFIC, and the tax consequences to them if we were a PFIC, including the reporting requirements and the desirability of making, and the availability of, a QEF election or a mark-to-market election with respect to the shares or ADSs.
Medicare tax
Non-corporate U.S. Holders that are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds generally are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their net investment income, which may include their gross dividend income and net gains from the disposition of shares or ADSs. A United States person that is an individual, estate or trust is encouraged to consult its tax advisors regarding the applicability of this Medicare tax to its income and gains in respect of any investment in our shares or ADSs.
Information reporting with respect to foreign financial assets
Individual U.S. Holders may be subject to certain reporting obligations on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Asset) with respect to the shares or ADSs for any taxable year during which the U.S. Holder’s aggregate value of these and certain other “specified foreign financial assets” exceed a threshold amount that varies with the filing status of the individual. This reporting obligation also applies to domestic entities formed or availed of to hold, directly or indirectly, specified foreign financial assets, including the shares or ADSs. Significant penalties can apply if U.S. Holders are required to make this disclosure and fail to do so.
Information reporting and backup withholding
In general, information reporting, on IRS Form 1099, will apply to dividends in respect of shares or ADSs and the proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of shares of ADSs that are paid to a holder of shares or ADSs within the United States (and in certain cases, outside the United States), unless such holder is an exempt recipient such as a corporation. Backup withholding (currently at a 24% rate) may apply to such payments if a holder of shares or ADSs fails to provide a taxpayer identification number (generally on an IRS Form W-9) or certification of other exempt status or fails to report in full dividend and interest income.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. A U.S. Holder generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules that exceed the U.S. Holder’s income tax liability by filing a refund claim with the IRS.
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ThinkEquity LLC is acting as the representative of the underwriter of the offering. We have entered into an underwriting agreement dated , 2022 with the representative. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to sell to each underwriter named below, and each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, at the public offering price less the underwriting discount set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, the number of ADSs listed next to its name in the following table:
Underwriter | Number
of ADSs | |||
ThinkEquity LLC | ||||
Total |
The underwriter is committed to purchase all our ADSs offered by the Company, other than those covered by the over-allotment option to purchase additional ADSs described below. The obligations of the underwriter may be terminated upon the occurrence of certain events specified in the underwriting agreement. Furthermore, the underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriter to pay for and accept delivery of our ADSs offered by us in this prospectus are subject to various representations and warranties and other customary conditions specified in the underwriting agreement, such as receipt by the underwriter of officers’ certificates and legal opinions.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make in respect thereof.
The underwriter is offering our ADSs subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by it, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel and other conditions specified in the underwriting agreement. The underwriter reserves the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.
We have granted the underwriter an over-allotment option. This option, which is exercisable for up to 45 days after the date of this prospectus, permits the underwriter to purchase up to an aggregate of 207,756 additional ADSs (equal to 15% of the total number of ADSs sold in this offering) at the public offering price per share, less underwriting discounts and commissions, solely to cover over-allotments, if any. If the underwriter exercises this option in whole or in part, then the underwriter will be committed, subject to the conditions described in the underwriting agreement, to purchase the additional ADSs in proportion to its respective commitments set forth in the prior table.
Discounts, Commissions and Reimbursement
The representative has advised us that the underwriter proposes to offer our ADSs to the public at the initial public offering price per share set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The underwriter may offer ADSs to securities dealers at that price less a concession of not more than $ per ADS of which up to $ per ADS may be reallowed to other dealers. After the initial offering to the public, the public offering price and other selling terms may be changed by the representative.
The following table summarizes the underwriting discounts and commissions and proceeds, before expenses, to us assuming both no exercise and full exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option:
Total | ||||||||||||
Per ADS | Without Option | With
Option | ||||||||||
Public offering price | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions (%) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | $ | $ | $ |
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We have agreed to pay an expense deposit of $40,000 to (or on behalf of) the representative, which will be applied against the actual out-of-pocket accountable expenses that will be paid by us to the underwriter in connection with this offering, and will be reimbursed to us to the extent not incurred.
In addition, we have also agreed to pay the following expenses of the underwriter relating to the offering: (a) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to background checks of our officers and directors in an amount not to exceed $15,000 in the aggregate; (b) all filing fees and communication expenses associated with the review of this offering by FINRA; (c) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration, qualification or exemption of the securities offered under the securities laws of foreign jurisdictions designated by the underwriter, including the reasonable fees and expenses of the underwriter’s blue sky counsel; (d) $29,500 for the underwriter’s use of Ipreo’s book-building, prospectus tracking and compliance software for this offering; (e) the fees and expenses of the representative’s legal counsel incurred in connection with this offering in an amount up to $125,000; (f) up to $10,000 of the representative’s actual accountable road show expenses for the offering and (g) $10,000 for data services and communications expenses; and (h) the costs associated with preparing bound volumes of the public offering materials and any commemorative mementos or lucite tombstones for the offering in an amount not to exceed $3,000.
The representative’s reimbursement of reasonable out of pocket accountable expenses shall not exceed $200,000 in aggregate.
We estimate the expenses of this offering payable by us, not including underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $600,000.
Representative’s Warrants
Upon the closing of this offering, we have agreed to issue to the representative as compensation the Representative’s Warrants, to purchase a number of ADSs equal to 5% of the total number of ADSs sold in this public offering. The Representative’s Warrants will be exercisable at a per share exercise price equal to 125% of the public offering price per ADS sold in this offering. We are registering hereby the ordinary shares underlying our ADSs issuable upon exercise of the Representative’s Warrants. The Representative’s Warrants are exercisable at any time and from time to time, in whole or in part, during the four and one-half year period commencing six months from the deemed effective date of the registration statement related to this offering.
The Representative’s Warrants and our ADSs underlying the Representative’s Warrants have been deemed compensation by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA. The representative, or permitted assignees under such rule, may not sell, transfer, assign, pledge, or hypothecate the Representative’s Warrants or the securities underlying the Representative’s Warrants, nor will the representative engage in any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the Representative’s Warrants or the underlying ADSs for a period of 180 days from the deemed effective date of the registration statement. In addition, the Representative’s Warrants provide for registration rights upon request, in certain cases. The one-time demand registration right provided will not be greater than five years from the effective date of this offering in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(G)(iv) and FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(B). The piggyback registration right provided will not be greater than five years from the effective date of this offering in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(G)(v). Additionally, the Representative’s Warrants may not be sold transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a 180-day period following the deemed effective date of the registration statement except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners. The Representative’s Warrants will provide for adjustment in the number and price of the Representative’s Warrants and our ADSs underlying such Representative’s Warrants in the event of recapitalization, merger, stock split or other structural transaction, or a future financing undertaken by us.
Right of First Refusal
We have agreed to grant the representative, for the eighteen-month period following the effective date of the registration statement related to this offering, an irrevocable right of first refusal to act as sole investment banker, sole book-runner and/or sole placement agent in the United States, at the representative sole discretion, for each and every future public and private equity and debt offerings for the Company in the United States, or any successor to or any subsidiary of the Company, including all equity linked financings, on terms customary to the representative. The representative shall have the sole right to determine whether or not any other broker-dealer shall have the right to participate in any such offering and the economic terms of any such participation. The representative will not have more than one opportunity to waive or terminate the right of first refusal in consideration of any payment or fee.
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Lock-Up Agreements
Pursuant to certain “lock-up” agreements, we and our executive officers and directors have agreed, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, and with respect to the holders of 5% or greater of our ordinary shares, for a period of 90 days from the date of this prospectus, not to engage in any of the following, whether directly or indirectly, without the Representative’s consent: offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, grant, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, our Lock-Up Securities; enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities; make any demand for or exercise any right or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any Lock-Up Securities; enter into any transaction, swap, hedge, or other arrangement relating to any Lock-Up Securities, subject to customary exceptions; or publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing.
Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Securities
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by one or more of the underwriter or selling group members. The representative may agree to allocate a number of securities to underwriter and selling group members for sale to its online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriter and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on these websites is not part of, nor incorporated by reference into, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved or endorsed by us, and should not be relied upon by investors.
Stabilization
In connection with this offering, the underwriter may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate-covering transactions, penalty bids and purchases to cover positions created by short sales.
Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase ADSs so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum, and are engaged in for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our ADSs while the offering is in progress.
Over-allotment transactions involve sales by the underwriter of ADSs in excess of the number of ADSs or the underwriter are obligated to purchase. This creates a syndicate short position which may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of ADSs over-allotted by the underwriter is not greater than the number of ADSs that they may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of ADSs involved is greater than the number of ADSs in the over-allotment option. The underwriter may close out any short position by exercising their over-allotment option and/or purchasing ADSs in the open market.
Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of ADSs in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of ADSs to close out the short position, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of ADSs available for purchase in the open market as compared with the price at which they may purchase ADSs through exercise of the over-allotment option. If the underwriter sells more securities than could be covered by exercise of the over-allotment option and, therefore, have a naked short position, the position can be closed out only by buying ADSs in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that after pricing there could be downward pressure on the price of our ADSs in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.
Penalty bids permit the representative to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when our ADSs originally sold by that syndicate member are purchased in stabilizing or syndicate covering transactions to cover syndicate short positions.
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our ADSs or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our ADSs. As a result, the price of our ADSs in the open market may be higher than it would otherwise be in the absence of these transactions. Neither we nor the underwriter make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our ADSs. These transactions may be effected on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
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Other Relationships
Certain of the underwriter and their affiliates may in the future provide various investment banking, commercial banking and other financial services for us and our affiliates for which they may in the future receive customary fees.
Offer restrictions outside the United States
Other than in the United States, no action has been taken by us or the underwriter that would permit a public offering of the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The securities offered by this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such securities be distributed or published in any jurisdiction, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus comes are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to the offering and the distribution of this prospectus. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or a solicitation is unlawful.
Australia
This prospectus is not a disclosure document under Chapter 6D of the Australian Corporations Act, has not been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and does not purport to include the information required of a disclosure document under Chapter 6D of the Australian Corporations Act. Accordingly, (i) the offer of the securities under this prospectus is only made to persons to whom it is lawful to offer the securities without disclosure under Chapter 6D of the Australian Corporations Act under one or more exemptions set out in section 708 of the Australian Corporations Act, (ii) this prospectus is made available in Australia only to those persons as set forth in clause (i) above, and (iii) the offeree must be sent a notice stating in substance that by accepting this offer, the offeree represents that the offeree is such a person as set forth in clause (i) above, and, unless permitted under the Australian Corporations Act, agrees not to sell or offer for sale within Australia any of the securities sold to the offeree within 12 months after its transfer to the offeree under this prospectus.
China
The information in this document does not constitute a public offer of the securities, whether by way of sale or subscription, in the People’s Republic of China (excluding, for purposes of this paragraph, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan). The securities may not be offered or sold directly or indirectly in the PRC to legal or natural persons other than directly to “qualified domestic institutional investors.”
European Economic Area—Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Netherlands
The information in this document has been prepared on the basis that all offers of securities will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Directive 2003/71/EC, or the Prospectus Directive, as implemented in Member States of the European Economic Area, or each, a Relevant Member State, from the requirement to produce a prospectus for offers of securities.
An offer to the public of securities has not been made, and may not be made, in a Relevant Member State except pursuant to one of the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive as implemented in that Relevant Member State:
● | to legal entities that are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities; |
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● | to any legal entity that has two or more of (i) an average of at least 250 employees during its last fiscal year; (ii) a total balance sheet of more than €43,000,000 (as shown on its last annual unconsolidated or consolidated financial statements) and (iii) an annual net turnover of more than €50,000,000 (as shown on its last annual unconsolidated or consolidated financial statements); |
● | to fewer than 100 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the Company or any underwriter for any such offer; or |
● | in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, provided that no such offer of securities shall result in a requirement for the publication by the Company of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive. |
France
This document is not being distributed in the context of a public offering of financial securities (offre au public de titres financiers) in France within the meaning of Article L.411-1 of the French Monetary and Financial Code (Code Monétaire et Financier) and Articles 211-1 et seq. of the General Regulation of the French Autorité des marchés financiers, or AMF. The securities have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France.
This document and any other offering material relating to the securities have not been, and will not be, submitted to the AMF for approval in France and, accordingly, may not be distributed or caused to distributed, directly or indirectly, to the public in France.
Such offers, sales and distributions have been and shall only be made in France to (i) qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) acting for their own account, as defined in and in accordance with Articles L.411-2-II-2° and D.411-1 to D.411-3, D.744-1, D.754-1; and D.764-1 of the French Monetary and Financial Code and any implementing regulation and/or (ii) a restricted number of non-qualified investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs) acting for their own account, as defined in and in accordance with Articles L.411-2-II-2° and D.411-4, D.744-1, D.754-1; and D.764-1 of the French Monetary and Financial Code and any implementing regulation.
Pursuant to Article 211-3 of the General Regulation of the AMF, investors in France are informed that the securities cannot be distributed (directly or indirectly) to the public by the investors otherwise than in accordance with Articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 to L.621-8-3 of the French Monetary and Financial Code.
Ireland
The information in this document does not constitute a prospectus under any Irish laws or regulations and this document has not been filed with or approved by any Irish regulatory authority as the information has not been prepared in the context of a public offering of securities in Ireland within the meaning of the Irish Prospectus (Directive 2003/71/EC) Regulations 2005, or the Prospectus Regulations. The securities have not been offered or sold, and will not be offered, sold or delivered directly or indirectly in Ireland by way of a public offering, except to (i) qualified investors as defined in Regulation 2(l) of the Prospectus Regulations and (ii) fewer than 100 natural or legal persons who are not qualified investors.
Israel
The securities offered by this prospectus has not been approved or disapproved by the Israeli Securities Authority, or ISA, nor have such securities been registered for sale in Israel. The shares may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in Israel, absent the publication of a prospectus. The ISA has not issued permits, approvals or licenses in connection with the offering or publishing the prospectus; nor has it authenticated the details included herein, confirmed their reliability or completeness, or rendered an opinion as to the quality of the securities being offered. Any resale in Israel, directly or indirectly, to the public of the securities offered by this prospectus is subject to restrictions on transferability and must be effected only in compliance with the Israeli securities laws and regulations.
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Italy
The offering of the securities in the Republic of Italy has not been authorized by the Italian Securities and Exchange Commission (Commissione Nazionale per le Societ—$$—Aga e la Borsa, “CONSOB” pursuant to the Italian securities legislation and, accordingly, no offering material relating to the securities may be distributed in Italy and such securities may not be offered or sold in Italy in a public offer within the meaning of Article 1.1(t) of Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998, or Decree No. 58, other than:
● | to Italian qualified investors, as defined in Article 100 of Decree no.58 by reference to Article 34-ter of CONSOB Regulation no. 11971 of 14 May 1999, or Regulation no. 1197l as amended, or Qualified Investors; and |
● | in other circumstances that are exempt from the rules on public offer pursuant to Article 100 of Decree No. 58 and Article 34-ter of Regulation No. 11971 as amended. |
Any offer, sale or delivery of the securities or distribution of any offer document relating to the securities in Italy (excluding placements where a Qualified Investor solicits an offer from the issuer) under the paragraphs above must be:
● | made by investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in Italy in accordance with Legislative Decree No. 385 of 1 September 1993 (as amended), Decree No. 58, CONSOB Regulation No. 16190 of 29 October 2007 and any other applicable laws; and |
● | in compliance with all relevant Italian securities, tax and exchange controls and any other applicable laws. |
Any subsequent distribution of the securities in Italy must be made in compliance with the public offer and prospectus requirement rules provided under Decree No. 58 and the Regulation No. 11971 as amended, unless an exception from those rules applies. Failure to comply with such rules may result in the sale of such securities being declared null and void and in the liability of the entity transferring the securities for any damages suffered by the investors.
Japan
The securities have not been and will not be registered under Article 4, paragraph 1 of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948), as amended, or the FIEL, pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements applicable to a private placement of securities to Qualified Institutional Investors (as defined in and in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 3 of the FIEL and the regulations promulgated thereunder). Accordingly, the securities may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan other than Qualified Institutional Investors. Any Qualified Institutional Investor who acquires securities may not resell them to any person in Japan that is not a Qualified Institutional Investor, and acquisition by any such person of securities is conditional upon the execution of an agreement to that effect.
Portugal
This document is not being distributed in the context of a public offer of financial securities (oferta pública de valores mobiliários) in Portugal, within the meaning of Article 109 of the Portuguese Securities Code (Código dos Valores Mobiliários). The securities have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in Portugal. This document and any other offering material relating to the securities have not been, and will not be, submitted to the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (Comisso do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários) for approval in Portugal and, accordingly, may not be distributed or caused to distributed, directly or indirectly, to the public in Portugal, other than under circumstances that are deemed not to qualify as a public offer under the Portuguese Securities Code. Such offers, sales and distributions of securities in Portugal are limited to persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Portuguese Securities Code). Only such investors may receive this document and they may not distribute it or the information contained in it to any other person.
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Sweden
This document has not been, and will not be, registered with or approved by Finansinspektionen (the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority). Accordingly, this document may not be made available, nor may the securities be offered for sale in Sweden, other than under circumstances that are deemed not to require a prospectus under the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act (1991:980) (Sw. lag (1991:980) om handel med finansiella instrument). Any offering of securities in Sweden is limited to persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Financial Instruments Trading Act). Only such investors may receive this document and they may not distribute it or the information contained in it to any other person.
Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or SIX or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering material relating to the securities may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering material relating to the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
This document is personal to the recipient only and not for general circulation in Switzerland.
United Kingdom
Neither the information in this document nor any other document relating to the offer has been delivered for approval to the Financial Services Authority in the United Kingdom and no prospectus (within the meaning of section 85 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended, or FSMA, has been published or is intended to be published in respect of the securities. This document is issued on a confidential basis to “qualified investors” (within the meaning of section 86(7) of FSMA) in the United Kingdom, and the securities may not be offered or sold in the United Kingdom by means of this document, any accompanying letter or any other document, except in circumstances which do not require the publication of a prospectus pursuant to section 86(1) FSMA. This document should not be distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, nor may its contents be disclosed by recipients to any other person in the United Kingdom.
Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA) received in connection with the issue or sale of the securities has only been communicated or caused to be communicated and will only be communicated or caused to be communicated in the United Kingdom in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply to the Company.
In the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed at, persons (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) (investment professionals) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotions) Order 2005, or the FPO, (ii) who fall within the categories of persons referred to in Article 49(2)(a) to (d) (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc.) of the FPO or (iii) to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated (together “relevant persons”). The investments to which this document relates are available only to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.
Canada
The securities may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the securities must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws. Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor. Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriter are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
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The validity of our securities and other legal matters concerning this offering relating to Israeli law will be passed upon for us by Doron Tikotzky Kantor Gutman & Amit Gross. The validity of our securities being offered by this prospectus and certain legal matters in connection with this offering relating to U.S. federal law will be passed upon for us by McDermott Will & Emery LLP, New York, New York. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering relating to Israeli law will be passed upon for the underwriters by Sullivan & Worcester Tel-Aviv (Har-Even & Co.), Tel Aviv, Israel. Certain legal matters concerning this offering relating to U.S. federal law will be passed upon for the underwriters by Sullivan & Worcester LLP, New York, New York.
The audited financial statements included in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement have been so included in reliance upon the report of Fahn Kanne & Co. Grant Thornton Israel, an independent registered public accounting firm, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
Israel
We have been informed by our legal counsel in Israel, Doron Tikotzky Kantor Gutman & Amit Gross, that it may be difficult to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in Israel. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on a violation of U.S. securities laws because Israel is not the most appropriate forum to bring such a claim. In addition, even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable U.S. law must be proved as a fact which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law.
Subject to specified time limitations and legal procedures, Israeli courts may enforce a U.S. judgment in a civil matter which, subject to certain exceptions, is non-appealable, including judgments based upon the civil liability provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and including a monetary or compensatory judgment in a non-civil matter, provided that among other things:
● | the judgment is obtained after due process before a court of competent jurisdiction, according to the laws of the state in which the judgment is given and the rules of private international law currently prevailing in Israel; |
● | the judgment is final and is not subject to any right of appeal; |
● | the prevailing law of the foreign state in which the judgment was rendered allows for the enforcement of judgments of Israeli courts; |
● | adequate service of process has been effected and the defendant has had a reasonable opportunity to be heard and to present his or her evidence; |
● | the liabilities under the judgment are enforceable according to the laws of the State of Israel and the judgment and the enforcement of the civil liabilities set forth in the judgment is not contrary to the law or public policy in Israel nor likely to impair the security or sovereignty of Israel; |
● | the judgment was not obtained by fraud and does not conflict with any other valid judgments in the same matter between the same parties; |
● | an action between the same parties in the same matter is not pending in any Israeli court at the time the lawsuit is instituted in the foreign court; and |
● | the judgment is enforceable according to the laws of Israel and according to the law of the foreign state in which the relief was granted. |
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If a foreign judgment is enforced by an Israeli court, it generally will be payable in Israeli currency, which can then be converted into non-Israeli currency and transferred out of Israel. The usual practice in an action before an Israeli court to recover an amount in a non-Israeli currency is for the Israeli court to issue a judgment for the equivalent amount in Israeli currency at the rate of exchange in force on the date of the judgment, but the judgment debtor may make payment in foreign currency. Pending collection, the amount of the judgment of an Israeli court stated in Israeli currency ordinarily will be linked to the Israeli CPI plus interest at the annual statutory rate set by Israeli regulations prevailing at the time. Judgment creditors must bear the risk of unfavorable exchange rates.
EXPENSES RELATED TO THIS OFFERING
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, payable by us in connection with this offering. All amounts listed below are estimates except the SEC registration fee, the Nasdaq Capital Market listing fee and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, filing fee.
Itemized expense | Amount | ||
SEC registration fee | $ | 1,132.68 | |
FINRA filing fee | 2,750 | ||
Nasdaq Capital Market listing fee | 5,000 | ||
Printing and engraving expenses | 25,000 | ||
Legal fees and expenses | 450,000 | ||
Transfer agent and registrar fees | 10,000 | ||
Accounting fees and expenses | 100,000 | ||
Miscellaneous | 6,117.32 | ||
Total | $ | 600,000 |
* | To be filed by amendment. |
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on Form F-1 (including amendments and exhibits thereto) with the SEC under the Securities Act, relating to this offering of our ADSs. This prospectus, which forms a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information contained in the registration statement. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit certain information from this prospectus that is included in the registration statement. Statements made in this prospectus concerning the contents of any contract, agreement or other document are summaries of all material information about the documents summarized, but are not complete descriptions of all terms of these documents. If we filed any of these documents as an exhibit to the registration statement, you may read the document itself for a complete description of its terms.
The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports and other information regarding issuers, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.
We are not currently subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act. As a result of this offering, we will become subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to foreign private issuers and will fulfill the obligations of these requirements by filing reports with the SEC. As a foreign private issuer, we will be exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act relating to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders will be exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, we intend to file with the SEC, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and each subsequent fiscal year, an annual report on Form 20-F containing financial statements which will be examined and reported on, with an opinion expressed, by an independent registered public accounting firm.
As a foreign private issuer, we are also exempt from the requirements of Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) which, generally, are meant to ensure that select groups of investors are not privy to specific information about an issuer before other investors. We are, however, still subject to the anti-fraud and anti-manipulation rules of the SEC, such as Rule 10b-5. Since many of the disclosure obligations required of us as a foreign private issuer are different than those required of U.S. domestic reporting companies, our shareholders, potential shareholders and the investing public in general should not expect to receive information about us in the same amount, or at the same time, as information is received from, or provided by, other U.S. domestic reporting companies. We are only liable for violations of the rules and regulations of the SEC that apply to us as a foreign private issuer.
We maintain a corporate website at https://saver.one/en/home/. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.
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SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2021
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | F-2 |
Financial statements in NIS Thousands | |
Statements of financial position | F-3 |
Statements of comprehensive loss | F-4 |
Statements of changes in shareholders' equity (deficit) | F-5 |
Statements of cash flows | F-6 - F-7 |
Notes to the financial statements | F-8 - F-45 |
F-1
Opinion on the financial statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Saverone 2014 Ltd. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the related statements of comprehensive loss, changes in shareholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2021, 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 December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1B to the financial statements, the Company has incurred net losses and has generated negative operating cash flow since its inception date, and has not yet generated sufficient revenues to support its operations. As of December 31, 2021, there is an accumulated deficit of NIS 76,813. These conditions, along with other matters as set forth in Note 1B, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans regarding these matters are also described in Note 1B. 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 supporting 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/ Fahn Kanne & Co. Grant Thornton Israel
FAHN KANNE & CO. GRANT THORNTON ISRAEL
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2016.
Tel Aviv, Israel
March 7, 2022
Certified Public Accountants
Fahn Kanne & Co. is the Israeli member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd.
F-2
STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
As of December 31, | ||||||||||
Note | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
Assets | ||||||||||
Current assets | ||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 4 | 8,683 | 37,624 | |||||||
Short-term bank deposits | 2F | 5,012 | - | |||||||
Deposits restricted as to withdrawal | 2G | - | 40 | |||||||
Trade receivables | 501 | 359 | ||||||||
Other current assets | 5 | 1,159 | 512 | |||||||
Inventory | 6 | 825 | 110 | |||||||
Total current assets | 16,180 | 38,645 | ||||||||
Non-current assets | ||||||||||
Property and equipment, net | 7 | 238 | 155 | |||||||
Deferred offering costs | 5 | 1,155 | - | |||||||
Deposits restricted as to withdrawal | 2G,8 | 191 | 110 | |||||||
Right of use asset, net | 8 | 992 | 858 | |||||||
Total non-current assets | 2,576 | 1,123 | ||||||||
Total assets | 18,756 | 39,768 | ||||||||
Current liabilities | ||||||||||
Trade payables | 942 | 888 | ||||||||
Other current liabilities | 9 | 3,522 | 1,965 | |||||||
Current maturities of leasing liabilities | 8 | 467 | 300 | |||||||
Liability in respect of government grants | 10 | 109 | 205 | |||||||
Total current liabilities | 5,040 | 3,358 | ||||||||
Non-current liabilities | ||||||||||
Liability in respect of government grants | 10 | 1,059 | 597 | |||||||
Leasing liability, net current | 8 | 605 | 619 | |||||||
Total non-current liabilities | 1,664 | 1,216 | ||||||||
Commitments | 11 | |||||||||
Shareholders' equity | 12 | |||||||||
Share capital and premium | 80,440 | 80,440 | ||||||||
Capital reserve in respect of share-based payment | 8,425 | 5,077 | ||||||||
Accumulated deficit | (76,813 | ) | (50,323 | ) | ||||||
Total shareholders’ equity | 12,052 | 35,194 | ||||||||
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity | 18,756 | 39,768 |
The accompanying notes are an integral of to these financial statements.
F-3
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands, except per share and share data)
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
Note | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
Revenues | 450 | 316 | ||||||||
Cost of revenues | (288 | ) | (258 | ) | ||||||
Gross profit | 162 | 58 | ||||||||
Research and development expenses, net | 14A | (18,847 | ) | (10,593 | ) | |||||
Selling and marketing expenses | 14B | (2,431 | ) | (2,399 | ) | |||||
General and administrative expenses | 14C | (5,149 | ) | (4,422 | ) | |||||
Operating loss | (26,265 | ) | (17,356 | ) | ||||||
Financing expenses | 15A | (228 | ) | (117 | ) | |||||
Financing income | 15B | 3 | 3,907 | |||||||
Financing income (expenses), net | (225 | ) | 3,790 | |||||||
Loss for the year | (26,490 | ) | (13,566 | ) | ||||||
Comprehensive loss for the year | (26,490 | ) | (13,566 | ) | ||||||
Loss per share attributed to shareholders of company shares, par value NIS 0.01 each | 16 | |||||||||
Basic and diluted loss per share: | ||||||||||
Basic loss per share | (3.33 | ) | (2.36 | ) | ||||||
Weighted average of number of shares used to calculate the basic loss per share | 7,960,239 | 5,739,585 | ||||||||
Diluted loss per share | (3.33 | ) | (2.44 | ) | ||||||
Weighted average of number of shares used to calculate the diluted loss per share | 7,960,239 | 5,798,294 |
The accompanying notes are an integral of to these financial statements.
F-4
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note | Share capital and premium | Capital reserve in respect of share-based payment | Receipts on account of unallotted shares | Accumulated deficit | Total shareholders’ equity (deficit) | |||||||||||||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2019 | 13,902 | 684 | 2,402 | (36,757 | ) | (19,769 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Share-based payment to employees | - | 2,349 | - | - | 2,349 | |||||||||||||||||
Share-based payment to service providers | 12 | - | 2,044 | - | - | 2,044 | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of seed shares through private placement transaction | 12C1 | 2,443 | - | (2,402 | ) | - | 41 | |||||||||||||||
Proceeds allocated to shares as part of a private placement transaction of ordinary shares | 12C2 | 2,830 | - | - | - | 2,830 | ||||||||||||||||
Conversion of bridge investments into ordinary shares | 12C2 | 15,932 | - | - | - | 15,932 | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of ordinary shares through private placement transaction | 12C3 | 630 | - | - | - | 630 | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of ordinary shares through initial public offering, net of issuance costs | 12C4 | 23,720 | - | - | - | 23,720 | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of units consists of ordinary shares and warrants (series 1) as part of shelf prospectus through public offering, net of issuance costs | 12C5 | 20,887 | - | - | - | 20,887 | ||||||||||||||||
Exercise of options into ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.01 each | 12C6 | 96 | - | - | - | 96 | ||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss for year | - | - | - | (13,566 | ) | (13,566 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2020 | 80,440 | 5,077 | - | (50,323 | ) | 35,194 | ||||||||||||||||
Share-based payment to employees | - | 1,892 | - | - | 1,892 | |||||||||||||||||
Share-based payment to service provider | - | 1,456 | - | - | 1,456 | |||||||||||||||||
Exercise of non-registered rights into ordinary shares | 12C7 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss for year | - | - | - | (26,490 | ) | (26,490 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2021 | 80,440 | 8,425 | - | (76,813 | ) | 12,052 |
The accompanying notes are an integral of to these financial statements.
F-5
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||
Note | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
Cash flow from current operations | ||||||||||
Comprehensive loss for the year | (26,490 | ) | (13,566 | ) | ||||||
Adjustments required to present cash flows from operating activities (Appendix A) | 3,357 | 1,204 | ||||||||
Net cash used in operating activities | (23,133 | ) | (12,362 | ) | ||||||
Cash flows from investment activity | ||||||||||
Change in deposits restricted as to withdrawal | (41 | ) | (110 | ) | ||||||
Changes in short-term deposits | (5,012 | ) | - | |||||||
Purchase of property and equipment | (144 | ) | (121 | ) | ||||||
Net cash used in investment activity | (5,197 | ) | (231 | ) | ||||||
Cash flows from financing activity | ||||||||||
Deferred offering expenses | (750 | ) | - | |||||||
Receipt of bridge investments | - | 1,107 | ||||||||
Receipt of loan from shareholders | 15A | - | 682 | |||||||
Repayment of loan from shareholders | 15A | - | (710 | ) | ||||||
Receipt of government grants | 10 | 579 | 368 | |||||||
Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares, net of issuance costs | 12 | - | 671 | |||||||
Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares through initial public offering | 12 | - | 23,720 | |||||||
Proceeds from issuance as part of shelf prospectus through public offering, net of issuance costs | 12 | - | 20,887 | |||||||
Proceeds allocated to ordinary shares as part of a private placement | 12 | - | 2,830 | |||||||
Proceeds allocated to liability in respect of price protection mechanism as part of private placement | 12 | - | 600 | |||||||
Repayment of principal in respect of leasing | 8 | (440 | ) | (143 | ) | |||||
Proceeds from exercise of options into ordinary shares | 12 | - | 96 | |||||||
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activity | (611 | ) | 50,108 | |||||||
Change in balance of cash and cash equivalents | (28,941 | ) | 37,515 | |||||||
Balance of cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year | 37,624 | 109 | ||||||||
Balance of cash and cash equivalents, end of year | 8,683 | 37,624 |
The accompanying notes are an integral of to these financial statements.
F-6
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||
Note | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
Appendix A - Adjustments required to present cash flows from operating activities | ||||||||||
Income and expenses not involving cash flows | ||||||||||
Depreciation | 7 | 61 | 32 | |||||||
Amortization of right for use asset | 8 | 398 | 171 | |||||||
Interest expense in respect of leasing | 8 | 61 | 33 | |||||||
Share-based payment to employees and service providers | 3,348 | 4,393 | ||||||||
Revaluation of liability in respect of bridge investments | - | (3,240 | ) | |||||||
Revaluation in respect of price protection mechanism | 12C2 | - | (667 | ) | ||||||
Changes in liability in respect of government grants | 10 | (213 | ) | (85 | ) | |||||
3,655 | 637 | |||||||||
Changes in asset and liability items | ||||||||||
Decrease (increase) in other current assets | (647 | ) | (359 | ) | ||||||
Increase in trade receivables | (142 | ) | (286 | ) | ||||||
Increase in inventory | (715 | ) | (16 | ) | ||||||
Increase (decrease) in trade payables | 54 | 476 | ||||||||
Increase in other current liabilities | 1,152 | 724 | ||||||||
(298 | ) | 539 | ||||||||
3,357 | 1,176 | |||||||||
Appendix B - Non-cash investment and financing activities | ||||||||||
Recognition of right for use asset against a leasing liability | 8 | 532 | 1,029 | |||||||
Deferred offering expenses not yet paid | 405 | |||||||||
Conversion of bridge investments into ordinary shares | 12C2 | - | 15,932 | |||||||
Appendix C - Additional information pertaining to cash flows | ||||||||||
Interest paid | 15A2 | - | 28 |
The accompanying notes are an integral of to these financial statements.
F-7
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 1 - General
A. | Incorporation and operations |
Saverone 2014 Ltd. (the “Company”) was founded in Israel on November 16, 2014 and commenced its business activity on that date (the “Inception Date”). From the Inception Date, the Company has been active in one operating segment, i.e., development of the technology necessary to create a life-saving system that prevents certain uses of cell phones while driving a motor vehicle (the “Saverone System”).
Commencing in 2020, the Company signed a number of pilot agreements for the installation of the aforementioned systems with a number of entities, for the short term, for purposes of assessing the systems in advance of future purchases. It also started executing a number of purchase agreements with various entities.
B. | The Company’s business position |
The Company is currently in the research and development stage and has not yet shown any profits. From the Inception Date and through December 31, 2021, the Company reported losses and a negative cash flow from current operating activity. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has an accumulated deficit of NIS 76,813 and it had a comprehensive loss of NIS 26,490 for the year ended December 31, 2021.
In general and in particular, in view of the circumstances under the possible effects of the COVID-19 virus, as set out in detail in paragraph 1C below, the Company's management has been maintaining forecasts, monitoring its cash flows and has been actively involved in obtaining the financing it needs to continue its operations and to realize its plans which include the implementation of a business plan formulated by the Company's management to complete the development and sale of products based on technologies that are still in their development stage. The ability of the Company to meet its development targets and to realize its business plans, as above, are contingent upon the recruitment of sources of finance which are not guaranteed.
In June 2020, the shares of the Company were listed for trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, based on a prospectus issued to the public, as part of which the Company raised a net amount of NIS 23,720.
In addition, as part of the preparations of the Company for the above issuance, the entire balance of the bridging investments used to finance Company activity were converted into shares by the date of the aforementioned issuance. In addition, in November 2020, the Company completed financing through a shelf offering, as part of which it raised an addition net amount of NIS 20,887.
As of December 31, 2021, the balance of cash and cash equivalents are insufficient for the Company to realize its business plans for the twelve-month period subsequent to the reporting period. These factors raise significant doubts as to the ability of the Company to continue functioning as a “Going Concern”.
The financial statements do not include adjustments to asset and liability values and classifications which would prove to be necessary should the Company be unable to continue functioning as a going concern.
As of the date of signing of the financial statements, the Company has been taking steps to obtain the financing necessary to continue its operations through various sources of funding, including raising equity through an initial public offering on the NASDAQ market. For more information pertaining to deferred issuance costs in connection with the aforementioned issuance, see Note 5 below.
F-8
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 1 - General (Cont.)
C. | The ramifications of the spreading of the COVID-19 virus on the business activity of the Company |
In December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in China and, in the first and second quarters of 2020, it spread to additional countries across the globe. In January 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a global health emergency and in March 2020, it declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. The spread of COVID-19 is an extraordinary macroeconomic event in many countries around the world. As a result of COVID-19, many countries, including Israel, have been taking significant steps in an attempt to stem the spreading of the virus. These steps include, inter alia, restriction of civilian movement and employment, closure of businesses and malls, restrictions of gatherings and events, restrictions regarding the transportation of people and goods, closure of international border crossings, reduction in the number of employees permitted to come to their workplaces, etc. COVID-19 and the steps being taken by the various countries, as mentioned above, have had a significant impact on many global and local economies as well as on global capital markets, characterized by extreme volatility in the prices of many securities. In addition, the economic slowdown may lead to a market recession.
Throughout the period commencing from the outbreak of COVID-19, the Israeli government took various steps to prevent the spread of the virus, taking into consideration the changes that took place in morbidity rates, and also taking into consideration the vaccination rates among the populace. These steps included the imposition of closures, restrictions in movements and gatherings and restrictions in opening places of trade. Notwithstanding the above, the increase in vaccination rates and the changes that occurred in government policies brought about a significant reduction in the restrictions that were imposed on the public, so that as of the reporting date (March 7, 2022), business activity has been taking place in most industries in the Israeli economy, subject to various restrictions.
Notwithstanding, there is still a significant level of uncertainty as to the continued trend in reduction of morbidity and to the nature and scope of the restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and by other countries around the world and the leniencies instituted to mitigate such restrictions, which are not dynamic and which do not vary frequently.
As mentioned in Note 1A above, the Company is engaged in the development of a technology for the creation of a life-saving system that prevents certain uses of cell phones while driving. Accordingly, there may be a significant delay in the implementation of management’s plans regarding completion of the development and commencement of sales in commercial volumes and, as a result, Company activity and the financial results of its operations may be significantly impaired due to the restrictions to be imposed in connection with civilian movements and a reduction in market activity.
F-9
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies
A. | Presentation basis of the financial statements |
The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, except for financial derivatives and financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss.
The statements of comprehensive loss are presented in accordance with the “characteristics of the expense activity” method (the “cost of sales” method).
The financial statements have prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (the “IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (the “IASB”).
B. | Use of significant accounting estimates and assumptions and judgements |
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make accounting estimates and assessments that involve use of judgment and that affect the amounts of assets and liabilities presented in the financial statements, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements, the amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods and the accounting policies adopted by the Company. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Pursuant to International Accounting Standard (“IAS”) No. 1, “Presentation of Financial Statements”, it is required, inter alia, to provide disclosure regarding the implementation of accounting principles that involves estimates and considerations having significant sensitivity to future events, the occurrence of which may impact the reported amounts.
For information regarding significant estimates and considerations which embody significant sensitivity to future events, see also Note 3 below.
C. | The functional currency and the presentation currency of the financial statements |
1. | The Company prepares its financial statements in accordance with the currency of the country and principal economic environment in which it operates, which constitutes the functional currency from which it is primarily affected (the “Functional Currency"). Taking into consideration that cash balances are held in new Israeli shekels and most of the expenses and income are denominated in new Israeli shekels, the Functional Currency of the Company is the new Israeli shekel. |
2. | The Company's financial statements are presented in new Israeli shekels. |
F-10
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
D. | Assets, liabilities and transactions linked to or in foreign currency |
1. | Financial assets and liabilities denominated in or linked to foreign currency are presented on the basis of the closing rate of exchange as of each reporting date. |
2. | Transactions denominated in foreign currency are recorded upon initial recognition at the representative rate of exchange on the date of the transaction. Exchange rate differences deriving from the settlement of monetary items, at exchange rates that are different than those used in the initial recording during the period, or than those reported in previous financial statements, are carried to profit and loss. |
3. | The following table presents data pertaining to the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar: |
December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Representative exchange rate of U.S.$ 1/NIS | 3.11 | 3.215 | ||||||
Consumer Price Index (2020 average) | 102.6 | 100.09 |
4. | The following table presents data pertaining to the rate of change of the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar during the reported periods: |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
% | % | |||||||
Representative exchange rate of US dollar | (3.3 | ) | (7.0 | ) | ||||
Consumer Price Index (2020 average) | 2.80 | (0.69 | ) |
E. | Cash and cash equivalents |
Cash and cash equivalents include highly liquid investments, including short-term bank deposits (with original maturity dates of up to three months from date of deposit) that are not restricted as to withdrawal or use.
F. | Short-term bank deposits |
Short-term bank deposits in banking institutions for periods in excess of three months following the date of deposit. The deposits are presented in accordance with the terms of their deposit.
G. | Deposits restricted as to withdrawal |
The balance of cash restricted as to withdrawal includes amounts which the Company deposited in favor of its compliance with the terms of a leasing agreement.
F-11
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
H. | Inventory |
Inventory is measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The cost of inventory comprises purchase costs, conversion costs and costs incurred in bringing the inventory to its present location and condition. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business less estimated costs of completion and estimated costs necessary to make the sale.
Cost of inventory is determined on the basis of the following:
● | Finished goods (purchased goods) - the “first-in-first-out” basis. |
● | Raw material components - the “first-in-first-out” basis. |
I. | Property and equipment |
1. | Property and equipment items are presented at cost, less accumulated depreciation and net of accrued impairment losses. Cost includes, in addition to the acquisition cost, all of the costs that can be directly attributed to the bringing of the item to the location and condition necessary for the item to operate in accordance with the intentions of management. |
2. | The residual value and the useful life span of fixed asset items are tested at least at the end of the fiscal year and any changes are accounted for as changes in accounting estimates. |
3. | Fixed assets are derecognized in the books when they are realized or when no future economic benefits are expected from their use or disposal. Gains or losses arising from the derecognition of fixed assets are recognized in profit or loss. |
4. | Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method, over the estimated useful lives of the fixed asset items or of a discernible component. |
The annual depreciation rates are as follows:
% | |
Computers | 20-33 |
Office furniture and equipment | 6-7 |
Leasehold improvements | The shorter of the contract period or the life span of the leasehold improvement |
J. | Impairment of non-monetary assets |
Non-monetary depreciable assets are tested for possible impairment in value when events or circumstances occur that may indicate that the carrying value of the given asset is not recoverable. When the carrying value of an asset in the statement of financial position exceeds its recoverable value, the Company recognizes an impairment loss in an amount equal to the difference between the carrying value of the asset and its recoverable value, which is the higher of its fair value less selling costs and its value in use (the present value of the estimated future cash flows expected to derive from the use and realization of the asset). For purposes of assessing a decline in value of assets regarding which it is not possible to make individual assessments of a decline in value, the assets are allocated to the lowest possible level in respect of which there are separate identifiable cash flows (cash-generating units).
An impairment loss recognized in the past may be cancelled only if changes occurred in the estimates used to determine the recoverable value of the asset since the date on which the previous impairment loss was recognized.
F-12
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
K. | Deferred offering costs |
Prior to the effective date of an offering of securities, direct and incremental costs (i.e. accounting, consulting, legal and printing fees) attributable to a proposed or actual offering of securities may be deferred and charged against the gross proceeds of the offering upon completion and will be classified on the statements of financial position based on the characteristics of the securities issued, unless the offering of securities is not expected to be accomplished and then such direct and incremental costs will be charged immediately to operations.
L. | Capitalization of issuance costs |
Specific costs that are directly allocated a future issuance of securities are capitalized and recognized as an asset, on condition that the equity and/or debt raising round in respect of which the costs were generated, as above can be expected to be concluded in the foreseeable future. Upon completion of the fundraising round, as above, the capitalized issuance costs shall be fully offset against the whole proceeds that were raised and shall be classified in the statement of financial position in accordance with the nature of the issued instrument.
To the extent that it is not foreseen that the fundraising round will be completed, the aforementioned capitalized issuance expense is carried to profit and loss when incurred.
M. | Research and development expenses |
Research and development costs are expensed when incurred. Development expenses are capitalized and recognized as an asset, commencing with the phase during which technological feasibility is achieved, when the company has intentions and the capabilities to complete and use (or sell) the asset, it is expected that the developed asset will generate future economic benefits and it is possible to estimate the development costs in a reliable manner.
The intangible asset is not amortized and it is subject to impairment testing once a year or more frequently if there are signs indicating the existence of possible impairment, until such time as it becomes available for use.
The amortization of the intangible asset commences when the asset becomes available for use, i.e., in the location and condition it requires in order to operate in the manner intended by management. The asset is amortized using the straight-line method, over the estimated remainder of the useful life span of the product.
An expense in respect of development that does not meet the conditions required to be recognized as an asset, as above, is carried to profit and loss when incurred.
As of December 31, 2021, all of the terms for the capitalization of the development costs as an intangible asset were not met.
F-13
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
N. | Revenue recognition |
The Company has been implementing IFRS No. 15, Revenues from contracts with customers (“IFRS 15”) which sets out two major approaches in respect of revenue recognition, whereby the revenue will be recognized over the period of the contract or at a specific point in time, and it includes five stages in the analysis of transactions, in order to determine the timing of the revenue recognition and the amount thereof:
- | Identifying the contract with a customer |
- | Identifying separate performance obligations in the contract |
- | Determining the transaction price (regarding which IFRS 15 sets out principles regarding taking into account variable consideration components, non-cash considerations and significant financing components) |
- | Allocating the transaction price to separate performance obligations, based on the ratios of the separate sales prices |
- | Recognizing revenue when/as performance obligation(s) are satisfied, over time or at a point in time, as applicable. |
Revenues are recognized when the customer achieves “control” over the goods or the services. The revenue is measured on the basis of the amount of the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in return for goods or services promised to the customer and it does not include amounts collected on behalf of third parties.
At contract inception, an entity shall assess the goods or services promised in a contract with a customer and shall identify as a performance obligation each promise to transfer to the customer either:
- | a good or service (or a bundle of goods or services) that is distinct; or |
- | a series of distinct goods or services that are substantially the same and that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. |
If it is determined that the promised good or service is not distinct, the entity shall combine it with other promised goods or services until a bundle of goods or services that is distinct is identified.
The Company determines at the time of the signing of the contract, in respect of each performance obligation, whether the performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a given point in time.
As part of the determination of the price of the transaction, an entity shall take into consideration the terms of the contract and its customary business practices. The transaction price is the amount of consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring promised goods or services to a customer, excluding amounts collected on behalf of third parties (e.g., sales taxes). The consideration promised in a contract with a customer may include fixed amounts, variable amounts, or both. In addition, when necessary, in determining the price of the transaction, an entity should assess the existence of a significant financing component, non-cash consideration and consideration payable to the customer.
F-14
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
N. | Revenue recognition (Cont.) |
The Company assesses whether warranty that was promised to the customer as part of the contract provides the customer with the assurance that the relevant item meets the specification agreed to between the parties or alternatively, constitutes a distinct service in respect of which the Company has a separate performance obligation. As part of this, the entity takes into account various considerations including inter alia whether the customer is offered the option of purchasing a separate warranty, whether the warranty is required by law, the length of the warranty period and the essence of the actions that the Company undertook to perform within the warranty period.
The warranty issued to the customers on the variety of the Company’s products provides the customer with assurance that the item supplied meets the characteristics and the specification that were agreed upon between the parties and, accordingly, does not constitute a distinct service in respect of which the Company has a performance obligation and a guarantee.
The following is a breakdown of the conditions under which revenue is recognized from Company activities:
1. | Revenue from the sale of goods |
Revenues from the selling products are recognized at a given point in time, on the date on which control over the sold good transfers to the buyer. This usually occurs on the date of delivery (once installation has been completed).
2. | Revenues from rendering services |
Revenues from rendering services are recognized over the period of the agreement in which the customer receives and consumes the benefits provided through the performance of the Company.
O. | Taxes on income |
Current taxes
Current taxes reflect the amount of taxes on income that has to be paid / can be recouped in respect of taxable income / the loss for tax purposes in the period. The tax liability / asset in respect of current taxes is determined on the basis of the relevant tax rates and tax laws which were in effect, including tax laws actually legislated until the balance sheet date, as well as on the basis of adjustments required in connection with the tax liability in respect of prior years.
Deferred taxes
Deferred taxes are computed as to differences between the amounts included in the financial statements and amounts taken into consideration for income tax purposes.
Deferred taxes were computed at the tax rates expected to apply when the deferred taxes are utilized in the statement of comprehensive loss, based on the tax laws in effect as of the reporting date. The amount of the deferred taxes presented in the statement of comprehensive loss derives from changes that occurred in these balances during the current year (except for taxes deriving from the initial recognition of a business combination and taxes attributed to transactions or items recognized directly in shareholders’ equity). Deferred taxes balance is recognized within the limit of the amount of expected taxable income against which the deferred taxes can be utilized.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not recognized deferred taxes since their utilization is not expected in the foreseeable future.
F-15
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
P. | Financial assets |
The classification of financial assets is based on the Company’s business model used for the management of financial assets and on the forecasted cash flow characteristics of the financial asset.
Financial assets are classified upon initial recognition into one of the classification categories set out in IFRS No. 9, Financial Instruments (“IFRS 9”). Financial assets are reclassified if and only if a change has occurred in the Company’s business model. Reclassification is implemented retrospectively.
Investments in debt instruments measured at amortized cost
Debt instruments measured at amortized cost are debt instruments that meet the following two cumulative conditions: the Company’s business model is to hold the financial asset for purposes of collecting contractual cash flows expected to derive therefrom and, the contractual characteristics of the financial asset define cash flows relating to payments of principal and interest, at denominated dates, in respect of the as yet unpaid principal balance. These are measured upon initial recognition at their fair value, plus transaction costs. Subsequent to initial recognition, such assets are recognized at amortized cost, on the basis of the effective interest method, net of credit losses.
During the reported periods, the Company did not hold any investments in debts instruments.
Q. | Impairment of financial assets |
The Company recognizes a provision for loss under the “Expected Credit Loss Recognition Model” for financial debt assets that are not measured at fair value through profit and loss, distinguishing between the following two situations:
1. | Financial instruments regarding which there has not been a significant increase in their credit risk since the date of their original recognition or cases in which the credit risk is low - the provision to be recognized shall take into account expected credit losses in twelve-month period following the reporting date, or |
2. | Financial instruments regarding which there has been a significant increase in their credit risk since the date of their original recognition and the credit risk in respect thereof is not low - the provision to be recognized shall take into account expected credit losses over the remaining life span of the instrument. |
For purposes of implementing the abovementioned principle, the Company assesses at each reporting date whether the credit risk of the financial instrument increased significantly from the initial recognition date and, as part of the above, use is made of reasonable and established information that can be obtained without exaggerated cost or effort.
The amount of the forecasted credit losses is recognized in profit and loss. The forecasted credit losses in respect of customers (the provision for doubtful debts) are presented as part of the item entitled “general and administrative expenses”.
F-16
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
R. | Financial liabilities |
Financial liabilities are recognized in the statement of financial position if and only if the Company becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
1. | Financial liabilities measured at amortized cost |
Financial liabilities measured at amortized cost are recognized initially in the financial statements on the basis of fair value, less direct transaction costs, if any were incurred. Subsequent to initial recognition, these financial liabilities are measured at amortized cost, using the effective interest method, which also takes into account direct costs. The effective interest is recognized in statement of comprehensive loss under the “Finance” item. Financial liabilities that are linked to the index or to the exchange rate are measured at amortized cost and are re-measured each period on the basis of the rate of change of the index or the exchange rate, as applicable.
2. | Financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit and loss |
This group includes financial liabilities that are designated by the Company’s management upon initial recognition as financial liabilities presented at fair value through profit and loss if they are qualified to be so designated (e.g., financial liabilities that include an embedded derivative such as the liability in respect of a bridge investment which was converted and the liability in respect of a price protection mechanism which expired in 2020). See also Note 2S below.
Financial liabilities in this category are presented at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are carried to profit and loss, except for the change in fair value of a financial liability measured at fair value through profit and loss that can be attributed to changes in the credit risk of the liability which is presented as part of other comprehensive income (loss), unless such treatment will generate or increase a lack of accounting matching in profit and loss. Such amounts are not reclassified to profit and loss in subsequent periods. Transaction costs are carried to profit and loss when incurred.
S. | Embedded derivative financial instruments not used for hedging purposes |
Derivatives embedded in a host contract that is a financial asset under the purview of the Standard are not separated from the host contract. Rather the hybrid contract in its entirety is measured at amortized cost or fair value through profit and loss, based on the criteria for the classification of financial assets, i.e., as being contingent upon the entity’s business model and the contractual cash flows of the host contract.
When the host contract is not an asset that is subject to IFRS 9, the embedded derivative is separated from the host contract and is accounted for as a financial derivative, if and only if the economic characteristics and risks of the embedded derivative are not closely related to those of the host contract, the embedded derivative meets the definition of a derivative and the hybrid instrument in its entirety is not measured at fair value through profit and loss (e.g., when it is eligible to be designated for measurement at fair value through profit and loss).
Changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments and embedded derivatives that were separated, as above, are regularly carried to profit and loss as financing income or expenses, as applicable.
F-17
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
T. | Settlement of financial liabilities through equity instruments |
In cases in which a partial or full settlement is made of financial liabilities through equity instruments, the equity instruments transferred to the holder of the financial liability are measured at the fair value of the equity instrument if it is possible to estimate the fair value reliably. In cases in which it is not possible to estimate the fair value reliably, the measurement of the equity instruments is carried out on the basis of the fair value of the financial liability being settled (or a part thereof), at the date of settlement. The difference between the fair value of the equity instruments used to settle the financial liability being settled and the carrying value of the liability is carried to profit and loss.
U. | Derecognition and offsetting of financial instruments |
1. | Derecognition |
Financial assets
A financial asset is derecognized when:
● | The contractual rights to cash flows from the financial asset have expired; or |
● | The Company transfers the financial asset and the transfer qualifies for Derecognition. |
If the Company did not materially transfer all of the risks and benefits deriving from ownership of the transferred asset, but all of the risks and benefits did not also remain in the hands of the Company, and the Company retained control over the transferred asset, the Company will continue recognizing the transferred asset in accordance with the degree of its continuing involvement therein.
Financial liabilities
A financial liability is derecognized when the liability is settled, i.e., when the obligation defined in the contract has been repaid, cancelled or it expired.
2. | Offsetting financial instruments |
Financial assets and financial liabilities are presented in the statements of financial position at a net amount only when the Company has an enforceable legal right of offset and there exists the intention to settle the asset and the liability on a net or simultaneous basis. An enforceable legal right to offset exists when it can be enforced at any time, both during the normal course of business and in the event of insolvency, and when it is not contingent on any future event.
V. | Issuance of financial instruments as part of a package |
The total proceeds received from issuance of financial instruments as part of a package are allocated to identified financial instruments included in the package based on their fair value whereby the fair value is first allocated to financial liabilities measured in subsequent periods at fair value through profit and loss and then it is allocated to financial liabilities measured at fair value only upon initial recognition. The balance of the proceeds is allocated to equity instruments if any, in accordance with the “residual approach”. The fair value of the instruments included in the package is determined on the basis of their market values proximate to their date of issue. Issuance costs are attributed to items included in the package on the basis of the manner in which the proceeds of the package are allocated as above.
F-18
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
W. | Liability in respect of government grants |
Government grants in respect of a research and development project received from the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA) are recognized as a liability when received and are measured at fair value as of the receipt date, unless at that date, it is reasonably assured that the amount received will not be refunded. Amounts paid as royalties to the IIA in succeeding periods are treated as a settlement of a financial liability. The gap between the amount of the grant received and the fair value of the liability on the recognition date is treated as a government grant and, accordingly, it is carried to profit and loss under the item entitled “Research and Development Expenses”. The amount of the liability is reassessed in every period, with any changes in the present value of the cash flows discounted by the original interest rate that was used in the recognition of the liability of the grant being carried to profit and loss. Under circumstances in which management determines in subsequent periods that there is reasonable assurance that the grant will not be refunded, the grant will be carried, on that date, to profit and loss under the item entitled “Research and Development Expenses”.
X. | Employee benefits |
1. | Liability in respect of pensions and severance pay |
Pursuant to Israeli labor laws and labor contracts and in accordance with Company practice, the Company is required to make severance payments to employees who are terminated and, under certain circumstances, to employees who resign or leave on their own initiative.
The liability of the Company in respect of post-employment benefits is accounted for as a defined contribution plan. The Company has defined contribution plan in accordance with section 14 of Israel’s Severance Pay Law - 1963. The actuarial and economic risks in respect of this plan are not borne by the Company. Under this plan, during the employment period, the Company makes regular payments to an independent entity, without the Company having any legal or implied obligation to make any additional payments in the event that sufficient amounts have not been accrued in the plan. Deposits in a defined contribution plan are included as an expense when the amount is deposited in the plan, concurrent with the receipt of the work services from the employee and no additional amount need be provided for in the financial statements. The Company regularly deposits money in respect of its liabilities to make severance payments to part of its employees in pension funds and insurance companies.
The following tabular represents amounts paid with its defined contribution plan:
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Expenses in respect of defined contribution plans | 930 | 898 |
2. | Short-term employee benefits |
Short-term employee benefits include salaries, vacation pay, recreation pay and deposits to the National Insurance Institute (Social Security) if they are expected to be settled within 12 months following the end of the annual reporting period in which the employee renders the relevant services. A temporary change in the timing of the settlement does not result in a reclassification of the employee benefits to short-term. Such benefits are recognized as an expense concurrently with the receipt of the work services. Provisions in respect of such liabilities that have not yet been paid are measured on a non-discounted basis.
F-19
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
Y. | Advertising expenses |
Costs of advertising, sales promotion and marketing are expensed at the date on which the Company is given access to the advertising products or when the service is rendered to the Company.
Z. | Leasing |
At the signing date of the agreement, the Company decides whether the agreement is a lease or whether it contains a lease. An agreement contains a lease if it conveys the right to control the use of an identifiable asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. In order to ascertain whether the agreement transfers the right to control the use of an identifiable asset, the Company evaluates whether for the duration of the usage period, the customer has the right to obtain, from a practical standpoint, all of the economic benefits from the use of the identifiable asset, as well as the right to direct the use of the identifiable asset.
The Company determines the leasing period as a period during which the lease may not be cancelled, plus the optional extension period if there is a reasonable degree of certainty that the option will be exercised, plus a period during which the customer is granted the option to cancel if there is a reasonable degree of certainty that the option will not be realized.
The Company presents in its statement of financial position leasing transactions by recognizing an asset that reflects a “usage right”, against a liability in respect of leasing which is initially measured at the present value of the future leasing payments, discounted at the interest rate implicit in the lease, or at the lessee’s incremental borrowing rate if the interest rate implicit in the lease cannot be easily determined.
As part of future leasing payments, the Company includes fixed payments and variable Index-linked or exchange rate-linked payments. In subsequent periods, the leasing liability is measured at the present value of the future leasing payments discounted at the lessee’s incremental borrowing rate as of the date of the agreement. If necessary, the balance of the leasing liability is remeasured on a regular basis in order to reflect changes in future leasing payments as a result of changes in the Index.
Right of usage assets are initially measured at cost, which includes the amount of the initial measurement of the liability, pre-paid leasing payments, and direct costs incurred in the lease. In subsequent periods, usage right assets are measured by the cost model, less accumulated depreciation and less accrued impairment losses which have been adjusted to reflect any remeasurements of the leasing liability. Usage right assets are depreciated on the straight-line method over the shorter of the leasing period or the useful lifespan of the asset.
The annual average depreciation rate of the right-of-use assets is as follows:
% | ||||
Office buildings | 25 |
Regarding short-term leases (leases with a leasing period of less than 12 months), the Company implemented the practical leniency granted in IFRS No. 16, Leases (“IFRS 16”), whereby such leases are accounted for as an expense on a straight-line basis over the balance of the leasing period or on some other systematic method.
F-20
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
AA. | Provisions for legal suits |
The Company includes in its financial statements provisions in respect of legal suits if the Company has a legal or constructive obligation to expend economic resources as a result of past events, if it is more likely than not that the Company will have to expend economic resources to settle the obligation and the amount of the obligation can be reliably estimated.
Provisions which meet the conditions for recognition are measured on the basis of the present value of management's best estimate of the cash flows expected to be required to settle the obligation, as of the Statement of Financial Position date. The discount rate for purposes of calculating the present value is pre-tax rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the liability.
AB. | Share-based compensation |
Share-based compensation transactions that are settled by equity instruments that were executed with employees or others who render similar services, are measured at the date of the grant, based on the fair value of the granted equity instruments. The vesting conditions, except for market conditions, are not taken into consideration in estimating the fair value, rather by adjusting the number of equity instruments included in the measurement of the transaction amount. The amount of the fair value so estimated is recorded as an expense against a concurrent recording in equity, over the period in which the employees’ right to exercise or receive the equity instruments has vested.
The expense in respect of a share-based payment relating to grants contingent upon vesting conditions that are not market conditions is adjusted at the end of each reporting period in order to reflect the number of the equity instruments expected to vest. Grants contingent upon vesting conditions (that are not market conditions) which are not met, are not recognized as an expense. Amounts recognized in respect of grants that vested are not cancelled even if the equity instruments that were granted were forfeited.
Share-based payment transactions settled by equity instruments executed with other service providers that are not employees are usually measured at the date the services or the goods were received, based on the estimated fair value of the services or goods received, unless their value cannot be reliably estimated. In such a case, the transaction is measured by estimating the fair value of the granted equity instruments. This amount is carried as an expense or is capitalized to the cost of an asset, based on the nature of the transaction.
In the event of a change in the terms of a grant settled by an equity instrument, an additional expense is recognized in respect of any change that increases the total fair value of the share-based payment, with an assessment of such additional expense being carried out by comparing the fair value of the grant immediately prior to the change and immediately after the change.
Cancellation of grant settled by an equity instrument is accounted for as an accelerated vesting. Therefore, the balance of the unrecognized expenses in respect of the grant will be immediately recognized. Notwithstanding, if the grant that was cancelled is replaced by a new grant that is designated to be a replacement grant, the cancelled grant and the new grant are accounted for as a change in the terms of the grant.
AC. | Loss per share |
The basic loss per share is calculated by dividing the loss attributed to the shareholders of the Company by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in circulation during the period and, if necessary, after deducting the shares held by the Company.
For purposes of calculating the diluted loss per share, the loss attributed to the ordinary shareholders of the Company and the weighted average number of ordinary shares in circulation are adjusted in respect of the possible impact of potential ordinary shares that may derive from the exercising of convertible financial instruments in respect of which there is a dilutive effect.
