As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2023
Registration No. 333-______________
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Elevai Labs, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrant’s Name into English)
Delaware | 5912 | 85-1399981 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of | (Primary Standard Industrial | (I.R.S. Employer | ||
incorporation or organization) | Classification Code Number) | Identification Number) |
120 Newport Center Drive, Ste. 250
Newport Beach, CA 92660
866-794-4940
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of principal executive offices)
Dr. Jordan R. Plews
Chief Executive Officer
120 Newport Center Drive, Ste. 250
Newport Beach, CA 92660
866-794-4940
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
William Rosenstadt, Esq. Mengyi
“Jason” Ye, Esq. |
Ying Li, Esq. Guillaume de Sampigny, Esq. Hunter
Taubman Fischer & Li LLC New
York, NY 10022
|
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, 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 a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer ☒ | Smaller reporting company ☒ | |||
Emerging growth company ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 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 this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and it is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS | SUBJECT
TO COMPLETION DATED SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 |
1,500,000 Shares of Common Stock
Elevai Labs, Inc.
This is a firm commitment initial public offering of $6,000,000 of gross proceeds of shares of common stock par value US$0.0001 (“Common Stock”) per share of Elevai Labs, Inc. (the “Company”, “Elevai”, “we”, “us”, “our”), a Delaware corporation, which amount we have assumed to be equal to 1,5000,000 shares of Common Stock using the bottom of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus. We anticipate that the initial public offering price of our shares of Common Stock will be between $4.00 and $6.00 per share.
There is currently no public market for our Common Stock. We have applied to have our shares of our Common Stock listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ELAB”, and this offering will not close unless such application has been approved. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in listing on Nasdaq; however, we will not complete this offering unless we are so listed.
We are an “emerging growth company” under the federal securities laws and have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary-Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company.”
Investing in our shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the matters described under the caption “Risk Factors” beginning on page 15.
We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined under federal securities laws and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company disclosure requirements in this prospectus and future filings.
Upon the completion of this offering, our outstanding shares will consist of 17,329,615 shares of Common Stock, which includes 5,710,781 shares of our Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock simultaneously with the completion of this offering (as described below), and assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional shares of Common Stock, or 17,554,615 shares of Common Stock, assuming the over-allotment option is exercised in full.
Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission 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 Share | Total Without Over-Allotment Option | Total With Full Over-Allotment Option | ||||||||||
Assumed initial public offering price(1) | $ | 4.00 | $ | 6,000,000 | $ | 6,900,000 | ||||||
Underwriter discounts(2) | $ | 0.32 | $ | 480,000 | $ | 552,000 | ||||||
Proceeds to us, before expenses(3) | $ | 3.68 | $ | 5,520,000 | $ | 6,348,000 |
(1) | Based upon an assumed initial public offering price of $4.00 per share of Common stock, which is the bottom of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. |
(2) | The underwriter, Univest Securities, LLC, will receive compensation in addition to the discounts. The registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, also registers for sale 75,000 warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock to be issued to the underwriter (based on the assumed offering price of $4.00 per share, the bottom of the estimated initial public offering range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). We have agreed to issue the warrants to the underwriter as a portion of the underwriting compensation payable to the underwriter in connection with this offering. See “Underwriting” for a description of compensation payable to the underwriter. We have granted a 45-day option to the underwriter to purchase up to additional 225,000 shares of Common Stock, representing 15% of the shares of Common Stock offered at the initial public offering, to cover over-allotments, if any. |
(3) | The total estimated expenses related to this offering are set forth in Item 13 of Part II of this prospectus in the section entitled “Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.” |
The underwriter expects to deliver the shares of Common Stock on or about [●], 2023.
Univest Securities, LLC
The date of this prospectus is [●], 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on our behalf. Neither we nor the underwriter have authorized any other person to provide you with different or additional information. Neither we nor the underwriter take responsibility for, nor can we assure you as to the reliability of, any other information that others may provide. The underwriter is not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus or such other date stated in this prospectus, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or prospects may have changed since those dates.
Except as otherwise set forth in this prospectus, neither we nor the underwriter have taken any action to permit a public offering of these securities outside the United States or to permit the possession or distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about and observe any restrictions relating to the offering of these securities and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.
Unless the context otherwise requires, in this prospectus, the term(s) “we”, “us”, “our”, “Company”, “our company”, “our business” and “Elevai” refer to Elevai Labs, Inc. and, unless the context requires otherwise, its subsidiaries.
i
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus, including, without limitation, statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, transformation, strategic priorities and future progress, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “project,” “believe,” “estimate” or “predict” “or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus and are subject to a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including the factors described in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and in our periodic filings with the SEC. Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
ii
This summary highlights selected information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. Because it is a summary, it may not contain all of the information that may be important to you. To understand this offering fully, you should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” and our financial statements.
Prospectus Conventions
Except where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of this prospectus only, references to:
● | “Exchange Act” are to the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; |
● | “FY2021”, “FY2022” are to fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2022, respectively; |
● | “cGMP” are to current good manufacturing practices. |
● | “CM” are to conditioned media. |
● | “Common Stock” are to our Common Stock with a par value of $0.001 per share |
● | “hUMSCs” are to human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells. |
● | “KOL” are to key opinion leader. |
● | “SEC” or “Securities and Exchange Commission” are to United States Securities and Exchange Commission; |
● | “Securities Act” are to the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended; and |
● | “Elevai”, “ELEVAI”, “our business”, “our Company”, “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our” and “Group” are to Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation and, unless the context requires otherwise, its subsidiaries. |
Prospectus Definitions of Commonly Used Terms
For additional context of commonly used terms within this prospectus the following definitions are applicable when used herein:
● | “Conditioned Media” refers to the media or solution within which cells have been grown and have released various types of molecules such as growth factors, cytokines, and extracellular vesicles. This media can then be collected and used to study the effects of these molecules on other cells or tissues; | |
● | “Comedogenicity” refers to the potential of a substance or ingredient to clog pores and contribute to the formation of comedones (blackheads and whiteheads), which are a characteristic feature of acne. Comedogenic substances are more likely to cause acne or exacerbate existing acne-prone skin. In the context of skincare and cosmetic products, non-comedogenic formulations are preferred for individuals with acne-prone skin to reduce the likelihood of pore-clogging and acne development; | |
● | “Extracellular Vesicles” (EVs) are small membrane-bound particles released by cells into the extracellular environment. These vesicles play a crucial role in cell-to-cell communication by carrying proteins, lipids, and genetic material like ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from one cell to another; |
1
● | “Exosomes” refers to small membrane-bound vesicles that are released by cells that are involved in intercellular communication. They contain various types of biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, which can be transferred between cells and may modulate and support these natural cellular processes; | |
● | “hUMSC” stands for human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. hUMSC are adult stem cells that can differentiate into various cell types. hUMSCs can be isolated from the Wharton’s Jelly of the umbilical cord, and have shown therapeutic potential in various diseases such as osteoarthritis, myocardial infarction, and neurodegenerative diseases; | |
● | “Hyperpigmentation” is characterized by the appearance of the darkening of the skin due to the increased production of melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color. It can be caused by various factors such as exposure to sunlight, hormonal changes, and skin injuries. Hyperpigmentation may be treated with various topical agents such as hydroquinone, retinoids, and corticosteroids, as well as with cosmetic procedures such as chemical peels and laser therapy; | |
● | “Mesenchymal stem cells” (MSCs) are a type of multipotent adult stem cell that can differentiate into various cell types, including bone, cartilage, muscle, and fat cells. MSCs are found in various tissues, such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, and umbilical cord blood. They play a critical role in tissue repair and regeneration, as well as modulating immune responses; | |
● | “Modulation” refers to the regulation or adjustment of biological processes at various levels, including genes, proteins, cells, and physiological systems; | |
● | “Tumorigenic” describes the ability of a substance, cell, or process to induce the formation of tumors or cancerous growths. Tumorigenic substances or agents may cause genetic mutations, disrupt normal cell function, or promote uncontrolled cell growth, ultimately leading to the development of tumors; and | |
● | “White label” refers to a product that is manufactured by one company but sold under another company’s brand name. |
We have made rounding adjustments to some of the figures included in this prospectus. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that preceded them.
Unless the context indicates otherwise, all information in this prospectus assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.
We obtained certain industry, market and competitive position data in this prospectus from our own internal estimates, surveys and research and from publicly available information, including private agency, industry and general publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties, including the sources cited in “Business – Market, Industry and Other Research-Based Data”. None of these industry sources or governmental agencies are affiliated with us, and the information contained in this report has not been reviewed or endorsed by any of them. While we have not independently verified the data and information contained therein and such data and information may have been collected using third-party methodologies, we believe that the data and information, including projections based on a number of assumptions, from these third-party publications and reports used in this prospectus is reliable. However, the industries in which we operate may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Industry publications, research, surveys, studies, and forecasts generally state that the information they contain has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but that the accuracy and completeness of such information is not guaranteed. Forecasts and other forward-looking information obtained from these sources are subject to the same qualifications and uncertainties as the other forward-looking statements in this prospectus. These forecasts and forward-looking information are subject to uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described under “Risk Factors”. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forecasts or estimates from independent third parties and us.
2
The Company
We are a physician-dispensed skincare company with a focus on modernizing aesthetic skincare. We conduct research and development to advance innovative and science-driven topical skincare that complements the medical aesthetics industry. Upon our founding in 2020, we initiated our research and development phase for our current product formulations. Since 2022, we have principally employed a business-to-business model in which we produce and commercialize a new generation of topical skincare products that contain our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM designed to enhance the appearance of skin.
Our exosome manufacturing process from source to skin is known as ‘Precision Regenerative Exosome Technology™’ or ‘PREx™’. PREx™ utilizes advanced patent-pending stem cell processing technology as part of our cohesive production process involving carefully controlled stem cell culture to produce stem cell derived factors that are featured in our topical exosome products. Specifically, as referenced herein “exosomes” are small membrane-bound vesicles that are released by cells that are involved in intercellular communication. They contain various types of biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, which can be transferred between cells and may modulate and support these natural cellular processes.
Our proprietary PREx™ biotechnology process yields exosome lots from human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (“hUMSC”) for our specialty physician-dispensed skincare products. hUMSC are adult stem cells that can differentiate into various cell types. hUMSCs can be isolated from the Wharton’s Jelly portion of the umbilical cord and have shown therapeutic potential in various diseases such as osteoarthritis, myocardial infarction, and neurodegenerative diseases. Our products are comprised of topical cosmetic solutions to enhance the appearance of skin. Our products are not drug products or considered regenerative medicine, nor have any of our products received FDA approval. Our cosmetic products are not intended to prevent, treat or cure diseases or medical conditions. Moreover, our cosmetic products are not intended to be injected or delivered intravenously. Instead, our exosome-infused skincare products are topically applied to the skin to aid in the reduction of the appearance of a range of the most common cosmetic skin conditions, including the appearance of skin firmness, oxidative stress, photodamage, hyperpigmentation, and texture of soft tissue deficits, such as reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Market, Industry and Other Research-Based Data
We currently distribute our cosmetics products through two distinct channels, including a business-to-business sales channel where we sell our products directly within the United States and through our distribution sales channel where we sell our products directly to distributors with international or regional reach under exclusive and non-exclusive territorial agreements. We have employed a combination of both distribution channels via distribution agreements and directed business-to-business channels to optimize our sales reach and strategy.
The term ‘physician-dispensed’ refers to a sales channel where cosmetics products are exclusively sold in physician clinics or medically directed businesses by licensed medical professionals or that have a medical professional on staff, such as medical spas. Our products are only available through a medically-directed business and are geared towards nourishing, protecting and supporting healthy looking skin. Such cosmetics products are highly sought after by consumers making them one of the fastest growing segments of the personal care market.1 Consumers turn to cosmetics to enhance the appearance of dull or aging skin and to brighten the skin by lessening the appearance of a myriad of aesthetics concerns such as unwanted pigmentation, acne, melasma and rosacea. They view these products as alternatives to medications and may try cosmetics products before using medicinal products. Physicians also value well designed topical skincare products formulated and manufactured with our biotechnology for their complementary aesthetic effects in conjunction with medications to improve skin appearance and to enhance the benefits of in-office procedures.
Our business-to-business model channel within the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market utilizes both online sales, and our trained direct sales force comprised of employed, and independently contracted aesthetic account managers. This business-to-business sales channel is distinct from our leverage of non-exclusive distribution agreements third-party distributors or resellers, who in turn sell our products to end customers. Under distribution agreements our relationship between the seller and the buyer is more indirect, because our distributors serve as an intermediaries, however we believe scaling our product lines through larger distribution sales channels will lead to faster brand expansion, recognition and market reach.
The skincare segment within the physician-dispensed market is projected to grow by a 9.9% CAGR to reach $12.8 billion by 2027 with the US physician-dispensed cosmetics market valued at $5.9 billion in 2020 alone.2 Outside the United States, the physician-dispensed skincare market varies by country due to cultural differences and regulatory requirements. Cultural desires for skin with lighter and more of an even pigmentation have created large and growing aesthetic skincare demands throughout Asia, particularly in Japan, China, Korea, and India. European and certain South American countries, such as Brazil, also present large skincare markets due to the complementary growth in cosmetic procedures and willingness on the part of their consumers to spend discretionary income on aesthetic enhancements. The global physician-dispensed cosmeceuticals market size was valued at $16.52 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $35.33 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2021 to 2028.3
1 | U.S. Beauty & Personal Care 2023-2026 | Statista. |
2 | Physician-dispensed Cosmeceuticals – Global Market Trajectory & Analytics | Research & Markets |
3 | Physician-dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market Size, Share & Forecast | Verified Market Research |
3
Current Products and Products in Development
Our products rely on Elevai ExosomesTM that are derived from, ethically sourced and thoroughly tested, human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (“hUMSCs”) originating from umbilical cord tissue. We purchase our hUMSCs from third parties that source umbilical tissue from consenting donors and are manufactured under current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMP”) conditions. We infuse our product lines with exosomes derived from these hUMSCs which are replete with growth factors. Our cosmetic topical products do not contain any living cells but do include our Elevai ExosomesTM. Our products and their safety are regulated by the FDA, however our products and all cosmetics generally do not require FDA approval before being sold. Nonetheless, the FDA may pursue enforcement action against products on the market that are not in compliance with applicable laws. See “Regulations” for more information.
We have integrated the use of stem cell exosomes into our initial product line: our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™. The E-Series™ is comprised of two post-skincare procedure care products that target the face and neck, and upper chest regions. Our products include Empower™, and Enfinity™ serums, which are sold exclusively through our business-to-business model channel and via our distribution agreements channel.
Empower™ is our after-treatment topical product that supports the appearance of healthy skin and promotes an even toned complexion. Empower™ serum is a concentrated serum, designed specifically for application post ablative procedures and treatments such as such as energy device treatments, mid-depth chemical peels, micro needling, or injectables. Enfinity™ is our continuing care product that we recommend for daily use. Our Enfinity™ daily serum is a stable serum for at-home daily use that contains a blend of Elevai ExosomesTM combined with complementary stem cell growth factors. This daily product contains complimentary skincare ingredients available to support the appearance of healthy skin including Elevai ExosomesTM, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and copper peptides. Our exosome-based products, Enfinity™ are designed to remain shelf stable, are subject to minimal degradation over time when used and stored as directed, and do not require freezing or reconstitution prior to each use.
We further believe that our products have the potential to be used in a number of applications and other procedures beyond their current use. For example, we are in the early stages of evaluating the adjunctive use of our exosomes in the promotion of healthy hair growth cycles and noticeable improvement to hair appearance, fullness and thickness.
Competition
The market for medical aesthetic skincare products is highly competitive, and we expect the intensity of competition to increase in the future. Our principal competitors are large, well-established companies in the fields of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical devices and health care.
Our largest direct competitors in the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market, inclusive of both distribution and business-to-business market channels for our medical aesthetics cosmetics products include SkinCeuticals, a division of L’Oréal S.A., Skinbetter Science LLC, a division of L’Oréal S.A., SkinMedica, Inc., a division of Allergan, Inc., ZO Skin Health, 51% owned by BlackStone, PCA Skin, EltaMD, each a division of Colgate-Palmolive, Dermalogica, Murad, each a division of Unilever, and Alastin Skincare, a division of Galderma.
Our competitors strictly in the business-to-business channels for medical aesthetics skincare products include The Beauty Company (Nasdaq:SKIN), Waldencast (Nasdaq:WALD), Inmode (Nasdaq: INMD, Evolus (Nasdaq: EOLS), Revance (Nasdaq: RVNC), and Cynosure.
4
Operational and Competitive Strengths
We face competition from both traditional cosmetics brands, such as retail-focused products, as well as other high-end cosmetics brands in the physician-dispensed cosmetics space. We believe the primary competitive factors in our favor is our Elevai ExosomesTM though our company exhibits the following additional operational and competitive strengths:
Our Next Generation Technology and Early Results:
Elevai ExosomesTM remain our key ingredient and main competitive strength, which is produced under proprietary and cGMP-compliant conditions in our state-of-the-art laboratory. We have a proprietary process to stimulate our ethically sourced cGMP grade hUMSCs to produce stem-cell derived exosomes. This process is designed to ensure that our customers consistently receive a stable, and potent product using strict standard operating procedures under laboratory controlled in-vitro culture conditions. Thereafter, we work closely with our formulation partners so that each batch of product is mixed according to our strict specifications. We believe we are one of the few in the physician-dispensed aesthetics industry to incorporate next generation biotechnology into its product lines. We believe that many of our competitors market products that contain inferior synthetic exosomes, exosomes from inferior sources, or ingredients that can be purchased anywhere. We are conducting ongoing sponsored validation studies involving individuals with noticeable skin pigmentation and redness to determine if there is an improvement in the appearance of skin pigmentation and redness issues when our topical products containing our Elevai ExosomesTM are applied daily. Subjects in one of our validation studies were analyzed by an advanced imaging and analysis device called “VISIA” to determine what percentage of those subjects’ facial skin showed evidence of a change in detected levels of hyper pigmentation after twice-daily application of our Enfinity™ daily serum over the course of approximately 12 weeks. After twelve weeks of twice daily topical application of our Enfinity™ daily serum, follow up VISIA scans showed a six to twenty percent reduction in the area of facial skin recorded with hyper pigmentation as compared to their initial VISIA scans. There we found that after multiple-week application of our products, those hyper pigmented regions appeared less dark, less pronounced or noticeable, and the skin appeared to display a more balanced skin tone and texture. This early positive assessment is based on our comparing quantified values of image data that are taken at multiple time points throughout the validation study in order make our well quantified comparison of skin quality at the timepoints recorded. There, the imaging data showed the intensity of the remaining hyperpigmentation on those subjects’ facial skin was visibly reduced as compared to initial VISIA scans. However, we note that we continue to determine if we can better quantify this reduction in pigmentation intensity as further evidence of performance is analyzed over the course of our validation studies. At this early stage, the continued success of positive results of our products is highly subjective to consumers and we have yet to complete formal clinical validation studies with a large cohort to demonstrate support for the performance claims of our products, such as their ability to aesthetically improve the skin. Furthermore, any statements contained herein regarding our topical cosmetic and exosome-containing serums have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA. Similarly, the United States FDA has relatively limited experience regulating cosmetics derived from stem cells, and as of the date of this prospectus, there are no FDA approved medical products utilizing exosomes.
Our Product Quality, Ongoing Research and Seamless Production Process:
Many of our early-stage competitors employ contract manufacturers and labs to handle all portions their production. Our California-based laboratory and production facility helps us protect our trade secrets by keeping our core processes for exosome production in-house and eliminates our need to rely on contractors that may use damaged products of inferior quality, or dangerous/unstable ingredients solely for the purpose of manufacturing our Elevai ExosomesTM. Our streamlined commercialization process is quality controlled from stem cell acquisition, through exosome production, to specifying our standards to our contractors for formulation and bottling, ensuring continuity across the process to limit damage to our product’s exosomes and actives. Additionally, our aesthetic account managers and senior-level staff are highly supportive of our physician clients who rely on the quality of our product literature and educational material. This literature allows our physician clients to provide the best information to their clients whose experience may be ultimately enhanced by choosing to use our product lines post-procedure.
Although we are an early-stage company, we have integrated the production of our Elevai ExosomesTM with our general production process. We do not outsource any aspect of our exosome production process or license any core technology. We also have the capability to commercialize a variety of products derived from stem cells containing innovative encapsulated stem cell produced factors and quickly introduce new competitive products and existing product enhancements. This capability is harnessed by our ability to produce unique ingredient in our own lab like Elevai ExosomesTM. These natural stem cell factors are a core ingredient, and an ingredient that we believe few others can commercialize or approximate. We maintain the ability and know-how to modulate the way the stem cells are cultured in our laboratory space. Through modulation, we are able to produce different versions of our stem cell exosomes, and tailor them for different purposes, such as potentially supporting and promoting a healthy hair growth cycle. As we continue to grow our production outputs, we expect to multiply our modalities and deliver newly and more narrowly tailored versions of exosomes to the market in the form of our cosmetic products.
Although our ultimate goal is to achieve vertical integration, our current focus is on promoting the manufacture of our top-quality products and reducing our costs to produce next-generation cosmetics for the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market at favorable price points while generating healthy margins. We believe our products will remain attractive to most consumers by pricing them at rates that are competitive with existing and emerging post-care and aesthetics cosmetics companies while remaining below a pricing tier reserved for more top-end direct-to-consumer products like those from La Mer Technology, Inc. Similarly, we believe that our pricing strategy is competitive with other competing physician dispensed skincare brands that do not contain exosomes. We believe this price point is still attainable for consumers in the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market even though our products employ the integration of topical exosomes that is in a similar class as existing skincare products, but through a newer manufacturing process which we believe allows our brand to market better quality and more purified extracellular vesicles in our products. Thus, we chose to favorably price ourselves at the top of the range that we believe the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market will positively respond to.
5
Our Products Ease of Use, Quality Ingredients, and Post-Procedure Benefits:
We believe our products often complement the experience- and improve the results-of most physician in-office or medical spa aesthetic face and body treatments that include laser treatment, microneedling and ablative surgical procedures. We designed our products to provide benefits without any blood draw or needling. Our products may also ease uneven looking or puffy skin texture associated with the post-procedure healing process by including ingredients that assist in soothing and supporting the skin for the appearance of a more even skin tone.
To attain customer satisfaction with our products after aesthetic face and body treatments, we carefully select high-quality active ingredients to aid in the healing process. These includes hydrating hyaluronic acid and ceramides, to support skin health for any skin type. Alongside our Elevai ExosomesTM, our products are packed with bioavailable forms of vitamin C, and skin-restoring copper peptides. Our products are integrated into post-procedure or treatment protocols and have achieved positive results under third-party dermal safety evaluations. Each of our products underwent clinical dermal safety evaluations and there was no skin reactivity observed at any time over the multi-week study.
We culture our hUMSCs under carefully controlled conditions in our lab without the use of animal components or byproducts, such as Fetal Bovine Serum (“FBS”). Aside from our moral compass, there are many reasons to avoid animal components in our production process in particular. While this includes safety to avoid animal borne viruses, there is more consistency and predictability for high quality exosomes when culturing hUMSCs. Although there is much variability in any animal-derived component, they remain the primary way that most scientists around the world grow cells in laboratories. We aim to ensure that our products do not contain any parabens, phthalates, or animal byproducts, and we never test on animals.
We believe the application of our topical products can reduce redness, brighten skin, improve wrinkles and skin texture to promote healthy looking skin and the appearance of rejuvenation. Depending on consumer needs, our skin products are designed to either be directly applied topically after an aesthetics or ablative procedure or applied daily. At this preliminary stage, the continued success of the early positive results of our products is highly subjective to consumers and we have yet to complete clinical validation studies to demonstrate support for any performance claims of our products, such as their ability to aesthetically improve the skin. Furthermore, any statements contained herein regarding our topical cosmetic and exosome-containing serums have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA.
Established Partnerships with Major Industry Players and Our Local Community:
Our position as an early mover in utilizing topical exosome skincare technology in the physician-dispensed markets has attracted various industry leaders to become our non-exclusive or exclusive partners, creating an extensive network for us to leverage. We believe the expertise and market coverage of both our exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements with channel partners broaden our executional capability, reduce our execution risk, and provide immediate market access to increase the speed at which our products can reach the market. These partnerships solidify our position as a smaller company with substantial technological expertise. Additionally, our exclusive and non-exclusive distribution partnerships have allowed our products to enter Asian and Canadian international markets via our third-party distributors, in a capital efficient manner. In addition to our white-label distribution agreement, we may plan to pursue strategic co-development opportunities and arrangements that further enhance our product pipeline to create effective synergies to supplement our product offerings in the physician-dispensed market. Our current collaboration with many high-volume distributors provides valuable knowledge that we believe will enhance our early mover advantage.
On April 1, 2023, the Mitacs-Accelerate Grants Program via the Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement (OCIE) Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada awarded our team $90,000 Canadian Dollars under a two-year research grant in relation to a project entitled “Multiomic characterization of stem cell derived extracellular vesicles for supporting the skin.” Under this project, we will engage an intern from Dalhousie University’s Department of Process Engineering & Applied Science under the tutelage of Dr. Stansislav Sokolenko who is responsible for completing a report about the project that is reviewed by their faculty supervisor and presented to our team. The primary aim of this research project, called “ELV3000”, is to establish new and novel techniques for characterizing the bioactive ‘payload’ of our Elevai ExosomesTM in order to provide us with a greater understanding of how specific exosome contents may be attributable to positive skincare outcomes. The secondary aim of the research project will be to further optimize our Elevai Exosomes™ production process to eventually improve our products through the eventual ability to exert greater control over exosome payloads. This detailed characterization will be conducted using a combination of traditional and advanced techniques and will build on other work currently being performed by us and our contract research partners.
Additionally, we partner with local California universities through a federally funded program called “CareerCONNECTED” Federal Work Study (“CCFWS”) to maintain roots in the surrounding area. The CareerCONNECTED program provides low-income students an opportunity to learn real world skills they would not traditionally receive in an academic setting. 60% of the interns’ pay is federally funded and we pay the other 40% of their salary. We benefit immensely from these interns and believe it is mutually beneficial to our growth to work with eager, academic minded individuals that can help us with our more time intensive tasks that slow down our general operations. This in turn helps our lab team reduce production time to make our exosome enriched media. Along with the interns assisting the lab team, we in turn teach them essential lab skills that will benefit them going forward in their science careers. We believe the program gives us an advantage in training future scientists to our specifications and potentially selecting future employees from the intern pool that are already received high quality training that can meet our lab specifications. Any future opportunity to hire our trained interns reduces the time and the opportunity costs that we would normally incur with training a newly hired, full time lab tech.
6
We continue to grow through allying with channel partners, local universities, and strategic investors globally and expect these relationships will enhance our credibility, relationship with the surrounding community, generate better leads, and future conversion of customers. These investments will ultimately enable us to be more agile in achieving our goals in the shortest time and leverage further investment into our technological strengths alongside our partners’ connections and relationships.
Our Well Recognized and Award-winning Team and Brand:
We produce our Elevai ExosomesTM using a proprietary process called Precision Regenerative Exosome Technology, or PREx™, which has been developed and perfected by Jordan R. Plews, PhD. Dr. Plews is a published biochemical engineer with expertise in molecular biology and stem cells, which we believe will enable our ability to scale our concepts as we develop other novel product lines. We believe we can efficiently bridge the knowledge-gap between engineering and processing because of our research and aptitude in both fields. Using both vocations, improves our ability to isolate re-agents and stem-cell material to identify novel proof of concepts on a biochemical and molecular level while efficiently harnessing processes to produce and market those concepts at scale.
Our second founder, Dr. Hatem Abou-Sayed (known professionally as “Tim Sayed MD”), is a double board-certified plastic surgeon with nearly two decades of experience in the medical aesthetics market. Dr. Sayed was instrumental in positioning us as an exosome focused aesthetic skincare brand and forming the foundational engagements with our hUMSC suppliers to build on the established scientific background and legacy of our suppliers. In that capacity he helped to develop the application of our cosmetics products to complement device-based medical aesthetic procedures.
Under both founders’ guidance, we have made a number of strategic hires to assemble our management heads who in turn have recruited an experienced sales and marketing team. Together, our team has a demonstrated its ability to identify new business opportunities and to develop our business by growing our global distribution networks. Similarly, we are privileged to include a number of strategic advisors and consultants as members of our team including James R. Headley, NorthStrive Companies Inc., Kevin Green, and Crystal Muilenburg.
To that end, our brand has received a number of awards and accreditations, and we have been featured in exposés in recognition of our products and innovation. Those awards and recognitions include the People’s Choice Award after presenting at the Octane Aesthetics Tech Summit annual event, as part of the small business accelerator called the LaunchPad SBDC (Small Business Development Center). Additionally, we have been featured in the Aesthetic Guide Magazine, New Beauty Magazine, Grazia Magazine and MedEsthetics Magazine, among others.
Strategy
We believe we have the potential to be one of the most disruptive brands in the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market. We are in the early stages of new product development and have significant room to grow by attracting more consumers to the brand, making our current products more widely available and offering more innovative products to our consumers. We expect the United States to be the largest source of our growth over the next few years and see ample opportunity to expand in select international markets. We also believe we have an opportunity to improve our margins through greater operating leverage and efficiency once we begin distributing our product more widely.
Our Technology and Research:
We believe we are one of the first to adapt stem cell technology from cGMP grade hUMSCs to produce purified extracellular vesicles, also referred to as exosomes into topical skincare products to capture market share in the high growth physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market. This strategy is not only based on our understanding of consumers’ interest in the appearance of a quicker post-procedure recovery, but our research into what the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market is currently lacking and our belief in our products’ ability—based on early imaging data leveraging quantitative analysis and visual assessments of photographic progress photos. Our imaging study data is gathered utilizing an advanced imaging and analysis device made by Canfield Scientific, called “VISIA”. This complexion analysis system captures high-quality, standardized images that are monitored following a medical aesthetic procedure at regular intervals to assess redness, discomfort, tone, texture, wrinkles, and other measures of skin appearance.
Since 2020, we have invested in the creation of a commercial process that began in 2022 which leverages the use of hUMSCs to produce extracellular vesicles, or exosomes in our products because not only do these factors have the ability to enhance the appearance of the skin, but they can do so without the tumorigenic or ethical concerns associated with the use of embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells.24 Because we recognized the potential of utilizing hUMSCs for the skin, it was natural for us to utilize them as the basis for formulating our products. This is founded on our belief that our products can improve the appearance of skin prone to appearing temporarily red and puffy that is normally experienced by consumers while attending to their aesthetics needs in physicians’ offices or medical spas.
24 | Gao, F., et al., Mesenchymal stem cells and immunomodulation: current status and future prospects. Cell Death Dis, 2016. 7: p. e2062. |
7
A Visionary and Experienced Management Team:
We have made significant investments in our business over the past three years by building our own exosome manufacturing lab, hiring top talent to help us build functional and streamlined capabilities in our commercialization process. Our management team comes from leading international skincare companies, with world-class research, marketing, and e-commerce experience to implement growth strategies and drive operational improvements.
Brand and Product Expansion:
We plan to continue to grow our young brand’s reputation. We plan to continue to expand our brand by attending events, presenting at scientific and medical aesthetic and cosmetic skincare conferences, and conducting clinical validation studies to further validate the aesthetic results of our products. We believe what differentiates us from many traditional cosmetics companies is our lean, but aggressive ability to make fast market-driven decisions and execute with quality control standards. We believe we have a major speed-to-market advantage over many other companies because of our size and aptitude in bioprocessing. Similarly, we are highly responsive to market-trends alongside physician and aesthetics consumer needs alike. We will continue to leverage our executional excellence as we combine our aptitude in stem cell research and bioprocessing while seeking to become the preferred partner of our key customers. Additionally, we have a robust product pipeline that we believe is likely to address the many evolving needs of customers, physicians, and clinicians in the aesthetic and cosmetics market ultimately increasing our branding and the number of customers we serve. Should any of our pipeline products over perform, especially those product lines that may focus on aesthetic needs other than skin appearance it may be advantageous for our branding to spin off those product lines and further focus on our core market: skin improvement and appearance.
Channel Expansion, Production Capacity, and International Growth:
While our current focus is on the physician-dispensed market, we intend to expand into other sales channels including e-commerce by growing the information available on our website and making our products available for purchase through our medical-spa, physician and physician group partners’ websites. We believe being featured on a variety of partner websites will strengthen our brand and provide a unique direct-to-consumer e-commerce model via our business-to-business relationships where our e-commerce partners receive a share of product purchase revenue. Ultimately, our business-to-business model will strengthen our relationships with our physician partners, while an eventual e-commerce model broadens our market exposure and drive traffic and conversion to our other social media profiles. Additionally, we expect our current and prospective exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements to penetrate global markets and pique consumer interest not typically within our current reach. We believe both our products and white-label products can drive new market demand for our brand in those international markets that our distribution partners sell our products in.
We intend to expand the production capacity of our products and to develop new pipeline products in response to a number of potential growth factors, including: our organic growth, the development of research and development of pipeline products, and the expected increase in our product popularity, expansions of our distributor networks and channels through exclusive and non-exclusive international distributional agreements, and other potential strategic partnerships with industry leaders. Moreover, in addition to and as a result of the foregoing growth factors we expect an increase in orders for our products and a continuous rise in sales volume in the future based on our market research and estimates. To keep pace with this rise in sales volume, we anticipate the need to expand our production capacity by the end of quarter one of 2025. This expansion will enable us to meet our projected demand and we anticipate doubling our production capacity would cost between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000. This additional capital would cover our expenses relating to expanded capacity, including increased rent, additional lab equipment, and an increase to our overall headcount. We expect a production capacity expansion will lower manufacturing costs through economies of scale and improve overall cost-efficiency and profit margins. Ultimately, we can provide our products at a competitive price, especially to cost-sensitive physicians or medical spa owners, and consumers in the skincare aesthetics market, who may be relatively new to the concept of medical aesthetics cosmetic skincare.
We expect to expand our product offerings in response to this estimated growth, which are subject to additional costs. To expand a single pipeline product, we currently estimate capital requirements of approximately $250,000 for equipment to support the initial development of that product. We further estimate an additional $100,000 worth of funds to arrange for the testing protocol, clinical validations and to fully launch any product at scale. We estimate the operational framework to prepare for the launch of a pipeline product such as a topical haircare product, would take six to twelve months of development work with an additional four to six months to fully scale such product before an official product launch. We estimate that this pipeline development and scaling effort would not likely begin until the end of quarter one of 2024 and conclude until quarter two of 2025. This estimate depends on whether we may need to expand our operations and development work of any new pipeline product, which is dependent on the results of the development work, continued research and initial rounds of validation testing.
8
Currently, we directly distribute our products directly and indirectly. We distribute directly in the United States through both our business-to-business sales channel and indirectly through our sales distribution channel via licensing and manufacturing agreements with third-party distributors. Under our distribution agreements, third party distributors include our products in their suite of domestic and international sales. Under this sales distribution channel, we sell our products to a distributor, who resells our products to the physician practice customers after placing their order in a designated territory that is either exclusive or non-exclusive to that distributor. We have broadened our sales channel to include our cosmetic product offerings at medical spa locations. In March 2023, we engaged in negotiations with a privately held aesthetics and dermatology company that operates thirteen medical spa locations throughout the United States, many of which are housed inside boutique and upscale hotels. In March 2023, we entered negotiations to provide our cosmetic products to the spa operator. In May 2023, we began supplying a number of that company’s medical spa locations that provide ablative services with our complementary cosmetic products. We supplied products to three of these medical spa locations by July 2023 to their customers who receive micro-needling, and laser treatments. Our principal goal is to expand our relationship with the medical spa company in order to provide our cosmetic products to all thirteen locations by May 2024. To that end, we plan to negotiate additional agreements with the remaining locations throughout 2023.
To bolster our regional sales, we entered into a non-exclusive authorized distribution agreement in August 2022 with Refine USA, LLC (“Refine”), one of the preeminent manufacturers and distributors of innovative aesthetic medical device technologies and clinical grade skincare. Under the agreement, Refine may purchase unlimited quantities of our topical cosmetics subject to minimum order size limits and distribute them throughout the United States to their network of consumers and physicians. As we continue to enhance our own United States sales channels, we are focused on bringing on third-party distributors in key large international markets, such as Canada, Europe, Brazil, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. We also plan to drive the distribution of our products through strategic relationships in specific countries, such as Japan. To continue growing in the physician-dispensed market, we intend to onboard more direct sales representatives that can reach geographic markets we currently do not have a presence in and partner with cosmetic device companies to co-market and sell our products. To this end, in January 2022, we signed a white label non-exclusive authorized global distribution agreement with premier aesthetic device company DermapenWorld Inc. (“DermaPenWorld”), which expanded the reach of our branding and serum integration. Under a ‘white label’ agreement our products or ingredients may be combined with another company’s ingredients or products and sold under that company’s brand name. Essentially, under these arrangements we provide products or ingredients that can be customized with branding and packaging to match the branding of the company that will be selling the product directly. Pursuant to that white label agreement, we provide a shared distributor wholesale quantities of our serums that are formulated together with DermapenWorld’s and products which are marketed globally subject to previously agreed upon key performance indicators. In addition, between February and August 2023, we entered into four exclusive distribution agreements with four separate distributors in Canada, Kuwait, the Philippines and Vietnam whereby those distributors are permitted to promote, market, sell and distribute our products within their designated countries. Under these exclusive distribution agreements, we granted each a nonexclusive, nontransferable, royalty free license to use our branded products and marketing literature. Because we are entering new markets under each contract, we also arranged for each distributor to assist us in obtaining any required registrations, licenses and other applicable governmental approvals necessary to import, sell and distribute our products at our expense. Except for product sales made by our Canadian and Vietnamese distributors, as of the date of this prospectus, our distributors have not made any sales under any of our exclusive distribution agreements. On June 26, 2023, pursuant to the terms of our white label non-exclusive authorized global distribution agreement with DermaPenWorld, we sent a termination letter to DermaPenWorld providing notice that we will not renew the distribution agreement upon its expiration. The termination notice is effective as of the end of business on January 16, 2024.
Once commercially viable, as our manufacturing process becomes more vertically integrated, we may expand our business model to provide mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to companies needing MSCs, large-scale stem cell culturing, or those companies developing MSC-derived products. This expanded role would position the company as a contract manufacturer and distributor of MSCs because we may become a dependable and well-regarded source of exosomes enriched cosmetic products which have been designed for topical application to assist in the recovery after the delivery of medical aesthetic services. Nonetheless, we aim to remain focused on developing and marketing topical products that are enhanced by unique stem cell derived additives and possibly expand from there into other high-science aesthetic skincare applications, given our biochemical engineering and bioprocessing prowess and ability to manufacture laboratory-based skincare additives ourselves. Thus, any expansion into our role as a manufacturer and distributor of MSCs would only come to fruition if funding and bandwidth were such that we felt we met all our aesthetic market goals and had remaining capacity, or we identified an overwhelming interest and opportunity to benefit from such a paradigm shift. In expanding under this strategic channel, we would likely partner, license, or outsource any non-aesthetics-based business so as not to complicate or defocus our Elevai product brand.
Research and Development
Our research and development efforts are focused on improving and enhancing our existing products as well as developing new products. We undertake research and development on new product formulations and execute studies on existing products and future products that demonstrate what we believe to be the high-quality design of our formulas and the powerful performance of our products.
While we currently primarily focus on bringing physician-dispensed cosmetic aesthetics products to market and supporting the skin, we are in the process of researching and developing applications for hair, both on the face and head, and have ongoing research into additional, customized applications. Currently, many companies and competitors alike talk about exosomes as though they are one single ingredient with the innate ability to do many different jobs. However, research shows that certain exosomes released by certain cells are directly correlated with the cells they originate from and those particular exosomes’ capabilities and contents vary based on the cell type used and the way those cells have been treated or cultured.5 Thus, this research shows the contents of exosomes vary widely depending on the cell type used to generate them, their culture conditions, their processing and storage conditions, and how they are applied or used. Knowing this, we use highly-trained professionals to isolate and culture our hUMSCs and the resulting secreted exosomes are produced using strict protocols.
After formulation, all pipeline products are tested for integrity, safety, and performance. Prior to launch, our pipeline products undergo several safety tests, including, but not limited to, human repeat insult patch tests, used to help predict the likelihood of induced allergic contact dermatitis, comedogenicity tests, to prevent the product clogging pores, and cumulative irritation tests, to evaluate the skin irritation potential and safety of individual ingredients or cosmetic compounds. Our products and their ingredients are also tested at multiple steps in the process to avoid any microbial contamination.
5 | Kugeratski, Fernanda G., and Raghu Kalluri. “Exosomes as mediators of immune regulation and immunotherapy in cancer.” The FEBS journal 288.1 (2021): 10-35; Lobb, Richard J., et al. “Oncogenic transformation of lung cells results in distinct exosome protein profile similar to the cell of origin.” Proteomics 17.23-24 (2017): 1600432; Camussi, Giovanni, et al. “Exosome/microvesicle-mediated epigenetic reprogramming of cells.” American journal of cancer research 1.1 (2011): 98. |
9
We currently work with Radyus Research to utilize a number of advanced analytical techniques that we believe will help us improve our current processes and keep our brand at the forefront of exosome product production. To analyze our exosomes, we and Radyus Research leverage NanoSight, a nanoparticle tracking analysis instrument so we may evaluate the proteomic characteristics (or characterization of the protein makeup) of our exosomes. Through this thorough process we access the make-up of our finalized exosomes while balancing the efficiency of different adjustments to our cell-culturing production process.
We are also in the early stages of evaluating the adjunctive and topical use of our exosomes on promoting healthy hair growth cycle and hair fullness through the use of pipeline serums, shampoos, and conditioners. We hope and expect our studies to show if topically applied, our hUMSC’s exosomes will have a positive impact as it relates to noticeably reducing the appearance of hair shedding. We anticipate this effect will be primarily through hydrating and nourishing the scalp and topically applying nutrients to the scalp.
Manufacturing
We have exclusively developed our manufacturing process through our management team’s experience in formulating robust skin care products, which we believe provides us with a competitive edge. Success in manufacturing our exosomes requires refined processes that are reliable, scalable, and economical. In our lab, we grow our ethically sourced stem cells and trigger them such that they produce exosomes under our proprietary method.
As of the date of this prospectus, we own or have an agreement in principle for the right to purchase the related manufacturing processes, methods, and formulations. Moreover, we also oversee our leased laboratory space in California which operate under Good Laboratory Practices (“GLP”) and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMP”) for the production of our cosmetic products. Moreover, our products are formulated by a third-party in an FDA inspected facility that adheres to GMP guidelines because GMP guidelines promote the manufacture of our products at the highest recommended safety and quality standards for cosmetic products.
Our facility contains multiple cell and tissue culture suites containing biosafety cabinets and cell culture incubators. Not only does our facility provide a significant amount of cold storage and processing space that permit large-scale culture of hUMSCs and the ability to mass produce of stem cell-derived exosomes but allows us to perform cryo-preservation, cryo-storage, various forms of microscopy and cell analysis. Some additional key features of our facility include 24/7 security, advanced climate control, increased cold storage, additional cell culture and R&D suites to perform supplemental in-house research.
Intellectual Property
We have developed a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property, consisting of patent applications, trademarks, domain names, know-how and trade secrets. As of the date of this prospectus, we have 15 registered trademarks inclusive of 12 global trademarks and 3 United States trademarks, and 18 trademark applications pending, 2 registered domain names, 3 non-provisional patent applications filed, 1 provisional patent application and 3 International Patent Corporation Treaty (“PCT”) applications filed.
Our Precision Regenerative Exosome Technology™, or PREx™, process is used to produce Elevai Exosomes™ and the exact process remains a trade secret. We have strategically decided to not pursue a patent around the process.
We believe our intellectual property adequately protects our products and technology and may prevent others from commercializing products or methods substantially similar to ours.
Corporate History and Structure
Elevai Labs, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in June 2020 under the original name Reactive Medical Labs Inc. In June 2021, we entered into a stock transfer agreement with Reactive Medical Inc., a Canadian company, whereby we purchased substantially all of the assets and liabilities of Reactive Medical Inc. Under the stock transfer agreement, we acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Reactive Medical Inc. Immediately before the stock transfer agreement BWL Investments Ltd., a British Columbia Canada corporation owned 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Reactive Medical Inc. In consideration of 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Reactive Medical Inc., we issued 100 shares of our Common Stock to BWL Investments Ltd. Upon completion of the stock transfer agreement, Reactive Medical Inc. became our wholly owned subsidiary. In September 2022, Reactive Medical Inc. changed its name to Elevai Research Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 120 Newport Center Dr. #250, Newport Beach, CA 92660. As of the date of this prospectus, we are qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in the state of California. Our telephone number is 866-794-4940. Our website address is https://elevailabs.com. Information contained on our website or connected thereto does not constitute part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this prospectus or the registration statement of which it forms a part.
10
Elevai has one wholly owned subsidiary, Elevai Research Inc. (FKA Reactive Medical Inc.).
The following diagram sets forth the structure of the Company as of the date of this prospectus an after giving effect to the offering based on a proposed number of 1,500,000 shares of Common Stock being offered (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option by the underwriters) and the automatic conversion of our preferred stock simultaneous with this offering:
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
As a company with less than $1.235 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012, or 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 have only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations disclosure; |
- | an exemption from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; |
- | reduced disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements; and |
- | exemptions from the requirements of holding non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation and golden parachute arrangements. |
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 completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual revenues of at least $1.235 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Common Stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior December 31, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.235 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these reduced burdens. We have taken advantage of the requirement to have only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations disclosure in this prospectus and we may choose to take advantage of other reduced reporting burdens in future filings. Accordingly, the information contained herein and the information that we provide to our stockholders may differ from the information you might get from other public companies.
Summary Risk Factors
An investment in our shares involves a high degree of risk. If any of the factors below or in the section entitled “Risk Factors” or contained elsewhere in this prospectus occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. These risks are discussed more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors.”
Risks Related to Our Business, Our Brand, Our Products and Our Industry
Risks and uncertainties related to our business include, but are not limited to, the following:
● | Our revenues and financial results depend significantly on sales of our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™. If we are unable to manufacture or sell our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™, in sufficient quantities and in a timely manner or maintain client acceptance of our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™, our business will be materially and adversely impacted (see page 15 of this prospectus); |
● | Our marketed products and our products under development could be rendered obsolete by technological or other medical advances (see page 17 of this prospectus); |
● | We have a limited operating history at our current scale, which may make it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects (see page 24 of this prospectus); |
● | Restrictions on the use of human stem cells, and the ethical, legal and social implications of that research, could prevent us from developing or gaining acceptance for commercially viable products in these areas (see page 29 of this prospectus); |
11
● | Our products may be expensive to manufacture, and they may not be profitable if we are unable to control the costs to manufacture them (see page 29 of this prospectus); |
● | Our business is based on novel technologies that are inherently expensive, risky and may not be understood by or accepted in the cosmetics marketplace, which could adversely affect our future value (see page 29 of this prospectus); and |
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition
In addition to the risks described above, we are subject to general risks and uncertainties relating our financial condition, including, but not limited to, the following:
● | As described in the report of our auditors for the six months ended June 30, 2023, and the years ended December 31, 2021, and 2022 and the notes to our consolidated financial statements, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, and if we are unable to continue, you may lose your entire investment (see page 30 of this prospectus); |
● | We have a history of net losses, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in the future (see page 30 of this prospectus); |
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
Risks and uncertainties related to our dependence on third parties include, but are not limited to, the following:
● | We depend on our collaborators to help us develop and test our proposed products, and our ability to develop and commercialize products may be impaired or delayed if collaborations are unsuccessful (see page 32 of this prospectus); |
● | If we, or our third-party manufacturers or formulators fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on the success of its business (see page 37 of this prospectus). |
Risks Related to Our Products Legal and Regulatory Risks
Risks and uncertainties related to our legal and regulatory risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
● | A recall or suspension of sale of our products, or the discovery of serious safety issues with our products or the incorrect application of such products by medical professionals to which we sell such products, could have a significant negative impact on us (see page 37-38 of this prospectus); |
● | Restrictive and extensive government regulation could slow or hinder our production of cosmetics containing a stem-cell byproduct and we may be unsuccessful in our efforts to comply with applicable federal, state and international laws and regulations, which could result in government enforcement actions (see page 40 of this prospectus); |
Risks Related to this Offering and Our Common Stock
In addition to the risks described above, we are subject to general risks and uncertainties relating to this offering, including, but not limited to, the following:
● | The price of our Common Stock could be subject to rapid and substantial volatility (see page 43-44 of this prospectus); |
● | Our Common Stock has not been publicly traded, and we expect that the price of our Common Stock will fluctuate substantially (see page 44 of this prospectus); |
● | We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively (see page 44 of this prospectus); |
● | You will suffer immediate and substantial dilution (see page 45 of this prospectus); |
● | There may not be an active, liquid trading market for our Common Stock (see page 47 of this prospectus); |
● | Shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock, as the future sale of a substantial amount of outstanding Common Stock in the public marketplace could reduce the price of our Common Stock (see page 47 of this prospectus); |
12
Offering Summary
Shares Offered:
|
1,500,000 shares of Common Stock (excluding the underwriter’s over-allotment option), based on maximum gross proceeds of $6,000,000 a using a share price of $4.00, the bottom of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus. | |
Assumed Public Offering Price: | $4.00 per share, the bottom of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus. | |
Over-Allotment: | We have granted the underwriter a 45-day option (commencing from the date of this prospectus) to purchase up to an additional fifteen percent of the shares sold in the initial closing of this offering at the public offering price to cover over-allotments, if any. We have assumed this option will be for 225,000 shares of Common Stock using the bottom of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus. | |
Shares Outstanding After the Offering: | 17,329,615 shares of Common Stock (or 17,554,615 shares of Common Stock if the underwriter exercises the over-allotment option in full). | |
Lock-up: | We, our directors, executive officers and stockholders holding 5% or more of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, will enter into a lock-up agreement with the Underwriters not to sell, transfer or dispose of any shares of Common Stock for a period of six months from the date of this prospectus. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and “Underwriting.” | |
Listing: | We plan to list our shares of Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market. This offering will not close unless our application to be listed on Nasdaq has been approved. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in listing on Nasdaq; however, we will not complete this offering unless we are so listed. | |
Proposed Nasdaq Capital Market Symbol: | “ELAB” | |
Transfer Agent: | VStock Transfer, LLC | |
Use of Proceeds: | We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering primarily for general and administrative expense as well as to expand our in-house aesthetics sales team, intellectual property portfolio, product lines and formulation. | |
Underwriter: | Univest Securities, LLC | |
Underwriter Warrants: | We have agreed to sell to Univest Securities, LLC, warrants (the “Representative’s Warrants”) to purchase up to a total of 75,000 shares of Common Stock, or 86,250 shares of Common Stock in the event the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option (equal to 5% of the aggregate number of shares sold in the offering and in each case assuming the offering price per share is the bottom of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus) at a price equal to the price of our shares offered hereby. | |
Dividend policy | We do not intend to pay any dividends on our Common Stock for the foreseeable future. Instead, we anticipate that all of our earnings, if any, will be used for the operation and growth of our business. See “Dividend Policy” for more information. | |
Risk Factors: | Investing in these securities involves a high degree of risk. As an investor, you should be able to bear a complete loss of your investment. You should carefully consider the information set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus before deciding to invest in our Common Stock. |
Shares outstanding after the offering is based on (i) 10,118,834 shares of Common Stock that are outstanding as of the date of this prospectus and (ii) 5,710,781 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the automatic conversion of our convertible preferred stock simultaneous with this offering, and excludes up to 2,119,493 shares of Common Stock underlying options and warrants that we have granted prior to the closing of this offering and 75,000 shares of Common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants issued to the underwriter (or 86,250 shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants issued to the underwriter if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), assuming a per share price in the offering of $4.00.
We refer to our series seed preferred stock, series seed 2 preferred stock, and series A preferred stock herein as our “convertible preferred stock.” Except as otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus assumes the conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 5,710,781 shares of Common Stock, which will occur automatically upon the closing of this offering.
13
Summary Financial Data
The following tables summarize our financial data. We derived the summary financial statement data for the years ended December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, and for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 set forth below from our financial statements. Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. You should read the information presented below together with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” our financial statements, the notes to those statements and the other financial information contained in this prospectus and the unaudited consolidated pro forma information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.
Statement of Operations Data:
For the Years Ended | For the Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
December 31, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2022 | 2021 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 766,277 | $ | 827 | $ | 459,350 | $ | 195,257 | ||||||||
Total Cost and Expenses | 2,238,350 | 785,478 | 2,206,456 | 761,289 | ||||||||||||
Loss from Operations | (1,791,041 | ) | (784,739 | ) | (1,899,719 | ) | (645,084 | ) | ||||||||
Total Other Income (expense) | (9,227 | ) | - | (460,835 | ) | (3,442 | ) | |||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustments | (91 | ) | 1,424 | 375 | 242 | |||||||||||
Total Comprehensive Loss | $ | 1,800,359 | $ | 783,315 | $ | (2,360,179 | ) | $ | (648,284 | ) | ||||||
Basic and Diluted Loss per Share of Common Stock | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.08 | ) | $ | (0.240 | ) | $ | (0.068 | ) | ||||
Basic and Diluted Weighted Average Shares of Common Stock Outstanding | 9,528,863 | 9,460,664 | 9,838,599 | 9,526,808 |
Balance Sheet Data:
As of December 31, | As of June 30, | |||||||||||
2022 | 2021 | 2023 | ||||||||||
Cash | $ | 1,154,901 | $ | 411,858 | $ | 601,265 | ||||||
Total current assets | 1,551,322 | 636,525 | 1,450,505 | |||||||||
Total Assets | $ | 1,892,183 | $ | 666,250 | $ | 1,743,954 | ||||||
Total current liabilities | 588,272 | 215,622 | 1,562,769 | |||||||||
Long term debt | - | - | - | |||||||||
Non-current liabilities | 172,601 | - | 113,897 | |||||||||
Total liabilities | 760,873 | 215,622 | 1,676,666 | |||||||||
Total stockholders’ equity | 1,131,310 | 450,628 | 67,288 | |||||||||
Total Liabilities and stockholders’ deficit | $ | 1,892,183 | $ | 666,250 | $ | 1,743,954 | ||||||
Working capital (deficit) | $ | 963,050 | $ | 420,903 | $ | (112,264 | ) |
14
Investing in our securities involves risks. Before you make a decision to buy our securities, in addition to the risks and uncertainties discussed above under “Forward-Looking Statements,” you should carefully consider the specific risks set forth herein. If any of these risks actually occur, it may materially harm our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. As a result, the market price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additionally, the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may become material and adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to Our Business, Our Brand, Our Products and Our Industry
Our revenues and financial results depend significantly on sales of our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™. If we are unable to manufacture or sell our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™ in sufficient quantities and in a timely manner or maintain client acceptance of our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™, our business will be materially and adversely impacted.
To date, a substantial majority of our revenues have resulted from sales of our principal product line, our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™. Our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™ and related products accounted for a substantial majority of our net sales for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021. Although we intend to introduce additional products, we expect sales of our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™ to continue to account for a significant majority of our sales for the foreseeable future. Because our business is highly dependent on our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™, factors adversely affecting the pricing of, or demand for, these products could have a material and adverse effect on our business. Additionally, our commercial success depends in large part on our ability to sustain market acceptance of our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™ through physician practices and under both our exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements. If existing users of our products determine that our products do not satisfy their requirements, or if our competitors develop a product that is perceived by medical aesthetics consumers, physicians or distributors to better satisfy their respective aesthetics requirements, sales of our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™, and our total net sales may correspondingly decline which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our results of operations could be harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast demand for our products.
To maintain an adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and place orders with our third-party suppliers, formulators and packagers before firm orders are placed by our clients or distribution partners. If we fail to accurately forecast client demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of product to deliver to our clients. Factors that could affect our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products include: an unanticipated increase or decrease in demand for our products; our failure to accurately forecast acceptance for our new products; product introductions by competitors; unanticipated changes in general market conditions or other factors, which may result in cancellations of advance orders or a reduction or increase in the rate of reorders or at-once orders placed by clients or distribution partners; the impact on demand due to unseasonable weather conditions; weakening of economic conditions or consumer or client confidence in future economic conditions, which could reduce demand for discretionary items, such as aesthetics services and our complementary cosmetics products; and terrorism or acts of war, or the threat thereof, or political or labor instability or unrest, which could adversely affect consumer or client confidence and spending or interrupt production and distribution of product and raw materials.
15
Inventory levels in excess of client or distribution partner demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs and the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices or in less preferred distribution channels, which could impair our brand image and harm our business. In addition, if we underestimate the demand for our products, our third-party suppliers, formulators, and packagers may not be able to facilitate bringing our cosmetics products to market or in time to meet our client or distribution partner requirements, and this could result in delays in the shipment of our products and our ability to recognize revenue, lost sales, as well as damage to our reputation and client and distributor relationships.
The difficulty in forecasting demand also makes it difficult to estimate our future results of operations and financial condition from period to period. A failure to accurately predict the level of demand for our products could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
We face intense competition, in some cases from companies that have significantly greater resources than we do, which could limit our ability to generate sales.
The market for aesthetic and cosmetic skin health products is highly competitive and we expect the intensity of competition to increase in the future as market acceptance grows and related technology advances. We also expect to encounter increased competition as we enter new markets and as we attempt to penetrate existing markets with new products. We may not be able to compete effectively in these markets, we may face significant pricing pressure from our competitors, and we may lose market share to our competitors. Our principal competitors are large, well-established companies in the fields of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics and health care. Our direct competitors include SkinCeuticals, a division of L’Oréal S.A., SkinMedica, Inc., a division of Allergan, Inc., ZO Skin Health, PCA Skin, EltaMD, each a division of Colgate-Palmolive, Dermalogica, Murad and Eminence.
We also face competition from medical device companies offering products used to enhance the skin’s appearance to physicians, such cosmetic device companies that provide complementary microneedling serum treatment, and those companies may offer similar complementary products to physicians, aestheticians, spas, and wellness centers that provide facial treatment services.
We may not be able to successfully expand the use of our current product lines or develop new products.
We are constantly working to improve, extend the stability of and reformulate our existing products. Continued market acceptance of our products will depend on our ability to successfully develop additional applications of our Elevai ExosomesTM. The development of additional applications will require significant commitments of personnel and financial resources and we cannot assure you that they will be successful. If the attempted extensions of our product lines and new applications for our Elevai ExosomesTM are not commercially successful, our business will be adversely affected.
We are researching and working alongside contract research organizations to developing new product lines by applying our Elevai ExosomesTM technology to new agents. We also have applied for intellectual property rights to cover our use of certain patents in relation to additional methods and formulations of our Elevai ExosomesTM. New products, in various stages of development, include skin discoloration, and hair loss products and systems. These development activities, as well as new clinical validation studies to demonstrate aesthetic improvements, which may assist us in the marketing and sale of our cosmetic products. Completion of any clinical validation studies requires significant commitments of our personnel, time, and financial resources. We cannot assure you that we will be able to develop new products or formulations in a timely manner, or at all. Delays in the development or testing processes will cause a corresponding delay in revenue generation from those products. Regardless of whether such new products or formulations are ever released to the market, the expense of such processes, which may be considerable, will have already been incurred and we may not be able to recover such expenses.
We reevaluate our formulation and product development efforts regularly to assess whether our efforts to develop a particular new product or formulation are progressing at a rate that justifies our continued expenditures. On the basis of these reevaluations, we have abandoned development efforts in the past, and may abandon those development efforts in the future. New products that we develop may not be successfully commercialized. If we fail to take a product or technology from the development stage to market on a timely basis, we may incur significant expenses without a near-term financial return or any financial return.
16
Our failure to successfully research and develop additional technologies would impair our ability to grow.
We intend to develop and acquire and market new products and technologies though our own internal research capabilities and through the assistance of CROs. Our business model depends in part on our ability to patents new products and/or technologies. The success of this strategy also depends upon our ability and the ability of our third-party formulators to formulate products under such patents, as well as our ability to manufacture, market and sell such patented products.
We may not be able to internally develop new products or technologies successfully. Moreover, vetting, negotiating and implementing design protocols for new product and formulation development with CROs can be a lengthy and complex process. Other companies, including those with substantially greater financial, research and technology, marketing and sales resources, may compete with us for contracts with CROs and development of these technologies. We may not be able to negotiate with or find acceptable CROs to develop such products on terms that we find acceptable, or at all. As a result, our ability to grow our business or increase our profits could be adversely impacted.
Our marketed products and our products under development could be rendered obsolete by technological or other medical advances.
Our marketed products and our products under development may be rendered obsolete or uneconomical by our competitors’ products or technological advances or those other advances within other markets that may better or more inexpensively address the conditions that our products are designed to address.
All of our products address the condition-, and the enhancement of the appearance-of skin by utilizing our Elevai ExosomesTM. This market is the subject of active research and development by many potential competitors, including major pharmaceutical companies, specialized biotechnology firms, universities, hospitals, clinics and other research institutions. Competitive advances may also include the potential development of new therapies aimed at treating hyperpigmentation and photo-damaged skin that utilize other lab techniques involving stem-cell secretion, lasers or other advanced technologies. While we intend to expand our technological capabilities to remain competitive, research and development by others may render our technology or products obsolete or noncompetitive or result in treatments superior to any therapies we develop, as our competitors may develop and patent products which are better than ours, which could harm our competitive position.
To sustain our continued growth, we will need to increase the size of our organization, and we may encounter difficulties managing our growth, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
If we are able to successfully develop additional products and expand the application of our current products, we may experience growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations. To the extent that we acquire and launch additional cosmetics products, the resulting growth and expansion of our sales force will place a significant demand on our financial, managerial and operational resources. Since many of the new cosmetics products or pipeline products we are working on may involve using our technologies under new applications or circumstances, it may require our entering into new markets. We may not be able to accurately forecast the number of employees required, the timing of their hire or the associated cost with our expansion and/or our entrance into new markets. The extent of any expansion we may experience will be driven largely by the success of our new cosmetics products. As a result, management’s ability to project the size of any such expansion and its cost to the company is limited by the following uncertainties: (i) we will not have previously sold any of the new products and applications and the ultimate success of these new products and applications is unknown; (ii) we will be entering new markets; and (iii) the costs associated with any expansion will be partially driven by factors that may not be fully in our control (e.g., timing of hiring, market salary rates, ability to hire new managerial and senior staff). Subject to these uncertainties, we estimate that our current business plan may require us to hire new rounds of employees, specifically for our salesforce within the next 12 months. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the new cosmetics products, this estimate may prove to be incorrect, and our costs could be significantly higher. Our success will also depend on the ability of our executive officers and senior management to continue to implement and improve our operational, information management and financial control systems, particularly in light of our status as a newly public company subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, and to expand, train and manage our employee base. Our inability to manage growth effectively could cause our operating costs to grow even faster than we are currently anticipating and adversely affect our results of operations.
17
If we are unable to retain our existing sales force and recruit additional people to join our sales force, our revenue may not increase and may even decline.
Our products are primarily marketed by our sales force to form new accounts with medical practices, and we depend on those medical practices to generate a substantial majority of our revenue. Our current sales force is independently contracted and may terminate their services at any time, and we may experience high turnover among our sales force from year to year. To increase our revenue, we must increase the number of and/or the productivity of our sales force. We must also expand our outreach and outbound efforts to attract, connect and nurture new customers for a wider medical practice base who purchase product and whom we can foster relationships with to promote retention and higher value over the life of the medical practice.
While we take many steps to help train, motivate and retain our sales force, we cannot accurately predict how the number and productivity of our sales force may fluctuate. Our operating results could be harmed if we do not generate sufficient interest in our business and its products to retain and motivate our existing sales force and attract new people to join our sales force.
The number and productivity of our sales force is negatively impacted by several additional factors, including:
● | any adverse publicity or negative public perception regarding us, our products or ingredients, our sales distribution channel, or our industry or competitors; |
● | lack of interest in, dissatisfaction with, or the technical failure of, existing or new products; |
● | lack of compelling products or income opportunities; |
● | negative sales force reaction to changes in our sales compensation plans or to our failure to make changes that would be necessary to keep our compensation competitive with the market; |
● | interactions with our company, including our actions to enforce our policies and procedures and the quality of our customer service; |
● | any regulatory actions or charges against us or others in our industry, as well as regulatory changes that impact product formulations and sales viability; |
● | general economic, business and public health conditions, including employment levels, employment trends such as the gig and sharing economies, and pandemics or other conditions that curtail person-to-person interactions; |
● | changes in the policies of social media platforms used to prospect or recruit potential consumers and sales force participants; |
● | recruiting efforts of our competitors and changes in consumer-loyalty trends; and |
● | potential saturation or maturity levels in a given market, which could negatively impact our ability to attract and retain our sales force in such market. |
18
Our growth may suffer if an economic downturn in any of our major markets inhibits consumers from spending their disposable income on aesthetic and skin health products.
Our growth depends significantly on continued economic growth in the markets where we sell our products. Because many treatments in which our products are used are considered cosmetic in nature, they are typically paid directly by consumers out of their disposable income and are not subject to reimbursement by third-party payers such as health insurance organizations. As a result, an economic downturn in any of our major markets could have an adverse effect on the sales and profitability of our products.
Our products may cause undesirable side effects that could limit their use, require their removal from the market or prevent further development.
While there are no known side-effects of our products during any initial or prolonged use, any occurrence of side-effects or appearance that any of the ingredients we use may cause undesirable side-effects could limit consumer purchase and use of our products, particularly if physicians or their medical aesthetics consumers perceive that the risks or discomfort outweigh the benefits or if they perceive that the side effects of competitive products are less significant.
Undesirable side effects that may, in some cases be caused by our products could interrupt, delay or halt our research and development programs, including any clinical validation studies, and could result in adverse regulatory action by the FDA or other regulatory authorities. More severe side effects associated with our products may be observed in the future. Even if we are able to complete the development of a new product and obtain any required regulatory approval, undesirable side effects could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of our current or prospective products or could substantially increase the costs and expenses of commercializing any future products. Negative publicity concerning our products, whether accurate or inaccurate, could also reduce market or regulatory acceptance of our products, which could result in decreased product demand, removal from the market or an increased number of product liability claims, whether or not such claims have merit.
Product liability lawsuits could divert our resources, result in substantial liabilities and reduce the commercial potential of our products.
Our business exposes us to the risk of product liability claims that are inherent to the development, clinical validation studies and testing to demonstrate aesthetic improvement and marketing of aesthetic and cosmetic skin products. These lawsuits may divert our management from pursuing our business strategy and may be costly to defend. In addition, if we are held liable in any of these lawsuits, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be forced to limit or forgo further commercialization of those products. Although we maintain general liability insurance in an amount that we believe is reasonably adequate to insulate us from potential claims, this insurance may not fully cover potential liabilities. In addition, our inability to obtain or maintain sufficient insurance coverage at an acceptable cost or to otherwise protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercial production and sale of our products, which could adversely affect our business.
We are subject to risks associated with doing business internationally.
Our international sales will depend upon the success under both our exclusive and non-exclusive distribution partners and associated marketing efforts of and sales of our third-party distributors via our distribution and license agreements with these partners. Although none of our international distribution or license partners accounted for any of our net sales in 2021 and 2022, our business is subject to certain risks inherent in international business as we continue to expand, many of which are beyond our control. These risks include:
● | adverse changes in tariff and trade protection measures; |
● | unexpected changes in foreign regulatory requirements; |
● | the potential of negative consequences from changes in tax laws; |
19
● | the potential of business failure of one or more of our distribution partners; |
● | changing economic conditions in countries where our products are sold; unexpected fluctuations in exchange rates; |
● | potential political unrest and hostilities; |
● | differing degrees of protection for intellectual property; and |
● | difficulties in coordinating foreign distribution. |
Any of the foregoing factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we can successfully manage these risks or avoid their effects when doing business internationally.
Potential business combinations could require significant management attention and prove difficult to integrate with our business, which could divert the attention of our management, disrupt our normal course of business, dilute stockholder value and adversely affect our operating results.
If we become aware of potential business combination candidates that are complementary to our business, we may decide to combine with such businesses or acquire their assets in the future. Business combinations generally involve a number of additional difficulties and risks to our business, including:
● | failure to integrate management information systems, personnel, research and development and marketing, operations, sales and support; |
● | disruption of our ongoing business and diversion of management’s attention from other business matters; |
● | potential loss of the acquired company’s customers; |
● | failure to further develop or integrate the acquired company’s products or technology successfully; |
● | unanticipated costs and liabilities; and |
● | other accounting system consequences. |
In addition, we may not realize benefits from any business combination we may undertake in the future. If we fail to successfully integrate such businesses, or the products and technologies associated with such business combinations into our company, the revenue and operating results of the combined company could be adversely affected. Any integration process would require significant time and resources, and we may not be able to manage the process successfully. If our customers are uncertain about our ability to operate on a combined basis, they may delay or cancel orders for our products. We may not successfully evaluate, integrate or utilize the acquired technology and product lines or accurately forecast the financial impact of a combination, including accounting system charges or volatility in the stock price of the combined entity, should it be a publicly traded target. If we fail to successfully integrate other companies with which we may combine in the future, our business could be adversely affected.
20
If we fail to cost-effectively acquire new client accounts or retain our existing clients, our business could be adversely affected. Our sales and profit are dependent upon our ability to expand sales to our existing client relationships and acquire new client accounts.
Our success, and our ability to increase revenue and achieve profitability, depend in part on our ability to cost-effectively acquire new client accounts, retain existing clients and keep existing aesthetics-consumers engaged so that they continue to request and purchase our products. While we intend to continue to invest significantly in sales and marketing to educate medical clients about our brand, our values and our products, there is no assurance that these efforts will generate further demand for our products or expand our client base. Our ability to attract new client accounts and retain our existing accounts will depend on, among other items, the perceived value and quality of our products, consumer demand for thoughtfully designed and innovative cosmetic products at a premium, competitive offerings, our ability to offer new and relevant products and the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. We may also lose loyal clients to our competitors if we are unable to meet client demand for product in a timely manner. If we are unable to cost-effectively acquire new client accounts, retain existing clients and keep existing clients engaged, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
Any strategies we employ to pursue this growth are subject to numerous factors outside of our control. Our medical clients continue to be aggressively marketed to for other private label or competitive cosmetic products in the medical aesthetics space, which could reduce demand for our products. The expansion of our business also depends on our ability to increase sales through our distribution agreements and white-label product channels. Any growth within our existing distribution agreement channels may also affect our existing client relationships and present additional challenges, including those related to pricing strategies. Our direct connections to our clients may become more limited as we expand our distribution channels. Additionally, we may need to increase or reallocate spending on marketing and promotional activities, such as temporary price reductions, off-invoice discounts, advertisements, product coupons and other trade activities, and these expenditures are subject to risks, including risks related to our clients’ acceptance of our marketing efforts. Our strategy to grow international sales may also increase our marketing spend. Our failure to obtain new clients, or expand our business with existing clients, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We also use paid and non-paid advertising. Our paid advertising may include search engine marketing, display, paid social media and product placement and traditional advertising, such as direct mail, television, radio and magazine advertising. Our non-paid advertising efforts include search engine optimization, non-paid social media and e-mail marketing. We drive a significant amount of traffic to our website via search engines. However, search engines frequently update and change the logic that determines the placement and display of results of a user’s search, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our website can be negatively affected. Moreover, a search engine could, for competitive or other purposes, alter its search algorithms or results, causing our website to place lower in search query results.
We also drive a significant amount of traffic to our website via social networking or other ecommerce channels used by our current and prospective clients and medical aesthetics cosmetics consumers. As social networking and ecommerce channels continue to rapidly evolve, we may be unable to develop or maintain a presence within these channels. If we are unable to cost-effectively drive traffic to our website, or if the popularity of our social media presence declines, our ability to acquire new clients or interest via consumers could be adversely affected. Additionally, if we fail to increase our revenue per client, generate repeat purchases or maintain high levels of client engagement, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
We must expend resources to maintain awareness of our brand, build brand loyalty and generate interest in our products. Our marketing strategies and channels will evolve, and our efforts may or may not be successful.
In order to remain competitive and expand and keep market share for our cosmetics products across our various distribution and business channels, we may need to increase our marketing and advertising spending to maintain and increase brand and client awareness, protect and grow our existing market share or promote new products, which could impact our operating results. Substantial advertising and promotional expenditures may be required to maintain or improve our brand’s market position or to introduce new products to the market, presenting at medical aesthetic conferences, traveling to tradeshows as well as increasingly engaging with non-traditional media. Non-traditional media meets many clients and their cosmetic aesthetics consumers where they are most active which includes outreach through social media and web-based channels, however these channels may not prove successful in building brand awareness. Thus, an increase in our marketing and advertising efforts may not maintain our current reputation or lead to increased market share. Further, social media platforms frequently change the algorithms that determine the ranking and display of results of a user’s search and may make other changes to the way results are displayed, or may increase the costs of such advertising, which can negatively affect the placement of our links and, therefore, reduce the number of visits to our website and social media channels or make such marketing cost-prohibitive. In addition, social media platforms typically require compliance with their policies and procedures, which may be subject to change or new interpretation with limited ability to negotiate, which could negatively impact our marketing capabilities. If we are unable to maintain and promote a favorable perception of our brand and products on a cost-effective basis, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
21
Failure to leverage our brand value propositions through our novel exosome technology to compete against well-known cosmetics products, especially during an economic downturn, may adversely affect our ability to achieve or maintain profitability.
In the medical aesthetic cosmetics product category, we compete not only with other widely advertised branded products, but also with well-known branded cosmetics products that have larger market share within the medical aesthetics cosmetics space and may have the capacity to be sold at lower prices. Medical businesses are more likely to purchase our products if they believe that our products provide greater value than less expensive alternatives and if their medical aesthetics consumers demand our products. If the difference in perceived value between our brand and well-known cosmetics products narrows, or if there is a perception of such a narrowing, clients may choose not to buy our products at prices that are profitable for us. We believe that in periods of economic uncertainty, such as the current economic uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, clients may purchase less inventory from us or more from lower-priced brands despite our value proposition. To the extent this occurs, we could experience a reduction in the sales volume of our products or an unfavorable shift in the types of products medical aesthetics consumers demand, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our brand and reputation may be diminished due to real or perceived quality, safety, aesthetic results or environmental impact issues with our products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We believe our clients and their medical aesthetics consumers rely on us to provide them with high quality, innovative, well-designed, and effective products. Any loss of confidence on the part of medical aesthetics consumers in our products or the ingredients used in our products, whether related to product contamination or product safety or quality failures, actual or perceived, environmental impacts, or inclusion of prohibited ingredients, or ingredients that are perceived to be “toxic”, could tarnish the image of our brand and could cause consumers to choose other products. Allegations of contamination or other adverse effects on product safety or aesthetic results or suitability for use by a particular consumer or on the environment, even if untrue, may require us to expend significant time and resources responding to such allegations and could, from time to time, result in a recall of a product from any or all of the markets in which the recalled product was distributed. Any such issues or recalls could negatively affect our ability to achieve or maintain profitability and brand image.
We also have no control over our products once purchased by medical aesthetics consumers of our clients. For example, medical aesthetics consumers may store or use our products under conditions and for periods of time inconsistent with approved directions for use or the listed shelf life or required warnings or other governmental guidelines on our labels, which may adversely affect the quality and safety of our products or the perceived quality and safety.
If our products are found to be, or perceived to be, defective or unsafe, or if they otherwise fail to meet our clients and their medical aesthetics consumers’ expectations, our relationships with our client base could suffer, the appeal of our brand could be diminished, we may need to recall some of our products and/or become subject to regulatory action, and we could lose sales or market share or become subject to boycotts or liability claims. In addition, safety or other defects in our competitors’ products or products using our branded name via white-label agreements in other distributed products could reduce overall demand for products with our brand if consumers generally view them to be similar to our products. Any such adverse effect could be exacerbated by our market positioning as a purveyor of high quality, innovative, well-designed, and effective products and may significantly reduce our brand value. Issues regarding the safety, aesthetic results, quality or environmental impact of any of our products, regardless of the cause, may have an adverse effect on our brand, reputation and operating results. Further, the growing use of social and digital media by us, our clients and third parties increases the speed and extent that information or misinformation and opinions can be shared. Negative publicity about us, our brand or our products on social or digital media could seriously damage our brand and reputation. Any loss of confidence on the part of clients and their medical aesthetics consumers in the quality, safety, aesthetic results or environmental suitability of our products would be difficult and costly to overcome, even if such concerns were based on inaccurate or misleading information. If we do not maintain a favorable perception of our brand, and project our positions regarding our product safety effectively, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
22
Economic downturns or a change in medical aesthetic consumer preferences, perception and spending habits in the medical aesthetic cosmetic products categories, in particular, could limit aesthetic consumer demand for our cosmetic products and negatively affect our business.
We have positioned our brand to capitalize on growing consumer interest in complementary cosmetics for the medical aesthetics services industry. The medical aesthetics cosmetics product industry is sensitive to national and regional economic conditions and the demand for the products that we distribute may be adversely affected from time to time by economic downturns that impact consumer spending on cosmetics products, including discretionary spending. Future economic conditions such as employment levels, business conditions, housing starts, interest rates, inflation rates, energy and fuel costs, and tax rates could reduce consumer spending or change consumer purchasing habits. Among these changes could be a reduction in the number of medical aesthetics cosmetics products that medical aesthetics consumers purchase when they receive medical aesthetics services, given that many products in this category often have higher retail prices than do their conventional counterparts found in retail stores.
Further, the high-end cosmetics markets in which we operate are subject to changes in consumer preference, trends, new technology, perception and discretionary spending habits. Our performance depends significantly on factors that may affect the level and pattern of medical aesthetics consumer spending in the markets in which we operate. Such factors include medical aesthetics consumer preference, medical aesthetics consumer confidence, medical aesthetics consumer income, medical aesthetics consumer perception of the safety and quality of our products and shifts in the perceived value for our cosmetics products relative to conventional alternatives. The medical aesthetics cosmetics market is also subject to changes in the rate of procedures, which have been increasing in developed countries like the United States. In addition, media coverage regarding the safety or quality of, our products or the biological raw materials, ingredients or bioengineering processes involved in their manufacturing may damage consumer confidence in our cosmetics products.
A general decline in the consumption of our cosmetics products could occur at any time as a result of change in medical aesthetics consumer preference, perception, confidence and spending habits, including an unwillingness to pay a premium or an inability to purchase our products due to financial hardship or increased price sensitivity, which may be exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or economic downturn. If medical aesthetics consumer preferences shift away from complementary cosmetic products, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
The success of our products depends on a number of factors Including our ability to accurately anticipate changes in the medical aesthetics cosmetics market demand and medical aesthetics consumer preferences, our ability to differentiate the quality and innovativeness of our cosmetics products from those of our competitors, and the effectiveness of our marketing and advertising campaigns for our cosmetics products. We may not be successful in identifying trends in medical aesthetics preferences and developing cosmetics products that respond to or lead the way in such trends in a timely manner. We also may not be able to effectively promote our cosmetics products and related technologies by our marketing and advertising campaigns and gain market acceptance. If our cosmetics products fail to gain market acceptance, are restricted by regulatory requirements or have quality problems, we may not be able to fully recover costs and expenses incurred in our operation, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
If we cannot maintain our company culture or focus on our purpose as we grow, our success and our business and competitive position may be harmed.
We believe our culture and our mission have been key contributors to our success to date and that the critical nature of the products that we promote a sense of transparency and scientific innovation to our clients. Any failure to preserve our culture or focus on our mission could negatively affect our ability to retain and recruit clients, and personnel, which is critical to our growth and to effectively focus on and pursue our corporate objectives. As we grow and develop the infrastructure of a public company, we may find it difficult to maintain these important values. If we fail to maintain our company culture or focus on our mission our competitive position and business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
If we lose key personnel or are unable to attract and retain other qualified personnel, we may be unable to execute our business plan and our business would be materially adversely affected.
As of September 28, 2023, we had 16 employees. Our success depends on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified management, business development, sales and marketing, product development and other personnel. In the future we may not be able to recruit and retain qualified personnel, particularly for senior sales and marketing, research and product development positions due to intense competition for personnel among businesses like ours, and the failure to do so could have a significant negative impact on our future product sales and business results. Our success depends in large part on the efforts and abilities of Jordan R. Plews, our President and Chief Executive Officer; Graydon Bensler, our Chief Financial Officer; Tim Sayed, our Chief Medical Officer; Brenda Buechler, our Chief Marketing Officer; and Christoph Kraneiss, our Chief Commercial Officer—as well as other members of our senior management and our scientific and technical personnel.
23
Our ability to maintain our competitive position is largely dependent on the services of our senior management and other key personnel, including our co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jordan R. Plews. The loss of the services of Dr. Plews could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Dr. Plews is a well-recognized bioengineer, doctor and entrepreneur. We believe that the success of our brand depends in part on our ongoing affiliation with Dr. Plews. We have an agreement with Dr. Plews, or the Inventions and Proprietary Information Agreement, which, among other things, includes an assignment to us for any of Dr. Plews inventions, know-how or intellectual property, among other items that are legally protectable that result or relatedly-arise from any work performed in his capacity as our employee and imposes various obligations on us. Should that Inventions and Proprietary Information Agreement terminate and upon twelve months after the termination of the Inventions and Proprietary Information Agreement, we could, among other things, lose our ability to control recruiting by Dr. Plews of any of our employees or consultants. Moreover, upon such termination of the Inventions and Proprietary Information Agreement, we may not be able to limit Dr. Plews use of any of our know-how, processes or reverse engineering of our products and sustain reputational damage. We depend on Dr. Plews appearances at industry functions, conferences and his reach and influence to connect with clients and provide insight on current medical aesthetic cosmetics trends. Thus, the loss of the services of Dr. Plews, or the loss of our ability to use Dr. Plews’s likeness, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Although we maintain “key employee” insurance policies on our executive officers that would compensate us for the loss of their services, even if we lose the services of one or more of these individuals, finding a replacement could be difficult, may take an extended period of time and could significantly impede the achievement of our business objectives. Moreover, the “key employee” insurance policy limit may not fully cover interim expenses for the services and expertise we may require in order to maintain relatively uninterrupted operations of our business. This gap in coverage and the time it may take to replace a key employee may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We may be unable to accurately forecast revenue and appropriately plan our expenses in the future.
Revenue and results of operations are difficult to forecast because they generally depend on the volume, timing and type of orders we receive across our various distribution channels, all of which are uncertain. Forecasts may be particularly challenging as we intend to expand into new markets and geographies and develop and market new cosmetics products. We base our expense levels and investment plans on our estimates of revenue and gross margin. However, we cannot be sure the same growth rates and trends are meaningful predictors of future growth. If our assumptions prove to be wrong, we may spend more than we anticipate acquiring and retaining our client or may generate lower revenue per client account than anticipated, either of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We have a limited operating history at our current scale, which may make it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects.
We began commercial operations in 2020 and have a limited history of generating revenue at our current scale. As a result of our relatively short operating history at our current scale, we have limited financial data that can be used to evaluate our business and future prospects. Any evaluation of our business and prospects must be considered in light of our limited operating history, which may not be indicative of future performance. Because of our limited operating history, we face increased risks, uncertainties, expenses, and difficulties, including the risks and uncertainties discussed in this section.
A disruption in our operations could have an adverse effect on our business.
As a company engages in sales domestically and internationally, our operations, including those of our third-party formulators, suppliers, and distribution partners, and other service providers, are subject to the risks inherent in such activities, including industrial accidents, environmental events, strikes and other labor disputes, disruptions in information systems, product quality control, safety, licensing requirements and other regulatory issues, as well as natural disasters, pandemics or other public health emergencies, border disputes, acts of terrorism and other external factors over which we and our third-party manufacturers, suppliers and delivery service providers have no control. The loss of, or damage to, the facilities of our third-party formulators, suppliers and delivery service providers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We depend heavily on postal and parcel carriers for the delivery of products sold directly to clients. Interruptions to or failures in these delivery services could prevent the timely or successful delivery of our products. These interruptions or failures may be due to unforeseen events that are beyond our control or the control of our third-party delivery service providers, such as labor unrest or natural disasters Any failure to provide high-quality delivery services to our clients may negatively affect the ordering and likelihood of repeat-purchasing of our clients, damage our reputation and cause us to lose client accounts.
24
The COVID-19 or another pandemic could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have implemented significant measures, including closures, quarantines, travel restrictions and other social distancing directives, intended to control the spread of the virus. Companies have also taken precautions, such as requiring employees to work remotely, imposing travel restrictions and temporarily closing businesses from time to time. To the extent that these restrictions remain in place, additional prevention and mitigation measures are implemented in the future, or there is uncertainty about the effectiveness of these or any other measures to contain or treat COVID-19 or a variant thereof, there has been and continues to be an adverse impact on global economic conditions and consumer confidence and spending, which could adversely affect our supply chain as well as the demand for our cosmetics products. Although at this time we have not experienced disruptions to our supply chain, and we have not experienced decreases in demand or attributed COVID-19 to any material financial impacts, the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties regarding the related economic impact are likely to result in sustained market uncertainty and turmoil, which could also have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, or any other eventual pandemic on any of our suppliers, formulators, packagers, shippers, distribution partners, medical business clients or transportation or logistics providers may negatively affect the price and availability of our materials and impact our supply chain. If the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continue for an extended period of time, our ability to meet the demands of our clients may be materially impacted. In addition, the conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, or another pandemic may negatively impact collections of accounts receivable and cause some of our clients’ businesses to slow, all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Further, the COVID-19 pandemic may impact medical aesthetic cosmetics consumer demand. Medical aesthetics practices may be impacted if governments continue to implement regional business closures, quarantines, travel restrictions and other social distancing directives to slow the spread of the virus. Further, to the extent our clients’ operations are negatively impacted, their medical aesthetic cosmetics consumers may reduce demand for or spending on our cosmetics products. There may also be significant reductions or volatility in medical aesthetic cosmetics demand for our products due to travel restrictions or social distancing directives, as well as the temporary inability of consumers to purchase our products due to illness, quarantine or financial hardship, shifts in demand away from one or more of our products, decreased consumer confidence and spending or beautification activities, any of which may negatively impact our results, including as a result of an increased difficulty in planning for operations. Additionally, we may be unable to effectively modify our advertising activities to reflect changing medical aesthetic cosmetics interests in beauty, or their general outward appearance, and shopping habits due to event cancellations, reduced in-store visits and travel restrictions, among other things.
It is not currently possible to ascertain the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business. However, if the pandemic continues to persist as a severe worldwide health crisis, the disease could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, and may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section.
Our business is at an early stage of product development, and we may not develop additional cosmetics products that can be commercialized or profitably developed and our failure to introduce new products may adversely affect our ability to continue to grow.
Our business is at an early stage of product development. As of the date of this prospectus, we have commercialized two cosmetics products for the medical aesthetics market. We are still in the early stages of identifying and conducting research on potential new cosmetic products.
A key element of our growth strategy depends on our ability to develop and market new products that meet our standards for quality and appeal to our clients and distribution partners. Our pipeline products will require significant research and development, and clinical validation testing to demonstrate aesthetic improvement of any product. We may not be able to successful commercialize or synthetize any of product candidates or commercialize any products at scale that is profitable. Our product candidates may prove to have undesirable and unintended side effects or other characteristics adversely affecting their safety, aesthetic results or cost effectiveness that could prevent or limit their use. Any product using any of our technology may fail to provide the intended aesthetic improvements or achieve aesthetic results or benefits equal to or better than the standard of treatment at the time of testing or after a product may be formulated.
25
The success of our innovation and product development efforts is affected by our ability to anticipate changes in consumer and market preferences within the medical aesthetics cosmetics industry, the technical capability of our laboratory staff, including biochemists and bioengineers, developing and testing product formulas and prototypes, our ability to comply with applicable governmental regulations, and the success of our management and sales and marketing teams in introducing and marketing new products. Our cosmetics product offerings may change over time, which makes it difficult to forecast our future results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will successfully develop and market new products that appeal to clients. For example, product formulas we develop may not contain the product attributes desired by the medical aesthetics consumers that our clients serve. Any such failure may lead to a decrease in our growth, sales and ability to achieve profitability, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Additionally, the development and introduction of new products requires substantial marketing expenditures, which we may be unable to recoup if new products do not gain widespread market acceptance. If we are unsuccessful in meeting our objectives with respect to new or improved products, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
We may incur product liability claims that could harm our business.
We sell a variety of topical cosmetics products for topical human use. Our cosmetics are not generally subject to pre-market approval or registration processes so we cannot rely upon a government safety panel to qualify or approve our products for use, and some ingredients may not have long histories of human consumption or use. We rely upon published and unpublished safety information including clinical validation studies on ingredients used in our products and conduct our own clinical validation and safety studies on some key ingredients and products. A product may be safe for the general population when consumed or used as directed but could cause an adverse reaction for some individuals, such as a person who has a health condition or allergies or who is taking a prescription medication. While we include what we believe are adequate instructions and warnings and we have historically had low or no numbers of reported reactions, previously unknown adverse reactions could occur. While we maintain a policy to insure our product liability risks we will continue to periodically evaluate whether any of our products are found to cause any injury or damage and whether we become subject to product liability claims.
As a result of the type of products that we sell, we may be subject to various product liability claims, including that the products fail to meet quality or manufacturing specifications, contain contaminants, include inadequate instructions as to their proper use, include inadequate warnings concerning side effects and interactions with other substances or for persons with health conditions or allergies, or cause adverse reactions or side effects. Consumer protection laws and regulations governing our business continue to expand, and in some states such as California, class-action lawsuits based on increasingly novel theories of liability are expanding. Product liability claims could increase our costs, cause negative publicity, and adversely affect our business and financial results. As we continue to offer an increasing number of new products through large product offerings our product liability risk may increase.
If our sales force or employees provide improper or inappropriate advice regarding our products, their use or safety, we may be subject to additional product liability. If we discover that our products are causing adverse reactions, or if we determine that any of our employees have not properly handled reports of adverse reactions, we could suffer further adverse publicity or government sanctions.
Our employees, independent contractors, consultants, medical professional clients, distributors and vendors may engage in unethical misconduct or other improper sales activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements.
We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, consultants, medical professional clients, distributors and vendors and other individuals or entities with whom we have arrangements may engage in unethical, fraudulent or illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates: (i) the laws of the FDA, other similar foreign regulatory authorities and foreign governments, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such regulators; (ii) manufacturing standards; or (iii) laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. These laws may impact, among other things, future sales, marketing and promotional campaigns.
26
It is not always possible to identify and deter unethical misconduct by our employees, medical professional clients and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent these activities may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance such laws or regulations. If such actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could result in government investigations, legal proceedings, the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions, including the imposition of monetary penalties, damages, monetary fines, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings and curtailment of operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. Whether or not we are successful in defending against such actions or investigations, we could incur substantial costs, including legal fees, and divert the attention of management in defending ourselves against any of these claims or investigations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Moreover, our cosmetics products may be subject to sales and marketing practices subject to business arrangements that may include kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. Because our medical professional clients receive a markup on each sale of our cosmetics products our medical professional clients may structure their own internal sales and commission programs or promote certain customer incentive programs and other business arrangements that include our cosmetic products and more generally that incentivize monetary gain over effecting positive results for their customers. Such programs may promote perverse incentives relating to the sale, stocking, or purchasing of our cosmetic products. Such programs could negatively impact our marketing capabilities and favorable perception of our brand and products. If we are unable to maintain and promote a favorable perception of our brand and products, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
We have limited clinical validation and testing data, and clinical validation testing are subject to extensive regulatory requirements, very expensive, time-consuming and difficult to design and implement. Our products may fail to achieve necessary safety and aesthetic results during clinical validation testing, which may limit our ability to generate revenues from our cosmetics products.
We have not yet invested significantly in wide-ranging clinical validation testing to demonstrate aesthetic improvement and the few studies we have arranged are in early stages as of the date of this prospectus. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to invest or develop resources for conducting these tests in the near future. In particular, clinical validation testing can be very expensive and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. The clinical validation trial process is time consuming. Furthermore, failure can occur at any stage of the testing, and we could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical validation testing. The commencement and completion of clinical validation studies may be affected by several factors, including:
● | unforeseen safety issues; |
● | determination of product applicative issues; |
● | inability to demonstrate positive aesthetic results during clinical validation studies; |
● | slower than expected rates of participant recruitment; |
● | inability to monitor or document participants adequately during or after product application; and |
● | developments related to the coronavirus outbreak and impact of it and COVID-19 on the costs and timing associated with the conduct of our clinical validation studies and other related activities. |
Our success depends largely upon consumer satisfaction with the aesthetic results of our products.
In order to generate repeat and referral business from clients, our clients’ medical aesthetics consumers must be satisfied with the aesthetic results of our cosmetics products. Our products are cosmetic in nature and the success of the results are highly subjective. Accordingly, medical aesthetics consumers’ perception of their aesthetic results may greatly vary even if our products and systems associated therewith are shown to be objectively successful. If medical aesthetics consumers are not satisfied with the aesthetic benefits of our products or feel that they are too expensive for the aesthetic results obtained, our reputation and future sales to our clients could suffer.
27
Our products may fail to achieve the broad degree of physician adoption and use or medical aesthetic consumer demand necessary for commercial success.
Our cosmetics products, which as of the date of this prospectus are used solely in a clinical or medical spa setting, may fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians and others in the medical aesthetics community. The commercial success of these products and any future products will depend significantly on the broad adoption and use of the resulting product by physicians for the treatment of aesthetic indications that we may seek to pursue. We are aware that other companies are seeking to develop alternative products and treatments, any of which could impact the demand for our cosmetics products.
The degree and rate of physician adoption of our exosome serums and any future products depend on a number of factors, including the cost, profitability to our clients, medical aesthetic consumer demand, characteristics and aesthetic results of our products. Our success will also depend on our ability to create compelling marketing programs and ability to overcome any biases physicians or consumers may have toward the use, safety and aesthetic results of existing products over ours. Moreover, our competitors may offer more compelling marketing or discounting programs than we are able to offer, including by bundling multiple aesthetic products to provide a more comprehensive offering than we can. We can provide no assurance that health professionals will continue to recommend our products at their current levels, or at all. Additionally, we may be unable to continue to grow our network of health professional clients and therefore may not continue to achieve revenue growth through this channel.
With respect to medical aesthetic consumer demand, use of our cosmetic products is purely elective with a cost that must be borne by the consumer, and costs related to the use of cosmetics is not reimbursable through any third-party payor, such as Medicaid, Medicare or commercial insurance. The decision by a medical aesthetic consumer to purchase our products for aesthetic indications may be influenced by a number of factors, including the cost, aesthetic results, safety, perception, marketing programs for, and physician recommendations of our cosmetics products versus competitive cosmetics products or other procedures provided by the physician.
If our cosmetics products or any future pipeline product fail to achieve the broad degree of physician adoption necessary for commercial success or the requisite medical aesthetic consumer demand, our operating results and financial condition will be adversely affected, which may delay, prevent or limit our ability to generate revenue and continue our business.
The outcome of our clinical and product testing of our products is uncertain, and if we are unable to satisfactorily complete such testing, or if such testing yields unsatisfactory results, we may not achieve the broad degree of physician adoption and use or medical aesthetic consumer demand necessary for commercial success.
We have yet to complete clinical testing to demonstrate our products aesthetic results. The clinical testing of our current products may not demonstrate aesthetic results to the degree we may anticipate or at all. Similarly, this testing may not be completed in a timely manner, if at all, or only after significant increases in costs, program delays or both, all of which could harm our ability to generate revenues. In addition, our products may not prove to be more effective for improving appearance than current cosmetic products on the market. Accordingly, we may have to delay or abandon efforts to research, develop or further market our products.
The failure to adequately demonstrate the aesthetic results could harm our ability to generate revenues and limit a broader degree of physician adoption necessary for commercial success or the requisite medical aesthetic consumer demand. Accordingly, our operating results and financial condition will be adversely affected, which may delay, prevent or limit our ability to generate revenue and continue our business.
Even if we are successful in product testing of our cosmetic exosome-based products, it is unclear whether cosmetic exosome products can serve as the foundation for a commercially viable and profitable business because of other evolving technologies.
Stem cell technology is rapidly developing and could undergo significant change in the future. Such rapid technological development could result in our technologies becoming obsolete. While our cosmetic products appear promising, and even if they achieve positive test results, they may fail to be successfully adopted by physicians for numerous reasons, including, but not limited to, competing cosmetics technologies for the same treatments. There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop a successful market for our cosmetic exosome products based on stem cell technologies.
Moreover, advances in other cosmetic products are rapid and could significantly reduce or entirely eliminate the need for our products. Additionally, keeping up with new technological developments may materially alter the commercial viability of our technology or products and require us to incur significant costs to replace or modify product lines in which we have a substantial investment. We are focused on exosome based cosmetic products, and if this field is substantially unsuccessful, this could jeopardize our success or future results. The occurrence of any of these factors may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
28
If we are unable to keep up with rapid technological changes in our field or compete effectively, we will be unable to operate profitably.
We are engaged in activities in the bioengineering and cosmetics field, which is characterized by extensive research efforts and rapid technological progress. If we fail to anticipate or respond adequately to technological developments, our ability to operate profitably could suffer. Research and discoveries by other bioengineering, cosmetics, pharmaceutical or other companies may render our technologies or potential products or services uneconomical or result in products superior to those we develop. Similarly, any technologies, products or services we develop may not be preferred to any existing or newly developed technologies, products or services.
Restrictions on the use of human stem cells, and the ethical, legal and social implications of that research, could prevent us from developing or gaining acceptance for commercially viable products in these areas.
Our stem cells are derived under current Good Manufacturing Practices from Wharton’s Jelly portion of the human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells and captured within twenty-four hours of a full-term healthy birth by consenting donors. Because the use of human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells gives rise to ethical, legal and social issues regarding the appropriate use of these cells, our research related to human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells could become the subject of adverse commentary or publicity and some political and religious groups may still raise opposition to our cosmetics products and practices. In addition, many research institutions, including some of our potential scientific collaborators, have adopted policies regarding the ethical use of human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells, which, if applied to our procedures, may have the effect of limiting the scope of research conducted using our stem cells, thereby impairing our ability to conduct research in this field.
Our products may be expensive to manufacture, and they may not be profitable if we are unable to control the costs to manufacture them.
Our products may be significantly more expensive to manufacture than other traditional cosmetics products currently on the market today. We hope to substantially reduce manufacturing costs through process improvements, development of new methods, increases in manufacturing scale and outsourcing to experienced formulators or manufacturers. If we are not able to make these, or other improvements, and depending on the pricing of our products, our profit margins may be significantly less than that of other cosmetics products on the market today. In addition, we may not be able to charge a high enough price for any cosmetic product we develop, even if they are safe and effective, to make a profit. If we are unable to realize significant profits from our pipeline products, our business would be materially harmed.
Our business is based on novel technologies that are inherently expensive, risky and may not be understood by or accepted in the cosmetics marketplace, which could adversely affect our future value.
The development, commercialization and marketing of cell and tissue-derived cosmetics are at an early-stage, substantially research-oriented, and financially speculative. To date, very few companies have been successful in their efforts to develop and commercialize a stem cell-derived cosmetic products. In general, stem cell products may be susceptible to various risks, including undesirable and unintended side effects, or other characteristics that may prevent or limit their approval or commercial use. Furthermore, the number of people who currently or may use cell or tissue-derived cosmetics is difficult to forecast with accuracy. Our future success is dependent on the establishment of a significant market for cell- and tissue-derived cosmetics and our ability to capture a share of this market with our product lines.
Our development efforts with our cosmetics products are susceptible to the same risks of failure inherent in the development and commercialization of other topical cosmetics products based on new technologies. The novel nature of exosome-based cosmetics creates significant challenges in the areas of product development and optimization, manufacturing, government regulation, and market acceptance. For example, the United States FDA has relatively limited experience regulating cosmetics derived from stem cells, and there are no FDA approved medical products utilizing exosomes.
We may not have sufficient product liability insurance, which may leave us vulnerable to future claims we will be unable to satisfy.
The testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of stem cell derived products entail an inherent risk of product liability claims. We currently have a limited amount of product liability insurance, which may not be adequate to meet potential product liability claims. In the event we are forced to expend significant funds on defending product liability actions, and in the event those funds come from operating capital, we will be required to reduce our business activities, which could lead to significant losses. Adequate insurance coverage may not be available in the future on acceptable terms, if at all. If available, we may not be able to maintain any such insurance at sufficient levels of coverage and any such insurance may not provide adequate protection against potential liabilities. Whether or not a product liability insurance policy is obtained or maintained in the future, any product liability claim could harm our business or financial condition.
29
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition
As described in the report of our auditors for the six months ended June 30, 2023, and the years ended December 31, 2021, and 2022 and the notes to our consolidated financial statements, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, and if we are unable to continue, you may lose your entire investment.
The uncertainty about our ability to continue in operation is based on our continuing losses from operation, limited revenue and limited working capital, among other things which existed as of year-end December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had a net working capital deficit of $112,264 and positive working capital $963,050, respectively, and has an accumulated deficit of $5,082,927 and $2,722,373, respectively. Included in the accumulated deficit are losses of $2,360,554 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, and $1,800,268 for the year ended December 31, 2022. Given all these facts, we are dependent on obtaining funding from operations and the sale of debt or equity to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability of assets and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.
Our ability to continue as a going concern depends on the success of this offering and receipt of additional funds through debt or equity financing and our operations. In the event we are unable to obtain such funding, we may have to delay, reduce or eliminate certain of our planned operations, including some of our research and development and/or clinical validation studies to demonstrate aesthetic improvement, reduce overall overhead expense, or divest assets. This in turn may have an adverse effect on our ability to realize the value of our assets. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, you may lose all or part of your investment.
We have a history of net losses, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in the future.
We have incurred net losses each year since our inception, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in the future. We incurred net losses of $2,360,554 and $648,526, for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively and $1,800,268 and $784,739 in the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Our expenses will likely increase in the future as we develop and launch new cosmetics product offerings, expand in existing and new markets, increase our sales and marketing efforts, and continue to invest in our laboratory facility. These efforts may be more costly than we expect and may not result in increased revenue or growth in our business. These offerings may require significant capital investments and recurring costs, maintenance, depreciation, asset life and asset replacement costs, and if we are not able to maintain sufficient levels of utilization of such assets or such offerings are otherwise not successful, our investments may not generate sufficient returns and our financial condition may be adversely affected. Any failure to increase our revenue sufficiently to keep pace with our investments and other expenses could prevent us from achieving or maintaining profitability or positive cash flow on a consistent basis. If we are unable to successfully address these risks and challenges as we encounter them, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected. If we are unable to generate adequate revenue growth and manage our expenses, we may continue to incur significant losses in the future and may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability.
Our current growth may not be indicative of our future growth and, if we begin to grow rapidly, we may not be able to effectively manage our growth or evaluate our future prospects. If we fail to effectively manage our future growth or evaluate our future prospects, our business could be adversely affected.
We have experienced minimal growth since our launch in 2020. For example, our revenue increased from nil in 2020 to $827 in 2021, to $766,277 in 2022, and to $459,350 for the six months ended June 30, 2023. Moreover, the number of our full-time employees increased. This growth has placed significant demands on our management, financial, operational, technological and other resources. The anticipated growth and expansion of our business depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:
● | increase awareness of our brand and successfully compete with other companies; |
● | price our products effectively so that we are able to attract new consumers and expand sales to our existing clients; |
● | expand distribution with new and existing clients; |
● | continue to innovate and introduce new products; |
● | expand our supplier and fulfillment capacities; |
● | maintain quality control over our product offerings; and |
● | expand internationally. |
30
Such growth and expansion of our business will place significant demands on our management and operations teams and require significant additional resources, financial and otherwise, to meet our needs, which may not be available in a cost-effective manner, or at all. We expect to continue to expend substantial resources on:
● | our sales and marketing efforts to increase brand awareness, further engaging our existing and prospective clients, and driving sales of our products; |
● | product innovation and development; |
● | general administration, including increased finance, legal and accounting expenses associated with being a public company; and |
● | expanding internationally. |
These investments may not result in the growth of our business. Even if these investments do result in the growth of our business, if we do not effectively manage our growth, we may not be able to execute on our business plan, respond to competitive pressures, take advantage of market opportunities, satisfy our client requirements or maintain high-quality product offerings, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. You should not rely on our historical rate of revenue growth as an indication of our future performance or the rate of growth we may experience in any new category or internationally.
In addition, to support continued growth, we must effectively integrate, develop and motivate a large number of new employees while maintaining our corporate culture. We face significant competition for personnel. To attract top talent, we have had to offer, and expect to continue to offer, competitive compensation and benefits packages before we can validate the productivity of new employees. We may also need to increase our employee compensation levels to remain competitive in attracting and retaining talented employees. The risks associated with a rapidly growing workforce will be particularly acute as we choose to expand into new product categories and global markets. Additionally, we may not be able to hire new employees quickly enough to meet our needs. If we fail to effectively manage our hiring needs or successfully integrate new hires, our efficiency, ability to meet forecasts and employee morale, productivity and retention could suffer, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We are also required to manage numerous relationships with various vendors and other third parties. Further growth of our operations, client base, or internal controls and procedures may not be adequate to support our operations. If we are unable to manage the growth of our organization effectively, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be adversely affected.
We will need additional capital to conduct our operations and develop our products and our ability to obtain the necessary funding is uncertain.
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, and the years ended December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2022 we used a significant amount of cash to finance our continued operations, and we need to obtain significant additional capital resources in order to develop products going forward. We may not be successful in maintaining our normal operating cash flow and the timing of our capital expenditures may not result in cash flows sufficient to sustain our operations through the next twelve months. If financing is not sufficient and additional financing is not available or available only on terms that are detrimental to our long-term survival, it could have a major adverse effect on our ability to pursue our clinical research and product development programs and could ultimately affect our ability to continue to function. The timing and degree of any future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
● | the accuracy of the assumptions underlying our estimates for capital needs in 2023 and beyond; | |
● | scientific progress in our research and development programs; | |
● | the magnitude and scope of our research and development programs and our ability to establish, enforce and maintain strategic arrangements for research, development, product testing, manufacturing, third-party agreements and marketing; | |
● | the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing patent claims; | |
● | the number and type of pipeline product that we pursue; and | |
● | the development of major public health concerns, including the novel coronavirus outbreak or other pandemics arising globally, and the current and future impact of it and COVID-19 on our business operations and funding requirements. |
31
Additional financing through strategic collaborations, public or private equity or debt financings or other financing sources may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Additional equity financing could result in significant dilution to our stockholders, and any debt financings will likely involve covenants restricting our business activities. Additional financing may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Further, if we obtain additional funds through arrangements with collaborative partners, these arrangements may require us to relinquish rights to some of our technologies, pipeline product or products that we might otherwise seek to develop and commercialize on our own. If sufficient capital is not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our research or product development initiatives, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or business prospects.
Our need for additional capital and ability to raise capital in the future may be limited and our failure to raise capital when needed could prevent us from growing.
We may also encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may increase capital needs or drive spending and depletion of cash resources faster than expected. Accordingly, the Company will need to obtain substantial additional funding in order to continue and maintain its operations. The uncertainties around the Company’s ability to fund operations raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a growing concern. Thus, In the future, we may need to raise capital through public or private financing or other arrangements. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all, and our failure to raise capital when needed could harm our business. We may sell Common Stock, convertible securities and other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner as we may determine from time to time. If we sell any such securities in subsequent transactions, investors in our Common Stock may be materially diluted. New investors in such subsequent transactions could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our Common Stock. Debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants and could reduce our operational flexibility or ability to achieve or maintain profitability. If we cannot raise funds on acceptable terms, we may be forced to raise funds on undesirable terms, or our business may contract or we may be unable to grow our business or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
We depend on our collaborators to help us develop and test our proposed products, and our ability to develop and commercialize products may be impaired or delayed if collaborations are unsuccessful.
Our strategy for the development, product testing and commercialization of our proposed products may require entering into collaborations with corporate partners, licensors, licensees and others. We may then be dependent upon the subsequent success of these other parties in performing their respective responsibilities and the continued cooperation of our partners. Our potential collaborators may not cooperate with us or perform their obligations under our agreements with them. We cannot control the amount and timing of our collaborators’ resources that will be devoted to our research and development activities related to our collaborative agreements with them. Our collaborators may choose to pursue existing or alternative technologies in preference to those being developed in collaboration with us.
Under agreements with collaborators, we may rely significantly on such collaborators to, among other things:
● | design and conduct product testing and studies to demonstrate aesthetic improvement; |
● | fund research and development activities with us; |
● | pay us fees upon the achievement of milestones; and |
● | market with us any commercial products that result from our collaborations. |
Should we collaborate with others in the development and commercialization of potential products, those expected product pipeline timelines may be delayed if collaborators fail to conduct these activities in a timely manner, or at all. In addition, our potential collaborators could terminate their agreements with us, and we may not receive any development or milestone payments. If we do not achieve milestones set forth in the agreements, or if our collaborators breach or terminate their collaborative agreements with us, our business may be materially harmed.
32
Current and future contractual arrangements with licensors or collaborators require or could require that they pay royalties and their failure to do so would adversely affect the level of our future revenues and profits.
Some of our contractual arrangements between us and a licensor, collaborator or other third party in connection with the distribution of our products currently require or may require in the future that those third-parties make royalty or other payments to us. Should those third parties fail to pay those royalties, we would not receive all of the revenue derived from commercial sales of such product.
Our reliance on the activities of our non-employee consultants, third-party vendors, and operational contractors, whose activities are not wholly within our control, may lead to delays in development of our proposed products.
As an early-stage company, we rely extensively upon and have relationships with in-house consultants and with expertise in cosmetics developments strategy or other business matters. These consultants are not our employees and may have commitments to, or consulting or advisory contracts with, other entities that may limit their availability to us. We have limited control over the activities of these consultants and, except as otherwise required by our collaboration and consulting agreements to the extent they exist, can expect only limited amounts of their time to be dedicated to our activities. These consultants may have commitments to other commercial and non-commercial entities. We have limited control over the operations of our consultants and can expect only limited amounts of time to be dedicated to our research, development and business goals.
We currently contract with third-party contractors, and in some cases, a single contractor, for all aspects of the supply, logistics, and formulation of our cosmetics products, and expect to continue to do so to support commercial scale production of our cosmetics products. There are significant risks associated with contracting with third-party suppliers, including their ability to meet the increased need that may result from our increasing any commercialization efforts. This increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of hUMSCs or be able to obtain such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.
We currently rely on third-party contract suppliers, packagers, shippers and formulators for all of our required raw materials, bottling and packaging, active ingredients and finished products for our cosmetics products. Because there are a limited number of suppliers for the raw materials that we use to formulate our cosmetics products, we may need to engage alternate suppliers to prevent a possible disruption of the formulations of the materials necessary to produce our cosmetic products. We do not have any control over the availability of hUMSCs that form the basis for our products, raw materials that are formulated along with our exosomes or packaging and bottling supplies that form the basis for our product packaging and bottling. If we or our formulators are unable to purchase these raw materials on acceptable terms, at sufficient quality levels or in adequate quantities, if at all, the development and commercialization of our products or any future products would be delayed, or there would be a shortage in supply, which would impair our ability to meet our development objectives for our pipeline products or generate revenues from the sale of our current line of cosmetics products. We also currently rely on a single supplier and formulator for our hUMSCs, to formulate the final products by adding ingredients to bring finished products to market, and for bottling and packaging our final products. While we believe that alternative sources of commercially viable supply exist for both our hUMSCs and raw materials that we use to formulate our products, there can be no assurance that we will be able to quickly establish additional or replacement sources if needed, and a reduction or interruption in supply could adversely affect our ability to supply our products in a timely or cost-effective manner.
We expect to continue to rely on these formulators, packagers and bottlers or other subcontractors and suppliers to support our commercial requirements in the near future. We plan to continue to rely on third parties for the raw materials, hUMSCs and formulating of our products necessary to produce our products and bring them to market.
Our continuing reliance on third-party contract formulators, and suppliers entails a number of risks, including reliance on the third party for regulatory compliance and quality assurance, the possible breach of the manufacturing or supply agreement by the third party, and the possible termination or nonrenewal of the agreement by the third party at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us. In addition, third-party contract formulators and suppliers may not be able to comply with cGMP requirements, or similar regulatory requirements. If any of these risks transpire, we may be unable to timely retain alternate subcontractors or suppliers on acceptable terms and with sufficient quality standards and production capacity, which may disrupt and delay the commercial sale of our products.
33
Our failure or the failure of our third-party formulators, packagers, shippers, bottlers and suppliers to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our products or pipeline products. Any failure or refusal to supply or any interruption in supply of the components for our products could delay, prevent or impair our ability to bring our products to market.
The manufacture and formulation of cosmetics products is complex, and formulators may encounter difficulties in production. If we or any of our third-party formulators encounter any difficulties, our ability to provide our products or any pipeline product candidates commercial sales could be delayed or stopped.
The manufacture and formulation of cosmetics products is complex, and requires significant expertise and capital investment, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. We and our contract manufacturers also comply with cGMP requirements. Formulators of cosmetics products often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up and validating initial production and contamination controls. These problems include difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product, quality assurance testing, operator error, shortages of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced federal, state and foreign regulations. Furthermore, if microbial, viral or other contaminations are discovered in our product candidates or in the manufacturing and formulating facilities in which our products are made, such facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination.
We cannot assure you that any stability or other issues relating to the manufacture of our products or any future pipeline product will not occur in the future. As our formulation and manufacturing processes are scaled up, they may reveal manufacturing challenges or previously unknown impurities that could require resolution in order to proceed with commercial sales of our cosmetics products.
Our reliance on third-party manufacturers and formulators entails risks, including the following:
● | the inability to meet our product specifications, including product formulation, and quality requirements consistently; |
● | a delay or inability to procure or expand sufficient manufacturing and formulation capacity; |
● | manufacturing and product quality issues, including those related to scale-up of manufacturing; |
● | costs and validation of new equipment and facilities required for scale-up; |
● | a failure to comply with cGMP and similar quality standards; |
● | the inability to negotiate or renegotiate formulation and manufacturing agreements with third parties under commercially reasonable terms; |
● | termination or nonrenewal of formulation or manufacturing agreements with third parties in a manner or at a time that is costly or damaging to us; |
● | the reliance on a limited number of sources, and in some cases, single sources for some of our key materials, such that if we are unable to secure a sufficient supply of these key materials, we will be unable to manufacture and sell our products in a timely fashion, in sufficient quantities or under acceptable terms; |
● | the lack of qualified backup suppliers for those materials that are currently or in the future purchased from a sole or single source supplier; |
● | operations of our third-party manufacturers, formulators or suppliers could be disrupted by conditions unrelated to our business or operations, including the bankruptcy of the manufacturer, formulator or supplier; |
● | resource constraints, including as a result of labor disputes or unstable political environments; |
● | carrier disruptions or increased costs that are beyond our control; and |
● | the failure to deliver our products under specified storage conditions and in a timely manner. |
34
If we or our third-party formulators or manufacturers were to encounter any of these difficulties, and in particular where we rely on a single formulator and manufacturer, our ability to commercialize our products, would be jeopardized. Any adverse developments affecting commercial formulation or manufacturing of our products or any future pipeline product may result in shipment delays, inventory shortages, lot failures, product withdrawals or recalls, or other interruptions in the supply of our products. We may also have to take inventory write-offs and incur other charges and expenses for products that fail to meet specifications, undertake costly remediation efforts or seek more costly formulation or manufacturing alternatives. Accordingly, failures or difficulties faced at any level of our supply chain could materially adversely affect our business and delay or impede the development and commercialization our products or any future pipeline product and could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
Because we have limited research and development capabilities, we may become more dependent on third parties to perform research and development for us.
We have limited internal research and development capabilities and currently outsource portions of our product research and development to third-party research companies. In particular, we have relied heavily on services provided by Radyus Research, Inc. partially in the development of new products, and to analyze the proteomic characteristics of our Elevai ExosomesTM. We have received sufficient support from our third-party research partners to help us drive our new product development, and we expect to continue to rely on third parties to assist in our research and develop new products.
There are a limited number of third-party research and development companies that specialize or have the expertise required to assist us in our product development objectives. As a result, it may be difficult for us to engage research and development partners and personnel for our anticipated future needs. If we are unable to arrange for third-party research and development of our products, or to do so on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to develop new products or expand the application of our existing products as quickly as we could if we were to only perform research and development of new products internally.
Reliance on third-party research and development partners entails risks to which we would not be subject if we performed the research and development ourselves, including reliance on the third party for maintaining the confidentiality of the proprietary information relating to the product being developed and for maintaining quality assurance, the possibility of breach of the research and development agreement by the third party, and the possibility of termination or non-renewal of the agreement by the third party.
Dependence upon third parties for the research and development of our future products may limit our ability to commercialize and deliver products on a timely and competitive basis.
Certain market opportunity data and forecasts in this prospectus were obtained from third-party sources and were not independently verified by us. We believe the estimates of market opportunity data and forecasts of market growth included in this prospectus are reliable, but may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the markets in which we compete achieve the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.
This prospectus contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private entity publications and reports. There is no guarantee that any particular number or percentage of market participants covered by our market opportunity estimates will purchase our products at all or generate any particular level of revenue for us. While we have not independently verified the data and information contained therein and such data and information may have been collected using third-party methodologies, we believe that the data and information, including projections based on a number of assumptions, from these third-party publications and reports used in this prospectus is reliable. Any expansion in the skincare or medical aesthetics cosmetics on a number of factors, including the cost and perceived value associated with our product offerings and those of our competitors. Even if the markets in which we compete meet the size estimates and growth forecast in this prospectus, our business could fail to grow at the rate we anticipate, if at all, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Our growth is subject to many factors, including our success in implementing our business strategy, which is subject to many risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, the forecasts of market growth included in this prospectus should not be taken as indicative of our future growth. For more information regarding the estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth included in this prospectus, see the section titled “Business— Market, Industry and Other Research-Based Data.”
