UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-Q
(Mark One)
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x
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QUARTERLY REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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For the quarterly period ended
March 31, 2016
OR
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o
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TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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For the transition period from to
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 001-35558
TROVAGENE, INC.
(Exact Name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware
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27-2004382
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(State or other jurisdiction of
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(I.R.S. Employer
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incorporation or organization)
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Identification No.)
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11055 Flintkote Avenue, Suite B, San Diego, California 92121
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Issuer’s telephone Number:
(858) 952-7570
Indicate by check mark whether the issuer (1) filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes
x
No
o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes
x
No
o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
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Large accelerated filer
o
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Accelerated filer
x
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Non-accelerated filer
o
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Smaller reporting company
o
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(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
o
No
x
As of
April 29, 2016
, the issuer had
29,861,820
shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding.
TROVAGENE, INC.
Table of Contents
TROVAGENE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)
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3/31/2016
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12/31/2015
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Assets
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Current assets:
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Cash and cash equivalents
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$
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59,989,329
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$
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67,493,047
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Accounts receivable
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61,935
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98,736
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Prepaid expenses and other assets
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840,724
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789,285
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Total current assets
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60,891,988
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68,381,068
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Property and equipment, net
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4,745,781
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2,690,579
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Other assets
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371,243
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374,004
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Total Assets
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$
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66,009,012
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$
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71,445,651
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Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
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Current liabilities:
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Accounts payable
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$
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1,297,306
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$
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1,040,868
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Accrued expenses
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2,974,493
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1,934,411
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Current portion of long-term debt
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5,850,051
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5,225,818
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Total current liabilities
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10,121,850
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8,201,097
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Long-term debt, less current portion
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10,373,081
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11,246,188
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Derivative financial instruments
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2,763,327
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3,297,077
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Other liabilities
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1,591,306
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—
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Total Liabilities
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24,849,564
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22,744,362
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Commitments and contingencies (Note 8)
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Stockholders’ equity
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Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized; 60,600 shares outstanding at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015; designated as Series A Convertible Preferred Stock with liquidation preference of $606,000 at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015
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60
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60
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Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 150,000,000 shares authorized; 29,782,601 and 29,737,601 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively
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2,979
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2,974
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Additional paid-in capital
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160,312,881
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157,585,498
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Accumulated other comprehensive loss
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(651
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)
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—
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Accumulated deficit
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(119,155,821
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)
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(108,887,243
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)
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Total stockholders’ equity
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41,159,448
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48,701,289
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Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
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$
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66,009,012
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$
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71,445,651
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See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
TROVAGENE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
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Three Months Ended March 31,
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2016
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2015
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Royalty income
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$
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112,868
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$
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124,804
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Diagnostic service revenue
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7,618
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2,166
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Total revenues
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120,486
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126,970
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Costs and expenses:
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Cost of revenue
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309,271
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176,425
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Research and development
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3,208,064
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2,197,659
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Selling and marketing
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3,057,552
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794,653
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General and administrative
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4,004,247
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1,805,985
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Total operating expenses
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10,579,134
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4,974,722
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Loss from operations
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(10,458,648
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)
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(4,847,752
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)
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Net interest expense
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(337,620
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)
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(383,469
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)
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Gain (loss) from change in fair value of derivative instruments — warrants
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533,750
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(1,946,728
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)
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Other income, net
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—
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3,568
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Net loss
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(10,262,518
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)
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(7,174,381
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)
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Preferred stock dividend
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(6,060
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)
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(6,060
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)
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Net loss attributable to common stockholders
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$
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(10,268,578
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)
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$
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(7,180,441
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)
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Net loss per common share — basic
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$
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(0.35
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$
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(0.33
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)
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Net loss per common share — diluted
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$
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(0.36
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$
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(0.33
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)
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Weighted average shares outstanding — basic
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29,755,184
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21,817,710
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Weighted average shares outstanding — diluted
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30,108,377
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21,817,710
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See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
OTHETROVAGENE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(Unaudited)
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Three Months Ended March 31,
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2016
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2015
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Net loss
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$
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(10,262,518
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)
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$
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(7,174,381
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)
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Other comprehensive loss:
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Foreign currency translation loss
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(651
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)
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—
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Total other comprehensive loss
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(651
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)
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—
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Total comprehensive loss
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(10,263,169
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)
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(7,174,381
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)
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Preferred stock dividend
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(6,060
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)
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(6,060
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)
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Comprehensive loss attributable to common stockholders
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$
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(10,269,229
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)
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$
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(7,180,441
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)
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TROVAGENE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
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Three Months Ended
March 31,
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2016
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2015
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Operating activities
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Net loss
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$
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(10,262,518
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)
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$
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(7,174,381
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)
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Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
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Net gain on disposal of fixed assets
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—
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(3,568
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)
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Depreciation and amortization
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156,821
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68,519
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Stock based compensation expense
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2,811,108
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711,741
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Amortization of debt costs
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93,062
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124,713
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Accretion of discount on debt
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27,631
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28,486
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Change in fair value of derivative instruments - warrants
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(533,750
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)
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1,946,728
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
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Decrease in other assets
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2,761
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—
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Decrease (increase) in accounts receivable
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36,801
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(2,697
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)
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Increase in prepaid expenses
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(51,272
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)
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(48,781
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)
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Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and accrued expenses
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1,072,343
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(383,642
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)
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Decrease in other liabilities
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(268,694
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)
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—
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Net cash used in operating activities
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(6,915,707
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)
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(4,732,882
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)
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Investing activities:
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Capital expenditures, net
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(352,023
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(247,097
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Net cash used in investing activities
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(352,023
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(247,097
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)
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Financing activities:
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Proceeds from sales of common stock, net of expenses
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—
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21,445,785
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Proceeds from exercise of options
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133,613
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236,038
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Borrowing under equipment line of credit
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550,297
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—
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Repayments of long-term debt
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(919,864
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)
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—
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Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities
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(235,954
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)
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21,681,823
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Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
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(34
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)
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—
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Net change in cash and equivalents
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(7,503,718
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)
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16,701,844
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Cash and cash equivalents—Beginning of period
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67,493,047
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27,293,798
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Cash and cash equivalents—End of period
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$
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59,989,329
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$
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43,995,642
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Supplementary disclosure of cash flow activity:
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Cash paid for taxes
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$
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—
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$
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800
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Cash paid for interest
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$
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276,214
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$
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265,125
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Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:
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Preferred stock dividends accrued
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$
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6,060
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$
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6,060
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Leasehold improvements paid for by lessor
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$
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1,860,000
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$
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—
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See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
TROVAGENE, INC.
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
1. Organization and Basis of Presentation
Business Organization and Overview
Trovagene, Inc. (“Trovagene” or the “Company”) is a molecular diagnostic company that focuses on the development and commercialization of a proprietary urine-based cell-free molecular diagnostic technology for use in disease detection and monitoring across a variety of medical disciplines. Trovagene’s primary internal focus is to leverage its novel urine-based molecular diagnostic platform to facilitate improvements in the field of oncology, while the Company’s external focus includes entering into collaborations to develop the Company’s technology in areas such as infectious disease, transplant medicine, and prenatal genetics. The Company’s goal is to improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients using its proprietary technology to detect and quantitatively monitor cell-free DNA in urine. Circulating tumor DNA (“ctDNA”) is a subtype of cell-free DNA, and represents the mutant cell-free DNA that we use to detect and monitor cancer.
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements of Trovagene, which include its wholly owned subsidiary, Trovagene, Srl, a subsidiary formed in Italy, have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) related to a quarterly report on Form 10-Q. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those rules and regulations. The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair statement of the results for the periods presented. All such adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. The operating results presented in these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future periods. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended
December 31, 2015
included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 10, 2016.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured.
Milestone, Royalty and License Revenues
The Company licenses and sublicenses its patent rights to healthcare companies, medical laboratories and biotechnology partners. These agreements may involve multiple elements such as license fees, royalties and milestone payments. Revenue is recognized when the criteria described above have been met as well as the following:
•
Up-front nonrefundable license fees pursuant to agreements under which the Company has no continuing performance obligations are recognized as revenues on the effective date of the agreement and when collection is reasonably assured.
•
Minimum royalties are recognized as earned, and royalties in excess of minimum amounts are recognized upon receipt of payment when collection is assured.
•
Milestone payments are recognized when both the milestone is achieved and the related payment is received.
Diagnostic Service Revenues
Revenue for clinical laboratory tests may come from several sources, including commercial third-party payors, such as insurance companies and health maintenance organizations, government payors, such as Medicare and Medicaid in the United States, patient self-pay and, in some cases, from hospitals or referring laboratories who, in turn, might bill third-party payors for testing. The Company is recognizing diagnostic service revenue on the cash collection basis until such time as it is able to properly estimate collections on third party reimbursements.
Derivative Financial Instruments—Warrants
The Company has issued common stock warrants in connection with the execution of certain equity financings. Such warrants are classified as derivative liabilities under the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 815
Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”)
and are recorded at their fair market value as of each reporting period. Such warrants do not meet the exemption that a contract should not be considered a derivative instrument if it is (1) indexed to its own stock and (2) classified in stockholders’ equity. Changes in fair value of derivative liabilities are recorded in the consolidated statement of operations under the caption “Change in fair value of derivative instruments.”
The fair value of warrants is determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model using assumptions regarding the volatility of Trovagene’s common share price, the fair value of the underlying common shares, the remaining life of the warrant, and the risk-free interest rates at each period end. The Company thus uses model-derived valuations where inputs are observable in active markets to determine the fair value and accordingly classifies such warrants in Level 3 per ASC 820,
Fair Value Measurements
. At
March 31, 2016
, and
December 31, 2015
, the fair value of these warrants was
$2,763,327
and
$3,297,077
, respectively, and were included in the derivative financial instruments liability on the balance sheet.
Net Loss Per Share
Basic and diluted net loss per share is presented in conformity with ASC Topic 260,
Earnings per Share
, for all periods presented. In accordance with this guidance, basic net loss per common share was determined by dividing net loss applicable to common stockholders by the weighted-average common shares outstanding during the period. Preferred dividends are included in income available to common stockholders in the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of common shares and common share equivalents outstanding for the period. Common share equivalents are only included when their effect is dilutive.
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:
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Three Months
Ended March 31,
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2016
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2015
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Numerator: Net loss attributable to common shareholders
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$
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(10,268,578
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)
|
|
$
|
(7,180,441
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)
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Adjustment for change in fair value of derivative instruments - warrants
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(533,750
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)
|
|
—
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Net loss used for diluted loss per share
|
$
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(10,802,328
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)
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$
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(7,180,441
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)
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Denominator for basic and diluted net loss per share:
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Weighted average shares used to compute basic loss per share
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29,755,184
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21,817,710
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Adjustments to reflect assumed exercise of warrants
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353,193
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—
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Weighted average shares used to compute diluted net loss per share
|
30,108,377
|
|
|
21,817,710
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Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders:
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Basic
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$
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(0.35
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)
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$
|
(0.33
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)
|
Diluted
|
$
|
(0.36
|
)
|
|
$
|
(0.33
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)
|
The following table sets forth the outstanding potentially dilutive securities that have been excluded in the calculation of diluted net loss per share because their effect was anti-dilutive:
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March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
Options to purchase Common Stock
|
8,117,024
|
|
|
5,875,138
|
|
Warrants to purchase Common Stock
|
4,515,947
|
|
|
5,993,952
|
|
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock
|
63,125
|
|
|
63,125
|
|
|
12,696,096
|
|
|
11,932,215
|
|
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02,
Leases
. The new standard establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of the new standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15,
Presentation of Financial Statements
—
Going Concern
, which impacts the accounting guidance related to the evaluation of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The amendment establishes management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period. The amendment also gives guidance to determine whether to disclose information about relevant conditions and events when there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The amended guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-9,
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
(“ASU 2014-9”). ASU 2014-9 provides companies with a single model for accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific revenue guidance. The core principle of the model is to recognize revenue when control of the goods or services transfers to the customer, as opposed to recognizing revenue when the risks and rewards transfer to the customer under the existing revenue guidance. The guidance permits companies to either apply the requirements retrospectively to all prior periods presented, or apply the requirements in the year of adoption, through a cumulative adjustment. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14,
Deferral of the Effective Date
, which defers the required adoption date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. As a result of the deferred effective date, ASU 2014-09 will be effective for the Company in its first quarter of fiscal year 2018. Early adoption is permitted but not before the original effective date of the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. The Company is in the process of evaluating the transition method that will be elected and the impact of adoption of ASU 2014-09 on its consolidated financial statements.
3. Fair Value Measurements
The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured and recognized at fair value on a recurring basis classified under the appropriate level of the fair value hierarchy as of
March 31, 2016
and
December 31, 2015
:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair Value Measurements at
March 31, 2016
|
|
Quoted Prices
in Active
Markets for
Identical Assets
and Liabilities
(Level 1)
|
|
Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
|
|
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
|
|
Total
|
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money market fund (1)
|
$
|
59,070,272
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
59,070,272
|
|
Total Assets
|
$
|
59,070,272
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
59,070,272
|
|
Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Derivative liabilities related to warrants
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
2,763,327
|
|
|
$
|
2,763,327
|
|
Total Liabilities
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
2,763,327
|
|
|
$
|
2,763,327
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair Value Measurements at
December 31, 2015
|
|
Quoted Prices
in Active
Markets for
Identical Assets
and Liabilities
(Level 1)
|
|
Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
|
|
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
|
|
Total
|
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money market fund (1)
|
$
|
65,016,222
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
65,016,222
|
|
Total Assets
|
$
|
65,016,222
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
65,016,222
|
|
Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Derivative liabilities related to warrants
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
3,297,077
|
|
|
$
|
3,297,077
|
|
Total Liabilities
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
3,297,077
|
|
|
$
|
3,297,077
|
|
(1) Included as a component of cash and cash equivalents on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.
The following table sets forth a summary of changes in the fair value of the Company’s Level 3 liabilities for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Description
|
|
Balance at
December 31, 2015
|
|
Unrealized
gain
|
|
Balance at
March 31, 2016
|
Derivative liabilities related to Warrants
|
|
$
|
3,297,077
|
|
|
$
|
(533,750
|
)
|
|
$
|
2,763,327
|
|
The unrealized loss on the derivative liabilities is recorded as a change in fair value of derivative liabilities in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. At each reporting period, the Company reviews the assets and liabilities that are subject to ASC Topic 815-40. At each reporting period, all assets and liabilities for which the fair value measurement is based on significant unobservable inputs or instruments which trade infrequently and therefore have little or no price transparency are classified as Level 3.
4. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment consist of the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of March 31,
2016
|
|
As of December 31,
2015
|
Furniture and office equipment
|
$
|
1,509,546
|
|
|
$
|
1,483,227
|
|
Leasehold Improvements
|
1,952,180
|
|
|
39,401
|
|
Laboratory equipment
|
2,294,203
|
|
|
2,022,733
|
|
|
5,755,929
|
|
|
3,545,361
|
|
Less—accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
(1,010,148
|
)
|
|
(854,782
|
)
|
Property and equipment, net
|
$
|
4,745,781
|
|
|
$
|
2,690,579
|
|
5. Debt
Equipment Line of Credit
In November 2015, the Company entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (“Equipment Line of Credit”) with Silicon Valley Bank that provided for cash borrowings for equipment (“Equipment Advances”) of up to
$2.0 million
, secured by the equipment financed. Under the terms of the agreement, interest is equal to
1.25%
above the Prime Rate. Interest only payments are due on borrowings through November 30, 2016, with both interest and principal payments commencing in December 2016. Any equipment advances after November 30, 2016 are subject to principal and interest payments immediately over a
36
-month period following the advance. All unpaid principal and interest on each Equipment Advance will be due on November 1, 2019. The Company has an obligation to make a final payment equal to
7%
of total amounts borrowed at the loan maturity date.
The Company is also subject to certain affirmative and negative covenants under the Equipment Line of Credit. As of
March 31, 2016
, the Company was in compliance with all covenants.
As of
March 31, 2016
,
$1,636,359
has been borrowed under the Equipment Line of Credit. As of
March 31, 2016
, amounts due under the Equipment Line of Credit included
$181,818
in current liabilities and
$1,462,260
in long-term liabilities, which includes
$7,719
of accrued final payment. The Company recorded
$21,179
in interest expense related to the Equipment Line of Credit during the year ended
March 31, 2016
.