Until their conversion date into ordinary shares, the seed shares are included in the calculation as part of the ordinary shares of the Company.
AD. | Operating cycle |
The operating cycle of the Company is one year. Taking this into consideration, current assets and current liabilities include items that are designated and expected to be realized within the normal operating cycle of the Company.
F-21
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 2 - Significant accounting policies (Cont.)
AE. | A summary of new reporting standards, relevant to the operations of the Company, issued by not yet gone into effect |
1. | Revision to International Accounting Standard No. 1, Financial Statement Presentation - Disclosure as to Accounting Policy |
In February 2021, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued Revision to International Accounting Standard No. 1, Financial Statement Presentation (IAS 1) - Disclosure as to Accounting Policy (the “Revision to IAS 1”), under which financial reporting must include disclosure as to material accounting policy in lieu of the current required disclosure as to significant accounting policy.
The Revision to IAS 1 defines accounting policy as material when it can be reasonably expected that disclosure of such policy, together with the additional information which is included in the financial statements, will impact the decisions made by the major users of the financial statements on the basis of these statements. The Revision to IAS 1 also clarifies that information regarding accounting policy can be expected to be material if, in the absence of such information, users of the financial statements will be prevented from understanding other material information in the financial statements. In addition, the Revision to IAS 1 clarifies that there is no need to disclose information regarding immaterial accounting policy.
The Revision to IAS 1 is effective for annual reporting periods commencing on or after January 1, 2023. Early adoption is permissible, subject to disclosure of that fact.
2. | Revision to International Accounting Standard No. 8, Accounting Policy - Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors |
In February 2021, the IASB issued Revision to International Accounting Standard No. 8, Accounting Policy (IAS 8) - Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors (the “Revision to IAS 8”), which defines an accounting estimate as a monetary amount that is subject to uncertainty regarding measurement and clarifies what an accounting estimate is and what a change in accounting estimate is. The goal of the Revision to IAS 8 is to assist in the necessary distinction between a change in accounting estimate, the impact of which is measured retrospectively and a change in accounting estimate which is usually implemented retroactively.
The Revision to IAS 8 is effective for annual reporting periods commencing on or after January 1, 2023. Early adoption is permissible, subject to disclosure of that fact.
3. | Revision to International Accounting Standard No. 12, Taxes on Income - Deferred Taxes in Respect of Assets and Liabilities Deriving from the same Transaction |
In May 2021, the IASB issued Revision to International Accounting Standard No. 12, Taxes on Income - Deferred Taxes in Respect of Assets and Liabilities Deriving from the same Transaction (the “Revision to IAS 12”), which clarifies that the initial recognition exclusion regarding deferred taxes does not apply to transaction which, on the initial recognition date of an asset and a liability deriving therefrom, cause both a deductible temporary difference and a taxable temporary difference in equal amounts, i.e., recognition of right of usage asset and leasing liability upon initial lease recognition. Thus, deferred taxes should be recognized in respect of such temporary differences.
The initial adoption of Revision to IAS 12 is not expected to have material impact on the classification of the financial statements.
F-22
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 3 - Significant accounting estimates and considerations
The accounting estimates and assumptions that were used in the preparation of the financial statements are tested on a regular basis and are based on past experience and other factors, including future events, the occurrence of which is reasonably expected to occur in view of existing circumstances. The Company makes estimates and assumptions regarding future occurrences. By their very nature, it is rare that such accounting estimates will be identical to actual results. The estimates and assumptions that reflect the highest exposure to material changes in the amount of assets and liabilities in the following year are set out below:
A. | Research and development expenses |
Development expenses are capitalized and recorded as an asset, commencing with the phase during which technological feasibility is achieved, when the company has intentions and the ability to complete and use (or sell) the asset, it is expected that the developed asset will generate future economic benefits and it is possible to estimate the development costs in a reliable manner. In determining whether an expense qualified for capitalization, management estimates the cash flows expected to derive from the asset, the timing of such flows, the discounting rates and the expected benefit period. As noted in Note 2L above, as of December 31, 2021, management believed the aforesaid conditions were not met and thus development costs were not capitalized.
B. | Leasing transactions |
Determining the leasing period - In determining the leasing period, the Company takes into consideration the period in which the lease cannot be cancelled, including optional extension periods, the realization of which is reasonable and options to cancel if it is reasonably certain that they will not be realized.
Discount rate in respect of leasing liabilities - The Company discounts the leasing payments using its incremental interest rate which is based on the interest rate that it would have to pay in order to borrow amounts needed to obtain an asset of a value similar to the usage right asset for a similar period, providing similar collateral and in a similar economic environment.
For additional information regarding a leasing transaction, see Note 8 below.
C. | Liability in respect of government grants |
Government grants in respect of a research and development project are recognized as a liability and are measured at their fair value as of the receipt date, unless at that date, it is reasonably assured that the amount received will not be refunded. In determining these assumptions, management makes use of a forecast regarding revenues expected to derive from the items in respect of which the grants were received and the royalties that have to be paid in respect thereof. There exists a degree of uncertainty in respect of the estimated future cash flows, timing of such cash flows and estimate of the discount rate used in determining the amount of the liability. See also Note 10 below.
D. | Share-based payments |
The Company evaluates the fair value of share-based payments to employees and other parties rendering similar service, at the grant date, as the amount at which the asset can be exchanged, the liability settled or to exchange the equity instrument that was granted, between a willing buyer and a willing seller, acting rationally in a transaction that is not influenced by special relationship between the parties, using a Black and Scholes model which include assumptions that include the Company's share price, the expected share price volatility, the risk-free interest rate, the expected dividend and the expected option term. In addition, upon grant of options to non-employees, the Company is required to estimate the fair value of the services received under agreements.
For evaluating of share-based payments to be recognized, inter alia, management assess the estimated number of options expected to be vest. See also Note 13 below.
F-23
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 4 - Cash and cash equivalents
Composition: |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Cash in new Israeli shekels | 6,152 | 37,616 | ||||||
Cash in foreign currency | 2,531 | 8 | ||||||
8,683 | 37,624 |
Note 5 - Other current assets
Composition: |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Current: | ||||||||
Governmental institutions | 621 | 411 | ||||||
Advances to suppliers | 269 | - | ||||||
Prepaid expenses | 164 | 101 | ||||||
Employees and others | 205 | - | ||||||
1,159 | 512 | |||||||
Non-current: | ||||||||
Deferred offering costs (see Note 2K above) | 1,155 | - |
Note 6 - Inventory
Composition: |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Raw materials | 123 | 31 | ||||||
Finished goods | 703 | 79 | ||||||
825 | 110 |
F-24
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 7 - Property and equipment, net
A. | Composition and changes in 2021 |
Computers | Office furniture and equipment | Leasehold improvements | Total | |||||||||||||
Cost | ||||||||||||||||
As of January 1, 2021 | 129 | 58 | 49 | 236 | ||||||||||||
Additions during the year | 119 | 8 | 17 | 144 | ||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2021 | 248 | 66 | 66 | 380 | ||||||||||||
Accumulated depreciation | ||||||||||||||||
As of January 1, 2021 | 63 | 15 | 3 | 81 | ||||||||||||
Annual depreciation | 50 | 5 | 6 | 61 | ||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2021 | 113 | 20 | 9 | 142 | ||||||||||||
Depreciated cost: | ||||||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2021 | 135 | 46 | 57 | 238 | ||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2020 | 66 | 43 | 46 | 155 |
Composition and changes in 2020
Computers | Office furniture and equipment | Leasehold improvements | Total | |||||||||||||
Cost | ||||||||||||||||
As of January 1, 2020 | 73 | 42 | - | 115 | ||||||||||||
Additions during the year | 56 | 16 | 49 | 121 | ||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2020 | 129 | 58 | 49 | 236 | ||||||||||||
Accumulated depreciation | ||||||||||||||||
As of January 1, 2020 | 38 | 11 | - | 49 | ||||||||||||
Annual depreciation | 25 | 4 | 3 | 32 | ||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2020 | 63 | 15 | 3 | 81 | ||||||||||||
Depreciated cost: | ||||||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2020 | 66 | 43 | 46 | 155 | ||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2019 | 35 | 31 | - | 66 |
B. | Depreciation period and depreciation method |
In respect to depreciation period and the depreciation method, see Note 2I above.
F-25
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 8 - Leasing
A. | On March 4, 2020, the Company signed a rental agreement pertaining to a building and a number of parking spaces, for a period of 48 months, commencing from the date of transfer of the rented property (the “Rental Agreement” and “Initial Rental Period”, respectively), in return for a monthly payment of NIS 25, linked to Consumer Price Index, in accordance with the payment dates set out in the Rental Agreement, plus the legally required value added tax. In addition, the Company was granted an option to extend the rental period for another two years, commencing from the end of the Initial Rental Period. In addition, as part of the terms of the lease, the Company was required to make a deposit of NIS 110, restricted as to withdrawal, in order to guarantee its compliance with the terms of the commitment. |
In accordance with the provision of IFRS 16, Leasing,, the Company recognized a right of usage asset in an amount of NIS 1,029, measured in the accounting records at an amount equal to the leasing liability. The leasing liability was measured at the present value of the future leasing payments, discounted on the basis of the estimated incremental interest rate the Company would have to pay in order to borrow a similar amount, for a similar period, to obtain a similar asset at the date of initial recognition of the lease (a rate of 5%).
As part of the leasing period, the Company took into account only the Initial Rental Period as the realization of the option to extend the period was not assessed as reasonably certain.
B. | In March 2021, the Company entered into an addendum to the Rental Agreement as noted in paragraph A above (the “Addendum”), under which the Company rented additional space and a storage room, in return for a monthly rent of NIS 14, linked to Consumer Price Index in accordance with payment dates as set out in the Rental Agreement, plus the legally required VAT. All of the other terms of the Addendum are identical to those of the Rental Agreement. |
Taking into consideration that the consequences of the Addendum constitute an amended lease that increases the scope of the lease by adding rights to use additional space and consideration that is in line with the scope of the increase in space, these consequences were accounted for as a change in the lease and were accounted for as a separate lease as of the date on which the amended lease went into effect. Accordingly, the Company measured the addition to the rental liability at the present value of the payments relating to the new space by discounting the updated rental payments using the Company’s incremental interest rate as of the date the addendum went into effect, determined to be a rate of 5%. As a result, there was an increase in the rental liability in an amount of NIS 532 which was recognized as an increase in the right for usage asset.
In addition, as part of the terms of the Addendum, the Company updated the deposit that is restricted as to withdrawal to an amount of NIS 187 (linked to Consumer Price Index) (in lieu of the original deposit which amounted to NIS 110), in order to guarantee its compliance with all of the terms of the Rental Agreement. As of December 31, 2021, the deposits restricted as to withdrawal balance amounted to NIS 191.
As part of the Addendum and in connection with the balance of the term of the lease, only the period of the original lease was taken into consideration (as defined in the Rental Agreement) due to the fact that the exercise of the extension option was not assessed as being reasonably certain.
F-26
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 8 - Leasing (Cont.)
C. | Right for use asset |
Changes in 2021:
Office building | ||||
Cost | ||||
Balance as of January 1, 2021 | 1,029 | |||
Additions | 532 | |||
Balance as of December 31, 2021 | 1,562 | |||
Accumulated amortization | ||||
Balance as of January 1, 2021 | 171 | |||
Additions | 398 | |||
Balance as of December 31, 2021 | 569 | |||
Amortized cost as of December 31, 2021 | 992 |
Changes in 2020:
Office building | ||||
Cost | ||||
Balance as of January 1, 2020 | - | |||
Additions | 1,029 | |||
Balance as of December 31, 2020 | 1,029 | |||
Accumulated amortization | ||||
Balance as of January 1, 2020 | - | |||
Additions | 171 | |||
Balance as of December 31, 2020 | 171 | |||
Amortized cost as of December 31, 2020 | 858 |
D. | Amortization period and amortization method |
In respect to amortization period and amortization method, see Note 2Z above.
E. | Amounts recognized in profit and loss: |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Amortization of the right for use asset | 398 | 171 | ||||||
Interest expense in respect of leasing | 61 | 33 |
F. | Analysis of contractual payment dates of leasing liability at December 31, 2021: |
Up to a year | 467 | |||
Between 1 - 3 years | 673 | |||
Total (undiscounted) | 1,140 |
F-27
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 9 - Other current liabilities
Composition: |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Employees and salary-related institutions | 1,184 | 878 | ||||||
Accrued expenses (*) | 1,266 | 1,032 | ||||||
Others | 72 | 55 | ||||||
3,522 | 1,965 |
(*) | Includes balance of NIS 90 and NIS 60 in respect of management fees to an interested party as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively (see Note 17A below). |
Note 10 - Liability in respect of government grants
Since the Inception Date, the Company has been receiving grants in respect of participation in research and development from the IIA, in a total amount of NIS 1.7 million (an amount of NIS 0.6 million out of which was received in 2021). In return, the Company undertook to pay royalties at a rate of 3% - 3.5% of the revenues to derive from the know-how and technology to be developed as part of the projects in respect of which such financing was received. The liability amount is linked to the U.S. dollar and bears interest at LIBOR rate.
The Company recognized a liability in respect of these grants at the date of initial recognition in an amount equal to the fair value of the liability, based on the present value of the royalty payments to be paid to the Innovations Authority as a percentage of sales, discounted at a discount rate of 20%, as assessed by the Company’s management on the basis of an independent third-party valuation. The difference between the amount of the grant received and the amount recognized as a liability, as above, (which amounted to NIS 244) was carried to profit and loss against research and development expenses.
The following tabular represents the changes in liability in respect of government grants in the reported periods:
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Balance as of January 1, | 802 | 519 | ||||||
Government grants received | 345 | 237 | ||||||
Adjustment of the liability in respect of government grants in respect of value of time and exchange rate differentials | 31 | 56 | ||||||
Royalties payable to the Innovations Authority | (10 | ) | (10 | ) | ||||
Balance as of December 31, | 1,168 | 802 |
F-28
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 11 - Commitments
A. | CEO service agreement |
On February 24, 2020, a Consulting Agreement was signed by the Company and Mr. Uri Gilboa (the “Consulting Agreement” and “Mr. Gilboa”, respectively). The Consulting Agreement was in respect of rendering Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) services and its major provisions were as follows:
1. | Defining the position, powers and subordination |
1.1 | Mr. Gilboa was appointed to the full-time position of Company CEO, under which, inter alia, Mr. Gilboa will be responsible for the ongoing management of the Company, including but not limited to, relations with investors, relations with the various authorities regarding the Company's operations, relations with financial institutions that accompany the operations of the Company and with their various consultants, as well as additional activities, all as demanded from time to time by the Company’s board of directors (the “Services” and “Board of Directors”, respectively). |
1.2 | During the entire period in which Mr. Gilboa will fulfill his position as the Company's CEO and renders the services under the Consulting Agreement, Mr. Gilboa will report directly to the Company's Board of Directors. |
2. | The date of commencement of the services |
The appointment of Mr. Gilboa as the Company's CEO became effective September 1, 2019 and the Consulting Agreement will continue being in effect until termination, as defined in the Consulting Agreement.
3. | Remuneration and fringe benefits |
3.1 | The Company originally agreed to pay Mr. Gilboa a monthly amount of NIS 60 plus legally-mandated VAT. Such payment includes all of the payments that are due to the CEO in respect of fulfillment of his position and the rendering of the services, including services rendered outside of normal working hours, including days of rest. |
3.2 | Mr. Gilboa is entitled to receive reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred to fulfill his position. The reimbursements will be paid against receipts or other document in accordance with the Company's procedures. |
3.3 | Mr. Gilboa is entitled to insurance coverage, indemnification and exemption from liability, as is customary practice regarding senior officer and directors. |
4. | Non-negotiable options convertible into ordinary shares |
Mr. Gilboa was granted 232,000 non-negotiable options exercisable into ordinary shares of the Company over 4-years period based on a vesting schedule, and may be subject to acceleration upon the occurrence of events set out in the Consulting Agreement. For additional information regarding the cost of the share-based payments, see Note 13 below.
5. | Bonus |
Mr. Gilboa is entitled to an annual bonus of up to a total amount of NIS 360 or some higher amount, at the discretion of the Company's Board of Directors and subject to provisions of the remuneration policy in effect from time to time. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the CEO was entitled to award of NIS 360.
F-29
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 11 - Commitments (Cont.)
A. | CEO service agreement (Cont.) |
On February 16, 2021, the shareholders meeting of the Company approved an update in the terms of employment of the CEO, effective for the three-year period commencing from September 1, 2020. These terms included: (1) a monthly compensation of NIS 90, plus VAT, against an invoice (in lieu of the NIS 60 monthly compensation), to be updated annually by 12%, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the Company; (2) entitlement to an annual contingent bonus in respect of each year he rendered management services to the Company, in an amount of up to six monthly salaries, as shall be in effect at that time, subject to compliance with goals to be set by the remuneration committee and the Board of Directors of the Company once a year, and in accordance with the Company’s remuneration policy, as shall be in effect at that time; (3) a grant of 126,000 options, to vest over a four-year period and which shall be exercisable into an identical number of ordinary shares, at an exercise price of NIS 36 per share.
For more information, including the expenses recorded in respect of the aforesaid commitment regarding transactions with related and interested parties, see Note 17 below.
B. | Leasing transaction |
On March 4, 2020, the Company signed a rental agreement pertaining to a building and a number of parking spaces, for a period of 48 months, commencing from the date of transfer of the rented property (the “Initial Rental Period”), in return for a monthly payment of NIS 25, linked to a base index, in accordance with the payment dates set out in the Rental Agreement, plus the legally required value added tax. In addition, the Company was granted an option to extend the rental period for another two years, commencing from the end of the Initial Rental Period, in return for an increase of 3% in the monthly rental fee set as part of the initial rental period
In March 2021, the Company entered into an addendum to the abovementioned Rental Agreement, under which the Company rented additional space and a storage room, in return for a monthly rent of NIS 14, linked to the Consumer Price Index in accordance with payment dates as set out in the agreement, plus the legally required VAT. All of the other terms of the Addendum, including the dates of termination of the rental, are identical to those of the original Rental Agreement.
For information pertaining to the accounting consequences of the aforementioned rental agreement in accordance with IFRS 16, Leases, see Note 8 above.
F-30
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 12 - Share capital and reserves
A. | Composition of share capital |
December 31 | ||||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||
Authorized | Issued and outstanding | Authorized | Issued and outstanding | |||||||||||||
Ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.01 each | 100,000,000 | 7,984,706 | 100,000,000 | 7,696,626 |
B. | Rights attached to the ordinary shares |
The ordinary shares of the Company grant the holders thereof the right to participate and vote in shareholders meetings, the right to receive a dividend, as declared, the right to participate in distributions of bonus shares and the right to participate in the distribution of the assets of the Company upon liquidation.
C. | Changes in the issued and outstanding capital |
2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares | Non- redeemable seed shares | Ordinary shares | Non- redeemable seed shares | |||||||||||||
Balance as of January 1 | 7,696,626 | - | 907,750 | 1,910,869 | ||||||||||||
Receipts on account of seed shares not yet allotted (1) | - | - | - | 614,149 | ||||||||||||
Private placement of a package including ordinary shares and a financial derivative in respect of hedging mechanism (2) | - | - | 277,108 | - | ||||||||||||
Conversion of seed shares to ordinary shares (4) | - | - | 2,525,018 | (2,525,018 | ) | |||||||||||
Conversion of bridge investment to ordinary shares (2) | - | - | 1,560,182 | - | ||||||||||||
Private placement of ordinary shares (3) | - | - | 39,963 | - | ||||||||||||
Allotment of ordinary shares as part of a prospectus of an IPO (4) | - | - | 1,585,400 | - | ||||||||||||
Allotment of ordinary shares as part of a shelf offer (5) | - | - | 774,194 | - | ||||||||||||
Shares issued as a result of the exercise of options (6) | - | - | 27,011 | - | ||||||||||||
Conversion of non-registered rights into ordinary shares (7) | 288,080 | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
Balance as of December 31 | 7,984,706 | - | 7,696,626 | - |
F-31
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 12 - Share capital and reserves (Cont.)
C. | Changes in the issued and outstanding capital (Cont.) |
(1) | On January 7, 2020, the Company completed a fundraising round of a gross amount of NIS 2,443 (an amount of NIS 2,402 out of which was received in 2019 and recorded as part of receipts on account of shares since it referred to a fixed number of shares) and in consideration, the Company issued 614,149 seed 2 shares, par value NIS 0.01 each. |
(2) | On February 23, 2020, the Company entered into an agreement with Mor Provident Funds Ltd. (“Mor”) whereby, in return for an amount of U.S.$1,000,000 (NIS 3,430), 277,108 ordinary shares of the Company were allotted to Mor at a price of U.S.$3.6087 per share (the “Mor Allotted Shares”). In addition, a hedge was given to Mor whereby to the extent that the Company would execute an IPO within the twenty-four month period following the date of the agreement, and whereby the Company would issue shares to the public at a price which, after deducting 20% from the price, would be less than the price of the Mor allotted shares, the Company would issue to Mor ordinary shares of a number that is equal to the difference between the issuance price less 20% and the price of the Mor allotted shares (the “financial derivative in respect of a price protection mechanism”). |
As part of the valuation work which was carried out by an independent third-party appraiser at the date of the transaction, similar to the manner of allocation of consideration components of the issuance of a securities package, the total consideration received by the Company was first allocated to a financial derivative in respect of a bridging mechanism which constituted a financial liability that is measured initially and in subsequent periods at fair value through profit and loss in accordance with the provisions of IFRS No. 9, Financial instruments (the liability was classified as level 3 in the fair value hierarchy). The balance of the amount was attributed to the allotted shares in accordance with the “residual approach”.
Pursuant to the above, at the initial recognition date the consideration received was allocated to identified components which were divided by the independent third-party appraiser was as follows:
Fair value | ||||
Financial derivative in respect of price protection mechanism (A) | 600 | |||
The allotted shares (B) | 2,830 | |||
Total consideration | 3,430 |
(A) | The estimated fair value of the component of the financial derivative in respect of a price protection mechanism as of the transaction date was calculated using a Black and Scholes model. The parameters used in the fair value calculation using the aforementioned model are as follows: |
As of February 23, 2020 | ||||
Standard deviation | 49.5 | % | ||
Risk-free interest rate | 1.53 | % | ||
Probability for issuance | 50 | % | ||
Life span in years | 0.5 |
(B) | As of the allotment date, the effective price per share was NIS 10.212. |
F-32
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 12 - Share capital and reserves (Cont.)
C. | Changes in the issued and outstanding capital (Cont.) |
(2) | (Cont.) | |
In June 2020, the Company completed a prospectus that was issued to the public, as part of which the shares of the Company were listed for trade on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange at a price of NIS 16.4 per share (see clause 4 below) which, after deducting 20%, is more than the price of the fundraising in the Mor transaction and, accordingly, there was no need to implement the price protection mechanism. Therefore, the aforementioned price protection mechanism expired and, accordingly, the entire amount that was allocated to the value of the financial derivative in respect of a price protection mechanism, in an amount of NIS 600, was carried to the statement of comprehensive loss as part of financing income for the year ended December 31, 2020. See Note 15B below. | ||
In addition, upon completion of the fundraising transaction with Mor, all the then outstanding bridge investments were fully converted into a number of 1,560,182 ordinary shares. See also Note 15A(3) below. |
(3) | On May 24, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors approved that the Company amend an investment agreement that was originally signed on April 28, 2020 with Unicorn Technologies, Limited Partnership (“Unicorn”), whereby two partners of Unicorn are interested parties of the Company, whereby in consideration for an investment amount in the Company of U.S.$180,000 (NIS 630), 39,963 ordinary shares of the Company were issued to Unicorn, at a price of U.S.$4.5042 per share. |
(4) | In June 2020, the Company completed a fundraising round based on a prospectus that was issued through an IPO , under which the Company raised a gross amount of NIS 26 million from the issuance of 1,585,400 ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.01 each, at a price of NIS 16.4 per share. The total direct issuance costs amounted to NIS 2.3 million. | |
Upon the IPO completion, all outstanding seed shares were fully converted into ordinary shares. |
(5) | On November 16, 2020, the Company completed a fundraising round on the basis of a shelf prospectus through an offering that was issued to the public, under which the Company raised a gross amount of NIS 21.6 million from an issuance of 387,097 units which consist of 774,194 ordinary shares of the Company, par value NIS 0.01 each, and 387,097 warrants (series 1), at a price of NIS 55.8 per unit. Each warrant is exercisable into one ordinary share at an exercise price of NIS 38 (subject to standard adjustments) per warrant, over a period of 24 months ending November 18, 2022 (inclusive). The total direct issuance costs amounted to NIS 0.7 million. |
(6) | During the year ended December 31, 2020, 27,011 options were exercised into an identical number ordinary shares in consideration of NIS 96. |
(7) | In February 2021, a certain service provider exercised 288,080 non-registered rights into an identical number of ordinary shares of the Company, for no consideration. |
F-33
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 13 - Share-based payment
A. | Option plan |
The Company has adopted the Saverone 2014 Ltd. 2015 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), under which the Company is entitled to grant options, restricted shares and restricted share units to designate participants, to purchase ordinary shares of the Company, par value NIS 0.01 each. Under the Plan, options forfeited or cancelled prior to their expiration date, become available for future grants. Unless stipulated otherwise by the Company's Board of Directors, the unexercised options will expire 10-years period following the grant date. The Plan is subject to article 102 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance (New Version) - 1961 (the “Income Tax Ordinance”), as part of the equity track with a trustee. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has 47,499 options available for future grants.
B. | Grants |
2020
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors approved an allotment of 395,804 options, exercisable into shares of the Company, to a number of grantees, including the Company's CEO. The options are exercisable into one ordinary share of the Company, par value NIS 0.01, based on vesting conditions set out by the Company's Board of Directors, against a cash exercise price of between NIS 0.03 - NIS 23.466 per share (this exercise price is subject to standard adjustments).
The fair value of the inherent benefit in each option as of the grant date was estimated at an amount of NIS 7.44 to NIS 18.9 per share, based on the Black and Scholes model. The fair value of benefit in respect of the grant was estimated at NIS 3,342. This amount will be carried to profit and loss over the vesting period.
2021
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors or the shareholders at a general meeting (to the extent that such approval was required) approved an allotment of 140,000 options exercisable into shares of the Company, to a number of grantees, including the Company's CEO. The options are exercisable into one ordinary share of the Company par value NIS 0.01, based on vesting terms as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, against a cash exercise price of between NIS 25.23 - NIS 36 per share (subject to standard adjustments).
The fair value of the benefit in respect of the grant was estimated at NIS 2,109 based on the Black and Scholes model. This amount will be carried to profit and loss over the vesting period.
The fair value of the options granted, as above, was estimated using the Black and Scholes model. The parameters used in calculating the model were as follows:
2021 grants | 2020 grants | |||
Price per share | NIS 24.1 - 28.5 | NIS 5.4 - 29.8 | ||
Exercise price | NIS 25.2 - 36 | NIS 0.03 - 23.466 | ||
Expected volatility (%) | 48 | 48 | ||
Expected term (in years) | 10 | 10 | ||
Risk-free interest (%) | 1.53 | 1.53 | ||
Expected dividend rate (%) | - | - |
F-34
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 13 - Share-based payment (Cont.)
B. | Grants (Cont.) |
The following table presents additional information relating to the share-based payment plan:
2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||
Number of options | Weighted average of the exercise price | Number of options | Weighted average of the exercise price | |||||||||||||
Outstanding at the beginning of the year | 662,501 | 5.64 | 301,995 | 5.77 | ||||||||||||
Granted | 140,000 | 34.93 | 395,804 | 6.40 | ||||||||||||
Forfeited | (5,119 | ) | - | (8,287 | ) | 12.12 | ||||||||||
Exercised | - | - | (27,011 | ) | 1.12 | |||||||||||
Outstanding at the end of the year | 797,382 | 10.61 | 662,501 | 5.64 | ||||||||||||
Exercisable at the end of the year | 516,135 | - | 381,173 | 4.40 |
As of December 31, 2021, the balance of the expense in respect of a share-based payment in respect of the existing grants which will be recognized in future periods amounts to NIS 1,341.
F-35
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 14 - Notes to the statements of comprehensive loss
A. | Research and development expenses |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Salary and related expenses (1) (2) | 9,152 | 7,889 | ||||||
Consulting and professional services | 6,122 | 1,560 | ||||||
Subcontractors | 1,772 | 48 | ||||||
Computer maintenance | 515 | 325 | ||||||
Office maintenance | 413 | 280 | ||||||
Car maintenance | 347 | 278 | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 458 | 205 | ||||||
Others | 312 | 142 | ||||||
Less government grants (***) | (244 | ) | (134 | ) | ||||
Total | 18,847 | 10,593 | ||||||
(1) Including share-based payment | 486 | 564 | ||||||
(2) Including salary of former interested parties | - | - | ||||||
(3) See Note 10 above. |
B. | Selling and marketing expenses |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Share-based payment (1) | 1,456 | 2,044 | ||||||
Salary and related expenses | 437 | - | ||||||
Others | 538 | 355 | ||||||
Total | 2,431 | 2,399 |
(1) | On August 8, 2019, the Company signed a service agreement with a certain service provider (the “Service Provider”), under which the service provider will render advertising services over a period of time and at a monetary value of a defined volume and regarding various issues over a period of 15 months, commencing from October 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020 (the “Agreement”, the “Services” and the “Service Period”, respectively). In return for the Services, the Company undertook, inter alia, to allot to the service provider at the earlier of the end of the utilization by the Company of the Services or at the end of the Service Period shares of the Company which will constitute 6.5% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company, on a fully diluted basis as was outstanding on April 1, 2019. |
The estimated fair value of the Services amounted to NIS 3,500. The Company recognized share-based payment expenses regarding an equity interest settled transaction upon the actual receipt of the Services. Accordingly, advertising expenses were recorded proportionately, whereby they reflect an outline in which the Company made use of the advertising budget agreed upon as part of the Agreement.
F-36
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 14 - Notes to the statements of comprehensive loss (Cont.)
C. | General and administrative expenses |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Salaries and related expenses (1)(2) | 2,747 | 3,115 | ||||||
Consulting and professional services | 1,366 | 631 | ||||||
Directors fees | 450 | 252 | ||||||
Office expenses | 78 | 64 | ||||||
Others | 508 | 360 | ||||||
Total | 5,149 | 4,422 | ||||||
(1) Including share-based payment | 1,406 | 1,785 | ||||||
(2) Including salary of interested parties | 2,457 | 2,466 |
Note 15 - Financing income (expenses), net
A. | Components of the financing expenses |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Adjustment to liability in respect of government grants (1) | (31 | ) | (56 | ) | ||||
Bank commissions and miscellaneous | (1 | ) | 2 | |||||
Interest in respect of shareholders loans (2) | - | (28 | ) | |||||
Interest in respect of leasing liability | (61 | ) | (33 | ) | ||||
Exchange rate differentials | (135 | ) | (2 | ) | ||||
Total | (228 | ) | (117 | ) |
(1) | See Note 10 above. |
(2) | In January 2020, the Company signed a loan agreement with various shareholders whereby they would grant a loan to the Company in an aggregate amount of NIS 682, at annual interest of between 4.67% - 6%, for a period of 45 days. In June 2020, the Company repaid the loans, plus interest that was added from the date of receipt of the loans. Accordingly, during the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded interest expenses in an amount of NIS 28. |
F-37
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 15 - Financing expenses, net (Cont.)
B. | Components of the financing income |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Revaluation of liability in respect of a price protection mechanism (1)(2) | - | 667 | ||||||
Revaluation of liability in respect of a Bridge Investment (3) | - | 3,240 | ||||||
Interest in respect of bank deposits | 3 | - | ||||||
Total | 3 | 3,907 |
(1) | See Note 12C2 above. |
(2) | Further to the information presented in Note 14B above, the Company undertook toward the Service Provider that in the event that the shares of the Company are not listed for trade on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange after the passage of a period of 18 months following the signing of the agreement nor are they traded at that time on that exchange, the Service Provider will be permitted to notify the Company in writing that the Company will have to pay him an amount equal to NIS 2,475 in lieu of the shares to be held by him, within 90 days following such notification or, alternatively, to find a buyer for the shares of the Company held by the service provider pursuant to the terms of the agreement (a “Liability in respect of a price protection mechanism”). Taking into consideration the date of realization of the Liability in respect of a price protection mechanism, the liability in respect thereof was classified as a financial liability measured at fair value through profit and loss pursuant to the provisions of IFRS 9, Financial Instruments. |
The Company estimated the fair value of the Liability in respect of a price protection mechanism, based on a valuation performed by an independent external appraiser, under which the fair value of the Liability in respect of a price protection mechanism was estimated at NIS 67 as of December 31, 2019. It is noted that upon the IPO completion (see Note 12C4 above), the Liability in respect of the price protection mechanism expired and, accordingly, an amount of NIS 67 was carried to the financing item in profit and loss.
(3) | During the years 2017 - 2020, the Company entered into bridge investment agreements with several current and new investors, under which the Company raised an amount of US$4,314,000 (NIS 15,443,000) (the Bridge Investments”). The Bridge Investments were non-interest bearing and it was determined that Bridge Investments would be settled by way of conversion into shares of the Company pursuant to conversion scenarios, as defined in the Bridge Investment agreements. |
In addition, it was stipulated that upon the occurrence of “defined events”, some of which are not under the complete control of the Company, as defined in the agreements, including events relating to a material worsening of the business affairs of the Company and subject to the fact that the investors did not decide otherwise, the Company will have to repay in cash to the investors the amount of their original investment. In addition, as part of the agreements signed in the years 2018 - 2019, the Company granted to some of the investors the right to participate in a fundraising round as part of an investment that awards a discount of 25% off the share price to be determined in the fundraising and at a volume equal to the amount of their investment as part of the BridgeInvestments (the “Investment Option”).
F-38
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 15 - Financing expenses, net (Cont.)
B. | Components of the financing income (Cont.) |
(3) | (Cont.) |
Pursuant to the provisions of IFRS standards, a financial instrument that may require the issuer to transfer cash under circumstances that are beyond the control of the issuer constitute a financial liability ,unless the realization is not realistic or it will be required only upon the occurrence of the liquidation of the issuer. In such a case, since some of the events that may constitute a trigger to the payment would not lead to the final liquidation of the Company, the commitment of the Company toward the investors met the definition of a financial liability. In addition, taking into consideration the various payment alternatives of the liability and the embedded derivatives as part thereof (the conversion possibilities), the Company elected to designate the liability for measurement in its entirety at fair value through profit and loss.
In addition, it was stipulated that the Investment Option, which entitled certain investors the option to participate in future fundraising under circumstances that are under the Company's control, constitutes an equity instrument.
In addition, it was stipulated that the Investment Option, which granted the investors the option to participate in future rounds of fundraising under circumstances that are under the control of the Company, constitutes an equity instrument. Notwithstanding, as part of the valuation work which was carried out by an independent third-party appraiser at the effective dates of the Bridge Investment, no consideration was left for allocation to the Investment Option. The fair value measurement of the liability in respect of the Bridge Investment was classified to level 3 in the fair value hierarchy, using a scenario model. Accordingly, during the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded revaluation income in respect of the liability for the bridging investment in amounts of NIS 3,240.
In February 2020, a private placement that does not meet the definition of a qualifying investment (according to the terms of the Bridge Investment) was completed. Therefore, in April 2020, Bridge Investments whose value at the time amounted to NIS 15,392 were converted into 1,560,182 ordinary shares of the Company, par value NIS 0.01, at a conversion price of US$2.7065 per share that reflects a 25% discount of the effective share price which was derived from an equity fundraising round that took place in February 2020 as part of a private placement (the fundraising round of the Mor investment). See also Note 12C(2) above.
F-39
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 16 - Loss per share
The following table presents a summary of the loss and number of shares (including adjustments to such data) that were taken into consideration for purposes of computing the loss per share (both basic and diluted).
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Loss attributed to the shareholders of the Company for purposes of computing the basic loss per share | (26,490 | ) | (13,566 | ) | ||||
Adjustments for purposes of computing diluted loss per share: | ||||||||
Changes in fair value of a financial derivative in respect of a price protection mechanism for the Mor transaction which was classified as a financial liability at fair value through profit and loss | - | (600 | ) | |||||
Loss attributed to the shareholders of the Company for purposes of computing diluted loss per share | (26,490 | ) | (14,166 | ) |
Number of shares | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Weighted number of shares used in computing the basic loss per share | 7,960,239 | 5,739,448 | ||||||
Adjustments for purposes of computing diluted loss per share: | ||||||||
Number of diluted potential ordinary shares to be issued without consideration, to derive from a financial derivative in respect of a price protection mechanism in the Mor transaction | - | 58,846 | ||||||
Weighted number of shares used in computing diluted loss per share | 7,960,239 | 5,798,294 |
F-40
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 17 - Related and interested parties
A. | Balances with interested and related parties |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Other current liabilities - salaries and related expenses to interested parties (1) | 90 | 60 |
(1) | See also Notes 9 and 11B above. |
B. | Transactions with interested and related parties |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
General and administrative expenses - salaries and related expenses (including share-based payment) to interested parties (2) | 1,397 | 2,466 |
(1) | See also Note 14C above. |
F-41
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 18 - Taxes on income
A. | Taxation of the Company in Israel |
General
The Company is taxed in Israel pursuant to the provisions of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance (New Version) - 1961 (the “Ordinance”).
The corporate tax rate applicable to the Company for all reported periods is 23%.
B. | Losses and deductions for tax purposes - carried forward to future years |
As of December 31, 2021, the carryforward net operating losses of the Company amounted to NIS 36 million. The Company did not record deferred taxes in respect of the loss carryforward since their utilization is not expected in the foreseeable future.
C. | Final tax assessment |
The Company has no final tax assessments since Inception Date. Notwithstanding, pursuant and subject to the provisions of article 145 of the Ordinance, the reports filed with the tax authorities for the years up to and including 2016 are considered as final.
D. | The following tabular represents reconciliation between the amount of the “theoretical” tax that would have applied and the amount of the tax on ordinary operating income, as recorded in the statements of comprehensive loss: |
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Pre-tax loss as reported in the statements of comprehensive loss | 26,490 | 13,566 | ||||||
Corporate tax rate | 23 | % | 23 | % | ||||
Theoretical tax savings | 6,093 | 3,120 | ||||||
Non-deductible expenses | (770 | ) | (1,010 | ) | ||||
Losses and timing differences in respect of which no deferred taxes were recorded | (5,323 | ) | (2,110 | ) | ||||
Tax expenses in respect of the reported year | - | - |
F-42
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 19 - Financial instruments and risk management
A. | Financial risk management |
1. | General |
The activities of the Company expose it to a range of financial risks: market risks, credit risks and liquidity risks. During each period, the Company assesses the financial risks and makes decisions regarding them accordingly.
Risk management is conducted by management of the Company, which identifies, assesses and hedges the risks to the extent possible.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company has no significant balances of financial assets and liabilities that are linked to any linkage basis whatsoever that differs from the shekel. Therefore, no information regarding linkage bases of such balances has been included in the financial statements.
2. | Financial risk factors |
A. | Exposure to changes in interest rates |
The Company has no material exposure to changes in interest rates.
B. | Exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates |
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had liabilities in respect of Bidge Investments denominated in dollars, the repayment of which was supposed to be effected in the form of a conversion into the Company's shares, subject to the occurrence of various scenarios. On the other hand, the financial statements of the Company are measured and presented in shekels. In such view, the Company had an exposure to changes in the exchange rate of the dollar, which were reflected as part of the financing expenses in the statements of comprehensive loss. Notwithstanding, the changes in the exchange rate did not have an impact on the Company's cash flows, rather they had an impact on the number of shares to be issued to the investors upon the conversion of the liability into shares of the Company.
As mentioned in Note 15(A)3 above, in May 2020, the aforesaid liability was fully settled through its conversion into the ordinary shares of the Company.
C. | Credit risks |
1. | As of December 31, 2021, the balances of cash, cash equivalents, short-term bank deposits and deposits restricted as to withdrawal were deposited for mostly in various banking institutions in Israel. The Company’s management regularly assesses the financial strength of the financial institutions the Company works with. Accordingly, Company's management believes that the credit risk in respect thereof is not high. |
2. | The following is a breakdown of the financial assets in respect of which the Company is exposed to credit risks: |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 8,683 | 37,624 | ||||||
Short-term bank deposits | 5,012 | - | ||||||
Deposits restricted as to withdrawal | 191 | 150 | ||||||
Other current assets | 826 | 411 | ||||||
Trade receivables | 501 | 359 | ||||||
Total | 15,213 | 38,544 |
F-43
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 19 - Financial instruments and risk management (Cont.)
A. | Financial risk management (Cont.) |
2. | Financial risk factors (Cont.) |
D. | Liquidity risks |
From the Inception Date through completion of the fundraising rounds that were conducted in 2020, the Company has been financing its research and development activity through private placement transactions and through Bridge Investments. As of December 31, 2021, the Company’s working capital amounts to NIS 11 million.
The Company’s policy is to manage its liquidity by assessing current forecasts for purposes of managing its cash for operating purposes during the normal course of business. Depending on its current needs, the Company conducts, from time to time, additional rounds of fundraising.
As of December 31, 2021, the balance of the Company’s financial liabilities which it expects to repay in cash during the 12 month period following the balance sheet date, amounts to NIS 5,040. In addition, as of the same date, the Company has a liability in respect of grants received which will be repaid through payment of royalties of between 3.5% - 5% of the revenues deriving to the Company in the future from the know-how and technology developed as part of projects in respect of which such funding was received.
B. | A summary of financial instruments broken down by group: |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Financial assets measured at depreciated cost | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 8,683 | 37,624 | ||||||
Short-term bank deposits | 5,012 | - | ||||||
Trade receivables | 501 | 359 | ||||||
Other current assets | 826 | 411 | ||||||
Deposits restricted as to withdrawal | 191 | 150 | ||||||
15,213 | 38,544 | |||||||
Financial liabilities measured at depreciated cost | ||||||||
Trade payables | 942 | 888 | ||||||
Other current liabilities | 3,522 | 1,965 | ||||||
Liability in respect of government grants | 1,168 | 802 | ||||||
5,632 | 3,655 |
F-44
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONT.)
(New Israeli Shekels in thousands)
Note 19 - Financial instruments and risk management (Cont.)
C. | Fair value of financial instruments |
Items, the book value of which approximates their fair value
The Company’s financial instruments which are part of its working capital, include cash and cash equivalents, short-term bank deposits, deposits restricted as to withdrawal, trade receivables, other current assets, trade payables, other current liabilities. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the balances of these financial instruments in the statements of financial position constitute an approximation of their fair values. In addition, the Company has a liability in respect of government grants and a liability in respect of leasing that is measured at the initial recognition date at fair value and in subsequent periods at the depreciated cost. Taking into consideration that there has not been a significant change in the discount rate used for recognition of the liability and the current discount rate, the balance constitutes an approximation of fair value.
D. | Company capital risk management policy |
The goals of the Company’s capital risk management policy are to preserve its ability to continue operating as a going concern with a goal of providing its shareholders with a yield on their investment and to maintain a beneficial equity structure with a goal of reducing the costs of equity.
The Company may take various steps with a goal of preserving or adapting its equity structure, including the issuance of new shares and warrants through equity fundraising for purposes of meeting its financial obligations and for purposes of continuing its development operations and commencing sales in commercial volumes.
F-45
1,385,042 American Depositary Shares
Representing 4,155,126 Ordinary Shares
SaverOne 2014 Ltd.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS |
ThinkEquity
, 2022
Through and including , 2022 (the 25th day after the date of this offering), all dealers effecting transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.
PART II
Information Not Required in Prospectus
Item 6. Indemnification, Insurance and Exculpation of Office Holders (including Directors).
Under the Israeli Companies Law 5759-1999, or the Companies Law, the Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and the Restrictive Trade Practices Law, 5748-1988, or the Antitrust Law, a company may indemnify an office holder in respect of the following liabilities, payments and expenses incurred for acts performed by him or her as an office holder, either in advance of an event or following an event, provided its articles of association include a provision authorizing such indemnification:
● | a monetary liability incurred by or imposed on the office holder in favor of another person pursuant to a court judgment, including pursuant to a settlement confirmed as judgment or arbitrator’s decision approved by a competent court. However, if an undertaking to indemnify an office holder with respect to such liability is provided in advance, then such an undertaking must be limited to events which, in the opinion of the board of directors, can be foreseen based on the company’s activities when the undertaking to indemnify is given, and to an amount or according to criteria determined by the board of directors as reasonable under the circumstances, and such undertaking shall detail the abovementioned foreseen events and amount or criteria; |
● | reasonable litigation expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, which were incurred by the office holder as a result of an investigation or proceeding filed against the office holder by an authority authorized to conduct such investigation or proceeding, provided that such investigation or proceeding was either (i) concluded without the filing of an indictment against such office holder and without the imposition on him of any monetary obligation in lieu of a criminal proceeding; (ii) concluded without the filing of an indictment against the office holder but with the imposition of a monetary obligation on the office holder in lieu of criminal proceedings for an offense that does not require proof of criminal intent; or (iii) in connection with a monetary sanction; |
● | a monetary liability imposed on the office holder in favor of all the injured parties by the breach in an Administrative Proceeding (as defined below) as set forth in Section 52(54)(a)(1)(a) to the Securities Law; |
● | expenses expended by the office holder with respect to an Administrative Proceeding under the Securities Law, including reasonable litigation expenses and reasonable attorneys’ fees; |
● | reasonable litigation expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by the office holder or which were imposed on the office holder by a court (i) in a proceeding instituted against him or her by the company, on its behalf, or by a third party, or (ii) in connection with criminal indictment of which the office holder was acquitted, or (iii) in a criminal indictment which the office holder was convicted of an offense that does not require proof of criminal intent; |
● | financial liability imposed on the office holder on behalf of all the victims of the breach in an Administrative Proceeding; |
● | expenses incurred by an office holder in connection with a proceeding conducted with respect to the office holder under the Antitrust Law, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses; and |
● | any other obligation or expense in respect of which it is permitted or will be permitted under applicable law to indemnify an office holder, including, without limitation, matters referenced in Section 56H(b)(1) of the Securities Law. |
An “Administrative Proceeding” is defined as a proceeding pursuant to chapters H3 (Monetary Sanction by the Israel Securities Authority), H4 (Administrative Enforcement Proceedings of the Administrative Enforcement Committee) or I1 (Arrangement to Conditionally Prevent Proceedings or Suspend Proceedings) of the Securities Law.
● | Under the Companies Law, the Securities Law and the Antitrust Law, a company may insure an office holder against the following liabilities incurred for acts performed by him or her as an office holder if and to the extent provided in the company’s articles of association: |
● | a breach of the duty of loyalty to the company, provided that the office holder acted in good faith and had a reasonable basis to believe that the act would not harm the company; |
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● | a breach of duty of care to the company or to a third party, to the extent such a breach arises out of the negligent conduct of the office holder; |
● | a monetary liability imposed on the office holder in favor of a third party; |
● | a monetary liability imposed on the office holder in favor of an injured party in certain Administrative Proceedings under the Securities Law, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses; |
● | expenses incurred by an office holder in connection with an Administrative Proceeding, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses; and |
● | monetary liability imposed on the office holder in proceedings under or in connection with the Antitrust Law, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses. |
Under the Companies Law, a company may not indemnify, exculpate or insure an office holder against any of the following:
● | a breach of the duty of loyalty, except for indemnification and insurance for a breach of the duty of loyalty to the company to the extent that the office holder acted in good faith and had a reasonable basis to believe that the act would not prejudice the company; |
● | a breach of duty of care committed intentionally or recklessly, excluding a breach arising out of the negligent conduct of the office holder; |
● | an act or omission committed with intent to derive illegal personal benefit; or |
● | a fine or forfeit levied against the office holder. |
Under the Companies Law, exculpation, indemnification and insurance of office holders in a public company must be approved by the compensation committee and the board of directors and, with respect to directors or controlling shareholders, their relatives and third parties in which such controlling shareholders have a personal interest, also by the shareholders.
Our articles of association permit us to insure our office holders to the fullest extent permitted or to be permitted by law. Our office holders are currently covered by a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy. As of the date of this prospectus, no claims for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance have been filed under this policy and we are not aware of any pending or threatened litigation or proceeding involving any of our office holders, including our directors, in which indemnification is sought.
We have entered into agreements with each of our current office holders undertaking to indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by law, subject to limited exceptions, including, with respect to liabilities resulting from this offering, to the extent that these liabilities are not covered by insurance. This indemnification is limited as follows: the maximum aggregate amount of indemnification that we may pay to all office holders entitled to indemnification, whether in advance or after the event, with respect to all our indemnification undertakings to officer holders, if and to the extent that it grants them, based on the grounds specified above, shall not exceed the maximum indemnification amount of 25% of our shareholders’ equity according to its last financial statements at the time of indemnification. Such indemnification amounts are in addition to any insurance amounts. However, in the opinion of the SEC, indemnification of office holders for liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and therefore unenforceable.
There is no pending litigation or proceeding against any of our office holders as to which indemnification is being sought, nor are we aware of any pending or threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification by any office holder.
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We have also entered into agreements with each of our current office holders undertaking to exculpate them in accordance with the Companies Law, whereby an Israeli company may exculpate an office holder in advance from liability to the company, in whole or in part, for damages caused to the company as a result of a breach of duty of care, if a provision authorizing such exculpation is included in its articles of association. Our articles of association include such a provision. A company may not exculpate an office holder from liability for a breach of a fiduciary duty, and may not exculpate a director in advance from liability arising out of a prohibited dividend or distribution to shareholders. We also do not exculpate our directors in advance from liability for damages caused to the company as a result of a breach of duty of care in connection with a transaction in which a controlling shareholder or any office holder has a personal interest.
Item 7. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
We have issued securities which were not registered under the Securities Act as set forth below.
The following is a summary of transactions during the preceding three years involving sales of our securities that were not registered under the Securities Act (all amounts converted to USD using the exchange rate as of December 31, 2021):
On February 26, 2019, we issued 25,747 ordinary shares of the Company pursuant to the exercise of options by employees for aggregate proceeds of NIS 108,000 (approximately $33,000).
On February 23, 2020, we entered into an agreement with Mor Provident Funds Ltd., or Mor, pursuant to which we issued 277,108 ordinary shares to Mor in consideration of NIS 3,430,000 (approximately $1 million). In addition, upon completion of a fundraising transaction with Mor, certain bridge investments Mor made in the Company were fully converted into an aggregate of 1,470,835 ordinary shares. Further, in May 2021, we issued 89,347 shares to certain investors according to investment agreements.
On May 24, 2020, our Board of Directors approved to amend an investment agreement that was originally signed on April 28, 2020 with Unicorn Technologies, Limited Partnership, or Unicorn, pursuant to which we issued 39,963 ordinary shares in Unicorn in consideration of NIS 630,000 (approximately $180,000).
On June 9, 2020, we issued 1,585,400 ordinary shares pursuant to our Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange, or TASE, at a price per share of NIS 16.40 (approximately $5.00). The aggregate proceeds from the offering were approximately NIS 26 million (approximately $8 million).
Upon completion of the IPO on the TASE, all the then outstanding seed shares were fully converted into 2,525,018 ordinary shares of the Company, par value NIS 0.01 each. This amount includes 614,149 seed shares that were issued to certain investors on January 7, 2020 for NIS 2,422,000 (approximately $744,000).
On November 16, 2020, we completed a public offering on the TASE, pursuant to which we issued 387,097 units, which consisted of 774,194 ordinary shares and 387,097 stock warrants, for aggregate gross proceeds of NIS 21 million (approximately $6.4 million).
During August-December 2020, we issued 27,011 ordinary shares, pursuant to the on exercise of options by employees, for aggregate proceeds of NIS 96,000 (approximately $29,000).
On January 31, 2021, we issued 288,080 ordinary shares upon exercise of unregistered rights granted to Keshet Holdings Limited Partnership in August 2019.
Since January 2019, we have granted to our directors, officers, employees and other service providers options to purchase an aggregate of 553,696 ordinary shares under our incentive option plan, with exercise prices ranging between NIS 0.30 (approximately $0.10) and NIS 36 (approximately $11) per share. As of December 20, 2021, 52,758 ordinary shares have been issued upon the exercise of options granted to our directors, officers and employees and other service providers under our incentive option plan, and options to purchase 49,288 shares were cancelled, forfeited, expired, or were otherwise not granted, such that the total outstanding amount of options to our directors, officers and employees and other service providers under our incentive option plan as of such date is 47,499.
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We believe that the offers, sales and issuances of the securities described in the preceding paragraphs were exempt from registration either (a) under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (including Regulation D and Rule 506), in that the transactions were between an issuer and sophisticated investors or members of its senior executive management and did not involve any public offering within the meaning of Section 4(a)(2) or (b) under Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act in that offers, sales and issuances were not made to persons in the United States and no directed selling efforts were made in the United States.
Item 8. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
* | Filed herewith. |
** | Previously Filed. |
# | English translation of original Hebrew document. |
II-4
Item 9. Undertakings.
a. | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
1. | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
i. | To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; |
ii. | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and |
iii. | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement. |
2. | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
3. | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
4. | To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by Item 8.A. of Form 20-F at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Act need not be furnished, provided that the registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (a)(4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. |
5. | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date. |
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6. | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
i. | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
ii. | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
iii. | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
iv. | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
b. | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser. |
c. | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
d. | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
1. | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
2. | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
II-6
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Petah Tikva, Israel, on March 30, 2022.
SAVERONE 2014 LTD. | ||
By: | /s/ Ori Gilboa | |
Name: | Ori Gilboa | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signatures | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Ori Gilboa | Chief Executive Officer and Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
Ori Gilboa | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
/s/ Tony Klein | Chief Financial Officer | March 30, 2022 | ||
Tony Klein | (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | |||
* | Chairman of the Board of Directors | March 30, 2022 | ||
Jacob Tenenboim | ||||
* | Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
Michal Brikman Marom | ||||
* | Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
Gil Sheratzki | ||||
* | Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
Yehoshua Abramovic | ||||
* | Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
Yaron Be’eri | ||||
* | Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
Shlomo Shalev |
II-7
Signature of authorized representative in the United States
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant’s duly authorized representative has signed this registration statement on Form F-1 in the city of Newark, the State of Delaware, on March 30, 2022.
By: | Puglisi & Associates | |
By: | /s/ Donald J. Puglisi | |
Name: | Donald J. Puglisi | |
Title: | Managing Director |
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Exhibit 1.1
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
between
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
and
THINKEQUITY LLC
as Representative of the Several Underwriters
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
New York, New York
[●], 2022
ThinkEquity LLC
As Representative of the several Underwriters named on Schedule 1 attached
hereto
17 State Street, 22nd Fl
New York, NY 10004
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned, Saverone 2014 Ltd., a corporation formed under the laws of the State of Israel (collectively with its subsidiaries and affiliates if any, including, without limitation, all entities disclosed or described in the Registration Statement (as hereinafter defined) as being subsidiaries or affiliates of Saverone 2014 Ltd., the “Company”), hereby confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with ThinkEquity LLC (hereinafter referred to as “you” (including its correlatives) or the “Representative”) and with the other underwriters named on Schedule 1 hereto for which the Representative is acting as representative (the Representative and such other underwriters being collectively called the “Underwriters” or, individually, an “Underwriter”) as set forth below.
1. Purchase and Sale of Shares.
1.1 Firm ADSs.
1.1.1. Nature and Purchase of Firm ADSs.
(i) On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters, an aggregate of [●] American Depositary Shares (“ADSs” and “Firm ADSs”, respectively), representing and aggregate of [●] ordinary shares of the Company, NIS 0.01 par value (“Ordinary Shares”). “ADSs” shall mean the American Depositary Shares of the Company, each ADS representing [●] Ordinary Shares deposited with [Bank Hapoalim], as custodian for the Depositary (as defined below) in Tel Aviv. The ADSs purchased by the Underwriters will be evidenced by American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) to be issued pursuant to a Deposit Agreement dated [●], 2022 (the “Deposit Agreement”) entered into by and among the Company, [●], as depositary of the Company (the “Depositary”), and all owners and beneficial owners from time to time of the ADSs.
(ii) The Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agree to purchase from the Company the number of Firm ADSs set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule 1 attached hereto and made a part hereof at a purchase price of $[●] per Firm Share (93% of the per Firm ADSs offering price). The Firm ADSs are to be offered initially to the public at the offering price set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus (as defined in Section 2.1.1 hereof).
1.1.2. Shares Payment and Delivery.
(i) Delivery and payment for the Firm ADSs shall be made at [10:00 a.m.], Eastern time, on the second (2nd) Business Day following the date hereof (or the third (3rd) Business Day following the date hereof if the Registration Statement is declared effective after 4:01 p.m., Eastern time) or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company, at the offices of Sullivan & Worcester LLP, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 (“Representative Counsel”), or at such other place (or remotely by facsimile or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company. The hour and date of delivery and payment for the Firm ADSs is called the “Closing Date.”
(ii) Payment for the Firm ADSs shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer in U.S dollars (same day) funds, payable to the order of the Company upon delivery of the certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters) representing the Firm ADSs (or through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”)) for the account of the Representative. The Firm ADSs shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two (2) full Business Days prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Firm ADSs except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all of the Firm ADSs. The term “Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York, New York.
1.2 Over-allotment Option.
1.2.1. Option ADSs. For the purposes of covering any over-allotments in connection with the distribution and sale of the Firm ADSs, the Company hereby grants to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to [●] additional Firm ADSs, representing fifteen percent (15%) of the Firm ADSs sold in the offering, from the Company (the “Over-allotment Option”). Such [●] additional Firm ADSs, the net proceeds of which will be deposited with the Company’s account, are hereinafter referred to as “Option ADSs.” The purchase price to be paid per Option ADS shall be equal to the price per Firm ADS set forth in Section 1.1.1 hereof. The Firm ADSs and the Option ADSs are hereinafter referred to together as the “Public Securities.” The offering and sale of the Public Securities is hereinafter referred to as the “Offering.”
1.2.2. Exercise of Option. The Over-allotment Option granted pursuant to Section 1.2.1 hereof may be exercised by the Representative as to all (at any time) or any part (from time to time) of the Option ADSs within 45 days after the Closing Date. The Underwriters shall not be under any obligation to purchase any Option ADSs prior to the exercise of the Over-allotment Option. The Over-allotment Option granted hereby may be exercised by the giving of oral notice to the Company from the Representative, which must be confirmed in writing by overnight mail or facsimile or other electronic transmission setting forth the number of Option ADSs to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Option ADSs (the “Option Closing Date”), which shall not be later than one (1) full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative, at the offices of Representative Counsel or at such other place (including remotely by facsimile or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative. If such delivery and payment for the Option ADSs does not occur on the Closing Date, the Option Closing Date will be as set forth in the notice. Upon exercise of the Over-allotment Option with respect to all or any portion of the Option ADSs, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (i) the Company shall become obligated to sell to the Underwriters the number of Option ADSs specified in such notice and (ii) each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, shall purchase that portion of the total number of Option ADSs then being purchased as set forth in Schedule 1 opposite the name of such Underwriter.
1.2.3. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Option ADSs shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in U.S. dollars (same day) funds, payable to the order of the Company upon delivery to you of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters) representing the Option ADSs (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Underwriters. The Option ADSs shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least one (1) full Business Day prior to the Option Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Option ADSs except upon tender of payment by the Representative for applicable Option ADSs. The Option Closing Date may be simultaneous with, but not earlier than, the Closing Date; and in the event that such time and date are simultaneous with the Closing Date, the term “Closing Date” shall refer to the time and date of delivery of the Firm Shares and Option Shares.
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1.3 Representative’s Warrants.
1.3.1. Purchase Warrants. The Company hereby agrees to issue and sell to the Representative (and/or its designees) on the Closing Date a warrant (“Representative’s Warrant”) to purchase up to an aggregate of [●] ADSs, representing 5% of the Public Securities, for an aggregate purchase price of $100.00, to be issued pursuant to a Representative’s Warrant Agreement, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Representative’s Warrant Agreement”), which Representative’s Warrant shall be exercisable, in whole or in part, commencing on a date which is one hundred eighty (180) days after the effective date (“Effective Date”) of the Registration Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1 below) and expiring on the five-year anniversary of the Effective Date at an initial exercise price per Firm ADS of $[●], which is equal to one hundred twenty five percent (125%) of the initial public offering price of the Firm ADSs. The Representative’s Warrant Agreement and the ADSs issuable upon exercise thereof are hereinafter referred to together as the “Representative’s Securities.” The Representative understands and agrees that there are significant restrictions pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 against transferring the Representative’s Warrant Agreement and the underlying Firm ADSs during the one hundred eighty (180) days after the Effective Date and by its acceptance thereof shall agree that it will not sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate the Representative’s Warrant Agreement, or any portion thereof, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such securities for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days following the Effective Date to anyone other than (i) an Underwriter or a selected dealer in connection with the Offering, or (ii) a bona fide officer or partner of the Representative or of any such Underwriter or selected dealer; and only if any such transferee agrees to the foregoing lock-up restrictions.
1.3.2. Delivery. Delivery of the Representative’s Warrant Agreement shall be made on the Closing Date and shall be issued in the name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as of the Applicable Time (as defined below), as of the Closing Date and as of the Option Closing Date, if any, as follows:
2.1 Filing of Registration Statement.
2.1.1. Pursuant to the Securities Act. The Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form F-6 (No. 333-263785) covering the registration of the ADSs under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (the “ADS Registration Statement”) and a registration statement, and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form F-1 (File No. 333-263338), including any related prospectus or prospectuses, for the registration of the Public Securities and the Representative’s Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company in all material respects in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Securities Act (the “Securities Act Regulations”) contains and will contain all material statements that are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations. Except as the context may otherwise require, such registration statement, as amended, on file with the Commission at the time the registration statement became effective (including the Preliminary Prospectus included in the registration statement, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated therein and all information deemed to be a part thereof as of the date hereof pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430A of the Securities Act Regulations (the “Rule 430A Information”)), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement.” If the Company files any registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act Regulations, then after such filing, the term “Registration Statement” shall include such registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b). The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof and the ADS Registration Statement was declared effective by the Commission on [●], 2022.
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Each prospectus used prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and each prospectus that omitted the Rule 430A Information that was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, is herein called a “Preliminary Prospectus.” The Preliminary Prospectus, subject to completion, dated [●], 2022, that was included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Applicable Time is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus.” The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in the Offering is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.” Any reference to the “most recent Preliminary Prospectus” shall be deemed to refer to the latest Preliminary Prospectus included in the Registration Statement.