Because we currently sublease our laboratory to commercialize our products, we will continue to be dependent on third parties for our own manufacturing capabilities for us for some time.
We currently sublease our laboratory space from Stem Express LLC in order to meet our commercial manufacturing needs and do not have a long-term lease. The termination of that lease or any loss of services under that agreement would be difficult for us to replace within a short period of time. We expect to continue to rely on third parties to for laboratory space to continue our commercial production of our exosome products.
35
There are a limited number of third-party laboratories that operate under the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, regulations and that have the necessary expertise and capacity for us to manufacture our products. As a result, should our current relationship with our landlord change or manufacturing needs change it may be difficult for us to locate laboratories for lease that meet our current or anticipated future needs. If we are unable to arrange for third-party laboratory for us to manufacture of our products in, or to find a lease on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to complete development of, market and sell our current or new products.
Reliance on our use of leased laboratories entails risks to which we would not be subject to if we maintained our own laboratory, including reliance on a third-party landlord for regulatory compliance and maintenance of some of the commercial equipment and facilities used in our manufacturing process, and the possibility of early termination or non-renewal of the agreement by the landlord.
As we continue to grow the size of our company, we may need to further invest in the expansion of our leased manufacturing facilities for the potential need to increase our manufacturing capability, product volume and the necessary personnel. However, in order to make that election, we will need to invest substantial additional funds and recruit qualified personnel in order to operate any new or expanded manufacturing laboratory and there can be no assurance that we will successfully recruit enough qualified personnel to staff and manufacture our products. In order to expand we will also rely on an increase in our need for additional raw materials and other laboratory supplies and there can be no assurance that we will be able to make or obtain adequate supplies of our products. If we are not able to recruit or staff sufficient numbers of qualified personnel or acquire enough supplies necessary for our manufacturing process it will be more difficult for us to launch new products and compete effectively.
Dependence upon third parties to lease the facilities to manufacture of our products may reduce our profit margins, or the sale of our products and may limit our ability to develop and deliver products on a timely and competitive basis.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to lease our manufacturing facilities in order to bring commercial quantities of our products to market at acceptable costs. Our inability to do so would adversely affect our operating results and cause our business to suffer.
We or our third-party vendors may experience in the future network or system failures, or service interruptions, including cybersecurity attacks, or other technology risks. Our inability to protect our systems and data against such risks could harm our business and reputation.
Our ability to operate uninterrupted and provide high levels of service depends upon the performance of our internal network, systems and related infrastructure, and those of our third-party vendors. Any significant interruptions in, or degradation of, the quality of the services, including infrastructure storage and support, that these third parties provide to us could severely harm our business and reputation and lead to the loss of customers and revenue. Our internal network, systems, and related infrastructure, in addition to the networks, systems, and related infrastructure of our third-party vendors, may be vulnerable to computer viruses and other malware that infiltrate such systems and networks, as well as physical or electronic security breaches, natural disasters, and similar disruptions. They have been and may continue to be the target of attempts to identify and exploit network and system vulnerabilities, penetrate or bypass security measures in order to interrupt or degrade the quality of the services we receive or provide, or otherwise gain unauthorized access to our networks and systems or those of our third-party vendors. These vulnerabilities or other attempts at access may result from, or be caused by, human error or technology failures, however, they may also be the product of malicious actions by third parties intending to harm our business. The methods that may be used by these third parties to cause interruptions or failures or to obtain unauthorized access to information change frequently, are difficult to detect, evolve rapidly, and are increasingly sophisticated and hard to defend against.
Although we have not experienced any security breaches or attempted security breaches and continue to invest in security measures, we cannot be certain that our defensive measures, and those employed by our third-party vendors, will be sufficient to defend against all such current and future methods.
Any actual or perceived security breach, whether experienced by us or a third-party vendor; the reporting or announcement of such an event, or reports of perceived security vulnerabilities of our systems or the systems of our third-party service providers whether accurate or not; or our failure or perceived failure to respond or remediate an event or make adequate or timely disclosures to the public, regulatory or law enforcement agencies following any such event may be material and lead to harm to our financial condition, business reputation, and prospects of future business due to, among other factors: loss of customer confidence arising from interruptions or outages, delays, failure to meet contractual obligations, and loss of data or public release of confidential data; increase regulatory scrutiny on us; compromise our trade secret and intellectual property; expose us to costly uninsured liabilities such as material fines, penalties, liquidated damages, and overall margin compression due to renegotiation of contracts on less favorable terms or loss of business; liability for claims relating to misuse of personal information in violation of contractual obligations or data privacy laws; and potential theft of our intellectual property.
36
A security breach could occur and persist for an extended period of time without detection. We expect that any investigation of a security breach could take a substantial amount of time, and during such time we may not necessarily know the extent of the harm or how best to remediate it, and certain errors or actions could be repeated or compounded before they are discovered and remediated, all of which could further increase the costs and consequences of such a breach. Further, detecting and remediating such incidents may require specialized expertise and there can be no assurance that we will be able to retain or hire individuals who possess, or otherwise internally develop, such expertise. Our remediation efforts therefore may not be successful. The inability to implement, maintain, and upgrade adequate safeguards could have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, there could be public announcements regarding any data security-related incidents and any steps we take to respond to or remediate such incidents.
The occurrence of any such failure may also subject us to costly lawsuits, claims for contractual indemnities, as well as divert valuable management, research and development, information technology, and marketing resources toward addressing these issues and delay our ability to achieve our strategic initiatives. In addition, we gather, as permitted by law, non-public, personally-identifiable financial information from customers, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, bank and credit card account numbers and financial transaction information, and the compromise of such data, which may subject us to fines and other related costs of remediation.
If our third-party suppliers, logistics, and manufacturers do not comply with ethical business practices or with applicable laws and regulations, our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be harmed.
Our reputation and our clients’ willingness to purchase our products depend in part on our suppliers’, packagers’, manufacturers’, and formulators’ compliance with ethical employment practices, such as with respect to child labor, wages and benefits, forced labor, discrimination, safe and healthy working conditions, and with all legal and regulatory requirements relating to the conduct of their businesses. We do not exercise control over our suppliers, packagers, shippers, manufacturers, and formulators and cannot guarantee their compliance with ethical and lawful business practices. If our suppliers, packagers, shippers, manufacturers, or formulators fail to comply with applicable laws, regulations, safety codes, employment practices, human rights standards, quality standards, environmental standards, production practices, or other obligations, norms, or ethical standards, our reputation and brand image could be harmed, and we could be exposed to litigation, investigations, enforcement actions, monetary liability, and additional costs that would harm our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
If we, or our third-party manufacturers or formulators fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on the success of its business.
Our research and development activities and our third-party manufacturers’, formulators’ and suppliers’ activities involve the controlled storage, use and disposal of hazardous materials and other hazardous compounds. We and our manufacturers, formulators and suppliers are subject to laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of these hazardous materials. In some cases, these hazardous materials and various wastes resulting from their use are stored at our and our manufacturers’ facilities pending their use and disposal. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination, which could cause an interruption of our commercialization efforts, research and development efforts, business operations and environmental damage resulting in costly clean-up and liabilities under applicable laws and regulations governing the use, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and specified waste products. Although we believe that the safety procedures utilized by our third-party manufacturers for handling and disposing of these materials generally comply with the standards prescribed by these laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee that this is the case or eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In such an event, we may be held liable for any resulting damages and such liability could exceed our resources and state or federal or other applicable authorities may curtail our use of certain materials and/or interrupt our business operations. Furthermore, environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently and have tended to become more stringent. We cannot predict the impact of such changes and cannot be certain of our future compliance.
Risks Related to Our Products Legal and Regulatory Risks
A recall or suspension of sale of our products, or the discovery of serious safety issues with our products or the incorrect application of such products by medical professionals to which we sell such products, could have a significant negative impact on us.
The FDA and comparable agencies of other countries regulate our cosmetic products. In the United States, FDA regulations govern, among other things, the activities that we perform, including product development, product testing, product labeling, product storage, manufacturing, advertising, promotion, product sales, reporting of certain product adverse events and failures, and distribution.
37
The FDA and equivalent foreign regulatory authorities have the authority to require the recall or suspension, either temporarily or permanently, of commercialized products in the event that a product has a reasonable probability of causing a serious adverse health risk due to adulteration or misbranding. Regulatory authorities have broad discretion to require the recall or suspension of a product or to require that manufacturers alert customers of safety risks. Recalls, suspensions or other notices relating to any products that we distribute would divert managerial and financial resources, and have an adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition and operating results.
In addition, regulatory authorities may require us to, or we may voluntarily, suspend sales of a product if we become aware that the medical professionals to which we sell our products have not followed our instructions for application. For example, when our product is marketed and sold by us to medical professionals throughout the United States and internationally, we include instructions specifying that such product must be applied topically by these medical professionals. Administration outside of those specific directions could result in us running afoul of government rules and regulations.
FDA and FTC may enforce against our cosmetic products if they do not accept our advertising and marketing or if those products are used beyond the intended uses that we authorize.
If our products are marketed outside of their intended use, for example if they are advertised for the treatment, diagnosis, cure, prevention, or mitigation of a disease, then regulatory agencies may issue a warning letter or further investigate our marketing practices to ensure we are complying with advertising and promotional rules that apply to the product category.
Regulations governing our products, including the formulation, registration, marketing and sale of our products, could harm our business.
Our products are subject to extensive government regulation by numerous federal, state and local government agencies and authorities. Many of these laws and regulations involve a high level of subjectivity, are subject to interpretation, and vary significantly from market to market. These laws and regulations can, and often do, have several impacts on our business, including but not limited to:
● | delays, or altogether prohibitions, in introducing or selling a product or ingredient in one or more markets; |
● | limitations on our ability to import products into a market; |
● | limitations on the claims we can make regarding our products; and |
● | delays and expenses associated with compliance, such as record keeping, documentation of the properties of certain products, labeling, and scientific substantiation; and |
● | product reformulations, or the recall or discontinuation of certain products that cannot be reformulated to comply with new regulations. |
We have observed a general increase in regulatory activity and activism in the United States and across many markets globally where we operate, and the regulatory landscape is becoming more complex with increasingly strict requirements. In particular, the requirements are impacting the ingredients we can include in our products, the accepted quantities of those ingredients and the quality and characterization of the ingredients. Global regulators have in recent years become overall more restrictive on the accepted levels of certain ingredients or sources that we can use in our product, in some cases banning them outright. Further, many of the restrictions regarding ingredient quality are not directly applicable to our products, leaving the possibility that our interpretation of compliance may not match that of the enforcing authorities. Often there is a lack of an equivalent ingredients or source present in the marketplace. In other cases, the removal or reduction of a technical ingredient to stabilize our products, leads to a significant change to the character of the product that may make it no longer desirable or safe to the consumer. If this trend in new regulations continues, we may find it necessary to alter some of the ways we have traditionally marketed our products in order to stay in compliance with a changing regulatory landscape and this could add to the costs of our operations and/or have an adverse impact on our business.
38
Many laws and regulations govern aspects of regulatory oversight of our products although the FDA currently does not have a pre-market approval system for cosmetics. However, cosmetic products may become subject to more extensive regulation in the future and have recently. These events could interrupt the marketing and sale of our products, severely damage our brand reputation and image in the marketplace, increase the cost of our products, cause us to fail to meet customer expectations or cause us to be unable to deliver merchandise in sufficient quantities or of sufficient quality to our stores, any of which could result in lost sales.
Our operations could be harmed if new laws or regulations are enacted that restrict our ability to market or distribute our products or impose additional burdens or requirements on us in order to continue selling our cosmetics products. In addition, the adoption of new regulations or changes in the interpretations and enforcement of existing regulations may result in significant compliance costs or discontinuation of cosmetics products sales and may impair the marketability of our cosmetics products, resulting in significant loss of net sales. We cannot predict the nature of any future laws, regulations, interpretations, or applications, nor can we determine what effect additional governmental regulations or administrative orders, when and if promulgated, would have on our business. If new or existing laws and regulations restrict, inhibit or delay our ability to introduce or market our products or limit the claims we are able to make regarding our cosmetics products, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results. If we fail to comply with the laws and regulations governing our products, we could face enforcement action, and we could be fined or forced to alter or stop selling our cosmetics products.
Government regulations and private party actions relating to the marketing and advertising of our cosmetics products may restrict, inhibit or delay our ability to sell our cosmetics products and harm our business.
Government authorities regulate advertising and product claims regarding the benefits of our cosmetics products. These regulatory authorities may require us to provide an adequate and reasonable basis to substantiate and support any marketing or product benefits claims. What constitutes such reasonable basis to substantiate such claims can vary widely from market to market and there is no assurance that the research and development efforts that we undertake to support our claims will be deemed adequate for any particular product or product marketing claim. If we are unable to show adequate and reliable substantiation for our product claims, or if our marketing materials or the marketing materials of our sales force make claims that exceed the scope of allowed claims for cosmetics that we offer, the United States Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) or other regulatory authorities could take enforcement action requiring us to revise our marketing materials, amend our claims or stop selling certain products, which could harm our business.
For example, in recent years, the FDA has issued warning letters to many cosmetic companies alleging improper structure/function claims regarding their cosmetic products, including, for example, product claims regarding gene activity, cellular rejuvenation, repair, anti-aging and rebuilding collagen. There is a degree of subjectivity in determining whether a claim is an improper structure/function claim. Given this subjectivity and our research and development focus on the appearance of skin and the influence of certain stem-cell derived ingredients on skin, there is a risk that we could receive a warning letter, be required to modify our product claims or take other actions to satisfy the FDA if the FDA determines any of our marketing materials include improper structure/function claims for our cosmetic products. In addition, lawyers have filed class action lawsuits against some cosmetics brands after those brands received these FDA warning letters. There can be no assurance that we will not be subject to government actions or class action lawsuits, which could harm our business.
In the United States, the FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (“Guides”) require disclosure of material connections between an endorser and the company they are endorsing, and they generally do not allow marketing using atypical results. Our sales force has historically used testimonials and “before and after” photos to market and sell some of our popular products such as our E-Series™ serums. We intend to continue to use testimonials for our popular products. In highly regulated and scrutinized product categories, such as those that promote healthy hair growth cycles, if we or our sales force fails to comply with the Guides or makes improper product claims, the FTC could bring an enforcement action against us, and we could be fined and/or forced to alter our marketing materials.
39
Our operations could be harmed if we fail to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices.
Across our markets, there are regulations on a diverse range of Good Manufacturing Practices (“GCMPs”) that may eventually apply to us under the recently enacted Modernization of Cosmetic Regulation Act of 2022 (“MoCRA”) which requires the FDA to issue proposed rules relating to GCMPs for cosmetics manufacturers. If we are considered a cosmetic manufacture under MoCRA than we and our vendors may be subject to stringent safety requirements on a variety of topics, including vendor qualifications, ingredient identification, manufacturing controls and record keeping. Ingredient identification requirements, which would require us to confirm the levels, identity and potency of ingredients listed on our product labels within a narrow range, which may be particularly burdensome and difficult for us because our products contain many different ingredients. Additionally, under MoCRA we may be obligated to track and periodically report adverse events to government agencies. Compliance with these increasing regulations may further increase the cost of manufacturing certain of our products as we work with our vendors to assure they are qualified and in compliance. In addition, our operations could be harmed if regulatory authorities determine that we or our vendors are not in compliance with these regulations or if public reporting of adverse events harms our reputation for quality and safety. A finding of noncompliance may result in administrative warnings, penalties or actions impacting our ability to continue selling certain products, including public withdrawals, seizures and recalls. For example, in prior years, our competitors have had product recalls in the United States based on labeling issues. Problems associated with product recalls could be exacerbated due to the global nature of our business because a recall in one jurisdiction could lead to recalls in other jurisdictions.
Restrictive and extensive government regulation could slow or hinder our production of cosmetics containing a stem-cell byproduct and we may be unsuccessful in our efforts to comply with applicable federal, state and international laws and regulations, which could result in government enforcement actions.
Although we seek to conduct our business in compliance with applicable governmental laws and regulations, these laws and regulations are exceedingly complex and often subject to varying interpretations. The cosmetics and stem-cell industry are topics of significant government interest, and thus the laws and regulations applicable to our business are subject to frequent change and/or reinterpretation. As such, there can be no assurance that we will be able, or will have the resources, to maintain compliance with all such laws and regulations. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations, as well as the costs associated with such compliance or with enforcement of such healthcare laws and regulations, may have a material adverse effect on our operations or may require restructuring of our operations or impair our ability to operate profitably.
The research and development of stem cell byproducts is subject to and restricted by extensive regulation by governmental authorities in the United States and other countries. If in the future we become subject to additional FDA and other necessary regulatory approvals, that process may be lengthy, expensive and uncertain which may have a material adverse effect on our operations or may require restructuring of our operations or impair our ability to operate profitably.
New regulations could prohibit physicians from dispensing our cosmetics products directly.
In our primary market, the United States, we market our cosmetics products and systems directly to our physician clients to dispense in their offices. Thereafter, our cosmetics products and systems we sell are dispensed by physicians directly to their medical aesthetics consumers in their offices. In the event state regulations change to limit or prohibit the ability of physicians to dispense our cosmetics products directly to medical aesthetics consumers in their offices, medical aesthetics consumers may be required to purchase our cosmetics products in retail settings or via e-commerce, as opposed to directly from their physicians. If medical aesthetics consumers are unable to purchase our cosmetics products directly from physicians, it could result in medical aesthetics consumers purchasing less of our product than they otherwise would or affect the perception of our cosmetics products are which would harm our business, our operations or impair our ability to operate profitably.
Failure to obtain regulatory approvals in foreign jurisdictions would prevent us from marketing our cosmetics products internationally.
We market our cosmetics products outside of the United States. In order to market our cosmetics products in many non-U.S. jurisdictions we must obtain separate regulatory approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. In others, we do not have to obtain prior regulatory approval but do have to comply with other regulatory restrictions on the manufacturing, marketing and sale of our cosmetics products. We may be unable to file for regulatory approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our cosmetics products in any market. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing and data review. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. Moreover, approval by one foreign regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory agencies in other foreign countries or by the FDA. The failure to obtain these approvals could harm our business, our operations or impair our ability to operate profitably.
40
Risks related to Our Intellectual Property
If we fail to protect or enforce our intellectual property or confidential proprietary information relating to our current and any future cosmetics products or cosmetics pipeline product, others could compete against us more directly and we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.
Our success depends in part on our ability to protect our intellectual property rights. We rely on a combination of trademarks, trade secrets, confidential proprietary information, domains, patent rights and other intellectual property rights to protect our intellectual property. In addition, to protect our trade secrets, confidential information and other intellectual property rights, we have entered into confidentiality agreements with third parties, and confidential information and invention assignment agreements with employees, consultants and advisors. There can be no assurances that we will be able to enforce these agreements or alternatively, these agreements may be deemed to be unenforceable. If we cannot adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, we may not be able to adequately compete, and our business and prospects could be adversely affected.
Certain of our technology may not be subject to protection through patents, which leaves us vulnerable to theft of our technology.
Certain parts of our know-how and technology are not patentable or are trade secrets. To protect our proprietary position in such know-how and technology, we have entered and intend to require all employees, consultants, advisors and collaborators to enter into confidentiality and invention ownership agreements with us. These agreements may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure. Further, in the absence of patent protection, competitors who independently develop substantially equivalent technology may harm our business.
We may not be able to protect our proprietary technology, which could harm our ability to operate profitably.
The molecular biology, stem cells, cosmetics, and bioprocessing industries place considerable importance on obtaining patent and trade secret protection for new technologies, cosmetics products and processes. Our success will depend, to a substantial degree, on our ability to obtain and enforce patent protection for our cosmetics products, preserve any trade secrets and operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others. We cannot assure you that:
● | we will succeed in obtaining any patents, obtain them in a timely manner, or that the breadth or degree of protection that any such patents will protect our interests; |
● | the use of our technology will not infringe on the proprietary rights of others; |
● | patent applications relating to our potential cosmetics products or technologies will result in the issuance of any patents or that, if issued, such patents will afford adequate protection to us or will not be challenged, invalidated or infringed; or |
● | patents will not be issued to other parties, which may be infringed by our potential cosmetics products or technologies. |
We are aware of certain patents that have been granted to others and certain patent applications that have been filed by others with respect to other stem cell technologies and the use of exosomes for cosmetic aesthetics purposes. The fields in which we operate have been characterized by significant efforts by competitors to establish dominant or blocking patent rights to gain a competitive advantage, and by considerable differences of opinion as to the value and legal legitimacy of competitors’ purported patent rights and the technologies they actually utilize in their businesses.
Considerable research in the areas of stem cells, molecular biology, cosmetics, and bioprocessing is being performed in countries outside of the United States, and a number of our competitors are located in those countries. The laws protecting intellectual property in some of those countries may not provide adequate protection to prevent our competitors from misappropriating our intellectual property.
Patents held by other persons may result in infringement claims against us that are costly to defend and which may limit our ability to use the disputed technologies and prevent us from pursuing research and development or commercialization of potential cosmetics products.
A number of biotechnology and other companies, universities and research institutions have filed patent applications or have been issued patents relating to exosomes, stem cells, and other technologies potentially relevant to or required by our expected cosmetics products. We cannot predict which, if any, of such applications will issue as patents or the claims that might be allowed. We are aware that a number of companies have filed applications relating to stem cells. We are also aware of a number of patent applications and patents claiming use of exosomes and other modified cells to improve aesthetics.
41
If third party patents or patent applications contain claims infringed by either our licensed technology or other technology required to make and use our potential cosmetics products and such claims are ultimately determined to be valid, we might not be able to obtain licenses to these patents at a reasonable cost, if at all, or be able to develop or obtain alternative technology. If we are unable to obtain such licenses at a reasonable cost, we may not be able to develop some cosmetics products commercially. We may be required to defend ourselves in court against allegations of infringement of third-party patents. Patent litigation is very expensive and could consume substantial resources and create significant uncertainties. An adverse outcome in such a suit could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from third parties, or require us to cease using such technology.
If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our target markets and our business may be adversely affected.
Our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names may be challenged, infringed, circumvented, declared generic or determined to be infringing on other marks. We may not be able to protect our rights in these trademarks and trade names, which we need in order to build name recognition with potential partners or customers in our target markets. If we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively, and our business may be adversely affected.
If we infringe or are alleged to infringe intellectual property rights of third parties, our business could be harmed.
Our research, development and commercialization activities may infringe or otherwise violate or be alleged to infringe or otherwise violate patents owned or controlled by other parties. Competitors in the field of aesthetics and cosmetics have developed large portfolios of patents and patent applications in fields relating to our business. Additionally, there may also be patent applications that have been filed but not published that, when issued as patents, could be asserted against us. These third parties could bring claims against us that would cause us to incur substantial expenses and, if successful against us, could cause us to pay substantial damages and/or we could be forced to stop or delay research, development, manufacturing or sales of the product or product candidate that is the subject of the suit. Further, if a patent infringement suit were brought against us, during the pendency of the litigation, we could be forced to stop or delay research, development, manufacturing or sales of the product or product candidate that is the subject of the suit.
We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our competitors or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with our competitors.
We may employ individuals who were previously employed at universities or pharmaceutical or cosmetics companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees, consultants and independent contractors do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, and we are not currently subject to any claims that our employees, consultants or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of third parties, we may in the future be subject to such claims. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. 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.
We may need to license intellectual property from third parties, and such licenses may not be available or may not be available on commercially reasonable terms.
A third party may hold intellectual property, including patent rights that are important or necessary to the development of our future cosmetics product. It may be necessary for us to use the patented or proprietary technology of third parties to commercialize our prospective cosmetic products, in which case we would be required to obtain a license from these third parties. There can be no assurance that such third parties will grant us the necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Failure to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms could limit or eliminate our ability to develop or commercialize our future product candidates, which would have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
42
Risks Related to Our Capital Requirements and Finances
If we fail to generate sufficient cash flow from our operations, we will be unable to continue to develop and commercialize new cosmetics products.
We expect capital outlays and operating expenditures to increase over the next several years as we expand our operations, and our commercialization, product validation studies, research and development and manufacturing activities. We believe that our net cash provided by operating activities and existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next two years. However, our present and future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, among other things:
● | the level of research and development investment required to maintain and improve our competitive position; |
● | the success of our product sales and related collections; |
● | our need or decision to acquire or license complementary businesses, cosmetics products or technologies or acquire complementary businesses; |
● | costs relating to the expansion of the sales force, management and operational support; |
● | competing technological and market developments; and |
● | costs relating to changes in regulatory policies or laws that affect our operations. |
As a result of these factors, we may need to raise additional funds, and we cannot be certain that such funds will be available to us on acceptable terms when needed, if at all. In addition, if we raise additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish potentially valuable rights to our future cosmetics products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If we cannot raise funds on acceptable terms, we may not be able to expand our operations, develop new cosmetics products, take advantage of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated customer requirements.
We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company.
As public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We will incur costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. We also anticipate that we will incur costs associated with recently adopted corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. In order to comply with these requirements, we need to address the material weaknesses we have identified. While we have taken some steps to improve our financial accounting organization and processes to date, we still need to make a number of additional changes, including adding staff in the areas of finance, tax, internal controls and internal audit. We also need to adopt and implement additional policies and procedures to strengthen our financial reporting capability and plan to invest in an enterprise resource planning system. However, the process of designing and implementing an effective financial reporting system is a continuous effort that will require us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments. All of this will also require us to expend significant resources. We also expect these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. We are currently evaluating these new rules, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
Risks Related to this Offering and Our Common Stock
The price of our Common Stock could be subject to rapid and substantial volatility.
There have been instances of extreme stock price run-ups followed by rapid price declines and strong stock price volatility with recent initial public offerings, especially among those with relatively smaller public floats. As a relatively small-capitalization company with a relatively small public float, we may experience greater stock price volatility, extreme price run-ups, lower trading volume, and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In particular, our Common Stock may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility, low volumes of trades, and large spreads in bid and ask prices. Such volatility, including any stock run-ups, may be unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects, making it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our Common Stock.
43
The market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
● | actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and other operating results; |
● | the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or our failure to meet these projections; |
● | actions of securities analysts who initiate or maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors; |
● | announcements by us or our competitors of significant services or features, technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, or capital commitments; |
● | price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole; |
● | lawsuits threatened or filed against us; and |
● | other events or factors, including those resulting from war or incidents of terrorism, or responses to these events. |
In addition, if the trading volumes of our Common Stock are low, persons buying or selling in relatively small quantities may easily influence the price of our Common Stock. This low volume of trades could also cause the price of our Common Stock to fluctuate greatly, with large percentage changes in price occurring in any trading day session. Holders of our Common Stock may also not be able to readily liquidate their investment or may be forced to sell at depressed prices due to low volume trading. Broad market fluctuations and general economic and political conditions may also adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in our Common Stock. A decline in the market price of our Common Stock also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional Common Stock or other of our securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future. No assurance can be given that an active market in our Common Stock will develop or be sustained. If an active market does not develop, holders of our Common Stock may be unable to readily sell the shares they hold or may not be able to sell their shares at all.
Our Common Stock has not been publicly traded, and we expect that the price of our Common Stock will fluctuate substantially.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Common Stock. An active public trading market may not develop after completion of this offering or, if developed, may not be sustained. The initial public offering price for our shares will be determined by negotiations between us and the representatives of the underwriters and may not be indicative of the market price of our Common Stock after this offering. The market price for our Common Stock after this offering will be affected by a number of factors, including:
● | changes in earnings estimates, investors’ perceptions, recommendations by securities analysts or our failure to achieve analysts’ earnings estimates; |
● | quarterly variations in our or our competitors’ results of operations; |
● | the announcement of new products or service enhancements by us or our competitors; |
● | announcements related to litigation; |
● | developments in our industry; and |
● | general market conditions and other factors unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors. |
We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not necessarily improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our Common Stock. To the extent (i) we raise more money than required for the purposes explained in the section titled “Use of Proceeds” or (ii) we determine that the proposed uses set forth in that section are no longer in the best interests of our Company, we cannot specify with any certainty the particular uses of such net proceeds that we will receive from our public offering. Our management will have broad discretion in the application of such net proceeds, including working capital, possible acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes, and we may spend or invest these proceeds in a way with which our stockholders disagree. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business and financial condition. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from our public offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.
44
Provisions of Delaware law could discourage a takeover you may consider favorable or could cause current management to become entrenched and difficult to replace.
Delaware law could make it more difficult for other companies to acquire us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders. Delaware law prohibits us from engaging in any business combination with any “interested stockholder,” meaning generally that a stockholder who beneficially owns more than 15% of our stock cannot acquire us for a period of three years from the date this person became an interested stockholder unless various conditions are met, such as approval of the transaction by our board of directors. These restrictions could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control.
You will suffer immediate and substantial dilution.
The initial public offering price per share is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share immediately after the offering. As a result, you will pay a price per share that substantially exceeds the book value of our assets after subtracting our liabilities.
We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future.
We currently anticipate that we will retain all future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash dividends will depend upon our financial condition, capital requirements, earnings and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors.
Our operating results may fluctuate, which could cause our stock price to decline.
Our operating results may fluctuate for a variety of reasons, many of which are beyond our control, including:
● | fluctuations in revenue, including as a result of adverse market conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closing of medical offices and travel opportunities as the pandemic abates, the seasonality of market transactions and fluctuations in sales through our medical practice and cosmetics product distribution channels; |
● | the amount and timing of our operating expenses; |
● | our success in attracting new and maintaining relationships with existing client and distribution partners; |
● | our success in executing on our strategy and the impact of any changes in our strategy; |
● | the timing and success of product launches, including new products that we may introduce; |
● | the success of our marketing efforts; |
45
● | adverse economic and market conditions, such as those related to the current COVID-19 pandemic, currency fluctuations and other adverse global events; |
● | disruptions in our supply chain, the ability of our third-party manufacturers to produce our products, or ability of our distributors to distribute our products; |
● | the impact of competitive developments and our response to those developments; |
● | fluctuations in inventory and working capital; |
● | our ability to manage our business and future growth; and |
● | our ability to recruit and retain employees. |
Fluctuations in our operating results may cause those results to fall below our financial guidance or other projections, or the expectations of analysts or investors, which could cause the price of our Common Stock to decline. Fluctuations in our results could also cause other problems, including, for example, analysts or investors changing their models for valuing our Common Stock, particularly post-pandemic. We could experience short-term liquidity issues, our ability to retain or attract key personnel may diminish, and other unanticipated issues may arise.
We believe that our operating results may vary in the future and that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful. For example, our overall historical growth rate and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic may have overshadowed the effect of seasonal variations on our historical operating results since we launched amid the pandemic. Any seasonal effects may change or become more pronounced over time, which could also cause our operating results to fluctuate. You should not rely on the results of or current operating results as an indication of future performance.
Holders of our Common Stock may also not be able to readily liquidate their investment or may be forced to sell at depressed prices due to low volume trading. Broad market fluctuations and general economic and political conditions may also adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in our Common Stock. Furthermore, the potential extreme volatility may confuse the public investors of the value of our stock, distort the market perception of our stock price and our company’s financial performance and public image, negatively affect the long-term liquidity of our Common Stock, regardless of our actual or expected operating performance. If we encounter such volatility, including any rapid stock price increases and declines seemingly unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects, it will likely make it difficult and confusing for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our Common Stock and understand the value thereof.
We are an “emerging growth company,” and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our Common Stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although we could lose that status sooner if our revenues exceed $1.235 billion, if we issue more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in a three-year period, or if the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any March 31 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict if investors will find our Common Stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Common Stock, and our stock price may be more volatile.
46
Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail our company of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, will be subject to accounting standards that are available to emerging growth companies.
There may not be an active, liquid trading market for our Common Stock.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Common Stock. An active trading market for our Common Stock may not develop or be sustained following this offering. You may not be able to sell your shares at the market price, if at all, if trading in our shares is not active. The public offering price was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters based upon a number of factors. The public offering price may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the trading market.
Shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock, as the future sale of a substantial amount of outstanding Common Stock in the public marketplace could reduce the price of our Common Stock.
The market price of our shares could decline as a result of sales of substantial amounts of our shares in the public market or the perception that these sales could occur. In addition, these factors could make it more difficult for us to raise funds through future offerings of our Common Stock. Shares will be outstanding immediately after this offering if the firm commitment is completed and the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option and shares if exercised in full. All of the shares sold in the offering will be freely transferable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. The remaining shares will be “restricted securities” as defined in Rule 144. These shares may be sold in the future without registration under the Securities Act to the extent permitted by Rule 144 or other exemptions under the Securities Act. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale”.
We will incur additional costs as a result of becoming a public company, which could negatively impact our net income and liquidity.
Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company in the United States. As a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, Sarbanes-Oxley and rules and regulations implemented by the SEC and the Nasdaq Capital Market require significantly heightened corporate governance practices for public companies. We expect that these rules and regulations will increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs and will make many corporate activities more time-consuming and costly.
We do not expect to incur materially greater costs as a result of becoming a public company than those incurred by similarly sized U.S. public companies. In the event that we fail to comply with these rules and regulations, we could become the subject of a governmental enforcement action, investors may lose confidence in us, and the market price of our Common Stock could decline.
The obligation to disclose information publicly may put us at a disadvantage to competitors that are private companies.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be a publicly listed company in the United States. As a publicly listed company, we will be required to file annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In some cases, we will need to disclose material agreements or results of financial operations that we would not be required to disclose if we were a private company. Our competitors may have access to this information, which would otherwise be confidential. This may give them advantages in competing with our company. Similarly, as a U.S.-listed public company, we will be governed by U.S. laws that our competitors, which are mostly private Chinese companies, are not required to follow. To the extent compliance with U.S. laws increases our expenses or decreases our competitiveness against such companies, our public listing could affect our results of operations.
47
Assuming the sale of 1,500,000 shares of Common Stock in this offering at an assumed price of $4.00 per share of Common stock, the bottom of the range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts, non-accountable expense allowance and offering expenses payable by us, we expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $4,722,100 from this offering. If the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full, our aggregate net proceeds will be approximately $5,500,100.
We currently expect to use the net proceeds from this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) as follows:
Description of Use | Estimated Amount of Net Proceeds | |||
General and Administrative Expenses | $ | 3,541,575 | ||
Marketing and Market Expansion | $ | 330,547 | ||
Research and Development | $ | 330,547 | ||
Working Capital | $ | 519,431 | ||
Total: | $ | 4,722,100 |
A $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed public offering price of $4.00 per share would increase or decrease the net proceeds from this offering by approximately $1,380,000, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts, non-accountable expense allowance and offering expenses payable by us. Similarly, each increase or decrease of 100,000 shares offered would increase or decrease our net proceeds by approximately $368,000, assuming the assumed public offering price remains the same, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts, non-accountable expense allowance and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
Pending our use of the net proceeds from this offering, we may invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation investments, including short-term, investment grade, interest bearing instruments and United States government securities. We do not intend to use the proceeds from this offering to make principal payments, scheduled or early, on any of our outstanding debt.
48
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
We qualify as and elect to be an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012, or 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, but not limited to:
● | reduced disclosure about the emerging growth company’s executive compensation arrangements in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements; and |
● | 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. |
An emerging growth company can also take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of this extended transition period and, as a result, our operating results and financial statements may not be comparable to the operating results and financial statements of companies who have adopted the new or revised accounting standards.
We may take advantage of these provisions for up to five years or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company if we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenue, have more than $700 million in market value of our shares of Common Stock held by non-affiliates or issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.
DETERMINATION OF OFFERING PRICE
The public offering price of the shares we are offering was determined by us in consultation with the underwriter based on discussions with potential investors in light of the history and prospects of our Company, the stage of development of our business, our business plans for the future and the extent to which they have been implemented, an assessment of our management, the public stock price for similar companies, general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering and such other factors as were deemed relevant.
MARKET INFORMATION FOR THE SHARES
Market Information
There is currently no market for our shares. We intend to apply to have our shares listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ELAB”. The offering that we are conducting with the prospectus will not close unless the Nasdaq Capital Market has approved our shares for listing.
We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares to date. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, for future operations, expansion and debt repayment and have no current plans to pay cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of the Board and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors that the Board may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur.
49
The following table sets forth our capitalization. Such information is set forth on the following basis:
● | on an actual basis for June 30, 2023; |
● | on a pro forma basis, giving effect to (i) the conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 5,710,781 shares of our Common Stock, and (ii) the sale by us of 129,998 shares of Common Stock and 99,998 warrants to purchase 99,998 shares of Common Stock, between June 30, 2023 and the date of this prospectus, and (ii) as if such conversion had occurred as of June 30, 2023; and |
● | on a pro forma, as adjusted basis, giving effect to 1,500,000 shares pursuant to this offering (excluding any sale of shares pursuant to the underwriter’s over-allotment option), at an assumed public offering price of $4.00 per share, after deducting underwriting discounts, non-accountable expense allowance and estimated offering expenses. |
The pro forma and pro forma as adjusted information below is illustrative only and our capitalization following the completion of this offering will be adjusted based on the actual public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. You should read this table together with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and our and unaudited consolidated pro forma information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.
As of June 30, 2023 | ||||||||||||
Actual | Pro forma | Pro forma As Adjusted | ||||||||||
Cash | $ | 601,265 | $ | 991,259 | $ | 5,713,359 | ||||||
Total Assets | $ | 1,743,954 | $ | 2,133,948 | $ | 6,856,048 | ||||||
Long-term Debt | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
Total liabilities | $ | 1,676,666 | $ | 1,676,666 | $ | 1,676,666 | ||||||
Stockholders’ Deficit | ||||||||||||
Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 300,000,000 shares authorized; 9,988,836 and 9,568,475 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively | 999 | 1,583 | 1,733 | |||||||||
Series seed convertible preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 213,730 shares authorized; 213,730 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | 21 | - | - | |||||||||
Series seed 2 convertible preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 3,635,252 shares authorized; 3,635,252 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | 364 | - | - | |||||||||
Series A convertible preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 2,982,003 shares authorized; 1,861,799 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | 186 | - | - | |||||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 5,148,159 | 5,538,140 | 10,260,090 | |||||||||
Subscription receivable | - | - | - | |||||||||
Accumulated deficit | (5,082,927 | ) | (5,082,927 | ) | (5,082,927 | ) | ||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income | 486 | 486 | 486 | |||||||||
Total Stockholders’ Equity | 67,288 | 457,282 | 5,179,382 | |||||||||
Total Capitalization | $ | 1,743,954 | $ | 2,133,948 | $ | 6,856,048 |
A $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed public offering price per share would increase or decrease our pro forma as adjusted cash, additional paid-in capital, total stockholders’ equity and total capitalization by approximately 1,380,000 assuming the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts, non-accountable expense allowance and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
50
If you invest in our shares, your interest in our shares will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the offering price per share and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering. Net tangible book value represents the amount of total tangible assets less total liabilities, and net tangible book value per share represents net tangible book value divided by the total number of shares outstanding. Dilution results from the fact that the per share offering price is substantially in excess of the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share. Our net tangible book value (deficit) attributable to stockholders as of June 30, 2023, was $(662,712), or approximately $(0.07) per share. Net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2023, represents the amount of total assets less total liabilities, divided by the number of shares outstanding.
After giving effect to the issuance of 129,998 shares of Common Stock since June 30, 2023, the receipt of $389,994 in connection with such issuances (the “Post-Balance Sheet Issuances”), our pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) as of June 30, 2023, would have been approximately ($272,718) or approximately $(0.03) per share, based on 10,118,834 shares outstanding on a pro forma basis.
Our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of our shares as of June 30, 2023 gives further effect to (i) the sale of shares at the assumed public offering price of $4.00 per share, after deducting the underwriting discounts, non-accountable expense allowance and estimated offering expenses and assuming the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option) and (ii) the automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into 5,710,781 shares of our Common Stock. We will issue 1,500,000 shares upon completion of the offering (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option). Aside from the Post-Balance Sheet Issuances and shares of Common Stock issued upon the completion of the offering, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of our shares as of June 30, 2023, does not take into consideration any other changes since June 30, 2023. Our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value upon the completion of this offering will be approximately $4,449,382 or $0.26 per share. This would result in dilution to investors in this offering of approximately $3.74 per share, or approximately 93.6% from the assumed offering price of $4.00 per share. Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share would increase to the benefit of present stockholders by $0.32 per share attributable to the purchase of the shares by investors in this offering.
If the underwriter exercises its option to purchase additional shares to cover over-allotments in full, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to our initial public offering would be approximately $0.30 per share, and the dilution in pro forma net tangible book value per share to investors in our initial public offering would be approximately $3.70 per share.
The following table sets forth the estimated net tangible book value per share after the offering (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option) and the dilution to persons purchasing shares of our Common Stock based on the foregoing firm commitment offering assumptions.
Assumed offering price per share | $ | 4.00 | ||||||
Pro forma net tangible book value per share before the offering | $ | (0.03 | ) | |||||
Pro forma increase per share attributable to this offering | $ | 0.32 | ||||||
Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after the offering | $ | 0.26 | ||||||
Pro forma as adjusted dilution per share to new investors in this offering | $ | 3.74 |
If any shares are issued upon exercise of outstanding warrants or options, you may experience further dilution.
The following table summarizes, on the pro forma as adjusted basis described under this section above, the differences between the number of shares purchased from us, the total cash consideration paid, and the average price per share paid by our existing stockholders and by our new investors purchasing shares in our initial public offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $4.00 per share, before deducting estimated underwriting discounts, non-accountable expense allowance and estimated offering expenses payable by us:
Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price Per | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | Percent | Amount | Percent | Share | ||||||||||||||||
Existing stockholders | 15,829,615 | 91 | % | $ | 5,128,661 | 46 | % | $ | 0.32 | |||||||||||
New investors | 1,500,000 | 9 | % | $ | 6,000,000 | 54 | % | $ | 4.00 | |||||||||||
Total | 17,329,615 | 100 | % | $ | 11,128,661 | 100 | % |
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $5.00 per share would increase (decrease) total consideration paid by new investors by $1,500,00 (and net proceeds by approximately $1,380,000), assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts, non-accountable expense allowance payable by us.
If the underwriter exercises its option to purchase additional shares to cover over-allotments in full, our existing stockholders would own 90% and our new investors would own 8.5% of the total number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding after our initial public offering.
51
Overview
We are a physician-dispensed skincare company with a focus on modernizing aesthetic skincare. We conduct research and development to advance innovative and science-driven topical skincare that complements the medical aesthetics industry. Upon our founding in 2020, we initiated our research and development phase for our current product formulations. Since 2022, we have principally employed a business-to-business model in which we produce and commercialize a new generation of topical skincare products that contain our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM designed to enhance the appearance of skin. We have designed our innovative and meticulously produced Elevai ExosomesTM infused cosmetics for the physician-dispensed industry that we believe has lacked significant and recent new biotechnological innovations or advancements. We expect exosomes, nano-sized, natural delivery mechanism that affect important biological factors, to become a focal point that will change the nature of how medical aesthetics cosmetic skincare and related aesthetic products are used and adopted for years to come.
Our team bridges years of cutting-edge molecular biotechnology research with our company’s flexibility to fully scale pipeline products through our refined competencies in biochemical engineering and bioprocessing prowess. We believe this potent combination of know-how is not found elsewhere in the cosmetics brands utilized by the physician-dispensed skincare industry and these proficiencies validate our early-mover advantage. Although the relationship between biochemical engineering, and stem cell research in cosmetics is not widely understood, we have built a team with mastery in both disciplines. Because we strive to refine the advancement of those intersectant technologies, we are well situated in our ambition to develop and market next-generation products that can improve skin aesthetics while maintaining the ability to fully scale our operations at a level that we believe other companies of a similar size cannot.
Our exosome manufacturing process from source to skin is known as ‘Precision Regenerative Exosome Technology™’ or ‘PREx™’. PREx™ utilizes advanced patent-pending stem cell processing technology as part of our cohesive production process involving carefully controlled stem cell culture to produce stem cell derived factors that are featured in our topical exosome products. Our proprietary PREx™ process yields exosome lots from any hUMSC supplier that provide the source for our specialty physician-dispensed skincare product lines. Our products are comprised of topical cosmetic solutions. These products are not drug products or considered regenerative medicine, nor have any of our products received FDA approval. Our cosmetic products are not intended to prevent, treat or cure diseases or medical conditions. Moreover, our cosmetic products are not intended to be injected or delivered intravenously. Instead, our exosome-infused skincare products are topically applied to the skin to aid in the reduction of the appearance of a range of the most common cosmetic skin conditions, including the appearance of skin firmness, oxidative stress, photodamage, hyperpigmentation, and texture of soft tissue deficits, such as reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. More specifically, our E-Series™ line is marketed as a post-procedure care cosmetic that is applied to the skin after a medical aesthetics procedure such as skin laser therapy, micro needling, rejuvenation peels and Botox injections.
In addition to antiquated technology, we believe the current skincare market is dominated by confusing marketing claims, leaving skincare consumers with little more than subjective analyses or non-quantitative measures to assess a product before purchasing. In a recent skincare survey, 83% of over 1,000 women surveyed did not believe the marketing claims of the products they used, with over one-third reporting feeling that the product did not improve their skin at all.6 Unfortunately, the cosmetic skincare market in which we compete is riddled with vague, embellished marketing ploys that exaggerate the magnitude of product benefits. In response to this often-challenging marketplace, we founded Elevai with the intention of offering cosmetics products built on over fifteen years of innovative stem-cell biotechnology and scientific development by our Co-founders and Chief Executive Officer. With this goal in mind, we developed a proprietary commercialization process for producing and distributing non-invasive topical cosmetics products featuring our Elevai Exosomes™. Our aptitude in biochemical research and bioprocessing development coupled with a mission to provide scientifically backed skincare technology enables our high potential to become one of the early movers in the medical aesthetics cosmetics industry with international reach. We believe the potency and innovation of our product lines will be supported by our early-study data which will facilitate a shift in the physician-dispensed market towards the use of biotechnology to complement services provided within the medical aesthetics industry.
We seek to revolutionize the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market by providing unmet consumer needs to aid those individuals receiving services within the medical aesthetics industry through our innovative, but approachable skin-centric technology: our Elevai ExosomesTM. We believe we will be able to show that our exosomes provide aesthetic benefits and in turn can improve the appearance of skin that is prone to temporary inflammation and damage normally experienced by individuals immediately after receiving cosmetic or medical aesthetic procedures in either a physicians’ office, medical spa or by a licensed aesthetician. Through our ongoing rigorous testing and data analysis, we believe our products have the potential to demonstrate that they complement and enhance commonly performed cosmetic procedures such as skin laser therapy, micro needling, rejuvenation peel, and Botox injections. We believe our products have properties that can reduce the appearance of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that typically follows cosmetic or medical aesthetics services, such as laser therapy, micro needling and other minor ablative procedures. We further believe that our products have the potential to be used in a number of applications and other procedures beyond their current use. For example, we are in the early stages of evaluating the adjunctive use of our exosomes in the promotion of healthy hair growth cycles and noticeable improvement to hair appearance, fullness, and thickness.
6 | https://www.professionalbeauty.com.au/beauty/most-oz-women-don’t-believe-skincare-claims/ |
52
Our current cosmetic product formulations do not contain living cells, are patent pending and utilize our Elevai ExosomesTM. Elevai ExosomesTM are nano-sized extracellular vesicles packed with growth factors that we believe support skin health, including cytokines, peptides and other small molecules involved in the body’s natural healing. Elevai Exosomes™ are the powerhouse ingredient in all current Elevai products that we believe mimics the elegant repair process of the body alongside carefully selected high-quality active ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid and ceramides, to help maintain skin health for any skin type. While our products contain no living cells, they leverage the novel use of ethically sourced and thoroughly tested, human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (“hUMSC”) that we culture under proprietary in vitro lab conditions and secrete Elevai Exosomes™ from.
Elevai ExosomesTM are produced from hUMSCs that are derived under current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMP”) conditions. Our hUMSCs are rigorously tested from consenting, and carefully selected donors. These hUMSCs then undergo cell expansion in vitro under proprietary conditions in our state-of-the-art laboratory operated under cGMP compliance. We specifically isolate hUMSCs from the Wharton’s Jelly portion of umbilical cords because these stem cells’ conditioned media (“CM”) or stem cells’ secretome is capable of resulting in exosomes with a protein profile that uniquely mimics the profile of proteins that these very young cells produce naturally when supporting the body’s healing and repair process. CM is a collective term for the paracrine soluble factors (a form of cellular communication in which a cell produces to signal to induce changes in nearby cells) produced by stem cells and utilized for intercellular communication. The CM of the hUMSCs we source is made up of growth factors, exosomes, lipids, microvesicles, and nutrients. Our hUMSCs are purified through our proprietary method, resulting in Elevai ExosomesTM. Every product we develop originates with a deep understanding of the skin, what healthy skin needs to look healthy, and how our next-generation, stem-cell exosome technology can help maintain the appearance of healthy skin. We specifically designed our Elevai Exosomes™ to be bottled in stable solutions so they can be topically applied.
hUMSCs, when cultured under the right conditions, produce nano-vesicles (~30-150nm) called exosomes, or extracellular vesicles. Biologically, exosomes are roughly spherical and made up of a lipid bilayer produced by the cell they originate from. This lipid bilayer forms a protective “shell” or outer casing, and within the “shell” exists the exosome payload containing molecules deposited there by the cell that generated the exosome. While exosomes are generated using some of the origin cell’s own cellular material, the exosomes do not contain cells, nor are they explicitly cellular material. Instead, exosomes represent a powerful, nano-sized, natural delivery mechanism for protecting important biological factors and this enables them to be directed to where they are needed most. The use of exosomes has been found to penetrate the skin better, absorb more easily, and protect the active ingredients fused into our products, including stem cell derived proteins, peptides, and growth factors.8
Elevai Exosomes™ are produced in-house through our proprietary manufacturing process, called Precision Regenerative Exosome Technology™ or PREx™ Our PREx™ technology is based on over 15 years of stem-cell research, bioprocessing, pharmaceutical- and biotech-product development by CEO and chief scientist Dr. Jordan R. Plews, PhD. Through PREx™, we have produced exosomes that have been developed into topical serums and creams which we believe aesthetically enhance the skin with a more youthful appearance.
To maintain quality control over our Elevai Exosomes™ commercialization and manufacturing process, we only purchase hUMSCs that are derived and banked by a cGMP-compliant third-party manufacturer. We similarly produce our final products in an FDA-inspected, cGMP compliant facility. The hUMSCs are shipped to our laboratory where we similarly operate our lab under strict good laboratory practice (“GLP”) protocols to produce the highest quality of exosomes for our products. Not only are all our ingredients and products subject to multiple quality control tests before bottling, but each lot is also tested, and batch numbered to enhance safety and traceability. Since every stem cell line is carefully derived and closely monitored throughout the process by highly trained personnel, only the highest quality stem cells are used to generate Elevai Exosomes™. If cells show any deviation in morphology or vitality, or any signs of contamination, the cell lines and exosomes from those cells are discarded. Currently, we are reliant on suppliers and manufacturers for both our raw materials and formulations and packaging of our final products, however we may build up additional manufacturing capabilities to become more vertically integrated. To this end, we are currently exploring the possibility of acquiring products, technologies, or companies to assist in our integrative goals.
We believe that we are at the fore of the biotech aesthetic revolution by innovating new cosmetic products at a level of biotech and aesthetics cosmetics research rarely observed in over-the-counter or physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market. Our patent pending flagship Elevai E-Series™ products include Empower™ and Enfinity™ which are sold exclusively through our business-to-business model channel and via our distribution agreements channel. These products complement those individuals receiving services within the medical aesthetics industry who are in need of cosmetics to improve the appearance of skin in addition to receiving aesthetics treatments. Empower™ was developed to provide immediate post-treatment skin support and Enfinity™ for ongoing daily aftercare. Both products contain our patent-pending Elevai Exosomes™.
7 | Cha, Hyeonjin et al. “Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes and Nanovesicles: Promotion of Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Anti-Senescence for Treatment of Wound Damage and Skin Ageing.” Pharmaceutics vol. 12,12 1135. 24 Nov. 2020, doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics12121135 |
8 | Banerjee R. Overcoming the stratum corneum barrier: a nano approach. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2013 Jun;3(3):205-8. Doi: 10.1007/s13346-013-0149-8. PMID: 25788129 |
9 | Liu, Shi-Jie et al. “Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Ameliorate HaCaT Cell Photo-Aging.” Rejuvenation research vol. 24,4 (2021): 283-293. Doi:10.1089/rej.2020.2313 |
53
Separately, regenerative medicines, including those that may contain exosomes usually refers to the use of a cell or a gene therapy to actually repair or replace damaged cells, tissues, or organs as opposed to enhancing the appearance of skin through cosmetics. When these regenerative medicines are advertised to repair, or replace damaged cells, or tissues while treating diseases and conditions in humans, they may be regulated as drugs and biological products under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FD&C Act”). The FDA regulates the interstate manufacture and distribution of certain biological products, and drugs derived from human cells, tissues and cellular and tissue-based products or “HCT/Ps” under the Public Health Service Act (the “PHSA”). Moreover, to lawfully market a drug that is also a biological product, a biologics license must be in effect under the PHSA. As of the date of this prospectus, we are not aware of any FDA approved exosome biological products or drugs for any use. Our products are not considered a regenerative medicine intended to be used to treat any disease or condition. As a result, we do not believe our products qualify as HCT/Ps as it relates to their intended use as defined by the FDA, we expect they will remain cosmetic products. See “Regulations” for more information.
At this time, our topical products are sold nationally under a business-to-business (“B2B”) model. Separately, we have established licensing and manufacturing agreements with third-party distributors to sell our products internationally in Canada, Kuwait, the Philippines and Vietnam. As of the date of this prospectus, except for product sales made by our Canadian and Vietnamese distributors, our distributors have not made any sales under any of our exclusive distribution agreements and we have made no direct international sales. Our products are primarily sold to medical practices overseen by licensed medical professionals through licensing agreements in which those select outlets are required to provide proof of licensure and sign a reseller’s agreement. These arrangements protect our brand and are designed to ensure that our products remain positioned as professional luxury cosmetics products that are only sold via partners with sufficient training and know-how to properly highlight the unique benefits that our topical products offer. We trust these licensed professionals know when the topical application of our products is most beneficial to any affected region of the skin following an in-office medical aesthetic treatment to aid and hasten the recovery process and to ameliorate the effects of inflammation. In turn, licensed skincare professionals value their relationship with us, as it also protects them from unscrupulous non-professional skincare resellers and online outlets that would simply undercut on price and endanger their repeat business. We believe that physicians and their trained staff are the best source of trustworthy skincare information. Their deep understanding of the science, chemistry and structure of skin gives them clinical insight to select the most effective cosmetics products for their clients such as our cosmetics products.
In addition to providing client-based physician practices, medical spas and licensed aestheticians with product, we offer complimentary educational programs and webinars, and make appearances at medical aesthetic conferences to showcase our cosmetics products and latest research. From time to time, our free informational sessions educate physicians on the variety of benefits carrying our cosmetics products will have on their practices and patients, and under what circumstances it may be advantageous for physicians to implement use of our cosmetics products. We also host patient-driven events to help our physicians connect with those patients seeking to utilize our cosmetics products which helps to grow their practices. Often, we will also provide useful information and in-office literature on our cosmetics products for those patients who may be interested in our products during a regular visit. Moreover, to further expand our product reach we have entered into a white-label supply contract and other regional and international supply contracts with select sales distribution channel partners that distribute our Elevai branded products internationally or incorporate our proprietary Elevai ExosomesTM into their own new product lines to reach customers globally.
As our product lines become more pervasive, we anticipate working with additional distribution channel partners that will fuse our Elevai ExosomesTM into diverse product offerings and increase our overall share of the cosmetics market.
54
Corporate History and Structure
Elevai has one wholly owned subsidiary, Elevai Research Inc. (FKA Reactive Medical Inc.).
The following diagram sets forth the structure of the Company as of the date of this prospectus an after giving effect to the offering based on a proposed number of 1,500,000 shares of Common Stock being offered (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option by the underwriters) and the automatic conversion of our preferred stock simultaneous with this offering:
Reactive Medical Labs Inc. (referred to herein as “Reactive Labs”) was incorporated in Delaware on June 9, 2020. On December 3, 2021, Reactive Labs changed its name to Elevai Labs, Inc. (referred to herein as “Elevai”). Reactive Medical Inc. (referred to herein as “Reactive”) was incorporated in British Columbia, Canada on February 5, 2018. On September 7, 2022, Reactive changed its name to Elevai Research Inc. Elevai Research Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Elevai.
In June 2021, we entered into a stock transfer agreement with Reactive, whereby we purchased substantially all of the assets and liabilities of Reactive. Under the stock transfer agreement, we acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Reactive. Immediately before the stock transfer agreement BWL Investments Ltd., a British Columbia Canada corporation owned 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Reactive. In consideration of 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Reactive we issued 100 shares of our Common Stock to BWL Investments Ltd. Upon completion of the stock transfer agreement, Reactive became our wholly owned subsidiary. In September 2022, Reactive changed its name to Elevai Research Inc.
55
Market, Industry and Other Research-Based Data
Our Market and Industry
We currently distribute our cosmetics products through two distinct channels, including a business-to-business sales channel where we sell our products directly within the United States and through our distribution sales channel where we sell our products directly to distributors with international or regional reach under exclusive and non-exclusive territorial agreements. We have employed a combination of both distribution channels via distribution agreements and directed business-to-business channels to optimize our sales reach and strategy.
We specifically place our products with physicians’ offices and medically directed businesses through our business-to-business model channel via our online sales portal, and our trained direct sales force comprised of employed, and independently contracted aesthetic account managers. Consumers are increasingly looking to their physicians for advice on cosmetic product selection because they are overwhelmed by the marketing hype that often creates unrealistic expectations and some degree of consumer confusion. Gradually, we believe consumers are also looking for individualized skin care regimens and want to know from their physicians, what works and what does not. In addition to the business-to-business sales channels, we indirectly distribute our products within the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market through both exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements.
The term ‘physician-dispensed’ refers to a sales channel where cosmetics products are exclusively sold in physician clinics or medically directed businesses by licensed medical professionals or that have a medical professional on staff. We include medical spas under this category such as standalone, or hospitality-affiliated clinics focused on cosmetic treatments such as injections, micro needling, and some plastic surgery services. Cosmetic products like ours are only available through a medically-directed business and are geared towards nourishing, protecting and supporting healthy looking skin.
Such cosmetic products are highly sought after by consumers making them one of the fastest growing segments of the personal care market.10 Consumers turn to cosmetics to enhance the appearance of dull or aging skin and to brighten the skin by lessening the appearance of a myriad of aesthetics concerns such as unwanted pigmentation, acne, melasma and rosacea. They view these products as alternatives to medications and often try cosmetics products before seeking medicinal solutions. Physicians also value well designed, topical skincare products formulated and manufactured with our biotechnology for their complementary aesthetic effects in conjunction with medications to improve skin appearance and to enhance the benefits of in-office procedures. Most of our product sales are within the physician-dispensed market through business-to-business channels, chiefly to dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and other physicians who are focused on medical aesthetics and therapeutic skincare, including some physicians practicing in medical esthetician practices. Our products complement those medical aesthetics services provided in these professional settings.
Our business-to-business sales channel within the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market utilizes both online sales, and our trained direct sales force comprised of employed, and independently contracted aesthetic account managers. This business-to-business sales channel is distinct from our leverage of non-exclusive distribution agreements third-party distributors or resellers, who in turn sell our products to end customers. Under distribution agreements our relationship between the seller and the buyer is more indirect, because our distributors serve as an intermediaries, however we believe scaling our product lines through larger distribution sales channels will lead to faster brand expansion, recognition and market reach.
The objective of the medical aesthetics industry is to offer medical education and care in a setting that includes spa facilities as well as conventional, complementary, and/or alternative aesthetics-focused therapies and cosmetic treatments. These medical aesthetics services include cosmetic procedures such as micro needling, Botox injections, anti-wrinkle and fine line reduction therapies, acne surgery, fillers and facial and massage services performed with highly specialized lasers and instruments.
10 | U.S. Beauty & Personal Care 2023-2026 | Statista. |
56
Industry Data
According to a national survey conducted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2022 three-fourths of cosmetic-focused plastic surgery clinics saw an increase in business compared to pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels with almost 30 percent saying business had doubled. 11 We believe this trend reflects a growing desire and acceptance among individuals who sought out cosmetic focused procedures to seek assistance from medical professionals to improve their appearance, including the appearance of their skin. In fact, it is estimated that the global skin care products market size was valued at $130.50 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% from 2022 to 2030 to reach $196.20 billion by 2030.12 The United States skin care market specifically generated approximately $17.5 billion of revenue in 2020 and is expected to increase to roughly $22.7 billion by 2025.13 By contrast, the global professional skin care market has almost doubled in size in 10 years, from $4.5 billion in 2010 to $8.5 billion in 2021 with an estimated CAGR of 9.9% through 2026.14 Notably, the CAGR gain of +10% in 2021 was in part due to the medical dispensed channel, which topped $2.5 billion.14
The medical professionals who purchase our products dispense them in-office directly to their patients in conjunction with medical aesthetics treatments. Medical aesthetics professionals utilize our topical products to enhance their patients’ treatments or to support their patients’ healing process after treatments, ablative procedures, or post-surgery. These procedures generally include chemical peels, micro-needling, laser skin resurfacing, and other surgeries where the skin may be damaged or inflamed post-surgery or -procedure. The global medical esthetician market size was valued at $10.4 billion in 2021 and is expected to register a CAGR of 11.3% from 2022 to 2028 for an estimated value of $22.4 billion with North America leading total sales by volume.15 By comparison, the United States medical esthetician market was valued at $5.6 billion in 2021 and is expected to register a CAGR of 13.6% from 2022-203016 We believe this expected market growth can be attributed to factors, such as increasing consumer awareness about self-care and anti-aging services along with a rapid expansion of the wellness tourism sector.
11 | Inaugural Asps Insights and Trends Report: Cosmetic Surgery 2022. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/News/Trends/2022/trends-report-cosmetic-surgery-2022.pdf. |
12 | Skin Care Products Market Size Report, 2022-2030. |
13 | U.S. Revenue of Skin Care Market 2012-2025 | Statista. |
14 | Professional Skin Care Global Series: Market Analysis and Opportunities | Kline & Company, 15 Dec. 2022. |
15 | U.S. Revenue of Skin Care Market 2012-2025 | Statista Research. |
16 | Medical Aesthetics Market by Size, Share, Forecasts, & Trends Analysis | Meticulous Research® |
57
We believe the following factors are contributing to the growth in aesthetic treatment procedures and medical aesthetics cosmetics sales:
● | Aging demographics and increasing patient focus on improving appearance and youthfulness; |
● | “Pre-juvenation” trend amongst millennials seeking aesthetic treatments at a younger age, which extends the lifetime value of a patient and their referrals to the practice; |
● | Rising wealth and disposable income as well as a growing middle class; |
● | Normalization and increased social acceptance of cosmetic procedures, including for men, driven by media, social media influencers and celebrities; |
● | Easier access to aesthetic treatments with the rise and growth of aesthetic chain businesses and medical spas globally; |
● | Broadening practitioner base seeking to expand menu of elective, private-pay aesthetic procedures they offer; |
● | Growing patient interest in non-invasive or minimally-invasive procedures and awareness of energy-based aesthetic treatments; |
● | Increasing popularity of combination treatments amongst patients seeking to address a broader range of indications and treatment areas, longer lasting clinical outcomes; and |
● | An increasing number of minimally invasive solutions that has seen a reduction in cost that attracts a broader patient base. |
Since an aging population is more prone to getting wrinkles and frown lines on their skin and forehead, we believe the consumer population is more actively taking skincare procedures and therapies to manage and maintain their appearance. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “Fact Sheet on Ageing and Health” published in October 2022, the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase to 1.4 billion by the year 2030, and 1 in 6 people will be aged 60 years or over worldwide by 2030.17 We estimate this increasing geriatric population will directly propel the growth of physician-dispensed cosmetics’ demand for better treatment of such aesthetic issues. Therefore, driving the market’s growth.
17 | Ageing and Health, 2022 | World Health Organization |
58
The skincare segment within the physician-dispensed market is projected to grow by a 9.9% CAGR to reach $12.8 billion by 2027 with the US physician-dispensed cosmetics market valued at $5.9 billion in 2020 alone.18 Outside the United States, the physician-dispensed skincare market varies by country due to cultural differences and regulatory requirements. Cultural desires for skin with lighter and more of an even pigmentation have created large and growing aesthetic skincare demands throughout Asia, particularly in Japan, China, Korea, and India. European and certain South American countries, such as Brazil, also present large skincare markets due to the complementary growth in cosmetic procedures and willingness on the part of their consumers to spend discretionary income on aesthetic enhancements. The global physician-dispensed cosmeceuticals market size was valued at $16.52 billion in 2020 and projected to reach $35.33 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2021 to 2028.19
Physician-dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market Size, Share & Forecast | Verified Market Research
The medical spa market is also growing, with the global medical spa end user market projected to reach $29.5 billion in 2030, a 12% compound annual growth rate from 2017, according to Allied Market Research.20 A medical spa is a combination of an aesthetic medical center and a day spa that provides non-surgical aesthetic medical services under the supervision of a licensed treatment provider (as defined by the state in which it operates). Medical spas strive to blend the best of two worlds—a relaxing spa experience with the specialized treatments typically only found at a dermatology or plastic surgery clinic. Some of the more common medical spa offerings include light, laser and energy-based treatments (for skin rejuvenation, aging skin, acne, and hair removal), dermabrasion/infusion, injectables, as well as chemical peels. Ownership of these medical spas typically includes physicians who have pivoted to or have specialized in aesthetic medicine or entrepreneurs who contract with local medical directors and consultants.
There are a growing number of medical spas, and even those with multi-location businesses accounting for a large part of this market. Within high value global markets, such as the United States, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia and Western Europe, we estimate there are hundreds of thousands of locations, with many chains planning to expand their presence. For example, according to Allied Market Research, North America is projected to account for a major share of the global medical spa market through 2030.20 U.S. dominated the North America medical spa market owing to huge number of facilities offering such services, rise in disposable income and aesthetic consciousness across the country. Therefore, we believe that medical spas have significant potential play an important role as purchasers of aesthetic devices and that there is significant opportunity for a company that tailors its product offerings to meet the needs of a wide range of customers.
According to Kline’s Professional Skin Care Global Series: Market Analysis and Opportunities Report, some professional skin care outlets like spas and beauty institutes have experienced a tumultuous few years, but the physician-dispensed skincare market has skyrocketed before, during, and after the pandemic. Kline’s Report also claims that aesthetic non-surgical procedures are a good barometer of the market potential and according to The Aesthetic Society’s recently released 2021 procedure survey report, consumer demand for fillers and Botox were up 42% and 33%, respectively, from the prior year.21 Moreover, escalating demand for face creams, sunscreens, and body lotions across the globe is expected to have a positive impact on the market growth over the forecast period.22 Lastly, the flourishing e-commerce sector is anticipated to boost the global skin care products market growth even further.23
18 | Physician-dispensed Cosmeceuticals–- Global Market Trajectory & Analytics | Research & Markets |
19 | Physician-dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market Size, Share & Forecast | Verified Market Research |
20 | Medical Spa Market Size and Share: Growth Prediction- 2030 (https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/medical-spa-market) |
21 | Procedural Statistics | The Aesthetic Society. |
22 | Skin Care Products Market Size Report, 2022-2030 (grandviewresearch.com) |
23 | Skin Care Products Market Size Report, 2022-2030 (grandviewresearch.com) |
59
Exosome Research Generally
The roles of exosomes across the body remains a highly active area of academic research, but our and others research leads us to believe that there is a likely correlative relationship between the contents of a given exosome and the cell that produced that exosome, such that different cell types may produce distinct exosomes containing unique payloads specific to those cells producing them. For example, our research shows that hUMSCs are known to play a role in sending, receiving, and/or mediating signals tied to the immune system and cell growth or cell turnover, and are responsible for directing and contributing towards healing, repair, and regeneration. This distinctive feature of hUMSCs is precisely the reason why we have sourced hUMSC’s in order to secrete those highly functional exosomes. Further, hUMSCs’ paracrine functions or those functions that stimulate cell growth through the release of numerous soluble factors promote endogenous repair and regenerative mechanisms when applied topically. Thus, hUMSC-based cell therapies possess a huge clinical potential that has translated into very encouraging results in other pre-clinical and clinical studies investigating the safety and efficacy of hUMSCs use for the treatment of different conditions including skin burns, wounds, scars, wrinkles, and disorders including psoriasis vulgaris, and Romberg’s syndrome.
Some hUMSCs’ exosomes when researched have specifically been shown to enhance the condition of cellular function and repair and this is chiefly based on exosomes’ involvement in the stimulation of new blood vessel formation in a process known as angiogenesis, the inhibition of the infiltration of fibroblast cells generally associated with scarring of skin, and the enhancement of cells neuronal survival and neuronal differentiation.24 Similarly research has shown that these same exosomes appear to promote the stimulation of extracellular matrix remodeling—a process involving the promotion of collagen, elastin, and other proteins that support nearby cells, including those that make up skin tissue. Thus, exosomes when topically applied to skin, appear to provide a variety of potent factors which have been shown to have the ability to modulate inflammation and provide useful biomolecules that help guide and instruct other cells to repair skin damage. As exosomes penetrate the skin, they mimic the body’s natural healing responses to ameliorate skin damage and extrinsic aging caused by exposure to daily aggressors like pollution and ultraviolet-A-and-B-waves from sunlight. Similarly, exosomes appear to support the skin by improving blood flow, and increasing collagen and elastin production which, with prolonged application reveals rejuvenated, more youthful looking skin. Exosomes further provide the skin structural stability, cause a reduction in the signs and symptoms associated with damaged cells local inflammation response, and assist in the regulation of immune cells activities which help the body fight infections and other diseases.
Additionally, some research shows that exosomes naturally promote and support the body’s intercellular communication, or the sharing of instructional messages from one cell to another. Those studies suggest exosomes exude the process in which stem cells send ‘messages’ to other cells, the origin of those cell types (and author of the exosome message) matter, otherwise the instructional information may be ineffectual.
Moreover, research suggests those newly expressed proteins stimulated by healthy young stem cells may fulfill that lack of protein maintained at a cellular level to a degree that may already be affected by the individual’s biological or genetic environmental factors. When exosomes are applied topically, we have also observed that the exosomes protect those proteins and instruct them to travel from cell to cell for further repair. Importantly, we have not observed any bodily rejection of these newly stimulated proteins after any topical application, and we do not expect there to be any because stem cells are immune privileged meaning, they have a very low chance of immune reaction from other human stem cells.25
24 | Qiu G, Zheng G, Ge M, Wang J, Huang R, Shu Q, et al. Functional proteins of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2019;10:1–11. |
25 | Machado, Cíntia de Vasconcellos, Paloma Dias da Silva Telles, and Ivana Lucia Oliveira Nascimento. “Immunological characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells.” Revista brasileira de hematologia e hemoterapia 35 (2013): 62-67. (https://www.scielo.br/j/rbhh/a/LsXp5tzvbYbcMchKcZzRTBB/abstract/?lang=en) |
60
Current Products and Products in Development
Our products rely on Elevai ExosomesTM that are derived from, ethically sourced and thoroughly tested, human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (“hUMSCs”) originating from umbilical cord tissue. Our products include Empower™ and Enfinity™, two post-skincare procedure care serums that target the face and neck, and upper chest regions which are sold exclusively through our business-to-business model channel and via our distribution agreements channel.
61
We purchase our hUMSCs for our products from third parties that source umbilical tissue from consenting donors and are manufactured under current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMP”) conditions. We infuse our product lines with exosomes derived from these hUMSCs which are replete with growth factors. Our cosmetic topical products do not contain any living cells but do include our Elevai ExosomesTM. That is because Exosomes are not actually cells. Rather, they are cellular byproducts that are tiny, subcellular, membrane-bound vesicles approximately 30-150 nanometers in diameter. These vesicles are released by and can be derived from almost all cell types, including hUMSCs, whereas growth factors are signaling proteins that assist in hydrating and nourishing skin and do not by their nature have any form of protective envelope or encapsulation naturally. In comparison, exosomes are the delivery mechanism or envelope in which proteins (including growth factors), lipids, and other factors are contained within and can be applied topically to skin. Most notably, hUMSCs’ secretome produced by stem cells, also known as their conditioned media (“CM”) contain exosomes, proteins, growth factors, cytokines and other substances. Many competing products have attempted to synthetically use growth factors to recreate the messaging process from hUMSCs’ CMs, including recombinant bacteria, peptides, and/or small molecules. However, we believe many of these synthetic modalities are ineffective due to their lack of protection or encasement, which our Elevai ExosomesTM provide. Without protection, many synthetic modalities may end up undelivered due to their size, charge, shape, which we believe would not result in positive impact on existing skin concerns or bring skin a more youthful and healthy appearance. Instead, we believe a well-constructed exosome can overcome the deficiencies of synthetic versions. Our platform technology intentionally utilizes hUMSCs derived from umbilical cords of healthy full term newborns. These cells are then triggered under laboratory-controlled in vitro culture conditions to produce a reliable and consistent exosome ingredient harnessed by our Elevai ExosomesTM which support skin health. Our statements herein regarding our topical cosmetic and exosome-containing serums have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA. At this early stage, the continued success of the early positive results of our products is highly subjective to consumers and we have yet to complete clinical validation studies to demonstrate support for any performance claims of our products, such as their ability to aesthetically improve the skin.
Rather than try to synthetically design a specific ingredient or synthetic protein or peptide one at a time, we instead rely on hUMSCs’ innate ability to assist in nourishing, protecting and supporting healthy looking skin in the form of their derived exosomes. Under our PREx™ process, we believe our ethically sourced hUMSCs utilize multiple triggering modalities and protocols, enabling us to create multiple types of exosome messages or message profiles, each suited for a different purpose to enhance the texture and appearance of skin. For example, just as an individual would expect their stem cells to produce exosomes to help them smooth skin texture and replace lost moisture, we expect to trigger similar exosomes, isolate and purify them, and then provide them topically in our product lines in order to nourish, protect and support healthy looking skin. We believe our in vitro culture process to create Elevai ExosomesTM leverages this natural support to the moisture recovery and feeling of rejuvenation to skin, as opposed to pulling together a manmade CM which is essentially an educated guess at what that message construction should look like. Many of these synthetic CMs are utilized by our competitors alongside the addition of peptides or growth factors tied to improving skin appearance, which we believe does not make up for their inferior product design.
Our hUMSCs are triggered under proprietary laboratory conditions via our PREx™ process so as to result in the secretion of exosomes that carry a variety of proteins, including growth factors and calming cytokines which we then purify and capture to include in our topical products. Elevai ExosomesTM that we secrete are about 1/100th the diameter of a cell and their lipid bilayer protects their contents while also helps them to be absorbed by the skin and support the skin’s moisture barrier. We believe that our products promote and support healthy support skin rejuvenation of the skin’s moisture barrier that will help skin look and feel healthy by topically providing growth factors tied to maintaining the skin’s moisture barrier and promoting the appearance of a more radiant and even toned complexion that often decreases with age.
62
As the skin ages there is often an increase in the appearance of age-related pigments and fine lines and wrinkles. This appearance may be attributable to diet, genetics, or environmental/lifestyle factors such as the sun or smoking but it generally occurs naturally with age and causes the skin’s repair systems to break down which may result in visual signs of aging or disease. Working together in harmony we believe hUMSC derived growth factors encapsulated in exosomes have the potential to reduce the appearance of aging by supporting the skin’s natural moisture barrier. Our in-house laboratory experience has shown that when we expose the hUMSC-derived growth factors to artificially aged skin, or when we specifically trigger those growth factors using our proprietary PREx™ processes, we are then able to topically deliver growth factors back to skin, so that it appeared to be firmer and youth as if the skin had naturally and abundantly created those growth factors on its own.
In our experience, the process of hUMSC derived growth factors being repeatedly introduced and absorbed by skin over time often results in skin appearing more youthful as if the skin was expressing proteins typical of younger skin.
We have integrated the use of stem cell exosomes into our initial product line: our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™. The E-Series™ is comprised of two post-skincare procedure care products that target the face and neck, and upper chest regions. Our products include Empower™-, and Enfinity™-serums, which are sold exclusively through our business-to-business model channel and via our distribution agreements channel. We aim to disrupt the post-procedure market with these products by providing a best-in-class system of topicals that work to complement the aesthetic results of in-office procedures, such as laser skin resurfacing or peels, microdermabrasion, or microneedling, among other procedures. Both E-Series™ products contain our Elevai ExosomesTM, those ultra-small, nanoparticle compartments packed with growth factors known to support skin health alongside hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, ceramides, niacinamide, glutathione and a proprietary blend of peptides to promote our formulations support both skin complexion and appearance. Our Empower™ serum retails at $149 per tube and wholesales for $596 for an eight-product pack. Our Enfinity™ serum retails at $299 a bottle and wholesales for $149 a bottle. Our products are sold as complementary to in-office procedures and are provided at the option of our physician client or at the request of that physician’s customer. In most cases the customer is being examined by the physician beforehand to determine the procedure. Often the customer is purchasing our Enfinity™ serum to precondition the skin prior to the procedure. On the day of the procedure a medical professional applies the Empower™ serum post-procedure. Then the customer is recommended to continue using Enfinity™ at home within 24 to 48 hours of the procedure.
Our products are being dispensed in two different models that are complementary to the service provided. In the first model the physician client includes our products in the price of the entire procedure. In the other models the physician client recommends both products and the patients decide whether they would like to add one or both products. In both models the physician client buys the product at the foregoing price points. The physician client retains the difference in between the wholesale price and the suggested retail price.
Our statements herein regarding our Empower™, and Enfinity™ topical cosmetic and exosome-containing serums have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA. For a discussion of certain risks and governmental regulation related to these products, see “Risk Factors” above and “Regulations” below.
63
Empower™ is our after-treatment topical product that supports skin health and promotes an even toned complexion. Empower™ serum is a concentrated serum, designed specifically for a one-time application post ablative procedures and treatments such as such as post mid-depth chemical peels, post micro needling, and post injectables. The ingredient-rich formulation is designed to support the skin’s moisture recovery and improve the appearance of the health of the skin while promoting the appearance of healthy skin texture.
Empower™ is our after-treatment topical product that supports the appearance of healthy skin and promotes an even toned complexion. Empower™ serum is a concentrated serum, designed specifically for application post ablative procedures and treatments such as such as energy device treatments, mid-depth chemical peels, micro needling, or injectables. Enfinity™ is our continuing care product that we recommend for daily use. Our Enfinity™ daily serum is a stable serum for at-home daily use that contains a blend of Elevai ExosomesTM combined with complementary stem cell growth factors. This daily product contains complimentary skincare ingredients available to support the appearance of healthy skin including Elevai ExosomesTM, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and copper peptides. Our exosome-based products, Enfinity™ are designed to remain shelf stable, are subject to minimal degradation over time when used and stored as directed, and do not require freezing or reconstitution prior to each use. We believe that our Enfinity™ serum with repeated use catalyzes healthier looking, and more balanced skin tone and texture, offering results that visibly reduces the appearance of age-related pigment and fine lines.
64
We further believe that our products have the potential to be used in a number of applications and other procedures beyond their current use. For example, we are in the early stages of evaluating the adjunctive use of our exosomes in the promotion of healthy hair growth cycles and noticeable improvement to hair appearance, fullness and thickness.
65
In December 2021, we achieved positive results from two multi-week clinical dermal safety evaluations of our Empower™ serum and Enfinity™ daily serum. For the dermal safety evaluations, Essex Testing Clinic, Inc. (“Essex”) conducted two separate single-center, semi-occlusive patch test trials to evaluate the irritation and sensitization potential of our Empower™ serum and Enfinity™ daily serum in 56 healthy adult male and female volunteers. The studies utilized cumulative as well as repeat insult patch designs, which aim to provide a standard assessment of cutaneous tolerability and safety. The studies’ results demonstrated our Empower™ serum and Enfinity™ daily serum were topically well tolerated. There was no irritation or sensitization caused by our Empower™ serum and Enfinity™ daily serum at any time during the course of the evaluations, and no adverse events and no severe or serious adverse events were reported.
In January 2022, we entered into a white label non-exclusive authorized global distribution agreement and trademark license agreement with the premier aesthetic device company DermapenWorld Inc.. DermaPenWorld are makers of the DermaPen micro needling device and have an established customer base across many geographies. When pressed onto skin, DermaPenWorld’s high quality micro needling device encourages collagen production but causes minor levels of skin trauma and redness. Our Elevai Exosomes™ infused products offer synergistic value to DermapenWorld’s device because our products may be applied afterward to support recovery and enable consumers to conclude their treatment session with what we believe to be less visible redness and faster comfort levels. Under the agreement, DermapenWorld agreed to purchase minimum quantities of Elevai Exosomes™ to be included as a key ingredient within DermapenWorld’s “Dp DermaceuticalsTM Meso-Glide EXO-SKINTM” products that will be distributed globally, spanning across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia. DermapenWorld’s Dp DermaceuticalsTM product line was specifically developed to be used when performing microneedling, which are now enhanced by ELEVAI Exosomes™, along with our Enfinity™ daily serum, which will be packaged in DermapenWorld’s Dp DermaceuticalsTM packaging. The DermapenWorld distribution agreement requires a royalty to be paid for sales within the United States or Canada. In FY 2021 the DermapenWorld distribution agreement formed none of our overall revenue and in FY 2022 no sales under the DermapenWorld distribution agreement were recorded within the United States or Canada. In FY 2022 and FY 2023 sales recorded outside of the United States and Canda under the DermapenWorld distribution agreement formed part of our overall revenue. Because of the foregoing, as of the date of this prospectus we have not received any revenue attributable from royalty payments. On June 26, 2023, pursuant to the terms of our white label non-exclusive authorized global distribution agreement and trademark license agreement with DermaPenWorld, we sent a termination letter to DermaPenWorld providing notice that we will not renew the distribution agreement and trademark license agreement upon their expiration. The termination notice is effective as of the end of business on January 16, 2024.
In August 2022, we entered into a non-exclusive authorized distribution agreement with one of the preeminent manufacturers and distributors of innovative aesthetic medical device technologies and clinical grade skincare, Refine USA, LLC (“Refine”). Under the agreement, Refine may purchase unlimited quantities of Elevai Exosomes™ and distribute them throughout the United States to their network of consumers and physicians.
In June 2022, we subcontracted a Contract Research Organization (“CRO”) to commence the regulatory process in the United Kingdom (“UK”) for our clinical development plan to conduct early phase clinical trials (Phase 1-2) to utilize a pipeline product, preliminarily referred to as “Enlighten”. Enlighten is an early pipeline product we believe may be effective in treating Melasma through the use of exosomes—a skin condition causing dark, discolored patches on the skin. The UK maintains an initiative called the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway or iLAP that aims to accelerate the timeline to marketing drug authorization in the UK and provides medicine developers expert support and guidance throughout the development process. We believe there are potential cost saving avenues available through working with regulators in the United Kingdom and such approval will alleviate any potential path we may gravitate towards in seeking further approval by the FDA in the United States. We are continuing to look closely at whether a strategic path within the UK is viable and have not fully committed to the iLAP pathway in the UK because it presents many new challenges, some of which require resources we have yet to earmark for the scope of work that we believe is involved in receiving regulatory approval. Thus, at the time of this prospectus our clinical development of Enlighten is currently on hold, but our internal development and formulation testing of Enlighten is ongoing. See “Research and Development” for more information.
66
Aside from our testing the regulatory waters in the UK, there are some indications from our strategic advisory team that we may already have the ability to market a product that can benefit those with melasma or other clinical hyperpigmentation disorders without explicitly targeting a clinical indication like melasma via a traditional regulatory approval path. This alternative cosmetic based approach may be advantageous to our operations since regulatory approval would likely lead to our product being explicitly marked for prescription use and subject to insurance reimbursement. Given our stature as an aesthetics-product designer and -manufacturer, it may not serve our brand well or provide us with as much benefit to take a medicinal pathway. For example, many physician-dispensed cosmetics brands have successfully launched ‘brightening’ products that are clearly aimed at the hyperpigmentation market with fewer data points and technological advances related to their products than we currently maintain. Thus, it is our goal to only make investments towards any regulatory pathway that would involve indicative clinical trials to become a prescription product if it makes financial sense for the company moving forward.
In addition to the above, we are actively seeking potential strategic partnerships in the medical aesthetics skincare market that may add value to our product lines and broaden our distribution. Between February and August of 2023, we entered into four high-volume distribution agreements in Canada, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Kuwait. We also plan to continue to invest in our research and development capabilities which will assist in the expansion of manufacturing and marketing new flagship products in addition to our E-Series™ product line. As of the date of this prospectus, we have several pipeline products in the early development stages that we intend to complement our current product offerings.
Competition
The market for medical aesthetic skincare products is highly competitive, and we expect the intensity of competition to increase in the future. Our principal competitors are large, well-established companies in the fields of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical devices and health care.
We face and will continue to face intense competition. Several of our competitors have greater research and development and marketing capabilities, more diverse distribution channels, and greater financial resources than we do. These competitors may have developed, or could in the future develop, new technologies that compete with our products or render our products obsolete. We are also likely to encounter increased competition as we enter new markets and as we attempt to further penetrate existing markets with new products and expand into new markets via new distribution channels.
Our largest direct competitors in the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market, inclusive of both distribution and business-to-business market channels for our medical aesthetics cosmetics products include SkinCeuticals, a division of L’Oréal S.A., Skinbetter Science LLC, a division of L’Oréal S.A., SkinMedica, Inc., a division of Allergan, Inc., ZO Skin Health, 51% owned by BlackStone, PCA Skin, EltaMD, each a division of Colgate-Palmolive, Dermalogica, Murad, each a division of Unilever, and Alastin Skincare, a division of Galderma.
Our competitors strictly in the business-to-business channels for medical aesthetics skincare products include The Beauty Company (Nasdaq:SKIN), Waldencast (Nasdaq:WALD), Inmode (Nasdaq: INMD), Evolus (Nasdaq: EOLS), Revance (Nasdaq: RVNC), and Cynosure.
Operational and Competitive Strengths
We face competition from both traditional cosmetics brands, such as retail-focused products, as well as other high-end cosmetics brands in the physician-dispensed cosmetics space. We believe the primary competitive factors in our favor is our Elevai ExosomesTM though our company exhibits the following additional operational and competitive strengths:
Our Next Generation Technology and Early Results:
Elevai ExosomesTM remain our key ingredient and main competitive strength, which is produced under proprietary and cGMP-compliant conditions in our state-of-the-art laboratory. We have a proprietary process to stimulate our ethically sourced cGMP grade hUMSCs to produce stem-cell derived exosomes. This process is designed to ensure that our customers consistently receive a stable, and potent product using strict standard operating procedures under laboratory controlled in-vitro culture conditions. Thereafter, we work closely with our formulation partners so that each batch of product is mixed according to our strict specifications. We believe we are one of the few in the physician-dispensed cosmetics industry to incorporate next generation biotechnology into its product lines. We believe that many of our competitors market products that contain inferior synthetic exosomes, exosomes from inferior sources, or ingredients that can be purchased anywhere. We are conducting ongoing sponsored validation studies involving individuals with noticeable skin pigmentation and redness to determine if there is an improvement in the appearance of skin pigmentation and redness issues when our topical products containing our Elevai ExosomesTM are applied daily. In fact, subjects in one of our validation studies were analyzed by an advanced imaging and analysis device called “VISIA” to determine what percentage of those subjects’ facial skin showed evidence of a change in detected levels of hyper pigmentation after twice-daily application of our Enfinity™ daily serum over the course of approximately 12 weeks. After twelve weeks of twice daily topical application of our Enfinity™ daily serum, follow up VISIA scans showed a six to twenty percent reduction in the area of facial skin recorded with hyper pigmentation as compared to their initial VISIA scans. There we found that after multiple-week application of our products, those hyper pigmented regions appeared less dark, less pronounced or noticeable, and the skin appeared to display a more balanced skin tone and texture. This early positive assessment is based on our comparing quantified values of image data that are taken at multiple time points throughout the validation study in order make our well quantified comparison of skin quality at the timepoints recorded. There, the imaging data showed the intensity of the remaining hyperpigmentation on those subjects’ facial skin was visibly reduced as compared to initial VISIA scans. However, we note that we continue to determine if we can better quantify this reduction in pigmentation intensity as further evidence of performance is analyzed over the course of our validation studies. At this early stage, the continued success of positive results of our products is highly subjective to consumers and we have yet to complete formal clinical validation studies with a large cohort to demonstrate support for the performance claims of our products, such as their ability to aesthetically improve the skin. Furthermore, any statements contained herein regarding our topical cosmetic and exosome-containing serums have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA. Similarly, the United States FDA has relatively limited experience regulating cosmetics derived from stem cells, and as of the date of this prospectus, there are no FDA approved medical products utilizing exosomes.
67
Our Product Quality, Ongoing Research and Seamless Production Process:
Many of our early-stage competitors employ contract manufacturers and labs to handle all portions of their production. Our California-based laboratory and production facility helps us protect our trade secrets by keeping our core processes in-house and eliminates our need to rely on contractors that may use damaged products of inferior quality, or dangerous/unstable ingredients solely for the purpose of manufacturing our Elevai ExosomesTM. Our streamlined commercialization process is quality controlled from stem cell acquisition, through exosome production, to specifying our standards to our contractors for formulation and bottling, ensuring continuity across the process to limit damage to our products’ exosomes and actives. Additionally, our aesthetic account managers and senior-level staff are highly supportive of our physician clients who rely on the quality of our product literature and educational material. This literature allows our physician clients to provide the best information to their clients whose experience may be ultimately enhanced by choosing to use our product lines post-procedure.
Although we are an early-stage company, we have integrated the production of our Elevai ExosomesTM with our general production process. We do not outsource any aspect of our exosome production process or license any core technology. We also have the capability to commercialize a variety of products derived from stem cells containing innovative encapsulated stem cell produced factors and quickly introduce new competitive products and existing product enhancements. This capability is harnessed by our ability to produce unique ingredient in our own lab like Elevai ExosomesTM. These natural stem cell factors are a core ingredient, and an ingredient that we believe few others can commercialize or approximate. We maintain the ability and know-how to modulate the way the stem cells are cultured in our laboratory space. Through modulation, we are able to produce different versions of our stem cell exosomes, and tailor them for different purposes, such as potentially supporting and promoting a healthy hair growth cycle. As we continue to grow our production outputs, we expect to multiply our modalities and deliver newly and more narrowly tailored versions of exosomes to the market in the form of our cosmetic products.
Although our ultimate goal is to achieve vertical integration, our current focus is on promoting the manufacture of our top-quality products and reducing our costs to produce next-generation cosmetics for the physician-dispensed skincare market at favorable price points while generating healthy margins. We believe our products will remain attractive and favorable by most consumers by pricing them at rates that are competitive with existing and emerging post-care and aesthetics cosmetics companies while remaining below a pricing tier reserved for more top-end direct-to-consumer products like those from La Mer Technology, Inc. Similarly, we believe that our pricing strategy is competitive with other competing physician dispensed skincare brands that do not contain exosomes. We believe this price point is still attainable for consumers in the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market even though our products employ the integration of topical exosomes that is in a similar class as existing skincare products, but through a newer manufacturing process which we believe allows our brand to market better quality and more purified extracellular vesicles in our products Thus, we chose to favorably price ourselves at the top of the range that we believe the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market will positively respond to.
Our Products Ease of Use, Quality Ingredients, and Post-Procedure Benefits:
We believe our products often complement the experience- and improve the results-of most physician in-office or medical spa aesthetic face and body treatments that include laser treatment, microneedling and ablative surgical procedures. We designed our products to provide benefits without any blood draw or needling. Our products may also ease uneven looking or puffy skin texture associated with the post-procedure healing process by including ingredients that assist in soothing and supporting the skin for the appearance of a more even skin tone.
To promote customers satisfaction with our products after an aesthetic face and body treatment, we carefully select high-quality active ingredients to aid in nourishing the skin. These includes hydrating hyaluronic acid and ceramides, to support skin health for any skin type. Alongside our Elevai ExosomesTM, our products are packed with bioavailable forms of vitamin C, and skin-restoring copper peptides. Our products are integrated into post-procedure or treatment protocols and have achieved positive results under third-party dermal safety evaluations. Each of our products underwent clinical dermal safety evaluations and there was no skin reactivity observed at any time over the multi-week study.
We culture our hUMSCs under carefully controlled conditions in our lab without the use of animal components or byproducts, such as Fetal Bovine Serum (“FBS”). Aside from our moral compass, there are many reasons to avoid animal components in our production process in particular. While this includes safety to avoid animal borne viruses, there is more consistency and predictability for high quality exosomes when culturing hUMSCs. Although there is much variability in any animal-derived component, they remain the primary way that most scientists around the world grow cells in laboratories. We aim to ensure that our products do not contain any parabens, phthalates, or animal byproducts, and we never test on animals.
We believe the application of our topical products can reduce redness, brighten skin, improve wrinkles and skin texture to promote healthy looking skin and the appearance of rejuvenation. Depending on consumer needs, our skin products are designed to either be directly applied topically after an aesthetics or ablative procedure or applied daily. At this early stage, the continued success of the early positive results of our products is highly subjective to consumers and we have yet to complete clinical validation studies to demonstrate support for any performance claims of our products, such as their ability to aesthetically improve the skin. Furthermore, any statements contained herein regarding our topical cosmetic and exosome-containing serums have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA.
Established Partnerships with Major Industry Players and Our Local Community:
Our position as an early mover in utilizing topical exosome skincare technology in the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market has attracted various industry leaders to become our exclusive and non-exclusive partners, creating an extensive network for us to leverage. We believe the expertise and market coverage of both our exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements with channel partners broaden our executional capability, reduce our execution risk, and provide immediate market access to increase the speed at which our products can reach the market. These partnerships solidify our position as a smaller company with substantial technological expertise. Additionally, our exclusive and non-exclusive distribution partnerships have allowed our products to enter Asian and Canadian international markets via our third-party distributors, in a capital efficient manner. In addition to our white-label distribution agreement, we may plan to pursue strategic co-development opportunities and arrangements that further enhance our product pipeline to create effective synergies to supplement our product offerings in the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market. Our current collaboration with many high-volume distributors provides valuable knowledge that we believe will enhance our early mover advantage.
68
On April 1, 2023, the Mitacs-Accelerate Grants Program via the Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement (OCIE) Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada awarded our team $90,000 Canadian Dollars under a two-year research grant in relation to a project entitled “Multiomic characterization of stem cell derived extracellular vesicles for supporting the skin”. Under this project, we will engage an intern from Dalhousie University’s Department of Process Engineering & Applied Science under the tutelage of Dr. Stansislav Sokolenko who is responsible for completing a report about the project that is reviewed by their faculty supervisor and presented to our team. The primary aim of this research project, called ‘ELV3000’, is to establish new and novel techniques for characterizing the bioactive ‘payload’ of our Elevai ExosomesTM in order to provide us with a greater understanding of how specific exosome contents may be attributable to positive skincare outcomes. The secondary aim of the research project will be to further optimize our Elevai Exosomes™ production process to eventually improve our products through the eventual ability to exert greater control over exosome payloads. This detailed characterization will be conducted using a combination of traditional and advanced techniques and will build on other work currently being performed by us and our contract research partners.
Additionally, we partner with local California universities through a federally funded program called “CareerCONNECTED” Federal Work Study (“CCFWS”) to maintain roots in the surrounding area. The CareerCONNECTED program provides low-income students an opportunity to learn real world skills they would not traditionally receive in an academic setting. 60% of the interns’ pay is federally funded and we pay the other 40% of their salary. We benefit immensely from these interns and believe it is mutually beneficial to our growth to work with eager, academic minded individuals that can help us with our more time intensive tasks that slow down our general operations. This in turn helps our lab team reduce production time to make our exosome enriched media. Along with the interns assisting the lab team, we in turn teach them essential lab skills that will benefit them going forward in their science careers. We believe the program gives us an advantage in training future scientists to our specifications and potentially selecting future employees from the intern pool that are already received high quality training that can meet our lab specifications. Any future opportunity to hire our trained interns reduces the time and the opportunity costs that we would normally incur with training a newly hired, full time lab tech.
We continue to grow through allying with channel partners, local universities, and strategic investors globally and expect these relationships will enhance our credibility, relationship with the surrounding community, generate better leads, and future conversion of customers. These investments will ultimately enable us to be more agile in achieving our goals in the shortest time and leverage further investment into our technological strengths alongside our partners’ connections and relationships.
Our Well Recognized and Award-winning Team and Brand:
We produce our Elevai ExosomesTM using a proprietary process called Precision Regenerative Exosome Technology, or PREx™, which has been developed and perfected by Jordan R. Plews, PhD under whom we have made a number of strategic hires to assemble our management team. To that end, our brand has received a number of awards and accreditations, and we have been featured in exposés in recognition of our products and innovation. As of the date of prospectus, we received the People’s Choice Award after presenting at the Octane Aesthetics Tech Summit annual event, as part of the small business accelerator called the LaunchPad SBDC (Small Business Development Center). Additionally, we have been featured in the Aesthetic Guide Magazine, New Beauty Magazine, Grazia Magazine and MedEsthetics Magazine, among others.
Jordan R. Plews, our President and Chief Executive Officer who is a University College London and Stanford University trained stem cell scientist and biochemical engineer. Dr. Plews is a well-respected and accomplished industry innovator holding notable accolades involving human stem-cell research to derive high quality human stem-cell growth factors and proteins. This initial research ultimately led him to a co-found the biotechnology focused FactorFive Skincare brand which topically utilizes the power of ethically sourced adult adipose derived stem cells’ growth factors. Alongside his product-line, Dr. Plews commissioned numerous products in the medical aesthetics cosmetics market and those that complement services provided under the medical aesthetics market. Dr. Plews founded Elevai after reaching a pinnacle moment in human-stem cell research to focus on the next generation medical aesthetic technology that focuses on stem-cell derived exosomes, which we believe is the future of skincare.
Dr. Plews is a published biochemical engineer with expertise in molecular biology and stem cells, which we believe will enable our ability to scale our concepts as we develop other novel product lines. We believe we can efficiently bridge the knowledge-gap between engineering and processing because of our research and aptitude in both fields. Using both vocations, improves our ability to isolate re-agents and stem-cell material to identify novel proof of concepts on a biochemical and molecular level while efficiently harnessing processes to produce and market those concepts at scale.
Our second founder, Dr. Hatem Abou-Sayed (known professionally as “Tim Sayed MD”), is a double board-certified plastic surgeon with nearly two decades of experience in the medical aesthetics market. He also holds an executive MBA with a strong marketing and finance focus, and an undergraduate engineering degree with a focus on biotechnology. Dr. Sayed was instrumental in positioning us as an exosome focused aesthetic skincare brand and forming the foundational engagements with our hUMSC suppliers to build on the established scientific background and legacy of our suppliers. In that capacity he helped to develop the application of our cosmetics products to complement device-based medical aesthetic procedures. Moreover, Dr. Sayed recruited and established the leadership role and the onboarding of Dr. Plews. Additionally, Dr. Sayed has introduced us to numerous key opinion leaders, strategic organizations within the medical aesthetics and plastic surgery industry and prospective research collaborators. Dr. Sayed is the current President of the San Diego Plastic Surgery Society and has been in active leadership roles with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the Aesthetic Society, including the Emerging Trends, Public Education, Development and Ethics committees. Dr. Sayed is a well-respected source in the medical aesthetics industry, has authored several publications in peer-reviewed medical journals as well as in periodicals for the public. He has contributed a regular column for Modern Aesthetics Magazine, advising other plastic surgeons on how to modernize their medical offices and provide a better patient experience. Notably, he is a co-author of a textbook chapter on digital tools for plastic surgeons in one of the definitive textbooks for plastic surgeons, Neligan’s Plastic Surgery.
69
In addition, we hired Brenda Buechler as our chief marketing officer because of her track record in successful business leadership and leading brand development in the physician-dispensed aesthetics arena. Her extensive and successful career spans over 23 years in both director and leadership roles at notable companies in the physician-dispensed aesthetics market. Her former roles leading sales (B2C, B2B, and online), branding, and strategic marketing in start-ups as well as large established brands such as Alastin Skincare, and SkinMedica Inc. Brenda is highly adept at branding and developing strategic marketing and communications campaigns that have historically exceeded expectations and driven revenue. For example, during Ms. Buechler’s tenure as director of brand marketing and public relations at Alastin Skincare, Inc., she assembled and managed multiple teams, new product launches, and laid the groundwork for the company’s initial eCommerce and blog infrastructure that led to a 240% growth in B2B eCommerce revenue. Additionally, during her time with SkinMedica Inc., Brenda initiated marketing strategies and research programs across both the physician-dispensed and consumer eCommerce sales channels, in both the B2B and B2C markets. This effort ultimately contributed to overall revenue growth of 100% year over year for over two years straight.
We also have an experienced sales and marketing team which over the span of their careers have demonstrated the ability to identify new business opportunities and to develop the business by growing our global distribution networks. The recent recruitment of our Chief Commercial Officer, Christoph Kraneiss adds a dedicated industry veteran to oversee and further innovate our current product lines and future product offerings. Chris is a business strategist with an impressive track record of growing brands and has a deep, nuanced understanding of the needs of the modern consumer within the physician-dispensed aesthetics market. Mr. Kraneiss has a proven track record of building successful physician-dispensed aesthetic businesses within top globally recognized brands such as his tenure as Senior Vice President at SkinBetter Science and ZO Skin Health, founded by renowned dermatologist Zein Obagi, MD. During his six years at ZO Skin Health, he led his department’s growth from $2M in retail sales to over $100M while reaching profitability within less than three years. Moreover, Chris helped to establish the SkinBetter brand in more than 130 countries and roughly 500,000 points of purchase globally.
Prior to joining Elevai, Chris served as Managing Director for Noon Aesthetics, and Vice President of International Business Development for Higher Education Skincare, a B2C company. We believe that because of Chris’s innovative approach to brand expansion coupled with his passion for Elevai’s mission to offer high quality cosmetics products, he will build on his success in continuing to establish, train, and manage international aesthetic sales teams for our associated retailers, physicians, and distributors alike.
In December of 2022, we strategically hired Ms. Lynnel Anderson, our Director of Aesthetic Clinical Education to lead and structure develop client facing product marketing, education initiatives and resources for our growing brand and product lines. Not only is Ms. Anderson an Army reservist, but Lynnel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team from her previous tenures at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Syneron, ZO Skin Health and Suneva Medical. While Ms. Anderson is predominantly in charge of our educational efforts, she will also play a pivotal role in servicing and performing outreach to potential key opinion leaders. We believe and have noted Ms. Anderson is an exceptional communicator and negotiator and will help our brand and products to break through the crowded cosmetics market.
Similarly, we are privileged to include a number of strategic advisors and consultants as members of our team including James R. Headley, Braeden Lichti of NorthStrive Companies Inc., Kevin Green, and Crystal Muilenburg.
James R. Headly is an experienced pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry executive who brings comprehensive insight to Elevai as a strategic advisor. James previously served as President and CEO of ZO Skin Health and plays an active role in advising our management team to evaluate strategic growth initiatives, product launches, and prospective partnerships. Headley’s beauty industry background boasts an extensive career beginning with positions with F&R Lazarus Department (Federated Department Stores) now Macy’s, the Estee Lauder Companies, and Warner Cosmetics, which eventually became the Ralph Lauren Fragrance Division of L’Oréal. We believe Mr. Headley’s extensive career will add value to our branding, sales, customer service, industry recognition, and overall brand innovation.
During his time as President and CEO of ZO Skin Health, Mr. Headley was credited for establishing the brand’s archetype which led to ZO’s strategic success. There, he conceived and launched ZO’s physician-dispensed aesthetics products that catapulted ZO into the number one position in the physician-dispensed skincare space. During James’s time at ZO Skin Health, annual sales rose from $2 million to over $100 million. Notably, in 2020, 51% of ZO Skin was sold to the American alternative investment management company Blackstone. We believe James will be an enormous support not only to Elevai’s business development, but to our expanding relationships with key opinion leaders in the aesthetic space. James’s expertise is invaluable to the future of our brand and the growth of the medical aesthetics cosmetics skincare industry.
Braeden Lichti, a co-founder has served as our strategic consultant since July 2020 through his firm NorthStrive Companies Inc. (“NorthStrive”). Mr. Lichti is the founder and CEO of NorthStrive since its inception in 2020. NorthStrive is a California corporation that focuses on identifying public markets venture capital investment opportunities in high-growth early-stage companies. NorthStrive is a sector agnostic privately held firm that has identified and invested, through its principal owners, in industries, including biotechnology, medical devices, and medical aesthetics. We believe Mr. Lichti will be a continued asset to the Company due to his network within the healthcare and aesthetic business community, and his experience identifying investment opportunities. Mr. Lichti will be beneficial to the Company as it seeks to identify new business and capital opportunities which led to the conclusion that NorthStrive should continue to be our advisor.
Kevin Green is an experienced healthcare executive with a broad background in life sciences and biotechnology finance and operations. He has over ten years of business development experience in the medical aesthetics field including Allergan Plc, a division of AbbVie Inc., Elsie Biotechnologies, and Bioniz, LLC. Kevin has been involved in multiple acquisitions for companies that remain our competitors, such as SkinMedica Inc. With Kevin’s broad operations and finance expertise, he brings relevant generalist experience to assist in our business development functions. He has been an advisor to us and made several key introductions between our founders and prominent executives and practitioners in the physician-dispensed aesthetic space. We expect Kevin to continue to network on our behalf and provide key input on key business dealings and product development moving forward.
70
Crystal Muilenburg most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer for Evolus where she led the re-launch of “Jeuveau”, a disruptor brand to Botox Cosmetic. Jeuveau is one of the fastest growing neurotoxin in the United States and considered to be one of the top product launches in aesthetics history. While at Evolus from 2019 to 2023, Crystal also led human relations, operations and supply chain management. There, Crystal established Evolvus’s international business operations. Crystal was Head of Global Marketing for Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, a publicly-traded, clinical stage medical dermatology and aesthetics company from 2017 to 2019. Crystal has worked in the aesthetics industry since 2006 starting with Allergan (now AbbVie Inc.) where she held various domestic and international marketing and communications leadership roles from 2006 to 2017. We believe Crystal will be an asset to our consulting team and work to network on our behalf to assist in key introductions and assist in adjusting our internal procedures and human capital operations.
Strategy
We believe we have the potential to be one of the most disruptive brands in the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market. We are in the early stages of new product development and have significant room to grow by attracting more consumers to the brand, making our current products more widely available and offering more innovative products to our consumers. We expect the United States to be the largest source of our growth over the next few years and see ample opportunity to expand in select international markets. We also believe we have an opportunity to improve our margins through greater operating leverage and efficiency once we begin distributing our product more widely.
Our Technology and Research:
We believe we are one of the first to adapt stem cell technology from cGMP grade hUMSCs to produce purified extracellular vesicles, also referred to as exosomes into topical skincare products to capture market share in the high growth physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market. This strategy is not only based on our understanding of consumers’ interest in the appearance of a quicker post-procedure recovery, but our research into what the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market is currently lacking and our belief in our products’ ability—based on early imaging data leveraging quantitative analysis and visual assessments of photographic progress photos. Our imaging study data is gathered utilizing an advanced imaging and analysis device made by Canfield Scientific, called “VISIA”. This complexion analysis system captures high-quality, standardized images that are monitored following a medical aesthetic procedure at regular intervals to assess redness, discomfort, tone, texture, wrinkles, and other measures of skin appearance.
Since 2020, we have invested in the creation of a commercial process that began in 2022 which leverages the use of hUMSCs to produce extracellular vesicles, or exosomes in our products because not only do these factors have the ability to enhance the appearance of the skin, but they can do so without the tumorigenic or ethical concerns associated with the use of embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells.25 Because we recognized the potential of utilizing hUMSCs for the skin, it was natural for us to utilize them as the basis for formulating our products. This is founded on our belief that our products can improve the appearance of skin prone to appearing temporarily red and puffy that is normally experienced by consumers while attending to their aesthetics needs in physicians’ offices or medical spa.
A Visionary and Experienced Management Team:
We have made significant investments in our business over the past three years by building our own exosome manufacturing lab, hiring top talent to help us build functional and streamlined capabilities in our commercialization process. Our management team comes from leading international skincare companies, with world-class research, marketing, and e-commerce experience to implement growth strategies and drive operational improvements.
Brand and Product Expansion:
We plan to continue to grow our young brand’s reputation. We plan to continue to expand our brand by attending events, presenting at scientific and medical aesthetic and cosmetic skincare conferences, and conducting clinical validation studies to further validate the aesthetic results of our products. We believe what differentiates us from many traditional cosmetics companies is our lean, but aggressive ability to make fast market-driven decisions and execute with quality control standards. We believe we have a major speed-to-market advantage over many other companies because of our size and aptitude in bioprocessing. Similarly, we are highly responsive to market-trends alongside physician and aesthetics consumer needs alike. We will continue to leverage our executional excellence as we combine our aptitude in stem cell research and bioprocessing while seeking to become the preferred partner of our key customers. Additionally, we have a robust product pipeline that we believe is likely to address the many evolving needs of customers, physicians, and clinicians in the aesthetic and cosmetics market ultimately increasing our branding and the number of customers we serve. Should any of our pipeline products over perform, especially those product lines that may focus on aesthetic needs other than skin appearance it may be advantageous for our branding to spin off those product lines and further focus on our core market: skin improvement and appearance.
25 | Qiu G, Zheng G, Ge M, Wang J, Huang R, Shu Q, et al. Functional proteins of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2019;10:1–11. |
71
Channel Expansion, Production Capacity, and International Growth:
While our current focus is on the physician-dispensed cosmetic skincare market, we intend to expand into other sales channels including e-commerce by growing the information available on our website and making our products available for purchase through our medical-spa, physician and physician group partners’ websites. We believe being featured on a variety of partner websites will strengthen our brand and provide a unique direct-to-consumer e-commerce model via our business-to-business relationships where our e-commerce partners receive a share of product purchase revenue. Ultimately, our business-to-business model will strengthen our relationships with our physician partners, while an eventual e-commerce model broadens our market exposure and drive traffic and conversion to our other social media profiles. Additionally, we expect our current and prospective exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements to penetrate global markets and pique consumer interest not typically within our current reach. We believe both our products and white-label products can drive new market demand for our brand in those international markets that our distribution partners sell our products in.
We intend to expand the production capacity of our products and to develop new pipeline products in response to a number of potential growth factors, including: our organic growth, the development of research and development of pipeline products, and the expected increase in our product popularity, expansions of our distributor networks and channels through exclusive and non-exclusive international distributional agreements, and other potential strategic partnerships with industry leaders. Moreover, in addition to and as a result of the foregoing growth factors we expect an increase in orders for our products and a continuous rise in sales volume in the future based on our market research and estimates. To keep pace with this rise in sales volume, we anticipate the need to expand our production capacity by the end of quarter one of 2025. This expansion will enable us to meet our projected demand and we anticipate doubling our production capacity would cost between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000. This additional capital would cover our expenses relating to expanded capacity, including increased rent, additional lab equipment, and an increase to our overall headcount. We expect increasing our production capacity will lower manufacturing costs through economies of scale and improve overall cost-efficiency and profit margins. Ultimately, we can provide our products at a competitive price, especially to cost-sensitive physicians or medical spa owners, and consumers in the skincare aesthetics market, who may be relatively new to the concept of medical aesthetics cosmetic skincare.
We expect to expand our product offerings in response to this estimated growth, which are subject to additional costs. To expand a single pipeline product, we currently estimate capital requirements of approximately $250,000 for equipment to support the initial development of that product. We further estimate an additional $100,000 worth of funds to arrange for the testing protocol, clinical validations and to fully launch any product at scale. We estimate the operational framework to prepare for the launch of a pipeline product such as a topical haircare product, would take six to twelve months of development work with an additional four to six months to fully scale such product before an official product launch. We estimate that this pipeline development and scaling effort would not likely begin until the end of quarter one of 2024 and conclude until quarter two of 2025. This estimate depends on whether we may need to expand our operations and development work of any new pipeline product, which is dependent on the results of the development work, continued research and initial rounds of validation testing.
Currently, we directly distribute our products in the United States through both our business-to-business sales channel and licensing and manufacturing agreements with third-party distributors that include our products in their suite of domestic and international sales through our sales distribution channel. Under this sales distribution channel, we sell our products to a distributor, who resells our products to the physician practice customers after placing their order in a designated territory that is either exclusive or non-exclusive to that distributor. We have broadened our sales channel to include our cosmetic product offerings at medical spa locations. In March 2023, we engaged in negotiations with a privately held aesthetics and dermatology company that operates thirteen medical spa locations throughout the United States, many of which are housed inside boutique and upscale hotels. In March 2023, we entered negotiations to provide our cosmetic products to the spa operator. In May 2023, we began supplying a number of that company’s medical spa locations that provide ablative services with our complementary cosmetic products. From July 2023, onwards we supplied our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™ products to four medical spa locations to their customers who receive micro-needling, and laser treatments. Our principal goal is to expand our relationship with the medical spa company in order to provide our cosmetic products to all thirteen locations by May 2024. To that end, we plan to negotiate additional agreements with the remaining locations throughout 2023.
72
To bolster our regional sales, we entered into a non-exclusive authorized distribution agreement in August 2022 with Refine USA, LLC (“Refine”), one of the preeminent manufacturers and distributors of innovative aesthetic medical device technologies and clinical grade skincare. Under the agreement, Refine may purchase unlimited quantities of our topical cosmetics subject to minimum order size limits and distribute them throughout the United States to their network of consumers and physicians. As we continue to enhance our own United States sales channels, we are focused on bringing on third-party distributors in key large international markets, such as Canada, Europe, Brazil, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. We also plan to drive the distribution of our products through strategic relationships in specific countries, such as Japan. To continue growing in the physician-dispensed market, we intend to onboard more direct sales representatives that can reach geographic markets we currently do not have a presence in and partner with cosmetic device companies to co-market and sell our products. To this end, in January 2022, we signed a white label non-exclusive authorized global distribution agreement with premier aesthetic device company DermapenWorld, which expanded the reach of our branding and serum integration. Under a ‘white label’ agreement our products or ingredients may be combined with another company’s ingredients or products and sold under that company’s brand name. Essentially, under these arrangements we provide products or ingredients that can be customized with branding and packaging to match the branding of the company that will be selling the product directly. Pursuant to that white label agreement, we provide a shared distributor wholesale quantities of our serums that are formulated together with DermapenWorld’s and products which are marketed globally subject to previously agreed upon key performance indicators. In addition, between February and August 2023, we entered four exclusive distribution agreements with four separate distributors in Canada, Kuwait, the Philippines and Vietnam whereby those distributors are permitted to promote, market, sell and distribute our products within their designated countries. Under these exclusive distribution agreements, we granted each a nonexclusive, nontransferable, royalty free license to use our branded products and marketing literature. Because we are entering new markets under each contract, we also arranged for each distributor to assist us in obtaining any required registrations, licenses and other applicable governmental approvals necessary to import, sell and distribute our products at our expense. As of the date of this prospectus except for product sales made by our Canadian and Vietnamese distributors, our distributors have not made any sales under any of our exclusive distribution agreements. Moreover, on June 26, 2023, pursuant to the terms of our white label non-exclusive authorized global distribution agreement with DermaPenWorld, we sent a termination letter to DermaPenWorld providing notice that we will not renew the distribution agreement upon its expiration. The termination notice is effective as of the end of business on January 16, 2024.
Once commercially viable, as our manufacturing process becomes more vertically integrated, we may expand our business model to provide mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to companies needing MSCs, large-scale stem cell culturing, or those companies developing MSC-derived products. This expanded role would position the company as a contract manufacturer and distributor of MSCs because we may become a dependable and well-regarded source of exosomes enriched cosmetic products which have been designed for topical application to assist in the recovery after the delivery of medical aesthetic services. Nonetheless, we aim to remain focused on developing and marketing topical products that are enhanced by unique stem cell derived additives and possibly expand from there into other high-science aesthetic skincare applications, given our biochemical engineering and bioprocessing prowess and ability to manufacture laboratory-based skincare additives ourselves. Thus, any expansion into our role as a manufacturer and distributor of MSCs would only come to fruition if funding and bandwidth were such that we felt we met all our aesthetic market goals and had remaining capacity, or we identified an overwhelming interest and opportunity to benefit from such a paradigm shift. In expanding under this strategic channel, we would likely partner, license, or outsource any non-aesthetics-based business so as not to complicate or defocus our Elevai product brand.
Research and Development
Our research and development efforts are focused on improving and enhancing our existing products as well as developing new products. We undertake research and development on new product formulations and execute studies on existing products and future products that demonstrate what we believe to be the high-quality design of our formulas and the powerful performance of our products. We are constantly in a state of improving our product offerings and are currently in the process of assessing the physical characteristics of our exosomes with a goal of further optimizing and improving our exosome production capabilities. At times, because of our limited internal research and development capacity, we outsource portions of our product research and development and have joined force with Radyus Research, a contract research organization (CRO) under a formal statement of work to analyze the cell population our cultured hUMSCs produce under varied in-vitro culture conditions and the concentration of exosomes contained therein. Any data resulting from our CRO under this agreed upon statement of work is our own.