Future payments of long-term debt at
March 31, 2016
are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
2016
|
$
|
181,818
|
|
2017
|
545,453
|
|
2018
|
545,453
|
|
2019
|
363,635
|
|
Total principal
|
1,636,359
|
|
Plus final fee premium accretion
|
7,719
|
|
Total long-term obligations
|
$
|
1,644,078
|
|
Loan and Security Agreement
In June 2014, the Company entered into a
$15,000,000
loan and security agreement (“Agreement”) under which the lenders provided the Company a term loan, which was funded at closing. The interest rate is
7.07%
per annum. Under the Agreement, the Company made interest only payments on the outstanding amount of the loan on a monthly basis through February 2016, after which equal monthly payments of principal and interest are due until the loan maturity date of July 1, 2018. The loan is secured by a security interest in all of the Company’s assets except intellectual property, which is subject to a negative pledge. In connection with the loan, the lenders received a warrant to purchase an aggregate
85,470
shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of
$3.51
per share exercisable for
ten years
from the date of issuance. The original value of the warrants, totaling
$235,857
, was recorded as debt discount and additional paid-in capital as the warrants were equity classified. As of
March 31, 2016
, a warrant to purchase
42,735
shares of common stock remains outstanding.
At the Company’s option, it may prepay all of the outstanding principal balance, subject to certain pre-payment fees ranging from
1%
to
3%
of the prepayment amount. In the event of a final payment of the loans under the loan agreement, either in the event of repayment of the loan at maturity or upon any prepayment, the Company is obligated to pay the amortized portion of the final fee of
$1,050,000
.
The Company is also subject to certain affirmative and negative covenants under the Agreement, including limitations on its ability to: undergo certain change of control events; convey, sell, lease, license, transfer or otherwise dispose of any equipment financed by loans under the loan agreement; create, incur, assume, guarantee or be liable with respect to indebtedness, subject to certain exceptions; grant liens on any equipment financed under the loan agreement; and make or permit any payment on specified subordinated debt. In addition, under the Agreement, subject to certain exceptions, the Company is required to maintain with the lender its primary operating, other deposit and securities accounts. Furthermore, under the amendment to the Agreement, the Company is required to be in compliance with healthcare laws and regulations and terms and conditions of healthcare permits. The Company was in compliance with all covenants as of
March 31, 2016
.
As of
March 31, 2016
, amounts due under the Agreement include
$5,752,026
in current liabilities and
$8,827,028
in long-term liabilities, which include
$623,182
of accrued final payment. The Company recorded
$345,162
in interest expense related to the Agreement during the
three months ended March 31, 2016
.
Future payments of long-term debt at
March 31, 2016
are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
2016
|
$
|
5,752,026
|
|
2017
|
6,172,134
|
|
2018
|
2,155,976
|
|
Total principal
|
14,080,136
|
|
Less discount
|
(124,264
|
)
|
Plus final fee premium accretion
|
623,182
|
|
Total long-term obligations
|
$
|
14,579,054
|
|
Debt Agreement
In February 2016, the Company signed a term sheet to refinance its existing term loan in June 2014. Under the term sheet, interest would be equal to
3.75%
plus the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate, subject to a floor of
7.25%
. Interest only payments would be for
12
months, followed by equal monthly payments of principal and interest over the following
30
months. The Company would also have an obligation to make a final payment equal to
7.50%
of total funded amounts at the loan maturity date. In addition, the lenders would receive a warrant to purchase such number of shares of the Company’s common stock as is equal to
1%
of the funded amount divided by an average closing price of the Company’s common stock. As of March 31, 2016, the refinancing documents have not been fully executed.
6. Derivative Financial Instruments — Warrants
Based upon the Company’s analysis of the criteria contained in ASC Topic 815-40, Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity, Trovagene determined that certain warrants issued in connection with the execution of certain equity financings must be recorded as derivative liabilities. In accordance with ASC Topic 815-40, the warrants are also being re-measured at each balance sheet date based on estimated fair value, and any resultant change in fair value is being recorded in the Company’s statement of operations. The Company estimates the fair value of these warrants using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.
The assumptions used to determine the Black-Scholes fair value of the warrants during the periods indicated were:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
Estimated fair value of Trovagene common stock
|
4.65
|
|
|
6.81
|
|
Expected warrant term
|
2.75 years
|
|
|
3.75 years
|
|
Risk-free interest rate
|
0.87
|
%
|
|
0.89
|
%
|
Expected volatility
|
81.8
|
%
|
|
75.4
|
%
|
Dividend yield
|
0
|
%
|
|
0
|
%
|
Expected volatility is based on the volatility of a peer group of companies with attributes similar to Trovagene. The warrants have a transferability provision and based on guidance provided in SAB 107 for instruments issued with such a provision, Trovagene used the full contractual term as the expected term of the warrants. The risk free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury security rates consistent with the expected remaining term of the warrants at each balance sheet date.
The following table sets forth the components of changes in the Company’s derivative financial instruments liability balance, valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing method, for the periods indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date
|
|
Description
|
|
Warrants
|
|
Derivative
Instrument
Liability
|
December 31, 2015
|
|
Balance of derivative financial instruments liability
|
|
967,297
|
|
|
$
|
3,297,077
|
|
|
|
Change in fair value of warrants during the period recognized as a gain in the condensed consolidated statement of operations
|
|
—
|
|
|
(533,750
|
)
|
March 31, 2016
|
|
Balance of derivative financial instruments liability
|
|
967,297
|
|
|
$
|
2,763,327
|
|
7. Stockholders’ Equity
Common Stock
During the
three months ended March 31, 2016
, the Company issued a total of
45,000
shares of Common Stock, all of which were issued upon exercise of options for a weighted average price of
$2.97
.
Stock Options
Stock-based compensation expense related to Trovagene options have been recognized in operating results as follow:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
Included in research and development expense
|
$
|
398,741
|
|
|
$
|
289,197
|
|
Included in cost of revenue
|
18,297
|
|
|
26,706
|
|
Included in selling and marketing expense
|
578,721
|
|
|
80,488
|
|
Included in general and administrative expense
|
1,815,349
|
|
|
315,350
|
|
Total stock-based compensation expense
|
$
|
2,811,108
|
|
|
$
|
711,741
|
|
The unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock options outstanding at
March 31, 2016
and
2015
, net of expected forfeitures, was
$12,118,815
and
$7,715,890
, respectively, both to be recognized over a weighted-average remaining vesting period of approximately
three years
. The weighted average remaining contractual term of outstanding options as of
March 31, 2016
was approximately
eight years
.
The estimated fair value of stock option awards was determined on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model with the following weighted average assumptions during the following periods indicated:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
Risk-free interest rate
|
1.48
|
%
|
|
1.77
|
%
|
Dividend yield
|
0
|
%
|
|
0
|
%
|
Expected volatility
|
82
|
%
|
|
75
|
%
|
Expected term
|
5.2 years
|
|
|
6.2 years
|
|
A summary of stock option activity and changes in stock options outstanding is presented below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Options
|
|
Weighted Average
Exercise Price
Per Share
|
|
Intrinsic
Value
|
Balance outstanding, December 31, 2015
|
6,948,630
|
|
|
$
|
5.45
|
|
|
$
|
5,903,466
|
|
Granted
|
2,091,950
|
|
|
5.14
|
|
|
|
|
Exercised
|
(45,000
|
)
|
|
2.97
|
|
|
|
|
Canceled / Forfeited
|
(809,279
|
)
|
|
5.36
|
|
|
|
|
Expired
|
(69,277
|
)
|
|
11.01
|
|
|
|
|
Balance outstanding, March 31, 2016
|
8,117,024
|
|
|
5.35
|
|
|
3,346,992
|
|
Exercisable at March 31, 2016
|
3,533,611
|
|
|
4.59
|
|
|
2,638,307
|
|
As of
March 31, 2016
, the Company had issued
996,000
options to its executive officers and non-employee directors that are over the authorized number of options in the Plan and are subject to shareholder approval. As per ASC Topic 815-40, the options have been accounted for as liabilities and recorded at fair value with the changes in fair value being recorded in the Company’s statement of operations. Once shareholder approval is obtained to increase the number of authorized shares, the liability will then be reversed into additional paid in capital. The Company has recorded a
$217,333
liability for this amount in accrued expenses.
The Trovagene Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 EIP”) authorizing up to
2,500,000
shares of common stock for issuance under the Plan was approved by the Board of Directors in June 2014 and approved by the Shareholders at the September 17, 2014 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. An additional
2,500,000
shares of common stock for issuance was authorized by the Board of Directors in March 2015 and approved by the Shareholders at the June 10, 2015 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. As of
March 31, 2016
, excluding the options to purchase an aggregate of
996,000
shares granted to our executive officers and non-employee directors that are subject to stockholder approval, there were
887,911
shares available for issuance under the 2014 EIP. The Company will hold the Annual Shareholders' Meeting on May 17, 2016 to consider and act upon a proposal to approve an amendment to the 2014 EIP to increase the number of shares issuable to
7,500,000
shares from
5,000,000
shares.
Warrants
A summary of warrant activity and changes in warrants outstanding, including both liability and equity classifications is presented below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Warrants
|
|
Weighted Average
Exercise Price
Per Share
|
|
Weighted Average
Remaining Contractual
Term
|
Balance outstanding, December 31, 2015
|
5,533,242
|
|
|
$
|
3.86
|
|
|
2.5
|
Exercised
|
(50,000
|
)
|
|
8.00
|
|
|
|
Balance outstanding, March 31, 2016
|
5,483,242
|
|
|
3.82
|
|
|
2.3
|
8. Commitments and Contingencies
Employment and Consulting Agreements
The Company has longer-term contractual commitments with various consultants and employees. Certain employment agreements provide for severance payments.
Lease Agreement
The Company currently leases approximately
22,600
square feet of office and laboratory space at a monthly rental rate of approximately
$60,000
. The lease will expire on December 31, 2021. The Company also leases certain office building in Torino, Italy, consisting of approximately
2,300
square feet at a monthly rental rate of approximately
$3,100
. The lease is for a period of
three
years and expires December 31, 2018.
Research and Development Agreements
The Company has entered into a variety of collaboration and specimen transfer agreements relating to its development efforts. Included in research and development expense, the Company has recorded approximately
$317,000
for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
relating to services provided by the collaborators in connection with these agreements.
The Company is a party to various agreements under which it licenses technology on an exclusive basis in the field of human diagnostics. License fees are generally calculated as a percentage of product revenues, with rates that vary by agreement. To date, payments have not been material.
Other Matters
The Company may be subject to litigation or administrative proceedings related to our business, such as claims related to employment practices, commercial disputes, or patent infringement. Responding to litigation or administrative proceedings, regardless of whether they have merit, can be expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. We are not able to predict the timing or outcome of these matters.
9. Related Party Transactions
In September 2015, the Company entered into a research agreement with University of Turin (“University”) to collaborate on a program of research to develop, optimize and test molecular profiling tools for plasma and urine ctDNA in cancer. Dr. Alberto Bardelli, the Principal Investigator of the University who oversees this research program is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Company. Under the agreement, the Company has committed to pay up to
$529,000
for the services performed by the University. In addition, the Company may pay royalties to the University on revenue generated by the Company from the commercialization of any tools developed during the collaboration. As of
March 31, 2016
, the Company has incurred and recorded approximately
$146,000
of research and development expenses related to the agreement.
No
royalty expense has been incurred as of
March 31, 2016
.
10. Subsequent Events
Employment Agreement
In May 2016, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. William J. Welch in which he agreed to serve as the Chief Executive Officer. The term of the agreement is effective as of May 6, 2016. Mr. Welch’s base compensation is
$475,000
per year. Mr. Welch is eligible to receive an annual bonus of up to
50%
of his base compensation based on meeting certain performance objectives and bonus criteria. Upon entering the agreement, Mr. Welch was granted an option to purchase
750,000
shares of Common Stock. The options have an exercise price of
$4.73
per share and will vest over
four
years.
If employment is terminated by the Company without cause or by Mr. Welch for good reason, Mr. Welch is entitled to receive a severance payment equal to base compensation for
24
months and the potential bonus and any benefits Mr. Welch would be eligible for during that
24
month period. If the employment is terminated as a result of a change of control, in addition to the severance payment described above, all unvested equity awards would immediately vest and become fully exercisable.
Lease Agreement
On April 4, 2016, the Company entered into an amendment to the lease agreement to add approximately
3,500
square feet of office space at a monthly rental rate of approximately
$8,300
. The amended lease will expire on December 31, 2021 and is expected to commence at the end of 2016.
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Forward-Looking Statements
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Quarterly Report, including statements regarding the future financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “expect,” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions.
In addition, our business and financial performance may be affected by the factors that are discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2015
, filed on March 10, 2016. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
You should not rely upon forward looking statements as predictions of future events. We cannot assure you that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward looking statements will be achieved or occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.
The following discussion and analysis is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information set forth in the financial statements and the notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion should not be construed to imply that the results discussed herein will necessarily continue into the future, or that any conclusion reached herein will necessarily be indicative of actual operating results in the future. Such discussion represents only the best present assessment of our management.
Overview
We are a molecular diagnostic company that focuses on the development and commercialization of a proprietary urine-based cell-free molecular diagnostic technology for use in disease detection and monitoring across a variety of medical disciplines. Our primary internal focus is to leverage our novel urine-based molecular diagnostic platform to facilitate improvements in the field of oncology, while our external focus includes entering into collaborations to develop the Company’s technology in areas such as infectious disease, transplant medicine, and prenatal genetics. Our goal is to improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients using our proprietary technology to detect and quantitatively monitor cell-free DNA in urine.
We are leveraging our proprietary molecular diagnostic technology for the detection of cell-free DNA originating from diseased cell death and that can be isolated and detected from urine, blood, and tissue samples to improve disease management.
These genetic materials are also collectively referred to as “cell-free nucleic acids”, which result when cells in the body die and release their DNA contents into the bloodstream. The circulating fragments of genetic material are eventually filtered through the kidneys and therefore, can be detected and measured in urine. Cell-free nucleic acids can be used as genetic markers of disease. As such, the contents of urine or blood samples represent systemic liquid biopsies that can allow for simple, non-invasive or minimally-invasive sample collection methods. Circulating tumor DNA is a subtype of cell-free DNA, and represents the mutant cell-free DNA that we use to detect and monitor cancer.
Our fundamental ctDNA diagnostic platform, also known as our Precision Cancer Monitoring
R
, (“PCM”) platform is protected by a strong intellectual property portfolio. We have developed significant intellectual property around cell-free nucleic acids in urine, the extraction of cell-free nucleic acids from urine, as well as novel assay designs, particularly our proprietary non-naturally occurring primers. Through this proprietary technology, we believe that we are at the forefront of a shift in the way diagnostic medicine is practiced, using simple, non-invasive or minimally invasive sampling and analysis of nucleic acids, which we believe will ultimately lead to more effective treatment monitoring, better management of serious illnesses such as cancer, and the ability to detect the recurrence of cancer earlier. As of
March 31, 2016
, our intellectual
property portfolio consists of 89 issued patents worldwide and over 70 pending patent applications globally. Our patent estate includes intellectual property for the detection of cell-free nucleic acids that pass through the kidney into the urine, as well as their application in specific disease areas, including oncology, infectious disease, transplantation, and prenatal genetics.
We believe that our proprietary PCM platform is uniquely positioned to address a high unmet clinical need in field of oncology. Our PCM platform is designed to offer improved cancer monitoring by tracking and analyzing levels of cell-free DNA from either urine or blood samples, and is intended to provide important clinical information beyond the current standard of care. Using urine as a sample, our cancer monitoring technology enables more frequent, non-invasive monitoring of oncogene mutation status, disease progression and disease recurrence. Our research and development efforts were made commercially feasible following improved next-generation sequencing (“NGS”) technologies which are now available at a significantly lower cost. This combined with our extensive patent portfolio around cell-free DNA in urine gives us a competitive advantage to leverage an emerging trend toward monitoring cancer using ctDNA as a marker of disease status. Our proprietary sample preparation process forms the basis of our PCM platform. It includes novel technology for the extraction and isolation of ctDNA from either a urine or blood sample, proprietary non-naturally occurring primers to enrich the sample for mutant alleles, and the ability to detect nucleic acids of interest using one of several leading gene sequencing technologies such as NGS or droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reaction. We believe that our quantitative ctDNA detection and monitoring platform offers industry leading sensitivity, featuring single nucleic acid molecule detection.
