UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

September 8, 2022

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

 

EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

Delaware   333-264314   86-2559175

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA

  02043
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (929) 528-0767

 

N/A

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

 

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

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act
   
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act
   
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act
   
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act

 

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

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol(s)   Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock   EFHT   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Warrants   EFHTW   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Units   EFHTU   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Rights   EFHTR   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).

 

Emerging growth company ☒

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

On September 8, 2022, the registration statement (File No. 333-264314) (the “Registration Statement”) relating to the initial public offering (“IPO”) of EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”) was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. In connection therewith, the Company entered into the following agreements previously filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement:

 

  Underwriting Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and among the Company, and EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC;
     
  Warrant Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company;
     
  Letter Agreements, dated September 8, 2022, by and between the Company and each of the Company’s officers, directors and initial stockholders;
     
  Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company;
     
  Stock Escrow Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and among the Company, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the initial stockholders of the Company;
     
  Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and among the Company and the initial stockholders of the Company;
     
  Form of Private Placement Unit Purchase Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and among the Company and EF Hutton Partners, LLC, SHR Ventures, LLC , Paul Hodge, Jr., Kevin M. Bush;
     
 

Indemnity Agreements, dated September 8, 2022, by and between the Company and each of the Company’s the directors and officers; and

     
 

Investment Agreements by and among EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, EF Hutton Partners, LLC, SHR Ventures, LLC , Paul Hodge, Jr., Kevin M. Bush and certain 9.9% anchor investors.

 

On September 8, 2022, the Company consummated the IPO of 11,500,000 units (“Units”), including 1,500,000 units issued upon the exercise in full by the underwriters of the over-allotment option. Each Unit consists of one share of common stock, $0.0001 par value (“Common Stock”), one redeemable warrant (“Warrants”) entitling the holder of each whole Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share, and one right (“Rights”) to receive one-eighth (1/8) of one share of Common Stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $115,000,000.

 

As of September 8, 2022, a total of $116,150,000 of the net proceeds from the IPO and the Private Placement (as defined below) were deposited in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders. An audited balance sheet as of September 13, 2022, reflecting receipt of the proceeds upon consummation of the IPO and the Private Placement, will be filed within four business days of the consummation of the IPO.

 

Item 3.02. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated a private placement (“Private Placement”) of 257,500 units (“Private Units”) with certain purchasers, generating total proceeds of $2,575,000.

 

Except with respect to certain registration rights and transfer restrictions, the Private Units are identical to the public Units sold as part of the IPO. The purchasers agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Private Units or underlying securities (except in limited circumstances, as described in the Registration Statement) until the completion of the Company’s initial business combination. Such purchasers were granted certain demand and piggyback registration rights in connection with the purchase of the Private Units.

 

The Private Units were issued pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as the transactions did not involve a public offering.

 

 

 

 

Item 5.03. Amendments to Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

 

On September 8, 2022, in connection with the IPO, the Company filed its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Delaware Secretary of State. The terms of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation are set forth in the Registration Statement and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.   Description
1.1   Underwriting Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and among the Company and EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC
     
3.1   Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
     

4.1

 

Warrant Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

     
4.2   Rights Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
     
10.1   Letter Agreements, dated September 8, 2022, by and between the Company and each of the Company’s officers, directors and initial stockholders
     
10.2   Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
     
10.3   Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and among the Company and the initial stockholders of the Company
     
10.4   Private Placement Unit Purchase Agreement, dated September 8, 2022, by and among the Company and EF Hutton Partners, LLC, SHR Ventures, LLC , Paul Hodge, Jr., Kevin M. Bush
     
10.5   Indemnity Agreements, dated September 8 2022, by and between the Company and each of the Company’s the directors and officers
     
10.6  

Investment Agreement by and among EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, EF Hutton Partners, LLC, SHR Ventures, LLC , Paul Hodge, Jr., Kevin M. Bush and certain 9.9% anchor investors

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

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

 

Dated: September 15, 2022  
     
EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I  
     
By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott  
Name: Benjamin Piggott  
Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer  

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 1.1

 

EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

New York, New York

September 8, 2022

 

EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC

590 Madison Avenue, 39th Floor

New York, NY 10022

 

As Representative of the Underwriters

named on Schedule A hereto

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby confirms its agreement with EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC (the “Representative”), as representative of the several underwriters named on Schedule A hereto (the “Underwriters” or, each underwriter individually, an “Underwriter”), as follows:

 

1. Purchase and Sale of Securities.

 

1.1. Firm Securities.

 

1.1.1. Purchase of Firm Units. On the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters, severally and not jointly, and the Underwriters agree to purchase from the Company, severally and not jointly, an aggregate of 10,000,000 units (the “Firm Units”) of the Company, as set forth opposite the respective names of the Underwriters on Schedule A hereto, at a purchase price (net of discounts and commissions, including the Deferred Underwriting Commission described in Section 1.3 below) of $9.65 per Firm Unit. The Firm Units are to be offered initially to the public (the “Offering”) at the offering price of $10.00 per Firm Unit. Each Firm Unit consists of one share of the common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), one redeemable warrant (the “Warrants”), and one right (the “Rights”) to receive one-eighth (1/8) of a share of Common Stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination (as defined below). The Common Stock, Warrants and Rights included in the Firm Units will trade separately on the 90th day following the date hereof unless the Representative determines to allow earlier separate trading. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, in no event will the shares of Common Stock, Warrants and Rights included in the Firm Units trade separately until (i) the Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a Current Report on Form 8-K that includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the proceeds of the Offering and the Unit Private Placement (as defined in Section 1.4.2) and updated financial information with respect to any proceeds the Company receives from the exercise of the Over-allotment Option (defined below) if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (ii) the Company has filed with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K and issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Each whole Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, commencing on the later of twelve months from the Closing Date (defined below) or 30 days after the consummation by the Company of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”) and expiring on the five year anniversary of the consummation by the Company of its initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption of the Common Stock or liquidation of the Company.

 

 
 

 

1.1.2. Payment and Delivery. Delivery and payment for the Firm Units shall be made at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the second (2nd) Business Day (as defined below) following the commencement of trading of the Units, or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company, at the offices of Hogan Lovells US LLP, counsel to the Underwriters (“Hogan Lovells”), or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company. The hour and date of delivery and payment for the Firm Units is called the “Closing Date.” Payment for the Firm Units shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $101,000,000 of the proceeds received by the Company for the Firm Units and the sale of Placement Units (as defined in Section 1.4.2) shall be deposited in the trust account (“Trust Account”) established by the Company for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below), as described in the Registration Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1) pursuant to the terms of an Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”). The funds deposited in the Trust Account shall include an aggregate of $3,500,000 ($0.35 per Firm Unit), payable to the Underwriters as Deferred Underwriting Commission, in accordance with Section 1.3 hereof. The remaining proceeds (less commissions and actual expense payments or other fees payable pursuant to this Underwriting Agreement (this “Agreement”)), if any, shall be paid to the order of the Company upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Firm Units (or through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”)) for the account of the Underwriters. The Firm Units shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two (2) full Business Days prior to the Closing Date. The Company will permit the Representative to examine and package the Firm Units for delivery, at least one (1) full Business Day prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver any of the Firm Units except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all the Firm Units. As used herein, the term “Public Stockholders” means the holders of shares of Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Offering or acquired in the aftermarket, including the Initial Stockholders (defined below) to the extent such Initial Stockholders acquire such shares of Common Stock in the aftermarket (and solely with respect to such shares of Common Stock). “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York are generally are open for use by customers on such day.

 

1.2. Over-Allotment Option.

 

1.2.1. Option Units. The Representative is hereby granted an option (the “Over-allotment Option”) to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units (the “Option Units”), the gross proceeds of which will be deposited in the Trust Account, for the purposes of covering any over-allotments in connection with the distribution and sale of the Firm Units. The Firm Units and the Option Units are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Units,” and the Units, the shares of Common Stock, Warrants and Rights included in the Units, and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and upon conversion of the Rights are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Public Securities.” No Option Units shall be sold or delivered unless the Firm Units previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered. The right to purchase the Option Units, or any portion thereof, may be exercised from time to time and to the extent not previously exercised may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon notice by the Representative to the Company. The purchase price to be paid for each Option Unit will be the same price per Firm Unit set forth in Section 1.1.1 hereof.

 

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1.2.2. Exercise of Option. The Over-allotment Option granted pursuant to Section 1.2.1 hereof may be exercised by the Representative as to all (at any time) or any part (from time to time) of the Option Units within 45 days after the effective date (“Effective Date”) of the Registration Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1 hereof). The Underwriters will not be under any obligation to purchase any Option Units 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 by the Representative, which must be confirmed in accordance with Section 10.1 herein setting forth the number of Option Units to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Option Units (the “Option Closing Date”), which will not be later than five (5) full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time and in such other manner as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative, at the offices of Hogan Lovells or at such other place (including remotely by facsimile or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative. If such delivery and payment for the Option Units 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, the Company will become obligated to convey to the Underwriters, and, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Underwriters will become obligated to purchase, the number of Option Units specified in such notice.

 

1.2.3. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Option Units shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $10.00 per Option Unit shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the Trust Agreement against delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Option Units (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Representative. The amount to be deposited in the Trust Account will include $0.35 per Option Unit (up to $525,000), payable to the Underwriters, as Deferred Underwriting Commission, in accordance with Section 1.3 hereof. The certificates representing the Option Units to be delivered will be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representative requests in writing not less than two full Business Days prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and will be made available to the Representative for inspection, checking and packaging at the aforesaid office of the Company’s transfer agent or correspondent not less than one full Business Day prior to such Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Option Units except upon tender of payment by the Underwriters for applicable Option Units.

 

1.3. Deferred Underwriting Commission. The Underwriters agree that 3.5% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the Firm Units ($3,500,000) and the Option Units (up to $525,000), if any (collectively, the “Deferred Underwriting Commission”), will be deposited and held in the Trust Account and payable directly from the Trust Account, without accrued interest, to the Underwriters for their own accounts upon consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination. In the event that the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination and CST, as the trustee of the Trust Account (in this context, the “Trustee”), commences liquidation of the Trust Account as provided in the Trust Agreement, the Underwriters agree that: (i) they shall forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Underwriting Commission; and (ii) the Deferred Underwriting Commission, together with all other amounts on deposit in the Trust Account, shall be distributed on a pro-rata basis among the Public Stockholders.

 

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1.4. Private Placements.

 

1.4.1. Founder Shares. On March 4, 2021, the Company issued to EF Hutton Partners, LLC (the “Sponsor”), for aggregate consideration of $25,000, 3,450,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock (the “Founder Shares”). On March 7, 2022, the Sponsor surrendered 575,000 Founder Shares to the Company for cancellation for no consideration, resulting in the Sponsor and its permitted assignees holding 2,875,000 Founder Shares. No underwriting discounts, commissions, or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the purchase of Founder Shares. Except as described in the Registration Statement, none of the Founder Shares may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Initial Stockholders (as defined below) until the earlier of: (i) six months following the consummation of the Business Combination; and (ii) subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination, (A) when the closing price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the consummation of the Business Combination; or (B) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. The Founder Shares shall be subject to restrictions on transfer as set forth in the Insider Letter (as defined in Section 2.21.1 herein). “Initial Stockholders” means (i) holders of the Founder Shares, and (ii) members of the Sponsor. The holders of Founder Shares shall have no right to any liquidating distributions with respect to any portion of the Founder Shares in the event the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within nine months (subject to extension for nine additional one-month periods, as described in the Prospectus (as defined below)) from the closing of the Offering. The holders of the Founder Shares shall not have redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares. In the event that the Over-allotment Option is not exercised in full, the holders of the Founder Shares will be required to forfeit such number of Founder Shares (up to 375,000 Founder Shares) such that the Founder Shares then outstanding will comprise 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company (but not including any Placement Securities (as defined below)) after giving effect to the Offering and exercise, if any, of the Over-allotment Option.

 

1.4.2. Unit Private Placement. On or prior to the Closing Date, the Sponsor (and/or its designees) will purchase from the Company pursuant to a Placement Unit Purchase Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.2 below) an aggregate of 242,500 units of the Company, which units are identical to the Units subject to certain exceptions (collectively, the “Placement Units”) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Placement Unit in a private placement (the “Unit Private Placement”) intended to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. The terms of the Placement Units are as described in the Prospectus (as defined in Section 2.1.1 below). Simultaneously with the Option Closing Date (if any), the Sponsor (and/or its designees) will purchase from the Company pursuant to a Placement Unit Purchase Agreement, up to an additional 15,000 Placement Units at a purchase price of $10.00 per Placement Unit in a private placement intended to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. The purchase price for the Placement Units to be paid by the Sponsor (and/or its designees) has been delivered to CST or counsel to the Company or the Representative to hold in a separate escrow account at least 24 hours prior to the date hereof so that such funds are readily available to be delivered to the Trust Account on the Closing Date. The Placement Units, the shares of Common Stock, the warrants (the “Placement Warrants”), and the rights (the “Placement Rights”) included in the Placement Units, and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Placement Warrants and conversion of the Placement Rights are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Placement Securities.” No underwriting discounts, commissions, or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the Placement Securities sold in the Unit Private Placement. The Placement Securities are identical to the Public Securities except that (i) the Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable by the Company, (ii) the Placement Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, (iii) none of the Placement Securities may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Sponsor, the Underwriters or their permitted transferees until thirty (30) days after consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, and (iv) shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Placement Warrants and conversion of the Placement Rights will be entitled to registration rights. The Public Securities, the Placement Securities and the Founder Shares are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Securities”.

 

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1.5. Working Capital. Upon consummation of the Offering, approximately $800,000 of the net proceeds from the sale of Units and Placement Units will be released to the Company and held outside of the Trust Account to fund the working capital requirements of the Company.

 

1.6. Interest Income. Prior to the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, interest earned on the Trust Account may be released to the Company from the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement to pay any taxes incurred by the Company and up to $100,000 for dissolution expenses, all as more fully described in the Prospectus (as defined below).

 

1.7. Qualified Independent Underwriter. The Company hereby confirms its engagement of Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC (“Craig-Hallum”) and Craig-Hallum hereby confirms its agreement with the Company to render services as a “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of Rule 5121 of the rules and regulations promulgated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) with respect to the Offering. Craig-Hallum, solely in its capacity as the “qualified independent underwriter” with respect to the Offering, and not otherwise, is referred to herein as the “QIU.” Craig-Hallum will receive $100,000 as compensation for serving as QIU.

 

2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows:

 

2.1. Filing of Registration Statement.

 

2.1.1. Pursuant to the Securities Act. The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement and any amendment thereto, on Form S-1 (File No. 333-264314), including any related preliminary prospectus (the “Preliminary Prospectus”, including any prospectus that is included in the registration statement immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement), for the registration of the Units under the Securities Act, which registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations (the “Regulations”) of the Commission under the Securities Act. The conditions for use of Form S-1 to register the Offering under the Securities Act, as set forth in the General Instructions to such Form, have been satisfied. Except as the context may otherwise require, such registration statement, as amended, on file with the Commission at the time the registration statement became effective, including the prospectus, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated therein and all information deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430A of the Regulations, together with the registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act registering additional Public Securities, is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement,” and the form of the final prospectus dated the Effective Date included in the Registration Statement (or, if applicable, the form of final prospectus containing information permitted to be omitted at the time of effectiveness by Rule 430A of the Regulations, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, “Applicable Time,” as used in the Securities Act, means 4:40 p.m. New York City time, on the date of this Agreement. Prior to the Applicable Time, the Company prepared a Preliminary Prospectus, which was included in the Registration Statement filed on August 18, 2022, for distribution by the Underwriters (such Preliminary Prospectus used most recently prior to the Applicable Time, the “Statutory Prospectus”). Other than the Registration Statement, together with any correspondence letters between the Company and/or counsel for the Company and the Commission, no other document with respect to the Registration Statement has been filed under the Securities Act with the Commission. All of the Public Securities have been or will be registered for public sale under the Securities Act pursuant to the Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof. If, subsequent to the date of this Agreement, the Company or the Representative determines that, at the Applicable Time, the Statutory Prospectus included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted a statement of material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and the Company and the Representative agree to provide an opportunity to purchasers of the Units to terminate their old purchase contracts and enter into new purchase contracts, then the Statutory Prospectus will be deemed to include any additional information available to purchasers at the time of entry into the first such new purchase contract.

 

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2.1.2. Pursuant to the Exchange Act. The Company has filed with the Commission a Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-41497) providing for the registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), of the Units, Common Stock, Warrants and Rights. The registration of the Units, Common Stock, Warrants and Rights under the Exchange Act has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof and the Units, Common Stock, Warrants and Rights have been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.

 

2.1.3. No Stop Orders, etc. Neither the Commission nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any federal, state or other regulatory authority has issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus or Prospectus or any part thereof, or has instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

 

2.2. Disclosures in Registration Statement.

 

2.2.1. 10b-5 Representation. At the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement (or at the time of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement) and at all times subsequent thereto up to the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus do and will contain all material statements that are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Securities Act and the Regulations, and did or will, in all material respects, conform to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Regulations. The Registration Statement, as of the Effective Date and at the Applicable Time, did not, and the amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Prospectus, as of its date and the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, did not, and the amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Statutory Prospectus, as of the Applicable Time (or such subsequent Applicable Time pursuant to Section 2.1.1), did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. When any Preliminary Prospectus or the Statutory Prospectus was first filed with the Commission (whether filed as part of the Registration Statement for the registration of the Public Securities or any amendment thereto or pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the Regulations) and when any amendment thereof or supplement thereto was first filed with the Commission, such Preliminary Prospectus or the Statutory Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplements thereto complied or will have been corrected in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Regulations and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representation and warranty made in this Section 2.2.1 does not apply to statements made or statements omitted in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriters by the Representative expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto. The parties acknowledge and agree that such information provided by or on behalf of the Underwriters consists solely of the following: the names of the Underwriters, the number of Units being purchased by each Underwriter, information regarding selling concessions to dealers, the information with respect to stabilization transactions contained in the section entitled “Underwriting - Stabilization” and the identity of counsel to the Underwriters contained in the section entitled “Legal Matters” (such information, collectively, the “Underwriters’ Information”).

 

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2.2.2. Disclosure of Agreements. The agreements and documents described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus conform to the descriptions thereof contained therein in all material respects and there are no agreements or other documents required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that have not been so described or filed. Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company is a party or by which its property or business is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to in the Registration Statement, Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus or attached as an exhibit thereto, or (ii) that is material to the Company’s business, has been duly authorized and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought, and no such agreement or instrument has been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any other party is in breach or default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a breach or default thereunder. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, the performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses, including, without limitation, those relating to environmental laws and regulations.

 

2.2.3. Prior Securities Transactions. No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company since the date of the Company’s formation, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

 

2.2.4. Regulations. The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus concerning the effects of federal, foreign, state and local regulation on the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.

 

2.3. Changes After Dates in Registration Statement.

 

2.3.1. No Material Adverse Change. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, except as otherwise specifically stated therein, (i) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or business prospects of the Company, (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company, other than as contemplated pursuant to this Agreement, (iii) no member of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board of Directors”) or management has resigned from any position with the Company and (iv) no event or occurrence has taken place which materially impairs, or would likely materially impair, with the passage of time, the ability of the members of the Board of Directors or management to act in their capacities with the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.

 

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2.3.2. Recent Securities Transactions. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or therein, the Company has not: (i) issued any securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its share capital.

 

2.4. Independent Accountants. To the Company’s knowledge Marcum LLP (“Marcum”), whose report is filed with the Commission as part of, and is included in, the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, and the Prospectus, are independent registered public accountants as required by the Securities Act, the Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”), including the rules and regulations promulgated by such entity. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, Marcum is currently registered with the PCAOB and in good standing. Marcum has not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act.

 

2.5. Financial Statements; Statistical Data.

 

2.5.1. Financial Statements. The financial statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules (if any) included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly present the financial position, the results of operations and the cash flows of the Company at the dates and for the periods to which they apply; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved; and the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein in conformity with the Regulations. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus. The Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus disclose all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. There are no pro forma or as adjusted financial statements which are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus in accordance with Regulation S-X or Form 10 that have not been included as so required.

 

2.5.2. Statistical Data. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and/or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.

 

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2.6. Authorized Capital; Options. The Company had at the date or dates indicated in each of the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, and the Prospectus, as the case may be, duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, and the Prospectus. Based on the assumptions stated in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, and the Prospectus, the Company will have on the Closing Date or on the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the adjusted stock capitalization set forth therein. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by, the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date and on the Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there will be no options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into shares of Common Stock, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell shares of Common Stock or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.

 

2.7. Valid Issuance of Securities.

 

2.7.1. Outstanding Securities. All issued and outstanding securities of the Company issued prior to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The authorized and outstanding securities of the Company conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus. All offers, sales and any transfers of the outstanding securities of the Company were at all relevant times either registered under the Securities Act and the applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws or exempt from such registration requirements (based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such securities).

 

2.7.2. Public Securities. The Public Securities, and the shares of Common Stock, Warrants and Rights included within the Public Securities, have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Public Securities, and the shares of Common Stock, Warrants and Rights included in the Public Securities, are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Public Securities, and the shares of Common Stock, Warrants and Rights included in the Public Securities, has been duly and validly taken. The form of certificates for the Public Securities conform to the corporate law of the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation and applicable securities laws. The Public Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be. When paid for and issued, the Warrants and Rights will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof and such Warrants and Rights are enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and conversion of the Rights have been reserved for issuance and upon the exercise of the Warrants or conversion of the Rights, as applicable, and upon payment of the consideration therefor, and when issued in accordance with the terms thereof, such shares of Common Stock will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.

 

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2.7.3. Placement Securities. The Placement Warrants and Placement Rights constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof, and are, or will be, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. The Placement Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and when issued and paid for in accordance with the Placement Unit Purchase Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and the Rights Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Placement Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Placement Securities has been duly and validly taken. The Placement Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, and the Prospectus, as the case may be.

 

2.7.4. No Integration. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be or may be “integrated” pursuant to the Securities Act or the Regulations with the offer and sale of the Public Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement or the Placement Securities in the Unit Private Placement.

 

2.8. Registration Rights of Third Parties. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Securities Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.

 

2.9. Validity and Binding Effect of Agreements. This Agreement, the Insider Letter (as defined in Section 2.21.1), the Trust Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.3), the Warrant Agreement (as defined in Section 2.23), the Rights Agreement (as defined in Section 2.24 and the Placement Unit Purchase Agreement (collectively, the “Transaction Documents”) have been duly and validly authorized by the Company and, when executed and delivered by the Company and the other parties thereto, will constitute the valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal, and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.

 

2.10. No Conflicts, Etc. The execution, delivery, and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both: (i) result in a material breach or violation of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a material default under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any material lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of any agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or bound or to which its property is subject except pursuant to the Trust Agreement; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company, each as may be amended (collectively, the “Charter Documents”); or (iii) violate any existing applicable statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, assets or business constituted as of the date hereof.

 

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2.11. No Defaults; Violations. No material default or violation exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any license, contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject. The Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its Charter Documents or in violation of any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or businesses.

 

2.12. Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents.

 

2.12.1. Conduct of Business. The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business for the purpose as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus. The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus concerning the effects of foreign, federal, state and local regulation on this Offering and the Company’s business purpose as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Since its formation, the Company has conducted no business and has incurred no liabilities other than in connection with its formation and in furtherance of this Offering.

 

2.12.2. Transactions Contemplated Herein. The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection herewith have been obtained. No consent, authorization, or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body, foreign or domestic, is required for the valid issuance, sale and delivery, of the Public Securities and the Placement Securities and the consummation of the transactions and agreements contemplated by the Transaction Documents and as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, except with respect to applicable foreign, federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated by FINRA.

 

2.13. D&O Questionnaires. To the Company’s knowledge all information contained in the questionnaires (“Questionnaires”) completed by each of the Company’s officers, directors and stockholders (“Insiders”) and provided to the Representative and its counsel and the biographies of the Insiders contained in the Registration Statement, Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (to the extent a biography is contained) is true and correct 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, incorrect or incomplete.

 

2.14. Litigation; Governmental Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened against or involving the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider or any stockholder or member of an Insider that has not been disclosed, that is required to be disclosed, in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Questionnaires.

 

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2.15. Good Standing. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation. The Company is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, assets, prospects, business, operations or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

 

2.16. No Contemplation of a Business Combination. The Company has not identified any Business Combination target (each a “Target Business”) and it has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any Business Combination target.

 

2.17. Transactions Requiring Disclosure to FINRA.

 

2.17.1. Finder’s Fees. There are no claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee by the Company or any Insider with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined by FINRA.

 

2.17.2. Payments Within 180 Days. The Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) any FINRA member; or (iii) any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member, within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement, other than the prior payments to the Representative in connection with the Offering. The Company has not issued any warrants or other securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly, to anyone who is a potential underwriter in the Offering or a related person (as defined by FINRA rules) of such an underwriter within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement. No person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement has any relationship or affiliation or association with any member of FINRA participating in the Offering. Except with respect to the Representative in connection with the Offering, the Company has not entered into any agreement or arrangement (including, without limitation, any consulting agreement or any other type of agreement) during the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement with the Commission, which arrangement or agreement provides for the receipt of any item of value and/or the transfer or issuance of any warrants, options, or other securities from the Company to a FINRA member, any person associated with a member (as defined by FINRA rules), any potential underwriters in the Offering and/or any related persons.

 

2.17.3. FINRA Affiliation. Other than as disclosed to the Representative, no officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA). The Company will advise the Representative and Hogan Lovells if it learns that any officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the Offering.

 

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2.17.4. Share Ownership. Other than as disclosed to the Representative, no officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities is an owner of shares or other securities of any member of FINRA participating in the Offering (other than securities purchased on the open market).

 

2.17.5. Loans. No officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities has made a subordinated loan to any member of FINRA participating in the Offering.

 

2.17.6. Proceeds of the Offering. No proceeds from the sale of the Public Securities (excluding underwriting compensation) or the Placement Securities will be paid to any FINRA member participating in the Offering, or any persons associated or affiliated with a member of FINRA participating in the Offering, except as specifically authorized herein.

 

2.17.7. Conflicts of Interest. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, no FINRA member intending to participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest with the Company, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement. For this purpose, a “conflict of interest” exists when a member of FINRA and/or its associated persons, parent or affiliates in the aggregate beneficially own 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding subordinated debt or common equity, or 10% or more of the Company’s preferred equity. “Members participating in the Offering” include managing agents, syndicate group members and all dealers which are members of FINRA.

 

2.18. Taxes.

 

2.18.1. There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under U.S. federal law or the laws of any U.S. state or any political subdivision of the United States, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Public Securities.

 

2.18.2. The Company has filed all U.S. federal, state and local tax returns required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof in a timely manner or has duly obtained extensions of time for the filing thereof. The Company has paid all taxes shown as due on such returns that were filed and has paid all taxes imposed on it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable. The Company has made appropriate provisions in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 2.5.1 above in respect of all federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise taxes for all current or prior periods as to which the tax liability of the Company has not been finally determined.

 

2.19. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; Anti-Money Laundering; Patriot Act.

 

2.19.1. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any of the Insiders or any other person acting on behalf of the Company has, directly or indirectly, given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction) that (i) might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding, (ii) if not given in the past, might have had a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) if not continued in the future, might adversely affect the assets, business or operations of the Company. The Company has taken reasonable steps to ensure that its accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.

 

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2.19.2. Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with (i) the requirements of the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control and (ii) applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transaction Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, including the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, as amended, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar money laundering statutes, rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Federal governmental agency (collectively, the “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 the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened.

 

2.19.3. Patriot Act. Neither the Company nor to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider has violated the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended, or the Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001, and/or the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law, or any successor law.

 

2.20. Officers’ Certificate. Any certificate signed by any duly authorized officer of the Company in connection with the Offering and delivered to the Representative or to Hogan Lovells shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.

 

2.21. Agreements With Insiders.

 

2.21.1. Insider Letter. The Company has caused to be duly executed a legally binding and enforceable agreement (except (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification, contribution or non-compete provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought), a form of which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Insider Letter”), pursuant to which each of the Insiders of the Company agree to certain matters. The Insider Letter shall not be amended, modified or otherwise changed without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

2.21.2. Purchase Agreement. The Sponsor and the other purchasers party thereto have executed and delivered a Placement Unit Purchase Agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Placement Unit Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which the Sponsor and the other purchasers party thereto will, among other things, on the Closing Date, consummate the purchase of and deliver the purchase price for the Placement Units as provided for in such Placement Unit Purchase Agreement. Pursuant to the Placement Unit Purchase Agreement, (i) each of the Sponsor and the other purchasers party thereto has waived any and all rights and claims each may have to any proceeds, and any interest thereon, held in the Trust Account in respect of the Placement Securities, and (ii) the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Securities will be deposited by the Company in the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement on the Closing Date as provided for in the Placement Unit Purchase Agreement.

 

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2.21.3. Registration Rights Agreement. The Company, the Initial Stockholders and the Underwriters have entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (“Registration Rights Agreement”) substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, whereby such parties will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the securities they hold or may hold, as set forth in such Registration Rights Agreement and described more fully in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.

 

2.21.4. Loans. The Sponsor has agreed to make loans to the Company in the aggregate amount of up to $300,000 (the “Insider Loans”) pursuant to a promissory note substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The Insider Loans do not bear any interest and are repayable by the Company on the consummation of the Offering or the date on which the Company determines not to conduct an initial public offering of its securities.