73
Together with Radyus Research, we are utilizing a number of advanced analytical techniques to help us improve our current processes and keep our brand at the forefront of exosome products. To analyze our exosomes, we utilize NanoSight, a nanoparticle tracking analysis instrument so we may evaluate the proteomic characteristics (or characterization of the protein makeup) of our exosomes. Through this thorough process we access the make-up of our finalized exosomes while balancing the efficiency of different adjustments to our cell-culturing production process. Taking the time to note the variability in our production based on establishing notable and favorable characteristics of the exosomes produced from those variations help keep our final products optimized. Our analysis is dependent on analyzing characteristics such as those exosomes’ nanoscopic scale (or nanoscale) which is often dependent on the unique culture techniques we may subject our hUMSCs to. Through these measurements, we can better understand those processes that lead to optimal production of exosomes from our hUMSCs that exhibit characteristics that are most effectively absorbed and utilized topically. We will further conduct this analysis from time to time to perform quality control on our processes to confirm the size and distribution of our exosomes and so that we are generating the best possible exosome products under the most efficient production conditions. NanoSight is one of a few technologies to detect the size of exosomes and count them and group them or graph out their distribution. This also helps us to identify whether our process results in fully intact exosomes or if under our culturing process, we may have damaged our hUMSCs. Any such damage tends to release apoptotic bodies (or damaged cells), and allows us to modify our purification process, which can remove most apoptotic bodies. Since we are able to identify those processes that produce the best possible quality exosomes, we are able to remain confident that our products continue to work the way we expect them to.
Radyus Research is integral to our research and development to assist in media formulation. With their assistance, we better understand how to trigger the stem cells into producing the right exosomes and in the right quantities. The media we use to grow the stem cells is constantly being fine-tuned with different growth factors to determine what the right ratios should be and which growth factors that are needed to best optimize our production process. Radyus’ analysis allows us to understand how reproducible our production process from batch to batch is, but also gives us quantitative analysis for how we can best culture our hUMSCs and perfect our PREx™ process.
We are also using a variety of modalities under including the measurement of analytes in our exosomes (protein analysis) using Luminex multiplex assays to look at the ribonucleic acid content (RNA) and microRNA content of the exosomes. These RNA sequencing techniques, transcriptome analysis, and various filtration, centrifugation, and affinity column-based strategies identifies all the mRNA sequences it detects and quantifies them. The data will provide us an idea of what the RNA ‘messages’ are inside our specific formula or mix of exosomes for future production catalogues. We also plan to also run some mix of analyses every time we alter or update our production process to compare each technique and may run this analysis occasionally for quality check purposes. Ultimately, we expect to have data that shows that we are producing multitudes of beneficial growth factors. From there we expect when we alter the process significantly, that those factors will change.
While we currently primarily focus on bringing physician-dispensed cosmetic aesthetics products to market and supporting the skin, we are in the process of researching and developing applications for hair, both on the face and head, and have ongoing research into additional, customized applications. Currently, many companies and competitors alike talk about exosomes as though they are one single ingredient with the innate ability to do many different jobs. However, research shows that certain exosomes released by certain cells are directly correlated with the cells they originate from and those particular exosomes’ capabilities and contents vary based on the cell type used and the way those cells have been treated or cultured.26 Thus, this research shows the contents of exosomes vary widely depending on the cell type used to generate them, their culture conditions, their processing and storage conditions, and how they are applied or used. Knowing this, we use highly-trained professionals to isolate and culture our hUMSCs and the resulting secreted exosomes are produced using strict protocols.
After formulation, all pipeline products are tested for integrity, safety, and performance. Prior to launch, our pipeline products undergo several safety tests, including, but not limited to, human repeat insult patch tests, used to help predict the likelihood of induced allergic contact dermatitis, comedogenicity tests, to prevent the product from clogging pores, and cumulative irritation tests, to evaluate the skin irritation potential and safety of individual ingredients or cosmetic compounds. Our products and their ingredients are also tested at multiple steps in the process to avoid microbial contamination.
In May 2022, we engaged a Contract Research Organization (“CRO”) that commenced a multi-step regulatory process in the United Kingdom (“UK”) for our clinical development plan to conduct early phase clinical trials (Phase 1-2) to utilize an updated version of our Enfinity™ product, preliminarily referred to as ‘Enlighten’, for the treatment of Melasma. Melasma is a common skin condition that causes dark, discolored patches on skin, typically on the face that are darker than a person’s normal skin tone. In addition, our CRO has compiled a case series data on client outcomes to date using the current version of our Enfinity™ product. As of the date of this prospectus, our internal development and formulation testing of Enlighten is ongoing, but the case study is on hold. We expect that if it continues, the resulting series data will provide a strong case for the need for further clinical trials and a publication to summarize the data to strengthen the use case of stem cell exosomes for the treatment of Melasma.
26 | Gao, F., et al., Mesenchymal stem cells and immunomodulation: current status and future prospects. Cell Death Dis, 2016. 7: p. e2062. |
74
If the study continues to progress, we intend to show a meaningful clinical benefit to patients. In order to do so, we will need to devise well-designed clinical trials to demonstrate Enlighten is both safe and effective. We believe registration trials will need to be designed as randomized trials in patients with melasma where one group of patients receive Enlighten and another receive the best available care. We will design the protocol once a meeting with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) has taken place, in order to incorporate its advice and seek inclusion into the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP), a collaborative initiative which offers an accelerated path to market for new indications and repurposed medicines. We aim to perform the Phase I trial at 2 clinical trial centers in the United Kingdom under a clinical trials authorization (“CTA”). Because there are no approved therapies similar to Enlighten currently on any market, we plan to take advantage of the regulatory opportunities afforded to therapies that treat small markets with high unmet needs.
In addition to contacting the MHRA and ILAP, we have been in discussion with the United Kingdom National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to support our clinical development by brokering relationships with key opinion leaders, and potential investigators. We believe these relationships will assist us in selecting the most conducive sites to conduct our trials for Enlighten. As of the date of this prospectus, our discussion with the MHRA, ILAP and NIHR in relation to the clinical studies and related manufacturing process to develop Enlighten is in early stages of negotiation and administration. We cannot guarantee that the negotiations will be successful. If the negotiations are not successful, we will not pursue the commercialization of our Enlighten product in the near future. As such, this product is in the very early stages of development and may not continue as a product within the Company.
Despite our efforts to engage our CRO and collectively conduct research in the UK into the regulatory approval of our early-stage product, there are some indications from our strategic advisory team that we may already have the ability to market a product that can benefit those with melasma or other clinical hyperpigmentation disorders without explicitly targeting a clinical indication like melasma via the traditional regulatory approval path. Thus, it is our goal to only make the large investment towards any regulatory pathway that would involve indicative clinical trials to become a prescription product if it makes financial sense for the company moving forward.
We are also currently in the early stages of evaluating the adjunctive and topical use of our exosomes on promoting healthy hair growth cycle and hair fullness through the use of pipeline serums, shampoos, and conditioners. We hope and expect our studies to show if topically applied, our hUMSC’s exosomes will have a positive impact as it relates to noticeably reducing the appearance of hair shedding. We anticipate this effect will be primarily through hydrating and nourishing the scalp and topically applying nutrients to the scalp.
We believe hUMSC’s exosomes are packed with a variety of elements that will have a positive impact on promoting healthy hair growth cycles including multiple secreted proteins or growth factors. Among other elements, exosomes can include vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is a natural growth factor, keratinocyte growth factor (KGF or FGF7) which play an important role in protecting and supporting healthy looking skin, and fibroblast growth factor (FGF2 or bFGF) which are small proteins or peptides that visibly makes hair look and feel softer, shinier, and fuller. Collectively we hope to show that these growth factors will contribute towards the promotion of a healthy growth cycle for follicles by noticeably reducing follicle shedding. Many products on the market often results in tiny, short, and blonde vellus hairs that do not appear to be full or feel softer to the extent that they did prior to having unhealthy looking hair. Exosomes with their complementary growth factors show the potential to promote fuller looking hair follicles with a more aesthetically pleasing girth and length that is associated with fuller looking and feeling hair.
In addition to genetic factors, age, gender, and dietary factors, individuals experiencing unhealthy looking hair often have a high level of inflammation caused by dihydrogen testosterone or DHT which similarly contributes to the lack of blood flow to the scalp. As DHT attaches to hair follicles it reduces the blood flow to that follicle, inflames the cells on the scalp and binds to the androgen receptor on both the scalp and hair follicles. This binding over time causes the follicle to fall into the dormant phase of growth or die because of the lack of nutrients it receives. This often causes hair loss in a pattern attributable to the number and amount of androgen receptors on an individual’s head. Prescription medicinal products marketed to males, such as finasteride, aim to inhibit the enzyme ‘5-alpha-reductase’ which is the enzyme responsible for converting the two molecules of testosterone via a hydrogen into a single molecule, dihydrogen testosterone (DHT). Those products tend to regulate hormonal response and are often associated with undesirable side effects that affect an individual’s hormones generally. As discussed, DHT is often targeted because it binds to androgen receptors, causing inflammation on the scalp which causes hair to fall out and grow back thinner than it was before. While hUMSC’s exosomes do not address the hormonal component of hair loss involving the overproduction of testosterone, we hope that if used persistently, our topical pipeline products will hydrate and nourish the scalp to a level that will supplant the need to take drugs that may result in hormonal imbalances and/or sexual side effects. Alternatively, our products may be taken in addition to prescription hair-loss drugs, such as finasteride, to aid in a more natural appearance of hair thickness and fullness. Additionally, research has shown that females tend to be more sensitive to testosterone and DHT, and their hair growth patterns may also be negatively affected by hormone imbalances attributable to menopause, however prescription DHT inhibitors have been deemed unsafe to be taken by the female population. Notably, our pipeline product will not be subject to these limitations as it relates to female hair loss or thinning, and we feel this will provide our product with an advantage in addition to being an early mover in the use of exosomes as it relates to unhealthy hair growth cycles.
75
Manufacturing
We currently lease a lab and office space within a larger facility that contains over 5,000 square feet of clean lab space where we manufacture exosomes and run daily business operations that are staffed by trained biochemical engineers from some of the top US medical colleges. All lab staff participate in a stringent training program and detailed standard operating procedures are followed throughout the entire commercialization process with multiple checks in place throughout to promote the quality of our product lines.
We have exclusively developed our manufacturing process through our management team’s experience in developing and curating the production needed for our robust skin care products, which we believe provides us with a competitive edge. Success in manufacturing our Elevai ExosomesTM requires refined processes that are reliable, scalable, and economical. In our lab, we grow our ethically sourced stem cells and trigger them such that they produce exosomes under our proprietary method. We take the exosome ingredient from our lab to our formulator on a non-exclusive basis who follows our specified parameters to support our exosomes’ ability to maintain our high quality and integrity standards. We maintain manufacturing scalability and flexibility through our in-house exosome process that we closely monitor to promote quality control in the commercialization of all of our proprietary product concepts. As of the date of this prospectus, we own or have an agreement in principle for the right to purchase the related manufacturing processes, and methods with our third-party vendors. We also maintain an agreement with our formulator which provides us with the right to purchase the product formulas. Moreover, we also oversee our leased laboratory space in California which operate under Good Laboratory Practices (“GLP”) and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMP”) for the production of our Elevai ExosomesTM. Similarly, our products are formulated by a third-party in an FDA inspected facility that adheres to GMP guidelines because GMP guidelines promotes the manufacture of our products at the highest recommended safety and quality standards for cosmetic products.
In July 2023, we expanded a portion of our laboratory space by an additional 721 square feet in order to store additional materials which in turn enables us to stage larger batches of our Elevai ExosomesTM and increase the amount of Elevai ExosomesTM we can produce per production-run via our Precision Regenerative Exosome TechnologyTM, or PREx™ Technology. With our expanded space, we estimate our batch size has increased about 50%, therefore we can manufacture about 50% more of our Elevai ExosomesTM per production-run. We believe this expansion will increase our efficiency by enhancing our ability to meet a particular target production level during the timeframe in which we set such a target and with less production-runs via PREx™. Expanding the batch size enables more time in between batches for us to plan, scale, and focus on research and development activities.
Our rental facility contains multiple cell and tissue culture suites containing biosafety cabinets and cell culture incubators. Not only does our facility provide a significant amount of cold storage and processing space that permit large-scale culture of hUMSCs and the ability to mass produce of stem cell-derived exosomes but allows us to perform cryo-preservation, cryo-storage, various forms of microscopy and cell analysis. Some additional key features of our rental facility include 24/7 security, advanced climate control, increased cold storage, additional cell culture and R&D suites to perform supplemental in-house research.
Areas of our rental facility operate under strict aseptic conditions following GLP standards which are used for cell culture and production of the company’s proprietary stem cell exosomes for topical applications while other portions of the lab provide access to a current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”) suite for ultra-pure, medical-grade research and development. Because we maintain the unique capacity to isolate and culture human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (“hUMSCs”) for use in preclinical and clinical trials and have access to cGMP labs alongside stem cell research and development labs with class II biosafety cabinets and the latest cellular research and production technologies, we are able to not only focus on cosmetic topical products for the physician-dispensed cosmetics skincare market but also address and explore clinical applications of these products in the future.
76
Our manufacturing process begins once we receive ethically sourced and thoroughly tested hUMSCs, from consenting donors who are themselves rigorously questioned and tested for communicable diseases. Elevai purchases hUMSCs from third-party cGMP sources in the US and in the UK where the Wharton’s Jelly portion of the hUMSCs are captured and extracted within twenty-four hours of a full-term healthy birth. Wharton’s Jelly is a mucous connective tissue primarily made up of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate and the main purpose of Wharton’s jelly is to provide insulation and protection to the umbilical cord. These properties make our use of these cord derived cells ideal for our commercialization process. This is because these stem cells’ conditioned media (“CM”) or stem cells’ secretome is capable of resulting in exosomes with a protein profile that uniquely mimics the profile of proteins that these very young cells naturally produce when supporting healing and repair process that we believe complement the aesthetic results of our serums in improving the appearance of the skin.
77
We work with multiple suppliers to source our high quality hUMSCs for research and development, which are provided after isolating those hUMSCs from multiple umbilical cords under specific proprietary conditions where cell expansion and cryopreservation is utilized, followed by creation of a master and working cell bank under cGMP. A master cell bank (“MCB”) is a uniform, well-characterized, and carefully preserved set of cells. These cells are derived from a single, well-defined source. The advantage of establishing a MCB is to ensure that set of cells serves as the primary stock of cells from which all subsequent cell banks (e.g., working cell banks) and final products are derived. We believe that establishing a MCB is essential for ensuring the consistency, and quality because there are less variations for characterization and increased quality control of the MCB. The formation of an MCB involves rigorous testing for identity, purity, potency, and stability, as well as screening for the presence of any contaminants, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, or mycoplasma. Similarly, using multiple cords to source our hUMSCs from a blend of Wharton’s Jelly MSCs from ten or more donor cords ensures that any gene expression issues or donor to donor variability is diluted out, protecting from causing variability in our final product. Using a mixture of donors helps to normalize any issue with any single donor and we believe it to improve our batch consistency and limit the impact of any deficiencies from a single donor.
As of the date of this prospectus, we rely on one supplier to source hUMSCs for our cosmetic products under a non-exclusive supply agreement in principle for the proprietary production of hUMSCs with INmune Bio International Ltd (England) (“INmune UK”). This supply agreement exists in principle at the time of this prospectus, and we are continuing to negotiate its final terms while operating through purchase orders. INmune UK has developed a proprietary know how manufacturing process that reliably produces clinical grade cGMP quality hUMSCs. INmune UK’s hUMSCs are rigorously tested for common sources of contamination (bacterial and fungal contamination) as well as for a wide variety of viruses, including HIV, Hepatitis, Herpes, and current known viruses that are standard to test for when blood or tissue is donated for transplant. These hUMSCs are express shipped to our lab in California on dry ice, where we keep them cryopreserved until processing using PREx™.
These hUMSCs are thereafter subjects in our proprietary production process called Precision Regenerative Exosome TechnologyTM, or PREx™ Technology, which is used to produce Elevai Exosomes™. Cell therapy and biotech companies also currently utilize this same technique of combining multiple, well tested lots of donor cells to promote reliable, consistent production of their cell-based products and this represents the current standard for safety, aesthetic results, and reproducibility for cell-based therapies. Starting from this well tested cell bank of Wharton’s Jelly hUMSCs, we utilize proprietary cell culture techniques to trigger the production of our Elevai ExosomesTM through proprietary controlled in vitro culture conditions. The conditions in which Elevai Exosomes™ are secreted are designed to simulate what young healthy stem cells experience when damage to the skin occurs. Thereafter, we filter out cells and cell debris, and work to isolate exosomes and nanoscale growth factors that are then further purified and stabilized to formulate our products which are rich in Elevai ExosomesTM.
From our lab, we transfer our Elevai ExosomesTM to an FDA inspected cGMP-compliant formulator who specializes in the formulation and manufacture of prescription, over-the-counter pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products. This formulator produces our products pursuant to our specifications under our non-exclusive agreement. The manufacturer is required by law and by our manufacturing standards to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices. Elevai pre-qualifies its manufacturers and formulators and works only with manufacturer’s that are FDA inspected. This requires our formulators to test both their ingredients and final products for quality, traceability and safety per FDA recommended GMP guidelines for cosmetic products. Additionally, these guidelines include testing each ingredient prior to use in a formulation as well as testing the final product produced for microbial contamination. Once with our formulator, the Elevai ExosomesTM are processed into final formulations and stabilized in a temperature-controlled environment where they are combined with ingredients at a low shear forces and controlled potential of Hydrogen (“pH”) to promote stability. Additionally, the final formulations are preserved using minimal preservatives, kept in viscose solution to prevent effects of shear forces in the downstream processes, such as during transport or rapid temperature fluctuations that may result in the breaking down of exosomes. These final formulations are placed into opaque containers which help protect from oxidation through a sealed and double walled airless pump and final products are stored in a temperature-controlled warehouse prior to being brought to market. We have and will continue to devote significant resources to process development and manufacturing scale-up to optimize process robustness and success rates in developing our Elevai Exosomes TM and other potential product candidates, as well as to reduce per-unit manufacturing costs and enable us to further enhance our scale for regional and global sales.
Once infused with our Elevai ExosomesTM, our products require no additional specialty manufacturing capabilities or unique, sole-source components. This reduces our dependence on any single manufacturer.
78
Intellectual Property
We are committed to developing and protecting our intellectual property and, where appropriate, filing patent applications to protect our technology. Since our establishment, we have focused on building an established brand for our products to achieve brand recognition and to increase our market share. We believe that increased brand awareness will increase sales and sales margins and improve customer loyalty. We have consistently marketed our products under the Elevai brand.
We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws and other agreements with employees and third parties to establish and protect our proprietary intellectual property rights. We require our officers, employees and consultants to enter into standard agreements containing provisions requiring confidentiality of proprietary information and assignment to us of all inventions made during the course of their employment or consulting relationship. We also enter into nondisclosure agreements with our commercial counterparties and limit access to, and distribution of, our proprietary information. As of the date of this prospectus, we have 15 registered trademarks inclusive of 12 global trademarks and 3 United States trademarks, and 18 trademark applications pending, 2 registered domain names, 3 non-provisional patent applications filed, 1 provisional patent application and 3 International Patent Corporation Treaty (“PCT”) applications filed.
Our Precision Regenerative Exosome Technology™, or PREx™, process is used to produce Elevai Exosomes™ and the exact process remains a trade secret. We have strategically decided to not pursue a patent around the process.
Copyright
As of the date of this prospectus, we have neither registered nor claim authorship over any copyrights.
Trademarks
We own or have filed the following United States trademarks as of September 28, 2023, as noted below:
No. | Trademark | Owner | Country / Region | Application Number(s) | Application Date |
Registration Number(s) |
Registration Date |
1. | ELEVAI | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 90976081 | 2020-07-19 | 66305839 | 2022-01-25 |
2. | EXOSENTIAL | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 88982140 | 2020-02-05 | 6660483 | 2022-03-01 |
3. | ELEVAI Logo |
Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 90976512 | 2020-11-19 | 6681167 | 2022-03-22 |
4. | ELEVAI | Elevai Labs, Inc. | International: |
1657242, 40202209265W | 2022-03-07 | 1657242, 1208477, 2264791, 40202209265W |
2022-03-07 |
5. | ELEVAI EXOSOMES | Elevai Labs, Inc. | Australia | 2256931 | 2022-03-17 | 2256931 | 2022-03-17 |
6. | ELEVAI EXOSOMES | Elevai Labs, Inc. | International: Designating, the EU |
A0122396 | 2022-04-28 | 1663708 | 2022-04-28 |
7. | SKINCARE, ELEVATED. | Elevai Labs, Inc. | International: Designating Australia, the EU, the UK | 1676788 | 2022-07-07 | 1676788, 2292774, WO000001676788 | 2022-07-07 |
8. | ELEVAI ENLIGHTEN | Elevai Labs, Inc. | International: Designating Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the EU, the UK, China, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, the UAE and Russia |
1732234 | 2023-05-05 | 1732234 | 2023-05-05 |
79
9. | EMPOWER | Elevai Labs, Inc. | International: Designating Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the EU, the UK, China, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, the UAE and Russia |
1732226 | 2023-05-05 | 1732226 | 2023-05-05 |
10. | ENFINITY | Elevai Labs, Inc. | International: Designating Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the EU, the UK, China, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, the UAE and Russia |
1732116 | 2023-05-05 | 1732116 | 2023-05-05 |
11. | ELEVAI E-SERIES | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 90483829 | 2021-01-22 | 7176701 | 2023-09-26 |
12. | ELEVAI Logo |
Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 90331545 | 2020-11-19 | ||
13. | ELEVAI | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 90061002 | 2020-07-19 | ||
14. | ELEVAI EXOSOMES | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97097832 | 2021-10-28 | ||
15. | ELEVAI | Elevai Labs, Inc. | Canada | 21806809 | 2022-03-07 | ||
16. | ELEVAI | Elevai Labs, Inc. | International: Designating, South Korea, UAE |
1657242 | 2022-03-07 | ||
17. | ELEVAI EXOSOMES | Elevai Labs, Inc. | Canada | 1663708 |
2022-04-28 | ||
18. | PRECISION
REGENERATIVE EXOSOME TECHNOLOGY |
Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97641977 | 2022-10-21 | ||
19. | PREX | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97641975 | 2022-10-21 | ||
20. | REVERSE ENGINEERING OF NATURE | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97682790 | 2022-11-17 | ||
21. | SKINCARE, ELEVATED. | Elevai Labs, Inc. | Canada | 2203546 | 2022-07-07 | ||
22. | EMPOWER | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97693845 | 2022-11-28 | ||
23. | ENFINITY | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97693841 | 2022-11-28 | ||
24. | ELEVAI ENLIGHTEN | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97622736 | 2022-10-07 | ||
25. | ELESOMES | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97765984 | 2023-01-24 | ||
26. | EVOSOMES | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97765987 | 2023-01-24 | ||
27. | REJUVASOMES | Elevai Labs, Inc. | United States | 97815390 | 2023-02-28 |
80
Domain Names
We have the right to use the following domain registration issued in the United States, as noted below:
Number | Issue Date | Expiration Date | Registration Agency | Domain Name | Owner | |||||
1 | 07/10/2020 | 07/10/2023 | GoDaddy Operating Company, LLC. | www.elevaiskincare.com | Reactive Medical Labs Inc. | |||||
2 | 11/08/2020 | 11/08/2023 | GoDaddy Operating Company, LLC. | www.elevailabs.com | Reactive Medical Labs Inc. |
Patents
A provisional patent application is a temporary patent application which is not examined by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). This type of application will not mature into a valid enforceable patent by itself and grants the applicant a 12-month pendency period, the establishment of an official United States patent application filing date for the invention which may be later referenced in a non-provisional application, and the authorized use of a “patent pending” notice for 12 months in connection with the description of the invention under the patent application. Provisional patent applications serve to establish a chain of priority rights for subsequently filed patent applications. Similarly, PCT applications do not mature into valid enforceable patents and serve to establish a chain of priority rights for subsequently filed patent applications. PCT applications are place holder applications to allow the Company access to the Patent Cooperation Treaty rights, specifically related to the ability to enter into the national phase patent prosecution of member nations within thirty months of the earliest priority date. PCT patent applications cover all 152 nations which are signatories of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Alternatively, a non-provisional patent application is a traditional patent application that requests the USPTO to issue a utility patent. This type of patent protects intellectual property rights for twenty years for any novel, useful, and non-obvious invention.
Below is a table, with footnotes, that includes our United States and International Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT-Global) patent applications with its referenced property number that are material to our business as of May 4, 2023, as well as our two patent anticipated applications:
Property No. | Patent title | Application Number and Filling Date |
Application Type | Jurisdiction | Ownership Status and Expiration Date | |||||
1. | Formulation patent for the exosome formulation based on human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells.(1) | 63/256,593, 10/17/21 | Provisional | USA | Elevai Labs, Inc., 10/17/22 | |||||
2. | Formulation patent for the exosome formulation based on human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells. (2) | 17/865,229, 07/14/22 | Non-Provisional | USA | Elevai Labs, Inc., 10/17/41 | |||||
3. | Formulation patent for the exosome formulation based on human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells. (3) | PCT/US22/46446, 10/12/22 | Patent Co-operation Treaty | PCT-Global | Elevai Labs, Inc., 04/12/2025 | |||||
4. | Method of use of exosome formulation-based product for the regeneration of hair after hair loss. (4) | 18/101,974, 1/26/23 | Non-Provisional | USA | Elevai Labs, Inc., 10/17/41 | |||||
5. | Method of use of exosome formulation-based product for the regeneration of hair after hair loss. (5) | PCT/US23/11750, 1/27/23 | Patent Co-operation Treaty | PCT-Global | Elevai Labs, Inc., 07/27/2025 | |||||
6. | Method of treating skin pigmentation and formulation for treatment. (6) | 17/977,257, 10/31/22 | Non-Provisional | USA | Elevai Labs, Inc., 10/17/41 | |||||
7. | Method of treating skin pigmentation and formulation for treatment. (7) | PCT/US22/54352, 12/30/22 | Patent Co-operation Treaty | PCT-Global | Elevai Labs, Inc., July 30, 2024 |
1 | Formulation provisional patent application for the exosome formulation based on human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells. Does not include any methods of use. |
2 | Non-provisional patent application based on Property (1). |
3 | Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT) application based on Property (2). |
4 | Non-provisional patent application for method of use of exosome formulation-based product of Property (2) for treatment of skin discoloration conditions. Specifically mentions rosacea and melasma. Claims priority to Property (2) and Property (1). |
5 | PCT application based on Property (4). |
6 | Non-provisional patent application for method of use of exosome formulation-based product of Property (2) for the regeneration of hair after hair loss from androgeneic alopecia, alopecia areta, or telogen effulvium. Claims priority to Property (2) and Property (1). |
7 | PCT application based on Property (6). |
81
Below is a table that includes our anticipated United States and International Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT-Global) patent applications as of May 4med, 2023:
Patent title | Expected
Filling Date |
Application
Type |
Jurisdiction | ||||
Formulation patent for Exosome-based Product for Treatment of Skin Pigmentation and Method of Use | 07/15/2023 | Non-provisional | USA | N/A | |||
Formulation patent for Exosome-based Product for Treatment of Skin Pigmentation and Method of Use | 07/28/2023 | Patent Co-operation Treaty | PCT-Global | N/A |
If approved, our International PCT patent applications will cover all 152 nations which are signatories of the PCT. However, our IP strategy generally recognizes the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, Japan, Australia and China as targets for extending patent protection under the PCT. Decisions regarding which countries to extend patent coverage under the PCT is taken on a case-by-case basis, subject to normal business considerations such as value and return on investment.
Sales and Marketing
In the United States, we are primarily a B2B distributor and sell and market our skincare products to top-end dermatologists, plastic surgeons, medical spa owners and other physicians who are focused on aesthetic and therapeutic skincare. As of the date of this prospectus, we primarily sell and market through our team of approximately nine independent contractors or aesthetic account managers (“AAMs”) and direct sales force of four full time AAMs. This team is led by our director of aesthetic clinical education. We intend to replace our nine 1099 AAMs completely with full time AAMs by the end of fiscal year 2024 or sooner. Currently we maintain domestic sales coverage in the Pacific Southwest, Atlantic Northeast including New England, and the Atlantic Southeast regions of the United States and our plan, based on funding, is to add additional coverage in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and along the Atlantic corridor of the United States. We anticipate that when using the minimum proceeds raised under this offering, it will take us 12 to 18 months to fully transition to our expanded coverage. Once these regional AAMs are in place, those AAMs will receive continuous product and sales education and be groomed to be the regional sales managers in their territories. From there on out we plan to split the territories to have at least one AAM per state. Depending on the growth trajectory we will continue splitting territories until every territory can be serviced by our fully employed AAMs with a white glove concierge service. We intend to implement 30-60-90 day call schedules as well as sales targets per AAM depending on the location of the territory and the size of the territory. Ultimately, our goal is to have twenty five full time AAMs in place by the end of 2024.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have nearly 190 accounts across the United States. The medical professionals we sell to dispense our products in-office directly to their patients, a distribution method commonly referred to as the “physician-dispensed” channel. Additionally, we have broadened our sales channel to include our cosmetic product offerings at medical spa locations. In March 2023, we engaged in negotiations with a privately held aesthetics and dermatology company that operates thirteen medical spa locations throughout the United States, many of which are housed inside boutique and upscale hotels. In March 2023, we entered negotiations to provide our cosmetic products to the spa operator. In May 2023, we began supplying a number of that company’s medical spa locations that provide ablative services with our complementary cosmetic products. We supplied products to three of these medical spa locations by July 2023 to their customers who receive micro-needling, and laser treatments. Our principal goal is to expand our relationship with the medical spa company in order to provide our cosmetic products to all thirteen locations by May 2024. To that end, we plan to negotiate additional agreements with the remaining locations throughout 2023.
Currently, our professional clients receive a markup on each of our products that they sell to customers of their practices. We believe our professional clients financially and strategically benefit by collecting a margin and competitively adding a new income stream and distinguishing product-line to their practices’ milieu. Additionally, we offer these professional clients the ability to sell our products directly to their customers through our online store where capture a percentage of the sale. We also sell our products nationally on a business-to-business basis through our sales representatives. We believe that our market position in the physician-dispensed channel presents us with the opportunity to increase the market share of our existing products and to launch a range of new products. Moreover, we believe the physician-dispensed distribution model ultimately results in higher patient satisfaction because it is better suited to the provision of system-based skin care than traditional distribution channels. We have built long-term relationships with skin health professionals based on the success of our products during the first few formative years since launching our Elevai Post Treatment E-Series™. We will continue our sales and marketing efforts aimed at helping physicians understand how our products can meet growing patient demand for effective skin care treatments, thereby generating additional sources of revenue for physician practices. Furthermore, we believe that our product offerings, and our experienced sales force, uniquely position us to benefit from growth in the number of physicians who dispense skin care products directly to their patients.
82
Moving forward into 2023, we established three core strategic imperatives to drive our collective marketing and branding campaigns with an overarching goal of opening new physician accounts specifically in the fields of dermatology and plastic surgery. In doing so, we intend to grow our products footprint in order to grow our month over month sales by adding new accounts each month and growing sales in those accounts each month. Our three core strategies include (i) accelerating our branding through product awareness, (ii) focusing on product differentiation and our unique value proposition, and (iii) building well regarded clinical evidence alongside key opinion leader (“KOL”) advocacy for our current and future products.
83
In addition to the foregoing relationships with our core physician practices, we plan to continue accelerating our company, brand, and product awareness through multiple marketing channels. These include driving traffic to our branded website through advertising and paid media. These media partners include but not limited to print and digital advertisements, social media advertising, and email marketing and social media campaigns. Our ongoing email campaigns include keeping our current accounts and leads updated regarding our brand and products, and we plan to expand social media presence on TikTok to reach new audiences. Other valuable marketing includes accelerating our industry-specific advertising and sponsorships at key conferences, ten of which we have identified opportunities for in 2023 alone. Additionally, we attempt to create and build relationships with our physician’s clients through these physicians displaying and marketing our products to their patients. We believe that physicians and their trained staff are the best source of trustworthy skincare information. Their deep understanding of the science, chemistry and structure of skin gives them clinical insight to select the most effective products for patients such as ours. To support this effort, we offer educational programs and webinars on our products and patient events to help these physicians grow their practices. We also offer in-office materials on our products for their patients, as an organic form of direct-to-consumer advertising in addition to public relations programs for patient referrals. Together these paid advertisements, conference sponsorships, public webinars and in-office education represents an important part of our overall marketing and advertising strategy. Overall, we believe educating current and potential consumers will drive consumer inclination to request our products from their physician to drive organic demand and market penetration.
To brand our current and future products, we believe focusing on our differentiation and unique value proposition will set us apart for maximized growth and new and evolving partnerships. We plan to expand unbranded and branded product education for our aesthetic account managers and KOLs in order to position our brand as a leader in the physician-dispensed cosmetics space with both exosome biotechnology and engineering expertise. This cohesion amongst our key representatives will differentiate our brands from competitors at every stage with our source to skin manufacturing and technology. From there, we will propel our brand forward to promote a clear value proposition and business value for Elevai with our team and KOLs in lockstep. Ultimately, we believe this strategy will demonstrate to our current and prospective physician accounts how our brand can bring value to their practice as a business.
Lastly, we intend to build clinical validation study evidence and brand our products through a groundswell of KOL advocacy to establish and expand on core clinic data for our E-Series™ product line and eventual product entrants. As we authenticate and build up quantitative data for new publication opportunities, we plan to validate our product offerings through additional medical aesthetic device pairings. Our ability to form device company collaborations provides additional authenticity and validation amongst larger companies in adjacent cosmetics or aesthetics industries. Our endorsements through branded partnerships will further support KOL development and advocacy through ongoing education and peer-to-peer opportunities including wider endorsements of the Elevai brand to drive physician adoption. A well-developed combination of our core KOLs and co-branding opportunities will present the Elevai brand with the ability to retain a broader reach in the physician-dispensed industry and more of the market share.
Internationally, we have the ability to sell our products through authorized wholesale distributors. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not made any direct international sales. Instead, our Vietnamese and Canadian distributors have sold our products and are two of a handful of distributors with whom we have entered into exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements. Under this distribution agreement channel, we sell our products to a distributor, who resells our products to the physician practice customers after placing their order in a designated territory that is either exclusive or non-exclusive to that distributor. In 2022 alone, we signed a white label non-exclusive authorized global distribution agreement with premier aesthetic device company DermapenWorld Inc. and a non-exclusive distribution agreement with medical device technologies manufacturer and clinical grade skincare distributor, Refine USA, LLC. Between February and August 2023, we entered four exclusive distribution agreements with four separate distributors in Canada, Kuwait, the Philippines, and Vietnam whereby those distributors are permitted to promote, market, sell and distribute our products within their designated countries. Under these exclusive distribution agreements, we granted each a nonexclusive, nontransferable, royalty free license to use our branded products and marketing literature. Except for product sales made by our Canadian and Vietnamese distributors, as of the date of this prospectus, our distributors have not made any sales under any of our exclusive distribution agreements.
Our Facilities
Our principal executive office is located at 120 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. The office has 500 square feet, and the lease runs from May 2023 to September 2023. The monthly rent is $1,561.
Our medical grade production laboratory spaces are located at 1743 Creekside Dr. Folsom, CA 95630 (the “1743 Lab”), and 1739 Creekside Dr. # 110 Folsom, CA 95630 (the “1739 Lab”). Our 1743 Lab has 1,388 square feet while our 1739 Lab has 1,600 square feet and the lease for both the 1743 Lab and 1739 Lab runs from June 2022 to May 2025. The monthly rent for both the 1743 Lab and 1739 Lab is $13,476.75.
The following table sets forth the leases term and monthly rent:
Lease Term | Address | Space (square feet) | Average Monthly Rent | |||||||
May 2023 to September 2023 | 120 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 | 500 | $ | 1,561 | ||||||
June 2022 to May 2025 | 1739 Creekside Dr., Ste. 110 Folsom, CA 95630 | 1,388 | $ | 13,476.75 | (1) | |||||
June 2022 to May 2025 | 1743 Creekside Dr. Folsom, CA 95630 | 1,600 |
(1) | Our average monthly rental payment of $13,476.75 includes one payment for our laboratory locations at both 1739 and 1743 Creekside Dr. Folsom, CA 95630. |
We use these facilities for administrative purposes, research and development, manufacturing of our products and analysis by our laboratory. We believe that these facilities will satisfy our current manufacturing and research and development needs over the next 12 months. However, if we decide to expand our manufacturing capabilities in order to begin the developing the means produce a new topical haircare product within the next 12 months, we estimate we would require a capital intensive purchase of laboratory new equipment and funds to arrange testing protocols in amounts between $250,000 and $300,000 to establish that type of capability over the course of an estimated seven to eighteen months.
Some members of our management work outside of these premises in office space that we do not rent.
84
Our Employees
As of September 28, 2023, we had 16 full-time employees. The following table sets forth the number of our employees by function:
Functional Area | Number of Employees(1) | |||
Operating | 2 | |||
Research and Development | 4 | |||
Financial Department | 0 | |||
Sales | 8 | |||
Branding/Marketing | 2 | |||
Total | 16 |
(1) | This figure does not include our approximately nine independently contracted aesthetic account managers, as of the date of this prospectus. |
We provide employee benefits for each employee which include medical, unemployment, and work injury compensation.
Our employees have not formed any employee union or association. We have developed various methods to train our employees adequately for the functions they perform and are aware of the laws and regulations affecting our industry. Our success depends on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate qualified employees. We endeavor to offer employees competitive compensation packages and a positive, dynamic, and creative work environment. We believe that we maintain a good working relationship with our employees and have not experienced any difficulty in recruiting staff for our operations.
Environmental, Health and Safety
We are subject to numerous foreign, federal, provincial, state, municipal and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations relating to, among other matters, safe working conditions, product stewardship and environmental protection, including those relating to emissions to the air, discharges to land and surface waters, generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous substances and waste materials, and the registration and evaluation of chemicals. We maintain policies and procedures to monitor and control environmental, health and safety risks, and to monitor compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety requirements. Compliance with such laws and regulations pertaining to the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment, has not had a material effect upon our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position. However, environmental laws and regulations have tended to become increasingly stringent and, to the extent regulatory changes occur in the future, they could result in, among other things, increased costs to our company. For example, certain states such as California and the U.S. Congress have proposed legislation relating to chemical disclosure and other requirements related to the content of our products that are described in further detail below. See “Regulations”.
Seasonality
We have experienced and expect to continue to experience well documented seasonal fluctuations in the United States in our results of operations. Our revenues tend to decrease as spending tapers off during the summer months because patients tend to receive less treatments that our products are associated with during those summer months.28 More specifically, the cosmetic space tends to experience a dip in revenue at the begging of the first quarter with levels gradually rising and eventually tapering off until the summer months in quarter three. This is often due to the fact many aesthetics doctors and consumers alike are traveling. Not until the end of quarter three or beginning of quarter four does sales revenues tend to pick back up.
Insurance
We maintain certain insurance policies to safeguard us against risks and unexpected events. Although we pride ourselves on our commitment to safety, to mitigate our exposure to liability from any such liability, we maintain a number of policies including workers compensation insurance, directors’ and officers’ insurance, crime insurance, employment practices liability insurance, errors and omissions insurance, cyber first party insurance, cyber third-party insurance, product liability insurance, a commercial umbrella policy, and insurance as required in our leased premises. During the fiscal years 2022 and 2021, we did not make any material insurance claims in relation to our business.
Legal Proceedings
As of the date of this prospectus, there are no active legal proceedings pending or threatened against the Company. However, from time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise.
28 | Cutera. “Prepare for Seasonal Trends in Your Aesthetic Business.” Medium, 26 Sept. 2018; Cutera. “Seasonal Trends in Aesthetic Treatments and Demographics” Medium, 18 April. 2018. |
85
Federal, state and local governmental authorities in the United States and other countries regulate, among other things, the testing, production, marketing distribution and sale of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and cosmetics. In the United States, we, our formulators, and are our products are subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), acting under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”), the United States Federal Food, Drug, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (the “CPSC”), acting under the Consumer Product Safety Act, as amended by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (the “CPSA”), the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) under the Federal Trade Commission Act, and other federal statutes and federal agency rules. These governmental bodies principally regulate our products primarily on the basis of their intended use, as determined by the labeling claims made for the product and their ingredients, proper labeling, advertising, packaging, marketing, manufacture, safety, shipment, and disposal. While the FDA has the authority to regulate certain exosome medical products deemed to, and stem cell therapies used to, treat medical conditions, we are not aware of any FDA approved exosome medical products for any use.
Both federal and state governmental agencies continue to subject the cosmetic industry to regulatory scrutiny. We believe that we have structured our business operations and relationships with our customers to comply with all applicable legal requirements. However, it is possible that governmental entities or other third parties could interpret these laws differently and assert otherwise.
FDA regulation of cosmetics
The FDCA defines cosmetics as products and their components intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance. Cosmetic products are not subject to FDA pre-market approval authority, although the FDA can take enforcement action for marketed cosmetic products that are adulterated or misbranded, including violations of product safety requirements, use and quantity of ingredients, labeling and promotion, and methods of manufacture. Although cosmetics are not subject to pre-market approval by the FDA, certain ingredients, such as color additives, must be pre-authorized. If the safety of products or ingredients has not been adequately substantiated, a specific warning label is required. Other warnings may also be mandated pursuant to FDA regulations. As of the date of this prospectus, none of our products maintain a warning label, nor do we anticipate the need for any of our pipeline products to maintain such a warning label.
Additionally, the FDA monitors compliance of the formulation-, mixing-, testing- and bottling-of-cosmetic products through market surveillance and both periodic and random inspections of cosmetic manufacturers and distributors. The FDA may, by regulation, require warning statements on certain cosmetic products for specified hazards associated with such products. As of the date of this prospectus, none of our products maintain a warning statements, nor do we anticipate the need for any of our pipeline products to maintain such a warning statement. FDA regulations also prohibit or otherwise restrict the use of certain types of ingredients in cosmetic products. The labeling of cosmetic products is subject to the requirements of the FDCA, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and other FDA regulations. Similarly, our formulators are FDA compliant through registrations and routine inspections every four years. This is designed to ensure regulated products neither contain false nor misleading labeling and that they are not manufactured under unsanitary conditions. Under the FDCA, it is unlawful to introduce or deliver into interstate commerce a cosmetic that is adulterated or misbranded. A cosmetic may be adulterated if its composition is adversely affected because of its ingredients, handling, packaging, contaminants, or manufacturing. Whereas a cosmetic may be misbranded if its labeling is incorrect, or its packaging is misleading or deceptive. Inspections also may arise from consumer or competitor complaints filed with the FDA. In the event the FDA identifies false or misleading labeling or unsanitary conditions or otherwise a failure to comply with FDA requirements, a cosmetic company like ours may be required by a regulatory authority or that cosmetic company may independently decide to conduct a recall, market withdrawal of a product, make changes to its manufacturing processes or product formulations or labels.
The FDA also evaluates the “intended use” of a product to determine whether it is a drug, cosmetic product, or both. If a product is intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of a disease, condition, or is intended to affect the structure or function of the human body, the FDA will regulate the product as a drug. Drug products are subject to applicable requirements under the FDCA. The FDA may also consider labeling claims in determining the intended use of a product. If the FDA considers label claims for a cosmetic company’s products like ours to include claims that affect the structure or function of the human body, or contain an intended use for a disease condition, those products may be regulated as “new” drugs. If such products were regulated as “new” drugs by the FDA, it would be necessary for that company to obtain pre-market approval, which includes, among other things, conducting clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of its products in order to continue marketing those products. Whether a drug is intended to be sold over the counter or with a prescription can also determine what type of FDA approval process is necessary. If a drug qualifies for sale over the counter, it need not undergo a premarket approval process if it complies with the requirements of the FDA monograph system.
The FDA may change the regulations in relation to any product category, which may require a change to labeling, product formulation, or analytical testing. In such a case. sufficient resources are required to conduct analytical testing, reformulate the product, or make required label changes, and in certain cases, such regulations may result in a company’s inability to continue or resume marketing these products. Any inquiries or investigations from the FDA, FTC, or other foreign regulatory authorities into the regulatory status of a cosmetic company’s products may cause an interruption in the marketing and sale of those products.
We believe that our products’ intended use, as currently labeled, fall within the FDA definition of cosmetics, and therefore do not and will not require pre-market review and approval. Thus, our cosmetics products may be sold both over the counter and through a physician’s office, subject to state laws governing the commercial practices of physicians.
86
Federal regulation of advertising and promotion
We are subject to regulation by the CPSC under statutes and related regulations under the CPSA that prohibits consumer products that fail to comply with applicable product safety laws, regulations, and standards from the market. The CPSC has the authority to require the recall, repair, replacement or refund of any such banned products or products that otherwise create a substantial risk of injury and may seek penalties for regulatory noncompliance under certain circumstances. The CPSC regulations also require manufacturers of consumer products to report to the CPSC certain types of information regarding products that fail to comply with applicable regulations. Certain state laws also address the safety of consumer products and mandate reporting requirements, and noncompliance may result in penalties or other regulatory action.
The FTC, FDA, and state authorities also regulate the advertising of over-the-counter drugs and cosmetics, as well as exercise general authority to prevent unfair or deceptive trade practices. The advertising regulations specifically relate to any product claims regarding the safety, performance, and benefits of cosmetic products like ours. These regulatory authorities typically require a safety assessment of a given product on a reasonable basis to support any of its marketing claims. What constitutes a reasonable basis for substantiation can vary widely from market to market, and there is no assurance that a cosmetic company like ours may support all claims that will be considered sufficient by the regulatory bodies. The most significant area of risk for such activities relates to improper or unsubstantiated claims about the use and safety of our products. If a company like ours cannot adequately support safety claims, or substantiate product claims, or if a company’s promotional materials make claims that exceed the scope of allowed claims for the classification of the specific product, the FDA, FTC, or other regulatory authority could take enforcement action or impose penalties, such as monetary consumer redress, requiring companies to revise marketing materials, amend claims or stop selling certain products.
We are also subject to a number of United States federal and state and foreign laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the internet, including consumer protection regulations that govern retailers and oversee the promotion and sale of merchandise. Many of these laws and regulations are still evolving and being tested in courts and are still subject to wider interpretation. Some of these regulations involve user privacy, data protection, collection, user interface, content, intellectual property, distribution, electronic contracts and other communications, competition, protection of minors, consumer protection, telecommunications, product liability, taxation, economic or other trade prohibitions or sanctions and online payment services. In particular, we are subject to federal, state, and foreign laws regarding privacy and protection of consumer data. Foreign data protection, privacy, and other laws and regulations can often be more restrictive than those protections in the United States. United States federal and state and foreign laws and regulations are constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change. In addition, the application, interpretation, and enforcement of these laws and regulations are often uncertain and may be interpreted and applied inconsistently from country to country and inconsistently with our current policies and practices. There are also a number of legislative proposals pending before the United States Congress, various state legislative bodies, and foreign governments concerning privacy and data protection which could affect us. For example, the European Commission recently published the final draft of new data protection regulations that include operational requirements for companies that receive personal data which are different from those previously in place in the European Union, and also include significant penalties for non-compliance.
Federal regulation of cosmetics manufacturing and Good Manufacturing Practices
The FDA recently promulgated regulations to eventually establish Good Manufacturing Practices (“GCMPs”) regulations consistent with national and international standards for cosmetics. Although portions of the law have yet to be implemented it is worth nothing that President Biden signed into law the Modernization of Cosmetic Regulation Act of 2022 (“MoCRA”) on December 29, 2022 which requires the FDA to issue proposed rules relating to GCMPs within two years after enactment. Additionally, MoCRA requires increased FDA oversight of cosmetics and the ingredients in them by establishing processes similar to those for other FDA-regulated products, that ensures the cosmetic manufacturers provide assurances that the cosmetic products are safe. Specifically, MoCRA creates federal standards for cosmetic products registration, product listing, good manufacturing practice, recordkeeping, recalls, adverse event reporting and safety substantiation. States and local governments are precluded under MoCRA from enacting, implementing, or enforcing requirements for cosmetics that are different from MoCRA’s requirements, with two exceptions: states may prohibit the use of or limit the amount of an ingredient in cosmetic products under state law, and may continue to enforce reporting requirements such as California’s Proposition 65 that were in existence prior to MoCRA’s passage.
MoCRA establishes a definition of an obligations on a “responsible person” including manufacturers, or distributors of a cosmetic and those whose name appears on the products label such as us. However, the law accommodations for smaller sized businesses by defining those responsible persons whose gross annual sales in the United States of cosmetic products for the previous three-year period is less than $1,000,000 as a small business. Under MoCRA, small businesses are not subject to good manufacturing practices, registration, and listing requirements and they’re application under MoCRA are not discussed herein. Pursuant to the statute we fall under the definition of a small business and thus as of the date of this prospectus, the recent adoption of this law is expected to have limited effects on our operations. While we anticipate significant efforts by the FDA to work towards implementing its newly promulgated authority, it may be too early to determine what serious effects if any the law will have on a business of our size. In addition, MoCRA also does not apply to physicians’ offices, health care clinics, entities that provide complimentary cosmetic products, trade shows and others giving free samples or entities that are only doing research. The law also does not apply to distribution facilities including those that prepare labels, relabel, package, repackage, hold, and/or distribute cosmetic products.
Similar to the FDA’s existing authorities for dietary supplements and OTC drugs, under MoCRA a responsible person must (i) maintain records of any health-related adverse events associated with the use of its product for six years (or three years for some small businesses like ours) and, (ii) report to the FDA any serious adverse events no later than 15 days after learning about the issue. A responsible person must also provide any new and material medical information it learns of related to the serious adverse event for one year following the initial submission. MoCRA broadens the scope of what constitutes a serious adverse reportable event to account for particular considerations relevant to the cosmetics sector which includes an infection or “significant disfigurement (including serious and persistent rashes, second- or third-degree burns, significant hair loss, or persistent or significant alteration of appearance), other than as intended, under conditions of use that are customary or usual.”
87
Unlike for food and drug products, the FDA has yet to adopt good manufacturing practice (cGMP) regulations for cosmetics companies like ours as of the date of this prospectus. Under MoCRA the proposed rulemaking for cGMPs for cosmetics products will be published no later than two years after date of enactment (December 29, 2022) with final regulations no later than three years after that date of enactment. However, the FDA does have nonbinding draft guidance document on cosmetic cGMPs that cosmetic manufacturers may follow. Thus, we currently require all of our third-party manufacturers to represent and warrant to us that the products they produce for us are made in accordance with cGMPs, including those in relation to requiring specific documentation, recordkeeping, building and facility design standards, and equipment maintenance, and personnel requirements.
Under the FDA’s guidance recommendations, cosmetic manufacturers should:
● | Maintain records describing how their products are manufactured and tested; |
● | Determine whether their buildings and facilities are of suitable cleanliness, design, size, and construction; |
● | Determine whether their equipment is of appropriate design, size, and workmanship; |
● | Ensure that their personnel have the necessary training and expertise to perform their jobs; |
● | Handle, use, and store raw materials; |
● | Create written standard operating procedures, internal audit procedures, and laboratory controls; and |
● | Record and respond to consumer complaints, adverse events, and product recalls. |
Although we are not a cosmetics manufacturer and only manufacture our exosomes as components to be included in our final cosmetic products, we substantially implement the above cGMP practices in order to reduce the risk of manufacturing any adulterated or misbranded cosmetics by following the draft cGMP guidance. Cosmetic companies may also reduce the risk that cosmetics under company control will be tampered with or subject to criminal, terrorist, or other malicious actions by following the FDA’s guidance on security preventive measures for cosmetics processors and transporters.
FDA regulation of regenerative medicine
Although we do not believe that federal regulation of regenerative medicine is applicable to our product offerings, the shifting FDA guidance on human cell and tissue drug, devices and biological products defined under section 351 of the FDCA, is a complex and evolving subject worth citing for further clarification. Until recently, the principal federal statutes regulating medical products include the FDCA and the Public Health Service Act (the “PHSA”), despite both statutes not explicitly addressing these types of biological drugs or products. In the absence of direct Congressional action, the rules regarding human cell and tissue products continues to develop at the administrative level. This complex set of regulations and sub-regulatory guidance documents has been promulgated by the FDA and is regularly updated and published as recently as November 202229.
Regenerative medicines, including those that may contain exosomes, usually refers to the use of a cell or a gene therapy that can actually repair or replace damaged cells, tissues, or organs, as opposed to improving the appearance of skin. When these regenerative medicines are advertised to repair, or replace damaged cells, or tissues while treating diseases and conditions in humans, they may be regulated by the FDA as drugs and biological products under the FDCA. Some of these regenerative medicines may be subject to premarket review and approval requirements under the purview of FDA under the PHSA under which the FDA regulates the interstate manufacture and distribution of certain biological products, and drugs derived from human cells, tissues and cellular and tissue-based products or HCT/Ps. Under 21 CFR 1271.3(d), HCT/Ps are defined as “articles containing or consisting of human cells or tissues that are intended for implantation, transplantation, infusion, or transfer into a human recipient.” HCT/P regulations are promulgated so that those biological products used by practitioners in their treatment of patients are designed to prevent the transmission or spread of communicable diseases. To do so, the FDA created a tiered, risk-based system in which the level of FDA oversight varies depending on the source of the tissue, the degree to which that drug is processed, and the manufacturer’s claims for the final drugs.
Although HCT/Ps include those regenerative medicine therapies that may transplant cells from a donor into a patient to treat medical conditions, as of the date of this prospectus, we are not aware of any FDA approved exosome biological products or drugs for any use. Because our products are neither a regenerative medicine intended to be used to treat any disease or condition and, and we do not believe our products are subject to qualify as HCT/Ps as it relates to their intended use as defined by the FDA and we do not expect them to become subject to the above-mentioned guidance that is regularly published by the FDA.
29 | Regulation of Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (HCT/Ps) - Small Entity Compliance Guide | FDA |
88
Other government regulation
In addition to the foregoing laboratory protocols involving the handling of raw materials, we produce minimal non-hazardous bio-waste or discharge in our production of exosomes that is discarded via a contracted third-party hauler that specializes in processing waste in a compliant and controlled manner. To maintain current with our company protocols we maintain policies and procedures to monitor and control environmental, health and safety risks, and to monitor compliance with applicable state and federal environmental, health and safety requirements.
We are also subject to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, import, export and customs regulations as well as the laws and regulations of other countries.
Although our products are free from synthetic or natural fragrances, essential oils, flavors, parabens or phthalates we are further subject to state, and local laws including the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (or Proposition 65) that requires all businesses to notify Californians about products, including cosmetics, that contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer or reproductive harm. The California Safe Cosmetics Act further requires that a cosmetics manufacturer, packer, or distributor named on a cosmetic sold in California provide the California Department of Public Health a list of cosmetic products containing any ingredients known or suspected to cause cancer or reproductive or developmental harm. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not been subject to reporting under the California Safe Cosmetics Act, nor do we expect to be.
In addition, the California’s Cosmetic Fragrance and Flavor Ingredient Right to Know Act of 2020, requires manufacturers of cosmetics sold in California to disclose to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Safe Cosmetics Program certain flavor and fragrance ingredients in the cosmetics. Beginning January 1, 2025, California and Maryland have prohibited the manufacture or sale of cosmetics that contain certain intentionally added ingredients. Moreover, New York law sets limits on the amount of 1,4-dioxane that can be in cosmetics and personal care products sold in New York beginning December 31, 2022, with a tighter limit for personal care products beginning December 31, 2023. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not been subject to reporting under the California’s Cosmetic Fragrance and Flavor Ingredient Right to Know Act or New York State regulations regarding personal care products, nor do we expect to be.
89
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion and analysis and other parts of this prospectus contain forward-looking statements based upon current beliefs, plans and expectations related to future events and our future financial performance that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding our intentions, plans, objectives, expectations, forecasts and projections. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth under the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. You should carefully read the “Risk Factors” to gain an understanding of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. Please also see the section titled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” All amounts included herein with respect to the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 set forth below from our unaudited interim financial statements, each of which we prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or US GAAP.
Organization and Overview of Operations
Elevai Labs, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in June 2020. We are a physician-dispensed skincare company with a focus on modernizing aesthetic skincare. Elevai conducts research and development to advance innovative and science-driven topical skincare that complements the medical aesthetics industry. We principally employ a business-to-business model in which we produce and commercialize a new generation of topical skincare products that contain our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM to enhance the appearance of skin.
In June 2021, we entered into a stock transfer agreement with Reactive Medical Labs Inc., a Canadian company under common control, whereby we purchased substantially all of the assets and liabilities of Reactive Medical Labs Inc.
To bring our products to market, we developed a robust process from source to skin (exosome secretion to product bottling) that holds and utilizes advanced patent pending knowledge alongside our cohesive production process. Our specialty product lines are topically applied to the skin to aid in the reduction of the appearance of a range of the most common cosmetic skin conditions, including the appearance of skin firmness, oxidative stress, photodamage, hyperpigmentation, and texture of soft tissue deficits, such as reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. We primarily sell our products through the physician-dispensed channel.
Outlook
Management’s Plans
Over the next twelve months we intend to focus on:
● | Expanding our internal sales force, hiring new employees to accelerate commercialization of our products; |
● | Utilizing clinical validation studies to show the aesthetic results of our products; |
● | R&D to create new product formulations and bring them to market; |
● | Expanding our distribution partnerships internationally; and |
● | Expanding our partnerships with complementary device manufacturers. |
90
Results of Operations
Comparison of the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022.
The following table provides certain selected financial information of our results of operations for the periods presented:
Six Months ended June 30, 2023 | Six Months ended June 30, 2022 | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 459,350 | $ | 195,257 | $ | 264,093 | ||||||
Cost of revenue | $ | 152,613 | $ | 79,052 | $ | 73,561 | ||||||
Gross profit | $ | 306,737 | $ | 116,205 | $ | 190,532 | ||||||
Gross profit percentage | 67 | % | $ | 60 | % | 7 | % | |||||
Depreciation | $ | 5,385 | $ | 1,695 | $ | 3,690 | ||||||
Marketing and Promotion | $ | 216,727 | $ | 61,489 | $ | 155,238 | ||||||
Consulting Fees | $ | 233,687 | $ | 138,720 | $ | 94,967 | ||||||
Office and Administration | $ | 964,009 | $ | 327,417 | $ | 636,592 | ||||||
Professional Fees | $ | 306,730 | $ | 45,159 | $ | 261,571 | ||||||
Investor Relations | $ | 75,720 | $ | 13,786 | $ | 61,934 | ||||||
Research and Development | $ | 217,395 | $ | 78,563 | $ | 138,832 | ||||||
Foreign exchange (gain) loss | $ | 2,633 | $ | 1,857 | $ | 776 | ||||||
Travel and entertainment | $ | 184,170 | $ | 92,603 | $ | 91,567 | ||||||
Total operating expenses | $ | 2,206,456 | $ | 761,289 | $ | 1,445,167 | ||||||
Loss from operations | $ | (1,899,719 | ) | $ | (645,084 | ) | $ | (1,254,635 | ) | |||
Other expenses1 | (460,835 | ) | (3,442 | ) | (457,393 | ) | ||||||
Net loss | $ | (2,360,554 | ) | $ | (648,526 | ) | $ | (1,712,028 | ) | |||
Total Comprehensive Loss | $ | (2,360,179 | ) | $ | (648,284 | ) | $ | (1,711,895 | ) | |||
Basic and dilutive loss per common share | $ | (0.240 | ) | $ | (0.068 | ) | $ | (0.172 | ) | |||
Weighted average number of shares outstanding – basic and diluted | 9,838,599 | 9,526,808 | 311,791 |
1 | ”Other expenses” relates to interest income, interest expense, loss on sale of equipment and fair value gain/loss on derivative liability. |
Revenue
Revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $459,350 as compared to $195,257 for the six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $264,093.
Our revenue by product category is as follows:
Six Months ended June 30, 2023 | Six Months ended June 30, 2022 | |||||||
Enfinity | $ | 257,053 | 78,925 | |||||
Empower | 202,297 | 20,282 | ||||||
White label distributor | - | 96,050 | ||||||
Total Revenue | $ | 459,350 | 195,257 |
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company sold 583 bottles of Enfinity, produced its first production run of Empower and sold 38 single Empower tubes (equivalent to 4.75 eight packs) as well as 37 eight packs of Empower, and sold 1,201 eight packs of Empower to a white label distributor. During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company sold 2,081 bottles of Enfinity and sold 486 (eight packs) of Empower tubes. The Company has seen significant growth in sales since its commercialization in Q1 2022.
91
Cost of Revenue
Cost of Revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $152,613 as compared to $79,052 for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
Our cost of revenue by product category is as follows:
Six Months ended June 30, 2023 | Six Months ended June 30, 2022 | |||||||
Enfinity | $ | 98,383 | $ | 28,528 | ||||
Empower | 54,230 | 12,388 | ||||||
White label distributor | - | 38,136 | ||||||
Total Cost of Revenue | $ | 152,613 | $ | 79,052 |
The increase in cost of revenue is directly attributed to the increase in sales during the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the six months ended June 30 2022. The following is a breakdown of the components of cost of revenue:
Six Months ended June 30, 2023 | Six Months ended June 30, 2022 | |||||||
Cost of inventory | $ | 73,896 | $ | 56,622 | ||||
Sales commission | 47,417 | 12,622 | ||||||
Shipping cost | 28,378 | 1,988 | ||||||
Inventory write down and wastage | 2,922 | 7,820 | ||||||
Total Cost of Revenue | $ | 152,613 | $ | 79,052 |
Gross Profit
The following is a breakdown of gross profit percentage by product category for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022:
Six Months ended June 30, 2023 | Six Months ended June 30, 2022 | |||||||
Enfinity | 62 | % | 64 | % | ||||
Empower | 73 | % | 39 | % | ||||
White label distributor | - | 60 | % | |||||
Overall Gross Profit Percentage | 67 | % | 60 | % |
92
Gross profit for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $306,737 as compared to $116,205 for the six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $190,532. This represents an overall gross margin percentage of 67% during the six month period ending June 30, 2023, compared to 60% in the six month period ending June 30, 2022. The overall increase in gross margin percentage is primarily due to the Empower products being sold at a higher margin to increase profit margins compared to six months ended June 30, 2022. Additionally, the six month period ended June 30, 2022 contains white label distributor sales which are sold at a lower gross margin while the six month period ended June 30, 2023 had no white label distributor sales.
The decrease in the gross margin percentage on Enfinity from 64% during the six months ended June 30, 2022 to 62% in the six months ended June 30, 2023, is primarily related to higher sales commissions as the Company hired more sales reps to drive sales. The increase in the gross margin percentage on Empower from 39% during the six months ended June 30, 2022 to 73% in the six months ended June 30, 2023, is primarily related to the write down, during 2022, of Empower tubes that were the wrong size.
Research and Development Expenses (“R&D”)
R&D expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2023, were $217,395 compared to $78,563 for the six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $138,832. R&D related to the Company’s Enfinity, Empower and white label distributor products. The increase in R&D is mainly driven by an increase in lab employee headcount from one (1) during the six months ended June 30, 2022, to four (4) in the six months ended June 30, 2023. In addition, the Company was in its old lab location during Q1 2022 compared to the new lab location in Q1 2023 (the Company has been in its new lab since July 2022). The new lab location has a higher production and R&D capacity which brings an increase in rent and utilities. During both the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company's lab staff worked on increasing the efficiency and refining the production process.
Marketing and Promotion
Marketing and promotion expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2023, were $216,727 compared to $61,489 for the six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $155,238. The Company increased its marketing and promotion efforts to drive sales, which included giving out product samples with a cost of $64,718 during the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to only $12,407 during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
Office and Administrative Expenses
Office and administrative expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2023, were $964,009, compared to $327,417 for the six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $636,592. The increase is mainly the result of salaries and wages of $608,150 and office rent of $54,138 incurred for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $190,347 and $15,281 in the six months ended June 30, 2022, a combined increase of $456,660. The Company increased its headcount and moved into a larger office location to accommodate the commercialization of its products and growth in operations during the six months ended June 30, 2023. During the six months ended June 30, 2023, office and administrative expenses also include share-based compensation of $178,736, compared to $56,407 in six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $122,329. The increase in share-based compensation expense is due to the continued vesting of stock options granted during 2021 and 2022, with additional options issued during 2023. The remaining increase is consistent with the increase in operations in the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022.
Consulting Fees
Consulting fees for the six months ended June 30, 2023, were $233,687, compared to $138,720 for the six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $94,967. During the six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022, the Company incurred consulting fees in relation to recruitment, strategic introductions, business advisory, international relations, and strategy. In addition, the Company received services from a number of parties (including companies controlled by related parties and CFO) in a consulting capacity. The increase in consulting fees is consistent with the increase in operations.
Professional Fees
Professional fees for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $306,730, compared to $45,159 for the six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $261,571. Professional fees comprise of legal, audit and accounting services. The increase during the six months ended June 30, 2023, is primarily due to an increase in audit, legal and accounting services pursuant to the Company’s goal of filing its preliminary initial registration (S-1 Form) with the SEC and completing an initial public offering (“IPO”).
Travel and Entertainment
Travel and entertainment for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $184,170, compared to $92,603 for six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $91,567. Travel and entertainment expenses are related primarily to costs incurred during the attendance of industry trade shows and conferences. The increase in the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to 2022 is due to the Company increasing its presence at trade shows and conferences to raise awareness of the Company, its products and to drive business development.
Investor Relations
Investor relations for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $75,720, compared to $13,786 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase in investor relations spending is consistent with the Company’s growth strategy, which includes promotion to current and potential investors.
93
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The accompanying unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which implies the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the continued financial support from its shareholders, the ability of the Company to obtain necessary equity financing to continue operations, and ultimately the attainment of profitable operations.
As of June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the Company had a net working capital deficit of $112,264, and a positive working capital $963,050, respectively, and has an accumulated deficit of $5,082,927 and $2,722,373, respectively. Furthermore, for six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022, the Company incurred a net loss of $2,360,554 and $648,526, respectively and used $1,654,262 and $489,327 respectively of cash flows for operating activities. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Our principal liquidity requirements are for working capital, capital expenditure, research and development and inventory production. We fund our liquidity requirements primarily through cash on hand, cash flows from operations, and the issuance of common and preferred stock. As of June 30, 2023, we had cash of $601,265, with $1,154,901 as of December 31, 2022.
The following table provides selected financial data of our financial position as of June 30, 2023, and as of December 31, 2022, respectively.
June 30, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | Change | ||||||||||
Current assets | $ | 1,450,505 | $ | 1,551,322 | $ | (100,817 | ) | |||||
Current liabilities | $ | 1,562,769 | $ | 588,272 | $ | 974,497 | ||||||
Working capital | $ | (112,264 | ) | $ | 963,050 | $ | (1,075,314 | ) |
The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022:
Six Month Ended June 30, 2023 | Six Month Ended June 30, 2022 | Change | ||||||||||
Cash used in operating activities | $ | (1,654,262 | ) | $ | (489,327 | ) | $ | (1,164,935 | ) | |||
Cash used in investing activities | $ | (11,191 | ) | $ | (3,441 | ) | $ | (7,750 | ) | |||
Cash provided by financing activities | $ | 1,111,089 | $ | 470,912 | $ | 640,177 |
Cash Used in Operating Activities
For the six months ended June 30, 2023, net cash flows used in operating activities was $1,654,262 compared to $489,327 used during the six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively, primarily due to net loss and timing of settlement of assets and liabilities.
Cash Used in Investing Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022, we used $11,191 and $3,441, respectively, in investing activities primarily related to the purchase of equipment for our lab space to be used on the production of inventory and research and development, as well as the purchase of equipment for use at conferences and trade shows.
94
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, we had cash flows provided by financing activities of $1,111,089 compared to $470,912 financing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2022. During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company raised $1,073,589 through the issuance of Common Stock and Common Stock purchase warrants, and another $37,500 upon the exercise of stock options in exchange for Common Stock.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
This discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our condensed interim consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of the condensed interim consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company regularly evaluates estimates and assumptions related to revenue recognition, the collectability of receivables, valuation of inventory, fair value of derivative liabilities and stock options, useful lives and recoverability of long-lived assets, and deferred income tax asset valuation allowances. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on current facts, historical experience, and various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgements about the carrying value of assets and liabilities and the accrual of costs and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. The actual results experienced by the Company may differ materially and adversely from those estimates. Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically, and the effects of revisions are reflected in the condensed interim consolidated financial statements in the period they are determined.
The Company’s policy for property and equipment requires judgement in determining whether the present value of future expected economic benefits exceeds capitalized costs. The policy requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions about future economic benefits related to its operations. Estimates and assumptions may change if new information becomes available. If information becomes available suggesting that the recovery of capitalized cost is unlikely, the capitalized cost is written off/impaired to the condensed interim consolidated statement of operations.
The assessment of whether the going concern assumption is appropriate requires management to take into account all available information about the future, which is at least, but not limited to, 12 months from the date the financial statements are issued. The Company is aware that material uncertainties related to events or conditions may cast substantial doubt upon the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Revenue Recognition
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Since ASU 2014-09 was issued, several additional ASUs have been issued to clarify various elements of the guidance. These standards provide guidance on recognizing revenue, including a five-step model to determine when revenue recognition is appropriate.
The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a product to a customer. Revenue is measured based on the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those products. In instances where financial acceptance of the product is specified by the customer, revenue is deferred until all acceptance criteria have been met. Revenues are recognized under ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” in a manner that reasonably reflects the delivery of its products and services to customers in return for expected consideration.
The Company generates revenue through the sale of skincare products. Revenue from the sale of skincare products are recognized at the point in time when the Company considered revenue realized or realizable and earned, which is typically when all of the five following criteria are met: (1) the contract with the customer is identifiable (i.e. when a sales transaction has been entered into between the Company and the customer), (2) the performance obligation in the contract is identifiable (i.e. the customer has ordered a known quantity of product to be delivered), (3) the transaction price is determinable (i.e. the customer has agreed to the Company’s price for the products ordered), (4) the Company is able to allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (5) the performance obligations have been satisfied, which is typically upon delivery of the product to the customer.
Transaction prices for performance obligations are explicitly outlined in relevant agreements; therefore, the Company does not believe that significant judgements are required with respect to the determination of the transaction price, including any variable consideration identified.
The Company is responsible for providing the products to customers. As a result, the Company is considered the Principal when providing products to customers. As the Company collects payment at the time of the customer order, its contracts do not have a significant financing component. Customers are entitled to replacement or full refund of any damaged or defective product, after the return of the damaged or defective product to the Company. There were no significant returns or refunds during the six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022.
95
Foreign Currency Translation
The Company’s functional and reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of the Company’s Canadian subsidiary, Elevai Research Inc. (“Elevai Research”) is the Canadian dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated using the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary assets, liabilities, and items recorded in income arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated at rates of exchange in effect at the date of the transaction. Gains and losses arising on translation or settlement of foreign currency denominated transactions or balances are included in the determination of income.
The accounts of Eleva Research are translated to U.S. dollars using the current rate method. Accordingly, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the period-end exchange rate while revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rates during the period. Related exchange gains and losses are included in a separate component of stockholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
Inventory
Inventory consists of raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods and are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The Company’s manufacturing process involves the production of our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM. Finished goods consists of a new generation of cosmetic topical products containing our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM. Cost is determined using the weighted average cost formula. Net realizable value is determined on the basis of anticipated sales proceeds less the estimated selling expenses. Management compares the cost of inventories with the net realizable value and an allowance is made to write down inventories to net realizable value, if lower.
Stock-Based Compensation
Employees - The Company accounts for share-based compensation under the fair value method which requires all such compensation to employees, including the grant of employee stock options, to be calculated based on its fair value at the measurement date (generally the grant date), and recognized in the condensed interim consolidated statement of operations over the requisite service period.
Nonemployees - During June 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-07, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2018-07”) to simplify the accounting for share-based payments to nonemployees by aligning it with the accounting for share-based payments to employees. Under the requirements of ASU 2018-07, the Company accounts for share-based compensation to non-employees under the fair value method which requires all such compensation to be calculated based on the fair value at the measurement date (generally the grant date) and recognized in the statement of operations over the requisite service period.
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022, the Company recorded $185,068 and $58,510, respectively, in share-based compensation expense, of which $178,736 and $6,332, and $56,407 and $2,101, respectively is included in office and administration and research and development, respectively.
Determining the appropriate fair value model and the related assumptions requires judgment. During six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022, the fair value of each option grant was estimated using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model.
The expected volatility represents the historical volatility of comparable publicly traded companies in similar industries, adjusted for variables such as stock price, market capitalization and life cycle. Due to limited historical data, the expected term for options granted is equal to the contractual life. The risk-free interest rate is based on a treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected life of stock options. The Company has not paid and does not anticipate paying cash dividends on its shares of Common Stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero.
96
Concentrations
Customers
During the six month period ended June 30, 2023, the Company recorded 16% of its revenue from its largest customers. The Company’s largest customer relates to sales to a wholesaler during the period. During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recorded 49% of its revenue from a single customer. The company's largest customer relates to sales to a wholesaler during the period.
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had $3,549 and $nil receivables due from this customer, respectfully, and $nil and $5,992, respectfully, in customer deposits were received from its largest customer.
The Company expects its dependence on major customers to decrease over time as it enters into additional distributor agreements and builds out its sales team.
Suppliers
During the six month period ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company had 2 key suppliers that represented approximately 57% and 66%, respectively of the cost incurred in the purchase and production of inventory. The table below represents a breakdown of each supplier as a percentage of the cost incurred (Suppliers are shown from largest to smallest and does not necessarily represent the same suppliers period over period):
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 | Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 | |||||||
Supplier 1 | 33 | % | 33 | % | ||||
Supplier 2 | 24 | % | 33 | % | ||||
Total | 57 | % | 66 | % |
The Company continually evaluates the performance of its suppliers and the availability of alternatives to substitute or supplement its inventory production supply chain. The Company believes that a breakdown in supply from one of its key suppliers would be overcome in a short amount of time given the availability of alternatives.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have 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 expenditure or capital resources that is material to investors.
Future Related Party Transactions
After completion of this Offering, the Corporate Governance Committee of our Board of Directors (which we will establish and which will consist solely of independent directors) will be required to approve all related party transactions. All related party transactions will be made or entered into on terms that are no less favorable to use than can be obtained from unaffiliated third parties.
97
Impact of Inflation
We do not believe the impact of inflation on our Company is material.
COVID-19 Risk
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, a significant impact around the world, prompting governments and businesses to take unprecedented measures, such as restrictions on travel and business operations, temporary closures of businesses, and quarantine and shelter-in-place orders. The COVID-19 pandemic has at times significantly curtailed global economic activity and caused significant volatility and disruption in global financial markets. The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by many countries in response have affected and could in the future materially impact the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
Certain of our outsourcing partners, component suppliers and logistical service providers have experienced disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in non-material supply shortages. Similar or greater disruptions could occur in the future.
Inflation Risk
We are also exposed to inflation risk. Inflationary factors, such as increases in labor costs, could impair our operating results. Although we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date, a high rate of inflation in the future may have an adverse effect on our ability to maintain current levels of gross margin and operating expenses.
Market Risk
Market risk is the risk of loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices. Our market risk exposure is generally limited to those risks that arise in the normal course of business, as we do not engage in speculative, non-operating transactions, nor do we utilize financial instruments or derivative instruments for trading purposes.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
The following table provides certain selected financial information of our results of operations for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31, 2022 | Year Ended December 31, 2021 | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 766,277 | $ | 827 | $ | 765,450 | ||||||
Cost of revenue | $ | 318,968 | $ | 88 | $ | 318,880 | ||||||
Gross profit | $ | 447,309 | $ | 739 | $ | 446,570 | ||||||
Gross profit percentage | 58 | % | $ | 89 | % | (31 | )% | |||||
Amortization | $ | 5,034 | $ | 2,385 | $ | 2,649 | ||||||
Marketing and Promotion | $ | 192,863 | $ | 31,605 | $ | 161,258 | ||||||
Consulting Fees | $ | 324,395 | $ | 210,402 | $ | 113,993 | ||||||
Office and Administration | $ | 1,019,708 | $ | 268,175 | $ | 751,533 | ||||||
Professional Fees | $ | 192,409 | $ | 124,152 | $ | 68,257 | ||||||
Investor Relations | $ | 74,003 | $ | - | $ | 74,003 | ||||||
Research and Development | $ | 228,747 | $ | 123,632 | $ | 105,115 | ||||||
Foreign exchange (gain) loss | $ | 2,749 | $ | (323 | ) | $ | 3,072 | |||||
Travel and entertainment | $ | 198,442 | $ | 25,450 | $ | 172,992 | ||||||
Total operating expenses | $ | 2,238,350 | $ | 785,478 | $ | 1,452,872 | ||||||
Loss from operations | $ | (1,791,041 | ) | $ | (784,739 | ) | $ | (1,006,302 | ) | |||
Net loss | $ | (1,800,268 | ) | $ | (784,739 | ) | $ | (1,015,529 | ) | |||
Total Comprehensive Loss | $ | (1,800,359 | ) | $ | (783,315 | ) | $ | (1,017,044 | ) | |||
Basic and dilutive loss per common share | $ | (0.189 | ) | $ | (0.083 | ) | $ | (0.106 | ) | |||
Weighted average number of shares outstanding – basic and diluted | 9,528,863 | 9,460,664 | 68,199 |
98
Revenue
Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $766,277 as compared to $827 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $765,450.
Our revenue by product category is as follows:
Year Ended December 31, 2022 | Year ended December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Enfinity | $ | 265,411 | $ | 827 | ||||
Empower | 156,848 | - | ||||||
White label distributor | 344,018 | - | ||||||
Total Revenue | $ | 766,277 | $ | 827 |
During the last quarter of fiscal year 2021, the Company produced its first batch of Enfinity bottles in preparation of commercialization in 2022. The limited number of Enfinity bottles (3) sold during 2021 is due to the timing of production and arrival of the Company’s products at its distribution partner’s warehouse. During 2022, the Company sold 2,114 bottles of Enfinity and produced its first batch and sold 350 (eight packs) of Empower tubes. The Company also entered into a distributor agreement through which it is selling media containing its Elevai ExosomesTM under a white label deal. During 2022, the Company sold approximately 287 liters under this white label distributor agreement.
Cost of Revenue
Cost of Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $318,968 as compared to $88 for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Our cost of revenue by product category is as follows:
Year Ended December 31, 2022 | Year ended December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Enfinity | $ | 101,554 | $ | 88 | ||||
Empower | 42,554 | - | ||||||
White label distributor | 174,860 | - | ||||||
Total Cost of Revenue | $ | 318,968 | $ | 88 |
The increase in cost of revenue is directly attributed to the increase in sales during 2022 compared to 2021. The following is a breakdown of the components of cost of revenue:
Year Ended December 31, 2022 | Year ended December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Cost of inventory | $ | 243,285 | $ | 88 | ||||
Sales commission | 52,508 | - | ||||||
Shipping cost | 14,880 | - | ||||||
Inventory write down | 8,295 | - | ||||||
Total Cost of Revenue | $ | 318,968 | $ | 88 |
Gross Profit
Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $447,309 as compared to $739 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $446,570. This represents an overall gross margin percentage of 58% during 2022, compared to 89% in 2021. The decrease in gross margin is due to a change in the product mix, specifically the lower margin on the Company’s white label distributor sales, and the introduction of sales commission, shipping cost and inventory write down. The inventory write down during 2022 represented Empower tubes that were the wrong size, the Company is not anticipating significant inventory write downs on a go forward basis.
99
The following is a breakdown of gross profit percentage by product category:
Year Ended December 31, 2022 | Year ended December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Enfinity | 62 | % | 89 | % | ||||
Empower | 73 | % | - | |||||
White label distributor | 49 | % | - | |||||
Overall Gross Profit Percentage | 58 | % | 89 | % |
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022, were $228,747 compared to $123,632 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $105,115. Research and Development related to the Company’s Enfinity, Empower and white label distributor products. During 2022, the Company increased its headcount for lab employees from 1 to 4, worked on increasing the efficiency of its production process and moved to a new lab location with increased production capacity. The Company also dealt with supply chain challenges requiring the Company to test and implement changes to its production process.
Marketing and Promotion
Marketing and promotion expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022, were $192,863 compared to $31,605 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $161,258. During 2022, the Company increased its marketing and promotion efforts to drive sales, which included giving out product samples with a cost of $46,693 (2021 - $7,014).
Office and Administrative Expenses
Office and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $1,019,708, compared to $268,175 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $751,533. The increase is mainly the result of salaries and wages of $617,425 and office rent of $73,363 incurred during 2022, compared to $94,335 and $14,870 in 2021, a combined increase of $581,583. The Company increased its headcount and moved into a larger office location to accommodate the commercialization of its products and growth in operations during 2022. During 2022, office and administrative expenses also include share-based compensation of $164,907, compared to $136,486 in 2021, an increase of $28,421. The increase in share-based compensation expense is due to the continued vesting of stock options granted during 2021 and additional options issued during 2022. The remaining increase is consistent with the increase in operations in 2022 compared to 2021.
Consulting Fees
Consulting fees for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $324,395, compared to $210,402 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $113,993. During 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred consulting fees in relation to recruitment, strategic introductions, business advisory, international relations, and strategy. In addition, the Company received services from a number of parties (including companies controlled by the Company’s Chairman and CFO) in a consulting capacity. The increase in consulting fees is due to an agreement, effective January 2022, between the Company and Northstrive Companies Inc., a company controlled by the Company’s Chairman and former President, which resulted in the Company incurring an additional $120,000 during 2022, compared to $nil in 2021.
Professional Fees
Professional fees for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $192,409, compared to $124,152 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $68,257. Professional fees comprise of legal, audit and accounting services. The increase during 2022 is primarily due to an increase in audit and accounting services pursuant to the Company’s goal of filing its preliminary initial registration (S-1 Form) with the SEC and completing an initial public offering (“IPO”).
100
Travel and Entertainment
Travel and entertainment for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $198,442, compared to $25,450 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $172,992. Travel and entertainment expense related primarily to costs incurred during the attendance of industry trade shows and conferences. The increase in 2022 is due to the Company increasing its presence at trade shows and conferences to raise awareness of the Company, its products and to drive business development.
Investor Relations
Investor relations for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $74,003, compared to $nil for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in investor relations spending is consistent with the Company’s growth strategy, which includes promotion to current and potential investors.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which implies the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the continued financial support from its shareholders, the ability of the Company to obtain necessary equity financing to continue operations, and ultimately the attainment of profitable operations.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had a net working capital of $963,050 and $420,903, respectively, and has an accumulated deficit of $2,722,373 and $922,105, respectively. Furthermore, for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a net loss of $1,800,268 and $784,739, respectively and used $1,585,876 and $660,934, respectively of cash flows for operating activities. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Our principal liquidity requirements are for working capital, capital expenditure, research and development and inventory production. We fund our liquidity requirements primarily through cash on hand, cash flows from operations, and the issuance of common and preferred stock. As of December 31, 2022 we had cash of $1,154,901, with $411,858 as of December 31, 2021
The following table provides selected financial data as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
December
31, 2022 | December
31, 2021 | Change | ||||||||||
Current assets | $ | 1,551,322 | $ | 636,525 | $ | 914,797 | ||||||
Current liabilities | $ | 588,272 | $ | 215,622 | $ | 372,650 | ||||||
Working capital | $ | 963,050 | $ | 420,903 | $ | 542,147 |
The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities:
Year Ended
December 31, 2022 | Year Ended December 31, 2021 | Change | ||||||||||
Cash used in operating activities | $ | (1,585,876 | ) | $ | (660,934 | ) | $ | (924,942 | ) | |||
Cash used in investing activities | $ | (32,027 | ) | $ | (32,482 | ) | $ | 455 | ||||
Cash provided by financing activities | $ | 2,362,259 | $ | 1,090,577 | $ | 1,271,682 |
101
Cash Flow from Operating Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash flows used in operating activities was $1,585,876 compared to $660,934 used during the year ended December 31, 2021, respectively, primarily due to net loss and timing of settlement of assets and liabilities.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we used $32,027 and $32,482, respectively, in investing activities primarily related to the purchase of equipment for our lab space to be used on the production of inventory and research and development. Net cash used in investing activities include proceeds of $3,500 generated on the sale of equipment.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we had cash flow provided by financing activities of $2,362,259 compared to cash flow provided by financing activities of $1,090,577 in 2021, an increase of $1,271,682. During 2022, the Company raised $183,970 through short term convertible notes that were converted into Series A preferred stock and Common Stock purchase warrants. The Company raised an additional $2,153,289, net of share issuance cost of $33,132, through its Series A preferred stock financing and another $25,000 upon the exercise of stock options in exchange for common shares. In 2021, the Company had a private placement of series seed 2 preferred stock for $1,090,577.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
This discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company regularly evaluates estimates and assumptions related to revenue recognition, the collectability of receivables, valuation of inventory, fair value of derivative liabilities and stock options, useful lives and recoverability of long-lived assets, and deferred income tax asset valuation allowances. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on current facts, historical experience and various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgements about the carrying value of assets and liabilities and the accrual of costs and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. The actual results experienced by the Company may differ materially and adversely from those estimates. Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically, and the effects of revisions are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period they are determined.
The Company’s policy for property and equipment requires judgement in determining whether the present value of future expected economic benefits exceeds capitalized costs. The policy requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions about future economic benefits related to its operations. Estimates and assumptions may change if new information becomes available. If information becomes available suggesting that the recovery of capitalized cost is unlikely, the capitalized cost is written off/impaired to the consolidated statement of operations.
The assessment of whether the going concern assumption is appropriate requires management to take into account all available information about the future, which is at least, but not limited to, 12 months from the date the financial statements are issued. The Company is aware that material uncertainties related to events or conditions may cast substantial doubt upon the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
102
Revenue Recognition
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Since ASU 2014-09 was issued, several additional ASUs have been issued to clarify various elements of the guidance. These standards provide guidance on recognizing revenue, including a five-step model to determine when revenue recognition is appropriate.
The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a product to a customer. Revenue is measured based on the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those products. In instances where financial acceptance of the product is specified by the customer, revenue is deferred until all acceptance criteria have been met. Revenues are recognized under ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” in a manner that reasonably reflects the delivery of its products and services to customers in return for expected consideration.
The Company generates revenue through the sale of skincare products. Revenue from the sale of skincare products are recognized at the point in time when the Company considered revenue realized or realizable and earned, which is typically when all of the five following criteria are met: (1) the contract with the customer is identifiable (i.e. when a sales transaction has been entered into between the Company and the customer), (2) the performance obligation in the contract is identifiable (i.e. the customer has ordered a known quantity of product to be delivered), (3) the transaction price is determinable (i.e. the customer has agreed to the Company’s price for the products ordered), (4) the Company is able to allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (5) the performance obligations have been satisfied, which is typically upon delivery of the product to the customer.
Transaction prices for performance obligations are explicitly outlined in relevant agreements; therefore, the Company does not believe that significant judgements are required with respect to the determination of the transaction price, including any variable consideration identified.
The Company is responsible for providing the products to customers. As a result, the Company is considered the Principal when providing products to customers. As the Company collects payment at the time of the customer order, its contracts do not have a significant financing component. Customers are entitled to replacement or full refund of any damaged or defective product, after the return of the damaged or defective product to the Company. There were no significant returns or refunds during the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Foreign Currency Translation
The Company’s functional and reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of the Company’s Canadian subsidiary, Elevai Research Inc. (“Elevai Research”) is the Canadian dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated using the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary assets, liabilities, and items recorded in income arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated at rates of exchange in effect at the date of the transaction. Gains and losses arising on translation or settlement of foreign currency denominated transactions or balances are included in the determination of income.
The accounts of Eleva Research are translated to U.S. dollars using the current rate method. Accordingly, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the period-end exchange rate while revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rates during the period. Related exchange gains and losses are included in a separate component of stockholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
103
Inventory
Inventory consist of raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods and are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The Company’s manufacturing process involves the production of our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM. Finished goods consists of a new generation of cosmetic topical products containing our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM. Cost is determined using the weighted average cost formula. Net realizable value is determined on the basis of anticipated sales proceeds less the estimated selling expenses. Management compares the cost of inventories with the net realizable value and an allowance is made to write down inventories to net realizable value, if lower.
Stock-Based Compensation
Employees - The Company accounts for share-based compensation under the fair value method which requires all such compensation to employees, including the grant of employee stock options, to be calculated based on its fair value at the measurement date (generally the grant date), and recognized in the consolidated statement of operations over the requisite service period.
Nonemployees - During June 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-07, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2018-07”) to simplify the accounting for share-based payments to nonemployees by aligning it with the accounting for share-based payments to employees. Under the requirements of ASU 2018-07, the Company accounts for share-based compensation to non-employees under the fair value method which requires all such compensation to be calculated based on the fair value at the measurement date (generally the grant date), and recognized in the statement of operations over the requisite service period.
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded $171,869 and $142,355, respectively, in share-based compensation expense, of which $164,907 and $6,962, and $136,486 and $5,869, respectively is included in office and administration and research and development, respectively.
Determining the appropriate fair value model and the related assumptions requires judgment. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the fair value of each option grant was estimated using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model.
The expected volatility represents the historical volatility of comparable publicly traded companies in similar industries, adjusted for variables such as stock price, market capitalization and life cycle. Due to limited historical data, the expected term for options granted is equal to the contractual life. The risk-free interest rate is based on a treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected life of stock options. The Company has not paid and does not anticipate paying cash dividends on its shares of Common Stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero.
Concentrations
Customers
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded 54% of its revenue from its two largest customers, each representing 45% and 9% respectively. The Company’s largest customer, representing $344,018 of revenue, relates to a white label distributor agreement signed during the year. There was no significant concentration of sales during the year ended December 31, 2021.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had no receivables due from these customers and $5,992 in customer deposits were received from its largest customer.
The Company expects its dependence on these major customers to decrease over time as it enters into additional distributor agreements and builds out its sales team.
104
Suppliers
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company had 5 key suppliers that represented approximately 80% (2021 – 73%) of the cost incurred in the purchase and production of inventory. The table below represents a breakdown of each supplier as a percentage of the cost incurred (Suppliers are shown from largest to smallest and does not necessarily represent the same suppliers year over year):
Year Ended
December 31, 2022 | Year ended December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Supplier 1 | 39 | % | 18 | % | ||||
Supplier 2 | 14 | % | 17 | % | ||||
Supplier 3 | 11 | % | 15 | % | ||||
Supplier 4 | 8 | % | 13 | % | ||||
Supplier 5 | 8 | % | 10 | % | ||||
Total | 80 | % | 73 | % |
The Company continually evaluates the performance of its suppliers and the availability of alternatives to substitute or supplement its inventory production supply chain. The Company believes that a breakdown in supply from one of its key suppliers would be overcome in a short amount of time given the availability of alternatives.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have 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 expenditure or capital resources that is material to investors.
Future Related Party Transactions
After completion of this Offering, the Corporate Governance Committee of our Board of Directors (which we will establish and which will consist solely of independent directors) will be required to approve all related party transactions. All related party transactions will be made or entered into on terms that are no less favorable to use than can be obtained from unaffiliated third parties.
Impact of Inflation
We do not believe the impact of inflation on our Company is material.
COVID-19 Risk
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, a significant impact around the world, prompting governments and businesses to take unprecedented measures, such as restrictions on travel and business operations, temporary closures of businesses, and quarantine and shelter-in-place orders. The COVID-19 pandemic has at times significantly curtailed global economic activity and caused significant volatility and disruption in global financial markets. The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by many countries in response have affected and could in the future materially impact the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
Certain of our outsourcing partners, component suppliers and logistical service providers have experienced disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in non-material supply shortages. Similar or greater disruptions could occur in the future.
Inflation Risk
We are also exposed to inflation risk. Inflationary factors, such as increases in labor costs, could impair our operating results. Although we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date, a high rate of inflation in the future may have an adverse effect on our ability to maintain current levels of gross margin and operating expenses.
Market Risk
Market risk is the risk of loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices. Our market risk exposure is generally limited to those risks that arise in the normal course of business, as we do not engage in speculative, non-operating transactions, nor do we utilize financial instruments or derivative instruments for trading purposes.
105
Our Executive Officers and Directors
The following table sets forth certain information regarding our executive officers and directors as of the date of this prospectus. A biography of each of those officers and directors is further reflected below.
Name | Age | Position | ||
Jordan R. Plews, PhD | 40 | Chief Executive Officer, President and Director | ||
Graydon Bensler | 32 | Chief Financial Officer and Director | ||
Hatem Abou-Sayed, MD | 52 | Chief Medical Officer and Director | ||
Brenda Buechler | 53 | Chief Marketing Officer | ||
Christoph Kraneiss | 52 | Chief Commercial Officer | ||
Jeffrey Parry | 64 | Independent Director and Chair of Nominating Committee | ||
Crystal Muilenburg | 44 | Independent Director and Chair of Compensation Committee | ||
Juliana Daley | 36 | Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee |
Prior to the consummation of this offering, our Board of Directors will consist of 6 members, Jordan R. Plews, Graydon Bensler, Tim Sayed, Jeffrey Parry, Crystal Muilenburg, and Juliana Daley. No director is currently named as Chair. Each of our directors serves for a term of one year ending on the date of the subsequent annual meeting of stockholders following the annual meeting at which such director was elected. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each director is to serve until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his death, resignation or removal. Our Board appoints our officers, and each officer is to serve until his or her successor is appointed and qualified or until his or her death, resignation or removal.
Jordan R. Plews PhD, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Plews is one of our co-founders and has served as our Chief Executive Officer since our inception. Dr. Plews is also serves as President and Director of the Board of the Company. Dr. Plews led the acquisition of Reactive Medical Labs Inc and the development and design of Elevai ExosomesTM. After completing his undergraduate in biochemical engineering at University College London in the UK, Dr. Plews worked as part of Pfizer’s bioprocess development group before returning to academia for his doctorate in Stem Cell Research and Molecular Biology. He was recruited by Stanford’s School of Medicine and worked under Dr. Joseph Wu, now head of the American Heart Association, and Joe Gold, who was previously Senior Director at Geron Corporation. After completing a certification from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Dr. Plews worked as a product and project manager in the biotech field, developing and launching projects to help researchers and clinicians, before eventually transitioning into entrepreneurship and the founding of Elevai.
Prior to cofounding Elevai, Dr. Plews was a senior leader in product management for the oncology division of Natera Inc from 2019-2021, where he led the launch and expansion of Natera Inc.’s first oncology product, Signatera. Signatera is a personalized cancer diagnostic based on next generation sequencing cellular data. Before Natera Inc., from 2015-2019, Dr. Plews served as Chief Scientific Officer of Xytogen Biotech Inc., which produced FACTORFIVE Skincare and a number of white label cosmetic and/or aesthetic products for the physician-dispensed market. Prior to Xytogen Biotech Inc., From 2014-2016 Dr. Plews served as a Global Product Marketing Manager for Becton, Dickinson and Company, focusing on development of products for scientific and regenerative medicine researchers, as well as participating in business development and merger and acquisition activities.
Dr. Plews holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Engineering Doctorate from University College London and completed his post-doctoral research at Stanford University in Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine.
106
Graydon Bensler, CFA, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Bensler has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception. Mr. Bensler is a financial professional and analyst with over seven years of experience in financial consulting and management for both private businesses and US/Canadian publicly traded companies and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). In 2017, Mr. Bensler Co-founded an Ed Tech curriculum management and scheduling company that was implanted in academic schools in Canada and the United States. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Bensler was an account manager at a leading Canadian investor relations firm where he represented publicly traded companies across a wide range of sectors where he worked directly with investment banks, investment brokers and company executives and directors. During his tenure, Mr. Bensler created and conveyed messaging about his clients’ strategic position in the market and successfully guided several companies through multiple financings. From 2019 to 2021, Mr. Bensler was a Senior Associate at Evans & Evans, a Canadian boutique investment banking firm where he led valuations and going public transactions for Canadian and United States companies. In this capacity, Mr. Bensler gained strong knowledge of the capital markets, public company compliance requirements, and regularly interfaced with regulators, auditors, board and executive management. Mr. Bensler has also been a director of publicly traded Health Logic Interactive Inc. (TSXv:CHIP) since 2020. We believe that Mr. Bensler’s past experience as our Chief Financial Officer, his familiarity with both the banking and the financial consulting sectors and his having served as an account manager for similarly situated companies makes him a qualified director for our Company.
Mr. Bensler received his Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies degree from the University of Western Ontario, with specialization in Finance, and is a CFA Charter holder.
Hatem Abou-Sayed, MD, MBA, FACS, Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Hatem Abou-Sayed (“Dr. Tim Sayed”) is one of our co-founders and has served as our Chief Medical Officer since our inception. Dr. Sayed is a double-board-certified plastic surgeon with two decades of experience and oversees our product development and marketing, and brings academic knowledge and clinical experience in aesthetics, anti-aging, skincare, and health technology. Since 2017, Dr. Sayed has owned and operated his plastic surgery offices in Southern California where he draws patients from around the world and throughout the United States. From 2012-2015, Dr. Sayed served as a medical director and investor at the electronic health records and practice management company: Modernizing Medicine. From 2015-2017, he served as Vice President at Interpreta, Inc., which provides precision medicine clinical interpretation solutions (acquired by Centene Corporation). Since 2017, Dr. Sayed has served as ZamZam Skin, LLC’s (ZamZam) managing member, a Halal skincare product line that is currently in development. Dr. Sayed oversees ZamZam’s marketing strategy and assists the company with administering the financial aspects of ZamZam’s ongoing research and development. Since 2020, Dr. Sayed has served on the advisory board of ‘Yes Doctor’, a patient financing-driven acquisition platform for plastic surgeons. Dr. Sayed’s educational and professional experience in the medical field, his background and connections in the surgical discipline, his having co-founded our business and provided strategic advice makes him a qualified director for our Company.
Dr. Sayed completed medical training at UCSF and surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Sayed holds a B.S. in electrical engineering and computer sciences from University of California, Berkeley, an M.D. from the School of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco, and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
107
Jeffrey Parry, Independent Director, Chair of the Nominating Committee and member of the of Audit Committee and Compensation Committee
Mr. Parry was appointed as an independent director in June 2023 and is the president of Mystic Marine Advisors LLC, a Connecticut based advisory firm he founded in 1998 focused on emerging and turnaround situations for strategic and financial stakeholders. Jeffrey served as Executive Chairman of TBS Shipping Limited from 2012 to 2018 where he led a successful restructuring and co-founded Valhalla Shipping, Inc with an $167 million equity investment by institutional investors. From July 2008 to October 2009, Mr. Parry was the Chief Executive Officer of Nasdaq-listed Aries Maritime Transport Limited and led a successful turn-around and sale to strategic investors. Mr. Parry was a Managing Director of Poten & Partners, an international energy advisor, from 2001 to 2007 where in 2006 he co-founded Poten Capital Services LLC, a New York based broker-dealer. Earlier in his career, Mr. Parry founded Cool FM and 7X Television in Athens, Greece and served as President of One Fifth Avenue Apartment Corporation. Since 2010, Jeffrey has served as an independent director of Nasdaq listed Globus Maritime Ltd. where he sits on the audit committee. Since 2022, Jeffrey has also become an independent director of Digitrax Entertainment Inc., a Tennessee based music technology start-up. Mr. Parry’s educational and professional experience in business, his background and familiarity in investment banking, his having served as a director of a company listed on Nasdaq makes him a qualified director candidate for our Company.
Jeff holds an MBA in Finance and Accounting from Columbia University and a B.A. in Literature from Brown University.
Crystal Muilenburg, Independent Director, Chair of the Compensation Committee and member of the of Audit Committee and Nominating Committee
Ms. Muilenburg was appointed as an independent director in June 2023 and has more than two decades of experience in marketing, corporate communications and public relations branding for global Fortune 500 companies and public start-ups. Most recently, Crystal served as Chief Marketing Officer for Evolus. While at Evolus from 2019 to 2023, Ms. Muilenburg also led human relations, operations and supply chain management. There, Ms. Muilenburg established Evolvus’s international business operations. Ms. Muilenburg was Head of Global Marketing for Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, a publicly-traded, clinical stage medical dermatology and aesthetics company from 2017 to 2019. Ms. Muilenburg has worked in the aesthetics industry since 2006 starting with Allergan (now AbbVie Inc.) where she held various domestic and international marketing and communications leadership roles from 2006 to 2017. We believe that Ms. Muilenburg’s service as our strategic advisor and her service in executive roles at several companies listed on U.S. exchanges makes her a qualified director candidate for our company.
Ms. Muilenburg is a regular speaker on topics including corporate reputation, product launches, diversity, equity, and inclusion and women’s leadership. She is the Orange County Healthcare Businesswoman’s Association mentor chair and a member of Chief—a private network for businesswomen.
Ms. Muilenburg holds a B.S. degree in Biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Juliana Daley, CPA Independent Director, Chair of the Audit Committee and member of the of Compensation Committee and Nominating Committee
Ms. Daley was appointed as an independent director in June 2023 and holds over eleven years of accounting, controller, and financial reporting experience in the public sector. Ms. Daley has worked a variety of industries in both the United States and Canada. Since July 2021, Ms. Daley has served as Manager of Accounting at Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: AVXL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in New York, NY that is focused on developing treatments for debilitating neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases. In addition, from August 2021 to July 2022, she served as an independent director and audit committee chair to Vegano Foods (CSE: VAGN) during Vegano Food’s initial public offering in February 2022. From October 2015 to July 2021, Ms. Daley was a Manager of Financial Reporting and Advisory Services to various public companies in the United States and Canada, through her position with the accounting firm, Treewalk (previously ACM Management, Inc.). At Treewalk Ms. Daley assisted clients in meeting their quarterly and annual reporting requirements including the preparation of complete financial reporting packages and managing assurance engagements from start to finish. At Treewalk, she also served as chief financial officer to Makena Resources Inc. (CSE: MKNA) (April 2018 - April 2019) and Naked Brand Group Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKD) (March 2018 - June 2018) until the completion of their prospective mergers in April 2019 and June 2018, respectively. From September 2011 to April 2015, Ms. Daley was employed with Naked Brand Group Inc., where she worked in the accounting department, serving as controller from August 2013 until her departure in April 2015, and where she was also responsible for assisting in various operational functions including EDI implementation, ERP implementation, inventory management, information technology and office administration. From July 2021 to present, Ms. Daley has acted as manager of accounting at Anavex Life Sciences where she assists to in the finalization of all internal reporting, budgeting, and operational matters such as annual SOX audits, quarterly reviews, IT audits, and annual audits. Ms. Daley’s expertise in financial accounting for public companies and her having served as a chief financial officer and controller on companies listed on United States public exchanges makes her a qualified director candidate for our company.
108
In September 2015, Ms. Daley wrote her Common Final Examination (CFE) through the CPA Western School of Business and became designated in May 2016. She also holds a BBA in Accounting and Economics from the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer
Ms. Buechler is the Chief Marketing Officer for Elevai Labs. In this role, she leads the portfolio and brand marketing strategies to help Elevai achieve its commercial targets and support the global vision. Ms. Buechler has a strong track record in leadership in the pharmaceutical and medical aesthetics industries holding sales, marketing, and business development roles over the course of her 24-year career. Prior to her role with Elevai, Ms. Buechler led the Consumer and HCP marketing efforts for Evofem Biosciences from 2019 to 2022 and was responsible for the launch of a first-in-class technology in the women’s health space. Ms. Buechler spent 6 years in marketing and public relations roles with aesthetic industry leaders Alastin Skincare, from 2016 to 2019, and SkinMedica, from 2008 to 2010, where she helped to bring over 15 new, award-winning physician-dispensed skincare products to the market. From 2011 to 2016 Ms. Buechler held various Business Development and Client Services roles within the medical aesthetic and pharmaceutical industries touching over 50 brands throughout her career. Before her tenure in marketing and advertising, Ms. Buechler spent 10 years in pharmaceutical sales from 1997 to 2007 with Merck and Pfizer working across over a dozen disease states and therapeutic categories.
Ms. Buechler is currently an active member of Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) where she is currently serving as a group mentor.
Ms. Buechler holds a Bachelor of Arts from San Diego State University.
Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer
Mr. Kraneiss has been our Chief Commercial Officer since August 2022. He holds a proven track record of building successful physician-dispensed aesthetic businesses within top globally recognized brands. Mr. Kraneiss served from 2017-2019 as Senior Vice President of SkinBetter Science, LLC. Similarly, from 2011 -2017, Mr. Kraneiss served as Senior Vice President of ZO Skin Health, Inc., which was founded by renowned dermatologist Zein Obagi, MD. During his 6 years at ZO Skin Health, he led his department from $2M in retail sales to over $100M, establishing the brand in more than 130 countries, and roughly 500,000 points of purchase globally, reaching profitability within less than 3 years. Most recently Mr. Kraneiss served as Managing Director for Noon Aesthetics, Inc. from 2019 - 2021 and as Vice President of International Business Development for Higher Education Skincare, Inc., a B2C company from 2021 – 2022. Mr. Kraneiss has successfully established and managed numerous aesthetic sales teams in different countries and has trained retailers, physicians, and distributors in sales and business strategies, specifically relating to servicing the medical aesthetics industry.
Mr. Kraneiss received both an MBA as well as a bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications from University of Saxony Anhalt and speaks English, German, and Russian fluently.
Director Independence and Financial Experts
Under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, within one year of our initial public offering a majority of our Board members must qualify as independent directors if we are not a “controlled company.” In accordance with Nasdaq rule 5615(b)(1), since we are listing in connection with our initial public offering, we are permitted to phase in our compliance with the independent committee requirements set forth in Rules 5605(d)(2) pursuant to Rule 10A-3(b)(1)(iv)(A) under the Act. Furthermore, a Company listing in connection with its initial public offering shall have twelve months from the date of listing to comply with the majority independent board requirement in Rule 5605(b). Accordingly, although our proposed Board of Directors will not include a majority of independent directors over our non-independent directors, additional independent directors will be appointed to our Board of Directors within twelve months immediately following effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. At the time of the offering, our independent directors will be Jeffrey Parry, Crystal Muilenburg, and Juliana Daley. The Board has determined the foregoing director are “independent” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq Rule 5605 and meet the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act, as such directors do not have a direct or indirect material relationship with our company. A material relationship is a relationship which could, in the view of our Board of Directors, be reasonably expected to interfere with the exercise of a director’s independent judgment. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.
Juliana Daley qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined under the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Board Leadership Structure
The Board believes that it should maintain the flexibility to select the Chairman of the Board and adjust its board leadership structure from time to time. Our Chairman position is currently vacant. The Board determined that having its Chairman position vacant for the time being provides it with optimal flexible opportunity to fill the leadership position when the company is able to recruit additional board members and the vacancy is in its best interests and those of its stockholders. The Board believes that it will locate a Chairman with strategic vision, knowledge of our operations and the industry in which we operate qualify that person to serve as both Chair of the Board
109
Role of the Board in Risk Oversight
One of the key functions of the Board is informed oversight of our risk management process. The Board does not have a standing risk management committee, but rather administers this oversight function directly through the Board as a whole, as well as through various standing committees of the Board that address risks inherent in their respective areas of oversight. In particular, the Board is responsible for monitoring and assessing strategic risk exposure and our audit committee has the responsibility to consider and discuss our major financial risk exposures and the steps our management will take to monitor and control such exposures, including guidelines and policies to govern the process by which risk assessment and management is undertaken. The audit committee also monitors compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Our compensation committee also assesses and monitors whether our compensation plans, policies and programs comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Our nominating and corporate governance committee monitors the effectiveness of our governance guidelines.
Board Committees
Prior to the consummation of this offering, the Board intends to establish an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating committee, each of which will have the composition and responsibilities described below. Members will serve on these committees until their resignation or until otherwise determined by the Board. Each committee will operate under a charter approved by the Board. Copies of each charter will be posted on the Corporate Governance section of our website at www.elevailabs.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus.
Audit Committee
Our audit committee will consist of Jeffrey Parry, Crystal Muilenburg and Juliana Daley will serve as the audit committee chairperson. The Board has determined that Jeffrey Parry, Crystal Muilenburg and Juliana Daley each meet the requirements for independence and financial literacy under the current Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules and regulations, including Rule 10A-3. In addition, the Board has determined that Juliana Daley qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act. This designation does not impose any duties, obligations, or liabilities that are greater than are generally imposed on members of the audit committee and the Board. The audit committee will be responsible for, among other things:
● | selecting a qualified firm to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our financial statements; |
● | helping to ensure the independence and overseeing the performance of the independent registered public accounting firm; |
● | reviewing and discussing the scope and results of the audit with the independent registered public accounting firm and reviewing, with management and that firm, our interim and year-end operating results; |
● | reviewing our financial statements and critical accounting policies and estimates; |
● | reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our internal controls; |
● | developing procedures for employees to submit concerns anonymously about questionable accounting, internal accounting controls, or audit matters; |
● | overseeing our policies on risk assessment and risk management; |
● | overseeing compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics; |
● | reviewing related party transactions; and |
● | approving or, as permitted, pre-approving all audit and all permissible non-audit services (other than de minimis non-audit services) to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm. |
The audit committee will operate under a written charter, which satisfies the applicable rules of the SEC and the listing standards of Nasdaq, and which will be available on our website. All audit services to be provided to us and all permissible non-audit services, other than de minimis non-audit services, to be provided to us by our independent registered public accounting firm will be approved in advance by the audit committee.
110
Compensation Committee
Our compensation committee will consist of Jeffrey Parry, Crystal Muilenburg and Juliana Daley. Crystal Muilenburg will be the chairperson of the compensation committee. The Board has determined that the composition of the compensation committee will meet the requirements for independence under the current Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules and regulations. Each member of the committee is a non-employee director, as defined in Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act. The compensation committee will be responsible for, among other things:
● | reviewing, approving and determining, or making recommendations to the Board regarding, the compensation of our executive officers, including the Chief Executive Officer; |
● | making recommendations regarding non-employee director compensation to our full Board of Directors; |
● | administering our equity compensation plans and agreements with our executive officers; |
● | reviewing, approving and administering incentive compensation and equity compensation plans; and |
● | reviewing and approving our overall compensation philosophy. |
The compensation committee will operate under a written charter, which satisfies the applicable rules of the SEC and the listing standards of Nasdaq, and which will be available on our website.
Nominating Committee
Our nominating and corporate governance committee will consist of Jeffrey Parry, Crystal Muilenburg and Juliana Daley. Jeffery Parry will be the chairperson of the nominating and corporate governance committee. The Board has determined that the composition of the nominating and corporate governance committee will meet the requirements for independence under the current Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules and regulations. The nominating and corporate governance committee will be responsible for, among other things:
● | identifying, evaluating and selecting, or making recommendations to the Board regarding nominees for election to the Board of Directors and its committees; |
● | considering and making recommendations to the Board regarding the composition of the Board of Directors and its committees; |
● | developing and making recommendations to the Board regarding corporate governance guidelines and matters; |
● | overseeing our corporate governance practices; |
● | overseeing the evaluation and the performance of the Board and individual directors; and |
● | contributing to succession planning. |
The nominating and corporate governance committee will operate under a written charter, which satisfies the applicable rules of the SEC and the Nasdaq listing standards and will be available on our website.
111
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of the members of the compensation committee is or has been at any time one of our officers or employees. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past fiscal year has served, as a member of the Board or compensation committee (or other Board of Directors committee performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire Board of Directors) of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of the Board or compensation committee.
Code of Ethics
We will adopt a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct that applies to our directors, officers and other employees prior to the consummation of the offering.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
The Certificate of Incorporation limits our directors’ liability to the fullest extent permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). The DGCL provides that directors of a corporation will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors, except for liability:
● | for any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit; |
● | for any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
● | for any unlawful payment of dividends or redemption of shares; or |
● | for any breach of a director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders. |
If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of our directors will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.
DGCL law and the Bylaws provide that we will, in certain situations, indemnify our directors and officers and may indemnify other employees and other agents, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any indemnified person is also entitled, subject to certain limitations, to advancement, direct payment, or reimbursement of reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding.
We maintain a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy pursuant to which our directors and officers are insured against liability for actions taken in their capacities as directors and officers. We believe these provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and these indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, or control persons, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
112
Introduction
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we will be exempt from certain requirements related to executive compensation, including, but not limited to, the requirements to hold a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and to provide information relating to the ratio of total compensation of our Chief Executive Officer to the median of the annual total compensation of all of our employees, each as required by the Investor Protection and Securities Reform Act of 2010, which is part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
This section provides an overview of our executive compensation programs, including a narrative description of the material factors necessary to understand the information disclosed in the summary compensation table below.
For the year ended 2022, our named executive officers (“Named Executive Officers” or “NEOs”) were:
● | Jordan R. Plews, Chief Executive Officer; |
● | Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer; and |
● | Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer |
The objective of our compensation program is to provide a total compensation package to each NEO that will enable us to attract, motivate and retain outstanding individuals, align the interests of our executive team with those of our equity holders, encourage individual and collective contributions to the successful execution of our short- and long-term business strategies and reward NEOs for performance.
Compensation of Directors and Named Executive Officers
The following table presents information regarding the total compensation (excluding equity-based compensation reported) awarded to, earned by, and paid to our NEOs for services rendered to us in all capacities for the years indicated.
Name and Principal Position | Year | Salary ($) |
Bonus ($) |
Option
Awards ($)4 |
All
Other Compensation ($) |
Total ($) |
||||||||||||||||
Jordan R. Plews1 | 2022 | $ | 200,000 | $ | 10,000 | $ | - | - | $ | 210,000 | ||||||||||||
CEO, President and Director | 2021 | $ | 50,000 | $ | $ | 50,993 | - | $ | 100,993 | |||||||||||||
Brenda Buechler2 | 2022 | $ | 79,167 | $ | 5,000 | $ | 143,679 | - | $ | 227,846 | ||||||||||||
Chief Marketing Officer | 2021 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | - | $ | - | ||||||||||||
Christoph Kraneiss3 | 2022 | $ | 75,000 | $ | - | $ | 121,227 | - | $ | 196,227 | ||||||||||||
Chief Commercial Officer | 2021 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | - | $ | - |
1 | Dr. Jordan R. Plews has served as our Chief Executive Officer since October 1, 2021. |
2 | Brenda Buechler has served as our Chief Marketing Officer since August 1, 2022. |
3 | Christoph Kraneiss has served as our Chief Commercial Officer since August 8, 2022. |
4 | The options granted vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. As of the date of this prospectus, no options have been exercised by the NEOs. |
113
Employment Arrangements with Named Executive Officers
Jordan R. Plews
In September 2021, we entered into an employment contract with Dr. Jordan R. Plews as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective as of October 1, 2021.
The agreement is at will and subject to termination prior to completion of the services at any time by us, or with 14 days’ prior written notice by Dr. Plews and for any reason not prohibited by law.
Pursuant to the terms and provisions of the agreement: (a) Dr. Plews was appointed as our Chief Executive Officer and undertook and performed the duties and responsibilities normally and reasonably associated with such office; and (b) we agreed to pay Dr. Plews an annual salary of $200,000 in addition to equity compensation in the form of stock options in accordance with our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended.
Brenda Buechler
In June 2022, we entered into an employment contract with Brenda Buechler as the Company’s Chief Marketing Officer, effective as of August 1, 2022.
The agreement is at will and subject to termination prior to completion of the services at any time by us, or with 14 days’ prior written notice by Ms. Buechler and for any reason not prohibited by law.
Pursuant to the terms and provisions of the agreement: (a) Ms. Buechler was appointed as our Chief Marketing Officer and undertook and performed the duties and responsibilities normally and reasonably associated with such office; and (b) we agreed to pay Ms. Buechler an annual salary of $190,000 in addition to equity compensation in the form of stock options in accordance with our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended. except that 25% of those stock-options shall not vest and become exercisable until the first anniversary of the grant date and, thereafter, the options shall vest at a rate of 25% per annum and become exercisable with respect to 100% of the shares subject to the option on the fourth anniversary of the grant date.
Christoph Kraneiss
In August 2022, we entered into an employment contract with Christoph Kraneiss as the Company’s Chief Commercial Officer, effective as of August 8, 2022.
The agreement is at will and subject to termination prior to completion of the services at any time by us, or with 14 days’ prior written notice by Mr. Kraneiss and for any reason not prohibited by law.
Pursuant to the terms and provisions of the agreement: (a) Mr. Kraneiss was appointed as our Chief Commercial Officer and undertook and performed the duties and responsibilities normally and reasonably associated with such office; and (b) we agreed to pay Mr. Kraneiss an annual salary of $180,000 in addition to equity compensation in the form of stock options in accordance with our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended. except that 25% of those stock-options shall not vest and become exercisable until the first anniversary of the grant date and, thereafter, the options shall vest at a rate of 25% per annum and become exercisable with respect to 100% of the shares subject to the option on the fourth anniversary of the grant date.
Outstanding Equity Awards at 2022 Fiscal Year-End for Named Executive Officers of Elevai Labs, Inc.
As of December 31, 2022, the following outstanding equity awards in the form of nonstatutory stock options to our NEOs are as follows:
NEO | Outstanding | Vested | ||||||
Jordan R. Plews | 200,000 | 133,333 | ||||||
Brenda Buechler | 150,000 | 46,250 | ||||||
Christoph Kraneiss | 100,000 | 27,083 |
Director Compensation
We did not pay our directors for their services as our directors in our fiscal years 2021 and 2022.