Our PCM platform is poised to overcome a significant clinical dilemma in the area of cancer treatment. Recent scientific evidence supports the molecular basis of cancer, and has resulted in a paradigm shift in the way cancer is treated. Researchers and clinicians are now focused on specific oncogene mutations that are believed to be the molecular drivers of cancer, and, as a result, there is a trend in the pharmaceutical research community toward developing targeted therapies. As such, there is a need for oncologists to have an ability to track the mutational status of their patients, including a given patient’s response to treatments that are designed to target driver oncogene mutations. Current monitoring tools such as imaging procedures, tissue biopsy, and circulating tumor cells are insufficient to meet the challenge of monitoring oncogene mutations. Cancer imaging provides a rough indication of tumor size, but provides no information to oncologists regarding mutational status which is important for the use of molecular targeted therapies. Tissue biopsy usually involves a major surgical procedure and, in many cases, is not repeatable as there are limitations related to tissue access for serial biopsies. In some cases, biopsies may not be feasible, significantly increasing the need to determine mutational status using an alternative method. In addition, tumor heterogeneity can create challenges, as the surgeon may not obtain the proper tissue from the tumor sample. With circulating tumor cells, which are typically measured using blood tests, sensitivity is low, and such tests are technically difficult and can be expensive.
While an improvement over chemotherapy in many cases, targeted drug therapies are not without issues, such as their high cost and potential side effects. In order to measure effectiveness of these therapies, repeated monitoring is needed and imaging and serial biopsies have their challenges or may not be optimal. If resistance develops to a targeted cancer therapy, fast and accurate detection of emerging or changing oncogene mutation status has potential to provide critical information early. Our PCM platform provides a novel solution for early detection of cancer progression using urine, a non-invasive, plentiful sample source. We continue to generate positive data supporting the clinical utility of our technology to monitor cancer using ctDNA.
Our accumulated deficit through
March 31, 2016
is
$119,155,821
. To date, we have generated minimal revenues and expect to incur additional losses to perform further research and development activities and expand commercial operations. During 2016, the following significant activities and events occurred:
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•
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Entered into preferred provider agreements with Stratose, Inc., Multiplan, Inc., Three Rivers Provider Network, Fortified Provider Network, FedMed, Inc., American’s Choice Provider Network, and Galaxy Health Network. These combined agreements represent in-network coverage for approximately 160 million covered lives.
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|
|
•
|
Presented clinical study results at the 2016 American Association for Cancer Research (“AACR”) Annual Meeting that demonstrated ctDNA assay performance for detection and monitoring KRAS mutations in urine from patients with advanced cancers.
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|
|
•
|
We appointed William J. Welch, as our Chief Executive Officer, after announcing the departure of Matthew Posard, Chief Commercial Officer and the termination of Antonius Schuh and Stephen Zaniboni as our previous CEO and CFO, respectively.
|
Our product development and commercialization efforts are in their early stages, and we cannot make estimates of the costs or the time our development efforts will take to complete, or the timing and amount of revenues related to the sale of our tests or our diagnostic services and revenues related to our license agreements. The risk of completion of any program is high because of the many uncertainties involved in bringing new diagnostic products to market including the long duration of clinical testing, the specific performance of proposed products under stringent clinical trial protocols and/or Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (“CLIA”) requirements, extended regulatory approval and review cycles, our ability to raise additional capital, the nature and timing of research and development expenses, and competing technologies being developed by organizations with significantly greater resources.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We had no off-balance sheet arrangements as of
March 31, 2016
.
Critical Accounting Policies
Financial Reporting Release No. 60 requires all companies to include a discussion of critical accounting policies or methods used in the preparation of financial statements. Our accounting policies are described in ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS of our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended
December 31, 2015
, filed with the SEC on March 10, 2016. There have been no changes to our critical accounting policies since
December 31, 2015
.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Three Months Ended March 31, 2016
and
2015
Revenues
Our total revenues were
$120,486
and
$126,970
for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. The components of our revenues were as follows:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
|
Increase (Decrease)
|
Royalty income
|
$
|
112,868
|
|
|
$
|
124,804
|
|
|
$
|
(11,936
|
)
|
Diagnostic service revenue
|
7,618
|
|
|
2,166
|
|
|
5,452
|
|
Total revenues
|
$
|
120,486
|
|
|
$
|
126,970
|
|
|
$
|
(6,484
|
)
|
The
$11,936
decrease
in royalty income related primarily to lower receipts of payments in excess of minimum royalties in comparison to the same period of the prior year. Diagnostic service revenue is recognized when payment is received for the test results. There were less payments received for the
three months ended March 31, 2015
.
We expect our royalty income to fluctuate as the royalties are based on the minimum royalty payments as well as the timing of when payments are received for royalties in excess of minimum royalties. In addition, we expect our diagnostic service revenue to increase in future periods, but as the revenue recognition is based on cash receipts, the timing of these revenues is also uncertain.
Cost of Revenues
Our total cost of revenues was
$309,271
for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
, compared to
$176,425
in the same period of
2015
. Cost of revenues mainly relates to the costs of our diagnostic service revenues. The costs related to diagnostic service revenues are recognized at the completion of testing. Due to revenue being recognized when cash is received, costs incurred in one period may relate to revenue recognized in a later period. Gross margins are negative as we begin to build test volume to cover costs associated with running our diagnostic tests as well as inefficiencies in realizing capacity related issues. Increase in cost of revenues for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
compared to the same period of last year mainly due to the increased volume of test processed offset by decreased average cost per test. To support the increased volume of tests, we increased the average number of our CLIA headcount from
five
to
ten
.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consisted of the following:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
|
Increase
|
Salaries and staff costs
|
$
|
1,302,260
|
|
|
$
|
799,942
|
|
|
$
|
502,318
|
|
Stock-based compensation
|
398,741
|
|
|
289,197
|
|
|
109,544
|
|
Outside services, consultants and lab supplies
|
1,181,379
|
|
|
921,016
|
|
|
260,363
|
|
Facilities
|
261,237
|
|
|
148,353
|
|
|
112,884
|
|
Travel and scientific conferences
|
42,410
|
|
|
38,238
|
|
|
4,172
|
|
Other
|
22,037
|
|
|
913
|
|
|
21,124
|
|
Total research and development
|
$
|
3,208,064
|
|
|
$
|
2,197,659
|
|
|
$
|
1,010,405
|
|
Research and development expenses
increase
d by
$1,010,405
to
$3,208,064
for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
from
$2,197,659
for the same period in
2015
. Our costs increased primarily due to the average number of our internal research and development personnel growing from
fifteen
to
thirty
. In addition, we purchased additional laboratory equipment, lab supplies and clinical samples to support the number of samples processed and validated in connection with our clinical collaborations as well as the development of our urine collection kit. We utilize our clinical collaborations to provide data that summarizes the accuracy of our tests to detect certain types of cancer in urine samples. We also enter into clinical studies to provide data that supports our technology for the monitoring of responsiveness to therapy and the status of diseases. For the
three months ended March 31, 2016
we were a party to
twenty-seven
active collaborations or studies, while in the same period of
2015
we were a party to
twenty-three
collaborations or studies. We expect research and development expenses to increase as we expand current collaborations or enter into additional collaborations and further product development.
Selling and Marketing Expenses
Selling and marketing expenses consisted of the following:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
|
Increase/(Decrease)
|
Salaries and staff costs
|
$
|
1,408,576
|
|
|
$
|
300,131
|
|
|
$
|
1,108,445
|
|
Stock-based compensation
|
578,721
|
|
|
80,488
|
|
|
498,233
|
|
Outside services and consultants
|
356,958
|
|
|
150,680
|
|
|
206,278
|
|
Facilities
|
118,261
|
|
|
58,981
|
|
|
59,280
|
|
Trade shows, conferences and marketing
|
342,173
|
|
|
132,511
|
|
|
209,662
|
|
Travel
|
219,633
|
|
|
33,855
|
|
|
185,778
|
|
Other
|
33,230
|
|
|
38,007
|
|
|
(4,777
|
)
|
Total sales and marketing
|
$
|
3,057,552
|
|
|
$
|
794,653
|
|
|
$
|
2,262,899
|
|
Selling and marketing expenses
increase
d by
$2,262,899
to
$3,057,552
for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
from
$794,653
for the same period in
2015
. The significant components of the increase were primarily increased salaries and staff costs, stock-based compensation, outside services and consultants and trade shows, conferences and marketing costs. During the
three months ended March 31, 2016
we increased the number of our field sales, customer support and marketing personnel, bringing our average headcount to
twenty-four
from
eight
in the same period of the prior year. These additions to our commercial team support our sales and marketing activities, resulting in the increase in salaries and staff costs and stock-based compensation. The increase in outside services and consultants is due to our utilization of outside marketing consultants and agents for targeted marketing activities such as social media engagements and public relations services. We expect our selling and marketing expenses to further increase as we hire additional commercial team members.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consisted of the following:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
|
Increase/(Decrease)
|
Personnel and outside services costs
|
$
|
1,028,651
|
|
|
$
|
836,222
|
|
|
$
|
192,429
|
|
Board of Directors’ fees
|
101,995
|
|
|
116,007
|
|
|
(14,012
|
)
|
Stock-based compensation
|
1,815,349
|
|
|
315,350
|
|
|
1,499,999
|
|
Legal and accounting fees
|
769,797
|
|
|
306,564
|
|
|
463,233
|
|
Facilities and insurance
|
135,922
|
|
|
114,241
|
|
|
21,681
|
|
Travel
|
76,145
|
|
|
85,452
|
|
|
(9,307
|
)
|
Fees, licenses, taxes and other
|
76,388
|
|
|
32,149
|
|
|
44,239
|
|
Total general and administrative
|
$
|
4,004,247
|
|
|
$
|
1,805,985
|
|
|
$
|
2,198,262
|
|
General and administrative expenses
increase
d by
$2,198,262
to
$4,004,247
for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
, from
$1,805,985
for the same period in
2015
. The significant components of the
increase
were primarily due to the increase in stock-based compensation. In January 2016, our former CEO was granted a non-qualified stock option to purchase 350,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.18 per share. As the stock option was vested upon grant, the fair value of the option, which approximated $1.2 million was expensed in full in the first quarter of 2016. Legal and accounting fees increased primarily as a result of review of federal and state tax regulations with respect to certain executive compensation and additional legal review of regulatory documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expect our general and administrative costs to increase to as our commercial operations and research and development teams grow and if we need to retain additional legal resources.
Net interest Expense
Net interest expense was
$337,620
and
$383,469
for
three months ended March 31, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. The decrease of net interest expense is primarily due to the approximately $50,000 increase in interest income. During
three months ended March 31, 2016
, we maintained a higher cash and cash equivalent balance in the financial institutions as compared to the same period of last year, resulted a higher interest income. We expect our interest expense to increase upon completion of the refinancing of our debt.
Change in Fair Value of Derivative Instruments - Warrants
We have issued securities that are accounted for as derivative liabilities. As of
March 31, 2016
, the derivative liabilities related to securities issued were revalued to
$2,763,327
, resulting in an decrease in value of
$533,750
from
December 31, 2015
, based primarily upon the decrease in our stock price from
$5.40
at
December 31, 2015
to
$4.65
at
March 31, 2016
as well as the changes in the expected term and risk free interest rates for the expected term. The decrease in value was recorded as a gain from the change in fair value of derivative liabilities in the condensed consolidated statement of operations.
Net Loss
Net loss and per share amounts were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
2016
|
|
2015
|
|
Increase
|
Net loss attributable to common shareholders
|
$
|
(10,268,578
|
)
|
|
$
|
(7,180,441
|
)
|
|
$
|
3,088,137
|
|
Net loss per common share — basic
|
$
|
(0.35
|
)
|
|
$
|
(0.33
|
)
|
|
$
|
0.02
|
|
Net loss per common share — diluted
|
$
|
(0.36
|
)
|
|
$
|
(0.33
|
)
|
|
$
|
0.03
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average shares outstanding — basic
|
29,755,184
|
|
|
21,817,710
|
|
|
7,937,474
|
|
Weighted average shares outstanding — diluted
|
30,108,377
|
|
|
21,817,710
|
|
|
8,290,667
|
|
The
$3,088,137
increase
in net loss attributable to common shareholders and
$0.02
increase
in basic net loss per share in
2016
compared to
2015
was primarily the result of the gain from the change in fair value in derivative liabilities, offset by an increase in operating expenses, compared to the same period in the prior year. Basic net loss per share in
2016
was also impacted by the
increase
in basic weighted average shares outstanding resulting from the sale and issuance of approximately 4.8 million shares of common stock through underwritten public offering and controlled equity offering through our selling agent, as well as the issuance of approximately 640,000 shares of common stock from the exercise of stock options and warrants.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
As of
March 31, 2016
, we had
$59,989,329
in cash and cash equivalents. Net cash used in operating activities for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
was
$6,915,707
, compared to
$4,732,882
for the
three
months ended
March 31, 2015
. Our use of cash was primarily a result of the net loss of
$10,262,518
for the
three months ended March 31, 2016
, adjusted for non-cash items related to stock-based compensation of
$2,811,108
, amortization of debt costs of
$93,062
, accretion of discount on debt of
$27,631
, depreciation and amortization of
$156,821
, and the loss from the change in fair value of derivatives of
$533,750
. The changes in our operating assets and liabilities consisted of higher accounts payable and accrued expenses, an increase in prepaid expenses, and decreases in accounts receivable, other assets and other liabilities. At our current and anticipated level of operating loss, we expect to continue to incur an operating cash outflow for the next several years.
Investing activities consisted of net purchases for capital equipment that used
$352,023
in cash during the
three months ended March 31, 2016
, compared to
$247,097
for the same period in
2015
. We expect to make additional investments in capital equipment in 2016, primarily for laboratory equipment.
Net cash used in financing activities was
$235,954
during the
three months ended March 31, 2016
, compared to
$21,681,823
net cash provided by financing activities in
2015
. Financing activities during the
three months ended March 31, 2016
related primarily to the net payment of long-term debt offset by borrowings under equipment line of credit. Financing activities during the same period of the prior year consisted primarily of proceeds from the sale of our common stock in underwritten public offerings. We expect to complete a refinancing of our debt in 2016 that if completed, will result in additional cash provided by financing activities.
As of
March 31, 2016
, and
December 31, 2015
, we had working capital of
$50,770,138
and
$60,179,971
, respectively. As of
April 30,
2016
, our working capital was approximately
$47.5 million
.
Our working capital requirements will depend upon numerous factors including but not limited to the nature, cost and timing of our research and development programs and ramp up of our sales and marketing function. To date, our sources of cash have been primarily limited to the sale of equity securities and debentures and borrowings under debt agreements. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. To the extent that we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience significant dilution. Any debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants that impact our ability to conduct business. If we are unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, we may have to (i) significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development and/or commercialization of one or more of product candidates; (ii) seek collaborators for product candidates at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable and on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available; or (iii) relinquish or otherwise dispose of rights to technologies, product candidates or products that we would otherwise seek to develop or commercialize ourselves on unfavorable terms.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
For a discussion of our contractual obligations see (i) our Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements Note 9.
Commitments and Contingencies
, and (ii) Item 7 Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations —
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of
December 31, 2015
.
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Interest Rate Risk
Our cash and cash equivalent primary consists of deposits, and money market deposits managed by commercial banks. The goals of our investment policy are preservation of capital, fulfillment of liquidity needs and fiduciary control of cash and investments. We also seek to maximize income from our investments without assuming significant risk.
Our primary exposure to market risk is interest income sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of interest rates, particularly because our investments are in short-term money marketable funds. Due to the short-term duration of our investment portfolio and the relatively low risk profile of our investments, a sudden change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market value of our portfolio, nor our operating results or cash flows.
We do not believe our cash and cash equivalents have significant risk of default or illiquidity, however, we maintain significant amounts of cash and cash equivalents at one or more financial institutions that are in excess of federally insured limits. Given the current stability of financial institutions, we believe that we will not experience losses on these deposits.
Increase in our vulnerability to interest rate fluctuations is also a result to the extent a portion of our debt has a floating interest rate. Changes in interest rates could affect the amounts of interest that we pay in the future.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
Our foreign currency exchange risk arises from our operations in Italy. Our functional and reporting currency is the United States dollar. We translate our foreign operations’ assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies into U.S. dollars at current rates of exchange as of the balance sheet date and income and expense items at the average exchange rate for the reporting period. Translation adjustments resulting from exchange rate fluctuations are recorded in the cumulative translation account, a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. Gains or losses from foreign currency transactions are included in other expense (income), net.
