Exhibit 2.1

 

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

 

dated as of

 

September 30, 2022

 

by and among

 

TRADEUP Acquisition Corp.,

 

TRADEUP MERGER SUB INC.

 

and

ESTRELLA BIOPHARMA, INC.

 

   

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
Article I CERTAIN DEFINITIONS 2
1.01 Definitions 2
1.02 Construction 16
1.03 Knowledge 17
Article II THE MERGER; CLOSING 18
2.01 The Merger 18
2.02 Effects of the Merger 18
2.03 Closing 18
2.04 Organizational Documents of Acquiror and the Surviving Company 18
2.05 Directors and Officers of Acquiror and the Surviving Company 19
Article III EFFECTS OF THE MERGER 20
3.01 Effect on Capital Stock 20
3.02 Delivery of Merger Consideration Shares 20
3.03 Treatment of Company Restricted Shares 21
3.04 Withholding 21
3.05 Fractional Shares 22
3.06 Payment of Expenses 22
3.07 Dissenting Shares 23
Article IV REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY 23
4.01 Corporate Organization of the Company 23
4.02 No Subsidiaries 24
4.03 Due Authorization 24
4.04 No Conflict 24
4.05 Governmental Authorities; Consents 25
4.06 Capitalization 25
4.07 Financial Statements 26
4.08 Undisclosed Liabilities 26
4.09 Litigation and Proceedings 27
4.10 Compliance with Laws 27
4.11 Intellectual Property 28

 

  i 

 

 

4.12 Contracts; No Defaults 31
4.13 Company Benefit Plans 32
4.14 Labor Matters 34
4.15 Taxes 35
4.16 Brokers’ Fees 37
4.17 Insurance 37
4.18 Real Property; Assets 37
4.19 Environmental Matters 38
4.20 Absence of Changes 39
4.21 Affiliate Agreements 39
4.22 Internal Controls 39
4.23 Permits 39
4.24 Registration Statement 40
4.25 Operation of the Business during COVID-19 40
4.26 No Additional Representations and Warranties 40
Article V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ACQUIROR AND MERGER SUB 40
5.01 Corporate Organization 41
5.02 Due Authorization 41
5.03 No Conflict 42
5.04 Litigation and Proceedings 43
5.05 Compliance with Laws 43
5.06 Employee Benefit Plans 44
5.07 Governmental Authorities; Consents 44
5.08 Financial Ability; Trust Account 45
5.09 Taxes 46
5.10 Brokers’ Fees 46
5.11 Acquiror SEC Reports; Financial Statements; Sarbanes-Oxley Act 46
5.12 Business Activities; Absence of Changes 48
5.13 Registration Statement 49
5.14 No Outside Reliance 49
5.15 Capitalization 50
5.16 Nasdaq Capital Market Quotation 51

 

  ii 

 

 

5.17 Contracts; No Defaults 51
5.18 Title to Property 52
5.19 Investment Company Act 52
5.20 Affiliate Agreements 52
5.21 Sponsor Agreement 52
Article VI COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY 52
6.01 Conduct of Business 52
6.02 Inspection 56
6.03 No Acquiror Securities Transactions 56
6.04 No Claim Against the Trust Account 56
6.05 Proxy Solicitation; Other Actions 56
6.06 Non-Solicitation; Acquisition Proposals 57
Article VII COVENANTS OF ACQUIROR 58
7.01 Conduct of Acquiror During the Interim Period 58
7.02 Trust Account 61
7.03 Inspection 61
7.04 Acquiror Nasdaq Listing 61
7.05 Acquiror Public Filings 61
7.06 Section 16 Matters 61
7.07 Exclusivity 62
7.08 Certain Transaction Agreements 62
7.09 Stockholder Action 62
7.10 Written Consent of Merger Sub 63
7.11 Incentive Equity Plan 63
7.12 Obligations as an Emerging Growth Company 63
Article VIII JOINT COVENANTS 63
8.01 Support of Transaction 63
8.02 Preparation of Registration Statement; Special Meeting 63
8.03 Tax Matters 65
8.04 Confidentiality; Publicity 66
8.05 Post-Closing Cooperation; Further Assurances 66
8.06 Additional Insurance and Indemnity Matters 66
8.07 HSR Act and Regulatory Approvals 68