“Applicable Time” means [TIME] [a.m./p.m.], Eastern time, on the date of this Agreement.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), including without limitation any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act Regulations) relating to the Public Securities that is (i) required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, or (iii) exempt from filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Public Securities or of the Offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).
“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors (other than a “bona fide electronic road show,” as defined in Rule 433 (the “Bona Fide Electronic Road Show”)), as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule 2-B hereto.
“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.
“Pricing Disclosure Package” means any Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, the Pricing Prospectus and the information included on Schedule 2-A hereto, all considered together.
For the purposes of this Agreement “Knowledge” means, when referring to the ‘knowledge’ of the Company, or any similar phrase or qualification based on knowledge, the actual knowledge of Company’s officers and/or employees, and the knowledge that each such person would have obtained after making due and appropriate inquiry with respect to the particular matter in question.
2.1.2. Pursuant to the Exchange Act. The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (File Number 000-[●]) providing for the registration pursuant to Section 12(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares. The registration of the ADSs and related Form 8-A have become effective under the Exchange Act on or prior to the date hereof. The Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the ADSs under the Exchange Act, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration.
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2.2 Stock Exchange Listing. The ADSs have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Exchange”), and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, delisting the Firm ADSs from the Exchange, nor has the Company received any notification that the Exchange is contemplating terminating such listing except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
2.3 No Stop Orders, etc. Neither the Commission nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any state regulatory authority has issued any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or has instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to institute, any proceedings with respect to such an order. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information.
2.4 Disclosures in Registration Statement.
2.4.1. Compliance with Securities Act and 10b-5 Representation.
(i) Each of the ADS Registration Statement and the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations. Each Preliminary Prospectus, including the prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment or supplement thereto, and the Prospectus, at the time each was filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations. Each Preliminary Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this Offering and the Prospectus was or will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(ii) None of the ADS Registration Statement and the Registration Statement or any amendments thereto, at their respective effective times, as of the Applicable Time, at the Closing Date or at any Option Closing Date (if any), contained, contains or will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(iii) The Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, at the Closing Date or at any Option Closing Date (if any), did not, does not and will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, and each such Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Prospectus as of the Applicable Time, did not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements made or statements omitted in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriters by the Representative expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto. The parties acknowledge and agree that such information provided by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists solely of the following disclosure contained in the “Underwriting” section of the Prospectus: (i) the second sentence of the subsection entitled “Discounts and Commissions” related to concessions; (ii) the subsection entitled “Discretionary Accounts”; (iii) first three paragraphs under the subsection entitled “Stabilization”; and (iv) the subsection entitled “Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Shares” (the “Underwriters’ Information”).
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(iv) Neither the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto (including any prospectus wrapper), as of its issue date, at the time of any filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), at the Closing Date or at any Option Closing Date, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to the Underwriters’ Information.
2.4.2. Disclosure of Agreements. The agreements and documents described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained therein and there are no agreements or other documents required by the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that have not been so described or filed. Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company is a party or by which it is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, or (ii) is material to the Company’s business, has been duly authorized and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect in all material respects and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. None of such agreements or instruments has been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party is in default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a default thereunder. To the Company’s knowledge, performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses (each, a “Governmental Entity”), including, without limitation, those relating to environmental laws and regulations.
2.4.3. Prior Securities Transactions. No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Preliminary Prospectus.
2.4.4. Regulations. The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus concerning the effects of federal, state, local and all foreign regulation on the Offering and the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and no other such regulations are required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus which are not so disclosed.
2.4.5. No Other Distribution of Offering Materials. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the Offering other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and other materials, if any, permitted under the Securities Act and consistent with Section 3.2 below.
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2.5 Changes After Dates in Registration Statement.
2.5.1. No Material Adverse Change. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except as otherwise specifically stated therein: (i) there has been no material adverse change in the financial position or results of operations of the Company, nor any change or development that, singularly or in the aggregate, would involve a material adverse change or a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, assets or prospects of the Company (a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company, other than as contemplated pursuant to this Agreement; and (iii) no officer (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) of the Exchange Act) or director of the Company has resigned from any position with the Company.
2.5.2. Recent Securities Transactions, etc. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not: (i) issued any securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its capital stock.
2.6 Independent Accountants. To the knowledge of the Company, [Fahn Kanne & Co. Grant Thornton Israel] (the “Auditor”), whose report is filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The Auditor has not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act.
2.7 Financial Statements, etc. The financial statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, fairly present in all material respects the financial position and the results of operations of the Company at the dates and for the periods to which they apply; and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved (provided that unaudited interim financial statements are subject to year-end audit adjustments that are not expected to be material in the aggregate and do not contain all footnotes required by GAAP); and the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the information required to be stated therein. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus under the Securities Act or the Securities Act Regulations. The pro forma and pro forma as adjusted financial information and the related notes, if any, included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus have been properly compiled and prepared in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission), if any, comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. Each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus discloses all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (a) neither the Company nor any of its direct and indirect subsidiaries, including each entity disclosed or described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being a subsidiary of the Company (each, a “Subsidiary” and, collectively, the “Subsidiaries”), has incurred any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transactions other than in the ordinary course of business, (b) the Company has not declared or paid any dividends or made any distribution of any kind with respect to its capital stock, (c) there has not been any change in the capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or, other than in the course of business, any grants under any stock compensation plan, and (d) there has not been any Material Adverse Change in the Company’s long-term or short-term debt.
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2.8 Authorized Capital; Options, etc. The Company had, at the date or dates indicated in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth therein. Based on the assumptions stated in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company will have on the Closing Date the adjusted stock capitalization set forth therein. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date, as of the Applicable Time and on the Closing Date and any Option Closing Date, there will be no stock options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized, but unissued Ordinary Shares or any security convertible or exercisable into Ordinary Shares, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell Ordinary Shares or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.
2.9 Valid Issuance of Securities, etc.
2.9.1. Outstanding Securities. All issued and outstanding securities of the Company issued prior to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission or similar rights with respect thereto or put rights, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or rights of participation of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The authorized Ordinary Shares conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The offers and sales of the outstanding Ordinary Shares were at all relevant times either registered under the Securities Act and the applicable state securities or “blue sky” laws or, based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such securities, exempt from such registration requirements.
2.9.2. Securities Sold Pursuant to this Agreement. The Public Securities and Representative’s Securities have been duly authorized for issuance and sale and, when issued and paid for, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Public Securities and Representative’s Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company except as validly waived or complied with; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Public Securities and Representative’s Securities has been duly and validly taken. The Public Securities and Representative’s Securities conform in all material respects to all statements with respect thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. All corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Representative’s Warrant has been duly and validly taken; the Ordinary Shares underlying the ADSs issuable upon exercise of the Representative’s Warrant have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and when paid for and issued in accordance with the Representative’s Warrant and the Representative’s Warrant Agreement, such ADSs will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and such ADSs are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or rights of participation of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company.
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2.10 Registration Rights of Third Parties. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Securities Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.
2.11 Validity and Binding Effect of Agreements. This Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant Agreement have each been duly and validly authorized by the Company, and, when executed and delivered, will constitute, the valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.
2.12 No Conflicts, etc. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Representative’s Warrant Agreement and all ancillary documents, the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both: (i) result in a material breach of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a material default under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of any agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Company’s Articles of Association (as the same may be amended or restated from time to time, the “Charter”) or the by-laws of the Company; or (iii) violate any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any Governmental Entity as of the date hereof; except in the case of clause (iii) for any such breach, conflict, violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not reasonably be expected to result in, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Change.
2.13 No Defaults; Violations. No material default exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any material license, contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject. The Company is not in violation of (i) any term or provision of its Charter or by-laws, or (ii) in violation of any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any Governmental Entity; except in the case of clause (ii) for any such violation that would not reasonably be expected to result in, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Change.
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2.14 Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents.
2.14.1. Conduct of Business. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business purpose as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus except where such failure to have such authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permit would not individually or in the aggregate reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
2.14.2. Transactions Contemplated Herein. The Company has all corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection therewith have been obtained. No consent, authorization or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body is required for the valid issuance, sale and delivery of the Public Securities and the consummation of the transactions and agreements contemplated by this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant Agreement and as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except with respect to applicable federal state and foreign securities laws, and the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
2.15 D&O Questionnaires. To the Company’s knowledge, all information contained in the questionnaires (the “Questionnaires”) completed by each of the Company’s directors and officers immediately prior to the Offering (the “Insiders”) as supplemented by all information concerning the Company’s directors, officers and principal shareholders as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as well as in the Lock-Up Agreement (as defined in Section 2.24 below), provided to the Underwriters, is true and correct in all material respects and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires to become materially inaccurate and incorrect.
2.16 Litigation; Governmental Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against, or involving the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any executive officer or director which has not been disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or in connection with the Company’s listing application for the listing of the Public Securities on the Exchange, and which if resolved adversely to the Company would result in a Material Adverse Change or otherwise affect the Company’s ability to consummate the Offering.
2.17 Good Standing. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of the State of Israel as of the date hereof, and is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, singularly or in the aggregate, would not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
2.18 Insurance. The Company carries or is entitled to the benefits of insurance, with reputable insurers, in such amounts and covering such risks which the Company believes are adequate, including, but not limited to, directors and officers insurance coverage at least equal to $5,000,000 and all such insurance is in full force and effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not result in a Material Adverse Change.
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2.19 Transactions Affecting Disclosure to FINRA.
2.19.1. Finder’s Fees. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee by the Company or any Insider with respect to the sale of the Public Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its shareholders that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined by FINRA.
2.19.2. Payments Within Twelve (12) Months. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) any FINRA member; or (iii) any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member, within the twelve (12) months prior to the date hereof, other than the payment to the Underwriters as provided hereunder in connection with the Offering.
2.19.3. Use of Proceeds. None of the net proceeds of the Offering will be paid by the Company to any participating FINRA member or its affiliates, except as specifically authorized herein.
2.19.4. FINRA Affiliation. To the Company’s knowledge, there is no (i) officer or director of the Company, (ii) beneficial owner of 5% or more of any class of the Company’s securities or (iii) beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered equity securities which were acquired during the 180-day period immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement that is an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the Offering (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA). Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any Underwriter and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Public Securities to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.
2.19.5. Information. All information provided by the Company, and, to the Company’s knowledge, all information provided by its officers and directors in their FINRA questionnaire to Representative Counsel specifically for use by Representative Counsel in connection with its Public Offering System filings (and related disclosure) with FINRA is true, correct and complete in all material respects.
2.20 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The Company’s accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “FCPA”), or any applicable provisions of Israeli law. None of the Company and its Subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company and its Subsidiaries or any other person acting on behalf of the Company and its Subsidiaries, has, directly or indirectly, given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction) that (i) might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding, (ii) if not given in the past, might have had a Material Adverse Change, (iii) if not continued in the future, might adversely affect the assets, business, operations or prospects of the Company, (iv) violated or is in violation of any provision of the FCPA or any applicable non-U.S. anti-bribery statute or regulation, (v) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment, or (vi) received notice of any investigation, proceeding or inquiry by any Governmental Entity regarding any of the matters in clauses (i)-(v) above; and the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s affiliates have conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
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2.21 Compliance with OFAC. None of the Company and its Subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company and its Subsidiaries or any other person acting on behalf of the Company and its Subsidiaries, is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), and the Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the Offering hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
2.22 Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Governmental Entity (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any Governmental Entity involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
2.23 Officers’ Certificate. Any certificate signed by any duly authorized officer of the Company and delivered to you or to Representative Counsel shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.
2.24 Lock-Up Agreements. Schedule 3 hereto contains a complete and accurate list of the Company’s officers, directors and each owner of at least 5% (if a follow-on offering already listed on an exchange) of the Company’s outstanding Ordinary Shares (or securities convertible or exercisable into Ordinary Shares) (collectively, the “Lock-Up Parties”). The Company has caused each of the Lock-Up Parties to deliver to the Representative an executed Lock-Up Agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Lock-Up Agreement”), prior to the execution of this Agreement.
2.25 Subsidiaries. All direct and indirect Subsidiaries of the Company are duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the place of organization or incorporation, and each Subsidiary is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the assets, business or operations of the Company taken as a whole. The Company’s ownership and control of each Subsidiary is as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
2.26 Related Party Transactions.
2.26.1. Business Relationships. There are no business relationships or related party transactions involving the Company (within the scope of Item 404 of Regulation S-K) required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus that have not been described as required.
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2.26.2. No Unconsolidated Entities. There are no transactions, arrangements or other relationships between and/or among the Company, any of its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act) and any unconsolidated entity, including, but not limited to, any structured finance, special purpose or limited purpose entity that could reasonably be expected to materially affect the Company’s liquidity or the availability of or requirements for its capital resources required to be described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
2.27 No Loans or Advances to Affiliates. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees or indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of (i) any of the officers or directors of the Company, (ii) any other affiliates of the Company or (iii) any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, which are, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.
2.28 Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Company is comprised of the persons set forth under the heading of the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus captioned “Management.” The qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the board comply with the Exchange Act, the Exchange Act Regulations, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) applicable to the Company and the listing rules of the Exchange. At least one member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined under Regulation S-K and the listing rules of the Exchange. In addition, at least a majority of the persons serving on the Board of Directors qualify as “independent,” as defined under the listing rules of the Exchange. These disclosure controls are different from the internal controls on financial reporting to which the Company’s material weakness relates, as described in the Prospectus.
2.29 Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance.
2.29.1. Disclosure Controls. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has developed and currently maintains disclosure controls and procedures that will comply with Rule 13a-15 or 15d-15 under the Exchange Act Regulations, and such controls and procedures are effective to ensure that all material information concerning the Company will be made known on a timely basis to the individuals responsible for the preparation of the Company’s Exchange Act filings and other public disclosure documents.
2.29.2. Compliance. The Company is, or at the Applicable Time and on the Closing Date will be, in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act applicable to it, and has implemented or will implement such programs and taken reasonable steps to ensure the Company’s future compliance (not later than the relevant statutory and regulatory deadlines therefor) with all of the material provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
2.30 Accounting Controls. The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined under Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act Regulations) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP, including, but not limited to, internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) in its internal controls. The Company’s auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which are known to the Company’s management and that have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’ ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud known to the Company’s management, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.
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2.31 No Investment Company Status. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the Offering and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will not be, required to register as an “investment company,” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
2.32 No Labor Disputes. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent.
2.33 Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries owns or possesses or has valid rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets and similar rights (“Intellectual Property Rights”) necessary for the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries as currently carried on and as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. To the knowledge of the Company, no action or use by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries necessary for the conduct of its business as currently carried on and as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will involve or give rise to any infringement of, or license or similar fees for, any Intellectual Property Rights of others. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice alleging any such infringement, fee or conflict with asserted Intellectual Property Rights of others. Except as would not reasonably be expected to result, individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Change (A) to the knowledge of the Company, there is no infringement, misappropriation or violation by third parties of any of the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company; (B) there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the rights of the Company in or to any such Intellectual Property Rights, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim, that would, individually or in the aggregate, together with any other claims in this Section 2.33, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; (C) the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Intellectual Property Rights licensed to the Company have not been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property Rights, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim that would, individually or in the aggregate, together with any other claims in this Section 2.33, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; (D) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates any Intellectual Property Rights or other proprietary rights of others, the Company has not received any written notice of such claim and the Company is unaware of any other facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim that would, individually or in the aggregate, together with any other claims in this Section 2.33, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; and (E) to the Company’s knowledge, no employee of the Company is in or has ever been in violation in any material respect of any term of any employment contract, patent disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, non-competition agreement, non-solicitation agreement, nondisclosure agreement or any restrictive covenant to or with a former employer where the basis of such violation relates to such employee’s employment with the Company, or actions undertaken by the employee while employed with the Company and could reasonably be expected to result, individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Change. To the Company’s knowledge, all material technical information developed by and belonging to the Company which has not been patented has been kept confidential. The Company is not a party to or bound by any options, licenses or agreements with respect to the Intellectual Property Rights of any other person or entity that are required to be set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and are not described therein. The Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus contain in all material respects the same description of the matters set forth in the preceding sentence. None of the technology employed by the Company has been obtained or is being used by the Company in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its officers, directors or employees, or otherwise in violation of the rights of any persons.
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2.34 Taxes. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has filed all returns (as hereinafter defined) required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof or has duly obtained extensions of time for the filing thereof. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has paid all taxes (as hereinafter defined) shown as due on such returns that were filed and has paid all taxes imposed on or assessed against the Company or such respective Subsidiary. The provisions for taxes payable, if any, shown on the financial statements filed with or as part of the Registration Statement are sufficient for all accrued and unpaid taxes, whether or not disputed, and for all periods to and including the dates of such consolidated financial statements. Except as disclosed in writing to the Underwriters, (i) no issues have been raised (and are currently pending) by any taxing authority in connection with any of the returns or taxes asserted as due from the Company or its Subsidiaries, and (ii) no waivers of statutes of limitation with respect to the returns or collection of taxes have been given by or requested from the Company or its Subsidiaries. The term “taxes” means all federal, state, local, foreign and other net income, gross income, gross receipts, sales, use, ad valorem, transfer, franchise, profits, license, lease, service, service use, withholding, payroll, employment, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, premium, property, windfall profits, customs, duties or other taxes, fees, assessments or charges of any kind whatever, together with any interest and any penalties, additions to tax or additional amounts with respect thereto. The term “returns” means all returns, declarations, reports, statements and other documents required to be filed in respect to taxes.
2.35 [RESERVED]
2.36 Compliance with Laws. The Company: (A) is and at all times has been in compliance with all statutes, rules, or regulations applicable to the business of the Company (“Applicable Laws”), except as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Change; (B) has not received any warning letter, untitled letter or other correspondence or notice from any other governmental authority alleging or asserting noncompliance with any Applicable Laws or any licenses, certificates, approvals, clearances, authorizations, permits and supplements or amendments thereto required by any such Applicable Laws (“Authorizations”);(C) possesses all material Authorizations and such Authorizations are valid and in full force and effect and are not in material violation of any term of any such Authorizations; (D) has not received notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any governmental authority or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in violation of any Applicable Laws or Authorizations and has no knowledge that any such governmental authority or third party is considering any such claim, litigation, arbitration, action, suit, investigation or proceeding; (E) has not received notice that any governmental authority has taken, is taking or intends to take action to limit, suspend, modify or revoke any Authorizations and has no knowledge that any such governmental authority is considering such action; (F) has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Applicable Laws or Authorizations and that all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were complete and correct on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission); and (G) has not, either voluntarily or involuntarily, initiated, conducted, or issued or caused to be initiated, conducted or issued, any recall, market withdrawal or replacement, safety alert, post-sale warning, “dear doctor” letter, or other notice or action relating to the alleged lack of safety or efficacy of any product or any alleged product defect or violation and, to the Company’s knowledge, no third party has initiated, conducted or intends to initiate any such notice or action.
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2.37 Ineligible Issuers. At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the Securities Act Regulations) of the Public Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer.
2.38 Real Property. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real or personal property which are material to the business of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, claims and defects that do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries holds properties described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any Subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such Subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.
2.39 Contracts Affecting Capital. There are no transactions, arrangements or other relationships between and/or among the Company, any of its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act Regulations) and any unconsolidated entity, including, but not limited to, any structured finance, special purpose or limited purpose entity that could reasonably be expected to materially affect the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ liquidity or the availability of or requirements for their capital resources required to be described or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus which have not been described or incorporated by reference as required.
2.40 Loans to Directors or Officers. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees or indebtedness by the Company or its Subsidiaries to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company, its Subsidiaries or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
2.41 Industry Data. The statistical and market-related data included in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate or represent the Company’s good faith estimates that are made on the basis of data derived from such sources.
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2.42 Emerging Growth Company. From the time of the initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly in or through any Person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act.
2.43 Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not (i) alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communications, other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the written consent of the Representative and with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (ii) authorized anyone other than the Representative to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company confirms that the Representative has been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule 2-C hereto. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
2.44 Electronic Road Show. The Company has made available a Bona Fide Electronic Road Show in compliance with Rule 433(d)(8)(ii) of the Securities Act Regulations such that no filing of any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433(h) of the Securities Act Regulations) is required in connection with the Offering.
2.45 Margin Securities. The Company owns no “margin securities” as that term is defined in Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”), and none of the proceeds of Offering will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any margin security, for the purpose of reducing or retiring any indebtedness which was originally incurred to purchase or carry any margin security or for any other purpose which might cause any of the ADSs to be considered a “purpose credit” within the meanings of Regulation T, U or X of the Federal Reserve Board.
2.46 Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all foreign, federal, state, local and foreign legally-binding rules, laws and regulations relating to the use, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous or toxic substances or waste and protection of health and safety (to the extent relating to exposure to hazardous or toxic substances) or the environment which are applicable to their businesses (“Environmental Laws”). There has been no storage, generation, transportation, handling, treatment, disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any kind of toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances by, due to, or caused by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other entity for whose acts or omissions the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or may otherwise be liable) upon any of the property now or previously owned or leased by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or upon any other property, in violation of any Environmental Law or which would, under any Environmental Law, give rise to any liability; and there has been no disposal, discharge, emission or other release of any kind onto such property or into the environment surrounding such property of any toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances. In the ordinary course of business, the Company and its Subsidiaries conduct periodic reviews of the effect of Environmental Laws on their business and assets, in the course of which they identify and evaluate any associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or governmental permits issued thereunder, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties). On the basis of such reviews, the Company and its Subsidiaries have reasonably concluded that such associated costs and liabilities would not reasonably be expected to result, singularly or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Change.
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2.47 Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in either the Registration Statement, Pricing Disclosure Package or Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees as follows:
3.1 Amendments to Registration Statement. The Company shall deliver to the Representative, prior to filing, any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus proposed to be filed after the effective date of the Registration Statement and not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative shall reasonably object in writing.
3.2 Federal Securities Laws.
3.2.1. Compliance. The Company, subject to Section 3.2.2, shall comply with the requirements of Rule 430A of the Securities Act Regulations, and will notify the Representative promptly, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the ADS Registration Statement or Registration Statement shall become effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus shall have been filed and when any post-effective amendment to the ADS Registration Statement or Registration Statement shall become effective; (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission; (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the ADS Registration Statement or Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information; (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the ADS Registration Statement or Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Public Securities and Representative’s Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Securities Act concerning the ADS Registration Statement or Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the Offering of the Public Securities and Representative’s Securities. The Company shall effect all filings required under Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act Regulations, in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and shall take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order, prevention or suspension and, if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
3.2.2. Continued Compliance. The Company shall comply in all material respects with the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations, the Exchange Act and the Exchange Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Public Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus relating to the Public Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172 of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 172”), would be) required by the Securities Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Public Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to (i) amend the Registration Statement in order that the Registration Statement will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order that the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser or (iii) amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, in order to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act or the Securities Act Regulations, the Company will promptly (A) give the Representative notice of such event; (B) prepare any amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus comply with such requirements and, a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing or use, furnish the Representative with copies of any such amendment or supplement and (C) file with the Commission any such amendment or supplement; provided that the Company shall not file or use any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object. The Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request. The Company has given the Representative notice of any filings made pursuant to the Exchange Act or the Exchange Act Regulations within 48 hours prior to the Applicable Time. The Company shall give the Representative notice of its intention to make any such filing from the Applicable Time until the later of the Closing Date and the exercise in full or expiration of the Over-allotment Option specified in Section 1.2 hereof and will furnish the Representative with copies of the related document(s) a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representative or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object.
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3.2.3. Exchange Act Registration. For a period of three (3) years after the date of this Agreement, the Company shall use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the ADSs under the Exchange Act. The Company shall not deregister the ADSs under the Exchange Act without the prior written consent of the Representative.
3.2.4. Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representative, it shall not make any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” or a portion thereof, required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433; provided that the Representative shall be deemed to have consented to each Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus hereto and any “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) that has been reviewed by the Representative. The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each such free writing prospectus consented to, or deemed consented to, by the Underwriters as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and that it has complied and will comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 433 with respect thereto, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Underwriters and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.
3.2.5. Testing-the-Waters Communications. If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company shall promptly notify the Representative and shall promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
3.3 Delivery to the Underwriters of Registration Statements. The Company has delivered or made available or shall deliver or make available to the Representative and counsel for the Representative, without charge, signed copies of the ADS Registration Statement and the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Underwriters, without charge, a conformed copy of the ADS Registration Statement and the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The copies of the ADS Registration Statement and the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
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3.4 Delivery to the Underwriters of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered or made available or will deliver or make available to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each Preliminary Prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the Securities Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Public Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required to be delivered under the Securities Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
3.5 Effectiveness and Events Requiring Notice to the Representative. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective with a current prospectus for at least nine (9) months after the Applicable Time, and shall notify the Representative immediately and confirm the notice in writing: (i) of the effectiveness of the ADS Registration Statement or the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by any state securities commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Public Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the mailing and delivery to the Commission for filing of any amendment or supplement to the ADS Registration Statement, the Registration Statement or Prospectus; (v) of the receipt of any comments or request for any additional information from the Commission; and (vi) of the happening of any event during the period described in this Section 3.5 that, in the judgment of the Company, makes any statement of a material fact made in the ADS Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making of any changes in (a) the ADS Registration Statement or the Registration Statement in order to make the statements therein not misleading, or (b) in the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Commission or any state securities commission shall enter a stop order or suspend such qualification at any time, the Company shall make every reasonable effort to obtain promptly the lifting of such order.
3.6 Review of Financial Statements. For a period of three (3) years after the date of this Agreement, the Company, at its expense, shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause its regularly engaged independent registered public accounting firm to review (but not audit) the Company’s financial statements for the six months ended June 30 of the relevant year.
3.7 Listing. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the listing of the ADSs (including the Public Securities) on the Exchange for at least three years from the date of this Agreement.
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3.8 Financial Public Relations Firm. As of the Effective Date, the Company shall have retained a financial public relations firm reasonably acceptable to the Representative and the Company, which shall initially be [PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM], which firm shall be experienced in assisting issuers in initial public offerings of securities and in their relations with their security holders.
3.9 Reports to the Representative.
3.9.1. Periodic Reports, etc. For a period of three (3) years after the date of this Agreement, the Company shall furnish or make available to the Representative copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its securities and also promptly furnish to the Representative: (i) a copy of each periodic report the Company shall be required to file with the Commission under the Exchange Act and the Exchange Act Regulations; (ii) a copy of every press release and every news item and article with respect to the Company or its affairs which was released by the Company; (iii) a copy of each Form 8-K prepared and filed by the Company; (iv) five copies of each registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act; (v) a copy of each report or other communication furnished to stockholders; and (vi) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request; provided the Representative shall sign, if requested by the Company, a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement which is reasonably acceptable to the Representative and Representative Counsel in connection with the Representative’s receipt of such information. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Representative pursuant to this Section 3.9.1.
3.9.2. Transfer Agent; Transfer Sheets. For a period of three (3) years after the date of this Agreement, the Company shall retain a transfer agent and registrar acceptable to the Representative (the “Transfer Agent”) and shall furnish to the Representative at the Company’s sole cost and expense such transfer sheets of the Company’s securities as the Representative may reasonably request, including the daily and monthly consolidated transfer sheets of the Transfer Agent and DTC. The Depositary is acceptable to the Representative to act as Transfer Agent for the ADSs.
3.9.3. Trading Reports. During such time as the Public Securities are listed on the Exchange, the Company shall provide to the Representative, at the Company’s expense, such reports published by Exchange relating to price trading of the Public Securities, as the Representative shall reasonably request.
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3.10 Payment of Expenses
3.10.1. General Expenses Related to the Offering. The Company hereby agrees to pay on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the extent not paid at the Closing Date, all expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement, including, but not limited to: (a) all filing fees and communication expenses relating to the registration of the ADSs to be sold in the Offering (including the Option ADSs) with the Commission; (b) all Public Filing System filing fees associated with the review of the Offering by FINRA; (c) all fees and expenses relating to the listing of such Public Securities on the Exchange and such other stock exchanges as the Company and the Representative together determine, including any fees charged by the DTC for new securities; (d) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to background checks of the Company’s officers and directors in an amount not to exceed $15,000 in the aggregate; (e) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration or qualification of the Public Securities under the “blue sky” securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate; (f) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration, qualification or exemption of the Public Securities under the securities laws of such foreign jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate; (g) the costs of all mailing and printing of the underwriting documents (including, without limitation, the Underwriting Agreement, any Blue Sky Surveys and, if appropriate, any Agreement Among Underwriters, Selected Dealers’ Agreement, Underwriters’ Questionnaire and Power of Attorney), Registration Statements, Prospectuses and all amendments, supplements and exhibits thereto and as many preliminary and final Prospectuses as the Representative may reasonably deem necessary; (h) the costs and expenses of a public relations firm (provided such public relations firm is approved by the Company); (i) the costs of preparing, printing and delivering certificates representing the Public Securities; (j) fees and expenses of the transfer agent for the ADSs; (k) stock transfer and/or stamp taxes, if any, payable upon the transfer of securities from the Company to the Underwriters; (l) to the extent approved by the Company in writing, the costs associated with post-Closing advertising the Offering in the national editions of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times; (m) the costs associated with one set of bound volumes of the public offering materials as well as commemorative mementos and lucite tombstones, each of which the Company or its designee shall provide within a reasonable time after the Closing Date in such quantities as the Representative may reasonably request, in an amount not to exceed $3,000; (n) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants; (o) the fees and expenses of the Company’s legal counsel and other agents and representatives; (p) fees and expenses of the Representative’s legal counsel not to exceed $125,000; (q) the $29,500 cost associated with the Underwriter’s use of Ipreo’s book-building, prospectus tracking and compliance software for the Offering, if used; (r) $10,000 for data services and communications expenses; (s) up to $10,000 of the Underwriters’ actual accountable “road show”, market making and trading, and clearing firm settlement expenses for the Offering; and (t) up to $30,000 of the Representative’s market making and trading, and clearing firm settlement expenses for the Offering; provided that the total reimbursable amount shall not exceed $200,000 in the aggregate. The Representative may deduct from the net proceeds of the Offering payable to the Company on the Closing Date, or the Option Closing Date, if any, the expenses set forth herein (less any amounts previously advanced against such actual reimbursable expenses) to be paid by the Company to the Underwriters.
3.10.2. Non-accountable Expenses. The Company further agrees that, in addition to the expenses payable pursuant to Section 3.10.1, on the Closing Date it shall pay to the Representative, by deduction from the net proceeds of the Offering contemplated herein, a non-accountable expense allowance equal to one percent (1%) of the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Firm ADSs (excluding the Option ADSs), less the Advance (as such term is defined in Section 8.3 hereof), provided, however, that in the event that the Offering is terminated, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8.3 hereof.
3.11 Application of Net Proceeds. The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the Offering received by it in a manner consistent with the application thereof described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
3.12 Delivery of Earnings Statements to Security Holders. The Company shall make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than the first day of the fifteenth (15th) full calendar month following the date of this Agreement, an earnings statement (which need not be certified by independent registered public accounting firm unless required by the Securities Act or the Securities Act Regulations, but which shall satisfy the provisions of Rule 158(a) under Section 11(a) of the Securities Act) covering a period of at least twelve (12) consecutive months beginning after the date of this Agreement.
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3.13 Internal Controls. The Company shall maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
3.14 Stabilization. Neither the Company nor, to its knowledge, any of its employees, directors or shareholders (without the consent of the Representative) has taken or shall take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under Regulation M of the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Public Securities.
3.15 Accountants. As of the date of this Agreement, the Company shall retain an independent registered public accounting firm reasonably acceptable to the Representative, and the Company shall continue to retain a nationally recognized independent registered public accounting firm for a period of at least three (3) years after the date of this Agreement. The Representative acknowledges that the Auditor is acceptable to the Representative.
3.16 FINRA. The Company shall advise the Representative (who shall make an appropriate filing with FINRA) if it is or becomes aware that (i) any officer or director of the Company, (ii) any beneficial owner of 5% or more of any class of the Company’s securities or (iii) any beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered equity securities which were acquired during the 180 days immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the Offering (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA).
3.17 No Fiduciary Duties. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters’ responsibility to the Company is solely contractual in nature and that none of the Underwriters or their affiliates or any selling agent shall be deemed to be acting in a fiduciary capacity, or otherwise owes any fiduciary duty to the Company or any of its affiliates in connection with the Offering and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
3.18 Company Lock-Up Agreements.
3.18.1. Restriction on Sales of Capital Stock. The Company, on behalf of itself and any successor entity, agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representative, it will not, for a period of 3 months after the date of this Agreement (the “Lock-Up Period”), (i) 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, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company; (ii) file or caused to be filed any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company; (iii) complete any offering of debt securities of the Company, other than entering into a line of credit with a traditional bank; or (iv) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of capital stock of the Company, whether any such transaction described in clause (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) above is to be settled by delivery of shares of capital stock of the Company or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.
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The restrictions contained in this Section 3.18.1 shall not apply to (i) the ADSs to be sold hereunder, (ii) the issuance by the Company of ADSs or Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of a stock option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof, which is disclosed in the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package and Prospectus, provided that such options, warrants, and securities have not been amended since the date of this Agreement to increase the number of such securities or to decrease the exercise price, exchange price or conversion price of such securities or to extend the term of such securities, or (iii) the issuance by the Company of stock options or shares of capital stock of the Company under any equity compensation plan of the Company, provided that in each of (i) and (iii) above, except with respect to any publicly traded securities, the underlying shares shall be restricted from sale during the entire Lock-Up Period.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (i) during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or (ii) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results or becomes aware that material news or a material event will occur during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, the restrictions imposed by this Section 3.18.1 shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of such material news or material event, as applicable, unless the Representative waives, in writing, such extension; provided, however, that this extension of the Lock-Up Period shall not apply to the extent that FINRA has amended or repealed NASD Rule 2711(f)(4), or has otherwise provided written interpretive guidance regarding such rule, in each case, so as to eliminate the prohibition of any broker, dealer, or member of a national securities association from publishing or distributing any research report, with respect to the securities of an Emerging Growth Company prior to or after the expiration of any agreement between the broker, dealer, or member of a national securities association and the Emerging Growth Company or its shareholders that restricts or prohibits the sale of securities held by the Emerging Growth Company or its shareholders after the initial public offering date.
3.18.2. Restriction on Continuous Offerings. Notwithstanding the restrictions contained in Section 3.18.1, the Company, on behalf of itself and any successor entity, agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representative, it will not, for a period of 12 months after the date of this Agreement, directly or indirectly in any “at-the-market” or continuous equity transaction, offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company.
3.19 Release of D&O Lock-up Period. If the Representative, in its sole discretion, agrees to release or waive the restrictions set forth in the Lock-Up Agreements described in Section 2.24 hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three (3) Business Days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto through a major news service at least two (2) Business Days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
3.20 Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, if necessary, to qualify the Public Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representative may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required to complete the distribution of the Public Securities; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.
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3.21 Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Public Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required to be delivered under the Securities Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act and Exchange Act Regulations. Additionally, the Company shall report the use of proceeds from the issuance of the Public Securities as may be required under Rule 463 under the Securities Act Regulations.
3.22 Emerging Growth Company Status. The Company shall promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of the Public Securities within the meaning of the Securities Act and (ii) fifteen (15) days following the completion of the Lock-Up Period.
4. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Public Securities, as provided herein, shall be subject to (i) the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company as of the date hereof and as of each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any; (ii) the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company made pursuant to the provisions hereof; (iii) the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder; and (iv) the following conditions:
4.1 Regulatory Matters.
4.1.1. Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Rule 430A Information. The Registration Statement has become effective not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the date of this Agreement or such later date and time as shall be consented to in writing by you, and, at each of the Closing Date and any Option Closing Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the Securities Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated by the Commission. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information. The Prospectus containing the Rule 430A Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time frame required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)) or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed with, and declared effective by, the Commission in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430A.
4.1.2. FINRA Clearance. On or before the date of this Agreement, the Representative shall have received clearance from FINRA as to the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Underwriters as described in the Registration Statement.
4.1.3. Exchange Stock Market Clearance. On the Closing Date, the Company’s ADSs, including the Firm ADSs, shall have been approved for listing on the Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance. On the first Option Closing Date (if any), the Company’s ADSs, including the Option ADSs, shall have been approved for listing on the Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance.
4.2 Company Counsel Matters.
4.2.1. Closing Date Opinion of Counsel. On the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, U.S. counsel to the Company, and a written statement providing certain “10b-5” negative assurances, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representative, substantially in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Representative.
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4.2.2. Opinion
of Israeli for the Company. On the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the opinion of Doron Tikotzky Kantor
Gutman & Amit Gross, Israeli counsel for the Company, and a written statement providing certain “10b-5” negative assurances,
dated the Closing Date, addressed to the Representative in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Representative.
4.2.3. Intellectual Property Opinion. On the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the opinion of Pearl Cohen, intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, addressed to the Representative in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Representative.
4.2.4. Option Closing Date Opinions of Counsel. On the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinions of each counsel listed in Sections 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and 4.2.3, dated the Option Closing Date, addressed to the Representative and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative, confirming as of the Option Closing Date, the statements made by such counsels in their respective opinions delivered on the Closing Date.
4.2.5. Reliance. In rendering such opinions, such counsel may rely: (i) as to matters involving the application of laws other than the laws of the United States, Israel and/or jurisdictions in which they are admitted, to the extent such counsel deems proper and to the extent specified in such opinion, if at all, upon an opinion or opinions (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative) of other counsel reasonably acceptable to the Representative, familiar with the applicable laws; and (ii) as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates or other written statements of officers of the Company and officers of departments of various jurisdictions having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good standing of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates shall be delivered to Representative Counsel if requested.
4.3 Comfort Letters.
4.3.1. Cold Comfort Letter. At the time this Agreement is executed you shall have received a cold/long form comfort letter containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ comfort letters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, addressed to the Representative and in form and substance satisfactory in all respects to you and to the Auditor, dated as of the date of this Agreement and to not have the Auditor cutoff date or more than two (2) business days prior to the date of this Agreement.
4.3.2. Bring-down Comfort Letter. At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received from the Auditor a letter, dated as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as applicable, to the effect that the Auditor reaffirms the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to Section 4.3.1, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three (3) business days prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as applicable.
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4.4 Officers’ Certificates.
4.4.1. Officers’ Certificate. The Company shall have furnished to the Representative a certificate, dated the Closing Date and any Option Closing Date (if such date is other than the Closing Date), of its Chief Executive Officer, its President and its Chief Financial Officer stating that (i) such officers have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and, in their opinion, the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto, as of the Applicable Time and as of the Closing Date (or any Option Closing Date if such date is other than the Closing Date) did not include any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time and as of the Closing Date (or any Option Closing Date if such date is other than the Closing Date), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as of its date and as of the Closing Date (or any Option Closing Date if such date is other than the Closing Date), the Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto, as of the respective date thereof and as of the Closing Date, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading, (ii) since the effective date of the Registration Statement, no event has occurred which should have been set forth in a supplement or amendment to the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, (iii) to the best of their knowledge after reasonable investigation, as of the Closing Date (or any Option Closing Date if such date is other than the Closing Date), the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct in all material respects (except for those representations and warranties qualified as to materiality, which shall be true and correct in all respects and except for those representations and warranties which refer to facts existing at a specific date, which shall be true and correct as to such date) and the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date (or any Option Closing Date if such date is other than the Closing Date), and (iv) there has not been, subsequent to the date of the most recent audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Disclosure Package, any material adverse change in the financial position or results of operations of the Company, or any change or development that, singularly or in the aggregate, would involve a material adverse change or a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, assets or prospects of the Company, except as set forth in the Prospectus.
4.4.2. Secretary’s Certificate. At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary of the Company, or such corporate officer equivalent, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, respectively, certifying: (i) that each of the Charter and Bylaws is true and complete, has not been modified and is in full force and effect; (ii) that the resolutions of the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the Offering are in full force and effect and have not been modified; (iii) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission; and (iv) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.
4.5 No Material Changes. Prior to and on each of the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any: (i) there shall have been no material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the condition or prospects or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; (ii) no action, suit or proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or threatened against the Company or any Insider before or by any court or federal or state commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may materially adversely affect the business, operations, prospects or financial condition or income of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; (iii) no stop order shall have been issued under the Securities Act and no proceedings therefor shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; (iv) no action shall have been taken and no law, statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any Governmental Entity which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Public Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially materially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company; (v) no injunction, restraining order or order of any other nature by any federal, state or foreign court of competent jurisdiction shall have been issued which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Public Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially materially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company; and (vi) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto shall contain all material statements which are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and shall conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations, and neither the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package nor the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto shall contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
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4.6 Corporate Proceedings. All corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form and validity of each of this Agreement, the Public Securities, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel for the Underwriters, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
4.7 Delivery of Agreements.
4.7.1. Lock-Up Agreements. On or before the date of this Agreement, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Lock-Up Agreements from each of the persons listed in Schedule 3 hereto.
4.7.2. Representative’s Warrant Agreement. On the Closing Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Representative’s Warrant Agreement.
4.8 Additional Documents. At the Closing Date and at each Option Closing Date (if any) Representative Counsel shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling Representative Counsel to deliver an opinion to the Underwriters, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Public Securities and the Representative’s Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative and Representative Counsel.
5. Indemnification.
5.1 Indemnification of the Underwriters.
5.1.1. General. Subject to the conditions set forth below, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates and each of its and their respective directors, officers, members, employees, representatives, partners, shareholders, affiliates, counsel, and agents and each person, if any, who controls any such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively the “Underwriter Indemnified Parties,” and each an “Underwriter Indemnified Party”), against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever (including but not limited to any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, whether arising out of any action between any of the Underwriter Indemnified Parties and the Company or between any of the Underwriter Indemnified Parties and any third party, or otherwise) to which they or any of them may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any other statute or at common law or otherwise or under the laws of foreign countries (a “Claim”), (i) arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in (A) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, or in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication (as from time to time each may be amended and supplemented); (B) any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the Offering, including any “road show” or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically); or (C) any application or other document or written communication (in this Section 5, collectively called “application”) executed by the Company or based upon written information furnished by the Company in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Public Securities and Representative’s Securities under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, any state securities commission or agency, the Exchange or any other national securities exchange; or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, the Underwriters’ Information or (ii) otherwise arising in connection with or allegedly in connection with the Offering. The Company also agrees that it will reimburse each Underwriter Indemnified Party for all fees and expenses (including but not limited to any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, whether arising out of any action between any of the Underwriter Indemnified Parties and the Company or between any of the Underwriter Indemnified Parties and any third party, or otherwise) (collectively, the “Expenses”), and further agrees wherever and whenever possible to advance payment of Expenses as they are incurred by an Underwriter Indemnified Party in investigating, preparing, pursuing or defending any Claim.
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5.1.2. Procedure. If any action is brought against an Underwriter Indemnified Party in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Company pursuant to Section 5.1.1, such Underwriter Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the institution of such action and the Company shall assume the defense of such action, including the employment and fees of counsel (subject to the approval of such Underwriter Indemnified Party) and payment of actual expenses if an Underwriter Indemnified Party requests that the Company do so. Such Underwriter Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the Company, and shall be advanced by the Company. The Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any action effected without its consent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld). In addition, the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, settle, compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in or otherwise seek to terminate any pending or threatened action in respect of which advancement, reimbursement, indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not such Underwriter Indemnified Party is a party thereto) unless such settlement, compromise, consent or termination (i) includes an unconditional release of each Underwriter Indemnified Party, acceptable to such Underwriter Indemnified Party, from all liabilities, expenses and claims arising out of such action for which indemnification or contribution may be sought and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any Underwriter Indemnified Party.
5.2 Indemnification of the Company. Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and persons who control the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the several Underwriters, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or in any application, in reliance upon, and in strict conformity with, the Underwriters’ Information. In case any action shall be brought against the Company or any other person so indemnified based on any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or any application, and in respect of which indemnity may be sought against any Underwriter, such Underwriter shall have the rights and duties given to the Company, and the Company and each other person so indemnified shall have the rights and duties given to the several Underwriters by the provisions of Section 5.1.2. The Company agrees promptly to notify the Representative of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Company or any of its officers, directors or any person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, in connection with the issuance and sale of the Public Securities or in connection with the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication.
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5.3 Contribution.
5.3.1. Contribution Rights. If the indemnification provided for in this Section 5 shall for any reason be unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 5.1 or 5.2 in respect of any loss, claim, damage or liability, or any action in respect thereof, referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, (i) in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, from the Offering of the Public Securities, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to the statements or omissions that resulted in such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to such Offering shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the Offering of the Public Securities purchased under this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters with respect to the ADSs purchased under this Agreement, as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, on the other hand. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriters, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 5.3.1 were to be determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 5.3.1 shall be deemed to include, for purposes of this Section 5.3.1, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.3.1 in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the Offering of the Public Securities exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
5.3.2. Contribution Procedure. Within fifteen (15) days after receipt by any party to this Agreement (or its representative) of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, such party will, if a claim for contribution in respect thereof is to be made against another party (“contributing party”), notify the contributing party of the commencement thereof, but the failure to so notify the contributing party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any other party other than for contribution hereunder. In case any such action, suit or proceeding is brought against any party, and such party notifies a contributing party or its representative of the commencement thereof within the aforesaid 15 days, the contributing party will be entitled to participate therein with the notifying party and any other contributing party similarly notified. Any such contributing party shall not be liable to any party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding affected by such party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding affected by such party seeking contribution without the written consent of such contributing party. The contribution provisions contained in this Section 5.3.2 are intended to supersede, to the extent permitted by law, any right to contribution under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise available. Each Underwriter’s obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 5.3 are several and not joint.
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6. Default by an Underwriter.
6.1 Default Not Exceeding 10% of Firm ADSs or Option ADSs. If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase the Firm ADSs or the Option ADSs, if the Over-allotment Option is exercised hereunder, and if the number of the Firm ADSs or Option ADSs with respect to which such default relates does not exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm ADSs or Option ADSs that all Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, then such Firm ADSs or Option ADSs to which the default relates shall be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder.
6.2 Default Exceeding 10% of Firm ADSs or Option ADSs. In the event that the default addressed in Section 6.1 relates to more than 10% of the Firm ADSs or Option ADSs, the Representative may in its discretion arrange for it or for another party or parties to purchase such Firm ADSs or Option ADSs to which such default relates on the terms contained herein. If, within one (1) Business Day after such default relating to more than 10% of the Firm ADSs or Option ADSs , the Representative does not arrange for the purchase of such Firm ADSs or Option ADSs , then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of one (1) Business Day within which to procure another party or parties satisfactory to the Representative to purchase said Firm ADSs or Option ADSs on such terms. In the event that neither the Representative nor the Company arrange for the purchase of the Firm ADSs or Option ADSs to which a default relates as provided in this Section 6, this Agreement will automatically be terminated by the Representative or the Company without liability on the part of the Company (except as provided in Sections 3.9 and 5 hereof) or the several Underwriters (except as provided in Section 5 hereof); provided, however, that if such default occurs with respect to the Option ADSs , this Agreement will not terminate as to the Firm ADSs; and provided, further, that nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the other Underwriters and to the Company for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.
6.3 Postponement of Closing Date. In the event that the Firm ADSs or Option ADSs to which the default relates are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date or Option Closing Date for a reasonable period, but not in any event exceeding five (5) Business Days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or in any other documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendment to the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriter may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any party substituted under this Section 6 with like effect as if it had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such ADSs.
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7. Additional Covenants.
7.1 Board Composition and Board Designations. The Company shall ensure that: (i) the qualifications of the persons serving as members of the Board of Directors and the overall composition of the Board comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, with the Exchange Act and with the listing rules of the Exchange or any other national securities exchange, as the case may be, in the event the Company seeks to have its Public Securities listed on another exchange or quoted on an automated quotation system, and (ii) if applicable, at least one member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined under Regulation S-K and the listing rules of the Exchange.
7.2 Prohibition on Press Releases and Public Announcements. The Company shall not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity, without the Representative’s prior written consent, for a period ending at 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the first (1st) Business Day following the forty-fifth (45th) day after the Closing Date, other than normal and customary releases issued in the ordinary course of the Company’s business.
7.3 Right of First Refusal. Provided that the Firm ADSs are sold in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Representative shall have an irrevocable right of first refusal (the “Right of First Refusal”), for a period of eighteen (18) months after the date the Offering is completed, to act as sole and exclusive investment banker, sole and exclusive book-runner, sole and exclusive financial advisor, sole and exclusive underwriter and/or sole and exclusive placement agent, at the Representative’s sole and exclusive discretion, for each and every future public and private equity and debt offering, including all equity linked financings (each, a “Subject Transaction”), during such eighteen (18) month period, of the Company, or any successor to or subsidiary of the Company, on terms and conditions customary to the Representative for such Subject Transactions. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Company shall not retain, engage or solicit any additional investment banker, book-runner, financial advisor, underwriter and/or placement agent in a Subject Transaction during such eighteen (18) months period without the express written consent of the Representative.
The Company shall notify the Representative of its intention to pursue a Subject Transaction, including the material terms thereof, by providing written notice thereof by registered mail or overnight courier service addressed to the Representative. If the Representative fails to exercise its Right of First Refusal with respect to any Subject Transaction within ten (10) Business Days after the mailing of such written notice, then the Representative shall have no further claim or right with respect to the Subject Transaction. The Representative may elect, in its sole and absolute discretion, not to exercise its Right of First Refusal with respect to any Subject Transaction; provided that any such election by the Representative shall not adversely affect the Representative’s Right of First Refusal with respect to any other Subject Transaction during the eighteen (18) month period agreed to above.
8. Effective Date of this Agreement and Termination Thereof.
8.1 Effective Date. This Agreement shall become effective when both the Company and the Representative have executed the same and delivered counterparts of such signatures to the other party.
8.2 Termination. The Representative shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to any Closing Date, (i) if any domestic or international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted, or in its opinion will in the immediate future materially disrupt, general securities markets in the United States; or (ii) if trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC shall have been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been required by FINRA or by order of the Commission or any other government authority having jurisdiction; or (iii) if the United States shall have become involved in a new war or an increase in major hostilities; or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by a New York State or federal authority; or (v) if a moratorium on foreign exchange trading has been declared which materially adversely impacts the United States or Israeli securities markets; or (vi) if the Company shall have sustained a material loss by fire, flood, accident, hurricane, earthquake, theft, sabotage or other calamity or malicious act which, whether or not such loss shall have been insured, will, in your opinion, make it inadvisable to proceed with the delivery of the Firm ADSs or Option ADSs; or (vii) if the Company is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants hereunder; or (viii) if the Representative shall have become aware after the date hereof of such a material adverse change in the conditions or prospects of the Company, or such adverse material change in general market conditions as in the Representative’s judgment would make it impracticable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the Public Securities or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters for the sale of the Public Securities.
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8.3 Expenses. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, except in the case of a default by the Underwriters, pursuant to Section 6.2 above, in the event that this Agreement shall not be carried out for any reason whatsoever, within the time specified herein or any extensions thereof pursuant to the terms herein, the Company shall be obligated to pay to the Underwriters their actual and accountable out-of-pocket expenses related to the transactions contemplated herein then due and payable (including the fees and disbursements of Representative Counsel) up to $150,000, inclusive of the $40,000 advance for accountable expenses previously paid by the Company to the Representative (the “Advance”) and upon demand the Company shall pay the full amount thereof to the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters; provided, however, that such expense cap in no way limits or impairs the indemnification and contribution provisions of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any advance received by the Representative will be reimbursed to the Company to the extent not actually incurred in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(4)(A).
8.4 Survival of Indemnification. Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement, and whether or not this Agreement is otherwise carried out, the provisions of Section 5 shall remain in full force and effect and shall not be in any way affected by, such election or termination or failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.
8.5 Representations, Warranties, Agreements to Survive. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or its Affiliates or selling agents, any person controlling any Underwriter, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company or (ii) delivery of and payment for the Public Securities.
9. Miscellaneous.
9.1 Notices. All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed (registered or certified mail, return receipt requested), personally delivered or sent by email and confirmed and shall be deemed given when so delivered or faxed and confirmed or if mailed, two (2) days after such mailing.
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If to the Representative:
ThinkEquity LLC
17 State Street, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10004
Attention: Mr. Eric Lord, Head of Investment Banking
Fax: (212) 349-2550
E-mail: notices@think-equity.com
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Sullivan & Worcester LLP
1633 Broadway
New York, New York 10019
Attention: Oded Har-Even, Esq.
Fax No.: (212) 660-3001
If to the Company:
SaverOne 2014 Ltd.
Em Hamoshavot Rd. 94
Petah Tikvah, Israel
Attention: Ori Gilboa
Email: Orig@saver.one
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
One Vanderbilt Avenue
New York, NY 10017-3852
Attention: Gary Emmanuel, Esq.
Email: gemmanuel@mwe.com
9.2 Research Analyst Independence. The Company acknowledges that each Underwriter’s research analysts and research departments are required to be independent from its investment banking division and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and that such Underwriter’s research analysts may hold views and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company and/or the Offering that differ from the views of their investment banking division. The Company acknowledges that each Underwriter is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, rules and regulations, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity securities of the Company; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 9.2 shall relieve the Underwriter of any responsibility or liability it may otherwise bear in connection with activities in violation of applicable securities laws, rules or regulations
9.3 Headings. The headings contained herein are for the sole purpose of convenience of reference, and shall not in any way limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.
9.4 Amendment. This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.
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9.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement) constitutes the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, it is understood and agreed by the parties hereto that all other terms and conditions of that certain engagement letter between the Company and ThinkEquity LLC dated November 26, 2021, shall remain in full force and effect.
9.6 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Representative, the Underwriters, the Company and the controlling persons, directors and officers referred to in Section 5 hereof, and their respective successors, legal representatives, heirs and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained. The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of securities from any of the Underwriters.
9.7 Governing Law; Consent to Jurisdiction; Trial by Jury. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflict of laws principles thereof. 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 New York Supreme Court, County of New York, or in 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. Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to it at the address set forth in Section 9.1 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company in any action, proceeding or claim. The Company agrees that the prevailing party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to recover from the other party(ies) all of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to such action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor. The Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its stockholders and affiliates) and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
9.8 Execution in Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.
9.9 Waiver, etc. The failure of any of the parties hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way effect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Agreement. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.
[Signature Page Follows]
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If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Underwriters and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between us.
Very truly yours, | |||
SAVERONE 2014 LTD. | |||
By: | |||
Name: | |||
Title: |
Confirmed as of the date first written above mentioned, on behalf of itself and as Representative of the several Underwriters named on Schedule 1 hereto:
THINKEQUITY LLC | |||
By: | |||
Name: | |||
Title: |
[Signature Page]
[ISSUER] – Underwriting Agreement
SCHEDULE 1
Underwriter | Total Number of Firm ADSs to be Purchased | Number of Option ADSs to be Purchased if the Over- Allotment Option is Fully Exercised | ||||||
ThinkEquity LLC . | ||||||||
TOTAL |
Sch. 1-1
SCHEDULE 2-A
Pricing Information
Number of Firm ADSs: [●]
Number of Option ADSs: [●]
Public Offering Price per ADS: $[●]
Underwriting Discount per ADS: $[●]
Underwriting Non-accountable expense allowance per ADS: $[●]
Proceeds to Company per ADS (before expenses): $[●]
Sch 2 A-1
SCHEDULE 2-B
Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses
[None.]
Sch 2 B-1
SCHEDULE 2-C
Written Testing-the-Waters Communications
[None.]
Sch 2 C-1
SCHEDULE 3
Yoshua Abramovich
Shlomo Shalev
Yaron Be’eri
Michal Marom
Aviram Meridian
I.T. Net Investments
Ori Gilboa
A.S.T. Investments
Tony Klein
Yossi Cohen
Ituran Location and Control Ltd.
Eastern Holdings Co. Ltd.
Universal Motors Israel Ltd.
Sch. 3-1
EXHIBIT A
Form of Representative’s Warrant Agreement
A-1
Form of Representative’s Warrant Agreement
THE REGISTERED HOLDER OF THIS PURCHASE WARRANT BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF, AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT SELL, TRANSFER OR ASSIGN THIS PURCHASE WARRANT EXCEPT AS HEREIN PROVIDED AND THE REGISTERED HOLDER OF THIS PURCHASE WARRANT AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT SELL, TRANSFER, ASSIGN, PLEDGE OR HYPOTHECATE THIS PURCHASE WARRANT FOR A PERIOD OF ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS FOLLOWING THE EFFECTIVE DATE (DEFINED BELOW) TO ANYONE OTHER THAN (I) THINKEQUITY LLC OR AN UNDERWRITER OR A SELECTED DEALER IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFERING, OR (II) A BONA FIDE OFFICER OR PARTNER OF THINKEQUITY LLC OR OF ANY SUCH UNDERWRITER OR SELECTED DEALER.
THIS PURCHASE WARRANT IS NOT EXERCISABLE PRIOR TO [________________] [DATE THAT IS [180 DAYS OR ONE YEAR] FROM THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE OFFERING]. VOID AFTER 5:00 P.M., EASTERN TIME, [___________________] [DATE THAT IS FIVE YEARS FROM THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE OFFERING].
WARRANT TO PURCHASE AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
Warrant American Depository Shares: _______
Initial Exercise Date: ______, 2022
THIS WARRANT TO PURCHASE AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received, ThinkEquity LLC or its assigns (the “Holder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time on or after ____, 2022 (the “Initial Exercise Date”) and, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A), prior to at 5:00 p.m. (New York time) on the date that is five (5) years following the Effective Date (the “Termination Date”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from SaveOne 2014 Ltd., an Israeli company (the “Company”), up to ______ an aggregate of [●] American Depositary Shares (“ADSs” and “Warrant ADSs”, respectively), representing an aggregate of [●] ordinary shares of the Company, NIS 0.01 par value (“Ordinary Shares”), as subject to adjustment hereunder. The purchase price of one ADS under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b).
Section 1. Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings indicated in this Section 1:
“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Business Day” means any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in the United States or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.
A-2
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Effective Date” means the effective date of the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-263338), including any related prospectus or prospectuses, for the registration of the Company’s ADSs and the Warrant ADSs under the Securities Act, that the Company has filed with the Commission.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the ADSs are listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, or the New York Stock Exchange (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the ADSs then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the ADSs for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the ADSs are then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if OTCQB or OTCQX is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of a share of ADSs for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if ADSs are not then listed or quoted for trading on the OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for ADSs are then reported in the “Pink Sheets” published by OTC Markets Group, Inc. (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per ADS so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of the ADSs as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Holder and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
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Section 2. Exercise.
a) Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery to the Company (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice in writing to the registered Holder at the address of the Holder appearing on the books of the Company) of a duly executed facsimile copy (or e-mail attachment) of the Notice of Exercise Form annexed hereto. Within two (2) Trading Days following the date of exercise as aforesaid, the Holder shall deliver the aggregate Exercise Price for the shares specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank unless the cashless exercise procedure specified in Section 2(c) below is specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise. No ink-original Notice of Exercise shall be required, nor shall any medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any Notice of Exercise form be required. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within five (5) Trading Days of the date the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant ADSs available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant ADSs purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant ADSs purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant ADSs purchased and the date of such purchases. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise Form within two (2) Business Days of receipt of such notice. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant ADSs hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof.
b) Exercise Price. The exercise price per ADS under this Warrant shall be $_______, subject to adjustment hereunder (the “Exercise Price”).
c) Cashless Exercise. In lieu of exercising this Warrant by delivering the aggregate Exercise Price by wire transfer or cashier’s check, at the election of the Holder this Warrant may also be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive the number of Warrant Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:
(A) = as applicable: (i) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is (1) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a day that is not a Trading Day or (2) both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof on a Trading Day prior to the opening of “regular trading hours” (as defined in Rule 600(b)(64) of Regulation NMS promulgated under the federal securities laws) on such Trading Day, (ii) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if such Notice of Exercise is executed during “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day and is delivered within two (2) hours thereafter (including until two (2) hours after the close of “regular trading hours” on a Trading Day) pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof or (iii) the VWAP on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise if the date of such Notice of Exercise is a Trading Day and such Notice of Exercise is both executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof after the close of “regular trading hours” on such Trading Day;
(B) = the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and
(X) = the number of Warrant ADSs that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise.
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If Warrant ADSs are issued in such a “cashless exercise,” the parties acknowledge and agree that in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, the Warrant ADSs shall take on the registered characteristics of the Warrants being exercised, and the holding period of the Warrants being exercised may be tacked on to the holding period of the Warrant ADSs. The Company agrees not to take any position contrary to this Section 2(c).
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, on the Termination Date, this Warrant shall be automatically exercised via cashless exercise pursuant to this Section 2(c); provided that Section 2(d)(iv) shall not apply in the case of any failure to deliver the Warrant ADSs.
d) Mechanics of Exercise.
i. Delivery of Warrant ADSs Upon Exercise. The Company shall cause the Warrant ADSs purchased hereunder to be transmitted by its transfer agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s or its designee’s balance account with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) if the Company is then a participant in such system and either (A) there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant ADSs to or resale of the Warrant ADSs by Holder, or (B) the Warrant ADSs are eligible for resale by the Holder without volume or manner-of-sale limitations pursuant to Rule 144 and, in either case, the Warrant ADSs have been sold by the Holder prior to the Warrant ADSs Delivery Date (as defined below), and otherwise by physical delivery of a certificate, registered in the Company’s share register in the name of the Holder or its designee, for the number of Warrant ADSs to which the Holder is entitled pursuant to such exercise to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise by the date that is two (2) Trading Days after the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise (such date, the “Warrant ADSs Delivery Date”). If the Warrant ADSs can be delivered via DWAC, the transfer agent shall have received from the Company, at the expense of the Company, any legal opinions or other documentation required by it to deliver such Warrant Shares without legend (subject to receipt by the Company of reasonable back up documentation from the Holder, including with respect to affiliate status) and, if applicable and requested by the Company prior to the Warrant Share Delivery Date, the transfer agent shall have received from the Holder a confirmation of sale of the Warrant ADSs (provided the requirement of the Holder to provide a confirmation as to the sale of Warrant ADSs shall not be applicable to the issuance of unlegended Warrant ADSs upon a cashless exercise of this Warrant if the Warrant ADSs are then eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144(b)(1)). The Warrant ADSs shall be deemed to have been issued, and Holder or any other person so designated to be named therein shall be deemed to have become a holder of record of such ADSs for all purposes, as of the date the Warrant has been exercised, with payment to the Company of the Exercise Price (or by cashless exercise, if permitted) and all taxes required to be paid by the Holder, if any, pursuant to Section 2(d)(vi) prior to the issuance of such ADSs, having been paid. If the Company fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder the Warrant ADSs subject to a Notice of Exercise by the second Trading Day following the Warrant ADSs Delivery Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of Warrant ADSs subject to such exercise (based on the VWAP of the ADSs on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise), $10 per Trading Day (increasing to $20 per Trading Day on the fifth Trading Day after such liquidated damages begin to accrue) for each Trading Day after the second Trading Day following such Warrant ADSs Delivery Date until such Warrant ADSs are delivered or Holder rescinds such exercise.