Effects of Inflation
We do not believe that inflation and changing prices during the
three months ended March 31, 2016
had a significant impact on our results of operations.
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We have performed an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive and financial officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). Based on that evaluation, our CEO and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of
March 31, 2016
to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports filed or submitted by us under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.
Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives as specified above. Management does not expect, however, that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent or detect all errors and fraud. Any control system, no matter how well designed and operated, is based upon certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that its objectives will be met. Further, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the three months ended
March 31, 2016
that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are not a party to any pending legal proceeding, nor is our property the subject of a pending legal proceeding, that is not in the ordinary course of business or otherwise material to the financial condition of our business, except for the following: On March 28, 2016 we filed a complaint against Dr. Schuh and Mr. Zaniboni, for, among other things, breach of fiduciary duty. The complaint was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of San Diego. We are alleging that Dr. Schuh and Mr. Zaniboni failed to present a lucrative corporate opportunity to us concerning promising new therapeutics in the field of precision medicine and instead took that opportunity for their own personal benefit. The complaint asks that Dr. Schuh and Mr. Zaniboni be required to turn over their interests in these new therapeutics to us.
On April 29, 2016, a complaint was filed against William J. Welch, our CEO, and our company by Pathway Genomics Corporation alleging, among other things, breach of contract and intentional interference with contractual relations. We believe the complaint is unfounded, and consists largely of baseless speculation that is contrary to fact. We plan to vigorously defend against these allegations.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Except for the following risk factors, there have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in our Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2015
.
We depend upon our officers and other key employees, and if we are not able to retain them or recruit additional qualified personnel, the commercialization of our product candidates and any future tests that we develop could be delayed or negatively impacted.
Our success is largely dependent upon the continued contributions of our officers, especially William J. Welch, our Chief Executive Officer, and other key employees. Our success also depends in part on our ability to retain our current employee base and continue to attract highly qualified scientific, commercial and administrative personnel. The specialized nature of our industry results in an inherent scarcity of experienced personnel in the field and, in order to pursue our test development and commercialization strategies, we will need to attract, hire and retain, or engage as consultants, additional personnel with specialized experience in a number of disciplines, including assay development, bioinformatics and statistics, laboratory and clinical operations, clinical affairs and studies, government regulation, sales and marketing, billing and reimbursement and information systems. Additionally, there is intense competition for personnel in the fields in which we operate. If we are unable to attract new employees and retain existing employees, the development and commercialization of our product candidates and any tests we may develop in the future could be delayed or negatively impacted
Because certain of our stockholders control a significant number of shares of our common stock, they may have effective control over actions requiring stockholder approval.
As of March 31, 2016, our directors, executive officers and principal stockholders, and their respective affiliates, beneficially owned approximately 30.1% of our outstanding shares of common stock. As a result, these stockholders, acting together, would have the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, these stockholders, acting together, would have the ability to control the management and affairs of our company. Accordingly, this concentration of ownership may harm the market price of our common stock by:
•
delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company;
•
impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us; or
•
discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
|
|
|
|
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description of Exhibit
|
|
|
|
10.33+
|
|
Employment Agreement, dated as of February 18, 2016, by and between Trovagene, Inc. and Mark Erlander.
|
|
|
|
10.34+
|
|
Employment Agreement, dated as of February 18, 2016, by and between Trovagene, Inc. and Matthew Posard.
|
|
|
|
10.35+
|
|
Form of Employment Agreement by and between Trovagene, Inc. and William J. Welch.
|
|
|
|
10.36+
|
|
Form of Indemnification Agreement, dated as of May 6, 2016, by and between Trovagene, Inc. and William J. Welch.
|
|
|
|
31.1
|
|
Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) under the Exchange Act.
|
|
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32.1
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Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
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101
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Financial statements from the quarterly report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 filed on May 10, 2016, formatted in Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL): (i) the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, (ii) the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, (iii) the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and (iv) the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements tagged as blocks of text.
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+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
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, thereunto duly authorized.
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TROVAGENE, INC.
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Date:
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May 10, 2016
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By:
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/s/ William J. Welch
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William J. Welch
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Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer)
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Exhibit 10.33
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Employment Agreement (the “
Agreement
”) is made and entered into effective as of
Feb.
18
, 2016 (the “
Effective Date
”), by and between Mark Erlander (the “
Executive
”) and Trovagene, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”).
R E C I T A L S
WHEREAS, Executive serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of the Company; and
WHEREAS, in order to provide Executive with financial security, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “
Board
”) believes that it is in the best interests of the Company to provide Executive with certain engagement terms and severance benefits as set forth herein.
AGREEMENT
In consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained and the employment of Executive by the Company, the parties agree as follows:
1.
Definition of Terms
. The following terms referred to in this Agreement shall have the following meanings:
(a)
“
Cause
” shall mean any of the following: (i) the commission of a material act of fraud, embezzlement or misappropriation, which is intended to result in substantial personal enrichment of Executive in connection with Executive’s employment with the Company; (ii) Executive’s conviction of, or plea of
nolo contendere
, to a crime constituting a felony (other than traffic-related offenses); (iii) a material breach of Executive’s proprietary information agreement that is materially injurious to the Company; or (iv) Executive’s (1) material failure to perform his duties as set forth in this Agreement, and (2) failure to “cure” any such failure within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice from the Company delineating the specific acts that constituted such material failure and the specific actions necessary, if any, to “cure” such failure.
(b)
“
Change of Control
” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following events:
(i)
the date on which any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “
Exchange Act
”)), obtains “beneficial ownership” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) or a pecuniary interest in fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities (“
Voting Stock
”);
(ii)
the consummation of a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or similar transaction involving the Company, other than a transaction: (1) in which substantially all of the holders of the Voting Stock immediately prior to such transaction hold or receive directly or indirectly more than fifty percent (50%) or more of the voting stock of the resulting entity or a parent company thereof, in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to the transaction; or (2) in which the holders of the Company’s capital stock immediately before such transaction will, immediately after such transaction, hold as a group on a fully diluted basis the ability to elect at least a majority of the authorized directors of the surviving entity (or a parent company); or
(iii)
there is consummated a sale, lease, license or disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, other than a sale, lease, license or disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale, lease, license or disposition.
(c)
“
Disability
” means totally and permanently disabled as defined in the Company’s disability benefit plan applicable to senior executive officers as in effect on the date thereof.
(d)
“
Good Reason
” shall mean without Executive’s express written consent any of the following: (i) a material reduction of Executive’s duties, position or responsibilities relative to Executive’s duties, position or responsibilities in effect immediately prior to such reduction, or the removal of Executive from such position, duties or responsibilities; (ii) a reduction of Executive’s compensation as in effect immediately prior to such reduction; (iii) the relocation of Executive to a facility or a
location more than twenty-five (25) miles from the Company’s then current principal location; (iv) a material breach by the Company of this Agreement or any other agreement with Executive that is not corrected within fifteen (15) days after written notice from Executive (or such earlier date that the Company has notice of such material breach); or (v) the failure of the Company to obtain the written assumption of this Agreement by any successor contemplated in Section 12 below.
2.
Duties and Scope of Position
. During the Term (as defined below), Executive will serve as Chief Scientific Officer of the Company, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors, and assuming and discharging such responsibilities as are commensurate with Executive’s position. During the Term, Executive will provide services in a manner that will faithfully and diligently further the business of the Company and will devote a substantial portion of Executive’s business time, attention and energy thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall restrict Executive from managing his investments, other business affairs and other matters or serving on civic or charitable boards or committees, provided that no such activities unduly interfere with the performance of his obligations under this Agreement, provided that Executive shall honor the non-competition and non-solicitation terms as per Section 15 below. During the Term, Executive agrees to disclose to the Company those other companies of which he is a member of the Board of Directors, an executive officer, or a consultant.
3.
Term
. The term of Executive’s employment under this Agreement shall commence as of
Feb.
18
, 2016 (the “Effective Date”) and shall continue until January 1, 2020, unless earlier terminated in accordance with Section 9 hereof. The term of Executive’s employment shall be automatically renewed for successive one (1) year periods until the Executive or the Company delivers to the other party a written notice of their intent not to renew such employment, such written notice to be delivered at least sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of the then-effective Term as that term is defined below. The period commencing as of the Effective Date and ending on Executive’s last date of employment with the Company under this Agreement is the “Term” and the end of the Term is referred to herein as the “Expiration Date.”
4.
Base Compensation
. The Company shall pay to Executive a base compensation (the “
Base Compensation
”) of $374,400 per year (prorated for any partial year), payable at such times as the Company customarily pays its other senior executives (but in any event no less often than monthly). In addition, each year during the Term, Executive shall be reviewed for purposes of determining the appropriateness of his Base Compensation hereunder. The Base Compensation shall be subject to all federal, state and local payroll tax withholding and any other withholdings required by law. For purposes of the Agreement, the term “
Base Compensation
” as of any point in time shall refer to the Base Compensation as adjusted pursuant to this Section 4.
5.
Benefits; Expense Reimbursement
.
(a)
Benefits
. During the Term, Executive shall be entitled to participate in all company employee benefit plans. In the event Executive elects to pay to a self-funded health insurance program, Executive shall be reimbursed by the Company for such costs up to the maximum amount the Company would be obligated to pay for similar benefits pursuant to its health insurance plans.
(b)
Expenses
. During the Term, the Company shall promptly reimburse Executive for all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company.
6.
Target Bonus
. In addition to his Base Compensation, during the Term Executive shall be given the opportunity to earn an annual bonus (the “
Bonus
”) of up to 50% of Base Compensation. The Bonus shall be earned by Executive upon the Company’s achievement of performance milestones for a fiscal year (in each case, the “
Target Year
”) to be mutually agreed upon by the Executive and the Board or its compensation committee. In the event Executive is employed by the Company for less than the full Target Year for which a Bonus is earned pursuant to this Section 6, Executive shall be entitled to receive a pro-rated Bonus for such Target Year based on the number of days Executive was employed by the Company during such Target Year divided by 365. The determinations of the Board or its compensation committee with respect to Bonuses will be final and binding.
7.
Intentionally omitted.
8.
Intentionally omitted
.
9.
Termination
.
(a)
Termination by the Company
. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 10 below, the Company may terminate Executive’s employment at any time and for any reason (or no reason), and with or without Cause, and without prejudice to any other right or remedy to which the Company or Executive may be entitled at law or in equity or under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Company desires to terminate the Executive’s employment
without Cause, the Company shall give the Executive not less than sixty (60) days advance written notice. Executive’s employment shall terminate automatically in the event of his death.
(b)
Termination by Executive
. Executive may voluntarily terminate the Term upon sixty (60) days’ prior written notice for any reason or no reason.
(c)
Termination for Death or Disability
. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 10 below, Executive’s employment shall terminate automatically upon his death. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 10 below, in the event Executive is unable to perform his duties as a result of Disability during the Term, the Company shall have the right to terminate the employment of Executive by providing written notice of the effective date of such termination.
10.
Payments Upon Termination of Employment
.
(a)
Termination for Cause, Death or Disability or Termination by Executive
. In the event that Executive’s employment hereunder is terminated during the Term by the Company for Cause, as a result of Executive’s death or Disability, or voluntarily by Executive without Good Reason, the Company shall compensate Executive (or in the case of death, Executive’s estate) as follows: on the date of termination, the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (i) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (ii) any Bonus and Options earned and not yet paid or granted, as applicable, through the date of termination; and (iii) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive or Executive’s estate, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination.
(b)
Termination by Company Without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason
. In the event that Executive’s employment is terminated during the Term by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall compensate Executive as follows:
(i)
on the date of termination, the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (A) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (B) any Bonus and Options earned and not yet paid or granted, as applicable, through the date of termination; and (C) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination; and, provided that Executive executes a written release, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit A
, of any and all claims against the Company and all related parties with respect to all matters arising out of Executive’s employment by the Company, the Company shall pay Executive the Base Compensation for twelve (12) months from the date of termination, the potential Bonus the Executive is or would be eligible for pursuant to Section 6 herein during such twelve (12) month period following the termination and any benefits (or benefits reimbursement payments) pursuant to Section 5 herein that the Executive is or would be eligible for during such twelve (12) month period. Without limiting the foregoing, Executive also shall be entitled to the severance benefits set forth under Section 10(c) below.
(c)
Termination in the Context of a Change of Control
. Notwithstanding anything in Section 10(a) or 10(b) herein to the contrary, in the event of Executive’s termination of employment with the Company either (i) by the Company without Cause at any time within twelve (12) months prior to the consummation of a Change of Control if, prior to, or as of such termination, a Change of Control transaction was Pending (as defined in Section 10(d) below) at any time during such twelve (12)-month period, (ii) by Executive for Good Reason at any time within twelve (12) months after the consummation of a Change of Control, or (iii) by the Company without Cause at any time upon or within twelve (12) months after the consummation of a Change of Control, then, Executive shall be entitled to the following payments and other benefits:
(i)
on the date of termination (except as specified in clause (C)), the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (A) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (B) any Bonus earned and not yet paid through the date of termination; and (C) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination;
(ii)
on the date of termination, the Company shall pay to Executive a lump sum amount equal to twelve (12) months of Executive’s Base Compensation then in effect as of the day of termination, the maximum Bonus the Executive is or would be eligible for pursuant to Section 6 herein during such twelve (12) month period and any benefits pursuant to Section 5 herein that the Executive is or would be eligible for during such twelve (12) month period;
(iii)
notwithstanding any provision of any stock incentive plan, stock option agreement, restricted stock agreement or other agreement relating to capital stock of the Company, all of the shares and equity awards held by Executive
that are then unvested shall immediately vest and, with respect to all options, warrants and other convertible securities of the Company beneficially held by Executive, become fully exercisable for (A) a period of six months following the date of termination only if at the time of such termination there is a Change of Control transaction Pending (as defined in Section 10(d) below) or (B) if clause (A) does not apply, then such period of time set forth in the agreement evidencing the security; and
(iv)
Severance benefits under this Section 10(c) and Section 10(b) above shall be mutually exclusive and severance under one such section shall prohibit severance under the other.
In order to effectuate the provisions of Section 10(c)(iii) hereof, in the event that Executive’s employment is terminated during the Term by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, no equity award held by Executive shall expire or terminate prior to the earlier to occur of (a) ten (10) years after the date of the award and (b) fifteen (15) months after Executive’s termination of employment with the Company.
(d)
Definition of “Pending
.” For purposes of Section 10(c) herein, a Change of Control transaction shall be deemed to be “
Pending
” each time any of the following circumstances exist: (A) the Company and a third party have entered into a confidentiality agreement that has been signed by a duly-authorized officer of the Company and that is related to a potential Change of Control transaction; (B) the Company has received a written expression of interest from a third party, including a binding or non-binding term sheet or letter of intent, related to a potential Change of Control transaction; or (C) a third party has publicly announced, through a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, its intent to commence a tender offer or similar transaction to acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting interests of the Company.
11.
280G Excise Tax
. Notwithstanding any other provisions in this Agreement, in the event that any payment or benefit received or to be received by Executive under this Agreement or under any other agreement between Executive and the Company or otherwise (collectively, the “
Total Payments
”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “
Code
”), or any successor provision thereto (the “
Excise Tax
”), then the Company will reduce the Total Payments to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero);
provided, however, that
the Total Payments will only be reduced if the net amount of such Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which Executive would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments). In the case of a reduction in the Total Payments, the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order (unless reduction in another order is required to avoid adverse consequences under Section 409A of the Code, in which case, reduction will be in such other order): (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to Section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to Section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation.
12.
Successors
. Any successor to the Company (whether direct or indirect and whether by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation, liquidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the Company's business and/or assets or otherwise pursuant to a Change of Control shall assume the Company's obligations under this Agreement and agree expressly in writing delivered to Executive, at or prior to such Change of Control, to perform the Company’s obligations under this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent as the Company would be required to perform such obligations in the absence of a Change of Control. For all purposes under this Agreement, the term “Company” shall include any successor to the Company's business and/or assets (including any parent company to the Company), whether or not in connection with a Change of Control, which becomes bound by the terms of this Agreement by contract, operation of law or otherwise.
13.
Notices
. Notices and all other communications contemplated by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (a) when personally delivered (if to the Company, addressed to its Secretary at the Company’s
principal place of business on a non-holiday weekday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.; if to Executive, via personal service to his last known residence) or (b) three business days following the date it is mailed by U.S. registered or certified mail, return receipt requested and postage prepaid.