 

2.22. Investment Management Trust Agreement. The Company has entered into the Trust Agreement with respect to certain proceeds of the Offering and the Unit Private Placement substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the funds held in the Trust Account may be released under limited circumstances. The Trust Agreement shall not be amended, modified, or otherwise changed in any way that modifies the rights or obligations of the Company without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

2.23. Warrant Agreement. The Company has entered into a warrant agreement with respect to the Warrants underlying the Units and the Placement Units and certain other warrants that may be issued by the Company with CST substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (“Warrant Agreement”).

 

2.24. Rights Agreement. The Company has entered into a rights agreement with respect to the Rights underlying the Units and the Placement Units with CST substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (“Rights Agreement”).

 

2.25. No Existing Non-Competition Agreements. No Insider is subject to any non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially affect his ability to be an employee, officer and/or director of the Company, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

 

2.26. Investments. No more than 45% of the “value” (as defined in Section 2(a)(41) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”)) of the Company’s total assets consist of, and no more than 45% of the Company’s net income after taxes is derived from, securities other than “Government Securities” (as defined in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act) or money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act.

 

2.27. Investment Company Act. The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act.

 

2.28. Subsidiaries. The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other business entity.

 

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2.29. Related Party Transactions. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and any Insider, on the other hand, which is required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or the Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus which is not so described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business), or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.

 

2.30. No Influence. The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Firm Units 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.

 

2.31. Sarbanes-Oxley. The Company is, or on the Closing Date will be, in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules or regulations promulgated by any governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency, that are applicable to it as of the date hereof.

 

2.32. Distribution of Offering Material by the Company. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Date and the completion of the distribution of the Units, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Units other than the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, in each case as supplemented and amended.

 

2.33. Nasdaq Stock Market. The Public Securities have been authorized for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”), and the Company knows of no reason or set of facts that is likely to adversely affect such authorization.

 

2.34. Board of Directors. As of the Effective Date, the Board of Directors of the Company will be comprised of the persons set forth as “Directors” or “Director nominees” under the heading of the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus captioned “Management.” As of the Effective Date, the qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the board will comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of Nasdaq that are, in each case, applicable to the Company. As of the Effective Date, the Company will have an Audit Committee that satisfies the applicable requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of Nasdaq.

 

2.35. Emerging Growth Company. From its formation through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).

 

2.36. No Disqualification Events. Neither the Company, nor any of its predecessors or any affiliated issuer, nor any director, executive officer, or other officer of the Company participating in the Offering, nor any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) connected with the Company in any capacity at the Applicable Time (each, a “Company Covered Person” and, together, “Company Covered Persons”) is subject to any of the “Bad Actor” disqualifications described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Securities Act (a “Disqualification Event”), except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3). The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Company Covered Person is subject to a Disqualification Event. The Company has complied, to the extent applicable, with its disclosure obligations under Rule 506(e), and has furnished to the Underwriters a copy of any disclosures provided thereunder.

 

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2.37. Free-Writing Prospectus and Testing-the-Waters. The Company has not made any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405. The Company: (a) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representative 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 to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications other than its officers and the Representative and individuals engaged by the Representative. The Company has not distributed any written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule B hereto. “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act.

 

3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees as follows:

 

3.1. Amendments to Registration Statement. The Company will deliver to the Representative, prior to filing, any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus proposed to be filed after the Effective Date and the Company shall not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative reasonably objects in writing.

 

3.2. Federal Securities Laws.

 

3.2.1. Compliance. During the time when a Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, the Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, the Regulations, and the Exchange Act, and by the regulations under the Exchange Act, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus. If at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriters, the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will notify the Representative promptly and prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3.1 hereof, an appropriate amendment or supplement in accordance with Section 10 of the Securities Act.

 

3.2.2. Filing of Final Prospectus. The Company will file the Prospectus (in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters) with the Commission pursuant to the requirements of Rule 424 of the Regulations.

 

3.2.3. Exchange Act Registration. The Company will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the Public Securities under the provisions of the Exchange Act (except in connection with a going-private transaction) for a period of five years from the Effective Date, or until the Company is required to be liquidated or is acquired, if earlier, or, in the case of the Warrants, until the Warrants expire and are no longer exercisable or have been exercised or redeemed in full. The Company will not deregister the Public Securities under the Exchange Act without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

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3.2.4. Exchange Act Filings. From the Effective Date until the earlier of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or its liquidation and dissolution, the Company shall timely file with the Commission via the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) such statements and reports as are required to be filed by a company registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.

 

3.2.5. Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. As soon as it is legally required to do so, the Company shall take all actions necessary to obtain and thereafter maintain material compliance with each applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules and regulations promulgated by any other governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency with jurisdiction over the Company.

 

3.3. Free-Writing Prospectus. The Company agrees that it will not make any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405.

 

3.4. Delivery to Underwriters of Prospectuses. The Company will deliver to the Underwriters, without charge and from time to time during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, such number of copies of each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus as the Underwriters may reasonably request and, as soon as the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto becomes effective, deliver to the Underwriters, upon their request, two manually executed Registration Statements, including exhibits, and all post-effective amendments thereto and copies of all exhibits filed therewith or incorporated therein by reference and all manually executed consents of certified experts.

 

3.5. Effectiveness and Events Requiring Notice to the Representative. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective and will notify the Representative immediately and confirm the notice in writing: (i) of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by any foreign or state securities commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Public Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the mailing and delivery to the Commission for filing of any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus; (v) of the receipt of any comments or request for any additional information from the Commission; and (vi) of the happening of any event that, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, and in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Commission or any foreign or state securities commission shall enter a stop order or suspend such qualification at any time, the Company will make every reasonable effort to obtain promptly the lifting of such order.

 

3.6. Affiliated Transactions.

 

3.6.1. Business Combinations. The Company will not consummate a Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with any Insider unless (i) the Company obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view and (ii) a majority of the Company’s disinterested and independent directors (if there are any) approve such transaction.

 

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3.6.2. Compensation to Insiders. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company shall not pay any of the Insiders or any of their affiliates any fees or compensation from the Company, for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a Business Combination.

 

3.7. Financial Public Relations Firm. Promptly after the execution of a definitive agreement for a Business Combination, the Company shall retain a financial public relations firm reasonably acceptable to the Representative for a term to be agreed on by the Company and the Representative.

 

3.8. Reports to the Representative. For a period of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated or is no longer required to file reports under the Exchange Act, the Company will furnish to the Representative and its counsel copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its securities, and promptly furnish to the Underwriters, (i) a copy of each periodic report the Company shall be required to file with the Commission, (ii) a copy of every press release and every news item and article with respect to the Company or its affairs that was released by the Company, (iii) a copy of each current Report on Form 8-K or Schedule 13D, 13G, 14D-1 or 13E-4 received or prepared by the Company, (iv) two (2) copies of each registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission under the Securities Act, and (v) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request; provided the Representative shall sign, if requested by the Company, a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement which is reasonably acceptable to the Representative and its counsel in connection with the Representative’s receipt of such information. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Representative pursuant to this Section.

 

3.9. Transfer Agent. For a period of five years following the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain a transfer agent acceptable to the Representative. CST is acceptable to the Representative.

 

3.10. Warrant Agent. For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending at least five years from the date of the consummation of the Business Combination or until such earlier time at which the Company is required to be liquidated or the Warrants cease to be publicly traded, the Company shall retain a warrant agent acceptable to the Representative. CST is acceptable to the Representative.

 

3.11. Rights Agent. For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending on the date of the consummation of the Business Combination or until such earlier time at which the Company is required to be liquidated or the Rights cease to be publicly traded, the Company shall retain a rights agent acceptable to the Representative. CST is acceptable to the Representative.

 

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3.12. Payment of 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 Company expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement, including but not limited to (i) the Company’s legal and accounting fees and disbursements, (ii) the preparation, printing, filing, mailing and delivery (including the payment of postage with respect to such mailing) of the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, including any pre or post effective amendments or supplements thereto, and the printing and mailing of this Agreement and related documents, including the cost of all copies thereof and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto supplied to the Underwriters in quantities as may be required by the Underwriters, (iii) fees incurred in connection with conducting background checks of the Company’s management team, (iv) the preparation, printing, engraving, issuance and delivery of the Units, the Common Stock, the Warrants and the Rights included in the Units, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (v) filing fees incurred in registering the Offering with FINRA and the reasonable fees of counsel to the Representative (such reasonable fees of counsel together with the expenses set forth in (iii) of this Section 3.12 and the “due diligence” expenses set forth in (viii) of this Section 3.12 not to exceed $100,000 in the aggregate) in connection therewith, (vi) fees, costs and expenses incurred in listing the Securities on Nasdaq or such other stock exchanges as the Company and the Underwriters together determine, (vii) all fees and disbursements of the transfer agent, warrant agent and rights agent, (viii) all of the Company’s expenses associated with “due diligence” and “road show” meetings arranged by the Representative and any presentations made available by way of a net roadshow, including without limitation trips for the Company’s management to meet with prospective investors, all travel, food and lodging expenses associated with such trips incurred by the Company or such management, (ix) up to $5,000 for the preparation, binding and delivery of bound transaction “bibles,” in quantities and form and style reasonably satisfactory to the Representative and Lucite cube mementos in such quantities as the Representative and the Company may mutually agree, (x) $100,000 to Craig-Hallum for its services and expenses as the QIU, and (xi) all other costs and expenses customarily borne by an issuer incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section 3.12. If the Offering is not consummated for any reason (other than a breach by the Representative of any of its obligations hereunder), then the Company shall reimburse the Representative in full for its out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually incurred through such date including, without limitation, reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Representative (not to exceed $100,000).

 

3.13. Application of Net Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the Offering and Unit Private Placement and received by it in a manner consistent with the application described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus.

 

3.14. Delivery of Earnings Statements to Security Holders. The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than the first day of the fifteenth full calendar month following the Effective Date, an earnings statement (which need not be certified by independent public or independent certified public accountants unless required by the Securities Act or the Regulations, but which shall satisfy the provisions of Rule 158(a) under Section 11(a) of the Securities Act) covering a period of at least twelve consecutive months beginning after the Effective Date.

 

3.15. Notice to FINRA.

 

3.15.1. Notice to FINRA. For a period of sixty (60) days after the date of the Prospectus, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged, in writing, to assist the Company in its search for a Target Business or to provide any other services in connection therewith, the Company will provide the following to FINRA and the Representative prior to the consummation of the Business Combination: (i) complete details of all services and copies of agreements governing such services; and (ii) justification as to why the person or entity providing the merger and acquisition services should not be considered an “underwriter and related person” with respect to the Offering, as such term is defined in FINRA Rule 5110. The Company also agrees that, if required by law, proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer documents or proxy statement which the Company will file with the Commission in connection with the Business Combination.

 

3.15.2. FINRA. The Company shall advise the Representative (who shall make an appropriate filing with FINRA) if it is aware that any 10% or greater stockholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the distribution of the Public Securities.

 

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3.15.3. Broker/Dealer. In the event the Company intends to register as a broker/dealer, merge with or acquire a registered broker/dealer, or otherwise become a member of FINRA, it shall promptly notify FINRA.

 

3.16. Stabilization. Neither the Company, nor to its knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any of its employees, directors or stockholders (without the consent of the Representative) has taken and the Company will not take, and has directed its employees, directors and stockholders not to take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Units.

 

3.17. Payment of Deferred Underwriting Commission on Business Combination. Upon the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, the Company agrees that it will cause the Trustee to pay the Deferred Underwriting Commission directly from the Trust Account to the Underwriters, in accordance with Section 1.3.

 

3.18. Internal Controls. The Company will maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

 

3.19. Accountants. Until the earlier of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain Marcum or another independent registered public accounting firm reasonably acceptable to the Representative.

 

3.20. Form 8-K. The Company shall, on or prior to the date hereof, retain its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (“Audited Financial Statements”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering and the Unit Private Placement. Within four (4) Business Days after the Closing Date, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Company’s Audited Financial Statements. Promptly after the Option Closing Date, if the Over-allotment Option is exercised after the Closing Date, the Company shall file with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K or an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of such option.

 

3.21. Corporate Proceedings. All corporate proceedings and other legal matters necessary to carry out the provisions of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been done to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representative (or its counsel).

 

3.22. Investment Company. The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only as provided for in the Trust Agreement and disclosed in the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Combination, it shall be engaged in a business other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading securities.

 

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3.23. Amendments to Charter Documents. The Company covenants and agrees, that prior to its initial Business Combination it will not seek to amend or modify its Charter Documents, except as set forth therein. The Company acknowledges that the purchasers of the Public Securities in the Offering shall be deemed to be third party beneficiaries of this Agreement and specifically this Section 3.23.

 

3.24. Press Releases. The Company agrees that it will not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity, without the Representative’s prior written consent (not to be unreasonably withheld), for a period of twenty-five (25) days after the Closing Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Company be prohibited from issuing any press releases or engaging in any other publicity required by law, except that including the name of any Underwriter therein shall require the prior written consent of such Underwriter.

 

3.25. Insurance. The Company will maintain directors’ and officers’ insurance (including, without limitation, insurance covering the Company, its directors and officers for liabilities or losses arising in connection with this Offering, including, without limitation, liabilities or losses arising under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the Regulations and any applicable foreign securities laws).

 

3.26. Electronic Prospectus. The Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered to the Underwriters, at the Company’s expense, promptly, but in no event later than two (2) Business Days from the effective date of this Agreement, an Electronic Prospectus to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering. As used herein, the term “Electronic Prospectus” means a form of prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that may be transmitted electronically by the Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Units for at least the period during which a prospectus relating to the Units is required to be delivered under the Act; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper prospectus and prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that will allow recipients thereof to store and have continuously ready access to the prospectus at any future time, without charge to such recipients (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time).

 

3.27. Private Placement Proceeds. On the Closing Date, the Company shall cause to be deposited proceeds from the Unit Private Placement into the Trust Account in such amount such that the amount of the funds in the Trust Account shall be $10.10 per Unit sold in the Offering. On the Option Closing Date, if any, the Company shall cause to be deposited an amount of additional proceeds from the additional Placement Units sold on the Option Closing Date into the Trust Account such that the amount of funds in the Trust Account shall be $10.10 per Unit sold in the Offering.

 

3.28. Future Financings. The Company agrees that neither it, nor any successor or subsidiary of the Company, will consummate any public or private equity or debt financing prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, unless all investors in such financing expressly waive, in writing, any rights in or claims against the Trust Account.

 

3.29. Amendments to Agreements. The Company shall not amend, modify or otherwise change the Warrant Agreement, Rights Agreement, Trust Agreement, Registration Rights Agreement, Placement Unit Purchase Agreement, or the Insider Letter without the prior written consent of the Representative which will not be unreasonably withheld. Furthermore, the Trust Agreement shall provide that the trustee is required to obtain a joint written instruction signed by both the Company and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account from the Trust Account, prior to commencing any liquidation of the assets of the Trust Account in connection with the consummation of any Business Combination, and such provision of the Trust Agreement shall not be permitted to be amended without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

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3.30. Nasdaq. Until the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to maintain the listing of the Public Securities on Nasdaq or a national securities exchange acceptable to the Representative.

 

3.31. Reservation of Shares. The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities which are issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and Placement Warrants and upon conversion of the Rights and Placement Rights outstanding from time to time.

 

3.32. Notice of Disqualification Events. The Company will notify the Underwriters in writing, prior to the Closing Date, of (i) any Disqualification Event relating to any Company Covered Person and (ii) any event that would, with the passage of time, become a Disqualification Event relating to any Company Covered Person.

 

3.33. Disqualification of S-1. Until the earlier of seven years from the date hereof or until the Warrants have either expired and are no longer exercisable or have all been exercised, the Company will not take any action or actions that prevent or disqualify the Company’s use of Form S-1 (or other appropriate form) for the registration of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the Securities Act.

 

3.34. Emerging Growth Company Status. The Company will promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the earlier of five years after the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or the liquidation of the Trust Account if a Business Combination is not consummated as required by its Charter Documents (the “Termination Date”).

 

3.35. Review of Financial Statements. Until the earlier of five years from the Effective Date or until the liquidation of the Trust Account if a Business Combination is not consummated by the Termination Date, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its regularly engaged independent certified public accountants to review (but not audit) the Company’s financial statements for each of the first three fiscal quarters prior to the announcement of quarterly financial information and the filing of the Company’s Form 10-Q quarterly report.

 

4. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Units, as provided herein, shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company as of the date hereof and as of each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company made pursuant to the provisions hereof and to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following conditions:

 

4.1. Regulatory Matters.

 

4.1.1. Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such later date and time as shall be consented to in writing by the Representative, and, at each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for the purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or contemplated by the Commission and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of Hogan Lovells.

 

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4.1.2. FINRA Clearance. By the Effective Date, the Underwriters shall have received clearance from FINRA as to the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Underwriters as described in the Registration Statement.

 

4.1.3. No Commission Stop Order. At the Closing Date and on each Option Closing Date, the Commission has not issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any part thereof, and has not instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

 

4.1.4. Nasdaq. The Securities shall have been approved for listing on Nasdaq, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, satisfactory evidence of which shall have been provided to the Representative.

 

4.2. Company Counsel Matters.

 

4.2.1. Closing Date and Option Closing Date Opinions of Counsel. On the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinions and negative assurance statements of Loeb & Loeb LLP, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and Hogan Lovells.

 

4.2.2. Reliance. In rendering such opinions, such counsels may rely as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates or other written statements of officers of the Company and officers of departments of various jurisdictions having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good standing of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates shall be delivered to the Representative’s counsel if requested.

 

4.3. Comfort Letter. At the time this Agreement is executed, and at the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a letter, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory in all respects (including the non-material nature of the changes or decreases, if any, referred to in Section 4.3.3 below) to the Representative from Marcum dated, respectively, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any:

 

4.3.1. Confirming that they are independent accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable Regulations and that they have not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act;

 

4.3.2. Stating that in their opinion the financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the published Regulations thereunder;

 

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4.3.3. Stating that, on the basis of their review, which included a reading of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements of the Company (with an indication of the date of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements), a reading of the latest available minutes of the stockholders and Board of Directors and the various committees of the Board of Directors, consultations with officers and other employees of the Company responsible for financial and accounting matters and other specified procedures and inquiries, nothing has come to their attention that would lead them to believe that (a) the unaudited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the Regulations or are not fairly presented in conformity with GAAP applied on a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, or (b) at a date immediately prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any change in the share capital or long-term debt of the Company, or any decrease in the stockholders’ equity of the Company as compared with amounts shown in the June 30, 2022 balance sheet included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus or, if there was any decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease, and (c) during the period from June 30, 2022 to a specified date immediately prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there were any changes in revenues, net earnings (losses) or net earnings (losses) per share of Common Stock, in each case as compared with the Statement of Operations for the period from March 3, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2022 included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, or, if there was any such change, setting forth the amount of such change;

 

4.3.4. Setting forth, at a date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, the amount of liabilities of the Company (including a break-down of commercial papers and notes payable to banks);

 

4.3.5. Stating that they have compared specific dollar amounts, numbers of shares, percentages of revenues and earnings, statements and other financial information pertaining to the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus in each case to the extent that such amounts, numbers, percentages, statements and information may be derived from the general accounting records, including work sheets, of the Company and excluding any questions requiring an interpretation by legal counsel, with the results obtained from the application of specified readings, inquiries and other appropriate procedures (which procedures do not constitute an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) set forth in the letter and found them to be in agreement;

 

4.3.6. Stating that they have not, since the Company’s incorporation, brought to the attention of the Company’s management any reportable condition related to internal structure, design or operation as defined in the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 60 “Communication of Internal Control Structure Related Matters Noted in an Audit,” in the Company’s internal controls; and

 

4.3.7. Statements as to such other matters incident to the transaction contemplated hereby as the Representative or its counsel may reasonably request, including: (i) that Marcum is registered with the PCAOB; (ii) that Marcum has sufficient assets and insurance to pay for any liability incurred by it relating to providing the letter; and (iii) that Marcum is not insolvent.

 

4.4. Officers’ Certificates.

 

4.4.1. Officers’ Certificate. At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer and the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company (in their capacities as such), dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, respectively, to the effect that the Company has performed all covenants and complied with all conditions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Company prior to and as of the Closing Date, or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and that the conditions set forth in Section 4 hereof have been satisfied as of such date and that, as of Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof are true and correct. In addition, the Representative will have received such other and further certificates of officers of the Company (in their capacities as such) as the Representative may reasonably request.

 

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4.4.2. Secretary’s Certificate. At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Date, as the case may be, respectively, certifying (i) that the Charter Documents are true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect, (ii) that the resolutions of the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the public offering contemplated by this Agreement are in full force and effect and have not been modified, (iii) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission, (iv) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and Nasdaq and (v) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.

 

4.5. No Material Changes. Prior to and on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, (i) there shall have been no material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the condition or prospects or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (ii) no action suit or proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or threatened against the Company or any Insider before or by any court or federal, foreign or state commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may materially adversely affect the business, operations, or financial condition or income of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (iii) no stop order shall have been issued under the Securities Act and no proceedings therefor shall have been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened by the Commission, and (iv) the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto shall contain all material statements which are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Securities Act and the Regulations and shall conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Regulations, and neither the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus nor the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto shall contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

4.6. Delivery of Agreements. On the Effective Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Transaction Documents.

 

4.7. Placement Units. On the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as applicable, the Placement Units have been purchased as provided for in the Placement Unit Purchase Agreement and the requisite portion of the purchase price for such securities specified herein and therein shall be deposited into the Trust Account.

 

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5. Indemnification and Contribution.

 

5.1. Indemnification.

 

5.1.1. Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates and their respective partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls each Underwriter or any affiliate within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act as follows:

 

  (a) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, joint or several, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, Statutory Prospectus, any Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
     
  (b) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, joint or several, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental authority, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company, which consent shall not unreasonably be delayed, conditioned or withheld; and
     
  (c) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel), in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental authority, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission (whether or not a party), to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (a) or (b) above;

 

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made solely in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriters’ Information.

 

5.1.2. Indemnification of the QIU. Without limitation and in addition to its obligation under the other subsections of this Section 5, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Craig-Hallum, in its capacity as the QIU, its directors, officers, agents, partners, members and employees and each person, if any, who controls Craig-Hallum or any affiliate within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense, as incurred, arising out of or based upon the QIU’s acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” (within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121) in connection with the Offering contemplated by this Agreement, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified person for any legal or other expense reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense results from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the QIU. Notwithstanding the indemnification set forth in this Section 5.1.2, Craig-Hallum will undertake liability under Section 11 of the Exchange Act for acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” in connection with this Offering in compliance with FINRA Rule 5121(f)(12)(C).

 

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5.1.3. Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, and its directors, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement 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 (a “Controlling Person”), against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in Section 5.1.1, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus, any Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing), solely in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriters’ Information.

 

5.1.4. Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Any party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 5.1 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section 5.1, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 5.1 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing provision of this Section 5.1 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of, the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any other legal expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (A) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (B) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (C) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (D) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel to assume the defense of such action or counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, in each case, within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action; in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm admitted to practice in such jurisdiction (plus local counsel) at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly as they are incurred. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section 5 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (x) includes an express and unconditional release of each indemnified party, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (y) 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.

 

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5.1.5. Settlement Without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for reasonable fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 5.1.1(b) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 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.

 

5.2. Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of Section 5.1 is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable or insufficient from the Company or the Underwriters, the Company and the Underwriters will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted) to which any indemnified party may be subject in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the sale of the Units (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by the Underwriters (before deducting expenses) from the sale of Units on behalf of the Company. If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, with respect to the statements or omission that resulted in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriters, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 5.2 were to 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, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 5.2 shall be deemed to include, for the purpose of this Section 5.2, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim to the extent consistent with Section 5.1.4. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of Section 5.1 and this Section 5.2, the Underwriters shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions actually received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 5.2, any person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of the Securities Act, any affiliates of the respective Underwriters and any officers, directors, partners, employees or agents of the Underwriters or their respective affiliates, will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each director of the Company and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 5.2, will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 5.2 except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section 5.1.4, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 5.1.4.

 

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6. Default by an Underwriter.

 

6.1. Default Not Exceeding 10% of Firm Units. If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase the Firm Units and if the number of the Firm Units with respect to which such default relates does not exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm Units that all Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, then such Firm Units to which the default relates shall be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder.

 

6.2. Default Exceeding 10% of Firm Units. In the event that the default addressed in Section 6.1 above relates to more than 10% of the Firm Units, the Representative may, in its discretion, arrange for it or for another party or parties to purchase such Firm Units to which such default relates on the terms contained herein. If within one (1) Business Day after such default relating to more than 10% of the Firm Units the Representative does not arrange for the purchase of such Firm Units, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of one (1) Business Day within which to procure another party or parties satisfactory to the Representative to purchase said Firm Units on such terms. In the event that neither the Representative nor the Company arrange for the purchase of the Firm Units to which a default relates as provided in this Section 6, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative or the Company without liability on the part of the Company (except as provided in Sections 3.12, 5 and 9.2 hereof) or the several Underwriters (except as provided in Section 5 hereof); provided that nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the other several Underwriters and to the Company for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.

 

6.3. Postponement of Closing Date. In the event that the Firm Units to which the default relates are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a reasonable period, but not in any event exceeding five (5) Business Days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, or in any other documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendment to, or to supplement, the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, that in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any party substituted under this Section 6 with like effect as if it had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such securities.

 

7. Additional Covenants.

 

7.1. Additional Shares or Options. The Company hereby agrees that until the consummation of a Business Combination, it shall not issue any shares of Common Stock or any options or other securities convertible into Common Stock, or any preferred shares or other securities of the Company which participate in any manner in the Trust Account or which vote as a class with the Common Stock on a Business Combination.

 

7.2. Trust Account Waiver Acknowledgments. The Company hereby agrees that it will use its reasonable best efforts prior to commencing its due diligence investigation of any prospective Target Business or obtaining the services of any vendor to have such Target Business and/or vendor acknowledge in writing whether through a letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or other similar document (and subsequently acknowledges the same in any definitive document replacing any of the foregoing), that (a) it has read the Prospectus and understands that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of $101,000,000 (without giving effect to any exercise of the Over-allotment Option) for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem shares of Common Stock contained in the Public Securities in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter Documents, or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination and (b) for and in consideration of the Company (i) agreeing to evaluate such Target Business for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it or (ii) agreeing to engage the services of the vendor, as the case may be, such Target Business or vendor agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (“Claim”) and waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The foregoing letters shall substantially be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A and Exhibit B respectively. The Company may forego obtaining such waivers only if the Company shall have received the approval of its Chief Executive Officer and the approving vote of at least a majority of its Board of Directors.

 

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7.3. Insider Letter. The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action which would cause a breach of the Insider Letter and will not allow any amendments to, or waivers of, the Insider Letter without the prior written consent of the Representative, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

 

7.4. Rule 419. The Company agrees that it will use its best efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Securities Act prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including but not limited to using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.

 

7.5. Tender Offer Documents, Proxy Materials and Other Information. The Company shall provide to the Representative or their counsel (if so instructed by the Representative) with 10 copies of all tender offer documents or proxy information and all related material filed with the Commission in connection with a Business Combination concurrently with such filing with the Commission. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been provided to the Representative pursuant to this Section. In addition, the Company shall furnish any other state in which its initial public offering was registered, such information as may be requested by such state.

 

7.6. Emerging Growth Company. The Company shall promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the completion of the distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Securities Act.

 

7.7. Target Fair Market Value. The Company agrees that the Target Business that it acquires must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the Business Combination with such Target Business (excluding taxes payable and the Deferred Underwriting Commissions). The fair market value of such business must be determined by the Board of Directors of the Company based upon standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and book value. If the Board of Directors of the Company is not able to independently determine that the target business meets such fair market value requirement, the Company will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. The Company is not required to obtain an opinion as to the fair market value if the Company’s Board of Directors independently determines that the Target Business does have sufficient fair market value.

 

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8. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. Except as the context otherwise requires, all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, and such representations, warranties and agreements of the Underwriters and the Company, including the indemnity agreements contained in Section 5 hereof, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriters, the Company or any Controlling Person, and shall survive termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Public Securities to the Underwriters until the earlier of the expiration of any applicable statute of limitations and the seventh (7th) anniversary of the later of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, at which time the representations, warranties and agreements shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.

 

9. Termination.

 

9.1. Termination. The Representative shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the Closing Date, (i) if any domestic or international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted, or in the Representative’s opinion will in the immediate future materially disrupt, general securities markets in the United States, or (ii) if trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, or the Nasdaq Capital Market or quoted on the OTCBB shall have been suspended, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been required by FINRA or by order of the Commission or any other government authority having jurisdiction, or (iii) if the United States shall have become involved in a new war or an increase in existing major hostilities, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by a New York State or Federal authority, or (v) if a moratorium on foreign exchange trading has been declared which materially adversely impacts the United States securities market, or (vi) if the Company shall have sustained a material loss by fire, flood, accident, hurricane, earthquake, theft, sabotage or other calamity or malicious act which, whether or not such loss shall have been insured, will, in the Representative’s sole opinion, make it inadvisable to proceed with the delivery of the Units, or (vii) if the Company is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants hereunder, or (viii) if the Representative shall have become aware after the date hereof of such a material adverse change in the conditions of the Company, or such adverse material change in general market conditions, including without limitation as a result of terrorist activities after the date hereof, as in the Representative’s sole judgment would make it impracticable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the Units or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters for the sale of the Public Securities.