 

  iii 

 

 

8.08 Employee Matters 70
8.09 Nasdaq Listing Matters 70
8.10 Transaction Financing 70
Article IX CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS 70
9.01 Conditions to Obligations of All Parties 70
9.02 Additional Conditions to Obligations of Acquiror 71
9.03 Additional Conditions to the Obligations of the Company 72
Article X TERMINATION/EFFECTIVENESS 73
10.01 Termination 73
10.02 Effect of Termination 74
Article XI MISCELLANEOUS 75
11.01 Waiver 75
11.02 Notices 75
11.03 Assignment 76
11.04 Rights of Third Parties 76
11.05 Expenses 76
11.06 Governing Law 76
11.07 Captions; Counterparts 76
11.08 Schedules and Exhibits 77
11.09 Entire Agreement 77
11.10 Amendments 77
11.11 Severability 77
11.12 Jurisdiction; WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY 77
11.13 Enforcement 78
11.14 Non-Recourse 78
11.15 Nonsurvival of Representations, Warranties and Covenants 78
11.16 Acknowledgments 79
11.17 Extension 79

 

Exhibits

Exhibit A – Form of PubCo Bylaws

Exhibit B – Form of PubCo Charter

Exhibit C – Form of Acquiror LTIP

Exhibit D – Form of Surviving Company Bylaws

Exhibit E – Form of Surviving Company Charter

Exhibit F – Form of Lock-Up Agreement

 

  iv 

 

 

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

 

This Agreement and Plan of Merger (this “Agreement”), dated as of September 30, 2022, is entered into by and among TradeUP Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (prior to the Effective Time, “Acquiror” and, at and after the Effective Time, “PubCo”), Tradeup Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”), and Estrella Biopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”). Except as otherwise indicated, capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in Article I of this Agreement.

 

RECITALS

 

WHEREAS, Acquiror is a special purpose acquisition company incorporated to acquire one or more operating businesses through a Business Combination;

 

WHEREAS, Merger Sub is a newly formed, wholly owned, direct subsidiary of Acquiror, and was formed for the sole purpose of the Merger;

 

WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at the Closing, Merger Sub is to merge with and into the Company pursuant to the Merger, with the Company surviving as the Surviving Company and a wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo;

 

WHEREAS, in connection with the Merger, the stockholders of the Company will be entitled to receive merger consideration in the form of stock in PubCo, as more fulsomely described in this Agreement;

 

WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, in connection with the Transactions, the Sponsors have entered into that certain Sponsor Agreement (the “Sponsor Agreement”) with Acquiror and the Company;

 

WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, in connection with the Transactions, certain Company Stockholders who will receive PubCo’s Common Stock pursuant to Article III in an amount exceeding 5% of the outstanding capital of PubCo at the Closing have entered into Lock-Up Agreements in favor of Acquiror and Company substantially in the form set forth on Exhibit F (each a “Lock-Up Agreement”), to be effective upon the Closing;

 

WHEREAS, in connection with the Merger, Acquiror shall adopt the amended and restated bylaws (the “PubCo Bylaws”) in the form set forth on Exhibit A;

 

WHEREAS, in connection with the Merger, Acquiror shall adopt, subject to obtaining the Acquiror Stockholder Approval, the amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “PubCo Charter”) in the form set forth on Exhibit B, to provide for, among other things, (i) an increase in the number of authorized shares of PubCo’s Common Stock; and (ii) removal of certain provisions regarding a business combination of Acquiror that are no longer applicable to PubCo;

 

WHEREAS, at the Closing, the shares of the Company Common Stock will be converted into shares of PubCo’s Common Stock;

  

   

 

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Acquiror Organizational Documents, Acquiror shall provide an opportunity to its stockholders to have their Acquiror Public Common Shares redeemed for the consideration, and on the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations, set forth in this Agreement, the Acquiror Organizational Documents, and the Trust Agreement, inter alia, obtaining approval from the stockholders of Acquiror for the Business Combination (the “Offer”);

 