14.
Confidential Information
. Executive recognizes and acknowledges that by reason of Executive’s employment by and service to the Company before, during and, if applicable, after the Term, Executive will have access to certain confidential and proprietary information relating to the Company’s business, which may include, but is not limited to, trade secrets, trade “know-how,” product development techniques and plans, formulas, customer lists and addresses, financing services, funding programs, cost and pricing information, marketing and sales techniques, strategy and programs, computer programs and software and financial information (collectively referred to herein as “
Confidential Information
”). Executive acknowledges that such Confidential Information is a valuable and unique asset of the Company and Executive covenants that he will not, unless expressly authorized in writing by the Company, at any time during the course of Executive’s employment use any Confidential Information or divulge or disclose any Confidential Information to any person, firm or corporation except in connection with the performance of Executive’s duties for and on behalf of the Company and in a manner consistent with the Company’s policies regarding Confidential Information. Executive also covenants that at any time after the termination of such employment, directly or indirectly, he will not use any Confidential Information or divulge or disclose any Confidential Information to any person, firm or corporation, unless such information is in the public domain through no fault of Executive or except when required to do so by a court of law, by any governmental agency having supervisory authority over the business of the Company or by any administrative or legislative body (including a committee thereof) with apparent jurisdiction to order Executive to divulge, disclose or make accessible such information. All written Confidential Information (including, without limitation, in any computer or other electronic format) which comes into Executive’s possession during the course of Executive’s employment shall remain the property of the Company. Unless expressly authorized in writing by the Company, Executive shall not remove any written Confidential Information from the Company’s premises, except in connection with the performance of Executive’s duties for and on behalf of the Company and in a manner consistent with the Company’s policies regarding Confidential Information. Upon termination of Executive’s employment, the Executive agrees to immediately return to the Company all written Confidential Information (including, without limitation, in any computer or other electronic format) in Executive’s possession. As a condition of Executive’s employment with the Company and in order to protect the Company’s interest in such proprietary information, the Company shall require Executive’s execution of a Confidentiality Agreement and Inventions Agreement in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit B
, and incorporated herein by this reference.
15.
Non-Competition; Non-Solicitation
.
(a)
Non-Compete
. The Executive hereby covenants and agrees that during the Term and for a period of one year following the Expiration Date, the Executive will not, without the prior written consent of the Company, directly or indirectly, on his own behalf or in the service or on behalf of others, whether or not for compensation, engage in any business activity, or have any interest in any person, firm, corporation or business, through a subsidiary or parent entity or other entity (whether as a shareholder, agent, joint venturer, security holder, trustee, partner, Executive, creditor lending credit or money for the purpose of establishing or operating any such business, partner or otherwise) with any Competing Business in the Covered Area. For the purpose of this Section 15 (a), (i) “
Competing Business
” means any medical diagnostic company, any contract manufacturer, any research laboratory or other company or entity (whether or not organized for profit) that has, or is seeking to develop, one or more products or therapies that is related to trans renal DNA and (ii) “
Covered Area
” means all geographical areas of the United States and other foreign jurisdictions where Company then has offices and/or sells its products directly or indirectly through distributors and/or other sales agents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Executive may own shares of companies whose securities are publicly traded, so long as ownership of such securities do not constitute more than one percent (1%) of the outstanding securities of any such company.
(b)
Non-Solicitation
. Executive further agrees that during the Term and for a period of one (1) year from the Expiration Date, the Executive will not divert any business of the Company and/or its affiliates or any customers or suppliers of the Company and/or the Company’s and/or its affiliates’ business to any other person, entity or competitor, or induce or attempt to induce, directly or indirectly, any person to leave his or her employment with the Company and/or its affiliates; provided, however, that the foregoing provisions shall not apply to a general advertisement or solicitation program that is not specifically targeted at such employees.
(c)
Remedies
. Executive acknowledges and agrees that his obligations provided herein are necessary and reasonable in order to protect the Company and its affiliates and their respective business and Executive expressly agrees that monetary damages would be inadequate to compensate the Company and/or its affiliates for any breach by Executive of his covenants and agreements set forth herein. Accordingly, Executive agrees and acknowledges that any such violation of this Section 15 will cause irreparable injury to the Company and that, in addition to any other remedies that may be available, in law,
in equity or otherwise, the Company and its affiliates shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief against the breach of this Section 15 or the continuation of any such breach by the Executive without the necessity of proving actual damages.
16.
Employment Relationship
. Executive’s employment with the Company will be “at will,” meaning that either Executive or the Company may terminate Executive’s employment at any time and for any reason, with or without Cause or Good Reason. Any contrary representations that may have been made to Executive are superseded by this Agreement. This is the full and complete agreement between Executive and the Company on this term. Although Executive’s duties, title, compensation and benefits, as well as the Company’s personnel policies and procedures, may change from time-to-time, the “at will” nature of Executive’s employment may only be changed in an express written agreement signed by Executive and a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than Executive).
17.
Miscellaneous Provisions
.
(a)
Survival
. Sections 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 17 herein, including this Section 17(a), shall survive the termination of Executive’s employment with the Company, the expiration of this Agreement and the termination of this Agreement for any reason.
(b)
Modifications; No Waiver
. No provision of this Agreement may be modified, waived or discharged unless the modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by Executive and by an authorized officer of the Company (other than Executive). No waiver by either party of any breach of, or of compliance with, any condition or provision of this Agreement by the other party shall be considered a waiver of any other condition or provision or of the same condition or provision at another time.
(c)
Entire Agreement
. This Agreement supersedes, amends and restates all prior agreements and understandings between the parties, oral or written, including, without limitation, the Executive Agreement. No modification, termination or attempted waiver shall be valid unless in writing, signed by the party against whom such modification, termination or waiver is sought to be enforced.
(d)
Choice of Law
. The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal substantive laws, but not the conflicts of law rules, of the State of California.
(e)
Severability
. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision hereof, which shall remain in full force and effect.
(f)
Counterparts
. This Agreement may be executed in separate counterparts, any one of which need not contain signatures of more than one party, and may be delivered by facsimile or other electronic means, but all of which shall be deemed originals and taken together will constitute one and the same Agreement.
(g)
Headings
. The headings of the Articles and Sections hereof are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute a part hereof nor to affect the meaning thereof.
(h)
Construction of Agreement
. In the event of a conflict between the text of the Agreement and any summary, description or other information regarding the Agreement, the text of the Agreement shall control.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has executed this Agreement, in the case of the Company by its duly authorized officer, as of the day and year first above written.
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COMPANY:
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Trovagene, Inc.
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By:
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/s/ Antonius Schuh
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Name:
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Antonius Schuh
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Title:
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Chief Executive Officer
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EXECUTIVE:
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/s/ Mark Erlander
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Mark Erlander
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Exhibit A
Form of Release Agreement
Exhibit B
Confidentiality and Inventions Agreement
Exhibit 10.34
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Employment Agreement (the “
Agreement
”) is made and entered into effective as of
February
18
, 2016 (the “
Effective Date
”), by and between Matthew Posard (the “
Executive
”) and Trovagene, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”).
R E C I T A L S
WHEREAS, Executive serves as the Chief Commercial Officer of the Company; and
WHEREAS, in order to provide Executive with financial security, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “
Board
”) believes that it is in the best interests of the Company to provide Executive with certain engagement terms and severance benefits as set forth herein.
AGREEMENT
In consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained and the employment of Executive by the Company, the parties agree as follows:
1.
Definition of Terms
. The following terms referred to in this Agreement shall have the following meanings:
(a)
“
Cause
” shall mean any of the following: (i) the commission of a material act of fraud, embezzlement or misappropriation, which is intended to result in substantial personal enrichment of Executive in connection with Executive’s employment with the Company; (ii) Executive’s conviction of, or plea of
nolo contendere
, to a crime constituting a felony (other than traffic-related offenses); (iii) a material breach of Executive’s proprietary information agreement that is materially injurious to the Company; or (iv) Executive’s (1) material failure to perform his duties as set forth in this Agreement, and (2) failure to “cure” any such failure within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice from the Company delineating the specific acts that constituted such material failure and the specific actions necessary, if any, to “cure” such failure.
(b)
“
Change of Control
” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following events:
(i)
the date on which any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “
Exchange Act
”)), obtains “beneficial ownership” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) or a pecuniary interest in fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities (“
Voting Stock
”);
(ii)
the consummation of a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or similar transaction involving the Company, other than a transaction: (1) in which substantially all of the holders of the Voting Stock immediately prior to such transaction hold or receive directly or indirectly more than fifty percent (50%) or more of the voting stock of the resulting entity or a parent company thereof, in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to the transaction; or (2) in which the holders of the Company’s capital stock immediately before such transaction will, immediately after such transaction, hold as a group on a fully diluted basis the ability to elect at least a majority of the authorized directors of the surviving entity (or a parent company); or
(iii)
there is consummated a sale, lease, license or disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, other than a sale, lease, license or disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale, lease, license or disposition.
(c)
“
Disability
” means totally and permanently disabled as defined in the Company’s disability benefit plan applicable to senior executive officers as in effect on the date thereof.
(d)
“
Good Reason
” shall mean without Executive’s express written consent any of the following: (i) a material reduction of Executive’s duties, position or responsibilities relative to Executive’s duties, position or responsibilities in effect immediately prior to such reduction, or the removal of Executive from such position, duties or responsibilities; (ii) a reduction of Executive’s compensation as in effect immediately prior to such reduction; (iii) the relocation of Executive to a facility or a location more than twenty-five (25) miles from the Company’s then current principal location; (iv) a material breach by the
Company of this Agreement or any other agreement with Executive that is not corrected within fifteen (15) days after written notice from Executive (or such earlier date that the Company has notice of such material breach); or (v) the failure of the Company to obtain the written assumption of this Agreement by any successor contemplated in Section 12 below.
2.
Duties and Scope of Position
. During the Term (as defined below), Executive will serve as Chief Commercial Officer of the Company, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors, and assuming and discharging such responsibilities as are commensurate with Executive’s position. During the Term, Executive will provide services in a manner that will faithfully and diligently further the business of the Company and will devote a substantial portion of Executive’s business time, attention and energy thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall restrict Executive from managing his investments, other business affairs and other matters or serving on civic or charitable boards or committees, provided that no such activities unduly interfere with the performance of his obligations under this Agreement, provided that Executive shall honor the non-competition and non-solicitation terms as per Section 15 below. During the Term, Executive agrees to disclose to the Company those other companies of which he is a member of the Board of Directors, an executive officer, or a consultant.
3.
Term
. The term of Executive’s employment under this Agreement shall commence as of
February
18
, 2016 (the “Effective Date”) and shall continue until January 1, 2020, unless earlier terminated in accordance with Section 9 hereof. The term of Executive’s employment shall be automatically renewed for successive one (1) year periods until the Executive or the Company delivers to the other party a written notice of their intent not to renew such employment, such written notice to be delivered at least sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of the then-effective Term as that term is defined below. The period commencing as of the Effective Date and ending on Executive’s last date of employment with the Company under this Agreement is the “Term” and the end of the Term is referred to herein as the “Expiration Date.”
4.
Base Compensation
. The Company shall pay to Executive a base compensation (the “
Base Compensation
”) of $338,000 per year (prorated for any partial year), payable at such times as the Company customarily pays its other senior executives (but in any event no less often than monthly). In addition, each year during the Term, Executive shall be reviewed for purposes of determining the appropriateness of his Base Compensation hereunder. The Base Compensation shall be subject to all federal, state and local payroll tax withholding and any other withholdings required by law. For purposes of the Agreement, the term “
Base Compensation
” as of any point in time shall refer to the Base Compensation as adjusted pursuant to this Section 4.
5.
Benefits; Expense Reimbursement
.
(a)
Benefits
. During the Term, Executive shall be entitled to participate in all company employee benefit plans. In the event Executive elects to pay to a self-funded health insurance program, Executive shall be reimbursed by the Company for such costs up to the maximum amount the Company would be obligated to pay for similar benefits pursuant to its health insurance plans.
(b)
Expenses
. During the Term, the Company shall promptly reimburse Executive for all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company.
6.
Target Bonus
. In addition to his Base Compensation, during the Term Executive shall be given the opportunity to earn an annual bonus (the “
Bonus
”) of up to 50% of Base Compensation. The Bonus shall be earned by Executive upon the Company’s achievement of performance milestones for a fiscal year (in each case, the “
Target Year
”) to be mutually agreed upon by the Executive and the Board or its compensation committee. In the event Executive is employed by the Company for less than the full Target Year for which a Bonus is earned pursuant to this Section 6, Executive shall be entitled to receive a pro-rated Bonus for such Target Year based on the number of days Executive was employed by the Company during such Target Year divided by 365. The determinations of the Board or its compensation committee with respect to Bonuses will be final and binding.
7.
Intentionally omitted
.
8.
Intentionally omitted
.
9.
Termination
.
(a)
Termination by the Company
. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 10 below, the Company may terminate Executive’s employment at any time and for any reason (or no reason), and with or without Cause, and without prejudice to any other right or remedy to which the Company or Executive may be entitled at law or in equity or under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Company desires to terminate the Executive’s employment without Cause, the Company shall give the Executive not less than sixty (60) days advance written notice. Executive’s employment shall terminate automatically in the event of his death.
(b)
Termination by Executive
. Executive may voluntarily terminate the Term upon sixty (60) days’ prior written notice for any reason or no reason.
(c)
Termination for Death or Disability
. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 10 below, Executive’s employment shall terminate automatically upon his death. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 10 below, in the event Executive is unable to perform his duties as a result of Disability during the Term, the Company shall have the right to terminate the employment of Executive by providing written notice of the effective date of such termination.
10.
Payments Upon Termination of Employment
.
(a)
Termination for Cause, Death or Disability or Termination by Executive
. In the event that Executive’s employment hereunder is terminated during the Term by the Company for Cause, as a result of Executive’s death or Disability, or voluntarily by Executive without Good Reason, the Company shall compensate Executive (or in the case of death, Executive’s estate) as follows: on the date of termination, the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (i) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (ii) any Bonus and Options earned and not yet paid or granted, as applicable, through the date of termination; and (iii) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive or Executive’s estate, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination.
(b)
Termination by Company Without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason
. In the event that Executive’s employment is terminated during the Term by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall compensate Executive as follows:
(i)
on the date of termination, the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (A) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (B) any Bonus and Options earned and not yet paid or granted, as applicable, through the date of termination; and (C) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination; and, provided that Executive executes a written release, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit A
, of any and all claims against the Company and all related parties with respect to all matters arising out of Executive’s employment by the Company, the Company shall pay Executive the Base Compensation for twenty-four (24) months from the date of termination, the potential Bonus the Executive is or would be eligible for pursuant to Section 6 herein during such twenty-four (24) month period following the termination and any benefits (or benefits reimbursement payments) pursuant to Section 5 herein that the Executive is or would be eligible for during such twenty-four (24) month period. Without limiting the foregoing, Executive also shall be entitled to the severance benefits set forth under Section 10(c) below.
(c)
Termination in the Context of a Change of Control
. Notwithstanding anything in Section 10(a) or 10(b) herein to the contrary, in the event of Executive’s termination of employment with the Company either (i) by the Company without Cause at any time within twelve (12) months prior to the consummation of a Change of Control if, prior to, or as of such termination, a Change of Control transaction was Pending (as defined in Section 10(d) below) at any time during such twelve (12)-month period, (ii) by Executive for Good Reason at any time within twelve (12) months after the consummation of a Change of Control, or (iii) by the Company without Cause at any time upon or within twelve (12) months after the consummation of a Change of Control, then, Executive shall be entitled to the following payments and other benefits:
(i)
on the date of termination (except as specified in clause (C)), the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (A) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (B) any Bonus earned and not yet paid through the date of termination; and (C) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination;
(ii)
on the date of termination, the Company shall pay to Executive a lump sum amount equal to twenty-four (24) months of Executive’s Base Compensation then in effect as of the day of termination, the maximum Bonus the Executive is or would be eligible for pursuant to Section 6 herein during such twenty-four (24) month period and any benefits pursuant to Section 5 herein that the Executive is or would be eligible for during such twenty-four (24) month period;
(iii)
notwithstanding any provision of any stock incentive plan, stock option agreement, restricted stock agreement or other agreement relating to capital stock of the Company, all of the shares and equity awards held by Executive that are then unvested shall immediately vest and, with respect to all options, warrants and other convertible securities of the
Company beneficially held by Executive, become fully exercisable for (A) a period of six months following the date of termination only if at the time of such termination there is a Change of Control transaction Pending (as defined in Section 10(d) below) or (B) if clause (A) does not apply, then such period of time set forth in the agreement evidencing the security; and
(iv)
Severance benefits under this Section 10(c) and Section 10(b) above shall be mutually exclusive and severance under one such section shall prohibit severance under the other.