We intend to and have agreed to compensate our independent directors for their service as directors through a mix of cash and stock options. In addition to in-person attendance bonuses, we intend to reimburse our non-employee directors for reasonable travel and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending board of director and committee meetings.
114
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Other than employment and other agreements set out elsewhere in this prospectus, the following summarizes those of transactions since December 31, 2020 to which we have been a participant in which the amount involved exceeded or will exceed $25,000, and in which any of our directors, executive officers or beneficial owners of more than 5% of our capital stock or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
The Company paid consulting fees of $95,078 and $46,919 to GB Capital Ltd., a company controlled by Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
On June 24, 2020, we issued 8,480,000 shares of Common Stock to the founders of the Company for total consideration of $50,880.
On February 9, 2021, the Company granted 800,000 stock options to four related parties (200,000 stock options each) with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per share of Common Stock. These stock options were valued at $203,972 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. Details of the fair value granted to each individual and the related expense recorded for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are as follow:
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | Fair value
of stock options granted | ||||||||||
Braeden Lichti, Former Chairman and President | $ | 14,181 | $ | 28,170 | $ | 50,993 | ||||||
Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director | 14,181 | 28,170 | 50,993 | |||||||||
Jordan R. Plews, CEO, President and Director | 14,181 | 28,170 | 50,993 | |||||||||
Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer | 14,181 | 28,170 | 50,993 | |||||||||
$ | 56,724 | $ | 112,680 | $ | 203,972 |
BWL Investments Ltd., a British Columbia Canadian Corporation (“BWL”) owned and managed by Braeden Lichti and Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer subscribed to $48,980 and $10,000 in promissory notes, respectively. On July 15,2022, these promissory notes and accrued interest were converted into Series A preferred shares and warrants as follows:
Series A preferred shares | Warrants | Promissory notes and accrued interest | ||||||||||
BWL Investments Ltd. | 61,551 | 61,551 | $ | 49,538 | ||||||||
Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer | 12,563 | 12,563 | 10,112 | |||||||||
74,114 | 74,114 | $ | 59,650 |
On July 20, 2021, the Company granted 200,000 stock options to a former director and related party, Yi Guo, with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per share of Common Stock. These stock options were valued at $51,014 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vested 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. The share-based compensation expense recorded for the year ended December 31, 2021, relating to these stock options was $14,516. Mr. Guo resigned in fiscal year 2022 and as a result, all unvested stock options at the time of his resignation were forfeited.
Pursuant to an advisory board agreement between us and Jeffery Parry, (an independent director to the Company as of June 1, 2023) dated August 12, 2021, on August 16, 2021, the Company granted Mr. Parry equity compensation in the form of nonstatutory stock options to purchase 41,667 shares of the Company’s Common Stock. Under an amended advisory board agreement between us and Jeffery Parry dated September 30, 2022 additional nonstatutory stock options to purchase 16,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock were granted to Mr. Parry. The stock options held a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per Common Stock. These stock options were valued at $10,630 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. Through unanimous written consent, the Board of the Company amended the vesting schedule for those stock options to accelerate the vesting of such stock options so that those stock options fully vested as of December 3, 2022. On December 16, 2022, Mr. Parry exercised all 41,667 stock options for a total exercise price of $25,000.20. On June 1, 2023, we terminated the advisory board agreement between us and Jeffery Parry.
115
As amended and agreed to on May 1, 2023, and as effective on January 4, 2022, we entered into a consulting agreement (the “CA”) with NorthStrive Companies Inc., a California Corporation (“NorthStrive”) owned and managed by Braeden Lichti. Pursuant to the CA, NorthStrive is to assist us in a variety of business matters, including assistance in our overall investor outreach and communications strategy, and advising us on becoming a “public” company. As of May 31, 2023, the Company had $192,705 (2022 - $120,000, 2021 - $23,520) due to NorthStrive, of which $22,705 (2021 - $23,520) is unsecured, non-interest bearing and are due on demand. $120,000 was due as of December 31, 2022, and the remaining $50,000 was due as of May 31, 2022. The aforementioned fees are due in contemplation for NorthStrive’s advisement under the CA, whereby starting on January 4, 2022, we agreed to compensate NorthStrive $10,000 per month (the “Compensation”). We retain the option, but not the obligation to issue the amount of Compensation due NorthStrive in shares of our Common Stock equal to our series A preferred stock price at $1.34138 per share equal to the value of the Compensation due to NorthStrive for services provided through and up to March 31, 2023 and $3.00 per share equal to the value of the Compensation due to NorthStrive for services provided after March 31, 2023 or via cash payment equal to the amount of Compensation outstanding however, that Compensation due NorthStrive shall accrue interest-free and payment of that Compensation has been deferred until the earlier of either (a) our raising an aggregate of at least US$2,000,000 of equity and/or debt investment from and after October 1, 2022, (b) our becoming listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, or (c) a determination by our Board that Company has sufficient cash flows to support payment of the Compensation due to NorthStrive at the time of that determination.
On May 1, 2023, as effective on February 1, 2023, we entered into an advisory agreement (the “AA”) with Braeden Litchi which terminates after twenty-two months to strategically assist us in our maintenance of board governance, director recruitment, and direction for our board of directors strategy sessions. The AA was entered into under contemplation of Mr. Litchi’s resignation from our Board effective February 1, 2023, and our desire to maintain Mr. Litchi’s compensation as a valuable advisor to us. Pursuant to the AA, we agreed with Mr. Litchi that in exchange for services under the AA, his options granted on February 9, 2021, to purchase 200,000 shares of our Common Stock under our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan shall continue to vest pursuant to the aforementioned terms under this section.
Prior to our reorganization, BWL Investments Ltd., a British Columbia Canadian Corporation (“BWL”) also owned and managed by Braeden Lichti, owned approximately 29.4% of our issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock and 100% of the equity interests in Reactive Labs. On June 4, 2021, we issued 100 shares of Common Stock to BWL in in exchange for substantially all of the assets and liabilities of Reactive Labs.
Braeden Lichti is one of our co-founders and our former chairman and director. He is the current chief executive officer of NorthStrive and BWL, as described herein and may be deemed a “promoter” as defined by Rule 405 of the Securities Act though we elect to refer to him as a “founder” or “organizer” as permitted under Rule 405. There are no other promoters of our company.
In May, and December of 2022, we granted nonstatutory stock options to purchase 250,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock to Brenda Buechler, our Chief Marketing Officer, and Christoph Kraneiss, our Chief Commercial Officer. The options maintain a contractual life of ten years and weighted average exercise price of $1.22 per share of Common Stock. These stock options were valued at $264,906 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. Details of the fair value granted to each individual and the related expense recorded for the year ended December 31, 2022, are as follow:
December 31, 2022 | Fair value of stock options granted | |||||||
Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer | $ | 43,488 | $ | 143,679 | ||||
Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer | 28,344 | 121,227 | ||||||
$ | 71,832 | $ | 264,906 |
On June 1, 2023, we rescinded previously granted but unissued nonstatutory stock options to each of our independent director nominees and instead granted nonstatutory stock options to purchase 240,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock to our then independent director nominees and related parties Jeffery Parry, Crystal Muilenburg and Julianna Daley under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. The equity compensation grants were directly in relation to the appointment of Mr. Parry, Ms. Daley and Ms. Muilenburg as our independent directors. The options maintain a contractual life of ten years and an exercise price of $5.00 per share of Common Stock. All options vest at a rate of 25% on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
Other Agreements with Our Stockholders
In connection with our series A convertible preferred stock financing, we entered into an investors’ rights, and voting agreements containing registration rights, information rights, voting rights among other things, with certain holders of our preferred stock. Similarly, in connection with our common stock financing, we entered into a subordinate investors’ rights agreement containing registration rights and information rights with certain holders of our common stock. Each of those stockholder agreements will terminate upon the closing of this offering whereby such stockholders will no longer be entitled to the rights to them afforded therein.
116
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SHARES
The following tables set forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock and preferred stock as of the date of this prospectus on a pre-offering and a post offering basis, for:
● | each of our directors and executive officers; |
● | all directors and executive officers as a group; and |
● | each person who is known to us to own beneficially more than 5% of its Common Stock. |
Beneficial ownership is determined according to the rules of the Commission, which generally provide that a person has beneficial ownership of a security if he, she or it possesses sole or shared voting or investment power over that security, including options and warrants that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days. In computing the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership, we deemed outstanding shares of our Common Stock subject to options and warrants held by that person that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of the Closing Date. We did not deem these shares outstanding, however, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.
The percentage ownership of Common Stock reflected below is based on 15,829,615 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. The percentage of beneficial ownership prior to this offering in the table below is based on 15,829,615 shares of Common Stock deemed to be outstanding as of September 28, 2023, assuming the conversion of all outstanding shares of our preferred stock into shares of our Common Stock simultaneously with the completion of this offering (assuming an offering price of $4.00 per share, based on the bottom of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus) and excludes any shares that may be issued if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option and in each case upon the closing of this offering, and the percentage of beneficial ownership at this offering in the table below is based on 17,329,615 shares of Common Stock assumed to be outstanding after the closing of the offering.
Information with respect to beneficial ownership has been furnished by each director, officer or beneficial owner of more than 5% of either Common Stock. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally requires that such person have voting or investment power with respect to securities. Except as otherwise indicated in the footnotes to the following table, or as required by applicable community property laws, all persons and entities listed have sole voting and investment power for all Common Stock shown as beneficially owned by them. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes, the address for each principal stockholder is in the care of our Company at 120 Newport Center Drive, Ste. 250, Newport Beach, CA 92660.
117
As of the date of this prospectus, hereof, we have sixty-five stockholders of record.
Number of Shares | Percentage of Shares Outstanding Beneficially Owned | |||||||||||
Name of Beneficial Owner | Beneficially Owned | Before Offering | After Offering | |||||||||
5% or Greater Stockholders | ||||||||||||
BWL Investments Ltd. (1) | 3,623,965 | 22.8 | % | 20.8 | % | |||||||
GB Capital Ltd. (2) | 841,454 | 5.3 | % | 4.8 | % | |||||||
JP Bio Consulting LLC(3) | 2,851,454 | 18 | % | 16.4 | % | |||||||
Hatem Abou-Sayed MD MBA FACS, a Professional Medical Corporation(4) | 1,371,905 | 8.6 | % | 7.9 | % | |||||||
Hongyu Wang | 1,708,406 | 10.7 | % | 9.8 | % | |||||||
Directors, Named Executive Officers and Other Executive Officers: | ||||||||||||
Jordan R. Plews, Chief Executive Officer and Director | 2,993,120 | 18.7 | % | 17.1 | % | |||||||
Graydon Bensler, Chief Financial Officer and Director | 983,120 | 6.1 | % | 5.63 | % | |||||||
Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer | 56,226 | * | * | |||||||||
Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer | 31,250 | * | * | |||||||||
Hatem Abou-Sayed, Chief Medical Officer and Director | 1,513,571 | 9.4 | % | 8.6 | % | |||||||
Jeffrey Parry, Director | 41,667 | * | * | |||||||||
Crystal Muilenburg, Director | 20,000 | * | * | |||||||||
Juliane Daley, Director | 1,200 | * | * | |||||||||
All executive officers and directors as a group (8 persons) | 5,640,154 | 35.6 | % | 32.5 | % |
* | Denotes less than one (1%) percent |
† | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is our address of c/o Elevai Labs, Inc., 120 Newport Center Drive, Ste. 250, Newport Beach, CA 92660. |
(1) | Braeden Lichti has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares held by BWL Investments Ltd. |
(2) | Graydon Bensler has sole voting and dipositive power over the shares held by GB Capital Ltd. |
(3) | Jordan R. Plews has sole voting and dipositive power over the shares held by JP Bio Consulting LLC. |
(4) | Hatem Abou-Sayed has sole voting and dipositive power over the shares held by Hatem Abou-Sayed MD MBA FACS, a Professional Medical Corporation |
118
CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion is a summary of certain United States federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition of our shares. This summary is based upon United States federal income tax law as of the date of this prospectus, which is subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect. This summary does not discuss all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual circumstances, including investors subject to special tax rules (e.g., financial institutions, insurance companies, broker-dealers, dealers or traders in securities, tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations), taxpayers that have elected mark-to-market accounting, S corporations, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, passive foreign investment companies, controlled foreign corporations, United States Holders (as defined below) that will hold our shares as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, or other integrated transaction for United States federal income tax purposes, expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States, or investors that have a functional currency other than the United States dollar), all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ materially from those summarized below. This summary does not discuss other United States federal tax consequences (e.g., estate or gift tax), any state, local, or non-United States tax considerations or the Medicare tax or alternative minimum tax. In addition, this summary is limited to investors that will hold our securities as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and that acquire our shares for cash pursuant to this prospectus. No ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, (the “IRS”) has been or will be sought regarding any matter discussed herein. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain a position contrary to any of the tax aspects set forth below.
For purposes of this summary, a “United States Holder” is a beneficial holder of securities who or that, for United States federal income tax purposes is:
● | an individual who is a United States citizen or resident of the United States; |
● | a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes created in, or organized under the law of, the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof; |
● | an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for United States federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or |
● | a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a United States court and which has one or more United States persons (within the meaning of the Code) who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has in effect a valid election under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person. |
119
A “non-United States Holder” is a beneficial holder of securities who or that is neither a United States Holder nor a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes.
If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner, member or other beneficial owner level. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership holding our securities, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our securities.
THIS DISCUSSION OF UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-UNITED STATES. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS.
United States Holders
Taxation of Distributions
If we pay distributions or make constructive distributions (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to United States Holders of our shares, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for United States federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the United States Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our shares. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of our shares and will be treated as described under “United States Holders—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Shares” below.
Dividends we pay to a United States Holder that is a taxable corporation will generally qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate United States Holder will generally constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the maximum tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rates that apply to qualified dividend income.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Shares
A United States Holder generally will recognize gain or loss on the sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our shares. Any such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the United States Holder’s holding period for our shares so disposed of exceeds one year. The amount of gain or loss recognized will generally be equal to the difference between (1) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition and (2) the United States Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares so disposed of. A United States Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares will generally equal the United States Holder’s acquisition cost for such shares (or, in the case of shares received upon exercise of a Warrant, the United States Holder’s initial basis for such shares, as discussed below), less any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate United States Holders are generally eligible for reduced rates of tax. If the United States Holder’s holding period for the shares so disposed of is one year or less, any gain on a sale or other taxable disposition of the shares would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at ordinary income tax rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
120
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.
In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a United States Holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our shares, unless the United States Holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the United States Holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a credit against a United States Holder’s United States federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Non-United States Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-United States Holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-United States Holder” means a beneficial owner of our securities who or that is for United States federal income tax purposes:
● | a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to United States tax as expatriates); |
● | a foreign corporation; or |
● | an estate or trust that is not a United States Holder; |
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the United States federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or sale or other disposition of our securities.
Taxation of Distributions.
In general, any distributions we make to a Non-United States Holder of shares, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under United States federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for United States federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-United States Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-United States Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E). Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-United States Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-United States Holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of our securities, which will be treated as described under “Non-United States Holders - Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Shares” below. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “Non-United States Holders - Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Shares” below), we generally will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
The withholding tax generally does not apply to dividends paid to a Non-United States Holder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-United States Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular United States federal income tax as if the Non-United States Holder were a United States resident, subject to an applicable income tax treaty providing otherwise. A corporate Non-United States Holder receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower applicable treaty rate).
121
Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Shares.
A Non-United States Holder generally will not be subject to United States federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our securities unless:
● | the gain is effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-United States Holder of a trade or business within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-United States Holder); or | |
● | we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for United States federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non- United States Holder held our securities, and, in the case where our shares are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-United States Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our shares at any time within the shorter of the five- year period preceding the disposition or such Non-United States Holder’s holding period for our shares. There can be no assurance that our shares will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose. |
Unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable United States federal income tax rates as if the Non-United States Holder were a United States resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a Non-United States Holder that is treated as a foreign corporation for United States federal income tax purposes may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a 30% rate (or lower treaty rate).
If the second bullet point above applies to a Non-United States Holder, gain recognized by such Holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our shares will be subject to tax at generally applicable United States federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our shares from such holder may be required to withhold United States federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for United States federal income tax purposes. We do not expect to be a United States real property holding corporation immediately after the business combination is completed.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.
Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our shares. A Non-United States Holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty generally will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-United States Holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s United States federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
122
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act Withholding Taxes.
Provisions commonly referred to as “FATCA” generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% on payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) in respect to our securities which are held by or through certain foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-United States entities unless various United States information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by United States persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied by, or an exemption applies to, the payee (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E). Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Accordingly, the entity through which our shares are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of our shares held by an investor that is a non-financial Non-United States entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of 30% unless such entity either (1) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provide certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners” which will in turn be provided to the United States Department of Treasury. Under certain circumstances, a Non-United States Holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such withholding taxes, and a Non-United States Holder might be required to file a United States federal income tax return to claim such refunds or credits.
Thirty percent withholding under FATCA was scheduled to apply to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of property that produces United States-source interest or dividends beginning on January 1, 2019, but on December 13, 2018, the IRS released proposed regulations that, if finalized in their proposed form, would eliminate the obligation to withhold on gross proceeds. Such proposed regulations also delayed withholding on certain other payments received from other foreign financial institutions that are allocable, as provided for under final Treasury Regulations, to payments of United States-source dividends, and other fixed or determinable annual or periodic income. Although these proposed Treasury Regulations are not final, taxpayers generally may rely on them until final Treasury Regulations are issued. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the effects of FATCA on their investment in our securities.
Possible Legislative Tax Changes
The foregoing summary of federal income tax law reflects provisions of recent legislation. However, because, Treasury Regulations and other official interpretations have not been issued with respect to a number of such provisions, their meaning is uncertain. In addition, legislation has been or may be proposed in Congress that might have a substantial and adverse effect on U.S. and Non-United States Holders. United States and Non-United States Holders should consult with their own professional advisers as to all current and possible future proposals with respect to federal, state and local tax legislation and the effect, if any, that such legislation may have on an investment in our Common Stock. In addition, the United States federal income tax rate (and any other applicable tax rates) may increase during the ownership of the common stock and negatively affect the after-tax returns of the United States and Non-United States Holders. Among other proposed tax changes, the current United States presidential administration has proposed increasing the United States corporate income tax from its current 21% rate.
123
SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Common Stock, and a liquid trading market for our Common Stock may not develop or be sustained after this offering. Future sales of our Common Stock, including shares issued upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, in the public market after the closing of this offering, or the perception that those sales may occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price for our Common Stock from time to time or impair our ability to raise equity capital in the future.
Based on the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding as immediately prior to the closing of this offering and assuming (i) no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of Common Stock and/or warrants, and (ii) no exercise of outstanding options to purchase 55,952 shares of our Common Stock, upon completion of this offering, we will have an outstanding aggregate of 17,329,615 shares of Common Stock. All of the shares sold in this offering will be freely tradable unless purchased by our “affiliates” as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act or purchased by existing stockholders and their affiliated entities that are subject to lock-up agreements. All remaining shares of Common Stock held by existing stockholders simultaneously with the closing of this offering will be “restricted securities,” as such term is defined in Rule 144. These restricted securities were issued and sold in private transactions and are eligible for public sale only if registered under the Securities Act or if they qualify for an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, including the exemptions provided by Rule 144 or Rule 701 of the Securities Act, which rules are summarized below.
As a result of the lock-up agreements referred to below and the provisions of Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act, based on the number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, the remaining shares of our Common Stock will generally become eligible for sale in the public market are as follows:
Approximate Number of Shares | First Date Available for Sale on the Public Markets | |
13,312,447 Shares |
181 days after the date of this prospectus, upon expiration of the lock-up agreements referred to below, subject in some cases to applicable volume, manner of sale and other limitations under Rule 144 and Rule 701. |
We may issue shares of Common Stock from time to time as consideration for future acquisitions, investments or other corporate purposes.
In the event that any such acquisition, investment or other transaction is significant, the number of shares of Common Stock that we may issue may in turn be significant. We may also grant registration rights covering those shares of Common Stock issued in connection with any such acquisition and investment.
In addition, the shares of Common Stock reserved for future issuance under the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan will become eligible for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by the provisions of various vesting schedules, the lock-up agreements, a registration statement under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration, including Rule 144 and Rule 701.
124
Rule 144
Under Rule 144, as currently in effect, once we have been subject to the public company reporting requirements of the Exchange Act for at least 90 days, and we are current in our Exchange Act reporting at the time of sale, a person (or persons whose shares are required to be aggregated) who is not deemed to have been one of our “affiliates” for purposes of Rule 144 at any time during the three months preceding a sale and who has beneficially owned restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144 for at least six months, including the holding period of any prior owner other than one of our “affiliates,” is entitled to sell those shares in the public market (subject to lock-up agreements, if applicable) without complying with the manner of sale, volume limitations or notice provisions of Rule 144, but subject to compliance with the public information requirements of Rule 144. If such a person has beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least one year, including the holding period of any prior owner other than “affiliates,” then such person is entitled to sell such shares in the public market without complying with any of the requirements of Rule 144 (subject to any lock-up agreement, if applicable).
In general, under Rule 144, as currently in effect, once we have been subject to the public company reporting requirements of the Exchange Act for at least 90 days, our “affiliates,” as defined in Rule 144, who have beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least six months, are entitled to sell in the public market, upon expiration of any applicable lock-up agreements and within any three-month period, a number of those shares of our Common Stock that does not exceed the greater of:
● | 1% of the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding, which will equal approximately 173,296 shares of Common Stock immediately upon the closing of this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares and no exercise of outstanding options or warrants subsequent to September 28, 2023); or |
● | the average weekly trading volume of our Common Stock on during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to such sale. |
Such sales under Rule 144 by our “affiliates” or persons selling shares on behalf of our “affiliates” are also subject to certain manner of sale provisions, notice requirements and requirements related to the availability of current public information about us. Notwithstanding the availability of Rule 144, the holders of substantially all of our restricted securities have entered into lock-up agreements as referenced above and their restricted securities will become eligible for sale (subject to the above limitations under Rule 144) upon the expiration of the restrictions set forth in those agreements.
Rule 701
In general, under Rule 701 as currently in effect, any of our employees, directors, officers, consultants or advisors who acquired Common Stock from us in connection with a written compensatory stock or option plan or other written agreement in compliance with Rule 701 before the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part (to the extent such Common Stock is not subject to a lock-up agreement) and who are not our “affiliates” as defined in Rule 144 during the immediately preceding 90 days, is entitled to rely on Rule 701 to resell such shares beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus in reliance on Rule 144, but without complying with the notice, manner of sale, public information requirements or volume limitation provisions of Rule 144. Persons who are our “affiliates” may resell those shares beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus without compliance with minimum holding period requirements under Rule 144 (subject to the terms of the lock-up agreement referred to below, if applicable).
125
Lock-Up Agreements
In connection with this offering, we, our directors, our executive officers and the holders of substantially all of our Common Stock, stock options and other securities convertible into, exercisable or exchangeable for our Common Stock, have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, with the underwriters not to directly or indirectly 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, or enter into any hedging, swap or other agreement or transaction that transfers any of the economic consequences of ownership of shares of our Common Stock or any options to purchase shares of our Common Stock, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock, during the period from the date of this prospectus continuing through the date 180 days after the date of this prospectus, except with the prior written consent of the representative of the underwriters, and certain other limited exceptions. These agreements are described in the section titled “Underwriting.”
In addition to the restrictions contained in the lock-up agreements described above, we have entered into agreements with certain security holders, including the amended and restated investors’ rights agreement, our standard form of option agreement, our standard form of restricted stock agreement and our standard form of restricted stock purchase agreement, that contain market stand-off provisions or incorporate market stand-off provisions from our equity incentive plan imposing restrictions on the ability of such security holders to offer, sell or transfer our equity securities for a period of 180 days following the date of this prospectus.
Following the lock-up periods set forth in the agreements described above, and assuming that the representative of the underwriters do not release any parties from these agreements, all of the shares of our Common Stock that are restricted securities or are held by our affiliates as of the date of this prospectus will be eligible for sale in the public market in compliance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
Equity Incentive Plans
We intend to file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act covering the shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan. Such registration statement is expected to be filed and become effective as soon as practicable after the closing of this offering. Accordingly, shares registered under such registration statement will be available for sale in the open market following its effective date, subject to Rule 144 volume limitations for affiliates and the lock-up agreements described above, if applicable.
126
The following are summaries of the material terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws, which will be effective upon the closing of this offering. The descriptions of the Common Stock and preferred stock give effect to changes to our capital structure that will occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering. We refer in this section to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation as our Amended Certificate of Incorporation, and we refer to our amended and restated bylaws as our Amended Bylaws. The material terms outlined herein are not intended to be a complete summary of the rights and preferences of such securities and is qualified by reference to the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws, the Amended Certificate of Incorporation, Amended Bylaws and the warrant-related documents described herein, which are exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We urge you to read each of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws, the Amended Certificate of Incorporation, the Amended Bylaws and to refer to the applicable provisions of Delaware law described herein in their entirety for a complete description of the rights and preferences of our securities.
Authorized Common Stock and Preferred Stock
Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, under our Certificate of Incorporation, we are authorized to issue 306,830,985 shares of capital stock, consisting of two classes: 300,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share of which 9,988,836 shares are issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and up to 6,830,985 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value in one or more series from time to time which currently consists of 213,730 shares of series seed convertible preferred stock $0.0001 par value per share, of which 213,730 shares are issued and outstanding, 3,635,252 shares of series seed 2 convertible preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of which 3,635,252 shares and 2,982,003 shares of series A convertible preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of which 1,861,799 shares are issued and outstanding as the date of this prospectus.
Upon completion of this offering, under our Amended Certificate of Incorporation our authorized capital stock will consist of 300,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and [75,000,000] shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, all of which shares of preferred stock will be undesignated.
Common Stock
Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, there were 10,118,834 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding, held of record by 23 stockholders. Upon the completion of this offering, all our issued preferred stock will automatically convert into shares of Common Stock. If our offering were to be completed as of the date of this prospectus, our shares of convertible preferred stock would convert into 5,710,781 shares of Common Stock. In addition, options to purchase 1,537,667 shares of Common Stock were also outstanding, and 581,826 warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock were outstanding.
The holders of shares of our Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record by such holder on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders.
The number of authorized shares of Common Stock may be increased or decreased by the affirmative vote of the holders of shares of capital stock of stock of the corporation representing a majority of the votes represented by all outstanding shares of capital stock of the corporation entitled to vote. Our Articles of Incorporation do not provide for cumulative voting. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding preferred stock, holders of Common Stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends as may be declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for that purpose. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of Common Stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities, subject to the prior distribution rights of any outstanding preferred stock. The Common Stock has no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights.
Upon completion of this offering all of our issued preferred stock will automatically convert into Common Stock. And the outstanding shares of Common Stock will be, fully paid and non-assessable. The Company may amend its Articles of Incorporation at any time, by way of a board resolution and without a stockholder meeting consistent with the provisions of the DGCL. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the holders of our Common Stock are entitled to share ratably in all of our assets which are legally available for distribution after the payment of or provision for all liabilities and the liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. The holders of our Common Stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption, or conversion rights.
127
Preferred Stock
Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock will be converted into shares of our Common Stock.
Upon the consummation of this offering, under our Amended Certificate of Incorporation our Board of Directors will have the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue up to 5,710,781 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting, or the designation of, such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of Common Stock. The issuance of our preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of Common Stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our Company or other corporate action. Immediately after consummation of this offering, no shares of preferred stock will be outstanding, and we have no present plan to issue any shares of preferred stock.
Immediately prior to the completion of this offering there were 6,830,985 authorized shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, and 5,710,781 shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding in three series as prescribed by our Certificate of Incorporation. Pursuant to our Certificate of Incorporation the conversion ratio of each series of convertible preferred stock is determined by dividing the original issue price of that series of convertible preferred stock by the conversion price, subject to adjustment. Since prior to adjustment the original issue price and conversion price are defined as the same figure, the conversion ratio is 1:1, subject to adjustment. For reference, the original issue price is defined as (a) for our series A preferred stock, $1.34138 per share, which also represents the series A preferred stock conversion price; (b) for our series seed 2 preferred stock $0.30 per share, which also represents the series seed 2 preferred stock conversion price; and (c) for our series seed preferred stock $0.30 per share, which also represents the series seed preferred stock conversion price. The 1:1 conversion of each of the three foregoing series of convertible preferred shares is subject to adjustment in the event of any stock split, stock dividend, combination or other similar recapitalization and other adjustments as set forth in our Certificate of Incorporation. As a result, immediately prior to the completion of this offering, each outstanding share of convertible preferred stock is convertible into shares of Common Stock on a one-for-one basis.
Consequently immediately prior to the completion of this offering, we had: (i) 213,730 authorized shares of series seed convertible preferred stock, all of which are issued and outstanding and upon completion of this offering, such issued and outstanding shares series seed 1 convertible preferred stock will convert into 213,730 shares of our Common Stock; (ii) 6,666,667 authorized shares of series seed 2 convertible preferred stock, 3,635,252 of which are issued and outstanding, and upon completion of this offering, such issued and outstanding shares of series seed 2 preferred stock will convert into 3,635,252 shares of our Common Stock; and (iii) 2,982,003 authorized shares of series a convertible preferred stock, 1,861,799 of which are issued and outstanding, and upon completion of this offering, such issued and outstanding shares of series a preferred stock will convert into 1,861,799 shares of our Common Stock. Shares of any preferred stock that converted will be retired, canceled and will not be reissued.
128
Warrants and Options
On July 15, 2022, we issued 231,828 shares of our series A preferred and 231,828 warrants to purchase shares of our Common stock upon conversion of $186,584 of promissory notes and accrued interest. The warrants have an exercise price of $2.01207 and expire in 5 years.
On March 2, 2023, we issued 250,000 warrants to an investor to purchase shares of our Common stock for total proceeds of $750,000. Each warrant is exercisable at $3.00 per share of Common Stock and expire in 3 years and 180 days, subject to terms prompting our acceleration of their expiration. The warrants are exercisable, in whole or in part at the issue date but such exercisability is subject to a lock-up period that ceases upon the date of our initial public offering and shall continue to be exercisable in whole or in part immediately after the lock-up period.
We have adopted an incentive stock option plan known as our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) where our Board or any of its committees can grant issuances of incentives stock options, nonstatutory stock options, and restricted stock to our employees, advisors and directors. The exercise price of incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options will be no less than 100% of the fair value per share of the Company’s Common Stock on the date of grant. If an individual owns Common Stock representing more than 10% of the voting shares and the grant is an incentive stock option, the price of each share will be at least 110% of the fair value on the date of grant. The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock allocated and made available for issuance pursuant to stock options granted under the Plan will not exceed 1,734,188 shares of Common Stock. As of the date of this prospectus, 1,537,667 options under the Plan were outstanding, and 92,354 were available for future grant. Each option granted under the Plan will carry a term of no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant and the Plan will remain in effect until it is terminated by the Board. The term and vesting periods for options granted under the Plan are determined by the Company’s board of directors.
Lock-Up Restrictions
Certain of our stockholders are subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods. See the section entitled “Share Eligible for Future Sale” for lock-up restrictions on our securities under the lock-up agreements.
Delaware Anti-Takeover Law and Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaw Provisions
Under Section 203 of the DGCL, we will be prohibited from engaging in any Business Combination with any stockholder for a period of three years following the time that such stockholder (the “interested stockholder”) came to own at least 15% of our outstanding voting stock (the “acquisition”), except if:
● | the Board approved the acquisition prior to its consummation; |
● | the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the outstanding voting stock upon consummation of the acquisition; or |
● | the Business Combination is approved by the Board, and by a 2/3 majority vote of the other stockholders in a meeting. |
129
Generally, a “Business Combination” includes any merger, consolidation, asset or stock sale or certain other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock.
Under certain circumstances, declining to opt out of Section 203 of the DGCL will make it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various Business Combinations with the Company for a three-year period. This may encourage companies interested in acquiring the Company to negotiate in advance with the Board because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if the Board approves the acquisition which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. This may also have the effect of preventing changes in the Board and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions which stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Written Consent by Stockholders
Under the Certificate of Incorporation, subject to the rights of any series of preferred stock then outstanding, any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meetings of our stockholders and may not be effected by any consent in writing by such stockholders.
Under our Amended Certificate of Incorporation, any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meetings of our stockholders and may not be effected by any consent in writing by such stockholders.
Special Meeting of Stockholders
Under both our Certificate of Incorporation and Amended Certificate of Incorporation, special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the chairperson of the Board, our chief executive officer or the Board acting pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized directorships and may not be called by any other person or persons. Only such business shall be considered at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been stated in the notice for such meeting.
Dividends
Under our Certificate of Incorporation, holders of our Common Stock and convertible preferred stock are entitled to dividends pro rata on a pari passu basis according to the number of shares of Common Stock held by such holders. For this purpose, each holder of shares of our convertible preferred stock are treated as if they hold the greatest whole number of shares of Common Stock then issuable upon conversion of all shares of their convertible preferred stock.
Under our Amended Certificate of Incorporation, the holders of our Common Stock are entitled to such dividends or other distribution as may be declared by our board of directors, subject to the DGCL. The directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on issued shares of Elevai Labs and authorize payment of the same out of the funds of Elevai Labs lawfully available therefor. No dividend shall be paid otherwise than out of profits or, subject to the restrictions of the DGCL.
Listing
We plan to apply to list our Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ELAB.” We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in listing on Nasdaq; however, we will not complete this offering unless we receive conditional approval letter.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
We have appointed VStock Transfer, LLC as the transfer agent for our shares. VStock Transfer’s telephone number and address is (212) 828-8436 and 18 Lafayette Place Woodmere, New York 11598.
130
In connection with this offering, we will enter into an underwriting agreement with Univest Securities, LLC, to act as the representative of the underwriters named below (the “Representative”). Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters named below have agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to them, the number of shares of Common Stock set forth opposite its name below, at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and as indicated below:
Name of Underwriter | Number of Shares | |||
Univest Securities, LLC | ||||
[●] |
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to pay for and accept delivery of shares of Common Stock are subject to the approval of certain legal matters by their counsel and to certain other conditions specified in the underwriting agreement. The underwriters are offering the shares of Common Stock when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to prior sale. The underwriters are obligated to take and pay for all of the shares offered by this prospectus if any such shares are taken. However, the underwriters are not required to take or pay for the shares covered by the underwriters’ over-allotment option described below.
Over-Allotment Option
We have granted to the Representative an option, exercisable for 45 days from the closing of this offering, to purchase additional shares of Common Stock equal to fifteen percent (15%) of the total number of shares of Common Stock sold in this offering at the initial public offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus, less underwriting discounts. The option may be exercised in whole or in part, and may be exercised more than once, during the 45-day option period. The Representative may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with the offering contemplated by this prospectus. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter will become obligated, subject to certain conditions, to offer the additional shares of Common Stock on the same terms as those on which the shares are being offered under this prospectus.
Discounts
The underwriters propose to initially offer the shares of Common Stock to the public at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and to certain dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $[●] per share of Common Stock. If all of the shares of Common Stock offered by us are not sold at the public offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and other selling terms by means of a supplement to this prospectus. The underwriting discounts are equal to seven percent (7%) of the initial public offering price.
The following table shows the initial public offering price, underwriting discounts, and proceeds before expenses to us. The total amounts are shown assuming either no exercise and full exercise of the over-allotment option we granted to the Representative.
No Exercise | Full Exercise1 | |||||||
Public offering price per share | $ | $ | ||||||
Total | $ | $ |
(1) | The fees do not include the Representative’s Warrants or expense reimbursement as described below. |
We have also agreed to pay the Representative by deduction from the net proceeds of the offering contemplated herein, as a non-accountable expense allowance equal to one percent (1%) of the gross proceeds received by us from the sale of the shares of Common Stock at the closing of the offering, including any shares issued pursuant to the exercise of the over-allotment option we granted to the Representative.
131
We have agreed to reimburse the Representative for its reasonable out-of-pocket accountable expenses in connection with this offering, up to a maximum amount of $250,000. The out-of-pocket expenses include but are not limited to road show expenses, fees of the Representative’s legal counsel, and due diligence expenses. As of the date of this prospectus, we have paid $80,000 to the underwriter as an advance against out-of-pocket accountable expenses. Any advance will be returned to us to the extent the representative’s out-of-pocket accountable expenses are not actually incurred in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(4)(A).
Our total expenses of the offering payable by us, including registration, filing and listing fees, printing fees and legal and accounting expenses, but excluding the underwriting discounts and non-accountable expense allowance, are approximately $547,900.
Right of First Refusal
We have agreed to grant the Representative, for the 18-month period following the closing of this offering, a right of first refusal to provide investment banking services to the Company on an exclusive basis in all matters for which investment banking services are sought by the Company (such right, the “Right of First Refusal”), which right is exercisable in the representative’s sole discretion but is non-assignable. For these purposes, investment banking services shall include, without limitation, (a) acting as lead or joint-lead manager for any underwritten public offering; (b) acting as exclusive lead or joint book-runner or placement agent, initial purchaser in connection with any private offering of securities of the Company; and (c) acting as financial advisor in connection with any sale or other transfer by the Company, directly or indirectly, of a majority or controlling portion of its capital stock or assets to another entity, any purchase or other transfer by another entity, directly or indirectly, of a majority or controlling portion of the capital stock or assets of the Company, and any merger or consolidation of the Company with another entity. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(E)(i), such right of first refusal shall not have a duration of more than three years from the date of commencement of sales of the public offering or the termination date of the engagement between us and the underwriter. The Right of First Refusal may be terminated by the Company for cause pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(5)(B)(i). For the avoidance of doubt, “for cause” termination shall include termination due to any material failure by the Representative to provide the underwriting services contemplated herein.
Indemnification
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act and liabilities arising from breaches of representations and warranties contained in the underwriting agreement, or to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
Lock-Up Agreements
The Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement that, without the prior written consent of the Representative, it will not, for a period of six (6) months from the commencement of the Company’s first day of trading on the Nasdaq (the “Lock-Up Period”), (i) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, 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, or file with the SEC any registration statement relating to, 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) 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), or (iii) above is to be settled by delivery of shares of capital stock of the Company or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.
In addition, our officers, directors, and stockholders holding 5% or more of the issued and outstanding Common Stock have agreed, that during the Lock-up Period, without the prior written consent of the Representative, subject to certain exceptions with respect to the Common Stock that they beneficially own, including the issuance of shares upon the exercise of convertible securities and options that may be currently outstanding or which may be issued that they will not directly, or indirectly, (i) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock of the Company, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by such person or with respect to which such person has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition; (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of such securities; (iii) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any such securities; or (iv) 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 such securities. This means that, for a period of six months following the date of this prospectus, such persons may not offer, sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of these securities without the prior written consent of the Representative or as otherwise agreed.
132
The Representative has no present intention to waive or shorten the lock-up period; however, the terms of the lock-up agreements may be waived at its discretion. In determining whether to waive the terms of the lock-up agreements, the Representative may base its decision on its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and companies similar to ours in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in general.
Representative’s Warrants
We have agreed to issue to the Representative and to register herein warrants to purchase a number of shares equal to five percent (5%) of the total number of shares of Common Stock sold in this offering. The warrants will be exercisable upon issuance, at any time, and from time to time, in whole or in part, commencing from the closing of the offering and expiring five years from the effectiveness of the offering. The warrants are exercisable at a per share price of 100% of the public offering price of the shares offered hereby. The Representative’s Warrant shall not be callable or cancellable.
The Representative’s warrants and the underlying shares are deemed to be compensation by FINRA, and therefore will be subject to a lock-up pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(c)(1). The Representative’s Warrant may not 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 commencement of sales of the offering, of which this prospectus forms a part in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), except that they may be assigned, in whole or in part, to any successor, officer, manager, member, or partner of the underwriter, and to members of the syndicate or selling group and their respective officers, managers, members or partners. The Representative’s Warrants may be exercised as to all or a lesser number of shares, will provide for cashless exercise and will contain provisions for immediate “piggyback” registration rights at our expense for a period of seven years from the commencement of sales of the offering and demand registration rights, with one such right being at our expense, for a period of five years from the commencement of sales of the offering. We have registered the Underwriter the shares underlying the Representative’s Warrant in this offering.
Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids
In connection with the offering the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions, penalty bids and passive market making in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
● | Stabilizing transactions permit the underwriters to make bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the Common Stock, so long as stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
● | Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriters of Common Stock in excess of the number of shares of Common Stock the underwriters are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of shares of Common Stock over-allotted by the underwriters is not greater than the number of shares of Common Stock that they may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of shares of Common Stock involved is greater than the number of shares of Common Stock in the over-allotment option. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their over-allotment option and/or purchasing shares of Common Stock in the open market. |
● | Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of shares of Common Stock in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of shares of Common Stock to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of our shares of Common Stock available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares of Common Stock through the over-allotment option. If the underwriters sell more shares of Common Stock than could be covered by the over-allotment option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying shares of Common Stock in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the shares of Common Stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. |
● | Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the shares of Common Stock originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. |
● | In passive market making, market makers in the Common Stock who are the underwriters or prospective underwriter may, subject to limitations, make bids for or purchases of our Common Stock until the time, if any, at which a stabilizing bid is made. |
133
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our Common Stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our Common Stock. As a result, the price of our Common Stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on the Nasdaq Stock Market or otherwise, and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
Determination of Offering Price
The public offering price of the shares of Common Stock we are offering was determined by us in consultation with the Representative based on discussions with potential investors in light of the history and prospects of our Company, the stage of development of our business, our business plans for the future and the extent to which they have been implemented, an assessment of our management, the public stock price for similar companies, general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering and such other factors as were deemed relevant.
Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Securities
This prospectus in electronic format may be made available on websites or through other online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters, or by their affiliates. Other than this prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter, and should not be relied upon by investors.
Selling Restrictions
No action has been taken in any jurisdiction (except in the United States) that would permit a public offering of our shares of Common Stock, or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus or any other material relating to us or our shares of Common Stock in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, our shares of Common Stock may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with our shares of Common Stock may be distributed or published, in or from any country or jurisdiction, except in compliance with any applicable rules and regulations of any such country or jurisdiction.
Nasdaq Listing
We will not complete this offering unless our shares have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ELAB”.
134
The legality and validity of the securities offered from time to time under this prospectus will be passed upon by Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP. The current address of Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP is 366 Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10017. Certain legal matters as to the United States federal securities and New York law in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the underwriters by Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC.
Our financial statements as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and for each of the two years in the period ending December 31, 2022, included in this Prospectus have been audited by TPS Thayer, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report appearing herein and elsewhere in the Registration Statement (which report expresses an unqualified opinion on the financial statements and includes an explanatory paragraph referring to the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern). TPS Thayer has also performed review of our unaudited interim financial statements as of and for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. Such financial statements have been so included in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing. The current address of TPS Thayer is 1600 Hwy 6 Suite 100, Sugar Land, TX 77478.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the Public Reference Room. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, where our SEC filings are also available. The address of the SEC’s web site is http://www.sec.gov.
135
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements
For the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
F-1
Consolidated Financial Statements of
For the years ended
December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States Dollars)
F-2
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and
Shareholders Elevai Labs, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Elevai Labs, Inc. and subsidiaries (collectively, “the Company”) as of December 31, 2022, and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of operations and other comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the two year period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the consolidated results of its operations and its consolidated cash flows for the two year period ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As described in Note 2 the financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations and has stockholders’ deficit that raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as going concern. Management’s plans regarding these matters are also described in Note 2. 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 audits 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 misstatements of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provided a reasonable basis for our opinion.
TPS Thayer, LLC
We have served as the Company’s
auditor
since 2022 Sugar Land, Texas
June 13, 2023
F-3
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Expressed in United States dollar)
As of: | December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | ||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Current Assets | ||||||||
Cash | $ | 1,154,901 | $ | 411,858 | ||||
Receivables, net | 12,854 | 1,710 | ||||||
Prepaids and deposits | 153,422 | 62,140 | ||||||
Inventory, net | 230,145 | 160,817 | ||||||
Total Current Assets | 1,551,322 | 636,525 | ||||||
Deposit | 10,773 | |||||||
Property and equipment, net | 53,535 | 29,725 | ||||||
Operating lease right-of-use asset | 276,553 | - | ||||||
TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 1,892,183 | $ | 666,250 | ||||
LIABILITIES | ||||||||
Current Liabilities | ||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 256,325 | $ | 192,102 | ||||
Customer deposits | 10,172 | - | ||||||
Due to related parties | 142,704 | 23,520 | ||||||
Current portion of lease liability | 110,616 | - | ||||||
Derivative liabilities | 68,455 | - | ||||||
Total Current Liabilities | 588,272 | 215,622 | ||||||
Operating lease liability | 172,601 | - | ||||||
TOTAL LIABILIITES | $ | 760,873 | $ | 215,622 | ||||
Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||
EQUITY | ||||||||
Series seed 1 preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 213,730 shares authorized; 213,730 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 | 21 | 21 | ||||||
Series seed 2 preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 3,635,252 shares authorized; 3,635,252 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively | 364 | 364 | ||||||
Series A preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 2,982,003 shares authorized; 1,861,799 and Nil shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 | 186 | - | ||||||
Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 19,000,000 shares authorized; 9,568,475 and 9,526,808 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively | 957 | 952 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 3,852,044 | 1,371,194 | ||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income | 111 | 202 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (2,722,373 | ) | (922,105 | ) | ||||
TOTAL EQUITY | 1,131,310 | 450,628 | ||||||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY | $ | 1,892,183 | $ | 666,250 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F-4
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollar)
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Revenue | $ | 766,277 | $ | 827 | ||||
Cost of sales | 318,968 | 88 | ||||||
Gross profit | $ | 447,309 | $ | 739 | ||||
Expenses | ||||||||
Depreciation | 5,034 | 2,385 | ||||||
Marketing and promotion | 192,863 | 31,605 | ||||||
Consulting fees | 324,395 | 210,402 | ||||||
Office and administrative | 1,019,708 | 268,175 | ||||||
Professional fees | 192,409 | 124,152 | ||||||
Investor relations | 74,003 | - | ||||||
Research and development | 228,747 | 123,632 | ||||||
Foreign exchange (gain) loss | 2,749 | (323 | ) | |||||
Travel and entertainment | 198,442 | 25,450 | ||||||
Total Expenses | $ | 2,238,350 | $ | 785,478 | ||||
Net loss before other income (expense) | $ | (1,791,041 | ) | $ | (784,739 | ) | ||
Other income (expense) | ||||||||
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (12,754 | ) | - | |||||
Interest income | 7,702 | - | ||||||
Interest expense | (2,629 | ) | - | |||||
Loss on sale of equipment | (1,546 | ) | - | |||||
Net loss | $ | (1,800,268 | ) | $ | (784,739 | ) | ||
Other comprehensive income (loss) | ||||||||
Currency translation adjustment | (91 | ) | 1,424 | |||||
Total comprehensive loss | $ | (1,800,359 | ) | $ | (783,315 | ) | ||
Basic and diluted loss per share | $ | (0.189 | ) | $ | (0.083 | ) | ||
Weighted average shares outstanding | 9,528,863 | 9,460,664 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F-5
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Series
seed 1 preferred stock | Series
seed 2 preferred stock | Series
A preferred stock | Common Stock | Additional | Accumulated other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of | Number of | Number of | Number of | paid-in | Accumulated | comprehensive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
shares | Amount | shares | Amount | shares | Amount | shares | Amount | capital | deficit | income | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
# | $ | # | $ | # | $ | # | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, January 1, 2021 | 213,730 | 21 | - | - | - | - | 8,480,000 | 848 | 114,130 | (137,366 | ) | (1,222 | ) | (23,589 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Private placements | - | - | 3,635,252 | 364 | - | - | - | - | 1,090,213 | - | - | 1,090,577 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion of promissory notes | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1,046,808 | 104 | 24,496 | - | - | 24,600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 142,355 | - | - | 142,355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the year | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (784,739 | ) | - | (784,739 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustment | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1,424 | 1,424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | - | - | 9,526,808 | 952 | 1,371,194 | (922,105 | ) | 202 | 450,628 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, January 1, 2022 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | - | - | 9,526,808 | 952 | 1,371,194 | (922,105 | ) | 202 | 450,628 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Private placements | - | - | - | - | 1,629,971 | 163 | - | - | 2,186,258 | - | - | 2,186,421 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share issuance cost | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (33,132 | ) | - | - | (33,132 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion of promissory notes | - | - | - | - | 231,828 | 23 | - | - | 130,860 | - | - | 130,883 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 171,869 | - | - | 171,869 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise of stock options | - | - | - | - | - | - | 41,667 | 5 | 24,995 | - | - | 25,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the year | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (1,800,268 | ) | - | (1,800,268 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustment | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (91 | ) | (91 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | 1,861,799 | 186 | 9,568,475 | 957 | 3,852,044 | (2,722,373 | ) | 111 | 1,131,310 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F-6
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Operating activities | ||||||||
Net loss | $ | (1,800,268 | ) | $ | (784,739 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
Depreciation | 6,512 | 2,757 | ||||||
Interest expense | 2,614 | 600 | ||||||
Share-based compensation | 171,869 | 142,355 | ||||||
Straight-line rent expense | 6,664 | - | ||||||
Loss on sale of equipment | 1,546 | - | ||||||
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | 12,754 | - | ||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
Receivables | (11,547 | ) | (1,355 | ) | ||||
Prepaid expenses and deposits | (102,055 | ) | (58,840 | ) | ||||
Inventory | (69,328 | ) | (160,817 | ) | ||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 65,191 | 192,086 | ||||||
Customer deposits | 10,172 | - | ||||||
Due to related parties | 120,000 | 7,019 | ||||||
Cash flows used in operating activities | $ | (1,585,876 | ) | $ | (660,934 | ) | ||
Investing activities | ||||||||
Purchase of equipment | (35,527 | ) | (32,482 | ) | ||||
Proceeds on disposal of equipment | 3,500 | |||||||
Cash flows used in investing activities | $ | (32,027 | ) | $ | (32,482 | ) | ||
Financing activities | ||||||||
Exercise of stock options | 25,000 | - | ||||||
Proceeds from the issuance of series A preferred stock | 2,153,289 | - | ||||||
Proceeds from the issuance of series seed 2 preferred stock | - | 1,090,577 | ||||||
Proceeds from notes payable | 183,970 | - | ||||||
Cash flows provided by financing activities | $ | 2,362,259 | $ | 1,090,577 | ||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | (1,313 | ) | 1,346 | |||||
Increase in cash | 743,043 | 398,507 | ||||||
Cash, beginning of period | 411,858 | 13,351 | ||||||
Cash, ending of period | $ | 1,154,901 | $ | 411,858 | ||||
Supplemental cash flow information: | ||||||||
Cash paid for interest | - | - | ||||||
Cash paid for taxes | - | - | ||||||
Non-cash Investing and Financing transactions: | ||||||||
Settlement of notes payable and accrued interest through issuance of common stock | - | 24,600 | ||||||
Settlement of notes payable and accrued interest through issuance of series A preferred stock and warrants | 186,584 | - |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F-7
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
1. | Organization and nature of operations |
Elevai Labs, Inc. (“Elevai”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on June 9, 2020. Elevai and its 100% owned subsidiary, Elevai Research Inc, are collectively referred to in these consolidated financial statements as “the Company”.
The Company is a skincare development company engaged in the design, manufacture, and marketing of skincare products in the skincare industry. The Company’s principal activities are developing and manufacturing skincare products.
Reorganization
A reorganization of the legal structure was completed in June 2021. On June 4, 2021, Elevai acquired 100% of Elevai Research Inc. (formerly Reactive Medical Inc.) (“Elevai Research”).
Prior to the reorganization, BWL Investments Ltd. (“BWL”) owned approximately 29.4% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Elevai and 100% of Elevai Research. The other significant shareholder of Elevai was JP Bio Consulting LLC (“JP”), also holding approximately 29.4% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Elevai. In addition, BWL and JP (the “Controlling Shareholders”) had entered into an agreement to act in concert and vote together in favor of the acquisition of Elevai Research.
Since the Company is effectively controlled by the same Controlling Shareholders before and after the reorganization, it has been accounted for as an acquisition under common control. The assets and liabilities of Elevai Research are consolidated retrospectively from the date of incorporation of Elevai Research on February 5, 2018, as both entities were under common control since inception.
2. | Going Concern |
These audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which implies the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the continued financial support from its shareholders and the ability of the Company to obtain necessary equity financing to continue operations, and ultimately the attainment of profitable operations.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had a net working capital of $963,050 and $420,903, respectively, and has an accumulated deficit of $2,722,373 and $922,105, respectively. Furthermore, for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a net loss of $1,800,268 and $784,739, respectively and used $1,585,876 and $660,934, respectively of cash flows for operating activities. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. These audited consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
The assessment of whether the going concern assumption is appropriate requires management to take into account all available information about the future, which is at least, but not limited to, 12 months from the date the financial statements are issued. The Company is aware that material uncertainties related to events or conditions may cast substantial doubt upon the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
F-8
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Management’s plans that alleviate substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern include raising additional debt or equity financing (refer to note 17). In addition, in February 2023, the Company filed its preliminary initial registration (S-1 Form) with the SEC pursuant to its goal of completing an initial public offering (“IPO”). The Company plans to use funds raised in a successful IPO to accelerate new product development, inventory production, increasing its sales force and expanding into new markets.
The outbreak of the coronavirus, also known as “COVID-19”, has spread across the globe and is impacting worldwide economic activity. Conditions surrounding the coronavirus continue to rapidly evolve and government authorities have implemented emergency measures to mitigate the spread of the virus. The outbreak and the related mitigation measures may have an adverse impact on global economic conditions as well as on the Company’s business activities. The extent to which the coronavirus may impact the Company’s business activities will depend on future developments, such as the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, travel restrictions, business disruptions, and the effectiveness of actions taken in the USA and Canada and other countries to contain and treat the disease. These events are highly uncertain and as such, the Company cannot determine their financial impact at this time. While certain restrictions are presently in the process of being relaxed, it is unclear when the world will return to the previous normal, if ever. This may adversely impact the expected implementation of the Company’s plans moving forward.
3. | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and are expressed in U.S. dollars. These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary. All intercompany accounts and transactions were eliminated upon consolidation.
This summary of significant accounting policies of the Company is presented to assist in understanding the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The consolidated financial statements and notes are representations of the Company’s management who are responsible for their integrity and objectivity. These accounting policies conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and have been consistently applied in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the account of Elevai, and its 100% owned subsidiary, Elevai Research. All intercompany accounts, transactions and profits were eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.
F-9
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company regularly evaluates estimates and assumptions related to revenue recognition, the collectability of receivables, valuation of inventory, fair value of derivative liabilities and stock options, useful lives and recoverability of long-lived assets, and deferred income tax asset valuation allowances. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on current facts, historical experience and various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgements about the carrying value of assets and liabilities and the accrual of costs and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. The actual results experienced by the Company may differ materially and adversely from those estimates. Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically, and the effects of revisions are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period they are determined.
Foreign Currency Translation
The Company’s functional and reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of Elevai Research is the Canadian dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated using the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary assets, liabilities, and items recorded in income arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated at rates of exchange in effect at the date of the transaction. Gains and losses arising on translation or settlement of foreign currency denominated transactions or balances are included in the determination of income.
The accounts of Elevai Research are translated to U.S. dollars using the current rate method. Accordingly, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the period-end exchange rate while revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rates during the period. Related exchange gains and losses are included in a separate component of stockholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
Reportable Segments and Geographic Areas
The Company has one reportable segment. The Company’s activities are interrelated, and each activity is dependent upon and supportive of the other. Accordingly, all significant operating decisions are based on analysis of financial products provided as a single global business.
F-10
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
The majority of the Company’s operations and assets are located in the United States. Elevai Research, the Company’s Canadian subsidiary, is located in Canada and provide limited operational support. The following is a summary of the Company’s operations, assets and liabilities split between the Unites States and Canada:
United States | Canada | Total | ||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 766,277 | $ | - | $ | 766,277 | ||||||
Cost of sales | 318,968 | - | 318,968 | |||||||||
Gross profit | $ | 447,309 | $ | - | $ | 447,309 | ||||||
Expenses | 2,084,777 | 153,573 | 2,238,350 | |||||||||
Other income (expense) | (9,227 | ) | - | (9,227 | ) | |||||||
Net loss | $ | 1,646,695 | $ | 153,573 | $ | 1,800,268 | ||||||
Current Assets | $ | 1,487,928 | $ | 63,394 | $ | 1,551,322 | ||||||
Non-current assets | 338,607 | 2,254 | 340,861 | |||||||||
Total Assets | $ | 1,826,535 | $ | 65,648 | $ | 1,892,183 | ||||||
Current liabilities | $ | 558,880 | $ | 29,392 | $ | 588,272 | ||||||
Non-current liabilities | 172,601 | - | 172,601 | |||||||||
Total Liabilities | $ | 731,481 | $ | 29,392 | $ | 760,873 | ||||||
Total Equity | $ | 1,095,054 | $ | 36,256 | $ | 1,131,310 |
Revenue Recognition
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Since ASU 2014-09 was issued, several additional ASUs have been issued to clarify various elements of the guidance. These standards provide guidance on recognizing revenue, including a five-step model to determine when revenue recognition is appropriate.
The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a product to a customer. Revenue is measured based on the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those products. In instances where financial acceptance of the product is specified by the customer, revenue is deferred until all acceptance criteria have been met. Revenues are recognized under ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” in a manner that reasonably reflects the delivery of its products and services to customers in return for expected consideration.
The Company generates revenue through the sale of skincare products. Revenue from the sale of skincare products are recognized at the point in time when the Company considered revenue realized or realizable and earned, which is typically when all of the five following criteria are met: (1) the contract with the customer is identifiable (i.e. when a sales transaction has been entered into between the Company and the customer), (2) the performance obligation in the contract is identifiable (i.e. the customer has ordered a known quantity of product to be delivered), (3) the transaction price is determinable (i.e. the customer has agreed to the Company’s price for the products ordered), (4) the Company is able to allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (5) the performance obligations have been satisfied, which is typically upon delivery of the product to the customer.
F-11
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Transaction prices for performance obligations are explicitly outlined in relevant agreements; therefore, the Company does not believe that significant judgements are required with respect to the determination of the transaction price, including any variable consideration identified.
The Company is responsible for providing the products to customers. As a result, the Company is considered the Principal when providing products to customers. As the Company collects payment at the time of the customer order, its contracts do not have a significant financing component. Customers are entitled to replacement or full refund of any damaged or defective product, after the return of the damaged or defective product to the Company. There were no significant returns or refunds during the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Research and development
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred in accordance with ASC 730, Research and Development. The Company incurs research and development costs in the pursuit of new products and improving the formulation of existing products. Examples of research costs include laboratory research, studies, surveys, and other activities aimed at acquiring new knowledge. Development costs include expenses incurred in the process of applying research findings or other knowledge to a plan or design for a new product or process. Examples of development costs include engineering, design, testing, and other activities aimed at developing a product or process for commercial production.
Development costs may be capitalized if the following criteria are met: (1) technological feasibility has been established, (2) the Company intends to complete the product or process. (3) the Company has the ability to use or sell the product or process, (4) the product or process will generate future economic benefits, and (5) the costs can be reliably measured.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company has not capitalized any development cost.
Marketing and promotion
Costs associated with marketing and promoting the Company’s products are expensed when incurred. The Company includes the cost of products given out as samples in marketing and promotion expenses.
Leases
The Company accounts for leases in accordance with ASC 842, “Leases”. We determine if an arrangement meets the definition of a lease at inception of the contract. Leases are classified as either operating or capital leases. All of the Company’s leases have been assessed as operating leases. Accounting for operating leases, other than short term leases, results in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, operating lease liabilities - current, and operating lease liabilities - noncurrent on the balance sheets.
ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As our lease do not provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the estimated rate of interest for collateralized borrowing over a similar term of the lease payments at commencement date. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
F-12
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes”. The asset and liability method provides that deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequence of temporary differences between the financial reporting and taxes basis of assets and liabilities, and for operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using the currently enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce deferred income tax assets to the amount that it believes more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income tax planning, strategies and results of recent operations. If the Company determines that such deferred tax assets will be recognized in the future in excess of the net recorded amount then the deferred tax asset valuation will be adjusted which would reduce the provision for income taxes. Significant judgments and estimates are required in the determination of the consolidated income tax expense. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not have any amounts recorded pertaining to tax assets or liabilities as the Company has incurred losses since inception and has taken a full valuation allowance against its tax loss carry forwards. In addition, the Company did not have any amounts recorded pertaining to tax expense or recovery.
The Company records uncertain tax provisions in accordance with ASC 740 based on a two-step process whereby (1) a determination is made about whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained based on the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more likely than not recognition threshold, the Company recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not have any amounts recorded pertaining to uncertain tax positions. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in office and administrative expense. The Company did not incur any penalties or interest during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Cash, receivables and refundable deposits are the only financial instruments that are potentially subject to credit risk. The Company places its cash in what it believes to be credit-worthy financial institutions. Receivables relate to sales taxes paid that is reimbursable from the Canadian government and timing differences on receiving proceeds from sales transactions processed through customer credit cards. Refundable deposits relate to the Company’s security deposit on lease agreements.
F-13
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
As at December 31, 2022, 92% of the Company’s cash were held with Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”). On March 10, 2023, SVB failed after a bank run and was shut down by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC). The Company suffered no losses and had full access to funds shortly after SVB was placed under the control of the FDIC. The Company has since taken steps to protect its cash from credit risk by placing its funds with, JPMorgan Chase Bank, the largest bank in the United States and the world by market capitalization.
Risks and Uncertainties
The Company is subject to risks from, among other things, competition associated with the industry in general, other risks associated with financing, liquidity requirements, rapidly changing customer requirements, limited operating history, foreign currency exchange rates and the volatility of public markets.
Contingencies
Certain conditions may exist as of the date the consolidated financial statements are issued, which may result in a loss to the Company, but which will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. The Company’s management and legal counsel assess such contingent liabilities, and such assessment inherently involves judgement. In assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings that are pending against the Company or un-asserted claims that may result in such proceedings, the Company’s legal counsel evaluates the perceived merits of any legal proceedings or un-asserted claims as well as the perceived merits of the amount of relief sought or expected to be sought.
If the assessment of a contingency indicates it is probable that a material loss has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. If the assessment indicates that a potential material loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss if determinable and material would be disclosed. Loss contingencies considered to be remote by management are generally not disclosed unless they involve guarantees, in which case the guarantee would be disclosed.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash includes cash on hand and cash in demand deposits. Cash equivalents include all highly liquid instruments with original maturities of three months or less. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not hold any cash equivalents.
F-14
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Receivables
All receivables under standard terms are due thirty (30) days from the date billed. If the funds are not received within thirty (30) days, the customer is contacted to arrange payment. The Company uses the allowance method to account for uncollectable receivables. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there was no allowance for uncollectable receivables recorded.
Inventory
Inventory consist of raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods and are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The Company’s manufacturing process involves the production of our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM. Finished goods consists of a new generation of cosmetic topical products containing our proprietary stem cell-derived Elevai ExosomesTM. Cost is determined using the weighted average cost formula. Net realizable value is determined on the basis of anticipated sales proceeds less the estimated selling expenses. Management compares the cost of inventories with the net realizable value and an allowance is made to write down inventories to net realizable value, if lower.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Renewals and betterments that materially extend the life of assets are capitalized. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Property and equipment is depreciated using the straight-line method. The estimated useful lives of property and equipment are generally as follows:
Lab equipment | 7-year straight-line | |
Furniture and fixtures | 7-year straight-line | |
Computers | 5-year straight-line |
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets such as equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the total of the expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying value of the asset, a loss is recognized for the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the asset.
The Company’s policy for property and equipment requires judgement in determining whether the present value of future expected economic benefits exceeds capitalized costs. The policy requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions about future economic benefits related to its operations. Estimates and assumptions may change if new information becomes available. If information becomes available suggesting that the recovery of capitalized cost is unlikely, the capitalized cost is written off/impaired to the consolidated statement of operations.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. The Company evaluates all of its financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the consolidated statement of operations. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to value the derivative instruments at inception and subsequent valuation dates. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is reassessed at the end of each reporting period.
F-15
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Common Stock Warrants
The Company classifies as equity any warrants that (i) require physical settlement or net-share settlement or (ii) provide the Company with a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in its own shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement). The Company classifies as assets or liabilities any warrants that (i) require net-cash settlement (including a requirement to net cash settle the contract if an event occurs and if that event is outside the Company’s control), (ii) gives the counterparty a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement) or (iii) that contain reset provisions that do not qualify for the scope exception. The Company assesses classification of its common stock warrants at each reporting date to determine whether a change in classification is required. Warrants classified as liabilities are initially recorded at fair value, with gains and losses arising from changes in fair value recognized in other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of operations at each period end while such instruments remain outstanding.
Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements
The Company analyzes all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity under ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity,” and ASC 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”.
ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments held by the Company. ASC 825, “Financial Instruments,” defines fair value, and establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures of fair value measurement that enhances disclosure requirements for fair value measures. The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for receivables and current liabilities each qualify as financial instruments and are a reasonable estimate of their fair values because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization and their current market rate of interest. The three levels of valuation hierarchy are defined as follows:
Level 1
Level 1 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2
Level 2 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets); or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.
F-16
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Level 3
Level 3 applies to asset or liabilities for which there are unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash, receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, notes payable, due to related parties and derivative liabilities. Except for cash and derivative liabilities, the Company’s financial instruments’ carrying amounts, excluding unamortized discounts, approximate their fair values due to their short term to maturity. Cash is measured and recognized at fair value based on level 1 inputs for all periods presented. Derivative liabilities are measured and recognized at fair value based on level 3 inputs.
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | |||||||||||||
December 31, 2022: | ||||||||||||||||
Cash | $ | 1,154,901 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 1,154,901 | ||||||||
Derivative liabilities | - | - | 68,455 | 68,455 | ||||||||||||
$ | 1,154,901 | $ | - | $ | 68,455 | $ | 1,223,356 | |||||||||
December 31, 2021: | ||||||||||||||||
Cash | $ | 411,858 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 411,858 |
Loss per Share
The Company computes net income (loss) per share in accordance with ASC 260, “Earnings per Share”. ASC 260 requires presentation of both basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) on the face of the consolidated statement of operations. Basic EPS is computed by dividing net income (loss) available to common shareholders (numerator) by the weighted average number of shares outstanding (denominator) during the period. Diluted EPS gives effect to all dilutive potential shares of common stock outstanding during the period using the treasury stock method and convertible preferred stock using the if-converted method. In computing diluted EPS, the average stock price for the period is used in determining the number of shares assumed to be purchased from the exercise of stock options or warrants. Diluted EPS excludes all potential shares if their effect is anti-dilutive.
The Company’s preferred stock, stock options and warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, are considered potential common shares that could dilute earnings per share, but were not included in the diluted loss per share computation because their effect was antidilutive for the periods presented. As a result, there is no difference between the computation of basic and diluted loss per shares for the periods presented.
Share-Based Compensation
Employees - The Company accounts for share-based compensation under the fair value method which requires all such compensation to employees, including the grant of employee stock options, to be calculated based on its fair value at the measurement date (generally the grant date), and recognized in the consolidated statement of operations over the requisite service period.
F-17
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Nonemployees - During June 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-07, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2018-07”) to simplify the accounting for share-based payments to nonemployees by aligning it with the accounting for share-based payments to employees. Under the requirements of ASU 2018-07, the Company accounts for share-based compensation to non-employees under the fair value method which requires all such compensation to be calculated based on the fair value at the measurement date (generally the grant date), and recognized in the statement of operations over the requisite service period.
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded $171,869 and $142,355, respectively, in share-based compensation expense, of which $164,907 and $6,962, and $136,486 and $5,869, respectively is included in office and administration and research and development, respectively.
Determining the appropriate fair value model and the related assumptions requires judgment. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the fair value of each option grant was estimated using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model.
The expected volatility represents the historical volatility of comparable publicly traded companies in similar industries, adjusted for variables such as stock price, market capitalization and life cycle. Due to limited historical data, the expected term for options granted is equal to the contractual life. The risk-free interest rate is based on a treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected life of stock options. The Company has not paid and does not anticipate paying cash dividends on its shares of common stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero.
New Accounting Standards
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, ASC Subtopic 470-20 “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options” and ASC subtopic 815-40 “Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity”. The standard reduced the number of accounting models for convertible debt instruments and convertible preferred stock. Convertible instruments that continue to be subject to separation models are (1) those with embedded conversion features that are not clearly and closely related to the host contract, that meet the definition of a derivative, and that do not qualify for a scope exception from derivative accounting; and (2) convertible debt instruments issued with substantial premiums for which the premiums are recorded as paid-in capital. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
F-18
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
The Company assesses the adoption impacts of recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards by the Financial Accounting Standards Board on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-02, ASC Subtopic 326 “Credit Losses”: Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures. Since the issuance of Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, the Board has provided resources to monitor and assist stakeholders with the implementation of Topic 326. Post-Implementation Review (PIR) activities have included forming a Credit Losses Transition Resource Group, conducting outreach with stakeholders of all types, developing educational materials and staff question-and-answer guidance, conducting educational workshops, and performing an archival review of financial reports. ASU No. 2022-02 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2022.
The Company does not expect the standard to have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements.
In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, ASC Subtopic 820 “Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions”. The FASB is issuing this Update (1) to clarify the guidance in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, when measuring the fair value of an equity security subject to contractual restrictions that prohibit the sale of an equity security, (2) to amend a related illustrative example, and (3) to introduce new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that are measured at fair value in accordance with Topic 820.
Stakeholders asserted that the language in the illustrative example resulted in diversity in practice on whether the effects of a contractual restriction that prohibits the sale of an equity security should be considered in measuring that equity security’s fair value. Some stakeholders apply a discount to the price of an equity security subject to a contractual sale restriction, whereas other stakeholders consider the application of a discount to be inappropriate under the principles of Topic 820.
For public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for both interim and annual financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance.
The Company does not expect the standard to have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements.
F-19
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
4. | Receivables |
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, receivables consisted of the following:
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Trade receivable | $ | 4,180 | $ | - | ||||
Sales taxes receivable | 8,674 | 1,710 | ||||||
$ | 12,854 | $ | 1,710 |
The Company records sales taxes receivable for recoverable sales taxes paid on eligible purchases in its Canadian subsidiary.
5. | Prepaids and Deposits |
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, prepaid and deposits consisted of the following:
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Prepaid expenses | $ | 89,819 | $ | 31,176 | ||||
Deposits | 24,376 | 30,964 | ||||||
Deferred share issuance and listing expense | 50,000 | - | ||||||
$ | 164,195 | $ | 62,140 |
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the security deposit on the Company’s long term lease in the amount of $10,773 and $Nil, respectively, is classified as a non-current deposit on the balance sheet.
6. | Inventory |
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, inventory consisted of the following:
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Raw materials | $ | 81,133 | $ | 84,020 | ||||
Work in progress | 116,984 | 28,116 | ||||||
Finished goods | 32,028 | 48,681 | ||||||
$ | 230,145 | $ | 160,817 |
Cost of inventory recognized as expense in cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, totaled $251,580 and $88, respectively.
F-20
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
7. | Property and Equipment |
Equipment | Furniture and Fixtures | Computers | Total | |||||||||||||
Cost | ||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2020 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||
Additions | 32,482 | - | - | 32,482 | ||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | $ | 32,482 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 32,482 | ||||||||
Additions | 24,222 | 8,365 | 2,940 | 35,527 | ||||||||||||
Disposal | (6,188 | ) | - | - | (6,188 | ) | ||||||||||
Foreign currency translation | - | - | (181 | ) | (181 | ) | ||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | $ | 50,516 | $ | 8,365 | $ | 2,759 | $ | 61,640 | ||||||||
Accumulated depreciation | ||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2020 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||
Depreciation expense | 2,757 | - | - | 2,757 | ||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | $ | 2,757 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 2,757 | ||||||||
Depreciation expense | 5,437 | 548 | 527 | 6,512 | ||||||||||||
Disposal | (1,142 | ) | - | - | (1,142 | ) | ||||||||||
Foreign currency translation | - | - | (22 | ) | (22 | ) | ||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | $ | 7,052 | $ | 548 | $ | 505 | $ | 8,105 | ||||||||
Net book value | ||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2021 | $ | 29,725 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 29,725 | ||||||||
December 31, 2022 | $ | 43,464 | $ | 7,817 | $ | 2,254 | $ | 53,535 |
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company capitalized depreciation of $1,478 and $372, respectively as part of the production of inventory.
8. | Operating Lease |
During 2022, the Company entered into a noncancelable operating lease that includes two property location, one which is being used as the Company’s office and the other as its lab for research and development and the production of inventory. The lease had a commencement date of June 1, 2022 and expires on May 31, 2025, after which the term will continue on a month-to-month basis.
The Company recognized a total lease cost related to its noncancelable operating lease of $73,802 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to a cash outflow related to lease payments of $67,138. The lease cost has been allocated as follows based on the square footage of each property location.
December 31, 2022 | ||||
Office space, recorded in office and administration | $ | 51,745 | ||
Lab space, recorded in research and development | 19,004 | |||
Lab space, capitalized to production of inventory | 3,053 | |||
$ | 73,802 |
F-21
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
As of December 31, 2022 the Company recorded a security deposit of $10,773 (note 5).
Future minimum lease payments under the Company’s operating lease that has an initial noncancelable lease term in excess of one year at December 31, 2022 are as follows:
Year ended December 31, | Total | |||
2023 | $ | 129,276 | ||
2024 | 129,276 | |||
2025 | 53,865 | |||
Thereafter | - | |||
312,417 | ||||
Less: Imputed interest | (29,200 | ) | ||
Operating lease liability | 283,217 | |||
Operating lease lability – current | 110,616 | |||
Operating lease lability – non-current | $ | 172,601 |
The Company used a discount rate of 8% as its incremental cost of borrowing and the remaining lease term as of December 31, 2022 is 2.42 years.
9. | Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities |
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, accounts payable and accrued liabilities consisted of the following:
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Accounts payable | $ | 222,461 | $ | 98,175 | ||||
Accrued liabilities | 33,864 | 93,927 | ||||||
$ | 256,325 | $ | 192,102 |
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, accounts payable and accrued liabilities include $11,621 and $Nil, respectively that is due to related parties in the ordinary course of business.
10. | Notes Payable |
On August 24, 2020, the Company received $24,000 in short-term financing (the “notes payable”) from two unrelated third parties. The notes payable bear interest at 6% per annum and had a maturity date of August 24, 2021. On January 24, 2021, the notes payable and accrued interest of $600 were settled upon conversion into common stock.
In April and May 2022, the Company issued promissory notes to five investors (including two related parties of the Company) for a total amount of $183,970. The promissory notes carried simple interest at a rate of 8% per annum. On July 15 2022, the promissory notes and accrued interest of $2,614, converted into the Series A financing round in accordance with the original terms of the agreements. The conversion price was set at $0.80 (60% of the Series A financing round price) and as a result the noteholders received 231,828 Series A preferred shares. In addition, the conversion terms contained a 100% warrant coverage ratio resulting in the note holders receiving 231,828 common stock purchase warrants with an exercise price of $2.01 (150% of the Series A financing round price).
F-22
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
11. | Derivative liabilities |
We analyzed the common stock purchase warrants issued as partial settlement of the promissory notes payable on July 15, 2022, against the requirements of ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and determined that the warrants should be classified as financial liabilities since the terms allows for a cashless net share settlement at the option of the holder.
ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, requires that the warrants be accounted for as derivative liabilities with initial and subsequent measurement at fair value with changes in fair value recorded as other income (expense).
A continuity of the Company’s common stock purchase derivative liability warrants is as follows:
Derivative liabilities | ||||
Balance, January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 | $ | - | ||
Addition of new derivatives recognized as partial settlement of promissory notes | 55,701 | |||
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | 12,754 | |||
Outstanding, December 31, 2022 | $ | 68,455 |
We determined our derivative liabilities to be a Level 3 fair value measurement during the year and used the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model to calculate the fair value as of initial recognition and as of December 31, 2022. The Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model requires six basic data inputs: the exercise or strike price, expected time to expiration or exercise, the risk-free interest rate, the current stock price, the estimated volatility of the stock price in the future, and the dividend rate. Changes to these inputs could produce a significantly higher or lower fair value measurement.
The following assumptions were used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model:
December 31, 2022 | July 15, 2022 | |||||||
Risk-free interest rate | 4.73 | % | 3.12 | % | ||||
Expected life 1 | 0.75 years | 0.6 years | ||||||
Expected dividend rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | % | |||||
Expected volatility | 100 | % | 100.00 | % |
F-23
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
As of December 31, 2022, the following warrants were outstanding:
Outstanding | Expiry date1 | Weighted average exercise price ($) | ||||||
75,840 | April 27, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
63,037 | May 9, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
80,388 | May 24, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
12,563 | May 25, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
231,828 | 2.01 |
As of December 31, 2022, the weighted average life of warrants outstanding was 4.36 years.
1 | Although the warrants had an original term to expiry of 5 years, the Company used the expected time to complete its IPO as the expected life in the Black-Scholes option pricing model as any outstanding warrants would automatically convert to common stock (net share settlement) upon completion of the Company’s IPO. |
12. | Equity |
Common Stock
Authorized
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had 19,000,000 common stock authorized, each having a par value of $0.0001.
Issued and outstanding
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had 9,568,475 and 9,526,808 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
Transactions during the year ended December 31, 2022
On December 13, 2022, the Company issued 41,667 common stock upon the exercise of 41,667 stock options with an exercise price of $0.60 per common stock for $25,000, of which $5 was recognized in common stock and the remaining $24,995 in additional paid-in capital.
Transactions during the year ended December 31, 2021
On January 24, 2021, the Company issued 1,046,808 common stock upon conversion of $24,600 of notes payable and accrued interest, of which $104 was recognized in common stock and the remaining $24,496 in additional paid-in capital.
F-24
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Preferred Stock
Authorized
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had 213,730 stock of Series Seed 1 preferred stock authorized, each having a par value of $0.0001 per stock.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had 3,635,252 stock of Series Seed 2 preferred stock authorized, each having a par value of $0.0001 per stock.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had 2,982,003 (2021 – Nil) stock of Series A preferred stock authorized, each having a par value of $0.0001 per stock.
The holders of Preferred Stock shall have the right to convert their shares of Preferred Stock, at any time, into shares of Common Stock at a conversion price of 1:1.
Issued and outstanding
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had 213,730 Series Seed 1 preferred stock issued and outstanding.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had 3,635,252 Series Seed 2 preferred stock issued and outstanding.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had 1,861,799 and Nil Series A preferred stock issued and outstanding, respectively.
Transactions during the year ended December 31, 2022
On July 15, 2022, the Company closed the first tranche of its Series A Financing and issued 1,090,029 Series A preferred shares for gross proceeds of $1,462,146, of which $109 was recognized in preferred stock and the remaining $1,462,037 in additional paid-in capital. In addition, the Company issued 231,828 Series A preferred shares and 231,828 common stock purchase warrants upon conversion of $186,584 of promissory notes and accrued interest, of which $23 was recognized in preferred stock, $55,701 as derivative liabilities at fair value, and the remaining $130,860 in additional paid-in capital.
On July 27, 2022, the Company closed the second tranche of its Series A Financing and issued 349,790 Series A preferred shares for gross proceeds of $469,207, of which $35 was recognized in preferred stock and the remaining $469,172 in additional paid-in capital.
On August 4, 2022, the Company closed the third tranche of its Series A Financing and issued 111,884 Series A preferred shares for gross proceeds of $150,080, of which $11 was recognized in preferred stock and the remaining $150,069 in additional paid-in capital.
On October 10, 2022, the Company closed the fourth tranche of its Series A Financing and issued 78,268 Series A Preferred shares for gross proceeds of $104,988, of which $8 was recognized in preferred stock and the remaining $104,980 in additional paid-in capital.
F-25
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
The Company incurred shared issuance cost of $33,132 in connection with its Series A Financing which has been recorded as a deduction from additional paid-in capital.
Transactions during the year ended December 31, 2021
On August 24, 2021, the Company issued 3,635,252 Series Seed 2 preferred stock for $1,090,577, of which $364 was recognized in preferred stock and the remaining $1,090,213 in additional paid-in capital.
Stock Options
The Company has a stock option plan included in the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) where the Board of Directors or any of its committees can grant Incentive Stock Options, Nonstatutory Stock Options, and Restricted Stock to employees, advisors and directors of the Company. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the aggregate number of shares allocated and made available for issuance pursuant to stock options granted under the Plan shall not exceed 1,534,188 shares (note 17). The plan shall remain in effect until it is terminated by the Board of Directors.
Transactions during the year ended December 31, 2022
On April 25, 2022, the Company granted 45,000 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $11,617 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
From June 1, 2022 to November 1, 2022, the Company granted 262,000 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $1.34 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $317,652 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
From September 1, 2022 to December 12, 2022, the Company granted 105,000 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $5.00 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $115,868 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
Transactions during the year ended December 31, 2021
On February 9, 2021, the Company granted 841,667 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $214,595 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
On February 28, 2021, the Company granted 50,000 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $12,775 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
F-26
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
On July 20, 2021, the Company granted 200,000 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $51,014 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
On August 16, 2021, the Company granted 41,667 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $10,630 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
The following assumptions were used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model:
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Risk-free interest rate | 2.81% - 4.07 | % | 1.18% - 1.45 | % | ||||
Expected life | 10 years | 10 years | ||||||
Expected dividend rate | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | ||||
Expected volatility | 100 | % | 100.00 | % | ||||
Forfeiture rate | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % |
The continuity of stock options for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is summarized below:
Number of stock options | Weighted average exercise price | |||||||
Outstanding, January 1, 2021 | - | $ | - | |||||
Granted | 1,133,334 | 0.60 | ||||||
Outstanding, December 31, 2021 | 1,133,334 | $ | 0.60 | |||||
Granted | 412,000 | 2.19 | ||||||
Forfeited | (137,500 | ) | 0.60 | |||||
Exercised | (41,667 | ) | 0.60 | |||||
Outstanding, December 31, 2022 | 1,366,167 | 1.08 |
As of December 31, 2022, the following options were outstanding, entitling the holders thereof the right to purchase one common stock for each option held as follows:
Outstanding | Vested | Expiry date | Weighted average exercise price ($) | |||||||||
841,667 | 403,302 | February 8, 2031 | 0.60 | |||||||||
50,000 | 23,962 | February 27, 2031 | 0.60 | |||||||||
62,500 | 62,500 | July 19, 2031 | 0.60 | |||||||||
45,000 | - | April 25, 2032 | 0.60 | |||||||||
16,000 | - | June 1, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
110,000 | - | July 1, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
100,000 | - | August 8, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
16,000 | - | September 30, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
80,000 | - | September 30, 2032 | 5.00 | |||||||||
10,000 | - | October 15, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
10,000 | - | November 1, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
5,000 | - | November 1, 2032 | 5.00 | |||||||||
20,000 | - | December 12, 2032 | 5.00 | |||||||||
1,366,167 | 489,764 | 1.08 |
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the weighted average life of stock options outstanding was 8.58 years and 9.21 years, respectively.
F-27
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
13. | Related Party Transactions |
Related parties consist of the following individuals and corporations:
● | Braeden Lichti, former Chairman and President, significant shareholder through BWL Investments Ltd. Resigned as President effective October 11, 2022. | |
● | Jordan R. Plews, CEO and Director, significant shareholder through JP Bio Consulting LLC | |
● | Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director | |
● | Yi Guo, Former Director, resigned effective September 29, 2022 | |
● | Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer | |
● | Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer | |
● | Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer | |
● | GB Capital Ltd., controlled by Graydon Bensler | |
● | JP Bio Consulting LLC, significant shareholder and controlled by Jordan R. Plews | |
● | BWL Investments Ltd., significant shareholder and controlled by Braeden Lichti | |
● | Northstrive Companies Inc., controlled by Braeden Lichti |
Key management personnel include those persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing, and controlling the activities of the Company as a whole. The Company has determined that key management personnel consist of members of the Company’s Board of Directors, corporate officers, and individuals with more than 10% control.
Remuneration attributed to key management personnel are summarized as follows:
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Consulting fees | $ | 215,078 | $ | 46,919 | ||||
Salaries | 403,180 | 50,000 | ||||||
Share-based compensation | 129,980 | 127,196 | ||||||
$ | 748,238 | $ | 224,115 |
The Company incurred consulting fees of $95,078 (2021 - $46,919) to GB Capital Ltd., a company controlled by Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director. In addition, the Company incurred consulting fees of $120,000 (2021 - $nil) to Northstrive Companies Inc., a company controlled by the Company’s former Chairman and President.
F-28
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Jordan R. Plews, CEO and Director, earned a Salary of $222,446 and $50,000, respectively during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (includes a bonus of $10,000 and employer taxes of $12,446).
Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer, earned a Salary of $107,937 during the year ended December 31, 2022 (includes a bonus of $5,000 and employer taxes of $7,937).
Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer, earned a Salary of $72,792 during the year ended December 31, 2022 (includes employer taxes of $5,292).
On February 9, 2021, the Company granted 800,000 stock options to four related parties (200,000 stock options each) with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per share of common stock. These stock options were valued at $203,972 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. Details of the fair value granted to each individual and the related expense recorded for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are as follow:
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | Fair value of stock options granted | ||||||||||
Braeden Lichti, former Chairman and President | $ | 14,181 | $ | 28,170 | $ | 50,993 | ||||||
Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director | 14,181 | 28,170 | 50,993 | |||||||||
Jordan R. Plews, CEO and Director | 14,181 | 28,170 | 50,993 | |||||||||
Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer | 14,181 | 28,170 | 50,993 | |||||||||
$ | 56,724 | $ | 112,680 | $ | 203,972 |
On July 20, 2021, the Company granted 200,000 stock options to a related party, Yi Guo, former Director, with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per share of common stock. These stock options were valued at $51,014 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. On October 17, 2022, Yi Guo resigned from the board of directors of the Company and as a result, 137,500 unvested options were forfeited. The remaining 62,500 vested option remain exercisable for 3 months after the resignation. The share-based compensation expense recorded for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 relating to these stock options was $1,424 and $14,516, respectively.
F-29
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
During 2022, the Company granted 250,000 stock options to two related parties (150,000 stock options to Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer, and 100,000 options to Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer) with a contractual life of ten years and weighted average exercise price of $1.22 per share of common stock. These stock options were valued at $264,906 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. Details of the fair value granted to each individual and the related expense recorded for the year ended December 31, 2022 is as follow:
December 31, 2022 | Fair value of stock options granted | |||||||
Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer | $ | 43,488 | $ | 143,679 | ||||
Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer | 28,344 | 121,227 | ||||||
$ | 71,832 | $ | 264,906 |
BWL Investments Ltd. and Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer subscribed to $48,980 and $10,000 in promissory notes (Note 10), respectively. On July 15,2022, these promissory notes and accrued interest were converted into Series A preferred shares and warrants as follows:
Series A preferred shares | Warrants | Promissory notes and accrued interest | ||||||||||
BWL Investments Ltd. | 61,551 | 61,551 | $ | 49,538 | ||||||||
Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer | 12,563 | 12,563 | 10,112 | |||||||||
74,114 | 74,114 | $ | 59,650 |
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had $142,705 and $23,520, respectively due to companies controlled by Braeden Lichti, of which $22,705 and $23,520, respectively is unsecured, non-interest bearing and are due on demand. The remaining $120,000 due as of December 31, 2022, is payable to Northstrive Companies Inc. for consulting services rendered by Braeden Lichti (the “Fees”). Payment of the Fees will be deferred until the earlier of either (a) the Company raising an aggregate of at least $2,000,000 of equity and/or debt investment from and after October 1, 2022, (b) the Company becomes listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, or (c) the Board determines that the Company has sufficient cash flows to support payment of the foregoing amounts of Fees due at the time of that determination. The Fees shall be payable in cash payment or in the form of Series A preferred stock priced at $1.34138 per share (the “Original Series A Issue Price”) equal to the value of the Fees then due.
As of December 31, 2022, accounts payable and accrued liabilities include $7,165 in consulting fees payable to Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director, $1,485 to companies controlled by Braeden Lichti, and $2,971 to Jordan R. Plews, CEO and Director, for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company.
14. | Income Tax |
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, there is $Nil and $Nil current and deferred income tax expense, respectively, reflected in the Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.
F-30
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
The following are the components of income before income tax reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Component of Loss Before Income Tax
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Net loss before income tax | $ | (1,800,268 | ) | $ | (784,739 | ) | ||
Effective tax rate | 27.87 | % | 27.87 | % | ||||
Expected recovery | (501,735 | ) | (218,707 | ) | ||||
Share-based compensation | 47,906 | 39,678 | ||||||
Other non-deductible items | 3,555 | - | ||||||
Foreign exchange | 3,602 | 217 | ||||||
Tax rate differences | 1,292 | 549 | ||||||
Change in valuation allowance | 445,380 | 178,263 | ||||||
Tax expense (recovery) | - | - |
Deferred income taxes arise from temporary differences between the tax and financial statement recognition of revenue and expense. In evaluating the ability to recover the deferred tax assets within the jurisdiction from which they arise, the Company considered all available positive and negative evidence, including scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies, and recent financial operations. In projecting future taxable income, the Company began with historical results adjusted for changes in accounting policies and incorporates assumptions including the amount of future pretax operating income, the reversal of temporary differences, and the implementation of feasible and prudent tax planning strategies. These assumptions require significant judgement about the forecasts of future taxable income and are consistent with the plans and estimates the Company is using to manage the underlying businesses. In evaluating objective evidence that historical results provide, the Company consider three years of cumulative operating income (loss).
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company had aggregate net operating losses for income tax purposes of $1,615,645 (2021 – $642,237) to offset future taxable income in the United States and Canada. As of December 31, 2022, the deferred tax asset related to these loss carry forwards amounted to approximately $662,000 (2021 - $217,000) and were fully reserved. Management believes that it is not yet more likely than not that these assets will be realized in the near future.
15. | Commitments and Contingencies |
There were no commitments as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 or during the years then ended.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had an ongoing dispute with a vendor regarding unpaid invoices. The Company disputed the services claimed to have been rendered by the vendor. In May 2023, the Company and the vendor agreed to settle the matter, resulting in the Company agreeing to pay a final settlement of $9,225, an amount that is significantly less than the unpaid invoices originally claimed by the vendor. The Company included the settlement amount in accrued liabilities as of December 31, 2022. There were no contingencies as of December 31, 2021 or during the year then ended.
F-31
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
16. | Concentrations |
Customers
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded 54% of its revenue from its two largest customers, each representing 45% and 9% respectively. The Company’s largest customer, representing $344,018 of revenue, relates to a white label distributor agreement signed during the year. There was no significant concentration of sales during the year ended December 31, 2021.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had no receivables due from these customers and $5,992 in customer deposits were received from its largest customer.
The Company expects its dependence on these major customers to decrease over time as it enters into additional distributor agreements and builds out its sales team.
Suppliers
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company had 5 key suppliers that represented approximately 80% (2021 – 73%) of the cost incurred in the purchase and production of inventory. The table below represents a breakdown of each supplier as a percentage of the cost incurred (Suppliers are shown from largest to smallest and does not necessarily represent the same suppliers year over year):
December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Supplier 1 | 39 | % | 18 | % | ||||
Supplier 2 | 14 | % | 17 | % | ||||
Supplier 3 | 11 | % | 15 | % | ||||
Supplier 4 | 8 | % | 13 | % | ||||
Supplier 5 | 8 | % | 10 | % | ||||
80 | % | 73 | % |
The Company continually evaluates the performance of its suppliers and the availability of alternatives to substitute or supplement its inventory production supply chain. The Company believes that a breakdown in supply from one of its key suppliers would be overcome in a short amount of time given the availability of alternatives.
17. | Subsequent Events |
Management has evaluated events subsequent to the year ended December 31, 2022 up to June 13, 2023, for transactions and other events that may require adjustment of and/or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements.
Authorized Common Stock and Option Pool Increase
The Company increased the number of common stock authorized for issuance from 19,000,000 to 300,000,000. In addition, the Company increased the aggregate number of shares allocated and made available for issuance pursuant to stock options granted under the Plan from 1,534,188 to 1,734,188 shares.
F-32
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in United States dollars)
Stock Options
In January 2023, 62,500 stock options with an exercise price of $0.60 were exercised in exchange for 62,500 shares of common stock for total proceeds of $37,500.
The Company granted 172,500 stock options (includes 80,000 each to two of its newly appointed independent directors) with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $5.00 per common stock.
Common Shares and Warrants
On March 2, 2023, the Company issued 250,000 common stock and 250,000 warrants to purchase common stock for total proceeds of $750,000. Each warrant is exercisable at $3.00 per common stock. The warrants shall be exercisable, in whole or in part at the issue date but such exercisability shall cease upon the date of the Company’s IPO and listing of its common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market or other Trading Market and shall continue to be exercisable in whole or in part immediately after the Lock-up Period but no later than the Warrant Expiration Date or Accelerated Warrant Expiration Date (the “Exercise Period”). In the event of the Company’s initial public offering and listing of shares of its common stock on a Trading Market, the Company shall notify the holder at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the consummation of such IPO. “Trading Market” shall mean a “national securities exchange” that has registered with the SEC under Section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Expiration Date shall be the earlier of (i) three years and one hundred eighty (180) days from the issue date (the “Warrant Expiration Date”) or (ii) upon the Company’s reasonable judgment and written notice to the purchaser, of the Company’s option to accelerate the Warrant Expiration Date whereby upon purchaser’s receipt of the Company’s written notice of acceleration during the Exercise Period, the Purchaser’s option to exercise any number of warrants shall occur no later than fourteen (14) days following the receipt of the written notice of acceleration (the “Accelerated Warrant Expiration Date”). For the avoidance of doubt, it shall be reasonable for the Company to accelerate the Expiration Date of this warrant to coincide with transactions including, but not limited to (i) a change of control including but not limited to the voluntary or involuntary sale, assignment, transfer or other disposition, or transfer by operation of law, of more than 50% of any direct or indirect equity interest of the Company; or (ii) a subsequent capital financing other than the IPO consisting of but not limited to an offer or proposal for, or indication of interest in, the issuance of debt or the capital stock of the Company.
In April and May 2023, the Company issued an additional 107,861 common stock for total proceeds of $323,589.
F-33
Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of
For the six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022
(Expressed in United States Dollars)
(Unaudited)
F-34
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
As of June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollar)
As of: | June 30, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | ||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Current Assets | ||||||||
Cash | $ | 601,265 | $ | 1,154,901 | ||||
Receivables, net | 34,437 | 12,854 | ||||||
Prepaids and deposits | 336,940 | 153,422 | ||||||
Inventory, net | 477,863 | 230,145 | ||||||
Total Current Assets | 1,450,505 | 1,551,322 | ||||||
Deposits | 10,773 | 10,773 | ||||||
Property and equipment, net | 58,950 | 53,535 | ||||||
Operating lease right-of-use asset | 223,726 | 276,553 | ||||||
TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 1,743,954 | $ | 1,892,183 | ||||
LIABILITIES | ||||||||
Current Liabilities | ||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 631,605 | $ | 256,325 | ||||
Customer deposits | 85,366 | 10,172 | ||||||
Due to related parties | 202,982 | 142,704 | ||||||
Derivative liabilities | 527,701 | 68,455 | ||||||
Current portion of operating lease liability | 115,115 | 110,616 | ||||||
Total Current Liabilities | 1,562,769 | 588,272 | ||||||
Operating lease liability | 113,897 | 172,601 | ||||||
TOTAL LIABILIITES | $ | 1,676,666 | $ | 760,873 | ||||
EQUITY | ||||||||
Series seed 1 preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 213,730 shares authorized; 213,730 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | 21 | 21 | ||||||
Series seed 2 preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 3,635,252 shares authorized; 3,635,252 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | 364 | 364 | ||||||
Series A preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 2,982,003 shares authorized; 1,861,799 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | 186 | 186 | ||||||
Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 300,000,000 shares authorized; 9,988,836 and 9,568,475 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively | 999 | 957 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 5,148,159 | 3,852,044 | ||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income | 486 | 111 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (5,082,927 | ) | (2,722,373 | ) | ||||
TOTAL EQUITY | 67,288 | 1,131,310 | ||||||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY | $ | 1,743,954 | $ | 1,892,183 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements
F-35
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
(Unaudited – Expressed in United States dollar)
Three months ended June 30, 2023 | Three months ended June 30, 2022 | Six months ended June 30, 2023 | Six months ended June 30, 2022 | |||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 316,530 | 170,464 | 459,350 | 195,257 | |||||||||||
Cost of sales | 108,180 | 64,857 | 152,613 | 79,052 | ||||||||||||
Gross profit | $ | 208,350 | 105,607 | 306,737 | 116,205 | |||||||||||
Expenses | ||||||||||||||||
Depreciation | 2,888 | 807 | 5,385 | 1,695 | ||||||||||||
Marketing and promotion | 114,051 | 20,144 | 216,727 | 61,489 | ||||||||||||
Consulting fees | 149,723 | 79,898 | 233,687 | 138,720 | ||||||||||||
Office and administrative | 529,950 | 174,605 | 964,009 | 327,417 | ||||||||||||
Professional fees | 168,933 | 12,065 | 306,730 | 45,159 | ||||||||||||
Investor relations | 37,452 | 8,164 | 75,720 | 13,786 | ||||||||||||
Research and development | 133,654 | 41,622 | 217,395 | 78,563 | ||||||||||||
Foreign exchange loss (gain) | 2,374 | (206 | ) | 2,633 | 1,857 | |||||||||||
Travel and entertainment | 122,655 | 53,097 | 184,170 | 92,603 | ||||||||||||
Total Expenses | $ | 1,261,680 | 390,196 | 2,206,456 | 761,289 | |||||||||||
Net loss before other income (expense) | $ | (1,053,330 | ) | (284,589 | ) | (1,899,719 | ) | (645,084 | ) | |||||||
Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||||||
Loss on sale of equipment | - | (1,546 | ) | - | (1,546 | ) | ||||||||||
Interest income | 349 | 86 | 5,456 | 86 | ||||||||||||
Interest expense | (4,409 | ) | (1,982 | ) | (7,045 | ) | (1,982 | ) | ||||||||
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (222,468 | ) | - | (459,246 | ) | - | ||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (1,279,858 | ) | (288,031 | ) | (2,360,554 | ) | (648,526 | ) | |||||||
Other comprehensive income (loss) | ||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustment | 262 | 72 | 375 | 242 | ||||||||||||
Net loss and comprehensive loss | $ | (1,279,596 | ) | (287,959 | ) | (2,360,179 | ) | (648,284 | ) | |||||||
Basic and diluted loss per share | $ | (0.128 | ) | $ | (0.030 | ) | $ | (0.240 | ) | $ | (0.068 | ) | ||||
Weighted average shares outstanding | 9,976,725 | 9,526,808 | 9,838,599 | 9,526,808 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements
F-36
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
For the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
(Unaudited – Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars, except for share amount)
Series
seed 1 preferred stock | Series
seed 2 preferred stock | Series
A preferred stock | Common Stock | Additional | Accumulated other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of
shares | Amount | Number of
shares | Amount | Number of shares | Amount | Number of shares | Amount | paid-in capital | Accumulated deficit | comprehensive income | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
# | $ | # | $ | # | $ | # | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, January 1, 2022 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | - | - | 9,526,808 | 952 | 1,371,194 | (922,105 | ) | 202 | 450,628 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series A preferred shares subscription | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 284,960 | - | - | 284,960 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 58,510 | - | - | 58,510 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the period | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (648,526 | ) | - | (648,526 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustment | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 242 | 242 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, June 30, 2022 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | - | - | 9,526,808 | 952 | 1,714,664 | (1,570,631 | ) | 444 | 145,814 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, January 1, 2023 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | 1,861,799 | 186 | 9,568,475 | 957 | 3,852,044 | (2,722,373 | ) | 111 | 1,131,310 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Private placement | - | - | - | - | - | - | 357,861 | 36 | 1,073,553 | - | - | 1,073,589 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise of stock options | - | - | - | - | - | - | 62,500 | 6 | 37,494 | - | - | 37,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 185,068 | - | - | 185,068 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the period | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (2,360,554 | ) | - | (2,360,554 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustment | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 375 | 375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, June 30, 2023 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | 1,861,799 | 186 | 9,988,836 | 999 | 5,148,159 | (5,082,927 | ) | 486 | 67,288 |
F-37
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
For the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
(Unaudited – Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars, except for share amount)
Series
seed 1 preferred stock | Series
seed 2 preferred stock | Series
A preferred stock | Common Stock | Additional | Accumulated other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of shares | Amount | Number of shares | Amount | Number of shares | Amount | Number of shares | Amount | paid-in
capital | Accumulated
deficit | comprehensive
income | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
# | $ | # | $ | # | $ | # | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, April 1, 2022 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | - | - | 9,526,808 | 952 | 1,402,238 | (1,282,600 | ) | 372 | 121,347 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series A preferred shares subscription | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 284,960 | - | - | 284,960 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 27,466 | - | - | 27,466 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the period | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (288,031 | ) | - | (288,031 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustment | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 72 | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, June 30, 2022 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | - | - | 9,526,808 | 952 | 1,714,664 | (1,570,631 | ) | 444 | 145,814 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, April 1, 2023 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | 1,861,799 | 186 | 9,880,975 | 988 | 4,714,674 | -3,803,069 | 224 | 913,388 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Private placement | - | - | - | - | - | - | 107,861 | 11 | 323,578 | - | - | 323,589 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 109,907 | - | - | 109,907 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the period | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (1,279,858 | ) | - | (1,279,858 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustment | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 262 | 262 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, June 30, 2023 | 213,730 | 21 | 3,635,252 | 364 | 1,861,799 | 186 | 9,988,836 | 999 | 5,148,159 | (5,082,927 | ) | 486 | 67,288 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements
F-38
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
For the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
June 30, 2023 | June 30, 2022 | |||||||
Operating activities | ||||||||
Net loss | $ | (2,360,554 | ) | $ | (648,526 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
Depreciation | 5,825 | 2,203 | ||||||
Share-based compensation | 185,068 | 58,510 | ||||||
Straight-line rent expense | (1,378 | ) | (2,730 | ) | ||||
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | 459,246 | - | ||||||
Loss on sale of equipment | 1,546 | |||||||
Changes in non-cash working capital: | ||||||||
Receivables | (21,480 | ) | (2,238 | ) | ||||
Prepaid expenses and deposits | (183,518 | ) | (4,144 | ) | ||||
Inventory | (247,718 | ) | (51,442 | ) | ||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 375,053 | 18,544 | ||||||
Customer deposits | 75,194 | 78,950 | ||||||
Due to related parties | 60,000 | 60,000 | ||||||
Cash flows used in operating activities | $ | (1,654,262 | ) | $ | (489,327 | ) | ||
Investing activities | ||||||||
Purchase of equipment | (11,191 | ) | (6,941 | ) | ||||
Proceeds from sale of equipment | 3,500 | |||||||
Cash flows used in investing activities | $ | (11,191 | ) | $ | (3,441 | ) | ||
Financing activities | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and warrants | 1,073,589 | - | ||||||
Exercise of stock options | 37,500 | - | ||||||
Obligation to issue shares | 284,960 | |||||||
Proceeds from convertible debenture | 185,952 | |||||||
Cash flows provided by financing activities | $ | 1,111,089 | $ | 470,912 | ||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | 728 | (19 | ) | |||||
Change in cash | (553,636 | ) | (21,875 | ) | ||||
Cash, beginning of period | 1,154,901 | 411,858 | ||||||
Cash, ending of period | $ | 601,265 | $ | 389,983 | ||||
Supplemental cash flow information: | ||||||||
Cash paid for interest | $ | 4,898 | $ | - | ||||
Cash paid for taxes | - | - | ||||||
Non-cash Investing and Financing transactions: | $ | - | $ | - |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements
F-39
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
1. | Organization and nature of operations |
Elevai Labs, Inc. (“Elevai”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on June 9, 2020. Elevai and its 100% owned subsidiary, Elevai Research Inc. (“Elevai Research”), are collectively referred to in these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as “the Company”.
The Company is a skincare development company engaged in the design, manufacture, and marketing of skincare products in the skincare industry. The Company’s principal activities are developing and manufacturing skincare products.
2. | Going Concern |
These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which implies the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the continued financial support from its shareholders and the ability of the Company to obtain necessary equity financing to continue operations, and ultimately the attainment of profitable operations.
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had a net working capital deficit of $112,264, and a positive working capital $963,050, respectively, and has an accumulated deficit of $5,082,927 and $2,722,373, respectively. Furthermore, for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company incurred a net loss of $2,360,554 and $648,526, respectively and used $1,654,262 and $489,327, respectively of cash flows for operating activities. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
The assessment of whether the going concern assumption is appropriate requires management to take into account all available information about the future, which is at least, but not limited to, 12 months from the date the financial statements are issued. The Company is aware that material uncertainties related to events or conditions may cast substantial doubt upon the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Management’s plans that alleviate substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern include raising additional debt or equity financing. In addition, in February 2023, the Company filed its preliminary initial registration (S-1 Form) with the SEC pursuant to its goal of completing an initial public offering (“IPO”). The Company plans to use funds raised in a successful IPO to accelerate new product development, inventory production, increasing its sales force and expanding into new markets.
F-40
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
The outbreak of the coronavirus, also known as “COVID-19”, has spread across the globe and is impacting worldwide economic activity. Conditions surrounding the coronavirus continue to rapidly evolve and government authorities have implemented emergency measures to mitigate the spread of the virus. The outbreak and the related mitigation measures may have an adverse impact on global economic conditions as well as on the Company’s business activities. The extent to which the coronavirus may impact the Company’s business activities will depend on future developments, such as the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, travel restrictions, business disruptions, and the effectiveness of actions taken in the USA and Canada and other countries to contain and treat the disease. These events are highly uncertain and as such, the Company cannot determine their financial impact at this time. While certain restrictions are presently in the process of being relaxed, it is unclear when the world will return to the previous normal, if ever. This may adversely impact the expected implementation of the Company’s plans moving forward.
3. | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
Basis of Presentation
These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and are expressed in United States dollars. Accordingly, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, we have included all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation and such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2023, are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.
Principles of Consolidation
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Elevai, and its 100% owned subsidiary, Elevai Research. All intercompany accounts, transactions and profits were eliminated in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company regularly evaluates estimates and assumptions related to revenue recognition, the collectability of receivables, valuation of inventory, fair value of derivative liabilities and stock options, useful lives and recoverability of long-lived assets, and deferred income tax asset valuation allowances. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on current facts, historical experience and various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgements about the carrying value of assets and liabilities and the accrual of costs and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. The actual results experienced by the Company may differ materially and adversely from those estimates. Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically, and the effects of revisions are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period they are determined.
F-41
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
Foreign Currency Translation
The Company’s functional and reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of Elevai Research is the Canadian dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated using the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary assets, liabilities, and items recorded in income arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated at rates of exchange in effect at the date of the transaction. Gains and losses arising on translation or settlement of foreign currency denominated transactions or balances are included in the determination of income.
The accounts of Elevai Research are translated to U.S. dollars using the current rate method. Accordingly, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the period-end exchange rate while revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rates during the period. Related exchange gains and losses are included in a separate component of stockholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
New Accounting Standards
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, ASC Subtopic 470-20 “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options” and ASC subtopic 815-40 “Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity”. The standard reduced the number of accounting models for convertible debt instruments and convertible preferred stock. Convertible instruments that continue to be subject to separation models are (1) those with embedded conversion features that are not clearly and closely related to the host contract, that meet the definition of a derivative, and that do not qualify for a scope exception from derivative accounting; and (2) convertible debt instruments issued with substantial premiums for which the premiums are recorded as paid-in capital. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-02, ASC Subtopic 326 “Credit Losses”: Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures. Since the issuance of Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, the Board has provided resources to monitor and assist stakeholders with the implementation of Topic 326. Post-Implementation Review (PIR) activities have included forming a Credit Losses Transition Resource Group, conducting outreach with stakeholders of all types, developing educational materials and staff question-and-answer guidance, conducting educational workshops, and performing an archival review of financial reports. ASU No. 2022-02 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2022. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-42
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
The Company assesses the adoption impacts of recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards by the Financial Accounting Standards Board on the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, ASC Subtopic 820 “Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions”. The FASB is issuing this Update (1) to clarify the guidance in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, when measuring the fair value of an equity security subject to contractual restrictions that prohibit the sale of an equity security, (2) to amend a related illustrative example, and (3) to introduce new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that are measured at fair value in accordance with Topic 820.
Stakeholders asserted that the language in the illustrative example resulted in diversity in practice on whether the effects of a contractual restriction that prohibits the sale of an equity security should be considered in measuring that equity security’s fair value. Some stakeholders apply a discount to the price of an equity security subject to a contractual sale restriction, whereas other stakeholders consider the application of a discount to be inappropriate under the principles of Topic 820.
For public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for both interim and annual financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance.
The Company does not expect the standard to have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements.
4. | Receivables |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31 2022, receivables consisted of the following:
June
30, 2023 | December
31, 2022 | |||||||
Trade receivable | $ | 31,179 | $ | 4,180 | ||||
Sales taxes receivable | 3,258 | 8,674 | ||||||
$ | 34,437 | $ | 12,854 |
The Company records sales taxes receivable for recoverable sales taxes paid on eligible purchases in its Canadian subsidiary. As at June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the Company recorded a provision for doubtful accounts of $nil and $nil, respectively.
F-43
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
5. | Prepaids and Deposits |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, prepaid and deposits consisted of the following:
June
30, 2023 | December
31, 2022 | |||||||
Prepaid expenses | $ | 83,002 | $ | 89,819 | ||||
Deposits | 27,771 | 24,376 | ||||||
Deferred share issuance and listing expense | 236,940 | 50,000 | ||||||
$ | 347,713 | $ | 164,195 | |||||
Prepaids and deposits - current | 336,940 | 153,422 | ||||||
Deposits- non-current | 10,773 | 10,773 |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the security deposit on the Company’s long-term lease in the amount of $10,773 is classified as a non-current deposit on the balance sheet.
6. | Inventory |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31 2022, inventory consisted of the following:
June
30, 2023 | December
31, 2022 | |||||||
Raw materials | $ | 250,351 | $ | 81,133 | ||||
Work in progress | 96,013 | 116,984 | ||||||
Finished goods | 131,499 | 32,028 | ||||||
$ | 477,863 | $ | 230,145 |
Cost of inventory recognized as expense in cost of sales for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, totaled $73,896 and $18,486, respectively. In addition, the cost of inventory relating to samples given out and expensed in marketing and promotion for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 totaled $64,718 and $12,408, respectively. As at June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the Company recorded an allowance for inventory of $nil and $nil, respectively.
F-44
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
7. | Property and equipment |
Equipment | Furniture and Fixtures | Computers | Total | |||||||||||||
Cost | ||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | $ | 32,482 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 32,482 | ||||||||
Additions | 24,222 | 8,365 | 2,940 | 35,527 | ||||||||||||
Disposal | (6,188 | ) | - | - | (6,188 | ) | ||||||||||
Foreign currency translation | - | - | (181 | ) | (181 | ) | ||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | $ | 50,516 | $ | 8,365 | $ | 2,759 | $ | 61,640 | ||||||||
Additions | 2,658 | 8,533 | - | 11,191 | ||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation | - | - | 63 | 63 | ||||||||||||
Balance, June 30, 2023 | $ | 53,174 | $ | 16,898 | $ | 2,822 | $ | 72,894 | ||||||||
Accumulated depreciation | ||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | $ | 2,757 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 2,757 | ||||||||
Depreciation | 5,437 | 548 | 527 | 6,512 | ||||||||||||
Disposal | (1,142 | ) | - | - | (1,142 | ) | ||||||||||
Foreign currency translation | - | - | (22 | ) | (22 | ) | ||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | $ | 7,052 | $ | 548 | $ | 505 | $ | 8,105 | ||||||||
Depreciation | 4,340 | 1,207 | 279 | 5,826 | ||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation | - | - | 13 | 13 | ||||||||||||
Balance, June 30, 2023 | $ | 11,392 | $ | 1,755 | $ | 797 | $ | 13,944 | ||||||||
Net book value | ||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2022 | $ | 43,464 | $ | 7,817 | $ | 2,254 | $ | 53,535 | ||||||||
June 30, 2023 | $ | 41,782 | $ | 15,143 | $ | 2,025 | $ | 58,950 |
During the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company capitalized depreciation of $440 and $508, respectively as part of the production of inventory.
8. | Operating lease |
On June 1, 2022, the Company entered into a noncancelable operating lease that includes two property location, one which is being used as the Company’s office and the other as its lab for research and development and the production of inventory. The lease had a commencement date of June 1, 2022 and expires on May 31, 2025, after which the term will continue on a month-to-month basis.
The Company recognized a total lease cost related to its noncancelable operating lease of $63,259 and $10,543, for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022, respectively. The lease cost has been allocated as follows based on the square footage of each property location.
June
30, 2023 | June
30, 2022 | |||||||
Office space, recorded in office and administration | $ | 44,353 | $ | 7,392 | ||||
Lab space, recorded in research and development | 16,613 | 3,151 | ||||||
Lab space, capitalized to production of inventory | 2,293 | - | ||||||
$ | 63,259 | $ | 10,543 |
F-45
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company recorded a security deposit of $10,773. (Note 5)
Future minimum lease payments under the Company’s operating lease that has an initial noncancelable lease term in excess of one year at June 30, 2023 are as follows:
As of June 30, 2023 | Total | |||
2023 | $ | 64,638 | ||
2024 | 129,276 | |||
2025 | 53,865 | |||
Thereafter | - | |||
247,779 | ||||
Less: Imputed interest | (18,767 | ) | ||
Operating lease liability | 229,012 | |||
Operating lease lability – current | 115,115 | |||
Operating lease lability – non-current | $ | 113,897 |
The Company used a discount rate of 8% as its incremental cost of borrowing and the remaining lease term as of June 30, 2023, is 1.92 years (December 31, 2022 – 2.42 years).
9. | Accounts payable and accrued liabilities |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, accounts payable and accrued liabilities consisted of the following:
June 30, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
Accounts payable | $ | 537,600 | $ | 222,461 | ||||
Accrued liabilities | 94,005 | 33,864 | ||||||
$ | 631,605 | $ | 256,325 |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, accounts payable and accrued liabilities include $15,093 and $11,621, respectively that is due to related parties in the ordinary course of business.
10. | Notes payable |
In April and May 2022, the Company issued promissory notes to five investors (including two related parties of the Company) for a total amount of $183,970. The promissory notes carried simple interest at a rate of 8% per annum. On July 15 2022, the promissory notes and accrued interest of $2,614, converted into the Series A financing round in accordance with the original terms of the agreements. The conversion price was set at $0.80 (60% of the Series A preferred shares financing round price) and as a result the noteholders received 231,828 Series A preferred shares. In addition, the conversion terms contained a 100% warrant coverage ratio resulting in the note holders receiving 231,828 common stock purchase warrants with an exercise price of $2.01 (150% of the Series A financing round price).
F-46
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
11. | Derivative liabilities |
We analyzed the common stock purchase warrants issued as partial settlement of the promissory notes payable on July 15, 2022 (Note 10), against the requirements of ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and determined that the warrants should be classified as financial liabilities since the terms allows for a cashless net share settlement at the option of the holder.
ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, requires that the warrants be accounted for as derivative liabilities with initial and subsequent measurement at fair value with changes in fair value recorded as other income (expense).
A continuity of the Company’s common stock purchase derivative liability warrants is as follows:
Derivative liabilities | ||||
December 31, 2021 | $ | - | ||
Addition of new derivatives recognized as partial settlement of promissory notes | 55,701 | |||
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | 12,754 | |||
Outstanding, December 31, 2022 | $ | 68,455 | ||
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | 459,246 | |||
Outstanding, June 30, 2023 | $ | 527,701 |
We determined our derivative liabilities to be a Level 3 fair value measurement and used the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model to calculate the fair value as of initial recognition and subsequent reporting period. The Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model requires six basic data inputs: the exercise or strike price, expected time to expiration or exercise, the risk-free interest rate, the current stock price, the estimated volatility of the stock price in the future, and the dividend rate. Changes to these inputs could produce a significantly higher or lower fair value measurement.
The following assumptions were used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model:
June 30, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | July 15, 2022 | ||||||||||
Risk-free interest rate | 4.49 | % | 4.73 | % | 3.12 | % | ||||||
Expected life1 | 3.83 years | 0.75 years | 0.6 years | |||||||||
Expected dividend rate | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | ||||||
Expected volatility | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100.00 | % |
1 | On April 28, 2023, the Company amended the warrant agreements for the 231,828 derivative liability warrants outstanding. The amendment removed the clause to automatically convert warrants to shares on IPO date and all warrants were given an expiry date of April 27, 2027. This led to an increase in the expected life input in the Black-Scholes model as of June 30, 2023 compared to the December 31, 2022 or March 31, 2022, when the Company used the expected IPO date to calculate the expected life of the warrants. |
F-47
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
As of June 30, 2023, the following derivative liability warrants were outstanding:
Outstanding | Expiry date1 | Weighted average exercise price ($) | ||||||
75,840 | April 27, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
63,037 | April 27, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
80,388 | April 27, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
12,563 | April 27, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
231,828 | 2.01 |
As of December 31, 2022, the following derivative liability warrants were outstanding:
Outstanding | Expiry date1 | Weighted average exercise price ($) | ||||||
75,840 | April 27, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
63,037 | May 9, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
80,388 | May 24, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
12,563 | May 25, 2027 | 2.01 | ||||||
231,828 | 2.01 |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the weighted average life of derivative liability warrants outstanding was 3.83 and 4.36 years, respectively.