WHEREAS, prior to the consummation of the Transactions, Acquiror shall, subject to obtaining the Acquiror Stockholder Approval, adopt a new equity incentive plan (the “Acquiror LTIP”) in the form set forth on Exhibit C;

 

WHEREAS, each of the parties intends that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (i) this Agreement shall constitute a “plan of reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Code”) and (ii) either the Merger shall constitute a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code or the Transactions shall constitute a transaction that qualifies under Section 351 of the Code (the “Intended Tax Treatment”); and

 

WHEREAS, the respective boards of directors or similar governing bodies of each of Acquiror, Merger Sub and the Company have each (i) approved and declared advisable the Transactions upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement and in accordance with the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) and (ii) recommended to their respective stockholders the approval and adoption of this Agreement and the Transactions.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the respective representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement, and intending to be legally bound hereby, Acquiror, Merger Sub and the Company agree as follows:

 

Article I
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS

 

1.01          Definitions. As used herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

Acquiror” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.

 

Acquiror Affiliate Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 5.20.

 

Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations” means the representations and warranties of each of Acquiror and Merger Sub expressly and specifically set forth in Article V of this Agreement, as qualified by the Acquiror and Merger Sub Schedules. For the avoidance of doubt, the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations are solely made by Acquiror and Merger Sub.

 

Acquiror and Merger Sub Schedules” means the disclosure schedules of Acquiror and Merger Sub.

 

Acquiror Benefit Plans” has the meaning specified in Section 5.06.

 

 2 

 

  

Acquiror Board” means the board of directors of Acquiror.

 

Acquiror Board Recommendation” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(d).

 

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

 

Acquiror Cure Period” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(c).

 

Acquiror Financing Certificate has the meaning specified in Section 9.03(d).

 

Action” means any claim, action, suit, assessment, arbitration or proceeding, in each case that is by or before any Governmental Authority.

 

Affiliate” means, with respect to any specified Person, any Person that, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such specified Person, through one or more intermediaries or otherwise.

 

Agreement” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.

 

Ancillary Agreements” means this Agreement, PubCo Bylaws, PubCo Charter, the Sponsor Agreement, the Lock-Up Agreements and all the agreements, documents, instruments and certificates entered into in connection herewith or therewith and any and all exhibits and schedules thereto.

 

Acquiror LTIP” has the meaning specified in the Recitals.

 

Acquiror LTIP Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).

 

Acquiror Organizational Documents” means the Certificate of Incorporation and Acquiror’s bylaws, in each case as may be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

 

Acquiror Public Common Shares” means shares of Acquiror Common Stock sold in the initial public offering of Acquiror.

 

Acquiror SEC Reports” has the meaning specified in Section 5.11(a).

 

Acquiror Stockholder” means a holder of Acquiror Common Stock.

 

Acquiror Stockholder Approval” has the meaning specified in Section 5.02(b).

 

Acquiror Units” means the units of Acquiror issued in connection with its initial public offering, which such units are comprised of one share of Acquiror Common Stock and one-half of one Acquiror Warrant.

 

Acquiror Warrants” has the meaning ascribed to it in the Warrant Agreement.

 

Acquisition Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 6.06(b).

  

 3 

 

 

Action” means any claim, action, suit, assessment, arbitration or proceeding, in each case that is by or before any Governmental Authority.

 

Additional Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).

 

Affiliate” means, with respect to any specified Person, any Person that, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such specified Person, through one or more intermediaries or otherwise.

 

Agreement” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.

 

Amendment Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).

 

Ancillary Agreements” means this Agreement, PubCo Bylaws, PubCo Charter, the Sponsor Agreement, the Lock-Up Agreements and all the agreements, documents, instruments and certificates entered into in connection herewith or therewith and any and all exhibits and schedules thereto.

 

Anti-Corruption Laws” means any applicable Laws relating to anti-bribery or anti-corruption (governmental or commercial), including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as amended (FCPA), and the U.S. Travel Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1952.

 

Antitrust Law” means the HSR Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended, the Sherman Act, as amended, the Clayton Act, as amended, and any applicable foreign antitrust Laws and all other applicable Laws that are designed or intended to prohibit, restrict or regulate actions having the purpose or effect of monopolization or restraint of trade or lessening of competition through merger or acquisition.