In order to effectuate the provisions of Section 10(c)(iii) hereof, in the event that Executive’s employment is terminated during the Term by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, no equity award held by Executive shall expire or terminate prior to the earlier to occur of (a) ten (10) years after the date of the award and (b) fifteen (15) months after Executive’s termination of employment with the Company.
(d)
Definition of “Pending
.” For purposes of Section 10(c) herein, a Change of Control transaction shall be deemed to be “
Pending
” each time any of the following circumstances exist: (A) the Company and a third party have entered into a confidentiality agreement that has been signed by a duly-authorized officer of the Company and that is related to a potential Change of Control transaction; (B) the Company has received a written expression of interest from a third party, including a binding or non-binding term sheet or letter of intent, related to a potential Change of Control transaction; or (C) a third party has publicly announced, through a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, its intent to commence a tender offer or similar transaction to acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting interests of the Company.
11.
280G Excise Tax
. Notwithstanding any other provisions in this Agreement, in the event that any payment or benefit received or to be received by Executive under this Agreement or under any other agreement between Executive and the Company or otherwise (collectively, the “
Total Payments
”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “
Code
”), or any successor provision thereto (the “
Excise Tax
”), then the Company will reduce the Total Payments to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero);
provided, however, that
the Total Payments will only be reduced if the net amount of such Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which Executive would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments). In the case of a reduction in the Total Payments, the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order (unless reduction in another order is required to avoid adverse consequences under Section 409A of the Code, in which case, reduction will be in such other order): (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to Section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to Section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation.
12.
Successors
. Any successor to the Company (whether direct or indirect and whether by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation, liquidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the Company's business and/or assets or otherwise pursuant to a Change of Control shall assume the Company's obligations under this Agreement and agree expressly in writing delivered to Executive, at or prior to such Change of Control, to perform the Company’s obligations under this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent as the Company would be required to perform such obligations in the absence of a Change of Control. For all purposes under this Agreement, the term “Company” shall include any successor to the Company's business and/or assets (including any parent company to the Company), whether or not in connection with a Change of Control, which becomes bound by the terms of this Agreement by contract, operation of law or otherwise.
13.
Notices
. Notices and all other communications contemplated by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (a) when personally delivered (if to the Company, addressed to its Secretary at the Company’s principal place of business on a non-holiday weekday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.; if to Executive, via personal service
to his last known residence) or (b) three business days following the date it is mailed by U.S. registered or certified mail, return receipt requested and postage prepaid.
14.
Confidential Information
. Executive recognizes and acknowledges that by reason of Executive’s employment by and service to the Company before, during and, if applicable, after the Term, Executive will have access to certain confidential and proprietary information relating to the Company’s business, which may include, but is not limited to, trade secrets, trade “know-how,” product development techniques and plans, formulas, customer lists and addresses, financing services, funding programs, cost and pricing information, marketing and sales techniques, strategy and programs, computer programs and software and financial information (collectively referred to herein as “
Confidential Information
”). Executive acknowledges that such Confidential Information is a valuable and unique asset of the Company and Executive covenants that he will not, unless expressly authorized in writing by the Company, at any time during the course of Executive’s employment use any Confidential Information or divulge or disclose any Confidential Information to any person, firm or corporation except in connection with the performance of Executive’s duties for and on behalf of the Company and in a manner consistent with the Company’s policies regarding Confidential Information. Executive also covenants that at any time after the termination of such employment, directly or indirectly, he will not use any Confidential Information or divulge or disclose any Confidential Information to any person, firm or corporation, unless such information is in the public domain through no fault of Executive or except when required to do so by a court of law, by any governmental agency having supervisory authority over the business of the Company or by any administrative or legislative body (including a committee thereof) with apparent jurisdiction to order Executive to divulge, disclose or make accessible such information. All written Confidential Information (including, without limitation, in any computer or other electronic format) which comes into Executive’s possession during the course of Executive’s employment shall remain the property of the Company. Unless expressly authorized in writing by the Company, Executive shall not remove any written Confidential Information from the Company’s premises, except in connection with the performance of Executive’s duties for and on behalf of the Company and in a manner consistent with the Company’s policies regarding Confidential Information. Upon termination of Executive’s employment, the Executive agrees to immediately return to the Company all written Confidential Information (including, without limitation, in any computer or other electronic format) in Executive’s possession. As a condition of Executive’s employment with the Company and in order to protect the Company’s interest in such proprietary information, the Company shall require Executive’s execution of a Confidentiality Agreement and Inventions Agreement in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit B
, and incorporated herein by this reference.
15.
Non-Competition; Non-Solicitation
.
(a)
Non-Compete
. The Executive hereby covenants and agrees that during the Term and for a period of one year following the Expiration Date, the Executive will not, without the prior written consent of the Company, directly or indirectly, on his own behalf or in the service or on behalf of others, whether or not for compensation, engage in any business activity, or have any interest in any person, firm, corporation or business, through a subsidiary or parent entity or other entity (whether as a shareholder, agent, joint venturer, security holder, trustee, partner, Executive, creditor lending credit or money for the purpose of establishing or operating any such business, partner or otherwise) with any Competing Business in the Covered Area. For the purpose of this Section 15 (a), (i) “
Competing Business
” means any medical diagnostic company, any contract manufacturer, any research laboratory or other company or entity (whether or not organized for profit) that has, or is seeking to develop, one or more products or therapies that is related to trans renal DNA and (ii) “
Covered Area
” means all geographical areas of the United States and other foreign jurisdictions where Company then has offices and/or sells its products directly or indirectly through distributors and/or other sales agents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Executive may own shares of companies whose securities are publicly traded, so long as ownership of such securities do not constitute more than one percent (1%) of the outstanding securities of any such company.
(b)
Non-Solicitation
. Executive further agrees that during the Term and for a period of one (1) year from the Expiration Date, the Executive will not divert any business of the Company and/or its affiliates or any customers or suppliers of the Company and/or the Company’s and/or its affiliates’ business to any other person, entity or competitor, or induce or attempt to induce, directly or indirectly, any person to leave his or her employment with the Company and/or its affiliates; provided, however, that the foregoing provisions shall not apply to a general advertisement or solicitation program that is not specifically targeted at such employees.
(c)
Remedies
. Executive acknowledges and agrees that his obligations provided herein are necessary and reasonable in order to protect the Company and its affiliates and their respective business and Executive expressly agrees that monetary damages would be inadequate to compensate the Company and/or its affiliates for any breach by Executive of his covenants and agreements set forth herein. Accordingly, Executive agrees and acknowledges that any such violation of this Section 15 will cause irreparable injury to the Company and that, in addition to any other remedies that may be available, in law, in equity or otherwise, the Company and its affiliates shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief against the breach of this Section 15 or the continuation of any such breach by the Executive without the necessity of proving actual damages.
16.
Employment Relationship
. Executive’s employment with the Company will be “at will,” meaning that either Executive or the Company may terminate Executive’s employment at any time and for any reason, with or without Cause or Good Reason. Any contrary representations that may have been made to Executive are superseded by this Agreement. This is the full and complete agreement between Executive and the Company on this term. Although Executive’s duties, title, compensation and benefits, as well as the Company’s personnel policies and procedures, may change from time-to-time, the “at will” nature of Executive’s employment may only be changed in an express written agreement signed by Executive and a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than Executive).
17.
Miscellaneous Provisions
.
(a)
Survival
. Sections 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 17 herein, including this Section 17(a), shall survive the termination of Executive’s employment with the Company, the expiration of this Agreement and the termination of this Agreement for any reason.
(b)
Modifications; No Waiver
. No provision of this Agreement may be modified, waived or discharged unless the modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by Executive and by an authorized officer of the Company (other than Executive). No waiver by either party of any breach of, or of compliance with, any condition or provision of this Agreement by the other party shall be considered a waiver of any other condition or provision or of the same condition or provision at another time.
(c)
Entire Agreement
. This Agreement supersedes, amends and restates all prior agreements and understandings between the parties, oral or written, including, without limitation, the Executive Agreement. No modification, termination or attempted waiver shall be valid unless in writing, signed by the party against whom such modification, termination or waiver is sought to be enforced.
(d)
Choice of Law
. The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal substantive laws, but not the conflicts of law rules, of the State of California.
(e)
Severability
. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision hereof, which shall remain in full force and effect.
(f)
Counterparts
. This Agreement may be executed in separate counterparts, any one of which need not contain signatures of more than one party, and may be delivered by facsimile or other electronic means, but all of which shall be deemed originals and taken together will constitute one and the same Agreement.
(g)
Headings
. The headings of the Articles and Sections hereof are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute a part hereof nor to affect the meaning thereof.
(h)
Construction of Agreement
. In the event of a conflict between the text of the Agreement and any summary, description or other information regarding the Agreement, the text of the Agreement shall control.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has executed this Agreement, in the case of the Company by its duly authorized officer, as of the day and year first above written.
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COMPANY:
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Trovagene, Inc.
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By:
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/s/ Antonius Schuh
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Name:
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Antonius Schuh
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Title:
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Chief Executive Officer
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EXECUTIVE:
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/s/ Matthew Posard
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Matthew Posard
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Exhibit A
Form of Release Agreement
Exhibit B
Confidentiality and Inventions Agreement
Exhibit 10.35
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Employment Agreement (the “
Agreement
”) is made and entered into effective as of May 6, 2016 (the “
Effective Date
”), by and between William J. Welch (the “
Executive
”) and Trovagene, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”).
WITNESSETH:
The Company desires to employ the Executive, and the Executive wishes to accept such employment with the Company, upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
In consideration of the mutual promises and agreements set forth herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:
1.
Definition of Terms
. The following terms referred to in this Agreement shall have the following meanings:
(a)
“
Cause
” shall mean any of the following: (i) the commission of a material act of fraud, embezzlement or misappropriation, which is intended to result in substantial personal enrichment of Executive in connection with Executive’s employment with the Company; (ii) Executive’s conviction of, or plea of
nolo contendere
, to a crime constituting a felony (other than traffic-related offenses); (iii) a material breach of Executive’s proprietary information agreement that is materially injurious to the Company; or (iv) Executive’s (1) material failure to perform his duties as set forth in this Agreement, and (2) failure to “cure” any such failure within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice from the Company delineating the specific acts that constituted such material failure and the specific actions necessary, if any, to “cure” such failure.
(b)
“
Change of Control
” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following events:
(i)
the date on which any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “
Exchange Act
”)), obtains “beneficial ownership” (as defined in Rule 13d 3 of the Exchange Act) or a pecuniary interest in fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities (“
Voting Stock
”);
(ii)
the consummation of a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or similar transaction involving the Company, other than a transaction: (1) in which substantially all of the holders of the Voting Stock immediately prior to such transaction hold or receive directly or indirectly more than fifty percent (50%) or more of the voting stock of the resulting entity or a parent company thereof, in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to the transaction; or (2) in which the holders of the Company’s capital stock immediately before such transaction will, immediately after such transaction, hold as a group on a fully diluted basis the ability to elect at least a majority of the authorized directors of the surviving entity (or a parent company); or
(iii)
there is consummated a sale, lease, license or disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, other than a sale, lease, license or disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale, lease, license or disposition.
(c)
“
Disability
” means totally and permanently disabled as defined in the Company’s disability benefit plan applicable to senior executive officers as in effect on the date thereof.
(d)
“
Good Reason
” shall mean without Executive’s express written consent any of the following: (i) a material reduction of Executive’s duties, position or responsibilities relative to Executive's duties, position or responsibilities in effect immediately prior to such reduction, or the removal of Executive from such position, duties or responsibilities; (ii) a reduction of Executive's compensation as in effect immediately prior to such reduction; (iii) the relocation of Executive to a facility or a location more than twenty-five (25) miles from the Company’s then current principal location; (iv) a material breach by the Company of this Agreement or any other agreement with Executive that is not corrected within fifteen (15) days after written notice from Executive (or such earlier date that the Company has notice of such material breach); or (v) the failure of the Company to obtain the written assumption of this Agreement by any successor contemplated in Section 13 below.
2.
Duties and Scope of Position
. During the Term (as defined below), Executive will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, reporting to the Board of Directors, and assuming and discharging such responsibilities as are commensurate with Executive’s position. During the Term, Executive will provide services in a manner that will faithfully and diligently further the business of the Company and will devote a substantial portion of Executive’s business time, attention and energy thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall restrict Executive from managing his investments, other business affairs and other matters or serving on civic or charitable boards or committees, provided that no such activities unduly interfere with the performance of his obligations under this Agreement, provided that Executive shall honor the non-competition and non-solicitation terms as per Section 16 below. During the Term, Executive agrees to disclose to the Company those other companies of which he is a member of the Board of Directors, an executive officer, or a consultant.
3.
Term
. The term of Executive’s employment under this Agreement shall commence as of May 6, 2016 (the “Effective Date”) and shall continue until May 6, 2020, unless earlier terminated in accordance with Section 10 hereof. The term of Executive’s employment shall be automatically renewed for successive one (1) year periods until the Executive or the Company delivers to the other party a written notice of their intent not to renew such employment, such written notice to be delivered at least sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of the then-effective Term as that term is defined below. The period commencing as of the Effective Date and ending on Executive’s last date of employment with the Company under this Agreement is the “Term” and the end of the Term is referred to herein as the “Expiration Date.”
4.
Base Compensation
. The Company shall pay to Executive a base compensation (the “
Base Compensation
”) of $475,000 per year (prorated for any partial year), payable at such times as the Company customarily pays its other senior executives (but in any event no less often than monthly). In addition, each year during the Term, Executive shall be reviewed for purposes of determining the appropriateness of his Base Compensation hereunder. The Base Compensation shall be subject to all federal, state and local payroll tax withholding and any other withholdings required by law. For purposes of the Agreement, the term “
Base Compensation
” as of any point in time shall refer to the Base Compensation as adjusted pursuant to this Section 4.
5.
Benefits; Expense Reimbursement
.
(a)
Benefits
. During the Term, Executive shall be entitled to participate in all company employee benefit plans. In the event Executive elects to pay to a self-funded health insurance program, Executive shall be reimbursed by the Company for such costs up to the maximum amount the Company would be obligated to pay for similar benefits pursuant to its health insurance plans.
(b)
Expenses
. During the Term, the Company shall promptly reimburse Executive for all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company.
6.
Target Bonus
. In addition to his Base Compensation, during the Term Executive shall be given the opportunity to earn an annual bonus (the “
Bonus
”) of up to 50% of Base Compensation. The Bonus shall be earned by Executive upon the Company’s achievement of performance milestones for a fiscal year (in each case, the “
Target Year
”) to be mutually agreed upon by the Executive and the Board or its compensation committee. In the event Executive is employed by the Company for less than the full Target Year for which a Bonus is earned pursuant to this Section 6, Executive shall be entitled to receive a pro-rated Bonus for such Target Year based on the number of days Executive was employed by the Company during such Target Year divided by 365. The determinations of the Board or its compensation committee with respect to Bonuses will be final and binding.
7.
Stock Option Grant
. The Company shall grant 750,000 incentive stock options (the “Options”) to Executive pursuant to the Company’s 2014 Equity Incentive Plan. Such Options will have an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Common Stock of the Company, as reported on The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC, on April 25, 2016, the date of the offer letter to the Executive. 25% of the Options will vest one year from date of grant and the remainder will vest over 36 months beginning the first month after the one year anniversary of the date of grant.
8.
Termination
.
(a)
Termination by the Company
. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 9 below, the Company may terminate Executive’s employment at any time and for any reason (or no reason), and with or without Cause, and without prejudice to any other right or remedy to which the Company or Executive may be entitled at law or in equity or under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Company desires to terminate the Executive’s employment without Cause, the Company shall give the Executive not less than sixty (60) days advance written notice. Executive’s employment shall terminate automatically in the event of his death.
(b)
Termination by Executive
. Executive may voluntarily terminate the Term upon sixty (60) days’ prior written notice for any reason or no reason.