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ii. Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant certificate, at the time of delivery of the Warrant ADSs, deliver to the Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant ADSs called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.
iii. Rescission Rights. If the Company fails to cause its transfer agent to deliver to the Holder the Warrant ADSs pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) by the Warrant ADSs Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise; provided, however, that the Holder shall be required to return any Warrant ADSs or ADSs subject to any such rescinded exercise notice concurrently with the return to Holder of the aggregate Exercise Price paid to the Company for such Warrant ADSs and the restoration of Holder’s right to acquire such Warrant ADSs pursuant to this Warrant (including, issuance of a replacement warrant certificate evidencing such restored right).
iv. Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Warrant ADSs Upon Exercise. In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails to cause its transfer agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant ADSs pursuant to an exercise on or before the Warrant ADSs Delivery Date, and if after such date the Holder is required by its broker to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise) or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, ADSs to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant ADSs which the Holder anticipated receiving upon such exercise (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder the amount, if any, by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the ADSs so purchased exceeds (y) the amount obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Warrant ADSs that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue times (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed, and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of the Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant ADSs for which such exercise was not honored (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of ADSs that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder. For example, if the Holder purchases ADSs having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of ADSs with an aggregate sale price giving rise to such purchase obligation of $10,000, under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Company, evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof.
v. No Fractional ADSs or Scrip. No fractional ADSs or scrip representing fractional ADSs shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole ADS.
vi. Charges, Taxes and Expenses. Issuance of Warrant ADSs shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such Warrant ADSs, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such Warrant ADSs shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided, however, that in the event that Warrant ADSs are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by the Assignment Form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto. The Company shall pay all transfer agent fees required for same-day processing of any Notice of Exercise and all fees to the Depository Trust Company (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions) required for same-day electronic delivery of the Warrant ADSs.
vii. Closing of Books. The Company will not close its stockholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.
viii. Signature. This Section 2 and the exercise form attached hereto set forth the totality of the procedures required of the Holder in order to exercise this Purchase Warrant. Without limiting the preceding sentences, no ink-original exercise form shall be required, nor shall any medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any exercise form be required in order to exercise this Purchase Warrant. No additional legal opinion, other information or instructions shall be required of the Holder to exercise this Purchase Warrant. The Company shall honor exercises of this Purchase Warrant and shall deliver Shares underlying this Purchase Warrant in accordance with the terms, conditions and time periods set forth herein.
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e) Holder’s Exercise Limitations. The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and a Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below). For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of ADSs beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates shall include the number of ADSs issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of ADSs which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, nonexercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or nonconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other ADS equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Company’s transfer agent setting forth the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding. Upon the written or oral request of a Holder, the Company shall within two Trading Days confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of Ordinary Shares then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding Ordinary Shares was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 9.99% of the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of ADSs issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The Holder, upon notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 2(e), provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation in no event exceeds 9.99% of the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of ADSs upon exercise of this Warrant held by the Holder and the provisions of this Section 2(e) shall continue to apply. Any increase in the Beneficial Ownership Limitation will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Company. The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 2(e) to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation herein contained or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant.
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Section 3. Certain Adjustments.
a) Stock Dividends and Splits. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions on Ordinary Shares or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in Ordinary Shares (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any ADSs issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides outstanding Ordinary Shares into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split) outstanding Ordinary Shares into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues by reclassification of Ordinary Shares any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of Ordinary Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of ADSs issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification. For the purposes of clarification, the Exercise Price of this Warrant will not be adjusted in the event that the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, as applicable, sells or grants any option to purchase, or sell or grant any right to reprice, or otherwise dispose of or issue (or announce any offer, sale, grant or any option to purchase or other disposition) any Ordinary Shares or Ordinary Shares equivalents, at an effective price per share less than the Exercise Price then in effect.
b) [RESERVED]
c) Subsequent Rights Offerings. In addition to any adjustments pursuant to Section 3(a) above, if at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any Ordinary Shares equivalents or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to the record holders of any class of shares of Common Stock (the “Purchase Rights”), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of ADSs acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of Ordinary Shares are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights (provided, however, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Purchase Right would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to such extent (or beneficial ownership of such Ordinary Shares as a result of such Purchase Right to such extent) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation).
d) Pro Rata Distributions. During such time as this Warrant is outstanding, if the Company shall declare or make any dividend (other than cash dividends) or other distribution of its assets (or rights to acquire its assets) to holders of Ordinary Shares, by way of return of capital or otherwise (including, without limitation, any distribution of shares or other securities, property or options by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction) (a “Distribution”), at any time after the issuance of this Warrant, then, in each such case, the Holder shall be entitled to participate in such Distribution to the same extent that the Holder would have participated therein if the Holder had held the number of ADSs acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date of which a record is taken for such Distribution, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of Ordinary Shares are to be determined for the participation in such Distribution (provided, however, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Distribution would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Distribution to such extent (or in the beneficial ownership of any Ordinary Shares as a result of such Distribution to such extent) and the portion of such Distribution shall be held in abeyance for the benefit of the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation). To the extent that this Warrant has not been partially or completely exercised at the time of such Distribution, such portion of the Distribution shall be held in abeyance for the benefit of the Holder until the Holder has exercised this Warrant.
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e) Fundamental Transaction. If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person, (ii) the Company, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Ordinary Shares are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding Ordinary Shares, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the Ordinary Shares or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Ordinary Shares are effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person or group of Persons whereby such other Person or group acquires more than 50% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares (not including any Ordinary Shares held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination) (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant ADSs that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, at the option of the Holder (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant), the number of Ordinary Shares of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable by holders of Ordinary Shares as a result of such Fundamental Transaction for each Ordinary Share for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant). For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one share of Common Stock in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Ordinary Shares are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction. The Company shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Company is not the survivor (the “Successor Entity”) to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(e) pursuant to written agreements in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Holder and approved by the Holder (without unreasonable delay) prior to such Fundamental Transaction and shall, at the option of the Holder, deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Warrant which is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the ADSs acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on the exercise of this Warrant) prior to such Fundamental Transaction, and with an exercise price which applies the exercise price hereunder to such shares of capital stock (but taking into account the relative value of the Ordinary Shares pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction), and which is reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Holder. Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Warrant referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right and power of the Company and shall assume all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein.
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f) Calculations. All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of Ordinary Shares deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of Ordinary Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.
g) Notice to Holder.
i. Adjustment to Exercise Price. Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly mail to the Holder a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and any resulting adjustment to the number of Warrant Shares and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.
ii. Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder. If (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Ordinary Shares, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Ordinary Shares, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Ordinary Shares rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Ordinary Shares, any consolidation or merger to which the Company is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Ordinary Shares are converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be mailed a notice to the Holder at its last address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of Ordinary Shares of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of Ordinary Shares of record shall be entitled to exchange their Ordinary Shares for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to provide such notice or any defect therein shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice provided hereunder constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.
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Section 4. Transfer of Warrant.
a) Transferability. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(1), neither this Warrant nor any Warrant ADSs issued upon exercise of this Warrant shall be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness or commencement of sales of the offering pursuant to which this Warrant is being issued, except the transfer of any security:
i. by operation of law or by reason of reorganization of the Company;
ii. to any FINRA member firm participating in the offering and the officers or partners thereof, if all securities so transferred remain subject to the lock-up restriction in this Section 4(a) for the remainder of the time period;
iii. if the aggregate amount of securities of the Company held by the Holder or related person do not exceed 1% of the securities being offered;
iv. that is beneficially owned on a pro-rata basis by all equity owners of an investment fund, provided that no participating member manages or otherwise directs investments by the fund, and participating members in the aggregate do not own more than 10% of the equity in the fund; or
v. the exercise or conversion of any security, if all securities received remain subject to the lock-up restriction in this Section 4(a) for the remainder of the time period.
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Subject to the foregoing restriction, any applicable securities laws and the conditions set forth in Section 4(d), this Warrant and all rights hereunder (including, without limitation, any registration rights) are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company unless the Holder has assigned this Warrant in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company within three (3) Trading Days of the date the Holder delivers an assignment form to the Company assigning this Warrant full. The Warrant, if properly assigned in accordance herewith, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued.
b) New Warrants. This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the initial issuance date of this Warrant and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.
c) Warrant Register. The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company for that purpose (the “Warrant Register”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.
d) Representation by the Holder. The Holder, by the acceptance hereof, represents and warrants that it is acquiring this Warrant and, upon any exercise hereof, will acquire the Warrant Shares issuable upon such exercise, for its own account and not with a view to or for distributing or reselling such Warrant ADSs or any part thereof in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law, except pursuant to sales registered or exempted under the Securities Act.
Section 5. Registration Rights.
5.1 Demand Registration.
5.1.1 Grant of Right. The Company, upon written demand (a “Demand Notice”) of the Holder(s) of at least 51% of the Warrants and/or the underlying Warrant ADSs (“Majority Holders”), agrees to register, on one occasion, all or any portion of the Warrant ADSs underlying the Warrants (collectively, the “Registrable Securities”). On such occasion, the Company will file a registration statement with the Commission covering the Registrable Securities within sixty (60) days after receipt of a Demand Notice and use its reasonable best efforts to have the registration statement declared effective promptly thereafter, subject to compliance with review by the Commission; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to comply with a Demand Notice if the Company has filed a registration statement with respect to which the Holder is entitled to piggyback registration rights pursuant to Section 5.2 hereof and either: (i) the Holder has elected to participate in the offering covered by such registration statement or (ii) if such registration statement relates to an underwritten primary offering of securities of the Company, until the offering covered by such registration statement has been withdrawn or until thirty (30) days after such offering is consummated. The demand for registration may be made at any time beginning on the Initial Exercise Date and expiring on the fifth anniversary of the Effective Date. The Company covenants and agrees to give written notice of its receipt of any Demand Notice by any Holder(s) to all other registered Holders of the Warrants and/or the Registrable Securities within ten (10) days after the date of the receipt of any such Demand Notice.
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5.1.2 Terms. The Company shall bear all fees and expenses attendant to the registration of the Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 5.1.1, but the Holders shall pay any and all underwriting commissions and the expenses of any legal counsel selected by the Holders to represent them in connection with the sale of the Registrable Securities. The Company agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to cause the filing required herein to become effective promptly and to qualify or register the Registrable Securities in such States as are reasonably requested by the Holder(s); provided, however, that in no event shall the Company be required to register the Registrable Securities in a State in which such registration would cause: (i) the Company to be obligated to register or license to do business in such State or submit to general service of process in such State, or (ii) the principal shareholders of the Company to be obligated to escrow their shares of capital stock of the Company. The Company shall cause any registration statement filed pursuant to the demand right granted under Section 5.1.1 to remain effective for a period of at least twelve (12) consecutive months after the date that the Holders of the Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement are first given the opportunity to sell all of such securities. The Holders shall only use the prospectuses provided by the Company to sell the Warrant ADSs covered by such registration statement, and will immediately cease to use any prospectus furnished by the Company if the Company advises the Holder that such prospectus may no longer be used due to a material misstatement or omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.1.2, the Holder shall be entitled to a demand registration under this Section 5.1.2 on only one (1) occasion and such demand registration right shall terminate on the fifth anniversary of the date of the Underwriting Agreement (as defined below) in accordance with FINRA Rules 5110(g)(8)(B) and 5110(g)(8)(C).
5.2 | “Piggy-Back” Registration. |
5.2.1 Grant of Right. In addition to the demand right of registration described in Section 5.1 hereof, the Holder shall have the right, for a period of no more than five (5) years from the Initial Exercise Date in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(D), to include the Registrable Securities as part of any other registration of securities filed by the Company (other than in connection with a transaction contemplated by Rule 145(a) promulgated under the Securities Act or pursuant to Form S-8 or any equivalent form); provided, however, that if, solely in connection with any primary underwritten public offering for the account of the Company, the managing underwriter(s) thereof shall, in its reasonable discretion, impose a limitation on the number of Shares which may be included in the Registration Statement because, in such underwriter(s)’ judgment, marketing or other factors dictate such limitation is necessary to facilitate public distribution, then the Company shall be obligated to include in such Registration Statement only such limited portion of the Registrable Securities with respect to which the Holder requested inclusion hereunder as the underwriter shall reasonably permit. Any exclusion of Registrable Securities shall be made pro rata among the Holders seeking to include Registrable Securities in proportion to the number of Registrable Securities sought to be included by such Holders; provided, however, that the Company shall not exclude any Registrable Securities unless the Company has first excluded all outstanding securities, the holders of which are not entitled to inclusion of such securities in such Registration Statement or are not entitled to pro rata inclusion with the Registrable Securities.
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5.2.2 Terms. The Company shall bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering the Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 5.2.1 hereof, but the Holders shall pay any and all underwriting commissions and the expenses of any legal counsel selected by the Holders to represent them in connection with the sale of the Registrable Securities. In the event of such a proposed registration, the Company shall furnish the then Holders of outstanding Registrable Securities with not less than thirty (30) days written notice prior to the proposed date of filing of such registration statement. Such notice to the Holders shall continue to be given for each registration statement filed by the Company during the two (2) year period following the Initial Exercise Date until such time as all of the Registrable Securities have been sold by the Holder. The holders of the Registrable Securities shall exercise the “piggy-back” rights provided for herein by giving written notice within ten (10) days of the receipt of the Company’s notice of its intention to file a registration statement. Except as otherwise provided in this Warrant, there shall be no limit on the number of times the Holder may request registration under this Section 5.2.2; provided, however, that such registration rights shall terminate on the second anniversary of the Initial Exercise Date.
5.3 | General Terms |
5.3.1 Indemnification. The Company shall indemnify the Holder(s) of the Registrable Securities to be sold pursuant to any registration statement hereunder and each person, if any, who controls such Holders within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 (a) of the Exchange Act against all loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (including all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any claim whatsoever) to which any of them may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, arising from such registration statement but only to the same extent and with the same effect as the provisions pursuant to which the Company has agreed to indemnify the Underwriters contained in Section 5.1 of the Underwriting Agreement between the Underwriters and the Company, dated as of [___], 2022. The Holder(s) of the Registrable Securities to be sold pursuant to such registration statement, and their successors and assigns, shall severally, and not jointly, indemnify the Company, against all loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (including all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any claim whatsoever) to which they may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, arising from information furnished by or on behalf of such Holders, or their successors or assigns, in writing, for specific inclusion in such registration statement to the same extent and with the same effect as the provisions contained in Section 5.2 of the Underwriting Agreement pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to indemnify the Company.
5.3.2 Exercise of Warrants. Nothing contained in this Warrant shall be construed as requiring the Holder(s) to exercise their Warrants prior to or after the initial filing of any registration statement or the effectiveness thereof.
5.3.3 Documents Delivered to Holders. The Company shall furnish to each Holder participating in any of the foregoing offerings and to each underwriter of any such offering, if any, a signed counterpart, addressed to such Holder or underwriter, of: (i) an opinion of counsel to the Company, dated the effective date of such registration statement (and, if such registration includes an underwritten public offering, an opinion dated the date of the closing under any underwriting agreement related thereto), and (ii) a “cold comfort” letter dated the effective date of such registration statement (and, if such registration includes an underwritten public offering, a letter dated the date of the closing under the underwriting agreement) signed by the independent registered public accounting firm which has issued a report on the Company’s financial statements included in such registration statement, in each case covering substantially the same matters with respect to such registration statement (and the prospectus included therein) and, in the case of such accountants’ letter, with respect to events subsequent to the date of such financial statements, as are customarily covered in opinions of issuer’s counsel and in accountants’ letters delivered to underwriters in underwritten public offerings of securities. The Company shall also deliver promptly to each Holder participating in the offering requesting the correspondence and memoranda described below and to the managing underwriter, if any, copies of all correspondence between the Commission and the Company, its counsel or auditors and all memoranda relating to discussions with the Commission or its staff with respect to the registration statement and permit each Holder and underwriter to do such investigation, upon reasonable advance notice, with respect to information contained in or omitted from the registration statement as it deems reasonably necessary to comply with applicable securities laws or rules of FINRA. Such investigation shall include access to books, records and properties and opportunities to discuss the business of the Company with its officers and independent auditors, all to such reasonable extent and at such reasonable times as any such Holder shall reasonably request.
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5.3.4 Underwriting Agreement. The Company shall enter into an underwriting agreement with the managing underwriter(s), if any, selected by any Holders whose Registrable Securities are being registered pursuant to this Section 5, which managing underwriter shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company. Such agreement shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Company, each Holder and such managing underwriters, and shall contain such representations, warranties and covenants by the Company and such other terms as are customarily contained in agreements of that type used by the managing underwriter. The Holders shall be parties to any underwriting agreement relating to an underwritten sale of their Registrable Securities and may, at their option, require that any or all the representations, warranties and covenants of the Company to or for the benefit of such underwriters shall also be made to and for the benefit of such Holders. Such Holders shall not be required to make any representations or warranties to or agreements with the Company or the underwriters except as they may relate to such Holders, their Warrant ADSs and their intended methods of distribution.
5.3.5 Documents to be Delivered by Holder(s). Each of the Holder(s) participating in any of the foregoing offerings shall furnish to the Company a completed and executed questionnaire provided by the Company requesting information customarily sought of selling security holders.
5.3.6 Damages. Should the registration or the effectiveness thereof required by Sections 5.1 and 5.2 hereof be delayed by the Company or the Company otherwise fails to comply with such provisions, the Holder(s) shall, in addition to any other legal or other relief available to the Holder(s), be entitled to obtain specific performance or other equitable (including injunctive) relief against the threatened breach of such provisions or the continuation of any such breach, without the necessity of proving actual damages and without the necessity of posting bond or other security.
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Section 6. Miscellaneous.
a) No Rights as Stockholder Until Exercise. This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, dividends or other rights as a stockholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof as set forth in Section 2(d)(i).
b) Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any certificate relating to the Warrant ADSs, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it (which, in the case of the Warrant, shall not include the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate.
c) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Trading Day, then, such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Trading Day.
d) Authorized Shares.
The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Stock a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant ADSs upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of issuing the necessary Warrant ADSs upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant ADSs may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the ADSs may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant ADSs which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant ADSs in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).
Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the Holder, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its certificate of incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.
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Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.
e) Jurisdiction. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the underwriting agreement, dated March ___, 2022, by and between the Company and ThinkEquity LLC as representatives of the underwriters set forth therein (the “Underwriting Agreement”).
f) Restrictions. The Holder acknowledges that the ADSs acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, and the Holder does not utilize cashless exercise, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.
g) Nonwaiver and Expenses. No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice the Holder’s rights, powers or remedies. Without limiting any other provision of this Warrant or the Underwriting Agreement, if the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to the Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by the Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder.
h) Notices. Any notice, request or other document required or permitted to be given or delivered to the Holder by the Company shall be delivered in accordance with the notice provisions of the Underwriting Agreement.
i) Limitation of Liability. No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by the Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of the Holder, shall give rise to any liability of the Holder for the purchase price of any ADSs or as a stockholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.
j) Remedies. The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Warrant. The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of a breach by it of the provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.
k) Successors and Assigns. Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares.
l) Amendment. This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company and the Holder.
m) Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.
n) Headings. The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.
********************
(Signature Page Follows)
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.
SAVERONE 2014 LTD. | |||
By: | |||
Name: | |||
Title: |
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NOTICE OF EXERCISE
TO: SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
_________________________
(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase ________ Warrant ADSs of the Company pursuant to the terms of the attached Warrant (only if exercised in full), and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.
(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):
[ ] in lawful money of the United States; or
[ ] if permitted the cancellation of such number of Warrant ADSs as is necessary, in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection 2(c), to exercise this Warrant with respect to the maximum number of Warrant ADSs purchasable pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure set forth in subsection 2(c).
(3) Please register and issue said Warrant ADSs in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:
_______________________________
The Warrant ADSs shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number or by physical delivery of a certificate to:
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
(4) Accredited Investor. If the Warrant is being exercised via cash exercise, the undersigned is an “accredited investor” as defined in Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
Name of Investing Entity: _______________________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: _________________________________________
Name of Authorized Signatory: ___________________________________________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory: ____________________________________________________________
Date: ________________________________________________________________________________
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ASSIGNMENT FORM
(To assign the foregoing warrant, execute
this form and supply required information.
Do not use this form to exercise the warrant.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, [____] all of or [_______] shares of the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to
_______________________________________________ whose address is
_______________________________________________________________.
_______________________________________________________________
Dated: ______________, _______
Holder’s Signature: _____________________________
Holder’s Address: _____________________________
_____________________________
NOTE: The signature to this Assignment Form must correspond with the name as it appears on the face of the Warrant, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever. Officers of corporations and those acting in a fiduciary or other representative capacity should file proper evidence of authority to assign the foregoing Warrant.
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EXHIBIT B
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
[●], 2022
ThinkEquity LLC
17 State Street, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10004
As Representative of the several Underwriters named on Schedule 1 to the Underwriting Agreement referenced below
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned understands that ThinkEquity LLC (the “Representative”), proposes to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with SaverOne 2014 Ltd., an Israeli corporation (the “Company”), providing for the public offering (the “Public Offering”) of American Depositary Shares (the “ADSs”) representing ordinary shares, no par value (the “Ordinary Shares” and, together with the ADSs, the “Shares”).
To induce the Representative to continue its efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representative, the undersigned will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending [90\180]1 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement relating to the Public Offering (the “Lock-Up Period”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, grant, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Shares, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition (collectively, the “Lock-Up Securities”); (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Lock-Up Securities, in cash or otherwise; (3) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any Lock-Up Securities; or (4) publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge or disposition, or to enter into any transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement relating to any Lock-Up Securities.
1 | NTD: officers and directors have a 180 day lock up period; 5% shareholders have a 90 day lock up period. |
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, and subject to the conditions below, the undersigned may transfer Lock-Up Securities without the prior written consent of the Representative in connection with (a) transactions relating to Lock-Up Securities acquired in the Public Offering or in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering; provided that no filing pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or other public announcement shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of Lock-Up Securities acquired in such transactions; (b) transfers of Lock-Up Securities as a bona fide gift, by will or intestacy or to a family member or trust for the benefit of the undersigned or a family member (for purposes of this lock-up agreement, “family member” means any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin); (c) transfers of Lock-Up Securities to a charity or educational institution; (d) transfers of Lock-Up Securities to any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other business entity all of the equity holders of which consist of the undersigned and/or immediate family of the undersigned; (e) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity, (i) any transfers of Lock-Up Securities to another corporation, partnership or other business entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the undersigned or (ii) distributions of Lock-Up Securities to members, partners, stockholders, subsidiaries or affiliates (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) of the undersigned; (f) if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustee or beneficiary of the trust; provided that in the case of any transfer pursuant to the foregoing clauses (b), (c) (d), (e) or (f), (i) any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (ii) each transferee shall sign and deliver to the Representative a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this lock-up agreement and (iii) no filing pursuant to the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be voluntarily made; (g) the receipt by the undersigned from the Company of Shares upon the vesting of restricted stock awards or stock units or upon the exercise of options to purchase the Company’s Shares issued under an equity incentive plan of the Company or an employment arrangement described in the Pricing Prospectus (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) (the “Plan Shares”) or the transfer of Shares or any securities convertible into Shares to the Company upon a vesting event of the Company’s securities or upon the exercise of options to purchase the Company’s securities, in each case on a “cashless” or “net exercise” basis or to cover tax obligations of the undersigned in connection with such vesting or exercise provided that no filing pursuant to the Exchange Act, and Section 33 of the Israeli Securities Law Regulations (Periodic and Immediate Reports) 5730-1790) reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Shares, or other public announcement shall be required or shall be voluntarily made within [90/180] days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement, and after such [90/180]th day, if the undersigned is required to file a report pursuant to the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Shares during the Lock-Up Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such schedule or report to the effect that the purpose of such transfer was to cover tax withholding obligations of the undersigned in connection with such vesting or exercise and, provided further, that the Plan Shares shall be subject to the terms of this lock-up agreement; (h) the transfer of Lock-Up Securities pursuant to agreements described in the Pricing Prospectus under which the Company has the option to repurchase such securities or a right of first refusal with respect to the transfer of such securities, provided that if the undersigned is required to file a report pursuant to the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Shares during the Lock-Up Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such schedule or report describing the purpose of the transaction; (i) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of Lock-Up Securities, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Lock-Up Securities during the Lock-Up Period and (ii) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such public announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Lock-Up Securities may be made under such plan during the Lock-Up Period; (j) the transfer of Lock-Up Securities that occurs by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement, provided that the transferee agrees to sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this lock-up agreement for the balance of the Lock-Up Period, and provided further, that any filing pursuant to the Exchange Act that is required to be made during the Lock-Up Period as a result of such transfer shall include a statement that such transfer has occurred by operation of law; and (k) the transfer of Lock-Up Securities pursuant to a bona fide third party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of the Shares involving a change of control (as defined below) of the Company after the closing of the Public Offering and approved by the Company’s board of directors; provided that in the event that the tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, the Lock-Up Securities owned by the undersigned shall remain subject to the restrictions contained in this lock-up agreement. For purposes of clause (j) above, “change of control” shall mean the consummation of any bona fide third party tender offer, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or other similar transaction the result of which is that any “person” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), or group of persons, becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 of the Exchange Act) of a majority of total voting power of the voting stock of the Company. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s Lock-Up Securities except in compliance with this lock-up agreement.
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If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) the undersigned agrees that the foregoing restrictions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed or “friends and family” Securities that the undersigned may purchase in the Public Offering; (ii) the Representative agrees that, at least three (3) business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of Lock-Up Securities, the Representative will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver; and (iii) the Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two (2) business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the Representative hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two (2) business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer of Lock-Up Securities not for consideration and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this lock-up agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of such transfer
No provision in this agreement shall be deemed to restrict or prohibit the exercise, exchange or conversion by the undersigned of any securities exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into Shares, as applicable; provided that the undersigned does not transfer the Shares acquired on such exercise, exchange or conversion during the Lock-Up Period, unless otherwise permitted pursuant to the terms of this lock-up agreement.
The undersigned understands that the Company and the Representative are relying upon this lock-up agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this lock-up agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns.
This lock-up agreement shall
automatically terminate and be void and of no further force or effect if (i) the Underwriters notify the Company that they do not intend
to proceed with the Public Offering prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, (ii) the Company notifies the Representative
that it does not intend to proceed with the Public Offering prior to execution of the Underwriting Agreement, (iii) the undersigned understands
that, if the Underwriting Agreement is not executed by August 26, 2022, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof
which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Shares to be sold thereunder, or
(v) the Registration Statement is withdrawn by the Company prior to the completion of the Public Offering.
Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Representative.
Very truly yours, | ||
(Name - Please Print) | ||
(Signature) | ||
(Name of Signatory, in the case of entities - Please Print) | ||
(Title of Signatory, in the case of entities - Please Print) | ||
Address: | ||
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Exhibit 3.1
Articles of Association
Saverone2014 Ltd.
The Clause | Page | |||
1-6. | Interpretation | 2-3 | ||
7. | The Company’s Name | 3 | ||
8. | The Company’s Goals | 3 | ||
9. | The Company’s Purpose | 3 | ||
10. | The Registered Share Capital | 3 | ||
11. | The Shareholders’ Liability | 4 | ||
12. | Public Company | 4 | ||
13-19. | Shares | 4 | ||
20-24. | Share Certificate/ Share Note | 5 | ||
25-30. | Calls on Shares | 6 | ||
31-41. | Forfeiture and Lien on Shares | 6-7 | ||
42-50. | Transfer and Delivery of Shares | 8-9 | ||
51-53. | Redeemable Securities | 9 | ||
54-56. | Alterations of Share Capital | 9-10 | ||
57-64. | General Meetings | 10-12 | ||
65-75. | Voting Rights | 12-13 | ||
76-84. | Discussions and Adopting Resolutions at General Meetings | 14-15 | ||
85-93. | The Board of Directors | 15-16 | ||
94-96. | The Board of Directors’ Powers and Positions | 17 | ||
97-108. | The Board of Directors’ Meetings | 17-18 | ||
109-112. | The Board of Directors’ Committees | 18-19 | ||
113-115. | The Chief Executive Officer | 19 | ||
116-117. | Officers | 19-20 | ||
118-121. | The Internal Auditor | 20 | ||
122-125. | The Auditor | 20 | ||
126-129. | Validity of Actions and Approval of Ordinary Transactions | 20-21 | ||
130. | Distributions | 21 | ||
131-138. | Dividends and Bonus Shares | 21 | ||
139. | Merger | 21 | ||
140-142. | Protocols | 22 | ||
143-145. | Shareholders’ Register | 22 | ||
146-150. | Notices | 22-23 | ||
151. | Liquidation of the Company | 23 | ||
152. | Exemption from Liability | 23 | ||
153-154. | Insuring Liability | 24 | ||
155-157. | Indemnification | 24-25 | ||
158. | The Company’s Charges | 25 | ||
159. | Amending the Articles | 25 |
Interpretation
1. | In these Articles, the following terms and expression shall bear the meaning ascribed to them below, unless the context requires otherwise: |
“Person” | - | Including a corporation (unless otherwise stated in these Articles); | |
“Shareholder” | - | Any person registered and/or not registered as a shareholder. In the event that there is an effective date, as defined in section 182 of the Companies Law, the shareholder shall be deemed a shareholder as of the effective date for said matter; | |
“Registered Shareholder” | - | A shareholder registered as the holder of a share in the Company’s Shareholders’ Register. | |
“Non-Registered Shareholder” | - | A shareholder whose right to a share is registered with a TASE member and the same share is included in the shares are registered in the Company’s Shareholders’ Register on behalf of the listing company. | |
“TASE” | - | Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd. | |
The “Board of Directors” | - | A duly selected board of directors in accordance with the provisions of these Articles. | |
“Director” | - | A member of the Board of Directors and who actually serves as a director, irrespective of his title. | |
The “Companies Law” | - | The Companies Law, 5759 – 1999, as amended from time to time, and regulations promulgated and that may be promulgated by virtue thereof. | |
The “Securities Law” | - | The Securities Law, 5728 – 1968, as amended from time to time, and regulations promulgated and that may be promulgated by virtue thereof. | |
The “Law” | - | The Companies Law, the Securities Law, as amended from time to time, and regulations promulgated and that may be promulgated by virtue thereof, and any effective law in connection with companies applicable to the Company at such time. | |
The “Company” | - | The aforementioned company. | |
The “Register” | - | The Shareholders’ register that must be managed in accordance with section 127 of the Companies Law and also if the Company conducts any additional register outside of Israel – any additional register, in accordance with the circumstances. | |
The “Office” | - | The Company’s registered office, as shall be from time to time and which may be changed from time to time, as may be determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. | |
“In Writing” | - | Print, lithography, photographed, telegram, telex, facsimile, electronic mail and any other created or embedded visible form of words. |
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2. | The provisions of sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 of the Interpretation Law, 5741- 1981 shall also apply to the interpretation of these Articles, mutatis mutandis, and if there is no other provision in the subject matter in question or if there is nothing in the subject matter in question or its context, which will not be consistent with applying the foregoing. |
3. | Save for the provisions in this section, every word and expression in the Articles shall have the meaning assigned thereto in the Companies Law, unless there is a contradiction to the relevant provision or its content. |
4. | Provisions that may be stipulated upon shall apply to the Company, unless otherwise determined in these Articles and if there is any contradiction between the said provisions of the Companies Law and these Articles, the provisions of these Articles shall apply. |
5. | If these Articles have been subjected to a certain provision in the Company Law, and said provision has been modified or repealed, the said provision shall be deemed to be effective and constitute a portion of the Articles, unless otherwise prohibited by law. |
6. | If anywhere in these Articles there is no mention of the required majority for the adoption of a resolution by the General Meeting or the Board of Directors, it shall be deemed that the required majority is an ordinary majority. |
The Company’s Name
7. | The Company’s name is as follows: |
In Hebrew: SAVERONE 2014 LTD. (written in Hebrew)
In English: SAVERONE2014 LTD.
The Company’s Purposes
8. | The Company’s may engage in any legal business, subject to the Company’s goals specified in the Company’s memorandum of incorporation. |
The Company’s Goal
9. | The Company’s goal is to act according to business considerations to yield profits, however, the Company may contribute a reasonable amount for a worthy cause, even if the contribution is not within the scope of its foregoing business considerations, according to the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors. |
The Registered Share Capital
10. | (a) The Company’s registered share capital is NIS 1,000,000 divided into 100,000,000 ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.01 each. |
(b) All the Ordinary Shares will be equal, for all intents and purposes, and every Ordinary Share, with respect to which every call for share has been paid in full, shall afford its holder:
(1) The right to be invited and participate in all the Company’s General Meetings and each Ordinary Share in his possession, will grant him one vote, for each vote at the Company’s General Meeting in which he is participating;
(2) The right to receive dividends, if and when distributed, and the right to receive bonus shares, if distributed;
(3) the right to participate in the distribution of the Company’s surplus assets in the event of liquidation.
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The Shareholders’ Liability
11. | The liability of the Shareholders will be limited, as specified in the Company’s memorandum of association and the Companies Law. In this matter, every Shareholders will be responsible for the payment of the par value for his shares only. If the Company issued shares for a consideration which is below the par value, the liability of all the Shareholders will be limited to the payment of the reduced consideration for which each Share issued to him, as aforementioned. |
Public Company
12. | Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law, insofar as the Company’s Securities are listed for trade on the TASE or insofar as the Company’s Securities offered to the public are held by the public, it shall be a public company. |
Shares
13. | Without derogating from any special rights previously granted to the Company’s existing Shareholders, the Company may issue or allot other shares and securities with preferred rights or subsequent rights or issue from its equity, prior to the issuance of any Redeemable Securities or issue other special preferred rights or restrictions in connection with the distribution of dividends, voting rights, or in connection with other matters, as may be determined by the Company from time to time, by way of a resolution adopted by a majority of shareholders at the General Meeting. |
14. | If at any time, the share capital shall be divided into different classes of Shares, the Company, by way of a resolution adopted by an ordinary majority at the General Meeting, unless the issuance terms of the said class of shares stipulate otherwise, may convert, expand, add or otherwise modify the rights, surplus rights, advantages, restrictions and provisions that are related or not related at such time by one of the classes, or as shall be determined by way of an ordinary majority of the Shareholders of the same class at the General Meeting. |
15. | The special rights afforded to the holders of Shares or a certain class of Shares, that were issued, including shares with preferred rights or other special rights, shall not be deemed to have been modified by way of the creation or issuance of additional shares at an equal rank to them, unless the allotment terms have stipulated otherwise for those shares. The provisions of these Articles with respect to General Meetings shall apply, mutatis mutandis, as the case may be on all of the aforementioned class meetings. |
16. | The Company’s unissued shares shall be under the Board of Directors’ supervision, who may allocate them to the cap of the Company’s registered share capital, to the same people, in consideration of cash or in kind, with the same reservations and conditions, at a higher rate than their par value (in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Law), in consideration for a price lower than their par value, and on the same dates that the Board of Directors shall deem appropriate, and the Board of Directors shall have the authority to submit a call on shares to any person for the payment of any of the aforementioned shares, at their par value, greater than their par value or in consideration that is lower than their par value, during the same period and the same consideration and terms that the Board of Directors shall deem appropriate. |
17. | Upon the allocation of Shares, the Board of Directors may impose differences between the Shareholders with respect to the amounts for the calls on shares and/or their payment dates. |
18. | If under any of the allotment terms of any Shares, the consideration for the Share, will be in installments, in whole or in part, every installment will be paid to the Company on the maturity date by the Person who is the registered owner of the Shares at such time or by his guardian. |
19. | The Company may pay at any time any commission to any Person for his role as an underwrite his consent to act as an underwrite, irrespective of whether it is contingent or not, for any Security, including a stock of the Company’s debentures or his consent to undersign, irrespective of whether it is contingent or not, any Security, debenture, or stock bond of the Company. In each case, the commission can be paid or paid off in cash or by the Company’s Securities, debentures, or stock bonds. |
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Share Certificate/ Share Note
20. | Subject to and in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Law, a share certificate attesting to the proprietary right of the Shares shall bear the Company’s stamp and printed name, together with the signature of a Director and the Secretary, or anyone else appointed by the Company’s Board of Directors from time to time. |
21. | Every Registered Shareholder (including the listing company) shall be entitled to receive from the Company, pursuant to its request, one share certificate for the Shares registered in his name, or if approved by the Board of Directors (after paying the amount to be determined by the Board of Directors from time to time), several share certificates, each for one or more Shares; every share certificate will note the number of shares with respect to which it was issued, the serial number of the shares, the par value of the shares, all subject to the provisions of the Companies Law. |
22. | A share certificate registered in the name of two or more people shall be delivered to the person whose name appears first in the Shareholders’ Register amongst the joint owners, with respect to the same Share, unless all the Registered Shareholders of the same Share will instruct the Company, In Writing, to deliver it to another registered owner. |
23. | (A) The Company may deliver a share note with respect to the Shares whose full consideration was paid to the Company, which shall grant the holder the rights to the noted shares and his right to transfer with the delivery of the shares and the provisions of these Articles with respect to the transfer of shares shall not apply to the shares noted in such share note; |
(B) A Shareholder who duly holds a share note shall be entitled to return it to the Company for the purposes of cancelling and transferring the share registered in his name; and he shall be entitled, in consideration of the fees determined by the Board of Directors, that his name be registered in the Shareholders’ Register with respect to the shares noted in the share note, and a share certificate will be issued in his name;
(C) The holder of a share note may deposit the share note in the Office, and as long as deposited therein, the depositor shall have the right to demand that the Company convene a meeting, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and these Articles, to be present and vote and use the other rights of Shareholders at any meeting convened according to his aforementioned demand, 48 hours after the deposit, as though is name was registered in the Shareholders’ Register as the owner of the Shares included in the share note. Only one person shall be deemed the depositor of the Share, and the Company must return the share note to the depositor if he so requested In Writing, at least two days in advance.
If the aforementioned share note was not deposited, the holder thereof shall not have the rights specified in this subclause (c), and subject to the provisions of these Articles, he shall have all other rights afforded to the Company’s Shareholders.
24. | If the Share Certificate or share note shall be lost or defaced or damaged, the Board of Directors may issue a new Share Certificate or share note in their place, provided that the Share Certificate or share note was not cancelled by the Company, or it was proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors that the Share Certificate or share note was lost or defaced, and the Company received guarantees to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors, with respect to any possible damages, all in consideration for the payment, should the Board of Directors decide to impose it. The provisions of sections 20 – 23 above shall also apply with respect to the issuance of a new Share Certificate, mutatis mutandis. |
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Calls on Shares
25. | The Board of Directors may from time to time, according to its discretion, submit, calls on shares to the Shareholders for any proceeds not paid with respect to the Shares held by each of the Shareholders, and which according to the allocation terms of the Shares are not payable on fixed dates, and each Shareholder must pay the Company the amounts set forth in the calls on shares submitted to him, at such time and place that shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The calls on shares may be made in installments. The date for the calls on shares will be on the date so decided by the Board of Directors with respect to the calls on shares. |
26. | Fourteen (14) days prior notice shall be delivered for every call on shares which will note the payment amount and place of payment. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, prior to the payment date of any calls on shares, the Board of Directors may, by providing notice In Writing to the Shareholders, to cancel the calls on shares or extend its payment date, provided that the aforementioned decision was adopted before the payment date for the calls on shares. |
27. | Joint owners of a Share will be jointly liable for the payment of all amounts and installments for the calls on shares due for this Share. |
28. | If the allocation terms of any Share, or otherwise, require the payment of the entire amount on the fixed date or installments on fixed dates, the entire amount or installment shall be repaid, as though the calls on shares were duly submitted by the Board of Directors and with respect to which notice was duly delivered, and the provisions of these Articles with respect to the calls on shares shall also apply on such amount or such installment. |
29. | If the calls on shares or installment was not paid on or before the payment date, the person who, at such time, is the Shareholder with respect to which the call on shares was submitted or with respect to which a certain installment is due, must pay interest on the aforementioned interest, at such rate that shall be determined by the Board of Directors from time to time, or lawful permissible rate at such time, from the date set for payment until the actual date of payment, however, the Board of Directors may waive the interest payment, in whole or in part. |
30. | If deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors, it may receive from a Shareholder interested in advancing proceeds not yet called upon or whose payment date has not yet matured and not yet paid on account of his shares, or any part thereof. The Board of Directors may pay interest to the Shareholder the aforementioned proceeds that were advanced, or any part thereof, through the date the funds should have been paid had they not been proceeded, according to the rate agreed upon between the Board of Directors and the Shareholders. |
Forfeiture and Lien on Shares
31. | If a Shareholder did not pay the consideration, he committed to pay, in whole or in part, on the date and terms set determined, whether calls on shares were issued or not, the Board of Directors may at any time deliver notice to the Shareholders and demand that he pay the amount not yet paid, plus interest accrued and all expenses borne by the Company with respect to non-payment. |
32. | The notice will set a date, which will be at least fourteen (14) days after the date of the notice, the place, or places where the aforementioned calls on shares or installments, plus the aforementioned interest and expenses. The notice that in the event of non-payment on the fixed date and the place noted in the notice, the Company may decide to forfeit the Shares with respect to which the calls on shares were made or the payment installment date. |
33. | If all the demands in the aforementioned notice were not met, then anytime therefore, prior to the payment for the calls on share or the installment, the interest, and the expenses due in connection with these Shares, the Board of Directors may, pursuant to a resolution with respect to the subject matter, to forfeit the Shares with respect to which the aforementioned notice was provided. Forfeiture shall also be applicable on declared dividends with respect to the forfeited Shares that were not actually paid in full before the forfeiture. |
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34. | Any forfeited share shall be deemed the Company’s property, and the Board of Directors may, while considering the provisions of these Articles, sell, reallocate, or otherwise transfer them as it shall deem appropriate, all subject to the provisions of the Companies Law. |
35. | Forfeited shares that have not yet been sold shall be dormant shares and shall not grant any rights insofar as they are owned by the Company. |
36. | The Board of Directors may at any time prior to the sale, reallocation or other transfer of any aforementioned forfeited share cancel the forfeiture according to the terms that the Board of Directors shall deem appropriate. |
(A) | A Shareholder whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Shareholder with respect to the forfeited Shares, however, shall still be required to pay all the calls on shares, the payment installments, interest and expense sue on account of or for these Shares prior to the forfeiture, plus interest on the amount due from the forfeiture date through the date of payment, at the maximum permissible rate according to the law, unless the forfeited Shares were sold and the Company received the full consideration due from the Shareholder, plus the ancillary expenses for the sale; |
(B) | If the consideration received from the sale of the forfeited Shares was greater than the consideration due by the Shareholder of the foregoing forfeited Shares, the Shareholder shall be entitled to a reimbursement of partial payment received with respect thereto, if any, subject to the provisions of the allocation agreement, provided that the consideration that the Company shall receive shall not be less than the full consideration amount which the Shareholder of the forfeited Shares committed to pay, plus the ancillary expenses to the sale. |
37. | The provisions of these Articles concerning the forfeiture of the Shares shall also be applicable in the event of non-payment of an amount known before the issuance terms of the Share with a fixed payment date, as though the amount due pursuant to the calls on shares was delivered and notified with respect thereto. |
38. | The Company shall have the right to a first-ranking lien on the Shares registered in the name of every Shareholder, save for the Shares paid in full, and every income from the sale and repayment of the debts and obligations of the same Shareholder to the Company, whether alone or together with anyone else, whether the repayment date for these debts matured or not or any performance date for these obligations, whether matured or not, irrespective of the sources of these debts, and no rights in equity shall not be created for the Share. The aforementioned delay and lien shall apply on all dividends declared from time to time on these Shares. Unless otherwise decided, the registration by the Company for the transfer of Shares shall be deemed a waive by the Company on the lien or delay (if any) of the Shares. |
39. | For the purposes of exercising the aforementioned lien, the Board of Directors may sell the pledged shares in a manner it shall deem appropriate, at its discretion; however, no Share shall be sold unless the period noted in section 32 above has lapsed, and notice In Writing was delivered to the Shareholder (or anyone entitled to this correspondence following his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or receivership) indicating that the Company’s intends to sell the Share, and the Shareholder or anyone entitled to such Share did not pay the aforementioned debts or did not meet or perform the aforementioned obligations during fourteen (14) days from the date the notice was sent. |
40. | Income from such sale, after the repayment of the expenses of the sale, shall be used for the repayment of the debts and performance of the obligations of such Shareholder (including, the debts, obligations, and engagements whose repayment date or performance date have not yet matured) and the provisions of section 36(b) shall apply, mutatis mutandis. |
41. | In the event of a sale following the forfeiture or for the purposes of executing the lien by use of the powers granted above, the Board of Directors may appoint a person to sign a transfer deed of the sold share and register the buyer in the Shareholders’ Register as the Shareholder of the sold Shares, and after his name was registered in the Shareholders’ Register with respect to these Shares, the effect of the sale shall not be appeal, and the remedy for any person injured by the sale shall solely be to seek damages from the Company only. |
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Transfer and Delivery of Shares
42. | Any transfer of Shares shall be registered in the Shareholders’ Register in the name of the Registered Shareholder, including any transfer to or from a listing company, which shall be made In Writing, provided that the transfer deed be signed by hand only, by the transferor and the transferee, alone or by a proxy, and signed by witnesses, and the transferor will continue to be deemed the Shareholder of the transferred Shares until the registration of the transferee as the Shareholder of the transferred Shares in the Shareholders’ Register. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law, no transfer of Shares shall be registered unless the transfer deed shall be delivered to the Company’s Registered Office, as set forth below. |
The share transfer deed shall be prepared and completed on the form below or similar manner, insofar as possible, or in an ordinary or customary manner that shall be approved by the Chairman of the Board of Directors:
“I, _________________, of ________________ (the “Transferor”), in consideration of NIS ___________, paid to me by _______________, of _____________ (the “Transferee”) do hereby transfer to the Transferee _________ Shares, par value NIS _____, each, marked with the numbers ______ through ______, inclusive, of _________ Ltd., which shall be held by the Transferee, the executor of his estate, guardian, and agent, according to the terms held in my possession on the eve of the signing date of this deed, and I, the Transferee do hereby agree to receive the aforementioned Shares according to the aforementioned terms.”
IN WITNESS THEREOF, WE HAVE SET OUR HANDS HERETO ON _____.
____________________ | ____________________ |
The Transferor | The Transferee |
____________________ | ____________________ |
Witness for the Transferor’s Signature | Witness for the Transferee’s Signature |
43. | The Company may close the Shareholders’ Register for a period that will be determined by the Board of Directors, provided that it shall not exceed thirty (30) days in any given year. The Company shall notify the Shareholders that the Shareholders’ Register is closed, in accordance with the provisions of these Articles concerning the delivery of notices to the Shareholders. |
44. | (A) A transfer deed shall be submitted to the Office for the purposes of registration, together with the share certificates for the Shares being transferred, if issued, and any other proof that will be required by the Company’s Board of Directors. Registered transfer deeds shall remain with the Company, however, any transfer deed that the Board of Directors refuses to register, shall be returned upon demand to the person who submitted them, together with the share certificate (if submitted). If the Board of Directors refused to approve the transfer of shares, they shall notify the transferor no later than thirty (30) days from the receipt date of the transfer deed; |
(B) The Company may demand the payment of fees for the registration of the transfer which shall be determined by the Company’s Board of Directors.
45. | The guardians of executors of an estate of a sole Shareholder who is deceased, or if there are no executors of estate or guardians, the Persons who are entitled to be the deceased sole Shareholder’s successors, will be the individuals who the Company shall recognize as the holder of the rights of the Share registered in the decedent’s name |
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46. | If a Shares is registered in the name of two or more Shareholders of the Share, the Company shall recognize the surviving partner or partners as the Persons with the right or benefit in the Shares, however this shall not exempt the estate of the estate joint holder’s security from any debt with respect to the jointly held Security. If a Share was registered in the name of several joint holders, as aforementioned, they shall be each entitled to transfer the right. |
47. | Any Person who shall become the rights holder of Shares following the death of a Shareholder, will be eligible, after providing proof of a last will or the appointment of a guardian or provision of a probate order, attesting to such that he has the right to the Shares of the deceased Shareholder, to be registered as the Shareholder of these Shares, or may, subject to the provisions of these Articles, transfer these Shares. |
48. | The Company may recognize a receiver or liquidator of a Shareholder that is a corporation being dissolved or liquidated or a trustee in bankruptcy proceedings or any receive of a bankrupt Shareholder as the holder of the rights of Shares registered in the name of such Shareholder. |
49. | The receiver or liquidator of a Shareholder that is a corporation being dissolved or liquidated, or a trustee in bankruptcy proceedings or the receiver of a bankrupt Shareholder, may, after providing attestations that shall be requested by the Board of Directors that attest to the right of the dissolved or liquidated or bankrupt Shareholder, with the consent of the Board of Directors (and the Board of Directors may refuse to provide its consent without providing any reason for its refusal), to be registered as a Shareholder, with respect to theses Shares, or may, subject to the provisions of these Articles, transfer these Shares. |
50. | The foregoing provisions concerning the transfer of Shares shall also apply to the transfer of other Securities of the Company, mutatis mutandis. |
Redeemable Securities
51. | The Company may issue or allocate redeemable Securities, subject to the provisions of these Articles concerning the issuance of Securities. |
52. | If the Company issued redeemable Securities may redeem them, and the provisions of Article II Section G of the Companies Law shall not apply. |
53. | If the Company issued redeemable Securities, it may link their traits to Shares, including voting rights and the right to participate right in profits. |
Alterations of Share Capital
54. | The Company may, from time to time, by way of a resolution adopted by an ordinary majority in a General Meeting, increase its registered share capital with different classes of shares, as shall be determined. |
55. | Unless otherwise noted in the resolution approving the increase of the share capital, as aforementioned, the provisions of these Articles shall apply to the new Shares. |
56. | Pursuant to the resolution adopted by an ordinary majority in the General Meeting, the Company may: |
A. | Consolidate or redistribute its share capital into shares with a larger nominal value than the existing Shares, and if the Shares did not have any nominal value – to capital composed of a smaller number of shares, provided that it shall not be sufficient to modify the holdings of the Shareholders of the issued share capital. |
For the purposes of executing the aforementioned resolution, the Board of Directors may at its discretion, settle any difficulty arising with respect thereto, inter alia, to issue certificates with fractional shares or certificates in the names of the number of Shareholders who will eb included and are eligible to receive the fractional shares due to them.
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Without derogating from the Board of Directors’ power, as aforementioned, in the event that as a result of the consolidation, there will be fractional shares following the consolidation of the Shares of the Shareholders, the Board of Directors, with the approval by an ordinary majority in the General Meeting:
(1) | To sell all fractional shares and for this purpose, appoint a trustee and in his name share certificates that includes the fractional shares will be issued, and who will sell the fractional shares and the consideration received less the fees and expenses shall be distributed amongst the eligible parties; or – |
(2) | To allot to each Shareholder to whom following the consolidation had fractional shares, Shares from the class of shares prior to the consolidation, paid in full, said number whose consolidation together with the fractional share would create one whole Share and the allocation as aforementioned shall be deemed effective, prior to the consolidation; or – |
(3) | To determine that the Shareholders will not be entitled to receive a whole consolidated share with respect to the fractional shares from the consolidation, arising from the consolidation of half or less than the number of consolidated shares create one whole consolidated share, and they shall be eligible to receive one whole consolidated shares for the fractional shares from the consolidation, arising from the consolidation of more than half of the number of shares whose consolidation created one whole consolidated Share; |
In the event of any activity according to paragraphs (2) or (3) above shall require issuing additional Shares, the repayment shall be made in such a manner permitting the repayment of bonus shares. Consolidation and division, as aforementioned, shall not be deemed a change of rights of the Shares, subject to the consolidation and division;
B. | To redistribute the existing Shares of the share capital, in whole or in part, to shares with a lower nominal value of the nominal value of the existing Shares, and if the shares do not have a nominal value – to issued share capital comprised of a greater number of Shares, provided that is shall not be sufficient to modify the Shareholders’ holding in the issued share capital; |
C. | To cancel the registered share capital on the date the resolution was adopted, prior to the allocation, provided that the Company does not have any commitment, including any continent commitment, to allocate the Shares; |
D. | To reduce the Shares in the Company’s issued share capital so that these Shares shall be cancelled, and the consideration paid with respect to their nominal value shall be registered in the Company’s books, as a capital principal which shall be deemed for all intents and purposes, as a premium paid for the Shares remaining in the Company’s issued share capital; |
E. | To consolidate its share capital, in whole or in part, to one class of Shares, and the Company may decide to compensate the Company’s Shareholders, in whole or in part, with respect to the consolidation of the capital, by way of allocating the bonus shares for the same Shareholders. |
F. | To reduce the nominal value of the Company’s Shares, and the provisions of subclause d above shall apply, mutatis mutandis, also with respect to the reduce nominal value of the Company’s Shares, as aforementioned. |
General Meetings
57. | The Company shall convene an annual meeting every year no later than fifteen (15) months following the last annual meeting. A General Meeting that is not an annual meeting shall be referred to as a special meeting. |
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58. | The agenda for the annual meeting will include the following issues: |
(A) | A discussion of the Company’s periodic reports, including, inter alia, the Company’s audited financial statements and the Board of Directors’ report for the status of the Company’s affairs, submitted to the General Meeting; |
(B) | Appointment of Directors; |
(C) | Appointment of the Company’s auditor and receipt of a report to determine the auditor’s salary; |
(D) | Any issue that the Board of Directors decided to present to the General Meeting for a resolution. |
59. | Insofar as to the extent that it shall be deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors, it may convene a special meeting at its discretion, and special meetings shall convene according to the demand of two Directors or one quarter of the Directors in office at such time or according to the demand of one or more Shareholders, who hold at least five percent (5%) of the issued capital and at least one percent (1%) of the voting rights in the Company, or one or more Shareholders who have at least five percent (5%) of the voting rights in the Company. |
If the Board of Directors has been requested to convene a special meeting, it shall convene the meeting within twenty one (21) days from the date the demand was submitted on such date that shall be fixed for the special meeting set in the notice, as set forth in section 62(b) below, provided that the date to convene the meeting shall not be more than thirty five (35) days from the date the notice was issued, subject to the provisions of the Law.
60. | If the Board of Directors did not convene a special meeting, as noted in section 59 above, the demanding party is entitled, and with respect to Shareholders – also a part thereof holding more than half of their voting rights, to convene the meeting itself, provided that the meeting shall not take place following the lapse of 3 months from the date the said demand was made, and the meeting shall be convened, as closely as possible to the manner in which meetings are convened by the Board of Directors. |
61. | (A) The agenda of a General Meeting shall be determined by the Board of Directors and shall also include items due to which convening a special meeting was demanded under section 59 above, as well as an item as detailed in subclause (b) below; |
(B) One or more Shareholder holdings at least one percent (1%) of the voting rights in the General Meeting may request the Board of Directors to include an item in a future General Meeting’s agenda, as long as it is an appropriate item to be discussed in a General Meeting, subject to the provisions of the Companies Law;
(C) A request as detailed in subclause (b) above, shall be submitted to the Company, In Writing, at least seven (7) days prior to the notice to convene a General Meeting, and the language of the resolution proposed by the Shareholder shall be attached thereto, unless otherwise determined by any applicable law.
62. | (A) Notice of a General Meeting shall be published in at least two daily circulated newspapers published in Hebrew or on the Company’s website, as prescribed by law and on the dates prescribed under the law, and the Company shall not deliver any additional notice to the Registered Shareholders in the Company’s Shareholders’ Register, unless otherwise required by law; |
(B) A notice to convene a General Meeting shall detail the type of meeting, the place, date, and time where the General Meeting shall be convened, it will include the agenda, a summary of the proposed resolutions, the majority required for adopting the resolutions, and the date determining all the Shareholders’ rights to vote in the General Meeting. If a date has been set for a postponed meeting, that is not on the same day of the week, time and place, the date shall be detailed in the notice.
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63. | The General Meeting may assume the powers granted to any other organ, for a certain matter or for a certain period that shall not exceed the time required under the circumstances of the matter. If the General Meeting assumed the powers of the Company’s Board of Directors, the Shareholders will be responsible and liable for the obligations and responsibility of the Board of Directors, pertaining to the exercise of the powers, mutatis mutandis, and the provisions of Chapters Three, Four, and Five of Article Six of the Companies Law, shall be applicable upon them, while considering their holdings in the Company, their participation in the meeting and the manner of the vote. |
64. | A flaw made in good faith when convening or when conducting the General Meeting, including a flaw due to a failure to follow a provision or a condition provided by the Companies Law or by these Articles, including with regard to the manner for convening or conducting the General Meeting, will not lead to the dismissal of any resolution adopted by the General Meeting and shall not impair the discussions held during said meeting, subject to the provisions of any law. |
Voting Rights
65. | A Shareholder interested in voting in the General Meeting shall prove to the Company his ownership of the Share, as required by any applicable law. |
66. | (A) The Company may determine an effective date for the purposes of eligibility to participate and vote in the General Meeting, provided that this date shall not exceed 21 days from the date set to convene the General Meeting and shall not be less than 4 days before the meeting is convened; |
(B) Notwithstanding the provisions in subsection (a) above, a General Meeting whose agenda shall include mattes enumerated in Section 87(a) of the Companies Law, the Company shall set an effective date that shall not be greater than 40 days and no less than 28 days before the date the General Meeting is convened, unless the law permits setting an earlier effective date.
(C)
67. | A Shareholder who is a minor and any Shareholder with respect to whom the courts have declared as legally incompetent, may vote by way of their guardians, and any guardian may vote by proxy. |
68. | Subject to the provisions of any applicable law, in the event of joint owners of a Share, each owner may vote in any Meeting, whether in person or through an agent, with regard to the said Share, as if he was the sole owner thereof. In the event that more than one of the joint owners in a Share participates in a Meeting, whether in person or through an agent, the owner whose name appears first in the Shareholders’ Register with regard to the said Share or in the certificate of ownership or any other document determined by the Board of Directors for such matters, shall vote, accordingly. Several guardians or several estate managers of a deceased Registered Shareholder will be deemed, for the purposes of this section, as joint owners of the said Shares. |
69. | Shareholders may vote in person or by way of a proxy, as stipulated below. |
70. | If a Shareholder of the Company is a corporation, according to a resolution made by its directors or any other managing body, it may appoint a Person that it deems appropriate to serve at its representative in every General Meeting. The aforementioned Person who is appointed to serve as the corporation’s representative may use the same voting rights that the corporation itself may use, as though it was a sole Shareholder. The Chairman of the Meeting may demand from every such appointed person reasonable proof that he is the corporation’s authorized representative, as a condition for the Person’s participation in the Meeting. |
It is hereby clarified that the provisions of sections 71 – 75 below concerning the letter or appointment shall not apply to the authorized representative of the corporation, except for the voting agent on behalf of the corporation.
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71. | Any document appointing a voting agent (“Appointment Letter”) shall be executed In Writing and signed by the appointing party or his agent who has power In Writing to do so, and if the appointing party is a corporation, the Appointment Letter shall be executed In Writing and signed by the corporation’s authorized signatories and the corporation’s stamp or signed by the authorized agent. |
72. | The Appointment Letter, or a certified copy thereof, which shall be to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors, shall be deposited at the Office or in another place designated to convene the General Meeting, at least 48 hours prior to the set date for the commencement of any Meeting in which the Person appointed in said Appointment Letter, intends to vote. Notwithstanding, the Chairman of the Meeting may waive this demand with respect to all participants in any given Meeting, and receive their Appointment Letter, or a copy thereof, to the satisfaction of the Chairman of the Meeting, upon the commencement of the Meeting. |
73. | A Shareholder who holds more than one Share, will be entitled to appoint more than one agent, subject the provisions below: |
(A) | The Appointment Letter will note the class and the number of Shares for which it has been issued, and in cases required according to the law, reference to the question of a personal matter of the Shareholder in the engagement of the General Meeting’s agenda; |
(B) | If the Appointment Letter was issued with regard to a larger number of Shares than the number of Shares registered to one Shareholder for the same class of Shares, he holds, all the Appointment Letter issued by the Shareholder for the surplus shares shall be cancelled, and it shall not derogate from the validity of the vote for the shares he holds; |
(C) | If the Shareholder appointed only a voting agent and the Appointment Letter did not state the number and class of Shares for which it has been issued, the Appointment Letter shall be considered as though issued only for the Shares held by the Shareholder on the date the Appointment Letter was deposited with the Company or on the date submitted to the Chairman of the Meeting, as the case may be. If the Appointment Letter was issued with regard to a smaller number of Shares held by the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall be deemed as being absent from the vote with regard to the remainder of his Shares and the Appointment Letter shall be in effect with regard to the number of Shares listed therein. |
74. | The Appointment Letter for the General Meeting shall be executed in the form below or similar form insofar as possible or ordinary or customary form approved by the Chairman of the Board of Directors: |
“I, ________________, of ___________, a shareholder of __________ Ltd., (the “Company”), do hereby appoint _____________, the holder of ID No. ____________, of __________, or in his/her absence _____________, the holder of ID No. ______________, of ____________, or in his/her absence _____________, the holder of ID No. ______________, of ____________, to vote on my behalf and in my name with respect to the class of ______ shares in my possession at the Annual/ Special General Meeting of the Company/ class meeting of the ________ Shareholders, that shall convene on ___________, and any adjourned meeting thereof.”