 

Available Combined Cash Amount” means the sum of (i) the amount of cash available in the Trust Account immediately prior to the Closing (after payment of amounts due to Redeeming Stockholders, Outstanding Acquiror Expenses, Outstanding Company Expenses, and the amount necessary to obtain the insurance listed in Section 8.06), as certified in the Acquiror Financing Certificate plus (ii) the proceeds of the Transaction Financing plus (iii) the amount of cash available in any bank account of the Company as certified in the Company Financing Certificate.

 

Business Combination” has the meaning ascribed to such term in the Certificate of Incorporation.

 

Business Combination Proposal” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.07.

 

Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York, New York are authorized or required by Law to close.

 

Certificate of Incorporation” means the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Acquiror, filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on the July 14, 2021.

 

 4 

 

 

Certificate of Merger” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01.

 

Claim” means any demand, claim, action, legal, judicial or administrative proceeding (whether at law or in equity) or arbitration.

 

Closing” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03.

 

Closing Date” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03.

 

Closing Share Price” means $10.00 per share.

 

Code” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

Company” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.

 

Company Affiliate Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 4.21.

 

Company Benefit Plan” has the meaning specified in Section 4.13(a).

 

Company Board” means the board of directors of the Company.

 

Company Capital Stock” means, as applicable, the Company Common Stock and the Company Preferred Stock.

 

Company Certificate of Incorporation” means the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company as in effect from time to time.

 

Company Common Stock” has the meaning specified in Section 4.06(a).

 

Company Common Stockholder” means any holder of the Company Common Stock (including shares of the Company Common Stock underlying the Company Preferred Stock after given effect of Section 3.01(a) and Company Restricted Shares)

 

Company Cure Period” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(b).

 

Company Financing Certificate has the meaning specified in Section 9.02(d).

 

Company Intellectual Property” means all Owned Intellectual Property and all Intellectual Property used in, or necessary for the conduct of the business of the Company, as currently conducted.

 

Company Preferred Stock” has the meaning specified in Section 4.06(a).

 

Company Preferred Stock Conversion” has the meaning specified in Section 3.01(a).

 

Company Representations” means the representations and warranties of the Company expressly and specifically set forth in Article IV of this Agreement, as qualified by the Company Schedules. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company Representations are solely made by the Company.

 

 5 

 

 

Company Requisite Approval” has the meaning specified in Section 4.03.

 

Company Restricted Share” has the meaning specified in Section 3.03(a).

 

Company Schedules” means the disclosure schedules of the Company.

 

Company Software” means all Company owned and third party Software used in, or necessary for the conduct of, the business of the Company, as currently conducted.

 

Company Stockholder” means the holder of either a share of the Company Common Stock or a share of the Company Preferred Stock.

 

Company Stock Plan” means the existing equity incentive plan adopted by the Company on May 27, 2022.

 

Confidential Data” means all data for which the Company is required by Law, Contract or privacy policy to keep confidential or private, including all such data transmitted to the Company by customers of the Company or Persons that interact with the Company.

 

Confidentiality Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 11.09.

 

Contracts” means any legally binding contracts, agreements, subcontracts, leases, and purchase orders (other than any Company Benefit Plans).

 

Copyleft Terms” has the meaning specified in Section 4.11(h).

 

COVID-19” means SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, and any evolutions thereof or any other epidemics, pandemics or disease outbreaks.

 

COVID-19 Action” means an inaction or action by the Company, including the establishment of any policy, procedure or protocol, in response to COVID-19 or any COVID-19 Measures (i) that is consistent with the past practice of the Company in response to COVID-19 prior to the date of this Agreement (but only to the extent in compliance with applicable Law), or (ii) that would, given the totality of the circumstances under which the Company acted or did not act, be unreasonable for Acquiror to withhold, condition or delay consent with respect to such action or inaction (whether or not Acquiror has a consent right with respect thereto).

 

COVID-19 Measures” means any quarantine, “shelter in place,” “stay at home,” workforce reduction, social distancing, shut down, closure, sequester or any other Law, Governmental Order, Action, directive, guidelines or recommendations by any Governmental Authority in connection with or in response to COVID-19, including, but not limited to, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

 

 6 

 

 

DGCL” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

Dissenting Shares” has the meaning specified in Section 3.07.