(c)
Termination for Death or Disability
. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 9 below, Executive’s employment shall terminate automatically upon his death. Subject to the obligations of the Company set forth in Section 9 below, in the event Executive is unable to perform his duties as a result of Disability during the Term, the Company shall have the right to terminate the employment of Executive by providing written notice of the effective date of such termination.
9.
Payments Upon Termination of Employment
.
(a)
Termination for Cause, Death or Disability or Termination by Executive
. In the event that Executive’s employment hereunder is terminated during the Term by the Company for Cause, as a result of Executive’s death or Disability, or voluntarily by Executive without Good Reason, the Company shall compensate Executive (or in the case of death, Executive’s estate) as follows: on the date of termination, the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (i) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (ii) any Bonus, Options and Additional Options earned and not yet paid or granted, as applicable, through the date of termination; and (iii) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive or Executive’s estate, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination.
(b)
Termination by Company Without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason
. In the event that Executive’s employment is terminated during the Term by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall compensate Executive as follows:
(i)
on the date of termination, the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (A) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (B) any Bonus, Options and Additional Options earned and not yet paid or granted, as applicable, through the date of termination; and (C) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination; and, provided that Executive executes a written release, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit A
, of any and all claims against the Company and all related parties with respect to all matters arising out of Executive’s employment by the Company, the Company shall pay Executive the Base Compensation for twenty four (24) months from the date of termination, the potential Bonus the Executive is or would be eligible for pursuant to Section 6 herein during such twenty-four (24) month period following the termination and any benefits pursuant to Section 5 herein that the Executive is or would be eligible for during such twenty-four (24) month period. Without limiting the foregoing, Executive also shall be entitled to the severance benefits set forth under Section 11(c) below.
(c)
Termination in the Context of a Change of Control
. Notwithstanding anything in Section 9(a) or 9(b) herein to the contrary, in the event of Executive’s termination of employment with the Company either (i) by the Company without Cause at any time within twelve (12) months prior to the consummation of a Change of Control if, prior to, or as of such termination, a Change of Control transaction was Pending (as defined in Section 9(d) below) at any time during such twelve (12)-month period, (ii) by Executive for Good Reason at any time within twelve (12) months after the consummation of a Change of Control, or (iii) by the Company without Cause at any time upon or within twelve (12) months after the consummation of a Change of Control, then, Executive shall be entitled to the following payments and other benefits:
(i)
on the date of termination (except as specified in clause (C)), the Company shall pay Executive a lump sum amount equal to (A) any portion of unpaid Base Compensation then due for periods prior to the effective date of termination; (B) any Bonus earned and not yet paid through the date of termination; and (C) within 2-1/2 months following submission of proper expense reports by Executive, all expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by Executive in connection with the business of the Company prior to the date of termination;
(ii)
on the date of termination, the Company shall pay to Executive a lump sum amount equal to twenty-four (24) months of Executive’s Base Compensation then in effect as of the day of termination, the maximum Bonus the Executive is or would be eligible for pursuant to Section 6 herein during such twenty-four (24) month period and any benefits pursuant to Section 5 herein that the Executive is or would be eligible for during such twenty-four (24) month period;
(iii)
notwithstanding any provision of any stock incentive plan, stock option agreement, restricted stock agreement or other agreement relating to capital stock of the Company, all of the shares and equity awards held by Executive that are then unvested shall immediately vest and, with respect to all options, warrants and other convertible securities of the Company beneficially held by Executive, become fully exercisable for (A) a period of six months following the date of termination
only if at the time of such termination there is a Change of Control transaction Pending (as defined in Section 9(d) below) or (B) if clause (A) does not apply, then such period of time set forth in the agreement evidencing the security; and
(iv)
Severance benefits under this Section 9(c) and Section 9(b) above shall be mutually exclusive and severance under one such section shall prohibit severance under the other.
In order to effectuate the provisions of Section 9(c)(iii) hereof, in the event that Executive’s employment is terminated during the Term by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, no equity award held by Executive shall expire or terminate prior to the earlier to occur of (a) ten (10) years after the date of the award and (b) fifteen (15) months after Executive’s termination of employment with the Company.
(a)
Definition of “Pending
.” For purposes of Section 9(c) herein, a Change of Control transaction shall be deemed to be “
Pending
” each time any of the following circumstances exist: (A) the Company and a third party have entered into a confidentiality agreement that has been signed by a duly-authorized officer of the Company and that is related to a potential Change of Control transaction; (B) the Company has received a written expression of interest from a third party, including a binding or non-binding term sheet or letter of intent, related to a potential Change of Control transaction; or (C) a third party has publicly announced, through a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, its intent to commence a tender offer or similar transaction to acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting interests of the Company.
10.
280G Excise Tax
. Notwithstanding any other provisions in this Agreement, in the event that any payment or benefit received or to be received by Executive under this Agreement or under any other agreement between Executive and the Company or otherwise (collectively, the “
Total Payments
”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “
Code
”), or any successor provision thereto (the “
Excise Tax
”), then the Company will reduce the Total Payments to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero);
provided, however, that
the Total Payments will only be reduced if the net amount of such Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which Executive would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments). In the case of a reduction in the Total Payments, the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order (unless reduction in another order is required to avoid adverse consequences under Section 409A of the Code, in which case, reduction will be in such other order): (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to Section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to Section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation.
11.
Successors
. Any successor to the Company (whether direct or indirect and whether by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation, liquidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the Company’s business and/or assets or otherwise pursuant to a Change of Control shall assume the Company’s obligations under this Agreement and agree expressly in writing delivered to Executive, at or prior to such Change of Control, to perform the Company’s obligations under this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent as the Company would be required to perform such obligations in the absence of a Change of Control. For all purposes under this Agreement, the term “Company” shall include any successor to the Company’s business and/or assets (including any parent company to the Company), whether or not in connection with a Change of Control, which becomes bound by the terms of this Agreement by contract, operation of law or otherwise.
12.
Notices
. Notices and all other communications contemplated by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (a) when personally delivered (if to the Company, addressed to its Secretary at the Company’s principal place of business on a non-holiday weekday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.; if to Executive, via personal service
to his last known residence) or (b) three business days following the date it is mailed by U.S. registered or certified mail, return receipt requested and postage prepaid.
13.
Confidential Information
. Executive recognizes and acknowledges that by reason of Executive’s employment by and service to the Company before, during and, if applicable, after the Term, Executive will have access to certain confidential and proprietary information relating to the Company’s business, which may include, but is not limited to, trade secrets, trade “know-how,” product development techniques and plans, formulas, customer lists and addresses, financing services, funding programs, cost and pricing information, marketing and sales techniques, strategy and programs, computer programs and software and financial information (collectively referred to herein as “
Confidential Information
”). Executive acknowledges that such Confidential Information is a valuable and unique asset of the Company and Executive covenants that he will not, unless expressly authorized in writing by the Company, at any time during the course of Executive’s employment use any Confidential Information or divulge or disclose any Confidential Information to any person, firm or corporation except in connection with the performance of Executive’s duties for and on behalf of the Company and in a manner consistent with the Company’s policies regarding Confidential Information. Executive also covenants that at any time after the termination of such employment, directly or indirectly, he will not use any Confidential Information or divulge or disclose any Confidential Information to any person, firm or corporation, unless such information is in the public domain through no fault of Executive or except when required to do so by a court of law, by any governmental agency having supervisory authority over the business of the Company or by any administrative or legislative body (including a committee thereof) with apparent jurisdiction to order Executive to divulge, disclose or make accessible such information. All written Confidential Information (including, without limitation, in any computer or other electronic format) which comes into Executive’s possession during the course of Executive’s employment shall remain the property of the Company. Unless expressly authorized in writing by the Company, Executive shall not remove any written Confidential Information from the Company’s premises, except in connection with the performance of Executive’s duties for and on behalf of the Company and in a manner consistent with the Company’s policies regarding Confidential Information. Upon termination of Executive’s employment, the Executive agrees to immediately return to the Company all written Confidential Information (including, without limitation, in any computer or other electronic format) in Executive’s possession. As a condition of Executive’s employment with the Company and in order to protect the Company’s interest in such proprietary information, the Company shall require Executive’s execution of a Confidentiality Agreement and Inventions Agreement in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit B
, and incorporated herein by this reference.
14.
Non-Competition; Non-Solicitation
.
(a)
Non-Compete
. The Executive hereby covenants and agrees that during the Term and for a period of one year following the Expiration Date, the Executive will not, without the prior written consent of the Company, directly or indirectly, on his own behalf or in the service or on behalf of others, whether or not for compensation, engage in any business activity, or have any interest in any person, firm, corporation or business, through a subsidiary or parent entity or other entity (whether as a shareholder, agent, joint venturer, security holder, trustee, partner, Executive, creditor lending credit or money for the purpose of establishing or operating any such business, partner or otherwise) with any Competing Business in the Covered Area. For the purpose of this Section 14(a), (i) “
Competing Business
” means any medical diagnostic company, any contract manufacturer, any research laboratory or other company or entity (whether or not organized for profit) that has, or is seeking to develop, one or more products or therapies that is related to trans renal DNA and (ii) “
Covered Area
” means all geographical areas of the United States and other foreign jurisdictions where Company then has offices and/or sells its products directly or indirectly through distributors and/or other sales agents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Executive may own shares of companies whose securities are publicly traded, so long as ownership of such securities do not constitute more than one percent (1%) of the outstanding securities of any such company.
(b)
Non-Solicitation
. Executive further agrees that during the Term and for a period of one (1) year from the Expiration Date, the Executive will not divert any business of the Company and/or its affiliates or any customers or suppliers of the Company and/or the Company’s and/or its affiliates’ business to any other person, entity or competitor, or induce or attempt to induce, directly or indirectly, any person to leave his or her employment with the Company and/or its affiliates; provided, however, that the foregoing provisions shall not apply to a general advertisement or solicitation program that is not specifically targeted at such employees.
(c)
Remedies
. Executive acknowledges and agrees that his obligations provided herein are necessary and reasonable in order to protect the Company and its affiliates and their respective business and Executive expressly agrees that monetary damages would be inadequate to compensate the Company and/or its affiliates for any breach by Executive of his covenants and agreements set forth herein. Accordingly, Executive agrees and acknowledges that any such violation of this Section 14 will cause irreparable injury to the Company and that, in addition to any other remedies that may be available, in law, in equity or otherwise, the Company and its affiliates shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief against the breach of this Section 14 or the continuation of any such breach by the Executive without the necessity of proving actual damages.
15.
Employment Relationship
. Executive’s employment with the Company will be “at will,” meaning that either Executive or the Company may terminate Executive’s employment at any time and for any reason, with or without Cause or Good Reason. Any contrary representations that may have been made to Executive are superseded by this Agreement. This is the full and complete agreement between Executive and the Company on this term. Although Executive’s duties, title, compensation and benefits, as well as the Company’s personnel policies and procedures, may change from time-to-time, the “at will” nature of Executive’s employment may only be changed in an express written agreement signed by Executive and a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than Executive).
16.
Miscellaneous Provisions
.
(a)
Survival
. Sections 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 16 herein, including this Section 16(a), shall survive the termination of Executive’s employment with the Company, the expiration of this Agreement and the termination of this Agreement for any reason.
(b)
Modifications; No Waiver
. No provision of this Agreement may be modified, waived or discharged unless the modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by Executive and by an authorized officer of the Company (other than Executive). No waiver by either party of any breach of, or of compliance with, any condition or provision of this Agreement by the other party shall be considered a waiver of any other condition or provision or of the same condition or provision at another time.
(c)
Entire Agreement
. This Agreement supersedes, amends and restates all prior agreements and understandings between the parties, oral or written, including, without limitation, the Executive Agreement. No modification, termination or attempted waiver shall be valid unless in writing, signed by the party against whom such modification, termination or waiver is sought to be enforced.
(d)
Choice of Law
. The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal substantive laws, but not the conflicts of law rules, of the State of California.
(e)
Severability
. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision hereof, which shall remain in full force and effect.
(f)
Counterparts
. This Agreement may be executed in separate counterparts, any one of which need not contain signatures of more than one party, and may be delivered by facsimile or other electronic means, but all of which shall be deemed originals and taken together will constitute one and the same Agreement.
(g)
Headings
. The headings of the Articles and Sections hereof are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute a part hereof nor to affect the meaning thereof.
(h)
Construction of Agreement
. In the event of a conflict between the text of the Agreement and any summary, description or other information regarding the Agreement, the text of the Agreement shall control.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has executed this Agreement, in the case of the Company by its duly authorized officer, as of the day and year first above written.
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COMPANY:
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Trovagene, Inc.
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By:
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Name:
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Thomas H. Adams
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Title:
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Chairman
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EXECUTIVE:
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William J. Welch
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Exhibit A
Form of Release Agreement
Exhibit B
Confidentiality and Inventions Agreement
Exhibit 10.36
TROVAGENE, INC.
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
(“Agreement”) is made as of May
6
, 2016 by and between Trovagene, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and William J. Welch (“Indemnitee”). This Agreement supersedes and replaces any and all previous Agreements between the Company and Indemnitee covering the subject matter of this Agreement.
RECITALS
WHEREAS,
highly competent persons have become more reluctant to serve publicly held 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;
WHEREAS,
the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has determined that, in order to attract and retain qualified individuals, the Company will attempt to maintain on an ongoing basis, at its sole expense, liability insurance to protect persons serving the Company from certain liabilities. The By-Laws (the “By-Laws”) of the Company and the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (“the Certificate of Incorporation”) require indemnification of the officers and directors of the Company. Indemnitee may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). The By-Laws and the Certificate of Incorporation and the DGCL expressly provide that the indemnification provisions set forth therein are not exclusive, and thereby contemplate that contracts may be entered into between the Company and members of the board of directors, officers and other persons with respect to indemnification;
WHEREAS,
the uncertainties relating to such insurance and to indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons;
WHEREAS,
the Board has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company and its stockholders and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection in the future;
WHEREAS,
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;
WHEREAS,
this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the By-Laws and the Certificate of Incorporation and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder;
WHEREAS,
Indemnitee does not regard the protection available under the By-Laws 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 be so indemnified; and
NOW, THEREFORE,
in consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:
Section 1.
Services to the Company
.
Indemnitee agrees to continue to serve as an officer of the Company. Indemnitee may at any time and for any reason resign from such position (subject to any other contractual obligation or any obligation imposed by operation of law), in which event the Company shall have no obligation under this Agreement to keep Indemnitee in such position. This Agreement shall not be deemed an employment contract between the Company and Indemnitee. Indemnitee specifically acknowledges that Indemnitee’s employment with the Company, if any, is at will, and the Indemnitee may be discharged at any time for any reason, with or without cause, except as may be otherwise provided in any written employment contract between Indemnitee and the Company, other applicable formal severance policies duly adopted by the Board, or, with respect to service as a director or officer of the Company, by the Certificate of Incorporation, the By-Laws, and the DGCL. The foregoing notwithstanding, this Agreement shall continue in force after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as an officer of the Company.
Section 2.
Definitions
.
As used in this Agreement:
(a) References to “agent” shall mean any person who is or was a director, officer, or employee of the Company or other person authorized by the Company to act for the Company, to include such person serving in such capacity as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other official of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other Enterprise at the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of the Company.
(b) A “Change in Control” shall be deemed to occur upon 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 (as defined below) is or becomes the Beneficial Owner (as defined below), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities;
(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 Sections 2(b)(i), 2(b)(iii) or 2(b)(iv)) whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) 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 of directors 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 (as defined below), whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement.
For purposes of this Section 2(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(A) “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.
(B) “Person” shall have the meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that Person shall 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.
(C) “Beneficial Owner” shall have the meaning given to such term in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act; provided, however, that Beneficial Owner shall 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.
(c) “Corporate Status” describes the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or of any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership or joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise which such person is or was serving at the request of the Company.
(d) “Disinterested Director” means a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.
(e) “Enterprise” shall mean the Company and any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary.
(f) “Expenses” shall include all 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, any federal, state, local or foreign taxes imposed on Indemnitee as a result of the actual or deemed receipt of any payments under this Agreement, ERISA excise taxes and penalties, and all other disbursements or expenses of the types customarily incurred in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, being or preparing to be a witness in, or
otherwise participating in, a Proceeding. Expenses also shall include (i) Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding, including without limitation the premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond or other appeal bond or its equivalent, and (ii) for purposes of Section 14(d) only, Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the interpretation, enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement, by litigation or otherwise. The parties agree that for the purposes of any advancement of Expenses for which Indemnitee has made written demand to the Company in accordance with this Agreement, all Expenses included in such demand that are certified by affidavit of Indemnitee’s counsel as being reasonable shall be presumed conclusively to be reasonable. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.