 

9.2. Expenses. In the event that this Agreement shall not be carried out for any reason whatsoever, within the time specified herein or any extensions thereof pursuant to the terms herein, (i) the obligations of the Company to pay the out of pocket expenses related to the transactions contemplated herein shall be governed by Section 3.12 hereof and (ii) the Company shall reimburse the Representative for any costs and expenses incurred in connection with enforcing any provisions of this Agreement.

 

9.3. Indemnification. Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement, and whether or not this Agreement is otherwise carried out, the provisions of Section 5 shall not be in any way affected by such election or termination or failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.

 

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10. Miscellaneous.

 

10.1. Notices. All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed, delivered by hand or reputable overnight courier or delivered by facsimile transmission (with printed confirmation of receipt) and confirmed and shall be deemed given when so mailed, delivered or faxed or if mailed, two days after such mailing.

 

If to the Representative:

 

EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC

590 Madison Avenue

39th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Attn.: Joseph T. Rallo, Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: jrallo@efhuttongroup.com

 

Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Hogan Lovells US LLP

390 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Attn: David R. Crandall, Esq.

Facsimile: (303) 899-7333

Email: david.crandall@hoganlovells.com

 

If to the QIU:

 

Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC

222 South Ninth Street, Suite 350

Minneapolis, MN 55402

Attn.: Ryan Hultstrand

E-mail: ryan.hultstrand@craig-hallum.com

 

If to the Company:

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA 02043

Attn: Benjamin Piggott, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Email: bpiggott@efhuttongroup.com

 

Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Loeb & Loeb LLP

345 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10154

Attn: Mitchell S. Nussbaum, Esq.

Facsimile: (212) 407-4000

Email: mnussbaum@loeb.com

 

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10.2. 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 Agreement.

 

10.3. Amendment. This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

10.4. Entire Agreement. This Agreement (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement) constitute the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

10.5. Binding Effect. This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Representative, the Underwriters, the selected dealers, the Company and the Controlling Persons, directors, agents, partners, members, employees and officers referred to in Section 5 hereof, and their respective successors, legal representatives and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained. The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of securities from the Underwriters.

 

10.6. Waiver of Immunity. To the extent that the Company may be entitled in any jurisdiction in which judicial proceedings may at any time be commenced hereunder, to claim for itself or its revenues or assets any immunity, including sovereign immunity, from suit, jurisdiction, attachment in aid of execution of a judgment or prior to a judgment, execution of a judgment or any other legal process with respect to its obligations hereunder and to the extent that in any such jurisdiction there may be attributed to the Company such an immunity (whether or not claimed), the Company hereby irrevocably agrees not to claim and irrevocably waives such immunity to the maximum extent permitted by law.

 

10.7. Submission to Jurisdiction. Each of the Company and the Representative irrevocably submit to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus or the offering of the Securities. Each of the Company and the Representative irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that they may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company or the Representative 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 10.1 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company or the Representative in any action, proceeding or claim. Each of the Company and the Representative waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any action based on this Agreement may be instituted by the Underwriters in any competent court. The Company agrees that the Underwriters shall be entitled to recover all of their reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to any action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor if any of them are the prevailing party in such action or proceeding.

 

10.8. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.

 

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10.9. Execution in Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.

 

10.10. Waiver. The failure of any of the parties hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Agreement. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.

 

10.11. No Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Units pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction pursuant to a contractual relationship between the Company and the Underwriters, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) the Underwriters have not assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Underwriters have advised or are currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) 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 this offering of the Company’s securities, either before or after the date hereof and (v) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. 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 agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters have rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgment 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.

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

35

 

 

If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Underwriters and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between us.

 

  Very truly yours,
     
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
                                              
  By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott
  Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

Accepted on the date first above written.

 

EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC,

as Representative of the several Underwriters

 

By: /s/ Sam Fleischman        
Name: Sam Fleischman  
Title: Supervisory Principal  

 

Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC, as the QIU

 

By: /s/ Rick Hartfiel        
Name: Rick Hartfiel  
Title: Managing Partner  

 

[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE A

 

EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I

 

10,000,000 Units

 

Underwriter  Number of Firm Units to be Purchased 
EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC   9,995,000 
Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC   5,000 
TOTAL   10,000,000 

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE B

 

None.

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

FORM OF TARGET BUSINESS LETTER

 

EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”), dated as of September 8, 2022 (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Prospectus.

 

We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $101,000,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and the Underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (the “Underwriters”) and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period set forth in its Certificate of Incorporation as the same may be amended from time to time, or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination.

 

For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to evaluate the undersigned for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

   
Print Name of Target Business  
   
   
Authorized Signature of Target Business  

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

FORM OF VENDOR LETTER

 

EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”), dated as of September 8, 2022 (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Prospectus.

 

We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $101,000,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and the Underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (the “Underwriters”) and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period set forth in its Certificate of Incorporation as the same may be amended from time to time, or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination.

 

For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to engage the services of the undersigned, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

   
Print Name of Vendor  
   
   
Authorized Signature of Vendor  

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.1

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

 

OF

 

EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I

 

Pursuant to Section 245 of the

 

Delaware General Corporation Law

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, by its Chief Executive Officer, hereby certifies as follows:

 

1. The name of the corporation is EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

 

2. The corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation was filed in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on March 3, 2021.

 

3. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation restates, integrates and amends the Certificate of Incorporation of the corporation.

 

4. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation was duly adopted by the written consent of the directors and stockholders of the corporation in accordance with the applicable provisions of Sections 141(f), 228, 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware (“DGCL”).

 

5. The Certificate of Incorporation of the corporation is hereby amended and restated to read in its entirety as follows:

 

FIRST: The name of the corporation is EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (hereinafter called the “Corporation”).

 

SECOND: The registered office of the Corporation is located at 3411 Silverside Road, Tatnall Building. #104, City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, 19810. The name of its registered agent at that address is Corporate Creations Network Inc.

 

THIRD: The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the DGCL.

 

FOURTH: The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 101,000,000, of which 100,000,000 shares shall be common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), and 1,000,000 shares shall be preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Preferred Stock”).

 

A. Preferred Stock. The Board of Directors is expressly granted authority to issue shares of the Preferred Stock, in one or more series, and to fix for each such series such voting powers, full or limited, and such designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and such 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 of such series (a “Preferred Stock Designation”) and as may be permitted by the DGCL. The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of the capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, without a separate vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required pursuant to any Preferred Stock Designation.

 

 
 

 

B. Common Stock. Except as otherwise required by law or as otherwise provided in any Preferred Stock Designation, the holders of the Common Stock shall exclusively possess all voting power and each share of Common Stock shall have one vote.

 

FIFTH: This Article Fifth shall apply during the period commencing upon the filing of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and terminating upon the consummation of any “Business Combination” (as defined below). A “Business Combination” shall mean any merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination involving the Corporation and one or more businesses or entities (“Target Business”), or entering into contractual arrangements that give the Corporation control over such a Target Business, and, if the Corporation is then listed on a national securities exchange, the Target Business has a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Fund (defined below), less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned, at the time of signing a definitive agreement in connection with the initial Business Combination. “IPO Shares” shall mean the shares sold pursuant to the registration statement on Form S-1 (“Registration Statement”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) in connection with the Corporation’s initial public offering (“IPO”).

 

A. Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Corporation shall either (i) submit any Business Combination to its holders of Common Stock for approval (“Proxy Solicitation”) pursuant to the proxy rules promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), or (ii) provide its holders of IPO Shares with the opportunity to sell their shares to the Corporation by means of a tender offer (“Tender Offer”).

 

B. If the Corporation engages in a Proxy Solicitation with respect to a Business Combination, the Corporation will consummate the Business Combination only if a majority of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock present and entitled to vote at the meeting to approve the Business Combination are voted for the approval of such Business Combination.

 

C. In the event that a Business Combination is consummated by the Corporation or the Corporation holds a vote of its stockholders to amend its Certificate of Incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights or the Corporation’s pre-Business Combination activities, any holder of IPO Shares who (i) voted on the proposal to approve such Business Combination or amend the Certificate of Incorporation, whether such holder voted in favor or against such Business Combination or amendment, and followed the procedures contained in the proxy materials to perfect the holder’s right to convert the holder’s IPO Shares into cash, if any, or (ii) tendered the holder’s IPO Shares as specified in the tender offer materials therefore, shall be entitled to receive the Conversion Price (as defined below) in exchange for the holder’s IPO Shares. The Corporation shall, promptly after consummation of the Business Combination or the filing of an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, convert such shares into cash at a per share price equal to the quotient determined by dividing (i) the amount then held in the Trust Fund (as defined below) plus any interest earned and not previously released to the Corporation and not necessary to pay the Corporation’s taxes on such funds, by (ii) the total number of IPO Shares then outstanding (such price being referred to as the “Conversion Price”). “Trust Fund” shall mean the trust account established by the Corporation at the consummation of its IPO and into which the amount specified in the Registration Statement is deposited. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a holder of IPO Shares, together with any affiliate of his, her or its or any other person or entity with whom he, she or it is acting in concert or as a “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) (“Group”) with, will be restricted from demanding conversion in connection with a proposed Business Combination with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the IPO Shares. Accordingly, all IPO Shares beneficially owned by such holder or any other person or entity with whom such holder is acting in concert or as a Group in excess of 15.0% or more of the IPO Shares will remain outstanding following consummation of such Business Combination in the name of the stockholder and not be converted.

 

2
 

 

D. The Corporation will not consummate any Business Combination unless it (or any successor) has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of such Business Combination.

 

E. The Corporation will not consummate any Business Combination with a blank check company.

 

F. The Corporation will have until 9 months from the consummation of the IPO to close a Business Combination. However, if the Corporation anticipates that it may not be able to consummate a Business Combination within 9 months, the Corporation may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination up to nine times, each by an additional one month (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). In order to extend the time available for the Corporation to consummate a Business Combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the Trust Fund $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.05 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each one month extension (or up to an aggregate of $4,500,000 (or $5,175,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.45 per share if we extend for the full nine months. In the event that the Corporation does not consummate a Business Combination by 9 months from the consummation of the IPO (or up to 18 months if the Corporation extends the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time and our stockholders have not approved an amendment to our charter extending this time period), the Corporation will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the IPO Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Fund including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Fund and not previously released to us to pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding IPO Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to approval of the Corporation’s then stockholders and subject to the requirements of the DGCL, including the adoption of a resolution by the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 275(a) of the DGCL finding the dissolution of the Corporation advisable and the provision of such notices as are required by said Section 275(a) of the DGCL, dissolve and liquidate the balance of the Corporation’s net assets to its remaining stockholders, as part of the Corporation’s plan of dissolution and liquidation, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to the Corporation’s obligations under the DGCL to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our private warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 9-month time period (or up to 18-month time period if the Corporation extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination to the fullest extent).

 

G. A holder of IPO Shares shall only be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Fund in the event (i) he, she or it demands conversion of his, her or its shares in accordance with paragraph C above or (ii) that the Corporation has not consummated a Business Combination by the Termination Date as described in paragraph F above. In no other circumstances shall a holder of IPO Shares have any right or interest of any kind in or to the Trust Fund.

 

H. Prior to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination, the Corporation may not issue (other than the IPO Shares) any securities which participate in or are otherwise entitled in any manner to any of the proceeds in the Trust Fund or which vote as a class with the Common Stock on a Business Combination.

 

3
 

 

I. The number of directors of the Corporation shall be fixed from time to time exclusively by the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board of Directors. A director shall hold office until the annual meeting for the year in which his or her term expires and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject, however, to such director’s earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal. Unless and except to the extent that the Bylaws shall so require, the election of directors need not be by written ballot. The holders of shares of Common Stock shall not have cumulative voting rights. Newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors or any vacancies on the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal or other cause may be filled solely and exclusively by a majority vote of the remaining directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director (and not by stockholders), and any director so chosen shall hold office for the remainder of the term of the class of directors to which the new directorship was added or in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject, however, to such director’s earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal. Any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of 60% of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.

 

J. If any amendment is made to this Article Fifth that would modify the substance or timing of the Corporation’s obligation to provide for the conversion of the IPO Shares in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the IPO Shares if the Corporation has not consummated an initial Business Combination within 9 months (or up to 18 months if the Corporation extends the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) from the date of the consummation of the IPO, or with respect to any other provision in this Article Fifth, the holders of IPO Shares shall be provided with the opportunity to redeem their IPO Shares upon the approval of any such amendment, at the per-share price specified in paragraph C.

 

SIXTH: The following provisions are inserted for the management of the business and for the conduct of the affairs of the Corporation, and for further definition, limitation and regulation of the powers of the Corporation and of its directors and stockholders:

 

A. Election of directors need not be by ballot unless the Bylaws of the Corporation so provide.

 

B. The Board of Directors shall have the power, without the assent or vote of the stockholders, to make, alter, amend, change, add to or repeal the bylaws of the Corporation as provided in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

 

C. The directors in their discretion may submit any contract or act for approval or ratification at any annual meeting of the stockholders or at any meeting of the stockholders called for the purpose of considering any such act or contract, and any contract or act that shall be approved or be ratified by the vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Corporation which is represented in person or by proxy at such meeting and entitled to vote thereat (provided that a lawful quorum of stockholders be there represented in person or by proxy) shall be as valid and binding upon the Corporation and upon all the stockholders as though it had been approved or ratified by every stockholder of the Corporation, whether or not the contract or act would otherwise be open to legal attack because of directors’ interests, or for any other reason.

 

D. In addition to the powers and authorities hereinbefore or by statute expressly conferred upon them, the directors are hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Corporation; subject, nevertheless, to the provisions of the statutes of Delaware, of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, and the Bylaws of the Corporation; provided, however, that no bylaw so made shall invalidate any prior act of the directors which would have been valid if such bylaw had not been made.

 

E. Any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of more than 60% of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.

 

4
 

 

SEVENTH:

 

A. 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 (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. If the DGCL is amended 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 DGCL, as so amended. To the extent allowed by law, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any other analogous doctrine, shall not apply with respect to the Corporation or any of its officers or directors, and the Corporation renounces any expectancy that any of the directors or officers of the Corporation will offer any such corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware to the Corporation, except, the doctrine of corporate opportunity shall apply with respect to any of the directors or officers of the Corporation only with respect to a corporate opportunity that was offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation and such opportunity is one the Corporation is legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for the Corporation to pursue.

 

B. The Corporation, to the full extent permitted by Section 145 of the DGCL, as amended from time to time, shall indemnify all persons whom it may indemnify pursuant thereto. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which such officer or director may be entitled to indemnification hereunder shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized hereby.

 

C. Any repeal or modification of any provision of this Article Seventh shall only be prospective and shall not affect the rights or protections or increase the liability of any director under this Article Seventh in effect at the time of the alleged occurrence of any act or omission to act giving rise to liability or indemnification.

 

D. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article Seventh, no indemnification nor advancement of expenses will extend to any claims made by the Corporation’s officers and directors to cover any loss that such individuals may sustain as a result of such individuals’ agreement to pay debts and obligations to target businesses or vendors or other entities that are owed money by the Corporation for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to the Corporation, as described in the Registration Statement.

 

EIGHTH: Whenever a compromise or arrangement is proposed between this Corporation and its creditors or any class of them and/or between this 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 this Corporation or of any creditor or stockholder thereof or on the application of any receiver or receivers appointed for this Corporation under Section 291 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code or on the application of trustees in dissolution or of any receiver or receivers appointed for this Corporation under Section 279 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this 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 this Corporation, as the case may be, agree to any compromise or arrangement and to any reorganization of this 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 the said application has been made, be binding on all the creditors or class of creditors, and/or on all the stockholders or class of stockholders, of this Corporation, as the case may be, and also on this Corporation.

 

5
 

 

NINTH:

 

A. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware lacks subject matter jurisdiction, any state court located within the State of Delaware or, if and only if all such state courts lack subject matter jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) and any appellate court therefrom shall be the sole and exclusive forum for the following claims or causes of action under the Delaware statutory or common law: (A) any derivative claim or cause of action brought on behalf of the Corporation; (B) any claim or cause of action for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, or any claim or cause of action for aiding and abetting any such breach; (C) any claim or cause of action against the Corporation or any current or former director, officer or other employee of the Corporation, arising out of or pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation (as each may be amended from time to time); (D) any claim or cause of action seeking to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation (as each may be amended from time to time, including any right, obligation, or remedy thereunder); (E) any claim or cause of action as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; and (F) any claim or cause of action against the Corporation or any current or former director, officer or other employee of the Corporation, governed by the internal-affairs doctrine, in all cases to the fullest extent permitted by law and subject to the court having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants. This Section A of Article Ninth shall not apply to claims or causes of action brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Stockholders cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

B. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope of Paragraph A of this Article Ninth 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 Paragraph A of this Article Ninth 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.

 

C. If any provision or provisions of this Article Ninth 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 Ninth (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of this Article Ninth 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 Ninth.

 

TENTH: The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute and all rights conferred upon the stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation.

 

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ELEVENTH:

 

A. The Corporation will not be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL.

 

B. Notwithstanding paragraph A of this Article Eleventh, the Corporation shall not engage in any business combination (as defined below) at any point in time at which the Corporation’s Common Stock is registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act with any interested stockholder (as defined below) for a period of three years following the time that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

(a) prior to such time, the Board of Directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

(b) upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock (as defined below) of the Corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder) those shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers of the Corporation; or

 

(c) at or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the Board of Directors and authorized by the affirmative vote of at least 66-2/3% of the outstanding voting stock of the Corporation which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

 

C. For purposes of this Article Eleventh:

 

(a) “affiliate” means a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, another person.

 

(b) “associate,” when used to indicate a relationship with any person, means: (i) any corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other entity of which such person is a director, officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of voting stock; (ii) any trust or other estate in which such person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which such person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity; and (iii) any relative or spouse of such person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same residence as such person.

 

(c) “business combination,” when used in reference to the Corporation and any interested stockholder, means:

 

(i) any merger or consolidation of the Corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation (A) with the interested stockholder, or (B) with any other corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other entity if the merger or consolidation is caused by the interested stockholder and as a result of such merger or consolidation paragraph B of this Article Eleventh is not applicable to the surviving entity;

 

(ii) any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition (in one transaction or a series of transactions), except proportionately as a stockholder of the Corporation, to or with the interested stockholder, whether as part of a dissolution or otherwise, of assets of the Corporation or of any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation which assets have an aggregate market value equal to 10% or more of either the aggregate market value of all the assets of the Corporation determined on a consolidated basis or the aggregate market value of all the outstanding stock of the Corporation;

 

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(iii) any transaction which results in the issuance or transfer by the Corporation or by any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation of any stock of the Corporation or of such subsidiary to the interested stockholder, except: (A) pursuant to the exercise, exchange or conversion of securities exercisable for, exchangeable for or convertible into stock of the Corporation or any such subsidiary which securities were outstanding prior to the time that the interested stockholder became such; (B) pursuant to a merger under Section 251(g) of the DGCL; (C) pursuant to a dividend or distribution paid or made, or the exercise, exchange or conversion of securities exercisable for, exchangeable for or convertible into stock of the Corporation or any such subsidiary which security is distributed, pro rata to all holders of a class or series of stock of the Corporation subsequent to the time the interested stockholder became such; (D) pursuant to an exchange offer by the Corporation to purchase stock made on the same terms to all holders of said stock; or (E) any issuance or transfer of stock by the Corporation; provided, however, that in no case under items (C)-(E) of this subsection (iii) shall there be an increase in the interested stockholder’s proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the Corporation or of the voting stock of the Corporation (except as a result of immaterial changes due to fractional share adjustments);

 

(iv) any transaction involving the Corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation which has the effect, directly or indirectly, of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series, or securities convertible into the stock of any class or series, of the Corporation or of any such subsidiary which is owned by the interested stockholder, except as a result of immaterial changes due to fractional share adjustments or as a result of any purchase or redemption of any shares of stock not caused, directly or indirectly, by the interested stockholder; or

 

(v) any receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit, directly or indirectly (except proportionately as a stockholder of the Corporation), of any loans, advances, guarantees or pledges (other than those expressly permitted in subsections (i)-(iv) above) provided by or through the Corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary.

 

(d) “control,” including the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with,” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting stock, by contract, or otherwise. A person who is the owner of 20% or more of the outstanding voting stock of a corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other entity shall be presumed to have control of such entity, in the absence of proof by a preponderance of the evidence to the contrary. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a presumption of control shall not apply where such person holds voting stock, in good faith and not for the purpose of circumventing this Article Eleventh, as an agent, bank, broker, nominee, custodian or trustee for one or more owners who do not individually or as a group have control of such entity.

 

(e) “interested stockholder” means any person (other than the Corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation), who together with that person’s affiliates and associates, is the owner of 20% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the Corporation at any time within the three year period immediately prior to the date on which it is sought to be determined whether such person is an interested stockholder, and the affiliates and associates of such person; provided, however, that the term “interested stockholder” shall not include (A) the Principal Stockholder or Principal Stockholder Transferees or any “group” (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5 of the Exchange Act) that includes any Principal Stockholder or Principal Stockholder Transferee or (B) any person whose ownership of shares in excess of the 20% limitation set forth herein is the result of any action taken solely by the Corporation; provided that such person specified in this clause (B) shall be an interested stockholder if thereafter such person acquires additional shares of voting stock of the Corporation, except as a result of further corporate action not caused, directly or indirectly, by such person. For the purpose of determining whether a person is an interested stockholder, the voting stock of the Corporation deemed to be outstanding shall include stock deemed to be owned by the person through application of the definition of “owner” below but shall not include any other unissued stock of the Corporation which may be issuable pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise.

 

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(f) “owner,” including the term “owned,” when used with respect to any stock, means a person that individually or with or through any of its affiliates or associates:

 

(i) beneficially owns such stock, directly or indirectly;

 

(ii) has (A) the right to acquire such stock (whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, warrants or options, or otherwise; provided, however, that a person shall not be deemed the owner of stock tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by such person or any of such person’s affiliates or associates until such tendered stock is accepted for purchase or exchange; or (B) the right to vote such stock pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding; provided, however, that a person shall not be deemed the owner of any stock because of such person’s right to vote such stock if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such stock arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given in response to a proxy or consent solicitation made to ten or more persons; or

 

(iii) has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or consent as described in item (B) of subsection (ii) above), or disposing of such stock with any other person that beneficially owns, or whose affiliates or associates beneficially own, directly or indirectly, such stock.

 

(g) “person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other entity.

 

(h) “Principal Stockholder” means, collectively, (A) the Sponsor and (B) any affiliate or successor of the Sponsor.

 

(i) “Principal Stockholder Transferee” means any person who acquires voting stock of the Corporation from the Principal Stockholder (other than in connection with a public offering) and who is designated in writing by the Principal Stockholder as a “Principal Stockholder Transferee.”

 

(j) “Sponsor” means EF Hutton Partners, LLC.

 

(k) “stock” means, with respect to any corporation, capital stock and, with respect to any other entity, any equity interest.

 

(l) “voting stock” means stock of any class or series entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be signed by Benjamin Piggott, its Chief Executive Officer, as of the 8 day of September, 2022.

 

  /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Benjamin Piggott
  Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 4.1

 

WARRANT AGREEMENT

 

This Warrant Agreement (“Agreement”) is made as of September 8, 2022 between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, a Delaware corporation, with offices at 24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102, Hingham, MA 02043 (“Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, with offices at 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”, also referred to herein as the “Transfer Agent”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in a public offering (“Public Offering”) of up to 11,500,000 units (including up to 1,500,000 units subject to the Over-allotment Option (as defined below)) (“Public Units”), each Public Unit comprised of one share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), one warrant, where each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein, and, in connection therewith, will issue and deliver up to 11,500,000 warrants (including up to 1,500,000 warrants subject to the Over-allotment Option) (the “Public Warrants”) and one right to receive 1/8 of one share of Common Stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (the “Public Rights”) to the public investors in connection with the Public Offering; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-264314 (“Registration Statement”), and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Act”), of the Public Units, the Public Warrants, Public Rights and the Common Stock included in the Public Units; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company has received binding commitments from EF Hutton Partners, LLC (the “Sponsor”) and certain other parties to purchase up to an aggregate of 242,500 units (or 257,500 units if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full) (“Private Units”), each Private Unit containing one share of Common Stock, one warrant, where each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein, and, in connection therewith, will issue and deliver up to an aggregate of 242,500 warrants (or 257,500 warrants if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full) (the “Private Warrants”) bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit B hereto, and one right to receive 1/8 of one share of Common Stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (the “Private Rights”) in a private placement transaction to occur simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company may issue up to an additional 547,500 (“Working Capital Units” and together with the Public Units and the Private Units, the “Units”) which will include up to an additional 547,500 warrants (“Working Capital Warrants”) in satisfaction of certain working capital loans the Sponsor or the Company’s officers, directors, initial stockholders (as defined in the Prospectus) or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, make to the Company; and

 

WHEREAS, following consummation of the Public Offering, the Company may issue additional warrants (“Post IPO Warrants” and together with the Public Warrants, Private Warrants and Working Capital Warrants the “Warrants”) in connection with, or following the consummation by the Company of, a Business Combination (defined below); and

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 
 

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

 

2. Warrants.

 

2.1. Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall be issued in registered form only, shall be in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto, the provisions of which are incorporated herein and shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company and shall bear a facsimile of the Company’s seal. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.

 

2.2. Uncertificated Warrants. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, any Warrant, or portion thereof, may be issued as part of, and be represented by, a Unit, and any Warrant may be issued in uncertificated or book-entry form through the Warrant Agent and/or the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or other book-entry depositary system, in each case as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company or by an authorized committee thereof. Any Warrant so issued shall have the same terms, force and effect as a certificated Warrant that has been duly countersigned by the Warrant Agent in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

 

2.3. Effect of Countersignature. Except with respect to uncertificated Warrants as described above, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.

 

2.4. Registration.

 

2.4.1. Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (“Warrant Register”) for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company.

 

2.4.2. Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is then registered in the Warrant Register (“registered holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on the Warrant certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

 

2.5. Detachability of Warrants. The securities comprising the Public Units will not be separately transferable until the 90th day following the date of the Prospectus or, if such 90th day is not on a day, other than Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business (a “Business Day”), then on the immediately succeeding Business Day following such date, unless EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC (the “Representative”) informs the Company of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, but in no event will separate trading of the securities comprising the Units begin until (i) the Company files a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the gross proceeds of the Public Offering including the proceeds received by the Company from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if the over-allotment option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (ii) the Company issues a press release and files a Current Report on Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading shall begin. (the “Detachment Date”).

 

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2.6. Private Warrant and Working Capital Warrant Attributes. The Private Warrants and Working Capital Warrants will be issued in the same form as the Public Warrants.

 

2.7 Post IPO Warrants. The Post IPO Warrants, when and if issued, shall have the same terms and be in the same form as the Public Warrants except as may be agreed upon by the Company.

 

3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants

 

3.1. Warrant Price. Each Warrant shall, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent (except with respect to uncertificated Warrants), entitle the registered holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 4 hereof and in the last sentence of this Section 3.1. The term “Warrant Price” as used in this Agreement refers to the price per share at which the shares of Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than twenty (20) Business Days; provided, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days’ prior written notice of such reduction to registered holders of the Warrants and, provided further that any such reduction shall be applied consistently to all of the Warrants.

 

3.2. Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period commencing on the later of 30 days after the consummation by the Company of a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (“Business Combination”) (as described more fully in the Registration Statement) or 12 months from the closing of the Public Offering, and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the earlier to occur of (i) five years from the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) the Redemption Date as provided in Section 6.2 of this Agreement and (iii) the liquidation of the Company, provided, however, that for so long as Private Warrants are beneficially owned by affiliates of EF Hutton, a division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, including EF Hutton Partners, LLC, such Private Warrants will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A) (“Expiration Date”). The period of time from the date the Warrants will first become exercisable until the expiration of the Warrants shall hereafter be referred to as the “Exercise Period.” Except with respect to the right to receive the Redemption Price (as set forth in Section 6 hereunder), as applicable, each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company will provide at least twenty (20) days’ prior written notice of any such extension to registered holders and, provided further that any such extension shall be applied consistently to all of the Warrants.

 

3.3. Exercise of Warrants.

 

3.3.1. Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, may be exercised by the registered holder thereof by surrendering it, at the office of the Warrant Agent, or at the office of its successor as Warrant Agent, in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, with the subscription form, as set forth in the Warrant, duly executed, and by paying in full the Warrant Price for each share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Common Stock and the issuance of such shares of Common Stock, as follows:

 

(a) in lawful money of the United States, by good certified check or wire payable to the Warrant Agent; or

 

(b) in the event of redemption pursuant to Section 6 hereof in which the Company’s management has elected to force all holders of Warrants to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the Warrant Price and the “Fair Market Value” (defined below) by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this Section 3.3.1(b), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Common Stock for the five (5) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to holders of the Warrants pursuant to Section 6 hereof; or

 

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(c) in the event the registration statement required by Section 7.4 hereof is not effective and current within ninety (90) Business Days after the closing of a Business Combination, by surrendering such Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the Warrants and the “Fair Market Value” by (y) the Fair Market Value; provided, however, that no cashless exercise shall be permitted unless the Fair Market Value is equal to or higher than the exercise price. Solely for purposes of this Section 3.3.1(c), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Common Stock for the five (5) trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise.