 

Environmental Laws” means any and all applicable Laws relating to pollution, protection of the environment (including natural resources) and human health and safety, or the use, storage, emission, disposal or release of or exposure to Hazardous Materials.

 

Effective Time” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01.

 

Equity Value” means $325,000,000, subject to adjustment pursuant to a subsequent written agreement between Acquiror and the Company, if any.

 

ERISA” has the meaning specified in Section 4.13(a).

 

ERISA Affiliate” has the meaning specified in Section 4.13(e).

 

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

 

Financial Derivative/Hedging Arrangement” means any transaction (including an agreement with respect thereto) which is a rate swap transaction, basis swap, forward rate transaction, commodity swap, commodity option, equity or equity index swap, equity or equity index option, bond option, interest rate option, foreign exchange transaction, cap transaction, floor transaction, collar transaction, currency swap transaction, cross-currency rate swap transaction, currency option or any combination of these transactions.

 

Financial Statements” has the meaning specified in Section 4.07.

 

Fraud” means an actual, intentional and knowing common law fraud (and not a constructive fraud, negligent misrepresentation or omission, or any form of fraud premised on recklessness or negligence), as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, by (a) the Company with respect to the Company Representations (as qualified by the Company Schedules), or (b) Acquiror or Merger Sub with respect to the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations (as qualified by Acquiror and Merger Sub Schedules); provided that (and without limiting any of the other elements for establishing such common law fraud) such fraud shall in no event be deemed to exist in the absence of actual conscious awareness (and not imputed or constructive knowledge) by or on behalf of the Named Party sought to be held liable therefor, on the date the particular representation or warranty is made hereunder, both (i) of the particular fact, event or condition that gives rise to a breach of the applicable representation or warranty contained herein, and (ii) that such fact, event or condition actually constitutes a breach of such representation or warranty, all with the express intention of such Named Party to deceive and mislead the other party hereto.

 

GAAP” means United States generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied.

 

Governmental Authority” means any federal, state, provincial, municipal, local or foreign government, governmental authority, regulatory or administrative agency, governmental commission, department, board, bureau, agency or instrumentality, arbitrator, court or tribunal.

 

 7 

 

 

Governmental Order” means any order, judgment, injunction, decree, writ, stipulation, determination or award, in each case, entered by or with any Governmental Authority.

 

Hazardous Material” means any material, substance or waste that is listed, regulated, or defined as “hazardous,” “toxic,” or “radioactive,” or as a “pollutant” or “contaminant” (or words of similar intent or meaning) under applicable Environmental Laws, including but not limited to petroleum, petroleum by-products, asbestos or asbestos-containing material, polychlorinated biphenyls, flammable or explosive substances, mold, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or pesticides.

 

HSR Act” means the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

Indebtedness” means, with respect to any Person, without duplication, any obligations (whether or not contingent) consisting of (a) the outstanding principal amount of and accrued and unpaid interest on, and other payment obligations for, borrowed money, or payment obligations issued or incurred in substitution or exchange for payment obligations for borrowed money, (b) amounts owing as deferred purchase price for property or services, including “earnout” payments, (c) payment obligations evidenced by any promissory note, bond, debenture, mortgage or other debt instrument or debt security, (d) contingent reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit, bankers’ acceptance or similar facilities (in each case to the extent drawn), (e) payment obligations of a third party secured by (or for which the holder of such payment obligations has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any Lien, other than a Permitted Lien, on assets or properties of such Person, whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed, (f) obligations under capitalized leases, (g) obligations under any Financial Derivative/Hedging Arrangement, (h) guarantees, make-whole agreements, hold harmless agreements or other similar arrangements with respect to any amounts of a type described in clauses (a) through (g) above and (i) with respect to each of the foregoing, any unpaid interest, breakage costs, prepayment or redemption penalties or premiums, or other unpaid fees or obligations; provided, however, that Indebtedness shall not include accounts payable to trade creditors and accrued expenses arising in the ordinary course of business.