In witness whereof signed by me this day of ______,____
Signature
75. | A vote made in accordance with an Appointment Letter shall be in effect even if prior to the voting the appointing party had died, or the Appointment Letter was cancelled or the Share for which the Appointment Letter had been issued was transferred, unless the Company’s Office had received a notice In Writing, prior to the meeting, of the death, cancellation, or transfer or by the Chairman of the Meeting prior to the vote. |
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Discussions and Adopting Resolutions at General Meetings
76. | A discussion in a General Meeting shall not begin unless the legal quorum is present within half an hour from the time scheduled to start the meeting. Save for cases otherwise stipulated upon in the Companies Law or these Articles, quorum shall exist when at least two (2) Shareholders, holding at least one quarter (1/4) of the voting rights in the Company, are present, whether in person or through an agent. |
77. | If by the end of half an hour from the time scheduled for starting the Meeting a quorum had not been present, the Meeting shall be postponed to the following week, on the same day, time and place, or to a later date if such date had been detailed in the notice of the Meeting, and the agenda for which the first meeting was called will be discussed at the postponed meeting. If there is no quorum at the postponed meeting by the end of half an hour from the date called for the Meeting, the postponed Meeting shall be held with the presence of any number of participants whatsoever. |
If the General Meeting was convened according to the demand of a Shareholder, the postponed Meeting only if one or more Shareholders who hold at least five percent (5%) of the issued capital and one percent (1%) of the voting rights in the Company, are present, or one or more Shareholders who hold at least five percent (5%) of the voting rights in the Company.
78. | At every General Meeting, a chairman shall be selected for the meeting. The chairman of the meeting shall be selected at the beginning of the convened meeting, subject to the presence of quorum, by the Company’s secretary or by the Shareholders so appointed for this matter by the Company’s secretary. |
79. | The Chairman of the General Meeting may, with the consent of the Meeting where quorum is present, to postpone the Meeting, discussion or the adoption of the resolution specified in the agenda, from time to time or from place to place, and shall be required to do so if the Meeting instructed so. In the postponed meeting, only matters on the agenda with respect to which the discussion as not concluded or was not commenced in the Meeting in which it was postponement was resolved. |
80. | Subject to the provisions of any applicable law, a resolution in the General Meeting shall be adopted by casting votes, so that every Share granting the voting right shall entitle one vote. If the votes were tied, the resolution shall be deemed rejected. |
81. | Resolutions in the General Meeting shall be adopted by an ordinary majority, unless another majority is required by Law or the Articles. |
82. | In addition to the resolutions, the authority to adopt resolutions is granted to the General Meeting, and specified in these Articles and/or the Companies Law, the Company’s resolutions for the following matters shall be adopted by an ordinary majority at the General Meeting: |
(A) | Amending these Articles or the Company’s memorandum of association; |
(B) | Exercising the powers of the Board of Directors by the General Meeting, if the Board of Directors was unable to operate the powers and operating any of the powers is essential to the proper management of the Company, as set forth in section 52(a) of the Companies Law; |
(C) | Appointing a certified accountant as the Company’s auditor or terminating his employment; |
(D) | Appointing and dismissing the Company’s Directors; |
(E) | Approval of actions and transactions that require the General Meeting’s approval; |
(F) | Increasing and cancelling the authorized share capital; |
(G) | Merger (unless it is a transaction requiring approval under Section 275(A) of the Companies Law); |
83. | The Chairman’s declaration that a resolution in the General Meeting had been adopted or rejected, whether unanimously or by any majority and the minutes of the meeting, signed by the Chairman of the Meeting shall serve as prima facie evidence of the contents thereof. |
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84. | The Board of Directors may determine, from time to time, the resolutions of the General Meeting that may also be adopted by way of a written ballot. Unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors and subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and its regulations, resolutions of the General Meeting for the matters enumerated below shall also be adopted by way of a written ballot: |
(A) | Appointment and dismissal of Directors; |
(B) | Approving actions and transactions that require the approval of the General Meeting according to Sections 255 and 268 through 275 of the Companies Law; |
(C) | Approving a merger as set forth in Section 320 of the Companies Law; |
(D) | Appointing the Chairman of the Board of Directors, or his relative, to serve as the Chief Executive Officer or exercise any powers granted to the Chief Executive Officer, or that his relative may function in the capacity of the Chairman of the Board of Directors or exercise any of his powers, according to Section 121(c) of the Companies Law; |
(E) | Matters determined by the Minister in the regulations promulgated or that may be promulgated by virtue of Section 89 of the Companies Law. |
The Board of Directors
85. | The number of Directors shall be determined from time to time by an ordinary majority of the Shareholders at the General Meeting, or by the Company’s Board of Directors, by an ordinary majority of the Directors, provided that the number of Directors shall not be less than three Directors and no more than twelve Directors, including External Directors. An individual only, and no corporation, may be appointed as a Director of the Company. |
86. | (A) Directors may be selected by an ordinary majority of the Shareholders adopted at the Annual Meeting. Every Director selected shall serve until the following Annual Meeting; |
(B) A Director’s term shall commence from his appointment date by the Meeting, as aforementioned, however the Meeting may determine a later appointment date than the date of the Meeting;
(C) The General Meeting may, at any time, by way of an ordinary majority of the Shareholders, remove any Director from office, and it may also decide to appoint another Person in his place (which is not a corporation) as a Director of the Company. If the dismissal of a Director is on the agenda, the Director will be granted a reasonable opportunity to express his position to the General Meeting.
87. | (A) A Director shall be entitled, at any time, to appoint a Person (which is not a corporation) to server as an alternate director in his place on the Board of Directors (“Alternate Director”). A Person who is unfit to be appointed as a Director or anyone serving as a Director or as an Alternate Director to a Director shall not be appointed as an Alternate Director, unless otherwise permitted by law. An Alternate Director may be appointed as a member of the Board of Directors’ committee, who is presiding as a Director, provided that the candidate to be appointed as an Alternate Director to the committee member is not already presiding as a member on the same Board of Directors’ committee, and if is an Alternate Director to an External Director, the candidate shall be an External Director with accounting and financial expertise or professional competence, in accordance with the competence of the replaced Director. Notwithstanding, an Alternate Director shall be appointed as an External Director only according to this subclause (a), unless otherwise determined in the Law; |
(B) Insofar as to the extent that the appointment of the Alternate Director is in effect, he shall be entitled to receive invitations to every Board of Directors’ meeting (without negating the Appointing Director’s right to receive invitations), participate and vote in every Board of Directors’ meeting in which the appointing Director is absent;
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(C) The Alternate Director, subject to the instructions in the appointment letter that appointed him, shall have all the powers of the Appointing Director he is replacing, and shall be deemed a Director for all intents and purposes;
(D) A Director who appointed the Alternate Director may cancel the appointment at any time. The Alternate Director shall cease his position as a Director if the Appointing Director (above and below: the “Appointing Director”) notified the Company, In Writing, that the appointment has been cancelled or of his resignation, or if the Appointing Director has ceased acting as a Director in any other manner;
(E) Any appointment of an Alternate Director and the cancellation of his appointment shall be made by notice In Writing to the Company.
88. | A Director whose position was vacated may be reappointed. |
89. | The position of a Director will vacate in any of the following instances: |
(A) | If he resigned or was dismissed from his position according to Sections 229 – 231 of the Companies Law; |
(B) | If he was convicted of a felony according to Section 232 of the Companies Law; |
(C) | On the date of the provision that enforcement measures were imposed according to Section 232A of the Companies Law; |
(D) | If the court instructed upon the termination of his office according to Section 233 of the Companies Law; |
(E) | If declared bankrupt, and if a corporation – there was decision for voluntary liquidation, or a liquidation order was issued; |
(F) | In the event he died; |
(G) | If declared legally incompetent; |
(H) | On the date of a provision of notice according to Section 227A or 245A of the Companies Law. |
90. | In the event that a Director’s position had been vacated, the other Directors may continue to act in any matter whatsoever as long as the number of Directors is not smaller than the minimum number of Directors. In the event that the number of Directors was smaller than that number, the Board of Directors shall not be entitled to operate other than for the purposes of convening a General Meeting in order to appoint additional Directors. |
91. | The Director may appoint a Director or additional Directors, immediately or at a future date, that shall serve in office until the next Annual Meeting, provided that the number of Directors shall not exceed twelve (12) Directors. |
92. | The Directors shall be entitled to fees and compensation for presiding as Directors subject to receipt of the approvals required by any applicable law. A Director shall be entitled to receive reimbursements for reasonable travelling expenses and other expenses relating to his participation in the meetings of the Board of Directors and due to his activity as Director. |
93. | At least two External Director shall preside in the Company, and at least one of them will be a Director with accounting and finance expertise and the rest will have professional competence, as defined in the regulations promulgated by virtue of Section 240 of the Companies Law, and the provisions set in the Companies Law with regard to their position, as well as the payments they shall be entitled due to their position shall apply. The overall term of an External Director of the Company shall not exceed 9 years. |
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The Board of Directors’ Powers and Positions
94. | The Board of Directors shall outline the Company’s policies and oversee the performance of the duties of the Chief Executive Officer and his actions and shall have any of the Company’s powers noted granted by the Law or the Articles to any other organ. |
95. | The Board of Directors may delegate its powers to the Chief Executive Officer and any of the Board of Directors’ committees, subject to the restrictions according to any applicable law. |
96. | (A) The Board of Directors may decide that powers vested with the Chief Executive Officer shall be transferred to the Board of Directors, whether for a specific matter or a specific period of time, which shall not exceed the required period of time, under the circumstances of the matter, all according to the discretion of the Board of Directors, by way of a resolution adopted by a majority of the Directors votes; |
(B) Without derogating from the foregoing, the Board of Directors may instruct the Chief Executive Officer how to operate in a specific matter. In the event that the Chief Executive Officer failed to comply with such instruction, the Board of Directors may exercise the required power in order to perform the instruction in his stead;
(C) In the event that the Chief Executive Officer is unable to exercise his powers, the Board of Directors may exercise these powers in his stead.
The Board of Directors’ Meetings
97. | The Board of Directors shall convene in accordance with the Company’s needs and at least once every three (3) months. |
98. | The Chairman of the Board of Directors may convene the Board of Directors at any time. In addition, one Director may demand that a meeting of the Board of Directors be convened for a matter that will be detailed in his demand. |
99. | (A) Notice to convene a meeting of the Board of Directors may be verbally, by telephone, In Writing (including facsimile or electronic mail), or by telegram, provided that the notice shall be provided at least one business date before the date set for the meeting, unless majority of the Directors or the Alternate Directors (if any) decided in urgent cases for a shorter period of to convene without notice; |
(B) A Director who is not in Israel (hereinafter: the “Absent Director”) who is interested in receiving notice during his absence, shall leave sufficient details with the Company’s secretary, so that he may be notified of the Board of Directors’ meetings in his absence (an Absent Director who left his details with the Company’s secretary, as noted above, together with the Directors located in Israel shall be referred to as “Directors Eligible to Receive Notice);
(C) An Absent Director who did not leave his details as noted in the clause above, shall not be entitled to receive notice during his stay outside of Israel, unless he requested that notice be provided to an Alternate Director serving on his behalf, who was appointed according to these Articles;
(D) Any record by the Company’s secretary shall be deemed decisive proof that notice was provided to the Absent Director who is Entitled to Receive Notice.
100. | Notice to convene a Board of Directors’ meeting will include the date and the place on which the meeting shall take place as well as a reasonable details with respect to the matters on the agenda. |
The agenda for the meetings of the Board of Directors shall be determined by the Chairman of the Board of Directors and shall include items which were determined by the Chairman of the Board of Directors as well as any item which a Director or the Chief Executive Officer had requested the Chairman of the Board of Directors to include in the agenda, a reasonable time prior to the convening of the Board of Directors’ meeting.
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101. | The legal quorum for the opening of a Board of Directors’ meeting shall be a majority of the Members of the Directors Entitled whose do not have any impediment to participate and vote in the Board of Directors’ meeting. Quorum will be checked at the beginning of the meeting. |
Notwithstanding the aforementioned, quorum with respect to a resolution by the Board of Directors or the termination of the internal auditor’s position shall not be less than the majority of the Directors.
102. | The Board of Directors shall appoint one of its members as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Chairman shall head and conduct the Board of Directors’ meetings. In the event that the Chairman of the Board is absent from the Board of Directors’ meeting, or in the event that the Chairman of the Board does not want to preside over the meeting, the members of the Board of Directors who are present will select one of the Directors present to act as the Chairman of the meeting, wo will head and conduct the meeting and sign the minutes of the meeting. |
103. | Resolutions by the Board of Director shall be adopted by an ordinary majority. When voting in the Board of Directors, each Director will have one vote. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall not have an additional vote or casting vote. |
104. | Whenever quorum is present at any meeting of the Board of Directors, it shall have the authority to exercise all powers, proxies and discretion granted at such time, according to the provisions of these Articles, by the Board of Directors or generally exercised by it. |
105. | The Board of Directors may hold meetings by means of using any communication device provided that all of the participating Directors can hear each other simultaneously. |
106. | The Board of Directors may adopt resolutions even without actually convening, provided that all of the Directors entitled to participate in the discussion and vote on the matter brought for decision had agreed not to convene for a discussion in that matter. A written resolution shall be prepared, including the resolutions not to convene, and will be signed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or alternately the Chairman of the Board of Directors shall prepare a written protocol and all the Directors’ signatures shall be attached thereto. |
For this purpose, a “Director’s Signature” can also be attached with his consent or rejection or noting that he abstained. Instead of the Director’s Signature, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or the Company’s secretary may attach records with their signature detailing the manner in which the Director voted.
107. | A signed resolution by the Chairman of the Board of Directors to not actually convene a meeting, provided that all Directors Eligible to Receive Notice and eligible to participate and vote on the matter presented for a resolution agreed to such (provided that the number of Directors shall not be less than two) or a written resolution signed by all the Directors Eligible to Receive Notice and eligible to participate and vote on the matter presented for a resolution (provided that the number of Directors shall not be less than two), subject to the provisions of the Law, shall be valid and in effect to any duly adopted resolution at the Board of Directors that convened and transpired in accordance with the provisions of these Articles. |
108. | Subject to the provisions of any applicable law, any actions made by or according to the resolutions of the Board of Directors or a Board of Directors’ committee or by a Person (that is not a corporation) acting as a Director, shall be in effect even if any flaw was discovered in the selection of any Director or any Person acting in such capacity, whether one or all of them are invalid, as though they were duly selected and as though they had the requisite skills to be a member of the Board of Directors or a committee thereof. |
The Board of Directors’ Committees
109. | The Board of Directors may establish committees of the Board of Directors. A person who is not a Director shall not serve on any committee of the Board of Directors to whom the Board of Directors delegated any of its powers. A Person who is not a Director may serve on a committee of the Board of Directors whose function is to solely advise or recommend before the Board of Directors. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and the provisions of these Articles, the Board of Directors may delegate its powers, or any part thereof, to any of the committees. At least two Director shall serve on a committee. |
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110. | Any committee established pursuant to section 109 above, when using any of its powers must comply with all instructions that shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The meetings and actions of every committee shall be conducted according to the provisions included in these Articles with respect to the meetings and actions taken by the Board of Directors, insofar as appropriate and to the extent that they are not in the stead of the provisions provided by the Board of Directors. |
111. | A committee of the Board of Directors shall report to the Board of Directors, in an ongoing manner, of its decisions and recommendations according to the decisions made by the Board of Directors. Decisions or recommendations of the committee of the Board of Directors that require approval by the Board of Directors shall be presented to the Board of Directors in a reasonable time prior to any discussion at the Board of Directors. |
112. | The Board of Directors may cancel any decision of the committee that it appointed, nonetheless, such termination shall not affect the validity of a decision made by the committee when the Company acted pursuant thereto to any other Person, who was not aware of its termination. |
Any action made in good faith in a meeting of the Board of Directors or a committee of the Board of Directors or by any Person acting as a Director shall be in effect, even if any flaw was discovered thereafter in the appointment of the Director or any other Person acting in such capacity or that one or any of the Directors were actually incapacitated as though such Person was duly appointed and competent to be a Director.
The Chief Executive Officer
113. | The Chief Executive Officer shall be appointed and dismissed by the Board of Directors and the Board of Directors may appoint more than one Chief Executive Officer. |
114. | The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the ongoing management of the Company’s activities, within the framework determined by the Board of Directors and subject to its instructions and he shall possess all management and execution powers not granted by the Companies Law or these Articles to any other organ of the Company and shall be subject to the Board of Directors’ oversight. |
The Chief Executive Officer, with the approval of the Board of Directors, may delegate his powers to another person who is subordinate to him. The approval may be general and in advance.
115. | (A) The Chief Executive Officer will immediately notify the Chairman of the Board of Directors of any extraordinary, material matter to the Company and shall submit reports to the Board of Directors with respect thereto, on the dates and in scope determined by the Board of Directors. If the Company did not have a Chairman of the Board of Directors or he was unable to fulfill his position, the Chief Executive Office shall notify all members of the Board of Directors; |
(B) The Chairman of the Board of Directors may, at his initiative or according to a decision by the Board of Directors, to demand form the Chief Executive Officer reports about the Company’s business;
(C) If any notice or report was required for any action of the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board of Directors shall immediately convent a meeting of the Board of Directors for a discussion concerning the notice or decision to adopt the necessary action.
Officers
116. | The Chief Executive Officer may, from time to time appoint officers for the Company (excluding Directors and the Chief Executive Officer) for permanent, temporary, or special positions, as the Chief Executive Officer shall deem appropriate from time to time, and the Chief Executive Officer may terminate the services of one or more of the foregoing from time to time and at any time, according to his absolute discretion. |
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117. | The Chief Executive Officer may determine, subject to the provisions of the Companies Law, the powers, and positions of the officers he appointed as well as the terms of their tenure. The terms of the officers’ office shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Law. |
The Internal Auditor
118. | The Board of Director shall appoint an internal auditor according to the audit committee’s recommendation. |
119. | The internal auditor shall check, inter alia, the integrity of the Company’s actions with respect to compliance with the Law and proper business protocol. |
120. | The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall be the organization’s supervisor of the internal auditor, unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors and the Company, as shall be determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. |
121. | The internal auditor will submit a proposed annual or quarterly work plan to be approved by the Board of Directors and the Board of Directors will approve it with the changes it deems appropriate. |
The Auditor
122. | One auditor, or more, shall be appointed every Annual Meeting and shall serve in the capacity of this position through the end of the following Annual Meeting. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the General Meeting may, by way of a resolution adopted by an ordinary majority, appoint an auditor who serve in this position, for a longer period, which shall not exceed the third Annual Meeting after the meeting in which he was appointed. |
123. | The General Meeting may terminate the tenure of the auditor subject to and in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Law. |
124. | The auditor’s fees for auditing activities shall be determined by the Board of Directors who will report the terms of the auditor’s engagement at the Annual Meeting. The audit committee or the committee appointed by the Company to review its financial statements according to the provisions of the Companies Law, shall examine the scope of the auditor’s work and salary and submit its recommendations to the Board of Directors. |
125. | The auditor’s fees for additional services to the Company, which are not auditing actions, will be determined by the Board of Directors who will report the terms of the auditor’s engagement for additional services, including payments and the Company’s obligations to him; for this purpose, “auditor” – including a partner, a relative of the auditor, including a corporation in his control. |
Validity of Actions and Approval of Ordinary Transactions
126. | Subject to the provisions of any applicable law, all actions made by the Board of Directors or by a committee of the Board of Directors or by a Person acting as a Director, or a member of a committee of the Board of Directors or by the Chief Executive Officer, as the case may be – will be in effect event if a flaw was later discovered in the appointment of the Board of Directors, a committee of the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer, as the case may be, or any of the aforementioned offices who is incompetent to server in this capacity. |
127. | An officer who has a personal interest in an action of the Company, will disclose to the Company, within a reasonable time before the date of the discussions for the approval of an action, the nature of his personal interest in the action, including any material fact or document. |
128. | An ordinary transaction of the Company with an officer of controlling holder, or an ordinary transaction of the Company with any other Person that an office of the Company or controlling holder of the Company has a personal interest, save for a transaction relating to the terms of office and employment of the offices or controlling holders of the Company, or their relatives, shall be approved by the audit committee (subject to the provisions of any applicable law). Approval by the audit committee may be given by providing a general approval for a certain type of transactions or approval for a certain transaction. |
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129. | Extraordinary transactions with an officer or controlling holder of the Company or with another Person whom an officer or controlling holder has a person interest for their approval and transactions relating to the terms of office of the officers and the terms of office of the controlling holders and their relatives shall be approved in the manner prescribed by law. |
Distribution
130. | The Company’s or distribution shall be adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors, subject to the restrictions prescribed by law. |
Dividends and Bonus Shares
131. | Subject to all special rights or restrictions granted to any Shares, dividends and bonus shares shall be distributed pro rata to the issued and paid capital of the nominal value of the Shares, without taking into consideration any premium paid on the Shares. |
132. | The Company may determine a fixed date for the purposes of the right to receive dividends, provided that this date shall not be later than the date of the resolution to distribute dividends. |
133. | The Board of Directors may withhold any dividend, benefit, rights or amounts due for payment for the Shares that the Company has withheld and/or pledged, and use any such amount or exercise any benefit and right to use the consideration for the exercise to repay any of the Shareholder’s debts with respect to which the Company has decided to withhold and/or pledge. |
134. | The transfer of any Share shall not grant the transferee the right to receive any dividend or any other declared distribution following the transfer and prior to the registration of the transfer. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, in the event that the transfer of the Shares require approval from the Board of Directors, the approval date shall be instead of the registration date of the transfer. |
135. | Any dividends whose payment was not demanded within a period of seven (7) years from the resolution date of its distribution, the person eligible to receive the dividend shall be deemed to have waived it and shall be returned to the ownership of the Company. |
136. | If no other instructions have been provided, dividends may be paid by check or payment order sent by post to the registered address of the Person entitled to receive it, or in the case of joint Registered Shareholders, to the same person whose name appears first in the Shareholders’ Register with respect to the joint ownership. A check shall be made payable to the order of the Person to whom it is sent, and its payment shall serve as a release with respect to all payments made in connection with that Share. |
137. | The Board of Directors may deduct from any dividend or other distribution, any amounts due in connection with the Shares held by the Shareholder, whether held by a single Shareholder or jointly held with another Shareholder, by the Shareholder and which must be repaid to the Company by the sole Shareholder or the joint Shareholder, on account of calls for shares, etc. |
138. | The Board of Director may, at its discretion, set aide any amount from the Company’s profits to special funds, or an evaluation of its assets, or any relative portion of the evaluated assets of its affiliated companies and determine the purpose of these funds. |
Merger
139. | Approval of a merger requires a majority of votes of the Shareholders, subject to the provisions of the Companies Law. |
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Protocols
140. | The Company shall maintain protocols of the General Meetings, class meetings, meetings of the Board of Directors and the committees of the Board of Directors and shall keep them in its Registered Office or any other address in Israel, which the Company provided notice to registrar, for a period of seven (7) years from the date of the meeting, as the case may me. |
141. | Every protocol will include the following details: |
(A) | The date and place where the meeting convened; |
(B) | The names of the participants, and if they had proxies or alternates, the names of the proxies or alternates, and for General Meetings, the number of Shares with respect to which they are voting, and the class of Shares; |
(C) | A summary of the discussions, the course of the discussions and the resolutions adopted; |
(D) | Instructions provided by the Board of Directors to the committees of the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer; |
(E) | Documents, reports, approvals, opinions, etc., that were presented, discussed and/or attached. |
142. | Protocols of the General Meetings signed by the Chairman of the Meeting shall serve as prima facia evidence of the contents thereof. Protocols of the meetings of the Board of Directors or committees of the Board of Directors approved and signed by the Director who conducted the meeting, shall serve as prima facie evidence of the contents thereof. |
Shareholders’ Register
143. | The Company shall manage the Shareholders’ Register and record the following details: |
(A) | Shares registered by name – |
(1) | The name, identification number and address of every Shareholder, all as submitted to the Company; |
(2) | The number of Shares and class of Shares owned by every Shareholder, while noting their nominal value, if any, and if any amount of the consideration amount determined for the Share has not yet been paid – the amount not yet paid; |
(3) | The allocation date of the Shares or the transfer dates to the Shareholders, as the case may be; |
(4) | If the Shares were marked with serial numbers, the Company shall note the serial numbers of the Shares registered in the Shareholder’s name alongside his name. |
(B) | For dormant shares – their number and the date they became dormant, all as known to the Company; |
(C) | Shares that do not grant any voting rights according to Section 309(b) of the Law or Section 333(b) of the Law – their number and the date the Shares were converted so that they do not grant any voting rights, all as known to the Company; |
(D) | Any other details which are required or permitted to be registered in the Shareholders’ Register or the Companies Law or these Articles. |
144. | The Company may manage an additional shareholders’ register outside of Israel. |
145. | The Shareholders’ Register shall be prima facie evidence of its contents thereof. If there is any conflict between any registration in the Shareholders’ Register and the share certificate, the evidentiary weight of the Shareholders’ Register shall be preferred over the evidentiary weight of the share certificate. |
Notices
146. | Notice to convene a General Meeting shall be provided according to section 62. |
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147. | (A) Notices under the law which the Company must furnish to the Registered Shareholders in the Shareholders’ Register, subject to section 62 above, may be by way of personal delivery to the Shareholders or may be sent to the last address that was provided to the Company. If a notice was delivered by mail, the notice shall be deemed delivered – if sent to an address in Israel within seventy-two (72) hours from its date of delivery, and if sent abroad – within ten (10) days from its date of delivery; |
(B) The Company may deliver notices to Shareholders, whether they hold Shares in their name or bearer securities, through publishing the notice in two daily widespread newspapers published in Hebrew or the Company’s website, as prescribed by law.
The provisions of subclause (a) shall not apply when the Company selected to provide notice as set forth in this subclause (b), unless an express obligation by virtue of the law to publish the notice in a different manner applies;
(C) Nothing contained in sub-clauses (a) and (b) above, shall impose any obligation on the Company to provide notice to anyone who did not provide the Company with an address in Israel.
148. | A Shareholder shall be deemed to have not provided the Company with an address in each of the following instances: |
(A) | When the Company sent a letter to the last known address provided by registered mail in which he was requested to approved that the address is still his address or inform the Company of a new address, and the Company did not receive any response within thirty (30) days from the date of delivery; |
(B) | When the Company sent a letter to the last known address provided by registered mail, and the Israeli Post Office – after returning the letter or did not do so – notified the Company that he is no longer present at said address or for any similar reason. |
149. | When there are joint holders of a Share, the Company may furnish notice to the partner whose name appears first in the Shareholders’ Register. |
150. | Any document or notice furnished by the Company in accordance with the provisions of these Articles shall be deemed to have been duly delivered even if the Shareholder dies, was bankrupt or liquidated (irrespective of whether the Company was aware of such or not) to the extent that no one else was registered as a Shareholder in his place, and furnishing and delivery it for any purpose shall be deemed sufficient for any Person interested in the Shares. |
Liquidation of the Company
151. | Upon the liquidation of the Company, whether by way of voluntarily liquidation or otherwise, and unless otherwise expressly determined in these Articles or issuance terms of any Share, the following provisions shall apply: |
(A) | The liquidator will first use all the Company’s assets for the repayment of its obligations (the Company’s assets after payment of the debts shall be referred to as the “Surplus Assets”); |
(B) | Subject to special rights attached to the Shares, the liquidator shall distribute the Surplus Assets among the Shareholders, pro rata, to the nominal value of the Shares; |
(C) | Upon the Company’s approval of a resolution adopted by a majority of the votes of the Shareholders at the General Meeting, the liquidator may divide the Surplus Assets of the Company, or any part thereof, between the Shareholders, in kind, and deliver any asset of the Surplus Assets deposited in trust to the trustee for the Shareholders, as the liquidator shall deem appropriate. |
Exemption from Liability
152. | (A) The Company may exempt ex ante any officer from any liability, in whole or in part, due to any damages following a duty of care owed to it: |
(B) Notwithstanding the foregoing in subsection (a), the Company shall not be permitted to exempt ex ante a Director from liability owed to it due to any breach of duty of care towards it resulting from distribution, as defined in the Companies Law.
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Insuring Liability
153. | The Company may be a party to an agreement for the insurance of the liability of an officer due to a liability imposed on him due to an action he had performed in his capacity as an Officer, in whole or in part, in any one of the following: |
(A) | A breach of the duty of care owed to the Company or any other Person; |
(B) | A breach of a fiduciary duty owed to it, provided that the officer acted in good faith and has reasonable basis to assume that such act would not prejudice the interests of the Company; |
(C) | A monetary obligation that will be imposed on him in favor of another Person; |
(D) | Any other action permitted by insurance according to any law. |
154. | Without derogating from the foregoing in section 153 above, the Company may engage in a contract for the insurance of the liability of an officer where the payments or expenses entailed therein shall be borne by the officer, as the case may be, as follows: |
(A) | Expenses incurred by the officer in connection with a “proceeding” conducted in his matter, including reasonable litigations costs, which include attorneys’ fees; |
For the purposes of this section, “proceeding” – any proceeding according to Chapters H-3, H-4 and I-1of the Securities Law and a proceeding according to Article 4 , Chapter 7, Part 9 of the Companies Law.
(B) | Payment to an injured party for a breach according to Section 52(54)(a)(1)(a) of the Securities Law and Chapter H-4 of the Securities Law. |
Indemnification
155. | Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law, the Company may indemnify an officer ex post facto for any liability or expense as set forth in paragraphs (a) – (f) below, imposed on him or that was spent due to an action he had performed within his capacity as an officer of the Company: |
(A) | A monetary obligation imposed on him in favor of another Person according to any judgment, included a judgment issued as a settlement or an arbitrator’s award approved by a court; |
(B) | Reasonable litigation expenses, including attorneys’ fees, expended by the officer due to an investigation or proceeding instituted against him by an authority qualified to administrate such investigation or proceeding, and which concluded without filing an indictment and without imposing any financial obligation in lieu of a criminal proceeding, or that concluded without filing an indictment however a financial obligation was imposed in lieu of a criminal proceeding for a crime that does not require proof of mens rea or in connection a monetary sanction; in this section – |
“Conclusion of proceedings without the filing of an indictment in a matter in which a criminal investigation has been opened” shall mean the file was closed according to Section 62 of the Criminal Procedure Law [Consolidated Version], 5742 – 1982 (in this subclause – the Criminal Procedure Law) or a stay of proceedings by the attorney general according to Section 231 of the Criminal Procedure Law;
“Financial obligation in lieu of criminal proceedings” – a monetary duty imposed by the Law in lieu of criminal proceedings, including an administrative fine according to the Administrative Offenses Law, 5746 – 1986, a fine for an offense prescribed as an offensive fine according to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law, monetary sanction, or ransom;
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(C) | Reasonable litigation expenses, including attorneys’ fees, expended by the officer, or charged upon the officer by a court, in a proceeding instituted against the officer by the Company, or on its behalf or by another Person, or in any criminal proceedings in which the officer is acquitted, or in any criminal proceedings of a crime which does not require proof of mens rea. |
(D) | Expenses spent in connection with a “proceeding” as defined in section 154 (a) above, that was conducted in his mater, including reasonable litigation expenses and attorneys’ fees. |
(E) | Payment to an injured party for a breach according to Section 52(54)(a)(1)(a) of the Securities Law and Chapter H-4 of the Securities Law. |
(F) | Any other duty or expense that may be indemnified by law. |
156. | The Company may undertake to indemnify its officer, ex ante, resulting from any liability or expense as detailed in section 155(b) – 155(f) above. The Company may also undertake, ex ante, provided that the indemnification undertaking to indemnify its officer, ex ante, as detailed in section 155(a) above, provided that it shall be limited to events that the Board of Directors believes may be anticipated in light of the Company’s actual activities at such time when the indemnification undertaking is granted and according to such amount or criteria that the Board of Directors had determined as reasonable under the circumstances and that the indemnification undertaking will detail the events that the Board of Directors believes may be anticipated in light of the Company’s actual activities at such time that the indemnification undertaking is granted and according to such amount or criteria that the Board of Directors had determined as reasonable under the circumstances. |
157. | In any event, the total and cumulative indemnification amount that the Company shall be obligated to pay (in addition to amounts that shall be received from an insurance company, if such amounts shall be received, within the framework of D&O Insurance acquired and maintained by the Company, if so acquired) for all the Company’s officers, in aggregate, shall not exceed an amount that equals 25% percent of the Company’s capital, according to the Company’s last consolidated financial statements that were published prior to the actual grant of indemnification. |
The Company’s Charges
158. | (A) The signature of any Person appointed from time to time by the Board of Directors, whether in general or for a specific matter, alone or together with other Persons, together with the Company’s stamp or its printed name shall bind the Company; |
(C) | The Board of Directors may determine separate signature rights for the Company’s different businesses and for certain amounts which said Persons are authorized to sign. |
Amending the Articles
159. | The Company may amend these Articles by way of resolution adopted by an ordinary majority at the General Meeting. |
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Exhibit 4.1
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
AND
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
As Depositary
AND
OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
Deposit Agreement
__________, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE 1. DEFINITIONS | 1 | |||
SECTION 1.1. | American Depositary Shares. | 1 | ||
SECTION 1.2. | Commission. | 2 | ||
SECTION 1.3. | Company. | 2 | ||
SECTION 1.4. | Custodian. | 2 | ||
SECTION 1.5. | Deliver; Surrender. | 2 | ||
SECTION 1.6. | Deposit Agreement. | 3 | ||
SECTION 1.7. | Depositary; Depositary’s Office. | 3 | ||
SECTION 1.8. | Deposited Securities. | 3 | ||
SECTION 1.9. | Disseminate. | 3 | ||
SECTION 1.10. | Dollars. | 3 | ||
SECTION 1.11. | DTC. | 4 | ||
SECTION 1.12. | Foreign Registrar. | 4 | ||
SECTION 1.13. | Holder. | 4 | ||
SECTION 1.14. | Owner. | 4 | ||
SECTION 1.15. | Receipts. | 4 | ||
SECTION 1.16. | Registrar. | 4 | ||
SECTION 1.17. | Replacement. | 4 | ||
SECTION 1.18. | Restricted Securities. | 5 | ||
SECTION 1.19. | Securities Act of 1933. | 5 | ||
SECTION 1.20. | Shares. | 5 | ||
SECTION 1.21. | SWIFT. | 5 | ||
SECTION 1.22. | Termination Option Event. | 5 | ||
ARTICLE 2. FORM OF RECEIPTS, DEPOSIT OF SHARES, DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES | 6 | |||
SECTION 2.1. | Form of Receipts; Registration and Transferability of American Depositary Shares. | 6 | ||
SECTION 2.2. | Deposit of Shares. | 7 | ||
SECTION 2.3. | Delivery of American Depositary Shares. | 8 | ||
SECTION 2.4. | Registration of Transfer of American Depositary Shares; Combination and Split-up of Receipts; Interchange of Certificated and Uncertificated American Depositary Shares. | 8 | ||
SECTION 2.5. | Surrender of American Depositary Shares and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities. | 9 | ||
SECTION 2.6. | Limitations on Delivery, Registration of Transfer and Surrender of American Depositary Shares. | 10 | ||
SECTION 2.7. | Lost Receipts, etc. | 11 | ||
SECTION 2.8. | Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered Receipts. | 11 | ||
SECTION 2.9. | DTC Direct Registration System and Profile Modification System. | 12 |
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ARTICLE 3. CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES | 12 | |||
SECTION 3.1. | Filing Proofs, Certificates and Other Information. | 12 | ||
SECTION 3.2. | Liability of Owner for Taxes. | 13 | ||
SECTION 3.3. | Warranties on Deposit of Shares. | 13 | ||
SECTION 3.4. | Disclosure of Interests. | 13 | ||
ARTICLE 4. THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES | 14 | |||
SECTION 4.1. | Cash Distributions. | 14 | ||
SECTION 4.2. | Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights. | 15 | ||
SECTION 4.3. | Distributions in Shares. | 16 | ||
SECTION 4.4. | Rights. | 16 | ||
SECTION 4.5. | Conversion of Foreign Currency. | 18 | ||
SECTION 4.6. | Fixing of Record Date. | 19 | ||
SECTION 4.7. | Voting of Deposited Shares. | 20 | ||
SECTION 4.8. | Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities. | 21 | ||
SECTION 4.9. | Reports. | 22 | ||
SECTION 4.10. | Lists of Owners. | 23 | ||
SECTION 4.11. | Withholding. | 23 | ||
ARTICLE 5. THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIANS AND THE COMPANY | 23 | |||
SECTION 5.1. | Maintenance of Office and Register by the Depositary. | 23 | ||
SECTION 5.2. | Prevention or Delay of Performance by the Company or the Depositary. | 24 | ||
SECTION 5.3. | Obligations of the Depositary and the Company. | 25 | ||
SECTION 5.4. | Resignation and Removal of the Depositary. | 26 | ||
SECTION 5.5. | The Custodians. | 27 | ||
SECTION 5.6. | Notices and Reports. | 27 | ||
SECTION 5.7. | Distribution of Additional Shares, Rights, etc. | 28 | ||
SECTION 5.8. | Indemnification. | 28 | ||
SECTION 5.9. | Charges of Depositary. | 29 | ||
SECTION 5.10. | Retention of Depositary Documents. | 30 | ||
SECTION 5.11. | Exclusivity. | 30 | ||
SECTION 5.12. | Information for Regulatory Compliance. | 30 | ||
ARTICLE 6. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION | 30 | |||
SECTION 6.1. | Amendment. | 30 | ||
SECTION 6.2. | Termination. | 31 | ||
ARTICLE 7. MISCELLANEOUS | 32 | |||
SECTION 7.1. | Counterparts; Signatures; Delivery. | 32 | ||
SECTION 7.2. | No Third Party Beneficiaries. | 33 | ||
SECTION 7.3. | Severability. | 33 | ||
SECTION 7.4. | Owners and Holders as Parties; Binding Effect. | 33 | ||
SECTION 7.5. | Notices. | 33 | ||
SECTION 7.6. | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process; Submission to Jurisdiction; Jury Trial Waiver. | 34 | ||
SECTION 7.7. | Waiver of Immunities. | 35 | ||
SECTION 7.8. | Governing Law. | 35 |
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DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
DEPOSIT AGREEMENT dated as of __________, 2022 among SAVERONE 2014 LTD., a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel (herein called the Company), THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, a New York banking corporation (herein called the Depositary), and all Owners and Holders (each as hereinafter defined) from time to time of American Depositary Shares issued hereunder.
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide, as set forth in this Deposit Agreement, for the deposit of Shares (as hereinafter defined) of the Company from time to time with the Depositary or with the Custodian (as hereinafter defined) under this Deposit Agreement, for the creation of American Depositary Shares representing the Shares so deposited and for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Receipts evidencing the American Depositary Shares; and
WHEREAS, the American Depositary Receipts are to be substantially in the form of Exhibit A annexed to this Deposit Agreement, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as set forth in this Deposit Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, it is agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows:
ARTICLE 1. DEFINITIONS
The following definitions shall for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated, apply to the respective terms used in this Deposit Agreement:
SECTION 1.1. American Depositary Shares.
The term “American Depositary Shares” shall mean the securities created under this Deposit Agreement representing rights with respect to the Deposited Securities. American Depositary Shares may be certificated securities evidenced by Receipts or uncertificated securities. The form of Receipt annexed as Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement shall be the prospectus required under the Securities Act of 1933 for sales of both certificated and uncertificated American Depositary Shares. Except for those provisions of this Deposit Agreement that refer specifically to Receipts, all the provisions of this Deposit Agreement shall apply to both certificated and uncertificated American Depositary Shares.
Each American Depositary Share shall represent the number of Shares specified in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement, except that, if there is a distribution upon Deposited Securities covered by Section 4.3, a change in Deposited Securities covered by Section 4.8 with respect to which additional American Depositary Shares are not delivered or a sale of Deposited Securities under Section 3.2 or 4.8, each American Depositary Share shall thereafter represent the amount of Shares or other Deposited Securities that are then on deposit per American Depositary Share after giving effect to that distribution, change or sale.
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SECTION 1.2. Commission.
The term “Commission” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States or any successor governmental agency in the United States.
SECTION 1.3. Company.
The term “Company” shall mean SaverOne 2014 Ltd., a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel, and its successors.
SECTION 1.4. Custodian.
The term “Custodian” shall mean Bank Leumi, as custodian for the Depositary in Israel for the purposes of this Deposit Agreement, and any other firm or corporation the Depositary appoints under Section 5.5 as a substitute or additional custodian under this Deposit Agreement, and shall also mean all of them collectively.
SECTION 1.5. Deliver; Surrender.
(a) The term “deliver”, or its noun form, when used with respect to Shares or other Deposited Securities, shall mean (i) book-entry transfer of those Shares or other Deposited Securities to an account maintained by an institution authorized under applicable law to effect transfers of such securities designated by the person entitled to that delivery or (ii) physical transfer of certificates evidencing those Shares or other Deposited Securities registered in the name of, or duly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer to, the person entitled to that delivery.
(b) The term “deliver”, or its noun form, when used with respect to American Depositary Shares, shall mean (i) registration of those American Depositary Shares in the name of DTC or its nominee and book-entry transfer of those American Depositary Shares to an account at DTC designated by the person entitled to that delivery, (ii) registration of those American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt on the books of the Depositary in the name requested by the person entitled to that delivery and mailing to that person of a statement confirming that registration or (iii) if requested by the person entitled to that delivery, execution and delivery at the Depositary’s Office to the person entitled to that delivery of one or more Receipts evidencing those American Depositary Shares registered in the name requested by that person.
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(c) The term “surrender”, when used with respect to American Depositary Shares, shall mean (i) one or more book-entry transfers of American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of the Depositary, (ii) delivery to the Depositary at its Office of an instruction to surrender American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt or (iii) surrender to the Depositary at its Office of one or more Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares.
SECTION 1.6. Deposit Agreement.
The term “Deposit Agreement” shall mean this Deposit Agreement, as it may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement.
SECTION 1.7. Depositary; Depositary’s Office.
The term “Depositary” shall mean The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York banking corporation, and any successor as depositary under this Deposit Agreement. The term “Office”, when used with respect to the Depositary, shall mean the office at which its depositary receipts business is administered, which, at the date of this Deposit Agreement, is located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286.
SECTION 1.8. Deposited Securities.
The term “Deposited Securities” as of any time shall mean Shares at such time deposited or deemed to be deposited under this Deposit Agreement, including without limitation, Shares that have not been successfully delivered upon surrender of American Depositary Shares, and any and all other securities, property and cash received by the Depositary or the Custodian in respect of Deposited Securities and at that time held under this Deposit Agreement.
SECTION 1.9. Disseminate.
The term “Disseminate,” when referring to a notice or other information to be sent by the Depositary to Owners, shall mean (i) sending that information to Owners in paper form by mail or another means or (ii) with the consent of Owners, another procedure that has the effect of making the information available to Owners, which may include (A) sending the information by electronic mail or electronic messaging or (B) sending in paper form or by electronic mail or messaging a statement that the information is available and may be accessed by the Owner on an Internet website and that it will be sent in paper form upon request by the Owner, when that information is so available and is sent in paper form as promptly as practicable upon request.
SECTION 1.10. Dollars.
The term “Dollars” shall mean United States dollars.
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SECTION 1.11. DTC.
The term “DTC” shall mean The Depository Trust Company or its successor.
SECTION 1.12. Foreign Registrar.
The term “Foreign Registrar” shall mean the entity that carries out the duties of registrar for the Shares and any other agent of the Company for the transfer and registration of Shares, including, without limitation, any securities depository for the Shares.
SECTION 1.13. Holder.
The term “Holder” shall mean any person holding a Receipt or a security entitlement or other interest in American Depositary Shares, whether for its own account or for the account of another person, but that is not the Owner of that Receipt or those American Depositary Shares.
SECTION 1.14. Owner.
The term “Owner” shall mean the person in whose name American Depositary Shares are registered on the books of the Depositary maintained for that purpose.
SECTION 1.15. Receipts.
The term “Receipts” shall mean the American Depositary Receipts issued under this Deposit Agreement evidencing certificated American Depositary Shares, as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement.
SECTION 1.16. Registrar.
The term “Registrar” shall mean any corporation or other entity that is appointed by the Depositary to register American Depositary Shares and transfers of American Depositary Shares as provided in this Deposit Agreement.
SECTION 1.17. Replacement.
The term “Replacement” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 4.8.
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SECTION 1.18. Restricted Securities.
The term “Restricted Securities” shall mean Shares that (i) are “restricted securities,” as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, except for Shares that could be resold in reliance on Rule 144 without any conditions, (ii) are beneficially owned by an officer, director (or person performing similar functions) or other affiliate of the Company, (iii) otherwise would require registration under the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the public offer and sale thereof in the United States or (iv) are subject to other restrictions on sale or deposit under the laws of the State of Israel, a shareholder agreement or the articles of association or similar document of the Company.
SECTION 1.19. Securities Act of 1933.
The term “Securities Act of 1933” shall mean the United States Securities Act of 1933, as from time to time amended.
SECTION 1.20. Shares.
The term “Shares” shall mean ordinary shares of the Company that are validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and nonassessable and that were not issued in violation of any pre-emptive or similar rights of the holders of outstanding securities of the Company; provided, however, that, if there shall occur any change in nominal or par value, a split-up or consolidation or any other reclassification or, upon the occurrence of an event described in Section 4.8, an exchange or conversion in respect of the Shares of the Company, the term “Shares” shall thereafter also mean the successor securities resulting from such change in nominal value, split-up or consolidation or such other reclassification or such exchange or conversion.
SECTION 1.21. SWIFT.
The term “SWIFT” shall mean the financial messaging network operated by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or its successor.
SECTION 1.22. Termination Option Event.
The term “Termination Option Event” shall mean any of the following events or conditions:
(i) the Company institutes proceedings to be adjudicated as bankrupt or insolvent, consents to the institution of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings against it, files a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under any applicable law in respect of bankruptcy or insolvency, consents to the filing of any petition of that kind or to the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian or sequestrator (or other similar official) of it or any substantial part of its property or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or if information becomes publicly available indicating that unsecured claims against the Company are not expected to be paid;
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(ii) the Shares are delisted, or the Company announces its intention to delist the Shares, from a stock exchange outside the United States, and the Company has not applied to list the Shares on any other stock exchange outside the United States;
(iii) the American Depositary Shares are delisted from a stock exchange in the United States on which the American Depositary Shares were listed and, 30 days after that delisting, the American Depositary Shares have not been listed on another stock exchange in the United States, nor is there a symbol available for over-the-counter trading of the American Depositary Shares in the United States;
(iv) the Depositary has received notice of facts that indicate, or otherwise has reason to believe, that the American Depositary Shares have become, or with the passage of time will become, ineligible for registration on Form F-6 under the Securities Act of 1933; or
(v) an event or condition that is defined as a Termination Option Event in Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.8.
ARTICLE 2. | FORM OF RECEIPTS, DEPOSIT OF SHARES, DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES |
SECTION 2.1. Form of Receipts; Registration and Transferability of American Depositary Shares.
Definitive Receipts shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as permitted under this Deposit Agreement. No Receipt shall be entitled to any benefits under this Deposit Agreement or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless that Receipt has been (i) executed by the Depositary by the manual signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary or (ii) executed by the facsimile signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary and countersigned by the manual signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar or a co-registrar. The Depositary shall maintain books on which (x) each Receipt so executed and delivered as provided in this Deposit Agreement and each transfer of that Receipt and (y) all American Depositary Shares delivered as provided in this Deposit Agreement and all registrations of transfer of American Depositary Shares, shall be registered. A Receipt bearing the facsimile signature of a person that was at any time a proper officer of the Depositary shall, subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, bind the Depositary, even if that person was not a proper officer of the Depositary on the date of issuance of that Receipt.
The Receipts and statements confirming registration of American Depositary Shares may have incorporated in or attached to them such legends or recitals or modifications not inconsistent with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement as may be required by the Depositary or required to comply with any applicable law or regulations thereunder or with the rules and regulations of any securities exchange upon which American Depositary Shares may be listed or to conform with any usage with respect thereto, or to indicate any special limitations or restrictions to which any particular Receipts and American Depositary Shares are subject by reason of the date of issuance of the underlying Deposited Securities or otherwise.
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American Depositary Shares evidenced by a Receipt, when the Receipt is properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer, shall be transferable as certificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York. American Depositary Shares not evidenced by Receipts shall be transferable as uncertificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York. Notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may treat the Owner of American Depositary Shares as the absolute owner thereof for the purpose of determining the person entitled to distribution of dividends or other distributions or to any notice provided for in this Deposit Agreement and for all other purposes, and neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation or be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Holder of American Depositary Shares (but only to the Owner of those American Depositary Shares).
SECTION 2.2. Deposit of Shares.
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, Shares or evidence of rights to receive Shares may be deposited under this Deposit Agreement by delivery thereof to any Custodian, accompanied by any appropriate instruments or instructions for transfer, or endorsement, in form satisfactory to the Custodian.
As conditions of accepting Shares for deposit, the Depositary may require (i) any certification required by the Depositary or the Custodian in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement, (ii) a written order directing the Depositary to deliver to, or upon the written order of, the person or persons stated in that order American Depositary Shares representing those deposited Shares, (iii) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that those Shares have been re-registered in the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar in the name of the Depositary, a Custodian or a nominee of the Depositary or a Custodian, (iv) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that any necessary approval for the transfer or deposit has been granted by any governmental body in each applicable jurisdiction and (v) an agreement or assignment, or other instrument satisfactory to the Depositary, that provides for the prompt transfer to the Custodian of any dividend, or right to subscribe for additional Shares or to receive other property, that any person in whose name those Shares are or have been recorded may thereafter receive upon or in respect of those Shares, or, in lieu thereof, such agreement of indemnity or other agreement as shall be satisfactory to the Depositary.
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At the request and risk and expense of a person proposing to deposit Shares, and for the account of that person, the Depositary may receive certificates for Shares to be deposited, together with the other instruments specified in this Section, for the purpose of forwarding those Share certificates to the Custodian for deposit under this Deposit Agreement.
The Depositary shall instruct each Custodian that, upon each delivery to a Custodian of a certificate or certificates for Shares to be deposited under this Deposit Agreement, together with the other documents specified in this Section, that Custodian shall, as soon as transfer and recordation can be accomplished, present that certificate or those certificates to the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, for transfer and recordation of the Shares being deposited in the name of the Depositary or its nominee or that Custodian or its nominee.
Deposited Securities shall be held by the Depositary or by a Custodian for the account and to the order of the Depositary or at such other place or places as the Depositary shall determine.
SECTION 2.3. Delivery of American Depositary Shares.
The Depositary shall instruct each Custodian that, upon receipt by that Custodian of any deposit pursuant to Section 2.2, together with the other documents or evidence required under that Section, that Custodian shall notify the Depositary of that deposit and the person or persons to whom or upon whose written order American Depositary Shares are deliverable in respect thereof. Upon receiving a notice of a deposit from a Custodian, or upon the receipt of Shares or evidence of the right to receive Shares by the Depositary, the Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall deliver, to or upon the order of the person or persons entitled thereto, the number of American Depositary Shares issuable in respect of that deposit, but only upon payment to the Depositary of the fees and expenses of the Depositary for the delivery of those American Depositary Shares as provided in Section 5.9, and of all taxes and governmental charges and fees payable in connection with that deposit and the transfer of the deposited Shares. However, the Depositary shall deliver only whole numbers of American Depositary Shares.
SECTION 2.4. Registration of Transfer of American Depositary Shares; Combination and Split-up of Receipts; Interchange of Certificated and Uncertificated American Depositary Shares.
The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall register a transfer of American Depositary Shares on its transfer books upon (i) in the case of certificated American Depositary Shares, surrender of the Receipt evidencing those American Depositary Shares, by the Owner or by a duly authorized attorney, properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer or (ii) in the case of uncertificated American Depositary Shares, receipt from the Owner of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.9), and, in either case, duly stamped as may be required by the laws of the State of New York and of the United States of America. Upon registration of a transfer, the Depositary shall deliver the transferred American Depositary Shares to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto.
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The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall upon surrender of a Receipt or Receipts for the purpose of effecting a split-up or combination of such Receipt or Receipts, execute and deliver a new Receipt or Receipts for any authorized number of American Depositary Shares requested, evidencing the same aggregate number of American Depositary Shares as the Receipt or Receipts surrendered.
The Depositary, upon surrender of certificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for uncertificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel the Receipt evidencing those certificated American Depositary Shares and send the Owner a statement confirming that the Owner is the owner of the same number of uncertificated American Depositary Shares. The Depositary, upon receipt of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.9) from the Owner of uncertificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for certificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel those uncertificated American Depositary Shares and register and deliver to the Owner a Receipt evidencing the same number of certificated American Depositary Shares.
The Depositary may appoint one or more co-transfer agents for the purpose of effecting registration of transfers of American Depositary Shares and combinations and split-ups of Receipts at designated transfer offices on behalf of the Depositary. In carrying out its functions, a co-transfer agent may require evidence of authority and compliance with applicable laws and other requirements by Owners or persons entitled to American Depositary Shares and will be entitled to protection and indemnity to the same extent as the Depositary.
SECTION 2.5. Surrender of American Depositary Shares and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities.
Upon surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented thereby and payment of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares as provided in Section 5.9 and payment of all taxes and governmental charges payable in connection with that surrender and withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, the Owner of those American Depositary Shares shall be entitled to delivery (to the extent delivery can then be lawfully and practicably made), to or as instructed by that Owner, of the amount of Deposited Securities at the time represented by those American Depositary Shares, but not any money or other property as to which a record date for distribution to Owners has passed (since money or other property of that kind will be delivered or paid on the scheduled payment date to the Owner as of that record date), and except that the Depositary shall not be required to accept surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal to the extent it would require delivery of a fraction of a Deposited Security. That delivery shall be made, as provided in this Section, without unreasonable delay.
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As a condition of accepting a surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities, the Depositary may require (i) that each surrendered Receipt be properly endorsed in blank or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer in blank and (ii) that the surrendering Owner execute and deliver to the Depositary a written order directing the Depositary to cause the Deposited Securities being withdrawn to be delivered to or upon the written order of a person or persons designated in that order.
Thereupon, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to deliver, subject to Sections 2.6, 3.1 and 3.2, the other terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and local market rules and practices, to the surrendering Owner or to or upon the written order of the person or persons designated in the order delivered to the Depositary as above provided, the amount of Deposited Securities represented by the surrendered American Depositary Shares, and the Depositary may charge the surrendering Owner a fee and its expenses for giving that direction by cable (including SWIFT) or facsimile transmission.
If Deposited Securities are delivered physically upon surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal, that delivery will be made at the Custodian’s office, except that, at the request, risk and expense of an Owner surrendering American Depositary Shares for withdrawal of Deposited Securities, and for the account of that Owner, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward any cash or other property comprising, and forward a certificate or certificates, if applicable, and other proper documents of title, if any, for, the Deposited Securities represented by the surrendered American Depositary Shares to the Depositary for delivery at the Depositary’s Office or to another address specified in the order received from the surrendering Owner.
SECTION 2.6. Limitations on Delivery, Registration of Transfer and Surrender of American Depositary Shares.
As a condition precedent to the delivery, registration of transfer or surrender of any American Depositary Shares or split-up or combination of any Receipt or withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary, Custodian or Registrar may require payment from the depositor of Shares or the presenter of the Receipt or instruction for registration of transfer or surrender of American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees as provided in this Deposit Agreement, may require the production of proof satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature and may also require compliance with any regulations the Depositary may establish consistent with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement, including, without limitation, this Section 2.6.
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The Depositary may refuse to accept deposits of Shares for delivery of American Depositary Shares or to register transfers of American Depositary Shares in particular instances, or may suspend deposits of Shares or registration of transfer generally, whenever it or the Company considers it necessary or advisable to do so. The Depositary may refuse surrenders of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities in particular instances, or may suspend surrenders for the purpose of withdrawal generally, but, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Deposit Agreement, only for (i) temporary delays caused by closing of the Depositary’s register or the register of holders of Shares maintained by the Company or the Foreign Registrar, or the deposit of Shares, in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the American Depositary Shares or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities or (iv) any other reason that, at the time, is permitted under paragraph I(A)(1) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 under the Securities Act of 1933 or any successor to that provision.
The Depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under this Deposit Agreement any Shares that, at the time of deposit, are Restricted Securities.
SECTION 2.7. Lost Receipts, etc.
If a Receipt is mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen, the Depositary shall deliver to the Owner the American Depositary Shares evidenced by that Receipt in uncertificated form or, if requested by the Owner, execute and deliver a new Receipt of like tenor in exchange and substitution for such mutilated Receipt, upon surrender and cancellation of that mutilated Receipt, or in lieu of and in substitution for that destroyed, lost or stolen Receipt. However, before the Depositary will deliver American Depositary Shares in uncertificated form or execute and deliver a new Receipt, in substitution for a destroyed, lost or stolen Receipt, the Owner must (a) file with the Depositary (i) a request for that replacement before the Depositary has notice that the Receipt has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser and (ii) a sufficient indemnity bond and (b) satisfy any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Depositary.
SECTION 2.8. Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered Receipts.
The Depositary shall cancel all Receipts surrendered to it and is authorized to destroy Receipts so cancelled.
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SECTION 2.9. DTC Direct Registration System and Profile Modification System.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.4, the parties acknowledge that DTC’s Direct Registration System (“DRS”) and Profile Modification System (“Profile”) apply to the American Depositary Shares upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC that facilitates interchange between registered holding of uncertificated securities and holding of security entitlements in those securities through DTC and a DTC participant. Profile is a required feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, to direct the Depositary to register a transfer of those American Depositary Shares to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the Depositary of prior authorization from the Owner to register that transfer.
(b) In connection with DRS/Profile, the parties acknowledge that the Depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an Owner in requesting a registration of transfer and delivery as described in paragraph (a) above has the actual authority to act on behalf of that Owner (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Sections 5.3 and 5.8 apply to the matters arising from the use of the DRS/Profile. The parties agree that the Depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the Depositary through the DRS/Profile system and otherwise in accordance with this Deposit Agreement shall not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the Depositary.
ARTICLE 3. CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
SECTION 3.1. Filing Proofs, Certificates and Other Information.
Any person presenting Shares for deposit or any Owner or Holder may be required from time to time to file with the Depositary or the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, exchange control approval, or such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, as the Depositary may deem necessary or proper. The Depositary may withhold the delivery or registration of transfer of American Depositary Shares, the distribution of any dividend or other distribution or of the proceeds thereof or the delivery of any Deposited Securities until that proof or other information is filed or those certificates are executed or those representations and warranties are made.
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SECTION 3.2. Liability of Owner for Taxes.
If any tax or other governmental charge shall become payable by the Custodian or the Depositary with respect to or in connection with any American Depositary Shares or any Deposited Securities represented by any American Depositary Shares or in connection with a transaction to which Section 4.8 applies, that tax or other governmental charge shall be payable by the Owner of those American Depositary Shares to the Depositary. The Depositary may refuse to register any transfer of those American Depositary Shares or any withdrawal of Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares until that payment is made, and may withhold any dividends or other distributions or the proceeds thereof, or may sell for the account of the Owner any part or all of the Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares and apply those dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds of any sale of that kind in payment of that tax or other governmental charge but, even after a sale of that kind, the Owner of those American Depositary Shares shall remain liable for any deficiency. The Depositary shall distribute any net proceeds of a sale made under this Section that are not used to pay taxes or governmental charges to the Owners entitled to them in accordance with Section 4.1. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a sale of Deposited Securities under this Section, the Depositary may call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them.
SECTION 3.3. Warranties on Deposit of Shares.
Every person depositing Shares under this Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant that those Shares and each certificate therefor, if applicable, are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and were not issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights of the holders of outstanding securities of the Company and that the person making that deposit is duly authorized so to do. Every depositing person shall also be deemed to represent that the Shares, at the time of deposit, are not Restricted Securities. All representations and warranties deemed made under this Section shall survive the deposit of Shares and delivery of American Depositary Shares.
SECTION 3.4. Disclosure of Interests.
When required in order to comply with applicable laws and regulations, the rules and requirements of the Tel Aviv stock exchange, and of any other stock exchange on which the Shares or American Depositary Shares are, or may be, registered, traded or listed and any book-entry settlement system or the articles of association or similar document of the Company, the Company may from time to time request each Owner and Holder to provide to the Depositary information relating to: (a) the capacity in which it holds American Depositary Shares, (b) the identity of any Holders or other persons or entities then or previously interested in those American Depositary Shares and the nature of those interests and (c) any other matter where disclosure of such matter is required for that compliance. Each Owner and Holder agrees to provide all information known to it in response to a request made pursuant to this Section. Each Holder consents to the disclosure by the Depositary and the Owner or any other Holder through which it holds American Depositary Shares, directly or indirectly, of all information responsive to a request made pursuant to this Section relating to that Holder that is known to that Owner or other Holder. The Depositary agrees to use reasonable efforts, at the Company’s expense to comply with written instructions requesting that the Depositary forward any request authorized under this Section to the Owners and to forward to the Company any responses it receives in response to that request. Unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Company and the Depositary, the Depositary may charge the Company a fee and its expenses for complying with requests under this Section 3.4.
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ARTICLE 4. THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES
SECTION 4.1. Cash Distributions.
Whenever the Depositary receives any cash dividend or other cash distribution on Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall, subject to the provisions of Section 4.5, convert that dividend or other distribution into Dollars and distribute the amount thus received (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9) to the Owners entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities held by them respectively; provided, however, that if the Custodian or the Depositary shall be required to withhold and does withhold from that cash dividend or other cash distribution an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Owners of the American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly. However, the Depositary will not pay any Owner a fraction of one cent, but will round each Owner’s entitlement to the nearest whole cent.
The Company or its agent will remit to the appropriate governmental agency in each applicable jurisdiction all amounts withheld and owing to such agency.
If a cash distribution would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may:
(i) require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that cash distribution; or
(ii) sell all Deposited Securities other than the subject cash distribution and add any net cash proceeds of that sale to the cash distribution, call for surrender of all those American Depositary Shares and require that surrender as a condition of making that cash distribution.
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If the Depositary acts under this paragraph, that action shall also be a Termination Option Event.
SECTION 4.2. Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights.
Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.11 and 5.9, whenever the Depositary receives any distribution other than a distribution described in Section 4.1, 4.3 or 4.4 on Deposited Securities (but not in exchange for or in conversion or in lieu of Deposited Securities), the Depositary shall cause the securities or property received by it to be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto, after deduction or upon payment of any fees and expenses of the Depositary and any taxes or other governmental charges, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities held by them respectively, in any manner that the Depositary deems equitable and practicable for accomplishing that distribution (which may be a distribution of depositary shares representing the securities received); provided, however, that if in the opinion of the Depositary such distribution cannot be made proportionately among the Owners entitled thereto, or if for any other reason (including, but not limited to, any requirement that the Company or the Depositary withhold an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges or that securities received must be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 in order to be distributed to Owners or Holders) the Depositary deems such distribution not to be lawful and feasible, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, the Depositary may adopt such other method as it may deem equitable and practicable for the purpose of effecting such distribution, including, but not limited to, the public or private sale of the securities or property thus received, or any part thereof, and distribution of the net proceeds of any such sale (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9) to the Owners entitled thereto, all in the manner and subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.1. The Depositary may withhold any distribution of securities under this Section 4.2 if it has not received satisfactory assurances from the Company that the distribution does not require registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of securities or other property it would otherwise distribute under this Section 4.2 that is sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution.
If a distribution to be made under this Section 4.2 would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may:
(i) require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that distribution; or
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(ii) sell all Deposited Securities other than the subject distribution and add any net cash proceeds of that sale to the distribution, call for surrender of all those American Depositary Shares and require that surrender as a condition of making that distribution.
If the Depositary acts under this paragraph, that action shall also be a Termination Option Event.
SECTION 4.3. Distributions in Shares.
Whenever the Depositary receives any distribution on Deposited Securities consisting of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Depositary may, and shall if the Company so requests in writing, deliver to the Owners entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities held by them respectively, an aggregate number of American Depositary Shares representing the amount of Shares received as that dividend or free distribution, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement with respect to the deposit of Shares and issuance of American Depositary Shares, including withholding of any tax or governmental charge as provided in Section 4.11 and payment of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 (and the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of the Shares received (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution). In lieu of delivering fractional American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may sell the amount of Shares represented by the aggregate of those fractions (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) and distribute the net proceeds, all in the manner and subject to the conditions described in Section 4.1. If and to the extent that additional American Depositary Shares are not delivered and Shares or American Depositary Shares are not sold, each American Depositary Share shall thenceforth also represent the additional Shares distributed on the Deposited Securities represented thereby.
If the Company declares a distribution in which holders of Deposited Securities have a right to elect whether to receive cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of those things, or a right to elect to have a distribution sold on their behalf, the Depositary may, after consultation with the Company, make that right of election available for exercise by Owners in any manner the Depositary considers to be lawful and practical. As a condition of making a distribution election right available to Owners, the Depositary may require satisfactory assurances from the Company that doing so does not require registration of any securities under the Securities Act of 1933 that has not been effected.
SECTION 4.4. Rights.
(a) If rights are granted to the Depositary in respect of deposited Shares to purchase additional Shares or other securities, the Company and the Depositary shall endeavor to consult as to the actions, if any, the Depositary should take in connection with that grant of rights. The Depositary may, to the extent deemed by it to be lawful and practical (i) if requested in writing by the Company, grant to all or certain Owners rights to instruct the Depositary to purchase the securities to which the rights relate and deliver those securities or American Depositary Shares representing those securities to Owners, (ii) if requested in writing by the Company, deliver the rights to or to the order of certain Owners, or (iii) sell the rights to the extent practicable and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to Owners entitled to those proceeds. To the extent rights are not exercised, delivered or disposed of under (i), (ii) or (iii) above, the Depositary shall permit the rights to lapse unexercised.
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(b) If the Depositary will act under (a)(i) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon instruction from an applicable Owner in the form the Depositary specified and upon payment by that Owner to the Depositary of an amount equal to the purchase price of the securities to be received upon the exercise of the rights, the Depositary shall, on behalf of that Owner, exercise the rights and purchase the securities. The purchased securities shall be delivered to, or as instructed by, the Depositary. The Depositary shall (i) deposit the purchased Shares under this Deposit Agreement and deliver American Depositary Shares representing those Shares to that Owner or (ii) deliver or cause the purchased Shares or other securities to be delivered to or to the order of that Owner. The Depositary will not act under (a)(i) above unless the offer and sale of the securities to which the rights relate are registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Depositary has received an opinion of United States counsel that is satisfactory to it to the effect that those securities may be sold and delivered to the applicable Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933.
(c) If the Depositary will act under (a)(ii) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon (i) the request of an applicable Owner to deliver the rights allocable to the American Depositary Shares of that Owner to an account specified by that Owner to which the rights can be delivered and (ii) receipt of such documents as the Company and the Depositary agreed to require to comply with applicable law, the Depositary will deliver those rights as requested by that Owner.
(d) If the Depositary will act under (a)(iii) above, the Depositary will use reasonable efforts to sell the rights in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by the applicable Owners and pay the net proceeds to the Owners otherwise entitled to the rights that were sold, upon an averaged or other practical basis without regard to any distinctions among such Owners because of exchange restrictions or the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise.
(e) Payment or deduction of the fees of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 and payment or deduction of the expenses of the Depositary and any applicable taxes or other governmental charges shall be conditions of any delivery of securities or payment of cash proceeds under this Section 4.4.
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(f) The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make rights available to or exercise rights on behalf of Owners in general or any Owner in particular, or to sell rights.
SECTION 4.5. Conversion of Foreign Currency.
Whenever the Depositary or the Custodian receives foreign currency, by way of dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of securities, property or rights, and if at the time of the receipt thereof the foreign currency so received can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars and the resulting Dollars transferred to the United States, the Depositary or one of its agents or affiliates or the Custodian shall convert or cause to be converted by sale or in any other manner that it may determine that foreign currency into Dollars, and those Dollars shall be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto. A cash distribution may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among Owners based on exchange restrictions, the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise and shall be net of any expenses of conversion into Dollars incurred by the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9.
If a conversion of foreign currency or the repatriation or distribution of Dollars can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the Depositary may, but will not be required to, file an application for that approval or license.
If the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, determines that in its judgment any foreign currency received by the Depositary or the Custodian is not convertible on a reasonable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, or if any approval or license of any government or agency thereof that is required for such conversion is not filed or sought by the Depositary or is not obtained within a reasonable period as determined by the Depositary, the Depositary may distribute the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or in its discretion may hold such foreign currency uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled to receive the same.
If any conversion of foreign currency, in whole or in part, cannot be effected for distribution to some of the Owners entitled thereto, the Depositary may in its discretion make that conversion and distribution in Dollars to the extent practicable and permissible to the Owners entitled thereto and may distribute the balance of the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or hold that balance uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the account of, the Owners entitled thereto.
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The Depositary may convert currency itself or through any of its affiliates, or the Custodian or the Company may convert currency and pay Dollars to the Depositary. Where the Depositary converts currency itself or through any of its affiliates, the Depositary acts as principal for its own account and not as agent, advisor, broker or fiduciary on behalf of any other person and earns revenue, including, without limitation, transaction spreads, that it will retain for its own account. The revenue is based on, among other things, the difference between the exchange rate assigned to the currency conversion made under this Deposit Agreement and the rate that the Depositary or its affiliate receives when buying or selling foreign currency for its own account. The Depositary makes no representation that the exchange rate used or obtained by it or its affiliate in any currency conversion under this Deposit Agreement will be the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to Owners, subject to the Depositary’s obligations under Section 5.3. The methodology used to determine exchange rates used in currency conversions made by the Depositary is available upon request. Where the Custodian converts currency, the Custodian has no obligation to obtain the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or to ensure that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to Owners, and the Depositary makes no representation that the rate is the most favorable rate and will not be liable for any direct or indirect losses associated with the rate. In certain instances, the Depositary may receive dividends or other distributions from the Company in Dollars that represent the proceeds of a conversion of foreign currency or translation from foreign currency at a rate that was obtained or determined by or on behalf of the Company and, in such cases, the Depositary will not engage in, or be responsible for, any foreign currency transactions and neither it nor the Company makes any representation that the rate obtained or determined by the Company is the most favorable rate and neither it nor the Company will be liable for any direct or indirect losses associated with the rate.
SECTION 4.6. Fixing of Record Date.
Whenever a cash dividend, cash distribution or any other distribution is made on Deposited Securities or rights to purchase Shares or other securities are issued with respect to Deposited Securities (which rights will be delivered to or exercised or sold on behalf of Owners in accordance with Section 4.4) or the Depositary receives notice that a distribution or issuance of that kind will be made, or whenever the Depositary receives notice that a meeting of holders of Shares will be held in respect of which the Company has requested the Depositary to send a notice under Section 4.7, or whenever the Depositary will assess a fee or charge against the Owners, or whenever the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each American Depositary Share, or whenever the Depositary otherwise finds it necessary or convenient, the Depositary shall fix a record date, which shall be the same as, or as near as practicable to, any corresponding record date set by the Company with respect to Shares, (a) for the determination of the Owners (i) who shall be entitled to receive the benefit of that dividend or other distribution or those rights, (ii) who shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at that meeting, (iii) who shall be responsible for that fee or charge or (iv) for any other purpose for which the record date was set, or (b) on or after which each American Depositary Share will represent the changed number of Shares. Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.1 through 4.5 and to the other terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, the Owners on a record date fixed by the Depositary shall be entitled to receive the amount distributable by the Depositary with respect to that dividend or other distribution or those rights or the net proceeds of sale thereof in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively, to give voting instructions or to act in respect of the other matter for which that record date was fixed, or be responsible for that fee or charge, as the case may be.
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SECTION 4.7. Voting of Deposited Shares.
(a) Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of Shares at which holders of Shares will be entitled to vote, if requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, Disseminate to the Owners a notice, the form of which shall be in the sole discretion of the Depositary, that shall contain (i) the information contained in the notice of meeting received by the Depositary from the Company, (ii) a statement that the Owners as of the close of business on a specified record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable provision of Israeli law and of the articles of association or similar documents of the Company, to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount of Shares represented by their respective American Depositary Shares, (iii) a statement as to the manner in which those instructions may be given and (iv) the last date on which the Depositary will accept instructions (the “Instruction Cutoff Date”).
(b) Upon the written request of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, as of the date of the request or, if a record date was specified by the Depositary, as of that record date, received on or before any Instruction Cutoff Date established by the Depositary, the Depositary may, and if the Depositary sent a notice under the preceding paragraph shall, endeavor, in so far as practicable, to vote or cause to be voted the amount of deposited Shares represented by those American Depositary Shares in accordance with the instructions set forth in that request. The Depositary shall not vote or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to the deposited Shares other than in accordance with instructions given by Owners and received by the Depositary.
(c) There can be no assurance that Owners generally or any Owner in particular will receive the notice described in paragraph (a) above in time to enable Owners to give instructions to the Depositary prior to the Instruction Cutoff Date.
(d) In order to give Owners a reasonable opportunity to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to Shares, if the Company will request the Depositary to Disseminate a notice under paragraph (a) above, the Company shall give the Depositary notice of the meeting, details concerning the matters to be voted upon and copies of materials to be made available to holders of Shares in connection with the meeting not less than 45 days prior to the meeting date.
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(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4.7 to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may from time to time modify the procedures, or adopt additional procedures, relating to voting of Deposited Securities as they determine may be necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable law or the articles of association or similar documents of the Company.
SECTION 4.8. Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities.
(a) The Depositary shall not tender any Deposited Securities in response to any voluntary cash tender offer, exchange offer or similar offer made to holders of Deposited Securities (a “Voluntary Offer”), except when instructed in writing to do so by an Owner surrendering American Depositary Shares and subject to any conditions or procedures the Depositary may require.
(b) If the Depositary receives a written notice that Deposited Securities have been redeemed for cash or otherwise purchased for cash in a transaction that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of those Deposited Securities (a “Redemption”), the Depositary, at the expense of the Company (unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Company and the Depositary), shall (i) if required, surrender Deposited Securities that have been redeemed to the issuer of those securities or its agent on the redemption date, (ii) Disseminate a notice to Owners (A) notifying them of that Redemption, (B) calling for surrender of a corresponding number of American Depositary Shares and (C) notifying them that the called American Depositary Shares have been converted into a right only to receive the money received by the Depositary upon that Redemption and those net proceeds shall be the Deposited Securities to which Owners of those converted American Depositary Shares shall be entitled upon surrenders of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 or 6.2 and (iii) distribute the money received upon that Redemption to the Owners entitled to it upon surrender by them of called American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 (and, for the avoidance of doubt, Owners shall not be entitled to receive that money under Section 4.1). If the Redemption affects less than all the Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall call for surrender a corresponding portion of the outstanding American Depositary Shares and only those American Depositary Shares will automatically be converted into a right to receive the net proceeds of the Redemption. The Depositary shall allocate the American Depositary Shares converted under the preceding sentence among the Owners pro-rata to their respective holdings of American Depositary Shares immediately prior to the Redemption, except that the allocations may be adjusted so that no fraction of a converted American Depositary Share is allocated to any Owner. A Redemption of all or substantially all of the Deposited Securities shall be a Termination Option Event.
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(c) If the Depositary is notified of or there occurs any change in nominal value or any subdivision, combination or any other reclassification of the Deposited Securities or any recapitalization, reorganization, sale of assets substantially as an entirety, merger or consolidation affecting the issuer of the Deposited Securities or to which it is a party that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of Deposited Securities and, as a result, securities or other property have been or will be delivered in exchange, conversion, replacement or in lieu of, Deposited Securities (a “Replacement”), the Depositary shall, if required, surrender the old Deposited Securities affected by that Replacement of Shares and hold, as new Deposited Securities under this Deposit Agreement, the new securities or other property delivered to it in that Replacement. However, the Depositary may elect to sell those new Deposited Securities if in the opinion of the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, it is not lawful or not practical for it to hold those new Deposited Securities under this Deposit Agreement because those new Deposited Securities may not be distributed to Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or for any other reason, at public or private sale, at such places and on such terms as it deems proper and proceed as if those new Deposited Securities had been Redeemed under paragraph (b) above. A Replacement shall be a Termination Option Event.
(d) In the case of a Replacement where the new Deposited Securities will continue to be held under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may call for the surrender of outstanding Receipts to be exchanged for new Receipts specifically describing the new Deposited Securities and the number of those new Deposited Securities represented by each American Depositary Share. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a Replacement, the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, may call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them.
(e) If there are no Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares, including if the Deposited Securities are cancelled, or the Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares have become apparently worthless, the Depositary may call for surrender of those American Depositary Shares or may cancel those American Depositary Shares, upon notice to Owners, and that condition shall be a Termination Option Event.
SECTION 4.9. Reports.
The Depositary shall make available for inspection by Owners at its Office any reports and communications, including any proxy solicitation material, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made generally available to the holders of those Deposited Securities by the Company. The Company shall furnish reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting material to which this Section applies, to the Depositary in English, to the extent those materials are required to be translated into English pursuant to any regulations of the Commission.
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SECTION 4.10. Lists of Owners.
As promptly as practicable upon written request by the Company, the Depositary shall, at the expense of the Company (unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Company and the Depositary), furnish to it a list, as of a recent date, of the names, addresses and American Depositary Share holdings of all Owners.
SECTION 4.11. Withholding.
If the Depositary determines that any distribution received or to be made by the Depositary (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charge that the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, all or a portion of the distributed property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in the amounts and manner the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay those taxes or charges, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of that sale, after deduction of those taxes or charges, to the Owners entitled thereto in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively.
Services for Owners and Holders that may permit them to obtain reduced rates of tax withholding at source or reclaim excess tax withheld, and the fees and costs associated with using services of that kind, are not provided under, and are outside the scope of, this Deposit Agreement.
Each Owner and Holder agrees to indemnify the Company, the Depositary, the Custodian and their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless against, any claim by any governmental authority with respect to taxes, additions to tax, penalties or interest arising out of any refund of taxes, reduced withholding at source or other tax benefit received by it.
ARTICLE 5. THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIANS AND THE COMPANY
SECTION 5.1. Maintenance of Office and Register by the Depositary.
Until termination of this Deposit Agreement in accordance with its terms, the Depositary shall maintain facilities for the delivery, registration of transfers and surrender of American Depositary Shares in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement.
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The Depositary shall keep a register of all Owners and all outstanding American Depositary Shares, which shall be open for inspection by the Owners at the Depositary’s Office during regular business hours, but only for the purpose of communicating with Owners regarding the business of the Company or a matter related to this Deposit Agreement or the American Depositary Shares.
The Depositary may close the register for delivery, registration of transfer or surrender for the purpose of withdrawal from time to time as provided in Section 2.6.
If any American Depositary Shares are listed on one or more stock exchanges, the Depositary shall act as Registrar or appoint a Registrar or one or more co-registrars for registration of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with any requirements of that exchange or those exchanges.
The Company shall have the right, at all reasonable times, upon written request, to inspect transfer and registration records of the Depositary, the Registrar and any co-transfer agents or co-registrars and to require such parties to supply, at the Company’s expense (unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Company and the Depositary) copies of such portions of their records as the Company may reasonably request.
SECTION 5.2. Prevention or Delay of Performance by the Company or the Depositary.
Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents or affiliates shall incur any liability to any Owner or Holder:
(i) if by reason of (A) any provision of any present or future law or regulation or other act of the government of the United States, any State of the United States or any other state or jurisdiction, or of any governmental or regulatory authority or stock exchange; (B) (in the case of the Depositary only) any provision, present or future, of the articles of association or similar document of the Company, or any provision of any securities issued or distributed by the Company, or any offering or distribution thereof; or (C) any event or circumstance, whether natural or caused by a person or persons, that is beyond the ability of the Depositary or the Company, as the case may be, to prevent or counteract by reasonable care or effort (including, but not limited to, earthquakes, floods, severe storms, fires, explosions, war, terrorism, civil unrest, labor disputes, criminal acts or outbreaks of infectious disease; interruptions or malfunctions of utility services, Internet or other communications lines or systems; unauthorized access to or attacks on computer systems or websites; or other failures or malfunctions of computer hardware or software or other systems or equipment), the Depositary or the Company is, directly or indirectly, prevented from, forbidden to or delayed in, or could be subject to any civil or criminal penalty on account of doing or performing and therefore does not do or perform, any act or thing that, by the terms of this Deposit Agreement or the Deposited Securities, it is provided shall be done or performed;
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(ii) for any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in this Deposit Agreement (including any determination by the Depositary to take, or not take, any action that this Deposit Agreement provides the Depositary may take);
(iii) for the inability of any Owner or Holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit that is made available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of this Deposit Agreement, made available to Owners or Holders; or
(iv) for any special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of this Deposit Agreement.
Where, by the terms of a distribution to which Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 applies, or an offering to which Section 4.4 applies, or for any other reason, that distribution or offering may not be made available to Owners, and the Depositary may not dispose of that distribution or offering on behalf of Owners and make the net proceeds available to Owners, then the Depositary shall not make that distribution or offering available to Owners, and shall allow any rights, if applicable, to lapse.
SECTION 5.3. Obligations of the Depositary and the Company.
The Company, its directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates assume no obligation nor shall any of them be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Owner or Holder, except that the Company agrees to perform its obligations specifically set forth in this Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith.
The Depositary its directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates assume no obligation nor shall any of them be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Owner or Holder (including, without limitation, liability with respect to the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities), except that the Depositary agrees to perform its obligations specifically set forth in this Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith, and the Depositary shall not be a fiduciary or have any fiduciary duty to Owners or Holders.
Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the American Depositary Shares on behalf of any Owner or Holder or any other person.
Each of the Depositary and the Company may rely, and shall be protected in relying upon, any written notice, request, direction or other document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
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Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates shall be liable for any action or non-action by it in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Owner or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information.
The Depositary shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary.
The Depositary shall not be liable for the acts or omissions of any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system in connection with or arising out of book-entry settlement of American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or otherwise.
In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner in which any such vote is cast or the effect of any such vote.
The Depositary shall have no duty to make any determination or provide any information as to the tax status of the Company, nor shall the Company or the Depositary have any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by Owners or Holders as a result of owning or holding American Depositary Shares. The Depositary shall not be liable for the inability or failure of an Owner or Holder to obtain the benefit of a foreign tax credit, reduced rate of withholding or refund of amounts withheld in respect of tax or any other tax benefit.
SECTION 5.4. Resignation and Removal of the Depositary.
The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary hereunder by written notice of its election so to do delivered to the Company, to become effective upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of that appointment as provided in this Section. The effect of resignation if a successor depositary is not appointed is provided for in Section 6.2.
The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by 120 days’ prior written notice of that removal, to become effective upon the later of (i) the 120th day after delivery of the notice to the Depositary and (ii) the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of its appointment as provided in this Section.
If the Depositary resigns or is removed, the Company shall use its best efforts to appoint a successor depositary, which shall be a bank or trust company having an office in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York. Every successor depositary shall execute and deliver to the Company an instrument in writing accepting its appointment under this Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary receives notice from the Company that a successor depositary has been appointed following its resignation or removal, the Depositary, upon payment of all sums due it from the Company, shall deliver to its successor a register listing all the Owners and their respective holdings of outstanding American Depositary Shares and shall deliver the Deposited Securities to or to the order of its successor. When the Depositary has taken the actions specified in the preceding sentence (i) the successor shall become the Depositary and shall have all the rights and shall assume all the duties of the Depositary under this Deposit Agreement and (ii) the predecessor depositary shall cease to be the Depositary and shall be discharged and released from all obligations under this Deposit Agreement, except for its duties under Section 5.8 with respect to the time before that discharge. A successor Depositary shall notify the Owners of its appointment as soon as practical after assuming the duties of Depositary.
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Any corporation or other entity into or with which the Depositary may be merged or consolidated shall be the successor of the Depositary without the execution or filing of any document or any further act.
SECTION 5.5. The Custodians.
The Custodian shall be subject at all times and in all respects to the directions of the Depositary and shall be responsible solely to it. The Depositary in its discretion may at any time appoint a substitute or additional custodian or custodians, each of which shall thereafter be one of the Custodians under this Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary receives notice that a Custodian is resigning and, upon the effectiveness of that resignation there would be no Custodian acting under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall, as promptly as practicable after receiving that notice, appoint a substitute custodian or custodians, each of which shall thereafter be a Custodian under this Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall require any Custodian that resigns or is removed to deliver all Deposited Securities held by it to another Custodian.
SECTION 5.6. Notices and Reports.
If the Company takes or decides to take any corporate action of a kind that is addressed in Sections 4.1 to 4.4, or 4.6 to 4.8, or that effects or will effect a change of the name or legal structure of the Company, or that effects or will effect a change to the Shares, the Company shall notify the Depositary and the Custodian of that action or decision as soon as it is lawful and practical to give that notice. The notice shall be in English and shall include all details that the Company is required to include in any notice to any governmental or regulatory authority or securities exchange or is required to make available generally to holders of Shares by publication or otherwise.
The Company will arrange for the translation into English, if not already in English, to the extent required pursuant to any regulations of the Commission, and the prompt transmittal by the Company to the Depositary and the Custodian of all notices and any other reports and communications which are made generally available by the Company to holders of its Shares. If requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary will Disseminate, at the Company’s expense (unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Company and the Depositary), those notices, reports and communications to all Owners or otherwise make them available to Owners in a manner that the Company specifies as substantially equivalent to the manner in which those communications are made available to holders of Shares and compliant with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the American Depositary Shares are listed. The Company will timely provide the Depositary with the quantity of such notices, reports, and communications, as requested by the Depositary from time to time, in order for the Depositary to effect that Dissemination.
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The Company represents, continuously, that the statements in Article 11 of the form of Receipt appearing as Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement or, if applicable, most recently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to the Company’s obligation to file periodic reports under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or its qualification for exemption from registration under that Act pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under that Act, as the case may be, are true and correct. The Company agrees to promptly notify the Depositary upon becoming aware of any change in the truth of any of those statements or if there is any change in the Company’s status regarding those reporting obligations or that qualification.
SECTION 5.7. Distribution of Additional Shares, Rights, etc.
If the Company or any affiliate of the Company determines to make any issuance or distribution of (1) additional Shares, (2) rights to subscribe for Shares, (3) securities convertible into Shares, or (4) rights to subscribe for such securities (each a “Distribution”), the Company shall notify the Depositary in writing in English as promptly as practicable and in any event before the Distribution starts and, if requested in writing by the Depositary, the Company shall promptly furnish to the Depositary either (i) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that the Distribution is registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or (ii) a written opinion from U.S. counsel for the Company that is reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary, stating that the Distribution does not require, or, if made in the United States, would not require, registration under the Securities Act of 1933.
The Company agrees with the Depositary that neither the Company nor any company controlled by, controlling or under common control with the Company will at any time deposit any Shares that, at the time of deposit, are Restricted Securities.
SECTION 5.8. Indemnification.
The Company agrees to indemnify the Depositary, its directors, employees, agents and affiliates and each Custodian against, and hold each of them harmless from, any liability or expense (including, but not limited to any fees and expenses incurred in seeking, enforcing or collecting such indemnity and the fees and expenses of counsel) that may arise out of or in connection with (a) any registration with the Commission of American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or the offer or sale thereof or (b) acts performed or omitted, pursuant to the provisions of or in connection with this Deposit Agreement and the American Depositary Shares, as the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, (i) by either the Depositary or a Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates, except for any liability or expense arising out of the negligence or bad faith of either of them, or (ii) by the Company or any of its directors, employees, agents and affiliates.
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The Depositary agrees to indemnify the Company, its directors, employees, agents and affiliates and hold them harmless from any liability or expense that may arise out of acts performed or omitted by the Depositary or any Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates due to their negligence or bad faith.
SECTION 5.9. Charges of Depositary.
The following charges shall be incurred by any party depositing or withdrawing Shares or by any party surrendering American Depositary Shares or to whom American Depositary Shares are issued (including, without limitation, issuance pursuant to a stock dividend or stock split declared by the Company or an exchange of stock regarding the American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or a delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 4.3), or by Owners, as applicable: (1) taxes and other governmental charges, (2) such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of transfers of Shares generally on the Share register of the Company or Foreign Registrar and applicable to transfers of Shares to or from the name of the Depositary or its nominee or the Custodian or its nominee on the making of deposits or withdrawals hereunder, (3) such cable (including SWIFT) and facsimile transmission fees and expenses as are expressly provided in this Deposit Agreement, (4) such expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency pursuant to Section 4.5, (5) a fee of $5.00 or less per 100 American Depositary Shares (or portion thereof) for the delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.3, 4.3 or 4.4 and the surrender of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.5 or 6.2, (6) a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) for any cash distribution made pursuant to this Deposit Agreement, including, but not limited to Sections 4.1 through 4.4 and Section 4.8, (7) a fee for the distribution of securities pursuant to Section 4.2 or of rights pursuant to Section 4.4 (where the Depositary will not exercise or sell those rights on behalf of Owners), such fee being in an amount equal to the fee for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Shares referred to above which would have been charged as a result of the deposit of such securities under this Deposit Agreement (for purposes of this item 7 treating all such securities as if they were Shares) but which securities are instead distributed by the Depositary to Owners, (8) in addition to any fee charged under item 6 above, a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) per annum for depositary services, which will be payable as provided in item 9 below, and (9) any other charges payable by the Depositary or the Custodian, any of the Depositary's or Custodian’s agents or the agents of the Depositary's or Custodian’s agents, in connection with the servicing of Shares or other Deposited Securities (which charges shall be assessed against Owners as of the date or dates set by the Depositary in accordance with Section 4.6 and shall be payable at the sole discretion of the Depositary by billing those Owners for those charges or by deducting those charges from one or more cash dividends or other cash distributions).
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The Depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable, or by selling a portion of any securities to be distributed, to Owners that are obligated to pay those fees.
In performing its duties under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may use brokers, dealers, foreign currency dealers or other service providers that are owned by or affiliated with the Depositary and that may earn or share fees, spreads or commissions.
The Depositary may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its affiliates and in American Depositary Shares.
SECTION 5.10. Retention of Depositary Documents.
The Depositary is authorized to destroy those documents, records, bills and other data compiled during the term of this Deposit Agreement at the times permitted by the laws or regulations governing the Depositary.
SECTION 5.11. Exclusivity.
Without prejudice to the Company’s rights under Section 5.4, the Company agrees not to appoint any other depositary for issuance of depositary shares, depositary receipts or any similar securities or instruments so long as The Bank of New York Mellon is acting as Depositary under this Deposit Agreement.
SECTION 5.12. Information for Regulatory Compliance.
Each of the Company and the Depositary shall provide to the other, as promptly as practicable, information from its records or otherwise available to it that is reasonably requested by the other to permit the other to comply with applicable law or requirements of governmental or regulatory authorities.
ARTICLE 6. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION
SECTION 6.1. Amendment.
The form of the Receipts and any provisions of this Deposit Agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended by agreement between the Company and the Depositary without the consent of Owners or Holders in any respect that they may deem necessary or desirable. Any amendment that would impose or increase any fees or charges (other than taxes and other governmental charges, registration fees, cable (including SWIFT) or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or that would otherwise prejudice any substantial existing right of Owners, shall, however, not become effective as to outstanding American Depositary Shares until the expiration of 30 days after notice of that amendment has been Disseminated to the Owners of outstanding American Depositary Shares. Every Owner and Holder, at the time any amendment so becomes effective, shall be deemed, by continuing to hold American Depositary Shares or any interest therein, to consent and agree to that amendment and to be bound by this Deposit Agreement as amended thereby. Upon the effectiveness of an amendment to the form of Receipt, including a change in the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share, the Depositary may call for surrender of Receipts to be replaced with new Receipts in the amended form or call for surrender of American Depositary Shares to effect that change of ratio. In no event shall any amendment impair the right of the Owner to surrender American Depositary Shares and receive delivery of the Deposited Securities represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.
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SECTION 6.2. Termination.
(a) The Company may initiate termination of this Deposit Agreement by notice to the Depositary. The Depositary may initiate termination of this Deposit Agreement if (i) at any time 60 days shall have expired after the Depositary delivered to the Company a written resignation notice and a successor depositary has not been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4 or (ii) a Termination Option Event has occurred. If termination of this Deposit Agreement is initiated, the Depositary shall Disseminate a notice of termination to the Owners of all American Depositary Shares then outstanding setting a date for termination (the “Termination Date”), which shall be at least 90 days after the date of that notice, and this Deposit Agreement shall terminate on that Termination Date.
(b) After the Termination Date, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under this Deposit Agreement except for its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8 and 5.9.
(c) At any time after the Termination Date, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Securities then held under this Deposit Agreement and may thereafter hold uninvested the net proceeds of any such sale, together with any other cash then held by it hereunder, unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the Owners of American Depositary Shares that remain outstanding, and those Owners will be general creditors of the Depositary with respect to those net proceeds and that other cash. After making that sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations under this Deposit Agreement, except (i) to account for the net proceeds and other cash (after deducting, in each case, the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares, any expenses for the account of the Owner of such American Depositary Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes or governmental charges) and (ii) for its obligations under Section 5.8 and (iii) to act as provided in paragraph (d) below.
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(d) After the Termination Date, the Depositary shall continue to receive dividends and other distributions pertaining to Deposited Securities (that have not been sold), may sell rights and other property as provided in this Deposit Agreement and shall deliver Deposited Securities (or sale proceeds) upon surrender of American Depositary Shares (after payment or upon deduction, in each case, of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares, any expenses for the account of the Owner of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes or governmental charges). After the Termination Date, the Depositary shall not accept deposits of Shares or deliver American Depositary Shares. After the Termination Date, (i) the Depositary may refuse to accept surrenders of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities (that have not been sold) or reverse previously accepted surrenders of that kind that have not settled if in its judgment the requested withdrawal would interfere with its efforts to sell the Deposited Securities, (ii) the Depositary will not be required to deliver cash proceeds of the sale of Deposited Securities until all Deposited Securities have been sold and (iii) the Depositary may discontinue the registration of transfers of American Depositary Shares and suspend the distribution of dividends and other distributions on Deposited Securities to the Owners and need not give any further notices or perform any further acts under this Deposit Agreement except as provided in this Section.
ARTICLE 7. MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION 7.1. Counterparts; Signatures; Delivery.
This Deposit Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of those counterparts shall constitute one and the same instrument. Copies of this Deposit Agreement shall be filed with the Depositary and the Custodians and shall be open to inspection by any Owner or Holder during regular business hours.
The exchange of copies of this Deposit Agreement and manually-signed signature pages by facsimile, or email attaching a pdf or similar bit-mapped image, shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Deposit Agreement as to the parties to it; copies and signature pages so exchanged may be used in lieu of the original Deposit Agreement and signature pages for all purposes and shall have the same validity, legal effect and admissibility in evidence as an original manual signature; the parties to this Deposit Agreement hereby agree not to argue to the contrary.
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SECTION 7.2. No Third Party Beneficiaries.
This Deposit Agreement is for the exclusive benefit of the Company, the Depositary, the Owners and the Holders and their respective successors and shall not be deemed to give any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim whatsoever to any other person.
SECTION 7.3. Severability.
In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Deposit Agreement or in a Receipt should be or become invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained in this Deposit Agreement or that Receipt shall in no way be affected, prejudiced or disturbed thereby.
SECTION 7.4. Owners and Holders as Parties; Binding Effect.
The Owners and Holders from time to time shall be parties to this Deposit Agreement and shall be bound by all of the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and of the Receipts by acceptance of American Depositary Shares or any interest therein.
SECTION 7.5. Notices.
Any and all notices to be given to the Company shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if personally delivered or sent by domestic first class or international air mail or air courier or sent by facsimile transmission or email attaching a pdf or similar bit-mapped image of a signed writing, addressed to SaverOne 2014 Ltd., Em Hamoshavot Rd. 94, Petah Tikvah, Israel, Attention: Ori Gilboa, or any other place to which the Company may have transferred its principal office with notice to the Depositary.
Any and all notices to be given to the Depositary shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if in English and personally delivered or sent by first class domestic or international air mail or air courier or sent by facsimile transmission or email attaching a pdf or similar bit-mapped image of a signed writing, addressed to The Bank of New York Mellon, 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, Attention: Depositary Receipt Administration, or any other place to which the Depositary may have transferred its Office with notice to the Company.
Delivery of a notice to the Company or Depositary by mail or air courier shall be deemed effected when deposited, postage prepaid, in a post-office letter box or received by an air courier service. Delivery of a notice to the Company or Depositary sent by facsimile transmission or email shall be deemed effected when the recipient acknowledges receipt of that notice.
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A notice to be given to an Owner shall be deemed to have been duly given when Disseminated to that Owner. Dissemination in paper form will be effective when personally delivered or sent by first class domestic or international air mail or air courier, addressed to that Owner at the address of that Owner as it appears on the transfer books for American Depositary Shares of the Depositary, or, if that Owner has filed with the Depositary a written request that notices intended for that Owner be mailed to some other address, at the address designated in that request. Dissemination in electronic form will be effective when sent in the manner consented to by the Owner to the electronic address most recently provided by the Owner for that purpose.
SECTION 7.6. Appointment of Agent for Service of Process; Submission to Jurisdiction; Jury Trial Waiver.
The Company hereby (i) designates and appoints the person named in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement as the Company's authorized agent in the United States upon which process may be served in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or this Deposit Agreement (a “Proceeding”), (ii) consents and submits to the jurisdiction of any state or federal court in the State of New York in which any Proceeding may be instituted and (iii) agrees that service of process upon said authorized agent shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any Proceeding. The Company agrees to deliver to the Depositary, upon the execution and delivery of this Deposit Agreement, a written acceptance by the agent named in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement of its appointment as process agent. The Company further agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all such documents and instruments, as may be necessary to continue that designation and appointment in full force and effect, or to appoint and maintain the appointment of another process agent located in the United States as required above, and to deliver to the Depositary a written acceptance by that agent of that appointment, for so long as any American Depositary Shares or Receipts remain outstanding or this Deposit Agreement remains in force. In the event the Company fails to maintain the designation and appointment of a process agent in the United States in full force and effect, the Company hereby waives personal service of process upon it and consents that a service of process in connection with a Proceeding may be made by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, directed to the Company at its address last specified for notices under this Deposit Agreement, and service so made shall be deemed completed five (5) days after the same shall have been so mailed.
EACH PARTY TO THIS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT (INCLUDING, FOR AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, EACH OWNER AND HOLDER) HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING AGAINST THE COMPANY AND/OR THE DEPOSITARY DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SHARES OR OTHER DEPOSITED SECURITIES, THE AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES OR THE RECEIPTS, THIS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREIN OR THEREIN, OR THE BREACH HEREOF OR THEREOF, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY QUESTION REGARDING EXISTENCE, VALIDITY OR TERMINATION (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY) AND ANY CLAIM BASED ON U.S. FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS.
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No disclaimer of liability under the United States federal securities laws or the rules and regulations thereunder is intended by any provision of this Deposit Agreement, inasmuch as no person is able to effectively waive the duty of any other person to comply with its obligations under those laws, rules and regulations.
SECTION 7.7. Waiver of Immunities.
To the extent that the Company or any of its properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to, or have attributed to it, any right of immunity, on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise, from any duty of performance under this Deposit Agreement, claim, legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any respect thereof, from setoff or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any court, from service of process, from attachment upon or prior to judgment, from attachment in aid of execution or judgment, or from execution of judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment, in any jurisdiction in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or this Deposit Agreement, the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by law, hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, and agrees not to plead or claim, any immunity of that kind and consents to relief and enforcement as provided above.
SECTION 7.8. Governing Law.
This Deposit Agreement and the Receipts shall be interpreted in accordance with and all rights hereunder and thereunder and provisions hereof and thereof shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, SAVERONE 2014 LTD. and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON have duly executed this Deposit Agreement as of the day and year first set forth above and all Owners and Holders shall become parties hereto upon acceptance by them of American Depositary Shares or any interest therein.
SAVERONE 2014 LTD. | |||
By: | |||
Name: | |||
Title: |
THE BANK OF
NEW YORK MELLON, as Depositary | |||
By: | |||
Name: | Eric Alan MacAlpine | ||
Title: | Director |
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EXHIBIT A
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES | |
(Each American Depositary Share represents | |
four deposited Shares) |
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT
FOR ORDINARY SHARES OF
SAVERONE 2014 LTD.
(INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL)
The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary (hereinafter called the “Depositary”), hereby certifies that_________________________________________, or registered assigns IS THE OWNER OF _____________________________
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
representing deposited ordinary shares (herein called “Shares”) of SaverOne 2014 Ltd., incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel (herein called the “Company”). At the date hereof, each American Depositary Share represents four Shares deposited or subject to deposit under the Deposit Agreement (as such term is hereinafter defined) with a custodian for the Depositary (herein called the “Custodian”) that, as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, was Bank Leumi located in Israel. The Depositary's Office and its principal executive office are located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 10286.
THE DEPOSITARY'S OFFICE ADDRESS IS
240 GREENWICH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10286
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1. THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.
This American Depositary Receipt is one of an issue (herein called “Receipts”), all issued and to be issued upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Deposit Agreement dated as of __________, 2022 (herein called the “Deposit Agreement”) among the Company, the Depositary, and all Owners and Holders from time to time of American Depositary Shares issued thereunder, each of whom by accepting American Depositary Shares agrees to become a party thereto and become bound by all the terms and conditions thereof. The Deposit Agreement sets forth the rights of Owners and Holders and the rights and duties of the Depositary in respect of the Shares deposited thereunder and any and all other securities, property and cash from time to time received in respect of those Shares and held thereunder (those Shares, securities, property, and cash are herein called “Deposited Securities”). Copies of the Deposit Agreement are on file at the Depositary's Office in New York City and at the office of the Custodian.
The statements made on the face and reverse of this Receipt are summaries of certain provisions of the Deposit Agreement and are qualified by and subject to the detailed provisions of the Deposit Agreement, to which reference is hereby made. Capitalized terms defined in the Deposit Agreement and not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Deposit Agreement.
2. SURRENDER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES AND WITHDRAWAL OF SHARES.
Upon surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented thereby and payment of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement and payment of all taxes and governmental charges payable in connection with that surrender and withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, the Owner of those American Depositary Shares shall be entitled to delivery (to the extent delivery can then be lawfully and practicably made), to or as instructed by that Owner, of the amount of Deposited Securities at the time represented by those American Depositary Shares, but not any money or other property as to which a record date for distribution to Owners has passed (since money or other property of that kind will be delivered or paid on the scheduled payment date to the Owner as of that record date), and except that the Depositary shall not be required to accept surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal to the extent it would require delivery of a fraction of a Deposited Security. The Depositary shall direct the Custodian with respect to delivery of Deposited Securities and may charge the surrendering Owner a fee and its expenses for giving that direction by cable (including SWIFT) or facsimile transmission. If Deposited Securities are delivered physically upon surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal, that delivery will be made at the Custodian’s office, except that, at the request, risk and expense of the surrendering Owner, and for the account of that Owner, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward any cash or other property comprising, and forward a certificate or certificates, if applicable, and other proper documents of title, if any, for, the Deposited Securities represented by the surrendered American Depositary Shares to the Depositary for delivery at the Depositary’s Office or to another address specified in the order received from the surrendering Owner.
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3. REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES; COMBINATION AND SPLIT-UP OF RECEIPTS; INTERCHANGE OF CERTIFICATED AND UNCERTIFICATED AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES.
The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, shall register a transfer of American Depositary Shares on its transfer books upon (i) in the case of certificated American Depositary Shares, surrender of the Receipt evidencing those American Depositary Shares, by the Owner or by a duly authorized attorney, properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer or (ii) in the case of uncertificated American Depositary Shares, receipt from the Owner of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.9 of that Agreement), and, in either case, duly stamped as may be required by the laws of the State of New York and of the United States of America. Upon registration of a transfer, the Depositary shall deliver the transferred American Depositary Shares to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto.
The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, shall upon surrender of a Receipt or Receipts for the purpose of effecting a split-up or combination of such Receipt or Receipts, execute and deliver a new Receipt or Receipts for any authorized number of American Depositary Shares requested, evidencing the same aggregate number of American Depositary Shares as the Receipt or Receipts surrendered.
The Depositary, upon surrender of certificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for uncertificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel the Receipt evidencing those certificated American Depositary Shares and send the Owner a statement confirming that the Owner is the owner of the same number of uncertificated American Depositary Shares. The Depositary, upon receipt of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.9 of the Deposit Agreement) from the Owner of uncertificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for certificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel those uncertificated American Depositary Shares and register and deliver to the Owner a Receipt evidencing the same number of certificated American Depositary Shares.
As a condition precedent to the delivery, registration of transfer, or surrender of any American Depositary Shares or split-up or combination of any Receipt or withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary, the Custodian, or Registrar may require payment from the depositor of the Shares or the presenter of the Receipt or instruction for registration of transfer or surrender of American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees as provided in the Deposit Agreement, may require the production of proof satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature and may also require compliance with any regulations the Depositary may establish consistent with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement.
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The Depositary may refuse to accept deposits of Shares for delivery of American Depositary Shares or to register transfers of American Depositary Shares in particular instances, or may suspend deposits of Shares or registration of transfer generally, whenever it or the Company considers it necessary or advisable to do so. The Depositary may refuse surrenders of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities in particular instances, or may suspend surrenders for the purpose of withdrawal generally, but, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Deposit Agreement, only for (i) temporary delays caused by closing of the Depositary’s register or the register of holders of Shares maintained by the Company or the Foreign Registrar, or the deposit of Shares, in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the American Depositary Shares or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities or (iv) any other reason that, at the time, is permitted under paragraph I(A)(1) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 under the Securities Act of 1933 or any successor to that provision.
The Depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under the Deposit Agreement any Shares that, at the time of deposit, are Restricted Securities.
4. LIABILITY OF OWNER FOR TAXES.
If any tax or other governmental charge shall become payable by the Custodian or the Depositary with respect to or in connection with any American Depositary Shares or any Deposited Securities represented by any American Depositary Shares or in connection with a transaction to which Section 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement applies, that tax or other governmental charge shall be payable by the Owner of those American Depositary Shares to the Depositary. The Depositary may refuse to register any transfer of those American Depositary Shares or any withdrawal of Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares until that payment is made, and may withhold any dividends or other distributions or the proceeds thereof, or may sell for the account of the Owner any part or all of the Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares, and may apply those dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds of any sale of that kind in payment of that tax or other governmental charge but, even after a sale of that kind, the Owner shall remain liable for any deficiency. The Depositary shall distribute any net proceeds of a sale made under Section 3.2 of the Deposit Agreement that are not used to pay taxes or governmental charges to the Owners entitled to them in accordance with Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a sale of Deposited Securities under Section 3.2 of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them.
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5. WARRANTIES ON DEPOSIT OF SHARES.
Every person depositing Shares under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant that those Shares and each certificate therefor, if applicable, are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and were not issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights of the holders of outstanding securities of the Company and that the person making that deposit is duly authorized so to do. Every depositing person shall also be deemed to represent that the Shares, at the time of deposit, are not Restricted Securities. All representations and warranties deemed made under Section 3.3 of the Deposit Agreement shall survive the deposit of Shares and delivery of American Depositary Shares.
6. FILING PROOFS, CERTIFICATES, AND OTHER INFORMATION.
Any person presenting Shares for deposit or any Owner or Holder may be required from time to time to file with the Depositary or the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, exchange control approval, or such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, as the Depositary may deem necessary or proper. The Depositary may withhold the delivery or registration of transfer of any American Depositary Shares, the distribution of any dividend or other distribution or of the proceeds thereof or the delivery of any Deposited Securities until that proof or other information is filed or those certificates are executed or those representations and warranties are made. As conditions of accepting Shares for deposit, the Depositary may require (i) any certification required by the Depositary or the Custodian in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, (ii) a written order directing the Depositary to deliver to, or upon the written order of, the person or persons stated in that order, the number of American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Shares, (iii) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that those Shares have been re-registered in the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar in the name of the Depositary, a Custodian or a nominee of the Depositary or a Custodian, (iv) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that any necessary approval has been granted by any governmental body in each applicable jurisdiction and (v) an agreement or assignment, or other instrument satisfactory to the Depositary, that provides for the prompt transfer to the Custodian of any dividend, or right to subscribe for additional Shares or to receive other property, that any person in whose name those Shares are or have been recorded may thereafter receive upon or in respect of those Shares, or, in lieu thereof, such agreement of indemnity or other agreement as shall be satisfactory to the Depositary.
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7. CHARGES OF DEPOSITARY.
The following charges shall be incurred by any party depositing or withdrawing Shares or by any party surrendering American Depositary Shares or to whom American Depositary Shares are issued (including, without limitation, issuance pursuant to a stock dividend or stock split declared by the Company or an exchange of stock regarding the American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or a delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement), or by Owners, as applicable: (1) taxes and other governmental charges, (2) such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of transfers of Shares generally on the Share register of the Company or Foreign Registrar and applicable to transfers of Shares to or from the name of the Depositary or its nominee or the Custodian or its nominee on the making of deposits or withdrawals hereunder, (3) such cable (including SWIFT) and facsimile transmission fees and expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement, (4) such expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency pursuant to Section 4.5 of the Deposit Agreement, (5) a fee of $5.00 or less per 100 American Depositary Shares (or portion thereof) for the delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.3, 4.3 or 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement and the surrender of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.5 or 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement, (6) a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) for any cash distribution made pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, including, but not limited to Sections 4.1 through 4.4 and 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement, (7) a fee for the distribution of securities pursuant to Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement or of rights pursuant to Section 4.4 of that Agreement (where the Depositary will not exercise or sell those rights on behalf of Owners), such fee being in an amount equal to the fee for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Shares referred to above which would have been charged as a result of the deposit of such securities under the Deposit Agreement (for purposes of this item 7 treating all such securities as if they were Shares) but which securities are instead distributed by the Depositary to Owners, (8) in addition to any fee charged under item 6, a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) per annum for depositary services, which will be payable as provided in item 9 below, and (9) any other charges payable by the Depositary or the Custodian, any of the Depositary's or Custodian’s agents or the agents of the Depositary's or Custodian’s agents, in connection with the servicing of Shares or other Deposited Securities (which charges shall be assessed against Owners as of the date or dates set by the Depositary in accordance with Section 4.6 of the Deposit Agreement and shall be payable at the sole discretion of the Depositary by billing those Owners for those charges or by deducting those charges from one or more cash dividends or other cash distributions).
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The Depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable, or by selling a portion of any securities to be distributed, to Owners that are obligated to pay those fees.
The Depositary may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its affiliates and in American Depositary Shares.
From time to time, the Depositary may make payments to the Company to reimburse the Company for costs and expenses generally arising out of establishment and maintenance of the American Depositary Shares program, waive fees and expenses for services provided by the Depositary or share revenue from the fees collected from Owners or Holders. In performing its duties under the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may use brokers, dealers, foreign currency dealers or other service providers that are owned by or affiliated with the Depositary and that may earn or share fees, spreads or commissions.
8. DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS.
When required in order to comply with applicable laws and regulations, the rules and requirements of the Tel Aviv stock exchange, and of any other stock exchange on which the Shares or American Depositary Shares are, or may be, registered, traded or listed and any book-entry settlement system or the articles of association or similar document of the Company, the Company may from time to time request each Owner and Holder to provide to the Depositary information relating to: (a) the capacity in which it holds American Depositary Shares, (b) the identity of any Holders or other persons or entities then or previously interested in those American Depositary Shares and the nature of those interests and (c) any other matter where disclosure of such matter is required for that compliance. Each Owner and Holder agrees to provide all information known to it in response to a request made pursuant to Section 3.4 of the Deposit Agreement. Each Holder consents to the disclosure by the Depositary and the Owner or other Holder through which it holds American Depositary Shares, directly or indirectly, of all information responsive to a request made pursuant to that Section relating to that Holder that is known to that Owner or other Holder.
9. TITLE TO AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES.
It is a condition of the American Depositary Shares, and every successive Owner and Holder of American Depositary Shares, by accepting or holding the same, consents and agrees that American Depositary Shares evidenced by a Receipt, when the Receipt is properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer, shall be transferable as certificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York, and that American Depositary Shares not evidenced by Receipts shall be transferable as uncertificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York. The Depositary, notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, may treat the Owner of American Depositary Shares as the absolute owner thereof for the purpose of determining the person entitled to distribution of dividends or other distributions or to any notice provided for in the Deposit Agreement and for all other purposes, and neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation or be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement to any Holder of American Depositary Shares, but only to the Owner.
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10. VALIDITY OF RECEIPT.
This Receipt shall not be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless this Receipt shall have been (i) executed by the Depositary by the manual signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary or (ii) executed by the facsimile signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary and countersigned by the manual signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar or a co-registrar.
11. REPORTS; INSPECTION OF TRANSFER BOOKS.
The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, accordingly, files certain reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Those reports will be available for inspection and copying through the Commission's EDGAR system or at public reference facilities maintained by the Commission in Washington, D.C.
The Depositary will make available for inspection by Owners at its Office any reports, notices and other communications, including any proxy soliciting material, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made generally available to the holders of those Deposited Securities by the Company. The Company shall furnish reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting material to which Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement applies, to the Depositary in English, to the extent such materials are required to be translated into English pursuant to any regulations of the Commission.
The Depositary will maintain a register of American Depositary Shares and transfers of American Depositary Shares, which shall be open for inspection by the Owners at the Depositary’s Office during regular business hours, but only for the purpose of communicating with Owners regarding the business of the Company or a matter related to the Deposit Agreement or the American Depositary Shares.
12. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS.
Whenever the Depositary receives any cash dividend or other cash distribution on Deposited Securities, the Depositary will, if at the time of receipt thereof any amounts received in a foreign currency can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, and subject to the Deposit Agreement, convert that dividend or other cash distribution into Dollars and distribute the amount thus received (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement) to the Owners entitled thereto; provided, however, that if the Custodian or the Depositary is required to withhold and does withhold from that cash dividend or other cash distribution an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Owners of the American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly.
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If a cash distribution would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may:
(i) require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that cash distribution; or
(ii) sell all Deposited Securities other than the subject cash distribution and add any net cash proceeds of that sale to the cash distribution, call for surrender of all those American Depositary Shares and require that surrender as a condition of making that cash distribution.
If the Depositary acts under this paragraph, that action shall also be a Termination Option Event.
Subject to the provisions of Section 4.11 and 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement, whenever the Depositary receives any distribution other than a distribution described in Section 4.1, 4.3 or 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement on Deposited Securities (but not in exchange for or in conversion or in lieu of Deposited Securities), the Depositary will cause the securities or property received by it to be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto, after deduction or upon payment of any fees and expenses of the Depositary and any taxes or other governmental charges, in any manner that the Depositary deems equitable and practicable for accomplishing that distribution (which may be a distribution of depositary shares representing the securities received); provided, however, that if in the opinion of the Depositary such distribution cannot be made proportionately among the Owners entitled thereto, or if for any other reason the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, deems such distribution not to be lawful and feasible, the Depositary may adopt such other method as it may deem equitable and practicable for the purpose of effecting such distribution, including, but not limited to, the public or private sale of the securities or property thus received, or any part thereof, and distribution of the net proceeds of any such sale (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement) to the Owners entitled thereto all in the manner and subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary may withhold any distribution of securities under Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement if it has not received satisfactory assurances from the Company that the distribution does not require registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of securities or other property it would otherwise distribute under this Article that is sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution.
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If a distribution to be made under Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may:
(i) require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that distribution; or
(ii) sell all Deposited Securities other than the subject distribution and add any net cash proceeds of that sale to the distribution, call for surrender of all those American Depositary Shares and require that surrender as a condition of making that distribution.
If the Depositary acts under this paragraph, that action shall also be a Termination Option Event.
Whenever the Depositary receives any distribution consisting of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Depositary may, and shall if the Company so requests in writing, deliver to the Owners entitled thereto, an aggregate number of American Depositary Shares representing the amount of Shares received as that dividend or free distribution, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement with respect to the deposit of Shares and issuance of American Depositary Shares, including the withholding of any tax or other governmental charge as provided in Section 4.11 of the Deposit Agreement and the payment of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement (and the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of Shares received (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution). In lieu of delivering fractional American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may sell the amount of Shares represented by the aggregate of those fractions (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) and distribute the net proceeds, all in the manner and subject to the conditions described in Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement. If and to the extent that additional American Depositary Shares are not delivered and Shares or American Depositary Shares are not sold, each American Depositary Share shall thenceforth also represent the additional Shares distributed on the Deposited Securities represented thereby.
If the Company declares a distribution in which holders of Deposited Securities have a right to elect whether to receive cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of those things, or a right to elect to have a distribution sold on their behalf, the Depositary may, after consultation with the Company, make that right of election available for exercise by Owners in any manner the Depositary considers to be lawful and practical. As a condition of making a distribution election right available to Owners, the Depositary may require satisfactory assurances from the Company that doing so does not require registration of any securities under the Securities Act of 1933 that has not been effected.
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If the Depositary determines that any distribution received or to be made by the Depositary (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charge that the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, all or a portion of the distributed property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in the amounts and manner the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay those taxes or charges, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of that sale, after deduction of those taxes or charges, to the Owners entitled thereto in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively.
Each Owner and Holder agrees to indemnify the Company, the Depositary, the Custodian and their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless against, any claim by any governmental authority with respect to taxes, additions to tax, penalties or interest arising out of any refund of taxes, reduced withholding at source or other tax benefit received by it. Services for Owners and Holders that may permit them to obtain reduced rates of tax withholding at source or reclaim excess tax withheld, and the fees and costs associated with using services of that kind, are not provided under, and are outside the scope of, the Deposit Agreement.
13. RIGHTS.
(a) If rights are granted to the Depositary in respect of deposited Shares to purchase additional Shares or other securities, the Company and the Depositary shall endeavor to consult as to the actions, if any, the Depositary should take in connection with that grant of rights. The Depositary may, to the extent deemed by it to be lawful and practical (i) if requested in writing by the Company, grant to all or certain Owners rights to instruct the Depositary to purchase the securities to which the rights relate and deliver those securities or American Depositary Shares representing those securities to Owners, (ii) if requested in writing by the Company, deliver the rights to or to the order of certain Owners, or (iii) sell the rights to the extent practicable and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to Owners entitled to those proceeds. To the extent rights are not exercised, delivered or disposed of under (i), (ii) or (iii) above, the Depositary shall permit the rights to lapse unexercised.
(b) If the Depositary will act under (a)(i) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon instruction from an applicable Owner in the form the Depositary specified and upon payment by that Owner to the Depositary of an amount equal to the purchase price of the securities to be received upon the exercise of the rights, the Depositary shall, on behalf of that Owner, exercise the rights and purchase the securities. The purchased securities shall be delivered to, or as instructed by, the Depositary. The Depositary shall (i) deposit the purchased Shares under the Deposit Agreement and deliver American Depositary Shares representing those Shares to that Owner or (ii) deliver or cause the purchased Shares or other securities to be delivered to or to the order of that Owner. The Depositary will not act under (a)(i) above unless the offer and sale of the securities to which the rights relate are registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Depositary has received an opinion of United States counsel that is satisfactory to it to the effect that those securities may be sold and delivered to the applicable Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933.
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(c) If the Depositary will act under (a)(ii) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon (i) the request of an applicable Owner to deliver the rights allocable to the American Depositary Shares of that Owner to an account specified by that Owner to which the rights can be delivered and (ii) receipt of such documents as the Company and the Depositary agreed to require to comply with applicable law, the Depositary will deliver those rights as requested by that Owner.
(d) If the Depositary will act under (a)(iii) above, the Depositary will use reasonable efforts to sell the rights in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by the applicable Owners and pay the net proceeds to the Owners otherwise entitled to the rights that were sold, upon an averaged or other practical basis without regard to any distinctions among such Owners because of exchange restrictions or the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise.
(e) Payment or deduction of the fees of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement and payment or deduction of the expenses of the Depositary and any applicable taxes or other governmental charges shall be conditions of any delivery of securities or payment of cash proceeds under Section 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement.
(f) The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make rights available to or exercise rights on behalf of Owners in general or any Owner in particular , or to sell rights.
14. CONVERSION OF FOREIGN CURRENCY.
Whenever the Depositary or the Custodian receives foreign currency, by way of dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of securities, property or rights, and if at the time of the receipt thereof the foreign currency so received can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars and the resulting Dollars transferred to the United States, the Depositary or one of its agents or affiliates or the Custodian shall convert or cause to be converted by sale or in any other manner that it may determine that foreign currency into Dollars, and those Dollars shall be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto. A cash distribution may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among Owners based on exchange restrictions, the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise and shall be net of any expenses of conversion into Dollars incurred by the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement.
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If a conversion of foreign currency or the repatriation or distribution of Dollars can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the Depositary may, but will not be required to, file an application for that approval or license.
If the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, determines that in its judgment any foreign currency received by the Depositary or the Custodian is not convertible on a reasonable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, or if any approval or license of any government or agency thereof that is required for such conversion is not filed or sought by the Depositary or is not obtained within a reasonable period as determined by the Depositary, the Depositary may distribute the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or in its discretion may hold such foreign currency uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled to receive the same.
If any conversion of foreign currency, in whole or in part, cannot be effected for distribution to some of the Owners entitled thereto, the Depositary may in its discretion make that conversion and distribution in Dollars to the extent practicable and permissible to the Owners entitled thereto and may distribute the balance of the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or hold that balance uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the account of, the Owners entitled thereto.
The Depositary may convert currency itself or through any of its affiliates, or the Custodian or the Company may convert currency and pay Dollars to the Depositary. Where the Depositary converts currency itself or through any of its affiliates, the Depositary acts as principal for its own account and not as agent, advisor, broker or fiduciary on behalf of any other person and earns revenue, including, without limitation, transaction spreads, that it will retain for its own account. The revenue is based on, among other things, the difference between the exchange rate assigned to the currency conversion made under the Deposit Agreement and the rate that the Depositary or its affiliate receives when buying or selling foreign currency for its own account. The Depositary makes no representation that the exchange rate used or obtained by it or its affiliate in any currency conversion under the Deposit Agreement will be the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to Owners, subject to the Depositary’s obligations under Section 5.3 of that Agreement. The methodology used to determine exchange rates used in currency conversions made by the Depositary is available upon request. Where the Custodian converts currency, the Custodian has no obligation to obtain the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or to ensure that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to Owners, and the Depositary makes no representation that the rate is the most favorable rate and will not be liable for any direct or indirect losses associated with the rate. In certain instances, the Depositary may receive dividends or other distributions from the Company in Dollars that represent the proceeds of a conversion of foreign currency or translation from foreign currency at a rate that was obtained or determined by or on behalf of the Company and, in such cases, the Depositary will not engage in, or be responsible for, any foreign currency transactions and neither it nor the Company makes any representation that the rate obtained or determined by the Company is the most favorable rate and neither it nor the Company will be liable for any direct or indirect losses associated with the rate.
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15. RECORD DATES.
Whenever a cash dividend, cash distribution or any other distribution is made on Deposited Securities or rights to purchase Shares or other securities are issued with respect to Deposited Securities (which rights will be delivered to or exercised or sold on behalf of Owners in accordance with Section 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement) or the Depositary receives notice that a distribution or issuance of that kind will be made, or whenever the Depositary receives notice that a meeting of holders of Shares will be held in respect of which the Company has requested the Depositary to send a notice under Section 4.7 of the Deposit Agreement, or whenever the Depositary will assess a fee or charge against the Owners, or whenever the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each American Depositary Share, or whenever the Depositary otherwise finds it necessary or convenient, the Depositary shall fix a record date, which shall be the same as, or as near as practicable to, any corresponding record date set by the Company with respect to Shares, (a) for the determination of the Owners (i) who shall be entitled to receive the benefit of that dividend or other distribution or those rights, (ii) who shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at that meeting, (iii) who shall be responsible for that fee or charge or (iv) for any other purpose for which the record date was set, or (b) on or after which each American Depositary Share will represent the changed number of Shares. Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.1 through 4.5 of the Deposit Agreement and to the other terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, the Owners on a record date fixed by the Depositary shall be entitled to receive the amount distributable by the Depositary with respect to that dividend or other distribution or those rights or the net proceeds of sale thereof in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively, to give voting instructions or to act in respect of the other matter for which that record date was fixed, or be responsible for that fee or charge, as the case may be.
16. VOTING OF DEPOSITED SHARES.
(a) Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of Shares at which holders of Shares will be entitled to vote, if requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, Disseminate to the Owners a notice, the form of which shall be in the sole discretion of the Depositary, that shall contain (i) the information contained in the notice of meeting received by the Depositary from the Company, (ii) a statement that the Owners as of the close of business on a specified record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable provision of Israeli law and of the articles of association or similar documents of the Company, to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount of Shares represented by their respective American Depositary Shares, (iii) a statement as to the manner in which those instructions may be given and (iv) the last date on which the Depositary will accept instructions (the “Instruction Cutoff Date”).