 

3.3.2. Issuance of Shares of Common Stock. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if any), the Company shall issue to the registered holder of such Warrant a certificate or certificates, or book entry position, for the number of shares of Common Stock to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new countersigned Warrant, or book entry position, for the number of shares as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Warrant exercise. No Warrant shall be exercisable for cash and the Company shall not be obligated to issue shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the Warrants. In the event that the condition in the immediately preceding sentence is not satisfied with respect to a Warrant, the holder of such Warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such Warrant for cash and such Warrant may have no value and expire worthless, in which case the purchaser of a Unit containing such Public Warrants shall have paid the full purchase price for the Unit solely for the shares of Common Stock underlying such Unit. Warrants may not be exercised by, or securities issued to, any registered holder in any state in which such exercise would be unlawful.

 

3.3.3. Valid Issuance. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

 

3.3.4. Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any book entry position or certificate for shares of Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares on the date on which the Warrant, or book entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book entry system are open.

 

3.3.5 Maximum Percentage. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this subsection 3.3.5; however, no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection 3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (the “Maximum Percentage”) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form 8-K or other public filing with the SEC as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.

 

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4. Adjustments.

 

4.1. Stock Dividends; Split Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 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 shares of Common Stock, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in outstanding shares of Common Stock.

 

4.2. Aggregation of Shares. If after the date hereof, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Common Stock.

 

4.3. Extraordinary Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Common Stock or other shares of the Company’s capital stock into which the Warrants are convertible (an “Extraordinary Dividend”), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and the fair market value (as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend divided by all outstanding shares of the Company at such time (whether or not any shareholders waived their right to receive such dividend); provided, however, that none of the following shall be deemed an Extraordinary Dividend for purposes of this provision: (a) any adjustment described in subsection 4.1 above, (b) any cash dividends or cash distributions which, when combined on a per share basis with all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Common Stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution does not exceed $0.50 per share (taking into account all of the outstanding shares of the Company at such time (whether or not any shareholders waived their right to receive such dividend) and as adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50, (c) any payment to satisfy the conversion rights of the holders of the shares of Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination or certain amendments to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as described in the Registration Statement) or (d) any payment in connection with the Company’s liquidation and the distribution of its assets upon its failure to consummate a Business Combination. Solely for purposes of illustration, if the Company, at a time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pays a cash dividend of $0.35 and previously paid an aggregate of $0.40 of cash dividends and cash distributions on the Common Stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such $0.35 dividend, then the Warrant Price will be decreased, effectively immediately after the effective date of such $0.35 dividend, by $0.25 (the absolute value of the difference between $0.75 (the aggregate amount of all cash dividends and cash distributions paid or made in such 365-day period, including such $0.35 dividend) and $0.50 (the greater of (x) $0.50 and (y) the aggregate amount of all cash dividends and cash distributions paid or made in such 365-day period prior to such $0.35 dividend)). Furthermore, solely for the purposes of illustration, if following the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination, there were total shares outstanding of 100,000,000 and the Company paid a $1.00 dividend to 17,500,000 of such shares (with the remaining 82,500,000 shares waiving their right to receive such dividend), then no adjustment to the Warrant Price would occur as a $17.5 million dividend payment divided by 100,000,000 shares equals $0.175 per share which is less than $0.50 per share.

 

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4.4. Adjustments in Exercise Price. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 above, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

 

4.5. Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than a change covered by Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 hereof or that solely affects the par value of the Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the Warrant holders shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the Warrant holder would have received if such Warrant holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event. If any reclassification also results in a change in the Common Stock covered by Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.5 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.

 

4.6. Issuance in connection with a Business Combination. If, in connection with a Business Combination, the Company (a) issues additional shares of Common Stock or equity-linked securities at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (with such issue price or effective issue price as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, in good faith, and in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor, the initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any shares of the Company’s Common Stock issued prior to the Public Offering and held by the initial stockholders or their affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (b) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the Business Combination on the date of the consummation of such Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (c) the Market Value (as defined below) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the Redemption Trigger Price (as defined below) will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price. Solely for purposes of this Section 4.6, the “Market Value” shall mean the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Stock during the twenty (20) trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the date of the consummation of the Business Combination.

 

4.7. Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, or 4.6, then, in any such event, the Company shall give written notice to each Warrant holder, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.

 

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4.8. No Fractional Warrants or Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue fractional shares upon exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round up to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the Warrant holder.

 

4.9. Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement. However, the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.

 

4.10. Other Events. In case any event shall occur affecting the Company as to which none of the provisions of preceding subsections of this Section 4 are strictly applicable, but which would require an adjustment to the terms of the Warrants in order to (i) avoid an adverse impact on the Warrants and (ii) effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4, then, in each such case, the Company shall appoint a firm of independent public accountants, investment banking or other appraisal firm of recognized national standing, which shall give its opinion as to whether or not any adjustment to the rights represented by the Warrants is necessary to effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4 and, if they determine that an adjustment is necessary, the terms of such adjustment. The Company shall adjust the terms of the Warrants in a manner that is consistent with any adjustment recommended in such opinion.

 

5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.

 

5.1. Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures, in the case of certificated Warrants, properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated Warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.

 

5.2. Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, either in certificated form or in book entry position, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants, or book entry positions, as requested by the registered holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange therefor until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.

 

5.3. Fractional Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which will result in the issuance of a warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a warrant.

 

5.4. Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.

 

5.5. Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, will supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.

 

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5.6. Private Warrants and Working Capital Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not register any transfer of Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants until after the consummation by the Company of an initial Business Combination, except for transfers in each case to the foregoing individuals and entities (“Permitted Transferees”), (i) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, the other initial stockholders, or any affiliates or family members of the initial stockholders, (ii) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of one of the members of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of one of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (iii) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of any of our officers, our directors or the initial stockholders; (iv) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (v) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (vi) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; or (vii) in the event of our liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (i) through (v) these Permitted Transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements and by the same agreements entered into by our initial stockholders and the private placement participants with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidating distributions described in the Prospectus).

 

5.7. Transfers prior to Detachment. Prior to the Detachment Date, the Public Warrants may be transferred or exchanged only together with the Unit in which such Warrant is included, and only for the purpose of effecting, or in conjunction with, a transfer or exchange of such Unit. Furthermore, each transfer of a Unit on the register relating to such Units shall operate also to transfer the Warrants included in such Unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 5.7 shall have no effect on any transfer of Warrants on or after the Detachment Date.

 

6. Redemption.

 

6.1. Redemption. Not less than all of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed, at the option of the Company, at any time during the Exercise Period, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon the notice referred to in Section 6.2, at the price of $0.01 per Warrant (“Redemption Price”), provided that the last sales price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 4 hereof) (the “Redemption Trigger Price”), on each of twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period commencing after the Warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given and provided that there is an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the 30-day redemption or the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b); provided, however, that if and when the Warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may not exercise such redemption right if the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or the Company is unable to effect such registration or qualification.

 

6.2. Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption. In the event the Company shall elect to redeem all of the Warrants that are subject to redemption, the Company shall fix a date for the redemption (the “Redemption Date”). Notice of redemption shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than thirty (30) days prior to the Redemption Date to the registered holders of the Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they shall appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not the registered holder received such notice.

 

6.3. Exercise After Notice of Redemption. The Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement) at any time after notice of redemption shall have been given by the Company pursuant to Section 6.2 hereof and prior to the Redemption Date. In the event the Company determines to require all holders of Warrants to exercise their Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to Section 3.3.1(b), the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Common Stock to be received upon exercise of the Warrants, including the “Fair Market Value” in such case. On and after the Redemption Date, the record holder of the Warrants shall have no further rights except to receive, upon surrender of the Warrants, the Redemption Price.

 

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7. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.

 

7.1. No Rights as Stockholder. A Warrant does not entitle the registered holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholders in respect of the meetings of stockholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.

 

7.2. Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.

 

7.3. Reservation of Shares of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.

 

7.4. Registration of Shares of Common Stock. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable after the closing of its initial Business Combination, it shall use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and it shall use its best efforts to take such action as is necessary to register or qualify for sale, in those states in which the Warrants were initially offered by the Company and in those states where holders of Warrants then reside, the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to the extent an exemption is not available. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the 90th Business Day following the closing of the Business Combination, holders of the Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the 91st Business Day after the closing of the Business Combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the SEC, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis” as determined in accordance with Section 3.3.1(c). The Company shall provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel for the Company (which shall be an outside law firm with securities law experience) stating that (i) the exercise of the Warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with this Section 7.4 is not required to be registered under the Act and (ii) the shares of Common Stock issued upon such exercise will be freely tradable under U.S. federal securities laws by anyone who is not an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Act) of the Company and, accordingly, will not be required to bear a restrictive legend. For the avoidance of any doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised on a cashless basis, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this Section 7.4.

 

8. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.

 

8.1. Payment of Taxes. The Company will from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares.

 

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8.2. Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.

 

8.2.1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of the Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.

 

8.2.2. Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Transfer Agent for the shares of Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.

 

8.2.3. Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any corporation into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.

 

8.3. Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.

 

8.3.1. Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and will reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.

 

8.3.2. Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

8.4. Liability of Warrant Agent.

 

8.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, President, Secretary or Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.

 

8.4.2. Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct, or bad faith.

 

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8.4.3. Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant; nor shall it be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock will, when issued, be valid and fully paid and nonassessable.

 

8.5. Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of Common Stock through the exercise of Warrants.

 

9. Miscellaneous Provisions.

 

9.1. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

 

9.2. Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA 02043

Attn: Benjamin Piggott, Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: ben505@gmail.com

 

Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Compliance Department

 

with a copy in each case to:

 

Loeb & Loeb LLP

345 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10154

Attn: Mitchell S. Nussbaum, Esq. and James A. Prestiano, Esq.

E-mail: jprestiano@loeb.com

 

and

 

EF Hutton division of Benchmark Investment, LLC

590 Madison Avenue, 39th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Attn: Jim Campbell

Email: JCampbell@efhuttongroup.com

 

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and: 

 

Hogan Lovells US LLP

1601 Wewatta Street, Suite 900

Denver, CO 80202

Attn: David Crandall, Esq.

Email: david.crandall@hoganlovells.com

 

9.3. Applicable Law and Exclusive Forum. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. Subject to applicable law, the Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement, including under the Act, shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.

 

Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in this Section 9.3. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions above, is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any warrant holder, such warrant holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

 

9.4. Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement expressed and nothing that may be implied from any of the provisions hereof is intended, or shall be construed, to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the registered holders of the Warrants and, for the purposes of Sections 7.4, 9.4 and 9.8 hereof, the Representative, any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. The Representative shall be deemed to be a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement with respect to Sections 7.4, 9.4 and 9.8 hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto (and the Representative with respect to the Sections 7.4, 9.4 and 9.8 hereof) and their successors and assigns and of the registered holders of the Warrants.

 

9.5. Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the registered holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit his Warrant for inspection by it.

 

9.6. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.

 

9.7. Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

 

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9.8. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any registered holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions hereof to the description of the terms of the Warrants and this Agreement set forth in the Prospectus, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein, or (ii) adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the registered holders. All other modifications or amendments, including any amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period, shall require the written consent or vote of the registered holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, without the consent of the registered holders. The provisions of this Section 9.8 may not be modified, amended or deleted without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

9.9. Trust Account Waiver. The Warrant Agent acknowledges and agrees that it shall not make any claims or proceed against the trust account established by the Company in connection with the Public Offering (as more fully described in the Registration Statement) (“Trust Account”), including by way of set-off, and shall not be entitled to any funds in the Trust Account under any circumstance. In the event that the Warrant Agent has a claim against the Company under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent will pursue such claim solely against the Company and not against the property held in the Trust Account.

 

9.10. Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

 

Exhibit A – Form of Warrant Certificate

 

Exhibit B – Legend

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

13
 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed by the parties hereto as of the day and year first above written.

 

  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
                                   
  By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
 
  CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER
  & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
 
  By: /s/ Michael Goedecke
  Name: Michael Goedecke
  Title:

 

[Signature Page to Warrant Agreement]

 

14
 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

FORM OF WARRANT CERTIFICATE

 

[See attached]

 

15
 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

LEGEND FOR PRIVATE PLACEMENT WARRANTS

 

THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, SUBJECT TO ANY ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON TRANSFER DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER AGREEMENT BY AND AMONG EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I (THE “COMPANY”) AND EF HUTTON PARTNERS, LLC IN SECTION 5.6 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT) WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.

 

SECURITIES EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AND SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OF THE COMPANY ISSUED UPON EXERCISE OF SUCH SECURITIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTRATION RIGHTS UNDER A REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT TO BE EXECUTED BY THE COMPANY.

 

16

 

Exhibit 4.2

 

RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

This Rights Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of September 8, 2022 between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, a Delaware corporation, with offices at 24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102, Hingham, MA 02043 (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited liability trust company, with offices at 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004 (the “Right Agent”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company has received a firm commitment from EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC (“EF Hutton”), as representative of the several underwriters, to purchase up to an aggregate of 11,500,000 units, each unit (“Public Unit”) comprised of one share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), one redeemable warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (a “Public Warrant”), and one right to receive one-eighth of one share of Common Stock (a “Public Right”) upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination, and in connection therewith, will issue and deliver up to an aggregate of 11,500,000 Public Rights upon consummation of such public offering, 1,500,000 of which are attributable to the over-allotment option (“Public Offering”);

 

WHEREAS, the Company has received binding commitments from EF Hutton Partners, LLC (the “Sponsor”) and certain other parties to purchase up to an aggregate of 242,500 units (or 257,500 units if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full) (“Private Units”), each Private Unit containing one share of Common Stock, one warrant, where each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (the “Private Warrants”) and one right to receive 1/8 of one share of Common Stock (the “Private Right”) upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination and, in connection therewith, the Company will issue and deliver up to an aggregate of 242,500 Private Rights (or 257,500 Private Rights if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full) in a private placement transaction to occur simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering;

 

WHEREAS, the Company may issue up to an additional 547,500 units (the “Working Capital Units” and together with the Public Units and the Private Units, the “Units”) which will include up to an additional 547,500 rights (“Working Capital Rights” together with the Public Rights, the Private Rights, and along with such other rights as the Company issues from time to time hereunder, the “Rights”) in satisfaction of certain working capital loans the Sponsor or the Company’s officers, directors, initial stockholders (as defined in the Prospectus) or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, make to the Company;

 

WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-264314 (“Registration Statement”), and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Act”), of the Public Units, the Public Warrants, the Public Rights and the Common Stock included in the Public Units; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company desires the Right Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Right Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer and exchange of the Rights;

 

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

 

WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Rights, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Right Agent, as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. Appointment of Right Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Right Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Rights, and the Right Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

 

 
 

 

2. Rights.

 

  2.1. Form of Right. Each Right shall be issued in registered form only, shall be in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto, the provisions of which are incorporated herein and shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the Board or Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company and shall bear a facsimile of the Company’s seal. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Right shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Right before such Right is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.
     
  2.2. Effect of Countersignature. Unless and until countersigned by the Right Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a Right shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exchanged for Common Stock.

 

2.3. Registration.

 

  2.3.1. Right Register. The Right Agent shall maintain books (“Right Register”) for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Rights. Upon the initial issuance of the Rights, the Right Agent shall issue and register the Rights in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Right Agent by the Company.
     
  2.3.2. Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Right, the Company and the Right Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Right shall be registered upon the Right Register (“registered holder”) as the absolute owner of such Right and of each Right represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on the Right Certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Right Agent), for the purpose of the exchange thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Right Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

 

  2.4. Detachability of Rights. The securities comprising the Units, including the Rights, will not be separately transferable until the ninetieth (90th) day after the date of the Prospectus unless EF Hutton informs the Company of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, but in no event will separate trading of the securities comprising the Units begin until (i) the Company files a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the gross proceeds of the Public Offering including the proceeds received by the Company from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if the over-allotment option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (ii) the Company issues a press release and files a Current Report on Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading shall begin.

 

3. Terms and Exchange of Rights.

 

  3.1. Rights. Each Right shall entitle the holder thereof to receive one-eighth of one share of Common Stock upon the happening of the Exchange Event (described below). No additional consideration shall be paid by a holder of Rights in order to receive his, her or its Common Stock upon the Exchange Event as the purchase price for such Common Stock has been included in the purchase price for the Units. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Rights or issue fractional Common Stock.
     
  3.2. Exchange Event. The Exchange Event shall be the Company’s consummation of an initial Business Combination (as defined in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation).

 

  3.3. Exchange of Rights.

 

  3.3.1.

Issuance of Certificates. As soon as practicable upon the occurrence of the Exchange Event, the Company shall direct holders of the Rights to return their Rights Certificates to the Right Agent. If the Company is not the surviving entity in a Business Combination, the holder of Rights must affirmatively elect to such conversion. Upon receipt of a valid Rights Certificate, the Company shall issue to the registered holder of such Right(s) a certificate or certificates for the number of full shares of Common Stock to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it. Notwithstanding the foregoing, or any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Rights. The Company shall not issue fractional shares upon exchange of Rights. At the time of the Exchange Event, the Company will instruct the Right Agent to round up to the nearest whole share of Common Stock or otherwise inform it how fractional shares will be addressed in accordance with Delaware law.

 

2
 

 

  3.3.2. Valid Issuance. All Common Stock issued upon an Exchange Event in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
     
  3.3.3. Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any such certificate for Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares on the date of the Exchange Event, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate.
     
  3.3.4. Company Not Surviving Following Exchange Event. If the Exchange Event results in the Company not continuing as a publicly held reporting entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of Rights to receive the same per share consideration as the holders of the Common Stock will receive in with the Exchange Event, for the number of shares such holder is entitled to pursuant to Section 3.1 above.

 

  3.4. Duration of Rights. If the Exchange Event does not occur within 9 months from the closing of the Public Offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, as described in the Registration Statement), and such Business Combination has not yet been consummated within the applicable time period, the Rights shall expire and shall be worthless; provided that, for as long as any of the Rights are held by EF Hutton, or its designees or affiliates, such Rights may not be converted after five years, from the effective date of the Registration Statement.

 

4. Transfer and Exchange of Rights.

 

  4.1. Registration of Transfer. The Right Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Right upon the Right Register, upon surrender of such Right for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Right representing an equal aggregate number of Rights shall be issued and the old Right shall be cancelled by the Right Agent. The Rights so cancelled shall be delivered by the Right Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
     
  4.2. Procedure for Surrender of Rights. Rights may be surrendered to the Right Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Right Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Rights as requested by the registered holder of the Rights so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Rights; provided, however, that in the event that a Right surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Right Agent shall not cancel such Right and issue new Rights in exchange therefor until the Right Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Rights must also bear a restrictive legend.
     
  4.3. Fractional Rights. The Right Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which will result in the issuance of a Right Certificate for a fraction of a Right.
     
  4.4. Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Rights.
     
  4.5. Adjustments to Conversion Ratios. The number of shares of Common Stock that the holders of Rights are entitled to receive as a result of the occurrence of an Exchange Event shall be equitably adjusted to reflect appropriately the effect of any share split, reverse share split, share dividend, reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, combination, exchange of shares or other like change with respect to the Common Stock occurring on or after the date hereof and prior to the Exchange Event.
     

 

 

4.6. Right Execution and Countersignature. The Right Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Rights required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 4, and the Company, whenever required by the Right Agent, will supply the Right Agent with Rights duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.

 

3
 

 

5. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Rights.

 

  5.1. No Rights as Stockholder. Until exchange of a Right for Common Stock as provided for herein, a Right does not entitle the registered holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholders in respect of the meetings of stockholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.
     
  5.2. Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Rights. If any Right is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Right Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Right, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Right of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Right so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Right shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Right shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.
     
  5.3. Reservation of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued Common Stock that will be sufficient to permit the exchange of all outstanding Rights issued pursuant to this Agreement.

 

6. Concerning the Right Agent and Other Matters.

 

  6.1. Payment of Taxes. The Company will from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Right Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of Common Stock upon the exchange of Rights, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Rights or such shares.

 

  6.2. Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Right Agent.

 

  6.2.1. Appointment of Successor Right Agent. The Right Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Right Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Right Agent in place of the Right Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Right Agent or by the holder of the Right (who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Right for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Right may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Right Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Right Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Right Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Right Agent with like effect as if originally named as Right Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Right Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Right Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Right Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Right Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Right Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.
     
  6.2.2. Notice of Successor Right Agent. In the event a successor Right Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Right Agent and the transfer agent for the Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
     
  6.2.3. Merger or Consolidation of Right Agent. Any corporation into which the Right Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Right Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Right Agent under this Agreement without any further act.

 

4
 

 

6.3. Fees and Expenses of Right Agent.

 

  6.3.1. Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Right Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Right Agent hereunder and will reimburse the Right Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Right Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
     
  6.3.2. Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Right Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

6.4. Liability of Right Agent.

 

  6.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Right Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer and delivered to the Right Agent. The Right Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
     
  6.4.2. Indemnity. The Right Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. Subject to Section 6.6, the Company agrees to indemnify the Right Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Right Agent in the execution of this Agreement except as a result of the Right Agent’s gross negligence, willful misconduct, or bad faith.
     
  6.4.3. Exclusions. The Right Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Right (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Right; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Right or as to whether any Common Stock will, when issued, be valid and fully paid and nonassessable.

 

  6.5. Acceptance of Agency. The Right Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth.
     
  6.6. Waiver. The Right Agent hereby waives any right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and the Right Agent as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

7. Miscellaneous Provisions.

 

  7.1. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Right Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

 

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  7.2. Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Right Agent or by the holder of any Right to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Right Agent), as follows:

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA 02043

Attn: Benjamin Piggott

 

Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Right or by the Company to or on the Right Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Right Agent with the Company), as follows:

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor

New York, NY 10004

Attn: Compliance Department

 

and

 

Loeb & Loeb LLP

35 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10154

Attn: Mitchell Nussbaum, Esq. and James A. Prestiano, Esq.

 

and

 

EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investment, LLC

590 Madison Avenue, 39th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Attn: Jim Campbell

Email: JCampbell@efhuttongroup.com

 

and: 

 

Hogan Lovells US LLP

1601 Wewatta Street, Suite 900

Denver, CO 80202

Attn: David Crandall, Esq.

Email: david.crandall@hoganlovells.com

 

  7.3. Applicable Law. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Rights shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to it at the address set forth in Section 7.2 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company in any action, proceeding or claim.
     
  7.4. Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement expressed and nothing that may be implied from any of the provisions hereof is intended, or shall be construed, to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the registered holders of the Rights and, for the purposes of Sections 3.1, 3.2, 7.4 and 7.8 hereof, EF Hutton, any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. EF Hutton shall be deemed to be a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement with respect to Sections 3.1, 3.2, 7.4 and 7.8 hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto (and EF Hutton with respect to Sections 3.1, 3.2, 7.4 and 7.8 hereof) and their successors and assigns and of the registered holders of the Rights.

 

6
 

 

  7.5. Examination of this Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Right Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the registered holder of any Right. The Right Agent may require any such holder to submit his, her or its Right for inspection by it.
     
  7.6. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
     
  7.7. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
     
  7.8. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any registered holder for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or of curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the registered holders. All other modifications or amendments shall require the written consent or vote of the registered holders of a majority of the then outstanding Rights. The provisions of this Section 7.8 may not be modified, amended or deleted without the prior written consent of EF Hutton.
     
  7.9. Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

7
 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed by the parties hereto as of the day and year first above written.

 

  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
                                     
  By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
     
 

CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER

& TRUST COMPANY

     
  By: /s/ Michael Goedecke
  Name: Michael Goedecke
  Title:

 

Signature Page to the Rights Agreement

 

8
 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Form of Right

 

9

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

September 8, 2022

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA 02043

 

EF Hutton division of Benchmark Investments, LLC

590 Madison Avenue, 39th Floor

New York, New York 10022

 

Re: Initial Public Offering

 

Gentlemen:

 

This letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) entered into by and between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, as the representative (“Representative”) of the underwriters named in Schedule A thereto (the “Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the “IPO”) of up to 10,000,000 of the Company’s units (or 11,500,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Units”), each comprised of one share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), one redeemable warrant, with each warrant being exercisable to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per full share (“Warrant”), and one right entitling the holder to receive 1/8 of one share of Common Stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (“Rights”). Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 13 hereof.

 

In order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the IPO, and in recognition of the benefit that such IPO will confer upon the undersigned as a stockholder of the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees with the Company as follows:

 

1. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Company shall not enter into a definitive agreement regarding a proposed Business Combination without the prior consent of EF Hutton Partners, LLC (the “Sponsor”). If the Company solicits approval of its stockholders of a Business Combination, the undersigned will vote all shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by him, her or it, whether acquired before, in or after the IPO, in favor of such Business Combination.

 

2. (a) In the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within 9 months from the closing of the Company’s IPO (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Company’s IPO, if extended), the undersigned shall take all reasonable steps to (i) cause the Company to cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) cause the Company, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, to redeem 100% of the outstanding IPO Shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding IPO Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish all IPO Share holders’ rights as stockholders of the Company (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and board of directors, cause the Company to dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

1
 

 

(b) The undersigned hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any distribution of the Trust Account and any remaining net assets of the Company as a result of such liquidation with respect to any Insider Shares or Private Units he, she or it owns (“Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim the undersigned may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever, other than, in each case, with respect to any IPO Shares, with respect to which the undersigned may receive distributions from the Trust Account upon the Trust Account being liquidated and distributed to the holders of IPO Shares in the circumstances described in Section 2(a) above. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that there will be no distribution from the Trust Account with respect to any Common Stock underlying the Private Units, all rights of which will terminate on the Company’s liquidation.

 

(c) In the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account, the Sponsor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any and all loss, liability, claims, damage and expense whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, whether pending or threatened, or any claim whatsoever) which the Company may become subject as a result of any claim by any vendor or other person who is owed money by the Company for services rendered or products sold or contracted for, but only to the extent necessary to ensure that such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense does not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below $10.00 per IPO Share; provided, that such indemnity shall not apply (i) if such vendor or other person has executed a valid and enforceable agreement waiving any claims against the Trust Account and (ii) to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the Underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

 

3. The founder shares may not be assigned, transferred or sold until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the completion of our initial business combination, or (B) subsequent to the initial business combination, (x) if the last sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

4. The undersigned agrees that until 30 days after the Company consummates a Business Combination, the undersigned’s Private Units will be subject to the transfer restrictions described in the Subscription Agreement relating to the undersigned’s Private Units.

 

5. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the closing of the IPO, the Company may extend the time available for it to consummate its initial business combination, provided our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000 (or $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.05 per share for each one-month extension, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, or up to an aggregate of $4,500,000 (or $5,175,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.45 per share if the Company extends for the full nine months. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan and such loans will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If the Company completes its initial business combination, the Company will repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If the Company does not complete a business combination, the Company will not repay such loans. Our sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loans out of the funds held in the trust account in the event that the Company does not complete a business combination.

 

6. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, the undersigned agrees to present to the Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or entity, any suitable opportunity to acquire a target business, until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations the undersigned might have.

 

2
 

 

7. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that prior to entering into a Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with any Insiders of the Company or their affiliates, including any company that is a portfolio company of, or otherwise affiliated with, or has received financial investment from, an entity with which any Insider or their affiliates is affiliated, (i) such transaction must be approved by a majority of the Company’s disinterested and independent directors, (ii) the Company must obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or accounting firm as to the fair market value of the target business and that such Business Combination is fair to the Company’s unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view and (iii) such transaction must be approved by the Company’s audit committee.

 

8. Unless otherwise previously agreed to with the Company, neither the undersigned, any member of the family of the undersigned, nor any affiliate of the undersigned will be entitled to receive or accept a finder’s fee or any other compensation in the event the undersigned, any member of the family of the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned originates a Business Combination.