1 | On April 28, 2023, the Company amended the warrant agreements for the 231,828 derivative liability warrants outstanding. The amendment removed the clause to automatically convert warrants to shares on IPO date and all warrants were given an expiry date of April 27, 2027. This led to an increase in the expected life input in the Black-Scholes model as of June 30, 2023 compared to the December 31, 2022 or March 31, 2022, when the Company used the expected IPO date to calculate the expected life of the warrants. |
12. | Equity |
Common Stock
Authorized
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had 300,000,000 and 19,000,000 common stock authorized, respectively, each having a par value of $0.0001.
Issued and outstanding
As of June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the Company had 9,988,836 and 9,568,475 shares issued and outstanding, respectively.
Transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2023
On January 6, 2023, the Company issued 62,500 common stock upon the exercise of 62,500 stock options with an exercise price of $0.60 per common stock for $37,500, of which $6 was recognized in common stock and the remaining $37,494 in additional paid-in capital.
On March 2, 2023, the Company issued 250,000 common stock and 250,000 common stock purchase warrants for $750,000, of which $25 was recognized in common stock and the remaining $749,975 in additional paid-in capital. These warrants are accounted for as equity warrants.
On April 14, 2023, the Company issued 97,681 common stock, of which $10 was recognized in common stock and the remaining $293,579 in additional paid-in capital.
On May 15, 2023, the Company issued 10,000 common stock, of which $1 was recognized in common stock and the remaining $29,999 was recognized in additional paid-in capital.
Transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
There was no common stock transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
F-48
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
Preferred Stock
Authorized
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had 213,730 stock of Series Seed 1 preferred stock authorized, each having a par value of $0.0001 per stock.
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had 3,635,252 stock of Series Seed 2 preferred stock authorized, each having a par value of $0.0001 per stock.
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had 2,982,003 stock of Series A preferred stock authorized, each having a par value of $0.0001 per stock.
Issued and outstanding
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had 213,730 Series Seed 1 preferred stock issued and outstanding.
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had 3,635,252 Series Seed 2 preferred stock issued and outstanding.
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had 1,861,799 Series A preferred stock issued and outstanding.
Transactions during the six-month ended June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2022.
There was no preferred stock transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022.
Equity Warrants
Transactions during the six-month ended June 30, 2023.
On March 2, 2023, the Company issued 250,000 common stock and 250,000 common stock purchase warrants. Each warrant is exercisable at $3.00 per common stock. The warrants shall be exercisable, in whole or in part at the issue date but such exercisability shall cease upon the date of the Company’s IPO and listing of its common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market or other Trading Market and shall continue to be exercisable in whole or in part immediately after the Lock-up Period but no later than the Warrant Expiration Date or Accelerated Warrant Expiration Date (the “Exercise Period”). In the event of the Company’s initial public offering and listing of shares of its common stock on a Trading Market, the Company shall notify the holder at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the consummation of such IPO. “Trading Market” shall mean a "national securities exchange" that has registered with the SEC under Section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Expiration Date shall be the earlier of (i) three years and one hundred eighty (180) days from the issue date (the “Warrant Expiration Date”) or (ii) upon the Company’s reasonable judgment and written notice to the purchaser, of the Company’s option to accelerate the Warrant Expiration Date whereby upon purchaser’s receipt of the Company’s written notice of acceleration during the Exercise Period, the Purchaser’s option to exercise any number of warrants shall occur no later than fourteen (14) days following the receipt of the written notice of acceleration (the “Accelerated Warrant Expiration Date”). For the avoidance of doubt, it shall be reasonable for the Company to accelerate the Expiration Date of this warrant to coincide with transactions including, but not limited to (i) a change of control including but not limited to the voluntary or involuntary sale, assignment, transfer or other disposition, or transfer by operation of law, of more than 50% of any direct or indirect equity interest of the Company; or (ii) a subsequent capital financing other than the IPO consisting of but not limited to an offer or proposal for, or indication of interest in, the issuance of debt or the capital stock of the Company.
F-49
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
Transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
There was no equity warrant activity during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
As of June 30, 2023, the following equity warrants were outstanding:
Outstanding | Expiry date | Weighted average exercise price ($) | ||||||
250,000 | August 28, 2023 | 3.00 | ||||||
250,000 | 3.00 |
As of December 31, 2022, there were no equity warrants outstanding.
As of June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the weighted average life of equity warrants outstanding was 3.16 and Nil years, respectively.
Stock Options
The Company has a stock option plan included in the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) where the Board of Directors or any of its committees can grant Incentive Stock Options, Nonstatutory Stock Options, and Restricted Stock. The aggregate number of shares allocated and made available for issuance pursuant to stock options granted under the Plan shall not exceed 1,734,188 shares. The plan shall remain in effect until it is terminated by the Board of Directors.
Transactions during the six-month ended June 30, 2023.
On February 1, 2023, the Company granted 10,000 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and an exercise price of $5.00 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $10,767 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
From May 12, 2023 to June 30, 2023, the Company granted 222,500 stock options (includes 80,000 each to two of its newly appointed independent directors) with a contractual life of ten years and an exercise price of $5.00 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $584,787 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first vesting date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
On June 30, 2023, the Company cancelled and reissued 80,000 options previously issued to an advisor of the Company upon their appointment as a director effective June 1, 2023. The cancelled and re-issued options had the same exercise price of $5.00 per common stock and the same vesting terms and expiry date, and as such the cancellation and reissuance had no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
On April 25, 2022, the Company granted 45,000 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and an exercise price of $0.60 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $11,617 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
On June 1, 2022, the Company granted 16,000 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and an exercise price of $1.34 per common stock. These stock options were valued at $19,393 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
F-50
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
The following assumptions were used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model during the six months ended June 30, 2023, and year ended December 31, 2022:
June 30,
2023 | December
31, 2022 | |||||||
Risk-free interest rate | 3.39-3.65 | % | 2.81% - 4.07 | % | ||||
Expected life | 10 years | 10 years | ||||||
Expected dividend rate | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | ||||
Expected volatility | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||||
Forfeiture rate | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % |
The continuity of stock options for the period ended June 30, 2023 and year ended December 31, 2022 is summarized below:
Number of stock options | Weighted average exercise price | |||||||
Outstanding, December 31, 2021 | 1,133,334 | $ | 0.60 | |||||
Granted | 412,000 | 2.19 | ||||||
Forfeited | (137,500 | ) | 0.60 | |||||
Exercised | (41,667 | ) | 0.60 | |||||
Outstanding, December 31, 2022 | 1,366,167 | 1.08 | ||||||
Granted | 232,500 | 5.00 | ||||||
Exercised | (62,500 | ) | 0.60 | |||||
Outstanding, June 30, 2023 | 1,536,167 | 1.69 |
As of June 30, 2023, the following options were outstanding, entitling the holders thereof the right to purchase one common stock for each option held as follows:
Outstanding | Vested | Expiry date | Weighted average exercise price ($) | |||||||||
841,667 | 508,512 | February 8, 2031 | 0.60 | |||||||||
50,000 | 30,214 | February 27, 2031 | 0.60 | |||||||||
45,000 | 13,125 | April 25, 2032 | 0.60 | |||||||||
16,000 | 4,000 | June 1, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
110,000 | - | July 1, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
100,000 | - | August 8, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
16,000 | - | September 30, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
80,000 | - | September 30, 2032 | 5.00 | |||||||||
10,000 | - | October 15, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
10,000 | - | November 1, 2032 | 1.34 | |||||||||
5,000 | - | November 1, 2032 | 5.00 | |||||||||
20,000 | - | December 12, 2032 | 5.00 | |||||||||
10,000 | - | February 1, 2033 | 5.00 | |||||||||
50,000 | - | April 16, 2033 | 5.00 | |||||||||
80,000 | - | May 1, 2033 | 5.00 | |||||||||
80,000 | - | January 25, 2033 | 5.00 | |||||||||
10,000 | - | June 27, 2033 | 5.00 | |||||||||
2,500 | - | July 10, 2033 | 5.00 | |||||||||
1,536,167 | 555,851 | 1.69 |
F-51
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
As of June 30, 2023, the weighted average life of stock options outstanding was 8.34 years (December 31, 2022 – 8.58 years).
During the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded $185,068 and $58,510, respectively, in share-based compensation expense, of which $178,735 and $6,333, and $56,407 and $2,103, respectively is included in office and administration and research and development, respectively.
13. | Related Party Transactions |
Related parties consist of the following individuals and corporations:
● | Braeden Lichti, Chairman and former President, significant shareholder through BWL Investments Ltd. Resigned as President effective October 11, 2022. | |
● | Jordan Plews, CEO and Director, significant shareholder through JP Bio Consulting LLC | |
● | Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director | |
● | Yi Guo, Former Director, resigned effective September 29, 2022 | |
● | Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer | |
● | Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer | |
● | Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer | |
● | Jeffrey Parry, Director (appointed June 1, 2023) | |
● | Julie Davey, Director (appointed June 1, 2023) | |
● | Crystal Muilenburg, Director (appointed June 1, 2023) | |
● | GB Capital Ltd., controlled by Graydon Bensler | |
● | JP Bio Consulting LLC, significant shareholder and controlled by Jordan Plews | |
● | BWL Investments Ltd., significant shareholder and controlled by Braeden Lichti | |
● | Northstrive Companies Inc., controlled by Braeden Lichti |
Key management personnel include those persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing, and controlling the activities of the Company as a whole. The Company has determined that key management personnel consist of members of the Company’s Board of Directors, corporate officers, and individuals with more than 10% control. The remuneration of directors and key management personnel is as follows:
Three months
ended June 31, 2023 | Three months | Six months ended June 31, 2023 | Six months
ended June 30, 2022 | |||||||||||||
Consulting fees | $ | 40,288 | $ | 39,963 | $ | 91,538 | $ | 93,422 | ||||||||
Salaries | 159,814 | 53,825 | 316,253 | 107,937 | ||||||||||||
Share-based compensation | 75,369 | 23,155 | 122,355 | 50,399 | ||||||||||||
$ | 275,471 | $ | 116,943 | $ | 530,146 | $ | 251,758 |
F-52
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company incurred consulting fees of $31,538 (June 30, 2022 - $32,422) to GB Capital Ltd., a company controlled by Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director. In addition, the Company incurred consulting fees of $60,000 (June 30, 2022 - $60,000) to Northstrive Companies Inc., a company controlled by the Company’s Chairman and former President.
Jordan Plews, CEO and Director, earned a Salary of $111,523 and $107,937, respectively during the six months period ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 (includes employer taxes of $11,522 and $7,937, respectively).
Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer, earned a Salary of $106,123 and $nil, respectively during the six month periods ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 (includes employer taxes of $11,123 and $nil, respectively).
Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer, earned a Salary of $98,608 and $nil, respectively during the six month periods ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 (includes employer taxes of $8,608 and $nil, respectively).
On February 9, 2021, the Company granted 800,000 stock options to four related parties (200,000 stock options each) with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per share of common stock. These stock options were valued at $203,972 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
On June 1, 2023, the Company granted 160,000 stock options to directors of the company (80,000 stock options each) with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $5.00 per share of common stock. These stock options were valued at $420,521 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter.
On June 1, 2023, the Company cancelled and re-issued 80,000 to a director of the company with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $5.00 per share of common stock. The cancelled and re-issued options had the same exercise price of $5.00 per common stock and the same vesting terms and expiry date, and as such the cancellation and reissuance is not expected to impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. (Note 12).
Details of the fair value of the options granted to each individual and the related expense recorded for the six month periods ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 are as follow:
Six months ended June 31, 2023 | Six months ended June 30, 2022 | Fair value of stock options granted | ||||||||||
Braeden Lichti, Former Chairman and President | $ | 3,927 | $ | 4,820 | $ | 50,993 | ||||||
Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director | 3,927 | 4,820 | 50,993 | |||||||||
Jordan Plews, CEO and Director | 3,927 | 4,820 | 50,993 | |||||||||
Tim Sayed, Chief Medical Officer | 3,927 | 4,820 | 50,993 | |||||||||
Jeffrey Parry, Director | 5,210 | - | 107,669 | |||||||||
Julie Davey, Director | 13,428 | - | 210,245 | |||||||||
Crystal Muilenburg, Director | 11,199 | - | 210,245 | |||||||||
$ | 45,545 | $ | 19,280 | $ | 732,131 |
F-53
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
On July 20, 2021, the Company granted 200,000 stock options to a related party, Yi Guo, former Director, with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $0.60 per share of common stock. These stock options were valued at $51,014 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. On October 17, 2022, Yi Guo resigned from the board of directors of the Company and as a result, 137,500 unvested options were forfeited. The remaining 62,500 vested option remain exercisable for 3 months after the resignation. On January 6, 2023, Yi Guo exercised the remaining 62,500 options. The share-based compensation expense recorded for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 relating to these stock options was $Nil and $15,441, respectively.
During the second and third quarter of 2022, the Company granted 250,000 stock options to two related parties (150,000 stock options to Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer, and 100,000 options to Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer) with a contractual life of ten years and weighted average exercise price of $1.22 per share of common stock. These stock options were valued at $264,906 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. Details of the fair value granted to each individual and the related expense recorded for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 is as follow:
Six months ended June 31, 2023 | Six months ended June 30, 2022 | Fair value of stock options
granted | ||||||||||
Brenda Buechler, Chief Marketing Officer | $ | 41,426 | $ | 1,097 | $ | 143,679 | ||||||
Christoph Kraneiss, Chief Commercial Officer | 35,384 | - | 121,227 | |||||||||
$ | 76,810 | $ | 1,097 | $ | 264,906 |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had $202,983 and $142,705, respectively due to companies controlled by Braeden Lichti, of which $22,983 and $22,705, respectively is unsecured, non-interest bearing and are due on demand. The remaining $180,000 and $120,000, respectively due as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, is payable to Northstrive Companies Inc. for consulting services rendered by Braeden Lichti (the “Fees”). Payment of the Fees will be deferred until the earlier of either (a) the Company raising an aggregate of at least $2,000,000 of equity and/or debt investment from and after October 1, 2022, (b) the Company becomes listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, or (c) the Board determines that the Company has sufficient cash flows to support payment of the foregoing amounts of Fees due at the time of that determination. The Fees earned prior to March 31, 2023 shall be payable in cash payment or in the form of Series A preferred stock priced at $1.34138 per share (the “Original Series A Issue Price") equal to the value of the Fees then due. While the Fees earned after April 1, 2023 shall be payable in cash payment or in the form of Series A preferred stock priced at $3 per share.
As of June 30, 2023, accounts payable and accrued liabilities include $7,390 (December 31, 2022 - $7,165) in consulting fees payable to Graydon Bensler, CFO and Director, $5,805 (December 31, 2022 - $1,485) to companies controlled by Braeden Lichti, and $1,898 (December 31, 2022 - $2,971) to Jordan Plews, CEO and Director, for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company.
F-54
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
14. | Commitments and Contingencies |
There were no commitments as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 or during the periods then ended.
The Company had an ongoing dispute with a vendor regarding unpaid invoices. The Company disputed the services claimed to have been rendered by the vendor. In May 2023, the Company and the vendor agreed to settle the matter, resulting in the Company agreeing to pay a final settlement of Cnd$12,500 (approximately $9,225), an amount that is significantly less than the unpaid invoices originally claimed by the vendor. The Company included the settlement amount in accrued liabilities as of December 31, 2022 and the amount was paid over to the vendor during the six months ended June 30, 2023.
15. | Concentrations |
Customers
During the six month period ended June 30, 2023, the Company recorded 16% of its revenue from its largest customers. The Company’s largest customer relates to sales to a wholesaler during the period. During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recorded 49% of its revenue from a single customer. The company's largest customer relates to sales to a wholesaler during the period.
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had $3,549 and $nil receivables due from this customer, respectfully, and $nil and $5,992, respectfully, in customer deposits were received from its largest customer.
The Company expects its dependence on major customers to decrease over time as it enters into additional distributor agreements and builds out its sales team.
F-55
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited - Expressed in United States dollars)
Suppliers
During the six month period ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company had 2 key suppliers that represented approximately 57% and 66%, respectively of the cost incurred in the purchase and production of inventory. The table below represents a breakdown of each supplier as a percentage of the cost incurred (Suppliers are shown from largest to smallest and does not necessarily represent the same suppliers period over period):
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 | Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 | |||||||
Supplier 1 | 33 | % | 33 | % | ||||
Supplier 2 | 24 | % | 33 | % | ||||
57 | % | 66 | % |
The Company continually evaluates the performance of its suppliers and the availability of alternatives to substitute or supplement its inventory production supply chain. The Company believes that a breakdown in supply from one of its key suppliers would be overcome in a short amount of time given the availability of alternatives.
16. | Subsequent Events |
Management has evaluated events subsequent to the six months ended June 30, 2023 up to August 14, 2023, for transactions and other events that may require adjustment of and/or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements.
Leases
In July 2023, the Company’s monthly lease payments increased from $10,773 to $13,477 per month, as the Company amended their existing lease to include an additional 721 square feet of office space.
Stock Options
The Company granted 1,500 stock options with a contractual life of ten years and an exercise price of $5.00 per common stock.
F-56
1,500,000 Shares of Common Stock
Elevai Labs, Inc.
PROSPECTUS
September 28, 2023
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the estimated expenses to be borne by the registrant in connection with the securities being registered hereby. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, and the Nasdaq Capital Market listing fee, all amounts are estimates.
Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fee | $ | 800 | ||
Nasdaq Capital Market Listing Fee | $ | 50,000 | ||
FINRA | $ | 2,000 | ||
Legal Fees and Expenses | $ | 250,000 | ||
Accounting Fees and Expenses | $ | 225,000 | ||
Printing Expenses | $ | 10,000 | ||
Miscellaneous Expenses | $ | 10,000 | ||
Total Expenses | $ | 547,800 |
These expenses will be borne by us. Underwriting discounts and the non-accountable expense allowance will be borne by us in proportion to the numbers of shares of Common Stock sold in the offering.
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) provides that a corporation may indemnify directors and officers as well as other employees and individuals against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with any threatened, pending or completed actions, suits or proceedings in which such person is made a party by reason of such person being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company. The DGCL provides that Section 145 is not exclusive of other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws provide for indemnification by the Company of its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.
Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (1) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (3) for unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases, redemptions or other distributions or (4) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation provides for such limitation of liability to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.
The Company maintains standard policies of insurance under which coverage is provided (1) to its directors and officers against loss arising from claims made by reason of breach of duty or other wrongful act, while acting in their capacity as directors and officers of the Company, and (2) to the Company with respect to payments which may be made by the Company to such officers and directors pursuant to any indemnification provision contained in the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws or otherwise as a matter of law.
II-1
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Since our inception, we have made the following issuances of unregistered equity securities:
● | On June 24, 2020, we issued 8,480,000 shares of Common Stock to the founders of the Company for total consideration of $50,880; |
● | On September 30, 2020, we issued 213,730 shares of preferred stock in connection with a series seed preferred stock investment agreement in exchange for gross proceeds of $64,119; |
● | On January 24, 2021, we issued 1,046,808 shares of Common Stock in connection with the conversion of promissory notes in exchange for gross proceeds of $24,600; |
● | On June 4, 2021, we issued 100 shares of Common Stock to BWL Investments Ltd. in exchange for substantially all of the assets and liabilities of Reactive Medical Labs Inc.; |
● | Between August 24, 2021, and November 22, 2021, we issued 3,635,252 shares of preferred stock in connection with a series seed 2 preferred stock investment agreement for a sales price of $0.30 per share in exchange for gross proceeds of $1,090,577; |
● | In April and May 2022, the Company issued promissory notes to 5 investors (including 2 directors of the Company) for a total amount of $183,970. The promissory notes carry simple interest at a rate of eight percent (8%) per annum. The notes also carry 100% warrant coverage. Each lender is entitled to receive a warrant to purchase shares of Common Stock. Each warrant is exercisable for that number of shares of Common Stock determined by dividing the warrant coverage amount by the conversion price and shall have a term of five (5) years. The exercise price for the Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of the warrants shall be equal to 150% of the price per share paid for the conversion shares. The promissory notes and all accrued but unpaid interest automatically converted into the next equity financing, the Series A round. The conversion price was 60% of the price paid per share for equity securities in the next equity financing, the Series A round. On July 15 2022, $183,970 of principal and $2,614 of accrued interest, converted into the series A round for a total of 231,828 shares and 231,828 warrants. The warrants have an exercise price of $2.01207. |
● | On July 15, 2022, the Company closed the first tranche of its series A financing and issued 1,090,029 series A preferred shares for gross proceeds of $1,462,146 (excluding the conversion of the promissory notes referred to immediately above). |
● | On July 27, 2022, the Company closed the second tranche of its series A financing and issued 349,790 series A preferred shares for gross proceeds of $469,207. |
II-2
● | On August 4, 2022, the Company closed the third tranche of its series A financing and issued 111,884 series A preferred shares for gross proceeds of $150,080. |
● | On October 10, 2022, the Company closed the fourth tranche of its series A financing and issued 78,268 series A preferred shares for gross proceeds of $104,988. |
● | In December 2022, 41,667 stock options with an exercise price of $0.60 were exercised in exchange for 41,667 shares of Common Stock for total proceeds of $25,000. |
● | In January 2023, 62,500 stock options with an exercise price of $0.60 were exercised in exchange for 62,500 shares of Common Stock for total proceeds of $37,500. |
● | On March 2, 2023, the Company amended its certificate of incorporation to increase the number of Common Stock authorized for issuance from 19,000,000 to 300,000,000. On the same date, the Company increased the aggregate number of shares allocated and made available for issuance pursuant to stock options granted under the Company’s 2020 equity incentive plan from 1,534,188 to 1,734,188 shares. |
● | On March 3, 2023, the Company issued 250,000 shares of Common Stock and 250,000 warrants to purchase 250,000 shares of Common Stock for gross proceeds of $750,000. Each warrant has a term of three years and 180 days subject to the Company’s ability to accelerate the warrant expiration date. The warrants have an exercise price of $3.00. |
● | From March 15, 2023, to May 19, 2023, the Company issued 107,861 shares of Common Stock for gross proceeds of $ 323,589. |
● | On June 1, 2023, the Company granted 240,000 stock options to each of its independent directors with a contractual life of ten years and exercise price of $5.00 per Common Stock. The options vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest evenly over 36 months thereafter. |
● | On August 24, 2023, the Company issued 46,666 shares of Common Stock for gross proceeds of $140,000 |
● | On September 13, 2023, the Company issued 83,332 shares of Common Stock and 99,998 warrants to purchase 99,998 shares of Common Stock for gross proceeds of $249,996. Each warrant has a term of three years and 180 days. The warrants have an exercise price of $3.00. |
No underwriters were involved in the foregoing sales of securities. These issuances were made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.
II-3
16. Exhibits
(a) | Exhibits. The following exhibits are included herein or incorporated herein by reference: |
* | Filed herewith |
Item 17. 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 SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent 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; |
provided, however, that: Paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
II-4
(2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
(4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser: |
(i) | 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 |
(ii) | 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. |
(5) | 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) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company 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 Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
II-5
SIGNATURES
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 S-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in New York, NY, on September 28, 2023.
By: | /s/ Jordan R. Plews | |
Jordan R. Plews | ||
Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
We, the undersigned directors and officers of the Registrant, hereby severally constitute and appoint Jordan R. Plews, as singly, our true and lawful attorney in fact, with full power to him, and to singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement on Form S-1 filed herewith, and any and all pre-effective and post-effective amendments to said registration statement, and any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of equity securities of the Registrant, and to file or cause to be filed the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney, and to him, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as each of us might or could do in person, and hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney, or their substitute or substitutes, shall do or cause to be done by virtue of this Power of Attorney.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature | Capacity | Date | ||
/s/ Jordan R. Plews |
Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director | September 28, 2023 | ||
Jordan R. Plews | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
/s/ Graydon Bensler |
Chief Financial Officer and Director | September 28, 2023 | ||
Graydon Bensler | (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | |||
/s/ Hatem (Tim) Abou-Sayed |
Director | September 28, 2023 | ||
Hatem (Tim) Abou-Sayed | ||||
/s/ Jeffrey Parry |
Independent Director | September 28, 2023 | ||
Jeffrey Parry | ||||
/s/ Crystal Muilenburg |
Independent Director | September 28, 2023 | ||
Crystal Muilenburg | ||||
Juliana Daley |
Independent Director | September 28, 2023 | ||
Juliana Daley |
II-6
Exhibit 1.1
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[●], 2023
Univest Securities, LLC
75 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 18C
New York, NY 10019
As Representative of the Underwriters
named on Schedule A hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned, Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation (collectively with its subsidiaries and affiliates, including, without limitation, all entities disclosed or described in the Registration Statement (as hereinafter defined) as being subsidiaries or affiliates of the Company, the “Company”), hereby confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with the several underwriters (such underwriters, including the Representative (as defined below), the “Underwriters” and each an “Underwriter”) named in Schedule A hereto for which Univest Securities, LLC is acting as the representative (in such capacity, the “Representative”) to issue and sell an aggregate of [●] shares of common stock (“Firm Shares”), par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”). The Company has also granted to the several Underwriters an option to purchase up to [●]1 shares of Common Stock, on the terms and for the purposes set forth in Section 2(c) hereof (the “Additional Shares”). The Firm Shares and any Additional Shares purchased pursuant to this Agreement are herein collectively referred to as the “Offered Securities.” The offering and sale of the Offered Securities contemplated by this Agreement is referred to herein as the “Offering.”
The Company confirms its agreement with the Underwriters as follows:
SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows with the understanding that the same may be relied upon by the Underwriters in this Offering, as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date (as defined below) and each Option Closing Date (as defined below), if any:
(a) Filing of the Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-[●]), which contains a form of prospectus to be used in connection with the public offering and sale of the Offered Securities. Such registration statement, as amended, including the financial statements and the notes thereto, exhibits and schedules thereto contained in the registration statement at the time such registration statement became effective, in the form in which it was declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Securities Act Regulations”), and including any required information deemed to be a part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act, or pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act Regulations”), is called the “Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act is called the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and from and after the date and time of filing of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. Such prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act after the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto, or, if no filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act is required, the form of final prospectus relating to the Offered Securities included in the Registration Statement at the effective date of the Registration Statement (“Effective Date”), is called the “Prospectus.” All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the preliminary prospectus included in the Registration Statement (each, a “preliminary prospectus”), the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, shall include any copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”). The preliminary prospectus that was included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below) is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus.” Any reference to the “most recent preliminary prospectus” shall be deemed to refer to the latest preliminary prospectus included in the registration statement. Any reference herein to any registration statement, preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or any supplement or amendment to either thereof shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents incorporated by reference therein as of the date of such reference.
1 | 15% of Firm Shares. |
(b) “Applicable Time” means [●] p.m., Eastern Time, on the date of this Agreement.
(c) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations on [●], 2023. The Company has complied, to the Commission’s satisfaction, with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information. No stop order preventing or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission.
Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus when filed complied or will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and, if filed by electronic transmission pursuant to EDGAR (except as may be permitted by Regulation S-T under the Securities Act), was identical in content to the copy thereof delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Securities, other than with respect to any artwork and graphics that were not filed. Each of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, and any post-effective amendment to either the Registration Statement or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, at the time it became effective and at all subsequent times until the expiration of the prospectus delivery period required under Section 4(3) of the Securities Act, complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and did not and will not contain any 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. The Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, as of its date and at all subsequent times until the Underwriters have completed the Offering, did not and will not contain any 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. The representations and warranties set forth in the two immediately preceding sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment to either the Registration Statement or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or in the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Underwriters furnished to the Company in writing expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished on behalf of any of the Underwriters consists of (i) the name of the Underwriters contained on the cover page of the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus and (ii) the sub-sections titled “Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids” and “Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Securities” in each case under the caption “Underwriting” in the Prospectus (the “Underwriter Information”). There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that have not been fairly and accurately described in all material respects or filed as required.
(d) Disclosure Package. The term “Disclosure Package” shall mean (i) the Pricing Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, (ii) each issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act (each, an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”), if any, identified in Schedule B hereto, (iii) the pricing terms set forth in Schedule C to this Agreement, and (iv) any other free writing prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure Package. As of the Applicable Time, the Disclosure Package did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Package based upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
2
(e) Company Not Ineligible Issuer. (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (ii) as of the date of the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company was not and is not an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), without taking account any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an Ineligible Issuer.
(f) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. No Issuer Free Writing Prospectus includes any information that conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, including any document incorporated by reference therein that has not been superseded or modified. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(g) Offering Materials Furnished to the Underwriters. The Company has delivered to the Underwriters copies of the Registration Statement and of each consent and certificate of experts filed as a part thereof, and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, in such quantities and at such places as the Underwriters have reasonably requested in writing.
(h) Distribution of Offering Material by the Company. The Company has not distributed or authorized the distribution of, and will not distribute, prior to the completion of the Underwriters’ purchase of the Offered Securities, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Securities other than a preliminary prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Underwriters, and the Registration Statement.
(i) The Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and is a valid and binding agreement of, the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnification hereunder may be limited by applicable law and except as the enforcement hereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles.
(j) Authorization of the Offered Securities and the Underwriter’s Securities. The Offered Securities to be sold by the Company through the Underwriters have been duly and validly authorized by all required corporate action and have been reserved for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when so issued and delivered by the Company, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, free and clear of all Liens (as defined in sub-section (r)) imposed by the Company. The shares of Common Stock underlying the Underwriters’ Warrant (the “Underlying Shares” and together with the Underwriters’ Warrant, the “Underwriters’ Securities”) are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Underwriters’ Warrant, as applicable, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Company has sufficient shares of Common Stock for the issuance of the maximum number of Offered Securities and underlying Shares issuable pursuant to the Offering as described in the Prospectus.
(k) No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any securities of the Company registered for sale under the Registration Statement and included in the Offering.
(l) No Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Disclosure Package: (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, prospects or operations, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company (any such change, a “Material Adverse Change” and any resulting effect, a “Material Adverse Effect”); (ii) the Company has not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business nor entered into any material transaction or agreement not in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company in respect of its shares of Common Stock.
3
(m) Independent Accountant. TPS Thayer, LLC (the “Accountant”), which has expressed its opinions with respect to the audited financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) of the Company filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and included in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.
(n) Preparation of the Financial Statements. Each of the historical financial statements of the Company, respectively, filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and included in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, presents fairly the information provided as of and at the dates and for the periods indicated. Such financial statements comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto or in the case of unaudited interim financial statements, which are subject to normal year-end audit adjustments that are not expected to be material. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement. Each item of historical financial data relating to the operations, assets or liabilities of the Company set forth in summary form in each of the preliminary prospectuses and the Prospectus fairly presents such information on a basis consistent with that of the complete financial statements contained in the Registration Statement.
(o) Incorporation and Good Standing. The Company has been duly incorporated or formed and is validly existing and in good standing as a corporation under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. As of the Closing Date (as defined below), the Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity that is not otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.
(p) Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (other than for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to employee benefit plans described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or upon exercise of outstanding options or warrants described in the Disclosure Package and Prospectus, as the case may be). The shares of Common Stock conform, and, when issued and delivered as provided in this Agreement, the Offered Securities will conform, in all material respects to the description thereof contained in each of the Disclosure Package and Prospectus. All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and have been issued in compliance with applicable laws. None of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company were issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any shares of the Company other than those described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The description of the Company’s stock option and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus accurately and fairly presents the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights. No further approval from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) or authorization of any stockholder, the Board of Directors or others is required for the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities and the Underlying Shares. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no stockholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s stockholders.
4
(q) Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required. The Company is not in violation of its amended and restated articles of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws or in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, mortgage, loan or credit agreement, note, contract, franchise, lease or other instrument to which it is a party or by which it may be bound (including, without limitation, any agreement or contract filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or to which any of the property or assets of the Company are subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”)), except for such Defaults as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the bylaws of the Company, as amended and restated, (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument and (iii) will not result in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company, except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), to the extent such conflict, breach Default or violation could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency, is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except the registration or qualification of the Offered Securities under the Securities Act and applicable state securities or blue sky laws and from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).
(r) Subsidiaries. Each of the Company’s direct and indirect subsidiaries (each a “Subsidiary” and collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) has been identified on Schedule E hereto. Each of the Subsidiaries has been duly formed, is validly existing under the laws of its state of formation, Canada, and is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has full power and authority (corporate or otherwise) to own its property and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Change on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all of the equity interests of each Subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, are fully paid in accordance with its bylaws or charter documents and non-assessable and are free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims (“Liens”). None of the outstanding share capital or equity interest in any Subsidiary was issued in violation of preemptive or similar rights of any security holder of such Subsidiary. All of the constitutive or organizational documents of each of the Subsidiaries comply with the requirements of applicable laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization and are in full force and effect. Apart from the Subsidiaries, the Company has no direct or indirect subsidiaries or any other company over which it has direct or indirect effective control. Other than the Subsidiaries, the Company does not directly or indirectly control any entity through contractual arrangements or otherwise such that the entity would be deemed a consolidated affiliated entity whose financial results would be consolidated under U.S. GAAP with the financial results of the Company on the consolidated financial statements of the Company, regardless of whether the Company directly or indirectly owns less than a majority of the equity interests of such person.
5
(s) No Material Actions or Proceedings. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, demands, claims, suits, arbitrations, inquiries or proceedings (collectively, “Actions”) pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened (i) against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, which have as the subject thereof any officer or director (in such capacities) of, or property owned or leased by, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, where in any such case (A) there is a reasonable possibility that such Action might be determined adversely to the Company and (B) any such Action, if so determined adversely, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change or adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no material labor dispute with the employees of the Company exists or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened or imminent. None of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their employees are good. No executive officer, to the knowledge of the Company, is in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations relating to employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. Neither the Company or any Subsidiary, nor any director or officer thereof, is or has within the last 10 years been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company.
(t) Intellectual Property Rights. The Company owns, possesses or licenses, and otherwise has legally enforceable rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trade names, copyrights, domain names, licenses, approvals and trade secrets (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) necessary to conduct its business as now conducted or, otherwise, as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except to the extent such failure to own, possess or have other rights to use such Intellectual Property would not be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus: (i) the Company has not received any written notice of infringement or conflict with asserted Intellectual Property Rights of others; (ii) 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, Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and are not described in all material respects; (iii) 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, in violation of the rights of any persons; and (iv) the Company is not subject to any judgment, order, writ, injunction or decree of any court or any governmental department, commission, board, bureau, agency or instrumentality, or any arbitrator, nor has it entered into nor is it a party to any agreement made in settlement of any pending or threatened litigation, which materially restricts or impairs its use of any Intellectual Property Rights.
(u) All Necessary Permits, etc. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, each of the Company and its Subsidiaries possesses such valid and current certificates, authorizations or permits issued by the applicable regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct its business, and has made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate national, regional, local or other governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or assets or the conduct of their respective business as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except where lack of the licenses would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, and has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such licenses and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company has no reason to believe that such licenses will not be renewed in the ordinary course of their respective business that, if determined adversely to the Company, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect. Such licenses are valid and in full force and effect and contain no materially burdensome restrictions or conditions not described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.
6
(v) Title to Properties. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has good and marketable title to all the properties and assets reflected as owned by it in the financial statements referred to in Section 1(n) above (or elsewhere in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, lien, encumbrance, equity, adverse claim or other defect, except such as do not materially and adversely affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company. The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company are held under valid and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property, improvements, equipment or personal property by the Company.
(w) Tax Law Compliance. (i) The Company and its Subsidiaries have each filed all federal, state, local and foreign income tax returns required to be filed as of the date of this Agreement or have timely and properly filed requested extensions thereof and have paid all taxes required to be paid by them and, if due and payable, any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them in all material respects; (ii) No tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that has had (nor does the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its Subsidiaries and which could reasonably be expected to have) a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) The Company has made adequate charges, accruals and reserves in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 1(n) above in respect of all federal, state and foreign income and franchise taxes for all periods as to which the tax liability of the Company has not been finally determined.
(x) Company Not an “Investment Company.” The Company is not, and after giving effect to payment for the Offered Securities and the application of the proceeds as contemplated under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
(y) FINRA Affiliation. No officer, director or any beneficial owner of 10% or more of the Company’s unregistered securities has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any Participating Member (as defined under FINRA rules). The Company will advise the Representative and Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC if it learns that any officer, director or owner of 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding shares of capital stock is or becomes an affiliate or registered person of a Participating Member.
(z) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation. The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to, or that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Securities.
(aa) Related Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or related-party transactions, directly or indirectly, involving the Company or its Subsidiaries with any related person required to be described or filed in the Registration Statement, or described in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, that have not been as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Prospectus.
(bb) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. To the extent required, the Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act Regulations) designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company is not aware of (a) any significant deficiency in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data or any material weaknesses in internal controls or (b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls.
7
(cc) Company’s Accounting System. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company maintains a system of accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles 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.
(dd) Money Laundering Law Compliance. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the United States Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company conducts business, and the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any competent governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to any Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(ee) OFAC. (i) Neither the Company, any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, employee or affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary, of any other person authorized to act on behalf of the Company, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is:
A. the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union (“EU”), His Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor
B. located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria).
(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the Offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary or affiliated entity, joint venture partner or other Person:
A. to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or
B. in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the Offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(ff) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, employee or affiliate of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other person authorized to act on behalf of the Company has, directly or indirectly, taken any action that (i) would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”) or otherwise subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding; (ii) if done in the past, might reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or (iii) if continued in the future, might reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the assets, business, or operations of the Company. The foregoing includes, without limitation, giving or agreeing 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 might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding.
8
(gg) Internal Control and Compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Company is in full compliance with any provision applicable to it of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including, without limitation, Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all applicable rule of the listing exchanges. The Company maintains a system of internal controls, including, but not limited to, disclosure controls and procedures, internal controls over accounting matters and financial reporting, an internal audit function and legal and regulatory compliance controls that comply with all applicable laws and regulations including without limitation the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the rules and regulations of the Commission, and the rules of the listing exchanges.
(hh) Exchange Act Filing. A registration statement in respect of the Common Stock has been filed on Form 8-A pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, which registration statement complies in all material respects with the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the shares of Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration.
(ii) Earning Statements. The Company will make generally available (which includes filings pursuant to the Exchange Act made publicly through the EDGAR system) to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 16 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal year, an earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering a 12-month period that shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Rules and Regulations.
(jj) Periodic Reporting Obligations. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company shall file, on a timely basis, with the Commission all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act. Additionally, the Company shall report the use of proceeds from the issuance of the Firm Shares as may be required under Rule 463 under the Securities Act.
(kk) Valid Title. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has legal and valid title to all of its properties and assets, free and clear of all liens, charges, encumbrances, equities, claims, options and restrictions except such as do not materially and adversely affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by such entity; each lease agreement to which it is a party is duly executed and legally binding; its leasehold interests are set forth in and governed by the terms of any lease agreements, and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge such agreements are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their respective terms; and the Company does not own, operate, manage or have any other right or interest in any other material real property of any kind, except as described in the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package.
(ll) Foreign Tax Compliance. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no transaction, stamp, capital or other issuance, registration, transaction, transfer or withholding taxes or duties are payable in Canada to any Canada taxing authority in connection with the issuance, sale and delivery of the Offered Securities, and the delivery of the Offered Securities to or for the account of the Underwriters.
(mm) Reserved.
(nn) Reserved.
9
(oo) 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 prior to the Offering (the “Insiders”) as well as in the Lock-Up Agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B provided to the Representative is true and correct in all respects and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by each Insider to become inaccurate and incorrect.
Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Representative or to counsel for the Representative shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters set forth therein. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 5 hereof, counsel to the Company, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.
(pp) Solvency. Based on the consolidated financial condition of the Company as of each Closing Date (as defined below), after giving effect to the receipt by the Company of the proceeds from the sale of the Offered Securities hereunder, the current cash flow of the Company, together with the proceeds the Company would receive, were it to liquidate all of its assets, after taking into account all anticipated uses of the cash, are sufficient to pay all amounts on or in respect of its liabilities when such amounts are required to be paid. The Company does not intend to incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the timing and amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt). Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has no knowledge of any facts or circumstances which lead it to believe that it will file for reorganization or liquidation under the bankruptcy or reorganization laws of any jurisdiction within one year from each Closing Date (as defined below). The Registration Statement and the Prospectus set forth as of the date hereof all outstanding secured and unsecured Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary, or for which the Company or any Subsidiary has commitments. For the purposes of this Agreement, “Indebtedness” means (x) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of $50,000 (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (y) all guaranties, endorsements and other contingent obligations in respect of indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (z) the present value of any lease payments in excess of $50,000 due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default with respect to any Indebtedness.
(qq) Regulation M Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one authorized to act on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Offered Securities or the Underlying Shares, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Offered Securities or the Underlying Shares, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Underwriter in connection with the Offering.
(rr) EGC Status and Testing the Waters Communications. From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Test 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 Act (“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 Act. The Company (a) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Underwriters 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 (b) has not authorized anyone other than the Underwriters to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Underwriters have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications.
10
(ss) Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or 25% or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.
(tt) U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Company shall so certify upon the Underwriters’ request.
(uu) 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 this Offering to be received by the Company 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 Offered Securities to be considered a “purpose credit” within the meanings of Regulation T, U or X of the Federal Reserve Board.
(vv) Integration. Neither the Company, nor any of its affiliates, nor any person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause the Offering to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of the Securities Act that would require the registration of any such securities under the Securities Act.
(ww) 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. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company acknowledges that the Underwriters may have financial interests in the success of the Offering that are not limited to the difference between the price to the public and the purchase price paid to the Company by the Underwriters for the Offered Securities and the Underwriters have no obligation to disclose, or account to the Company for, any of such additional financial interests. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of fiduciary duty.
(xx) No Accounting Issues. The Company has not received any notice, oral or written, from its Board of Directors or Audit Committee stating that it is reviewing or investigating, and neither the Company’s independent auditors nor its internal auditors have recommended that the Board of Directors or Audit Committee review or investigate, (i) adding to, deleting, changing the application of, or changing the Company’s disclosure with respect to, any of the Company’s material accounting policies; or (ii) any matter which could result in a restatement of the Company’s financial statements for any annual or interim period during the current or prior two fiscal years.
(yy) 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 the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or shall be contain in any amendments and supplements thereof, has been made or reaffirmed, or will be made, without a reasonable basis, or has been disclosed or will be disclosed other than in good faith.
11
(zz) Insurance. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged in the jurisdictions that the Company and each of its Subsidiaries operate as required by the laws of such jurisdictions; neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(aaa) No Finder’s Fee. There are no contracts, agreements, or understandings between the Company or its Subsidiaries and any other person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or its Subsidiaries or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with this Offering, or any other arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments, or issuance with respect to the Company, or its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, shareholders/stockholders, partners, employees or related parties that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation as determined by FINRA.
(bbb) Operating and Other Data. All operating and other data pertaining to the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are true and accurate in all materials respects.
(ccc) Third-party Data. Any statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agrees with the sources from which it is derived, and the Company has obtained the written consent for the use of such data from such sources to the extent required.
(ddd) Compliance with Environmental Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries are (a) in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (b) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (c) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals, or liability would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(eee) Compliance with Law, Constitutive Documents and Contracts. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is (a) in breach or violation of any provision of applicable law (including, but not limited to, any applicable law concerning information collection and user privacy protection) or (b) in breach or violation of its respective constitutive documents, or (c) in default under (nor has any event occurred that, with notice, lapse of time or both, would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness under) any agreement or other instrument that is binding upon the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, or any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, except in the cases of (a) and (c) above, where any such breach, violation or default would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(fff) No Unlawful Influence. The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, shares to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.
12
(ggg) The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 5 hereof, counsel to the Company, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.
SECTION 2. Firm Shares, Additional Shares and Underwriters’ Warrant.
(a) Purchase of Firm Shares. 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 Underwriters an aggregate of [●] shares of Common Stock (the “Firm Shares”) at a purchase price (net of discounts)2 of $[●] per Share. The Underwriters agree to purchase from the Company the Firm Shares.
(b) Delivery of and Payment for Firm Shares. Delivery of and payment for the Firm Shares shall be made at 10:00 A.M., Eastern time, on the third (3rd) Business Day following the Applicable Time, or at such time as shall be agreed upon by the Underwriters and the Company, at the offices of the Representative’s counsel or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Underwriters and the Company. The hour and date of delivery of and payment for the Firm Shares is called the “Closing Date.” The closing of the payment of the purchase price for is referred to herein as the “Closing.” Payment for the Firm Shares shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds upon delivery to the Underwriters of certificates (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters) representing the Firm Shares (or if uncertificated through the full fast transfer facilities of the Depository Trust Company (the “DTC”)) for the account of the Underwriters. The Firm Shares shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Underwriters may request in writing at least two Business Days prior to the Closing Date. If certificated, the Company will permit the Underwriters to examine and package the Firm Shares for delivery at least one full Business Day prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Firm Shares except upon tender of payment by the Underwriters for all the Firm Shares.
(c) Additional Shares. The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters an option (the “Over-allotment Option”) to purchase up to an additional [●]3 shares of Common Stock (the “Additional Shares”), in each case solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments of such securities, if any. The Over-allotment Option is, at the Underwriters’ sole discretion, for Additional Shares.
(d) Exercise of Over-allotment Option. The Over-allotment Option granted pursuant to Section 2(c) hereof may be exercised by the Representative within 45 days of the Closing Date. The purchase price to be paid per Additional Shares shall be equal to the price per Firm Share in Section 2(a). The Underwriters shall not be under any obligation to purchase any Additional Shares 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 Underwriters, which shall be confirmed in writing via overnight mail or facsimile or other electronic transmission, setting forth the number of Additional Shares to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Additional Shares (the “Option Closing Date”), which shall not be later than five (5) full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Underwriters, at the offices of the Representative’s counsel or at such other place (including remotely by facsimile or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Underwriters. If such delivery and payment for the Additional Shares 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 Additional Shares, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (i) the Company shall become obligated to sell to the Underwriters the number of Additional Shares specified in such notice and (ii) the Underwriters shall purchase that portion of the total number of Additional Shares.
2 | 7.0% |
3 | 15% of the Firm Shares |
13
(e) Delivery and Payment of Additional Shares. Payment for the Additional Shares shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, upon delivery to the Underwriters of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters) representing the Additional Shares (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Underwriters. The Additional Shares shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Underwriters may request in writing at least two (2) full Business Days prior to the Option Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Additional Shares except upon tender of payment by the Underwriters for applicable Additional Shares. 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 Additional Shares.
(f) Underwriting Discount. In consideration of the services to be provided for hereunder, the Underwriters shall receive a seven percent (7.0%) underwriting discount, with respect to any Offered Securities sold to investors in this Offering.
(g) Underwriter’s Warrant. The Company hereby agrees to issue to the Representative (and/or its designees) on the applicable Closing Date and Option Closing Date (if applicable), Warrants, substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto, to purchase such number of shares of Common Stock equal to five percent (5.0%) of the Offered Securities sold by the Company (the “Underwriter’s Warrant”), including any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of Over-allotment Option. The Underwriter’s Warrant shall be exercisable, in whole or in part, commencing six months from issuance and expiring on the fifth-year anniversary of the commencement of sale of the Offering at an initial exercise price of $[●] per shares of Common Stock, which is equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the initial public offering price of a Firm Share.
(h) Non-accountable Expense Allowance. The Company agrees that upon the closing of the Offering it will pay to the Representative a non-accountable expense allowance (the “Non-accountable Expense Allowance”) equal to one percent (1%) of the gross proceeds to be receive by the Company on the Closing Date.
SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company.
The Company covenants and agrees with the Underwriters as follows:
(a) Underwriters’ Review of Proposed Amendments and Supplements. During the period beginning at the Applicable Time and ending on the later of the Closing Date or such date as, in the opinion of Representative’s counsel, the Prospectus is no longer required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by the Underwriters or selected dealers, including under circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), prior to amending or supplementing the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any amendment or supplement through incorporation by reference of any report filed under the Exchange Act, the Company shall furnish to the Underwriters for review a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement, and the Company shall not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Underwriters reasonably objects.
(b) Securities Act Compliance. After the date of this Agreement, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company shall promptly advise the Underwriters in writing (i) of the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission, (ii) of the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, (iii) of the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or of any order or notice preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing or quotation the Offered Securities from any securities exchange upon which they are listed for trading or included or designated for quotation, or of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order or order or notice of prevention or suspension at any time, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment, or will file a new registration statement and use commercially reasonable efforts to have such new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rules 424(b) and 430A, as applicable, under the Securities Act, including with respect to the timely filing of documents thereunder and will confirm that any filings made by the Company under such Rule 424(b) were received in a timely manner by the Commission.
14
(c) Exchange Act Compliance. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, to the extent the Company becomes subject to reporting obligation under the Exchange Act, the Company will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15 of the Exchange Act in the manner and within the time periods required by the Exchange Act.
(d) Amendments and Supplements to the Registration Statement, Prospectus and Other Securities Act Matters. If, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, any event or development shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein in light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading, or if in the opinion of the Underwriters it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or to file a new registration statement containing the Prospectus, in order to comply with law, including in connection with the delivery of the Prospectus, the Company agrees to (i) notify the Underwriters of any such event or condition (unless such event or condition was previously brought to the Company’s attention by the Underwriters during the Prospectus Delivery Period) and (ii) promptly prepare (subject to Section 3(a) and Section 3(f) hereof), file with the Commission (and use commercially reasonable efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement or any new registration statement to be declared effective) and furnish at its own expense to the Underwriters and to dealers, amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any new registration statement, necessary in order to make the statements in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading or so that the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with law.
(e) Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents that it has not made, and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Underwriters, it will not make, any offer relating to the Offered Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433 under the Securities Act; provided that the prior written consent of the Underwriters hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of each free writing prospectuses listed on Schedule B hereto. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Underwriters is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company agrees that (i) it has treated and will treat, as the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and (ii) has complied and will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping.
(f) Copies of any Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus. The Company agrees to furnish the Underwriters, without charge, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, as many copies of each of the preliminary prospectuses, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package and any amendments and supplements thereto (including any documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference therein) as the Underwriters may reasonably request.
(g) Use of Proceeds. The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Offered Securities sold by it in the manner described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
15
(h) Transfer Agent. The Company shall engage and maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Offered Securities.
(i) Internal Controls. The Company will maintain a system of internal accounting controls designed 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 U.S. 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. The internal controls, upon consummation of the Offering, will be, overseen by the Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”) of the Board in accordance with the rules of the Nasdaq.
(j) Exchange Listing. The shares of Common Stock have been duly authorized for listing on Nasdaq, subject to official notice of issuance. The Company is in material compliance with the provisions of the rules and regulations promulgated by Nasdaq and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements (to the extent applicable to the Company as of the date hereof, the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date; and subject to all exemptions and exceptions from the requirements thereof as are set forth therein, to the extent applicable to the Company). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and subject to the qualifications above: (i) all members of the Company’s board of directors who are required to be “independent” (as that term is defined under applicable laws, rules and regulations), including, without limitation, all members of each of the audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee of the Company’s board of directors, meet the qualifications of independence as set forth under such laws, rules and regulations, (ii) the audit committee of the Company’s board of directors has at least one member who is an “audit committee financial expert” (as that term is defined under such laws, rules and regulations), and (iii) that, based on discussions with Nasdaq, the Company meets all requirements for listing on Nasdaq.
(k) Future Reports to the Underwriters. For one year after the date of this Agreement, the Company will furnish, if not otherwise available on EDGAR, to the Representative at 75 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 18C, New York, NY 10019, Attention: Edric Guo, CEO: (i) as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, copies of the Annual Report of the Company containing the balance sheet of the Company as of the close of such fiscal year and statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year then ended and the opinion thereon of the Company’s independent public or certified public accountants; (ii) as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, copies of each proxy statement, Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly financial statements on Form 10-Q or other report filed by the Company with the Commission; and (iii) as soon as available, copies of any report or communication of the Company mailed generally to holders of its shares.
(l) No Manipulation of Price. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.
(m) Existing Lock-Up Agreements. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no existing agreements between the Company and its security holders that prohibit the sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation of any of the Company’s securities. The Company will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon the securities of the Company that are bound by such “lock-up” agreements for the duration of the periods contemplated therein.
16
(n) Company Lock-up.
(i) The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of this Agreement (the “Lock-Up Period”), (i) issue, pledge, announce the intention to sell, 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, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock, or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the shares of Common Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of shares of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, except to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement. The Company agrees not to accelerate the vesting of any option or warrant or the lapse of any repurchase right prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period.
(ii) The restrictions contained in Section 3(n)(i) hereof shall not apply to: (A) the Offered Securities, (B) the Underlying Shares, (C) any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities or the exercise of warrants or options, in each case outstanding as of the Applicable Time and as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, (D) any shares of Common Stock or options to purchase any shares of Common Stock or other any shares of Common Stock based award issued or granted pursuant to the Company’s stock incentive plans, stock purchase plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan in effect at the Applicable Time and as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, and (E) shares of Common Stock or other securities issued in connection with a transaction with an unaffiliated third party that includes a bona fide commercial relationship (including joint ventures, marketing or distribution arrangements, collaboration agreements or intellectual property license agreements) or any acquisition of assets or acquisition of not less than a majority or controlling portion of the equity of another entity; provided that (x) the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to clause (E) shall not exceed five percent (5%) of the total number of outstanding shares of Common Stock immediately following the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities pursuant hereto and (y) the recipient of any such shares of Common Stock or other securities issued or granted pursuant to clause (E) during the Lock-Up Period shall enter into an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto.
(o) Restriction on Continuous Offerings. Notwithstanding the restrictions contained in Section 3(n), the Company, on behalf of itself and any successor entity, agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, it will not, for a period of twelve months from the commencement of the Company’s first day of trading, 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 Common Stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock of the Company.
(p) Absence of Further Requirements. No consent, approval, authorization, or order of, or filing or registration with, any person (including any governmental or regulatory agency or body or any court) is required to be obtained or made by the Company for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and issuance and sale of the Offered Securities, except such as have been obtained, or made on or prior to the Closing Date, and are, or on the Closing Date will be, in full force and effect. No authorization, consent, approval, license, qualification or order of, or filing or registration with any person (including any governmental agency or body or any court) in any foreign jurisdiction is required for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in connection with the Offering, issuance and sale of the Offered Securities under the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction except such as have been obtained or made.
17
(q) Right of First Refusal. The Company and the Representative agree that the Representative shall have an irrevocable right of first refusal (the “Right of First Refusal”) for a period of eighteen (18) months after the Closing Date, to provide investment banking services to the Company on an exclusive basis in all matters for which investment banking services are sought by the Company, which right is exercisable in the Representative’s sole discretion but is non-assignable. For these purposes, investment banking services shall include, without limitation, (a) acting as lead or joint-lead manager for any underwritten public offering; (b) acting as exclusive lead or joint book-runner or placement agent, initial purchaser in connection with any private offering of securities of the Company; and (c) acting as financial advisor in connection with any sale or other transfer by the Company, directly or indirectly, of a majority or controlling portion of its capital stock or assets to another entity, any purchase or other transfer by another entity, directly or indirectly, of a majority or controlling portion of the capital stock or assets of the Company, and any merger or consolidation of the Company with another entity. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(E)(i), such Right of First Refusal shall not have a duration of more than three years from the date of commencement of sales of the Offering or the termination date of the Engagement Agreement (as defined below) between the Company and the Representative. The Right of First Refusal may be terminated by the Company for cause pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(5)(B)(i). For the avoidance of doubt, “for cause” termination shall include termination due to any material failure by the Representative to provide the underwriting services contemplated herein. If the Representative intends to exercise a Right of First Refusal, any agreement governing such engagement between the Company and Representative will contain, among other things, provisions for fees customary to the Representative for transactions of similar size and nature, and the provisions of this Agreement, including indemnification, which are appropriate to such transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the decision to accept the Company’s engagement under this Section 3(q) shall be made by the Representative, by a written notice to the Company, within fifteen (15) business days of the receipt of the Company’s notification of its financing needs. 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 transaction and the economic terms of any such participation.
(r) Tail Period. Subject to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(5)(B), the Representative shall be entitled to compensation commensurate with those set forth under Section 2(f), Section 2(g), Section 2(h) and Section 4, during the twelve (12) months period following the termination of that certain engagement agreement by and between the Company and the Representative, dated as of December 28, 2022, as amended (the “Engagement Agreement”), if the Company completes any public or private offering or other financing or capital-raising transaction of any kind (the “Tail Financing”) with a party directly introduced to the Company by the Representative in writing during the Engagement Period (as defined below). The Representative will provide a list of investors at the conclusion of the Engagement Period that were introduced to the Company during the Engagement Period and only these investors will be eligible for the compensation specified in this section. In compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(5)(B), the right granted to the Representative under this Section 3(r) shall be terminated upon termination by the Company of this Agreement for cause and the Company shall not be responsible for paying for the fee set forth in this Section 3(r) unless a Tail Financing is consummated within the term of this Agreement. “Engagement Period” shall mean the period beginning on December 28, 2022, and ending on the earliest of (i) June 28, 2024, or (ii) the date that the Company terminates the Engagement Agreement pursuant to the terms therein.
SECTION 4. Payment of Fees and Expenses. 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 shares of Common Stock to be sold in the Offering 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 Offered Securities on the Exchange and such other stock exchanges as the Company and the Representative together determine, including any fees charged by DTC for new securities; (d) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration or qualification of the Offered Securities under the “Blue Sky” laws of such states and other jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate (including, without limitation, all filing and registration fees); (e) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration, qualification or exemption of the Offered Securities under the securities laws of such foreign jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate; (f) 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; (g) the costs of preparing, printing and delivering certificates representing the Offered Securities; (h) fees and expenses of the transfer agent for the shares of Common Stock; (i) stock transfer and/or stamp taxes, if any, payable upon the transfer of securities from the Company to the Underwriters; (j) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants; (k) the fees and expenses of the Issuer’s Counsel and other agents and representatives; (l) the Company’s actual “road show” expenses for the Offering; and (m) all out-of-pocket accountable expenses of the Underwriters (including, but not limited to, all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to background checks of the Company’s officers and directors, fees and disbursements of the Underwriters’ legal counsel and the Underwriters’ reasonable travel, database, printing, postage, facsimile and telephone expenses) incurred in connection with the Underwriters’ performance of their obligations hereunder. The Representative may deduct from the net proceeds of the Offering payable to the Company on the Closing Date, or each Option Closing Date, if any, all such out-of-pocket fees, expenses and disbursements in connection with the forgoing clause (m) incurred by Underwriters as a result of providing services related to the Offering to be paid by the Company to the Underwriters up to a maximum aggregate expense allowance of $250,000 ($80,000 of which has been paid prior to the date of this Agreement and will be reimbursed to the extent the representative’s out-of-pocket accountable expenses are not actually incurred in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(4)(A).
18
SECTION 5. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Offered Securities as provided herein on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date shall be subject to (1) the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 1 hereof as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date as though then made; (2) the timely performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder; and (3) each of the following additional conditions:
(a) Accountant’s Comfort Letter. On the date hereof, the Representative shall have received from the Accountant, a letter dated the date hereof addressed to the Representative, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to the Representative, delivered according to Statement of Auditing Standards No. 72 (or any successor bulletin), with respect to the audited and unaudited financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(b) Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order. During the period from and after the execution of this Agreement to and including the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as applicable:
(i) the Company shall have filed the Prospectus with the Commission (including the information required by Rule 430A under the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act; or the Company shall have filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement containing the information required by such Rule 430A, and such post-effective amendment shall have become effective; and
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, shall be in effect and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been instituted or threatened by the Commission.
(c) No Material Adverse Change. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement to and including the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, in the reasonable judgment of the Representative there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change.
(d) CFO Certificate. On the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received a written certificate executed by the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of such date, on behalf of the Company, with respect to certain financial data contained in the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, providing “management comfort” with respect to such information, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
19
(e) Officers’ Certificate. On the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received a written certificate executed by the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of such date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have reviewed the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and this Agreement, to the effect that:
(i) The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct, as if made on and as of such Closing Date, and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such Closing Date;
(ii) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened under the Securities Act; no order having the effect of ceasing or suspending the distribution of the Offered Securities or any other securities of the Company has been issued by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in the United States and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in the United States; and
(iii) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been: (a) any Material Adverse Change; (b) any transaction that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, except transactions entered into in the ordinary course of business; (c) any obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, incurred by the Company or any Subsidiary, except obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business; (d) any material change in the capital stock (except changes thereto resulting from the exercise of outstanding options or warrants or conversion of outstanding indebtedness into shares of Common Stock of the Company) or outstanding indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary (except for the conversion of such indebtedness into shares of Common Stock of the Company); (e) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on shares of Common Stock of the Company; or (f) any loss or damage (whether or not insured) to the property of the Company or any Subsidiary which has been sustained or will have been sustained which has a Material Adverse Effect
(f) Secretary’s Certificate. On the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary of the Company, dated such Closing Date, certifying: (i) that each of the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws attached to such certificate is true and complete, has not been modified and is in full force and effect; (ii) that each of the Subsidiaries bylaws or charter documents attached to such certificate is true and complete, has not been modified and is in full force and effect; (iii) that the resolutions of the Company’s board of directors relating to the Offering attached to such certificate are in full force and effect and have not been modified; and (iv) the good standing of the Company and each of the Subsidiaries (except in such jurisdictions where the concept of good standing is not applicable). The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.
(g) Bring-down Comfort Letter. On the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received from the Accountant, a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, to the effect that the Accountant reaffirms the statements made in the letter furnished by it pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 5, except that the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than three business days prior to the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date.
(h) Lock-Up Agreement from Certain Securityholders of the Company. On or prior to the date hereof, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto from each of the Company’s officers, directors, security holders of 5% or more of the Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Common Stock listed on Schedule D hereto.
(i) Exchange Listing. The Offered Securities to be delivered on the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date shall have been approved for listing on Nasdaq, subject to official notice of issuance.
(j) Company Counsel Opinions. On the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion of Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP, U.S. counsel to the Company, including, without limitation, a negative assurance letter, addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative.
(k) IP Opinion. On the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion of [__]. Intellectual property counsel to the Company, addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative.
20
The Underwriters shall rely on the opinions of the Company’s U.S. counsel, Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP, filed as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement, as to the due incorporation, validity of the Offered Securities and the Underlying Shares and due authorization, execution and delivery of the Agreement.
(l) Additional Documents. On or before the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date, the Representative and counsel for the Representative shall have received such information, documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.
If any condition specified in this Section 5 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative by written notice to the Company at any time on or prior to the Closing Date and/or the Option Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 4 (with respect to the reimbursement of out-of-pocket accountable, bona fide expenses actually incurred by the Representative) and Section 7 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
SECTION 6. Effectiveness of this Agreement.
This Agreement shall not become effective until the later of (i) the execution of this Agreement by the parties hereto and (ii) notification (including by way of oral notification from the reviewer at the Commission) by the Commission to the Company of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement under the Securities Act.
SECTION 7. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification by the Company. The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters, their respective affiliates and each of their respective directors, officers, members, employees and agents and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriters within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively the “Underwriter Indemnified Parties,” and each a “Underwriter Indemnified Party”) from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (including in settlement of any litigation if such settlement is effected with the prior written consent of the Company) arising out of (i) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, including the information deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement at the time of effectiveness and at any subsequent time pursuant to Rules 430A and 430B of the Securities Act Regulations, or arise out of or are based upon the omission from the Registration Statement, or alleged omission to state therein, a 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; or (ii) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or in any other materials used in connection with the Offering, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a 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, and shall reimburse such Underwriter Indemnified Party for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by it in connection with evaluating, investigating or defending against such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, expense or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement in, or omission from any preliminary prospectus, any Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any other materials used in connection with the Offering made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information. The indemnification obligations under this Section 7(a) are not exclusive and will be in addition to any liability, which the Underwriters might otherwise have and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available at law or in equity to each Underwriter Indemnified Party.
(b) Indemnification by the Underwriters. The Underwriters shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the Company’s affiliates and each of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively the “Company Indemnified Parties” and each a “Company Indemnified Party”) from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (including in settlement of any litigation if such settlement is effected with the prior written consent of the Underwriters) arising out (i) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act Regulations, any Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto, or (ii) the omission to state in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act Regulations, any Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto, a 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, but in each case only to the extent that the untrue statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriters Information and shall reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as third party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability, action, investigation or proceeding, as such fees and expenses are incurred. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7(b), in no event shall any indemnity by the Underwriters under this Section 7(b) exceed the total discounts received by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering. The indemnification obligations under this Section 7(b) are not exclusive and will be in addition to any liability, which the Company might otherwise have and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available at law or in equity to each Company Indemnified Party.
21
(c) Procedure. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action, the indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 7, notify such indemnifying party in writing of the commencement of that action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under this Section 7 except to the extent it has been materially adversely prejudiced by such failure; and, provided, further, that the failure to notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 7. If any such action shall be brought against an indemnified party, and it shall notify the indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with any other similarly notified indemnifying party, to assume the defense of such action with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party (which counsel shall not, except with the written consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party). After notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense of such action, except as provided herein, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to the indemnified party under Section 7(a) or 7(b), as applicable, for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense of such action other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that any indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and to participate in the defense of such action but the fees and expenses of such counsel (other than reasonable costs of investigation) shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized in writing by the Company in the case of a claim for indemnification under Section 7(a), (ii) such indemnified party shall have been advised by its counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available to it which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, or (iii) the indemnifying party has failed to assume the defense of such action and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party within a reasonable period of time after notice of the commencement of the action or the indemnifying party does not diligently defend the action after assumption of the defense, in which case, if such indemnified party notifies the indemnifying party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense of (or, in the case of a failure to diligently defend the action after assumption of the defense, to continue to defend) such action on behalf of such indemnified party and the indemnifying party shall be responsible for legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense of such action; provided, however, that the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any one such action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys at any time any such indemnified party (in addition to any local counsel), which firm shall be designated in writing by the Underwriters if the indemnified party under this Section 7 is an Underwriter Indemnified Party or by the Company if an indemnified party under this Section 7 is a Company Indemnified Party. Subject to this Section 7(c), the amount payable by an indemnifying party under Section 7 shall include, but not be limited to, (x) reasonable legal fees and expenses of counsel to the indemnified party and any other expenses in investigating, or preparing to defend or defending against, or appearing as a third party witness in respect of, or otherwise incurred in connection with, any action, investigation, proceeding or claim, and (y) all amounts paid in settlement of any of the foregoing. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of judgment with respect to any pending or threatened action or any claim whatsoever, in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 7 (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim 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 indemnified party. Subject to the provisions of the following sentence, no indemnifying party shall be liable for settlement of any pending or threatened action or any claim whatsoever that is effected without its written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), but if settled with its written consent, if its consent has been unreasonably withheld or delayed or if there be a judgment for the plaintiff in any such matter, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. In addition, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested that an indemnifying party reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated herein effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than forty-five (45) days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the request for reimbursement, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least thirty (30) days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
22
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 7(a) or Section 7(b), then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid, payable or otherwise incurred by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (or any action, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof), as incurred, (i) in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified parry or parties on the other hand from the Offering, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) of this Section 7(d) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) of this Section 7(d) but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other with respect to the statements, omissions, acts or failures to act which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (or any action, investigation or proceeding 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 proceeds from the Offering purchased by investors as contemplated by this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts received by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement, omission, act or failure to act; provided that the parties hereto agree that the written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriters for use in any preliminary prospectus, any Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto, consists solely of the Underwriters’ Information. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 7(d) be determined by pro rata allocation 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, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding referred to above in this Section 7(d) shall be deemed to include, for purposes of this Section 7(d), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as a third party witness in respect of, or otherwise incurred in connection with, any such loss, claim, damage, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7(d), the Underwriters shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the total discounts received in cash by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering less the amount of any damages that the Underwriters have otherwise paid or become liable to pay by reason of any untrue or alleged untrue statement, omission or alleged omission, act or alleged act or failure to act or alleged failure to act by the Underwriters. 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.
SECTION 8. Termination of this Agreement. Prior to the Closing Date, whether before or after notification by the Commission to the Company of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement under the Securities Act, this Agreement may be terminated by the Underwriters by written notice given to the Company if at any time (i) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or limited by the Commission or by Nasdaq; (ii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any U.S. federal authorities; (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States’ or international political, financial or economic conditions that, in the reasonable judgment of the Underwriters, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable to market the Offered Securities in the manner and on the terms described in the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities, (iv) 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 the Representative’s opinion, make it inadvisable to proceed with the delivery of the Offered Securities, (v) if the Company is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants hereunder, or (vi) 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 reasonable judgment would make it impracticable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the Securities or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters for the sale of the Offered Securities. Any termination pursuant to this Section 8 shall be without liability on the part of (a) the Company to any of the Underwriters, except that the Company shall be, subject to demand by the Underwriters, obligated to reimburse the Underwriters for only those out-of-pocket expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of their counsel, and expenses associated with a due diligence report), actually incurred by the Underwriters in connection herewith as allowed under FINRA Rule 5110, less any amounts previously paid by the Company; provided, however, that all such expenses shall not exceed $250,000 in the aggregate, (b) the Underwriters to the Company, or (c) of any party hereto to any other party except that the provisions of Section 4 (with respect to the reimbursement of out-of-pocket accountable, bona fide expenses actually incurred by the Underwriters) and Section 7 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
23
SECTION 9. No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility. The Company hereby acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting solely as underwriters in connection with the Offering. The Company further acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting pursuant to a contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement entered into on an arm’s-length basis and in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, stockholders, creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of the Offering, either before or after the date hereof. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company hereby further confirms its understanding that no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the Offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto, including, without limitation, any negotiation related to the pricing of the Offered Securities; and the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate in connection with this Agreement and the Offering. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgments with respect to any such transactions, and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters to the Company regarding such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.
SECTION 10. Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers, and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriters or the Company or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 11. Taxes. All sums payable by the Company under this Agreement shall be paid free and clear of and without deductions or withholdings of any present or future taxes or duties, unless the deduction or withholding is required by law, in which case the Company shall pay such additional amount as will result in the receipt by an Underwriter or Representative (each a “Taxable Entity”) of the full amount that would have been received had no deduction or withholding been made.
SECTION 12. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or emailed to the parties hereto as follows:
If to the Underwriters:
Univest Securities, LLC
75 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 18C
New York, NY 10019
Attn: Mr. Edric Guo, CEO
Email: yguo@univest.us
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC
950 Third Avenue, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Attn: | Ying Li, Esq. | |
Guillaume de Sampigny, Esq. | ||
Email: | yli@htflawyers.com | |
gdesampigny@htflawyers.com |
If to the Company:
Elevai Labs, Inc.
120 Newport Center Drive, Ste. 250
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Attn: Jordan R. Plews
Email: jordan@elevailabs.com
24
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP
366 Madison Avenue, 3rd Fl.
New York, NY 10017
Attn: | William S. Rosenstadt, Esq. | |
Mengyi “Jason” Ye, Esq | ||
Email: | wsr@orllp.legal | |
jye@orllp.legal |
Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.
SECTION 13. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and to the benefit of the employees, officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7, and in each case their respective successors, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term “successors” shall not include any purchaser of the Offered Securities as such merely by reason of such purchase.
SECTION 14. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
SECTION 15. Governing Law Provisions. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflict of laws principles thereof.
SECTION 16. Consent to Jurisdiction. No legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (each, a “Related Proceeding”) may be commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which courts (collectively, the “Specified Courts”) shall have jurisdiction over the adjudication of any Related Proceeding, and the parties to this Agreement hereby irrevocably consent to the exclusive jurisdiction the Specified Courts and personal service of process with respect thereto. The parties to this Agreement hereby irrevocably waive any objection to the laying of venue of any Related Proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably waive and agree not to plead or claim in any Specified Court that any Related Proceeding brought in any Specified Court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
SECTION 17. General Provisions. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the Offering. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that it is a sophisticated business person who was adequately represented by counsel during negotiations regarding the provisions hereof, including, without limitation, the indemnification and contribution provisions of Section 7, and is fully informed regarding said provisions. Each of the parties hereto further acknowledges that the provisions of Section 7 hereto fairly allocate the risks in light of the ability of the parties to investigate the Company, its affairs and its business in order to assure that adequate disclosure has been made in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus (and any amendments and supplements thereto), as required by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.
The respective indemnities, contribution agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of (i) any investigation, or statement as to the results thereof, made by or on behalf of the Underwriters, the officers or employees of the Underwriters, any person controlling any of the Underwriters, the Company, the officers or employees of the Company, or any person controlling the Company, (ii) acceptance of the Offered Securities and payment for them as contemplated hereby and (iii) termination of this Agreement.
Except as otherwise provided, this Agreement has been and is made solely for the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Company, the Underwriters, the Underwriters’ officers and employees, any controlling persons referred to herein, the Company’s directors and the Company’s officers who sign the Registration Statement and their respective successors and assigns, all as and to the extent provided in this Agreement, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser of any of the Offered Securities from the Underwriters merely because of such purchase.
[Signature Page Follows]
25
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company the enclosed copies hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours, | |||
Elevai Labs, Inc. | |||
By: | |||
Name: | Jordan R. Plews | ||
Title: | Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director |
The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Underwriters as of the date first above written.
For itself and on behalf of the several
Underwriters listed on Schedule A hereto
Univest Securities, LLC | |||
By: | |||
Name: | Edric Guo | ||
Title: | CEO |
26
SCHEDULE A
Underwriter | Number of Firm Shares | ||
Univest Securities, LLC | [●] | ||
[__] | [●] | ||
Total | [●] |
27
SCHEDULE B
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es)
[●]
28
SCHEDULE C
Pricing Information
Number of Firm Shares:
Number of Additional Shares:
Public Offering Price per one Share: $
Underwriting Discount per one Share: $
Proceeds to Company per one Share (before expenses): $
29
SCHEDULE D
Lock-Up Parties
Name |
Jordan R. Plews |
Graydon Bensler |
Hatem Abou-Sayed, MD |
Brenda Buechler |
Christoph Kraneiss |
Jeffrey Parry |
Crystal Muilenburg |
Juliana Daley |
BWL Investments Ltd. |
GB Capital Ltd. |
JP Bio Consulting LLC |
Hatem Abou-Sayed MD MBA FACS, a Professional Medical Corporation |
Hongyu Wang |
30
SCHEDULE E
Subsidiaries
Name of Subsidiary | Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization | |
Elevai Research Inc. | Canada |
31
EXHIBIT A
Form of Warrant
As attached.
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO A LOCK-UP PERIOD OF ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY (180) DAYS BEGINNING ON THE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF SALES OF THE OFFERING PURSUANT TO THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT OF THE COMPANY (FILE NO. 333-[__]) AND MAY NOT BE (A) SOLD, TRANSFERRED, ASSIGNED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED TO ANYONE OTHER THAN UNIVEST SECURITIES, LLC, OR BONA FIDE OFFICERS OR PARTNERS OF UNIVEST SECURITIES, LLC, OR (B) CAUSED TO BE THE SUBJECT OF ANY HEDGING, SHORT SALE, DERIVATIVE, PUT OR CALL TRANSACTION THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC DISPOSITION OF THIS SECURITIES HEREUNDER, EXCEPT AS PROVIDED FOR IN FINRA RULE 5110(E)(2).
THIS PURCHASE WARRANT IS NOT EXERCISABLE PRIOR TO [●], 2023. VOID AFTER 5:00 P.M., EASTERN TIME, [●], 20284.
UNDERWRITER’S WARRANT
FOR THE PURCHASE OF [ ] SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
OF
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
1. Purchase Warrant. THIS CERTIFIES THAT, pursuant to that certain Underwriting Agreement by and between Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), on the one hand, and Univest Securities, LLC (the “Holder”), on the other hand, dated [●], 2023 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), the Holder, as registered owner of this Purchase Warrant, is entitled, at any time or from time to time from the date that is six months from [●], 2023 (the “Exercise Date”), and at or before 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on [●], 2028, (the “Expiration Date”), but not thereafter, to subscribe for, purchase and receive, in whole or in part, up to such number of shares of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”) as equates to five percent (5.0%) of the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock sold in the Offering (the “Shares), including any Common Stock sold upon exercise of the over-allotment option, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 6 hereof. If the Expiration Date is a day on which banking institutions are authorized by law to close, then this Purchase Warrant may be exercised on the next succeeding day which is not such a day in accordance with the terms herein. During the period ending on the Expiration Date, the Company agrees not to take any action that would terminate this Purchase Warrant. This Purchase Warrant is initially exercisable at $[●] per share of Common Stock (which is equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the price of the shares of Common Stock sold in the Offering); provided, however, that upon the occurrence of any of the events specified in Section 6 hereof, the rights granted by this Purchase Warrant, including the exercise price per share of Common Stock and the number of shares of Common Stock to be received upon such exercise, shall be adjusted as therein specified. The term “Exercise Price” shall mean the initial exercise price as set forth above or the adjusted exercise price as a result of the events set forth in Section 6 below, depending on the context. Capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the Underwriting Agreement.
4 | Five (5) years from the commencement of sales of the public offering. |
32
2. Exercise.
2.1 Exercise Form. In order to exercise this Purchase Warrant, the exercise form attached hereto as Exhibit A must be duly executed and completed and delivered to the Company, together with this Purchase Warrant and payment of the Exercise Price for the Common Stock being purchased payable in cash by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account designated by the Company or by certified check. If the subscription rights represented hereby shall not be exercised at or before 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the Expiration Date, this Purchase Warrant shall become and be void without further force or effect, and all rights represented hereby shall cease and expire.
2.2 Cashless Exercise. After the Exercise Date and until the Expiration Date, Holder may elect to receive the number of shares of Common Stock equal to the value of this Purchase Warrant (or the portion thereof being exercised), by surrender of this Purchase Warrant to the Company, together with the exercise form attached hereto, in which event the Company shall issue to Holder, Shares in accordance with the following formula:
For purposes of this Section 2.2, the “fair market value” of one share of Common Stock is defined as follows:
(i) | if the Common Stock is traded on a national securities exchange, the value shall be deemed to be the weighted average price on such exchange for the five consecutive trading days ending on the day immediately prior to the exercise form being submitted in connection with the exercise of the Purchase Warrant; or |
(ii) | if the Common Stock is actively traded over-the-counter, the value shall be deemed to be the weighted average price of the Common Stock for the five consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately prior to the exercise form being submitted in connection with the exercise of the Purchase Warrant; or |
(iii) | if there is no market for the Common Stock, the value shall be the fair market value thereof, as determined in good faith by the Company’s Board of Directors. |
2.3 Legend. Each certificate for the securities purchased under this Purchase Warrant shall bear the following legends unless such securities have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), or are exempt from registration under the Act:
(i) | “THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO A LOCK-UP PERIOD OF ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY (180) DAYS BEGINNING ON THE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF SALES OF THE OFFERING PURSUANT TO THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT OF THE COMPANY(FILE NO. 333-[__]) AND MAY NOT BE (A) SOLD, TRANSFERRED, ASSIGNED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED TO ANYONE OTHER THAN UNIVEST SECURITIES, LLC, OR BONA FIDE OFFICERS OR PARTNERS OF UNIVEST SECURITIES, LLC, OR (B) CAUSED TO BE THE SUBJECT OF ANY HEDGING, SHORT SALE, DERIVATIVE, PUT OR CALL TRANSACTION THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC DISPOSITION OF THIS SECURITIES HEREUNDER, EXCEPT AS PROVIDED FOR IN FINRA RULE 5110(E)(2).” |
(ii) | Any legend required by the securities laws of any state to the extent such laws are applicable to the Shares represented by a certificate, instrument, or book entry so legended. |
33
3. Transfer.
3.1 General Restrictions. The registered Holder of this Purchase Warrant agrees by his, her or its acceptance hereof, for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of commencement of sales of the public offering (the “Effective Date”), that such Holder will not: (a) sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate this Purchase Warrant to anyone other than: (i) the Underwriter or a selected dealer participating in the Offering, or (ii) a bona fide officer or partner of the Underwriter or of any such selected dealer, in each case in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), or (b) cause this Purchase Warrant or the securities issuable hereunder to be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of this Purchase Warrant or the securities hereunder, except as provided for in FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2). On and after that date that is one hundred eighty (180) days after the commencement of sales of the offering, transfers to others may be made subject to compliance with or exemptions from applicable securities laws. In order to make any permitted assignment, the Holder must deliver to the Company the assignment form attached hereto as Exhibit B duly executed and completed, together with this Purchase Warrant and payment of all transfer taxes, if any, payable in connection therewith. The Company shall within five (5) Business Days transfer this Purchase Warrant on the books of the Company and shall execute and deliver a new Purchase Warrant or Purchase Warrants of like tenor to the appropriate assignee(s) expressly evidencing the right to purchase the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder or such portion of such number as shall be contemplated by any such assignment.
3.2 Restrictions Imposed by the Act. The securities evidenced by this Purchase Warrant shall not be transferred unless and until: (i) the Company has received the opinion of counsel for the Company that the securities may be transferred pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Act and applicable state securities laws, the availability of which is established to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company, (ii) a registration statement or a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement relating to the offer and sale of such securities that has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and includes a current prospectus or (iii) a registration statement, relating to the offer and sale of such securities has been filed and declared effective by the Commission and compliance with applicable state securities law has been established.
4. Registration Rights.
4.1 Demand Registration.
4.1.1 Grant of Right. Unless all of the Registrable Securities (as defined below) are included in an effective registration statement with a current prospectus or a qualified offering statement with a current registration statement, the Company, upon written demand (a “Demand Notice”) of the Holder(s) of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the shares of Common Stock (“Majority Holders”), agrees to register, on one occasion, all or any portion of the shares of Common Stock underlying this Purchase Warrant that are permitted to be registered under the Act (collectively, the “Registrable Securities”). On such occasion, the Company will file a new registration statement or post effective amendment to the registration statement with the Commission (a “Demand Registration Statement”) covering the Registrable Securities within sixty (60) days after receipt of a Demand Notice and use its 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 pursuant to Section 4.2 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 days after such offering is consummated. The demand for registration may be made at any time during a period of five years beginning on the date of commencement of sales of the Offering.
34
4.1.2 Terms. The Company shall bear all fees and expenses attendant to the Demand Registration Statement pursuant to Section 4.1.1, but the Holder(s) shall pay any and all underwriting commissions and the expenses of any legal counsel selected by the Holder(s) to represent the Holder(s)in connection with the sale of the Registrable Securities. The Company agrees to use its best efforts to cause the filing of a Demand Registration Statement 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 stockholders of the Company to be obligated to escrow their shares of Common Stock of the Company. The Company shall cause any registration statement filed pursuant to the demand right granted under Section 4.1.1 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 or until the Holder(s) have completed the distribution of the Registrable Securities included in such registration statement, whichever occurs first. The Holder(s) shall only use the prospectuses provided by the Company to sell the shares of Common Stock covered by such registration statement, and will immediately cease to use any prospectus furnished by the Company if the Company advises the Holder(s) that such prospectus may no longer be used due to a material misstatement or omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 4.1.2, the Holder(s) shall be entitled to a Demand Registration Statement under this Section 4.1.2 on only one occasion and such demand registration right shall terminate on the fifth anniversary of the commencement of sales of the Offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(C).
4.2 “Piggy-Back” Registration.
4.2.1 Grant of Right. Unless all of the Registrable Securities are included in an effective registration statement with a current prospectus or a qualified offering statement with a current offering circular, the Holder shall have the right, for a period of five years commencing on the date of commencement of sales of the Offering, to include the remaining 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 promulgated under the Act or pursuant to Form F-3 or any equivalent form).
4.2.2 Terms. The Company shall bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering the Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 4.2.1 hereof, but the Holder(s) shall pay any and all underwriting commissions and the expenses of any legal counsel selected by the Holder(s) 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 30 days written notice prior to the proposed date of filing of such registration statement. Such notice to the Holder(s) shall continue to be given for each registration statement filed by the Company until such time as all of the Registrable Securities have been registered under an effective registration statement. The holders of the Registrable Securities shall exercise the “piggy-back” rights provided for herein by giving written notice, within ten days of the receipt of the Company’s notice of its intention to file a registration statement. The Company shall cause any registration statement filed pursuant to the foregoing “piggyback” rights that does not relate to a firm commitment underwritten offering to remain effective for at least twelve (12) consecutive months from the effective date of such registration statement or until the Holder(s) have completed the distribution of the Registrable Securities in the registration statement, whichever occurs first. Except as otherwise provided in this Purchase Warrant, there shall be no limit on the number of times the Holder may request registration under this Section 4.2.2. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 4.2.2, such piggyback registration rights shall terminate on the fifth anniversary of the commencement of sales of the Offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(D).
5. New Purchase Warrants to be Issued.
5.1 Partial Exercise or Transfer. Subject to the restrictions in Section 3 hereof, this Purchase Warrant may be exercised or assigned in whole or in part. In the event of the exercise or assignment hereof in part only, upon surrender of this Purchase Warrant for cancellation, together with the duly executed exercise or assignment form and funds sufficient to pay any Exercise Price and/or transfer tax if exercised pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof, the Company shall cause to be delivered to the Holder without charge a new Purchase Warrant of like tenor to this Purchase Warrant in the name of the Holder evidencing the right of the Holder to purchase the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder as to which this Purchase Warrant has not been exercised or assigned.
5.2 Lost Certificate. Upon receipt by the Company of evidence satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Purchase Warrant and of reasonably satisfactory indemnification or the posting of a bond, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Purchase Warrant of like tenor and date. Any such new Purchase Warrant executed and delivered as a result of such loss, theft, mutilation or destruction shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation on the part of the Company.
35
6. Adjustments.
6.1 Adjustments to Exercise Price and Number of Shares of Common Stock. The Exercise Price and the number of shares of Common Stock underlying this Purchase Warrant shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as hereinafter set forth:
6.1.1 Stock Dividends; Split Ups. If, after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 6.3 below, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock or by a split up of the shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective day thereof, the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder shall be increased in proportion to such increase in outstanding shares of Common Stock, and the Exercise Price shall be proportionately decreased.
6.1.2 Aggregation of Shares of Common Stock. If, after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 6.3 below, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination or reclassification of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date thereof, the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Common Stock, and the Exercise Price shall be proportionately increased.
6.1.3 Replacement of Common Stock upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock other than a change covered by Section 6.1.1 or Section 6.1.2 hereof or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Common Stock, or in the case of any stock reconstruction or amalgamation or consolidation of the Company with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or stock reconstruction or amalgamation in which the Company is the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the Holder of this Purchase Warrant shall have the right thereafter (until the expiration of the right of exercise of this Purchase Warrant) to receive upon the exercise hereof, for the same aggregate Exercise Price payable hereunder immediately prior to such event, the kind and amount of shares of Common Stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, stock reconstruction or amalgamation, or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, by a Holder of the number of shares of Common Stock of the Company obtainable upon exercise of this Purchase Warrant immediately prior to such event; and if any reclassification also results in a change in the shares Common Stock covered by Section 6.1.1 or Section 6.1.2, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to Section 6.1.1, Section 6.1.2 and this Section 6.1.3. The provisions of this Section 6.1.3 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, stock reconstructions or amalgamations, or consolidations, sales or other transfers.
36
6.1.4 Fundamental Transaction. If, at any time while this Purchase Warrant is outstanding, the Company enters into the following transactions with another Person or group of Persons whereby such other Person or group acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (not including any shares Common Stock held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with, the other Persons making or party to such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination): (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 Common Stock are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the shares of Common Stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the shares of Common Stock 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, spinoff or scheme of arrangement) with another Person or group of Persons (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Purchase Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Purchase Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, the number of shares of Common Stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional or alternative consideration (the “Alternative Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Purchase Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction. For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternative Consideration based on the amount of Alternative Consideration issuable in respect of one share of Common Stock in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternative Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternative Consideration. If holders of Common Stock are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternative Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Purchase 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 Purchase Warrant, and to deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Purchase Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Purchase Warrant which is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the shares of Common Stock acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Purchase 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 Common Stock pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Purchase Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction). Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Purchase Warrant and the other Transaction Documents 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 Purchase Warrant and the other Transaction Documents with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein.
37
6.1.5 Changes in Form of Purchase Warrant. This form of Purchase Warrant need not be changed because of any change pursuant to this Section 6.1, and Purchase Warrants issued after such change may state the same Exercise Price and the same number of shares of Common Stock as are stated in the Purchase Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement. The acceptance by any Holder of the issuance of new Purchase Warrants reflecting a required or permissive change shall not be deemed to waive any rights to an adjustment occurring after the date hereof or the computation thereof.
6.2 Substitute Purchase Warrant. In case of any consolidation of the Company with, or stock reconstruction or amalgamation of the Company with or into, another corporation (other than a consolidation or stock reconstruction or amalgamation which does not result in any reclassification or change of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), the corporation formed by such consolidation or stock reconstruction or amalgamation shall execute and deliver to the Holder a supplemental Purchase Warrant providing that the holder of each Purchase Warrant then outstanding or to be outstanding shall have the right thereafter (until the stated expiration of such Purchase Warrant) to receive, upon exercise of such Purchase Warrant, the kind and amount of shares of Common Stock and other securities and property receivable upon such consolidation or stock reconstruction or amalgamation, by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock of the Company for which such Purchase Warrant might have been exercised immediately prior to such consolidation, stock reconstruction or amalgamation, sale or transfer. Such supplemental Purchase Warrant shall provide for adjustments which shall be identical to the adjustments provided for in this Section 6. The above provision of this Section 6 shall similarly apply to successive consolidations or stock reconstructions or amalgamations.
6.3 Elimination of Fractional Interests. The Company shall not be required to issue certificates representing fractions of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Purchase Warrant, nor shall it be required to issue scrip or pay cash in lieu of any fractional interests, it being the intent of the parties that all fractional interests shall be eliminated by rounding any fraction up or down, as the case may be, to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock or other securities, properties or rights.
7. Reservation and Listing. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available out of its authorized shares of Common Stock, solely for the purpose of issuance upon exercise of this Purchase Warrant, such number of shares of Common Stock or other securities, properties or rights as shall be issuable upon the exercise thereof. The Company covenants and agrees that, upon exercise of this Purchase Warrant and payment of the Exercise Price therefor, in accordance with the terms hereby, all shares of Common Stock and other securities issuable upon such exercise shall be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and not subject to preemptive rights of any stockholder. As long as this Purchase Warrant shall be outstanding, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause all shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Purchase Warrant to be listed (subject to official notice of issuance) on all national securities exchanges (or, if applicable, on the OTCQB Market or any successor quotation system) on which the Common Stock issued to the public in the Offering may then be listed and/or quoted (if at all).
38
8. Certain Notice Requirements.
8.1 Holder’s Right to Receive Notice. Nothing herein shall be construed as conferring upon the Holders the right to vote or consent or to receive notice as a stockholder for the election of directors or any other matter, or as having any rights whatsoever as a stockholder of the Company. If, however, at any time prior to the expiration of the Purchase Warrants and their exercise, any of the events described in Section 8.2 shall occur, then, in one or more of said events, the Company shall give written notice of such event at least fifteen days prior to the date fixed as a record date or the date of closing the transfer books (the “Notice Date”) for the determination of the stockholders entitled to such dividend, distribution, conversion or exchange of securities or subscription rights, or entitled to vote on such proposed dissolution, liquidation, winding up or sale. Such notice shall specify such record date or the date of the closing of the transfer books, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall deliver to each Holder a copy of each notice given to the other stockholders of the Company at the same time and in the same manner that such notice is given to the stockholders.
8.2 Events Requiring Notice. The Company shall be required to give the notice described in this Section 8 upon one or more of the following events: (i) if the Company shall take a record of the holders of its shares of Common Stock for the purpose of entitling them to receive a dividend or distribution payable otherwise than in cash, or a cash dividend or distribution payable otherwise than out of retained earnings, as indicated by the accounting treatment of such dividend or distribution on the books of the Company, (ii) the Company shall offer to all the holders of its shares of Common Stock any additional shares of capital stock of the Company or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company, or any option, right or warrant to subscribe therefor, or (iii) a dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the Company (other than in connection with a consolidation or stock reconstruction or amalgamation) or a sale of all or substantially all of its property, assets and business shall be proposed.
8.3 Notice of Change in Exercise Price. The Company shall, promptly after an event requiring a change in the Exercise Price pursuant to Section 6 hereof, send notice to the Holders of such event and change (“Price Notice”). The Price Notice shall describe the event causing the change and the method of calculating same and shall be certified as being true and accurate by the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.
8.4 Transmittal of Notices. All notices, requests, consents and other communications under this Purchase Warrant shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly made if made in accordance with the notice provisions of the Underwriting Agreement to the addresses and contact information set forth below:
If to the Holder, then to:
Univest Securities, LLC
75 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 18C
New York, NY 10019
Attn: | Mr. Edric Guo, CEO |
Email: | yguo@univest.us |
With a copy to:
Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC
950 Third Avenue, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Attn: | Ying Li, Esq. |
Attn.: | Guillaume de Sampigny. Esq. |
Email: | yli@htflawyers.com |
gdesampigny@htflawyers.com |
39
If to the Company:
Elevai Labs, Inc.
120 Newport Center Drive, Ste. 250
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Attn: | Graydon Bensler |
Email: | graydon@elevailabs.com |
With a copy to:
Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP
366 Madison Avenue, 3rd Fl.
New York, NY 10017
Attn: | William S. Rosenstadt, Esq. |
Mengyi “Jason” Ye, Esq. |
Email: | wsr@orllp.legal |
jye@orllp.legal |
9. Miscellaneous.
9.1 Amendments. The Company and the Underwriter may from time to time supplement or amend this Purchase Warrant without the approval of any of the Holders in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision contained herein that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, or to make any other provisions in regard to matters or questions arising hereunder that the Company and the Underwriter may deem necessary or desirable and that the Company and the Underwriter deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the Holders. All other modifications or amendments shall require the written consent of and be signed by the party against whom enforcement of the modification or amendment is sought.
9.2 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 Purchase Warrant.
9.3. Entire Agreement. This Purchase Warrant (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Purchase Warrant) constitutes the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
9.4 Binding Effect. This Purchase Warrant shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon, the Holder and the Company and their permitted assignees, respective successors, legal representative 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 Purchase Warrant or any provisions herein contained.
9.5 Governing Law; Submission to Jurisdiction; Trial by Jury. This Purchase Warrant shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal 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 Purchase Warrant 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 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 8 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 and the Holder agree 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 the Holder hereby irrevocably waive, 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.
40
9.6 Waiver, etc. The failure of the Company or the Holder to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Purchase Warrant shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way affect the validity of this Purchase Warrant or any provision hereof or the right of the Company or any Holder to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Purchase Warrant. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Purchase Warrant 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.
9.7 Exchange Agreement. As a condition of the Holder’s receipt and acceptance of this Purchase Warrant, Holder agrees that, at any time prior to the complete exercise of this Purchase Warrant by Holder, if the Company and the Underwriter enter into an agreement (“Exchange Agreement”) pursuant to which they agree that all outstanding Purchase Warrants will be exchanged for securities or cash or a combination of both, then Holder shall agree to such exchange and become a party to the Exchange Agreement.
9.8 Execution in Counterparts. This Purchase Warrant 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. Such counterparts may be delivered by facsimile transmission or other electronic transmission.
9.9 Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder. Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, the Holder, solely in its capacity as a holder of this Purchase Warrant, shall not be entitled to vote or receive dividends or be deemed the holder of capital stock of the Company for any purpose, nor shall anything contained in this Purchase Warrant be construed to confer upon the Holder, solely in its capacity as the Holder of this Purchase Warrant, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote, give or withhold consent to any corporate action (whether any reorganization, issue of stock, reclassification of stock, consolidation, merger, conveyance or otherwise), receive notice of meetings, receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, prior to the issuance to the Holder of the Shares which it is then entitled to receive upon the due exercise of this Purchase Warrant. In addition, nothing contained in this Purchase Warrant shall be construed as imposing any liabilities on the Holder to purchase any securities (upon exercise of this Purchase Warrant or otherwise) or as a stockholder of the Company, whether such liabilities are asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.
9.10 Restrictions. The Holder acknowledges that the Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Purchase Warrant, if not registered, and the Holder does not utilize cashless exercise, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.
9.10 Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Purchase Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Purchase 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 provision or the remaining provisions of this Purchase Warrant.
[Signature Page Follows]
41
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Purchase Warrant to be signed by its duly authorized officer as of the ____ day of _______, 202_.
Elevai Labs, Inc. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
42
EXHIBIT A
Exercise Notice
Form to be used to exercise Purchase Warrant:
Date: __________, 20___
The undersigned hereby elects irrevocably to exercise the Purchase Warrant for ______shares of Common Stock of Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and hereby makes payment of $____ (at the rate of $____ per share of Common Stock) in payment of the Exercise Price pursuant thereto. Please issue the Common Stock as to which this Purchase Warrant is exercised in accordance with the instructions given below and, if applicable, a new Purchase Warrant representing the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Purchase Warrant has not been exercised.
or
The undersigned hereby elects irrevocably to convert its right to purchase ___ shares of Common Stock under the Purchase Warrant for ______shares of Common Stock, as determined in accordance with the following formula:
The undersigned agrees and acknowledges that the calculation set forth above is subject to confirmation by the Company and any disagreement with respect to the calculation shall be resolved by the Company in its sole discretion.
Please issue the shares of Common Stock as to which this Purchase Warrant is exercised in accordance with the instructions given below and, if applicable, a new Purchase Warrant representing the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Purchase Warrant has not been converted.
Signature
Signature Guaranteed
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES
Name:
(Print in Block Letters)
Address:
NOTICE: The signature to this form must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the Purchase Warrant without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank, other than a savings bank, or by a trust company or by a firm having membership on a registered national securities exchange.
43
EXHIBIT B
Assignment Notice
Form to be used to assign Purchase Warrant:
ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered Holder to effect a transfer of the within Purchase Warrant):
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, _____________________ does hereby sell, assign and transfer unto the right to purchase _______________shares of Common Stock of Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), evidenced by the Purchase Warrant and does hereby authorize the Company to transfer such right on the books of the Company.
Dated: __________ 20__
Signature
Signature Guaranteed
NOTICE: The signature to this form must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the within Purchase Warrant without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank, other than a savings bank, or by a trust company or by a firm having membership on a registered national securities exchange.
44
EXHIBIT B
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
As attached.
45
Lock-Up Agreement
[ ], 20235
Univest Securities, LLC
75 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 18C
New York, NY 10019
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This Lock-Up Agreement (this “Agreement”) is being delivered to Univest Securities, LLC (the “Representative”) in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) between Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the Representative, relating to the proposed public offering (the “Offering”) of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), of the Company. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement and not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings given to them in the Underwriting Agreement.
In order to induce the Underwriters (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) to continue their efforts in connection with the Offering, and in light of the benefits that the Offering will confer upon the undersigned in its capacity as a stockholder and/or an officer, director or employee of the Company, and for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees with the Representative that, during the period beginning on and including the date of this Agreement through and including the date that is six months from the date of the closing of the Offering (the “Lock-Up Period”), the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, directly or indirectly, (i) offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of, or announce the intention to otherwise dispose of, any Common Stock now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition (including, without limitation, Common Stock which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and as the same may be amended or supplemented on or after the date hereof from time to time (the “Securities Act”)) (such shares, the “Beneficially Owned Shares”) or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, (ii) enter into any swap, hedge or similar agreement or arrangement that transfers in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of the Beneficially Owned Shares or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition, or (iii) engage in any short selling of the Common Stock.
The restrictions set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph shall not apply to:
(1) if the undersigned is a natural person, any transfers made by the undersigned (a) as a bona fide gift to any member of the immediate family (as defined below) of the undersigned or to a trust the beneficiaries of which are exclusively the undersigned or members of the undersigned’s immediate family, (b) by will or intestate succession upon the death of the undersigned, (c) as a bona fide gift to a charity or educational institution, (d) any transfer pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order or in connection with a divorce; or (e) if the undersigned is or was an officer, director or employee of the Company, to the Company pursuant to the Company’s right of repurchase upon termination of the undersigned’s service with the Company;
(2) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity, any transfers to any stockholder, partner or member of, or owner of a similar equity interest in, the undersigned, as the case may be, if, in any such case, such transfer is not for value;
5 | Pricing date |
46
(3) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity, any transfer made by the undersigned (a) in connection with the sale or other bona fide transfer in a single transaction of all or substantially all of the undersigned’s capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests or other similar equity interests, as the case may be, or all or substantially all of the undersigned’s assets, in any such case not undertaken for the purpose of avoiding the restrictions imposed by this Agreement or (b) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity so long as the transferee is an affiliate (as defined below) of the undersigned and such transfer is not for value;
(4) (a) exercises of stock options or equity awards granted pursuant to an equity incentive or award or other plan or warrants to purchase Common Stock or other securities (including by cashless exercise to the extent permitted by the instruments representing such stock options or warrants so long as such cashless exercise is effected solely by the surrender of outstanding stock options or warrants to the Company and the Company’s cancellation of all or a portion thereof to pay the exercise price), provided that in any such case the securities issued upon exercise shall remain subject to the provisions of this Agreement (as defined below); (b) transfers of Common Stock or other securities to the Company in connection with the issuance, vesting or exercise of any equity awards granted pursuant to an equity incentive or other plan and held by the undersigned to the extent, but only to the extent, as may be necessary to satisfy tax withholding obligations pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive or other plans;
(5) the exercise by the undersigned of any warrant(s) issued by the Company prior to the date of this Agreement, including any exercise effected by the delivery of shares of Common Stock of the Company held by the undersigned; provided, that, the Common Stock received upon such exercise shall remain subject to the restrictions provided for in this Agreement;
(6) the occurrence after the date hereof of any of (a) an acquisition by an individual or legal entity or “group” (as described in Rule 13d-5(b)(1) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) of effective control (whether through legal or beneficial ownership of capital stock of the Company, by contract or otherwise) of 100% of the voting securities of the Company, (b) the Company merges into or consolidates with any other entity, or any entity merges into or consolidates with the Company, (c) the Company sells or transfers all or substantially all of its assets to another person, or (d) provided, that, the Common Stock received upon any of the events set forth in clauses (a) through (c) above shall remain subject to the restrictions provided for in this Agreement;
(7) the Offering;
(8) transfers consented to, in writing by the Representative;
(9) transactions relating to Common Stock acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Offering; provided that, no filing by any party under the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with such transactions;
provided however, that in the case of any transfer described in clauses (1), (2) or (3) above, it shall be a condition to the transfer that the transferee executes and delivers to the Representative, acting on behalf of the Underwriters, not later than one business day prior to such transfer, a written agreement, in substantially the form of this Agreement (it being understood that any references to “immediate family” in the agreement executed by such transferee shall expressly refer only to the immediate family of the undersigned and not to the immediate family of the transferee) and otherwise satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative.
In addition, the restrictions set forth herein shall not prevent the undersigned from entering into a sales plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act after the date hereof, provided that (i) a copy of such plan is provided to the Representative promptly upon entering into the same and (ii) no sales or transfers may be made under such plan until the Lock-Up Period ends or this Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms. For purposes of this paragraph, “immediate family” shall mean a spouse, child, grandchild or other lineal descendant (including by adoption), father, mother, brother or sister of the undersigned; and “affiliate” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
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 Agreement 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.
47
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the Representative agrees that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of Common Stock, the Representative will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the Representative hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release; provided, that such press release is not a condition to the release of the aforementioned lock-up provisions due to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period. The provisions of this paragraph will also not apply if (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this Agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of such transfer.
In furtherance of the foregoing, (1) the undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with any duly appointed transfer agent for the registration or transfer of the securities described herein against the transfer of any such securities except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions, and (2) the Company, and any duly appointed transfer agent for the registration or transfer of the securities described herein, are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Agreement.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and that this Agreement has been duly authorized (if the undersigned is not a natural person), executed and delivered by the undersigned and is a valid and binding agreement of the undersigned. This Agreement and all authority herein conferred are irrevocable and shall survive the death or incapacity of the undersigned (if a natural person) and shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of the undersigned for the term of the Lock-Up Period.
This Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (1) either the Representative, on the one hand, or the Company, on the other hand, advising the other in writing, they have determined not to proceed with the Offering, (2) termination of the Underwriting Agreement before the sale of Common Stock, or (3) the withdrawal of the Registration Statement.
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.
[Signature Page Follows]
48
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: | ||
# of shares of Common Stock Held by Signatory: |
49
Exhibit 3.1
Delaware | ||
The First State | ||
Page 1 |
I, JEFFREY W. BULLOCK, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, DO HEREBY CERTIFY THE ATTACHED IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF THE CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT OF “REACTIVE MEDICAL LABS INC.”, FILED IN THIS OFFICE ON THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF MARCH, A.D. 2021, AT 8:01 O’CLOCK P.M.
![]() |
/s/ Jeffrey W. Bullock | |
Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secretary of State | ||
3039472 8100 | Authentication: 202784373 | |
SR# 20210947858 | Date: 03-22-21 | |
You may verify this certificate online at corp.delaware.gov/authver.shtml |
State of Delaware | ||
Secretary of State | ||
Division of Corporations | CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT | |
Delivered 08:01 P 03/17/2021 | TO | |
FILED 08:01 PM 03/17/2021 | CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION | |
SR 20210947858 - File Number 3039472 | OF | |
REACTIVE MEDICAL LABS INC. |
******
Adopted in accordance with
the provisions of Section 242 of
the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
******
Graydon Bensler, being the Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of Reactive Medical Labs Inc., a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”), does hereby certify as follows:
FIRST: That the Certificate of incorporation of the Corporation be, and hereby is, amended by deleting Article 5 in its entirety and substituting in lieu thereof a new Article 5 to read in its entirety as follows:
“ARTICLES
The total number of shares of all classes of stock that the corporation has authority to issue is sixteen million four hundred thousand (16,400,000), consisting of fourteen million five hundred thousand (14,500,000) shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, and one million nine hundred thousand (1,900,000) shares of Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share. The Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series, each of such series to consist of such number of shares and to have such terms, rights, powers and preferences, and the qualifications and limitations with respect thereto, as stated or expressed herein. As of the effective date of this certificate, all shares of the Preferred Stock of the corporation are hereby designated “Series Seed Preferred Stock”.”
SECOND: That the Board of Directors of the Corporation approved the foregoing amendment by unanimous written consent pursuant to the provisions of Sections 141(t) and 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and directed that such amendment be submitted to the stockholders of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon for their consideration, approval and adoption thereof.
THIRD: That the stockholders entitled to vote thereon approved the foregoing amendment by written consent in accordance with Sections 228 and 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
(Signature Page Follows)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned authorized officer of the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of lncorporation to be duly executed on March 17, 2021.
REACTIVE MEDICAL LABS INC., | ||
a Delaware corporation | ||
By: | /s/ Graydon Bensler | |
Name: | Graydon Bensler | |
Its: | Secretary and Chief Financial Officer |
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation of Reactive Medical Labs Inc.
Delaware | Page 1 | |
The First State |
I, JEFFREY W. BULLOCK, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, DO HEREBY CERTIFY THE ATTACHED IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF THE CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF “REACTIVE MEDICAL LABS INC.”, FILED IN THIS OFFICE ON THE NINTH DAY OF JUNE, A.D. 2020, AT 8:04 O’CLOCK P.M.
![]() |
/s/ Jeffrey W. Bullock | |
Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secretary of State | ||
3039472 8100 | Authentication: 203087195 | |
SR# 20205599891 | Date: 06-10-20 | |
You may verify this certificate online at corp.delaware.gov/authver.shtml |
State of Delaware | ||
Secretary of State | ||
Division of Corporations | ||
Delivered 08:04 P 06/09/2020 | CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION | |
FILED 08:04 PM 06/09/2020 | OF | |
SR 20205599891 - File Number 3039472 | REACTIVE MEDICAL LABS INC. |
ARTICLE 1
The name of the corporation is Reactive Medical Labs Inc.
ARTICLE 2
The address of the registered office of the corporation in the State of Delaware is 251 Little Falls Drive, City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19808. The registered agent in charge thereof is Corporation Service Company.
ARTICLE3
The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
ARTICLE4
The name and mailing address of the incorporator of the corporation is as follows:
NAME | MAILING ADDRESS | ||
Paul J. Tauber | Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP | ||
One Montgomery Street, Suite 3000 | |||
San Francisco, California 94104 |
ARTICLE 5
The total number of shares of all classes of stock that the corporation has authority to issue is fourteen million four hundred thousand (14,400,000), consisting of twelve million five hundred thousand (12,500,000) shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, and one million nine hundred thousand (1,900,000) shares of Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share. The Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series, each of such series to consist of such number of shares and to have such terms, rights, powers and preferences, and the qualifications and limitations with respect thereto, as stated or expressed herein. As of the effective date of this certificate, all shares of the Preferred Stock of the corporation are hereby designated “Series Seed Preferred Stock”.
ARTICLE 6
A. Common Stock. The following rights, powers privileges and restrictions, qualifications, and limitations apply to the Common Stock.
1. General. The voting, dividend and liquidation rights of the holders of the Common Stock are subject to and qualified by the rights, powers and privileges of the holders of the Preferred Stock set forth in this certificate.
2. Voting. The holders of the Common Stock are entitled to one (1) vote for each share of Common Stock held at all meetings of stockholders (and written actions in lieu of meetings).
2
Unless required by law, there shall be no cumulative voting. The number of authorized shares of Common Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by (in addition to any vote of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock that may be required by the terms of the certificate) the affirmative vote of the holders of shares of capital stock of the corporation representing a majority of the votes represented by all outstanding shares of capital stock of the corporation entitled to vote, irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the General Corporation Law.
B. Preferred Stock. The following rights, powers and privileges, and restrictions, qualifications and limitations, shall apply to the Preferred Stock. Unless otherwise indicated, references to Sections in this Part B of this Article 6 refer to sections of this Part B.
1. Liquidation, Dissolution, or Winding Up; Certain Mergers, Consolidations and Asset Sales.
1.1 Payments to Holders of Preferred Stock. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the corporation or any Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined below), before any payment shall be made to the holders of Common Stock by reason of their ownership thereof, the holders of shares of Preferred Stock then outstanding must be paid out of the funds and assets available for distribution to its stockholders, an amount per share equal to the greater of (a) the Original Issue Price (as defined below) for such share of Preferred Stock, plus any dividends declared but unpaid thereon or (b) such amount per share as would have been payable had all shares of Preferred Stock been converted into Common Stock pursuant to Section 3 immediately prior to such liquidation, dissolution or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event. If upon any such liquidation, dissolution, or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event of the corporation, the funds and assets available for distribution to the stockholders of the corporation are insufficient to pay the holders of shares of Preferred Stock the full amount to which they are entitled under this Section 1.1, the holders of shares of Preferred Stock will share ratably in any distribution of the funds and assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts that would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares of Preferred Stock held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full. “Original Issue Price” means [$0.30] per share for the Series Seed Preferred Stock.
1.2 Payments to Holders of Common Stock. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event of the corporation, after the payment of all preferential amounts required to be paid to the holders of shares of Preferred Stock as provided in Section 1.1, the remaining funds and assets available for distribution to the stockholders of the corporation will be distributed among the holders of shares of Common Stock, pro rata based on the number of shares of Common Stock held by each such holder.
1.3 Deemed Liquidation Events.
1.3.1 Definitions. “Requisite Holders” means the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Preferred Stock (voting as a single class on an as-converted basis). Each of the following events is a “Deemed Liquidation Event” unless the Requisite Holders elect otherwise by written notice received by the corporation at least five (5) days prior to the effective date of any such event:
(a) a merger or consolidation in which (i) the corporation is a constituent party or (ii) a subsidiary of the corporation is a constituent party and the corporation issues shares of its capital stock pursuant to such merger or consolidation, except any such merger or consolidation involving the corporation or a subsidiary in which the shares of capital stock of the corporation outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continue to represent, or are converted into or exchanged for equity securities that represent, immediately following such merger or consolidation, at least a majority, by voting power, of the equity securities of (1) the surviving or resulting party or (2) if the surviving or resulting party is a wholly owned subsidiary of another party immediately following such merger or consolidation, the parent of such surviving or resulting party; provided that, for the purpose of this Section 1.3.1, all shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation or upon conversion of Convertible Securities (as defined below) outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation shall be deemed to be outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation and, if applicable, deemed to be converted or exchanged in such merger or consolidation on the same terms as the actual outstanding shares of Common Stock are converted or exchanged; or
3
(b) the sale, lease, transfer, exclusive license or other disposition, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, by the corporation or any subsidiary of the corporation of all or substantially all the assets of the corporation and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, or, if substantially all of the assets of the corporation and its subsidiaries taken as a whole are held by such subsidiary or subsidiaries, the sale or disposition (whether by merger or otherwise) of one or more subsidiaries of the corporation, except where such sale, lease, transfer or other disposition is to the corporation or one or more wholly owned subsidiaries of the corporation.
1.3.2 Amount Deemed Paid or Distributed. The funds and assets deemed paid or distributed to the holders of capital stock of the corporation upon any such merger, consolidation, sale, transfer or other disposition described in this Section 1.3 will be the cash or the value of the property, rights or securities paid or distributed to such holders by the corporation or the acquiring person, firm or other entity. The value of such property, rights or securities shall be determined in good faith by the board of directors (“Board”).
2. Voting.
2.1 General. On any matter presented to the stockholders of the corporation for their action or consideration at any meeting of stockholders of the corporation (or by written consent of stockholders in lieu of meeting), each holder of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock may cast the number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of Common Stock into which the shares of Preferred Stock held by such holder are convertible as of the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote on such matter. Fractional votes shall not be permitted and any fractional voting rights available on an as-converted basis (after aggregating all shares into which shares of Preferred Stock held by each holder could be converted) will be rounded to the nearest whole number (with one-half being rounded upward). Except as provided by law or by the other provisions of this certificate, holders of Preferred Stock shall vote together with the holders of Common Stock as a single class on an as-converted basis, shall have full voting rights and powers equal to the voting rights and powers of the holders of Common Stock, and shall be entitled, notwithstanding any provision of this certificate, to notice of any stockholder meeting in accordance with the bylaws of the corporation.
2.2 Election of Directors. At any meeting held for the purpose of electing a director, the presence in person or by proxy of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the class, classes, or series entitled to elect the director constitutes a quorum for the purpose of electing the director.
2.3 Preferred Stock Protective Provisions. At any time when at least 25% of the initially issued shares of Preferred Stock remain outstanding, the corporation shall not, either directly or indirectly by amendment, merger, consolidation or otherwise, alter the rights, powers or privileges of the Preferred Stock set forth in the certificate or bylaws, as then in effect, in a way that adversely affects the Preferred Stock without (in addition to any other vote required by law or the certificate) the written consent or affirmative vote of the Requisite Holders, given in writing or by vote at a meeting, consenting, or voting (as the case may be) separately as a single class.
4
3. Conversion.
3.1 Right to Convert.
3.1.1 Conversion Ratio. Each share of Preferred Stock is convertible, at the holder thereof, at any time, and without the payment of additional consideration by the holder thereof, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock as is determined by dividing the Original Issue Price for the series of Preferred Stock by the Conversion Price for that Series of Preferred Stock in effect at the time of conversion. The “Conversion Price” for each series of Preferred Stock means the Original Issue Price for such series of Preferred Stock, which initial Conversion Price, and the rate at which shares of Preferred Stock may be converted into shares of Common Stock, is subject to adjustment as provided in the certificate.
3.1.2 Termination of Conversion Rights. Subject to Section 3.3.1 in the case of a Contingency Event herein, in the event of a liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the corporation or a Deemed Liquidation Event, all conversion rights will terminate at the close of business on the last full day preceding the date fixed for the first payment of any funds and assets distributable on such event to the holders of Preferred Stock.
3.2 Fractional Shares. No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued upon conversion of the Preferred Stock. In lieu of any fractional shares to which the holder would otherwise be entitled, the corporation shall pay cash equal to such fraction multiplied by the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined in good faith by the Board. Whether or not fractional shares would be issuable upon such conversion will be determined on the basis of the total number of shares of Preferred Stock the holder is at the time converting into Common Stock and the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon such conversion.
3.3 Mechanics of Conversion.
3.3.1 Notice of Conversion. To voluntarily convert shares of Preferred Stock into shares of Common Stock, a holder of Preferred Stock shall surrender the certificate or certificates for the shares of Preferred Stock (or, if such registered holder alleges that any such certificate has been lost, stolen or destroyed, a lost certificate affidavit and agreement reasonably acceptable to the corporation to indemnify the corporation against any claim that may be made against the corporation on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of such certificate), at the office of the transfer agent for the Preferred Stock (or at the principal office of the corporation if the corporation serves as its own transfer agent), together with written notice that the holder elects to convert all or any number of the shares of the Preferred Stock represented by the certificate or certificates and, if applicable, any event on which the conversion is contingent (a “Contingency Event”). The conversion notice must state the holder’s name or the names of the nominees in which such holder wishes the certificate or certificates for shares of Common Stock to be issued. If required by the corporation, certificates surrendered for conversion shall be endorsed or accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form reasonably satisfactory to the corporation, duly executed by the registered holder or such holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing.