 

Information or Document Request” means any request or demand for the production, delivery or disclosure of documents or other evidence, or any request or demand for the production of witnesses for interviews or depositions or other oral or written testimony, by any Regulatory Consent Authority relating to the transactions contemplated hereby or by any third party challenging the transactions contemplated hereby, including any so called “second request” for additional information or documentary material or any civil investigative demand made or issued by the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice or the United States Federal Trade Commission or any subpoena, interrogatory or deposition.

 

 8 

 

 

Intellectual Property” means all intellectual property rights created, arising, or protected under applicable Law, including all: (i) patents, patent applications, patentable inventions and other patent rights (including any divisionals, continuations, continuations-in-part, reissues and reexaminations thereof) (collectively, “Patents”); (ii) trademarks, service marks, trade dress, trade names, taglines, brand names, logos, corporate names and other source identifiers and all goodwill related thereto (“Trademarks”); (iii) copyrights and designs; (iv) internet domain names and social media identifiers (such as a Twitter® handle); (v) trade secrets, know-how, inventions, processes, procedures, database rights, source code, confidential business information and other proprietary information and rights (collectively, “Trade Secrets”) and (vi) rights in Software.

 

Interim Period” has the meaning specified in Section 6.01.

 

Intended Tax Treatment” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

International Trade Laws” means any Law relating to international trade, including: (i) import laws and regulations administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, (ii) export control regulations issued by the U.S. Department of State pursuant to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 C.F.R. 120 et seq.) and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce pursuant to the Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. 730 et seq.); (iii) sanctions laws and regulations as administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (31 C.F.R. Part 500 et seq.); (iv) U.S. anti-boycott laws and requirements (Section 999 of the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or related provisions, or under the Export Administration Act, as amended, 50 U.S.C. App. Section 2407 et seq.).

 

IT Systems” means the Software, systems, servers, computers, hardware, firmware, middleware, networks, data communications lines, routers, hubs, switches and all other information technology and telecommunications assets, systems, and equipment, and all associated documentation, in each case, owned, used, held for use, leased, outsourced or licensed by or for the Company for use in the conduct of its business as it is currently conducted.

 

JOBS Act” has the meaning specified in Section 7.12.

 

Law” means any statute, law, ordinance, rule, regulation or Governmental Order, in each case, of any Governmental Authority.

 

Leased Real Property” means all real property leased, subleased, licensed or otherwise occupied by the Company.

 

Lien” means any mortgage, deed of trust, pledge, hypothecation, easement, right of way, purchase option, right of first refusal, covenant, restriction, security interest, title defect, encroachment or other survey defect, or other lien or encumbrance of any kind, except for any restrictions arising under any applicable Securities Laws.

 

Lock-Up Agreement” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

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Material Adverse Effect” means any event, change or circumstance that has a material adverse effect on (i) the assets, business, results of operations or financial condition of the Company; provided, however, that in no event would any of the following (or the effect of any of the following), alone or in combination, be deemed to constitute, or be taken into account in determining whether there has been or will be, a “Material Adverse Effect”: (a) any change in applicable Laws or GAAP after the date hereof or any official interpretation thereof, (b) any change in interest rates or economic, political, business, financial, commodity, currency or market conditions generally, (c) the announcement or the execution of this Agreement, the pendency or consummation of the Merger or the performance of this Agreement, including the impact thereof on relationships, contractual or otherwise, with customers, suppliers, licensors, distributors, partners, providers and employees (provided, that the exceptions in this clause (c) shall not be deemed to apply to references to “Material Adverse Effect” in the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.04 and, to the extent related thereto, the condition in Section 9.02(a)), (d) any change generally affecting any of the industries or markets in which the Company operates or the economy as a whole, (e) the compliance with the terms of this Agreement or the taking of any action required by this Agreement or with the prior written consent of Acquiror (provided, that the exceptions in this clause (e) shall not be deemed to apply to references to “Material Adverse Effect” in the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.04 and, to the extent related thereto, the condition in Section 9.02(a)), (f) any earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, tornado, flood, mudslide, wild fire or other natural disaster, pandemic, weather condition, explosion fire, act of God or other force majeure event, including, for the avoidance of doubt, COVID-19 and any Law, directive, pronouncement or guideline issued by a Governmental Authority, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization or any industry group providing for business closures, changes to business operations, “sheltering-in-place” or other restrictions that relate to, or arise out of, an epidemic, pandemic or disease outbreak (including the COVID-19 pandemic) or any change in such Law, directive, pronouncement or guideline or interpretation thereof following the date of this Agreement or the Company’s compliance therewith, (g) any national or international political or social conditions in countries in which, or in the proximate geographic region of which, the Company operates, including the engagement by the United States or such other countries in hostilities or the escalation thereof, whether or not pursuant to the declaration of a national emergency or war, or the occurrence or the escalation of any military or terrorist attack (including any internet or “cyber” attack or hacking) upon the United States or such other country, or any territories, possessions, or diplomatic or consular offices of the United States or such other countries or upon any United States or such other country military installation, equipment or personnel, (h) any failure of the Company to meet any projections, forecasts or budgets or (i) any actions taken, or failures to take action, or such other changes or events, in each case, which Acquiror has requested or to which it has consented; provided, that clause (h) shall not prevent or otherwise affect a determination that any change or effect underlying such failure to meet projections or forecasts has resulted in, or contributed to, or would reasonably be expected to result in or contribute to, a Material Adverse Effect (to the extent such change or effect is not otherwise excluded from this definition of Material Adverse Effect), and except in the case of clause (a), (b), (d), (f) and (g) to the extent that such change does not have a disproportionate impact on the Company as compared to other industry participants or (ii) the ability of the Company to consummate the Transactions.