 

9. The undersigned agrees to be the [●] of the Company until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company. The undersigned’s biographical information previously furnished to the Company and the Representative is true and accurate in all material respects, does not omit any material information with respect to the undersigned’s biography and contains all of the information required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 401 of Regulation S-K, promulgated under the Securities Act.1 The undersigned’s FINRA Questionnaire and Director and Officer Questionnaire previously furnished to the Company and the Representative is true and accurate in all material respects. The undersigned represents and warrants that, except as disclosed in the undersigned’s Director and Officer Questionnaire:

 

  (a) he/she/it has never had a petition under the federal bankruptcy laws or any state insolvency law filed by or against (i) him/her/it or any partnership in which he/she/it was a general partner at or within two years before the time of filing; or (ii) any corporation or business association of which he/she/it was an executive officer at or within two years before the time of such filing;
     
  (b) he/she/it has never had a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer been appointed by a court for his/her/its business or property, or any such partnership;
     
  (c) he/she/it has never been convicted of fraud in a civil or criminal proceeding;
     
  (d) he/she/it/ has never been convicted in a criminal proceeding or named the subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and minor offenses);
     
  (e) he/she/it has never been the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining or otherwise limiting him/her/it from (i) acting as a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor broker, leverage transaction merchant, any other person regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) or an associated person of any of the foregoing, or as an investment adviser, underwriter, broker or dealer in securities, or as an affiliated person, director or employee of any investment company, bank, savings and loan association or insurance company, or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity; or (ii) engaging in any type of business practice; or (iii) engaging in any activity in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or commodity or in connection with any violation of federal or state securities or federal commodities laws;
     
  (f) he/she/it has never been the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any federal or state authority barring, suspending or otherwise limiting for more than 60 days his/her/its right to engage in any activity described in 8(e)(i) above, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity;

 

 

1 Only for directors and officers.

 

3
 

 

  (g) he/she/it has never been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the SEC to have violated any federal or state securities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the SEC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;
     
  (h) he/she/it has never been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the CFTC to have violated any federal commodities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the CFTC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;
     
  (i) he/she/it has never been the subject of, or a party to, any Federal or State judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, relating to an alleged violation of (i) any Federal or State securities or commodities law or regulation, (ii) any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty or temporary or permanent cease-and desist order, or removal or prohibition order or (iii) any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity;
     
  (j) he/she/it has never been the subject of, or party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, or any self-regulatory organization, any registered entity, or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated with a member;
     
  (k) he/she/it has never been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor: (i) in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) involving the making of any false filing with the SEC; or (iii) arising out of the conduct of the business of an underwriter, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, investment advisor or paid solicitor of purchasers of securities;
     
  (l) he/she/it was never subject to a final order of a state securities commission (or an agency of officer of a state performing like functions); a state authority that supervises or examines banks, savings associations, or credit unions; a state insurance commission (or an agency or officer of a state performing like functions); an appropriate federal banking agency; the CFTC; or the National Credit Union Administration that is based on a violation of any law or regulation that prohibits fraudulent, manipulative, or deceptive conduct;
     
  (m) he/she/it has never been subject to any order, judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, that, at the time of such sale, restrained or enjoined him/her/it from engaging or continuing to engage in any conduct or practice: (i) in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) involving the making of any false filing with the SEC; or (iii) arising out of the conduct of the business of an underwriter, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, investment adviser or paid solicitor of purchasers of securities;
     
  (n) he/she/it has never been subject to any order of the SEC that orders him/her/it to cease and desist from committing or causing a future violation of: (i) any scienter-based anti-fraud provision of the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, Section 17(a)(1) of the Securities Act, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Section 206(1) of the Advisers Act or any other rule or regulation thereunder; or (ii) Section 5 of the Securities Act;
     
  (o) he/she/it has never been named as an underwriter in any registration statement or Regulation A offering statement filed with the SEC that was the subject of a refusal order, stop order, or order suspending the Regulation A exemption, or is, currently, the subject of an investigation or proceeding to determine whether a stop order or suspension order should be issued;
     
  (p) he/she/it has never been subject to a United States Postal Service false representation order, or is currently subject to a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction with respect to conduct alleged by the United States Postal Service to constitute a scheme or device for obtaining money or property through the mail by means of false representations;

 

4
 

 

  (q) he/she/it is not subject to a final order of a state securities commission (or an agency of officer of a state performing like functions); a state authority that supervises or examines banks, savings associations, or credit unions; a state insurance commission (or an agency or officer of a state performing like functions); an appropriate federal banking agency; the CFTC; or the National Credit Union Administration that bars the undersigned from: (i) association with an entity regulated by such commission, authority, agency or officer; (ii) engaging in the business of securities, insurance or banking; or (iii) engaging in savings association or credit union activities;
     
  (r) he/she/it is not subject to an order of the SEC entered pursuant to section 15(b) or 15B(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or section 203(e) or 203(f) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”) that: (i) suspends or revokes the undersigned’s registration as a broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer or investment adviser; (ii) places limitations on the activities, functions or operations of, or imposes civil money penalties on, such person; or (iii) bars the undersigned from being associated with any entity or from participating in the offering of any penny stock; and
     
  (s) he/she/it has never been suspended or expelled from membership in, or suspended or barred from association with a member of, a securities self-regulatory organization (e.g., a registered national securities exchange or a registered national or affiliated securities association) for any act or omission to act constituting conduct inconsistent with just and equitable principles of trade.

 

10. The undersigned has full right and power, without violating any agreement by which he, she or it is bound, to enter into this Agreement [and to serve as an officer and/or director of the Company, as applicable, and consents to being named in the registration statement on Form S-1 and prospectus filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, road show and any other materials as an officer and/or director of the Company, as applicable]2.

 

11. The undersigned hereby waives his, her or its right to exercise conversion rights with respect to any shares of Common Stock owned or to be owned by the undersigned, directly or indirectly, whether purchased by the undersigned prior to the IPO, in the IPO or in the aftermarket, and agrees that he, she or it will not seek conversion with respect to or otherwise sell, such shares, in each case, in connection with any vote to approve a Business Combination with respect thereto, a vote to amend the provisions of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Charter”), or a tender offer by the Company prior to a Business Combination.

 

12. The undersigned hereby agrees to (i) not propose, or vote in favor of, prior to and unrelated to an initial Business Combination, an amendment to the Company’s Charter that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s redemption obligation to redeem all IPO Shares if the Company cannot complete an initial Business Combination within 18 months of the closing of the IPO, unless the Company provides holders of IPO Shares an opportunity to redeem their IPO Shares in conjunction with any such amendment, and (ii) not redeem any shares, including Insider Shares, into the right to receive cash from the Trust Account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve the Company’s proposed initial Business Combination or sell any shares to the Company in any tender offer in connection with the Company’s proposed initial Business Combination.

 

13. The undersigned hereby agrees to waive its redemption rights with respect to shares of Common Stock owned by it in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s Charter (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the IPO Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within 9 months from the closing of the IPO (subject to extension, as described in the Company’s Charter) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.

 

 

2 Only for directors and officers

 

5
 

 

14. In connection with Section 5-1401 of the General Obligations Law of the State of New York, this Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflicts of law that would result in the application of the substantive law of another jurisdiction. The parties hereto agree that any action, proceeding or claim arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be resolved through final and binding arbitration in accordance with the International Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). The arbitration shall be brought before the AAA International Center for Dispute Resolution’s offices in New York City, New York, will be conducted in English and will be decided by a panel of three arbitrators selected from the AAA Commercial Disputes Panel and that the arbitrator panel’s decision shall be final and enforceable by any court having jurisdiction over the party from whom enforcement is sought. The cost of such arbitrators and arbitration services, together with the prevailing party’s legal fees and expenses, shall be borne by the non-prevailing party or as otherwise directed by the arbitrators.

 

15. As used herein, (i) a “Business Combination” shall mean a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities; (ii) “Insiders” shall mean all officers, directors and stockholders of the Company immediately prior to the IPO; (iii) “Insider Shares” shall mean all of the shares of Common Stock of the Company acquired by an Insider prior to the IPO; (iv) “IPO Shares” shall mean the shares of Common Stock issued in the Company’s IPO; (v) “Private Units” shall mean the units purchased in the private placement taking place simultaneously with the consummation of the Company’s IPO; (vi) “Registration Statement” means the registration statement on Form S-1 filed by the Company with respect to the IPO; and (vii) “Trust Account” shall mean the trust account into which a portion of the net proceeds of the Company’s IPO will be deposited.

 

16. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or by e-mail transmission. The parties hereto consent to the delivery of notices or other communications by electronic transmission at the e-mail address set forth below the respective party’s name in this Section 14. To the extent that any notice given by means of electronic transmission is returned or undeliverable for any reason, the foregoing consent shall be deemed to have been revoked until a new or corrected e-mail address has been provided, and such attempted electronic notice shall be ineffective and deemed to not have been given. Each party agrees to promptly notify the other parties of any change in its e-mail address, and that failure to do so shall not affect the foregoing. The parties may change the persons and addresses to which the notices or other communications are to be sent by giving written notice to any such change in the manner provided herein for giving notice.

 

If to the Representative:

 

EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investment, LLC

590 Madison Avenue, 39th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Attn: Jim Campbell

Email: JCampbell@efhuttongroup.com

 

and: 

 

Hogan Lovells US LLP

1601 Wewatta Street, Suite 900

Denver, CO 80202

Attn: David Crandall, Esq.

Email: david.crandall@hoganlovells.com

 

6
 

 

If to the Company:

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA 02043

Attn: Benjamin Piggott

Email:ben505@gmail.com

 

Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Loeb & Loeb LLP

345 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10154

Attn: Mitchell S. Nussbaum, Esq. and James A. Prestiano, Esq.

Email: jprestiano@loeb.com

 

17. No party hereto may assign either this Agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the other party. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee. This Agreement shall be binding on the parties hereto and any successors and assigns thereof.

 

18. The undersigned acknowledges and understands that the Underwriters and the Company will rely upon the agreements, representations and warranties set forth herein in proceeding with the IPO. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to render the Underwriters a representative of, or a fiduciary with respect to, the Company, its stockholders or any creditor or vendor of the company with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

[Signature page to follow]

 

7
 

 

  COMPANY
   
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
     
  /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott, CEO
     
  SPONSOR
     
  EF HUTTON PARTNERS, LLC
     
  /s/ Joseph Rallo
  Name: Joseph Rallo
     
  INSIDERS
     
  KEVIN M. BUSH
     
  /s/ Kevin M. Bush
  Name: Kevin M. Bush
     
  PAUL HODGE, JR.
     
  /s/ Paul Hodge
  Name: Paul Hodge, Jr.
     
  THOMAS WOOD
     
  /s/ Thomas Wood
  Name: Thomas Wood
     
  ANNE LEE
     
  /s/ Anne Lee
  Name: Anne Lee
     
  SHR VENTURES, LLC
     
  /s/ Jay Creutz
  Name: Jay Creutz
  Title: Manager
     
  STANLEY HUTTON RUMBOUGH
     
  /s/ Stanley Hutton Rumbough
  Name: Stanley Hutton Rumbough

 

[Signature page to Insider Letter]

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.2

 

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT

 

This Agreement is made as of September 8, 2022 by and between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Trustee”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-264314 (the “Registration Statement”), and prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for its initial public offering of securities (“IPO”) of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each of which consists of one share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), one redeemable warrant, each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock and one right to receive 1/8 of one share of common stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination, has been declared effective as of the date hereof (“Effective Date”) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Registration Statement); and

 

WHEREAS, the Company has entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with EF Hutton division of Benchmark Investments, LLC as the representative of the underwriters in the IPO (the “Representative”); and

 

WHEREAS, as described in the Prospectus, and in accordance with the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, an aggregate of $101,000,000 of the proceeds of the IPO ($116,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and the proceeds of a private placement of units occurring simultaneously with the closing of the purchase of the Company’s units in the IPO, plus any amounts to be deposited in connection with an Extension (as defined below), will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the Common Stock included in the Units issued in the IPO as hereinafter provided (the proceeds to be delivered to the Trustee (and any interest subsequently earned thereon) will be referred to herein as the “Property”; the stockholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property will be referred to as the “Public Stockholders,” and the Public Stockholders and the Company will be referred to together as the “Beneficiaries”); and

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, a portion of the Property equal to $3,500,000, or $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, is attributable to deferred underwriting discounts and commissions that will be payable by the Company to the underwriters upon and concurrently with the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Deferred Discount”); and

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we will have until 9 months from the closing of this offering to consummate a Business Combination (the “Initial Deadline”). However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate a Business Combination within 9 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to nine times, each by an additional one-month period (an “Extension”) for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000 (or $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.05 per share for each one-month extension, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, or up to an aggregate of $4,500,000 (or $5,175,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.45 per share if we extend for the full nine months; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property.

 

 

 

 

NOW THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED:

 

1. Agreements and Covenants of Trustee. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:

 

(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in a segregated trust account (“Trust Account”) established by the Trustee at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (or at another U.S. chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more) and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;

 

(b) Manage, supervise and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;

 

(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, invest and reinvest the Property (i) in United States government treasury bills, notes or bonds having a maturity of 185 days or less and/or (ii) in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which invest solely in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the Trustee may not invest in any other securities or assets, it being understood that the Trust Account will earn no interest while the account funds are uninvested awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder; and while account funds are invested or uninvested, the Trustee may earn bank credits or other consideration;

 

(d) Collect and receive, when due, all interest or other income arising from the Property, which shall become part of the “Property,” as such term is used herein;

 

(e) Promptly notify the Company and the Representative of all communications received by it with respect to any Property requiring action by the Company;

 

(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company in connection with the Company’s preparation of its tax returns;

 

(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as and when instructed by the Company to do so;

 

(h) Render to the Company monthly written statements of the activities of and amounts in the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;

 

(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter (“Termination Letter”), in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, as applicable, signed on behalf of the Company by its President/Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer and, in the case of a Termination Letter in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit A, complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the invested funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes1 (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein; provided, however, that in the event that a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee by the Initial Deadline plus all applicable Extensions (the “Closing,” and such date, the “Last Date”), the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B hereto and distributed to the Public Stockholders as of the Last Date;

 

(j) Upon receipt of an extension letter (“Extension Letter”) substantially similar to Exhibit C hereto at least five business days prior to the Initial Deadline, signed on behalf of the Company by an executive officer, and receipt of the dollar amount specified in the Extension Letter on or prior to the Initial Deadline, the Trustee shall follow the instructions set forth in the Extension Letter; and

 

 

1 For purposes of this subparagraph (i) the term “taxes” includes only franchise tax and income taxes, and expressly excludes any excise tax or any other fees or taxes that may be levied on the Company pursuant to any current, pending or future rules or laws, including without limitation any excise tax due under the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) of 2022 (H.R. 5376) on any redemptions or stock buybacks by the Company. Accordingly, except for franchise taxes and income taxes, the proceeds placed in the trust account and the interest earned thereon shall not be used to pay for possible excise tax or any other fees or taxes that may be levied on the Company pursuant to any current, pending or future rules or laws, including without limitation any excise tax due under the IRA on any redemptions or stock buybacks by the Company.

 

 

 

 

(k) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit D, the Trustee shall distribute to the Public Stockholders of record as of such date the amount requested by the Company to be used to redeem shares of Common Stock from Public Stockholders properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (a) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the shares of Common Stock included in the Units sold in the IPO if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within such time as is described in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation or (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity. The written request of the Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to distribute said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request.

 

2. Limited Distributions of Income from Trust Account.

 

(a) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit E, the Trustee shall distribute to the Company the amount of interest income earned on the Trust Account requested by the Company to cover any tax obligations owed by the Company.

 

(b) The limited distributions referred to in Section 2(a) above shall be made only from income collected on the Property. Except as provided in Section 2(a) above, no other distributions from the Trust Account shall be permitted except in accordance with Section 1(i) hereof.

 

(c) The Company shall provide the Representative with a copy of any Termination Letters and/or any other correspondence that it issues to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after such issuance.

 

3. Agreements and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby agrees and covenants to:

 

(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In addition, except with respect to its duties under Sections 1(i), 1(k) and 2(a) above, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it, in good faith and reasonable care, believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized above to give written instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;

 

(b) Subject to Sections 5 and 7(h) of this Agreement, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against, any and all reasonable and documented expenses, including reasonable outside counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection with any claim, potential claim, action, suit or other proceeding brought against the Trustee involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any income earned from investment of the Property, except for expenses and losses resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this paragraph, it shall notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “Indemnified Claim”). The Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim, provided, that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Trustee may not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Company may participate in such action with its own counsel;

 

 

 

 

(c) Pay the Trustee an initial acceptance fee, an annual fee and a transaction processing fee for each disbursement made pursuant to Section 2(a) as set forth on Schedule A hereto, which fees shall be subject to modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees except for disbursements made to the Company pursuant to Sections 1(i) solely in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination. The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance fee and first year’s fee at the consummation of the IPO and thereafter on the anniversary of the Effective Date. Except as set forth in this Section 3(c) and Section 3(b) hereof, the Company shall not be responsible for any other fees or charges of the Trustee;

 

(d) The provisions of this Agreement governing the release of funds from the Trust Account may only be amended if approved by the holders of at least 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon;

 

(e) In connection with any vote of the Company’s stockholders regarding a Business Combination, provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of a firm regularly engaged in the business of soliciting proxies and/or tabulating stockholder votes verifying the vote of the Company’s stockholders regarding such Business Combination;

 

(f) Provide the Representative with a copy of any Termination Letter(s) and/or any other correspondence that is sent to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after it issues the same;

 

(g) Within four (4) business days after the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option (or any unexercised portion thereof) or such over-allotment option expires, provide the Trustee with a notice in writing of the total amount of the Deferred Discount, which shall in no event be less than $3,500,000;

 

(h) Promptly following the Initial Deadline, disclose whether or not the term the Company has to consummate a Business Combination has been extended;

 

(i) Unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Representative, ensure that any Instruction Letter (as defined in Exhibit A) delivered in connection with a Termination Letter in the form of Exhibit A expressly provides that the Deferred Discount is paid directly to the account or accounts directed by the Representative on behalf of the underwriters prior to any transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account to the Company or any other person; and

 

(j) In the event that the Company directs the Trustee to commence liquidation of the Trust Account pursuant to Section 1(i), the Company agrees that it will not direct the Trustee to make any payments that are not specifically authorized by this Agreement.

 

4. Limitations of Liability. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:

 

(a) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Sections 1 and 2 hereof and the Trustee shall have no liability to any party except for liability arising out of its own gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;

 

(b) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in or defend any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until it shall have received instructions from the Company given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;

 

(c) Change the investment of any Property, other than in compliance with Section 1(c);

 

(d) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;

 

(e) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority to the Trustee;

 

 

 

 

(f) The other parties hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the exercise of its own best judgment, except for its gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee), statement, instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which is believed by the Trustee, in good faith and reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;

 

(g) Verify the correctness of the information set forth in the Registration Statement or to confirm or assure that any acquisition made by the Company or any other action taken by it is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;

 

(h) File local, state and/or federal tax returns or information returns with any taxing authority on behalf of the Trust Account and payee statements with the Company documenting the taxes, if any, payable by the Company or the Trust Account, relating to the income earned on the Property;

 

(i) Pay any taxes on behalf of the Trust Account (it being expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay any such taxes and that such taxes, if any, shall be paid by the Company from funds not held in the Trust Account or released to it under Section 2(a) hereof);

 

(j) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other than this Agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein; and

 

(k) Verify calculations, qualify or otherwise approve Company requests for distributions pursuant to Section 1(i), 1(k) or 2(a) above.

 

5. Trust Account Waiver. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including, without limitation, under Section 3(b) or Section 3(c) hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies in the Trust Account.

 

6. Termination. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:

 

(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee during which time the Trustee shall continue to act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed by the Company and has agreed to become subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate; provided, however, that, in the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days of receipt of the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be immune from any liability whatsoever;

 

(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i) hereof, and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with respect to Section 3(b); or

 

 

 

 

(c) If the IPO is not consummated within ten (10) business days of the date of this Agreement, in which case any funds received by the Trustee from the Company shall be returned promptly following the receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company.

 

7. Miscellaneous.

 

(a) The Company and the Trustee each acknowledge that the Trustee will follow the security procedures set forth below with respect to funds transferred from the Trust Account. The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information relating to such security procedures to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such information, or of any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds transfers, the Trustee will rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including account names, account numbers and all other identifying information relating to a beneficiary, beneficiary’s bank or intermediary bank. Except for any liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability or expense resulting from any error in the information or transmission of the wire.

 

(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. It may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.

 

(c) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for Section 1(i) (which may only be amended with the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock sold in the IPO), this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended or modified by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto; provided, however, that no such change, amendment or modification may be made without the prior written consent of the Representative. AS TO ANY CLAIM, CROSS-CLAIM OR COUNTERCLAIM IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, EACH PARTY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY. The Trustee may require from Company counsel an opinion as to the propriety of any proposed amendment.

 

(d) The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder.

 

(e) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or by e-mail transmission:

 

if to the Trustee, to:

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

Email: fwolf@continentalstock.com

Email: cgonzalez@continentalstock.com

 

if to the Company, to:

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA 02043

Attn: Benjamin Piggott

Email:ben505@gmail.com

 

Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Loeb & Loeb LLP
345 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10154
Attn: Mitchell S. Nussbaum, Esq. and James A. Prestiano, Esq.
Email: mnussbaum@loeb.com

            jprestiano@loeb.com

 

 

 

 

in either case with a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

 

EF Hutton division of Benchmark Investment, LLC

590 Madison Avenue, 39th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Attn: Jim Campbell

Email: JCampbell@efhuttongroup.com

 

and: 

 

Hogan Lovells US LLP

1601 Wewatta Street, Suite 900

Denver, CO 80202

Attn: David Crandall, Esq.

Email: david.crandall@hoganlovells.com

 

(f) The parties hereto consent to the delivery of notices or other communications by electronic transmission at the e-mail address set forth below the respective party’s name in Section 7(e) hereto. To the extent that any notice given by means of electronic transmission is returned or undeliverable for any reason, the foregoing consent shall be deemed to have been revoked until a new or corrected e-mail address has been provided, and such attempted electronic notice shall be ineffective and deemed to not have been given. Each party agrees to promptly notify the other parties of any change in its e-mail address, and that failure to do so shall not affect the foregoing.

 

(g) Reserved.

 

(h) Each of the Trustee and the Company hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder. The Trustee acknowledges and agrees that it shall not make any claims or proceed against the Trust Account, including by way of set-off, and shall not be entitled to any funds in the Trust Account under any circumstance.

 

(i)Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Representative is a third party beneficiary of this Agreement.

 

(j) Except as specified herein, no party to this Agreement may assign its rights or delegate its obligations hereunder to any other person or entity without the written consent of the other party.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

  CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
 

                       

  By: /s/ Francis Wolf
  Name:  Francis Wolf
  Title: Vice President
     
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
 

 

  By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott
  Title:

Chief Executive Officer

 

[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE A

 

Fee Item  Time and method of payment  Amount 
Initial acceptance fee  Initial closing of IPO by wire transfer  $3,500 
Annual fee  First year, initial closing of IPO by wire transfer; thereafter on the anniversary of the effective date of the IPO by wire transfer or check  $10,000 
Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Section 2  Deduction by Trustee from accumulated income following disbursement made to Company under Section 2  $ 250 per item 
Paying Agent services as required pursuant to sections 1(i) and 1(k)  Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to sections 1(i) and 1(k)   Market Rate 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account - Termination Letter

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzalez:

 

Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Trustee”), dated as of ________, 2022 (“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with [__________________] (“Target Business”) to consummate a business combination with Target Business (“Business Combination”) on or about [insert date]. The Company shall notify you at least 72 hours in advance of the actual date of the consummation of the Business Combination (“Consummation Date”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.

 

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate the Trust Account investments and to transfer the proceeds to the above-referenced account at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. to the effect that, on the Consummation Date, all of funds held in the Trust Account will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Company shall direct on the Consummation Date. It is acknowledged and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in the trust operating account at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. awaiting distribution, the Company will not earn any interest or dividends.

 

On the Consummation Date (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been consummated and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) a certificate of Chief Executive Officer, which verifies the vote of the Company’s stockholders in connection with the Business Combination if a vote is held and (b) joint written instructions from the Company, EF Hutton division of Benchmark, LLC (whose consent not to be unreasonably withheld) with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account (“Instruction Letter”). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the counsel’s letter and the Instruction Letter, in accordance with the terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation Date without penalty, you will notify the Company of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds should remain in the Trust Account and distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms hereof, the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.

 

In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately following the Consummation Date as set forth in the notice.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

 

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
   
  By:                            
  Name: 

Benjamin Piggott

  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

cc: EF Hutton

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account - Termination Letter

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzales:

 

Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Trustee”), dated as of ________, 2022 (“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a Business Combination with a Target Company within the time frame specified in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as described in the Company’s prospectus relating to its IPO. Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.

 

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all the Trust Account investments and to transfer the total proceeds to the trust operating account at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. to await distribution to the Public Stockholders. The Company has selected [____________, 20__] as the effective date for the purpose of determining when the Public Stockholders will be entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. It is acknowledged that no interest will be earned by the Company on the liquidation proceeds while on deposit in the trust operating account. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, to distribute said funds directly to the Public Stockholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds in the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
   
  By:                        
  Name: 

Benjamin Piggott

  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

cc: EF Hutton

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT C

 

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account - Extension Letter

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzalez

 

Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, dated as of , 2022 (“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company is extending the time available in order to consummate a Business Combination with the Target Businesses for an additional _________ months, from _______ to _________ (the “Extension”).

 

This Extension Letter shall serve as the notice required with respect to Extension prior to the Initial Deadline. Capitalized words used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Trust Agreement.

 

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to deposit $______________ if the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised in full, or in any case, $0.05 per Unit)], which will be wired to you, into the Trust Account investments upon receipt.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
   
  By:                          
  Name: 

Benjamin Piggott

  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

cc: EF Hutton

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT D

 

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account - Stockholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzalez

 

Pursuant to Section 1(k) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of , 2022 (the “Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the redeeming Public Stockholders of the Company $ of the principal and interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof into a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.

 

The Company needs such funds to pay its Public Stockholders who have properly elected to have their shares of Common Stock redeemed by the Company in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its public shares of Common Stock if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within such time as is described in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation or with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity. As such, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter into a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
   
  By:                               
  Name: 

Benjamin Piggott

  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

cc: EF Hutton

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT E

 

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account Withdrawal Instructions

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzalez:

 

Pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Trustee”), dated as of ________, 2022 (“Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company [$_______] of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. The Company needs such funds to pay for its tax obligations. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:

 

[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
   
  By:                         
  Name: 

Benjamin Piggott

  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

cc: EF Hutton

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.3

 

REGISTRATION AND STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

THIS REGISTRATION AND STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of the 8 day of September, 2022, by and among EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the undersigned parties listed under Investor on the signature page hereto (each, an “Investor” and collectively, the “Investors”).

 

WHEREAS, the Investors and the Company desire to enter into this Agreement to provide the Investors with certain rights relating to the registration of the securities held by them as of the date hereof.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. DEFINITIONS. The following capitalized terms used herein have the following meanings:

 

Adverse Disclosure” is defined in Section 3.5.

 

Agreement” means this Agreement, as amended, restated, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to time.

 

Board” means the board of directors of the Company.

 

Business Combination” means the acquisition of direct or indirect ownership through a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar type of transaction, of one or more businesses or entities.

 

Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other federal agency then administering the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

 

Common Stock” means the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company.

 

Company” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.

 

Demand Registration” is defined in Section 2.1.1.

 

Demanding Holder” is defined in Section 2.1.1.

 

EF Hutton” means EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC and its affiliates.

 

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.

 

Form S-3” is defined in Section 2.3.

 

Indemnified Party” is defined in Section 4.3.

 

Indemnifying Party” is defined in Section 4.3.

 

Initial Shares” means all of the outstanding shares of Common Stock issued prior to the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering.

 

Investor” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.

 

 
 

 

Investor Indemnified Party” is defined in Section 4.1.

 

Maximum Number of Shares” is defined in Section 2.1.4.

 

Misstatement” is defined in Section 3.1.13.

 

Notices” is defined in Section 7.4.

 

Piggy-Back Registration” is defined in Section 2.2.1.

 

Private Rights” means all of the outstanding rights issued in private offerings prior to or in connection with the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering.

 

Private Shares” means all of the outstanding shares of Common Stock issued in private offerings prior to or in connection with the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering.

 

Private Warrants” means all of the outstanding warrants issued in private offerings prior to or in connection with the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering.

 

Register,” “Registered” and “Registration” mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.

 

Registrable Securities” means (i) the Initial Shares, (ii) the Private Shares, (iii) the shares of Common Stock underlying the Private Warrants, (iv) the shares of Common Stock underlying the Private Rights and (v) any equity securities (including the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such equity security) of the Company issuable upon conversion of any working capital loans in an amount up to $5,475,000 made to the Company by an Investor. Registrable Securities include any warrants, rights, shares of capital stock or other securities of the Company issued as a dividend or other distribution with respect to or in exchange for or in replacement of such Initial Shares, Private Shares, Private Warrants and Private Rights (and underlying shares of Common Stock). As to any particular Registrable Securities, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (a) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (b) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for them not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of them shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (c) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding, or (d) the Registrable Securities are freely saleable under Rule 144 without volume limitations.

 

Registration Statement” means a registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission in compliance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder for a public offering and sale of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, equity securities (other than a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form S-8, or their successors, or any registration statement covering only securities proposed to be issued in exchange for securities or assets of another entity).

 

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.

 

Underwriter” means a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an underwritten offering and not as part of such dealer’s market-making activities.

 

Units” means the units of the Company, each comprised of one share of Common Stock, one warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock and one right entitling the holder to receive 1/8 of one share of Common Stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination.

 

 
 

 

2. REGISTRATION RIGHTS.

 

2.1 Demand Registration.

 

2.1.1 Request for Registration. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and subsection 3.1.1 hereof, at any time and from time to time on or after the date the Company consummates the Business Combination , but prior to the five-year anniversary of the effective date of the Company’s Form S-1 Registration Statement (File No. 333-264314) (the “Effective Date”), (a) the holders of a majority of the Warrants, (b) the holders of a majority of the Rights and (c) the holders of a majority-in-interest of the Initial Shares and Private Shares, may make a written demand for registration under the Securities Act of all or part of the Private Warrants, Private Rights or other Registrable Securities, as the case may be (a “Demand Registration”). Any Demand Registration shall specify the number of Registrable Securities proposed to be sold and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. The Company will notify all holders of Registrable Securities of the demand, and each holder of Registrable Securities who wishes to include all or a portion of such holder’s Registrable Securities in the Demand Registration (each such holder including shares of Registrable Securities in such registration, a “Demanding Holder”) shall so notify the Company within fifteen (15) days after the receipt by the holder of the notice from the Company. Upon any such request, the Demanding Holders shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in the Demand Registration, subject to Section 2.1.4 and the provisos set forth in Section 3.1.1. The Company shall not be obligated to effect more than three (3) Demand Registrations under this Section 2.1.1 in respect of all Registrable Securities.