5
The close of business on the date of receipt by the transfer agent (or by the corporation if the corporation serves as its own transfer agent) of the certificates (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) and notice (or, if later, the date on which all Contingency Events have occurred) will be the time of conversion (the “Conversion Time”), and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the shares represented by such certificate shall be deemed to be outstanding of record as of such time. The corporation shall, as soon as practicable after the Conversion Time, (a) issue and deliver to the holder, or to the holder’s nominees, a certificate or certificates for the number of full shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion in accordance with the provisions of this certificate and a certificate for the number (if any) of the shares of Preferred Stock represented by the surrendered certificate that were not converted into Common Stock, (b) pay in cash such amount as provided in Section 3.2 in lieu of any fraction of a share of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon such conversion and (c) pay all declared but unpaid dividends on the shares of Preferred Stock converted.
3.3.2 Reservation of Shares. For the purpose of effecting the conversion of the Preferred Stock, the corporation shall at all times while any share of Preferred Stock is outstanding, reserve and keep available out of its authorized but unissued capital stock, that number of its duly authorized shares of Common Stock as may from time to time be sufficient to effect the conversion of all outstanding Preferred Stock; and if at any time the number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock is not be sufficient to effect the conversion of all then-outstanding shares of the Preferred Stock, the corporation shall use its best efforts to cause such corporate action to be taken as may be necessary to increase its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock to such number of shares as shall be sufficient for such purposes including, without limitation, engaging in best efforts to obtain the requisite stockholder approval of any necessary amendment to this certificate. Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing the Conversion Price of a series of Preferred Stock below the then-par value of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of such series of Preferred Stock, the corporation shall take any corporate action that may be necessary so that the corporation may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock at such adjusted Conversion Price.
3.3.3 Effect of Conversion. All shares of Preferred Stock that shall have been surrendered for conversion as provided in this certificate shall no longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights with respect to such shares will immediately cease and terminate at the Conversion Time, except only the right of the holders thereof to receive shares of Common Stock in exchange therefor, to receive payment in lieu of any fraction of a share otherwise issuable upon such conversion as provided in Section 3.2, and to receive payment of any dividends declared but unpaid thereon. Any shares of Preferred Stock so converted shall be retired and cancelled and may not be reissued.
3.3.4 No Further Adjustment. Upon any conversion of shares of Preferred Stock, no adjustment to the Conversion Price of the applicable series of Preferred Stock will be made with respect to the converted shares for any declared but unpaid dividends on such series of Preferred Stock or on the Common Stock delivered upon conversion.
3.4 Adjustment for Stock Splits and Combinations. If the corporation at any time or from time to time after the date on which the first share of a series of Preferred Stock is issued by the corporation (such date referred to herein as the “Original Issue Date” for such series of Preferred Stock) effects a subdivision of the outstanding Common Stock, the Conversion Price for each series of Preferred Stock in effect immediately before that subdivision shall be proportionately decreased so that the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on conversion of each share of that series will be increased in proportion to the increase in the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. If the corporation at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date for a series of Preferred Stock combines the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Conversion Price for each series of Preferred Stock in effect immediately before the combination will be proportionately increased so that the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on conversion of each share of such series shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. Any adjustment under this Section 3.4 becomes effective at the close of business on the date the subdivision or combination becomes effective.
6
3.5 Adjustment for Certain Dividends and Distributions. If the Corporation at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date for a series of Preferred Stock makes or issues, or fixes a record date for the determination of holders of Common Stock entitled to receive, a dividend or other distribution payable on the Common Stock in additional shares of Common Stock, then and in each such event the Conversion Price for such series of Preferred Stock in effect immediately before the event will be decreased as of the time of such issuance or, in the event a record date has been fixed, as of the close of business on such record date, by multiplying such Conversion Price then in effect by a fraction:
(a) the numerator of which is the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the time of the issuance or the close of business on the record date, and
(b) the denominator of which is the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately before the time of such issuance or the close of business on the record date plus the number of shares of Common Stock issuable in payment of such dividend or distribution.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) if such record date has have been fixed and the dividend is not fully paid or if such distribution is not fully made on the date fixed therefor, such Conversion Price shall be recomputed accordingly as of the close of business on such record date and thereafter such Conversion Price shall be adjusted pursuant to this Section 3.5 as of the time of actual payment of such dividends or distributions and (ii) no such adjustment shall be made if the holders of such series of Preferred Stock simultaneously receive a dividend or other distribution of shares of Common Stock in a number equal to the number of shares of Common Stock that they would have received if all outstanding shares of such series of Preferred Stock had been converted into Common Stock on the date of the event.
3.6 Adjustments for Other Dividends and Distributions. If the corporation at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date for a series of Preferred Stock shall makes or issues, or fixes a record date for the determination of holders of Common Stock entitled to receive, a dividend or other distribution payable in securities of the corporation (other than a distribution of shares of Common Stock in respect of outstanding shares of Common Stock), then and in each such event the corporation shall make, simultaneously with the distribution to the holders of Common Stock, a dividend or other distribution to the holders of the series of Preferred Stock in an amount equal to the amount of securities as the holders would have received if all outstanding shares of such series of Preferred Stock had been converted into Common Stock on the date of such event.
3.7 Adjustment for Reclassification, Exchange and Substitution. If at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date for a series of Preferred Stock the Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of such series of Preferred Stock is changed into the same or a different number of shares of any class or classes of stock of the corporation, whether by recapitalization, reclassification, or otherwise (other than by a stock split or combination, dividend, distribution, merger or consolidation covered by Sections 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 or 3.8 or by Section 1.3 regarding a Deemed Liquidation Event), then in any such event each holder of such series of Preferred Stock may thereafter convert such stock into the kind and amount of stock and other securities and property receivable upon such recapitalization, reclassification or other change by holders of the number of shares of Common Stock into which such shares of Preferred Stock could have been converted immediately prior to such recapitalization, reclassification or change.
7
3.8 Adjustment for Merger or Consolidation. Subject to the provisions of Section 1.3, if any consolidation or merger occurs involving the corporation in which the Common Stock (but not a series of Preferred Stock) is converted into or exchanged for securities, cash, or other property (other than a transaction covered by Sections 3.5, 3.6 or 3.7), then, following any such consolidation or merger, the corporation shall provide that each share of such series of Preferred Stock will thereafter be convertible, in lieu of the Common Stock into which it was convertible prior to the event, into the kind and amount of securities, cash, or other property which a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock of the corporation issuable upon conversion of one share of such series of Preferred Stock immediately prior to the consolidation or merger would have been entitled to receive pursuant to the transaction; and, in such case, the corporation shall make appropriate adjustment (as determined in good faith by the Board) in the application of the provisions in this Section 3 with respect to the rights and interests thereafter of the holders of such series of Preferred Stock, to the end that the provisions set forth in this Section 3 (including provisions with respect to changes in and other adjustments of the Conversion Price of such series of Preferred Stock) shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to any securities or other property thereafter deliverable upon the conversion of such series of Preferred Stock.
3.9 Certificate as to Adjustments. Upon the occurrence of each adjustment or readjustment of the Conversion Price of a series of Preferred Stock pursuant to this Section 3, the corporation at its expense shall, as promptly as reasonably practicable but in any event not later than fifteen (15) days thereafter, compute such adjustment or readjustment in accordance with the terms of this certificate and furnish to each holder of such series of Preferred Stock a certificate setting forth the adjustment or readjustment (including the kind and amount of securities, cash, or other property into which such series of Preferred Stock is convertible) and showing in detail the facts upon which such adjustment or readjustment is based. The corporation shall, as promptly as reasonably practicable after the written request at any time of any holder of any series of Preferred Stock (but in any event not later than ten (10) days thereafter), furnish or cause to be furnished to such holder a certificate setting forth (a) the Conversion Price of such series of Preferred Stock then in effect and (b) the number of shares of Common Stock and the amount, if any, of other securities, cash, or property which then would be received upon the conversion of such series of Preferred Stock.
3.10 Mandatory Conversion. Upon either (a) the closing of the sale of shares of Common Stock to the public in a firm-commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended or (b) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the Requisite Holders at the time of such vote or consent, voting as a single class on an as-converted basis (the time of such closing or the date and time specified or the time of the event specified in such vote or written consent, the “Mandatory Conversion Time”), (i) all outstanding shares of Preferred Stock will automatically convert into shares of Common Stock, at the applicable ratio described in Section 3.1.1 as the same may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 3 and (ii) such shares may not be reissued by the corporation.
8
3.11 Procedural Requirements. The corporation shall notify in writing all holders of record of shares of Preferred Stock of the Mandatory Conversion Time and the place designated for mandatory conversion of all such shares of Preferred Stock pursuant to Section 3.10. Unless otherwise provided in this certificate, the notice need not be sent in advance of the occurrence of the Mandatory Conversion Time. Upon receipt of the notice, each holder of shares of Preferred Stock shall surrender such holder’s certificate or certificates for all such shares (or, if such holder alleges that such certificate has been lost, stolen or destroyed, a lost certificate affidavit and agreement reasonably acceptable to the corporation to indemnify the corporation against any claim that may be made against the corporation on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of such certificate) to the corporation at the place designated in such notice, and shall thereafter receive certificates for the number of shares of Common Stock to which such holder is entitled pursuant to this Section 3. If so required by the corporation, certificates surrendered for conversion shall be endorsed or accompanied by written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form reasonably satisfactory to the corporation, duly executed by the registered holder or such holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing. All rights with respect to the Preferred Stock converted pursuant to Section 3.10, including the rights, if any, to receive notices and vote (other than as a holder of Common Stock), will terminate at the Mandatory Conversion Time (notwithstanding the failure of the holder or holders thereof to surrender the certificates at or prior to such time), except only the rights of the holders thereof, upon surrender of their certificate or certificates (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) therefor, to receive the items provided for in the next sentence of this Section 3.11. As soon as practicable after the Mandatory Conversion Time and the surrender of the certificate or certificates (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) for Preferred Stock, the corporation shall issue and deliver to such holder, or to such holder’s nominee(s), a certificate or certificates for the number of full shares of Common Stock issuable on such conversion in accordance with the provisions hereof, together with cash as provided in Section 3.2 in lieu of any fraction of a share of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon such conversion and the payment of any declared but unpaid dividends on the shares of Preferred Stock converted. Such converted Preferred Stock shall be retired and cancelled and may not be reissued as shares of such series, and the corporation may thereafter take such appropriate action (without the need for stockholder action) as may be necessary to reduce the authorized number of shares of Preferred Stock (and the applicable series thereof) accordingly.
4. Dividends. The corporation shall declare all dividends pro rata on the Common Stock and the Preferred Stock on a pari passu basis according to the number of shares of Common Stock held by such holders. For this purpose each holder of shares of Preferred Stock will be treated as holding the greatest whole number of shares of Common Stock then issuable upon conversion of all shares of Preferred Stock held by such holder pursuant to Section 3.
5. Redeemed or Otherwise Acquired Shares. Any shares of Preferred Stock that are redeemed or otherwise acquired by the corporation or any of its subsidiaries will be automatically and immediately cancelled and retired and shall not be reissued, sold or transferred. Neither the corporation nor any of its subsidiaries may exercise any voting or other rights granted to the holders of Preferred Stock following any such redemption.
6. Waiver. Any of the rights, powers, privileges and other terms of the Preferred Stock set forth herein may be waived prospectively or retrospectively on behalf of all holders of Preferred Stock by the affirmative written consent or vote of the holders of the Requisite Holders.
7. Notice of Record Date. In the event
(a) the corporation takes a record of the holders of its Common Stock (or other capital stock or securities at the time issuable upon conversion of the Preferred Stock) for the purpose of entitling or enabling them to receive any dividend or other distribution, or to receive any right to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or any other securities, or to receive any other security; or
(b) of any capital reorganization of the corporation, any reclassification of the Common Stock of the corporation, or any Deemed Liquidation Event; or
9
(c) the corporation, of the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding-up of then, and in each such case, the corporation shall send or cause to be sent to the holders of the Preferred Stock a written notice specifying, as the case may be, (i) the record date for such dividend, distribution, or right, and the amount and character of such dividend, distribution or right, or (ii) the effective date on which such reorganization, reclassification, consolidation, merger, transfer, dissolution, liquidation or winding-up is proposed to take place, and the time, if any is to be fixed, as of which the holders of record of Common Stock (or such other capital stock or securities at the time issuable upon the conversion of the Preferred Stock) will be entitled to exchange their shares of Common Stock (or such other capital stock or securities) for securities or other property deliverable upon such reorganization, reclassification, consolidation, merger, transfer, dissolution, liquidation or winding-up, and the amount per share and character of such exchange applicable to the Preferred Stock and the Common Stock. The corporation shall send the notice at least twenty (20) days before the earlier of the record date or effective date for the event specified in the notice.
8. Notices. Except as otherwise provided herein, any notice required or permitted by the provisions of this Article 6 to be given to a holder of shares of Preferred Stock must be mailed, postage prepaid, to the post office address last shown on the records of the corporation, or given by electronic communication in compliance with the provisions of the General Corporation Law, and will be deemed sent upon such mailing or electronic transmission.
ARTICLE 7
No stockholder of the corporation has a right to purchase shares of capital stock of the corporation sold or issued by the corporation except to the extent that such a right may from time to time be set forth in a written agreement between the corporation and the stockholder.
ARTICLE 8
In accordance with Section 500 of the California Corporations Code, a distribution can be made without regard to any preferential dividends arrears amount (as defined in Section 500 of the California Corporations Code) or any preferential rights amount (as defined in Section 500 of the California Corporations Code) in connection with (i) repurchases of Common Stock issued to or held by employees, officers, directors, or consultants of the corporation or its subsidiaries upon termination of their employment or services pursuant to agreements providing for the right of said repurchase, (ii) repurchases of Common Stock issued to or held by employees, officers, directors or consultants of the corporation or its subsidiaries pursuant to rights of first refusal contained in agreements providing for such right, (iii) repurchases of Common Stock or Preferred Stock in connection with the settlement of disputes with any stockholder, or (iv) any other repurchase or redemption of Common Stock or Preferred Stock approved by the holders of Preferred Stock.
ARTICLE 9
A. Amendment of Bylaws. Subject to any additional vote required by this certificate or bylaws of the corporation (the “Bylaws”), in furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board is expressly authorized to make, repeal, alter, amend and rescind any or all of the Bylaws.
B. Number of Directors. Subject to any additional vote required by this certificate, the number of directors of the corporation will be determined in the manner set forth in the Bylaws.
10
C. Ballot. Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless the Bylaws so provide.
D. Meetings and Books. Meetings of stockholders may be held within or without the State of Delaware, as the Bylaws may provide. The books of the corporation may be kept outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board or in the Bylaws.
ARTICLE 10
A. Limitation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. If the General Corporation Law or any other law of the State of Delaware is amended after approval by the stockholders of this Article 10 to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law as so amended. Any repeal or modification of the foregoing provisions of this Article 10 by the stockholders will not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the corporation existing at the time of, or increase the liability of any director of the corporation with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to, such repeal or modification.
B. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the corporation is authorized to provide indemnification of (and advancement of expenses to) directors, officers and agents of the corporation (and any other persons to which General Corporation Law permits the corporation to provide indemnification) through Bylaw provisions, agreements with such agents or other persons, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, in excess of the indemnification and advancement otherwise permitted by Section 145 of the General Corporation Law.
C. Modification. Any amendment, repeal, or modification of the foregoing provisions of this Article 10 will not adversely affect any right or protection of any director, officer or other agent of the Corporation existing at the time of such amendment, repeal or modification.
ARTICLE 11
The corporation renounces any interest or expectancy of the corporation in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, or in being informed about, an Excluded Opportunity. “Excluded Opportunity” means any matter, transaction or interest that is presented to, or acquired, created or developed by, or which otherwise comes into the possession of, (i) any director of the corporation who is not an employee of the corporation or any of its subsidiaries, or (ii) any holder of Preferred Stock or any affiliate, partner, member, director, stockholder, employee, agent or other related person of any such holder, other than someone who is an employee of the corporation or any of its subsidiaries (a “Covered Person”), unless such matter, transaction or interest is presented to, or acquired, created or developed by, or otherwise comes into the possession of, a Covered Person expressly and solely in such Covered Person’s capacity as a director of the corporation.
11
ARTICLE 12
The corporation is to have perpetual existence.
I, THE UNDERSIGNED, being the sole incorporator herein named, for the purpose of forming a corporation pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, do make this certificate, hereby declaring and certifying that this is my act and deed and the facts herein stated are true, and accordingly have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of June, 2020.
/s/ Paul J.1’auber | |
Paul J.1’auber, Inrorporator |
12
Exhibit 3.2
Delaware | Page 1 | ||
The First State |
I, JEFFREY W. BULLOCK, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, DO HEREBY CERTIFY THE ATTACHED IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF THE CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT OF “ELEVAI LABS INC.”, FILED IN THIS OFFICE ON THE THIRD DAY OF MARCH, A.D. 2023, AT 7:29 O’CLOCK P.M.
![]() |
/s/ Jeffrey W. Bullock | |
Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secretary of State | ||
3039472 8100 | Authentication: 202846866 | |
SR# 20230868579 | Date: 03-06-23 | |
You may verify this certificate online at corp.delaware.gov/authver.shtml |
******
Adopted in accordance with
the provisions of §242 of the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware
******
Dr. Jordan Plews, being the Chief Executive Officer of Elevai Labs Inc., a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”), does hereby certify as follows:
FIRST: That the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation be, and hereby is, amended by deleting the first sentence of Article 4 in its entirety and substituting in lieu thereof a new first sentence of Article 4 to read in its entirety as follows:
“The total number of shares of all classes of stock that the corporation has authority to issue is Three Hundred Six Million Eight Hundred Thirty-Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Five (306,830,985), consisting of Three Hundred (300,000,000) shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and Six Million Eight Hundred Thirty-Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Five (6,830,985) shares of Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share.”
SECOND: That the Board of Directors of the Corporation approved the foregoing amendment by unanimous written consent pursuant to the provisions of Sections 141(±) and 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and directed that such amendment be submitted to the stockholders of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon for their consideration, approval and adoption thereof.
FOURTH: That the stockholders entitled to vote thereon approved the foregoing amendment by written consent in accordance with Sections 228 and 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned does hereby certify under penalties of perjury that this Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of lncorporation of the Corporation is the act and deed of the undersigned and the facts stated herein are true and accordingly has hereunto set his hand this 2nd day of March, 2023.
Elevai Labs, Inc. | ||
a Delaware corporation | ||
By: | /s/ Dr. Jordan Plews | |
Name: | Dr. Jordan Plews | |
Its: | Chief Executive Officer |
Delaware | Page 1 | ||
The First State |
I, JEFFREY W. BULLOCK, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, DO HEREBY CERTIFY THE ATTACHED IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF THE RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF “ELEVAI LABS INC.”, FILED IN THIS OFFICE ON THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF JULY, A.D. 2022, AT 8:08 O’CLOCK A.M.
State of Delaware | ||
Secretary of State | ||
Division of Corporations | ||
Delivered 08:08AM07/15/2022 | SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED | |
FILED 08:08AM07/15/2022 | CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION | |
SR 20222997366 - File Number 3039472 | OF ELEVAI LABS INC. |
(Pursuant to Sections 242
and 245 of the
General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware)
Elevai Labs Inc., a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “General Corporation Law”),
DOES HEREBY CERTIFY:
1. That the name of this corporation is Elevai Labs Inc. The Corporation was originally formed on June 9, 2020 under the name Reactive Medical Labs Inc. by filing a Certificate of lncorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. Such Certificate of Incorporation was amended by that certain Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of lncorporation filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on March 17, 2021, was further amended by that certain Amended and Restated Certificate of lncorporation filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on August 24, 2021, and such Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation was further amended by that certain Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on December 3, 2021.
2. That the Board of Directors duly adopted resolutions proposing to amend and restate the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation, declaring said amendment and restatement to be advisable and in the best interests of this corporation and its stockholders, and authorizing the appropriate officers of this corporation to solicit the consent of the stockholders therefor, which resolution setting forth the proposed amendment and restatement is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation be amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1
The name of the corporation is Elevai Labs Inc.
ARTICLE 2
The address of the registered office of the corporation in the State of Delaware is 251 Little Falls Drive, City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19808. The registered agent in charge thereof is Corporation Service Company.
ARTICLE 3
The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
2
ARTICLE 4
The total number of shares of all classes of stock that the corporation has authority to issue is Twenty-Five Million Eight Hundred Thirty-Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Five (25,830,985), consisting of Nineteen Million Thousand (19,000,000) shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and Six Million Eight Hundred Thirty-Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Five (6,830,985) shares of Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share. The Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series, each of such series to consist of such number of shares and to have such terms, rights, powers and preferences, and the qualifications and limitations with respect thereto, as stated or expressed herein. As of the effective date of this certificate, Two Hundred Thirteen Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty (213,730) shares of the Preferred Stock of the corporation are designated “Series Seed Preferred Stock”, Three Million Six Hundred Thirty Five Thousand Two Hundred Fifty Two (3,635,252) shares of the Preferred Stock of the corporation are designated “Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock”, and Two Million Nine Hundred Eighty Two Thousand Three (2,982,003) shares of the Preferred Stock of the corporation are designated “Series A Preferred Stock”.
ARTICLE 5
A. Common Stock. The following rights, powers privileges and restrictions, qualifications, and limitations apply to the Common Stock.
1. General. The voting, dividend and liquidation rights of the holders of the Common Stock are subject to and qualified by the rights, powers and privileges of the holders of the Preferred Stock set forth in this certificate.
2. Voting. The holders of the Common Stock are entitled to one (1) vote for each share of Common Stock held at all meetings of stockholders (and written actions in lieu of meetings). Unless required by law, there shall be no cumulative voting. The number of authorized shares of Common Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by (in addition to any vote of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock that may be required by the terms of the certificate) the affirmative vote of the holders of shares of capital stock of the corporation representing a majority of the votes represented by all outstanding shares of capital stock of the corporation entitled to vote, irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the General Corporation Law.
B. Preferred Stock. The following rights, powers and privileges, and restrictions, qualifications and limitations, shall apply to the Preferred Stock. Unless otherwise indicated, references to Sections in this Part B of this Article 5 refer to sections of this Part B.
1. Liquidation, Dissolution, or Winding Up; Certain Mergers, Consolidations and Asset Sales.
1.1 Payments to Holders of Preferred Stock.
1.1.1 Series A Preferred Stock. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the corporation or any Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined below), before any payment shall be made to the holders of the Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock, Series Seed Preferred Stock and the holders of the Common Stock by reason of their ownership thereof, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding must be paid out of the funds and assets available for distribution to its stockholders, an amount per share equal to the greater of (a) the Original Series A Issue Price (as defined below) for such share of Series A Preferred Stock, plus any dividends declared but unpaid thereon or (b) such amount per share as would have been payable had all shares of Series A Preferred Stock been converted into Common Stock pursuant to Section 3 immediately prior to such liquidation, dissolution or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event. If upon any such liquidation, dissolution, or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event of the corporation, the funds and assets available for distribution to the stockholders of the corporation are insufficient to pay the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock the full amount to which they are entitled under this Section 1.1.1, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock will share ratably in any distribution of the funds and assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts that would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full. “Original Series A Issue Price” means $1.34138 per share for the Series A Preferred Stock.
3
1.1.2 Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the corporation or any Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined below), before any payment shall be made to the holders of the Series Seed Preferred Stock and the holders of the Common Stock by reason of their ownership thereof, the holders of shares of Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock then outstanding must be paid out of the funds and assets available for distribution to its stockholders, an amount per share equal to the greater of (a) three (3) times the Original Series Seed 2 Issue Price (as defined below) for such share of Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock, plus any dividends declared but unpaid thereon or (b) such amount per share as would have been payable had all shares of Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock been converted into Common Stock pursuant to Section 3 immediately prior to such liquidation, dissolution or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event. If upon any such liquidation, dissolution, or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event of the corporation, the funds and assets available for distribution to the stockholders of the corporation are insufficient to pay the holders of shares of Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock the full amount to which they are entitled under this Section 1.1.2, the holders of shares of Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock will share ratably in any distribution of the funds and assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts that would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares of Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full. “Original Series Seed 2 Issue Price” means $0.30 per share for the Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock.
1.1.3 Series Seed Preferred Stock. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the corporation or any Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined below), before any payment shall be made to the holders of Common Stock by reason of their ownership thereof, the holders of shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock then outstanding must be paid out of the funds and assets available for distribution to its stockholders, an amount per share equal to the greater of (a) the Original Series Seed Issue Price (as defined below) for such share of Series Seed Preferred Stock, plus any dividends declared but unpaid thereon or (b) such amount per share as would have been payable had all shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock been converted into Common Stock pursuant to Section 3 immediately prior to such liquidation, dissolution or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event. If upon any such liquidation, dissolution, or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event of the corporation, the funds and assets available for distribution to the stockholders of the corporation are insufficient to pay the holders of shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock the full amount to which they are entitled under this Section 1.1.3, the holders of shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock will share ratably in any distribution of the funds and assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts that would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full. “Original Series Seed Issue Price” means $0.30 per share for the Series Seed Preferred Stock.
1.2 Payments to Holders of Common Stock. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up or Deemed Liquidation Event of the corporation, after the payment of all preferential amounts required to be paid to the holders of shares of Preferred Stock as provided in Section 1.1, the remaining funds and assets available for distribution to the stockholders of the corporation will be distributed among the holders of shares of Common Stock, pro rata based on the number of shares of Common Stock held by each such holder.
4
1.3 Deemed Liquidation Events.
1.3.1 Definitions. “Requisite Holders” means the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Preferred Stock (voting as a single class on an as-converted basis). Each of the following events is a “Deemed Liquidation Event” unless the Requisite Holders elect otherwise by written notice received by the corporation at least five (5) days prior to the effective date of any such event:
(a) a merger or consolidation in which (i) the corporation is a constituent party or (ii) a subsidiary of the corporation is a constituent party and the corporation issues shares of its capital stock pursuant to such merger or consolidation, except any such merger or consolidation involving the corporation or a subsidiary in which the shares of capital stock of the corporation outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continue to represent, or are converted into or exchanged for equity securities that represent, immediately following such merger or consolidation, at least a majority, by voting power, of the equity securities of (1) the surviving or resulting party or (2) if the surviving or resulting party is a wholly owned subsidiary of another party immediately following such merger or consolidation, the parent of such surviving or resulting party; provided that, for the purpose of this Section 1.3.1, all shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation or upon conversion of Convertible Securities (as defined below) outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation shall be deemed to be outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation and, if applicable, deemed to be converted or exchanged in such merger or consolidation on the same terms as the actual outstanding shares of Common Stock are converted or exchanged; or
(b) the sale, lease, transfer, exclusive license or other disposition, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, by the corporation or any subsidiary of the corporation of all or substantially all the assets of the corporation and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, or, if substantially all of the assets of the corporation and its subsidiaries taken as a whole are held by such subsidiary or subsidiaries, the sale or disposition (whether by merger or otherwise) of one or more subsidiaries of the corporation, except where such sale, lease, transfer or other disposition is to the corporation or one or more wholly owned subsidiaries of the corporation.
1.3.2 Amount Deemed Paid or Distributed. The funds and assets deemed paid or distributed to the holders of capital stock of the corporation upon any such merger, consolidation, sale, transfer or other disposition described in this Section 1.3 will be the cash or the value of the property, rights or securities paid or distributed to such holders by the corporation or the acquiring person, firm or other entity. The value of such property, rights or securities shall be determined in good faith by the board of directors of the corporation (“Board”).
2. Voting.
2.1 General. On any matter presented to the stockholders of the corporation for their action or consideration at any meeting of stockholders of the corporation (or by written consent of stockholders in lieu of meeting), each holder of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock may cast the number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of Common Stock into which the shares of Preferred Stock held by such holder are convertible as of the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote on such matter. Fractional votes shall not be permitted and any fractional voting rights available on an as-converted basis (after aggregating all shares into which shares of Preferred Stock held by each holder could be converted) will be rounded to the nearest whole number (with one-half being rounded upward). Except as provided by law or by the other provisions of this certificate, holders of Preferred Stock shall vote together with the holders of Common Stock as a single class on an as-converted basis, shall have full voting rights and powers equal to the voting rights and powers of the holders of Common Stock, and shall be entitled, notwithstanding any provision of this certificate, to notice of any stockholder meeting in accordance with the bylaws of the corporation.
5
2.2 Election of Directors. At any meeting held for the purpose of electing a director, the presence in person or by proxy of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the class, classes, or series entitled to elect the director constitutes a quorum for the purpose of electing the director.
2.3 Preferred Stock Protective Provisions. At any time when at least 25% of the initially issued shares of Preferred Stock remain outstanding, the corporation shall not, either directly or indirectly by amendment, merger, consolidation or otherwise, alter the rights, powers or privileges of the Preferred Stock set forth in the certificate or bylaws, as then in effect, in a way that adversely affects the Preferred Stock without (in addition to any other vote required by law or the certificate) the written consent or affirmative vote of the Requisite Holders, given in writing or by vote at a meeting, consenting, or voting (as the case may be) separately as a single class.
3. Conversion.
3.1 Right to Convert.
3.1.1 Conversion Ratio. Each share of Preferred Stock is convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, and without the payment of additional consideration by the holder thereof, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock as is determined by dividing the applicable Original Issue Price (as defined below) by the applicable Conversion Price (as defined below) in effect at the time of conversion. The “Series Seed Conversion Price” for the Series Seed Preferred Stock means the Original Series Seed Issue Price, which initial Series Seed Conversion Price, and the rate at which shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock may be converted into shares of Common Stock, is subject to adjustment as provided below. The “Series Seed 2 Conversion Price” for the Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock means the Original Series Seed 2 Issue Price, which initial Series Seed 2 Conversion Price, and the rate at which shares of Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock may be converted into shares of Common Stock, is subject to adjustment as provided below. The “Series A Conversion Price” for the Series A Preferred Stock means the Original Series A Issue Price, which initial Series A Conversion Price, and the rate at which shares of Series A Preferred Stock may be converted into shares of Common Stock, is subject to adjustment as provided below. The Original Series Seed Issue Price, in the case of the Series Seed Preferred Stock, the Original Series Seed 2 Issue Price, in the case of the Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock, and the Original Series A Issue Price, in the case of the Series A Preferred Stock, may each be referred to individually or collectively, as applicable, herein as the “Original Issue Price”. The Series Seed Conversion Price, in the case of the Series Seed Preferred Stock, the Series Seed 2 Conversion Price, in the case of the Series Seed 2 Preferred Stock, and the Series A Conversion Price, in the case of the Series A Preferred Stock, may each be referred to individually or collectively, as applicable, herein as a “Conversion Price”.
3.1.2 Termination of Conversion Rights. Subject to Section 3.3.1 in the case of a Contingency Event herein, in the event of a liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the corporation or a Deemed Liquidation Event, all conversion rights will terminate at the close of business on the last full day preceding the date fixed for the first payment of any funds and assets distributable on such event to the holders of Preferred Stock.
6
3.2 Fractional Shares. No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued upon conversion of the Preferred Stock. In lieu of any fractional shares to which the holder would otherwise be entitled, the corporation shall pay cash equal to such fraction multiplied by the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined in good faith by the Board. Whether or not fractional shares would be issuable upon such conversion will be determined on the basis of the total number of shares of Preferred Stock the holder is at the time converting into Common Stock and the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon such conversion.
3.3 Mechanics of Conversion.
3.3.1 Notice of Conversion. To voluntarily convert shares of Preferred Stock into shares of Common Stock, a holder of Preferred Stock shall surrender the certificate or certificates for the shares of Preferred Stock (or, if such registered holder alleges that any such certificate has been lost, stolen or destroyed, a lost certificate affidavit and agreement reasonably acceptable to the corporation to indemnify the corporation against any claim that may be made against the corporation on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of such certificate), at the office of the transfer agent for the Preferred Stock (or at the principal office of the corporation if the corporation serves as its own transfer agent), together with written notice that the holder elects to convert all or any number of the shares of the Preferred Stock represented by the certificate or certificates and, if applicable, any event on which the conversion is contingent (a “Contingency Event”). The conversion notice must state the holder’s name or the names of the nominees in which such holder wishes the certificate or certificates for shares of Common Stock to be issued. If required by the corporation, certificates surrendered for conversion shall be endorsed or accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form reasonably satisfactory to the corporation, duly executed by the registered holder or such holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing. The close of business on the date of receipt by the transfer agent (or by the corporation if the corporation serves as its own transfer agent) of the certificates (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) and notice (or, if later, the date on which all Contingency Events have occurred) will be the time of conversion (the “Conversion Time”), and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the shares represented by such certificate shall be deemed to be outstanding of record as of such time. The corporation shall, as soon as practicable after the Conversion Time, (a) issue and deliver to the holder, or to the holder’s nominees, a certificate or certificates for the number of full shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion in accordance with the provisions of this certificate and a certificate for the number (if any) of the shares of Preferred Stock represented by the surrendered certificate that were not converted into Common Stock, (b) pay in cash such amount as provided in Section 3.2 in lieu of any fraction of a share of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon such conversion and (c) pay all declared but unpaid dividends on the shares of Preferred Stock converted.
3.3.2 Reservation of Shares. For the purpose of effecting the conversion of the Preferred Stock, the corporation shall at all times while any share of Preferred Stock is outstanding, reserve and keep available out of its authorized but unissued capital stock, that number of its duly authorized shares of Common Stock as may from time to time be sufficient to effect the conversion of all outstanding Preferred Stock; and if at any time the number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock is not be sufficient to effect the conversion of all then-outstanding shares of the Preferred Stock, the corporation shall use its best efforts to cause such corporate action to be taken as may be necessary to increase its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock to such number of shares as shall be sufficient for such purposes including, without limitation, engaging in best efforts to obtain the requisite stockholder approval of any necessary amendment to this certificate. Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing the applicable Conversion Price below the then-par value of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of such series of Preferred Stock, the corporation shall take any corporate action that may be necessary so that the corporation may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock at such adjusted applicable Conversion Price.
7
3.3.3 Effect of Conversion. All shares of Preferred Stock that shall have been surrendered for conversion as provided in this certificate shall no longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights with respect to such shares will immediately cease and terminate at the Conversion Time, except only the right of the holders thereof to receive shares of Common Stock in exchange therefor, to receive payment in lieu of any fraction of a share otherwise issuable upon such conversion as provided in Section 3.2, and to receive payment of any dividends declared but unpaid thereon. Any shares of Preferred Stock so converted shall be retired and cancelled and may not be reissued.
3.3.4 No Further Adjustment. Upon any conversion of shares of Preferred Stock, no adjustment to the applicable Conversion Price, as applicable, will be made with respect to the converted shares for any declared but unpaid dividends on such series of Preferred Stock or on the Common Stock delivered upon conversion.
3.4 Adjustments to Conversion Price for Diluting Issues.
3.4.1 Special Definitions. For purposes of this Section 3, the followingd efinitions shall apply:
(a) “Additional Shares of Common Stock” shall mean all shares of Common Stock issued (or, pursuant to Section 3.4.3 below, deemed to be issued) by the corporation after the Original Issue Date, other than (1) the following shares of Common Stock and (2) shares of Common Stock deemed issued pursuant to the following Options and Convertible Securities (clauses ( l) and (2), collectively, “Exempted Securities”):
(i) as to any series of Preferred Stock shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued as a dividend or distribution on such series of Preferred Stock;
(ii) shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued by reason of a dividend, stock split, split-up or other distribution on shares of Common Stock that is covered by Sections 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, or 3.9;
(iii) shares of Common Stock or Options issued to employees or directors of, or consultants or advisors to, the corporation or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to a plan, agreement or arrangement approved by the Board;
(iv) shares of Common Stock or Convertible Securities actually issued upon the exercise of Options or shares of Common Stock actually issued upon the conversion or exchange of Convertible Securities, in each case provided such issuance is pursuant to the terms of such Option or Convertible Security;
(v) shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued to banks, equipment lessors or other financial institutions, or to real property lessors, pursuant to a debt financing, equipment leasing or real property leasing transaction approved by the Board;
(vi) shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued to suppliers or third party service providers in connection with the provision of goods or services pursuant to transactions approved by the Board;
8
(vii) shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued as acquisition consideration pursuant to the acquisition of another corporation by the corporation by merger, purchase of substantially all of the assets or other reorganization or to a joint venture agreement;
(viii) shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued in connection with sponsored research, collaboration, technology license, development, OEM, marketing or other similar agreements or strategic partnerships approved by the Board; or
(ix) shares of capital stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued, and for which the corporation receives a notice of waiver from the requisite stockholders pursuant to Section 3.4.2.
(b) “Convertible Securities” shall mean any evidences of indebtedness, shares or other securities directly or indirectly convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, but excluding Options.
(c) “Option” shall mean rights, options or warrants to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire Common Stock or Convertible Securities.
3.4.2 No Adjustment of Conversion Price. No adjustment in the Conversion Price shall be made as the result of the issuance or deemed issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock if the corporation receives written notice from the Requisite Holders agreeing that no such adjustment shall be made as the result of the issuance or deemed issuance of such Additional Shares of Common Stock.
3.4.3 Deemed Issue of Additional Shares of Common Stock.
(a) If the corporation at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date shall issue any Options or Convertible Securities (excluding Options or Convertible Securities which are themselves Exempted Securities) or shall fix a record date for the determination of holders of any class of securities entitled to receive any such Options or Convertible Securities, then the maximum number of shares of Common Stock (as set forth in the instrument relating thereto, assuming the satisfaction of any conditions to exercisability, convertibility or exchangeability but without regard to any provision contained therein for a subsequent adjustment of such number) issuable upon the exercise of such Options or, in the case of Convertible Securities and Options therefor, the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities, shall be deemed to be Additional Shares of Common Stock issued as of the time of such issue or, in case such a record date shall have been fixed, as of the close of business on such record date.
9
(b) If the terms of any Option or Convertible Security, the issuance of which resulted in an adjustment to the Conversion Price pursuant to the terms of Section 3.4.4, are revised as a result of an amendment to such terms or any other adjustment pursuant to the provisions of such Option or Convertible Security (but excluding automatic adjustments to such terms pursuant to anti-dilution or similar provisions of such Option or Convertible Security) to provide for either (1) any increase or decrease in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise, conversion and/or exchange of any such Option or Convertible Security or (2) any increase or decrease in the consideration payable to the corporation upon such exercise, conversion and/or exchange, then, effective upon such increase or decrease becoming effective, the Conversion Price computed upon the original issue of such Option or Convertible Security (or upon the occurrence of a record date with respect thereto) shall be readjusted to such Conversion Price as would have obtained had such revised terms been in effect upon the original date of issuance of such Option or Convertible Security. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no readjustment pursuant to this clause(b) shall have the effect of increasing the Conversion Price to an amount which exceeds the lower of (i) the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to the original adjustment made as a result of the issuance of such Option or Convertible Security, or (ii) the Conversion Price that would have resulted from any issuances of Additional Shares of Common Stock (other than deemed issuances of Additional Shares of Common Stock as a result of the issuance of such Option or Convertible Security) between the original adjustment date and such readjustment date.
(c) If the terms of any Option or Convertible Security (excluding Options or Convertible Securities which are themselves Exempted Securities), the issuance of which did not result in an adjustment to the Conversion Price pursuant to the terms of Section 3.4.4 (either because the consideration per share (determined pursuant to Section 3.4.5) of the Additional Shares of Common Stock subject thereto was equal to or greater than the Conversion Price then in effect, or because such Option or Convertible Security was issued before the Original Issue Date), are revised after the Original Issue Date as a result of an amendment to such terms or any other adjustment pursuant to the provisions of such Option or Convertible Security (but excluding automatic adjustments to such terms pursuant to anti-dilution or similar provisions of such Option or Convertible Security) to provide for either (1) any increase in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of any such Option or Convertible Security or (2) any decrease in the consideration payable to the corporation upon such exercise, conversion or exchange, then such Option or Convertible Security, as so amended or adjusted, and the Additional Shares of Common Stock subject thereto (determined in the manner provided in Section 3.4.3(a) shall be deemed to have been issued effective upon such increase or decrease becoming effective.
(d) Upon the expiration or termination of any unexercised Option or unconverted or unexchanged Convertible Security (or portion thereof) which resulted (either upon its original issuance or upon a revision of its terms) in an adjustment to the Conversion Price pursuant to the terms of Section 3.4.4, the Conversion Price shall be readjusted to such Conversion Price as would have obtained had such Option or Convertible Security (or portion thereof) never been issued.
(e) If the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise, conversion and/or exchange of any Option or Convertible Security, or the consideration payable to the corporation upon such exercise, conversion and/or exchange, is calculable at the time such Option or Convertible Security is issued or amended but is subject to adjustment based upon subsequent events, any adjustment to the Conversion Price provided for in this Section 3.4.3 shall be effected at the time of such issuance or amendment based on such number of shares or amount of consideration without regard to any provisions for subsequent adjustments (and any subsequent adjustments shall be treated as provided in clauses (b) and (c) of this Section 3.4.3). If the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise, conversion and/or exchange of any Option or Convertible Security, or the consideration payable to the corporation upon such exercise, conversion and/or exchange, cannot be calculated at all at the time such Option or Convertible Security is issued or amended, any adjustment to the Conversion Price that would result under the terms of this Section 3.4.3 at the time of such issuance or amendment shall instead be effected at the time such number of shares and/or amount of consideration is first calculable (even if subject to subsequent adjustments), assuming for purposes of calculating such adjustment to the Conversion Price that such issuance or amendment took place at the time such calculation can first be made.
10
3.4.4 Adjustment of Conversion Price Upon Issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock. In the event the corporation shall at any time after the Original Issue Date issue Additional Shares of Common Stock (including Additional Shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued pursuant to Section 3.4.3), without consideration or for a consideration per share less than the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issuance or deemed issuance, then the Conversion Price shall be reduced, concurrently with such issue, to a price (calculated to the nearest one-hundredth of a cent) determined in accordance with the following formula:
CP2 = CP1* (A+ B) +(A+ C).
For purposes of the foregoing formula, the following definitions shall apply:
(a) “CP2” shall mean the Conversion Price m effect immediately after such issuance or deemed issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock
(b) “CP1” shall mean the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issuance or deemed issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock;
(c) “A” shall mean the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to such issuance or deemed issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock (treating for this purpose as outstanding all shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of Options outstanding immediately prior to such issuance or deemed issuance or upon conversion or exchange of Convertible Securities (including the Preferred Stock) outstanding (assuming exercise of any outstanding Options therefor) immediately prior to such issue);
(d) “B” shall mean the number of shares of Common Stock that would have been issued if such Additional Shares of Common Stock had been issued or deemed issued at a price per share equal to CP1 (determined by dividing the aggregate consideration received by the corporation in respect of such issue by CP1); and
(e) “C” shall mean the number of such Additional Shares of Common Stock issued in such transaction.
3.4.5 Determination of Consideration. For purposes of this Section 3.4, the consideration received by the corporation for the issuance or deemed issuance of any Additional Shares of Common Stock shall be computed as follows:
(a) Cash and Property. Such consideration shall:
(i) insofar as it consists of cash, be computed at the aggregate amount of cash received by the corporation, excluding amounts paid or payable for accrued interest;
(ii) insofar as it consists of property other than cash, be computed at the fair market value thereof at the time of such issue, as determined in good faith by the Board; and
(iii) in the event Additional Shares of Common Stock are issued together with other shares or securities or other assets of the corporation for consideration which covers both, be the proportion of such consideration so received, computed as provided in clauses (i) and (ill above, as determined in good faith by the Board.
11
(b) Options and Convertible Securities. The consideration per share received by the corporation for Additional Shares of Common Stock deemed to have been issued pursuant to Section 3.4.3, relating to Options and Convertible Securities, shall be determined by dividing:
(i) The total amount, if any, received or receivable by the corporation as consideration for the issue of such Options or Convertible Securities, plus the minimum aggregate amount of additional consideration (as set forth in the instruments relating thereto, without regard to any provision contained therein for a subsequent adjustment of such consideration) payable to the corporation upon the exercise of such Options or the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities, or in the case of Options for Convertible Securities, the exercise of such Options for Convertible Securities and the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities, by
(ii) the maximum number of shares of Common Stock (as set forth in the instruments relating thereto, without regard to any provision contained therein for a subsequent adjustment of such number) issuable upon the exercise of such Options or the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities, or in the case of Options for Convertible Securities, the exercise of such Options for Convertible Securities and the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities.
3.4.6 Multiple Closing Dates. In the event the corporation shall issue on more than one date Additional Shares of Common Stock that are a part of one transaction or a series of related transactions and that would result in an adjustment to the Conversion Price pursuant to the terms of Section 3.4.4, and such issuance dates occur within a period of no more than ninety (90) days from the first such issuance to the final such issuance, then, upon the final such issuance, the Conversion Price shall be readjusted to give effect to all such issuances as if they occurred on the date of the first such issuance (and without giving effect to any additional adjustments as a result of any such subsequent issuances within such period).
3.5 Adjustment for Stock Splits and Combinations. If the corporation at any time or from time to time after the date on which the first share of a series of Preferred Stock is issued by the corporation (such date referred to herein as the “Original Issue Date” for such series of Preferred Stock) effects a subdivision of the outstanding Common Stock, the applicable Conversion Price in effect immediately before that subdivision shall be proportionately decreased so that the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on conversion of each share of that series will be increased in proportion to the increase in the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. If the corporation at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date for a series of Preferred Stock combines the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the applicable Conversion Price in effect immediately before the combination will be proportionately increased so that the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on conversion of each share of such series shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. Any adjustment under this Section 3.4 becomes effective at the close of business on the date the subdivision or combination becomes effective.
3.6 Adjustment for Certain Dividends and Distributions. If the corporation at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date for a series of Preferred Stock makes or issues, or fixes a record date for the determination of holders of Common Stock entitled to receive, a dividend or other distribution payable on the Common Stock in additional shares of Common Stock, then and in each such event the applicable Conversion Price in effect immediately before the event will be decreased as of the time of such issuance or, in the event a record date has been fixed, as of the close of business on such record date, by multiplying the applicable Conversion Price then in effect by a fraction:
(a) the numerator of which is the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the time of the issuance or the close of business on the record date, and
12
(b) the denominator of which is the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately before the time of such issuance or the close of business on the record date plus the number of shares of Common Stock issuable in payment of such dividend or distribution.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) if such record date has have been fixed and the dividend is not fully paid or if such distribution is not fully made on the date fixed therefor, the applicable Conversion Price shall be recomputed accordingly as of the close of business on such record date and thereafter the applicable Conversion Price shall be adjusted pursuant to this Section 3.5 as of the time of actual payment of such dividends or distributions and (ii) no such adjustment shall be made if the holders of such series of Preferred Stock simultaneously receive a dividend or other distribution of shares of Common Stock in a number equal to the number of shares of Common Stock that they would have received if all outstanding shares of such series of Preferred Stock had been converted into Common Stock on the date of the event.
3.7 Adjustments for Other Dividends and Distributions. If the corporation at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date for a series of Preferred Stock shall makes or issues, or fixes a record date for the determination of holders of Common Stock entitled to receive, a dividend or other distribution payable in securities of the corporation (other than a distribution of shares of Common Stock in respect of outstanding shares of Common Stock), then and in each such event the corporation shall make, simultaneously with the distribution to the holders of Common Stock, a dividend or other distribution to the holders of the series of Preferred Stock in an amount equal to the amount of securities as the holders would have received if all outstanding shares of such series of Preferred Stock had been converted into Common Stock on the date of such event.
3.8 Adjustment for Reclassification, Exchange and Substitution. If at any time or from time to time after the Original Issue Date for a series of Preferred Stock the Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of such series of Preferred Stock is changed into the same or a different number of shares of any class or classes of stock of the corporation, whether by recapitalization, reclassification, or otherwise (other than by a stock split or combination, dividend, distribution, merger or consolidation covered by Sections 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 or 3.9 or by Section 1.3 regarding a Deemed Liquidation Event), then in any such event each holder of such series of Preferred Stock may thereafter convert such stock into the kind and amount of stock and other securities and property receivable upon such recapitalization, reclassification or other change by holders of the number of shares of Common Stock into which such shares of Preferred Stock could have been converted immediately prior to such recapitalization, reclassification or change.
3.9 Adjustment for Merger or Consolidation. Subject to the provisions of Section 1.3, if any consolidation or merger occurs involving the corporation in which the Common Stock (but not a series of Preferred Stock) is converted into or exchanged for securities, cash, or other property (other than a transaction covered by Sections 3.4, 3.6, 3.6 or 3.7), then, following any such consolidation or merger, the corporation shall provide that each share of such series of Preferred Stock will thereafter be convertible, in lieu of the Common Stock into which it was convertible prior to the event, into the kind and amount of securities, cash, or other property which a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock of the corporation issuable upon conversion of one share of such series of Preferred Stock immediately prior to the consolidation or merger would have been entitled to receive pursuant to the transaction; and, in such case, the corporation shall make appropriate adjustment (as determined in good faith by the Board) in the application of the provisions in this Section 3 with respect to the rights and interests thereafter of the holders of such series of Preferred Stock, to the end that the provisions set forth in this Section 3 (including provisions with respect to changes in and other adjustments of the Conversion Price of such series of Preferred Stock) shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to any securities or other property thereafter deliverable upon the conversion of such series of Preferred Stock.
13
3.10 Certificate as to Adjustments. Upon the occurrence of each adjustment or readjustment of the Conversion Price of a series of Preferred Stock pursuant to this Section 3, the corporation at its expense shall, as promptly as reasonably practicable but in any event not later than fifteen (15) days thereafter, compute such adjustment or readjustment in accordance with the terms of this certificate and furnish to each holder of such series of Preferred Stock a certificate setting forth the adjustment or readjustment (including the kind and amount of securities, cash, or other property into which such series of Preferred Stock is convertible) and showing in detail the facts upon which such adjustment or readjustment is based. The corporation shall, as promptly as reasonably practicable after the written request at any time of any holder of any series of Preferred Stock (but in any event not later than ten (10) days thereafter), furnish or cause to be furnished to such holder a certificate setting forth (a) the Conversion Price of such series of Preferred Stock then in effect and (b) the number of shares of Common Stock and the amount, if any, of other securities, cash, or property which then would be received upon the conversion of such series of Preferred Stock.
3.11 Mandatory Conversion. Upon either (a) the closing of the sale of shares of Common Stock to the public in a firm-commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended or (b) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the Requisite Holders at the time of such vote or consent, voting as a single class on an as-converted basis (the time of such closing or the date and time specified or the time of the event specified in such vote or written consent, the “Mandatory Conversion Time”), (i) all outstanding shares of Preferred Stock will automatically convert into shares of Common Stock, at the applicable ratio described in Section 3.1.1 as the same may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 3 and (ii) such shares may not be reissued by the corporation.
3.12 Procedural Requirements. The corporation shall notify in writing all holders of record of shares of Preferred Stock of the Mandatory Conversion Time and the place designated for mandatory conversion of all such shares of Preferred Stock pursuant to Section 3.11. Unless otherwise provided in this certificate, the notice need not be sent in advance of the occurrence of the Mandatory Conversion Time. Upon receipt of the notice, each holder of shares of Preferred Stock shall surrender such holder’s certificate or certificates for all such shares (or, if such holder alleges that such certificate has been lost, stolen or destroyed, a lost certificate affidavit and agreement reasonably acceptable to the corporation to indemnify the corporation against any claim that may be made against the corporation on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of such certificate) to the corporation at the place designated in such notice, and shall thereafter receive certificates for the number of shares of Common Stock to which such holder is entitled pursuant to this Section 3. If so required by the corporation, certificates surrendered for conversion shall be endorsed or accompanied by written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form reasonably satisfactory to the corporation, duly executed by the registered holder or such holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing. All rights with respect to the Preferred Stock converted pursuant to Section 3.11, including the rights, if any, to receive notices and vote (other than as a holder of Common Stock), will terminate at the Mandatory Conversion Time (notwithstanding the failure of the holder or holders thereof to surrender the certificates at or prior to such time), except only the rights of the holders thereof, upon surrender of their certificate or certificates (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) therefor, to receive the items provided for in the next sentence of this Section 3.12. As soon as practicable after the Mandatory Conversion Time and the surrender of the certificate or certificates (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) for Preferred Stock, the corporation shall issue and deliver to such holder, or to such holder’s nominee(s), a certificate or certificates for the number of full shares of Common Stock issuable on such conversion in accordance with the provisions hereof, together with cash as provided in Section 3.2 in lieu of any fraction of a share of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon such conversion and the payment of any declared but unpaid dividends on the shares of Preferred Stock converted. Such converted Preferred Stock shall be retired and cancelled and may not be reissued as shares of such series, and the corporation may thereafter take such appropriate action (without the need for stockholder action) as may be necessary to reduce the authorized number of shares of Preferred Stock (and the applicable series thereof) accordingly.
14
4. Dividends. The corporation shall declare all dividends pro rata on the Common Stock and the Preferred Stock on a pari passu basis according to the number of shares of Common Stock held by such holders. For this purpose each holder of shares of Preferred Stock will be treated as holding the greatest whole number of shares of Common Stock then issuable upon conversion of all shares of Preferred Stock held by such holder pursuant to Section 3.
5. Redeemed or Otherwise Acquired Shares. Any shares of Preferred Stock that are redeemed or otherwise acquired by the corporation or any of its subsidiaries will be automatically and immediately cancelled and retired and shall not be reissued, sold or transferred. Neither the corporation nor any of its subsidiaries may exercise any voting or other rights granted to the holders of Preferred Stock following any such redemption.
6. Waiver. Any of the rights, powers, privileges and other terms of the Preferred Stock set forth herein may be waived prospectively or retrospectively on behalf of all holders of Preferred Stock by the affirmative written consent or vote of the holders of the Requisite Holders.
7. Notice of Record Date. In the event:
(a) the corporation takes a record of the holders of its Common Stock (or other capital stock or securities at the time issuable upon conversion of the Preferred Stock) for the purpose of entitling or enabling them to receive any dividend or other distribution, or to receive any right to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or any other securities, or to receive any other security; or
(b) of any capital reorganization of the corporation, any reclassification of the Common Stock of the corporation, or any Deemed Liquidation Event; or
(c) the corporation, of the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding-up of
then, and in each such case, the corporation shall send or cause to be sent to the holders of the Preferred Stock a written notice specifying, as the case may be, (i) the record date for such dividend, distribution, or right, and the amount and character of such dividend, distribution or right, or (ii) the effective date on which such reorganization, reclassification, consolidation, merger, transfer, dissolution, liquidation or winding-up is proposed to take place, and the time, if any is to be fixed, as of which the holders of record of Common Stock (or such other capital stock or securities at the time issuable upon the conversion of the Preferred Stock) will be entitled to exchange their shares of Common Stock (or such other capital stock or securities) for securities or other property deliverable upon such reorganization, reclassification, consolidation, merger, transfer, dissolution, liquidation or winding-up, and the amount per share and character of such exchange applicable to the Preferred Stock and the Common Stock. The corporation shall send the notice at least twenty (20) days before the earlier of the record date or effective date for the event specified in the notice.
15
8. Notices. Except as otherwise provided herein, any notice required or permitted by the provisions of this Article 5 to be given to a holder of shares of Preferred Stock must be mailed, postage prepaid, to the post office address last shown on the records of the corporation, or given by electronic communication in compliance with the provisions of the General Corporation Law, and will be deemed sent upon such mailing or electronic transmission.
ARTICLE 6
No stockholder of the corporation has a right to purchase shares of capital stock of the corporation sold or issued by the corporation except to the extent that such a right may from time to time be set forth in a written agreement between the corporation and the stockholder.
ARTICLE 7
In accordance with Section 500 of the California Corporations Code, a distribution can be made without regard to any preferential dividends arrears amount (as defined in Section 500 of the California Corporations Code) or any preferential rights amount (as defined in Section 500 of the California Corporations Code) in connection with (i) repurchases of Common Stock issued to or held by employees, officers, directors, or consultants of the corporation or its subsidiaries upon termination of their employment or services pursuant to agreements providing for the right of said repurchase, (ii) repurchases of Common Stock issued to or held by employees, officers, directors or consultants of the corporation or its subsidiaries pursuant to rights of first refusal contained in agreements providing for such right, (iii) repurchases of Common Stock or Preferred Stock in connection with the settlement of disputes with any stockholder, or (iv) any other repurchase or redemption of Common Stock or Preferred Stock approved by the holders of Preferred Stock.
ARTICLE 8
A. Amendment of Bylaws. Subject to any additional vote required by this certificate or bylaws of the corporation (the “Bylaws”), in furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board is expressly authorized to make, repeal, alter, amend and rescind any or all of the Bylaws.
B. Number of Directors. Subject to any additional vote required by this certificate, the number of directors of the corporation will be determined in the manner set forth in the Bylaws.
C. Ballot. Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless the Bylaws so provide.
D. Meetings and Books. Meetings of stockholders may be held within or without the State of Delaware, as the Bylaws may provide. The books of the corporation may be kept outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board or in the Bylaws.
E. Deadlock. In the event of a deadlock of the Board, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Chairman of the Board shall have the right to cast the deciding vote in respect of any issue submitted to the Board, that is subject to Board approval or otherwise requires the approval of the Board.
16
ARTICLE 9
A. Limitation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. If the General Corporation Law or any other law of the State of Delaware is amended after approval by the stockholders of this Article 9 to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law as so amended. Any repeal or modification of the foregoing provisions of this Article 9 by the stockholders will not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the corporation existing at the time of, or increase the liability of any director of the corporation with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to, such repeal or modification.
B. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the corporation is authorized to provide indemnification of (and advancement of expenses to) directors, officers and agents of the corporation (and any other persons to which General Corporation Law permits the corporation to provide indemnification) through Bylaw provisions, agreements with such agents or other persons, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, in excess of the indemnification and advancement otherwise permitted by Section 145 of the General Corporation Law.
C. Modification. Any amendment, repeal, or modification of the foregoing provisions of this Article 9 will not adversely affect any right or protection of any director, officer or other agent of the Corporation existing at the time of such amendment, repeal or modification.
ARTICLE 10
The corporation renounces any interest or expectancy of the corporation in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, or in being informed about, an Excluded Opportunity. “Excluded Opportunity” means any matter, transaction or interest that is presented to, or acquired, created or developed by, or which otherwise comes into the possession of, (i) any director of the corporation who is not an employee of the corporation or any of its subsidiaries, or (ii) any holder of Preferred Stock or any affiliate, partner, member, director, stockholder, employee, agent or other related person of any such holder, other than someone who is an employee of the corporation or any of its subsidiaries (a “Covered Person”), unless such matter, transaction or interest is presented to, or acquired, created or developed by, or otherwise comes into the possession of, a Covered Person expressly and solely in such Covered Person’s capacity as a director of the corporation.
ARTICLE 11
The corporation is to have perpetual existence.
* * *
3. That the foregoing amendment and restatement was approved by the holders of the requisite number of shares of this corporation in accordance with Section 228 of the General Corporation Law.
4. That this Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which restates and integrates and further amends the provisions of this Corporation’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, has been duly adopted in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Second Amended and Restated Certificate of lncorporation has been executed by a duly authorized officer of this corporation on this 15th day of July, 2022.
By: | /s/ Braeden Lichti | |
Braeden Lichti, President |
17
Exhibit 3.3
THIRD AMENDED AND
RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
******
Adopted in accordance with the provisions of §242 of the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware
******
Elevai Labs, Inc. a corporation (the “Corporation”) organized and existing under and by virtue of the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”),
DOES HEREBY CERTIFY:
1. That the board of directors of the Corporation of the duly adopted resolutions proposing to amend and restate the second amended and restated certificate of incorporation of this Corporation subject to and immediately effective become effective upon the closing of the sale of shares of common stock of the Corporation, par value $0.0001 per share to the public in a firm-commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 as amended (the “Securities Act”), declaring said amendment and restatement to be advisable and in the best interests of this Corporation and its stockholders, and authorizing the proper officers of this Corporation to solicit the consent of the stockholders therefor, which resolution setting forth the proposed amendment and restatement of the certificate of incorporation of the Corporation is as follows:
RESOLVED, that this Amended and Restated Certificate shall become effective on the date of filing with Secretary of State of Delaware, subject to and effective upon the Corporation’s registration statement on Form S-1 (no. 333- ).
RESOLVED, that the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation be amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
FIRST: Name.
The name of the Corporation is Elevai Labs, Inc., (hereinafter, the “Corporation”).
SECOND: Registered Agent.
The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is The Corporation Service Company, 251 Little Falls Drive, City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19808, and the name of the registered agent of the Corporation at such address is The Corporation Service Company.
THIRD: Purpose.
The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).
FOURTH: Capitalization.
Section 4.1 Authorized Capital Stock.
The aggregate number of shares of capital stock that the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 375,000,000 (Three Hundred Seventy-Five Million), of which 300,000,000 (Three Hundred Million) shares are classified as common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), and 75,000,000 (Seventy Five Million) shares are classified as preferred stock, par value $0.00001 per share (“Preferred Stock”).
The Corporation may issue shares of any class or series of its capital stock from time to time for such consideration and for such corporate purposes as the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) may from time to time determine. The number of authorized shares of any class or classes of stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation, voting together as a single class, without a separate vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or any series thereof.
The following is a statement of the powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, of the Preferred Stock and the Common Stock:
Section 4.2 Common Stock. A statement of the designations of each class of Common Stock and the powers, preferences and rights and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof is as follows:
1. Dividends. Dividends may be paid on the Common Stock, as the Board of Directors shall from time to time determine, out of any assets of the Corporation available for such dividends after full cumulative dividends on all outstanding shares of capital stock of all series ranking senior to the Common Stock in respect of dividends and liquidation rights (referred to in this Section 4 as “stock ranking senior to the Common Stock”) have been paid, or declared and a sum sufficient for the payment thereof set apart, for all past quarterly dividend periods, and after or concurrently with making payment of or provision for dividends on the stock ranking senior to the Common Stock for the then current quarterly dividend period.
2. Subdivision or Combinations. If the Corporation in any manner subdivides or combines the outstanding shares of one class of Common Stock, the outstanding shares of the other class of Common Stock will be subdivided or combined in the same manner.
3. Distribution of Assets. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, or any reduction or decrease of its capital stock resulting in a distribution of assets to the holders of the Common Stock, after there shall have been paid to or set aside for the holders of the stock ranking senior to the Common Stock the full preferential amounts to which they are respectively entitled, the holders of the Common Stock shall be entitled to receive, pro rata, all of the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders. The Board of Directors may distribute in kind to the holders of the Common Stock such remaining assets of the Corporation, or may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or any of the remaining property and assets of the Corporation to any other corporation or other purchaser and receive payment therefor wholly or partly in cash or property, and/or in stock of any such corporation, and/or in obligations of such corporation or other purchaser, and may sell all or any part of the consideration received therefor and distribute the same or the proceeds thereof to the holders of the Common Stock.
3. Voting Rights. Subject to the voting rights expressly conferred under prescribed conditions upon the stock ranking senior to the Common Stock, the holders of the Common Stock shall exclusively possess full voting power for the election of directors and for all other purposes.
Section 4.3 Preferred Stock The Board of Directors is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, to provide for the issuance of shares of Preferred Stock in one or more series, and to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, and to fix for each such series the designation, power, preferences, and rights of the shares of each such series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors providing for the issue and powers, preferences and rights of such series (a “Preferred Stock Designation”) as may be permitted by applicable law. The Board of is authorized to increase or decrease the number of shares within each such series of Preferred Stock; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may not decrease the number of shares within a series of Preferred Stock below the number of shares within such series that is then outstanding.
The authority of the Board of Directors with respect to a Preferred Stock Designation of each such series of Preferred Stock shall include, but not be limited to, determination of the following:
(1) the distinctive designation and number of shares of that series;
(2) the rate of dividends (or the method of calculation thereof) payable with respect to shares of that series, the dates, terms and other conditions upon which such dividends shall be payable, and the relative rights of priority of such dividends to dividends payable on any other class or series of capital stock of the Corporation;
2
(3) the nature of the dividend payable with respect to shares of that series as cumulative, noncumulative or partially cumulative, and if cumulative or partially cumulative, from which date or dates and under what circumstances;
(4) whether shares of that series shall be subject to redemption, and, if made subject to redemption, the times, prices, rates, adjustments and other terms and conditions of such redemption (including the manner of selecting shares of that series for redemption if fewer than all shares of such series are to be redeemed);
(5) the rights of the holders of shares of that series in the event of voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation (which rights may be different if such action is voluntary than if it is involuntary), including the relative rights of priority in such event as to the rights of the holders of any other class or series of capital stock of the Corporation;
(6) the terms, amounts and other conditions of any sinking or similar purchase or other fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of that series;
(7) whether shares of that series shall be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock or other securities of the Corporation or of any other corporation or entity, and, if provision be made for conversion or exchange, the times, prices, rates, adjustments, and other terms and conditions of such conversion or exchange;
(8) the extent, if any, to which the holders of shares of that series shall be entitled (in addition to any voting rights required by law) to vote as a class or otherwise with respect to the election of directors or otherwise;
(9) the restrictions and conditions, if any, upon the issue or reissue of any additional Preferred Stock ranking on a parity with or prior to shares of that series as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up;
(10) any other repurchase obligations of the Corporation, subject to any limitations of applicable law; and
(11) any other designations, powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions of shares of that series.
Any of the Preferred Stock Designations may depend on facts ascertainable outside this Certificate of Incorporation, or outside the resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of such series of Preferred Stock adopted by the Board of Directors pursuant to authority expressly vested in it by this Certificate of Incorporation. Except as applicable law or this Certificate of Incorporation otherwise may require, holders of Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation filed with respect to any series of Preferred Stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together as a class with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon by law or pursuant to this Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation filed with respect to any series of Preferred Stock).
The relative powers, preferences and rights of each series of Preferred Stock in relation to the Preferred Stock Designations of each other series of Preferred Stock shall, in each case, be as fixed from time to time by the Board of Directors in the resolution or resolutions adopted pursuant to the authority granted in this Section 4.3 of this Article FOURTH, and the consent, by class or series vote or otherwise, of holders of Preferred Stock of such series of Preferred Stock as are from time to time outstanding shall not be required for the issuance by the Board of Directors of any other series of Preferred Stock, whether or not the powers, preferences and rights of such other series shall be fixed by the Board of Directors as senior to, or on a parity with, the powers, preferences and rights of such outstanding series, or any of them; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may provide in such resolution or resolutions adopted with respect to any series of Preferred Stock that the consent of holders of at least a majority (or such greater proportion as shall be therein fixed) of the outstanding shares of such series voting thereon shall be required for the issuance of shares of any or all other series of Preferred Stock.
Shares of any series of Preferred Stock shall have no voting rights except as required by law or as provided in the relative powers, preferences and rights of such series.
3
Section 4.4. Other Provisions Applicable to the Corporation’s Capital Stock.
1. Preemptive Rights. No holder of any stock of the Corporation shall be entitled as of right to purchase or subscribe for any part of any unissued or treasury stock of the Corporation, or of any additional stock of any class, to be issued by reason of any increase of the authorized capital stock of the Corporation, or to be issued from any unissued or additionally authorized stock, or of bonds, certificates of indebtedness, debentures or other securities convertible into stock of the Corporation, but any such unissued or treasury stock, or any such additional authorized issue of new stock or securities convertible into stock, may be issued and disposed of by the Board of Directors to such persons, firms, corporations or associations, and upon such terms as the Board of Directors may, in its discretion, determine, without offering to the stockholders then of record, or any class of stockholders, any thereof, on the same terms or any terms.
2. Votes Per Share. Any holder of Common Stock of the Corporation having the right to vote at any meeting of the stockholders or of any class or series thereof shall be entitled to one vote for each share of stock held by such holder of Common Stock, provided that no holder of Common Stock shall be entitled to cumulate votes for the election of one or more directors or for any other purpose.
FIFTH: Board of Directors.
Section 5.1. Directors. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors. In addition to the authority and powers conferred on the Board of Directors by the DGCL or by the other provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation, the Board of Directors is authorized and empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Corporation, subject to the provisions of the DGCL, this Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Corporation; provided, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted, or any amendments thereto, shall invalidate any prior act of the Board of Directors that would have been valid if such Bylaws or amendment had not been adopted.
Section 5.2. Number, Election and Terms of Directors. The number of directors that shall constitute the whole Board of Directors shall be fixed from time to time by a majority of the directors then in office, subject to an increase in the number of directors by reason of any provisions contained in or established pursuant to Article FOURTH, but in any event shall not be less than one nor more than 16, plus that number of directors who may be elected by the holders of any one or more series of Preferred Stock voting separately as a class pursuant to the provisions applicable in the case or arrearages in the payment of dividends or other defaults contained in this Certificate of Incorporation or the Board of Directors’ resolution providing for the establishment of any series of Preferred Stock. Each director shall hold office until the annual meeting of stockholders at which that director’s term expires and shall serve until his or her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal.
1. In the event of any change in the authorized number of directors, each director then continuing to serve as such shall nevertheless continue as a director until the expiration of his or her current term, or his or her earlier death, resignation or removal.
2. Election of directors need not be by written ballot unless the Bylaws of the Corporation so provide.
Section 5.3. Removal of Directors. No director of the Corporation may be removed from office as a director by vote or other action of the stockholders or otherwise except for cause, and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation generally entitled to vote in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Except as applicable law otherwise provides, cause for the removal of a director shall be deemed to exist only if the director whose removal is proposed: (i) has been convicted, or has been granted immunity to testify in any proceeding in which another has been convicted, of a felony by a court of competent jurisdiction and that conviction is no longer subject to direct appeal; (ii) has been found to have been negligent or guilty of misconduct in the performance of his or her duties to the Corporation in any matter of substantial importance to the Corporation by (A) the affirmative vote of at least eighty percent (80%) of the directors then in office at any meeting of the Board of Directors called for that purpose or (B) a court of competent jurisdiction; or (iii) has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to be mentally incompetent, which mental incompetency directly affects his or her ability to serve as a director of the Corporation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever holders of outstanding shares of one or more series of Preferred Stock are entitled to elect members of the Board of Directors voting separately as a class pursuant to the provisions applicable in the case of arrearages in the payment of dividends or other defaults contained in this Certificate of Incorporation or the Board of Directors’ resolution providing for the establishment of any series of Preferred Stock, any such director of the Corporation so elected may be removed in accordance with the provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation or that Board of Directors’ resolution. The foregoing provisions are subject to the terms of any series of Preferred Stock with respect to the directors to be elected solely by the holders of such series of Preferred Stock.
4
Section 5.4. Vacancies. Except as a Board of Directors’ resolution providing for the establishment of any series of Preferred Stock may provide otherwise, newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, removal, disqualification or other cause shall be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office, even though less than a quorum of the Board of Directors. Any director elected in accordance with the preceding sentence shall hold office for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the new directorship was created or the vacancy occurred and until that director’s successor shall have been elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. No decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent director. The foregoing provisions are subject to the terms of any Preferred Stock with respect to the directors to be elected solely by the holders of such Preferred Stock.
Section 5.5 Committees. Pursuant to the Bylaws of the Corporation, the Board may establish one or more committees to which may be delegated any or all of the powers and duties of the Board to the full extent permitted by law.
SIXTH: Special Meetings.
Unless otherwise provided by the DGCL, by this Certificate of Incorporation or by any provisions established pursuant to Article FOURTH hereof with respect to the rights of holders of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock, special meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation may be called at any time only by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, if there is one, or by the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the members of the Board of Directors, and no such special meeting may be called by any other person or persons.
SEVENTH: Limited Liability; Indemnification.
To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as it currently exists or may hereafter be amended, no director or officer of the Corporation shall be personally liable to the Corporation or any of its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer of the Corporation; provided, however, that this Article SEVENTH shall not eliminate or limit the liability of such a director (1) for any breach of such director’s or officer’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (3) under Section 174 or 102(b)(7)of the DGCL, as the same exists or as such provision may hereafter be amended, supplemented or replaced, or (4) for any transactions from which such director or officer derived an improper personal benefit. If the DGCL is amended after the filing of this Certificate of Incorporation to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation, in addition to the limitation on personal liability provided herein, shall be limited to the fullest extent permitted by such law, as so amended. Any repeal or modification of this Article SEVENTH by the stockholders of the Corporation shall be prospective only and shall not adversely affect any limitation on the personal liability of a director or officer of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.
EIGHTH: Bylaws.
In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred upon it by law, the Board shall have the power and is expressly authorized to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws in whole or in part. The affirmative vote of a majority of the Board shall be required to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws at a regular or special meeting of the Board called for that purpose. The Bylaws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders; provided, however, that in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required by law or by this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the affirmative vote of the shares representing not less than 66% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation generally entitled to vote in the election of directors, voting together as a single class; and provided further, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders shall invalidate any prior act of the Board that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.
5
NINTH: Compromise or Arrangement.
Whenever a compromise or arrangement is proposed between the Corporation and its creditors or any class of them and/or between the Corporation and its stockholders or any class of them, any court of equitable jurisdiction within the State of Delaware may, on the application in a summary way of the Corporation or of any creditor or stockholder thereof or on the application of any receiver or receivers appointed for the Corporation under the provisions of Section 291 of the DGCL or on the application of trustees in dissolution or of any receiver or receivers appointed for the Corporation under the provisions of Section 279 of the DGCL, order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or the stockholders or a class of stockholders of the Corporation as the case may be, to be summoned in such manner as the said court directs.
If a majority in number representing three-fourths in value of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of the Corporation, as the case may be, agrees to any compromise or arrangement and to any reorganization of the Corporation as a consequence of such compromise or arrangement, the said compromise or arrangement and the said reorganization shall, if sanctioned by the court to which said application has been made, be binding on all of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or the stockholders or class of stockholders, of the Corporation, as the case may be, and also on the Corporation.
TENTH: Exclusive Forum for Certain Lawsuits; Consent to Jurisdiction.
Section 10.1 Forum. Subject to the last sentence in this Section 10.1, and unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by the applicable law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder (including a beneficial owner) to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or this Amended and Restated Certificate or the By-Laws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the provisions of this Section 10.1 will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction and (ii) unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Section 10.2 Consent to Jurisdiction. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope of Section 10.1 immediately above is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a “Foreign Action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce Section 10.1 immediately above (an “FSC Enforcement Action”) and (ii) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such FSC Enforcement Action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such stockholder.
Section 10.3 Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Article X shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Article X (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of this Article X containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article X.
2. That the stockholders entitled to vote thereon approved the foregoing amendment by written consent in accordance with Sections 228 and 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
3. That this Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which restates and integrates and further amends the provisions of this Corporation's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, has been duly adopted in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law.
6
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Third Amended and Restated Certificate of lncorporation has been executed by a duly authorized officer of this corporation on this [--]th day of [---------] 2023.
Elevai Labs, Inc. | ||
a Delaware corporation | ||
By: | /s/ Jordan R. Plews | |
Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
Name: | Jordan R. Plews |
7
Exhibit 3.4
BYLAWS
OF
REACTIVE MEDICAL LABS INC.
a Delaware corporation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | |||
ARTICLE I OFFICES |
1 | ||
Section 1. | REGISTERED OFFICE AND PRINCIPAL OFFICE | 1 | |
Section 2. | OTHER OFFICES | 1 | |
Section 3. | REGISTERED AGENT | 1 | |
ARTICLE II MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS | 1 | ||
Section 1. | PLACE OF MEETINGS | 1 | |
Section 2. | ANNUAL MEETING | 1 | |
Section 3. | SPECIAL MEETING | 1 | |
Section 4. | ELECTRONIC MEETINGS | 2 | |
Section 5. | NOTICE OF STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETINGS | 3 | |
Section 6. | MANNER OF GIVING NOTICE; AFFIDAVIT OF NOTICE | 3 | |
Section 7. | QUORUM | 4 | |
Section 8. | ADJOURNED MEETING; NOTICE | 4 | |
Section 9. | VOTING | 4 | |
Section 10. | WAIVER OF NOTICE OR CONSENT BY ABSENT STOCKHOLDERS | 4 | |
Section 11. | STOCKHOLDER ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT WITHOUT A MEETING | 5 | |
Section 12. | RECORD DATE FOR STOCKHOLDER NOTICE, VOTING AND GIVING CONSENTS | 5 | |
Section 13. | PROXIES | 6 | |
Section 14. | INSPECTORS OF ELECTION | 6 | |
Section 15. | MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION OF STOCKHOLDER LIST | 6 | |
ARTICLE III DIRECTORS | 7 | ||
Section 1. | POWERS | 7 | |
Section 2. | NUMBER AND QUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS | 7 | |
Section 3. | VACANCIES; RESIGNATION | 7 | |
Section 4. | PLACE OF MEETINGS | 7 | |
Section 5. | REGULAR MEETINGS | 8 | |
Section 6. | SPECIAL MEETINGS | 8 | |
Section 7. | QUORUM | 8 | |
Section 8. | WAIVER OF NOTICE | 8 | |
Section 9. | ADJOURNMENT | 8 | |
Section 10. | NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT | 8 | |
Section 11. | ACTION WITHOUT MEETING | 8 | |
Section 12. | FEES AND COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS | 9 | |
ARTICLE IV COMMITTEES | 9 | ||
Section 1. | COMMITTEES OF DIRECTORS | 9 | |
Section 2. | MEETINGS AND ACTION OF COMMITTEES | 9 | |
ARTICLE V OFFICERS | 9 | ||
Section 1. | OFFICERS | 9 |
i
Section 2. | ELECTION OF OFFICERS | 9 | |
Section 3. | SUBORDINATE OFFICERS | 10 | |
Section 4. | REMOVAL AND RESIGNATION OF OFFICERS | 10 | |
Section 5. | VACANCIES IN OFFICES | 10 | |
Section 6. | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD | 10 | |
Section 7. | PRESIDENT | 10 | |
Section 8. | VICE PRESIDENTS | 10 | |
Section 9. | SECRETARY | 11 | |
Section 10. | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 11 | |
ARTICLE VI INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND OTHER AGENTS | 11 | ||
Section 1. | INDEMNIFICATION; RIGHT OF INDEMNITY | 11 | |
Section 2. | ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES | 12 | |
Section 3. | RIGHTS NOT EXCLUSIVE | 12 | |
Section 4. | INSURANCE | 12 | |
Section 5. | DEFINED TERMS | 13 | |
Section 6. | CONTINUATION OF INDEMNIFICATION | 13 | |
Section 7. | BOARD AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED | 13 | |
ARTICLE VII RECORDS AND REPORTS | 13 | ||
Section 1. | MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION OF RECORD OF STOCKHOLDERS | 13 | |
Section 2. | INSPECTION BY DIRECTORS | 14 | |
Section 3. | ANNUAL STATEMENT OF INFORMATION | 14 | |
ARTICLE VIII GENERAL CORPORATE MATTERS | 14 | ||
Section 1. | RECORD DATE FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN NOTICE AND VOTING | 14 | |
Section 2. | CHECKS, DRAFTS, EVIDENCES OF INDEBTEDNESS | 14 | |
Section 3. | CORPORATE CONTRACTS AND INSTRUMENTS; HOW EXECUTED | 14 | |
Section 4. | CERTIFICATES FOR SHARES | 14 | |
Section 5. | LOST CERTIFICATES | 14 | |
Section 6. | CONSTRUCTION AND DEFINITIONS | 15 | |
Section 7. | EMERGENCY PROVISIONS | 15 | |
ARTICLE IX AMENDMENTS | 15 | ||
Section 1. | AMENDMENT BY STOCKHOLDERS OR DIRECTORS | 15 | |
ARTICLE X RESTRICTION ON TRANSFER OF SHARES | 16 | ||
Section 1. | RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL | 16 | |
Section 2. | SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS | 16 |
ii
BYLAWS
OF
REACTIVE MEDICAL LABS INC.
ARTICLE I
OFFICES
Section 1. REGISTERED OFFICE AND PRINCIPAL OFFICE. The registered office of the corporation in the State of Delaware shall be c/o Corporation Service Company, 251 Little Falls Drives, Wilmington, Delaware 19808 or such other place as the Board of Directors may designate. The Board of Directors shall fix the location of the principal executive office of the corporation at any place within or outside the State of Delaware.
Section 2. OTHER OFFICES. The Board of Directors may establish branches or subordinate offices at any place in Delaware or otherwise.
Section 3. REGISTERED AGENT. The registered agent of the corporation in the State of Delaware is Corporation Service Company.
ARTICLE II
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
Section 1. PLACE OF MEETINGS. Meetings of stockholders shall be held at any place within or outside the State of Delaware designated by the Board of Directors. In the absence of any designation, stockholders’ meetings shall be held at the principal executive office of the corporation. If authorized by the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, and subject to the requirements of consent in Section 212(c)(2) of the General Corporation Law of Delaware and such guidelines and procedures as the Board of Directors may adopt, stockholders not physically present in person or by proxy at a meeting of stockholders may participate in a meeting of stockholders by electronic (i) transmission by and to the corporation or (ii) video screen communication, be deemed present in person or by proxy and vote at the meeting of stockholders, whether that meeting is held at a designated place or, in whole or part, by means of electronic transmission by and to the corporation or video screen communication.
Section 2. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of stockholders shall be held each year on the second Tuesday of June. At each annual meeting, directors shall be elected and any other proper business, which is within the powers of the stockholders, may be transacted.
Section 3. SPECIAL MEETING. A special meeting of the stockholders may be called at any time by the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Board, President or one or more stockholders holding shares in the aggregate entitled to cast not less than a majority of the votes at that meeting.
1
Section 4. ELECTRONIC MEETINGS.
A. A meeting of the stockholders may be conducted, in whole or in part, by electronic transmission by and to the corporation or video screen communication if (i) the corporation implements reasonable measures to provide stockholders (in person or by proxy) a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting concurrently with those proceedings and (ii) any stockholder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of electronic transmission to the corporation or video screen communication, a record of that vote or action is maintained by the corporation. Any request by the corporation to a stockholder pursuant to Section 215(e) of the General Corporation Law of Delaware for consent to conduct a meeting of stockholders by electronic transmission by and to the corporation shall include a notice that absent receipt of an unrevoked consent to the use of electronic transmissions from the stockholder, the meeting shall be held at a physical location in accordance with the provisions of Section 1 of this Article II.
B. | “Electronic transmission by the corporation” means a communication: |
(1) | delivered by: |
(i) | facsimile telecommunication or electronic mail when directed to the facsimile number or electronic mail address, respectively, for that recipient on record with the corporation; |
(ii) | posting on an electronic message board or network which the corporation has designated for those communications, together with a separate notice to the recipient of the posting, which transmission shall be validly delivered upon the later of the posting or delivery of the separate notice thereof; or |
(iii) | other means of electronic communication other than telephones; |
(2) | to a recipient who has provided an unrevoked consent to the use of those means of transmission for communications pursuant to the General Corporation Law of Delaware; and |
(3) | that creates a record that is capable of retention, retrieval, and review, and may thereafter be rendered into clearly legible tangible form. |
C. However, an electronic transmission by a corporation to a stockholder under the General Corporation Law of Delaware is not authorized unless, in addition to satisfying the requirements of Article II Section 4(b), the transmission satisfies the requirements applicable to consumer consent to electronic records as set forth in the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (15 U.S.C.A § 7001(c)(1)), as the same may be amended.
D. | “Electronic transmission to the corporation” means a communication: |
(1) | delivered by: |
(i) | facsimile telecommunication or electronic mail when directed to the facsimile number or electronic mail address, respectively, which the corporation has provided to stockholders and directors for sending communications to the corporation; |
2
(ii) | posting on an electronic message board or network which the corporation has designated for those communications and which transmission shall be validly delivered upon the posting; or |
(iii) | other means of electronic communication other than telephones; |
(2) | as to which the corporation has placed in effect reasonable measures to verify that the sender is the stockholder (in person or by proxy) or director purporting to send the transmission; and |
(3) | that creates a record that is capable of retention, retrieval and review, and may thereafter be rendered into clearly legible tangible form. |
Section 5. NOTICE OF STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETINGS.
A. All notices of meetings of stockholders shall be sent or otherwise given in accordance with Section 6 of this Article II and not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting. The notice shall specify the place, date and hour of the meeting, means of electronic transmission by and to the corporation or video screen communication (if any) by which stockholders may participate in the meeting and in the case of (i) a special meeting, the general nature of the business to be transacted or (ii) annual meeting, those matters which the Board of Directors, at the time of giving the notice, intends to present for action by the stockholders. The notice of any meeting at which directors are to be elected shall include the name of any nominees whom, at the time of the notice, management intends to present for election.
B. If action is proposed to be taken at any meeting for approval of (i) a contract or transaction in which a director has a direct or indirect material financial interest, (ii) an amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation of the corporation, (iii) an election to voluntarily wind up and dissolve the corporation or (iv) a distribution in dissolution other than in accordance with the rights of holders of outstanding preferred stock as set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation of the corporation, the notice shall also state the general nature of that proposal.
Section 6. MANNER OF GIVING NOTICE; AFFIDAVIT OF NOTICE.
A. Notice of any meeting of stockholders shall be given either in person, by electronic transmission by the corporation, first-class mail or other means of written communication, charges prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the address of that stockholder appearing on the books of the corporation or given by the stockholder to the corporation for the purpose of notice. Notice shall be deemed to have been given at the time when delivered personally, sent by electronic transmission by the corporation, deposited in the mail or sent by other means of written communication. An affidavit of the Secretary, Assistant Secretary or transfer agent of the corporation that the notice has been given shall, in the absence of fraud, be prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein.
B. | Notice given by electronic transmission by the corporation must comply with Section |
232 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware. Notice shall not be given by electronic transmission by the corporation if the (i) corporation is unable to deliver two (2) consecutive notices to the stockholder by electronic transmission or (ii) inability to so deliver the electronic notices to the stockholder becomes known to the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary, transfer agent or other person responsible for giving the notice.
3
Section 7. QUORUM. The presence of the holders (in person or by proxy) of a majority of the shares entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The stockholders present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to do business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough stockholders to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by holders of at least a majority of the shares required to constitute a quorum.
Section 8. ADJOURNED MEETING; NOTICE. Any stockholders’ meeting may be adjourned by the vote of the majority of the shares represented at that meeting (either in person or by proxy), whether or not a quorum is present. In the absence of a quorum and except as provided in Section 7 of this Article III, no other business may be transacted at the meeting. If the time and place (or means of electronic transmission by and to the corporation or video screen communication by which the stockholders may participate) are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken and unless (i) a new record date for the adjourned meeting is fixed or (ii) the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days from the date set for the original meeting (in which case the Board of Directors shall set a new record date), notice need not be given when any meeting of stockholders is adjourned to another time and place. If (i) the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days or (ii) a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of such meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting in accordance with the provisions of Sections 5 and 6 of this Article II. At any adjourned meeting the corporation may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting.
Section 9. VOTING.
A. The stockholders entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Section 12 of this Article II, subject to the provisions of Sections 217 and 218 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware (relating to voting shares held by a fiduciary, pledgors, in joint ownership or bound by voting trusts or voting agreements). The stockholders’ vote may be by voice or by ballot, provided that any election for directors must be by ballot. On any matter other than election of directors, any stockholder may vote part of the shares in favor of the proposal and refrain from voting the remaining shares, or vote them against the proposal. If the stockholder fails to specify the number of shares which the stockholder is voting affirmatively, it will be conclusively presumed that the stockholder’s approving vote is with respect to all shares that the stockholder is entitled to vote. If a quorum is present and unless the vote of a greater number or voting by classes is required by the General Corporation Law of Delaware, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, the affirmative vote of the majority of the shares represented at the meeting and entitled to vote on any matter (other than the election of directors) shall be the act of the stockholders. Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present (in person or represented by proxy) at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors.
Section 10. WAIVER OF NOTICE OR CONSENT BY ABSENT STOCKHOLDERS. If (i) a quorum be present (either in person or by proxy) and (ii) either before or after the meeting each person entitled to vote who was not present (in person or by proxy) signs a written waiver of notice, a consent to a holding of the meeting or an approval of the Minutes, the transactions of any meeting of stockholders, however called and noticed and wherever held, shall be as valid as though held at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice. If action is taken or proposed for approval of any matters specified in subparagraph B of Section 5 of this Article II, the waiver of notice or consent shall state the general nature of the proposal. Otherwise, the waiver of notice, consent or approval of the Minutes need not specify the business to be transacted or purpose of the meeting of stockholders. All such waivers, consents or approvals shall be filed with the corporate records or made a part of the Minutes of the meeting. Except when a person objects, at the beginning of the meeting, (i) to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened and (ii) the objection is expressly made at the meeting that such person’s attendance at the meeting is not a waiver of any right to object to the consideration of matters not included in the notice of the meeting, attendance by a person at a meeting shall also constitute a waiver of notice of that meeting.
4
Section 11. STOCKHOLDER ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT WITHOUT A MEETING.
A. If a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by the holders of outstanding shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote on that action were present and voted, any action which may be taken at a meeting of stockholders may be taken without a meeting and prior notice. In the case of election of directors, such a consent shall be effective only if signed by the holders of all outstanding shares entitled to vote for the election of directors, provided that a director may be elected at any time to fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors that has not been filled by the directors, other than a vacancy caused by removal, by the written consent of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote for the election of directors. All such consents shall be filed with the Secretary of the corporation and maintained in the corporate records.
B. If the (i) consents of all stockholders entitled to vote have not been solicited in writing, any action taken pursuant to subparagraph A of Section 11 of this Article II or (ii) unanimous written consent of all such stockholders have not been received, the Secretary shall give prompt notice of the corporate action approved by the stockholders without a meeting. This notice shall be given in the manner specified in Section 6 of this Article II.
Section 12. RECORD DATE FOR STOCKHOLDER NOTICE, VOTING AND GIVING CONSENTS.
A. For purposes of determining the stockholders entitled to notice of any meeting or vote at any meeting of stockholders, or any adjournment thereof, the Board of Directors may fix in advance, a record date which shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors. Such record date shall not be more than sixty (60) days nor less than ten (10) days before the date of any such meeting. If the Board of Directors does not fix a record date, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the business day next preceding the day on which notice is given. If notice is waived, then at the close of business on the business day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held.
B. For purposes of determining the stockholders entitled to consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, the Board of Directors may fix in advance, a record date which shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors and shall not be more than ten (10) days after the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors does not so fix a record date, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to give consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, when (i) no prior action by the Board is necessary, shall be the day on which the first written consent is given and (ii) prior action by the Board is necessary, shall be at the close of business on the day the Board adopts the resolution taking such prior action.
5
C. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting, provided that the Board of Directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.
Provisions governing record dates for other purposes are located in Section 1 of Article VIII.
Section 13. PROXIES. Every person entitled to vote for directors or on any matter shall have the right to do so in person or by one or more agents authorized by a written proxy signed by the person and filed with the Secretary of the corporation. A proxy shall be deemed signed if the stockholder’s name is placed on the proxy (whether by manual signature, typewriting, telegraphic transmission or otherwise) by the stockholder or the stockholder’s attorney-in-fact. A validly executed proxy which does not state that it is irrevocable shall continue in full force and effect unless (i) revoked by the person executing it before the vote pursuant to that proxy, by a writing delivered to the corporation stating that the proxy is revoked, or by a subsequent proxy executed by, or attendance at the meeting and voting in person by, the person executing the proxy or (ii) written notice of the death or incapacity of the maker of that proxy is received by the corporation before the vote pursuant to that proxy is counted, provided that no proxy shall be valid after the expiration of three (3) years from the date of the proxy, unless otherwise provided in the proxy. The revocability of a proxy that states on its face that it is irrevocable shall be governed by the provisions of Section 212 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
Section 14. INSPECTORS OF ELECTION. The corporation shall, in advance of any meeting of stockholders, appoint one (1) or more inspectors to act at the meeting and make a written report thereof. The corporation may designate one (1) or more persons as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspector or alternate is able to act at a meeting of stockholders, the person presiding at the meeting shall appoint one (1) or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Before entering upon the discharge of the duties of inspector, each inspector shall take and sign an oath to faithfully execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of such inspector’s ability.
Section 15. MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION OF STOCKHOLDER LIST. The officer who has charge of the stock ledger of the corporation shall, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of stockholders, prepare and make a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, (i) arranged in alphabetical order and (ii) showing the address of each stockholder and number of shares registered in such stockholder’s name. For a period of at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting, the stockholder list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours at a place within the city where the meeting is to be held as specified in the notice of the meeting, or if not specified, at the place where the meeting is to be held. The list shall also be kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder who is present.
6
ARTICLE III
DIRECTORS
Section 1. POWERS. Subject to the provisions of the General Corporation Law of Delaware and any limitations in the Certificate of Incorporation and these Bylaws relating to actions required to be approved by the stockholders or outstanding shares, the business and affairs of the corporation shall be managed, and all corporate powers shall be exercised, by or under the direction of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. NUMBER AND QUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS. The number of directors which shall constitute the whole Board of Directors shall be no less than four (4) or more than seven (7). Within the limits specified above, the number of directors shall be determined by resolution of the Board of Directors. Except as provided in Section 3 of this Article, the directors shall be elected at the annual meeting of the stockholders and hold office until such director’s successor is elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal. Directors need not be stockholders. Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation, these Bylaws, or any Stockholders Agreement, any or all directors can be removed with or without cause by the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares.
Section 3. VACANCIES; RESIGNATION.
A. Vacancies on the Board of Directors shall be deemed to exist in the event of (i) the death, resignation or removal of any director, (ii) if the authorized number of directors is increased or (iii) if the stockholders fail, at any meeting of stockholders at which directors are elected, to elect the number of directors to be voted for at that meeting or(iv) if any director duly elected shall refuse in writing to accept the position.
B. Except that a vacancy created by the removal of a director without cause may be filled only by the affirmative vote of the stockholders entitled to elect such director by the Certificate of Incorporation, vacancies on the Board of Directors may be filled by a majority of the remaining (though less than a quorum) directors or the sole remaining director. Each director elected to fill a vacancy shall hold office until the next annual meeting of the stockholders and a successor has been elected and qualified. Unless the notice specifies a later time for resignation to become effective, any director may resign effective on giving written notice to the Chairman of the Board, President, Secretary or Board of Directors. If the resignation of a director is effective at a future time, the Board of Directors may elect a successor to take office when the resignation becomes effective.
Section 4. PLACE OF MEETINGS. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at any place, within or outside the State of Delaware, that has been designated by resolution of the Board. In the absence of such a designation, regular meetings shall be held at the principal executive office of the corporation. Special meetings of the Board shall be held at any place, within or outside the State of Delaware, that has been designated in the notice of the meeting or, if not stated in the notice or there is no notice, at the principal executive office of the corporation. Any meeting may be held by conference telephone, electronic video screen communication or electronic transmission by and to the corporation. As long as all members participating in the meeting are able to hear one another, participation in a meeting through use of conference telephone or electronic video screen communication constitutes presence in person at the meeting. If each member participating in the meeting (i) can communicate with all the other members concurrently and (ii) is provided the means of participating in all matters before the board, including without limitation, the capacity to propose or interpose an objection to a specific action to be taken by the corporation. Participation in a meeting through electronic transmission by and to the corporation (other than conference telephone and electronic video screen communication) constitutes presence in person at the meeting.
7
Section 5. REGULAR MEETINGS. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held without call at such time as shall be fixed by the Board of Directors. Such regular meetings may be held without notice.
Section 6. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Unless the Board consists of only one (1) director, in which case special meetings may be called by such sole director, special meetings of the Board of Directors for any purpose may be called at any time by (i) the Chairman of the Board, (ii) the President or (iii) any two (2) directors. At least four (4) days before the meeting if notice is mailed, twenty four (24) hours before the meeting if notice is given by telephone, hand delivery, facsimile, electronic mail or other means of electronic transmission, charges prepaid and addressed to each director at that director’s address as shown on the records of the corporation, notice of the time, date and place of special meetings shall be given by the persons calling the meeting, orally, in writing or electronic transmission (including electronic mail). Any oral notice given personally or by telephone must be communicated to the director. Unless otherwise indicated in the notice, any business may be transacted at a special meeting.
Section 7. QUORUM. Except to adjourn as provided in Section 9 of this Article III, a majority of the authorized number of directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Subject to the provisions of the General Corporation Law of Delaware and these Bylaws which require stockholder approval, every act taken or decision made by the majority of the directors present at a meeting duly held at which a quorum is present shall be regarded as the act of the Board of Directors. If any action taken is approved by at least a majority of the required quorum for that meeting at which a quorum is initially present, the meeting may continue to transact business notwithstanding the withdrawal of directors.
Section 8. WAIVER OF NOTICE. If a quorum is present and each of the directors not present signs a written waiver of notice before or after the meeting, the transactions of any meeting of the Board of Directors, however called and noticed or wherever held, shall be as valid as though held at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice. The waiver of notice need not specify the purpose of the meeting. All such waivers, consents and approvals shall be filed with the corporate records or made a part of the Minutes of the meeting. Except when the director attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened, notice of a meeting shall be deemed given to any director who attends the meeting.
Section 9. ADJOURNMENT. A majority of the directors present at a meeting of the Board of Directors, whether or not constituting a quorum, may adjourn any meeting to another time and place.
Section 10. NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT. Unless the meeting is adjourned for more than twenty-four (24) hours, in which case notice of the time and place shall be given before the time of the adjourned meeting in the manner specified in Section 6 of this Article III, notice of the time and place of holding an adjourned meeting need not be given to the directors who were not present at the time of the adjournment.
Section 11. ACTION WITHOUT MEETING. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the Board of Directors may be taken without a meeting, if all members of the Board shall individually or collectively consent in writing to that action and such written consent or consents are filed with the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Board.
8
Section 12. FEES AND COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS. Directors and members of committees may receive such compensation for their services and reimbursement of expenses, as may be determined by resolution of the Board of Directors. This Section 12 shall not be construed to preclude any director from serving the corporation in any other capacity as an officer, agent, employee or otherwise and receiving compensation for those services. Members of special or standing committees may receive like compensation and reimbursement of expenses for attending committee meetings.
ARTICLE IV
COMMITTEES
Section 1. COMMITTEES OF DIRECTORS. The Board of Directors may, by resolution adopted by a majority of the authorized number of directors, designate committees of one or more directors to serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Board may designate directors as alternate members who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. In the absence or disqualification of a member of a committee, the members thereof present at any meeting not disqualified from voting, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board of Directors to act at the meeting in the place of such absent or disqualified member, whether or not they constitute a quorum. To the extent provided in the resolution of the Board, committees shall have all the authority of the Board, except with respect to:
(a) | the approval, adoption or recommendation to the stockholders of any action which requires stockholder approval under these Bylaws or the General Corporation Law of Delaware, and |
(b) | the amendment or repeal of Bylaws or the adoption of new Bylaws. |
Section 2. MEETINGS AND ACTION OF COMMITTEES. Meetings and action of committees shall be governed by the provisions of Article III of these Bylaws, Sections 4 through 11 with such changes in the context necessary to substitute the committee and its members for the Board of Directors and its members. Except that the time of regular meetings of committees may be determined either by resolution of the Board of Directors or committee, special meetings of committees may also be called by committee. The Board of Directors may adopt rules, which are not inconsistent with the provisions of these Bylaws, for the government of any committee .
ARTICLE V
OFFICERS
Section 1. OFFICERS. The officers of the corporation shall be a President, Secretary and Treasurer or Chief Financial Officer. At the sole discretion of the Board of Directors, the corporation may also have a Chairman of the Board, Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries, Assistant Treasurers and such other officers as may be appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 of this Article V. Unless the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws otherwise provide, any number of offices may be held by the same person .
Section 2. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Except such officers as may be appointed in accordance with the provisions of Sections 3 or 5 of this Article V, the officers of the corporation shall be chosen by the Board of Directors and shall serve at the pleasure of the Board.
9
Section 3. SUBORDINATE OFFICERS. The Board of Directors may appoint such other officers as the business of the corporation may require, each of whom shall hold office for such period, have such authority and perform such duties as are provided in these Bylaws or as the Board of Directors may determine.
Section 4. REMOVAL AND RESIGNATION OF OFFICERS.
A. | Any officer may be removed by the Board at any meeting, with or without cause. |
B. | Any officer may resign at any time by giving written notice to the corporation. Unless otherwise specified in the notice, any resignation shall take effect at the date of the receipt of that notice or a later time specified in that notice. The acceptance of the resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective. |
Section 5. VACANCIES IN OFFICES. A vacancy in any office due to death, resignation, removal, disqualification or other cause shall be filled in the manner prescribed in these Bylaws for regular appointments to that office.
Section 6. CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. If a Chairman of the Board is elected and is present, such Chairman of the Board shall preside at meetings of the Board of Directors and exercise powers and perform duties as may be assigned by the Board of Directors or prescribed by these Bylaws. If there is no President, the Chairman of the Board shall also be the Chief Executive Officer of the corporation and have the powers and duties prescribed in Section 7 of this Article V. In the event of a deadlock of the Board of Directors, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Chairman of the Board shall have the right to cast the deciding vote in respect of any issue submitted to the Board of Directors, that is subject to approval of the Board of Directors or otherwise requires the approval of the Board of Directors.
Section 7. PRESIDENT. Unless the Board of Directors elects another person as Chief Executive Officer of the corporation, and subject to the (i) supervisory powers as may be given by the Board of Directors to the Chairman of the Board and (ii) control of the Board of Directors, the President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the corporation and have general supervision, direction and control of the business and officers of the corporation. The President shall preside at all meetings of the stockholders; in the absence of the Chairman of the Board, at all meetings of the Board of Directors. The President shall have the general powers and duties of management usually vested in the office of President of a corporation and powers and duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors or Bylaws.
Section 8. VICE PRESIDENTS. In the absence or disability of the President, the Vice Presidents, in order of their rank as fixed by the Board of Directors, or if not ranked, a Vice President designated by the Board of Directors, shall perform all the powers of, and be subject to all the restrictions upon, the President. The Vice Presidents shall have other powers and perform duties as may be prescribed for them by the Board of Directors or the Bylaws.
10
Section 9. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal executive office or such other place as the Board of Directors may direct, a Minute Book of (i) all meetings with the time and place of holding whether regular or special; if special, how authorized, the notice given, the names of those present at meetings, the number of shares present or represented at stockholders’ meetings and the proceedings. The Secretary shall also keep or cause to be kept a record of stockholders or duplicate record of stockholders at the principal executive office or office of the corporation’s transfer agent or registrar (as determined by resolution of the Board of Directors), showing the (i) names of all stockholders, (ii) their addresses, (iii) number and classes of shares held by each, (iv) number and date of certificates issued for the same and (v) the number and date of cancellation of every certificate surrendered for cancellation. The Secretary shall also give or cause to be given notice of all meetings of the stockholders and Board of Directors required by the Bylaws or by law. The Secretary shall also keep the seal of the corporation in safe custody and have other powers and perform other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors, President or Bylaws.
Section 10. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER. The Chief Financial Officer shall keep and maintain or cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct books and records of accounts of the properties and business transactions of the corporation, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, capital, retained earnings and shares. The Chief Financial Officer shall deposit all monies and valuables in the name, and to the credit of, the corporation with depositories as may be designated by the Board of Directors. The Chief Financial Officer shall disburse the funds of the corporation as ordered by the Board of Directors and at the directors’ request, render to them an account of all of such Chief Financial Officer’s transactions as Chief Financial Officer and of the financial condition of the corporation. The Chief Financial Officer shall have such powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors or Bylaws.
ARTICLE VI
INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS,
OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND OTHER AGENTS
Section 1. INDEMNIFICATION; RIGHT OF INDEMNITY.
A. The corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by, or in the right of, the corporation) by reason of the fact that such person (i) is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or (ii) is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, if such person acted in good faith and a manner such person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not of itself create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that such person’s conduct was unlawful.
11
B. The corporation shall indemnify any person who (i) was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor, by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or (ii) is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation; unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery of Delaware or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that despite the adjudication of liability, but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such Court of Chancery or other court shall deem proper, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of such person duty to the corporation.
C. To the extent that a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation shall be successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any (i) action, suit or proceeding referred to in subparagraphs A and B or (ii) claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
D. Unless ordered by a court, any indemnification under subparagraphs A and B shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case and upon a determination that indemnification of the director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subparagraphs A and B. Such determination shall be made (i) by the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, (ii) if such a quorum is not obtainable or even if obtainable, a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, (iii) by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iv) by the stockholders. The corporation, acting through its Board of Directors or otherwise, shall cause such determination to be made if so requested by any person who is indemnifiable under this Article VI.
Section 2. ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES. Expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, as authorized by the Board of Directors, in the manner provided in subparagraph D of Section 1 of this Article VI; upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director, officer, employee or agent to repay such amount unless it shall ultimately be determined that such person is entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this Article VI.
Section 3. RIGHTS NOT EXCLUSIVE. The indemnification provided by this Article VI shall not be deemed exclusive of rights to which those indemnified may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and another capacity while holding such office, and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of such person’s heirs, executors and administrators.
Section 4. INSURANCE. The Board of Directors may authorize the corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was (i) a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or (ii) serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred in such capacity or arising out of such person’s status as such (whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of this Article VI) by a vote of a majority of a quorum of the Board of Directors
12
Section 5.DEFINED TERMS.
A. For the purposes of this Article VI, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Article VI with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
B. For purposes of this section, references to (i) “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans, (ii) “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan, (iii) “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on or involves services by such person with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.
Section 6. CONTINUATION OF INDEMNIFICATION. Unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by or granted pursuant to this Article VI shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of such person’s heirs, executors and administrators.
Section 7. BOARD AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED. Only if an action, suit, proceeding or part thereof was authorized by the Board of Directors, the corporation shall be required to indemnify a person in connection with such action, suit, proceeding or part thereof initiated by such person.
ARTICLE VII
RECORDS AND REPORTS
Section 1. MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION OF RECORD OF STOCKHOLDERS. The corporation shall keep at its principal executive office or office of its transfer agent or registrar, as determined by the Board of Directors, a record of its stockholders giving the stockholders’ (i) names, (ii) addresses, (iii) and number and class of shares held. Upon written demand under oath stating the proper purpose thereof, any stockholder shall have the right to inspect the corporation’s stock ledger, list of stockholders and other books and records, during ordinary business hours .
13
Section 2. INSPECTION BY DIRECTORS. For a purpose reasonably related to such person’s position as director, every director shall have the right to inspect the corporation’s stock ledger, list of stockholders and other books and records.
Section 3. ANNUAL STATEMENT OF INFORMATION. The corporation shall timely file periodic reports, filings and statements on the prescribed forms, as required by General Corporation Law of Delaware, with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
ARTICLE VIII
GENERAL CORPORATE MATTERS
Section 1. RECORD DATE FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN NOTICE AND VOTING. For purposes of determining the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or distribution, allotment of rights or entitled to exercise rights in respect of any lawful action and notwithstanding any transfer of any shares on the books of the corporation after the record date (except as otherwise provided in the General Corporation Law of Delaware), the Board of Directors may in advance fix a record date which shall not be more than sixty (60) days before such action, and in that case only stockholders of record at the close of business on the date so fixed, are entitled to receive the dividend or distribution, allotment of rights or exercise the rights. If the Board of Directors does not fix a record date, the record date for determining stockholders for any purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board adopts the resolution related thereto.
Section 2. CHECKS, DRAFTS, EVIDENCES OF INDEBTEDNESS. All checks, drafts or other orders for payment of money, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of or payable to the corporation shall be signed or endorsed by such persons and in such manner as shall be determined by resolution of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. CORPORATE CONTRACTS AND INSTRUMENTS; HOW EXECUTED. Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, the Board of Directors may authorize any officers or agents, in the name of and on behalf of the corporation, to enter into any contract or execute any instrument; this authority may be general or confined to specific instances. Unless authorized or ratified by the Board of Directors or within the agency power of an officer, no officer, agent or employee shall have any power or authority to bind the corporation by any contract or engagement, pledge its credit or render it liable for any purpose or for any amount.
Section 4. CERTIFICATES FOR SHARES. Every holder of stock of the corporation shall be entitled to have a certificate signed in the name of the corporation by the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board, President or Vice President and Treasurer or Chief Financial Officer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary certifying the number of shares and class or series of shares owned by the stockholder. Any of the signatures on the certificate may be facsimile. Any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed, or whose facsimile signature has been placed on, a certificate shall have ceased to be that officer, transfer agent or registrar before that certificate is issued, it may be issued by the corporation with the same effect as if that person were an officer, transfer agent or registrar at the date of issue.
Section 5. LOST CERTIFICATES. Except as provided in this Section 5 and unless an old certificate is surrendered to the corporation and canceled at the same time, no new certificates for shares shall be issued to replace an old certificate. If any share certificate or certificate for other security is lost, stolen or destroyed, the Board of Directors may authorize the issuance of a replacement certificate, on such terms and conditions as the Board requires and including provision for indemnification of the corporation secured by a bond, or other adequate security, sufficient to protect the corporation against any claim that may be made against it; including any expense or liability, on account of the alleged loss, theft, or destruction of the certificate or the issuance of the replacement certificate.
14
Section 6. CONSTRUCTION AND DEFINITIONS. Unless the context requires otherwise, the general provisions, rules of construction, and definitions in the General Corporation Law of Delaware shall govern the construction of these Bylaws. Without limiting the generality of this provision, the singular number includes the plural, the plural number includes the singular, the term “person” includes both a corporation and a natural person and pronouns of the masculine gender include pronouns of the feminine gender.
Section 7. EMERGENCY PROVISIONS. During any emergency resulting from an attack on the United States, a locality in which the corporation conducts its business or customarily holds meetings of its Board of Directors or its stockholders; during any nuclear or atomic disaster, the existence of any catastrophe or other similar emergency condition, as a result of which a quorum of the Board of Directors or a standing committee cannot readily be convened for action, a meeting of the Board of Directors or committee thereof may be called by any officer or director. Such notice may be given only to the directors or members of the committee as is feasible to reach at the time, and by such means as is feasible at the time including, without limitation, publication or radio. The directors in attendance at the meeting of the Board of Directors and the members of the committee in attendance at the meeting of the committee shall constitute a quorum. If none are in attendance at the meeting, the officers or other persons designated on a list approved by the Board of Directors before the emergency, all in order of priority and subject to such conditions and for such period of time (no longer than reasonably necessary after the termination of the emergency) as provided in the resolution approving the list, shall be deemed directors or committee members, to the extent required to provide a quorum at any meeting of the Board of Directors or of a committee thereof, of the meeting. In the absence of a designation by the Board of Directors, the order of priority of such officers shall be as follows: Chief Executive Officer, President, Vice President, Treasurer or Chief Financial Officer, Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, Controller and Assistant Secretary. Before or during any emergency, the Board of Directors may provide and modify lines of succession in the event that during such emergency any officers or agents of the corporation shall be rendered incapable of discharging their duties. Before or during the emergency, the Board of Directors may change the principal executive office or designate several alternative offices or authorize the officers so to do, effective in the emergency.
ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. AMENDMENT BY STOCKHOLDERS OR DIRECTORS. These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed or new Bylaws adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the stockholders or Board of Directors (when such power is conferred upon the Board of Directors by the Certificate of Incorporation) at any regular meeting of the stockholders or Board of Directors, or at any special meeting of the stockholders or Board of Directors at which a quorum is present, provided that notice of such alteration, amendment, repeal or adoption of new Bylaws be contained in the notice of the special meeting. If the power to adopt, amend or repeal Bylaws is conferred upon the Board of Directors by the Certificate of Incorporation, it shall not divest or limit the power of stockholders to adopt, amend or repeal Bylaws.
15
ARTICLE X
RESTRICTION ON TRANSFER OF SHARES
Section 1. RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL. Before there can be a valid sale or transfer of any shares of this corporation by the holder thereof, the holder of the shares to be sold or transferred shall first give notice in writing to the Secretary of this corporation of his intention to sell or transfer such shares (the “Sale Notice”). The Sale Notice shall specify the (i) number of shares to be sold or transferred, (ii) person or persons to whom the shares are to be sold or transferred, (iii) price per share and (iv) aggregate price and terms upon which the holder intends to make the sale or transfer. The corporation shall have the assignable right for fifteen (15) days after receipt of the Sale Notice (the “First Notice Period”) to purchase some or all of the shares; provided that if the corporation elects to purchase some (but not all) of such shares, its election shall be subject to the purchase of the Remaining Shares (as hereinafter defined) by the other stockholders. If the corporation does not elect to purchase all of the shares, within five (5) days after the expiration of the First Notice Period, the Secretary shall mail or deliver a copy of the Sale Notice to each of the other holders of record, together with a statement of the corporation’s action with respect thereto (the “Availability Statement”) which shall include the number of shares purchased by the corporation and the number of shares available for purchase by the stockholders (the “Remaining Shares”). The Sale Notice may be delivered to the stockholders personally or mailed to their last known address as it appears on the books of the corporation. Within fifteen (15) days after the delivering or mailing of the Sale Notices (the “Second Notice Period”), any stockholders desiring to acquire any or all of the Remaining Shares shall deliver to the Secretary of the corporation, a written offer to purchase the specified number of Remaining Shares at the price and upon the terms stated in the Sale Notice. If the total number of shares specified in such offers exceeds the number of Remaining Shares, each offering stockholder shall be entitled to purchase the proportion of Remaining Shares as the number of shares he holds in this bears to the total number of shares held by all stockholders desiring to purchase the Remaining Shares. If all of the Remaining Shares are not disposed of under such apportionment, each such stockholder desiring to purchase shares in a number in excess of such stockholder’s proportionate share shall be entitled within five (5) business days after the Second Notice Period (the “Third Notice Period”) to purchase the proportion of Remaining Shares which remain undisposed of, as the total number of shares he holds bears to the total number of shares held by all stockholders desiring to purchase Remaining Shares in excess of those they are entitled under such apportionment. If any of the Remaining Shares shall remain unpurchased, stockholders desiring to sell or transfer may, within sixty (60) days after expiration of the Third Notice Period, dispose of all shares referred to in the Sale Notice, provided that only to the persons and on the terms specified in said notice. Nothing contained in this Article shall require such notice of offers in connection with a (i) sale or transfer of shares of the stock of this corporation to the father, mother, spouse, brother, sister, child or descendant of the selling or transferring stockholder, (ii) transfer into a trust for the benefit of the stockholder or any such persons identified in section (i) of this sentence, (iii) distribution by a partnership to its partners, a corporation to its stockholders, a limited liability company to its members or (iv) transfer to an entity qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “IRC”), provided that transfers pursuant to section (iv) of this sentence shall require the prior written consent of the corporation. Unless the terms, conditions and provisions of this Article are strictly observed and followed and after any transfer either (i) in compliance herewith or (ii) exempt herefrom, the shares shall remain subject to this bylaw provision, any sale, transfer or purported sale or transfer of the shares of the corporation shall be null and void . Certificates for the common shares of this corporation shall bear legends evidencing these restrictions.
Section 2. SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS. If the corporation and any stockholders adopt a Stockholders Agreement which restricts the transfer of shares of this corporation, among other things, its terms shall supersede those of the restriction set forth in Article X, Section 1 as to any stockholder who is thereby bound.
* * *
16
CERTIFICATE OF SECRETARY
I, the undersigned, the duly elected Secretary of Reactive Medical Labs Inc., a Delaware corporation, do hereby certify:
That the within and foregoing Bylaws were adopted as the Bylaws of the corporation on June 10 , 2020 by resolution of the Sole Incorporator and the same do now constitute the Bylaws of said corporation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto subscribed my name on this 10th day of June, 2020.
/s/ Graydon Bensler | |
Graydon Bensler |
17
Exhibit 3.5
AMENDED AND RESTATED
BYLAWS
OF
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
(THE “CORPORATION”)
a Delaware corporation
Adopted July 27, 2023, subject to and effective upon the Corporation’s registration statement on Form S-1
ARTICLE I
OFFICES
Section 1.1. Registered Office. The registered office of the Corporation within the State of Delaware shall be located at either (a) the principal place of business of the Corporation in the State of Delaware or (b) the office of the corporation or individual acting as the Corporation’s registered agent in Delaware.
Section 1.2. Additional Offices. The Corporation may, in addition to its registered office in the State of Delaware, have such other offices and places of business, both within and outside the State of Delaware, as the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board”) may from time to time determine or as the business and affairs of the Corporation may require.
ARTICLE
II
STOCKHOLDERS MEETINGS
Section 2.1. Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of stockholders shall be held at such place, either within or without the State of Delaware, and time and on such date as shall be determined by the Board and stated in the notice of the meeting, provided that the Board may in its sole discretion determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5(a). At each annual meeting, the stockholders entitled to vote on such matters shall elect those directors of the Corporation to fill any term of a directorship that expires on the date of such annual meeting and may transact any other business as may properly be brought before the meeting.
Section 2.2. Special Meetings. Subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of the preferred stock of the Corporation (“Preferred Stock”), and to the requirements of applicable law, special meetings of stockholders, for any purpose or purposes, may be called only by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, or the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board, and may not be called by any other person. Special meetings of stockholders shall be held at such place, either within or without the State of Delaware, and at such time and on such date as shall be determined by the Board and stated in the Corporation’s notice of the meeting, provided that the Board may in its sole discretion determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5(a).
Section 2.3. Notices.