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(b) Upon the written request of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, as of the date of the request or, if a record date was specified by the Depositary, as of that record date, received on or before any Instruction Cutoff Date established by the Depositary, the Depositary may, and if the Depositary sent a notice under the preceding paragraph shall, endeavor, in so far as practicable, to vote or cause to be voted the amount of deposited Shares represented by those American Depositary Shares in accordance with the instructions set forth in that request. The Depositary shall not vote or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to the deposited Shares other than in accordance with instructions given by Owners and received by the Depositary.
(c) There can be no assurance that Owners generally or any Owner in particular will receive the notice described in paragraph (a) above in time to enable Owners to give instructions to the Depositary prior to the Instruction Cutoff Date.
(d) In order to give Owners a reasonable opportunity to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to Shares, if the Company will request the Depositary to Disseminate a notice under paragraph (a) above, the Company shall give the Depositary notice of the meeting, details concerning the matters to be voted upon and copies of materials to be made available to holders of Shares in connection with the meeting not less than 45 days prior to the meeting date.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in Section 4.7 of the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may from time to time modify the procedures, or adopt additional procedures, relating to voting of Deposited Securities as they determine may be necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable law or the articles of association or similar documents of the Company.
17. TENDER AND EXCHANGE OFFERS; REDEMPTION, REPLACEMENT OR CANCELLATION OF DEPOSITED SECURITIES.
(a) The Depositary shall not tender any Deposited Securities in response to any voluntary cash tender offer, exchange offer or similar offer made to holders of Deposited Securities (a “Voluntary Offer”), except when instructed in writing to do so by an Owner surrendering American Depositary Shares and subject to any conditions or procedures the Depositary may require.
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(b) If the Depositary receives a written notice that Deposited Securities have been redeemed for cash or otherwise purchased for cash in a transaction that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of those Deposited Securities (a “Redemption”), the Depositary, at the expense of the Company (unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Company and the Depositary), shall (i) if required, surrender Deposited Securities that have been redeemed to the issuer of those securities or its agent on the redemption date, (ii) Disseminate a notice to Owners (A) notifying them of that Redemption, (B) calling for surrender of a corresponding number of American Depositary Shares and (C) notifying them that the called American Depositary Shares have been converted into a right only to receive the money received by the Depositary upon that Redemption and those net proceeds shall be the Deposited Securities to which Owners of those converted American Depositary Shares shall be entitled upon surrenders of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 or 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement and (iii) distribute the money received upon that Redemption to the Owners entitled to it upon surrender by them of called American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 of that Agreement (and, for the avoidance of doubt, Owners shall not be entitled to receive that money under Section 4.1 of that Agreement). If the Redemption affects less than all the Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall call for surrender a corresponding portion of the outstanding American Depositary Shares and only those American Depositary Shares will automatically be converted into a right to receive the net proceeds of the Redemption. The Depositary shall allocate the American Depositary Shares converted under the preceding sentence among the Owners pro-rata to their respective holdings of American Depositary Shares immediately prior to the Redemption, except that the allocations may be adjusted so that no fraction of a converted American Depositary Share is allocated to any Owner. A Redemption of all or substantially all of the Deposited Securities shall be a Termination Option Event.
(c) If the Depositary is notified of or there occurs any change in nominal value or any subdivision, combination or any other reclassification of the Deposited Securities or any recapitalization, reorganization, sale of assets substantially as an entirety, merger or consolidation affecting the issuer of the Deposited Securities or to which it is a party that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of Deposited Securities and, as a result, securities or other property have been or will be delivered in exchange, conversion, replacement or in lieu of, Deposited Securities (a “Replacement”), the Depositary shall, if required, surrender the old Deposited Securities affected by that Replacement of Shares and hold, as new Deposited Securities under the Deposit Agreement, the new securities or other property delivered to it in that Replacement. However, the Depositary may elect to sell those new Deposited Securities if in the opinion of the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, it is not lawful or not practical for it to hold those new Deposited Securities under the Deposit Agreement because those new Deposited Securities may not be distributed to Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or for any other reason, at public or private sale, at such places and on such terms as it deems proper and proceed as if those new Deposited Securities had been Redeemed under paragraph (b) above. A Replacement shall be a Termination Option Event.
(d) In the case of a Replacement where the new Deposited Securities will continue to be held under the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may call for the surrender of outstanding Receipts to be exchanged for new Receipts specifically describing the new Deposited Securities and the number of those new Deposited Securities represented by each American Depositary Share. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a Replacement, the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, may call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them.
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(e) If there are no Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares, including if the Deposited Securities are cancelled, or the Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares have become apparently worthless, the Depositary may call for surrender of those American Depositary Shares or may cancel those American Depositary Shares, upon notice to Owners, and that condition shall be a Termination Option Event.
18. LIABILITY OF THE COMPANY AND DEPOSITARY.
Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents or affiliates shall incur any liability to any Owner or Holder:
(i) if by reason of (A) any provision of any present or future law or regulation or other act of the government of the United States, any State of the United States or any other state or jurisdiction, or of any governmental or regulatory authority or stock exchange; (B) (in the case of the Depositary only) any provision, present or future, of the articles of association or similar document of the Company, or by reason of any provision of any securities issued or distributed by the Company, or any offering or distribution thereof; or (C) any event or circumstance, whether natural or caused by a person or persons, that is beyond the ability of the Depositary or the Company, as the case may be, to prevent or counteract by reasonable care or effort (including, but not limited to earthquakes, floods, severe storms, fires, explosions, war, terrorism, civil unrest, labor disputes, criminal acts or outbreaks of infectious disease; interruptions or malfunctions of utility services, Internet or other communications lines or systems; unauthorized access to or attacks on computer systems or websites; or other failures or malfunctions of computer hardware or software or other systems or equipment), the Depositary or the Company is, directly or indirectly, prevented from, forbidden to or delayed in, or could be subject to any civil or criminal penalty on account of doing or performing and therefore does not do or perform, any act or thing that, by the terms of the Deposit Agreement or the Deposited Securities, it is provided shall be done or performed;
(ii) for any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the Deposit Agreement (including any determination by the Depositary to take, or not take, any action that the Deposit Agreement provides the Depositary may take);
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(iii) for the inability of any Owner or Holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit that is made available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, made available to Owners or Holders; or
(iv) for any special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the Deposit Agreement.
Where, by the terms of a distribution to which Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement applies, or an offering to which Section 4.4 of that Agreement applies, or for any other reason, that distribution or offering may not be made available to Owners, and the Depositary may not dispose of that distribution or offering on behalf of Owners and make the net proceeds available to Owners, then the Depositary shall not make that distribution or offering available to Owners, and shall allow any rights, if applicable, to lapse.
Neither the Company, nor the Depositary, nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates assumes any obligation or shall be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement to Owners or Holders, except that each of the Company and the Depositary agree to perform their obligations specifically set forth in the Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith. The Depositary shall not be a fiduciary or have any fiduciary duty to Owners or Holders. The Depositary shall not be subject to any liability with respect to the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit, or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the American Depositary Shares, on behalf of any Owner or Holder or other person. Neither the Depositary, nor the Company, nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates shall be liable for any action or non-action by it in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Owner or Holder, or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. Each of the Depositary and the Company may rely, and shall be protected in relying upon, any written notice, request, direction or other document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties. The Depositary shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with a matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises, the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary. The Depositary shall not be liable for the acts or omissions of any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system in connection with or arising out of book-entry settlement of American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or otherwise. In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities or for the manner in which any such vote is cast or the effect of any such vote. The Depositary shall have no duty to make any determination or provide any information as to the tax status of the Company, nor shall the Company or the Depositary have any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by Owners or Holders as a result of owning or holding American Depositary Shares. The Depositary shall not be liable for the inability or failure of an Owner or Holder to obtain the benefit of a foreign tax credit, reduced rate of withholding or refund of amounts withheld in respect of tax or any other tax benefit.
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19. RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF THE DEPOSITARY; APPOINTMENT OF SUCCESSOR CUSTODIAN.
The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary under the Deposit Agreement by written notice of its election so to do delivered to the Company, to become effective upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by 120 days’ prior written notice of that removal, to become effective upon the later of (i) the 120th day after delivery of the notice to the Depositary and (ii) the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of its appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary in its discretion may at any time appoint a substitute or additional custodian or custodians.
20. AMENDMENT.
The form of the Receipts and any provisions of the Deposit Agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended by agreement between the Company and the Depositary without the consent of Owners or Holders in any respect which they may deem necessary or desirable. Any amendment that would impose or increase any fees or charges (other than taxes and other governmental charges, registration fees, cable (including SWIFT) or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or that would otherwise prejudice any substantial existing right of Owners, shall, however, not become effective as to outstanding American Depositary Shares until the expiration of 30 days after notice of that amendment has been Disseminated to the Owners of outstanding American Depositary Shares. Every Owner and Holder, at the time any amendment so becomes effective, shall be deemed, by continuing to hold American Depositary Shares or any interest therein, to consent and agree to that amendment and to be bound by the Deposit Agreement as amended thereby. Upon the effectiveness of an amendment to the form of Receipt, including a change in the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share, the Depositary may call for surrender of Receipts to be replaced with new Receipts in the amended form or call for surrender of American Depositary Shares to effect that change of ratio. In no event shall any amendment impair the right of the Owner to surrender American Depositary Shares and receive delivery of the Deposited Securities represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.
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21. TERMINATION OF DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.
(a) The Company may initiate termination of the Deposit Agreement by notice to the Depositary. The Depositary may initiate termination of the Deposit Agreement if (i) at any time 60 days shall have expired after the Depositary delivered to the Company a written resignation notice and a successor depositary has not been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4 of that Agreement or (ii) a Termination Option Event has occurred. If termination of the Deposit Agreement is initiated, the Depositary shall Disseminate a notice of termination to the Owners of all American Depositary Shares then outstanding setting a date for termination (the “Termination Date”), which shall be at least 90 days after the date of that notice, and the Deposit Agreement shall terminate on that Termination Date.
(b) After the Termination Date, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement except for its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8 and 5.9 of that Agreement.
(c) At any time after the Termination Date, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Securities then held under the Deposit Agreement and may thereafter hold uninvested the net proceeds of any such sale, together with any other cash then held by it hereunder, unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the Owners of American Depositary Shares that remain outstanding, and those Owners will be general creditors of the Depositary with respect to those net proceeds and that other cash. After making that sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement, except (i) to account for the net proceeds and other cash (after deducting, in each case, the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares, any expenses for the account of the Owner of such American Depositary Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes or governmental charges), (ii) for its obligations under Section 5.8 of that Agreement and (iii) to act as provided in paragraph (d) below.
(d) After the Termination Date, the Depositary shall continue to receive dividends and other distributions pertaining to Deposited Securities (that have not been sold), may sell rights and other property as provided in the Deposit Agreement and shall deliver Deposited Securities (or sale proceeds) upon surrender of American Depositary Shares (after payment or upon deduction, in each case, of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares, any expenses for the account of the Owner of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes or governmental charges). After the Termination Date, the Depositary shall not accept deposits of Shares or deliver American Depositary Shares. After the Termination Date, (i) the Depositary may refuse to accept surrenders of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities (that have not been sold) or reverse previously accepted surrenders of that kind that have not settled if in its judgment the requested withdrawal would interfere with its efforts to sell the Deposited Securities, (ii) the Depositary will not be required to deliver cash proceeds of the sale of Deposited Securities until all Deposited Securities have been sold and (iii) the Depositary may discontinue the registration of transfers of American Depositary Shares and suspend the distribution of dividends and other distributions on Deposited Securities to the Owners and need not give any further notices or perform any further acts under the Deposit Agreement except as provided in Section 6.2 of that Agreement.
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22. DTC DIRECT REGISTRATION SYSTEM AND PROFILE MODIFICATION SYSTEM.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.4 of the Deposit Agreement, the parties acknowledge that DTC’s Direct Registration System (“DRS”) and Profile Modification System (“Profile”) apply to the American Depositary Shares upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC that facilitates interchange between registered holding of uncertificated securities and holding of security entitlements in those securities through DTC and a DTC participant. Profile is a required feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, to direct the Depositary to register a transfer of those American Depositary Shares to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the Depositary of prior authorization from the Owner to register that transfer.
(b) In connection with DRS/Profile, the parties acknowledge that the Depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an Owner in requesting registration of transfer and delivery as described in paragraph (a) above has the actual authority to act on behalf of that Owner (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Sections 5.3 and 5.8 of the Deposit Agreement apply to the matters arising from the use of the DRS/Profile. The parties agree that the Depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the Depositary through the DRS/Profile system and otherwise in accordance with the Deposit Agreement, shall not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the Depositary.
23. APPOINTMENT OF AGENT FOR SERVICE OF PROCESS; SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION; JURY TRIAL WAIVER; WAIVER OF IMMUNITIES.
The Company has (i) appointed Puglisi & Associates, 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711 as the Company's authorized agent in the United States upon which process may be served in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or the Deposit Agreement, (ii) consented and submitted to the jurisdiction of any state or federal court in the State of New York in which any such suit or proceeding may be instituted, and (iii) agreed that service of process upon said authorized agent shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any such suit or proceeding.
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EACH PARTY TO THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT (INCLUDING, FOR AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, EACH OWNER AND HOLDER) THEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING AGAINST THE COMPANY AND/OR THE DEPOSITARY DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SHARES OR OTHER DEPOSITED SECURITIES, THE AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES OR THE RECEIPTS, THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREIN OR THEREIN, OR THE BREACH HEREOF OR THEREOF, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY QUESTION REGARDING EXISTENCE, VALIDITY OR TERMINATION (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY) AND ANY CLAIM BASED ON U.S. FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS.
No disclaimer of liability under the United States federal securities laws or the rules and regulations thereunder is intended by any provision of the Deposit Agreement, inasmuch as no person is able to effectively waive the duty of any other person to comply with its obligations under those laws, rules and regulations.
To the extent that the Company or any of its properties, assets or revenues may have or hereafter become entitled to, or have attributed to it, any right of immunity, on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise, from any duty of performance under the Deposit Agreement, claim, legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any respect thereof, from setoff or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any court, from service of process, from attachment upon or prior to judgment, from attachment in aid of execution or judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment, in any jurisdiction in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or the Deposit Agreement, the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by law, hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, and agrees not to plead or claim, any such immunity and consents to such relief and enforcement.
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Exhibit 5.1
Eli Kulas. Adv. Notary & Mediator – Of Counsel Eli Chenchinski, Adv. - Of Counsel Yaacov Wagner, Senior judge (retired), Adv.- L.L.M, Mediator & Arbitrator- Of Counsel Jan Robinsohn, M.Jur. Adv. & Notary - Of Counsel ***** Giora Amir (1928-2020) |
mail@dtkgg.com www.dtkgg.com |
Haifa & Northern: 7 Palyam Blvd. Haifa, (Phoenix House) 7th Floor, 3309510 Tel. +972-4-8147500 | Fax 972-4-8555976 Banking & Collection, 6th Floor Tel. 972-4-8353700 | Fax 972-4-8702477 |
Central: B.S.R. Tower 4, 33th Floor, 7 metsada St. Bnei Brak, 5126112 Tel. 972-3-6109100 | Fax +972-3-6127449 Tel. 972-3-6133371 | Fax +972-3-6133372 Tel. 972-3-7940700 | Fax +972-3-7467470 Tel. 972-3-6114455 | Fax +972-3-6131170 | |||
* Member of the New York State Bar ** Member of the Law Society in England & Wales ***Member
of the Bar, Israel and New York; Consular Agent and Honorary Consul of the United States of America (Ret.) ***** Honorary Consul Of The Republic Of Poland (ret.) |
Romania: 7 Franklin, 1st District, Bucharest Cyprus:
9 Zenonos Kitieos St., 2406 |
SRF New York: 1185 Avenue of the Americas,37th Floor | New York, NY 10036 |
Exhibit 5.2
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mwe.com Gary Emmanuel Attorney at Law gemmanuel@mwe.com +1 212 547 5541 |
March 30, 2022
SaverOne 2014 Ltd.
Em Hamoshavot Rd. 94
Petah Tikvah, Israel
Re: Registration Statement on Form F-1
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This opinion is furnished to you in connection with a Registration Statement on Form F-1 (Registration No. 333-263338) (as amended to date, the “Registration Statement”) filed by SaverOne 2014 Ltd., an Israeli company (the “Company”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for the registration by the Company of up to an aggregate amount of $11,500,000 (including in connection with an over-allotment option granted to the Underwriter (as defined below)) of American Depositary Shares (the “ADSs”), each ADS representing three ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”), and (ii) warrants to purchase ADSs (the “Underwriter Warrants”) issuable to the Underwriter (collectively, the “Securities”). The Securities are being registered by the Company, which has engaged ThinkEquity LLC (the “Underwriter”) to act as the underwriter in connection with a public offering of the Company’s Securities (the “Offering”).
We are acting as U.S. securities counsel for the Company in connection with the Registration Statement. We have examined signed copies of the Registration Statement and have also examined and relied upon minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors of the Company as provided to us by the Company, the articles of association of the Company, as restated and/or amended to date, and such other documents as we have deemed necessary for purposes of rendering the opinion hereinafter set forth.
In our examination of the foregoing documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies, the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents and the legal competence of all signatories to such documents. Other than our examination of the documents indicated above, we have made no other examination in connection with this opinion. Because the Underwriter Warrants contain provisions stating that they are to be governed by the laws of the State of New York, we are rendering this opinion as to New York law. We are admitted to practice in the State of New York, and we express no opinion as to any matters governed by any law other than the law of the State of New York. With respect to the Ordinary Shares underlying the ADSs and the Ordinary Shares underlying the ADSs underlying the Underwriter Warrants being duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, we have relied on the opinion of Doron, Tikotzky, Kantor, Gutman, Nass, Amit, Gross & Co. filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement as filed with the Commission.
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mwe.com Gary Emmanuel Attorney at Law gemmanuel@mwe.com +1 212 547 5541 |
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that, when the Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act, the Underwriter Warrants, if and when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Offering, will be valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.
The opinion set forth herein is rendered as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update such opinion to reflect any facts or circumstances which may hereafter come to our attention or any changes in the law which may hereafter occur (which may have retroactive effect). In addition, the foregoing opinions are qualified to the extent that (a) enforceability may be limited by and be subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law (including, without limitation, concepts of notice and materiality), and by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws affecting creditors' and debtors' rights generally (including, without limitation, any state or federal law in respect of fraudulent transfers); and (b) no opinion is expressed herein as to compliance with or the effect of federal or state securities or blue sky laws.
This opinion is rendered to you in connection with the Registration Statement. This opinion may not be relied upon for any other purpose, or furnished to, quoted or relied upon by any other person, firm or corporation for any purpose, without our prior written consent, except that (A) this opinion may be furnished or quoted to judicial or regulatory authorities having jurisdiction over you, and (B) this opinion may be relied upon by holders of the Warrants currently entitled to rely on it pursuant to applicable provisions of federal securities law.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.2 to the Registration Statement and to the reference to this firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement and in any Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act. In giving such consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission.
Very truly yours, | |
/s/ McDermott Will & Emery LLP |
Exhibit 10.1
SaverOne 2014 Ltd.
Date: __________________
To
___________________
Hello,
Re: Letter of indemnification
Whereas, pursuant to section 152 of the articles of association of SaverOne 2014 Ltd. (the “Company”), the Company may exempt its Officers from liability as detailed below, and further to obtaining all the necessary approvals under law for the provision of an indemnification, in advance, to the Officers of the Company who currently serve as officers and shall serve as such from time to time, we hereby inform you that since you currently serve as an officer and/or have served as an officer and/or may serve as an officer of the Company and/or any subsidiary of the Company and/or any related company, the Company confirms and undertakes, subject to the provisions of any law, as follows:
Subject to the provisions of any law, the Company hereby exempts you in advance from any liability for any damage it may incur as of the date of this Letter of Indemnification, if such is incurred, directly or indirectly, due to any breach of your duty of care to the Company following an action performed by you in good faith and as part of your position as an Officer, as this term is defined below.
The undertakings of the Company under this Letter of Indemnification shall be construed liberally in a manner intended to fulfill such, to the extent permitted under law, and for the purpose thereof. In case of any contradiction between a provision of this Letter of Indemnification and a provision of the law that may not be stipulated on or amended or added to, the provision of law shall prevail, however the above shall not prejudice or derogate from the force of the other provisions of this Letter of Indemnification. The indemnification above from the breach of the duty of care shall not apply to a distribution, transactions with an interested party and in any counterclaim of the Company against the Officer in reply to a claim made by the Officer against the Company, excluding where the claim made by the Officer is for preserving protective rights under labor laws and/or under a personal employment agreement with the Company. It is also clarified that the indemnification above shall not apply in connection with a resolution or a transaction in which the controlling shareholder or the Officer of the Company (including an officer other than the one who was granted this Letter of Indemnification) has a personal interest.
This Letter of Indemnification shall not derogate from the force of any letter of indemnity that has been provided to you by the Company if such has been provided.
“Action or any derivative thereof” | Including a resolution and/or omission (or any derivative thereof) and including actions that predate this letter of indemnification and indemnity during the term of service as a Company Officer. | |
“Officer” | Anyone who serves from time to time as an officer of the Company, as this term is defined in the Companies Law, 5775-1999, or the Securities Law, 5728-1968, as well as any officer of the Company who serves on behalf of the Company as an officer of any other company, a subsidiary of the Company a related company and/or any other corporation of which the Company holds securities, directly and/or indirectly, as of the date of approval of this Letter of Indemnification. |
SaverOne 2014 Ltd. |
I confirm receipt of this Letter and my consent to the terms thereof.
Date: ______________ | _______________________ |
Exhibit 10.2
Saverone 2014 Ltd. | ||
2015 Share Incentive Plan | ||
Unless otherwise defined, terms used herein shall have the meaning ascribed to them in Section 2 hereof.
1. | PURPOSE; TYPES OF AWARDS; CONSTRUCTION. |
1.1. Purpose. The purpose of this 2015 Share Incentive Plan (as amended, this “Plan”) is to afford an incentive to Service Providers of Saverone 2014 Ltd., an Israeli company (together with any successor corporation thereto, the “Company”), or any Affiliate of the Company, which now exists or hereafter is organized or acquired by the Company or its Affiliates, to continue as Service Providers, to increase their efforts on behalf of the Company or its Affiliates and to promote the success of the Company’s business, by providing such Service Providers with opportunities to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company by the issuance of Shares or restricted Shares (“Restricted Shares”) of the Company, and by the grant of options to purchase Shares (“Options”), Restricted Share Units (“RSUs”) and other Share-based Awards pursuant to Sections 11 through 13 of this Plan.
1.2. Types of Awards. This Plan is intended to enable the Company to issue Awards under various tax regimes, including:
(i) pursuant and subject to the provisions of Section 102 of the Ordinance (or the corresponding provision of any subsequently enacted statute, as amended from time to time), and all regulations and interpretations adopted by any competent authority, including the Israeli Income Tax Authority (the “ITA”), including the Income Tax Rules (Tax Benefits in Stock Issuance to Employees) 5763-2003 or such other rules so adopted from time to time (the “Rules”) (such Awards that are intended to be (as set forth in the Award Agreement) and which qualify as such under Section 102 of the Ordinance and the Rules, “102 Awards”);
(ii) pursuant to Section 3(9) of the Ordinance or the corresponding provision of any subsequently enacted statute, as amended from time to time (such Awards, “3(9) Awards”);
(iii) Incentive Stock Options within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code, or the corresponding provision of any subsequently enacted United States federal tax statute, as amended from time to time, to be granted to Employees who are deemed to be residents of the United States, for purposes of taxation, or are otherwise subject to U.S. Federal income tax (such Awards that are intended to be (as set forth in the Award Agreement) and which qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422(b) of the Code, “Incentive Stock Options”); and
(iv) Awards not intended to be (as set forth in the Award Agreement) or which do not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option to be granted to Service Providers who are deemed to be residents of the United States for purposes of taxation, or are otherwise subject to U.S. Federal income tax (“Nonqualified Stock Options”).
In addition to the issuance of Awards under the relevant tax regimes in the United States of America and the State of Israel, and without derogating from the generality of Section 25, this Plan contemplates issuances to Grantees in other jurisdictions or under other tax regimes with respect to which the Committee is empowered, but is not required, to make the requisite adjustments in this Plan and set forth the relevant conditions in an appendix to this Plan or in the Company’s agreement with the Grantee in order to comply with the requirements of such other tax regimes.
1.3. Company Status. This Plan contemplates the issuance of Awards by the Company, both as a private and public company.
1.4. Construction. To the extent any provision herein conflicts with the conditions of any relevant tax law, rule or regulation which are relied upon for tax relief in respect of a particular Award to a Grantee, the Committee is empowered, but is not required, hereunder to determine that the provisions of such law, rule or regulation shall prevail over those of this Plan and to interpret and enforce such prevailing provisions.
2. | DEFINITIONS. |
2.1. Terms Generally. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, (i) the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the singular; (ii) any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms; (iii) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, restatements, supplements or modifications set forth therein or herein), (iv) references to any law, constitution, statute, treaty, regulation, rule or ordinance, including any section or other part thereof shall refer to it as amended from time to time and shall include any successor thereof, (v) reference to a “company” or “entity” shall include a, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, association, trust, unincorporated organization, or a government or agency or political subdivision thereof, and reference to a “person” shall mean any of the foregoing or an individual, (vi) the words “herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be construed to refer to this Plan in its entirety, and not to any particular provision hereof, (vii) all references herein to Sections shall be construed to refer to Sections to this Plan; (viii) the words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation”; and (ix) use of the term “or” is not intended to be exclusive.
2.2. Defined Terms. The following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section 2:
2.3. “Affiliate” shall mean, (i) with respect to any person, any other person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such person (with the term “control” or “controlled by” within the meaning of Rule 405 of Regulation C under the Securities Act), including, without limitation, any Parent or Subsidiary, or (ii) for the purpose of 102 Awards, “Affiliate” shall only mean an “employing company” within the meaning and subject to the conditions of Section 102(a) of the Ordinance.
2.4. “Applicable Law” shall mean any applicable law, rule, regulation, statute, pronouncement, policy, interpretation, judgment, order or decree of any federal, provincial, state or local governmental, regulatory or adjudicative authority or agency, of any jurisdiction, and the rules and regulations of any stock exchange, over-the-counter market or trading system on which the Company’s shares are then traded or listed.
2.5. “Award” shall mean any Option, Restricted Share, RSUs or any other Share-based award granted under this Plan.
2.6. “Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
2.7. “Code” shall mean the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and any applicable regulations promulgated thereunder, all as amended.
2.8. “Committee” shall mean a committee established or appointed by the Board to administer this Plan, subject to Section 3.1.
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2.9. “Companies Law” shall mean the Israel Companies Law, 5759-1999, and the regulations promulgated thereunder, all as amended from time to time.
2.10. “Controlling Shareholder” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 32(9) of the Ordinance.
2.11. “Disability” shall mean (i) the inability of a Grantee to engage in any substantial gainful activity or to perform the major duties of the Grantee’s position with the Company or its Affiliates by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months (or such other period as determined by the Committee), as determined by a qualified doctor acceptable to the Company, (ii) if applicable, a “permanent and total disability” as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code or Section 409A(a)(2)(c)(i) of the Code, as amended from time to time, or (iii) as defined in a policy of the Company that the Committee deems applicable to this Plan, or that makes reference to this Plan, for purposes of this definition.
2.12. “Employee” shall mean any person treated as an employee (including an officer or a director who is also treated as an employee) in the records of the Company or any of its Affiliates (and in the case of 102 Awards, subject to Section 9.3 or in the case of Incentive Stock Options, who is an employee for purposes of Section 422 of the Code); provided, however, that neither service as a director nor payment of a director’s fee shall be sufficient to constitute employment for purposes of this Plan. The Company shall determine in good faith and in the exercise of its discretion whether an individual has become or has ceased to be an Employee and the effective date of such individual’s employment or termination of employment, as the case may be. For purposes of a person’s rights, if any, under this Plan as of the time of the Company’s determination, all such determinations by the Company shall be final, binding and conclusive, notwithstanding that the Company or any court of law or governmental agency subsequently makes a contrary determination.
2.13. “employment”, “employed” and words of similar import shall be deemed to refer to the employment of Employees or to the services of any other Service Provider, as the case may be.
2.14. “exercise” “exercised” and words of similar import, when referring to an Award that does not require exercise or that is settled upon vesting (such as may be the case with RSUs or Restricted Shares, if so determined in their terms), shall be deemed to refer to the vesting of such an Award (regardless of whether or not the wording included reference to vesting of such an Awards explicitly).
2.15. “Exercise Period” shall mean the period, commencing on the date of grant of an Award, during which an Award shall be exercisable, subject to any vesting provisions thereof (including any acceleration thereof, if any) and subject to the termination provisions hereof.
2.16. “Exercise Price” shall mean the exercise price for each Share covered by an Option or the purchase price for each Share covered by any other Award.
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2.17. “Fair Market Value” shall mean, as of any date, the value of a Share or other property as determined by the Board, in its discretion, subject to the following: (i) if, on such date, the Shares are listed on any securities exchange, the average closing sales price per Share on which the Shares are principally traded over the thirty (30) day calendar period preceding the subject date (utilizing all trading days during such 30 calendar day period), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Company deems reliable; (ii) if, on such date, the Shares are then quoted in an over-the-counter market, the average of the closing bid and asked prices for the Shares in that market during the thirty (30) day calendar period preceding the subject date (utilizing all trading days during such 30 calendar day period), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Company deems reliable; (iii) if, on such date, the Shares are not then listed on a securities exchange or quoted in an over-the-counter market, or in case of any other property, such value as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine, with full authority to determine the method for making such determination and which determination shall be conclusive and binding on all parties, and shall be made after such consultations with outside legal, accounting and other experts as the Committee may deem advisable; provided, however, that, if applicable, the Fair Market Value of the Shares shall be determined in a manner that satisfies the applicable requirements of and subject to Section 409A of the Code, and with respect to Incentive Stock Options, in a manner that satisfies the applicable requirements of and subject to Section 422 of the Code, subject to Section 422(c)(7) of the Code. The Committee shall maintain a written record of its method of determining such value. If the Shares are listed or quoted on more than one established stock exchange or over-the-counter market, the Committee shall determine the principal such exchange or market and utilize the price of the Shares on that exchange or market (determined as per the method described in clauses (i) or (ii) above, as applicable) for the purpose of determining Fair Market Value.
2.18. “Grantee” shall mean a person who has been granted an Award(s) under this Plan.
2.19. “Ordinance” shall mean the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance (New Version) 1961, and the regulations and rules (including the Rules) promulgated thereunder, all as amended from time to time.
2.20. “Parent” shall mean any company (other than the Company), which now exists or is hereafter organized, (i) in an unbroken chain of companies ending with the Company if, at the time of granting an Award, each of the companies (other than the Company) owns stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other companies in such chain, or (ii) if applicable and for purposes of Incentive Stock Options, that is a “parent corporation” of the Company, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.
2.21. “Retirement” shall mean a Grantee’s retirement pursuant to Applicable Law or in accordance with the terms of any tax-qualified retirement plan maintained by the Company or any of its Affiliates in which the Grantee participates or is subject to.
2.22. “Securities Act” shall mean the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, all as amended from time to time.
2.23. “Service Provider” shall mean an Employee, director, officer, consultant, advisor and any other person or entity who provides services to the Company or any Parent, Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof. Service Providers shall include prospective Service Providers to whom Awards are granted in connection with written offers of an employment or other service relationship with the Company or any Parent, Subsidiary or any Affiliates thereof, provided however that such employment or service shall have actually commenced.
2.24. “Shares” shall mean Ordinary Shares, par value NIS 0.01 of the Company (as adjusted for stock split, reverse stock split, bonus shares, combination or other recapitalization events), or shares of such other class of shares of the Company as shall be designated by the Board in respect of the relevant Award(s). “Shares” include any securities or property issued or distributed with respect thereto.
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2.25. “Subsidiary” shall mean any company (other than the Company), which now exists or is hereafter organized or acquired by the Company, (i) in an unbroken chain of companies beginning with the Company if, at the time of granting an Award, each of the companies other than the last company in the unbroken chain owns stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other companies in such chain, or (ii) if applicable and for purposes of Incentive Stock Options, that is a “subsidiary corporation” of the Company, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.
2.26. “Ten Percent Shareholder” shall mean a Grantee who, at the time an Award is granted to the Grantee, owns shares possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, within the meaning of Section 422(b)(6) of the Code.
2.27. “Trustee” shall mean the trustee appointed by the Committee to hold the Awards (and, in relation with 102 Awards, approved by the ITA), if so appointed.
2.28. Other Defined Terms. The following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Sections set forth below:
Term | Section | |
102 Awards | 1.2(i) | |
102 Capital Gains Track Awards | 9.1 | |
102 Non-Trustee Awards | 9.2 | |
102 Ordinary Income Track Awards | 9.1 | |
102 Trustee Awards | 9.1 | |
3(9) Awards | 1.2(ii) | |
Award Agreement | 6 | |
Cause | 6.6.4.4 | |
Company | 1.1 | |
Effective Date | 24.1 | |
Election | 9.2 | |
Eligible 102 Grantees | 9.3.1 | |
Incentive Stock Options | 1.2(iii) | |
ITA | 1.1(i) | |
Market Stand-Off | 17.1 | |
Market Stand-Off Period | 17.1 | |
Merger/Sale | 14.2 | |
Nonqualified Stock Options | 1.2(iv) | |
Plan | 1.1 | |
Recapitalization | 14.1 | |
Required Holding Period | 9.5 | |
Restricted Period | 11.2 | |
Restricted Share Agreement | 11 | |
Restricted Share Unit Agreement | 12 | |
Restricted Shares | 1.1 | |
RSUs | 1.1 | |
Rules | 1.1(i) | |
Securities | 17.1 | |
Successor Corporation | 14.2.1 | |
Withholding Obligations | 18.5 |
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3. | ADMINISTRATION. |
3.1. To the extent permitted under Applicable Law, the Articles of Association and any other governing document of the Company, this Plan shall be administered by the Committee. In the event that the Board does not appoint or establish a committee to administer this Plan, this Plan shall be administered by the Board. In the event that an action necessary for the administration of this Plan is required under Applicable Law to be taken by the Board without the right of delegation, or if such action or power was explicitly reserved by the Board in appointing, establishing and empowering the Committee, then such action shall be so taken by the Board. In any such event, all references herein to the Committee shall be construed as references to the Board. Even if such a Committee was appointed or established, the Board may take any actions that are stated to be vested in the Committee, and shall not be restricted or limited from exercising all rights, powers and authorities under this Plan or Applicable Law.
3.2. The Board shall appoint the members of the Committee, may from time to time remove members from, or add members to, the Committee, and shall fill vacancies in the Committee, however caused, provided that the composition of the Committee shall at all times be in compliance with any mandatory requirements of Applicable Law, the Articles of Association and any other governing document of the Company. The Committee may select one of its members as its Chairman and shall hold its meetings at such times and places as it shall determine. The Committee may appoint a Secretary, who shall keep records of its meetings, and shall make such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as it shall deem advisable and subject to mandatory requirements of Applicable Law.
3.3. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Plan, any mandatory provisions of Applicable Law and any provisions of any Company policy required under mandatory provisions of Applicable Law, and in addition to the Committee’s powers contained elsewhere in this Plan, the Committee shall have full authority, in its discretion, from time to time and at any time, to determine any of the following, or to recommend to the Board any of the following if it is not authorized to take such action according to Applicable Law:
(i) eligible Grantees,
(ii) grants of Awards and setting the terms and provisions of Award Agreements (which need not be identical) and any other agreements or instruments under which Awards are made, including, but not limited to, the number of Shares underlying each Award and the class of Shares underlying each Award (if more than one class was designated by the Board),
(iii) the time or times at which Awards shall be granted,
(iv) the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to each Award (which need not be identical) and any Shares acquired upon the exercise or (if applicable) vesting thereof, including, without limitation, (1) designating Awards under Section 1.2; (2) the vesting schedule, the acceleration thereof and terms and conditions upon which Awards may be exercised or become vested, (3) the Exercise Price, (4) the method of payment for Shares purchased upon the exercise or (if applicable) vesting of the Awards, (5) the method for satisfaction of any tax withholding obligation arising in connection with the Awards or such Shares, including by the withholding or delivery of Shares, (6) the time of the expiration of the Awards, (7) the effect of the Grantee’s termination of employment with the Company or any of its Affiliates, and (8) all other terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to the Award or the Shares not inconsistent with the terms of this Plan,
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(v) to accelerate, continue, extend or defer the exercisability of any Award or the vesting thereof, including with respect to the period following a Grantee’s termination of employment or other service,
(vi) the interpretation of this Plan and any Award Agreement and the meaning, interpretation and applicability of terms referred to in Applicable Laws,
(vii) policies, guidelines, rules and regulations relating to and for carrying out this Plan, and any amendment, supplement or rescission thereof, as it may deem appropriate,
(viii) to adopt supplements to, or alternative versions of, this Plan, including, without limitation, as it deems necessary or desirable to comply with the laws of, or to accommodate the tax regime or custom of, foreign jurisdictions whose citizens or residents may be granted Awards,
(ix) the Fair Market Value of the Shares or other property,
(x) the tax track (capital gains, ordinary income track or any other track available under the Section 102 of the Ordinance) for the purpose of 102 Awards,
(xi) the authorization and approval of conversion, substitution, cancellation or suspension under and in accordance with this Plan of any or all Awards or Shares,
(xii) the amendment, modification, waiver or supplement of the terms of each outstanding Award (with the consent of the applicable Grantee, if such amendments refers to the increase of the Exercise Price of Awards or reduction of the number of Shared underlying an Award (but, in each case, other than as a result of an adjustment or exercise of rights in accordance with Section 14)) unless otherwise provided under the terms of this Plan,
(xiii) without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and subject to the provisions of Applicable Law, to grant to a Grantee, who is the holder of an outstanding Award, in exchange for the cancellation of such Award, a new Award having an Exercise Price lower than that provided in the Award so canceled and containing such other terms and conditions as the Committee may prescribe in accordance with the provisions of this Plan or to set a new Exercise Price for the same Award lower than that previously provided in the Award,
(xiv) to correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in this Plan or any Award Agreement and all other determinations and take such other actions with respect to this Plan or any Award as it may deem advisable to the extent not inconsistent with the provisions of this Plan or Applicable Law, and
(xv) any other matter which is necessary or desirable for, or incidental to, the administration of this Plan and any Award thereunder.
3.4. The authority granted hereunder includes the authority to modify Awards to eligible individuals who are foreign nationals or are individuals who are employed outside Israel to recognize differences in local law, tax policy or custom, in order to effectuate the purposes of this Plan but without amending this Plan.
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3.5. The Board and the Committee shall be free at all times to make such determinations and take such actions as they deem fit. The Board and the Committee need not take the same action or determination with respect to all Awards, with respect to certain types of Awards, with respect to all Service Providers or any certain type of Service Providers and actions and determinations may differ as among the Grantees, and as between the Grantees and any other holders of securities of the Company.
3.6. All decisions, determinations, and interpretations of the Committee, the Board and the Company under this Plan shall be final and binding on all Grantees (whether before or after the issuance of Shares pursuant to Awards), unless otherwise determined by the Committee, the Board or the Company, respectively. The Committee shall have the authority (but not the obligation) to determine the interpretation and applicability of Applicable Laws to any Grantee or any Awards. No member of the Committee or the Board shall be liable to any Grantee for any action taken or determination made in good faith with respect to this Plan or any Award granted hereunder.
3.7. Any officer or authorized signatory of the Company shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Company with respect to any matter, right, obligation, determination or election which is the responsibility of or which is allocated to the Company herein, provided such person has apparent authority with respect to such matter, right, obligation, determination or election. Such person or authorized signatory shall not be liable to any Grantee for any action taken or determination made in good faith with respect to this Plan or any Award granted hereunder.
4. | ELIGIBILITY. |
Awards may be granted to Service Providers of the Company or any Affiliate thereof, taking into account, at the Committee’s discretion and without an obligation to do so, the qualification under each tax regime pursuant to which such Awards are granted, subject to the limitation on the granting of Incentive Stock Options set forth in Section 8.1. A person who has been granted an Award hereunder may be granted additional Awards, if the Committee shall so determine, subject to the limitations herein. However, eligibility in accordance with this Section 4 shall not entitle any person to be granted an Award, or, having been granted an Award, to be granted an additional Award.
Awards may differ in number of Shares covered thereby, the terms and conditions applying to them or on the Grantees or in any other respect (including, that there should not be any expectation (and it is hereby disclaimed) that a certain treatment, interpretation or position granted to one shall be applied to the other, regardless of whether or not the facts or circumstances are the same or similar).
5. | SHARES. |
5.1. The maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued pursuant to Awards under this Plan (the “Pool”) shall initially be 133,900 authorized but unissued Shares (except and as adjusted pursuant to Section 14.1 of this Plan), or such other number as the Board may determine from time to time (without the need to amend the Plan in case of such determination). However, except as adjusted pursuant to Section 14.1, in no event shall more than such number of Shares included in the Pool, as adjusted in accordance with Section 5.2, be available for issuance pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options.
5.2. Any Shares (a) underlying an Award granted hereunder that has expired, or was cancelled, terminated, forfeited or, repurchased or settled in cash in lieu of issuance of Shares, for any reason, without having been exercised; (b) if permitted by the Company, tendered to pay the Exercise Price of an Award, or withholding tax obligations with respect to an Award; or (c) if permitted by the Company, subject to an Award that are not delivered to a Grantee because such Shares are withheld to pay the Exercise Price of such Award, or withholding tax obligations with respect to such Award; shall automatically, and without any further action on the part of the Company or any Grantee, again be available for grant of Awards and Shares issued upon exercise of (if applicable) vesting thereof for the purposes of this Plan (unless this Plan shall have been terminated) or unless the Board determines otherwise. Such Shares may, in whole or in part, be authorized but unissued Shares, treasury shares (dormant shares) or Shares otherwise that shall have been or may be repurchased by the Company (to the extent permitted pursuant to the Companies Law).
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5.3. Any Shares under the Pool that are not subject to outstanding or exercised Awards at the termination of this Plan shall cease to be reserved for the purpose of this Plan.
6. | TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF AWARDS. |
Each Award granted pursuant to this Plan shall be evidenced by a written or electronic agreement between the Company and the Grantee or a written or electronic notice delivered by the Company (the “Award Agreement”), in substantially such form or forms and containing such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall from time to time approve. The Award Agreement shall comply with and be subject to the following general terms and conditions and the provisions of this Plan (except for any provisions applying to Awards under different tax regimes), unless otherwise specifically provided in such Award Agreement, or the terms referred to in other Sections of this Plan applying to Awards under such applicable tax regimes, or terms prescribed by Applicable Law. Award Agreements need not be in the same form and may differ in the terms and conditions included therein.
6.1. Number of Shares. Each Award Agreement shall state the number of Shares covered by the Award.
6.2. Type of Award. Each Award Agreement may state the type of Award granted thereunder, provided that the tax treatment of any Award, whether or not stated in the Award Agreement, shall be as determined in accordance with Applicable Laws.
6.3. Exercise Price. Each Award Agreement shall state the Exercise Price, if applicable. Unless otherwise set forth in this Plan, an Exercise Price of an Award of less than the par value of the Shares shall comply with Section 304 of the Companies Law, 1999, as amended. Subject to Sections 3 7.2 and 8.2 and to the foregoing, the Committee may reduce the Exercise Price of any outstanding Award, on terms and subject to such conditions as it deems advisable. The Exercise Price shall also be subject to adjustment as provided in Section 14 hereof.
6.4. Manner of Exercise. An Award may be exercised, as to any or all Shares as to which the Award has become exercisable, by written notice delivered in person or by mail (or such other methods of delivery prescribed by the Company) to the Chief Financial Officer of the Company or to such other person as determined by the Committee, or in any other manner as the Committee shall prescribe from time to time, specifying the number of Shares with respect to which the Award is being exercised (which may be equal to or lower than the aggregate number of Shares that have become exercisable at such time, subject to the last sentence of this Section), accompanied by payment of the aggregate Exercise Price for such Shares in the manner specified in the following sentence. The Exercise Price shall be paid in full with respect to each Share, at the time of exercise, either in (i) cash, (ii) if the Company’s shares are listed for trading on any securities exchange or over-the-counter market, and if the Committee so determines, all or part of the Exercise Price and any withholding taxes may be paid by the delivery (on a form prescribed by the Company) of an irrevocable direction to a securities broker approved by the Company to sell Shares and to deliver all or part of the sales proceeds to the Company or the Trustee, (iii) if the Company’s shares are listed for trading on any securities exchange or over-the-counter market, and if the Committee so determines, all or part of the Exercise Price and any withholding taxes may be paid by the delivery (on a form prescribed by the Company) of an irrevocable direction to pledge Shares to a securities broker or lender approved by the Company, as security for a loan, and to deliver all or part of the loan proceeds to the Company or the Trustee, or (iv) in such other manner as the Committee shall determine, which may include procedures for cashless exercise. For as long as the Company’s shares are not listed for trading on any securities exchange or over-the-counter market and unless the Committee determines otherwise, a Grantee may not exercise Awards unless the aggregate Exercise Price thereof is equal to or in excess of the lower of: (a) the aggregate Exercise Price for all Shares as to which the Award has become exercisable at such time; or (b) US$2,000.
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6.5. Term and Vesting of Awards.
6.5.1. Each Award Agreement shall provide the vesting schedule for the Award as determined by the Committee. The Committee shall have the authority to determine the vesting schedule and accelerate the vesting of any outstanding Award at such time and under such circumstances as it, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. Unless otherwise resolved by the Committee and stated in the Award Agreement, and subject to Sections 6.6 and 6.7 hereof, Awards shall vest and become exercisable under the following schedule: twenty-five percent (25%) of the Shares covered by the Award, on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date determine by the Committee (and in the absence of such determination, of date on which such Award was granted), and six and one-quarter percent (6.25%) of the Shares covered by the Award at the end of each subsequent three-month period thereafter over the course of the following three (3) years; provided that the Grantee remains continuously as a Service Provider of the Company or its Affiliates throughout such vesting dates.
6.5.2. The Award Agreement may contain performance goals and measurements (which, in case of 102 Awards, shall, if then required, be subject to obtaining a specific tax ruling or determination from the ITA), and the provisions with respect to any Award need not be the same as the provisions with respect to any other Award. Such performance goals may include, but are not limited to, sales, earnings before interest and taxes, return on investment, earnings per share, any combination of the foregoing or rate of growth of any of the foregoing, as determined by the Committee. The Committee may adjust performance goals pursuant to Awards previously granted to take into account changes in law and accounting and tax rules and to make such adjustments as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to reflect the inclusion or the exclusion of the impact of extraordinary or unusual items, events or circumstances.
6.5.3. The Exercise Period of an Award will be ten (10) years from the date of grant of the Award, unless otherwise determined by the Committee and stated in the Award Agreement, but subject to the vesting provisions described above and the early termination provisions set forth in Sections 6.6 and 6.7 hereof. At the expiration of the Exercise Period, any Award, or any part thereof, that has not been exercised within the term of the Award and the Shares covered thereby not paid for in accordance with this Plan and the Award Agreement shall terminate and become null and void, and all interests and rights of the Grantee in and to the same shall expire.
6.6. Termination.
6.6.1. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, and subject to Section 6.7 hereof, an Award may not be exercised unless the Grantee is then a Service Provider of the Company or an Affiliate thereof or, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, a company or a parent or subsidiary company of such company issuing or assuming the Option in a transaction to which Section 424(a) of the Code applies, and unless the Grantee has remained continuously so employed since the date of grant of the Award and throughout the vesting dates.
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6.6.2. In the event that the employment or service of a Grantee shall terminate (other than by reason of death, Disability or Retirement), all Awards of such Grantee that are unvested at the time of such termination shall terminate on the date of such termination, and all Awards of such Grantee that are vested and exercisable at the time of such termination may be exercised within up to three (3) months after the date of such termination (or such different period as the Committee shall prescribe), but in any event no later than the date of expiration of the Award’s term as set forth in the Award Agreement or pursuant to this Plan; provided, however, that if the Company (or the Subsidiary or Affiliate, when applicable) shall terminate the Grantee’s employment or service for Cause (as defined below) or if at any time during the Exercise Period (whether prior to and after termination of employment or service, and whether or not the Grantee’s employment or service is terminated by either party as a result thereof), facts or circumstances arise or are discovered with respect to the Grantee that would have constituted Cause, all Awards theretofore granted to such Grantee (whether vested or not) shall, to the extent not theretofore exercised, terminate on the date of such termination (or on such subsequent date on which such facts or circumstances arise or are discovered, as the case may be) unless otherwise determined by the Committee; and any Shares issued upon exercise or (if applicable) vesting of Awards (including other Shares or securities issued or distributed with respect thereto), whether held by the Grantee or by the Trustee for the Grantee’s benefit, shall be deemed to be irrevocably offered for sale to the Company, any of its Affiliates or any person designated by the Company to purchase, at the Company’s election and subject to Applicable Law, either for no consideration, for the par value of such Shares or against payment of the Exercise Price previously received by the Company for such Shares upon their issuance, as the Committee deems fit, upon written notice to the Grantee at any time after the Grantee’s termination of employment or service. Such Shares or other securities shall be sold and transferred within 30 days from the date of the Company’s notice of its election to exercise its right. If the Grantee fails to transfer such Shares or other securities to the Company, the Company, at the decision of the Committee, shall be entitled to forfeit or repurchase such Shares and to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Grantee any document necessary to effect such transfer, whether or not the share certificates are surrendered. The Company shall have the right and authority to affect the above either by: (i) repurchasing all of such Shares or other securities held by the Grantee or by the Trustee for the benefit of the Grantee, or designate any other person who shall have the right and authority to purchase all of Such Shares or other securities, for the Exercise Price paid for such Shares, the par value of such Shares or for no payment or consideration whatsoever, as the Committee deems fit; (ii) forfeiting all such Shares or other securities; (iii) redeeming all such Shares or other securities, for the Exercise Price paid for such Shares, the par value of such Shares or for no payment or consideration whatsoever, as the Committee deems fit; (iv) taking action in order to have such Shares or other securities converted into deferred shares entitling their holder only to their par value upon liquidation of the Company; or (v) taking any other action which may be required in order to achieve similar results; all as shall be determined by the Committee, at its sole and absolute discretion, and the Grantee is deemed to irrevocably empower the Company or any person which may be designated by it to take any action by, in the name of or on behalf of the Grantee to comply with and give effect to such actions (including, voting such shares, filling in, signing and delivering share transfer deeds, etc.).
6.6.3. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Committee, in its absolute discretion, may, on such terms and conditions as it may determine appropriate, extend the periods for which Awards held by any Grantee may continue to vest and be exercisable; it being clarified that such Awards may lose their entitlement to certain tax benefits under Applicable Law as a result of the modification of such Awards and/or in the event that the Award is exercised beyond the later of: (i) three (3) months after the date of termination of the employment or service relationship; or (ii) the applicable period under Section 6.7 below with respect to a termination of the employment or service relationship because of the death, Disability or Retirement of Grantee.
6.6.4. For purposes of this Plan:
6.6.4.1. a termination of employment or service of a Grantee shall not be deemed to occur (except to the extent required by the Code with respect to the Incentive Stock Option status of an Option) in case of (i) a transition or transfer of a Grantee among the Company and its Affiliates, (ii) a change in the capacity in which the Grantee is employed or renders service to the Company or any of its Affiliates or a change in the identity of the employing or engagement entity among the Company and its Affiliates, provided, in case of (i) and (ii) above, that the Grantee has remained continuously employed by and/or in the service of the Company and its Affiliates since the date of grant of the Award and throughout the vesting period; or (iii) if the Grantee takes any unpaid leave as set forth in Section 6.8(i) below.
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6.6.4.2. An entity or an Affiliate thereof assuming an Award or issuing in substitution thereof in a transaction to which Section 424(a) of the Code applies or in a Merger/Sale in accordance with Section 14 shall be deemed as an Affiliate of the Company for purposes of this Section 6.6, unless the Committee determines otherwise.
6.6.4.3. In the case of a Grantee whose principal employer or service recipient is a Subsidiary or Affiliate, the Grantee’s employment shall also be deemed terminated for purposes of this Section 6.6 as of the date on which such principal employer or service recipient ceases to be a Subsidiary or Affiliate.
6.6.4.4. The term “Cause” shall mean (irrespective of, and in addition to, any definition included in any other agreement or instrument applicable to the Grantee, and unless otherwise determined by the Committee) any of the following: (i) any theft, fraud, embezzlement, dishonesty, willful misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty for personal profit, falsification of any documents or records of the Company or any of its Affiliates, felony or similar act by the Grantee (whether or not related to the Grantee’s relationship with the Company); (ii) an act of moral turpitude by the Grantee, or any act that causes significant injury to, or is otherwise adversely affecting, the reputation, business, assets, operations or business relationship of the Company (or a Subsidiary or Affiliate, when applicable); (iii) any breach by the Grantee of any material agreement with or of any material duty of the Grantee to the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (including breach of confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-use non-competition or non-solicitation covenants towards the Company or any of its Affiliates) or failure to abide by code of conduct or other policies (including, without limitation, policies relating to confidentiality and reasonable workplace conduct); or (iv) any act which constitutes a breach of a Grantee’s fiduciary duty towards the Company or an Affiliate or Subsidiary, including disclosure of confidential or proprietary information thereof or acceptance or solicitation to receive unauthorized or undisclosed benefits, irrespective of their nature, or funds, or promises to receive either, from individuals, consultants or corporate entities that the Company or a Subsidiary does business with; (v) the Grantee’s unauthorized use, misappropriation, destruction, or diversion of any tangible or intangible asset or corporate opportunity of the Company or any of its Affiliates (including, without limitation, the improper use or disclosure of confidential or proprietary information); or (vi) any circumstances that constitute grounds for termination for cause under the Grantee’s employment or service agreement with the Company or Affiliate, to the extent applicable. For the avoidance of doubt, the determination as to whether a termination is for Cause for purposes of this Plan, shall be made in good faith by the Committee and shall be final and binding on the Grantee.
6.7. Death, Disability or Retirement of Grantee.
6.7.1. If a Grantee shall die while employed by, or performing service for, the Company or its Affiliates, or within the three (3) month period (or such longer period of time as determined by the Board, in its discretion) after the date of termination of such Grantee’s employment or service (or within such different period as the Committee may have provided pursuant to Section 6.6 hereof), or if the Grantee’s employment or service shall terminate by reason of Disability, all Awards theretofore granted to such Grantee may (to the extent otherwise vested and exercisable and unless earlier terminated in accordance with their terms) be exercised by the Grantee or by the Grantee’s estate or by a person who acquired the legal right to exercise such Awards by bequest or inheritance, or by a person who acquired the legal right to exercise such Awards in accordance with applicable law in the case of Disability of the Grantee, as the case may be, at any time within one (1) year (or such longer period of time as determined by the Committee, in its discretion) after the death or Disability of the Grantee (or such different period as the Committee shall prescribe), but in any event no later than the date of expiration of the Award’s term as set forth in the Award Agreement or pursuant to this Plan. In the event that an Award granted hereunder shall be exercised as set forth above by any person other than the Grantee, written notice of such exercise shall be accompanied by a certified copy of letters testamentary or proof satisfactory to the Committee of the right of such person to exercise such Award.
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6.7.2. In the event that the employment or service of a Grantee shall terminate on account of such Grantee’s Retirement, all Awards of such Grantee that are exercisable at the time of such Retirement may, unless earlier terminated in accordance with their terms, be exercised at any time within the three (3) month period after the date of such Retirement (or such different period as the Committee shall prescribe).
6.8. Suspension of Vesting. Unless the Committee provides otherwise, vesting of Awards granted hereunder shall be suspended during any unpaid leave of absence, other than in the case of any (i) leave of absence which was pre-approved by the Company explicitly for purposes of continuing the vesting of Awards, or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or any of its Affiliates, or between the Company and any of its Affiliates, or any respective successor thereof. For clarity, for purposes of this Plan, military leave, statutory maternity or paternity leave or sick leave are not deemed unpaid leave of absence.
6.9. Securities Law Restrictions. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or other agreement between the Service Provider and the Company, if the exercise of an Award following the termination of the Service Provider’s employment or service (other than for Cause) would be prohibited at any time solely because the issuance of Shares would violate the registration requirements under the Securities Act or equivalent requirements under equivalent laws of other applicable jurisdictions, then the Award shall remain exercisable and terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of a period of three (3) months (or such longer period of time as determined by the Board, in its discretion) after the termination of the Service Provider’s employment or service during which the exercise of the Award would not be in such violation, or (ii) the expiration of the term of the Award as set forth in the Award Agreement or pursuant to this Plan. In addition, unless otherwise provided in a Grantee’s Award Agreement, if the sale of any Shares received upon exercise or (if applicable) vesting of an Award following the termination of the Grantee’s employment or service (other than for Cause) would violate the Company’s insider trading policy, then the Award shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of a period equal to the applicable post-termination exercise period after the termination of the Grantee’s employment or service during which the exercise of the Award would not be in violation of the Company’s insider trading policy, or (ii) the expiration of the term of the Award as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement or pursuant to this Plan.
6.10. Voting Proxy. Until immediately after the listing for trading on a stock exchange or market or trading system of the Company’s (or the Successor Corporation’s) shares, the Shares subject to an Award or to be issued pursuant to an Award or any other Securities, shall, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, be subject to an irrevocable proxy and power of attorney by the Grantee or the Trustee (if so requested from the Trustee), as the case may be, to the Company, which shall designate such person or persons (with a right of substitution) from time to time as determined by the Committee (and in the absence of such determination, the CEO or Chairman of the Board, ex officio). The Trustee is deemed to be instructed by the Grantee to sign such proxy, as requested by the Company. The proxy shall entitle the holder thereof to receive notices, vote and take such other actions in respect of the Shares or other Securities. Any person holding or exercising such voting proxies shall do so solely in his capacity as the proxy holder and not individually. All Awards granted hereunder shall be conditioned upon the execution of such irrevocable proxy in substantially the form prescribed by the Committee from time to time. So long as any such Shares are subject to such irrevocable proxy and power of attorney or held by a Trustee (and unless a proxy was given by the Trustee as aforesaid), (i) in any shareholders meeting or written consent in lieu thereof, such Shares shall be voted by the proxy holder (or the Trustee, as applicable), unless directed otherwise by the Board, in the same proportion as the result of the vote at the shareholders’ meeting (or written consent in lieu thereof) in respect of which the Shares are being voted (whether an extraordinary or annual meeting, and whether of the share capital as one class or of any class thereof), and (ii) or in any act or consent of shareholders under the Company’s Articles of Association or otherwise, such Shares shall be cast by the proxy holder (or the Trustee, as applicable), unless directed otherwise by the Board, in the same proportion as the result of the shareholders’ act or consent. The provisions of this Section shall apply to the Grantee and to any purchaser, assignee or transferee of any Shares.
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6.11. Other Provisions. The Award Agreement evidencing Awards under this Plan shall contain such other terms and conditions not inconsistent with this Plan as the Committee may determine, at or after the date of grant, including provisions in connection with the restrictions on transferring the Awards or Shares covered by such Awards, which shall be binding upon the Grantees and any purchaser, assignee or transferee of any Awards, and other terms and conditions as the Committee shall deem appropriate.
7. | NONQUALIFIED STOCK OPTIONS. |
Awards granted pursuant to this Section 7 are intended to constitute Nonqualified Stock Options and shall be subject to the general terms and conditions specified in Section 6 hereof and other provisions of this Plan, except for any provisions of this Plan applying to Awards under different tax laws or regulations. In the event of any inconsistency or contradictions between the provisions of this Section 7 and the other terms of this Plan, this Section 7 shall prevail.
7.1. Certain Limitations on Eligibility for Nonqualified Stock Options. Nonqualified Stock Options may not be granted to a Service Provider who is deemed to be a resident of the United States for purposes of taxation or who is otherwise subject to United States federal income tax unless the Shares underlying such Options constitute “service recipient stock” under Section 409A of the Code or unless such Options comply with the payment requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
7.2. Exercise Price. The Exercise Price of a Nonqualified Stock Option shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of such Option unless the Committee specifically indicates that the Awards will have a lower Exercise Price and the Award complies with Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Nonqualified Stock Option may be granted with an exercise price lower than the minimum exercise price set forth above if such Award is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option in a manner qualifying under the provisions of that complies with Section 424(a) of the Code1.409A-1(b)(5)(v)(D) of the U.S. Treasury Regulations or any successor guidance.
8. | INCENTIVE STOCK OPTIONS. |
Awards granted pursuant to this Section 8 are intended to constitute Incentive Stock Options and shall be granted subject to the following special terms and conditions, the general terms and conditions specified in Section 6 hereof and other provisions of this Plan, except for any provisions of this Plan applying to Awards under different tax laws or regulations. In the event of any inconsistency or contradictions between the provisions of this Section 8 and the other terms of this Plan, this Section 8 shall prevail.
8.1. Eligibility for Incentive Stock Options. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees of the Company, or to Employees of a Parent or Subsidiary, determined as of the date of grant of such Options. An Incentive Stock Option granted to a prospective Employee upon the condition that such person become an Employee shall be deemed granted effective on the date such person commences employment, with an exercise price determined as of such date in accordance with Section 8.2.
8.2. Exercise Price. The Exercise Price of an Incentive Stock Option shall not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of the Shares covered by the Awards on the date of grant of such Option or such other price as may be determined pursuant to the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Incentive Stock Option may be granted with an exercise price lower than the minimum exercise price set forth above if such Award is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option in a manner that complies with the provisions of Section 424(a) of the Code.
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8.3. Date of Grant. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan to the contrary, no Incentive Stock Option may be granted under this Plan after 10 years from the date this Plan is adopted, or the date this Plan is approved by the shareholders, whichever is earlier.
8.4. Exercise Period. No Incentive Stock Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of such Award, subject to Section 8.6. No Incentive Stock Option granted to a prospective Employee may become exercisable prior to the date on which such person commences employment.