 

2.1.2 Effective Registration. A registration will not count as a Demand Registration until the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Demand Registration has been declared effective by the Commission and the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; provided, however, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, the offering of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Demand Registration is interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission or any other governmental agency or court, the Registration Statement with respect to such Demand Registration will be deemed not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated, and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders thereafter elect to continue the offering; provided, further, that the Company shall not be obligated to file a second Registration Statement until a Registration Statement that has been filed is counted as a Demand Registration or is terminated.

 

2.1.3 Underwritten Offering. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and subsection 3.1.1 hereof, if a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so elect and such holders so advise the Company as part of their written demand for a Demand Registration, the offering of such Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an underwritten offering. In such event, the right of any holder to include its Registrable Securities in such registration shall be conditioned upon such holder’s participation in such underwriting and the inclusion of such holder’s Registrable Securities in the underwriting to the extent provided herein. All Demanding Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through such underwritten offering shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter or Underwriters selected for such underwriting by a majority-in-interest of the holders initiating the Demand Registration.

 

2.1.4 Reduction of Underwritten Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an underwritten offering pursuant to a Demand Registration advises the Company and the Demanding Holders in writing that the dollar amount or number of shares of Registrable Securities which the Demanding Holders desire to sell, taken together with all other shares of Common Stock or other securities which the Company desires to sell and the shares of Common Stock, if any, as to which a registration has been requested pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by other stockholders of the Company who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of shares that can be sold in such underwritten offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of shares, as applicable, the “Maximum Number of Shares”), then the Company shall include in such registration: (i) first, the Registrable Securities as to which Demand Registration has been requested by the Demanding Holders (pro rata in accordance with the number of shares that each such Demanding Holder has requested be included in such registration, regardless of the number of shares held by each such Demanding Holder (such proportion is referred to herein as “Pro Rata”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the shares of Common Stock or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares.

 

 
 

 

2.1.5 Demand Registration Withdrawal. If a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders disapprove of the terms of any underwritten offering or are not entitled to include all of their Registrable Securities in any underwritten offering, such majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders may elect to withdraw from such offering by giving written notice to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters of their request to withdraw prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Demand Registration. If the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders withdraws from a proposed underwritten offering relating to a Demand Registration, then such registration shall not count as a Demand Registration provided for in Section 2.1.

 

2.2 Piggy-Back Registration.

 

2.2.1 Piggy-Back Rights. If at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, equity securities, by the Company for its own account or for the account of stockholders of the Company (or by the Company and by stockholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 2.1), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed in connection with any employee stock option or other benefit plan, (ii) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing stockholders, (iii) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall (x) give written notice of such proposed filing to the holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but in no event less than ten (10) days before the anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement, which notice shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, of the offering, and (y) offer to the holders of Registrable Securities in such notice the opportunity to register the sale of such number of shares of Registrable Securities as such holders may request in writing within five (5) days following receipt of such notice (a “Piggy-Back Registration”). Subject to Section 2.2.2, the Company shall cause such Registrable Securities to be included in such registration and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed underwritten offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested to be included in a Piggy-Back Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All holders of Registrable Securities proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through a Piggy-Back Registration that involves an Underwriter or Underwriters shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter or Underwriters selected for such Piggy-Back Registration. Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in the immediately preceding sentences, the right to a Piggy-Back Registration set forth under this Section 2.2.1 with respect to the Registrable Securities shall terminate on the seventh anniversary of the Effective Date.

 

2.2.2 Reduction of Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters for a Piggy-Back Registration that is to be an underwritten offering advises the Company and the holders of Registrable Securities in writing that the dollar amount or number of shares of Common Stock which the Company desires to sell, taken together with the shares of Common Stock, if any, as to which registration has been demanded pursuant to written contractual arrangements with persons other than the holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested under this Section 2.2, and the shares of Common Stock, if any, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other stockholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Shares, then the Company shall include in any such registration:

 

(a) If the registration is undertaken for the Company’s account: (A) first, the shares of Common Stock or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the shares of Common Stock or other securities, if any, comprised of Registrable Securities, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the applicable written contractual piggy-back registration rights of such security holders, Pro Rata, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares;

 

 
 

 

(b) If the registration is a “demand” registration undertaken at the demand of persons other than either the holders of Registrable Securities, (A) first, the shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of the demanding persons that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the shares of Common Stock or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), collectively the shares of Common Stock or other securities comprised of Registrable Securities, Pro Rata, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the terms hereof, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and (D) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A), (B) and (C), the shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual arrangements with such persons, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares.

 

2.2.3 Piggy-Back Registration Withdrawal. Any holder of Registrable Securities may elect to withdraw such holder’s request for inclusion of Registrable Securities in any Piggy-Back Registration by giving written notice to the Company of such request to withdraw prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. The Company (whether on its own determination or as the result of a withdrawal by persons making a demand pursuant to written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding any such withdrawal, the Company shall pay all expenses incurred by the holders of Registrable Securities in connection with such Piggy-Back Registration as provided in Section 3.3.

 

2.3 Registrations on Form S-3. The holders of Registrable Securities may at any time and from time to time, request in writing that the Company register the resale of any or all of such Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short-form registration which may be available at such time (“Form S-3”); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect such request through an underwritten offering. Upon receipt of such written request, the Company will promptly give written notice of the proposed registration to all other holders of Registrable Securities, and, as soon as practicable thereafter, effect the registration of all or such portion of such holder’s or holders’ Registrable Securities as are specified in such request, together with all or such portion of the Registrable Securities or other securities of the Company, if any, of any other holder or holders joining in such request as are specified in a written request given within fifteen (15) days after receipt of such written notice from the Company; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect any such registration pursuant to this Section 2.3: (i) if Form S-3 is not available for such offering; or (ii) if the holders of the Registrable Securities, together with the holders of any other securities of the Company entitled to inclusion in such registration, propose to sell Registrable Securities and such other securities (if any) at any aggregate price to the public of less than $1,000,000.

 

 
 

 

3. REGISTRATION PROCEDURES.

 

3.1 Filings; Information. Whenever the Company is required to effect the registration of any Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 2, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to effect the registration and sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof as expeditiously as practicable, and in connection with any such request:

  

3.1.1 Filing Registration Statement. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to, as expeditiously as possible after receipt of a request for a Demand Registration pursuant to Section 2.1, prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement on any form for which the Company then qualifies or which counsel for the Company shall deem appropriate and which form shall be available for the sale of all Registrable Securities to be registered thereunder in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and use its reasonable best efforts to keep it effective for the period required by Section 3.1.3; provided, however, that the Company shall have the right to defer any Demand Registration for up to thirty (30) days, and any Piggy-Back Registration for such period as may be applicable to deferment of any demand registration to which such Piggy-Back Registration relates, in each case if the Company shall furnish to the holders a certificate signed by the President or Chairman of the Company stating that, in the good faith judgment of the Board, it would be materially detrimental to the Company and its stockholders for such Registration Statement to be effected at such time; provided further, however, that the Company shall not have the right to exercise the right set forth in the immediately preceding proviso more than once in any 365-day period in respect of a Demand Registration hereunder.

 

3.1.2 Copies. The Company shall, prior to filing a Registration Statement or prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such registration, and such holders’ legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, except for such exhibits and documents available on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”)), the prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary prospectus), and such other documents as the holders of Registrable Securities included in such registration or legal counsel for any such holders may request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such holders.

 

3.1.3 Amendments and Supplements. The Company shall prepare and file with the Commission such amendments, including post-effective amendments, and supplements to such Registration Statement and the prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep such Registration Statement effective and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until all Registrable Securities and other securities covered by such Registration Statement have been disposed of in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or such securities have been withdrawn.

 

3.1.4 Notification. After the filing of a Registration Statement, the Company shall promptly, and in no event more than two (2) business days after such filing, notify the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement of such filing, and shall further notify such holders promptly and confirm such advice in writing in all events within two (2) business days of the occurrence of any of the following: (i) when such Registration Statement becomes effective; (ii) when any post-effective amendment to such Registration Statement becomes effective; (iii) the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order (and the Company shall take all actions required to prevent the entry of such stop order or to remove it if entered); and (iv) any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or any prospectus relating thereto or for additional information or of the occurrence of an event requiring the preparation of a supplement or amendment to such prospectus so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of the securities covered by such Registration Statement, such prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and promptly make available to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement any such supplement or amendment; except that before filing with the Commission a Registration Statement or prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, including documents incorporated by reference, the Company shall furnish to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement and to the legal counsel for any such holders, copies of all such documents proposed to be filed sufficiently in advance of filing to provide such holders and legal counsel with a reasonable opportunity to review such documents and comment thereon, and the Company shall not file any Registration Statement or prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto, including documents incorporated by reference, to which such holders or their legal counsel shall object.

 

 
 

 

3.1.5 State Securities Laws Compliance. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may request and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable to enable the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this paragraph or subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction.

 

3.1.6 Agreements for Disposition. The Company shall enter into customary agreements (including, if applicable, an underwriting agreement in customary form) and take such other actions as are reasonably required in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities. The representations, warranties and covenants of the Company in any underwriting agreement which are made to or for the benefit of any Underwriters, to the extent applicable, shall also be made to and for the benefit of the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement. No holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement shall be required to make any representations or warranties in the underwriting agreement except, if applicable, with respect to such holder’s organization, good standing, authority, title to Registrable Securities, lack of conflict of such sale with such holder’s material agreements and organizational documents, and with respect to written information relating to such holder that such holder has furnished in writing expressly for inclusion in such Registration Statement.

 

3.1.7 Cooperation. The principal executive officer of the Company, the principal financial officer of the Company, the principal accounting officer of the Company and all other officers and members of the management of the Company shall cooperate in all reasonable respects in any offering of Registrable Securities hereunder, which cooperation shall include, without limitation, the preparation of the Registration Statement with respect to such offering and all other offering materials and related documents, and participation in meetings with Underwriters, attorneys, accountants and potential investors.

 

3.1.8 Records. The Company shall make available for inspection by the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, any Underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to such Registration Statement and any attorney, accountant or other professional retained by any holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement or any Underwriter, all financial and other records, pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company, as shall be necessary to enable them to exercise their due diligence responsibility, and cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any of them in connection with such Registration Statement.

 

3.1.9 Opinions and Comfort Letters. The Company shall furnish to each holder of Registrable Securities included in any Registration Statement a signed counterpart, addressed to such holder, of (i) any opinion of counsel to the Company delivered to any Underwriter and (ii) any comfort letter from the Company’s independent public accountants delivered to any Underwriter. In the event no legal opinion is delivered to any Underwriter, the Company shall furnish to each holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, at any time that such holder elects to use a prospectus, an opinion of counsel to the Company to the effect that the Registration Statement containing such prospectus has been declared effective and that no stop order is in effect.

 

3.1.10 Earnings Statement. The Company shall comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission and the Securities Act, and make available to its stockholders, as soon as practicable, an earnings statement covering a period of twelve (12) months, which earnings statement shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder.

 

3.1.11 Listing. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause all Registrable Securities included in any registration to be listed on such exchanges or otherwise designated for trading in the same manner as similar securities issued by the Company are then listed or designated or, if no such similar securities are then listed or designated, in a manner satisfactory to the holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities included in such registration.

 

 
 

 

3.1.12 Transfer Agent. The Company shall provide a transfer agent, warrant agent or rights agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of the Registration Statement.

 

3.1.13 Misstatements. The Company shall notify the holders at any time when a prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a Registration Statement or prospectus, or necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading (a “Misstatement”), and then to correct such Misstatement.

 

3.1.14 Road Show. If the registration involves the registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $10,000,000, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show” presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any underwritten offering.

 

3.2 Obligation to Suspend Distribution. Upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3.1.4(iv), or, in the case of a resale registration on Form S-3 pursuant to Section 2.3 hereof, upon any suspension by the Company, pursuant to a written insider trading compliance program adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors, of the ability of all “insiders” covered by such program to transact in the Company’s securities because of the existence of material non-public information, each holder of Registrable Securities included in any registration shall immediately discontinue disposition of such Registrable Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement covering such Registrable Securities until such holder receives the supplemented or amended prospectus contemplated by Section 3.1.4(iv) or the restriction on the ability of “insiders” to transact in the Company’s securities is removed, as applicable, and, if so directed by the Company, each such holder will deliver to the Company all copies, other than permanent file copies then in such holder’s possession, of the most recent prospectus covering such Registrable Securities at the time of receipt of such notice.

 

3.3 Registration Expenses. The Company shall bear all costs and expenses incurred in connection with any Demand Registration pursuant to Section 2.1, any Piggy-Back Registration pursuant to Section 2.2, and any registration on Form S-3 effected pursuant to Section 2.3, and all expenses incurred in performing or complying with its other obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the Registration Statement becomes effective, including, without limitation: (i) all registration and filing fees and fees of any securities exchange on which the Common Stock is then listed; (ii) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or “blue sky” laws (including fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of the Registrable Securities); (iii) printing expenses; (iv) the Company’s internal expenses (including, without limitation, all salaries and expenses of its officers and employees); (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Registrable Securities as required by Section 3.1.10; (vi) Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fees; (vii) fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and fees and expenses for independent certified public accountants retained by the Company; (viii) the reasonable fees and expenses of any special experts retained by the Company in connection with such registration and (ix) the reasonable fees and expenses (not to exceed $30,000) of one legal counsel selected by the holders of a majority-in-interest of the Registrable Securities included in such registration. The Company shall have no obligation to pay any underwriting discounts or selling commissions attributable to the Registrable Securities being sold by the holders thereof, which underwriting discounts or selling commissions shall be borne by such holders. Additionally, in an underwritten offering, all selling stockholders and the Company shall bear the expenses of the Underwriter pro rata in proportion to the respective amount of shares each is selling in such offering.

 

3.4 Information. The holders of Registrable Securities shall provide such information as may reasonably be requested by the Company, or the managing Underwriter, if any, in connection with the preparation of any Registration Statement, including amendments and supplements thereto, in order to effect the registration of any Registrable Securities under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 2 and in connection with the Company’s obligation to comply with federal and applicable state securities laws.

 

 
 

 

3.5 Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a Registration Statement or prospectus contains a Misstatement, each of the holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until it has received copies of a supplemented or amended prospectus correcting the Misstatement (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice), or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any registration at any time would require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure (as defined below) or would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the shortest period of time, but in no event more than thirty (30) days, determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the prospectus relating to any registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall immediately notify the holders of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this Section 3.5. “Adverse Disclosure” shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of the Chief Executive Officer or principal financial officer of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company, (i) would be required to be made in any Registration Statement or prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or prospectus not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed, and (iii) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.

 

3.6 Reporting Obligations. As long as any holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company, at all times while it shall be reporting under the Exchange Act, covenants to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the holders with true and complete copies of all such filings. The Company further covenants that it shall take such further action as any holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such holder to sell Common Stock held by such holder without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, including providing any legal opinions. Upon the request of any holder, the Company shall deliver to such holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements.

 

3.7 Limitations on Registration Rights. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i) EF Hutton may not exercise its rights under Section 2.1 and 2.2 hereunder after five (5) and seven (7) years, respectively, after the effective date of the Registration Statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering, respectively, and (ii) EF Hutton may not exercise its rights under Section 2.1 with respect to its Private Warrants more than one time.

 

4. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION.

 

4.1 Indemnification by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Investor and each other holder of Registrable Securities, and each of their respective officers, employees, affiliates, directors, partners, members, attorneys and agents, and each person, if any, who controls an Investor and each other holder of Registrable Securities (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) (each, an “Investor Indemnified Party”), from and against any expenses, losses, judgments, claims, damages or liabilities, whether joint or several, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement (or allegedly untrue statement) of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement under which the sale of such Registrable Securities was registered under the Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or summary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement, or arising out of or based upon any omission (or alleged omission) to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or any violation by the Company of the Securities Act or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company and relating to action or inaction required of the Company in connection with any such registration; and the Company shall promptly reimburse the Investor Indemnified Party for any legal and any other expenses reasonably incurred by such Investor Indemnified Party in connection with investigating and defending any such expense, loss, judgment, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such expense, loss, judgment, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or allegedly untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in such Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus, or summary prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company, in writing, by such selling holder expressly for use therein. The Company also shall indemnify any Underwriter of the Registrable Securities, their officers, affiliates, directors, partners, members and agents and each person who controls such Underwriter on substantially the same basis as that of the indemnification provided above in this Section 4.1.

 

 
 

 

4.2 Indemnification by Holders of Registrable Securities. Each selling holder of Registrable Securities will, in the event that any registration is being effected under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement of any Registrable Securities held by such selling holder, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors and officers and each Underwriter (if any), and each other selling holder and each other person, if any, who controls the Company, another selling holder or such Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act, against any losses, claims, judgments, damages or liabilities, whether joint or several, insofar as such losses, claims, judgments, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or allegedly untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement under which the sale of such Registrable Securities was registered under the Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or summary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, or arise out of or are based upon any omission or the alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statement therein not misleading, if the statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by such selling holder expressly for use therein, and shall reimburse the Company, its directors and officers, each Underwriter (if any) and each other selling holder or controlling person for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by any of them in connection with investigation or defending any such loss, claim, judgment, damage, liability or action. Each selling holder’s indemnification obligations hereunder shall be several and not joint and shall be limited to the amount of any net proceeds actually received by such selling holder.

 

4.3 Conduct of Indemnification Proceedings. Promptly after receipt by any person of any notice of any loss, claim, damage or liability or any action in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 4.1 or 4.2, such person (the “Indemnified Party”) shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against any other person for indemnification hereunder, notify such other person (the “Indemnifying Party”) in writing of the loss, claim, judgment, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the failure by the Indemnified Party to notify the Indemnifying Party shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party from any liability which the Indemnifying Party may have to such Indemnified Party hereunder, except and solely to the extent the Indemnifying Party is actually prejudiced by such failure. If the Indemnified Party is seeking indemnification with respect to any claim or action brought against the Indemnified Party, then the Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to participate in such claim or action, and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with all other Indemnifying Parties, to assume control of the defense thereof with counsel satisfactory to the Indemnified Party. After notice from the Indemnifying Party to the Indemnified Party of its election to assume control of the defense of such claim or action, the Indemnifying Party shall not be liable to the Indemnified Party for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnified Party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that in any action in which both the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party are named as defendants, the Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (but no more than one such separate counsel) to represent the Indemnified Party and its controlling persons who may be subject to liability arising out of any claim in respect of which indemnity may be sought by the Indemnified Party against the Indemnifying Party, with the fees and expenses (subject to the proviso at the end of this sentence) of such counsel to be paid by such Indemnifying Party if, based upon the written opinion of counsel of such Indemnified Party, representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them; provided, however, that the Indemnifying Party shall only be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of one such separate counsel for all Indemnified Parties in such circumstances. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, consent to entry of judgment or effect any settlement of any claim or pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which the Indemnified Party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Party, unless such judgment or settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability arising out of such claim or proceeding. In addition, no Indemnified Party, in any action or pending or threatened proceeding, or based on any claim, in which it may seek indemnification hereunder from any Indemnifying Party, shall consent to entry of judgment or effect any settlement of any such action, claim or proceeding without such Indemnifying Party’s prior written consent.

 

 
 

 

4.4 Contribution.

 

4.4.1 If the indemnification provided for in the foregoing Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 is unavailable to any Indemnified Party in respect of any loss, claim, damage, liability or action referred to herein with respect to which such Indemnified Party would otherwise be entitled to such indemnification, then each such Indemnifying Party, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party as a result of such loss, claim, damage, liability or action in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnified Parties and the Indemnifying Parties in connection with the actions or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, liability or action, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of any Indemnified Party and any Indemnifying Party 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 such Indemnified Party or such Indemnifying Party and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

4.4.2 The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 4.4 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding Section 4.4.1.

 

4.4.3 The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Party as a result of any loss, claim, damage, liability or action referred to in the second preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 4.4, no holder of Registrable Securities shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the dollar amount of the net proceeds (after payment of any underwriting fees, discounts, commissions or taxes) actually received by such holder from the sale of Registrable Securities which gave rise to such contribution obligation. 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.

 

4.5 Survival. The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Indemnified Party or any officer, director or controlling person of such Indemnified Party and shall survive the transfer of securities.

 

5. [Reserved]

 

6. RULE 144.

 

6.1 Rule 144. The Company covenants that it shall file any reports required to be filed by it under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and shall take such further action as the holders of Registrable Securities may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such holders to sell Registrable Securities without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 under the Securities Act, as such Rules may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission.

 

 
 

 

7. MISCELLANEOUS.

 

7.1 Other Registration Rights. The Company represents and warrants that, except as disclosed in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-264314), no person, other than the holders of the Registrable Securities, has any right to require the Company to register any shares of the Company’s capital stock for sale or to include shares of the Company’s capital stock in any registration filed by the Company for the sale of shares of capital stock for its own account or for the account of any other person. Further, the Company represents and warrants that this Agreement supersedes any other registration rights agreement or agreement with similar terms and conditions and in the event of a conflict between any such agreement or agreements and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.

 

7.2 Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company in whole or in part without the consent of the holders of a majority of Registrable Securities. This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the holders of Registrable Securities hereunder may be freely assigned or delegated by such holder of Registrable Securities in conjunction with and to the extent of any transfer of Registrable Securities by any such holder. This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties and to the permitted assigns of the Company and the holders of Registrable Securities. This Agreement is not intended to confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not party hereto other than as expressly set forth in Article 4 and this Section 7.2.

 

7.3 Notices. All notices, demands, requests, consents, approvals or other communications (collectively, “Notices”) required or permitted to be given hereunder or which are given with respect to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be personally served, delivered by reputable air courier service with charges prepaid, or transmitted by hand delivery or electronic transmission, addressed as set forth below, or to such other address as such party shall have specified most recently by written notice. Notice shall be deemed given on the date of service or transmission if personally served or transmitted electronically by e-mail; provided, that if such service or transmission is not on a business day or is after normal business hours, then such notice shall be deemed given on the next business day. Notice otherwise sent as provided herein shall be deemed given on the next business day following timely delivery of such notice to a reputable air courier service with an order for next-day delivery. The parties hereto consent to the delivery of notices or other communications by electronic transmission at the e-mail address set forth below the respective party’s name in Section 7.3 hereto. To the extent that any notice given by means of electronic transmission is returned or undeliverable for any reason, the foregoing consent shall be deemed to have been revoked until a new or corrected e-mail address has been provided, and such attempted electronic notice shall be ineffective and deemed to not have been given. Each party agrees to promptly notify the other parties of any change in its e-mail address, and that failure to do so shall not affect the foregoing. The parties may change the persons and addresses to which the notices or other communications are to be sent by giving written notice to any such change in the manner provided herein for giving notice.

 

To the Company:

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA 02043

Attn: Benjamin Piggott

Email: ben505@gmail.com

 

Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

Loeb & Loeb LLP

345 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10154

Attn: Mitchell S. Nussbaum, Esq. and James A. Prestiano, Esq.

Email:mnussbaum@loeb.com

jprestiano@loeb.com

 

To an Investor, to the address set forth below such Investor’s name on Exhibit A hereto.

 

 
 

 

7.4 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible that is valid and enforceable.

 

7.5 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

7.6 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including all agreements entered into pursuant hereto and all certificates and instruments delivered pursuant hereto and thereto) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements, representations, understandings, negotiations and discussions between the parties, whether oral or written.

 

7.7 Term. This Agreement shall terminate on the seven-year anniversary of the date hereof.

 

7.8 Titles and Headings; Amendments. Titles and headings of sections of this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of any provision of this Agreement. No amendment, modification or termination of this Agreement shall be binding upon the holders of Registrable Securities unless executed in writing by the holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities. Any amendment, modification or termination of this Agreement approved in writing by the holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities shall be binding upon all holders of Registrable Securities and their permitted assignees.

 

7.9 Waivers and Extensions. Any party to this Agreement may waive any right, breach or default which such party has the right to waive, provided that such waiver will not be effective against the waiving party unless it is in writing, is signed by such party, and specifically refers to this Agreement. Waivers may be made in advance or after the right waived has arisen or the breach or default waived has occurred. Any waiver may be conditional. No waiver of any breach of any agreement or provision herein contained shall be deemed a waiver of any preceding or succeeding breach thereof nor of any other agreement or provision herein contained. No waiver or extension of time for performance of any obligations or acts shall be deemed a waiver or extension of the time for performance of any other obligations or acts.

 

7.10 Remedies Cumulative. In the event that the Company fails to observe or perform any covenant or agreement to be observed or performed under this Agreement, any Investor or any other holder of Registrable Securities may proceed to protect and enforce its rights by suit in equity or action at law, whether for specific performance of any term contained in this Agreement or for an injunction against the breach of any such term or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Agreement or to enforce any other legal or equitable right, or to take any one or more of such actions, without being required to post a bond. None of the rights, powers or remedies conferred under this Agreement shall be mutually exclusive, and each such right, power or remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to any other right, power or remedy, whether conferred by this Agreement or now or hereafter available at law, in equity, by statute or otherwise.

 

7.11 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, interpreted under, and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed within the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice-of-law provisions thereof that would compel the application of the substantive laws of any other jurisdiction. The Company irrevocably submits to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that they may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

 

7.12 Waiver of Trial by Jury. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, COUNTERCLAIM OR OTHER PROCEEDING (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, OR THE ACTIONS OF ANY INVESTOR IN THE NEGOTIATION, ADMINISTRATION, PERFORMANCE OR ENFORCEMENT HEREOF.

 

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

 
 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Registration and Stockholder Rights Agreement to be executed and delivered by their duly authorized representatives as of the date first written above.

 

  COMPANY:
                                  
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
     
  By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
     
  INVESTORS:
     
  EF HUTTON PARTNERS, LLC
     
  By: /s/ Joseph Rallo
  Name: Joseph Rallo
  Title: Manager
     
  SHR VENTURES, LLC
     
  By: /s/ Jay Creutz
  Name: Jay Creutz
  Title: Manager
     
  THOMAS WOOD
     
  By: /s/ Thomas Wood
  Name: Thomas Wood
     
  STANLEY HUTTON RUMBOUGH
     
  By: /s/ Stanley Hutton Rumbough
  Name: Stanley Hutton Rumbough
     
  PAUL HODGE, JR.
     
  By: /s/ Paul Hodge
  Name: Paul Hodge, Jr.
     
  ANNE LEE
     
  By: /s/ Anne Lee
  Name: Anne Lee
     
  KEVIN M. BUSH
     
  By: /s/ Kevin M. Bush
  Name:  Kevin M. Bush

 

[Signature Page to Registration and Stockholder Rights Agreement]

 

 
 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Name of Investors   Address
EF Hutton Partners, LLC   c/o 24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102, Hingham, MA 02043
Kevin M. Bush   c/o 24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102, Hingham, MA 02043
Paul Hodge, Jr.   c/o 24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102, Hingham, MA 02043
Thomas Wood   c/o 24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102, Hingham, MA 02043
Anne Lee   c/o 24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102, Hingham, MA 02043
Stanley Hutton Rumbough   c/o SHR Ventures, LLC, 370 Lexington Avenue, Suite 505, New York, NY 10017
SHR Ventures, LLC   370 Lexington Avenue, Suite 505, New York, NY 10017

 

A-1 

 

 

Exhibit 10.4

 

PRIVATE PLACEMENT UNITS PURCHASE AGREEMENT

 

THIS PRIVATE PLACEMENT UNITS PURCHASE AGREEMENT, dated as of September 8, 2022, as it may from time to time be amended, this “Agreement”), is entered into by and among EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and, [see Exhibit A]., a resident of _____________ (“Purchaser”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company intends to consummate an initial public offering of the Company’s units (the “Public Offering”), each unit consisting of one share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (a “Share”), one redeemable warrant, each warrant exercisable for one Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Share, and one right to receive 1/8 of one Share upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination as set forth in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 related to the Public Offering (the “Registration Statement”); and

 

WHEREAS, the Purchaser has agreed to purchase, at a price of $10.00 per unit, an aggregate of 10,000 units (the “Private Placement Units”), each Private Placement Unit consisting of one Share (a “Private Placement Share”), one Warrant (a “Private Placement Warrant”), each Private Placement Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Share and one right (a “Private Placement Right”) to receive 1/8 of one Share upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination.

 

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises contained in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties to this Agreement hereby, intending legally to be bound, agree as follows:

 

AGREEMENT

 

Section 1. Authorization, Purchase and Sale; Terms of the Private Placement Units.

 

A. Authorization of the Private Placement Units. The Company has duly authorized the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units, including the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Private Placement Rights included in the Private Placement Units, and, subject to (i) proper exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and against payment therefor, the Shares underlying such Private Placement Warrants, to the Purchaser and (ii) issuance of the Shares underlying the Private Placement Rights upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination.