 

 10 

 

 

Material Contracts” has the meaning specified in Section 4.12(a).

 

Material Permits” has the meaning specified in Section 4.23.

 

Merger” has the meaning specified in in Section 2.01.

 

Merger Consideration Shares” means total shares of PubCo’s Common Stock issuable to Company Common Stockholders in the aggregated amount of (a) the Equity Value divided by (b) the Closing Share Price.

 

Merger Sub” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.

 

Multiemployer Plan” has the meaning specified in Section 4.13(e).

 

Named Parties” means (i) with respect to this Agreement, the Company, Acquiror and Merger Sub (and their permitted successors and assigns), and (ii) with respect to any Ancillary Agreement, the parties named in the preamble thereto (and their permitted successors and assigns), and “Named Party” means any of them.

 

Nasdaq” means the Nasdaq Capital Market.

 

Offer” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

Open Source Materials” has the meaning specified in Section 4.11(g).

 

Outstanding Acquiror Expenses” has the meaning specified in Section 3.07(b).

 

Outstanding Company Expenses” has the meaning specified in Section 3.07(a).

 

Owned Company Software” means all Software owned or purported to be owned, in whole or in part, by the Company and includes the Company’s proprietary mobile games platform.

 

Owned Intellectual Property” means all Intellectual Property owned or purported to be owned, in whole or in part, by the Company and includes the Owned Company Software.

 

Permits” means all permits, licenses, certificates of authority, authorizations, approvals, registrations and other similar consents issued by or obtained from a Governmental Authority.

  

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Permitted Liens” means (i) statutory or common law Liens of mechanics, materialmen, warehousemen, landlords, carriers, repairmen, construction contractors and other similar Liens (A) that arise in the ordinary course of business, (B) that relate to amounts not yet delinquent or (C) that are being contested in good faith through appropriate Actions, and either are not material or appropriate reserves for the amount being contested have been established in accordance with GAAP, (ii) Liens arising under original purchase price conditional sales contracts and equipment leases with third parties entered into in the ordinary course of business, (iii) Liens for Taxes not yet due and payable or which are being contested in good faith through appropriate Actions to the extent appropriate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP, (iv) non-monetary Liens, encumbrances and restrictions on real property (including easements, covenants, rights of way and similar restrictions of record) that do not materially interfere with the present uses of such real property, (v) non-exclusive licenses of Owned Intellectual Property entered into in the ordinary course of business, (vi) Liens that secure obligations that are reflected as liabilities on the balance sheet included in the Financial Statements or Liens the existence of which is referred to in the notes to the balance sheet included in the Financial Statements, (vii) in the case of Leased Real Property, matters that would be disclosed by an accurate survey or inspection of such Leased Real Property, which do not materially interfere with the current use or occupancy of any Leased Real Property, (viii) requirements and restrictions of zoning, building and other applicable Laws and municipal by-laws, and development, site plan, subdivision or other agreements with municipalities, which do not materially interfere with the current use or occupancy of any Leased Real Property, (ix) statutory Liens of landlords for amounts that (A) are not due and payable, (B) are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and either are not material or appropriate reserves for the amount being contested have been established in accordance with GAAP or (C) may thereafter be paid without penalty and (x) Liens described on Schedule 1.01(b) or incurred in connection with activities permitted under Section 6.01 hereof (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any refinancings of existing indebtedness of the Company).