8.5. $100,000 Per Year Limitation. The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the date the Incentive Stock Option is granted) of the Shares with respect to which all Incentive Stock Options granted under this Plan and all other “incentive stock option” plans of the Company, or of any Parent or Subsidiary or Affiliate, become exercisable for the first time by each Grantee during any calendar year shall not exceed one hundred thousand United States dollars ($100,000) with respect to such Grantee. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of Shares with respect to which such Incentive Stock Options and any other such incentive stock options are exercisable for the first time by any Grantee during any calendar year exceeds one hundred thousand United States dollars ($100,000), such options shall be treated as Nonqualified Stock Options. The foregoing shall be applied by taking options into account in the order in which they were granted. If the Code is amended to provide for a different limitation from that set forth in this Section 8.5, such different limitation shall be deemed incorporated herein effective as of the date and with respect to such Awards as required or permitted by such amendment to the Code. If an Option is treated as an Incentive Stock Option in part and as a Nonqualifed Stock Option in part by reason of the limitation set forth in this Section 8.5, the Grantee may designate which portion of such Option the Grantee is exercising. In the absence of such designation, the Grantee shall be deemed to have exercised the Incentive Stock Option portion of the Option first. Separate certificates representing each such portion may be issued upon the exercise of the Option.
8.6. Ten Percent Shareholder. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Shareholder, (i) the Exercise Price shall not be less than one hundred and ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of such Incentive Stock Option, and (ii) the Exercise Period shall not exceed five (5) years from the effective date of grant of such Incentive Stock Option.
8.7. Payment of Exercise Price. Each Award Agreement evidencing an Incentive Stock Option shall state each alternative method by which the Exercise Price thereof may be paid.
8.8. Leave of Absence. Notwithstanding Section 6.8, a Grantee’s employment shall not be deemed to have terminated if the Grantee takes any leave as set forth in Section 6.8(i); provided, however, that if any such leave exceeds three (3) months, on the day that is six (6) months following the commencement of such leave any Incentive Stock Option held by the Grantee shall cease to be treated as an Incentive Stock Option and instead shall be treated thereafter as a Nonqualified Stock Option, unless the Grantee’s right to return to employment is guaranteed by statute or contract.
8.9. Exercise Following Termination for Disability. Notwithstanding anything else in this Plan to the contrary, Incentive Stock Options that are not exercised within three (3) months following termination of the Grantee’s employment with the Company or its Parent or Subsidiary or a corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of such corporation issuing or assuming an Option in a transaction to which Section 424(a) of the Code applies, or within one year in case of termination of the Grantee’s employment with the Company or its Parent or Subsidiary due to a Disability (within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code), shall be deemed to be Nonqualified Stock Options.
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8.10. Adjustments to Incentive Stock Options. Any Awards Agreement providing for the grant of Incentive Stock Options shall indicate that adjustments made pursuant to this Plan with respect to Incentive Stock Options could constitute a “modification” of such Incentive Stock Options (as that term is defined in Section 424(h) of the Code) or could cause adverse tax consequences for the holder of such Incentive Stock Options and that the holder should consult with his or her tax advisor regarding the consequences of such “modification” on his or her income tax treatment with respect to the Incentive Stock Option.
8.11. Notice to Company of Disqualifying Disposition. Each Grantee who receives an Incentive Stock Option must agree to notify the Company in writing immediately after the Grantee makes a Disqualifying Disposition of any Shares received pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options. A “Disqualifying Disposition” is any disposition (including any sale) of such Shares before the later of (i) two years after the date the Grantee was granted the Incentive Stock Option, or (ii) one year after the date the Grantee acquired Shares by exercising the Incentive Stock Option. If the Grantee dies before such Shares are sold, these holding period requirements do not apply and no disposition of the Shares will be deemed a Disqualifying Disposition.
9. | 102 AWARDS. |
Awards granted pursuant to this Section 9 are intended to constitute 102 Awards and shall be granted subject to the following special terms and conditions, the general terms and conditions specified in Section 6 hereof and other provisions of this Plan, except for any provisions of this Plan applying to Awards under different tax laws or regulations. In the event of any inconsistency or contradictions between the provisions of this Section 9 and the other terms of this Plan, this Section 9 shall prevail.
9.1. Tracks. Awards granted pursuant to this Section 9 are intended to be granted pursuant to Section 102 of the Ordinance pursuant to either (i) Section 102(b)(2) thereof, under the capital gain track (“102 Capital Gain Track Awards”), or (ii) Section 102(b)(1) thereof under the ordinary income track (“102 Ordinary Income Track Awards”, and together with 102 Capital Gain Track Awards, “102 Trustee Awards”). 102 Trustee Awards shall be granted subject to the special terms and conditions contained in this Section 9, the general terms and conditions specified in Section 6 hereof and other provisions of this Plan, except for any provisions of this Plan applying to Options under different tax laws or regulations.
9.2. Election of Track. Subject to Applicable Law, the Company may grant only one type of 102 Trustee Awards at any given time to all Grantees who are to be granted 102 Trustee Awards pursuant to this Plan, and shall file an election with the ITA regarding the type of 102 Trustee Awards it elects to grant before the date of grant of any 102 Trustee Awards (the “Election”). Such Election shall also apply to any other securities, including bonus shares, received by any Grantee as a result of holding the 102 Trustee Awards. The Company may change the type of 102 Trustee Awards that it elects to grant only after the expiration of at least 12 months from the end of the year in which the first grant was made in accordance with the previous Election, or as otherwise provided by Applicable Law. Any Election shall not prevent the Company from granting Awards, pursuant to Section 102(c) of the Ordinance without a Trustee (“102 Non-Trustee Awards”).
9.3. Eligibility for Awards.
9.3.1. Subject to Applicable Law, 102 Awards may only be granted to an “employee” within the meaning of Section 102(a) of the Ordinance (which as of the date of the adoption of this Plan means (i) individuals employed by an Israeli company being the Company or any of its Affiliates, and (ii) individuals who are serving and are engaged personally (and not through an entity) as “office holders” by such an Israeli company), but may not be granted to a Controlling Shareholder (“Eligible 102 Grantees”). Eligible 102 Grantees may receive only 102 Awards, which may either be granted to a Trustee or granted under Section 102 of the Ordinance without a Trustee.
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9.4. 102 Award Grant Date.
9.4.1. Each 102 Award will be deemed granted on the date determined by the Committee, subject to Section 9.4.2, provided that (i) the Grantee has signed all documents required by the Company or pursuant to Applicable Law, and (ii) with respect to 102 Trustee Award, the Company has provided all applicable documents to the Trustee in accordance with the guidelines published by the ITA, and if an agreement is not signed and delivered by the Grantee within 90 days from the date determined by the Committee (subject to Section 9.4.2), then such 102 Trustee Award shall be deemed granted on such later date as such agreement is signed and delivered and on which the Company has provided all applicable documents to the Trustee in accordance with the guidelines published by the ITA. In the case of any contradiction, this provision and the date of grant determined pursuant hereto shall supersede and be deemed to amend any date of grant indicated in any corporate resolution or Award Agreement.
9.4.2. Unless otherwise permitted by the Ordinance, any grants of 102 Trustee Awards that are made on or after the date of the adoption of this Plan or an amendment to this Plan, as the case may be, that may become effective only at the expiration of thirty (30) days after the filing of this Plan or any amendment thereof (as the case may be) with the ITA in accordance with the Ordinance shall be conditional upon the expiration of such 30-day period, such condition shall be read and is incorporated by reference into any corporate resolutions approving such grants and into any Award Agreement evidencing such grants (whether or not explicitly referring to such condition), and the date of grant shall be at the expiration of such 30-day period, whether or not the date of grant indicated therein corresponds with this Section. In the case of any contradiction, this provision and the date of grant determined pursuant hereto shall supersede and be deemed to amend any date of grant indicated in any corporate resolution or Award Agreement.
9.5. 102 Trustee Awards.
9.5.1. Each 102 Trustee Award, each Share issued pursuant to the exercise of any 102 Trustee Award, and any rights granted thereunder, including bonus shares, shall be issued to and registered in the name of the Trustee and shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Grantee for the requisite period prescribed by the Ordinance or such longer period as set by the Committee (the “Required Holding Period”). In the event that the requirements under Section 102 of the Ordinance to qualify an Award as a 102 Trustee Award are not met, then the Award may be treated as a 102 Non-Trustee Award or 3(9) Award, all in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance. After expiration of the Required Holding Period, the Trustee may release such 102 Trustee Awards and any such Shares, provided that (i) the Trustee has received an acknowledgment from the ITA that the Grantee has paid any applicable taxes due pursuant to the Ordinance, or (ii) the Trustee and/or the Company and/or its Affiliate withholds all applicable taxes and compulsory payments due pursuant to the Ordinance arising from the 102 Trustee Awards and/or any Shares issued upon exercise or (if applicable) vesting of such 102 Trustee Awards. The Trustee shall not release any 102 Trustee Awards or Shares issued upon exercise or (if applicable) vesting thereof prior to the payment in full of the Grantee’s tax and compulsory payments arising from such 102 Trustee Awards and/or Shares or the withholding referred to in (ii) above.
9.5.2. Each 102 Trustee Award shall be subject to the relevant terms of the Ordinance, the Rules and any determinations, rulings or approvals issued by the ITA, which shall be deemed an integral part of the 102 Trustee Awards and shall prevail over any term contained in this Plan or Award Agreement that is not consistent therewith. Any provision of the Ordinance, the Rules and any determinations, rulings or approvals by the ITA not expressly specified in this Plan or Award Agreement that are necessary to receive or maintain any tax benefit pursuant to Section 102 of the Ordinance shall be binding on the Grantee. The Grantee granted a 102 Trustee Awards shall comply with the Ordinance and the terms and conditions of the trust agreement entered into between the Company and the Trustee. The Grantee shall execute any and all documents that the Company and/or its Affiliates and/or the Trustee determine from time to time to be necessary in order to comply with the Ordinance and the Rules.
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9.5.3. During the Required Holding Period, the Grantee shall not release from trust or sell, assign, transfer or give as collateral, the Shares issuable upon the exercise or (if applicable) vesting of a 102 Trustee Awards and/or any securities issued or distributed with respect thereto, until the expiration of the Required Holding Period. Notwithstanding the above, if any such sale, release or other action occurs during the Required Holding Period it may result in adverse tax consequences to the Grantee under Section 102 of the Ordinance and the Rules, which shall apply to and shall be borne solely by such Grantee. Subject to the foregoing, the Trustee may, pursuant to a written request from the Grantee, but subject to the terms of this Plan, release and transfer such Shares to a designated third party, provided that both of the following conditions have been fulfilled prior to such release or transfer: (i) payment has been made to the ITA of all taxes and compulsory payments required to be paid upon the release and transfer of the Shares, and confirmation of such payment has been received by the Trustee and the Company, and (ii) the Trustee has received written confirmation from the Company that all requirements for such release and transfer have been fulfilled according to the terms of the Company’s corporate documents, any agreement governing the Shares, this Plan, the Award Agreement and any Applicable Law.
9.5.4. If a 102 Trustee Award is exercised or (if applicable) vested, the Shares issued upon such exercise or (if applicable) vesting shall be issued in the name of the Trustee for the benefit of the Grantee.
9.5.5. Upon or after receipt of a 102 Trustee Award, if required, the Grantee may be required to sign an undertaking to release the Trustee from any liability with respect to any action or decision duly taken and executed in good faith by the Trustee in relation to this Plan, or any 102 Trustee Awards or Share granted to such Grantee thereunder.
9.6. 102 Non-Trustee Awards. The foregoing provisions of this Section 9 relating to 102 Trustee Awards shall not apply with respect to 102 Non-Trustee Awards, which shall, however, be subject to the relevant provisions of Section 102 of the Ordinance and the applicable Rules. The Committee may determine that 102 Non-Trustee Awards, the Shares issuable upon the exercise or (if applicable) vesting of a 102 Non-Trustee Awards and/or any securities issued or distributed with respect thereto, shall be allocated or issued to the Trustee, who shall hold such 102 Non-Trustee Awards and all accrued rights thereon (if any), in trust for the benefit of the Grantee and/or the Company, as the case may be, until the full payment of tax arising from the 102 Non-Trustee Awards, the Shares issuable upon the exercise or (if applicable) vesting of a 102 Non-Trustee Awards and/or any securities issued or distributed with respect thereto. The Company may choose, alternatively, to force the Grantee to provide it with a guarantee or other security, to the satisfaction of each of the Trustee and the Company, until the full payment of the applicable taxes.
9.7. Israeli Index Base for 102 Awards. Each 102 Award will be subject to the Israeli index base of the Value of Benefit, as defined in Section 102(a) of the Ordinance, as determined by the Committee in its discretion, pursuant to the Rules, from time to time. The Committee may amend (which may have a retroactive effect) the Israeli index base, pursuant to the Ordinance, without the Grantee’s consent.
9.8. Written Grantee Undertaking. To the extent and with respect to any 102 Trustee Award, and as required by Section 102 of the Ordinance and the Rules, by virtue of the receipt of such Award, the Grantee is deemed to have undertaken and confirm in writing the following (and such undertaking is deemed incorporated into any documents signed by the Grantee in connection with the employment or service of the Grantee and/or the grant of such Award). The following written undertaking shall be deemed to apply and relate to all 102 Trustee Awards granted to the Grantee, whether under this Plan or other plans maintained by the Company, and whether prior to or after the date hereof.
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9.8.1. The Grantee shall comply with all terms and conditions set forth in Section 102 of the Ordinance with regard to the “Capital Gain Track” or the “Ordinary Income Track”, as applicable, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as amended from time to time;
9.8.2. The Grantee is familiar with, and understands the provisions of, Section 102 of the Ordinance in general, and the tax arrangement under the “Capital Gain Track” or the “Ordinary Income Track” in particular, and its tax consequences; the Grantee agrees that the 102 Trustee Awards and Shares that may be issued upon exercise or (if applicable) vesting of the 102 Trustee Awards (or otherwise in relation to the 102 Trustee Awards), will be held by a trustee appointed pursuant to Section 102 of the Ordinance for at least the duration of the “Holding Period” (as such term is defined in Section 102) under the “Capital Gain Track” or the “Ordinary Income Track”, as applicable. The Grantee understands that any release of such 102 Trustee Awards or Shares from trust, or any sale of the Share prior to the termination of the Holding Period, as defined above, will result in taxation at marginal tax rate, in addition to deductions of appropriate social security, health tax contributions or other compulsory payments; and
9.8.3. The Grantee agrees to the trust deed signed between the Company, his employing company and the trustee appointed pursuant to Section 102 of the Ordinance.
10. | 3(9) AWARDS. |
Awards granted pursuant to this Section 10 are intended to constitute 3(9) Awards and shall be granted subject to the general terms and conditions specified in Section 6 hereof and other provisions of this Plan, except for any provisions of this Plan applying to Awards under different tax laws or regulations. In the event of any inconsistency or contradictions between the provisions of this Section 10 and the other terms of this Plan, this Section 10 shall prevail.
10.1. To the extent required by the Ordinance or the ITA or otherwise deemed by the Committee to be advisable, the 3(9) Awards and/or any shares or other securities issued or distributed with respect thereto granted pursuant to this Plan shall be issued to a Trustee nominated by the Committee in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance. In such event, the Trustee shall hold such Awards and/or any shares or other securities issued or distributed with respect thereto in trust, until exercised or (if applicable) vested by the Grantee and the full payment of tax arising therefrom, pursuant to the Company’s instructions from time to time as set forth in a trust agreement, which will have been entered into between the Company and the Trustee. If determined by the Board or the Committee, and subject to such trust agreement, the Trustee shall be responsible for withholding any taxes to which a Grantee may become liable upon issuance of Shares, whether due to the exercise or (if applicable) vesting of Awards.
10.2. Shares pursuant to a 3(9) Award shall not be issued, unless the Grantee delivers to the Company payment in cash or by bank check or such other form acceptable to the Committee of all withholding taxes due, if any, on account of the Grantee acquired Shares under the Award or gives other assurance satisfactory to the Committee of the payment of those withholding taxes.
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11. | RESTRICTED SHARES. |
The Committee may award Restricted Shares to any eligible Grantee, including under Section 102 of the Ordinance. Each Award of Restricted Shares under this Plan shall be evidenced by a written agreement between the Company and the Grantee (the “Restricted Share Agreement”), in such form as the Committee shall from time to time approve. The Restricted Shares shall be subject to all applicable terms of this Plan, which in the case of Restricted Shares granted under Section 102 of the Ordinance shall include Section 9 hereof, and may be subject to any other terms that are not inconsistent with this Plan. The provisions of the various Restricted Shares Agreements entered into under this Plan need not be identical. The Restricted Share Agreement shall comply with and be subject to Section 6 and the following terms and conditions, unless otherwise specifically provided in such Agreement and not inconsistent with this Plan, or Applicable Law:
11.1. Purchase Price. Section 6.4 shall not apply. Each Restricted Share Agreement shall state an amount of Exercise Price to be paid by the Grantee, if any, in consideration for the issuance of the Restricted Shares and the terms of payment thereof, which may include, payment in cash or, subject to the Committee’s approval, by issuance of promissory notes or other evidence of indebtedness on such terms and conditions as determined by the Committee.
11.2. Restrictions. Restricted Shares may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise disposed of, except by will or the laws of descent and distribution (in which case they shall be transferred subject to all restrictions then or thereafter applicable thereto), until such Restricted Shares shall have vested (the period from the date on which the Award is granted until the date of vesting of the Restricted Share thereunder being referred to herein as the “Restricted Period”). The Committee may also impose such additional or alternative restrictions and conditions on the Restricted Shares, as it deems appropriate, including the satisfaction of performance criteria. Such performance criteria may include, but are not limited to, sales, earnings before interest and taxes, return on investment, earnings per share, any combination of the foregoing or rate of growth of any of the foregoing, as determined by the Committee or pursuant to the provisions of any Company policy required under mandatory provisions of Applicable Law. Certificates for shares issued pursuant to Restricted Share Awards, if issued, shall bear an appropriate legend referring to such restrictions, and any attempt to dispose of any such shares in contravention of such restrictions shall be null and void and without effect. Such certificates may, if so determined by the Committee, be held in escrow by an escrow agent appointed by the Committee, or, if a Restricted Share Award is made pursuant to Section 102 of the Ordinance, by the Trustee. In determining the Restricted Period of an Award the Committee may provide that the foregoing restrictions shall lapse with respect to specified percentages of the awarded Restricted Shares on successive anniversaries of the date of such Award. To the extent required by the Ordinance or the ITA, the Restricted Shares issued pursuant to Section 102 of the Ordinance shall be issued to the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance and the Restricted Shares shall be held for the benefit of the Grantee for at least the Required Holding Period.
11.3. Forfeiture; Repurchase. Subject to such exceptions as may be determined by the Committee, if the Grantee’s continuous employment with or service to the Company or any Affiliate thereof shall terminate for any reason prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period of an Award or prior to the timely payment in full of the Exercise Price of any Restricted Shares, any Shares remaining subject to vesting or with respect to which the purchase price has not been paid in full, shall thereupon be forfeited, transferred to, and redeemed, repurchased or cancelled by, as the case may be, in any manner as set forth in Section 6.6.2(i) through (v), subject to Applicable Laws and the Grantee shall have no further rights with respect to such Restricted Shares.
11.4. Ownership. During the Restricted Period the Grantee shall possess all incidents of ownership of such Restricted Shares, subject to Section 6.10 and Section 11.2, including the right to vote and receive dividends with respect to such Shares. All securities, if any, received by a Grantee with respect to Restricted Shares as a result of any stock split, stock dividend, combination of shares, or other similar transaction shall be subject to the restrictions applicable to the original Award.
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12. | RESTRICTED SHARE UNITS. |
An RSU is an Award covering a number of Shares that is settled, if vested and (if applicable) exercised, by issuance of those Shares. An RSU may be awarded to any eligible Grantee, including under Section 102 of the Ordinance, provided that, to the extent required by Applicable Laws, a specific ruling is obtained from the ITA to grant RSUs as 102 Trustee Awards. The Award Agreement relating to the grant of RSUs under this Plan (the “Restricted Share Unit Agreement”), shall be in such form as the Committee shall from time to time approve. The RSUs shall be subject to all applicable terms of this Plan, which in the case of RSUs granted under Section 102 of the Ordinance shall include Section 9 hereof, and may be subject to any other terms that are not inconsistent with this Plan. The provisions of the various Restricted Share Unit Agreements entered into under this Plan need not be identical. RSUs may be granted in consideration of a reduction in the recipient’s other compensation.
12.1. Exercise Price. No payment of Exercise Price shall be required as consideration for RSUs, unless included in the Award Agreement or as required by Applicable Law (including, Section 304 of the Companies Law, 1999, as amended), and Section 6.4 shall apply, if applicable.
12.2. Shareholders’ Rights. The Grantee shall not possess or own any ownership rights in the Shares underlying the RSUs and no rights as a shareholder shall exist prior to the actual issuance of Shares in the name of the Grantee.
12.3. Settlements of Awards. Settlement of vested RSUs shall be made in the form of Shares. Distribution to a Grantee of an amount (or amounts) from settlement of vested RSUs can be deferred to a date after settlement as determined by the Committee. The amount of a deferred distribution may be increased by an interest factor or by dividend equivalents. Until the grant of RSUs is settled, the number of Shares underlying such RSUs shall be subject to adjustment pursuant hereto.
12.4. Section 409A Restrictions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, any RSUs granted under this Plan that are not exempt from the requirements of Section 409A of the Code shall contain such restrictions or other provisions so that such RSUs will comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, if applicable to the Company. Such restrictions, if any, shall be determined by the Committee and contained in the Restricted Share Unit Agreement evidencing such RSU. For example, such restrictions may include a requirement that any Shares that are to be issued in a year following the year in which the RSU vests must be issued in accordance with a fixed, pre-determined schedule.
13. | OTHER SHARE OR SHARE-BASED AWARDS. |
13.1. The Committee may grant other Awards under this Plan pursuant to which Shares (which may, but need not, be Restricted Shares pursuant to Section 11 hereof), cash (in settlement of Share-based Awards) or a combination thereof, are or may in the future be acquired or received, or Awards denominated in stock units, including units valued on the basis of measures other than market value.
13.2. The Committee may also grant stock appreciation rights without the grant of an accompanying option, which rights shall permit the Grantees to receive, at the time of any exercise of such rights, cash equal to the amount by which the Fair Market Value of the Shares in respect to which the right was granted is so exercised exceed the exercise price thereof. The exercise price of any such stock appreciation right granted to a Grantee who is subject to U.S. federal income tax shall be determined in compliance with Section 7.2.
13.3. Such other Share-based Awards as set forth above may be granted alone, in addition to, or in tandem with any Award of any type granted under this Plan.
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14. | EFFECT OF CERTAIN CHANGES. |
14.1. General. In the event of a division or subdivision of the outstanding share capital of the Company, any distribution of bonus shares (stock split), consolidation or combination of share capital of the Company (reverse stock split), reclassification with respect to the Shares or any similar recapitalization events (each, a “Recapitalization”), a merger (including, a reverse merger and a reverse triangular merger), consolidation, amalgamation or like transaction of the Company with or into another corporation, a reorganization (which may include a combination or exchange of shares, spin-off or other corporate divestiture or division, or other similar occurrences, the Committee shall have the authority to make, without the need for a consent of any holder of an Award, such adjustments as determined by the Committee to be appropriate, in its discretion, in order to adjust (i) the number and class of shares reserved and available for grants of Awards, (ii) the number and class of shares covered by outstanding Awards, (iii) the Exercise Price per share covered by any Award, (iv) the terms and conditions concerning vesting and exercisability and the term and duration of the outstanding Awards, and (v) any other terms of the Award that in the opinion of the Committee should be adjusted. Any fractional shares resulting from such adjustment shall be treated as determined by the Committee, and in the absence of such determination shall be rounded to the nearest whole share, and the Company shall have no obligation to make any cash or other payment with respect to such fractional shares. No adjustment shall be made by reason of the distribution of subscription rights or rights offering to outstanding shares or other issuance of shares by the Company, unless the Committee determines otherwise. The adjustments determined pursuant to this Section 14.1 (including a determination that no adjustment is to be made) shall be final, binding and conclusive.
14.2. Merger/Sale of Company. In the event of (i) a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or a sale (including an exchange) of all or substantially all of the shares of the Company, to any person, or a purchase by a shareholder of the Company or by an Affiliate of such shareholder, of all the shares of the Company held by all or substantially all other shareholders or by other shareholders who are not Affiliated with such acquiring party; (ii) a merger (including, a reverse merger and a reverse triangular merger), consolidation, amalgamation or like transaction of the Company with or into another corporation; (iii) a scheme of arrangement for the purpose of effecting such sale, merger, consolidation, amalgamation or other transaction; (iv) approval by the shareholders of the Company of a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company, or (v) such other transaction or set of circumstances that is determined by the Board, in its discretion, to be a transaction subject to the provisions of this Section 14.2 excluding any of the above transactions in clauses (i) through (v) if the Board determines that such transaction should be excluded from the definition hereof and the applicability of this Section 14.2 (such transaction, a “Merger/Sale”), then, without derogating from the general authority and power of the Board or the Committee under this Plan, without the Grantee’s consent and action and without any prior notice requirement:
14.2.1. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in its sole and absolute discretion, any Award then outstanding shall be assumed or be substituted by the Company, or by the successor corporation in such Merger/Sale or by any parent or Affiliate thereof, as determined by the Committee in its discretion (the “Successor Corporation”), under terms as determined by the Committee or the terms of this Plan applied by the Successor Corporation to such assumed or substituted Awards.
For the purposes of this Section 14.2.1, the Award shall be considered assumed or substituted if, following a Merger/Sale, the Award confers on the holder thereof the right to purchase or receive, for each Share underlying an Award immediately prior to the Merger/Sale, either (i) the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property, or any combination thereof) distributed to or received by holders of Shares in the Merger/Sale for each Share held on the effective date of the Merger/Sale (and if holders were offered a choice or several types of consideration, the type of consideration as determined by the Committee), or (ii) regardless of the consideration received by the holders of Shares in the Merger/Sale, solely shares or any type of Awards (or their equivalent) of the Successor Corporation at a value to be determined by the Committee in its discretion, or a certain type of consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property, or any combination thereof) as determined by the Committee. Any of the above consideration referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) shall be subject to the same vesting and expiration terms of the Awards applying immediately prior to the Merger/Sale, unless determined by the Committee in its discretion that the consideration shall be subject to different vesting and expiration terms, or other terms, and the Committee may determine that it be subject to other or additional terms. The foregoing shall not limit the Committee’s authority to determine, in its sole discretion, that in lieu of such assumption or substitution of Awards for Awards of the Successor Corporation, such Award will be substituted for any other type of asset or property, including as set forth in Section 14.2.2 hereunder.
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14.2.2. Regardless of whether or not Awards are assumed or substituted, the Committee may (but shall not be obligated to), in its sole discretion:
14.2.2.1. provide for the Grantee to have the right to exercise the Award in respect of Shares covered by the Award which would otherwise be exercisable or vested, under such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine, and the cancellation of all unexercised Awards (whether vested or unvested) upon or immediately prior to the closing of the Merger/Sale, unless the Committee provides for the Grantee to have the right to exercise the Award, or otherwise for the acceleration of vesting of such Award, as to all or part of the Shares covered by the Award which would not otherwise be exercisable or vested, under such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine; and/or
14.2.2.2. provide for the cancellation of each outstanding Award at or immediately prior to the closing of such Merger/Sale, and payment to the Grantee of an amount in cash, shares of the Company, the acquiror or of a corporation or other business entity which is a party to the Merger/Sale or other property, as determined by the Committee to be fair in the circumstances, and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Committee. The Committee shall have full authority to select the method for determining the payment (being the Black-Scholes model or any other method). The Committee’s determination may further provide that payment shall be set to zero if the value of the Shares is determined to be less than the Exercise Price or in respect of Shares covered by the Award which would not otherwise be exercisable or vested, or that payment may be made only in excess of the Exercise Price.
14.2.3. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, determine that any payments made in respect of Awards shall be made or delayed to the same extent that payment of consideration to the holders of the Shares in connection with the Merger/Sale is made or delayed as a result of escrows, indemnification, earn outs, holdbacks or any other contingencies; and the terms and conditions applying to the payment made to the Grantees, including participation in escrow, indemnification, releases, earn-outs, holdbacks or any other contingencies.
14.2.4. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, determine to suspend the Grantee’s rights to exercise any vested portion of an Award for a period of time prior to the completion of a Merger/Sale transaction.
14.2.5. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in the event of a Merger/Sale, the Committee may determine, in its sole discretion, that upon completion of such Merger/Sale the terms of any Award shall be otherwise amended, modified or terminated, as the Committee shall deem in good faith to be appropriate and without any liability to the Company or its Affiliates and to their respective officers, directors, employees and representatives and the respective successors and assigns of any of the foregoing in connection with the method of treatment or chosen course of action permitted hereunder.
14.2.6. Neither the authorities and powers of the Committee under this Section 14.2, nor the exercise or implementation thereof, shall (i) be restricted or limited in any way by any adverse consequences (tax or otherwise) that may result to any holder of an Award, and (ii) as, inter alia, being a feature of the Award upon its grant, be deemed to constitute a change or an amendment of the rights of such holder under this Plan, nor shall any such adverse consequences (as well as any adverse tax consequences that may result from any tax ruling or other approval or determination of any relevant tax authority) be deemed to constitute a change or an amendment of the rights of such holder under this Plan, and may be effected without consent of any Grantee and without any liability to the Company or its Affiliates and to their respective its officers, directors, employees and representatives and the respective successors and assigns of any of the foregoing. The Committee need not take the same action with respect to all Awards or with respect to all Service Providers. The Committee may take different actions with respect to the vested and unvested portions of an Award. The Committee may determine an amount or type of consideration to be received or distributed in a Merger/Sale which may differ as among the Grantees, and as between the Grantees and any other holders of shares of the Company.
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14.2.7. The Committee’s determinations pursuant to this Section 14 shall be conclusive and binding on all Grantees.
14.2.8. If determined by the Committee, the Grantees shall be subject to the definitive agreement(s) in connection with the Merger/Sale as applying to holders of Shares including, such terms, conditions, representations, undertakings, liabilities, limitations, releases, indemnities, participating in transaction expenses and escrow arrangement, in each case as determined by the Committee. Each Grantee shall execute such separate agreement(s) or instruments as may be requested by the Company, the Successor Corporation or the acquiror in connection with such in such Merger/Sale and in the form required by them. The execution of such separate agreement(s) may be a condition to the receipt of assumed or substituted Awards, payment in lieu of the Award or the exercise of any Award.
14.3. Reservation of Rights. Except as expressly provided in this Section 14 (if any), the Grantee of an Award hereunder shall have no rights by reason of any Recapitalization of shares of any class, any increase or decrease in the number of shares of any class, or any dissolution, liquidation, reorganization (which may include a combination or exchange of shares, spin-off or other corporate divestiture or division, or other similar occurrences), Merger/Sale. Any issue by the Company of shares of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number, type or price of shares subject to an Award. The grant of an Award pursuant to this Plan shall not affect in any way the right or power of the Company to make adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations or changes of its capital or business structures or to merge or to consolidate or to dissolve, liquidate or sell, or transfer all or part of its business or assets or engage in any similar transactions.
15. | NON-TRANSFERABILITY OF AWARDS; SURVIVING BENEFICIARY. |
15.1. All Awards granted under this Plan by their terms shall not be transferable other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, unless otherwise determined by the Committee or under this Plan, provided that with respect to Shares issued upon exercise or (if applicable) the vesting of Awards the restrictions on transfer shall be the restrictions referred to in Section 16 (Conditions upon Issuance of Shares) hereof. Subject to the above provisions, the terms of such Award, this Plan and any applicable Award Agreement shall be binding upon the beneficiaries, executors, administrators, heirs and successors of such Grantee. Awards may be exercised or otherwise realized, during the lifetime of the Grantee, only by the Grantee or by his guardian or legal representative, to the extent provided for herein. Any transfer of an Award not permitted hereunder (including transfers pursuant to any decree of divorce, dissolution or separate maintenance, any property settlement, any separation agreement or any other agreement with a spouse) and any grant of any interest in any Award to, or creation in any way of any direct or indirect interest in any Award by, any party other than the Grantee shall be null and void and shall not confer upon any party or person, other than the Grantee, any rights. A Grantee may file with the Committee a written designation of a beneficiary, who shall be permitted to exercise such Grantee’s Award or to whom any benefit under this Plan is to be paid, in each case, in the event of the Grantee’s death before he or she fully exercises his or her Award or receives any or all of such benefit, on such form as may be prescribed by the Committee and may, from time to time, amend or revoke such designation. If no designated beneficiary survives the Grantee, the executor or administrator of the Grantee’s estate shall be deemed to be the Grantee’s beneficiary. Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon the request of the Grantee and subject to Applicable Law the Committee, at its sole discretion, may permit the Grantee to transfer the Award to a trust whose beneficiaries are the Grantee and/or the Grantee’s immediate family members (all or several of them).
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15.2. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Plan to the contrary, no Incentive Stock Option may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or in accordance with a beneficiary designation pursuant to Section 15.1. Further, all Incentive Stock Options granted to a Grantee shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Grantee.
15.3. As long as the Shares are held by the Trustee in favor of the Grantee, all rights possessed by the Grantee over the Shares are personal, and may not be transferred, assigned, pledged or mortgaged, other than by will or laws of descent and distribution.
15.4. If and to the extent a Grantee is entitled to transfer an Award and/or Shares underlying an Award in accordance with the terms of the Plan and any other applicable agreements, such transfer shall be subject (in addition, to any other conditions or terms applying thereto) to receipt by the Company from such proposed transferee of a written instrument, on a form reasonably acceptable to the Company, pursuant to which such proposed transferee agrees to be bound by all provisions of the Plan and any other applicable agreements, including without limitation, any restrictions on transfer of the Award and/or Shares set forth herein (however, failure to so deliver such instrument to the Company as set forth above shall not derogate from all such provisions applying on any transferee).
15.5. The provisions of this Section 15 shall apply to the Grantee and to any purchaser, assignee or transferee of any Shares.
16. | CONDITIONS UPON ISSUANCE OF SHARES; GOVERNING PROVISIONS. |
16.1. Legal Compliance. The grant of Awards and the issuance of Shares upon exercise or settlement of Awards shall be subject to compliance with all Applicable Laws as determined by the Company, including, applicable requirements of federal, state and foreign law with respect to such securities. The Company shall have no obligations to issue Shares pursuant to the exercise or settlement of an Award and Awards may not be exercised or settled, if the issuance of Shares upon exercise or settlement would constitute a violation of any Applicable Laws as determined by the Company, including, applicable federal, state or foreign securities laws or other law or regulations or the requirements of any stock exchange or market system upon which the Shares may then be listed. In addition, no Award may be exercised unless (i) a registration statement under the Securities Act shall at the time of exercise or settlement of the Award be in effect with respect to the shares issuable upon exercise of the Award, or (ii) in the opinion of legal counsel to the Company, the shares issuable upon exercise of the Award may be issued in accordance with the terms of an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, if any, deemed by the Company to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, and the inability to issue Shares hereunder due to non-compliance with any Company policies with respect to the sale of Shares, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority or compliance shall not have been obtained or achieved. As a condition to the exercise of an Award, the Company may require the person exercising such Award to satisfy any qualifications that may be necessary or appropriate, to evidence compliance with any Applicable Law or regulation and to make any representation or warranty with respect thereto as may be requested by the Company, including to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares, all in form and content specified by the Company.
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16.2. Provisions Governing Shares. Shares issued pursuant to an Award shall be subject to the Articles of Association of the Company, any limitation, restriction or obligation included in any shareholders agreement applicable to all or substantially all of the holders of shares (regardless of whether or not the Grantee is a formal party to such shareholders agreement), any other governing documents of the Company, all policies, manuals and internal regulations adopted by the Company from time to time, in each case, as may be amended from time to time, including any provisions included therein concerning restrictions or limitations on disposition of Shares (such as, but not limited to, right of first refusal and lock up/market stand-off) or grant of any rights with respect thereto, forced sale and bring along provisions, any provisions concerning restrictions on the use of inside information and other provisions deemed by the Company to be appropriate in order to ensure compliance with Applicable Laws. Each Grantee shall execute such separate agreement(s) as may be requested by the Company relating to matters set forth in this Section 16.2. The execution of such separate agreement(s) may be a condition by the Company to the exercise of any Award.
16.3. Forced Sale. In the event the that Board approves a Merger/Sale effected by way of a forced or compulsory sale (whether pursuant to the Company’s Articles of Association or pursuant to Section 341 of the Companies Law), then, without derogating from such provisions and in addition thereto, the Grantee shall be obligated, and shall be deemed to have agreed to the offer to effect the Merger/Sale on the terms approved by the Board (and the Shares held by or for the benefit of the Grantee shall be included in the shares of the Company approving the terms of such Merger/Sale for the purpose of satisfying the required majority), and shall sell all of the Shares held by or for the benefit of the Grantee on the terms and conditions applying to the holders of Shares, in accordance with the instructions then issued by the Board, whose determination shall be final. No Grantee shall contest, bring any claims or demands, or exercise any appraisal rights related to any of the foregoing. The proxy pursuant to Section 6.10 includes an authorization of the holder of such proxy to sign, by and on behalf of any Grantee, such documents and agreements as are required to affect the sale of Shares in connection with such Merger/Sale.
16.4. Share Transfer Restrictions. Any transfer or other disposition of Shares or any interest therein is subject to the prior approval of the Board, which, if granted (without any obligation to do so), may be subject to such terms, conditions and restrictions, as it deems appropriate. The terms, conditions and restrictions of any approval may differ from one Grantee to another, and need not be the same. Any transfer or otherwise grant of any interest in any Shares to any third party that does not comply with this Section shall be null and void and shall not confer upon any person, other than the Grantee, any rights. This Section shall terminate immediately after the public offering of securities of the Company pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act or equivalent law in another jurisdiction and the listing for trading on a stock exchange or market or trading system. This Section shall apply in addition to any other limitation, restriction and/or condition in this Plan (including, without limitation, after the application of Section 16), any Award Agreement, shareholders agreement, Company’s Articles of Association or other instrument between the Grantee and the Company or by which the Grantee is bound. This Section shall not apply to a transfer of Shares in a sale of all or substantially all of the shares of the Company which was approved by the Board or pursuant to the Company’s Articles of Association or upon a Merger/Sale.
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17. | MARKET STAND-OFF |
17.1. In connection with any underwritten public offering of equity securities of the Company pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act or equivalent law in another jurisdiction, the Grantee shall not directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of the Company or its underwriters, (i) 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 or other Awards, any securities of the Company (whether or not such Shares were acquired under this Plan), or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable (directly or indirectly) for Shares or securities of the Company and any other shares or securities issued or distributed in respect thereto or in substitution thereof (collectively, “Securities”), or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Securities, whether any such transaction described in clauses (i) or (ii) is to be settled by delivery of Securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing provisions of this Section 17.1 shall not apply to the sale of any shares to an underwriter pursuant to an underwriting agreement. Such restrictions (the “Market Stand-Off”) shall be in effect for such period of time (the “Market Stand-Off Period”): (A) following the first public filing of the registration statement relating to the underwritten public offering until the extirpation of 180 days following the effective date of such registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering or 90 days following the effective date of such registration statement relating to any other public offering, in each case, provided, however, that if (1) during the last 17 days of the initial Market Stand-Off Period, the Company releases earnings results or announces material news or a material event or (2) prior to the expiration of the initial Market Stand-Off Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 15-day period following the last day of the initial Market Stand-Off Period, then in each case the Market Stand-Off Period will be automatically extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of release of the earnings results or the announcement of the material news or material event; or (B) such other period as shall be requested by the Company or the underwriters. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if the underwriter(s) and the Company agree on a termination date of the Market Stand-Off Period in the event of failure to consummate a certain public offering, then such termination shall apply also to the Market Stand-Off Period hereunder with respect to that particular public offering.
17.2. In the event of a subdivision of the outstanding share capital of the Company, the distribution of any securities (whether or not of the Company), whether as bonus shares or otherwise, and whether as dividend or otherwise, a recapitalization, a reorganization (which may include a combination or exchange of shares or a similar transaction affecting the Company’s outstanding securities without receipt of consideration), a consolidation, a spin-off or other corporate divestiture or division, a reclassification or other similar occurrence, any new, substituted or additional securities which are by reason of such transaction distributed with respect to any Shares subject to the Market Stand-Off, or into which such Shares thereby become convertible, shall immediately be subject to the Market Stand-Off.
17.3. In order to enforce the Market Stand-Off, the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Shares acquired under this Plan until the end of the applicable Market Stand-Off period.
17.4. The underwriters in connection with a registration statement so filed are intended third party beneficiaries of this Section 17 and shall have the right, power and authority to enforce the provisions hereof as though they were a party hereto. Each Grantee shall execute such separate agreement(s) as may be requested by the Company or the underwriters in connection with such registration statement and in the form required by them, relating to Market Stand-Off (which need not be identical to the provisions of this Section 17, and may include such additional provisions and restrictions as the underwriters deem advisable) or that are necessary to give further effect thereto. The execution of such separate agreement(s) may be a condition by the Company to the exercise of any Award.
17.5. Without derogating from the above provisions of this Section 17 or elsewhere in this Plan, the provisions of this Section 17 shall apply to the Grantee and the Grantee’s heirs, legal representatives, successors, assigns, and to any purchaser, assignee or transferee of any Awards or Shares.
18. | AGREEMENT REGARDING TAXES; DISCLAIMER. |
18.1. If the Committee shall so require, as a condition of exercise of an Award, the release of Shares by the Trustee or the expiration of the Restricted Period, a Grantee shall agree that, no later than the date of such occurrence, the Grantee will pay to the Company (or the Trustee, as applicable) or make arrangements satisfactory to the Committee and the Trustee (if applicable) regarding payment of any applicable taxes and compulsory payments of any kind required by Applicable Law to be withheld or paid.
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18.2. TAX LIABILITY. ALL TAX CONSEQUENCES UNDER ANY APPLICABLE LAW WHICH MAY ARISE FROM THE GRANT OF ANY AWARDS OR THE EXERCISE THEREOF, THE SALE OR DISPOSITION OF ANY SHARES GRANTED HEREUNDER OR ISSUED UPON EXERCISE OR (IF APPLICABLE) THE VESTING OF ANY AWARD, THE ASSUMPTION, SUBSTITUTION, CANCELLATION OR PAYMENT IN LIEU OF AWARDS OR FROM ANY OTHER ACTION IN CONNECTION WITH THE FOREGOING (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY TAXES AND COMPULSORY PAYMENTS, SUCH AS SOCIAL SECURITY OR HEALTH TAX PAYABLE BY THE GRANTEE OR THE COMPANY IN CONNECTION THEREWITH) SHALL BE BORNE AND PAID SOLELY BY THE GRANTEE, AND THE GRANTEE SHALL INDEMNIFY THE COMPANY, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES AND THE TRUSTEE, AND SHALL HOLD THEM HARMLESS AGAINST AND FROM ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SUCH TAX OR PAYMENT OR ANY PENALTY, INTEREST OR INDEXATION THEREON. EACH GRANTEE AGREES TO, AND UNDERTAKES TO COMPLY WITH, ANY RULING, SETTLEMENT, CLOSING AGREEMENT OR OTHER SIMILAR AGREEMENT OR ARRANGEMENT WITH ANY TAX AUTHORITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE FOREGOING WHICH IS APPROVED BY THE COMPANY.
18.3. NO TAX ADVICE. THE GRANTEE IS ADVISED TO CONSULT WITH A TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF RECEIVING, EXERCISING OR DISPOSING OF AWARDS HEREUNDER. THE COMPANY DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY TO ADVISE THE GRANTEE ON SUCH MATTERS, WHICH SHALL REMAIN SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GRANTEE.
18.4. TAX TREATMENT. THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE OR ASSUME ANY LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE EFFECT THAT ANY AWARD SHALL QUALIFY WITH ANY PARTICULAR TAX REGIME OR RULES APPLYING TO PARTICULAR TAX TREATMENT, OR BENEFIT FROM ANY PARTICULAR TAX TREATMENT OR TAX ADVANTAGE OF ANY TYPE AND THE COMPANY SHALL BEAR NO LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE MANNER IN WHICH ANY AWARD IS EVENTUALLY TREATED FOR TAX PURPOSES, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE AWARD WAS GRANTED OR WAS INTENDED TO QUALIFY UNDER ANY PARTICULAR TAX REGIME OR TREATMENT. THIS PROVISION SHALL SUPERSEDE ANY TYPE OF AWARDS OR TAX QUALIFICATION INDICATED IN ANY CORPORATE RESOLUTION OR AWARD AGREEMENT, WHICH SHALL AT ALL TIMES BE SUBJECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF APPLICABLE LAW. THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE AND SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO TAKE ANY ACTION IN ORDER TO QUALIFY THE AWARD WITH THE REQUIREMENT OF ANY PARTICULAR TAX TREATMENT AND NO INDICATION IN ANY DOCUMENT TO THE EFFECT THAT ANY AWARD IS INTENDED TO QUALIFY FOR ANY TAX TREATMENT SHALL IMPLY SUCH AN UNDERTAKING. NO ASSURANCE IS MADE BY THE COMPANY OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES THAT ANY PARTICULAR TAX TREATMENT ON THE DATE OF GRANT WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST OR THAT THE AWARD WOULD QUALIFY AT THE TIME OF EXERCISE OR DISPOSITION THEREOF WITH ANY PARTICULAR TAX TREATMENT. THE COMPANY AND ITS AFFILIATES SHALL NOT HAVE ANY LIABILITY OR OBLIGATION OF ANY NATURE IN THE EVENT THAT AN AWARD DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR ANY PARTICULAR TAX TREATMENT, REGARDLESS WHETHER THE COMPANY COULD HAVE OR SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ANY ACTION TO CAUSE SUCH QUALIFICATION TO BE MET AND SUCH QUALIFICATION REMAINS AT ALL TIMES AND UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE RISK OF THE GRANTEE. THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE OR ASSUME ANY LIABILITY TO CONTEST A DETERMINATION OR INTERPRETATION (WHETHER WRITTEN OR UNWRITTEN) OF ANY TAX AUTHORITIES, INCLUDING IN RESPECT OF THE QUALIFICATION UNDER ANY PARTICULAR TAX REGIME OR RULES APPLYING TO PARTICULAR TAX TREATMENT. IF THE AWARDS DO NOT QUALIFY UNDER ANY PARTICULAR TAX TREATMENT IT COULD RESULT IN ADVERSE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THE GRANTEE.
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18.5. The Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate may take such action as it may deem necessary or appropriate, in its discretion, for the purpose of or in connection with withholding of any taxes and compulsory payments which the Trustee, the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate is required by any Applicable Law to withhold in connection with any Awards (collectively, “Withholding Obligations”). Such actions may include (i) requiring a Grantees to remit to the Company in cash an amount sufficient to satisfy such Withholding Obligations and any other taxes and compulsory payments, payable by the Company in connection with the Award or the exercise or (if applicable) the vesting thereof; (ii) subject to Applicable Law, allowing the Grantees to provide Shares to the Company, in an amount that at such time, reflects a value that the Committee determines to be sufficient to satisfy such Withholding Obligations; (iii) withholding Shares otherwise issuable upon the exercise of an Award at a value which is determined by the Committee to be sufficient to satisfy such Withholding Obligations; or (iv) any combination of the foregoing. The Company shall not be obligated to allow the exercise of any Award by or on behalf of a Grantee until all tax consequences arising from the exercise of such Award are resolved in a manner acceptable to the Company.
18.6. Each Grantee shall notify the Company in writing promptly and in any event within ten (10) days after the date on which such Grantee first obtains knowledge of any tax bureau inquiry, audit, assertion, determination, investigation, or question relating in any manner to the Awards granted or received hereunder or Shares issued thereunder and shall continuously inform the Company of any developments, proceedings, discussions and negotiations relating to such matter, and shall allow the Company and its representatives to participate in any proceedings and discussions concerning such matters. Upon request, a Grantee shall provide to the Company any information or document relating to any matter described in the preceding sentence, which the Company, in its discretion, requires.
18.7. With respect to 102 Non-Trustee Options, if the Grantee ceases to be employed by the Company or any Affiliate, the Grantee shall extend to the Company and/or its Affiliate with whom the Grantee is employed a security or guarantee for the payment of taxes due at the time of sale of Shares, all in accordance with the provisions of Section 102 of the Ordinance and the Rules.
18.8. For the purpose hereof “tax(es)” means (a) all federal, state, local or foreign taxes, charges, fees, imposts, levies or other assessments, including all income, capital gains, transfer, withholding, payroll, employment, social security, national security, health tax, wealth surtax, stamp, registration and estimated taxes, customs duties, fees, assessments and charges of any similar kind whatsoever (including under Section 280G of the Code), (b) all interest, indexation differentials, penalties, fines, additions to tax or additional amounts imposed by any taxing authority in connection with any item described in clause (a), (c) any transferee or successor liability in respect of any items described in clauses (a) or (b) payable by reason of contract, assumption, transferee liability, successor liability, operation of Applicable Law, or as a result of any express or implied obligation to assume Taxes or to indemnify any other person, and (d) any liability for the payment of any amounts of the type described in clause (a) or (b) payable as a result of being a member of an affiliated, consolidated, combined, unitary or aggregate group for any taxable period, including under U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-6(a) (or any predecessor or successor thereof of any analogous or similar provision under Law) or otherwise.
18.9. If a Grantee makes an election under Section 83(b) of the Code to be taxed with respect to an Award as of the date of transfer of Shares rather than as of the date or dates upon which the Grantee would otherwise be taxable under Section 83(a) of the Code, such Grantee shall deliver a copy of such election to the Company upon or prior to the filing such election with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Neither the Company nor any Affiliate shall have any liability or responsibility relating to or arising out of the filing or not filing of any such election or any defects in its construction.
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19. | RIGHTS AS A SHAREHOLDER; VOTING AND DIVIDENDS. |
19.1. Subject to Section 11.4, a Grantee shall have no rights as a shareholder of the Company with respect to any Shares covered by an Award until the Grantee shall have exercised the Award, paid the Exercise Price therefor and becomes the record holder of the subject Shares. In the case of 102 Awards or 3(9) Awards (if such Awards are being held by a Trustee), the Trustee shall have no rights as a shareholder of the Company with respect to the Shares covered by such Award until the Trustee becomes the record holder for such Shares for the Grantee’s benefit, and the Grantee shall not be deemed to be a shareholder and shall have no rights as a shareholder of the Company with respect to the Shares covered by the Award until the date of the release of such Shares from the Trustee to the Grantee and the transfer of record ownership of such Shares to the Grantee (provided however that the Grantee shall be entitled to receive from the Trustee any cash dividend or distribution made on account of the Shares held by the Trustee for such Grantee’s benefit, subject to any tax withholding and compulsory payment). No adjustment shall be made for dividends (ordinary or extraordinary, whether in cash, securities or other property) or distribution of other rights for which the record date is prior to the date on which the Grantee or Trustee (as applicable) becomes the record holder of the Shares covered by an Award, except as provided in Section 14 hereof.
19.2. With respect to all Awards issued in the form of Shares hereunder or upon the exercise or (if applicable) the vesting of Awards hereunder, any and all voting rights attached to such Shares shall be subject to Section 6.9, and the Grantee shall be entitled to receive dividends distributed with respect to such Shares, subject to the provisions of the Company’s Articles of Association, as amended from time to time, and subject to any Applicable Law.
19.3. The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, register or qualify the sale of Shares under any applicable securities law or any other Applicable Law.
20. | NO REPRESENTATION BY COMPANY. |
By granting the Awards, the Company is not, and shall not be deemed as, making any representation or warranties to the Grantee regarding the Company, its business affairs, its prospects or the future value of its Shares. The Company shall not be required to provide to any Grantee any information, documents or material in connection with the Grantee’s considering an exercise of an Award. To the extent that any information, documents or materials are provided, the Company shall have no liability with respect thereto. Any decision by a Grantee to exercise an Award shall solely be at the risk of the Grantee.
21. | NO RETENTION RIGHTS. |
Nothing in this Plan, any Award Agreement or in any Award granted or agreement entered into pursuant hereto shall confer upon any Grantee the right to continue in the employ of, or be in the service of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof as a Service Provider or to be entitled to any remuneration or benefits not set forth in this Plan or such agreement, or to interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or any such Subsidiary or Affiliate to terminate such Grantee’s employment or service (including, any right of the Company or any of its Affiliates to immediately cease the Grantee’s employment or service or to shorten all or part of the notice period, regardless of whether notice of termination was given by the Company or its Affiliates or by the Grantee). Awards granted under this Plan shall not be affected by any change in duties or position of a Grantee, subject to Sections 6.6 through 6.8. No Grantee shall be entitled to claim and the Grantee hereby waives any claim against the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate that he or she was prevented from continuing to vest Awards as of the date of termination of his or her employment with, or services to, the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate. No Grantee shall be entitled to any compensation in respect of the Awards which would have vested had such Grantee’s employment or engagement with the Company (or any Subsidiary or Affiliate) not been terminated.
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22. | PERIOD DURING WHICH AWARDS MAY BE GRANTED. |
Awards may be granted pursuant to this Plan from time to time within a period of ten (10) years from the Effective Date, which period may be extended from time to time by the Board. From and after such date (as extended) no grants of Awards may be made and this Plan shall continue to be in full force and effect with respect to Awards or Shares issued thereunder that remain outstanding.
23. | AMENDMENT OF THIS PLAN AND AWARDS. |
23.1. The Board at any time and from time to time may suspend, terminate, modify or amend this Plan, whether retroactively or prospectively. Any amendment effected in accordance with this Section shall be binding upon all Grantees and all Awards, whether granted prior to or after the date of such amendment, and without the need to obtain the consent of any Grantee. No termination or amendment of this Plan shall affect any then outstanding Award unless expressly provided by the Board.
23.2. Subject to changes in Applicable Law that would permit otherwise, without the approval of the Company’s shareholders, there shall be (i) no increase in the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued under this Plan as Incentive Stock Options (except by operation of the provisions of Section 14.1), (ii) no change in the class of persons eligible to receive Incentive Stock Options, and (iii) no other amendment of this Plan that would require approval of the Company’s shareholders under any Applicable Law. Unless not permitted by Applicable Law, if the grant of an Award is subject to approval by shareholders, the date of grant of the Award shall be determined as if the Award had not been subject to such approval. Failure to obtain approval by the shareholders shall not in any way derogate from the valid and binding effect of any grant of an Award, which is not an Incentive Stock Option. Upon approval of an amendment to this Plan by the shareholders of the Company as set forth above, all Incentive Stock Options granted under this Plan on or after such amendment shall be fully effective as if the shareholders of the Company had approved the amendment on the same date.
23.3. The Board or the Committee at any time and from time to time may modify or amend any Award theretofore granted, including any Award Agreement, whether retroactively or prospectively.
24. | APPROVAL. |
24.1. This Plan shall take effect upon its adoption by the Board (the “Effective Date”).
24.2. Solely with respect to grants of Incentive Stock Options, this Plan shall also be subject to shareholders’ approval, within one year of the Effective Date, by a majority of the votes cast on the proposal at a meeting or a written consent of shareholders (however, if the grant of an Award is subject to approval by shareholders, the date of grant of the Award shall be determined as if the Award had not been subject to such approval). Failure to obtain such approval by the shareholders within such period shall not in any way derogate from the valid and binding effect of any grant of an Award, except that any Options previously granted under this Plan may not qualify as Incentive Stock Options but, rather, shall constitute Nonqualified Stock Options. Upon approval of this Plan by the shareholders of the Company as set forth above, all Incentive Stock Options granted under this Plan on or after the Effective Date shall be fully effective as if the shareholders of the Company had approved this Plan on the Effective Date.
24.3. 102 Awards are conditional upon the filing with or approval by the ITA, if required, as set forth in Section 9.49. Failure to so file or obtain such approval shall not in any way derogate from the valid and binding effect of any grant of an Award, which is not an 102 Award.
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25. | RULES PARTICULAR TO SPECIFIC COUNTRIES; SECTION 409A. |
25.1. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the terms and conditions of this Plan may be supplemented or amended with respect to a particular country or tax regime by means of an appendix to this Plan, and to the extent that the terms and conditions set forth in any appendix conflict with any provisions of this Plan, the provisions of such appendix shall govern. Terms and conditions set forth in such appendix shall apply only to Awards granted to Grantees under the jurisdiction of the specific country or such other tax regime that is the subject of such appendix and shall not apply to Awards issued to a Grantee not under the jurisdiction of such country or such other tax regime. The adoption of any such appendix shall be subject to the approval of the Board or the Committee, and if determined by the Committee to be required in connection with the application of certain tax treatment, pursuant to applicable stock exchange rules or regulations or otherwise, then also the approval of the shareholders of the Company at the required majority.
25.2. This Section 25.2 shall only apply to Awards granted to Grantees who are subject to United States Federal income tax.
25.2.1 It is the intention of the Company that no Award shall be deferred compensation subject to Code Section 409A unless and to the extent that the Committee specifically determines otherwise as provided in Section 25.2.2, and the Plan and the terms and conditions of all Awards shall be interpreted and administered accordingly.
25.2.2 The terms and conditions governing any Awards that the Committee determines will be subject to Section 409A of the Code, including any rules for payment or elective or mandatory deferral of the payment or delivery of Shares or cash pursuant thereto, and any rules regarding treatment of such Awards in the event of a Change in Control, shall be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement and shall be intended to comply in all respects with Section 409A of the Code, and the Plan and the terms and conditions of such Awards shall be interpreted and administered accordingly.
25.2.3 The Company shall have complete discretion to interpret and construe the Plan and any Award Agreement in any manner that establishes an exemption from (or compliance with) the requirements of Code Section 409A. If for any reason, such as imprecision in drafting, any provision of the Plan and/or any Award Agreement does not accurately reflect its intended establishment of an exemption from (or compliance with) Code Section 409A, as demonstrated by consistent interpretations or other evidence of intent, such provision shall be considered ambiguous as to its exemption from (or compliance with) Code Section 409A and shall be interpreted by the Company in a manner consistent with such intent, as determined in the discretion of the Company. If, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 25.2.3, any provision of the Plan or any such agreement would cause a Grantee to incur any additional tax or interest under Code Section 409A, the Company shall reform such provision in a manner intended to avoid the incurrence by such Grantee of any such additional tax or interest; provided that the Company shall maintain, to the extent reasonably practicable, the original intent and economic benefit to the Grantee of the applicable provision without violating the provisions of Code Section 409A.
25.2.4 Notwithstanding any other provision in the Plan, any Award Agreement, or any other written document establishing the terms and conditions of an Award, if any Grantee is a “specified employee,” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, as of the date of his or her “separation from service” (as defined under Section 409A of the Code), then, to the extent required by Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(2) (or any successor provision), any payment made to such Grantee on account of his or her separation from service shall not be made before a date that is six months after the date of his or her separation from service. The Committee may elect any of the methods of applying this rule that are permitted under Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(2)(ii) (or any successor provision).
25.2.5 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 25.2 to the contrary, although the Company intends to administer the Plan so that Awards will be exempt from, or will comply with, the requirements of Code Section 409A, the Company does not warrant that any Award under the Plan will qualify for favorable tax treatment under Code Section 409A or any other provision of federal, state, local, or non-United States law. The Company shall not be liable to any Grantee for any tax, interest, or penalties the Grantee might owe as a result of the grant, holding, vesting, exercise, or payment of any Award under the Plan.
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26. | GOVERNING LAW; JURISDICTION. |
This Plan and all determinations made and actions taken pursuant hereto shall be governed by the laws of the State of Israel, except with respect to matters that are subject to tax laws, regulations and rules of any specific jurisdiction, which shall be governed by the respective laws, regulations and rules of such jurisdiction. Certain definitions, which refer to laws other than the laws of such jurisdiction, shall be construed in accordance with such other laws. The competent courts located in Tel-Aviv-Jaffa, Israel shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Plan and any Award granted hereunder. By signing any Award Agreement or any other agreement relating to an Award, each Grantee irrevocably submits to such exclusive jurisdiction.
27. | NON-EXCLUSIVITY OF THIS PLAN. |
The adoption of this Plan shall not be construed as creating any limitations on the power or authority of the Company to adopt such other or additional incentive or other compensation arrangements of whatever nature as the Company may deem necessary or desirable or preclude or limit the continuation of any other plan, practice or arrangement for the payment of compensation or fringe benefits to employees generally, or to any class or group of employees, which the Company or any Affiliate now has lawfully put into effect, including any retirement, pension, savings and stock purchase plan, insurance, death and disability benefits and executive short-term or long-term incentive plans.
28. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
28.1. Survival. The Grantee shall be bound by and the Shares issued upon exercise or (if applicable) the vesting of any Awards granted hereunder shall remain subject to this Plan after the exercise or (if applicable) the vesting of Awards, in accordance with the terms of this Plan, whether or not the Grantee is then or at any time thereafter employed or engaged by the Company or any of its Affiliates.
28.2. Additional Terms. Each Award awarded under this Plan may contain such other terms and conditions not inconsistent with this Plan as may be determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion.
28.3. Fractional Shares. No fractional Share shall be issuable upon exercise or vesting of any Award and the number of Shares to be issued shall be rounded down to the nearest whole Share, with in any Share remaining at the last vesting date due to such rounding to be issued upon exercise at such last vesting date.
28.4. Severability. If any provision of this Plan, any Award Agreement or any other agreement entered into in connection with an Award shall be determined to be illegal or unenforceable by any court of law in any jurisdiction, the remaining provisions hereof and thereof shall be severable and enforceable in accordance with their terms, and all provisions shall remain enforceable in any other jurisdiction. In addition, if any particular provision contained in this Plan, any Award Agreement or any other agreement entered into in connection with an Award shall for any reason be held to be excessively broad as to duration, geographic scope, activity or subject, it shall be construed by limiting and reducing such provision as to such characteristic so that the provision is enforceable to fullest extent compatible with Applicable Law as it shall then appear.
28.5. Captions and Titles. The use of captions and titles in this Plan or any Award Agreement or any other agreement entered into in connection with an Award is for the convenience of reference only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of any provision of this Plan or such agreement.
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Exhibit 23.1
Fahn Kanne & Co. | |
Head Office | |
32 Hamasger Street | |
Tel-Aviv 6721118, ISRAEL | |
PO Box 36172, 6136101 | |
T +972 3 7106666 | |
F +972 3 7106660 | |
www.gtfk.co.il |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We have issued our report dated March 7, 2022, with respect to the financial statements of Saverone 2014 Ltd. contained in the Registration Statement and Prospectus. We consent to the use of the aforementioned report in this Registration Statement and Prospectus, and to the use of our name as it appears under the caption “Experts.”
/s/ Fahn Kanne & Co. Grant Thornton Israel
Tel-Aviv, Israel
March 30, 2022