 

B. Purchase and Sale of the Private Placement Units.

 

(i) As payment in full for the 10,000 Private Placement Units being purchased under this Agreement, Purchaser shall pay $100,000, by means of wire transfer in immediately available funds, to the trust account at a financial institution to be chosen by the Company, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee (the “Trust Account”), at least one (1) business day prior to the date of effectiveness of the Registration Statement.

 

(ii) The closing of the purchase and sale of the Private Placement Units shall take place simultaneously with the closing of the Public Offering (the “Closing Date”).

 

C. Terms of the Private Placement Securities.

 

(i) The Private Placement Warrants shall have their terms set forth in a Warrant Agreement to be entered into by the Company and a warrant agent, in connection with the Public Offering (a “Warrant Agreement”).

 

 

 

 

(ii) The Private Placement Rights shall have their terms set forth in a Rights Agreement to be entered into by the Company and a rights agent, in connection with the Public Offering (a “Rights Agreement”).

 

(iii) At or prior to the time of the Closing Date, the Company and the Purchaser shall enter into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company will grant certain registration rights to the Purchaser relating to the Private Placement Units, including the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Private Placement Rights included in the Private Placement Units, the Shares underlying the Private Placement Warrants and the Shares underlying the Private Placement Rights.

 

Section 2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. As a material inducement to the Purchaser to enter into this Agreement and purchase the Private Placement Units, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Purchaser (which representations and warranties shall survive the Closing Date) that:

 

A. Organization and Corporate Power. The Company is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the failure to so qualify would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating results or assets of the Company. The Company possesses all requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and the Rights Agreement.

 

B. Authorization; No Breach.

 

(i) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Private Placement Units, including the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Private Placement Rights included in the Private Placement Units, and, subject to (i) proper exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and against payment therefor, and (ii) issuance of the Shares underlying the Private Placement Rights upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination, the Shares underlying such Private Placement Warrants and the Private Placement Rights, have been duly authorized by the Company. This Agreement constitutes the valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law). Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms of the Warrant Agreement and the Rights Agreement (as applicable) and this Agreement, the Private Placement Units, including the Private Placement Warrants and the Private Placement Rights included in the Private Placement Units, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms as of the Closing Date.

 

(ii) The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the Private Placement Units, the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units, the issuance of the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants included in the Private Placement Units, the Private Placement Rights included in the Private Placement Units and the Shares upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and the issuance of the Shares underlying the Private Placement Rights upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination and the fulfillment of, and compliance with, the respective terms hereof and thereof by the Company, do not and will not as of the Closing Date (a) conflict with or result in a breach of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the Company’s capital stock or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws of the Company (in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to completion of the contemplated Public Offering), or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.

 

 

 

 

C. Title to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Warrant Agreement and the Rights Agreement (as applicable), the Private Placement Shares included in the Private Placement Units, the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and the Shares issuable pursuant to the Private Placement Rights will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. On the date of issuance of the Private Placement Units, the Private Placement Shares, the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and the Shares issuable pursuant to the Private Placement Rights shall have been reserved for issuance. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Warrant Agreement and the Rights Agreement (as applicable), the Purchaser will have good title to the Private Placement Units, including the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants included in the Private Placement Units and the Private Placement Rights included in the Private Placement Units, and the Shares issuable upon exercise of such Private Placement Warrants and the Shares issuable pursuant to the Private Placement Rights, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (i) transfer restrictions hereunder and under the other agreements contemplated hereby, (ii) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws, and (iii) liens, claims or encumbrances imposed due to the actions of the Purchaser.

 

D. Governmental Consents. No permit, consent, approval or authorization of, or declaration to or filing with, any governmental authority is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement or the consummation by the Company of any other transactions contemplated hereby.

 

Section 3. Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser. As a material inducement to the Company to enter into this Agreement and issue and sell the Private Placement Units to the Purchaser, the Purchaser hereby represents and warrants to the Company (which representations and warranties shall survive the Closing Date) that:

 

A. Organization and Requisite Authority. The Purchaser possesses all requisite power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

B. Authorization; No Breach.

 

(i) This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation upon the Purchaser, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law).

 

(ii) The execution and delivery by the Purchaser of this Agreement and the fulfillment of and compliance with the terms hereof by the Purchaser do not and shall not as of each Closing Date (a) conflict with or result in a breach by the Purchaser of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the Purchaser’s equity or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the Purchaser’s organizational documents in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to completion of the contemplated Public Offering, or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Purchaser is subject, or any agreement, instrument, order, judgment or decree to which the Purchaser is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.

 

C. Investment Representations.

 

(i) The Purchaser is acquiring the Private Placement Units, including the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Private Placement Rights included in the Private Placement Units, and, upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, the Shares issuable upon such exercise and the Shares issuable pursuant to the Private Placement Rights (collectively, the “Securities”) for its own account, for investment purposes only and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof.

 

(ii) The Purchaser is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Purchaser has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act.

 

(iii) The Purchaser understands that the Securities are being offered and will be sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Purchaser’s compliance with, the representations and warranties of the Purchaser set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Purchaser to acquire such Securities.

 

 

 

 

(iv) The Purchaser did not enter into this Agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) under the Securities Act.

 

(v) The Purchaser has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities which have been requested by the Purchaser. The Purchaser has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the executive officers and directors of the Company. The Purchaser understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk and it has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the acquisition of the Securities.

 

(vi) The Purchaser understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities by the Purchaser nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities.

 

(vii) The Purchaser understands that: (a) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (1) subsequently registered thereunder or (2) sold in reliance on an exemption therefrom; and (b) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. While the Purchaser understands that Rule 144 under the Securities Act is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company, the Purchaser understands that Rule 144 includes an exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met: (i) the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; (ii) the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); (iii) the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and (iv) at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

 

(viii) The Purchaser has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, knowledge of the high degree of risk associated with investments in the securities of companies in the development stage such as the Company, is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Securities and is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities in the amount contemplated hereunder for an indefinite period of time. The Purchaser has adequate means of providing for its current financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized by the investment in the Securities. The Purchasers can afford a complete loss of its investment in the Securities.

 

Section 4. Conditions of the Purchaser’s Obligations. The obligations of the Purchaser to purchase and pay for the Private Placement Units are subject to the fulfillment, on or before the Closing Date, of each of the following conditions:

 

A. Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 2 shall be true and correct at and as of the Closing Date as though then made.

 

B. Performance. The Company shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by it on or before the Closing Date.

 

C. No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement or the Rights Agreement.

 

 

 

 

D. Warrant Agreement, Rights Agreement and Registration Rights Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Warrant Agreement with a warrant agent, the Rights Agreement with the rights agent and the Registration Rights Agreement, each on terms satisfactory to the Purchaser.

 

E. Corporate Consents. The Company shall have obtained the consent of its Board of Directors authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and the Rights Agreement and the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units hereunder.

 

Section 5. Conditions of the Company’s Obligations. The obligations of the Company to the Purchaser under this Agreement are subject to the fulfillment, on or before the Closing Date, of each of the following conditions:

 

A. Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Purchaser contained in Section 3 shall be true and correct at and as of the Closing Date as though then made.

 

B. Performance. The Purchaser shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by the Purchaser on or before the Closing Date.

 

C. No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement or the Rights Agreement.

 

D. Warrant Agreement, Rights Agreement and Registration Rights Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Warrant Agreement, the Rights Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

E. Corporate Consents. The Company shall have obtained the consent of its Board of Directors authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and the Rights Agreement and the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units hereunder.

 

Section 6. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at any time after September 30, 2022 upon the election by either the Company or the Purchaser upon written notice to the other parties if the closing of the Public Offering does not occur prior to such date.

 

Section 7. FINRA Lock-Up. With respect to Private Placement Units beneficially owned by affiliates of EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, the Private Placement Units beneficially owned by affiliates of EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC and underlying securities will 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 such securities by any person for a period of 180 days beginning on the date of commencement of sales the Public Offering, except as provided in Rule 5110(e)(2) of the FINRA Manual.

 

Section 8. Survival of Representations and Warranties. All of the representations and warranties contained herein shall survive the Closing Date.

 

Section 9. Definitions. Terms used but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in the Registration Statement.

 

Section 10. Miscellaneous.

 

A. Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement by or on behalf of any of the parties hereto shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors of the parties hereto whether so expressed or not. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, the parties may not assign this Agreement, other than assignments by the Purchaser to affiliates thereof.

 

 

 

 

B. Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of this Agreement.

 

C. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, none of which need contain the signatures of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “pdf” format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or “pdf” signature page were an original thereof.

 

D. Descriptive Headings; Interpretation. The descriptive headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and do not constitute a substantive part of this Agreement. The use of the word “including” in this Agreement shall be by way of example rather than by limitation.

 

E. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Delaware.

 

F. Amendments. This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.

 

[Signature page follows]

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement to be effective as of the date first set forth above.

 

  COMPANY:
   
  EF HUTTON ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
   
  By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott         
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
   
  PURCHASER:
   
  See Exhibit A

 

[Signature Page to the Private Placement Subscription Agreement]

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Investors in the Private Placement

 

Name  Amount Invested   Private Units Purchase 
         
EF Hutton Partners, LLC  $2,125,000    212,500 
SHR Ventures, LLC  $300,000    30,000 
Paul Hodge, Jr.  $100,000    10,000 
Kevin M. Bush  $50,000    5,000 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.5

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

Indemnity Agreement

 

This Indemnity Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of September 8, 2022 between EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and each of the signatories to this Agreement (each an “Indemnitee”).

 

RECITALS

 

A. Highly competent persons have become more reluctant to serve corporations as directors or officers or in other capacities unless they are provided with adequate protection through insurance or adequate indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of the corporation;

 

B. Although furnishing of insurance to protect persons serving a corporation and its subsidiaries from certain liabilities has been a customary and widespread practice among United States-based corporations and other business enterprises, the Company believes that, given current market conditions and trends, such insurance may be available to it in the future only at higher premiums and with more exclusions. At the same time, directors, officers, and other persons in service to corporations or business enterprises are being increasingly subjected to expensive and time-consuming litigation relating to, among other things, matters that traditionally would have been brought only against the Company or business enterprise itself. The Bylaws and Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) of the Company require indemnification of the executive officers and directors of the Company and permit indemnification of other officers and certain other persons. Indemnitee may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”). The Bylaws, Certificate of Incorporation, and the DGCL expressly provide that their respective indemnification provisions are not exclusive, and contemplate that contracts may be entered into between the Company and members of the Board, officers, and other persons with respect to indemnification;

 

C. The uncertainties relating to such liability insurance and to indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons;

 

D. The Board has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company’s stockholders, and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of protection in the future;

 

E. It is reasonable, prudent, and necessary for the Company to contractually obligate itself to indemnify, and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they will not be so indemnified;

 

F. This Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Company’s Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation and any resolutions adopted pursuant to such indemnification, and will not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder;

 

G. Indemnitee does not regard the protection available under the Company’s Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation and insurance as adequate in the present circumstances, and may not be willing to serve as an officer or director without adequate protection, and the Company desires Indemnitee to serve in such capacity. Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve, and to take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company on the condition that he or she be so indemnified;

 

H. Indemnitee may have certain rights to indemnification and insurance provided by other entities or organizations which Indemnitee and such other entities and organizations intend to be secondary to the primary obligation of the Company to indemnify Indemnitee as provided in this Agreement, with the Company’s acknowledgement and agreement to the foregoing being a material condition to Indemnitee’s willingness to serve on the Board; and

 

 
 

 

I. This Agreement supersedes and replaces in its entirety any previous indemnification agreement entered into between the Company and the Indemnitee.

 

Now, Therefore, in consideration of Indemnitee’s agreement to serve as an officer or a director from and after the date first written above, the parties agree as follows:

 

1. Indemnity of Indemnitee. The Company agrees to hold harmless and indemnify Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by law, as such may be amended from time to time, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. In furtherance of this indemnification, and without limiting the generality of such indemnification:

 

(a) Proceedings Other Than Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company. Indemnitee will be entitled to the rights of indemnification provided in this Section 1(a) if, by reason of his or her Corporate Status, the Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or participant in any Proceeding other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company. Pursuant to this Section 1(a), Indemnitee will be indemnified against all Expenses, judgments, penalties, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her, or on his or her behalf, in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue, or matter therein. This indemnification is provided if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner the Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and with respect to any criminal Proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.

 

(b) Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company. Indemnitee will be entitled to the rights of indemnification provided in this Section 1(b) if, by reason of his or her Corporate Status, the Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or participant in any Proceeding brought by or in the right of the Company. Pursuant to this Section 1(b), Indemnitee will be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee, or on the Indemnitee’s behalf, in connection with such Proceeding if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner the Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company. Indemnification will not be provided against such Expenses if made in respect of any claim, issue, or matter in such Proceeding as to which Indemnitee will have been adjudged to be liable to the Company unless and to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will determine that such indemnification may be made.

 

(c) Indemnification for Expenses of a Party Who is Wholly or Partly Successful. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of his or her Corporate Status, a party to and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding, he or she will be indemnified to the maximum extent permitted by law against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or otherwise, as to one or more but less than all claims, issues or matters in such Proceeding, the Company will indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue, or matter. For purposes of this Section, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, will be deemed to be a successful result as to such claim, issue, or matter.

 

2. Additional Indemnity. In addition to, and without regard to any limitations on, the indemnification provided for in Section 1, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold Indemnitee harmless against all Expenses, judgments, penalties, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf if, by reason of his or her Corporate Status, he or she is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or participant in any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company), including, without limitation, any and all liability arising out of the negligence or active or passive wrongdoing of Indemnitee. The only limitation that will exist on the Company’s obligations pursuant to this Agreement will be that the Company will not be obligated to make any payment to Indemnitee that is finally determined (under the procedures, and subject to the presumptions, in Sections 6 and 7) to be unlawful.

 

 
 

 

3. Contribution.

 

(a) Whether or not the indemnification provided in Sections 1 and 2 is available, in respect of any Proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such action, suit, or proceeding), the Company will pay, in the first instance, the entire amount of any judgment or settlement of such action, suit, or proceeding without requiring Indemnitee to contribute to such payment, and the Company waives and relinquishes any right of contribution it may have against Indemnitee. The Company will not enter into any settlement of any Proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding) unless such settlement provides for a full and final release of all claims asserted against Indemnitee. The Company will not settle any Proceeding or claim in a manner that would impose any penalty or admission of guilt or liability on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s written consent.

 

(b) Without diminishing or impairing the obligations of the Company set forth in the preceding subparagraph, if Indemnitee elects or is required to pay all or any portion of any judgment or settlement in any Proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding), the Company will contribute to the amount of Expenses, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred and paid or payable by Indemnitee in proportion to the relative benefits received by the Company and all officers, directors, or employees of the Company, other than Indemnitee, who are jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding), on the one hand, and Indemnitee, on the other hand, from the transaction from which such Proceeding arose. To the extent necessary to conform to law, the proportion determined on the basis of relative benefit may be further adjusted by reference to the relative fault of the Company and all officers, directors, or employees of the Company other than Indemnitee who are jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding), on the one hand, and Indemnitee, on the other hand, in connection with the events that resulted in such expenses, judgments, fines, or settlement amounts, as well as any other equitable considerations which the applicable law may require to be considered. The relative fault of the Company and all officers, directors, or employees of the Company, other than Indemnitee, who are jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding), on the one hand, and Indemnitee, on the other hand, will be determined by reference to, among other things, the degree to which their actions were motivated by intent to gain personal profit or advantage, the degree to which their liability is primary or secondary, and the degree to which their respective conduct is active or passive.

 

(c) The Company agrees to fully indemnify and hold Indemnitee harmless from any claims of contribution which may be brought by the Company’s officers, directors, or employees, other than Indemnitee, who may be jointly liable with Indemnitee.

 

(d) To the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, if the indemnification provided for in this Agreement is unavailable to Indemnitee for any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying Indemnitee, will contribute to the amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether for judgments, fines, penalties, excise taxes, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in connection with any claim relating to an indemnifiable event under this Agreement, in such proportion as is deemed fair and reasonable in light of all of the circumstances of such Proceeding to reflect: (i) the relative benefits received by the Company and Indemnitee as a result of the events and transactions giving cause to such Proceeding; and (ii) the relative fault of the Company (and its directors, officers, employees, and agents) and Indemnitee in connection with such events and transactions.

 

4. Indemnification for Expenses of a Witness. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of his or her Corporate Status, a witness, or is made (or asked) to respond to discovery requests, in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is not a party, he or she will be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection therewith.

 

5. Advancement of Expenses. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (other than the final sentence of this Section 5 and Section 9 hereof), the Company will advance all Expenses incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any Proceeding by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of a statement from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances, whether prior to or after final disposition of such Proceeding. Such statement will reasonably evidence the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee and will include or be preceded or accompanied by a written undertaking by or on behalf of Indemnitee to repay any Expenses advanced if it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified against such Expenses. Any advances and undertakings to repay pursuant to this Section 5 will be unsecured and interest free. This Section 5 shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 9.

 

 
 

 

6. Procedures and Presumptions for Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification. It is the intent of this Agreement to secure for Indemnitee rights of indemnity that are as favorable as may be permitted under the DGCL and public policy of the State of Delaware. Accordingly, the parties agree that the following procedures and presumptions will apply in the event of any question as to whether Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement:

 

(a) To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee will submit to the Company a written request with such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification. The Secretary of the Company will, promptly on receipt of such a request for indemnification, advise the Board in writing that Indemnitee has requested indemnification. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any failure of Indemnitee to provide such request to the Company, or to provide such a request in a timely fashion, will not relieve the Company of any liability that it may have to Indemnitee unless, and to the extent that, such failure actually and materially prejudices the interests of the Company.

 

(b) On written request by Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to the first sentence of Section 6(a), Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification will be determined in the specific case:

 

(1) by one of the following four methods, which will be at the election of the Board, unless a Change in Control has occurred:

 

(i) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum;

 

(ii) by a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum;

 

(iii) if there are no Disinterested Directors or if the Disinterested Directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which will be delivered to the Indemnitee; or

 

(iv) if so directed by the Board, by the stockholders of the Company; or

 

(2) if a Change in Control has occurred, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which will be delivered to the Indemnitee.

 

(c) If the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 6(b), the Independent Counsel will be selected as provided in this Section 6(c). The Independent Counsel will be selected by the Board and the Board will notify the Indemnitee by written notice. Within 10 days after such notice has been given, Indemnitee may deliver the Company a written objection to such selection. But, that objection may only be asserted on the ground that the Independent Counsel does not meet the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section 13, and the objection will include with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person so selected will act as Independent Counsel. If a written objection is made and substantiated, the Independent Counsel selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court has determined that such objection is without merit. If no Independent Counsel has been selected and not objected to within 20 days after submission by Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification pursuant to Section 6(a), either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or other court of competent jurisdiction for resolution of any objection made by the Indemnitee to the Company’s selection of Independent Counsel or for the appointment of a person selected by the court or by such other person as the court designates to serve as Independent Counsel. The person with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person so appointed will act as Independent Counsel under Section 6(b). The Company will pay any and all reasonable fees and expenses of Independent Counsel incurred by such Independent Counsel in connection with acting pursuant to Section 6(b), and the Company will pay all reasonable fees and expenses incident to the procedures of this Section 6(c), regardless of the manner in which such Independent Counsel was selected or appointed. In no event will Indemnitee be liable for fees and expenses incurred by such Independent Counsel.

 

 
 

 

(d) In making a determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification under this Agreement, the person or persons or entity making such determination will presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement. Anyone seeking to overcome this presumption will have the burden of proof and the burden of persuasion by clear and convincing evidence. Neither the failure of the Company (including by its Board or Independent Counsel) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of any action pursuant to this Agreement that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct, nor an actual determination by the Company (including by its Board or Independent Counsel) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, will be a defense to the action or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct.

 

(e) Indemnitee will be deemed to have acted in good faith if Indemnitee’s action is based on the records or books of account of the Enterprise, including financial statements, or on information supplied to Indemnitee by the officers of the Enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Enterprise or on information or records given or reports made to the Enterprise by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected with reasonable care by the Enterprise. In addition, the knowledge and actions, or failure to act, of any director, officer, agent or employee of the Enterprise will not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification under this Agreement. Whether or not the foregoing provisions of this Section 6(e) are satisfied, it will in any event be presumed that Indemnitee has at all times acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company. Anyone seeking to overcome this presumption will have the burden of proof and the burden of persuasion by clear and convincing evidence.

 

(f) If the person, persons, or entity empowered or selected under Section 6 to determine whether Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification has not have made a determination within 60 days after receipt by the Company of the request, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification will be deemed to have been made, and Indemnitee will be entitled to such indemnification absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under applicable law. Such 60-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not to exceed an additional 30 days, if the person, persons, or entity making such determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification in good faith requires such additional time to obtain or evaluate documentation or information relating thereto. The provisions of this Section 6(f) will not apply if the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by the stockholders pursuant to Section 6(b) and if (A) within 15 days after receipt by the Company of the request for such determination, the Board or the Disinterested Directors, if appropriate, resolve to submit such determination to the stockholders for their consideration at an annual meeting to be held within 75 days after such receipt, and such determination is made at that annual meeting, or (B) a special meeting of stockholders is called within 15 days after such receipt for the purpose of making such determination, such meeting is held for such purpose within 60 days after having been so called and such determination is made at that special meeting.

 

(g) Indemnitee will cooperate with the person, persons, or entity making such determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, including providing such person, persons, or entity on reasonable advance request any documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such determination. Any Independent Counsel, member of the Board, or stockholder of the Company will act reasonably and in good faith in making a determination regarding the Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification under this Agreement. Any costs or expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person, persons, or entity making such determination will be borne by the Company (irrespective of the determination as to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification), and the Company indemnifies and agrees to hold Indemnitee harmless therefrom.

 

 
 

 

(h) The Company acknowledges that a settlement or other disposition short of final judgment may be successful if it permits a party to avoid expense, delay, distraction, disruption, and uncertainty. In the event that any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is a party is resolved in any manner other than by adverse judgment against Indemnitee (including, without limitation, settlement of such Proceeding with or without payment of money or other consideration) it will be presumed that Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise in such Proceeding. Anyone seeking to overcome this presumption will have the burden of proof and the burden of persuasion by clear and convincing evidence.

 

(i) The termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue, or matter in any Proceeding, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or on a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, will not (except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of itself adversely affect the right of Indemnitee to indemnification or create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company or, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.

 

7. Remedies of Indemnitee.

 

(a) In the event that (i) a determination is made pursuant to Section 6 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) advancement of Expenses is not timely made pursuant to Section 5, (iii) subject to the limitations set forth herein, no determination of entitlement to indemnification is made pursuant to Section 6(b) within 90 days after receipt by the Company of the request for indemnification, (iv) payment of indemnification is not made pursuant to Sections 1(c), 4 or the last sentence of Section 6(g) of this Agreement within 10 days after receipt by the Company of a written request for such payment, or (v) payment of indemnification is not made pursuant to Sections 1(a), 1(b) and 2 of this Agreement within 10 days after a determination has been made that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification or such determination is deemed to have been made pursuant to Section 6, Indemnitee will be entitled to an adjudication in an appropriate court of the State of Delaware, or in any other court of competent jurisdiction, of Indemnitee’s entitlement to such indemnification. Indemnitee will commence such proceeding seeking an adjudication within one year following the date on which Indemnitee first has the right to commence such proceeding pursuant to this Section 7(a). The Company will not oppose Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication.

 

(b) In the event that a determination has been made pursuant to Section 6(b) that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification, any judicial proceeding commenced pursuant to this Section 7 will be conducted in all respects as a de novo trial on the merits, and Indemnitee will not be prejudiced by reason of the adverse determination under Section 6(b).

 

(c) If a determination has been made pursuant to Section 6(b) that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the Company will be bound by such determination in any judicial proceeding commenced pursuant to this Section 7, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s misstatement not materially misleading in connection with the application for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under applicable law.

 

(d) In the event that Indemnitee, pursuant to this Section 7, seeks a judicial adjudication of his or her rights under, or to recover damages for breach of, this Agreement, or to recover under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Company, the Company will pay on his or her behalf, in advance, any and all expenses (of the types described in the definition of Expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in such judicial adjudication, regardless of whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification, advancement of expenses, or insurance recovery.

 

(e) The Company will be precluded from asserting in any judicial proceeding commenced pursuant to this Section 7 that the procedures and presumptions of this Agreement are not valid, binding, and enforceable, and will stipulate in any such court that the Company is bound by all the provisions of this Agreement. The Company will indemnify Indemnitee against any and all Expenses and, if requested by Indemnitee, will (within 10 days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefore) advance, to the extent not prohibited by law, such Expenses to Indemnitee, which are incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any action brought by Indemnitee for indemnification or advance of Expenses from the Company under this Agreement or under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Company, regardless of whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification, advancement of Expenses, or insurance recovery, as the case may be.

 

 
 

 

(f) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no determination as to entitlement to indemnification under this Agreement will be required to be made prior to the final disposition of the Proceeding.

 

8. Non-Exclusivity; Survival of Rights; Insurance; Primacy of Indemnification; Subrogation.

 

(a) The rights of indemnification as provided by this Agreement will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which Indemnitee may at any time be entitled under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws, any agreement, a vote of stockholders, a resolution of Board, or otherwise. No amendment, alteration, or repeal of this Agreement or of any provision of this Agreement will limit or restrict any right of Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of any action taken or omitted by such Indemnitee in his or her Corporate Status prior to such amendment, alteration, or repeal. To the extent that a change in the DGCL, whether by statute or judicial decision, permits greater indemnification than would be afforded currently under the Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, and this Agreement, it is the intent of the parties of this Agreement that Indemnitee will enjoy all greater benefits so afforded by such change. No right or remedy in this Agreement conferred is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every other right and remedy will be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given under this Agreement or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy under this Agreement, or otherwise, will not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other right or remedy.

 

(b) To the extent that the Company maintains an insurance policy or policies providing liability insurance for directors, officers, employees, or agents, or fiduciaries of the Company or of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, or other enterprise that serves at the request of the Company, the Company will cause Indemnitee to be covered in accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any director, officer, employee, agent, or fiduciary under such policy or policies. If, at the time of the receipt of a notice of a claim pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, the Company has director and officer liability insurance in effect, the Company will give prompt notice of the commencement of such Proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures in the respective policies. The Company will thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of the Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such Proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policies.

 

(c) The Company acknowledges that Indemnitee has or may have in the future certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses, or insurance provided by other entities or organizations (collectively, the “Secondary Indemnitors”). The Company agrees that (i) it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to Indemnitee are primary and any obligation of the Secondary Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by Indemnitee are secondary), (ii) it will be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by Indemnitee and will be liable for the full amount of all Expenses, judgments, penalties, fines, and amounts paid in settlement to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of this Agreement, the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws (or any other agreement between the Company and Indemnitee), without regard to any rights Indemnitee may have against the Secondary Indemnitors, and (iii) it irrevocably waives, relinquishes, and releases the Secondary Indemnitors from any and all claims against the Secondary Indemnitors for contribution, subrogation, or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by the Secondary Indemnitors on behalf of Indemnitee with respect to any claim for which Indemnitee has sought indemnification from the Company will affect the foregoing and the Secondary Indemnitors will have a right of contribution and be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee against the Company. The Company and Indemnitee agree that the Secondary Indemnitors are express third party beneficiaries of the terms of this Section 8(c).

 

(d) Except as provided in Section 8(c), in the event of any payment under this Agreement, the Company will be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee (other than against the Secondary Indemnitors), who will execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights.

 

 
 

 

(e) Except as provided in Section 8(c), the Company will not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under any insurance policy, contract, agreement, or otherwise.

 

(f) Except as provided in Section 8(c), the Company’s obligation to indemnify or advance Expenses under this Agreement to Indemnitee who is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, or agent of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, or other enterprise will be reduced by any amount Indemnitee has actually received as indemnification or advancement of expenses from such other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, or other enterprise.

 

9. Exceptions to Right of Indemnification. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement, the Company will not be obligated under this Agreement to make any indemnity in connection with any claim made against Indemnitee:

 

(a) for which payment has actually been made to or on behalf of Indemnitee under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision, except with respect to any excess beyond the amount paid under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision, provided, that the foregoing will not affect the rights of Indemnitee or the Secondary Indemnitors in Section 8(c);

 

(b) for an accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale (or sale and purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company within the meaning of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, or similar provisions of state statutory law or common law;

 

(c) in connection with any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee, including any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or its directors, officers, employees, or other indemnitees, unless (i) the Board authorized the Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) prior to its initiation, or (ii) the Company provides the indemnification, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Company under applicable law;

 

(d) with respect to remuneration paid to Indemnitee if it is determined by final judgment or other final adjudication that such remuneration was in violation of law (and, in this respect, both the Company and Indemnitee have been advised that the Securities and Exchange Commission believes that indemnification for liabilities arising under the federal securities laws is against public policy and is, therefore, unenforceable and that claims for indemnification should be submitted to appropriate courts for adjudication, as indicated in the last paragraph of this Section 9);

 

(e) a final judgment or other final adjudication is made that Indemnitee’s conduct was in bad faith, knowingly fraudulent or deliberately dishonest or constituted willful misconduct (but only to the extent of such specific determination);

 

(f) for any reimbursement of the Company by Indemnitee (or any recovery by the Company from Indemnity) of (i) any bonus or other incentive-based or equity-based compensation or of any profits realized by Indemnitee from the sale of securities of the Company, as required in each case under the Exchange Act (including any such reimbursements that arise from an accounting restatement of the Company pursuant to Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Act, or the payment to the Company of profits arising from the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 306 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act)), or (ii) any compensation pursuant to any compensation recoupment or clawback policy adopted by the Board or the compensation committee of the Board, including but not limited to any such policy adopted to comply with stock exchange listing requirements implementing Section 10D of the Exchange Act;

 

(g) on account of conduct that is established by a final judgment as constituting a breach of Indemnitee’s duty of loyalty to the Company or resulting in any personal profit or advantage to which Indemnitee is not legally entitled; or

 

 
 

 

(h) to cover any loss that Indemnitee may sustain as a result of Indemnitee’s agreement to pay debts and obligations to target businesses or vendors or other entities that are owed money by the Company for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to the Company, as described in the registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the Company’s initial public offering.