(g) “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 the 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 hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement. The Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses 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.
(h) The term “Proceeding” shall include 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 in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil, criminal, administrative legislative, or investigative (formal or informal) nature, including any appeal therefrom, in which Indemnitee was, is or will be involved as a party, potential party, non-party witness or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, by reason of any action taken by him or of any action on his part while acting as director or officer of the Company, or by reason of the fact that he is or was serving at the request of the Company, including prior to the date of this Agreement, as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses can be provided under this Agreement. If the Indemnitee believes in good faith that a given situation may lead to or culminate in the institution of a Proceeding, this shall be considered a Proceeding under this paragraph.
(i) Reference to “other enterprise” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise tax assessed with respect to any employee benefit plan; references to “serving at the request of the Company” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Company” as referred to in this Agreement.
Section 3.
Indemnity in Third-Party Proceedings
.
The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3 if Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant in any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 3, Indemnitee shall be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against all Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on his behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, in the case of a criminal proceeding had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. The parties hereto intend that this Agreement shall provide to the fullest extent permitted by law for indemnification in excess of that expressly permitted by statute, including, without limitation, any indemnification provided by the Certificate of Incorporation, the By-Laws, vote of the Company’s stockholders or disinterested directors or applicable law.
Section 4.
Indemnity in Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company
.
The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 4 if Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 4, Indemnitee shall be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. No indemnification for Expenses shall be made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by a court to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or any court in which
the Proceeding was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification.
Section 5.
Indemnification for Expenses of a Party Who is Wholly or Partly Successful
.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and to the extent that Indemnitee is a party to (or a participant in) and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, in whole or in part, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him 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 shall indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection with or related to each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter to the fullest extent permitted by law. For purposes of this Section 5 and without limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a successful result as to such claim, issue or matter.
Section 6.
Indemnification For Expenses of a Witness
.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of his Corporate Status, a witness or otherwise asked to participate in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is not a party, he shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection therewith.
Section 7.
Partial Indemnification
.
If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of Expenses, but not, however, for the total amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion thereof to which Indemnitee is entitled.
Section 8.
Additional Indemnification
.
(a) Notwithstanding any limitation in Sections 3, 4, or 5, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law if Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against all Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the Proceeding.
(b) For purposes of Section 8(a), the meaning of the phrase “to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law” shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) to the fullest extent permitted by the provision of the DGCL that authorizes or contemplates additional indemnification by agreement, or the corresponding provision of any amendment to or replacement of the DGCL, and
(ii) to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by any amendments to or replacements of the DGCL adopted after the date of this Agreement that increase the extent to which a corporation may indemnify its officers and directors.
Section 9.
Exclusions
.
Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement, the Company shall 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; or
(b) for (i) 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 (as defined in Section 2(b) hereof) or similar provisions of state statutory law or common law, or (ii) any reimbursement of the Company by the Indemnitee of any bonus or other incentive-based or equity-based compensation or of any profits realized by the 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 of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley 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
(c) except as provided in Section 14(d) of this Agreement, 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.
Section 10.
Advances of Expenses
.
In accordance with Section 3 of Article XI of the By-Laws, and notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall advance, to the extent not prohibited by law, the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any Proceeding, and such advancement shall be made within thirty (30) days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements requesting such advances from time to time, whether prior to or after final disposition of any Proceeding. Advances shall be unsecured and interest free. Advances shall be made without regard to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses and without regard to Indemnitee’s ultimate entitlement to indemnification under the other provisions of this Agreement. Advances shall include any and all reasonable Expenses incurred pursuing an action to enforce this right of advancement, including Expenses incurred preparing and forwarding statements to the Company to support the advances claimed. The Indemnitee shall qualify for advances upon the execution and delivery to the Company of this Agreement, which shall constitute an undertaking providing that the Indemnitee undertakes to repay the amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company. No other form of undertaking shall be required other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 10 shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 9.
Section 11.
Procedure for Notification and Defense of Claim
.
(a) Indemnitee shall notify the Company in writing of any matter with respect to which Indemnitee intends to seek indemnification or advancement of Expenses hereunder as soon as reasonably practicable following the receipt by Indemnitee of written notice thereof. The written notification to the Company shall include a description of the nature of the Proceeding and the facts underlying the Proceeding. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request, including therein or therewith 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 following the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding. The omission by Indemnitee to notify the Company hereunder will not relieve the Company from any liability which it may have to Indemnitee hereunder or otherwise than under this Agreement, and any delay in so notifying the Company shall not constitute a waiver by Indemnitee of any rights under this Agreement. The Secretary of the Company shall, promptly upon receipt of such a request for indemnification, advise the Board in writing that Indemnitee has requested indemnification.
(b) The Company will be entitled to participate in the Proceeding at its own expense.
Section 12.
Procedure Upon Application for Indemnification
.
(a) Upon written request by Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to Section 11(a), a determination, if required by applicable law, with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement thereto shall be made in the specific case: (i) if a Change in Control shall have occurred, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee; or (ii) if a Change in Control shall not have occurred, (A) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even if less than a quorum of the Board, (B) by a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even if less than a quorum of the Board, (C) if there are no such Disinterested Directors or, if such Disinterested Directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee or (D) if so directed by the Board, by the stockholders of the Company; and, if it is so determined that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, payment to Indemnitee shall be made within ten (10) days after such determination. Indemnitee shall cooperate with the person, persons or entity making such determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, including providing to such person, persons or entity upon 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 costs or Expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person, persons or entity making such determination shall be borne by the Company (irrespective of the determination as to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification) and the Company hereby indemnifies and agrees to hold Indemnitee harmless therefrom.
(b) In the event the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 12(a) hereof, the Independent Counsel shall be selected as provided in this Section 12(b). If a Change in Control shall not have occurred, the Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board, and the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising him of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. If a Change in Control shall have occurred, the Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee (unless Indemnitee shall request that such selection be made by the Board, in which event the preceding sentence shall apply), and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. In either event, Indemnitee or the Company, as the case may be, may, within ten (10) days after such written notice of selection shall have been given, deliver to the Company or to Indemnitee, as the case may be, a written objection to such selection;
provided
,
however
, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not meet the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement, and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is so made and substantiated, the Independent Counsel so
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, within twenty (20) days after the later of submission by Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification pursuant to Section 11(a) hereof and the final disposition of the Proceeding, no Independent Counsel shall have been selected and not objected to, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition a court of competent jurisdiction for resolution of any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person selected by the Court or by such other person as the Court shall designate, and the person with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person so appointed shall act as Independent Counsel under Section 12(a) hereof. Upon the due commencement of any judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, Independent Counsel shall be discharged and relieved of any further responsibility in such capacity (subject to the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing).
Section 13.
Presumptions and Effect of Certain Proceedings
.
(a) In making a determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification hereunder, the person or persons or entity making such determination shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by law, presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 11(a) of this Agreement, and the Company shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by law, have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption in connection with the making by any person, persons or entity of any determination contrary to that presumption. Neither the failure of the Company (including by its directors or independent legal 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 directors or independent legal counsel) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct.
(b) Subject to Section 14(e), if the person, persons or entity empowered or selected under Section 12 of this Agreement to determine whether Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification shall not have made a determination within sixty (60) days after receipt by the Company of the request therefor, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by law, be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall 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; provided, however, that such 60-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not to exceed an additional thirty (30) days, if the person, persons or entity making the determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification in good faith requires such additional time for the obtaining or evaluating of documentation and/or information relating thereto; and provided, further, that the foregoing provisions of this Section 13(b) shall not apply (i) if the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by the stockholders pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement and if (A) within fifteen (15) days after receipt by the Company of the request for such determination the Board has resolved to submit such determination to the stockholders for their consideration at an annual meeting thereof to be held within seventy-five (75) days after such receipt and such determination is made thereat, or (B) a special meeting of stockholders is called within fifteen (15) days after such receipt for the purpose of making such determination, such meeting is held for such purpose within sixty (60) days after having been so called and such determination is made thereat, or (ii) if the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement.
(c) The termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of
nolo
contendere
or its equivalent, shall 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 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 conduct was unlawful.
(d)
Reliance as Safe Harbor
. For purposes of any determination of good faith, Indemnitee shall 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 the reasonable care by the Enterprise. The provisions of this Section 13(d) shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the other circumstances in which the Indemnitee may be deemed to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Agreement.
(e) Actions
of Others
. The knowledge and/or actions, or failure to act, of any director, officer, agent or employee of the Enterprise shall not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification under this Agreement.
Section 14.
Remedies of Indemnitee
.
(a) Subject to Section 14(e), in the event that (i) a determination is made pursuant to Section 12 of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) advancement of Expenses is not timely made pursuant to Section 10 of this Agreement, (iii) no determination of entitlement to indemnification shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement within ninety (90) days after receipt by the Company of the request for indemnification, (iv) payment of indemnification is not made pursuant to Section 5, 6 or 7 or the last sentence of Section 12(a) of this Agreement within ten (10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor, (v) payment of indemnification pursuant to Section 3, 4 or 8 of this Agreement is not made within ten (10) days after a determination has been made that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, or (vi) in the event that the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or Proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to the Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication by a court of his entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of Expenses. Alternatively, Indemnitee, at his option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Indemnitee shall commence such proceeding seeking an adjudication or an award in arbitration within 180 days following the date on which Indemnitee first has the right to commence such proceeding pursuant to this Section 14(a);
provided
,
however
, that the foregoing clause shall not apply in respect of a proceeding brought by Indemnitee to enforce his rights under Section 5 of this Agreement. The Company shall not oppose Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication or award in arbitration.
(b) In the event that a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification, any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 shall be conducted in all respects as a
de
novo
trial, or arbitration, on the merits and Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of that adverse determination. In any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 the Company shall have the burden of proving Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification or advancement of Expenses, as the case may be.
(c) If a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the Company shall be bound by such determination in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14, 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.
(d) The Company shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by law, be precluded from asserting in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 that the procedures and presumptions of this Agreement are not valid, binding and enforceable and shall stipulate in any such court or before any such arbitrator that the Company is bound by all the provisions of this Agreement. It is the intent of the Company that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Indemnitee not be required to incur legal fees or other Expenses associated with the interpretation, enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement by litigation or otherwise because the cost and expense thereof would substantially detract from the benefits intended to be extended to the Indemnitee hereunder. The Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify Indemnitee against any and all Expenses and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall (within ten (10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor) 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 advancement of Expenses from the Company under this Agreement or under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Company if Indemnitee is wholly successful on the underlying claims; if Indemnitee is not wholly successful on the underlying claims, then such indemnification and advancement shall be only to the extent Indemnitee is successful on such underlying claims or otherwise as permitted by law, whichever is greater.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no determination as to entitlement of Indemnitee to indemnification under this Agreement shall be required to be made prior to the final disposition of the Proceeding.
Section 15.
Non-exclusivity; Survival of Rights; Insurance; Subrogation
.
(a) The rights of indemnification and to receive advancement of Expenses as provided by this Agreement shall 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 By-Laws, any agreement, a vote of stockholders or a resolution of directors, or otherwise. No amendment, alteration or repeal of this Agreement or of any provision hereof shall limit or restrict any right of Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of any action taken or omitted by such Indemnitee in his Corporate Status prior to such amendment, alteration or repeal. To the extent that a change in Delaware law, whether by statute or judicial decision, permits greater indemnification or advancement of Expenses than would be afforded currently under the By-Laws, the Certificate of Incorporation and this Agreement, it is the intent of the parties hereto that Indemnitee shall enjoy by this Agreement the greater benefits so afforded by such change. No right or remedy herein conferred is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every other right and remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or
otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other right or remedy.
(b) The Company shall use its best efforts to maintain an insurance policy or policies providing liability insurance for directors and officers in effect at all times. To the extent that the Company maintains an insurance policy or policies providing liability insurance for directors, officers, employees, or agents of the Company or of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise which such person serves at the request of the Company, Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies in accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any such director, officer, employee or agent under such policy or policies. If, at the time of the receipt of a notice of a claim pursuant to the terms hereof, the Company has director and officer liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of such claim or of the commencement of a proceeding, as the case may be, to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall 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) In the event of any payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall 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.
(d) The Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable (or for which advancement is provided hereunder) hereunder if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.
(e) The Company’s obligation to indemnify or advance Expenses hereunder to Indemnitee who is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise shall be reduced by any amount Indemnitee has actually received as indemnification or advancement of Expenses from such other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise.
Section 16.
Duration of Agreement
.
This Agreement shall continue until and terminate upon the later of: (a) ten (10) years after the date that Indemnitee shall have ceased to serve as an officer of the Company or (b) one (1) year after the final termination of any Proceeding then pending in respect of which Indemnitee is granted rights of indemnification or advancement of Expenses hereunder and of any proceeding commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14 of this Agreement relating thereto. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Company and its successors and assigns and shall inure to the benefit of Indemnitee and his heirs, executors and administrators.
Section 17.
Severability
.
If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement (including without limitation, each portion of any Section of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law; (b) such provision or provisions shall be deemed reformed to the extent necessary to conform to applicable law and to give the maximum effect to the intent of the parties hereto; and (c) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any Section of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested thereby.
Section 18.
Enforcement
.
(a) The Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this Agreement and assumed the obligations imposed on it hereby in order to induce Indemnitee to serve as a director or officer of the Company, and the Company acknowledges that Indemnitee is relying upon this Agreement in serving as a director or officer of the Company.
(b) This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral, written and implied, between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof; provided, however, that this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Certificate of Incorporation, the By-Laws and applicable law, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder.
Section 19.
Modification and Waiver
.
No supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by the parties thereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions of this Agreement nor shall any waiver constitute a continuing waiver.
Section 20.
Notice by Indemnitee
.
Indemnitee agrees promptly to notify the Company in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any Proceeding or matter which may be subject to indemnification or advancement of Expenses covered hereunder. The failure of Indemnitee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of any obligation which it may have to the Indemnitee under this Agreement or otherwise.
Section 21.
Notices
.
All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed or (d) sent by facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral confirmation that such transmission has been received:
(i) If to Indemnitee, at the address indicated on the signature page of this Agreement, or such other address as Indemnitee shall provide to the Company.
(ii) If to the Company to
Trovagene, Inc.
11055 Flintkote Avenue, Suite A
San Diego, CA 92121
Attention: President and Chief Executive Officer
or to any other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee by the Company.
Section 22.
Contribution
.
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, shall 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 in order to reflect (a) the relative benefits received by the Company and Indemnitee as a result of the event(s) and/or transaction(s) giving cause to such Proceeding; and/or (b) the relative fault of the Company (and its directors, officers, employees and agents) and Indemnitee in connection with such event(s) and/or transaction(s).
Section 23.
Applicable Law and Consent to Jurisdiction
.
This Agreement and the legal relations among the parties shall 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. Except with respect to any arbitration commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, the Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (a) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall 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, (b) 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, (c) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably The Corporation Service Company, 2711 Centerville Road, City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19808 as its agent in the State of Delaware as such party’s agent 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, (d) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (e) 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.
Section 24.
Identical Counterparts
.
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Only one such counterpart signed by the party against whom enforceability is sought needs to be produced to evidence the existence of this Agreement.
Section 25.
Miscellaneous
.
Use of the masculine pronoun shall be deemed to include usage of the feminine pronoun where appropriate. The headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or to affect the construction thereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF,
the parties have caused this Agreement to be signed as of the day and year first above written.
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TROVAGENE, INC.
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By:
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/s/ Thomas Adams
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Title:
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Chairman
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INDEMNITEE
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/s/ William J. Welch
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Address:
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PO BOX 9778
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Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92091
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Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
I, William J. Welch, certify that:
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1.
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I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Trovagene, Inc. (the “Registrant”);
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2.
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Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
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3.
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Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;
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4.
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The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
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a.
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Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;
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b.
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Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
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c.
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Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
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d.
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Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
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5.
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The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions);
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a.
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All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
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b.
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Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
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May 10, 2016
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/s/ William J. Welch
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William J. Welch
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Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer)
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Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Quarterly Report of Trovagene, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the three months ended
March 31, 2016
as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, William J. Welch, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
(1)
The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
(2)
The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
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May 10, 2016
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/s/ William J. Welch
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William J. Welch
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Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer)
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