(a) General Notice Standards. Written notice of each stockholders meeting stating the place, if any, date, and time of the meeting, and the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting and the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, if such date is different from the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting, shall be given in the manner permitted by Section 9.3 to each stockholder entitled to vote thereat as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting, by the Corporation not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting unless otherwise required by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). If said notice is for a stockholders meeting other than an annual meeting, it shall in addition state the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, and the business transacted at such meeting shall be limited to the matters so stated in the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto). Any meeting of stockholders as to which notice has been given may be postponed, and any meeting of stockholders as to which notice has been given may be cancelled, by the Board upon public announcement (as defined in Section 2.7(c)) given before the date previously scheduled for such meeting.
1
(b) Delivery Requirements. Whenever under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, notice is required to be given to any stockholder, such notice may be given (i) in writing and sent either by hand delivery, through the United States mail, or by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service for next day delivery, or (ii) by means of a form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder, to the extent permitted by, and subject to the conditions set forth in Section 232 of the DGCL. A notice to a stockholder shall be deemed given as follows: (i) if given by hand delivery, when actually received by the stockholder, (ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the United States mail, with postage and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address appearing on the stock ledger of the Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited with such service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address appearing on the stock ledger of the Corporation, and (iv) if given by a form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder to whom the notice is given and otherwise meeting the requirements set forth above, (A) if by facsimile transmission, when directed to a number at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice, (B) if by electronic mail, when directed to an electronic mail address at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice, (C) if by a posting on an electronic network together with separate notice to the stockholder of such specified posting, upon the later of (1) such posting and (2) the giving of such separate notice, and (D) if by any other form of electronic transmission, when directed to the stockholder. A stockholder may revoke such stockholder’s consent to receiving notice by means of electronic communication by giving written notice of such revocation to the Corporation. Any such consent shall be deemed revoked if (1) the Corporation is unable to deliver by electronic transmission two consecutive notices given by the Corporation in accordance with such consent and (2) such inability becomes known to the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or to the Corporation’s transfer agent, or other person responsible for the giving of notice; provided, however, the inadvertent failure to treat such inability as a revocation shall not invalidate any meeting or other action.
(c) Electronic Transmission. “Electronic transmission” means any form of communication, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated process, including but not limited to transmission by telex, facsimile telecommunication, electronic mail, telegram and cablegram.
(d) Participation by Remote Means. If authorized by the Board in its sole discretion, and subject to such guidelines and procedures as the Board may adopt, stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and proxy holders not physically present at a meeting of stockholders may, by means of remote communication:
(i) participate in a meeting of stockholders; and
(ii) be deemed present in person and vote at a meeting of stockholders, whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place or solely by means of remote communication, provided that (A) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a stockholder or proxy holder, (B) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide such stockholders and proxy holders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and, if entitled to vote, to vote on matters submitted to the applicable stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with such proceedings, and (C) if any stockholder or proxy holder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of remote communication, a record of such votes or other action shall be maintained by the Corporation.
(e) Waiver of Notice. Whenever any notice is required to be given under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, or these Bylaws, a written waiver of such notice, signed by the stockholders entitled to said notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the stockholder entitled to said notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to such required notice. All such waivers shall be kept with the books of the Corporation. Attendance at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where a stockholder attends for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called or convened.
2
Section 2.4. Quorum. Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended or restated from time to time (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) or these Bylaws, the presence, in person or by proxy, at a stockholders meeting of the holders of shares of outstanding capital stock of the Corporation representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at such meeting, except that when specified business is to be voted on by a class or series of stock voting as a class, the holders of shares representing a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of such class or series shall constitute a quorum of such class or series for the transaction of such business. If a quorum shall not be present or represented by proxy at any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, the chairman of the meeting may adjourn the meeting from time to time in the manner provided in Section 2.6 until a quorum shall attend. The stockholders present at a duly convened meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough stockholders to leave less than a quorum. Shares of its own stock belonging to the Corporation or to another corporation, if a majority of the voting power of the shares entitled to vote in the election of directors of such other corporation is held, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation, shall neither be entitled to vote nor be counted for quorum purposes; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not limit the right of the Corporation or any such other corporation to vote shares held by it in a fiduciary capacity.
Section 2.5. Voting of Shares.
(a) Voting Lists. The Secretary of the Corporation (the “Secretary”) shall prepare, or shall cause the officer or agent who has charge of the stock ledger of the Corporation to prepare and make, at least 10 days before every meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders of record entitled to vote at such meeting; provided, however, that if the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote is less than 10 days before the meeting date, the list shall reflect the stockholders entitled to vote as of the tenth day before the meeting date, arranged in alphabetical order and showing the address and the number and class of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Nothing contained in this Section 2.5(a) shall require the Corporation to include electronic mail addresses or other electronic contact information on such list. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours for a period of at least 10 days prior to the meeting: (i) on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting, or (ii) during ordinary business hours, at the principal place of business of the Corporation. In the event that the Corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the Corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the Corporation. If the meeting is to be held at a place, then the list shall be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder who is present. If a meeting of stockholders is to be held solely by means of remote communication as permitted by Section 9.5(a), the list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of meeting. The stock ledger shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the list required by this Section 2.5(a) or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of stockholders.
(b) Fixing Record Dates. In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to(i) notice of any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, (ii) or receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock, or (iii) for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board may fix a record date, which shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board, and which record date shall not be more than 60 nor less than 10 days before the date of such meeting. If the Board so fixes a date, such date shall also be the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at any meeting unless the Board determines, at the time it fixes such record date, that a later date on or before the date of the meeting shall be the date for making such determination. If no record date is fixed by the Board, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at a meeting of stockholders or other actions described above shall be at the close of business on the business day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the business day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting, and in such case shall also fix as the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.5(b) at the adjourned meeting.
3
(c) Manner of Voting. At any stockholders meeting, every stockholder entitled to vote may vote in person or by proxy. If authorized by the Board, the voting by stockholders or proxy holders at any meeting conducted by remote communication may be effected by a ballot submitted by electronic transmission (as defined in Section 2.3 (d)), provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which the Corporation can determine that the electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder or proxy holder. The Board, in its discretion, or the chairman of the meeting of stockholders, in such person’s discretion, may require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by written ballot.
(c) Proxies. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders or to express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. Proxies need not be filed with the Secretary until the meeting is called to order, but shall be filed with the Secretary before being voted. Without limiting the manner in which a stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy, either of the following shall constitute a valid means by which a stockholder may grant such authority. No stockholder shall have cumulative voting rights.
(i) A stockholder may execute a writing authorizing another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy. Execution may be accomplished by the stockholder or such stockholder’s authorized officer, director, employee or agent signing such writing or causing such person’s signature to be affixed to such writing by any reasonable means, including, but not limited to, by facsimile signature.
(ii) A stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy by transmitting or authorizing the transmission of an electronic transmission to the person who will be the holder of the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm, proxy support service organization or like agent duly authorized by the person who will be the holder of the proxy to receive such transmission, provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder. Any copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reliable reproduction of the writing or transmission authorizing another person or persons to act as proxy for a stockholder may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission for any and all purposes for which the original writing or transmission could be used; provided that such copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or transmission.
(d) Required Vote. Subject to the rights of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock, voting separately by class or series, to elect directors pursuant to the terms of one or more series of Preferred Stock, at all meetings of stockholders at which a quorum is present, the election of directors shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon. All other matters presented to the stockholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be determined by the vote of a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon, unless the matter is one upon which, by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, these Bylaws or applicable stock exchange rules, a different vote is required, in which case such provision shall govern and control the decision of such matter.
4
(e) Inspectors of Election. The Board may, and shall if required by law, in advance of any meeting of stockholders, appoint one or more persons as inspectors of election, who may be employees of the Corporation or otherwise serve the Corporation in other capacities, to act at such meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof and to make a written report thereof. The Board may appoint one or more persons as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspectors of election or alternates are appointed by the Board, the chairman of the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Each inspector, before discharging his or her duties, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability. The inspectors shall ascertain and report the number of outstanding shares and the voting power of each; determine the number of shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and the validity of proxies and ballots; count all votes and ballots and report the results; determine and retain for a reasonable period a record of the disposition of any challenges made to any determination by the inspectors; and certify their determination of the number of shares represented at the meeting and their count of all votes and ballots. No person who is a candidate for an office at an election may serve as an inspector at such election. Each report of an inspector shall be in writing and signed by the inspector or by a majority of them if there is more than one inspector acting at such meeting. If there is more than one inspector, the report of a majority shall be the report of the inspectors.
Section 2.6. Adjournments. Any meeting of stockholders, annual or special, may be adjourned by the chairman of the meeting, from time to time, whether or not there is a quorum, to reconvene at the same or some other place. Notice need not be given of any such adjourned meeting if the date, time, and place, if any, thereof, and the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken. At the adjourned meeting the stockholders, or the holders of any class or series of stock entitled to vote separately as a class, as the case may be, may transact any business that might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 30 days, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. If after the adjournment a new record date for stockholders entitled to vote is fixed for the adjourned meeting, the Board shall fix a new record date for notice of such adjourned meeting in accordance with Section 9.2, and shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at such adjourned meeting as of the record date fixed for notice of such adjourned meeting.
Section 2.7. Advance Notice for Business.
(a) Annual Meetings of Stockholders. No business may be transacted at an annual meeting of stockholders, other than business that is either (i) specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board, (ii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board or (iii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by any stockholder of the Corporation (x) who is a stockholder of record entitled to vote at such annual meeting on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 2.7(a) and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such annual meeting and (y) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 2.7 (a). Notwithstanding anything in this Section 2.7(a) to the contrary, only persons nominated for election as a director to fill any term of a directorship that expires on the date of the annual meeting pursuant to Section 3.2 will be considered for election at such meeting.
(i) In addition to any other applicable requirements, for business (other than nominations) to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary and such business must otherwise be a proper matter for stockholder action. Subject to Section 2.7(a)(iii), a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary with respect to such business, to be timely, must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the meeting and not later than the later of (x) the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting is first made by the Corporation. The public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described in this Section 2.7(a).
5
(ii) To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary with respect to any business (other than nominations) must set forth as to each such matter such stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting (A) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting, the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and in the event such business includes a proposal to amend these Bylaws, the language of the proposed amendment) and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting, (B) the name and record address of such stockholder and the name and address of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made, (C) the class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned beneficially and of record by such stockholder and by the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made, (D) a description of all arrangements or understandings between such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made and any other person or persons (including their names) in connection with the proposal of such business by such stockholder, (E) any material interest of such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made in such business and (F) a representation that such stockholder (or a qualified representative of such stockholder) intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to bring such business before the meeting.
(iii) The foregoing notice requirements of this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed satisfied by a stockholder as to any proposal (other than nominations) if the stockholder has notified the Corporation of such stockholder’s intention to present such proposal at an annual meeting in compliance with Rule 14a-8 (or any successor thereof) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and such stockholder has complied with the requirements of such Rule for inclusion of such proposal in a proxy statement prepared by the Corporation to solicit proxies for such annual meeting. No business shall be conducted at the annual meeting of stockholders except business brought before the annual meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.7(a), provided, however, that once business has been properly brought before the annual meeting in accordance with such procedures, nothing in this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed to preclude discussion by any stockholder of any such business. If the Board or the chairman of the annual meeting determines that any stockholder proposal was not made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 2.7(a) or that the information provided in a stockholder’s notice does not satisfy the information requirements of this Section 2.7(a), such proposal shall not be presented for action at the annual meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.7(a), if the stockholder (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the annual meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present the proposed business, such proposed business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such matter may have been received by the Corporation.
(iv) In addition to the provisions of this Section 2.7(a), a stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed to affect any rights of stockholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
(b) Special Meetings of Stockholders. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. Nominations of persons for election to the Board may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting only pursuant to Section 3.2.
(c) Public Announcement. For purposes of these Bylaws, “public announcement” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (or any successor thereto).
6
Section 2.8. Conduct of Meetings. The chairman of each annual and special meeting of stockholders shall be the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act of the Chief Executive Officer or if the Chief Executive Officer is not a director, the President (if he or she shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President or if the President is not a director, such other person as shall be appointed by the Board. The date and time of the opening and the closing of the polls for each matter upon which the stockholders will vote at a meeting shall be announced at the meeting by the chairman of the meeting. The Board may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of the meeting of stockholders as it shall deem appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with these Bylaws or such rules and regulations as adopted by the Board, the chairman of any meeting of stockholders shall have the right and authority to convene and to adjourn the meeting, to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board or prescribed by the chairman of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following: (a) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (b) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (c) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (d) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; and (e) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants. Unless and to the extent determined by the Board or the chairman of the meeting, meetings of stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure. The secretary of each annual and special meeting of stockholders shall be the Secretary or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary so appointed to act by the chairman of the meeting. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting.
Section 2.9. Consents in Lieu of Meeting. Unless otherwise provided by the Certificate of Incorporation, until the Corporation consummates an initial public offering (“Offering”), any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders, or any action which may be taken at any annual or special meeting of such stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock entitled to vote thereon having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. Every written consent shall bear the date of signature of each stockholder who signs the consent, and no written consent shall be effective to take the corporate action referred to therein unless, within 60 days of the earliest dated consent delivered in the manner required by this section and the DGCL to the Corporation, written consents signed by a sufficient number of holders entitled to vote to take action are delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in Delaware, its principal place of business or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.
ARTICLE III
DIRECTORS
Section 3.1. Powers; Number. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board, which may exercise all such powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as are not by statute or by the Certificate of Incorporation or by these Bylaws required to be exercised or done by the stockholders. Directors need not be stockholders or residents of the State of Delaware. Subject to the Certificate of Incorporation, the number of directors shall be fixed exclusively by resolution of the Board.
7
Section 3.2. Advance Notice for Nomination of Directors.
(a) Only persons who are nominated in accordance with the following procedures shall be eligible for election as directors of the Corporation, except as may be otherwise provided by the terms of one or more series of Preferred Stock with respect to the rights of holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock to elect directors. Nominations of persons for election to the Board at any annual meeting of stockholders, or at any special meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors as set forth in the Corporation’s notice of such special meeting, may be made (i) by or at the direction of the Board or (ii) by any stockholder of the Corporation (x) who is a stockholder of record entitled to vote in the election of directors on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 3.2 and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and (y) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 3.2.
(b) In addition to any other applicable requirements, for a nomination to be made by a stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation (i) in the case of an annual meeting, not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the meeting and not later than the later of (x) the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting was first made by the Corporation; and (ii) in the case of a special meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors, not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the special meeting is first made by the Corporation. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or special meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described in this Section 3.2.
(c) Notwithstanding anything in paragraph (b) to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board at an annual meeting is greater than the number of directors whose terms expire on the date of the annual meeting and there is no public announcement by the Corporation naming all of the nominees for the additional directors to be elected or specifying the size of the increased Board before the close of business on the 90th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders, a stockholder’s notice required by this Section 3.2 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for the additional directorships created by such increase that are to be filled by election at such annual meeting, if it shall be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the date on which such public announcement was first made by the Corporation.
(d) To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must set forth (i) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director (A) the name, age, business address and residence address of the person, (B) the principal occupation or employment of the person, (C) the class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned beneficially or of record by the person and (D) any other information relating to the person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (ii) as to the stockholder giving the notice (A) the name and record address of such stockholder as they appear on the Corporation’s books and the name and address of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, (B) the class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned beneficially and of record by such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, (C) a description of all arrangements or understandings relating to the nomination to be made by such stockholder among such stockholder, the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, each proposed nominee and any other person or persons (including their names), (D) a representation that such stockholder (or a qualified representative of such stockholder) intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the persons named in its notice and (E) any other information relating to such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Such notice must be accompanied by a written consent of each proposed nominee to being named as a nominee and to serve as a director if elected.
8
(e) If the Board or the chairman of the meeting of stockholders determines that any nomination was not made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3.2, or that the information provided in a stockholder’s notice does not satisfy the information requirements of this Section 3.2, then such nomination shall not be considered at the meeting in question. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.2, if the stockholder (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present the nomination, such nomination shall be disregarded, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such nomination may have been received by the Corporation.
(f) In addition to the provisions of this Section 3.2, a stockholder shall also comply with all of the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Section 3.2 shall be deemed to affect any rights of the holders of Preferred Stock to elect directors pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.
Section 3.3. Compensation. Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, the Board shall have the authority to fix the compensation of directors, including for service on a committee of the Board, and may be paid either a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board or other compensation as director. The directors may be reimbursed their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board. No such payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of committees of the Board may be allowed like compensation and reimbursement of expenses for service on the committee.
Section 3.3 Vacancies. Vacancies and newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, though less than a quorum, and the directors so chosen shall hold office until the next annual election and until their successors are duly elected and shall qualify. A vacancy created by the removal of a director by the stockholders may be filled by the stockholders.
ARTICLE
IV
BOARD MEETINGS
Section 4.1. Annual Meetings. The Board shall meet as soon as practicable after the adjournment of each annual stockholders meeting at the place of the annual stockholders meeting unless the Board shall fix another time and place and give notice thereof in the manner required herein for special meetings of the Board. No notice to the directors shall be necessary to legally convene this meeting, except as provided in this Section 4.1.
Section 4.2. Regular Meetings. Regularly scheduled, periodic meetings of the Board may be held without notice at such times, dates and places (within or without the State of Delaware) as shall from time to time be determined by the Board.
Section 4.3. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board (a) may be called by the Chairman of the Board or President and (b) shall be called by the Chairman of the Board, President or Secretary on the written request of at least a majority of directors then in office, or the sole director, as the case may be, and shall be held at such time, date and place (within or without the State of Delaware) as may be determined by the person calling the meeting or, if called upon the request of directors or the sole director, as specified in such written request. Notice of each special meeting of the Board shall be given, as provided in Section 9.3, to each director (i) at least 24 hours before the meeting if such notice is oral notice given personally or by telephone or written notice given by hand delivery or by means of a form of electronic transmission and delivery; (ii) at least two days before the meeting if such notice is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service; and (iii) at least five days before the meeting if such notice is sent through the United States mail. If the Secretary shall fail or refuse to give such notice, then the notice may be given by the officer who called the meeting or the directors who requested the meeting. Any and all business that may be transacted at a regular meeting of the Board may be transacted at a special meeting. Except as may be otherwise expressly provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, or these Bylaws, neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any special meeting need be specified in the notice or waiver of notice of such meeting. A special meeting may be held at any time without notice if all the directors are present or if those not present waive notice of the meeting in accordance with Section 4.4.
9
Section 4.4 Notice and Waiver.
(a) Whenever under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws notice is required to be given to any director, such notice shall be given either (i) in writing and sent by mail, or by a nationally recognized delivery service, (ii) by means of facsimile telecommunication or other form of electronic transmission, or (iii) by oral notice given personally or by telephone. A notice to a director will be deemed given as follows: (i) if given by hand delivery, orally, or by telephone, when actually received by the director, (ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the United States mail, with postage and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the director’s address appearing on the records of the Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited with such service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the director’s address appearing on the records of the Corporation, (iv) if sent by facsimile telecommunication, when sent to the facsimile transmission number for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation, (v) if sent by electronic mail, when sent to the electronic mail address for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation, or (vi) if sent by any other form of electronic transmission, when sent to the address, location or number (as applicable) for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation.
(b) Whenever any notice is required to be given under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, or these Bylaws, a written waiver of such notice, signed by the director entitled to said notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the director entitled to said notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to such required notice. All such waivers shall be kept with the books of the Corporation. Attendance at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where a director attends for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called or convened
Section 4.5. Quorum; Required Vote. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board, and the act of a majority of the directors present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Board, except as may be otherwise specifically provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws. If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting, a majority of the directors present may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is present.
Section 4.6. Consent In Lieu of Meeting. Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board or committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions (or paper reproductions thereof) are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board or committee. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.
Section 4.7. Organization. The chairman of each meeting of the Board shall be the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chief Executive Officer or if the Chief Executive Officer is not a director, the President (if he or she shall be a director) or in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President or if the President is not a director, a chairman elected from the directors present. The Secretary shall act as secretary of all meetings of the Board. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary shall perform the duties of the Secretary at such meeting. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting.
Section 4.8 Participation by Electronic Media. Unless otherwise restricted by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, members of the Board or any committee thereof may participate in a meeting of the Board or any committee thereof by means of conference telephone or other electronic media communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other. Such participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at the meeting, except where a person participates in the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called or convened.
10
ARTICLE
V
COMMITTEES OF DIRECTORS
Section 5.1. Establishment. The Board may by resolution of the Board designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the Corporation. Each committee shall keep regular minutes of its meetings and report the same to the Board when required by the resolution designating such committee. The Board shall have the power at any time to fill vacancies in, to change the membership of, or to dissolve any such committee.
Section 5.2. Available Powers. Any committee established pursuant to Section 5.1 hereof, to the extent permitted by applicable law and by resolution of the Board, shall have and may exercise all of the powers and authority of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers that may require it.
Section 5.3. Alternate Members. The Board may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of such committee. In the absence or disqualification of a member of the committee, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not he, she or they constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board to act at the meeting in place of any such absent or disqualified member.
Section 5.4. Procedures. Unless the Board otherwise provides, the time, date, place, if any, and notice of meetings of a committee shall be determined by such committee. At meetings of a committee, a majority of the number of members of the committee (but not including any alternate member, unless such alternate member has replaced any absent or disqualified member at the time of, or in connection with, such meeting) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The act of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the committee, except as otherwise specifically provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, these Bylaws or the Board. If a quorum is not present at a meeting of a committee, the members present may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than an announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is present. Unless the Board otherwise provides and except as provided in these Bylaws, each committee designated by the Board may make, alter, amend and repeal rules for the conduct of its business. In the absence of such rules each committee shall conduct its business in the same manner as the Board is authorized to conduct its business pursuant to Article III and Article IV of these Bylaws.
ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS
Section 6.1. Officers. The officers of the Corporation elected by the Board shall be a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, a Secretary and such other officers (including without limitation, a Chairman of the Board, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries and a Treasurer) as the Board from time to time may determine. Officers elected by the Board shall each have such powers and duties as generally pertain to their respective offices, subject to the specific provisions of this Article VI. Such officers shall also have such powers and duties as from time to time may be conferred by the Board. The Chief Executive Officer or President may also appoint such other officers (including without limitation one or more Vice Presidents and Controllers) as may be necessary or desirable for the conduct of the business of the Corporation. Such other officers shall have such powers and duties and shall hold their offices for such terms as may be provided in these Bylaws or as may be prescribed by the Board or, if such officer has been appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or President, as may be prescribed by the appointing officer.
(a) Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall have general supervision and control of the acquisition activities of the Corporation subject to the ultimate authority of the Board, and shall be responsible for the execution of the policies of the Board with respect to such matters. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The powers and duties of the Chairman of the Board shall not include supervision or control of the preparation of the financial statements of the Corporation (other than through participation as a member of the Board). The position of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer may be held by the same person.
11
(b) Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer shall be the chief executive officer of the Corporation, shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Corporation and general control of all of its business subject to the ultimate authority of the Board, and shall be responsible for the execution of the policies of the Board with respect to such matters, except to the extent any such powers and duties have been prescribed to the Chairman of the Board pursuant to Section 6.1(a) above. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The position of Chief Executive Officer and President may be held by the same person.
(c) President. The President shall make recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer on all operational matters that would normally be reserved for the final executive responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, the President (if he or she shall be a director) shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The President shall also perform such duties and have such powers as shall be designated by the Board. The position of President and Chief Executive Officer may be held by the same person.
(d) Vice Presidents. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President, the Vice President (or in the event there be more than one Vice President, the Vice Presidents in the order designated by the Board) shall perform the duties and have the powers of the President. Any one or more of the Vice Presidents may be given an additional designation of rank or function.
(e) Secretary.
(i) The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the stockholders, the Board and (as required) committees of the Board and shall record the proceedings of such meetings in books to be kept for that purpose. The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the stockholders and special meetings of the Board and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer or President. The Secretary shall have custody of the corporate seal of the Corporation and the Secretary, or any Assistant Secretary, shall have authority to affix the same to any instrument requiring it, and when so affixed, it may be attested by his or her signature or by the signature of such Assistant Secretary. The Board may give general authority to any other officer to affix the seal of the Corporation and to attest the affixing thereof by his or her signature.
(ii) The Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal executive office of the Corporation or at the office of the Corporation’s transfer agent or registrar, if one has been appointed, a stock ledger, or duplicate stock ledger, showing the names of the stockholders and their addresses, the number and classes of shares held by each and, with respect to certificated shares, the number and date of certificates issued for the same and the number and date of certificates cancelled.
(f) Assistant Secretaries. The Assistant Secretary or, if there be more than one, the Assistant Secretaries in the order determined by the Board shall, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, perform the duties and have the powers of the Secretary.
(g) Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall perform all duties commonly incident to that office (including, without limitation, the care and custody of the funds and securities of the Corporation, which from time to time may come into the Chief Financial Officer’s hands and the deposit of the funds of the Corporation in such banks or trust companies as the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the President may authorize).
12
(h) Treasurer. The Treasurer shall, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chief Financial Officer, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Chief Financial Officer.
Section 6.2. Term of Office; Removal; Vacancies. The elected officers of the Corporation shall be appointed by the Board and shall hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified by the Board or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, or removal from office. Any officer may be removed, with or without cause, at any time by the Board. Any officer appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or President may also be removed, with or without cause, by the Chief Executive Officer or President, as the case may be, unless the Board otherwise provides. Any vacancy occurring in any elected office of the Corporation may be filled by the Board. Any vacancy occurring in any office appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or President may be filled by the Chief Executive Officer, or President, as the case may be, unless the Board then determines that such office shall thereupon be elected by the Board, in which case the Board shall elect such officer.
Section 6.3. Other Officers. The Board may delegate the power to appoint such other officers and agents, and may also remove such officers and agents or delegate the power to remove same, as it shall from time to time deem necessary or desirable.
Section 6.4. Multiple Officeholders; Stockholder and Director Officers. Any number of offices may be held by the same person unless the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws otherwise provide. Officers need not be stockholders or residents of the State of Delaware.
ARTICLE VII
SHARES
Section 7.1. Certificated and Uncertificated Shares. The shares of the Corporation may be certificated or uncertificated, subject to the sole discretion of the Board and the requirements of the DGCL.
Section 7.2. Multiple Classes of Stock. If the Corporation shall be authorized to issue more than one class of stock or more than one series of any class, the Corporation shall (a) cause the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights to be set forth in full or summarized on the face or back of any certificate that the Corporation issues to represent shares of such class or series of stock or (b) in the case of uncertificated shares, within a reasonable time after the issuance or transfer of such shares, send to the registered owner thereof a written notice containing the information required to be set forth on certificates as specified in clause (a) above; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided by applicable law, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, there may be set forth on the face or back of such certificate or, in the case of uncertificated shares, on such written notice a statement that the Corporation will furnish without charge to each stockholder who so requests the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences or rights.
Section 7.3. Signatures. Each certificate representing capital stock of the Corporation shall be signed by or in the name of the Corporation by (a) the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, the President or a Vice President and (b) the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Corporation. Any or all the signatures on the certificate may be a facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate shall have ceased to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate is issued, such certificate may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if such person were such officer, transfer agent or registrar on the date of issue.
Section 7.4. Consideration and Payment for Shares.
(a) Subject to applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation, shares of stock may be issued for such consideration, having in the case of shares with par value a value not less than the par value thereof, and to such persons, as determined from time to time by the Board. The consideration may consist of any tangible or intangible property or any benefit to the Corporation including cash, promissory notes, services performed, contracts for services to be performed or other securities, or any combination thereof.
13
(b) Subject to applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation, shares may not be issued until the full amount of the consideration has been paid, unless upon the face or back of each certificate issued to represent any partly paid shares of capital stock or upon the books and records of the Corporation in the case of partly paid uncertificated shares, there shall have been set forth the total amount of the consideration to be paid therefor and the amount paid thereon up to and including the time said certificate representing certificated shares or said uncertificated shares are issued.
Section 7.5. Lost, Destroyed or Wrongfully Taken Certificates.
(a) If an owner of a certificate representing shares claims that such certificate has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken, the Corporation shall issue a new certificate representing such shares or such shares in uncertificated form if the owner: (i) requests such a new certificate before the Corporation has notice that the certificate representing such shares has been acquired by a protected purchaser; (ii) if requested by the Corporation, delivers to the Corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify the Corporation against any claim that may be made against the Corporation on account of the alleged loss, wrongful taking or destruction of such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate or uncertificated shares; and (iii) satisfies other reasonable requirements imposed by the Corporation.
(b) If a certificate representing shares has been lost, apparently destroyed or wrongfully taken, and the owner fails to notify the Corporation of that fact within a reasonable time after the owner has notice of such loss, apparent destruction or wrongful taking and the Corporation registers a transfer of such shares before receiving notification, the owner shall be precluded from asserting against the Corporation any claim for registering such transfer or a claim to a new certificate representing such shares or such shares in uncertificated form.
Section 7.6. Transfer of Stock.
(a) If a certificate representing shares of the Corporation is presented to the Corporation with an endorsement requesting the registration of transfer of such shares or an instruction is presented to the Corporation requesting the registration of transfer of uncertificated shares, the Corporation shall register the transfer as requested if:
(i) in the case of certificated shares, the certificate representing such shares has been surrendered;
(ii) (A) with respect to certificated shares, the endorsement is made by the person specified by the certificate as entitled to such shares; (B) with respect to uncertificated shares, an instruction is made by the registered owner of such uncertificated shares; or (C) with respect to certificated shares or uncertificated shares, the endorsement or instruction is made by any other appropriate person or by an agent who has actual authority to act on behalf of the appropriate person;
(iii) the Corporation has received a guarantee of signature of the person signing such endorsement or instruction or such other reasonable assurance that the endorsement or instruction is genuine and authorized as the Corporation may request;
(iv) the transfer does not violate any restriction on transfer imposed by the Corporation that is enforceable in accordance with Section 7.8(a); and
(v) such other conditions for such transfer as shall be provided for under applicable law have been satisfied.
14
(b) Whenever any transfer of shares shall be made for collateral security and not absolutely, the Corporation shall so record such fact in the entry of transfer if, when the certificate for such shares is presented to the Corporation for transfer or, if such shares are uncertificated, when the instruction for registration of transfer thereof is presented to the Corporation, both the transferor and transferee request the Corporation to do so.
Section 7.7. Registered Stockholders. Before due presentment for registration of transfer of a certificate representing shares of the Corporation or of an instruction requesting registration of transfer of uncertificated shares, the Corporation may treat the registered owner as the person exclusively entitled to inspect for any proper purpose the stock ledger and the other books and records of the Corporation, vote such shares, receive dividends or notifications with respect to such shares and otherwise exercise all the rights and powers of the owner of such shares, except that a person who is the beneficial owner of such shares (if held in a voting trust or by a nominee on behalf of such person) may, upon providing documentary evidence of beneficial ownership of such shares and satisfying such other conditions as are provided under applicable law, may also so inspect the books and records of the Corporation.
Section 7.8. Effect of the Corporation’s Restriction on Transfer.
(a) A written restriction on the transfer or registration of transfer of shares of the Corporation or on the amount of shares of the Corporation that may be owned by any person or group of persons, if permitted by the DGCL and noted conspicuously on the certificate representing such shares or, in the case of uncertificated shares, contained in a notice, offering circular or prospectus sent by the Corporation to the registered owner of such shares within a reasonable time prior to or after the issuance or transfer of such shares, may be enforced against the holder of such shares or any successor or transferee of the holder including an executor, administrator, trustee, guardian or other fiduciary entrusted with like responsibility for the person or estate of the holder.
(b) A restriction imposed by the Corporation on the transfer or the registration of shares of the Corporation or on the amount of shares of the Corporation that may be owned by any person or group of persons, even if otherwise lawful, is ineffective against a person without actual knowledge of such restriction unless: (i) the shares are certificated and such restriction is noted conspicuously on the certificate; or (ii) the shares are uncertificated and such restriction was contained in a notice, offering circular or prospectus sent by the Corporation to the registered owner of such shares within a reasonable time prior to or after the issuance or transfer of such shares.
Section 7.9. Regulations. The Board shall have power and authority to make such additional rules and regulations, subject to any applicable requirement of law, as the Board may deem necessary and appropriate with respect to the issue, transfer or registration of transfer of shares of stock or certificates representing shares. The Board may appoint one or more transfer agents or registrars and may require for the validity thereof that certificates representing shares bear the signature of any transfer agent or registrar so appointed.
ARTICLE VIII
INDEMNIFICATION
Section 8.1. Right to Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, other enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (hereinafter an “Indemnitee”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent, or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with such proceeding; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 8.3 with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify an Indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board.
15
Section 8.2. Right to Advance Expenses. In addition to the right to indemnification conferred in Section 8.1, an Indemnitee shall also have the right to be paid by the Corporation to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law the expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition (hereinafter an “advancement of expenses”); provided, however, that, if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by an Indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such Indemnitee, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon the Corporation’s receipt of an undertaking (hereinafter an “undertaking”), by or on behalf of such Indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Article VIII or otherwise.
Section 8.3. Right of Indemnitee to Bring Suit. If a claim under Section 8.1 or Section 8.2 is not paid in full by the Corporation within 60 days after a written claim therefor has been received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be 20 days, the Indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. In (a) any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by an Indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (b) in any suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Corporation shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (hereinafter a “final adjudication”) that, the Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the DGCL. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the DGCL, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including a determination by its directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the Indemnitee, shall be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder, or by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this Article VIII or otherwise shall be on the Corporation.
Section 8.4. Non-Exclusivity of Rights. The rights provided to any Indemnitee pursuant to this Article VIII shall not be exclusive of any other right, which such Indemnitee may have or hereafter acquire under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, these Bylaws, an agreement, a vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
Section 8.5. Insurance. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
Section 8.6. Indemnification of Other Persons. This Article VIII shall not limit the right of the Corporation to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than Indemnitees. Without limiting the foregoing, the Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board, grant rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses to any employee or agent of the Corporation and to any other person who is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, to the fullest extent of the provisions of this Article VIII with respect to the indemnification and advancement of expenses of Indemnitees under this Article VIII.
16
Section 8.7. Amendments. Any repeal or amendment of this Article VIII by the Board or the stockholders of the Corporation or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provision of these Bylaws inconsistent with this Article VIII, will, to the extent permitted by applicable law, be prospective only (except to the extent such amendment or change in applicable law permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights to Indemnitees on a retroactive basis than permitted prior thereto), and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing hereunder in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision; provided however, that amendments or repeals of this Article VIII shall require the affirmative vote of the stockholders holding at least 66.7% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation.
Section 8.8. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Article VIII, (a) references to “other enterprise” shall include any employee benefit plan; (b) references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; (c) references to “serving at the request of the Corporation” shall include any service that imposes duties on, or involves services by, a person with respect to any employee benefit plan, its participants, or beneficiaries; and (d) a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interest of the Corporation” for purposes of Section 145 of the DGCL.
Section 8.9. Contract Rights. The rights provided to Indemnitees pursuant to this Article VIII shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, agent or employee and shall inure to the benefit of the Indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators.
Section 8.10. Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Article VIII shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Article VIII shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby; and (b) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Article VIII (including, without limitation, each such portion of this Article VIII containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable.
ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 9.1. Dividends. The Board may from time to time declare, and the Corporation may pay, dividends (payable in cash, property or shares of the Corporation’s capital stock) on the Corporation’s outstanding shares of capital stock, subject to applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation.
Section 9.2. Reserves. The Board may set apart out of the funds of the Corporation available for dividends a reserve or reserves for any proper purpose and may abolish any such reserve.
Section 9.3. Contracts and Negotiable Instruments. Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, any contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument may be executed and delivered in the name and on behalf of the Corporation by such officer or officers or other employee or employees of the Corporation as the Board may from time to time authorize. Such authority may be general or confined to specific instances as the Board may determine. The Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Vice President may execute and deliver any contract, checks, demands for money, bond, note, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument in the name and on behalf of the Corporation. Subject to any restrictions imposed by the Board, the Chairman of the Board Chief Executive Officer, President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Vice President may delegate powers to execute and deliver any contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument in the name and on behalf of the Corporation to other officers or employees of the Corporation under such person’s supervision and authority, it being understood, however, that any such delegation of power shall not relieve such officer of responsibility with respect to the exercise of such delegated power.
17
Section 9.4. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be fixed by the Board.
Section 9.5. Seal. The Board may adopt a corporate seal, which shall be in such form as the Board determines. The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed, affixed or otherwise reproduced.
Section 9.6. Books and Records. The books and records of the Corporation may be kept within or outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may from time to time be designated by the Board.
Section 9.7. Resignation. Any director, committee member or officer may resign by giving notice thereof in writing or by electronic transmission to the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the Secretary. The resignation shall take effect at the time it is delivered unless the resignation specifies a later effective date or an effective date determined upon the happening of an event or events. Unless otherwise specified therein, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.
Section 9.8. Surety Bonds. Such officers, employees and agents of the Corporation (if any) as the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or the Board may direct, from time to time, shall be bonded for the faithful performance of their duties and for the restoration to the Corporation, in case of their death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money and other property of whatever kind in their possession or under their control belonging to the Corporation, in such amounts and by such surety companies as the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or the Board may determine. The premiums on such bonds shall be paid by the Corporation and the bonds so furnished shall be in the custody of the Secretary.
Section 9.9. Securities of Other Corporations. Powers of attorney, proxies, waivers of notice of meeting, consents in writing and other instruments relating to securities owned by the Corporation may be executed in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, any Vice President or any officers authorized by the Board. Any such officer, may, in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation, take all such action as any such officer may deem advisable to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of security holders of any corporation in which the Corporation may own securities, or to consent in writing, in the name of the Corporation as such holder, to any action by such corporation, and at any such meeting or with respect to any such consent shall possess and may exercise any and all rights and power incident to the ownership of such securities and which, as the owner thereof, the Corporation might have exercised and possessed. The Board may from time to time confer like powers upon any other person or persons.
Section 9.10. Amendments. The Board shall have the power to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws. The affirmative vote of a majority of the Board shall be required to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws. The Bylaws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders; provided, however, that in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required by applicable law or the Certificate of Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power (except as otherwise provided in Section 8.7) of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws.
18
Exhibit 4.1
Exhibit 5.1
![]() |
366 Madison Avenue, 3rd Fl. |
New York, NY 10017 | |
tel: (212) 588-0022 | |
fax: (212) 826-9307 |
September 28, 2023
Elevai Labs, Inc.
120 Newport Center Drive, Ste. 250
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Re: Form S-1 Registration Statement
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are acting as counsel for Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the registration statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”), as initially filed with the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), on September 28, 2023, as amended from time to time, for the proposed sale (the “Offering”) of:
(i) | shares (the “Initial Shares”) of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), |
(ii) | additional shares of Common Stock in an amount of up to 15% of the Initial Shares sold (together with the Initial Shares, the “Offered Shares”), |
(iii) | warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock in an amount equal to 5% of the Offered Shares to be issued to Craft Capital Management LLC (the “Representative”), the representative of the underwriters in connection with the Offering (the “Representative’s Warrants”), and |
(iv) | the shares of the Company’s Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Representative’s Warrants (the “Representative’s Warrant Shares”). |
The Offered Shares, the Representative’s Warrants and the Representative’s Warrant Shares are hereby referred to as the “Securities”. This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or related prospectus, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issuance of the Securities.
In connection with this opinion, we have examined and relied upon the originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction of (i) the Company’s certificate of incorporation (as amended, the “Certificate of Incorporation”), (ii) the Company’s bylaws (as amended, the “Bylaws”), (iii) the Registration Statement and the prospectus which forms a part of a Registration Statement, including all exhibits filed therewith, (iv) the form of the Underwriting Agreement to be executed in connection with the Offering by and between the Company and the Representative (the “Underwriting Agreement”), and (v) the form of Representative’s Warrants, and we have also examined and relied upon minutes of meetings and/or resolutions of the board of directors of the Company as provided to us by the Company, and such other documents as we have deemed necessary for purposes of rendering the opinion hereinafter set forth.
In addition to the foregoing, we have relied as to matters of fact material to this opinion upon the oral and written representations made by the Company and its representatives. 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, the legal competence of all signatories to such documents and that each signatory to such document has or will have sufficient legal capacity to execute such document. Other than our examination of the documents indicated above, we have made no other examination in connection with this opinion.
September 28, 2023
We are members of the Bar of the State of New York. We do not hold ourselves out as being conversant with, or expressing any opinion with respect to, the laws of any jurisdiction other than the laws of the State of New York and the corporate laws of the State of Delaware. Accordingly, the opinions expressed herein are expressly limited to the laws of the State of New York and the corporate laws of the State of Delaware. Our opinion is based on these laws as in effect on the date hereof. We express no opinion as to whether the laws of any other jurisdiction are applicable to the subject matter hereof. We are not rendering any opinion as to compliance with any federal or state law, rule or regulation relating to securities, or to the sale or issuance thereof.
On the basis of the foregoing and in reliance thereon, and subject to the qualifications herein stated, we are of the opinion that:
1. | Issuance of the Offered Shares has been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Registration Statement, the Underwriting Agreement and the necessary corporate actions, the Offered Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. |
2. | Issuance of the Representative’s Warrants has been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Registration Statement, the Underwriting Agreement and the necessary corporate actions, the Representative’s Warrants will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York. |
3. | Issuance of the Representative’s Warrant Shares has been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the respective Representative’s Warrant, the Representative’s Warrant Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. |
This opinion letter speaks only as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update or supplement this opinion letter if any applicable laws change after the date of this opinion letter or if we become aware after the date of this opinion letter of any facts, whether existing before or arising after the date hereof, that might change the opinions expressed above.
This opinion is furnished in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement and the prospectus and may not be relied upon for any other purpose without our prior written consent in each instance. Further, no portion of this opinion may be quoted, circulated or referred to in any other document for any other purpose without our prior written consent.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to this firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus. In giving such consent, we do not admit that we are we are an “expert” within the meaning of the Securities Act or 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/ Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP | |
Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP |
Exhibit 10.1
STOCK TRANSFER AGREEMENT
This Stock Transfer Agreement (this “Agreement”) dated as of June 4 , 2021 (“Effective Date”) is entered into by and between BWL Investments Ltd. (the “Transferor”) and Reactive Medical Labs Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Transferee”). Reactive Medical Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, Canada (the “Company”) has executed this Agreement solely to acknowledge the transfer of the shares of Company effected hereby.
Recitals
A. Transferor is the legal and beneficial owner of 100 common shares in the capital of Company which constitutes all of the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of Company (the “Shares”);
B. Transferor desires to sell and transfer to Transferee all of the Shares upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
C. Transferee desires to purchase from Transferor all of the Shares upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
D. Transferor is an existing shareholder of Transferee; and
E. Following the transfer of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, Transferee will be the sole shareholder of Company and there will be no remaining obligations (of an economic nature or otherwise) owed by Company or Transferee to Transferor, relating to Company’s shares or any past contributions to capital which may have been made.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing, Transferor and Transferee agree as follows:
1. Sale and Transfer of Shares. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, (i) in full satisfaction of all past contributions to capital of Company made by Transferor and (ii) as full consideration for the purchase of all of the Shares owned by Transferor, Transferee shall pay Transferor an aggregate purchase price of Ten Dollars ($10.00) in the lawful currency of Canada (the “Purchase Price”). Following the transfer of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, Transferee will be the sole shareholder of Company and there will be no remaining obligations (of an economic nature or otherwise) owed by Company or Transferee to Transferor, relating to Company’s shares or any past contributions to capital of Company which may have been made from time to time by Transferor.
2. Closing. The closing of the transfer and sale of the Shares pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall occur simultaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement (the “Closing”). At the Closing, Transferor shall deliver share certificate No. 3 representing the Shares together along with a duly executed instrument of transfer, and stock power of attorney separate from certificate transferring the ownership of the Shares to Transferee, as attached hereto as Exhibit A.
3. Representations and Warranties of Transferor. Transferor represents and warrants to Transferee that the following statements are true and correct as of the date hereof:
(a) Transferor has full right, capacity, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by Transferor and, assuming execution and delivery by Transferee, constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of Transferor enforceable in accordance with its terms and conditions, except as such enforcement may be limited by any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other laws of general application affecting creditors’ rights generally or by general principles of equity.
(b) Transferor is the owner, beneficially and of record, of the Shares and has good, valid, and marketable title to the Shares free and clear of any liens, encumbrances, security interests, restrictions or claims, with full power and authority to deliver title to the Shares to Transferee in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(c) Transferor has reviewed with its own tax advisors the federal, state, foreign and local tax consequences of the transaction contemplated by this Agreement. Transferor has relied solely on such advisors and not on any statements or representations of Company, Transferee or any of their respective agents.
4. Representations and Warranties of Transferee. Transferee represents and warrants to Transferor that the following statements are true and correct as of the date hereof.
(a) Transferee has the full right, capacity, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate the transaction contemplated hereby. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by Transferee, and assuming execution and delivery by Transferor, constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of Transferee enforceable in accordance with its terms and conditions, except as such enforcement may be limited by any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other laws of general application affecting creditors’ rights generally or by general principles of equity.
(b) Transferee has received or has had full access to all the information it considers necessary or appropriate to make an informed investment decision with respect to the Shares. Further, Transferee has had the opportunity to discuss Company’s business, management and financial affairs with Company’s management. Transferee has consulted with its business, tax and legal advisors with respect to this Agreement and the transfer of the Shares.
5. Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire understanding of the parties hereto in respect of its subject matter. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings between the parties with respect to such subject matter.
6. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of Transferor and Transferee and their successors and assigns.
7. Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all such counterparts together shall constitute but one and the same Agreement. Signatures received by facsimile shall be deemed to be original signatures.
8. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without reference to conflicts of law provisions thereof.
9. Legal Representation. Coblentz Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP (the “Firm”) is counsel for the Transferee and has acted in that capacity in connection with the preparation of this Agreement. Transferor acknowledges that the Firm has not represented it and further that the Firm has advised Transferor to retain separate counsel to advise them in connection with this Agreement and any tax, regulatory or securities law issue which may arise in connection with the transfer of the Shares.
[Signature Page to Follow]
2
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed and delivered this Agreement as of the Effective Date.
TRANSFEROR: | ||
BWL INVESTMENTS LTD. | ||
By: | /s/ Braeden Lichti | |
Name: | Braeden Lichti | |
Title: | Director | |
TRANSFEREE: | ||
REACTIVE MEDICAL LABS INC., | ||
a Delaware Corporation | ||
By: | /s/ Braeden Lichti | |
Name: | Braeden Lichti | |
Title: | President |
COMPANY: | ||
REACTIVE MEDICAL INC., a | ||
British Columbia company | ||
By: | /s/ Graydon Bensler | |
Name: | Graydon Bensler | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
3
Exhibit A
INSTRUMENT OF TRANSFER AND STOCK POWER OF ATTORNEY
(Assignment Separate From Certificate)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, BWL Investments Ltd. does hereby sell, assign and transfer to Reactive Medical Labs Inc. an aggregate of 100 shares in the capital of Reactive Medical Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of British Columbia, standing in his name on the books of said company and represented by the certificate no. 3 and hereby irrevocably constitutes and appoints Harper Grey LLP, as its power of attorney to transfer said shares on the books of said company.
Dated: June 4 , 2021 | BWL INVESTMENTS LTD. | |
By: | /s/ Braeden Lichti | |
Name: | Braeden Lichti | |
Title: | Director |
4
Exhibit 10.2
ELEVAI LABS INC.
(formerly Reactive Medial Labs Inc.)
AMENDED 2020 EQUITY
INCENTIVE PLAN
1. Purposes of the Plan. The purposes of this Plan are:
● | to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility, |
● | to provide additional incentive to Employees, Directors and Consultants, and |
● | to promote the success of the Company’s business. |
The Plan permits the grant of Incentive Stock Options, Nonstatutory Stock Options, and Restricted Stock.
2. Definitions. As used herein, the following definitions will apply:
(a) “Administrator” means the Board or any of its Committees as will be administering the Plan, in accordance with Section 4 of the Plan.
(b) “Applicable Laws” means the requirements relating to the administration of equity-based awards under U.S. state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Awards are, or will be, granted under the Plan.
(c) “Award” means, individually or collectively, a grant under the Plan of Options or Restricted Stock.
(d) “Award Agreement” means the written or electronic agreement setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to each Award granted under the Plan. The Award Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(e) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events:
(i) Change in Ownership of the Company. A change in the ownership of the Company which occurs on the date that any one person, or more than one person acting as a group (“Person”), acquires ownership of the stock of the Company that, together with the stock held by such Person, constitutes more than 50% of the total voting power of the stock of the Company, except that any change in the ownership of the stock of the Company as a result of a private financing of the Company that is approved by the Board will not be considered a Change in Control; or
(ii) Change in Effective Control of the Company. If the Company has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, a change in the effective control of the Company which occurs on the date that a majority of members of the Board is replaced during any twelve (12) month period by Directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election. For purposes of this clause (ii), if any Person is considered to be in effective control of the Company, the acquisition of additional control of the Company by the same Person will not be considered a Change in Control; or
(iii) Change in Ownership of a Substantial Portion of the Company’s Assets. A change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets which occurs on the date that any Person acquires (or has acquired during the twelve (12) month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person or persons) assets from the Company that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than 50% of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of the Company immediately prior to such acquisition or acquisitions. For purposes of this subsection (iii), gross fair market value means the value of the assets of the Company, or the value of the assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets.
For purposes of this Section 2(f), persons will be considered to be acting as a group if they are owners of a corporation that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock, or similar business transaction with the Company.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a transaction will not be deemed a Change in Control unless the transaction qualifies as a change in control event within the meaning of Code Section 409A, as it has been and may be amended from time to time, and any proposed or final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance that has been promulgated or may be promulgated thereunder from time to time.
Further and for the avoidance of doubt, a transaction will not constitute a Change in Control if: (i) its sole purpose is to change the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation; or (ii) its sole purpose is to create a holding company that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the persons who held the Company’s securities immediately before such transaction.
(g) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any reference to a section of the Code herein will be a reference to any successor or amended section of the Code.
(h) “Committee” means a committee of Directors or of other individuals satisfying Applicable Laws appointed by the Board, or by the compensation committee of the Board, in accordance with Section 4 hereof.
(i) “Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company.
(j) “Company” means Elevai Labs Inc, formerly Reactive Medical Labs Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor thereto.
(k) “Consultant” means any person, including an advisor, engaged by the Company or a Parent or Subsidiary to render services to such entity.
(l) “Director” means a member of the Board.
(m) “Disability” means total and permanent disability as defined in Code Section 22(e)(3), provided that in the case of Awards other than Incentive Stock Options, the Administrator in its discretion may determine whether a permanent and total disability exists in accordance with uniform and non-discriminatory standards adopted by the Administrator from time to time.
-2-
(n) “Employee” means any person, including officers and Directors, employed by the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company. Neither service as a Director nor payment of a director’s fee by the Company will be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company.
(o) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(p) “Exchange Program” means a program under which (i) outstanding Awards are surrendered or cancelled in exchange for Awards of the same type (which may have higher or lower exercise prices and different terms), Awards of a different type, and/or cash, (ii) Participants would have the opportunity to transfer any outstanding Awards to a financial institution or other person or entity selected by the Administrator, and/or (iii) the exercise price of an outstanding Award is reduced or increased. The Administrator will determine the terms and conditions of any Exchange Program in its sole discretion.
(q) “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:
(i) If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value will be the closing sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;
(ii) If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, the Fair Market Value of a Share will be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Common Stock on the day of determination (or, if no bids and asks were reported on that date, as applicable, on the last trading date such bids and asks were reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable; or
(iii) In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value will be determined in good faith by the Administrator using one of the valuation methods set forth in Section 1.409A-1(b)(5)(iv)(B)(2) of the Treasury Regulation. Such determination shall be conclusive and binding on all persons.
(r) “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option that by its terms qualifies and is otherwise intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Code Section 422 and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(s) “Nonstatutory Stock Option” means an Option that by its terms does not qualify or is not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.
(t) “Option” means a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan.
(u) “Parent” means a “parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Code Section 424(e).
(v) “Participant” means the holder of an outstanding Award.
(w) “Period of Restriction” means the period during which the transfer of Shares of Restricted Stock are subject to restrictions and therefore, the Shares are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. Such restrictions may be based on the passage of time, the achievement of target levels of performance, or the occurrence of other events as determined by the Administrator.
-3-
(x) “Plan” means this 2020 Equity Incentive Plan.
(y) “Restricted Stock” means Shares issued pursuant to an Award of Restricted Stock under Section 7 of the Plan, or issued pursuant to the early exercise of an Option.
(z) “Service Provider” means an Employee, Director or Consultant. For purposes of clarification, a member of the board of directors (or similar governing body) of any Subsidiary shall be deemed to be a Service Provider.
(aa) “Share” means a share of the Common Stock, as adjusted in accordance with Section 11 of the Plan.
(bb) “Subsidiary” means a “subsidiary corporation,” whether now or hereafter exist- ing, as defined in Code Section 424(f).
3. Stock Subject to the Plan.
(a) Stock Subject to the Plan. Subject to the provisions of Section 11 of the Plan, the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be subject to Awards and sold under the Plan is One Million Seven Hundred Thirty Four Thousand One Hundred Eighty Eight (1,734,188) Shares. The Shares may be authorized but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock.
(b) Lapsed Awards. If an Award expires or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised in full, is surrendered pursuant to an Exchange Program, or, with respect to Restricted Stock, is forfeited to or repurchased by the Company due to the failure to vest, the unpurchased Shares (or for Awards other than Options the forfeited or repurchased Shares) which were subject thereto will become available for future grant or sale under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). Shares that have actually been issued under the Plan under any Award will not be returned to the Plan and will not become available for future distribution under the Plan; provided, however, that if Shares issued pursuant to Awards of Restricted Stock are repurchased by the Company or are forfeited to the Company due to the failure to vest, such Shares will become available for future grant under the Plan. Shares used to pay the exercise price of an Award or to satisfy the tax withholding obligations related to an Award will become available for future grant or sale under the Plan. To the extent an Award under the Plan is paid out in cash rather than Shares, such cash payment will not result in reducing the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing and, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 11, the maximum number of Shares that may be issued upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options will equal the aggregate Share number stated in Section 3(a), plus, to the extent allowable under Code Section 422 and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, any Shares that become available for issuance under the Plan pursuant to this Section 3(b).
(c) Share Reserve. The Company, during the term of this Plan, will at all times reserve and keep available such number of Shares as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Plan.
4. Administration of the Plan.
(a) Procedure.
(i) Multiple Administrative Bodies. Different Committees with respect to different groups of Service Providers may administer the Plan.
-4-
(ii) Other Administration. Other than as provided above, the Plan will be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee, which Committee will be constituted to satisfy Applicable Laws.
(b) Powers of the Administrator. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, and in the case of a Committee, subject to the specific duties delegated by the Board to such Committee, the Administrator will have the authority, in its discretion:
(i) to determine the Fair Market Value;
(ii) to select the Service Providers to whom Awards may be granted hereunder;
(iii) to determine the number of Shares to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;
(iv) to approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan;
(v) to determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of any Award granted hereunder. Such terms and conditions include, but are not limited to, the exercise price, the time or times when Awards may be exercised (which may be based on performance criteria), any vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, and any restriction or limitation regarding any Award or the Shares relating thereto, based in each case on such factors as the Administrator will determine;
(vi) to institute and determine the terms and conditions of an Exchange Program;
(vii) to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Awards granted pursuant to the Plan;
(viii) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules and regulations relating to sub-plans established for the purpose of satisfying applicable foreign laws or for qualifying for favorable tax treatment under applicable foreign laws;
(ix) to modify or amend each Award (subject to Section 16(c)), including but not limited to the discretionary authority to extend the post-termination exercisability period of Awards and to extend the maximum term of an Option (subject to Section 6(d));
(x) to allow Participants to satisfy withholding tax obligations in a manner prescribed in Section 12;
(xi) to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company any instrument required to effect the grant of an Award previously granted by the Administrator;
(xii) to allow a Participant to defer the receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that otherwise would be due to such Participant under an Award; and
-5-
(xiii) to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for administering the Plan.
(c) Effect of Administrator’s Decision. The Administrator’s decisions, determinations and interpretations will be final and binding on all Participants and any other holders of Awards.
5. Eligibility. Nonstatutory Stock Options and Restricted Stock may be granted to Service Providers. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees.
6. Stock Options.
(a) Grant of Options. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time and from time to time, may grant Options in such amounts as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.
(b) Option Agreement. Each Award of an Option will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the exercise price, the term of the Option, the number of Shares subject to the Option, the exercise restrictions, if any, applicable to the Option, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.
(c) Limitations. Each Option will be designated in the Award Agreement as either an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option. Notwithstanding such designation, however, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by the Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Parent or Subsidiary) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), such Options will be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options. For purposes of this Section 6(c), Incentive Stock Options will be taken into account in the order in which they were granted, the Fair Market Value of the Shares will be determined as of the time the Option with respect to such Shares is granted, and calculation will be performed in accordance with Code Section 422 and Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
(d) Term of Option. The term of each Option will be stated in the Award Agreement; provided, however, that the term will be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Participant who, at the time the Incentive Stock Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Incentive Stock Option will be five (5) years from the date of grant or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement.
(e) Option Exercise Price and Consideration.
(i) Exercise Price. The per Share exercise price for the Shares to be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option will be determined by the Administrator, but will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. In addition, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to an Employee who owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the per Share exercise price will be no less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 6(e)(i), Options may be granted with a per Share exercise price of less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant pursuant to a transaction described in, and in a manner consistent with, Code Section 424(a).
-6-
(ii) Waiting Period and Exercise Dates. At the time an Option is granted, the Administrator will fix the period within which the Option may be exercised and will determine any conditions that must be satisfied before the Option may be exercised.
(iii) Form of Consideration. The Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration for exercising an Option, including the method of payment. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration at the time of grant. Such consideration may consist entirely of: (1) cash; (2) check; (3) promissory note, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws; (4) other Shares, provided that such Shares have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which such Option will be exercised and provided further that accepting such Shares will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company, as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion; (5) consideration received by the Company under cashless exercise program (whether through a broker or otherwise) implemented by the Company in connection with the Plan; (6) by net exercise; (7) such other consideration and method of payment for the issuance of Shares to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws; or (8) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment. In making its determination as to the type of consideration to accept, the Administrator will consider if acceptance of such consideration may be reasonably expected to benefit the Company.
(f) Exercise of Option.
(i) Procedure for Exercise; Rights as a Stockholder. Any Option granted hereunder will be exercisable according to the terms of the Plan and at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement. An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.
An Option will be deemed exercised when the Company receives: (i) notice of exercise (in such form as the Administrator may specify from time to time) from the person entitled to exercise the Option, and (ii) full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised (together with applicable tax withholding). Full payment may consist of any consideration and method of payment authorized by the Administrator and permitted by the Award Agreement and the Plan. Shares issued upon exercise of an Option will be issued in the name of the Participant or, if requested by the Participant, in the name of the Participant and his or her spouse. Until the Shares are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder will exist with respect to the Shares subject to an Option, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Company will issue (or cause to be issued) such Shares promptly after the Option is exercised. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the Shares are issued, except as provided in Section 11.
Exercising an Option in any manner will decrease the number of Shares thereafter available, both for purposes of the Plan and for sale under the Option, by the number of Shares as to which the Option is exercised.
(ii) Termination of Relationship as a Service Provider. If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider, other than upon the Participant’s termination as the result of the Participant’s death or Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement) to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of termination. In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option shall remain exercisable for three (3) months following the Participant’s termination. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if on the date of termination the Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will revert to the Plan. If after termination the Participant does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified by the Administrator, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.
-7-
(iii) Disability of Participant. If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement) to the extent the Option is vested on the date of termination. In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option shall remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following the Participant’s termination. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if on the date of termination the Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will revert to the Plan. If after termination the Participant does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified herein, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.
(iv) Death of Participant. If a Participant dies while a Service Provider, the Option may be exercised within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement) to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of death, by the Participant’s designated beneficiary, provided such beneficiary has been designated prior to the Participant’s death in a form acceptable to the Administrator. If no such beneficiary has been designated by the Participant, then such Option may be exercised by the personal representative of the Participant’s estate or by the person(s) to whom the Option is transferred pursuant to the Participant’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution. In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option shall remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following the Participant’s termination. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if at the time of death Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will immediately revert to the Plan. If the Option is not so exercised within the time specified herein, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.
7. Restricted Stock.
(a) Grant of Restricted Stock. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time and from time to time, may grant Shares of Restricted Stock to Service Providers in such amounts as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.
(b) Restricted Stock Agreement. Each Award of Restricted Stock will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the Period of Restriction, the number of Shares granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the Company as escrow agent will hold Shares of Restricted Stock until the restrictions on such Shares have lapsed.
(c) Transferability. Except as provided in this Section 7 or as the Administrator determines, Shares of Restricted Stock may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated until the end of the applicable Period of Restriction.
-8-
(d) Other Restrictions. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may impose such other restrictions on Shares of Restricted Stock as it may deem advisable or appropriate.
(e) Removal of Restrictions. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 7, Shares of Restricted Stock covered by each Restricted Stock grant made under the Plan will be released from escrow as soon as practicable after the last day of the Period of Restriction or at such other time as the Administrator may determine. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions will lapse or be removed.
(f) Voting Rights. During the Period of Restriction, Service Providers holding Shares of Restricted Stock granted hereunder may exercise full voting rights with respect to those Shares, unless the Administrator determines otherwise.
(g) Dividends and Other Distributions. During the Period of Restriction, Service Providers holding Shares of Restricted Stock will be entitled to receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such Shares, unless the Administrator provides otherwise. If any such dividends or distributions are paid in Shares, the Shares will be subject to the same restrictions on transferability and forfeitability as the Shares of Restricted Stock with respect to which they were paid.
(h) Return of Restricted Stock to Company. On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, the Restricted Stock for which restrictions have not lapsed will revert to the Company and again will become available for grant under the Plan.
8. Compliance With Code Section 409A. Awards will be designed and operated in such a manner that they are either exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Code Section 409A, except as otherwise determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator. The Plan and each Award Agreement under the Plan is intended to be exempt from the requirements of Code Section 409A and will be construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent, except as otherwise determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator. To the extent that an Award or payment, or the settlement or deferral thereof, is subject to Code Section 409A the Award will be granted, paid, settled or deferred in a manner that will meet the requirements of Code Section 409A, such that the grant, payment, settlement or deferral will not be subject to the additional tax or interest applicable under Code Section 409A.
9. Leaves of Absence/Transfer Between Locations. Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, vesting of Awards granted hereunder will be suspended during any unpaid leave of absence. A Participant will not cease to be an Employee in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Company or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or between the Company, its Parent, or any Subsidiary. For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may exceed three (3) months, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is guaranteed by statute or contract. If reemployment upon expiration of a leave of absence approved by the Company is not so guaranteed, then six (6) months following the first (1st) day of such leave, any Incentive Stock Option held by the Participant will cease to be treated as an Incentive Stock Option and will be treated for tax purposes as a Nonstatutory Stock Option.
10. Limited Transferability of Awards.
(a) Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, Awards may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, or otherwise transferred in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant.
-9-
(b) Further, until the Company becomes subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, or after the Administrator determines that it is, will, or may no longer be relying upon the exemption from registration under the Exchange Act as set forth in Rule 12h- 1(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act, an Option, or prior to exercise, the Shares subject to the Option, may not be pledged, hypothecated or otherwise transferred or disposed of, in any manner, including by entering into any short position, any “put equivalent position” or any “call equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) and Rule 16a-1(b) of the Exchange Act, respectively), other than to (i) persons who are “family members” (as defined in Rule 701(c)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) through gifts or domestic relations orders or (ii) to an executor or guardian of the Participant upon the death or disability of the Participant. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may determine to permit transfers to the Company or in connection with a Change in Control or other acquisition transactions involving the Company to the extent permitted by Rule 12h-1(f).
11. Adjustments; Dissolution or Liquidation; Merger or Change in Control.
(a) Adjustments. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Shares occurs, the Administrator, in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, will adjust the number and class of Shares that may be delivered under the Plan and/or the number, class, and price of Shares covered by each outstanding Award.
(b) Dissolution or Liquidation. In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Administrator will notify each Participant as soon as practicable prior to the effective date of such proposed transaction. To the extent it has not been previously exercised, an Award will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action.
(c) Merger or Change in Control. In the event of a merger or Change in Control, each outstanding Award will be treated as the Administrator determines (subject to the provisions of the following paragraph) without a Participant’s consent including, without limitation, that: (i) Awards will be assumed, or substantially equivalent Awards will be substituted, by the acquiring or succeeding corporation (or an affiliate thereof) with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and prices; (ii) upon written notice to a Participant, that the Participant’s Awards will terminate upon or immediately prior to the consummation of such merger or Change in Control; (iii) outstanding Awards will vest and become exercisable, realizable, or payable, or restrictions applicable to an Award will lapse, in whole or in part prior to or upon consummation of such merger or Change in Control, and, to the extent the Administrator determines, terminate upon or immediately prior to the effectiveness of such merger or Change in Control; (iv) (A) the termination of an Award in exchange for an amount of cash and/or property, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction the Administrator determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment), or (B) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Administrator in its sole discretion; or (v) any combination of the foregoing. In taking any of the actions permitted under this Section 11(c), the Administrator will not be obligated to treat all Awards, all Awards held by a Participant, or all Awards of the same type, similarly.
-10-
In the event that the successor corporation does not assume or substitute for the Award (or portion thereof), the Participant will fully vest in and have the right to exercise all of his or her outstanding Options, including Shares as to which such Awards would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, all restrictions on Restricted Stock will lapse, and, with respect to Awards with performance-based vesting, all performance goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at one hundred percent (100%) of target levels and all other terms and conditions met. In addition, if an Option is not assumed or substituted in the event of a merger or Change in Control, the Administrator will notify the Participant in writing or electronically that the Option will be exercisable for a period of time determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, and the Option will terminate upon the expiration of such period.
For the purposes of this Section 11(c), an Award will be considered assumed if, following the merger or Change in Control, the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the Award immediately prior to the merger or Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) received in the merger or Change in Control by holders of Common Stock for each Share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the merger or Change in Control is not solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent, the Administrator may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of an Option, for each Share subject to such Award, to be solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock in the merger or Change in Control.
Notwithstanding anything in this Section 11(c) to the contrary, an Award that vests, is earned or paid-out upon the satisfaction of one or more performance goals will not be considered assumed if the Company or its successor modifies any of such performance goals without the Participant’s consent; provided, however, a modification to such performance goals only to reflect the successor corporation’s post-Change in Control corporate structure will not be deemed to invalidate an otherwise valid Award assumption.
Notwithstanding anything in this Section 11(c) to the contrary, if a payment under an Award Agreement is subject to Code Section 409A and if the change in control definition contained in the Award Agreement does not comply with the definition of “change of control” for purposes of a distribution under Code Section 409A, then any payment of an amount that is otherwise accelerated under this Section 11 will be delayed until the earliest time that such payment would be permissible under Code Section 409A without triggering any penalties applicable under Code Section 409A.
12. Tax Withholding.
(a) Withholding Requirements. Prior to the delivery of any Shares or cash pursuant to an Award (or exercise thereof), the Company will have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local, foreign or other taxes (including the Participant’s FICA obligation) required to be withheld with respect to such Award (or exercise thereof).
-11-
(b) Withholding Arrangements. The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit a Participant to satisfy such tax withholding obligation, in whole or in part by (without limitation) (i) paying cash, (ii) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be withheld, (iii) delivering to the Company already-owned Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the statutory amount required to be withheld, provided the delivery of such Shares will not result in any adverse accounting consequences, as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion, or (iv) selling a sufficient number of Shares otherwise deliverable to the Participant through such means as the Administrator may determine in its sole discretion (whether through a broker or otherwise) equal to the amount required to be withheld. The amount of the withholding requirement will be deemed to include any amount which the Administrator agrees may be withheld at the time the election is made, not to exceed the amount determined by using the maximum federal, state or local marginal income tax rates applicable to the Participant with respect to the Award on the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is to be determined. The Fair Market Value of the Shares to be withheld or delivered will be determined as of the date that the taxes are required to be withheld.
13. No Effect on Employment or Service. Neither the Plan nor any Award will confer upon a Participant any right with respect to continuing the Participant’s relationship as a Service Provider with the Company, nor will they interfere in any way with the Participant’s right or the Company’s right to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws.
14. Date of Grant. The date of grant of an Award will be, for all purposes, the date on which the Administrator makes the determination granting such Award, or such other later date as is determined by the Administrator. Notice of the determination will be provided to each Participant within a reasonable time after the date of such grant.
15. Term of Plan. Subject to Section 19, the Plan will become effective upon its adoption by the Board. Unless sooner terminated under Section 16, it will continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years from the later of (a) the effective date of the Plan or (b) the earlier of the most recent Board or stockholder approval of an increase in the number of Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan.
16. Amendment and Termination of the Plan.
(a) Amendment and Termination. The Board may at any time amend, alter, suspend or terminate the Plan.
(b) Stockholder Approval. The Company will obtain stockholder approval of any Plan amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws.
(c) Effect of Amendment or Termination. No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of the Plan will impair the rights of any Participant, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Participant and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Participant and the Company. Termination of the Plan will not affect the Administrator’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it hereunder with respect to Awards granted under the Plan prior to the date of such termination.
-12-
17. Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares.
(a) Legal Compliance. Shares will not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Award unless the exercise of such Award and the issuance and delivery of such Shares will comply with Applicable Laws and will be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.
(b) Investment Representations. As a condition to the exercise of an Award, the Company may require the person exercising such Award 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 if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required.
18. Inability to Obtain Authority. The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority will not have been obtained.
19. Stockholder Approval. The Plan will be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board. Such stockholder approval will be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under Applicable Laws.
20. Information to Participants. Beginning on the earlier of (i) the date that the aggregate number of Participants under this Plan is five hundred (500) or more and the Company is relying on the exemption provided by Rule 12h-1(f)(1) under the Exchange Act and (ii) the date that the Company is required to deliver information to Participants pursuant to Rule 701 under the Securities Act, and until such time as the Company becomes subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, is no longer relying on the exemption provided by Rule 12h-1(f)(1) under the Exchange Act or is no longer required to deliver information to Participants pursuant to Rule 701 under the Securities Act, the Company shall provide to each Participant the information described in paragraphs (e)(3), (4), and (5) of Rule 701 under the Securities Act not less frequently than every six (6) months with the financial statements being not more than 180 days old and with such information provided either by physical or electronic delivery to the Participants or by written notice to the Participants of the availability of the information on an Internet site that may be password-protected and of any password needed to access the information. The Company may request that Participants agree to keep the information to be provided pursuant to this Section 20 confidential. If a Participant does not agree to keep the information to be provided pursuant to this Section 20 confidential, then the Company will not be required to provide the information unless otherwise required pursuant to Rule 12h-1(f)(1) under the Exchange Act or Rule 701 of the Securities Act.
* * *
-13-
APPENDIX A
TO
ELEVAI LABS INC. 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
(for California residents only, to the extent required by 25102(o))
This Appendix A to the Elevai Labs Inc. 2020 Equity Incentive Plan shall apply only to the Participants who are residents of the State of California and who are receiving an Award under the Plan. Capitalized terms contained herein shall have the same meanings given to them in the Plan, unless otherwise provided by this Appendix A. Notwithstanding any provisions contained in the Plan to the contrary and to the extent required by Applicable Laws, the following terms shall apply to all Awards granted to residents of the State of California, until such time as the Administrator amends this Appendix A or the Administrator otherwise provides.
(a) The term of each Option shall be stated in the Award Agreement, provided, however, that the term shall be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof.
(b) Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, Awards may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, or otherwise transferred in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant. If the Administrator makes an Award transferable, such Award may only be transferred (i) by will, (ii) by the laws of descent and distribution, or (iii) as permitted by Rule 701 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
(c) If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider, such Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as specified in the Award Agreement, which shall not be less than thirty (30) days following the date of the Participant’s termination, to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of the Option as set forth in the Award Agreement). In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option shall remain exercisable for three (3) months following the Participant’s termination.
(d) If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as specified in the Award Agreement, which shall be six (6) months following the date of the Participant’s termination, to the extent the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement). In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option shall remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following the Participant’s termination.
(e) If a Participant dies while a Service Provider, the Option may be exercised within such period of time as specified in the Award Agreement, which shall not be less than six (6) months following the date of the Participant’s death, to the extent the Option is vested on the date of death (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement) by the Participant’s designated beneficiary, personal representative, or by the person(s) to whom the Option is transferred pursuant to the Participant’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution. In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option shall remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following the Participant’s termination.
-14-
(f) No Award shall be granted to a resident of California more than ten (10) years after the earlier of the date of adoption of the Plan or the date the Plan is approved by the stockholders.
(g) In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Shares occurs, the Administrator, in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, will adjust the number and class of Shares that may be delivered under the Plan and/or the number, class, and price of Shares covered by each outstanding Award; provided, however, that the Administrator will make such adjustments to an Award required by Section 25102(o) of the California Corporations Code to the extent the Company is relying upon the exemption afforded thereby with respect to the Award.
(h) This Appendix A shall be deemed to be part of the Plan and the Administrator shall have the authority to amend this Appendix A in accordance with Section 16 of the Plan.
* * *
-15-
ELEVAI LABS INC.
2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) shall have the same meanings in this Stock Option Agreement (the “Option Agreement”).
I. NOTICE OF STOCK OPTION GRANT
Name: [●]
Address: [●]
The undersigned Participant has been granted an Option to purchase Common Stock of Elevai Labs Inc. (the “Company”), subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, as follows:
Vesting Schedule:
This Option shall be exercisable, in whole or in part, according to the following vesting schedule:
[●]
Termination Period:
This Option shall be exercisable for three (3) months after Participant ceases to be a Service Provider, unless such termination is due to Participant’s death or Disability, in which case this Option shall be exercisable for twelve (12) months after Participant ceases to be a Service Provider. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, in no event may this Option be exercised after the Term/Expiration Date as provided above and this Option may be subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 13(c) of the Plan. Any exercise of an Incentive Stock Option beyond the periods described above will be deemed to be a Nonstatutory Stock Option.
II. AGREEMENT
1. Grant of Option. The Administrator of the Company hereby grants to the Participant named in the Notice of Stock Option Grant in Part I of this Option Agreement (“Participant”), an option (the “Option”) to purchase the number of Shares set forth in the Notice of Stock Option Grant, at the exercise price per Share set forth in the Notice of Stock Option Grant (the “Exercise Price”), and subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference. Subject to Section 18(c) of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan shall prevail.
If designated in the Notice of Stock Option Grant as an Incentive Stock Option (“ISO”), this Option is intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Nevertheless, to the extent that it exceeds the $100,000 rule of Code Section 422(d), or other amount set forth in that Code Section, this Option shall be treated as a Nonstatutory Stock Option (“NSO”). Further, if for any reason this Option (or portion thereof) shall not qualify as an ISO, then, to the extent of such nonqualification, such Option (or portion thereof) shall be regarded as a NSO granted under the Plan. In no event shall the Administrator, the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary or any of their respective employees or directors have any liability to Participant (or any other person) due to the failure of the Option to qualify for any reason as an ISO.
-1-
2. Exercise of Option.
(a) Right to Exercise. Subject to the Termination Period set forth in the Notice of Option Grant, this Option shall be exercisable during its term in accordance with the Vesting Schedule set out in the Notice of Stock Option Grant and with the applicable provisions of the Plan and this Option Agreement. If application of the applicable vesting percentage causes a fractional share, such share shall be rounded down to the nearest whole share for each month except for the last month in such vesting period, at the end of which last month the Option shall become exercisable for the full remainder of the Shares.
(b) Method of Exercise. This Option shall be exercisable by Participant (or in the case of exercise after the Participant’s death or incapacity, the Participant’s executor, administrator, heir or legatee, as the case may be) by delivery of an exercise notice in the form attached as Exhibit A (the “Exercise Notice”) or in a manner and pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may determine, which shall state the election to exercise the Option, the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is being exercised (the “Exercised Shares”), and such other representations and agreements as may be required by the Company. The Exercise Notice shall be accompanied by payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as to all Exercised Shares, together with any applicable tax withholding. Simultaneous with the execution and delivery of the Exercise Notice, as requested by the Company, Participant shall also execute and deliver a counterpart signature page or joinder to any shareholders agreement, voting agreement and/or any other similar documentation applicable to the holders of Common Stock of the Company (“Stockholders Agreements”). This Option shall be deemed to be exercised upon receipt by the Company of (i) a fully executed Exercise Notice accompanied by the aggregate Exercise Price, together with any applicable tax withholding, and (ii) a counterpart signature page or joinder to the Stockholders Agreements. No Shares shall be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option unless such issuance and such exercise comply with Applicable Laws. Assuming such compliance, for income tax purposes the Shares shall be considered transferred to Participant on the date on which the Option is exercised with respect to such Shares.
(c) Limits on Exercise. The Option may not be exercised unless such exercise is in compliance with all applicable federal and state securities laws, as they are in effect on the date of exercise. The Option may not be exercised as to fewer than one hundred (100) Shares unless it is exercised as to all Shares as to which the Option is then exercisable.
3. Participant’s Representations. In the event the Shares have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, at the time this Option is exercised, Participant shall, if required by the Company, concurrently with the exercise of all or any portion of this Option, deliver to the Company his or her Investment Representation Statement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B.
4. Lock-Up Period. Participant hereby agrees that Participant shall not 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 Common Stock (or other securities) of the Company or enter into any swap, hedging or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Common Stock (or other securities) of the Company held by Participant (other than those included in the registration) for a period specified by the representative of the underwriters of Common Stock (or other securities) of the Company not to exceed one hundred and eighty (180) days following the effective date of any registration statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act (or such other period as may be requested by the Company or the underwriters to accommodate regulatory restrictions on (i) the publication or other distribution of research reports and (ii) analyst recommendations and opinions, including, but not limited to, the restrictions contained in NASD Rule 2711(f)(4) or NYSE Rule 472(f)(4), or any successor provisions or amendments thereto).
-2-
Participant agrees to execute and deliver such other agreements as may be reasonably requested by the Company or the underwriter which are consistent with the foregoing or which are necessary to give further effect thereto. In addition, if requested by the Company or the representative of the underwriters of Common Stock (or other securities) of the Company, Participant shall provide, within ten (10) days of such request, such information as may be required by the Company or such representative in connection with the completion of any public offering of the Company’s securities pursuant to a registration statement filed under the Securities Act. The obligations described in this Section 4 shall not apply to a registration relating solely to employee benefit plans on Form S-8 or similar forms that may be promulgated in the future, or a registration relating solely to a Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 145 transaction on Form S-4 or similar forms that may be promulgated in the future. The Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the shares of Common Stock (or other securities) subject to the foregoing restriction until the end of said one hundred and eighty (180) day (or other) period. Participant agrees that any transferee of the Option or shares acquired pursuant to the Option shall be bound by this Section 4.
5. Method of Payment. Payment of the aggregate Exercise Price shall be by any of the following, or a combination thereof, at the election of the Participant:
(a) cash;
(b) check;
(c) consideration received by the Company under a formal cashless exercise program adopted by the Company in connection with the Plan; or
(d) surrender of other Shares which (i) shall be valued at its Fair Market Value on the date of exercise, and (ii) must be owned free and clear of any liens, claims, encumbrances or security interests, if accepting such Shares, in the sole discretion of the Administrator, shall not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company.
6. Restrictions on Exercise. This Option may not be exercised until such time as the Plan has been approved by the stockholders of the Company, or if the issuance of such Shares upon such exercise or the method of payment of consideration for such shares would constitute a violation of any Applicable Law. The exercise of this Option may be contingent upon the Participant’s execution and delivery of any right of first refusal and co-sale agreement, stockholders agreement and/or any similar agreement as the Company may require in its sole discretion.
7. Non-Transferability of Option. This Option (and, prior to exercise, the Shares subject to this Option) may not be pledged, hypothecated or otherwise transferred or disposed of in any manner, including by entering into any short position, any “put equivalent position” or any “call equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) and Rule 16a-1(b) of the Exchange Act, respectively), other than (i) by will or the laws of descent or distribution or (ii) to persons who are “family members” (as defined in Rule 701(c)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) through gifts or domestic relations orders. This Option may be exercised during the lifetime of Participant only by Participant.
-3-
8. Term of Option. This Option may be exercised only within the term set out in the Notice of Stock Option Grant, and may be exercised during such term only in accordance with the Plan and the terms of this Option.
9. Tax Obligations.
(a) Tax Withholding. Participant agrees to make appropriate arrangements with the Company (or the Parent or Subsidiary employing or retaining Participant) for the satisfaction of all federal, state, local and foreign income and employment tax withholding requirements applicable to the Option exercise. Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may refuse to honor the exercise and refuse to deliver the Shares if such withholding amounts are not delivered at the time of exercise.
(b) Notice of Disqualifying Disposition of ISO Shares. If the Option granted to Participant herein is an ISO, and if Participant sells or otherwise disposes of any of the Shares acquired pursuant to the ISO on or before the later of (i) the date two (2) years after the Date of Grant, or (ii) the date one (1) year after the date of exercise, Participant shall immediately notify the Company in writing of such disposition. Participant agrees that Participant may be subject to income tax withholding by the Company on the compensation income recognized by Participant because of the early disposition by payment in cash or out of current wages or other compensation payable to the Participant.
(c) Code Section 409A. Under Code Section 409A, an Option that vests after December 31, 2004 (or that vested on or prior to such date but which was materially modified after October 3, 2004) that was granted with a per Share exercise price that is determined by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) to be less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant (a “discount option”) may be considered “deferred compensation.” An Option that is a “discount option” may result in (i) income recognition by Participant prior to the exercise of the Option, (ii) an additional twenty percent (20%) federal income tax, and (iii) potential penalty and interest charges. The “discount option” may also result in additional state income, penalty and interest tax to the Participant. Participant acknowledges that the Company cannot and has not guaranteed that the IRS will agree that the per Share exercise price of this Option equals or exceeds the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant in a later examination. Participant agrees that if the IRS determines that the Option was granted with a per Share exercise price that was less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant, Participant shall be solely responsible for Participant’s costs, including state and federal taxes, related to such a determination.
10. Company’s Right of First Refusal. Before any Shares held by Participant or any transferee (either being sometimes referred to herein as the “Holder”) may be sold or otherwise transferred (including transfer by gift or operation of law), the Company or its assignee(s) shall have a right of first refusal to purchase the Shares on the terms and conditions set forth in Section 7 (the “Right of First Refusal”) of the Exercise Notice.
11. Stockholders Agreement. Participant shall not be permitted to assign any Shares except in compliance with the terms, conditions and restrictions set forth in the Stockholders Agreement.
12. Privileges of Stock Ownership. The Participant shall not have any of the rights of a stockholder with respect to any Shares until the Shares are issued to the Participant.
-4-
13. Entire Agreement; Governing Law. The Plan is incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and this Option Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Participant’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Participant. This Option Agreement is governed by the internal substantive laws but not the choice of law rules of Delaware.
14. No Guarantee of Continued Service. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF SHARES PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT THE WILL OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS OPTION OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS OPTION AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND SHALL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.
<Signature Page Follows>
-5-
Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan and represents that he or she is familiar with the terms and provisions thereof, and hereby accepts this Option subject to all of the terms and provisions thereof. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Option in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Option and fully understands all provisions of the Option. Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions arising under the Plan or this Option. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the residence address indicated below.
PARTICIPANT | ELEVAI LABS INC. | |
Signature | Signature | |
Print Name | Print Name | |
Title | ||
Residence Address |
-6-
EXHIBIT A
2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
EXERCISE NOTICE
Elevai Labs Inc.
120 Newport Center Drive, Suite 250
Newport Beach, California 92660
Attention: Chief Executive Officer
1. Option. The person named below (the “Purchaser”) was granted an option (the “Option”) to purchase shares of Common Stock of Elevai Labs Inc. (the “Company”) pursuant to the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), by the Notice of Stock Option Grant (the “Grant Notice”) and the Stock Option Agreement (the “Stock Option Agreement”) attached thereto, as described below.
Purchaser’s Name:
Social Security Number:
Address:
Date of Option Grant:
Number of Shares Initially Subject to Option:
Exercise Price per Share:
Type of option: | ¨ Incentive | ¨ Nonqualified |
2. Exercise of Option. I hereby elect to exercise the Option to purchase the following number of Shares, as authorized by the Grant Notice and the Stock Option Agreement:
Total Shares Purchased: | |
Total Exercise Price: |
(Total Shares Purchased multiplied by the Exercise Price per Share)
3. Delivery of Payment. Participant herewith delivers to the Company the full purchase price of the Shares, as set forth in the Option Agreement, and any and all withholding taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Option in the following form(s), as authorized by my Stock Option Agreement:
☐ Cash (by check, with a copy attached hereto as Attachment 3): | ||||
☐ Cancellation of indebtedness of the Company owed to me: | $ |
☐ Tender of ___________ fully paid, nonassessable and vested shares of Company Common Stock (such shares must meet the eligibility requirements set forth in Section 6(e)(iii) of the Plan): | $ | |||
☐ Waiver of compensation due or accrued for services: | $ |
4. Title to Shares. The exact spelling of the name(s) under which I will take title to the Shares is:
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
I desire to take title to the Shares as follows:
A-1
☐ Individual, as separate property
☐ Husband and wife, as community property
☐ Joint Tenants
5. Representations of Participant. Participant acknowledges that Participant has received, read and understands the Plan and the Option Agreement and agrees to abide by and be bound by their terms and conditions.
6. Rights as Stockholder. Until the issuance of the Shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder shall exist with respect to the Common Stock subject to an Award, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Shares shall be issued to Participant as soon as practicable after the Option is exercised in accordance with the Option Agreement. No adjustment shall be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date of issuance except as provided in Section 11 of the Plan.
7. Company’s Right of First Refusal. Before any Shares held by Participant or any transferee (either being sometimes referred to herein as the “Holder”) may be sold or otherwise transferred (including transfer by gift or operation of law), the Company or its assignee(s) shall have a right of first refusal to purchase the Shares on the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 7 (the “Right of First Refusal”).
(a) Notice of Proposed Transfer. The Holder of the Shares shall deliver to the Company a written notice (the “Notice”) stating: (i) the Holder’s bona fide intention to sell or otherwise transfer such Shares; (ii) the name and address of each proposed purchaser or other transferee (“Proposed Transferee”); (iii) the number of Shares to be transferred to each Proposed Transferee; and (iv) the bona fide cash price or other consideration for which the Holder proposes to transfer the Shares (the “Offered Price”), and (v) that the Holder acknowledges that the Notice is an offer to sell the Shares at the Offered Price to the Company or its assignee(s).
(b) Exercise of Right of First Refusal. At any time within thirty (30) days after receipt of the Notice, the Company and/or its assignee(s) may, by giving written notice to the Holder, elect to purchase all, but not less than all or with the consent of Holder, less than all, of the Shares proposed to be transferred to any one or more of the Proposed Transferees, at the purchase price determined in accordance with Section 7(c) below.
(c) Purchase Price. The purchase price (“Purchase Price”) for the Shares purchased by the Company or its assignee(s) under this Section 7 shall be the Offered Price; provided, however, if the Offered Price consists of no legal consideration (as, for example, in the case of transfer by gift), the purchase price will be the fair market value of the Shares as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company. If the Offered Price includes consideration other than cash, the cash equivalent value of the non-cash consideration shall be determined by the Board of Directors of the Company in good faith.
(d) Payment. Payment of the Purchase Price shall be made, at the option of the Company or its assignee(s), in cash (by check), by cancellation of all or a portion of any outstanding indebtedness of the Holder to the Company (or, in the case of repurchase by an assignee, to the assignee), or by any combination thereof within thirty (30) days after receipt of the Notice or in the manner and at the times set forth in the Notice.
A-2
(e) Holder’s Right to Transfer. If all of the Shares proposed in the Notice to be transferred to a given Proposed Transferee are not purchased by the Company and/or its assignee(s) as provided in this Section 7, then the Holder may sell or otherwise transfer such Shares to that Proposed Transferee at the Offered Price or at a higher price, provided that such sale or other transfer is consummated within one hundred and twenty (120) days after the date of the Notice, that any such sale or other transfer is effected in accordance with any applicable securities laws and that the Proposed Transferee agrees in writing that the provisions of this Section 7 shall continue to apply to the Shares in the hands of such Proposed Transferee. If the Shares described in the Notice are not transferred to the Proposed Transferee within such period, a new Notice shall be given to the Company, and the Company and/or its assignees shall again be offered the Right of First Refusal before any Shares held by the Holder may be sold or otherwise transferred.
(f) Exception for Certain Family Transfers. Anything to the contrary contained in this Section 7 notwithstanding, the transfer of any or all of the Shares during the Participant’s lifetime or on the Participant’s death by will or intestacy to the Participant’s immediate family or a trust for the benefit of the Participant’s immediate family shall be exempt from the provisions of this Section 7. “Immediate Family” as used herein shall mean spouse or lineal descendant of Participant (whether natural or adopted). In such case, the transferee or other recipient shall receive and hold the Shares so transferred subject to the provisions of this Section 7, and there shall be no further transfer of such Shares except in accordance with the terms of this Section 7.
(g) Termination of Right of First Refusal. The Right of First Refusal shall terminate as to any Shares upon the earlier of (i) the first sale of Common Stock of the Company to the general public, or (ii) a Change in Control in which the successor corporation has equity securities that are publicly traded.
8. Tax Consultation. Participant understands that Participant may suffer adverse tax consequences as a result of Participant’s purchase or disposition of the Shares. Participant represents that Participant has consulted with any tax consultants Participant deems advisable in connection with the purchase or disposition of the Shares and that Participant is not relying on the Company for any tax advice.
9. Restrictive Legends and Stop-Transfer Orders.
(a) Legends. Participant understands and agrees that the Company shall cause the legends set forth below or legends substantially equivalent thereto, to be placed upon any certificate(s) evidencing ownership of the Shares together with any other legends that may be required by the Company or by state or federal securities laws:
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 (THE “ACT”) AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED UNLESS AND UNTIL REGISTERED UNDER THE ACT OR, IN THE OPINION OF COUNSEL SATISFACTORY TO THE ISSUER OF THESE SECURITIES, SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR HYPOTHECATION IS IN COMPLIANCE THEREWITH.
A-3
THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER AND A RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL HELD BY THE ISSUER OR ITS ASSIGNEE(S) AS SET FORTH IN THE EXERCISE NOTICE BETWEEN THE ISSUER AND THE ORIGINAL HOLDER OF THESE SHARES, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE OF THE ISSUER. SUCH TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS AND RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL ARE BINDING ON TRANSFEREES OF THESE SHARES.
THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER FOR A PERIOD OF TIME FOLLOWING THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE UNDERWRITTEN PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE COMPANY’S SECURITIES SET FORTH IN AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ISSUER AND THE ORIGINAL HOLDER OF THESE SHARES AND MAY NOT BE SOLD OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF BY THE HOLDER PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF SUCH PERIOD WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE COMPANY OR THE MANAGING UNDERWRITER.
The Administrator reserves the right to include any other legends or restrictions on all certificates for Shares delivered as the Committee recommends or deems advisable.
(b) Stop-Transfer Notices. Participant agrees that, in order to ensure compliance with the restrictions referred to herein, the Company may issue appropriate “stop transfer” instructions to its transfer agent, if any, and that, if the Company transfers its own securities, it may make appropriate notations to the same effect in its own records.
(c) Refusal to Transfer. The Company shall not be required (i) to transfer on its books any Shares that have been sold or otherwise transferred in violation of any of the provisions of this Exercise Notice or (ii) to treat as owner of such Shares or to accord the right to vote or pay dividends to any purchaser or other transferee to whom such Shares shall have been so transferred.
10. Stockholders’ Agreement; Spousal Consent. As a condition for issuance of any Shares pursuant to this Exercise Notice, the Company may require Participant to execute and be bound by any right of first refusal and co-sale agreement, voting agreement, stockholders’ agreement or other similar agreement in existence at the time of exercise if such agreement applies to holders of the common stock of the Company. Additionally, if Participant is married on the date of this Exercise Notice, Participant’s spouse shall, as a condition of the Company’s obligations hereunder, execute and deliver to the Company a consent of spouse in the form attached as Exhibit C and/or such other form as the Company may require.
A-4
11. Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Exercise Notice to single or multiple assignees, and this Exercise Notice shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer herein set forth, this Exercise Notice shall be binding upon Participant and his or her heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns.
12. Interpretation. Any dispute regarding the interpretation of this Exercise Notice shall be submitted by Participant or by the Company forthwith to the Administrator, which shall review such dispute at its next regular meeting. The resolution of such a dispute by the Administrator shall be final and binding on all parties.
13. Governing Law; Severability. This Exercise Notice is governed by the internal substantive laws, without regard to the choice of law rules, of Delaware. In the event that any provision hereof becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Exercise Notice shall continue in full force and effect.
14. Entire Agreement. The Plan and Option Agreement are incorporated herein by reference. This Exercise Notice, the Plan, the Option Agreement and the Investment Representation Statement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Participant’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Participant.
<signature page follows>
A-5
Submitted by: | Accepted by: | |
PARTICIPANT | ELEVAI LABS INC. | |
Signature | Signature | |
Print Name | Print Name | |
Address: | Title | |
Address: | ||
120 Newport Center Drive, Suite 250 | ||
Newport Beach, California 92660 | ||
Date Received |
A-6
EXHIBIT B
INVESTMENT REPRESENTATION STATEMENT
PARTICIPANT | : | |
COMPANY | : | ELEVAI LABS INC. |
SECURITY | : | COMMON STOCK |
AMOUNT | : | |
DATE | : |
In connection with the purchase of the above-listed Securities, the undersigned Participant represents to the Company the following:
(a) Participant is aware of the Company’s business affairs and financial condition and has acquired sufficient information about the Company to reach an informed and knowledgeable decision to acquire the Securities. Participant is acquiring these Securities for investment for Participant’s own account only and not with a view to, or for resale in connection with, any “distribution” thereof within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
(b) Participant acknowledges and understands that the Securities constitute “restricted securities” under the Securities Act and have not been registered under the Securities Act in reliance upon a specific exemption therefrom, which exemption depends upon, among other things, the bona fide nature of Participant’s investment intent as expressed herein. In this connection, Participant understands that, in the view of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the statutory basis for such exemption may be unavailable if Participant’s representation was predicated solely upon a present intention to hold these Securities for the minimum capital gains period specified under tax statutes, for a deferred sale, for or until an increase or decrease in the market price of the Securities, or for a period of one (1) year or any other fixed period in the future. Participant further understands that the Securities must be held indefinitely unless they are subsequently registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from such registration is available. Participant further acknowledges and understands that the Company is under no obligation to register the Securities. Participant understands that the certificate evidencing the Securities shall be imprinted with any legend required under applicable state securities laws.
(c) Participant is familiar with the provisions of Rule 701 and Rule 144, each promulgated under the Securities Act, which, in substance, permit limited public resale of “restricted securities” acquired, directly or indirectly from the issuer thereof, in a non-public offering subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. Rule 701 provides that if the issuer qualifies under Rule 701 at the time of the grant of the Option to Participant, the exercise shall be exempt from registration under the Securities Act. In the event the Company becomes subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, ninety (90) days thereafter (or such longer period as any market stand-off agreement may require) the Securities exempt under Rule 701 may be resold, subject to the satisfaction of the applicable conditions specified by Rule 144, including in the case of affiliates (1) the availability of certain public information about the Company, (2) the amount of Securities being sold during any three (3) month period not exceeding specified limitations, (3) the resale being made in an unsolicited “broker’s transaction”, transactions directly with a “market maker” or “riskless principal transactions” (as those terms are defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) and (4) the timely filing of a Form 144, if applicable.
B-1
In the event that the Company does not qualify under Rule 701 at the time of grant of the Option, then the Securities may be resold in certain limited circumstances subject to the provisions of Rule 144, which may require (i) the availability of current public information about the Company; (ii) the resale to occur more than a specified period after the purchase and full payment (within the meaning of Rule 144) for the Securities; and (iii) in the case of the sale of Securities by an affiliate, the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in sections (2), (3) and (4) of the paragraph immediately above.
(d) Participant further understands that in the event all of the applicable requirements of Rule 701 or 144 are not satisfied, registration under the Securities Act, compliance with Regulation A, or some other registration exemption shall be required; and that, notwithstanding the fact that Rules 144 and 701 are not exclusive, the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission has expressed its opinion that persons proposing to sell private placement securities other than in a registered offering and otherwise than pursuant to Rules 144 or 701 shall have a substantial burden of proof in establishing that an exemption from registration is available for such offers or sales, and that such persons and their respective brokers who participate in such transactions do so at their own risk. Participant understands that no assurances can be given that any such other registration exemption shall be available in such event.
PARTICIPANT | |
Signature | |
Print Name | |
Date |
B-2
EXHIBIT C
SPOUSAL CONSENT
The undersigned spouse of Participant has read, understands, and hereby approves the Exercise Notice between Participant and the Company (the “Agreement”). In consideration of the Company’s granting my spouse the right to purchase the Shares as set forth in the Agreement, the undersigned hereby agrees to be irrevocably bound by the Agreement and further agrees that any community property interest and any other interest shall similarly be bound by and subordinate to the requirements of the Agreement. The undersigned hereby appoints Participant as my attorney-in-fact with respect to any amendment or exercise of any rights under the Agreement, and the undersigned hereby agrees that the Company and the other shareholders of the Company need not seek any further consent from me and may deal solely with Participant in connection with all matters under the Agreement.
Participant’s Spouse | ||
Address: | ||
C-1
Exhibit 10.3
AMENDED AND RESTATED CONSULTING AGREEMENT
This Amended and Restated Consulting Agreement (this “Agreement”), effective as of May 1, 2023 (“Effective Date”), is entered into by and between Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation fka Reactive Medical Labs, Inc. (“Company”), and NorthStrive Companies Inc., a California corporation (“Consultant”).
Recitals
A. Whereas, Company and BWL Investments Ltd, a British Columbia corporation (or its predecessors in interest) entered into that certain Consulting Agreement, dated July 3, 2020, as amended (collectively, the “Original Agreement”);
B. Whereas, Consultant received an assignment of the Original Agreement effective on or after December 19, 2022; and
C. Whereas, the parties mutually wish to amend and restate the Original Agreement, in its entirety, as set forth in this Amendment.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows.
Agreement
1. Consulting Relationship. During the term of this Agreement, Consultant will perform the consulting services as described on Exhibit A (the “Services”). Consultant shall perform the Services in a diligent and professional matter, and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
2. Fees. As consideration for the Services performed by Consultant and other obligations, Company shall pay Consultant the amounts specified in Exhibit B at the times specified therein.
3. Expenses. Consultant will be responsible for all expenses incurred while performing the Services unless Consultant receives the prior written approval of the Company to reimburse a particular expense. Without limiting the right of Company to deny approval, as a condition to receipt of reimbursement, Consultant shall be required to submit to Company reasonable evidence that the amount involved was both reasonable and necessary to the Services provided under this Agreement.
4. Term and Termination.
(a) This Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall terminate on the December 31, 2023.
(b) Either party may terminate this Agreement upon at least ten (10) days prior written notice to the other party.
(c) If (i) Company breaches any of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) Consultant breaches any of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement including, but not limited to, Consultant’s obligations under the Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement between Company and Consultant, the form of which is attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Confidentiality Agreement”), then the non-breaching party may terminate this Agreement immediately if the breaching party fails to cure the breach within five (5) business days after having received written notice by the non-breaching party of the breach or default.
-1-
5. Independent Contractor. Consultant’s relationship with Company will be that of an independent contractor and not that of an employee or agent. Unless authorized by the Company in writing in advance, Consultant shall provide its own office space, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform the Services.
6. Provision of Services. Consultant is responsible for determining the method, details and means of performing the Services.
(a) No Authority to Bind Company. Neither Consultant nor any of its personnel has the authority to enter into any contract that binds Company or creates any obligations on the part of Company.
(b) No Benefits. Neither Consultant nor any of its personnel is eligible for any Company employee benefits. Further, to the extent Consultant or any of its personnel otherwise would be eligible for any Company employee benefits but for the express terms of this Agreement, Consultant on behalf of itself and its personnel hereby expressly declines to participate in such Company employee benefits.
(c) Withholding; Indemnification. Consultant shall have full responsibility for applicable withholding taxes for all compensation paid to Consultant under this Agreement, and for compliance with all applicable labor and employment requirements with respect to Consultant’s self- employment, franchise tax, worker’s compensation insurance coverage requirements and U.S. immigration visa requirements. Consultant shall indemnify, defend and hold Company harmless from any liability for, or assessment of, any claims or penalties with respect to such withholding taxes, labor or employment requirements including, without limitation, any liability for, or assessment of, withholding taxes imposed on Company by the relevant taxing authorities with respect to any compensation paid to Consultant.
7. Services for Competitors. During term of this Agreement, Consultant shall not, directly or indirectly (a) perform any services which are the same or substantially similar to the Services, (b) participate in whether as an employee, contractor, consultant, officer or director or (c) have any ownership interest in or otherwise assist in the financing, operation, management or control of, any person or entity that designs, manufactures, markets, offers, sells and/or distributes any produces or service which competes with, or is a substitute for, any of the products or services being offered for sale by Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Consultant retains the right to invest in or have an interest in any competitive entity whose equity securities are traded on any public market, provided that said interest does not exceed one percent (1%) of the voting control of said entity.
8. Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement. Consultant shall sign, or has signed, the Confidentiality Agreement, which shall be effective as of the Effective Date. Consultant shall ensure that each of its personnel performing the Services on behalf of Consultant shall have entered into confidentiality agreement with Consultant obligating such personnel to abide by the provisions of this Agreement.
9. Representations and Warranties. Consultant represents and warrants that:
(a) Neither Consultant nor any of its personnel is under any pre-existing obligation in conflict or in any way inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement. Consultant’s performance of this Agreement will not breach any agreement to keep in confidence proprietary information acquired by Consultant in confidence or in trust prior to commencement of this Agreement. Consultant is in the business of performing services similar to the Services for third parties. Consultant has all rights, licenses and permissions required for it to perform the Services and receive the compensation hereunder.
-2-
(b) Consultant has the right to disclose and/or or use all ideas, processes, techniques and other information, if any, which Consultant has gained from third parties, and which Consultant discloses to Company or uses in the course of performance of the Services, without liability to such third parties.
10. Miscellaneous.
(a) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of California, without giving effect to the principles of conflict of law provisions thereof.
(b) Entire Agreement; Other Agreements. This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties relating to the subject matter herein. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement supersedes all prior or contemporaneous discussions, understandings and agreements (original or amended), whether oral or written, between them relating to the subject matter hereof. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this Agreement amends and restates the Original Agreement and any amendments thereto, in its entirety, effective as of the Effective Date.
(c) Amendments and Waivers. No modification of or amendment to this Agreement, nor any waiver of any rights under this Agreement, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the parties to this Agreement. No delay or failure to require performance of any provision of this Agreement shall constitute a waiver of that provision as to that or any other instance.
(d) Successors and Assigns. Consultant may not assign, whether voluntarily or by operation of law, any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement, except with the prior written consent of Company (for purposes of clarification, Company confirms its consent to the assignment referenced in Recital B). Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives of the parties.
(e) Notices. Any notice, demand or request required or permitted to be given under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed sufficient when delivered personally, by overnight courier or sent by email, addressed to the party to be notified at such party’s address as set forth on the signature page, as subsequently modified by written notice, or if no address is specified on the signature page, at the most recent address set forth in Company’s books and records.
(f) Severability. If one or more provisions of this Agreement are held to be unenforceable under applicable law, the parties agree to renegotiate such provision in good faith. In the event that the parties cannot reach a mutually agreeable and enforceable replacement for such provision, then (i) such provision shall be excluded from this Agreement, (ii) the balance of this Agreement shall be interpreted as if such provision were so excluded and (iii) the balance of this Agreement shall be enforceable in accordance with its terms.
(g) Construction. This Agreement is the result of negotiations between and has been reviewed by each of the parties and their respective counsel, if any; accordingly, this Agreement shall be deemed to be the product of both parties, and no ambiguity shall be construed in favor of or against either party.
(h) Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Signatures received by facsimile, PDF file or other electronic format (including DocuSign) shall be deemed to be original signatures.
[Signature Page Follows]
-3-
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement but with an effective date as of the date first written above.
COMPANY: | ||
ELEVAI LABS INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Graydon Bensler | |
Name: | Graydon Bensler | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
Address: | 120 Newport Center Drive | |
Suite 250, Newport Beach, CA 92660 | ||
CONSULTANT: | ||
NORTHSTRIVE COMPANIES INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Braeden Lichti | |
Name: | Braeden Lichti | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
Address: | 1401 21st Street, Suite R | |
Sacramento, CA 95811 |
Business Tax ID: 30-1245134 |
-4-
EXHIBIT A
DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
1. Assist the Company with its investor outreach and communication strategy.
2. Assist and support Company’s efforts to list its shares on a national stock exchange.
3. Communicate with the Chief Executive Officer of Company regarding the performance of the Services on a reasonably frequent basis or on such periodic basis as specified by the Chief Executive Officer of Company.
4. Work cooperatively with the executive officers of Company.
A-1
EXHIBIT B
COMPENSATION
1. In exchange for performance of the Services, Company shall pay Consultant i) an amount equal to Ten Thousand Dollars (US$10,000.00) per month (the “Fees”) accrued since January 4, 2022 (the “Outstanding Fees”), and ii) a monthly fee equal to the Fees starting on May 1, 2023; provided, however, that the Outstanding Fees and foregoing amount shall accrue interest-free and payment thereof deferred until the earlier to occur of (a) Company raises an aggregate of at least US$3,000,000 from equity and/or debt investment from and after October 1, 2022, (b) Company becomes listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system including, without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, or (c) the Board determines that Company has sufficient cash flows to support payment of the foregoing amounts of Fees due to Consultant at the time of that determination.
2. The Fees specified in paragraph 1 shall be payable in cash payment or, at the option of Consultant, in the form of shares of common stock of the Company at a price of $1.34138 per share with respect to all Fees earned prior to March 31, 2023, and $3.00 per share with respect to all Fees earned from and after April 1, 2023. At any time, and from time to time, Consultant may use all or any portion of the Fees to purchase shares of common stock of the Company. To purchase shares of common stock of Company, Consultant shall provide written notice to Company, which notice shall specify the amount of the Fees that Consultant wishes to allocate to the purchase of those shares of common stock. Consultant shall be responsible for all taxes and other withholdings arising out of the Fees paid to Consultant.
3. This Exhibit B sets forth the compensation to be paid in exchange for the performance of the Services specified in Exhibit A.
B-1
EXHIBIT C
CONFIDENTIAL
INFORMATION AND
INVENTION ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT
<attached as a separate document>
C-1
Exhibit 10.4
ADVISORY AGREEMENT
This Advisory Agreement (this “Agreement”), is retroactively effective as of February 1, 2023 (“Effective Date”), is entered into by and between Elevai Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Company”), and Braeden Lichti (“Advisor”).
Recitals
A. Whereas, Advisor resigned as a member of the board of directors of the Company (“Board”), effective as of February 1, 2023.
B. Whereas, the Company wishes to continue to have Advisor advise the Board regarding certain strategic matters; and
C. Whereas, the Advisor wishes to continue to be compensated based on the previous compensation provided as a member of the Board;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows.
Agreement
1. Advisory Services. During the term of this Agreement, Advisor will perform the advisory services as described on Exhibit A (the “Services”). Advisor shall perform the Services in a diligent and professional matter, and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
2. Fees. As consideration for the Services performed by Advisor, Company shall pay Advisor the amounts specified in Exhibit B at the times specified therein.
3. Expenses. Advisor will be responsible for all expenses incurred while performing the Services unless Advisor receives the prior written approval of the Company to reimburse a particular expense. Without limiting the right of Company to deny approval, as a condition to receipt of reimbursement, Advisor shall be required to submit to Company reasonable evidence that the amount involved was both reasonable and necessary to the Services provided under this Agreement.
4. Term and Termination.
(a) This Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall terminate on the December 31, 2024.
(b) Either party may terminate this Agreement upon at least ten (10) days prior written notice to the other party.
(c) If (i) Company breaches any of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) Advisor breaches any of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement including, but not limited to, Advisor’s obligations under the Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement between Company and Advisor, the form of which is attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Confidentiality Agreement”), then the non-breaching party may terminate this Agreement immediately if the breaching party fails to cure the breach within five (5) business days after having received written notice by the non-breaching party of the breach or default.
-1-
5. Independent Contractor. Advisor’s relationship with Company will be that of an independent contractor and not that of an employee or agent. Unless authorized by the Company in writing in advance, Advisor shall provide its own office space, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform the Services.
6. Provision of Services. Advisor is responsible for determining the method, details and means of performing the Services.
(a) No Authority to Bind Company. Neither Advisor nor any of its personnel has the authority to enter into any contract that binds Company or creates any obligations on the part of Company.
(b) No Benefits. Neither Advisor nor any of its personnel is eligible for any Company employee benefits. Further, to the extent Advisor or any of its personnel otherwise would be eligible for any Company employee benefits but for the express terms of this Agreement, Advisor on behalf of itself and its personnel hereby expressly declines to participate in such Company employee benefits.
(c) Withholding; Indemnification. Advisor shall have full responsibility for applicable withholding taxes for all compensation paid to Advisor under this Agreement, and for compliance with all applicable labor and employment requirements with respect to Advisor’s self- employment, franchise tax, worker’s compensation insurance coverage requirements and U.S. immigration visa requirements. Advisor shall indemnify, defend and hold Company harmless from any liability for, or assessment of, any claims or penalties with respect to such withholding taxes, labor or employment requirements including, without limitation, any liability for, or assessment of, withholding taxes imposed on Company by the relevant taxing authorities with respect to any compensation paid to Advisor.
7. Services for Competitors. During term of this Agreement, Advisor shall not, directly or indirectly (a) perform any services which are the same or substantially similar to the Services, (b) participate in whether as an employee, contractor, consultant, officer or director or (c) have any ownership interest in or otherwise assist in the financing, operation, management or control of, any person or entity that designs, manufactures, markets, offers, sells and/or distributes any produces or service which competes with, or is a substitute for, any of the products or services being offered for sale by Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Advisor retains the right to invest in or have an interest in any competitive entity whose equity securities are traded on any public market, provided that said interest does not exceed one percent (1%) of the voting control of said entity.
8. Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement. Advisor shall sign, or has signed, the Confidentiality Agreement, which shall be effective as of the Effective Date. Advisor shall ensure that each of its personnel performing the Services on behalf of Advisor shall have entered into confidentiality agreement with Advisor obligating such personnel to abide by the provisions of this Agreement.
9. Representations and Warranties. Advisor represents and warrants that:
(a) Neither Advisor nor any of its personnel is under any pre-existing obligation in conflict or in any way inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement. Advisor’s performance of this Agreement will not breach any agreement to keep in confidence proprietary information acquired by Advisor in confidence or in trust prior to commencement of this Agreement. Advisor is in the business of performing services similar to the Services for third parties. Advisor has all rights, licenses and permissions required for it to perform the Services and receive the compensation hereunder.
-2-
(b) Advisor has the right to disclose and/or or use all ideas, processes, techniques and other information, if any, which Advisor has gained from third parties, and which Advisor discloses to Company or uses in the course of performance of the Services, without liability to such third parties or causing liability to the Company.
10. Miscellaneous.
(a) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of California, without giving effect to the principles of conflict of law provisions thereof.
(b) Entire Agreement. This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties relating to the subject matter herein and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous discussions, understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between them relating to the subject matter hereof. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this Agreement amends and restates the Original Agreement, in its entirety, effective as of the Effective Date.
(c) Amendments and Waivers. No modification of or amendment to this Agreement, nor any waiver of any rights under this Agreement, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the parties to this Agreement. No delay or failure to require performance of any provision of this Agreement shall constitute a waiver of that provision as to that or any other instance.
(d) Successors and Assigns. Advisor may not assign, whether voluntarily or by operation of law, any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement, except with the prior written consent of Company. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives of the parties.
(e) Notices. Any notice, demand or request required or permitted to be given under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed sufficient when delivered personally, by overnight courier or sent by email, addressed to the party to be notified at such party’s address as set forth on the signature page, as subsequently modified by written notice, or if no address is specified on the signature page, at the most recent address set forth in Company’s books and records.
(f) Severability. If one or more provisions of this Agreement are held to be unenforceable under applicable law, the parties agree to renegotiate such provision in good faith. In the event that the parties cannot reach a mutually agreeable and enforceable replacement for such provision, then (i) such provision shall be excluded from this Agreement, (ii) the balance of this Agreement shall be interpreted as if such provision were so excluded and (iii) the balance of this Agreement shall be enforceable in accordance with its terms.
(g) Construction. This Agreement is the result of negotiations between and has been reviewed by each of the parties and their respective counsel, if any; accordingly, this Agreement shall be deemed to be the product of both parties, and no ambiguity shall be construed in favor of or against either party.
(h) Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Signatures received by facsimile, PDF file or other electronic format (including DocuSign) shall be deemed to be original signatures.
[Signature Page Follows]
-3-
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement but with an effective date as of the date first written above.
COMPANY: | ||
ELEVAI LABS INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Graydon Bensler | |
Name: | Graydon Bensler | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
Address: 120 Newport Center Drive Suite 250, Newport Beach, CA 92660 | ||
ADVISOR: | ||
BRAEDEN LICHTI | ||
By: | /s/ Braeden Lichti | |
Name: | Braeden Lichti | |
Address: 14781 Pomerado Road, #199 Poway, CA 92064 | ||
EIN: | 123 4567 |
-4-
EXHIBIT A
DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
1. Advise the Board of Directors regarding certain strategic matters, including advising on board governance and process matters, assisting in efforts to recruit potential directors, and providing insight during board strategy sessions.
A-1
EXHIBIT B
COMPENSATION
1. The options granted on February 9, 2021 to purchase 200,000 shares of Common Stock of Company granted pursuant to Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, shall continue to vest during the term of the Agreement.
2. This Exhibit B sets forth the compensation to be paid in exchange for the performance of the Services specified in Section 2 of Exhibit A.
B-1
EXHIBIT C
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AND
INVENTION ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT
<attached as a separate document>
C-1
Exhibit 10.5
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
120 Newport Center Drive | Suite 250
Newport Beach, CA I 92660
(778) 558-4949
[●] , 2023
Re: Independent Director Offer Letter - [●]
Dear [●]:
ELEVAI LABS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company” or “we”), is pleased to offer you a position as an Independent Director of the Company and as Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”). We believe your financial background and experience will be a significant asset to the Company and we look forward to your participation as an Independent Director in the Company. Should you choose to accept this position as an Independent Director, this letter agreement (the “Agreement”) shall constitute an agreement between you and the Company and contains all the terms and conditions relating to the services you agree to provide to the Company. Your appointment to the Board shall also be subject to the approval of the Board and/or Nomination and Compensation Committees of the Board and shall begin on [●] (the “Effective Date”) Your agreement of the following shall memorialize your status as an Independent Director of the Company as of the Effective Date.
1. Term. This Agreement is effective as of the date first listed above and you shall immediately become an Independent Director Nominee of the Company. Your term as an Independent Director shall begin on the Effective Date and continue subject to the provisions in Section 9 below or until your successor is duly elected and qualified (the “Term”). The position shall be up for re-appointment every year by the Board and upon re-appointment, the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
2. Services. You shall render customary services as an Independent Director, and portions of those services prior to the Company’s Listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market as an Independent Director Nominee including but not limited to those set forth below (hereinafter, your “Duties”). After the Effective date and during the Term of your appointment, you may attend and participate in each meeting regarding the business and operation issues of the Company as regularly or specially called, via teleconference, video conference, or in person. After the Effective date and during the Term of your appointment, you shall consult with the members of the Board and the Audit Committee of the Board regularly and as necessary via telephone, electronic mail, or other forms of correspondence.
Scope of Duties:
● | Ensure corporate governance on behalf of all stakeholders; |
● | Advise the Board, management and shareholders on optimal strategic development; |
● | Provide general oversight of the Company’s appointment, compensation, performance, retention or termination and work of the Company’s independent auditor; |
● | Communicate and interface with the Company’s independent auditor and advise on matters involving the Company’s accounting and financial reporting processes; |
● | Oversee the Company’s accounting and financial reporting processes and the audit and preparation of the company’s financial statements in compliance with applicable laws, Nasdaq rules, and regulations; |
● | Review and assess the adequacy of the [●] Committees’ charter on an annual basis and |
● | Attend quarterly board meetings and other meetings as required |
3. Services for Others. You shall be free to represent or perform services for other persons, which are not competitive with the business of the Company during the term of this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, persons competitive with the business of the Company include those engaged in the business of selling, marketing, manufacturing, or creating (i) stem-cell-based aesthetics or (ii) physician-dispensed skincare products.