 

For purposes of this Section 9, a final judgment or other adjudication may be reached in either the underlying proceeding or action in connection with which indemnification is sought or a separate proceeding or action to establish rights and liabilities under this Agreement.

 

Any provision herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company will not be obligated pursuant to the terms of this Agreement to indemnify Indemnitee or otherwise act in violation of any undertaking appearing in and required by the rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act, or in any registration statement filed with the SEC under the Securities Act. Indemnitee acknowledges that paragraph (h) of Item 512 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act currently generally requires the Company to undertake, in connection with any registration statement filed under the Securities Act, to submit the issue of the enforceability of Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement in connection with any liability under the Securities Act on public policy grounds to a court of appropriate jurisdiction and to be governed by any final adjudication of such issue. Indemnitee specifically agrees that any such undertaking will supersede the provisions of this Agreement and to be bound by any such undertaking.

 

10. Duration of Agreement. All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein will continue during the period Indemnitee is an officer or director of the Company (or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise) and will continue thereafter so long as Indemnitee will be subject to any Proceeding (or any proceeding commenced under Section 7) by reason of his or her Corporate Status, whether or not he or she is acting or serving in any such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification can be provided under this Agreement. This Agreement will be binding on and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties of this Agreement and their respective successors (including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company), assigns, spouses, heirs, executors, and personal and legal representatives.

 

11. Security. To the extent requested by Indemnitee and approved by the Board, the Company may at any time and from time to time provide security to Indemnitee for the Company’s obligations under this Agreement through an irrevocable bank line of credit, funded trust, or other collateral. Any such security, once provided to Indemnitee, may not be revoked or released without the prior written consent of the Indemnitee.

 

12. Enforcement.

 

(a) The Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this Agreement and assumes the obligations imposed on it to induce Indemnitee to serve as an officer or director of the Company, and the Company acknowledges that Indemnitee is relying on this Agreement in serving as an officer or director of the Company.

 

(b) Other than as provided in this Agreement, this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to this subject matter and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral, written and implied, between the parties with respect to this subject matter.

 

13. Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement:

 

(a) Beneficial Owner” has the meaning given to such term in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act; provided, however, that Beneficial Owner will exclude any Person otherwise becoming a Beneficial Owner by reason of the stockholders of the Company approving a merger of the Company with another entity.

 

(b) Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

 
 

 

(c) Change in Control” means the earliest to occur after the date of this Agreement of any of the following events:

 

(i) Acquisition of Stock by Third Party. Any Person is or becomes the Beneficial Owner (as defined above), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing twenty five percent (25%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities unless the change in relative Beneficial Ownership of the Company’s securities by any Person results solely from a reduction in the aggregate number of outstanding shares of securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors;

 

(ii) Change in Board. During any period of two (2) consecutive years (not including any period prior to the execution of this Agreement), individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board, and any new director (other than a director designated by a person who has entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction described in clause (i), (iii) or (iv) of this definition of Change in Control) whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the members of the Board;

 

(iii) Corporate Transactions. The effective date of a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other entity, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) more than 51% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation and with the power to elect at least a majority of the Board or other governing body of such surviving entity;

 

(iv) Liquidation. The approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets; and

 

(v) Other Events. There occurs any other event of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or a response to any similar item on any similar schedule or form) promulgated under the Exchange Act, whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement.

 

(d) Corporate Status” describes the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company or of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise that such person is or was serving at the express written request of the Company.

 

(e) Disinterested Director” means a non-executive director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

 

(f) Dodd-Frank Act” means the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.

 

(g) Enterprise” means the Company and any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise that Indemnitee is or was serving at the express written request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary.

 

(h) Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(i) Expenses” includes all documented and reasonable attorneys’ fees, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, and all other disbursements or expenses of the types customarily incurred in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, participating, or being or preparing to be a witness in a Proceeding, or responding to, or objecting to, a request to provide discovery in any Proceeding. Expenses also will include Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding and any federal, state, local, or foreign taxes imposed on the Indemnitee as a result of the actual or deemed receipt of any payments under this Agreement, including without limitation the premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent. Expenses will not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.

 

 
 

 

(j) Independent Counsel” means a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is experienced in matters of corporation law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements), or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” will not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement. The Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees of the Independent Counsel referred to above and to fully indemnify such counsel against any and all Expenses, claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement pursuant hereto.

 

(k) Person” for purposes of the definition of Beneficial Owner and Change in Control set forth above, will have the meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that Person will exclude (i) the Company, (ii) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company, and (iii) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company.

 

(l) Proceeding” includes any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought by or in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which Indemnitee was, is or will be involved as a party or otherwise, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was an officer or director of the Company, by reason of any action taken by him or her or of any inaction on his or her part while acting as an officer or director of the Company, or by reason of the fact that he or she is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other Enterprise; in each case whether or not he or she is acting or serving in any such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification can be provided under this Agreement; including one pending on or before the date of this Agreement, but excluding one initiated by an Indemnitee pursuant to Section 7 of this Agreement to enforce his or her rights under this Agreement.

 

(m) Sarbanes-Oxley Act” means the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended.

 

(n) SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

(o) Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

14. Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision hereof will in no way affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this Agreement is intended to confer upon Indemnitee indemnification rights to the fullest extent permitted by applicable laws. In the event any provision hereof conflicts with any applicable law, such provision will be deemed modified, consistent with the aforementioned intent, to the extent necessary to resolve such conflict.

 

15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, termination, amendment or waiver of this Agreement will be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement will be deemed or will constitute a waiver of any other provisions hereof (whether or not similar) nor will such waiver constitute a continuing waiver.

 

16. Notice By Indemnitee. Indemnitee agrees promptly to notify the Company in writing upon being served with or otherwise receiving any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any Proceeding or matter which may be subject to indemnification covered under this Agreement. The failure to so notify the Company will not relieve the Company of any obligation which it may have to Indemnitee under this Agreement or otherwise unless and only to the extent that such failure or delay materially prejudices the Company.

 

 
 

 

17. Notices. All notices and other communications given or made pursuant to this Agreement will be in writing and will be deemed effectively given: (a) upon personal delivery to the party to be notified, (b) when sent by confirmed electronic mail or facsimile if sent during normal business hours of the recipient, and if not so confirmed, then on the next business day, (c) 5 days after having been sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or (d) one (1) day after deposit with a nationally recognized overnight courier, specifying next day delivery, with written verification of receipt. All communications will be sent:

 

(a) To Indemnitee at the address on the books and records of the Company.

 

(b) To the Company at:

 

EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I

24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102

Hingham, MA 02043
Attention: Chief Executive Officer

 

or to such other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee by the Company or to the Company by Indemnitee, as the case may be.

 

18. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same Agreement. This Agreement may also be executed and delivered by facsimile signature, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or other applicable law) or other transmission method and in two or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument and be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.

 

19. Headings. The headings of the paragraphs of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and will not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or to affect the construction thereof.

 

20. Governing Law and Consent to Jurisdiction. This Agreement and the legal relations among the parties will be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement will be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Corporate Creations Network, Inc. as its agent in the State of Delaware for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

 

 
 

 

The parties have executed this Agreement on and as of the day and year first above written.

 

  EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I
   
  By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
   
  Indemnitee
   
  /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name:Benjamin Piggott
   
  Indemnitee
   
  /s/ Joseph Rallo
  Name:Joseph Rallo
   
  Indemnitee
   
  /s/ David Boral
  Name:David Boral
   
  Indemnitee
   
  /s/ Kevin M. Bush
  Name:Kevin M. Bush
   
  Indemnitee
   
  /s/ Thomas Wood
  Name:Thomas Wood
   
  Indemnitee
   
  /s/ Paul Hodge
  Name:Paul Hodge, Jr.
   
  Indemnitee
  /s/ Anne Lee
  Name:Anne Lee
   
  Indemnitee
   
  /s/ Stanley Hutton Rumbough
  Name:Stanley Hutton Rumbough

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.6

 

INVESTMENT AGREEMENT

 

This Investment Agreement (this “Agreement”), dated as of September 6, 2022, is by and among (i) EF Hutton Acquisition Corporation I, a Delaware Corporation (the “SPAC”), (ii) EF Hutton Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, (the “Sponsor”), SHR Ventures, LLC (“SHR Ventures”), Paul Hodge, Jr., and Kevin M. Bush (together with the Sponsor, the “Transferors”) and (iii) [●] (the “Investor”).

 

WHEREAS, in connection with the initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 10,000,000 units of the SPAC, the Investor has expressed an interest in acquiring up to 9.9% of the units offered in the IPO, or 990,000 units (with each such unit comprised of one share of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the SPAC (the “Common Stock”), one redeemable warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Warrants”), and one right to receive one-eighth (1/8) of one share of Common Stock upon consummation of SPAC’s initial business combination (the “Rights”), which shall not exceed 9.9% of the number of such units and/or the number of Common Stock underlying the units to be offered (excluding the over-allotment option) (the “IPO Indication”), at a price of $10.00 per unit. Following the IPO, the SPAC’s Trust Account (as defined below) shall be overfunded by at least 1%, or $0.10 per share.

 

WHEREAS, the parties wish to enter into this Agreement pursuant to which the Investor will purchase from the Transferors shares of Common Stock of the SPAC that the Transferors initially purchased from the SPAC pursuant to a Subscription Agreement dated March 4, 2021 (the “Founder Shares”), pursuant to the same terms and conditions, as set out in the Registration Statement (as defined herein), at the same price paid by the Transferors, or approximately $0.009 per Founder Share.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereby agree as follows:

 

1.Sale and Purchase.

 

(a)In connection with the IPO Indication, and subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 1(b), the Transferors hereby agree to sell to the Investor 75,000 Founder Shares (such shares, the “Transferred Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $675 ($0.009 per share) (the “Transfer Price”) on the date of the closing of the IPO, free and clear of all liens, pledges, security interests, claims, options, proxies, voting agreements, charges or encumbrances of any kind (collectively, “Encumbrances”) affecting the Transferred Shares, other than any restrictions on transfer that may be imposed under applicable securities laws, and the Investor hereby agrees to purchase the Transferred Shares (the “Transfer”). The allocations of the Transferred Shares between the Transferors at the Transfer Price are set out in Schedule A attached hereto. Concurrently with the Transfer, in consideration for the transfer of the Transferred Shares, the Investor shall pay the Transfer Price to the Transferors in immediately available funds to an account designated by the Transferors in writing at least three Business Days prior to the Transfer upon request by the Transferors or underwriter.

 

(b)Subject to (i) the fulfillment by the Investor (but only to the extent actually allocated to the Investor by the underwriters) of the IPO Indication (which shall include the acquisition of 100% of the units of the SPAC allocated to the Investor by the underwriters in the IPO, which number of allocated units shall not be greater than 9.9% of the units offered in the IPO (exclusive of any units that may be issued pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option) or greater than the IPO Indication) and (ii) the Investor’s payment of the Transfer Price as contemplated by Section 1(a) of this Agreement, the Transfer shall occur and be effective upon the closing of the IPO, automatically and without any action of any other party hereto. The parties intend that the purchase of the Transferred Shares contemplated by this Agreement be treated as a taxable sale and purchase of the Transferred Shares that is governed by Section 1001 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and agree not to take any tax reporting position inconsistent with this agreed tax treatment. The Transferred Shares shall not be reduced should the Investor be allocated less than the IPO Indication. The parties hereto acknowledge that in the event the Investor or its affiliates do not submit the IPO Indication, the Transferors and the SPAC’s only remedy with respect thereto shall be the forfeiture of the Investor’s Transferred Shares.

 

1

 

 

(c)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the number of Transferred Shares shall not be subject to share price or other vesting triggers, claw-back, cut-back, reduction, mandatory repurchase, redemption or forfeiture for any reason, including but not limited to (i) transfer by the Investor or Transferors of the Founder Shares to any person, (ii) downsizing of the IPO, (iii) failure of the underwriters to exercise their overallotment option in whole or in part, (iv) concessions or “earn-out” triggers made by the Transferors or any other holder of Founder Shares in connection with the negotiation of a Business Combination (as defined below) or otherwise, or (v) any other event or modification, without the Investor’s prior written consent.

 

(d)The obligations of the Investor hereunder are subject to there being no material change in the pricing of the IPO or in the structure, terms and conditions in the capital structure of the SPAC from those set forth in the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on August 18, 2022, as amended from time to time, or as listed herein (the “Registration Statement”).

 

(e)In the event the IPO does not close by September 15, 2022, this Agreement shall terminate and be of no further force and effect unless agreed in writing by the parties hereto.

 

2.Representations and Warranties of the SPAC. The SPAC hereby represents and warrants to the Investor, as of the date hereof and as of the closing date of the IPO, as follows:

 

(a)The SPAC is duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has full power and authority to carry on its business as presently conducted and as proposed to be conducted and execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

(b)This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the SPAC and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the SPAC enforceable against the SPAC in accordance with its terms.

 

(c)The execution and delivery of this Agreement, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and the performance of its obligations hereunder will not conflict with, or result in any violation of or default under, the SPAC’s organizational documents, any agreement or other instrument to which the SPAC is a party or by which the SPAC is bound, or any decree, order, statute, rule or regulation applicable to the SPAC or the Transferred Shares.

 

(d)None of the information conveyed to the Investor in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Agreement will constitute material non-public information of the SPAC upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement.

 

(e)No governmental, administrative or other third-party consents or approvals are required by or with respect to the SPAC in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

(f)To the best of the SPAC’s knowledge all information contained in the questionnaires (“Questionnaires”) completed by each of the SPAC’s officers and directors and the Transferors (collectively, the “Insiders”) and provided to the underwriters and their counsel and the biographies of the Insiders contained in the Registration Statement and prospectus (to the extent a biography is contained) is true and correct and the SPAC has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by each Insider to become inaccurate, incorrect or incomplete. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending, or to the SPAC’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened against or involving the SPAC or, to the SPAC’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider or any stockholder or member of an Insider that has not been disclosed, that is required to be disclosed, in the Registration Statement, the prospectus or the Questionnaires.

 

(g)The Founder Shares, when issued to the Transferors, were validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, free and clear of all liens or other restrictions (other than those arising under applicable securities laws or as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement) and were not issued in violation of, or subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.

 

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3.Representations and Warranties of the Transferors. Each Transferor hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Investor, severally and not jointly with the other Transferors, as of the date hereof and as of the closing date of the IPO, as follows:

 

(a)In the case of the Sponsor and SHR Ventures, such Transferor is duly formed and validly existing as a limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has full power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

(b)This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by such Transferor and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Transferor enforceable against the Transferor in accordance with its terms.

 

(c)The execution and delivery of this Agreement, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and the performance of its obligations hereunder will not conflict with, or result in any violation of or default under, any of the Sponsor’s or SHR Ventures’ organizational documents or any agreement or other instrument applicable to the Transferred Shares or to which any Transferor is a party or by which any Transferor is bound, or any decree, order, statute, rule or regulation applicable to any Transferor or the Transferred Shares.

 

(d)No governmental, administrative or other third-party consents or approvals are required by or with respect to the Transferors in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

(e)The terms, rights and conditions set forth in this Agreement are as favorable to the Investor as the terms, rights and conditions granted to all other investors in connection with expressing an interest in the IPO or otherwise acquiring Founder Shares in connection with the IPO (each such other investor, an “Anchor Investor”), provided that the Investor acknowledges that Founder Shares have been offered to the Transferors and to executive officers, advisors, directors and director nominees of the SPAC in connection with their service and the Sponsor expressly reserves the right to issue membership interests in the Sponsor to executive officers, advisors, directors and director nominees of the SPAC in its sole discretion. In the case that another Anchor Investor is afforded more favorable terms than the Investor, the Transferors shall promptly notify the Investor of such more favorable terms, and the Investor shall have the right to elect to have such more favorable terms, so as to be on the same terms, in which case the parties hereto shall promptly amend this Agreement to effect the same. For the avoidance of doubt, if any other Anchor Investor has an ability to purchase proportionately more Founder Shares relative to its expression of interest in the IPO than the Investor as set forth herein, then such other Anchor Investor shall be considered to have more favorable terms than the Investor.

 

(f)Such Transferor is the beneficial owner of the Transferred Shares to be transferred by such Transferor. Except as described in this Agreement or in the Registration Statement, there is no agreement, arrangement or understanding with any other person regarding the sale or transfer of the Transferred Shares, and there exist no Encumbrances affecting the Transferred Shares, other than any restrictions on transfer that may be imposed by applicable securities laws. Upon transfer of the Transferred Shares to the Investor in accordance with the terms hereof against payment of the Transfer Price, the Investor will acquire ownership of the Transferred Shares, free and clear of all liens, pledges, security interests, claims, options, proxies, voting agreements, charges or encumbrances of any kind affecting the Transferred Shares, other than any restrictions on transfer that may be imposed by applicable securities laws. The sale by the Transferors of the Founder Shares to the Investor will not result in a violation of Section 5 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

 

4.Representations and Warranties of the Investor. The Investor hereby represents and warrants to the SPAC and the Transferors, as follows:

 

(a)The Investor has full power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

(b)This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the Investor and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Investor enforceable against the Investor in accordance with its terms.

 

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(c)The execution and delivery of this Agreement, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and the performance of its obligations hereunder will not materially conflict with, or result in any material violation of or default under, any of the Investor’s organizational documents, any agreement or other instrument to which the Investor is a party or by which the Investor is bound, or any decree, order, statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Investor.

 

(d)The Investor is (i) a “qualified institutional buyer” as that term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act or (ii) an “accredited investor” as that term is defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act.

 

5.Additional Agreements and Acknowledgements of the Parties.

 

(a)The Investor acknowledges that the SPAC was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”). The Investor agrees with the SPAC that if the SPAC seeks shareholder approval of a proposed Business Combination, then in connection with such proposed Business Combination, the Investor shall (i) vote all Founder Shares in favor of such proposed Business Combination and (ii) not redeem any of such Founder Shares owned by it, in connection with such stockholder approval. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing shall prevent the Investor from exercising its redemption rights and receiving distributions from the Trust Account for any Common Stock it acquires in the IPO (including the IPO Indication) or in the open market in accordance with the terms and conditions applicable to the Common Stock and the IPO described in the Registration Statement, or from voting any such common stock for or against a proposed Business Combination. Without written consent of the SPAC, the Investor agrees with the SPAC not to transfer, assign or sell any Transferred Shares or the Common Stock, issuable upon conversion of the Transferred Shares held by it, until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the reported last sale price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the SPAC completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of its stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property; provided however, that the Investor shall be permitted to transfer, assign or sell all or a portion of the Transferred Shares to an affiliate of the Investor, who will be bound by the same terms and conditions as set forth herein. The Transferred Shares directly or indirectly owned by the Investor will not be subject to additional lock-ups than detailed in this Section 5(a) or the Registration Statement. In addition, neither the Transferors nor any other holder of Founder Shares are being afforded more favorable lockup terms than those detailed in this Section 5(a), and if the Transferors or any other holders of Founder Shares are given an early release or favorable modification of such lockup terms, whether in connection with the IPO, a proposed Business Combination or otherwise, the parties hereto agree that the Investor will receive the same treatment. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 5 shall not restrict the Investor from transferring, assigning, redeeming or selling any Common Stock, warrants, rights or units acquired in the IPO or in the open market.

 

(b)Following the expiration of the transfer restrictions set forth in Section 5(a), if the Transferred Shares are eligible to be sold without restriction under, and without the SPAC being in compliance with the current public information requirements of, Rule 144 under the Securities Act, or if they have been registered for resale under the Securities Act, the SPAC will use its best efforts to cause the SPAC’s transfer agent to remove any legend(s) to which the Transferred Shares are subject, subject to compliance by the Investor with the reasonable and customary procedures for such removal required by the SPAC or its transfer agent. In connection therewith, if required by the SPAC’s transfer agent, the SPAC will use its best efforts to promptly cause an opinion of counsel to the SPAC to be delivered to and maintained with its transfer agent, together with any other authorizations, certificates and directions required by the transfer agent that authorize and direct the transfer agent to issue such Transferred Shares without any such legend(s).

 

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(c)The Investor acknowledges that it is aware the SPAC will establish a trust account (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of its public shareholders upon the closing of the IPO. The Investor agrees with the SPAC that it has no right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account as a result of any liquidation of the SPAC with respect to the monies held in the Trust Account in respect of the Transferred Shares; provided that nothing herein shall limit the Investor’s rights with respect to the monies held in the Trust Account or any claims thereon in respect of Common Stock purchased by the Investor in the IPO or in the open market. With respect to the Transferred Shares, the waiver of claims on the monies held in the Trust Account shall only apply to a liquidation of the Company prior to the consummation of its initial Business Combination, and not thereafter. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 5(c) or otherwise (i) nothing shall prevent the Investor from redeeming any Common Stock (including shares included in units) it purchases in the IPO or in the open market following the IPO (collectively, the “Purchased Public Unit Amount”) and (ii) the Investor does not waive any right title, interest or claim against the Trust Account (including any distributions therefrom) arising as a result of, in connection with or relating in any way to its purchase or ownership of the Purchased Public Unit Amount (including the IPO Indication, the Common Stock, the warrants and the rights included therein and the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants and rights) or any other security of the SPAC acquired in the open market (“Reserved Claims”) and is not prohibited from seeking recourse against the Trust Account with respect to any Reserved Claims.

 

(d)In connection with the IPO, the SPAC shall enter into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) in a form to be agreed by the Transferors, the Investor and certain other parties thereto and filed as an exhibit to the SPAC’s Registration Statement. The Registration Rights Agreement shall provide the Investor with registration rights with respect to the Transferred Shares that are no less favorable to the Investor than the registration rights of the Transferors set forth therein. The Investor’s rights under the Registration Rights Agreement may not be subsequently terminated, amended, revised or otherwise modified without the Investor’s prior written consent.

 

6.Miscellaneous.

 

(a)Any notice or communication under this Agreement shall be in writing and given by (i) deposit in the United States mail, addressed to the party to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested, (ii) recognized courier or overnight delivery service providing evidence of delivery, or (iii) transmission by hand delivery, electronic mail or facsimile, if to the SPAC or the Transferors, to: 24 Shipyard Drive, Suite 102, Hingham, MA 02043, Attention: Benjamin Piggott, e-mail: ben505@gmail.com; and, if to the Investor, at the Investor’s address or contact information as set forth on the signature page attached hereto.

 

(b)This Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws (and not the law of conflicts) of the State of New York. ANY AND ALL SUITS, LEGAL ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE BROUGHT SOLELY IN A FEDERAL OR STATE COURT IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, AND EACH PARTY HEREBY SUBMITS TO AND ACCEPTS THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF ANY SUCH COURT FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUCH SUITS, LEGAL ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ALL RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR OTHER PROCEEDING INSTITUTED BY OR AGAINST SUCH PARTY IN RESPECT OF ITS OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

 

(c)This Agreement may not be amended or modified without the prior written consent of the parties hereto. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement shall be effective unless delivered in writing, signed by the waiving party.

 

(d)The term “affiliate” or “affiliates” as used herein shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.

 

(e)The parties hereto agree that irreparable damage may occur in the event any provision of this Agreement was not performed in accordance with the terms hereof and that the parties shall be entitled to seek specific performance of the terms hereof, without posting a bond or undertaking and without proof of damages, in addition to any other remedy at law or equity or otherwise.

 

(f)The rights and obligations under this Agreement may not be assigned by any party hereto without the prior written consent of the other parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Investor may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to one or more of its affiliates, to other investment funds or accounts managed or advised by the investment manager who acts on behalf of the Investor or by an affiliate of such investment manager.

 

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(g)From time to time, at the reasonable request of any of the other parties hereto, each party hereto shall execute and deliver such additional documents and instruments and take such further lawful action as may be reasonably necessary to consummate and make effective, in the most expeditious manner practicable, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

(h)Any term or provision of this Agreement which is invalid or unenforceable shall be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid or unenforceable the remaining rights of the person intended to be benefited by such provision or any other provisions of this Agreement.

 

(i)This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Any signature page delivered by a facsimile machine or electronic mail shall be binding to the same extent as an original signature page.

 

(j)No person or entity that is not a party hereto shall have any rights or obligations pursuant to this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, Section 5(a), Section 5(b) and Section 5(c) shall only be enforceable against the Investor by the SPAC on its own behalf. For the avoidance of doubt and in accordance with their terms, Section 5(a), Section 5(b) and Section 5(c) are not enforceable by the Transferors.

 

(k)Except as may be required by law, regulation or applicable stock exchange listing requirements or judicial or administrative order, each of the Transferors and the SPAC hereby agrees not to disclose (orally or in writing or by any other means) the name or identity of the Investor or any of the Investor’s affiliates that purchase Transferred Shares or any unit in the IPO (or any other related identifying information), nor identify the Investor or any of the Investor’s affiliates as an investor in the SPAC (including, without limitation, to any potential investors in the Sponsor or the SPAC or any potential Business Combination target), in each case without the prior written consent of the Investor, subject in any such case to the Investor’s right to review such disclosure of the Investor’s name and the SPAC’s and the Sponsor’s obligation to incorporate the Investor’s reasonable comments thereto.

 

(l)Except as may be required by law, regulation or applicable stock exchange listing requirements or judicial or administrative order, unless and until the transactions contemplated hereby and the terms hereof have been publicly announced or otherwise publicly disclosed by the Transferors , the parties hereto shall keep confidential and shall not publicly disclose the existence or terms of this Agreement provided, for the avoidance of doubt, that any and all such disclosures shall remain subject to the terms hereof, including Section 6(k). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Investor shall be permitted to disclose any information to its affiliates and to its and their control persons, officers, directors, employees, advisors, direct or indirect owners, partners, agents and representatives, in each case so long as such person or entity has been advised of its obligation to comply with the confidentiality provisions hereunder, provided, the Investor shall be liable for any breach of such confidentiality obligations by any such person or entity.

 

[Signature Pages Follow]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

  INVESTOR:
                                                                        
  By: See Exhibit A
  Name: [●]
  Title: [●]
     
  Address: [●]
  Phone: [●]
  Email: [●]
     
  EF hutton acquisition corporation i
     
  By: /s/ Benjamin Piggott
  Name: Benjamin Piggott
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
     
  EF HUTTON PARTNERS, LLC
     
  By: /s/ David Boral
  Name: David Boral
  Title: Manager
     
  SHR VENTURES, LLC
     
  By: /s/ Jerelyn C. Creutz
  Name: Jerelyn C. Creutz
  Title: Manager
     
  PAUL HODGE, JR.
     
  By: /s/ Paul Hodge, Jr.
  Name: Paul Hodge, Jr.
     
  KEVIN M. BUSH
     
  By: /s/ Kevin M. Bush
  Name: Kevin M. Bush

 

 

 

 

Schedule A

 

9.9 % Investor

 

Name  Shares Transferred to 9.9% Anchor Investor   Transfer Price for 9.9% Investor 
EF Hutton Partners, LLC   64,298    578.68 
SHR Ventures, LLC   7,135    64.22 
Paul Hodge, Jr.   2,378    21.40 
Kevin M. Bush   1,189    10.70 
Total   75,000    675.00 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Investors to the Investment Agreement

 

Name   Address  

Number of Units

Indicated to be

Purchased in the IPO

 

Number of
Founder Shares

to be Purchased

             
Boothbay Fund Management, LLC   140 E 45th Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10017   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock
Context Partners Master Fund, L.P.   7724 Girard Ave, Third Floor, La Jolla, CA 92037   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock

Kepos Alpha Master Fund L.P.

 

Kepos Special Opportunities Master Fund L.P.

  11 Times square, 35th Flr, New York NY 10036   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock
The Mangrove Partners Master Fund, Ltd.   645 Madison Avenue, 14th Flr, New York, NY 10022   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock
Meteora Strategic Capital, LLC   840 Park Dr E, Boca Raton, FL 33432   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock

Oaktree Fund GP, LLC

 

Oaktree Fund GP I, LP

  333 S. Grand Avenue, 28th Flr, Los Angeles, CA 90071   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock
Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund   16 York Street, Suite 2900, Toronto, ON M5J 0E6   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock
Space Summit Opportunity Fund I LP.   15455 Albright Street, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock

Taconic Opportunity Master Fund L.P.

 

Taconic Master Fund 1.5 L.P

  280 Park Avenue, 5th Flr, New York, NY 10017   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock
Yakira Capital Management, Inc.   1555 Post Road East, STE 202, Westport, CT 06880   990,000 Units   75,000 shares of Common Stock