4. Compensation.
a. | As compensation for your services to the Company, you will receive the following: |
i. | Commencing with the first meeting of the board following the Company’s listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market (or other similar national stock exchange), you will receive compensation of $3,750 on a quarterly basis for each three (3) month period of service under this Agreement on a pro-rated basis and payable quarterly basis; and |
ii. | An equity grant as of the Effective Date (the “Date of Grant”): |
a) | A non-statutory option to purchase 80,000 shares of common stock of the Company (the “Stock Option”) pursuant to the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) which shall have an exercise price of $5.00 per share and a term of ten (10) years from the Date of Grant. |
b) | Such Stock Option shall vest and be exercisable as to (i) twenty five percent (25%) of the shares subject to the Stock Option on April 24, 2024 (“First Vesting Date”) and (ii) the remaining seventy five percent (75%) of the shares subject to the Stock Option at a rate of 1/36th of each monthly anniversary of First Vesting Date such that the Stock Option shall be fully vested and exercisable on the third anniversary of the First Vesting Date. |
c) | Such Stock Option shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and the stock option agreement between the Company and Independent Director. |
b. | As of the Date of Grant, you shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred by you in connection with the performance of your Duties (including travel expenses for in-person meetings). The compensation set forth in this agreement is all-inclusive and there is no additional compensation for attending meetings. |
5. D&O Insurance Policy. During the term under this Agreement, to the extent available, the Company shall include you as an insured under its officers and directors insurance policy (as may be amended from time to time).
6. No Assignment. Because of the personal nature of the services to be rendered by you, this Agreement may not be assigned by you without the prior written consent of the Company.
7. Confidential Information; Non-Disclosure. In consideration of your access to certain Confidential Information (as defined below) of the Company, in connection with your business relationship with the Company, you hereby represent and agree as follows:
a. Definition. For purposes of this Agreement the term “Confidential Information” means: (i) any information which the Company possesses that has been created, discovered or developed by or for the Company, and which has or could have commercial value or utility in the business in which the Company is engaged; (ii) any information which is related to the business of the Company and is generally not known by non-Company personnel; and (iii) Confidential Information includes, without limitation, trade secrets and any information concerning products, processes, formulas, designs, inventions (whether or not patentable or registrable under copyright or similar laws, and whether or not reduced to practice), discoveries, concepts, ideas, improvements, techniques, methods, research, development and test results, specifications, data, know-how, software, formats, marketing plans, and analyses, business plans and analyses, strategies, forecasts, customer and supplier identities, characteristics and agreements.
2
b. Exclusions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term Confidential Information shall not include: (i) any information which becomes generally available or is readily available to the public other than as a result of a breach of the confidentiality portions of this Agreement, or any other agreement requiring confidentiality between the Company and you; (ii) information received from a third party in rightful possession of such information who to your knowledge is not restricted from disclosing such information; (iii) information known by you prior to receipt of such information from the Company; (iv) information that is independently developed by you without use of or reference to any Confidential Information ; and (v) information you are required to disclose pursuant to any applicable law, regulation, judicial or administrative order or decree, or request by other regulatory organization having authority pursuant to the law; provided, however, that you shall first have given prior written notice to the Company and made a reasonable effort to obtain a protective order requiring that the Confidential Information not be disclosed.
c. Documents. You agree that, without the express written consent of the Company, you will not remove from the Company’s premises, any notes, formulas, programs, data, records, machines or any other documents or items which in any manner contain or constitute Confidential Information, nor will you make reproductions or copies of same. You shall promptly return any such documents or items, along with any reproductions or copies to the Company upon the Company’s demand, upon termination of this Agreement, or upon your termination or Resignation (as defined in Section 9 herein).
d. Confidentiality. You agree that you will hold in trust and confidence all Confidential Information and will not disclose to others, directly or indirectly, any Confidential Information or anything relating to such information without the prior written consent of the Company, except as may be necessary in the course of your business relationship with the Company. You further agree that you will not use any Confidential Information without the prior written consent of the Company, except as may be necessary in the course of your business relationship with the Company, and that the provisions of this paragraph (d) shall survive termination of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may disclose Confidential Information to your legal counsel and accounting advisors who have a need to know such information for accounting or tax purposes and who agree to be bound by the provisions of this paragraph (d).
e. Ownership. You agree that the Company shall own all right, title and interest (including patent rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, mask work rights, trademark rights, and all other intellectual and industrial property rights of any sort throughout the world) relating to any and all inventions (whether or not patentable), works of authorship, mask works, designations, designs, know-how, ideas and information made or conceived or reduced to practice, in whole or in part, by you during the term of this Agreement and that arise out of your Duties (collectively, “Director Intellectual Property”) and you will promptly disclose and provide all Director Intellectual Property to the Company. You agree to assist the Company, at its expense, to further evidence, record and perfect such assignments, and to perfect, obtain, maintain, enforce, and defend any rights assigned.
8. Non-Solicitation. During the Term of your appointment, you shall not solicit for employment any employee of the Company with whom you have had contact due to your appointment.
9. Termination and Resignation. Your services as an Independent Director may be terminated for any or no reason by the determination of the Board. You may also terminate your services as an Independent Director for any or no reason by delivering your written notice of resignation to the Company (“Resignation”), and such Resignation shall be effective upon the time specified therein or, if no time is specified, upon receipt of the notice of resignation by the Company. Upon the effective date of the termination or Resignation, your right to compensation hereunder will terminate subject to the Company’s obligations to pay you any compensation that you have already earned and to reimburse you for approved expenses already incurred in connection with your performance of your Duties as of the effective date of such termination or Resignation.
3
10. Governing Law; Arbitration. All questions with respect to the construction and/or enforcement of this Agreement, and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder, shall be determined in accordance with the law of the State of New York. All disputes with respect to this Agreement, including the existence, validity, interpretation, performance, breach or termination thereof or any dispute regarding non-contractual obligations arising out of or relating to it shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association at its New York office in force when the Notice of Arbitration is submitted. The law of this arbitration clause shall be New York law. The seat of arbitration shall be in New York. The number of arbitrators shall be one. The arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in English.
11. Entire Agreement; Amendment; Waiver; Counterparts. This Agreement expresses the entire understanding with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and terminates any prior oral or written agreements with respect to the subject matter hereof. Any term of this Agreement may be amended and observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived only with the written consent of the parties hereto. Waiver of any term or condition of this Agreement by any party shall not be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach or failure of the same term or condition or waiver of any other term or condition of this Agreement. The failure of any party at any time to require performance by any other party of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect the right of any such party to require future performance of such provision or any other provision of this Agreement. This Agreement may be executed in separate counterparts each of which will be an original and all of which taken together will constitute one and the same agreement, and may be executed using facsimiles of signatures, and a facsimile of a signature shall be deemed to be the same, and equally enforceable, as an original of such signature.
12. Indemnification. The Company shall, to the maximum extent provided under applicable law, indemnify and hold you harmless from and against any expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, settlements and other legally permissible amounts (“Losses”), incurred in connection with any proceeding arising out of, or related to, your performance of your Duties, other than any such Losses incurred as a result of your gross negligence or willful misconduct. The Company shall advance to you any expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of settlement, incurred in defending any such proceeding to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. Such costs and expenses incurred by you in defense of any such proceeding shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such proceeding promptly upon receipt by the Company of (a) written request for payment; (b) appropriate documentation evidencing the incurrence, amount and nature of the costs and expenses for which payment is being sought; and (c) an undertaking adequate under applicable law made by or on your behalf to repay the amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined pursuant to any non-appealable judgment or settlement that you are not entitled to be indemnified by the Company.
13. Acknowledgement. You accept this Agreement subject to all the terms and provisions of this Agreement. You agree to accept as binding, conclusive, and final all decisions or interpretations of the board of Independent Directors of the Company of any questions arising under this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, nothing shall prohibit you from exercising your fiduciary duties as an Independent Director of the Company.
[Signature Page Follows]
4
The Agreement has been executed and delivered by the undersigned and is made effective as of the date set first set forth above.
Sincerely, | ||
ELEVAI LABS, INC. | ||
By: | ||
Dr. Jordan Plews | ||
Chief Executive Officer |
AGREED AND ACCEPTED: | |
Name: | |
Address: |
5
Exhibit 10.6
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR AGREEMENT
THIS AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made as of the last date set forth on the signature page below (“Effective Date”) between Elevai Labs Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Company”) and the entity set forth on the signature page below (“Distributor”).
1. APPOINTMENT OF DISTRIBUTOR.
1.1 Appointment. Company hereby appoints Distributor, and Distributor hereby accepts the appointment, as a non-exclusive authorized distributor of products which are listed on Exhibit A (collectively, the “Products”) solely to Customers (as defined below) in the Territory (as defined below) during the Term (as defined below), subject to Distributor’s compliance with all requirements set forth in this Agreement. Company shall have the right to add, make any changes to, or discontinue any Products at any time upon at least ninety (90) days prior written notice to Distributor. As used in this Agreement, (a) “Customer” means any individual doctor, medical practice or group, hospital, or clinic and (b) “Territory” means the geographic location set forth on Exhibit E. For purposes of clarification, in no event shall Customer include any other distributor or sub-distributor. For purposes of clarification, Distributor acknowledges that Company expects to appoint one or more additional authorized distributors in the Territory, some or all of which may be competitors of Distributor.
1.2 Limitations on Distributor. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as, directly or indirectly, granting Distributor any: (a) right to market, sell or distribute any Products outside of the Territory, including to any person within the Territory that Distributor knows or should know will likely market, sell or distribute any Products outside of the Territory; (b) right to market, sell or distribute any Products on the internet (including without limitation, Amazon, eBay, Facebook or any other online marketplace or on any social media platform), with the sole exception of (i) Distributor’s website set forth on Exhibit A (if any) and (ii) any other website approved by Company in writing (each, an “Approved Website”); (c) right to market, sell or distribute any product except for the Products; (d) license to any of Company’s technology or any of its other Intellectual Property Rights (as defined below) except as expressly set out in Section 3.3; (e) right in or to any proprietary technology of Company by implication, estoppel or otherwise; or (f) other right except as expressly provided herein. If Distributor receives any order or inquiry from outside of the Territory or for delivery outside of the Territory (including via the internet), then Distributor shall promptly forward such order or inquiry to Company.
1.3 General Obligations of Distributor. Distributor shall at all times during the Term:
(a) market, sell and deliver such Products to Customers in the Territory;
(b) use its best efforts at all times to promote and enhance Company’s interests, and the reputation of the Products and Company’s business, including promoting and enhancing Company’s brands in accordance with this Agreement. Nothing herein constitutes an agreement, express or implied, between the parties regarding any of the aspects related to the pricing of Products;
(c) use its best efforts to maximize sales of the Products;
(d) maintain and stock (i) an adequate supply of the Products to satisfy the demand of its Customers, or (ii) request that Company ship Products directly to the Customers;
(e) maintain qualified personnel with knowledge of the specifications, features and use of the Products;
(f) only purchase Products directly from Company;
(g) not act in a manner which may adversely affect the reputation Company or Company’s business;s
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(h) not make any statement, warranty or guarantee regarding the Products or Company except as expressly permitted by this Agreement or any Accompanying Information. As used herein, “Accompanying Information” means any warranty or other information relating to the Products provided by Company including any information required to be provided by law at the time of sale;
(i) not sell any Products to any distributor or sub-distributor or to any person or entity which is not a Customer;
(j) not sell any Products which are not packaged (including the size of the container) as described on Exhibit A;
(k) comply with Company’s marketing guidelines, if any, provided in writing to Distributor, as the same may be updated by Company from time to time (the “Marketing Guidelines”) as well as all other instructions and directives of Company regarding the sale, marketing and/or distribution of the Products;
(l) to the extent Company has authorized Distributor to sell any Products on any Approved Website, comply with Company’s guidelines, if any, regarding the sale, marketing and/or distribution of the Products on the internet;
(m) promptly respond to all inquiries relating to the Products and refer any relevant inquiries to Company as soon as reasonably possible;
(n) not distribute or otherwise make available for sale any Product which Distributor knows is faulty or subject to a recall; and
(o) handle, ship and store all Products in accordance with the instructions provided by
Company.
1.4 Terms of Sale and Related Matters.
(a) The prices of the Products payable by Distributor are set forth on Exhibit B, or such price as agreed in writing by Company. The prices of the Products are considered Confidential Information (as defined below) of Company and Distributor shall not disclose any of such prices to any third party. Company may modify the prices at any time by providing written notice thereof to Distributor at least sixty (60) days prior to the effective date of any such price modification.
(b) Distributor will place orders with Company for Products in accordance with all processes and minimum order quantities specified by Company from time to time in the form specified by Company from time to time (each, an “Order”). Each Order will constitute an offer to purchase the Products by Distributor which will only be accepted by Company by written confirmation of the Order to Distributor or the performance by Company of the Order, which confirmation shall include an estimated delivery date. Distributor acknowledges that (i) Company’s lead time is approximately [***] and (ii) the minimum order size per Product is [***] units (Products are currently packaged in 8-unit packs), which Company may update from time to time; provided that Distributor may request a smaller order size for orders which will be shipped directly to Customers. Company may in relation to any Order, accept the Order or decline to accept the Order in whole or in part, in its sole discretion.
(c) Company shall formulate, package and deliver the Products ordered in accordance with the quantities specified in the Order. Unless shipped directly to the Customer, shipments shall be delivered ex works at Company’s contract manufacturer, which is currently located in Hayward, California. Risk of loss will pass to the Distributor upon delivery of the ordered Products at the Company’s contract manufacturer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Distributor may request that Company ship Products directly to Customers and, in such event, (i) Distributor shall be responsible for providing Company with all applicable data regarding such orders including the name, delivery address and contact information for the Customer and the number of units of the applicable Product ordered by such Customer and (ii) Company shall pay all applicable shipping costs.
2
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(d) Distributor shall be solely responsible for collecting and remitting any applicable sales, excise, use, property or other tax, tariff, duty or assessment for sale of any Product.
(e) At its sole cost and expense, Distributor shall obtain all licenses, permits and official authorizations necessary to purchase, import and accept delivery of the Products in the Territory.
(t) For all Orders after the first Order pursuant to this Agreement, Company shall invoice Distributor for (A) fifty percent (50%) of such Order upon acceptable thereof and (B) the remaining fifty percent (50%) of such Order at such time that the Order is ready for delivery to Distributor.
(g) Distributor shall pay each invoice in full (without offset of any kind) within ten (10) days of the date of such invoice to an account designated in writing by Company. A11 payments shall be made in United States Dollars and in immediately available funds. All non-United States currencies shall be converted to United States Dollars as of the date of payment using the exchange rate published by The Wall Street Journal. If Distributor does not make any payment as and when due, then Distributor shall also pay a late fee equal to one and one-half percent (1.5%) per month (or portion thereof) of the unpaid amount (or, if less, the maximum late fee permitted by applicable law) until the applicable payment is made in full. Distributor will pay all costs including, without limitation, all costs of investigation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs and court costs, incurred in any collection proceeding initiated as a result of Distributor’s default on its payment obligations hereunder. If Distributor fails to comply with any of its payment obligations hereunder then, in addition to all other remedies available to Company, Company may (i) recall any Products that have not been timely paid for and cause Distributor to promptly (but in any event within ten (10) days)) return such Products to Company at Distributor’s sole cost and expense, (ii) cancel any Order, and/or (iii) rescind or withhold any and all discounts applicable to any Products.
(h) Distributor will be responsible for insuring the ordered Products at all times from the time of delivery, which insurance must specify the interest of both parties.
(i) Title to any ordered Products will pass to Distributor on payment to Company in full for such ordered Products. Accordingly, Distributor will hold all Products as bailee for Company until paid for but may sell any such Products in the ordinary course of business to Customers.
u) Distributor will act as the primary point of contact for Customers. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Distributor shall arrange for or provide all after-sales service support and replacement sales for the Products to all Customers.
(k) Distributor shall promptly notify Company in writing if Distributor becomes aware of any claim or potential claim in respect of any Product and will provide Company with all reasonable assistance to defend or otherwise deal with such claims.
(1) Any shipment of Products to Distributor, whether in whole or in partial fulfillment of any Order submitted by Distributor, shall not be considered an acceptance by Company of any of Distributor’s terms and conditions of such Order, except as to the identification of the Products and the quantities involved.
(m) Company shall have the right to allocate production of Products among its own customers, Distributor, and Company’s other distributors in its sole and reasonable discretion taking into account, among other factors, the relative value of sales by each such customer. If Company is unable to an accepted Order within a reasonable time after the estimated delivery date, then Distributor’s sole remedy shall be to cancel such Order by delivering written notice of cancellation to Company, which notice must be received by Company prior to delivery of the Products subject to such Order.
3
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(n) Subject to Distributor’s compliance with Company’s pricing policy for sales of Products in the United States (a copy of which is set forth on Exhibit D), as updated from time to time by Company, Distributor is free to establish the pricing and terms of the sale of Products to Customers.
1.5 Other Obligations of Company.
(a) Upon the request of Company, Distributor will meet on an annual basis to discuss the sales of the Products and other information and topics relating to this Agreement. In addition, Distributor will discuss Distributor’s performance of the key performance indicators (“KPIs”) listed on Exhibit C on a calendar quarterly basis, generally on the first business day of each calendar quarter; provided that the parties shall negotiate and complete Exhibit C within thirty (30) days of the six (6) month anniversary of the Effective Date.
(b) Distributor shall provide the following reports (“Monthly Reports”) not later than ten ( 10) days after the end of each month:
(i) detailed inventory of Products held by Distributor and as well as the aggregate inventory held in the Territory;
(ii) detailed sales information of Products by Distributor including, but not limited to, sales amounts and growth year over year. Such information shall be broken down by Product;
(iii) description of marketing efforts undertaken by Distributor; and
(iv) detailed summary of market feedback on or complaints regarding the Products within the Territory and recommendations and steps undertaken in respond to such feedback.
Such Monthly Reports shall be provided in writing unless Company, in its sole discretion, permits Distributor to provide any such Monthly Reports verbally.
(c) If Distributor does not achieve any of the KPIs then, in addition to all other remedies available to Company, Company may terminate this Agreement.
(d) Distributor shall introduce representatives of Company to its key opinion leaders within the Territory and shall facilitate interactions between the Company and such key opinion leaders for purposes of discussing opportunities for clinical studies, new product tests, advisory board opportunities, obtaining video or written testimonials, or speaking event collaborations.
(e) Distributor shall work collaboratively with Company regarding the marketing materials proposed to be used by Distributor to advertise and market the Products to ensure consistency of messaging and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Distributor shall obtain Company’s prior written consent (email is acceptable) with respect to all marketing materials, branded content, visual content and product messaging with respect to the Products whether any of the foregoing will be used in email, social media or in any other forms of advertisement. Company shall provide as much advance notice as possible regarding any media-related opportunities with respect to the Products and an opportunity for representatives of Company to participate. Further, each party shall make executive level personnel to meet with executive level personnel of the other party at least once per calendar quarter during the Term to discuss progress, resolve issues, and explore ways to increase sales of the Products in the Territory.
4
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
1.6 Obligations of Company. Company agrees to notify Distributor, as soon as reasonably practicable, of any: (a) actual or anticipated material changes to any Products and (b) adverse quality, supply or other issues in respect of any of the Products including any recalls of any Products. In the event of any recall of any Product, or instructions from Company to suspend sales of any Product for any reason, Distributor will immediately cease any and all sales activity and will provide Company with all reasonable assistance with respect thereto.
1.7 Exclusivity. Distributor shall have the right to request that Company grant Distributor the exclusive right to distribute some or all of the Products in one or more of the states which comprise the Territory. If Company determines to grant Distributor any exclusive rights, then the parties will execute an amendment to this Agreement, which will contain the conditions of such exclusivity, including minimum sales requirements.
2. TERM AND TERMINA TTON.
2.1. Term.
(a) This Agreement and the appointment of Distributor hereunder shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue for a term of six (6) months (the “Term”).
(b) The Term may only be renewed or extended by a written agreement executed on behalf of both parties. For purposes of clarification, such extension may be conditioned upon (i) Distributor having not breached this Agreement, (ii) Distributor having satisfied all applicable KPTs and (iii) the parties agreeing to the KPTs or the renewal or extended term through an amendment to Exhibit C.
2.2. Termination.
(a) Prior to the end of the Term, this Agreement shall automatical1y terminate if either party: (i) breaches this Agreement and, if such breach is capable of cure, such party does not cure such breach within thirty (30) days of receipt of written notice from the non-breaching party provided that the breaching party shall only have five (5) business days to cure any payment breach; (ii) suspends its business or becomes subject to any bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding which is not dismissed within thirty (30) days of commencement thereof; (iii) makes an assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or (iv) commences any proceeding for liquidation or dissolution.
(b) Company shall also have the right to terminate this Agreement immediately upon written notice to Distributor if: (i) Distributor fails to purchase and pay for the applicable minimum quantities of Products as set forth in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of Exhibit C; (ii) any act or omission of Distributor causes material damage to Company, the Products or the reputation of Company or the Products; or (iii) Distributor does not respond to Company’s inquires or requests within a commercially reasonable timeframe.
2.3 Effect of Termination.
(a) Subject to Sections 2.3(c), upon the termination of this Agreement, Distributor shall discontinue selling the Products and shall immediately cease making any representations regarding its status as an authorized distributor of Company and using any Trademarks and other Intellectual Property Rights of Company. In addition, Distributor shall (i) pay Company all amounts owing to Company pursuant to this Agreement within twenty (20) business days of the effective date of termination and (ii) immediately return to Company all marketing and promotional information and literature relating to the Products in its possession or under its control.
5
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(b) Any termination of this Agreement shall be without prejudice to any rights or remedies which accrued prior to termination. Company shall not have any obligation to make any pay to Distributor as a result of the termination of this Agreement including, without limitation, any territory fees or rights, or any compensation for any lost goodwill or profits. Further, neither party shall have any right to claim any indemnity for goodwill, lost profits or any damages on any other grounds arising from any termination of this Agreement.
(c) Subject to Distributor’s compliance with all of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, paying Company all amounts due to Company pursuant to this Agreement within twenty (20) business days after the termination of this Agreement, Company may, in its sole discretion, permit Distributor to sell any Products in stock at its regular prices for a period of two (2) months following termination of this Agreement. At its sole cost, Distributor shall return all unsold Products to the location designated by Company. Company agrees to refund to Distributor the amount actually paid by Distributor for the returned Products, except that no refund will be given for any obsolete or damaged Products.
(d) In the event of termination of this Agreement other than as a result of Distributor’s breach, Company may, in its sole discretion, repurchase any Products in stock. At its sole cost, Distributor shall return such Products to the location designated by Company. Company agrees to refund to Distributor the amount actually paid by Distributor for the repurchased Products, except that no refund will be given for any obsolete or damaged Products.
(e) The provisions of Sections 2.3, 3.2, 3.3(c), 3.3(d), 3.3(e), .1lil), u.(g)_, 3.3(h), 3.4, 3.6, D. and 1 shall survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement.
3. TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
3.1 Compliance with Law. Each party shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, orders, decrees, rulings and judgments applicable to its performance of its obligations hereunder including, without limitation, the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, all other applicable anti-corruption laws and all export control and sanctions laws and regulations.
3.2 Representations and Warranties.
(a) Company does not give or make any representation, warranty or guarantee regarding Company or any Product expect as expressly set forth in this Agreement or the Accompanying Information. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, COMPANY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-TNFRINGEMENT. COMPANY DOES NOT WARRANT THAT ANY OF THE PRODUCTS WILL MEET DISTRIBUTOR’S OR ITS CUSTOMER’S REQUIREMENTS.
(b) Each party represents and warrants to the other party that it (i) has all licenses, permits and authorizations necessary to enter into this Agreement and perform its obligations hereunder and
(ii) is not aware of any fact or circumstance which would, or might reasonably be expected to, prevent it from performing its obligations under this Agreement as contemplated hereby.
(c) Distributor shall not give or make any representation, warranty or guarantee regarding any Product on behalf of Company except as expressly provided in the Accompanying Information. In no event shall Distributor make any false or misleading representation with respect to Company or any Product.
3.3 Intellectual Property.
(a) Distributor shall market, sell and distribute the Products only under Distributor’s trademarks, brand names, logos and product names approved by Company. In addition, Distributor shall include the either of the following Company trademarks, as the same may be updated by Company from time to time (collectively, the “Trademarks”) on the packaging of all Products: ELEVAT™”, “ELEVAI exosomes™,, or “ELEVAI EXOSOMES™”
6
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Company hereby grants Distributor a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license under Company’s rights to use the Trademarks in the form provided or approved by Company, for the sole purpose of exercising Distributor’s rights and performing its obligations under this Agreement. Distributor shall use the Trademarks only in such manner as expressly authorized by Company in writing and in compliance with Company’s brand standards, which shall be provided in writing to Distributor from time to time (“Brand Standards”). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Distributor shall not use any Trademark in (i) connection with any product or service other than the Products or (ii) combination with any other trademark or service mark, except as expressly set forth in Section 3.3(a). Distributor shall not use any Trademarks or other Intellectual Property Rights of Company in any manner that disparages Company or the Products, blurs, dilutes or otherwise diminishes such intellectual property (including without limitation, by developing or selling any “knock-off’’ or “look-alike” products) or portrays Company or the Products in a false, competitively adverse or poor light. Distributor may not use any Trademarks or other Intellectual Property Rights of Company on the internet (including without limitation, Amazon, eBay, Facebook or any other online marketplace) or any social media platform, other than to the limited license to use the Trademarks for the sole purpose of advertising and promoting the sale of Products within the Territory on any Approved Website.
(c) Company is and shall remain the exclusive owner of the Trademarks, all goodwill related thereto and symbolized thereby and all registrations related thereto. All benefits arising from the use of the Trademarks and all other Intellectual Property Rights, including all goodwill arising from Distributor’s use and application of the Trademarks and other Intellectual Property Rights, shall at all times inure to the benefit of Company. Distributor shall not have or acquire any right or interest in or to any of the Trademarks nor shall Distributor contest or assist others in contesting any of the Trademarks. Distributor shall not register or attempt to obtain any rights in any confusingly similar variation or imitation thereof. All use of the Trademarks and other Intellectual Property Rights by Distributor shall inure to the exclusive benefit of Company. At the request and cost of Company, Distributor shall execute all instruments and documents deemed necessary or desirable by Company to develop, preserve or extend its rights relating to the Products and the Trademarks, including any documents required by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or comparable agency outside of the United States, to show the relationship between the parties.
(d) As used herein, “Intellectual Property Rights” means any patent, copyright, trade mark, service mark or trade name, rights in software, rights in design, rights in databases, image rights, rights in mask works, moral rights, rights in any invention, domain names, rights in confidential information (including trade secrets and know how), rights of privacy, and a11 similar or equivalent rights in each case whether registered or not and including all applications (or rights to apply) for, or renewal or extension of, such rights which exist now or which will exist in the future in the United States and all other countries.
(e) Company shall own and retain all Intellectual Property Rights in and to all Products including, without limitation, all patent and patent applications covering all or any portion of any Product. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, all Intellectual Property Rights (including any modifications or additions made thereto) whether invented, conceived, produced, created or otherwise reduced to practice by either party (whether jointly or separately) are and shall remain the exclusive property of Company. Distributor hereby assigns, and agrees to assign, to Company all right, title and interest in and to any modification or addition to any such Intellectual Property Rights that it may acquire without any additional consideration.
(t) Distributor shall not modify, make any derivative works of or otherwise make any changes to any Product or any portion thereof.
(g) Distributor shall promptly notify Company in writing if Distributor becomes aware of any marketing or sale of any Competing Products by any third party using branding or marketing similar to the Trademarks or any of Company’s Intellectual Property Rights. Distributor shall cooperate fully with Company in connection with any legal action taken by Company in connection therewith.
7
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(h) Distributor agrees that if it uses the Trademarks or any other Intellectual Property Rights of Company in violation of this Section 3.3, in addition to all other remedies available to Company, Company may require Distributor to immediately reimburse Company for all costs incurred by Company in connection with such violation including, without limitation, any costs of investigation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs.
3.4 Confidential Information.
(a) During the Term, each party may disclose or make available to the other party Confidential Information in connection with activities contemplated hereunder.
(b) “Confidential Information” means, with respect to either party, all information in any form belonging to such party except information which at the relevant time is (i) known to the public through no act or omission in violation of this Agreement, (ii) furnished to the receiving party by a third party having the lawful right to do so, (iii) known to the receiving party prior to disclosure hereunder (as established by written documentation thereof) or (iv) independently developed by employees of the receiving party who have no knowledge of the Confidential Information. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Confidential Information includes all information related to the research and development activities of each party. For purposes of clarification, the formulation and composition of each Product (including the quantity of each ingredient in the Product) shall at all times remain the Confidential Information of Company.
(c) The receiving party will (i) use the Confidential Information of the disclosing party solely for the purposes of this Agreement and (ii) not disclose the Confidential Information of the disclosing party to any third party (other than its employees and/or consultants reasonably requiring such Confidential Information for purposes of this Agreement who are bound by obligations of nondisclosure and limited use, in form and substance consistent with this Section 3.4). Without limiting the foregoing, the receiving party will exercise the same standard of care in the treatment and protection of the Confidential information of the disclosing party as it exercises or should exercise for its own confidential information of a similar nature and sensitivity. Each party further agrees that it shall not publicly announce or otherwise disclose any of the terms of this Agreement.
(d) The receiving party agrees that the Confidential Information of the disclosing party shall be and remain the exclusive property of the disclosing party and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as a grant of any right, title or interest in or to the Confidential Information of the disclosing party, other than the right to use such Confidential Information as provided herein. In the event of any termination of this Agreement or upon the disclosing party’s request, the receiving party will promptly deliver to the disclosing party all Confidential Information of the disclosing party then in its or any of its employees’ possession or under their control. If the media is such that it cannot reasonably be delivered, the receiving party shall provide reasonable evidence that the Confidential Information of the disclosing party has been destroyed or erased.
3.5 Insurance. During the Term and for at least two (2) years thereafter, Distributor will (a) maintain with a reputable insurer and on such terms as Company may reasonably require at all times during the Term, comprehensive commercial general liability insurance (including products liability and personal injury, including death) with policy limits of not less than $2,000,000 per occurrence, (b) name Company as an additional insured under such policy, and (c) if requested by Company, provide Company with evidence of such policy.
8
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
3.6 Exclusion of Damages. EXCEPT AS ARISING OUT OF (A) ANY BREACH OF SECTION 3.2(d) OR SECTION 3.3 BY DISTRIBUTOR, (B) ANY BREACH OF SECTION 3.4 BY EITHER PARTY OR (C) EITHER PARTY’S OBLIGATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 3.7, IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER PARTY BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR PROFITS, DATA, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER EITHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN ADDITION, TN NO EVENT SHALL COMPANY’S LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO ANY ORDER EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY DISTRIBUTOR FOR SUCH ORDER.
3.7 Indemnification. Distributor shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend Company, its subsidiaries and affiliates and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representative, successors and assigns from and against any third party claims arising out of any breach of this Agreement by Distributor. Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend Distributor, its subsidiaries and affiliates and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representative, successors and assigns from and against any third party claims arising out of any breach of this Agreement by Company.
3.8 Non-Solicitation. During the Term, and for twelve (12) months thereafter, neither party shall, directly or indirectly through any third party, solicit, induce, recruit, retain, hire or otherwise encourage any employee or consultant of the other party to terminate or otherwise modify their relationship with such other party.
4. MISCELLANEOUS.
4.1 Assignment and Subcontracting. Distributor shall not assign, transfer or subcontract this Agreement or any of its rights or obligations hereunder either directly or by operation of law without the prior written consent of Company. For purposes of clarification, any change of control with respect to Distributor shall be deemed to be an assignment. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns.
4.2 Notices. All notices and other communications between the parties given pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given when delivered by personal service, email or recognized overnight courier service to the recipient at the address indicated on Exhibit A attached hereto. All such communications shall be deemed to be effective on the earlier of (a) actual receipt, (b) if sent by recognized international courier service, on the second (2nd) business day following the date presented to the courier service for delivery to the other party (the courier service’s receipt being evidence of the date of such delivery), or (c) if by email on the sending date, subject to confirmation of receipt by the receiving party. Either party may give to the other written notice of change of address, in which event any communication shall thereafter be given to such party at such changed address.
4.3 Governing Law: Dispute Resolution.
(a) This Agreement shall be construed and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to its conflicts of law principles.
9
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(b) All disputes arising out of, or in connection with, this Agreement which the parties do not resolve in good faith within ten (10) business days from the date of notice of dispute by either party shall be resolved by final and binding arbitration conducted in accordance with and subject to JAMS Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures of JAMS then in effect. One (1) arbitrator will be selected by the parties’ mutual agreement or, failing that, by JAMS (provided, that, in any event, the arbitrator must be listed as an approved arbitrator by the San Francisco, California office of JAMS and be a former California state civil court judge or federal court judge) (“Arbitrator”), and the Arbitrator will allow such discovery as is appropriate, consistent with the purposes of arbitration in accomplishing fair, speedy and cost effective resolution of disputes. The Arbitrator will reference the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure then in effect in setting the scope of discovery, except that no requests for admissions will be permitted and interrogatories will be limited to identifying (i) persons with knowledge of relevant facts and (ii) expert witnesses and their opinions and the bases therefore. Judgment upon the award rendered in any such arbitration may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. Any negotiation, mediation or arbitration conducted pursuant to this Section 4.3(b) will take place virtually unless that the parties mutually agree to hold it the officers of JAMS in San Francisco, California. Each party will bear its own costs and expenses with respect to any such negotiation or arbitration, including one-half of the fees and expenses of the arbitrators, if applicable. Other than those matters involving injunctive relief or any action necessary to enforce the award of the Arbitrator, the parties agree that the provisions of this Section 4.3(b) are a complete defense to any suit, action or other proceeding instituted in any court or before any administrative tribunal with respect to any dispute.
(c) EACH PARTY HEREBY TRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRTAL BY JURY TN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDTNG ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE SERVICES.
(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties acknowledge and agree that any breach of Sections 3.4 or 1,], by either party or any breach of Sections 3.2(d), 1J. or 1J, by Distributor may cause the non-breaching party irreparable harm, for which an award of damages would not be adequate compensation and, in the event of any such breach or threatened breach, the non-breaching party shall be entitled to seek equitable relief, including in the form of a restraining order, orders for preliminary or permanent injunction, specific performance, and any other relief that may be available from any court without having to post a bond or any other security, or prove actual damages. These remedies shall not be deemed to be exclusive, and shall be in addition to all other remedies available under this Agreement, at law or in equity.
(e) The parties agree that the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CTSG) shall not apply to the interpretation or enforcement of this Agreement.
4.4 Expenses. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, each party shall bear all of its own costs and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Distributor shall bear of its costs to market, sell and distribute the Products including, but not limited to, all transport and administration costs.
4.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement is the sole understanding and agreement of the parties with respect to its subject matter and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral and written agreements and understandings between the parties regarding the subject matter hereof.
4.6 Remedies. Without limiting any of Company’s rights and remedies, if Distributor does not make any payment as and when due or if Distributor otherwise breaches this Agreement then Company may repossess and sell any Products ordered by Distributor and, where reasonably necessary for such purpose, may enter the premises where the Products are located. Company shall not have any liability to Distributor or any third party in relation to the repossession and removal of any Products and Distributor will indemnify Company from and against any claims, actions or costs that may arise as a result thereof.
4.7 Amendments; Waivers. Except as provided in this Agreement, this Agreement may not be amended except by a written instrument duly executed on behalf of both parties. Any waiver by either party of any of its rights or remedies under this Agreement will be effective only if it is recorded in writing, signed by a duly authorized representative of such party. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Company may amend Exhibit B by providing Distributor with written notice thereof, and any such amendment shall become effective immediately upon delivery of such notice. If a waiver relates to a breach of any provision of this Agreement, such waiver will not (unless stated otherwise) operate as a waiver of any other breach of that provision.
4.8 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall, in whole or in part, be invalid, unenforceable or in conflict with the applicable laws or regulations of any competent jurisdiction, then such provision shall be replaced, only in such jurisdiction, to the extent possible, with a provision which accomplishes the original business purposes of the provision in a valid and enforceable manner, and remainder of this Agreement shall remain unaffected and in full force.
10
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
4.9 Independent Entities; No Franchise Relationship. Each party is an independent contractor and nothing herein shall be deemed or constructed as creating a joint venture, partnership, agency relationship, franchise, or business opportunity between them. Neither party will have any right, power, or authority to act or create an obligation, express or implied, on behalf of the other. Each party assumes responsibility for the actions of their personnel under this Agreement and will be solely responsible for their supervision, daily direction and control, wage rates, withholding income taxes, disability benefits, or the manner and means through which the work under this Agreement will be accomplished. Except as provided otherwise herein, Distributor has the sole discretion to determine its methods of operation, accounting practices, the types and amounts of insurance it carries, personnel practices, Distributor’s advertising and promotion, Distributor’s Customers, and Distributor’s service areas and methods. If any provision of this Agreement is deemed to create a franchise relationship between the parties, then Company may immediately terminate Distributor if the parties cannot negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the parties’ original intent as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby be consummated as a Distributor and not a franchisee.
4.10 Force Majeure. Except for any payment or confidentiality obligations, neither party shall be liable for performance of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement as a result of governmental action, earthquake, war, terrorism, fire, flood, labor strikes or epidemics (including Company and/or government imposed responses thereto, such as quarantines or travel/shipping restrictions).
4.11 Further Assurances. Each party shall take all such actions and execute all documents reasonably required in order to give effect to the provisions and intent of this Agreement.
4.12 Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, all of which shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument. Signatures received by facsimile, PDF file or other electronic format (including DocuSign) shall be deemed to be original signatures.
<signature page follows>
11
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the Effective Date.
COMPANY: | DISTRIBUTOR: | |||
Elevai Labs Inc. | [Refine USA, LLC] | |||
By: | /s/ Jordan R. Plews | By: | /s/ Brian Smith | |
Name: | Jordan R. Plews | Name: | Brian Smith | |
Title: | CEO | Title: | President | |
Date: August 26, 2022 | Date: August ’3°, 2022 |
12
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT A
BUSINESS MATTERS
1. | Information Regarding Distributor. |
(a) | Full Legal Name of Distributor: [Refine USA, LLC] |
(b) | Jurisdiction of Formation of Distributor: ____________________________________ |
(c) | Corporate Register Number of Distributor: ___________________________________ |
(d) | URL of Distributor’s website where Products will be sold:.. _______________________ |
2. | Products. |
(a) | 30mL ELEVAl Enfinity daily serum. |
(b) | 5mL ELEVAI Empower post treatment serum. |
3. Additional Products. If Company commercially launches any additional ELEVAI-branded skincare products during the Term for Customers in the Territory, then Company shall provide written notice thereof to Distributor (“New Product Notice”). If Distributor wishes to distribute any such new product, then Distributor shall provide written notice thereof to Company and the parties sha11 have sixty (60) days from the date of the New Product Notice to negotiate the terms and conditions (including pricing and any KPTs) with respect to the Distributor’s rights to distribute such new product. If the parties are able to reach agreement, then such agreement shall be set forth an amendment to this Agreement, if the parties are unable to reach agreement within such sixty (60) day period, then Company shall not have any further obligation to Distributor with respect to such new product.
4. Address for Notices.
(a) Company: | Elevai Labs Inc. | ||||
120 Newport Center Drive, Suite | |||||
250 Newport Beach, California 92660 | |||||
USA | |||||
Email: jordan@elevailabs.com | |||||
Attn: Jordan R. Plews | |||||
(b) Distributor: | Refine USA, LLC | ||||
340 3rd Avenue South, Suite C Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250 | |||||
Email: | |||||
Attn: | |||||
* * *
A-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT B
PRICING
As of the Effective Date, the prices of the Products payable by Distributor are as set forth below. Per Section 4.7 of the Agreement, Distributor acknowledges and agrees that Company may amend any of the information set forth on this Exhibit B upon notice to Distributor, and any such amendment shall become effective immediately upon delivery of such notice.
A. | Pricing to Distributor: |
(i) | SmL ELEVA I Empower post treatment serum: [***] |
(ii) | 30mL ELEVAT Enfinity daily serum: [***] |
All Products are currently packaged in eight (8)-unit bundles.
B. | United States Pricing to Customers: |
(i) | SmL ELEVAT Empower post treatment serum: [***] |
(ii) | 30mL ELEVAT Enfinity daily serum: [***] |
Since all Products are currently packaged in eight (8)-unit bundles, minimum Customer order size is [***] units.
* * *
B-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT C
KPIs*
(a) | Purchase and pay for at least [***] units of Products prior to December 31, 2023. |
(b) | Purchase and pay for at least [***] units of Products prior to December 31, 2024 (if the Agreement is renewed). |
(c) | Obtain all licenses, permissions and registrations required to market, sell and distribute the Products in the Territory within three (3) months of the Effective Date. |
(d) | Commencing with the first calendar quarter of 2023 and continuing on a calendar quarterly basis thereafter, sell at least [***] of sales per quarter in the Territory. |
* | To be negotiated and completed within thirty (30) days of the six (6) month anniversary of the Effective Date. |
Initial once completed:
|
|
* * *
C-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT D
Elevai Labs Inc. Unilateral Price Policy
Elevai Labs Inc. (“Company”) recognizes the time and resources our high-quality distributors (hereinafter, “Distributors”) invest in delivering excellent customer experiences through knowledgeable staff, marketing initiatives and compelling sales presentations and support. To support our Distributors’ efforts, Company wishes to establish policies that allow Distributors to earn the profits necessary to maintain the high level of customer excellence the industry has come to expect from Company’s Distributors.
In order to successfully compete in the marketplace and maintain its premium brand and product image, Company has adopted this Unilateral Price Policy for the mutual benefit of its Distributors, customers and shareholders. Accordingly, all sales and all advertisements for sales of the products by Distributors within the United States shall comply with the pricing set forth on Exhibit B (Section B) attached hereto (“US Price List”).
Company reserves the right from time to time to alter, modify, suspend, or cancel this Unilateral Price Policy, the products covered, and/or the minimum advertised and/or resale prices.
This Unilateral Price Policy does not restrict the right of Distributors to establish independent resale and advertised prices of the products. Company reserves the right to determine whether a Distributor has advertised or sold any of the products at a price less than the prices established by this Unilateral Price Policy.
This Unilateral Price Policy has been unilaterally adopted by Company. Company neither solicits nor accepts assurances from Distributors of their compliance with this policy. Nothing in this policy shall constitute an agreement between Company and any Distributor of compliance with this policy. Each Distributor, in its own discretion, can choose to comply or not comply with this policy. Distributor will not discuss conditions of compliance related to this policy. This policy is non-negotiable and will not be altered, modified, or amended for any Distributor.
Any discounting or other promotions resulting in the sale of any products at prices below the prices on the US Price List including, without limitation, as a result of any promotions, discounts or rebates, is a breach of this Unilateral Price Policy. The offer of free shipping or financing on any product(s) does not breach this Unilateral Price Policy.
Company’s sales personnel do not have any authority to modify or grant any exceptions to this policy. All questions regarding interpretation of this policy should be directed to Company’s Policy Coordinator at: contact@elevailabs.com
First Violation - If Company determines that a Distributor has advertised, offered, or sold any product in the United States at a price less than the pricing set forth on the US Price List, then Company may issue a takedown notice. The Distributor will have 48 hours from the time the notice was submitted to correct all breaches of this Unilateral Price Policy.
Second Violation - If Company determines that a Distributor has advertised, offered, or sold any product in the United States at a price less than the pricing set forth on the US Price List for a second time, then Company may, without assuming any liability, cancel all orders and refuse to accept any new orders for such product from the Distributor for a period of sixty (60) days and/or may void any incentives otherwise owed to the Distributor.
Third Violation - If Company determines that a Distributor has advertised, offered, or sold any product in the United States at a price less than the pricing set forth on the US Price List for a third time, then Company may, without assuming any liability, cancel all orders and refuse to accept any new orders for all products indefinitely and/or may void any incentives otherwise owed to the Distributor.
* * *
D-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT E
Territory
(a) United States of America.
E-1
Exhibit 10.7
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR AND TRADEMARK LICENSE AGREEMENT
THIS AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR AND TRADEMARK LICENSE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made as of the last date set forth on the signature page below (“Effective Date”) between Elevai Labs Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Company”) and the entity set forth on the signature page below (“Distributor”).
1. APPOINTMENT OF DISTRIBUTOR.
1.1 Appointment of Distributor. Company hereby appoints Distributor, and Distributor hereby accepts the appointment, as a non-exclusive authorized distributor of products which are listed on Exhibit A (collectively, the “Products”) in the Territory (as defined below) during the Term (as defined below), subject to Distributor’s compliance with all requirements set forth in this Agreement. Company shall have the right to add, make any changes to, or discontinue any Products at any time upon at least ninety (90) days prior written notice to Distributor. As used in this Agreement, the “Territory” means the geographic locations set forth on Exhibit E.
1.2 Limitations on Distributor. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as, directly or indirectly, granting Distributor any: (a) right to market, sell or distribute any Products outside of the Territory, including to any person within the Territory that Distributor knows or should know will likely market, sell or distribute any Products outside of the Territory or export any Product from one country to another country within the Territory; (b) right to market, sell or distribute any Products on the internet (including without limitation, Amazon, eBay, Facebook or any other online marketplace or on any social media platform ), with the sole exception of (i) Distributor’s website set forth on Exhibit A (if any), (ii) any sub-distributor’s website and (iii) any other website approved by Company in writing (each, an “Approved Website”); (c) right to market, sell or distribute any product except for the Products; (d) license to any of Company’s technology or any of its other Intellectual Property Rights (as defined below) except as expressly set out in Section 3.3; (e) right in or to any proprietary technology of Company by implication, estoppel or otherwise; or (f) other right except as expressly provided herein. If Distributor receives any order or inquiry from outside of the Territory or for delivery outside of the Territory (including via the internet), then Distributor shall promptly forward such order or inquiry to Company.
1.3 General Obligations of Distributor. Distributor shall at all times during the Term:
(a) provide sufficient quantities of bottles (properly labeled by Distributor) for Company to fill and deliver to Distributor;
(b) accept deliveries of bulk quantities of the bottled Products, package such Products for sale as described on Exhibit A, and market, sell and deliver such Products to customers in the Territory. For purposes of clarification, Distributor shall be responsible for the costs of all (i) testing, (ii) bottles, labels and packaging, (iii) palettes, (iv) storage costs, and (v) shipping costs;
(c) use its best efforts at all times to promote and enhance Company’s interests, and the reputation of the Products and Company’s business, including promoting and enhancing Company’s brands in accordance with this Agreement. Nothing herein constitutes an agreement, express or implied, between the parties regarding any of the aspects related to the pricing of Products;
(d) use its best efforts to maximize sales of the Products;
(e) maintain and stock (i) an adequate supply of the Products to satisfy the demand of its customers including, without limitation, any amounts required by this Agreement, and (ii) representative samples of the Products;
(f) maintain qualified personnel with knowledge of the specifications, features and use of the Products;
1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(g) only purchase Products directly from Company;
(h) not act in a manner which may adversely affect the reputation of the Products, Company or Company’s business;
(i) not make any statement, warranty or guarantee regarding the Products or Company except as expressly permitted by this Agreement or any Accompanying Information. As used herein, “Accompanying Information” means any warranty or other information relating to the Products provided by Company including any information required to be provided by law at the time of sale;
(j) not sell (and cause any sub-distributor not to sell) any Products to any distributor or sub-distributor which Company provides written notice that such distributor or sub-distributor is not authorized to sell any Products;
(k) not sell (and cause any sub-distributor not to sell) any Products which are not packaged (including the size of the container) as described on Exhibit A;
(m) comply with Company’s marketing guidelines, if any, provided in writing to Distributor, as the same may be updated by Company from time to time (the “Marketing Guidelines”) as well as all other instructions and directives of Company regarding the sale, marketing and/or distribution of the Products;
(n) to the extent Company has authorized Distributor to sell any Products on any Approved Website, comply with Company’s guidelines, if any, regarding the sale, marketing and/or distribution of the Products on the internet;
(o) promptly respond to all inquiries relating to the Products and refer any relevant inquiries to Company as soon as reasonably possible;
(p) not distribute or otherwise make available for sale any Product which Distributor knows is faulty or subject to a recall; and
(q) handle, ship and store all Products in accordance with the instructions provided by Company.
1.4 Terms of Sale and Related Matters.
(a) The wholesale prices of the Products payable by Distributor are set forth on Exhibit B, or such price as agreed in writing by Company. The wholesale prices of the Products are considered Confidential Information (as defined below) of Company and Distributor shall not disclose any of such prices to any third party. Company may modify the wholesale prices at any time (including, without limitation, to address market conditions, increases in the prices of raw materials, and governmental actions) by providing written notice thereof to Distributor at least one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the effective date of any such price modification.
(b) Distributor will place orders with Company for Products in accordance with all processes and minimum order quantities specified by Company from time to time in the form specified by Company from time to time (each, an “Order”). Each Order will constitute an offer to purchase the Products by Distributor which will only be accepted by Company by written confirmation of the Order to Distributor or the performance by Company of the Order, which confirmation shall include an estimated delivery date. Distributor acknowledges that (i) Company’s lead time is approximately [***] and (ii) the minimum order size per Product is [***] units, which Company may update from time to time. Company may in relation to any Order, accept the Order or decline to accept the Order in whole or in part, in its sole discretion.
2
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(c) Company shall formulate and deliver the Products ordered in accordance with the quantities specified in the Order. Shipment shall be delivered ex works at Company’s contract manufacturer, which is currently located in Hayward, California. For purposes of clarification, Company shall be responsible for the costs of filling the Products in the properly labeled bottles supplied by Distributor. Risk of loss will pass to the Distributor upon delivery of the ordered Products at the Company’s contract manufacturer.
(d) Distributor shall be solely responsible for any sales, excise, use, property or other tax, tariff, duty or assessment for sale of any Product.
(e) At its sole cost and expense, Distributor shall obtain all import licenses, seller’s permits and other official authorizations and carry out, where applicable, all customs formalities for the import of the Products into the Territory and, when necessary, for their transit through any country from the port of shipment to the port of entry or any other place where the Products are delivered and unloaded.
(f)
(i) For the first Order pursuant to this Agreement, Company shall invoice Distributor for (A) twenty five percent (25%) of such Order upon acceptable thereof and (B) the remaining seventy five percent (75%) of such Order at such time that Company’s contract manufacturer is ready to commencing filling the bottles for the Order.
(ii) For all Orders after the first Order pursuant to this Agreement, Company shall invoice Distributor for (A) fifty percent (50%) of such Order upon acceptable thereof and (B) the remaining fifty percent (50%) of such Order at such time that Company’s contract manufacturer is ready to commencing filling the bottles for the Order.
(g) Distributor shall pay each invoice in full (without offset of any kind) within ten (10) days of the date of such invoice to an account designated in writing by Company. All payments shall be made in United States Dollars and in immediately available funds. All non-United States currencies shall be converted to United States Dollars as of the date of payment using the exchange rate published by The Wall Street Journal. If Distributor does not make any payment as and when due, then Distributor shall also pay a late fee equal to one and one-half percent (1.5%) per month (or portion thereof) of the unpaid amount (or, if less, the maximum late fee permitted by applicable law) until the applicable payment is made in full. Distributor will pay all costs, including without limitation, costs of investigation, attorneys’ fees and costs and court costs, incurred in any collection proceeding initiated as a result of Distributor’s default on its payment obligations hereunder. If Distributor fails to comply with its payment obligations hereunder then, in addition to all other remedies available to Company, Company may (i) recall any Products that have not been timely paid for and cause Distributor to promptly (but in any event within ten (10) days)) return such Products to Company at Distributor’s sole cost and expense, (ii) cancel any Order, and/or (iii) rescind or withhold any and all discounts applicable to any Products.
(h) Distributor will be responsible for insuring the ordered Products at all times from the time of delivery, which insurance must specify the interest of both parties.
(i) Title to any ordered Products will pass to Distributor on payment to Company in full for such ordered Products. Accordingly, Distributor will hold all Products as bailee for Company until paid for but may sell any such Products in the ordinary course of business to its customers.
(j) Distributor hereby: (i) grants Company a security interest in all ordered Products and the proceeds of sale thereof to secure Distributor’s obligation to pay the purchase price for the ordered Products which Company may perfect such security interest by any means possible in the Territory and in any other jurisdiction Company deems necessary or appropriate to ensure that Company has an enforceable security interest against Distributor in the Products and the proceeds of sale thereof; (ii) agrees to do all things and execute or arrange for execution of all documents Company requires to ensure Company has and continues to have a perfected first priority security interest in the ordered Products and the proceeds of sale thereof in the Territory and other relevant jurisdictions; and (iii) agrees to pay, reimburse and indemnify Company for any costs Company incurs in registering, perfecting, maintaining, discharging and/or enforcing the security interest created under this Agreement.
3
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(k) Distributor will act as the primary point of contact with customers. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Distributor shall arrange for or provide all after-sales service support and replacement sales for the Products to all customers in the Territory.
(l) Distributor shall promptly notify Company in writing if Distributor becomes aware of any claim or potential claim in respect of any Product and will provide Company with all reasonable assistance to defend or otherwise deal with such claims.
(m) Any shipment of Products to Distributor, whether in whole or in partial fulfillment of any Order submitted by Distributor, shall not be considered an acceptance by Company of any of Distributor’s terms and conditions of such Order, except as to the identification of the Products and the quantities involved.
(n) Company shall have the right to allocate production of Products among its own customers, Distributor, and Company’s other distributors in its sole and reasonable discretion taking into account, among other factors, the relative value of sales by each such customer. If Company is unable to fill an accepted Order within a reasonable time after the estimated delivery date, then Distributor’s sole remedy shall be to cancel such Order by delivering written notice of cancellation to Company, which notice must be received by Company prior to delivery of the Products subject to such Order.
(o) Subject to Distributor’s compliance with Company’s pricing policy for sales of Products in the United States and Canada (a copy of which is set forth on Exhibit D), as updated from time to time by Company, Distributor is free to establish the pricing and terms of the sale of Products to its customers.
1.5 Reporting; KPIs and Performance Reviews; Audit Rights.
(a) Upon the request of Company, Distributor will meet on an annual basis to discuss the sales of the Products and other information and topics relating to this Agreement. In addition, Distributor will discuss Distributor’s performance of the key performance indicators (“KPIs”) listed on Exhibit C on a calendar quarterly basis, generally on the first business day of each calendar quarter.
(b) Distributor shall provide the following reports (“Monthly Reports”) not later than ten (10) days after the end of each month:
(i) detailed inventory of Products held by Distributor and as well as the aggregate inventory held in each country within the Territory;
(ii) detailed sales information of Products by Distributor as well as by each of Distributor’s sub-distributors including, but not limited to, sales amounts and growth year over year. Such information shall be broken down by Product, country and region within the Territory;
(iii) description of marketing efforts undertaken by Distributor and each of Distributor’s sub-distributors; and
(iv) detailed summary of market feedback on or complaints regarding the Products with the Territory and recommendations and steps undertaken in respond to such feedback.
Such Monthly Reports shall be provided in writing unless Company, in its sole discretion, permits Distributor to provide any or all such Monthly Reports verbally.
4
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(c) If Distributor does not achieve any of the KPIs then, in addition to all other remedies available to Company, Company may, in its sole discretion, reduce the Territory (remove countries) by providing a revised Exhibit A to Distributor with the reduced Territory.
(d) Distributor will (and will cause each of its sub-distributors) keep and maintain accurate books and records with respect to all sales of the Products and other activities hereunder. At any time during the Term and for one (1) year thereafter, Company will have the right to examine and audit (or cause a third-party certified public accountant to audit) at all reasonable times all books and records in the possession or under the control of Distributor and each of its sub-distributors pertaining to the sale of the Products and other activities hereunder including the records of Distributor as they relate to the performance and achievement of the KPIs, the accuracy of the Monthly Reports, and the amounts due to Company. Company shall provide at least five (5) business days prior written notice of any such audit and Company may not exercise its rights pursuant to this Section 1.5(d) more than once in any calendar quarter. If any such audit reveals an underpayment in excess of five percent (5%) of the amount due to Company, any material inaccuracy of any of the Monthly Reports or any material accuracy in the performance and achievement of any of the KPIs, then Distributor shall pay any underpaid amount, if applicable, within five (5) business days, and reimburse Company for the reasonable costs associated with such audit. Further, Distributor shall be deemed to be in breach of this Agreement and Company shall have the right to terminate this Agreement in addition to exercising any of its other rights and remedies.
1.6 Obligations of Company. Company agrees to notify Distributor, as soon as reasonably practicable, of any: (a) actual or anticipated material changes to any Products and (b) adverse quality, supply or other issues in respect of any of the Products including any recalls of any Products. In the event of any recall of any Product, or instructions from Company to suspend sales of any Product for any reason, Distributor will immediately cease any and all sales activity and will provide Company with all reasonable assistance with respect thereto.
2. TERM AND TERMINATION.
2.1. Term.
(a) This Agreement and the appointment of Distributor hereunder shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue for a term of two (2) years (“Initial Term”).
(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 2.1(c), so long as (i) Distributor has not breached this Agreement and has satisfied all KPIs and (ii) the parties have agreed to the KPIs for the applicable renewal term through an amendment to Exhibit C, then this Agreement shall automatically renew for additional terms of one (1) year each (each, a “Renewal Term” and, together with the Initial Term, the “Term”).
(c) Each party shall have the right to terminate this Agreement by providing written notice of termination to the other party at least one hundred eighty (180) days prior to the end of the, as applicable, Initial Term or any Renewal Term, which termination shall be effective as of the end of such Initial Term or Renewal Term, as applicable.
2.2. Termination.
(a) In addition, this Agreement shall automatically terminate if either party: (i) breaches this Agreement and, if such breach is capable of cure, such party does not cure such breach within thirty (30) days of receipt of written notice from the non-breaching party provided that the breaching party shall only have five (5) business days to cure any payment breach; (ii) suspends its business or becomes subject to any bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding which is not dismissed within thirty (30) days of commencement thereof; (iii) makes an assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or (iv) commences any proceeding for liquidation or dissolution.
5
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(b) Company shall also have the right to terminate this Agreement immediately upon written notice to Distributor if: (i) Distributor fails to purchase and pay for the applicable minimum quantities of Products as set forth in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of Exhibit C; (ii) any act or omission of Distributor causes material damage to Company, the Products or the reputation of Company or the Products; or (iii) Distributor does not respond to Company’s inquires or requests within a commercially reasonable timeframe.
2.3 Effect of Termination.
(a) Subject to Sections 1.4(g), 2.3(c) and 2.3(d), upon the termination of this Agreement, Distributor shall discontinue selling the Products and shall immediately cease making any representations regarding its status as an authorized distributor of Company and using any Trademarks and other Intellectual Property Rights of Company. In addition, Distributor shall (i) pay Company all amounts owing to Company pursuant to this Agreement within twenty (20) business days of the effective date of termination and (ii) immediately return to Company all marketing and promotional information and literature relating to the Products in its possession or under its control.
(b) Any termination of this Agreement shall be without prejudice to any rights or remedies which accrued prior to termination. Company shall not have any obligation to make any payments to Distributor as a result of the termination of this Agreement including, without limitation, any territory fees or rights, or any compensation for any lost goodwill or profits. Further, neither party shall have any right to claim any indemnity for goodwill, lost profits or any damages on any other grounds arising from any termination of this Agreement.
(c) Subject to Distributor’s compliance with all of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, paying Company all amounts due to Company pursuant to this Agreement within twenty (20) business days after the termination of this Agreement, Company may, in its sole discretion, permit Distributor to sell any Products in stock at its regular prices for a period of two (2) months followin g termination of this Agreement. At its sole cost, Distributor shall return all unsold Products to the location designated by Company. Company agrees to refund to Distributor the amount actually paid by Distributor for the returned Products, except that no refund will be given for any obsolete or damaged Products.
(d) In the event of termination of this Agreement other than as a result of Distributor’s breach, Company may, in its sole discretion, repurchase any Products in stock. At its sole cost, Distributor shall return such Products to the location designated by Company. Company agrees to refund to Distributor the amount actually paid by Distributor for the repurchased Products, except that no refund will be given for any obsolete or damaged Products.
(e) The provisions of Sections 1.5(d), 2.3, 3.2, 3.3(c), 3.3(d), 3.3(e), 3.3(f), 3.3(g), 3.3(h), 3.4, 3.6, 3.7 and 4 shall survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement.
3. TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
3.1 Compliance with Law. Each party shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, orders, decrees, rulings and judgments applicable to its performance of its obligations hereunder including, without limitation, the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, all other applicable anti-corruption laws and all export control and sanctions laws and regulations.
6
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
3.2 Representations and Warranties.
(a) Company does not give or make any representation, warranty or guarantee regarding Company or any Product expect as expressly set forth in this Agreement or the Accompanying Information. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, COMPANY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON- INFRINGEMENT. COMPANY DOES NOT WARRANT THAT ANY OF THE PRODUCTS WILL MEET DISTRIBUTOR’S OR ITS CUSTOMER’S REQUIREMENTS.
(b) Each party represents and warrants to the other party that it (i) has all licenses, permits and authorizations necessary to enter into this Agreement and perform its obligations hereunder and (ii) is not aware of any fact or circumstance which would, or might reasonably be expected to, prevent it from performing its obligations under this Agreement as contemplated hereby.
(c) Company represents and warrants that the Products shall be of merchantable quality and free from material defects as a result of faulty materials or workmanship. The foregoing shall only apply to the use of a Product for the purpose in which it was designed and manufactured and shall not apply to any Products which Distributor fails to store in accordance with Company’s recommendations or which were damaged by Distributor.
(d) Distributor shall not give or make any representation, warranty or guarantee regarding any Product on behalf of Company except as expressly provided in the Accompanying Information. In no event shall Distributor make any false or misleading representation with respect to Company or any Product.
3.3 Intellectual Property.
(a) Distributor shall market, sell and distribute the Products only under Distributor’s trademarks, brand names, logos and product names approved by Company. In addition, Distributor shall include the either of the following Company trademarks, as the same may be updated by Company from time to time (collectively, the “Trademarks”) on the packaging of all Products: “ELEVAItm exosomes” or “ELEVAItm EXOSOMES”
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Company hereby grants Distributor a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license under Company’s rights to use the Trademarks in the form provided or approved by Company, for the sole purpose of exercising Distributor’s rights and performing its obligations under this Agreement. Distributor shall use the Trademarks only in such manner as expressly authorized by Company in writing and in compliance with Company’s brand standards, which shall be provided in writing to Distributor from time to time (“Brand Standards”). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Distributor shall not use any Trademark in (i) connection with any product or service other than the Products or (ii) combination with any other trademark or service mark, except as expressly set forth in Section 3.3(a). Distributor shall not use any Trademarks or other Intellectual Property Rights of Company in any manner that disparages Company or the Products, blurs, dilutes or otherwise diminishes such intellectual property (including without limitation, by developing or selling any “knock-off” or “look-alike” products) or portrays Company or the Products in a false, competitively adverse or poor light. Distributor may not use any Trademarks or other Intellectual Property Rights of Company on the internet (including without limitation, Amazon, eBay, Facebook or any other online marketplace) or any social media platform, other than to the limited license to use the Trademarks for the sole purpose of advertising and promoting the sale of Products within the Territory on any Approved Website.
(c) Company is and shall remain the exclusive owner of the Trademarks, all goodwill related thereto and symbolized thereby and all registrations related thereto. All benefits arising from the use of the Trademarks and all other Intellectual Property Rights, including all goodwill arising from Distributor’s use and application of the Trademarks and other Intellectual Property Rights, shall at all times inure to the benefit of Company. Distributor shall not have or acquire any right or interest in or to any of the Trademarks nor shall Distributor contest or assist others in contesting any of the Trademarks. Distributor shall not register or attempt to obtain any rights in any confusingly similar variation or imitation thereof. All use of the Trademarks and other Intellectual Property Rights by Distributor shall inure to the exclusive benefit of Company. At the request and cost of Company, Distributor shall execute all instruments and documents deemed necessary or desirable by Company to develop, preserve or extend its rights relating to the Products and the Trademarks, including any documents required by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or comparable agency outside of the United States, to show the relationship between the parties.
7
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(d) As used herein, “Intellectual Property Rights” means any patent, copyright, trade mark, service mark or trade name, rights in software, rights in design, rights in databases, image rights, rights in mask works, moral rights, rights in any invention, domain names, rights in confidential information (including trade secrets and know how), rights of privacy, and all similar or equivalent rights in each case whether registered or not and including all applications (or rights to apply) for, or renewal or extension of, such rights which exist now or which will exist in the future in the United States and all other countries.
(e) Company shall own and retain all Intellectual Property Rights in and to all Products including, without limitation, all patent and patent applications covering all or any portion of any Product. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, all Intellectual Property Rights (including any modifications or additions made thereto) whether invented, conceived, produced, created or otherwise reduced to practice by Company or Distributor (whether jointly or separately) are and shall remain the exclusive property of Company. Distributor hereby assigns, and agrees to assign, to Company all right, title and interest in and to any modification or addition to any such Intellectual Property Rights that it may acquire without additional consideration.
(f) Except for packaging the Products as described on Exhibit A, Distributor shall not modify, make any derivative works of or otherwise make any changes to any Product or any portion thereof.
(g) Distributor shall promptly notify Company in writing if Distributor becomes aware of any marketing or sale of any Competing Products by any third party using branding or marketing similar to the Trademarks or any of Company’s Intellectual Property Rights. Distributor shall cooperate fully with Company in connection with any legal action taken by Company in connection therewith.
(h) Distributor agrees that if it uses the Trademarks or any other Intellectual Property Rights of Company in violation of this Section 3.3, in addition to all other remedies available to Company, Company may require Distributor to immediately reimburse Company for all costs incurred by Company in connection with such violation, including without limitation, any costs of investigation, attorneys’ fees and court costs.
3.4 Confidential Information.
(a) During the Term, each party may disclose or make available to the other party Confidential Information in connection with activities contemplated hereunder.
(b) “Confidential Information” means, with respect to either party, all information in any form belonging to such party except information which at the relevant time is (i) known to the public through no act or omission in violation of this Agreement, (ii) furnished to the receiving party by a third party having the lawful right to do so, (iii) known to the receiving party prior to disclosure hereunder (as established by written documentation thereof) or (iv) independently developed by employees of the receiving party who have no knowledge of the Confidential Information. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Confidential Information includes all information related to the research and development activities of each party. For purposes of clarification, the formulation and composition of each Product (including the quantity of each ingredient in the Product) shall at all times remain the Confidential Information of Company.
8
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
(c) The receiving party will (i) use the Confidential Information of the disclosing party solely for the purposes of this Agreement and (ii) not disclose the Confidential Information of the disclosing party to any third party (other than its employees and/or consultants reasonably requiring such Confidential Information for purposes of this Agreement who are bound by obligations of nondisclosure and limited use, in form and substance consistent with this Section 3.4). Without limiting the foregoing, the receiving party will exercise the same standard of care in the treatment and protection of the Confidential information of the disclosing party as it exercises or should exercise for its own confidential information of a similar nature and sensitivity. Each party further agrees that it shall not publicly announce or otherwise disclose any of the terms of this Agreement.
(d) The receiving party agrees that the Confidential Information of the disclosing party shall be and remain the exclusive property of the disclosing party and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as a grant of any right, title or interest in or to the Confidential Information of the disclosing party, other than the right to use such Confidential Information as provided herein. In the event of any termination of this Agreement or upon the disclosing party’s request, the receiving party will promptly deliver to the disclosing party all Confidential Information of the disclosing party then in its or any of its employees’ possession or under their control. If the media is such that it cannot reasonably be delivered, the receiving party shall provide reasonable evidence that the Confidential Information of the disclosing party has been destroyed or erased.
3.5 Insurance. Distributor will (a) maintain with a reputable insurer and on such terms as Company may reasonably require at all times during the Term, comprehensive commercial general liability insurance (including products liability and personal injury, including death) with policy limits of not less than $5,000,000 per occurrence, (b) name Company as an additional insured under such policy, and (c) if requested by Company, provide Company with evidence of such policy.
3.6 Exclusion of Damages. EXCEPT AS ARISING OUT OF (A) ANY BREACH OF SECTION 3.2(d) OR SECTION 3.3 BY DISTRIBUTOR, (B) ANY BREACH OF SECTION 3.4 BY EITHER PARTY OR (C) EITHER PARTY’S OBLIGATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 3.7, IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER PARTY BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR PROFITS, DATA, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER EITHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN ADDITION, IN NO EVENT SHALL COMPANY’S LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO ANY ORDER EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY DISTRIBUTOR FOR SUCH ORDER.
3.7 Indemnification. Distributor shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend Company, its subsidiaries and affiliates and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representative, successors and assigns from and against any third party claims arising out of any breach of this Agreement by Distributor. Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend Distributor, its subsidiaries and affiliates and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representative, successors and assigns from and against any third party claims arising out of any breach of this Agreement by Company.
4. MISCELLANEOUS.
4.1 Assignment and Subcontracting. Distributor shall not assign, transfer or subcontract this Agreement or any of its rights or obligations hereunder either directly or by operation of law without the prior written consent of Company. For purposes of clarification, any change of control with respect to Distributor shall be deemed to be an assignment. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Distributor may appoint one or more sub-distributors in the Territory so long as such sub- distributors are contractually obligated to comply with the applicable terms of this Agreement including, without limitation, all reporting requirements set forth in Section 1.5(b). Upon at least sixty (60) days prior written notice to Distributor, Company shall have the right to cause Distributor to discontinue selling and distributing any Products to any sub-distributor. Further, Distributor shall indemnify and hold Company harmless from all damages, losses, liabilities and claims arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission of any sub-distributor. All rights of any sub-distributor shall automatically terminate immediately upon the termination of this Agreement.
9
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
4.2 Notices. All notices and other communications between the parties given pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given when delivered by personal service , email or recognized overnight courier service to the recipient at the address indicated on Exhibit A attached hereto. All such communications shall be deemed to be effective on the earlier of (a) actual receipt, (b) if sent by recognized international courier service, on the second (2nd) business day following the date presented to the courier service for delivery to the other party (the courier service’s receipt being evidence of t he date of such delivery), or (c) if by email on the sending date, subject to confirmation of receipt by the receiving party. Either party may give to the other written notice of change of address, in which event any communication shall thereafter be given to such party at such changed address.
4.3 Governing Law; Dispute Resolution.
(a) This Agreement shall be construed and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to its conflicts of law principles.
(b) All disputes arising out of, or in connection with, this Agreement which the parties do not resolve in good faith within ten (10) business days from the date of notice of dispute by either party shall be resolved by final and binding arbitration conducted in accordance with and subject to JAMS Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures of JAMS then in effect. One (1) arbitrator will be selected by the parties’ mutual agreement or, failing that, by JAMS (provided, that, in any event, the arbitrator must be listed as an approved arbitrator by the San Francisco, California office of JAMS and be a former California state civil court judge or federal court judge) (“Arbitrator”), and the Arbitrator will allow such discovery as is appropriate, consistent with the purposes of arbitration in accomplishing fair, speedy and cost effective resolution of disputes. The Arbitrator will reference the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure then in effect in setting the scope of discovery, except that no requests for admissions will be permitted and interrogatories will be limited to identifying (i) persons with knowledge of relevant facts and (ii) expert witnesses and their opinions and the bases therefore. Judgment upon the award rendered in any such arbitration may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. Any negotiation, mediation or arbitration conducted pursuant to this Section 4.3(b) will take place virtually unless that the parties mutually agree to hold it the officers of JAMS in San Francisco, California. Each party will bear its own costs and expenses with respect to any such negotiation or arbitration, including one-half of the fees and expenses of the arbitrators, if applicable. Other than those matters involving injunctive relief or any action necessary to enforce the award of the Arbitrator, the parties agree that the provisions of this Section 4.3(b) are a complete defense to any suit, action or other proceeding instituted in any court or before any administrative tribunal with respect to any dispute.
(c) EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE SERVICES.
(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties acknowledge and agree that any breach of Section 3.4 by either party or any breach of Sections 3.2(d), 3.3 or 4.1 by Distributor may cause the non- breaching party irreparable harm, for which an award of damages would not be adequate compensation and, in the event of any such breach or threatened breach, the non-breaching party shall be entitled to seek equitable relief, including in the form of a restraining order, orders for preliminary or permanent injunction, specific performance, and any other relief that may be available from any court without having to post a bond or any other security, or prove actual damages. These remedies shall not be deemed to be exclusive, and shall be in addition to all other remedies available under this Agreement, at law or in equity.
(e) The parties agree that the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) shall not apply to the interpretation or enforcement of this Agreement.
10
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
4.4 Expenses. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, each party shall bear all of its own costs and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Distributor shall bear of its costs to market, sell and distribute the Products including, but not limited to, all transport and administration costs.
4.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement is the sole understanding and agreement of the parties with respect to its subject matter and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral and written agreements and understandings between the parties regarding the subject matter hereof.
4.6 Remedies. Without limiting any of Company’s rights and remedies, if Distributor does not make any payment as and when due or if Distributor otherwise breaches this Agreement then Company may repossess and sell any Products ordered by Distributor and, where reasonably necessary for such purpose, may enter the premises where the Products are located. Company shall not have any liability to Distributor or any third party in relation to the repossession and removal of any Products and Distributor will indemnify Company from and against any claims, actions or costs that may arise as a result thereof.
4.7 Amendments; Waivers. Except as provided in this Agreement, this Agreement may not be amended except by a written instrument duly executed on behalf of both parties. Any waiver by either party of any of its rights or remedies under this Agreement will be effective only if it is recorded in writing, signed by a duly authorized representative of such party. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Company may amend Exhibit B by providing Distributor with written notice thereof, and any such amendment shall become effective immediately upon delivery of such notice. If a waiver relates to a breach of any provision of this Agreement, such waiver will not (unless stated otherwise) operate as a waiver of any other breach of that provision.
4.8 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall, in whole or in part, be invalid, unenforceable or in conflict with the applicable laws or regulations of any competent jurisdiction, then such provision shall be replaced, only in such jurisdiction, to the extent possible, with a provision which accomplishes the original business purposes of the provision in a valid and enforceable manner, and the remainder of this Agreement shall remain unaffected and in full force.
4.9 Independent Entities; No Franchise Relationship. Distributor and Company are independent contractors and nothing herein shall be deemed or constructed as creating a joint venture, partnership, agency relationship, franchise, or business opportunity between them. Neither Distributor nor Company will have any right, power, or authority to act or create an obligation, express or implied, on behalf of the other. Each party assumes responsibility for the actions of their personnel under this Agreement and will be solely responsible for their supervision, daily direction and control, wage rates, withholding income taxes, disability benefits, or the manner and means through which the work under this Agreement will be accomplished. Except as provided otherwise herein, Distributor has the sole discretion to determine its methods of operation, accounting practices, the types and amounts of insurance it carries, personnel practices, Distributor’s advertising and promotion, Distributor’s customers, and Distributor’s service areas and methods. If any provision of this Agreement is deemed to create a franchise relationship between the parties, then Company may immediately terminate Distributor if the parties cannot negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the parties’ original intent as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby be consummated as a Distributor and not a franchisee.
4.10 Force Majeure. Except for any payment or confidentiality obligations, neither party shall be liable for performance of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement as a result of governmental action, earthquake, war, terrorism, fire, flood, labor strikes or epidemics (including Company and/or government imposed responses thereto, such as quarantines or travel/shipping restrictions).
4.11 Further Assurances. Each party shall take all such actions and execute all documents reasonably required in order to give effect to the provisions and intent of this Agreement.
4.12 Currency. Unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, all amounts are specified in United States Dollars.
4.13 Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, all of which shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument. Signatures received by facsimile, PDF file or other electronic format (including DocuSign) shall be deemed to be original signatures.
<signature page follows>
11
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the Effective Date.
COMPANY: | DISTRIBUTOR: | |||
Elevai Labs Inc. | Dermapenworld Pty Ltd | |||
By: | /s/ Jordan R. Plews | By: | /s/ Stene Marshall | |
Name: | Jordan R. Plews | Name: | Stene Marshall | |
Title: | CEO | Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
Date: | January 17, 2022 |
Date: | January 17, 2022 |
S-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT A
BUSINESS MATTERS
1. | Information Regarding Distributor. |
(a) | Full Legal Name of Distributor: Dermapenworld Pty Ltd |
(b) | Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Formation of Distributor: Australia |
(c) | Corporate Register Number of Distributor: ACN: 146 962 030 |
(d) | URL of Distributor’s website were Products will be sold: https://www.dermapenworld.com |
2. | Products. |
(a) | 30mL ELEVAI Enfinity daily serum. |
(b) | 5mL ELEVAI Empower post treatment serum. |
3. | Address for Notices. |
(a) | Company: | Elevai Labs Inc. | |
630 Pena Drive, Suite 400 | |||
Davis, California 95618 | |||
USA | |||
Email: jordan@elevaiskincare.com | |||
Phone: +1 (916) 201-1738 | |||
Attn: Jordan Plews |
(b) | Distributor: | Dermapenworld Pty Ltd | |
Suite 14 | |||
14/13A Narabang Way | |||
Belrose, NSW, 2085 Australia | |||
Email: [***] | |||
Phone: [***] | |||
Attn: Stene Marshall |
* * *
A-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT B
PRICING
As of the Effective Date, the wholesale prices of the Products payable by Distributor are as set forth below. Per Section 4.7 of the Agreement, Distributor acknowledges and agrees that Company may amend any of the information set forth on this Exhibit B upon notice to Distributor, and any such amendment shall become effective immediately upon delivery of such notice.
A. | Wholesale Pricing to Distributor: |
(i) | 5mL ELEVAI Empower post treatment serum: [***] per unit. |
(ii) | 30mL ELEVAI Enfinity daily serum: [***] per unit. |
B. Royalty (United States and Canada): In addition to the prices of the Products set forth above, Distributor shall pay Company a royalty with respect to all Products sold in the United States and Canada. The royalty amount for each Product is set forth below, which Distributor shall pay to Company on a quarterly basis, not later than ten (10) days after the end of each calendar quarter, with respect to all Products sold in the United States and Canada during the prior quarter:
(i) | 5mL ELEVAI Empower post treatment serum: [***] per unit. |
(ii) | 30mL ELEVAI Enfinity daily serum: [***] per unit. |
C. | United States and Canada Pricing (Effective December 1, 2021): |
(i) | 5mL ELEVAI Empower post treatment serum: [***] per unit. |
(ii) | 30mL ELEVAI Enfinity daily serum: [***] per unit. |
* * *
B-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT C
KPIs
(a) | Purchase and pay for at least [***] units of Products prior to December 31, 2022. |
(b) | Purchase and pay for at least [***] units of Products prior to December 31, 2023. |
(c) | Purchase and pay for at least [***] units of Products prior to December 31, 2024 (if the Agreement is renewed). |
(d) | Obtain all licenses, permissions and registrations required to market, sell and distribute the Products in each of the countries which comprise the Territory within twelve (12) months of the Effective Date. |
(e) | Commencing with the first calendar quarter of 2023 and continuing on a calendar quarterly basis thereafter, sell at least [***] of sales per quarter in each country which comprises the Territory. |
* * *
C-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT D
Elevai Labs Inc. Unilateral Price Policy
Elevai Labs Inc. (“Company”) recognizes the time and resources our high-quality distributors (hereinafter, “Distributors”) invest in delivering excellent customer experiences through knowledgeable staff, marketing initiatives and compelling sales presentations and support. To support our Distributors’ efforts, Company wishes to establish policies that allow Distributors to earn the profits necessary to maintain the high level of customer excellence the industry has come to expect from Company’s Distributors.
In order to successfully compete in the marketplace and maintain its premium brand and product image, Company has adopted this Unilateral Price Policy for the mutual benefit of its Distributors, customers and shareholders. Accordingly, all sales and all advertisements for sales of the products by Distributors within the United States and Canada shall comply with the pricing set forth on Exhibit B (Section C) attached hereto (“US Canada Price List”).
Company reserves the right from time to time to alter, modify, suspend, or cancel this Unilateral Price Policy, the products covered, and/or the minimum advertised and/or resale prices.
This Unilateral Price Policy does not restrict the right of Distributors to establish independent resale and advertised prices of the products. Company reserves the right to determine whether a Distributor has advertised or sold any of the products at a price less than the prices established by this Unilateral Price Policy.
This Unilateral Price Policy has been unilaterally adopted by Company. Company neither solicits nor accepts assurances from Distributors of their compliance with this policy. Nothing in this policy shall constitute an agreement between Company and any Distributor of compliance with this policy. Each Reseller, in its own discretion, can choose to comply or not comply with this policy. Distributor will not discuss conditions of compliance related to this policy. This policy is non-negotiable and will not be altered, modified, or amended for any Distributor.
Any discounting or other promotions resulting in the sale of any products at prices below the prices on the US Canada Price List including, without limitation, as a result of any promotions, discounts or rebates, is a breach of this Unilateral Price Policy. The offer of free shipping or financing on any product(s) does not breach this Unilateral Price Policy.
Company’s sales personnel do not have any authority to modify or grant any exceptions to this policy. All questions regarding interpretation of this policy should be directed to Company’s Policy Coordinator at: contact@elevailabs.com
First Violation – If Company determines that a Distributor has advertised, offered, or sold any product in the United States or Canada at a price less than the pricing set forth on the US Canada Price List, then Company may issue a takedown notice. The Distributor will have 48 hours from the time the notice was submitted to correct all breaches of this Unilateral Price Policy.
Second Violation – If Company determines that a Distributor has advertised, offered, or sold any product in the United States or Canada at a price less than the pricing set forth on the US Canada Price List for a second time, then Company may, without assuming any liability, cancel all orders and refuse to accept any new orders for such product from the Distributor for a period of sixty (60) days and/or may void any incentives otherwise owed to the Distributor.
Third Violation – If Company determines that a Distributor has advertised, offered, or sold any product in the United States or Canada at a price less than the pricing set forth on the US Canada Price List for a third time, then Company may, without assuming any liability, cancel all orders and refuse to accept any new orders for any new orders for all products from the Distributor for a period of four (4) months and/or may void any incentives otherwise owed to the Distributor.
Fourth Violation – If Company determines that a Distributor has advertised, offered, or sold any product in the United States or Canada at a price less than the pricing set forth on the US Canada Price List for a fourth time, then Company may, without assuming any liability, cancel all orders and refuse to accept any new orders for all products indefinitely and/or may void any incentives otherwise owed to the Distributor.
* * *
D-1
[***] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE THE INFORMATION (I) IS NOT MATERIAL AND (II) WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.
EXHIBIT E
Territory
(a) | All countries in North America (including the United States and Canada). |
(b) | All countries in South America. |
(c) | Australia and all countries in Asia (including the countries in the Middle East and that comprise the Russian Federation). |
(d) | All countries in Europe (including any countries that comprise the Russian Federation). |
(e) | All countries in Africa (including the countries in North Africa). |
E-1
Exhibit 14.1
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
Code of Ethics and Business Conduct
1. Introduction.
1.1 The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Elevai Labs, Inc. (the “Company”) has adopted this Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (the “Code”) in order to:
(a) promote honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest;
(b) promote full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and in other public communications made by the Company;
(c) promote compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations;
(d) promote the protection of Company assets, including corporate opportunities and confidential information;
(e) promote fair dealing practices;
(f) deter wrongdoing; and
(g) ensure accountability for adherence to the Code.
1.2 All directors, officers and employees are required to be familiar with the Code, comply with its provisions and report any suspected violations as described below in Section 10, Reporting and Enforcement.
2. Honest and Ethical Conduct.
2.1 The Company’s policy is to promote high standards of integrity by conducting its affairs honestly and ethically.
2.2 Each director, officer and employee must act with integrity and observe the highest ethical standards of business conduct in his or her dealings with the Company’s customers, suppliers, partners, service providers, competitors, employees and anyone else with whom he or she has contact in the course of performing his or her job.
3. Conflicts of Interest.
3.1 A conflict of interest occurs when an individual’s private interest (or the interest of a member of his or her family) interferes, or even appears to interfere, with the interests of the Company as a whole. A conflict of interest can arise when an employee, officer or director (or a member of his or her family) takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work for the Company objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest also arise when an employee, officer or director (or a member of his or her family) receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position in the Company.
3.2 Loans by the Company to, or guarantees by the Company of obligations of, employees or their family members are of special concern and could constitute improper personal benefits to the recipients of such loans or guarantees, depending on the facts and circumstances. Loans by the Company to, or guarantees by the Company of obligations of, any director or executive officer or their family members are expressly prohibited.
3.3 Whether or not a conflict of interest exists or will exist can be unclear. Conflicts of interest should be avoided unless specifically authorized as described in Section 3.4.
3.4 Persons other than directors and executive officers who have questions about a potential conflict of interest or who become aware of an actual or potential conflict should discuss the matter with, and seek a determination and prior authorization or approval from, their supervisor or the Chief Financial Officer. A supervisor may not authorize or approve conflict of interest matters or make determinations as to whether a problematic conflict of interest exists without first providing the Chief Financial Officer with a written description of the activity and seeking the Chief Financial Officer’s written approval. If the supervisor is himself involved in the potential or actual conflict, the matter should instead be discussed directly with the Chief Financial Officer.
Directors and executive officers must seek determinations and prior authorizations or approvals of potential conflicts of interest exclusively from the Audit Committee.
4. Compliance.
4.1 Employees, officers and directors should comply, both in letter and spirit, with all applicable laws, rules and regulations in the cities, states and countries in which the Company operates.
4.2 Although not all employees, officers and directors are expected to know the details of all applicable laws, rules and regulations, it is important to know enough to determine when to seek advice from appropriate personnel. Questions about compliance should be addressed to the Legal Department.
4.3 No director, officer or employee may purchase or sell any Company securities while in possession of material nonpublic information regarding the Company, nor may any director, officer or employee purchase or sell another company’s securities while in possession of material nonpublic information regarding that company. It is against Company policies and illegal for any director, officer or employee to use material nonpublic information regarding the Company or any other company to:
(a) obtain profit for himself or herself; or
(b) directly or indirectly “tip” others who might make an investment decision on the basis of that information.
5. Disclosure.
5.1 The Company’s periodic reports and other documents filed with the SEC, including all financial statements and other financial information, must comply with applicable federal securities laws and SEC rules.
5.2 Each director, officer and employee who contributes in any way to the preparation or verification of the Company’s financial statements and other financial information must ensure that the Company’s books, records and accounts are accurately maintained. Each director, officer and employee must cooperate fully with the Company’s accounting and internal audit departments, as well as the Company’s independent public accountants and counsel.
2
5.3 Each director, officer and employee who is involved in the Company’s disclosure process must:
(a) be familiar with and comply with the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and its internal control over financial reporting; and
(b) take all necessary steps to ensure that all filings with the SEC and all other public communications about the financial and business condition of the Company provide full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure.
6. Protection and Proper Use of Company Assets.
6.1 All directors, officers and employees should protect the Company’s assets and ensure their efficient use. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the Company’s profitability and are prohibited.
6.2 All Company assets should be used only for legitimate business purposes. Any suspected incident of fraud or theft should be reported for investigation immediately.
6.3 The obligation to protect Company assets includes the Company’s proprietary information. Proprietary information includes intellectual property such as trade secrets, patents, trademarks, and copyrights, as well as business and marketing plans, engineering and manufacturing ideas, designs, databases, records and any nonpublic financial data or reports. Unauthorized use or distribution of this information is prohibited and could also be illegal and result in civil or criminal penalties.
7. Corporate Opportunities. All directors, officers and employees owe a duty to the Company to advance its interests when the opportunity arises. Directors, officers and employees are prohibited from taking for themselves personally (or for the benefit of friends or family members) opportunities that are discovered through the use of Company assets, property, information or position. Directors, officers and employees may not use Company assets, property, information or position for personal gain (including gain of friends or family members). In addition, no director, officer or employee may compete with the Company.
8. Confidentiality. Directors, officers and employees should maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to them by the Company or by its customers, suppliers or partners, except when disclosure is expressly authorized or is required or permitted by law. Confidential information includes all nonpublic information (regardless of its source) that might be of use to the Company’s competitors or harmful to the Company or its customers, suppliers or partners if disclosed.
9. Fair Dealing. Each director, officer and employee must deal fairly with the Company’s customers, suppliers, partners, service providers, competitors, employees and anyone else with whom he or she has contact in the course of performing his or her job. No director, officer or employee may take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse or privileged information, misrepresentation of facts or any other unfair dealing practice.
3
10. Reporting and Enforcement.
10.1 Reporting and Investigation of Violations.
(a) Actions prohibited by this Code involving directors or executive officers must be reported to the Audit Committee.
(b) Actions prohibited by this Code involving anyone other than a director or executive officer must be reported to the reporting person’s supervisor or the Chief Financial Officer.
(c) After receiving a report of an alleged prohibited action, the Audit Committee, the relevant supervisor or the Chief Financial Officer must promptly take all appropriate actions necessary to investigate.
(d) All directors, officers and employees are expected to cooperate in any internal investigation of misconduct.
10.2 Enforcement.
(a) The Company must ensure prompt and consistent action against violations of this Code.
(b) If, after investigating a report of an alleged prohibited action by a director or executive officer, the Audit Committee determines that a violation of this Code has occurred, the Audit Committee will report such determination to the Board.
(c) If, after investigating a report of an alleged prohibited action by any other person, the relevant supervisor or the Chief Financial Officer determines that a violation of this Code has occurred, the supervisor or the Chief Financial Officer will report such determination to the Board.
(d) Upon receipt of a determination that there has been a violation of this Code, the Board will take such preventative or disciplinary action as it deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, reassignment, demotion, dismissal and, in the event of criminal conduct or other serious violations of the law, notification of appropriate governmental authorities.
10.3 Waivers.
(a) The Board may, in its discretion, waive any violation of this Code.
(b) Any waiver for a director or an executive officer shall be disclosed as required by SEC and Nasdaq rules.
10.4 Prohibition on Retaliation. The Company does not tolerate acts of retaliation against any director, officer or employee who makes a good faith report of known or suspected acts of misconduct or other violations of this Code.
4
Exhibit 21.1
Elevai Labs, Inc.
List of Subsidiaries
Name of Subsidiary | Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization | |
Elevai Research Inc. | Canada |
Exhibit 23.2
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption "Experts" and to the use of our report dated June 13, 2023, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Elevai Labs Inc., for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, in this Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Elevai Labs Inc. and the related Prospectus of Elevai Labs Inc. filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our report dated June 13, 2023 contains an explanatory paragraph describing an uncertainty about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
/s/TPS Thayer, LLC
Sugar Land, Texas
September 28, 2023
Exhibit 99.1
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
CHARTER OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. STATUS
The Audit Committee (the “Committee”) is a committee of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Elevai Labs, Inc. (the “Company”).
2. PURPOSE
The Committee is established pursuant to this charter. The Committee is appointed by the Board for the primary purposes of:
· | Performing the Board’s oversight responsibilities as they relate to the Company’s accounting policies and internal controls, financial reporting practices and legal and regulatory compliance, including, among other things: |
o | the quality and integrity of the Company’s financial statements; |
o | the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
o | review of the independent auditors’ qualifications and independence; and |
o | the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and the Company’s independent auditors; |
· | Maintaining, through regularly scheduled meetings, a line of communication between the Board and the Company’s financial management, internal auditors and independent auditors, and |
· | Preparing the report to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement, as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) rules. |
3. COMPOSITION AND QUALIFICATIONS
The Committee shall be appointed by the Board and shall be comprised of three or more Directors (as determined from time to time by the Board), each of whom shall meet the independence requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Act”), the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC and all other applicable laws.
Each member of the Committee shall be financially literate and at least one member of the Committee shall have past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting or any other comparable experience or background which results in the individual’s financial sophistication, including being or having been a chief executive officer, chief financial officer or other senior officer with financial oversight responsibilities, as each such qualification is interpreted by the Board in its business judgment. In addition, at least one member of the Committee shall be an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined by the SEC.
4. RESPONSIBILITIES
The Committee will:
1) | Review and discuss the annual audited financial statements and the Company’s disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” with management and the independent auditors. In connection with such review, the Committee will: |
· | Discuss with the independent auditors the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 380 (as may be modified or supplemented) and the matters in the written disclosures required by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent accountant’s communications with the audit committee concerning independence; |
· | Review significant changes in accounting or auditing policies; |
· | Review with the independent auditors any problems or difficulties encountered in the course of their audit, including any change in the scope of the planned audit work and any restrictions placed on the scope of such work and management’s response to such problems or difficulties; |
· | Review with the independent auditors, management and the senior internal auditing executive the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls, and any significant findings and recommendations with respect to such controls; |
· | Review reports required to be submitted by the independent auditor concerning: (a) all critical accounting policies and practices used; (b) all alternative treatments of financial information within generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) that have been discussed with management, the ramifications of such alternatives, and the accounting treatment preferred by the independent auditors; and (c) any other material written communications with management; |
· | Review (a) major issues regarding accounting principles and financial statement presentations, including any significant changes in the Company’s selection or application of accounting principles, and major issues as to the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls and any special audit steps adopted in light of material control deficiencies; and (b) analyses prepared by management and/or the independent auditor setting forth significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, including analysis of the effects of alternative GAAP methods on the financial statements and the effects of regulatory and accounting initiatives, as well as off-balance sheet structures, on the financial statements of the Company; and |
· | Discuss policies and procedures concerning earnings press releases and review the type and presentation of information to be included in earnings press releases (paying particular attention to any use of “pro forma” or “adjusted” non-GAAP information), as well as financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies. |
2) | Review and discuss the quarterly financial statements and the Company’s disclosures provided in periodic quarterly reports including “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” with management, the senior internal auditing executive and the independent auditor, such review to include taking those actions, if applicable, listed in item 1 under this section 4. |
2
3) | Oversee the external audit coverage. The Company’s independent auditors are ultimately accountable to the Committee, which has the direct authority and responsibility to appoint, retain, compensate, terminate, select, evaluate and, where appropriate, replace the independent auditors. In connection with its oversight of the external audit coverage, the Committee will have authority to: |
· | Appoint and replace (subject to shareholder approval, if deemed advisable by the Board) the independent auditors; |
· | Approve the engagement letter and the fees to be paid to the independent auditors; |
· | Pre-approve all audit and non-audit services to be performed by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by the Company and the related fees for such services other than prohibited nonauditing services as promulgated under rules and regulations of the SEC (subject to the inadvertent de minimus exceptions set forth in the Act and the SEC rules); |
· | Monitor and obtain confirmation and assurance as to the independent auditors’ independence, including ensuring that they submit on a periodic basis (not less than annually) to the Committee a formal written statement delineating all relationships between the independent auditors and the Company. The Committee is responsible for actively engaging in a dialogue with the independent auditors with respect to any disclosed relationships or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the independent auditors and for taking appropriate action in response to the independent auditors’ report to satisfy itself of their independence; |
· | At least annually, obtain and review a report by the independent auditors describing: the firm’s internal quality-control procedures; any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality- control review, or peer review, of the firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm, and any steps taken to deal with any such issues; and to assess the independent auditors’ independence, all relationships between the independent auditors and the Company; |
· | Meet with the independent auditors prior to the annual audit to discuss planning and staffing of the audit; |
· | Review and evaluate the performance of the independent auditors, as the basis for a decision to reappoint or replace the independent auditors; |
· | Set clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors, including but not limited to, as required by all applicable laws and listing rules; and |
· | Assure regular rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner by setting clear policies for audit partner rotation and by having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit, as required by the Act, and consider whether rotation of the independent auditor is required to ensure independence. |
4) | Oversee internal audit coverage. In connection with its oversight responsibilities, the Committee will: |
· | Review the appointment or replacement of the senior internal auditing executive; |
· | Review, in consultation with management, the independent auditors and the senior internal auditing executive, the plan and scope of internal audit activities; |
· | Review internal audit activities, budget and staffing; and |
· | Review significant reports to management prepared by the internal auditing department and management’s responses to such reports. |
3
5) | Review, with the independent auditors and the senior internal auditing executive, the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls, and any significant findings and recommendations with respect to such controls. |
6) | Resolve any differences in financial reporting between management and the independent auditors. |
7) | Establish procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and (ii) the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. |
8) | Discuss policies and guidelines to govern the process by which risk assessment and risk management is undertaken. |
9) | Meet periodically and at least four times per year with management to review and assess the Company’s major financial risk exposures and the manner in which such risks are being monitored and controlled. |
10) | Meet periodically (not less than annually) in separate executive session with each of the chief financial officer, the senior internal auditing executive, and the independent auditors. |
11) | Review and approve all “related party transactions” requiring disclosure under SEC Regulation S-K, Item 404, in accordance with the policy set forth in Section 6 below. |
12) | Review periodically with the Company’s management, independent auditors and outside legal counsel (i) legal and regulatory matters which may have a material effect on the financial statements, and (ii) corporate compliance policies or codes of conduct, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding the Company’s financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
13) | As it determines necessary to carry out its duties, engage and obtain advice and assistance from outside legal, accounting or other advisers. |
14) | Report regularly to the Board with respect to Committee activities. |
15) | Prepare the report of the Committee required by the rules of the SEC to be included in the proxy statement for each annual meeting. |
16) | Review and reassess annually the adequacy of this Charter and recommend any proposed changes to the Board. |
17) | Monitor compliance, on a regularly scheduled basis, with the terms of the Company’s initial public offering (the “Offering”) and, if any noncompliance is identified, promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise cause the Company to come into compliance with the terms of the Offering. |
18) | Inquire and discuss with management the Company’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations. |
19) | Determine the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditors regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work. |
20) | Review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to the Company, or the Company’s officers or directors and their and the Company’s respective affiliates. |
21) | Evaluate the Committee’s own performance and report that it has done so to the Board. |
4
5. PROCEDURES
1). Action.
A majority of the members of the entire Committee shall constitute a quorum. The Committee shall act on the affirmative vote a majority of members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present. Without a meeting, the Committee may act by unanimous written consent of all members. However, the Committee may delegate to one or more of its members the authority to grant pre- approvals of audit and non-audit services, provided the decision is reported to the full Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
2). Fees.
The Company shall provide for appropriate funding, as determined by the Committee, for payment of compensation: (a) to outside legal, accounting or other advisors employed by the Committee; and (b) for ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.
3). Limitations.
While the Committee has the responsibilities and powers set forth in this Charter, it is not the duty of the Committee to plan or conduct audits or to determine that the Company’s financial statements are complete and accurate and are in accordance with GAAP. This is the responsibility of management and the independent auditors.
6. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS POLICY
1). Definitions.
A “Related Party Transaction” is any transaction directly or indirectly involving any Related Party that would need to be disclosed under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. Under Item 404(a), the Company is required to disclose any transaction occurring since the beginning of the Company’s last fiscal year, or any currently proposed transaction, involving the Company where the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. “Related Party Transaction” also includes any material amendment or modification to an existing Related Party Transaction.
“Related Party” means any of the following:
· | a director (which term when used herein includes any director nominee); |
· | an executive officer; |
· | a person known by the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s common stock (a “5% shareholder”); or |
· | a person known by the Company to be an immediate family member of any of the foregoing. |
“Immediate family member” means a child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in- law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law of such director, executive officer, nominee for director or beneficial owner, and any person (other than a tenant or employee) sharing the household of such director, executive officer, nominee for director or beneficial owner.
2). Identification of Potential Related Party Transactions.
Related Party Transactions will be brought to management’s and the Board’s attention in a number of ways. Each of the Company’s directors and executive officers shall inform the Chairman of the Committee of any potential Related Party Transactions. In addition, each such director and executive officer shall complete a questionnaire on an annual basis designed to elicit information about any potential Related Party Transactions.
Any potential Related Party Transactions that are brought to the Committee’s attention shall be analyzed by the Committee, in consultation with outside counsel or members of management, as appropriate, to determine whether the transaction or relationship does, in fact, constitute a Related Party Transaction requiring compliance with this Policy.
5
3). Review and Approval of Related Party Transactions.
At each of its meetings, the Committee shall be provided with the details of each new, existing or proposed Related Party Transaction, including the terms of the transaction, any contractual restrictions that the Company has already committed to, the business purpose of the transaction, and the benefits to the Company and to the relevant Related Party. In determining whether to approve a Related Party Transaction, the Committee shall consider, among other factors, the following factors to the extent relevant to the Related Party Transaction:
· | whether the terms of the Related Party Transaction are fair to the Company and on the same basis as would apply if the transaction did not involve a Related Party; |
· | whether there are business reasons for the Company to enter into the Related Party Transaction; |
· | whether the Related Party Transaction would impair the independence of an outside director; |
· | whether the Related Party Transaction would present an improper conflict of interests for any director or executive officer of the Company, taking into account the size of the transaction, the overall financial position of the director, executive officer or Related Party, the direct or indirect nature of the director’s, executive officer’s or Related Party’s interest in the transaction and the ongoing nature of any proposed relationship, and any other factors the Committee deems relevant; and |
· | any pre-existing contractual obligations. |
Any member of the Committee who has an interest in the transaction under discussion shall abstain from voting on the approval of the Related Party Transaction, but may, if so requested by the Chairman of the Committee, participate in some or all of the Committee’s discussions of the Related Party Transaction. Upon completion of its review of the transaction, the Committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the Related Party Transaction.
A Related Party Transaction entered into without pre-approval of the Committee shall not be deemed to violate this Policy, or be invalid or unenforceable, so long as the transaction is brought to the Committee as promptly as reasonably practical after it is entered into or after it becomes reasonably apparent that the transaction is covered by this Policy.
A Related Party Transaction entered into prior to the effective date of this Charter shall not be required to be reapproved by the Committee.
7. DISCLOSURE
If required by the rules of the SEC or any of any exchange or national listing market system upon which the Company’s securities are listed or quoted for trading, this Charter, as amended from time to time, shall be made available to the public on the Company’s website or filed with the SEC.
6
Exhibit 99.2
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
CHARTER OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STATUS:
The Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) is a committee of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Elevai Labs, Inc. (the “Company”).
PURPOSE:
The Committee is established pursuant to this charter. The purpose of the Compensation Committee is to review and make recommendations to the Board regarding all forms of compensation to be provided to the executive officers and directors of the Company, including stock compensation and loans, and all bonus and stock compensation to all employees.
The Compensation Committee has the authority to undertake the specific duties and responsibilities listed below and will have the authority to undertake such other specific duties as the Board may from time to time prescribe.
MEMBERSHIP:
The Compensation Committee shall consist of at least two (2) members of the Board, all of whom shall be independent directors in accordance with Rule 5605 (d) of the NASDAQ OMX Group Company Guide. The members of the Compensation Committee will be appointed by a majority of the Board. No member of the Compensation Committee shall be removed except by a majority vote of the independent directors then in office.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The responsibilities and duties of the Compensation Committee shall include:
1. | To review and approve annually the corporate goals and objectives applicable to the compensation of the chief executive officer (“CEO”), evaluate at least annually the CEO’s performance in light of those goals and objectives, and determine and approve the CEO’s compensation level based on this evaluation. In determining the long-term incentive component of CEO compensation, the Compensation Committee may consider the Company’s performance and relative stockholder return, the value of similar incentive awards given to CEOs at comparable companies and the awards given to the company’s CEO in past years. |
2. | Matters Related to Compensation of the Officers Other Than the Chief Executive Officer: |
a. | Review and approve the proposed compensation for all Officers of the Company other than the CEO; for purposes hereof, the term “Officer” shall mean any officer at C-level, any “officer” as defined in Section 16 of the Exchange Act and Rule 16a-1 promulgated thereunder, and any individual that reports directly to the CEO. |
b. | Review no less frequently than annually the aggregate amount of compensation being paid or potentially payable to the Company’s Officers. |
c. | Reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding the compensation policy for executive officers and directors of the Company, and such other officers of the Company as directed by the Board. |
3. | Reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding all forms of compensation (including all “plan” compensation, as such term is defined in Item 402(a)(7) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and all non-plan compensation) to be provided to the executive officers of the Company. |
4. | Reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding general compensation goals and guidelines for the Company’s employees and the criteria by which bonuses to the Company’s employees are determined. |
5. | Acting as Administrator any Stock Option Plan and administering, within the authority delegated by the Board, any Employee Stock Purchase Plan adopted by the Company. In its administration of the plans, the Compensation Committee may, pursuant to authority delegated by the Board, grant stock options or stock purchase rights to individuals eligible for such grants and amend such stock options or stock purchase rights. The Compensation Committee shall also make recommendations to the Board with respect to amendments to the plans and changes in the number of shares reserved for issuance hereunder. |
6. | Review and approve grants and awards under incentive-based compensation plans and equity-based plans, in each case consistent with the terms of such plans. |
7. | Review and make such recommendations to the Board as the Compensation Committee deems advisable with regard to policies and procedures for the grant of equity-based awards by the Company. |
8. | Reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding other plans that are proposed for adoption or adopted by the Company for the provision of compensation to employees of, directors of and consultants to the Company. |
9. | Preparing a report (to be included in the Company’s proxy statement) which describes: (a) the criteria on which compensation paid to the Chief Executive Officer for the last completed fiscal year is based; (b) the relationship of such compensation to the Company’s performance; and (c) the Compensation Committee’s executive compensation policies applicable to executive officers. |
10. | Authorizing the repurchase of shares from terminated employees pursuant to applicable law. |
11. | If applicable, the Compensation Committee shall consider the results of the most recent stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act in its recommendations and decisions. |
2
MEETINGS:
It is anticipated that the Compensation Committee will meet at least two times each year. However, the Compensation Committee may establish its own schedule, which it will provide to the Board in advance. At a minimum of one of such meetings annually, the Compensation Committee will consider stock plans, performance goals and incentive awards, and the overall coverage and composition of the compensation package. The Compensation Committee will maintain written minutes of its meetings, which minutes will be filed with the minutes of the meetings of the Board. The Compensation Committee shall report regularly to the Board regarding its actions and make recommendations to the Board as appropriate.
The Compensation Committee may invite such members of management to its meetings as it deems appropriate. However, the Compensation Committee shall meet regularly without such members present, and in all cases the CEO and any other such officers shall not be present at meetings at which their compensation or performance is discussed or determined.
REPORTS:
The Compensation Committee will provide written reports to the Board of the Company regarding recommendations of the Compensation Committee submitted to the Board for action, and copies of the written minutes of its meetings.
Review and discuss with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis to be included in the Company’s proxy statement or annual report on Form 10-K (“CD&A”).
Based on the Compensation Committee’s review and discussions with management of the CD&A, make a recommendation to the Board that the CD&A be included in the Company’s proxy statement or annual report on Form 10-K.
Prepare the Compensation Committee Report to be included in the Company’s proxy statement or annual report on Form 10-K in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, any securities exchange on which the Company’s securities are traded, and any other rules and regulations applicable to the Company.
EVALUATION OF COMMITTEE PERFORMANCE:
The Compensation Committee shall on an annual basis, evaluate its performance under this Charter. The Compensation Committee shall address all matters that the Board of Directors considers relevant to its performance. The Compensation Committee shall deliver a report setting forth the results of its evaluation, including any recommended amendments to this Charter and any recommended changes to the Board’s or the Company’s policies or procedures.
COMMITTEE RESOURCES:
The Compensation Committee shall have the authority to obtain advice and seek assistance from internal and external legal, accounting, and other advisors. The Compensation Committee shall have sole authority to retain and terminate any compensation consultant to be used to evaluate director or officer compensation, including sole authority to approve the consulting firm’s fee and retention terms.
3
Exhibit 99.3
ELEVAI LABS, INC.
CHARTER OF THE NOMINATION COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STATUS:
The Nomination Committee (the “Committee”) is a committee of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Elevai Labs, Inc. (the “Company”).
PURPOSE:
The Committee is established pursuant to this charter. The purpose of the Committee shall be to review and make recommendations to the Board regarding matters concerning corporate governance; review the composition of and evaluate the performance of the Board; recommend persons for election to the Board and evaluate director compensation; review the composition of committees of the Board and recommend persons to be members of such committees; review and maintain compliance of committee membership with applicable regulatory requirements; and review conflicts of interest of members of the Board and corporate officers. In addition, the Committee will undertake those specific duties and responsibilities listed below and such other duties as the Board may from time to time prescribe.
MEMBERSHIP:
The Committee shall consist of no fewer than two members of the Board. All members of the Committee shall be appointed by a majority of the Board and shall be independent of the Company and its affiliates, shall have no relationship to the Company or its affiliates that may interfere with the exercise of their independence, and shall otherwise be deemed to be “independent directors” as defined in Rule 5605 (e)(2) of the Nasdaq OMX Group Company Guide (the “Guide”). The Board may designate one member of the Committee as its Chair. The Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees, consisting of no fewer than two members of the Committee, when appropriate. No member of the Committee shall be removed except by a majority vote of the independent directors then in office.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The responsibilities and duties of the Committee shall include:
Composition of the Board of Directors, Evaluation, and Nomination Activities
1. | Reviewing the composition and size of the Board and determining the criteria for membership of the Board, including issues of character, judgment, independence, diversity, age, expertise, corporate experience, length of service, and other commitments outside the Company. |
2. | Conducting an annual evaluation of the Board. |
3. | Identifying, considering, and recommending candidates to fill new positions or vacancies on the Board, and reviewing any candidates recommended by stockholders in accordance with the bylaws. In performing these duties, the Committee shall have the authority to retain any search firm to be used to identify candidates for the Board and shall have sole authority to approve the search firm’s fees and other retention terms. |
4. | Evaluating the performance of individual members of the Board eligible for re-election and recommending the director nominees by class for election to the Board by the stockholders at the annual meeting of stockholders. |
5. | Evaluating director compensation, consulting with outside consultants when appropriate, and making recommendations to the Board regarding director compensation. |
6. | Reviewing and making recommendations to the Board with respect to a Director Option Plan and any proposed amendments thereto, subject to obtaining stockholder approval of any amendments as required by law or Nasdaq OMX or the NYSE Market LLC Company Guide Rules. |
7. | Selection of New Directors |
a. | Recommend to the Board criteria for Board and committee membership, which shall include a description of any specific, minimum qualifications that the Nominating Committee believes must be met by a Nominating Committee recommended nominee, and a description of any specific qualities or skills that the Nominating Committee believes are necessary for one or more of the Company’s directors to possess, and annually reassess the adequacy of such criteria and submit any proposed changes to the Board for approval. |
b. | Establish a policy regarding the consideration of director candidates recommended by stockholders. |
c. | Establish procedures to be followed by securityholders in submitting recommendations for director candidates to the Nominating Committee. The current procedures to be followed by securityholders are set forth below: |
i. | All securityholder recommendations for director candidates must be submitted to the Secretary of the Company, who will forward all recommendations to the Nominating Committee. |
ii. | All securityholder recommendations for director candidates must be submitted to the Company not less than 120 calendar days prior to the date on which the Company’s proxy statement was released to stockholders in connection with the previous year’s annual meeting. |
iii. | All securityholder recommendations for director candidates must include the following information: |
1. | The name and address of record of the securityholder. |
2
2. | A representation that the securityholder is a record holder of the Company’s securities, or if the securityholder is not a record holder, evidence of ownership in accordance with Rule 14a- 8(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. |
3. | The name, age, business and residential address, educational background, current principal occupation or employment, and principal occupation or employment for the preceding five (5) full fiscal years of the proposed director candidate. |
4. | A description of the qualifications and background of the proposed director candidate which addresses the minimum qualifications and other criteria for Board membership approved by the Board from time to time and set forth in this Charter. |
5. | A description of all arrangements or understandings between the securityholder and the proposed director candidate. |
6. | The consent of the proposed director candidate (i) to be named in the proxy statement relating to the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders and (ii) to serve as a director if elected at such annual meeting. |
7. | Any other information regarding the proposed director candidate that is required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
d. | Establish a process for identifying and evaluating nominees for the Board, including nominees recommended by securityholders. The current process for identifying and evaluating nominees for the Board is as follows: |
i. | The Nominating Committee may solicit recommendations from any or all of the following sources: non-management directors, the Chief Executive Officer, other executive officers, third-party search firms, or any other source it deems appropriate. |
ii. | The Nominating Committee will review and evaluate the qualifications of any such proposed director candidate and conduct inquiries it deems appropriate. |
iii. | The Nominating Committee will evaluate all such proposed director candidates in the same manner, with no regard to the source of the initial recommendation of such proposed director candidate. iv. In identifying and evaluating proposed director candidates, the Nominating Committee may consider, in addition to the minimum qualifications and other criteria for Board membership approved by the Board from time to time, all facts and circumstances that it deems appropriate or advisable, including, among other things, the skills of the proposed director candidate, his or her depth and breadth of business experience or other background characteristics, his or her independence and the needs of the Board. |
e. | Upon identifying individuals qualified to become members of the Board, consistent with the minimum qualifications and other criteria approved by the Board from time to time, recommend that the Board select the director nominees for election at each annual meeting of stockholders; provided that, if the Company is legally required by contract or otherwise to provide third parties with the ability to nominate individuals for election as a member of the Board (pursuant, for example, to the rights of holders of preferred stock to elect directors upon a dividend default or in accordance with shareholder agreements or management agreements), the selection and nomination of such director nominees shall be governed by such contract or other arrangement and shall not be the responsibility of the Nominating Committee. |
f. | Consider recommendations in light of the requirement that a majority of the Board be comprised of directors who meet the independence requirements set forth in Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Listing Rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. |
3
g. | Recommend that the Board select the directors for appointment to committees of the Board. |
h. | Review all stockholder nominations and proposals submitted to the Company (including any proposal relating to the procedures for making nominations or electing directors), determine whether the nomination or proposal was submitted in a timely manner and, in the case of a director nomination, whether the nomination and the nominee satisfy all applicable eligibility requirements, and recommend to the Board appropriate action on each such nomination or proposal. |
Committees of the Board of Directors
8. | Periodically reviewing the composition of each committee of the Board and making recommendations to the Board for the creation of additional committees or the change in mandate or dissolution of committees. |
9. | Recommending to the Board persons to be members of the various committees and Committee Chairperson, annually. |
Conflicts of Interest
10. | Reviewing and monitoring compliance with the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. |
11. | Considering questions of possible conflicts of interest of members of the Board and of corporate officers. |
12. | Reviewing actual and potential conflicts of interest of members of the Board and corporate officers and clearing any involvement of such persons in matters that may involve a conflict of interest. |
GENERAL:
The Nominating Committee may establish and delegate authority to subcommittees consisting of one or more of its members, when the Nominating Committee deems it appropriate to do so in order to carry out its responsibilities.
The Nominating Committee shall make regular reports to the Board concerning areas of the Nominating Committee’s responsibility.
In carrying out its responsibilities, the Nominating Committee shall be entitled to rely upon advice and information that it receives in its discussions and communications with management and such experts, advisors, and professionals with whom the Nominating Committee may consult. The Nominating Committee shall have the authority to request that any officer or employee of the Company, the Company’s outside legal counsel, the Company’s independent auditor or any other professional retained by the Company to render advice to the Company attend a meeting of the Nominating Committee or meet with any members of or advisors to the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall also have the authority to engage legal, accounting, or other advisors to provide it with advice and information in connection with carrying out its responsibilities and shall have sole authority to approve any such advisor’s fees and other retention terms.
The Nominating Committee may perform such other functions as may be requested by the Board from time to time.
MEETINGS:
The Committee will meet at least once a year. The Committee may establish its own meeting schedule, which it will provide to the Board. Special meetings may be convened as required. The Committee, or its Chair, shall report to the Board on the results of these meetings. The Committee may invite to its meetings other Directors, Corporate management, and such other persons, as the Committee deems appropriate in order to carry out its responsibilities. A majority of the members of the Committee, present in person or by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, shall constitute a quorum.
4
EVALUATION OF THE COMMITTEE’S PERFORMANCE:
The Committee shall, on an annual basis, evaluate its performance under this Charter. The Committee shall address all matters that the Committee considers relevant to its performance. The Committee shall deliver a report setting forth the results of its evaluation, including any recommended amendments to this Charter and any recommended changes to the Board’s or the Company’s policies or procedures.
COMMITTEE RESOURCES:
The Committee may conduct or authorize investigations into or studies of matters within the Committee’s scope of responsibilities and may retain, at the Company’s expense, such independent counsel, or other advisors as it deems necessary. The Committee shall have the sole authority to retain or terminate any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, including sole authority to approve the search firm’s fees and other retention terms, and such related fees are to be borne by the Company.
REPORTS:
The Committee will record its summaries of recommendations to the Board in written form, which will be incorporated as a part of the minutes of the meeting of the Board at which those recommendations are presented.
MINUTES:
The Committee will maintain written minutes of its meetings, which minutes will be filed with the minutes of the meetings of the Board.
5
Exhibit 107
Calculation of Filing Fee Tables
S-1
(Form Type)
Elevai Labs, Inc.
Table 1: Newly Registered Securities
Security Type | Security Class Title | Fee Calculation or Carry Forward Rule | Amount Registered | Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit | Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (1) | Fee Rate | Amount of Registration Fee | |||||||||||||||||||
Newly Registered Securities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fees to Be Paid | Equity | Common Stock, par value 0.0001 | 457(o) | $ | 6,900,000 | $ | 0.00011020 | $ | 761 | |||||||||||||||||
Fees to Be Paid | Other | Underwriter Warrants(2) | other | — | — | — | — | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||
Fees to Be Paid | Equity | Common Stock, 0.0001 par value, underlying the Underwriter’ warrants(2) | 457(o) | $ | 345,000 | $ | 0.00011020 | $ | 39 | |||||||||||||||||
Fees Previously Paid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Offering Amounts | $ | 7,245,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Fees Previously Paid | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Fee Offsets | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Fee Due | $ | 800.00 |
(1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o). In accordance with Rule 416(a), the Registrant is also registering an indeterminate number of additional shares of common stock that shall be issuable pursuant to Rule 416 to prevent dilution resulting from share splits, share dividends or similar transactions. |
(2) | The Registrant will issue to the underwriter warrants to purchase a number of common stock equal to an aggregate of 5% of the shares of common stock sold in the offering (the “Underwriter’ Warrants”). The exercise price of the Underwriter’ Warrants is equal to 100% of the offering price of the common stock offered hereby. |
(3) | No registration fee required pursuant to Rule 457(g) of the Securities Act. |