 

Person” means any individual, firm, corporation, partnership (limited or general), limited liability company, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, joint stock company, governmental agency or instrumentality or other entity of any kind.

 

Personal Information” means any personal information that specifically identifies, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, any particular individual or household.

 

Per Share Merger Consideration” means, with respect to any share of the Company Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, including those issued in connection with the Company Preferred Stock Conversion, a number of shares of Pubco’s Common Stock equal to (i) the Per Share Merger Consideration Value divided by (ii) the Closing Share Price.

 

Per Share Merger Consideration Value” means (a) the Equity Value divided by (b) the total number of shares of the Company Common Stock issued and outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time (including (i) shares of the Company Common Stock issued upon the conversion of the Company Preferred Stock described in Section 3.01(a), and (ii) the full vesting of Company Restricted Shares).

 

Predecessor” has the meaning specified in Section 4.07.

 

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Privacy and Security Requirements” means, to the extent applicable to the Company, (a) any Laws relating to privacy and data security, including laws regulating the Processing of Protected Data; (b) the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard issued by the PCI Security Standards Council, as it may be amended from time to time (“PCI DSS”); (c) all Contracts between the Company and any Person that is applicable to the PCI DSS, privacy, data security and/or the Processing of Protected Data; and (d) all policies and procedures applicable to the Company relating to the PCI DSS, privacy, data security and/or the Processing of Protected Data, including without limitation all website and mobile application privacy policies and internal information security procedures.

 

Processing” means the creation, collection, use (including, without limitation, for the purposes of sending telephone calls, text messages and emails), storage, maintenance, processing, recording, distribution, transfer, transmission, receipt, import, export, protection, safeguarding, access, disposal or disclosure or other activity regarding data (whether electronically or in any other form or medium).

 

Proposals” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).

 

Protected Data” means Personal Information and Confidential Data.

 

Proxy Statement” means the proxy statement filed by Acquiror as part of the Registration Statement with respect to the Special Meeting for the purpose of soliciting proxies from Acquiror Stockholders to approve the Proposals (which shall also provide the Acquiror Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Acquiror Common Stock in conjunction with a stockholder vote on the Business Combination).

 

PubCo” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

PubCo Board” means the board of directors of PubCo.

 

PubCo Bylaws” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

PubCo Charter” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

PubCo’s Common Stock” means PubCo’s Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, entitling the holder of each such share to 1 vote per share.

 

Real Estate Lease Documents” has the meaning specified in Section 4.18(b).

 

Redeeming Stockholder” means an Acquiror Stockholder who demands that Acquiror redeem its Acquiror Common Stock for cash in connection with the Offer and in accordance with the Acquiror Organizational Documents.

 

Registered Intellectual Property” has the meaning specified in Section 4.11(a).

 

Registration Statement” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(a).

 

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Regulatory Consent Authorities” means the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice or the United States Federal Trade Commission, as applicable.

 

Representative” means, as to any Person, any of the officers, directors, managers, employees, agents, counsel, accountants, financial advisors, lenders, debt financing sources and consultants of such Person.

 

Schedules” means the Acquiror and Merger Sub Schedules and the Company Schedules.

 

SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

Securities Laws” means the securities laws of any state, federal or foreign entity and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

Series A Preferred” has the meaning specified in Section 4.06(a).

 

Series AA Preferred” has the meaning specified in Section 4.06(a).

 

Share Certificate” has the meaning specified in Section 3.02(a).

 

Software” means any and all (a) computer programs, including any and all software implementation of algorithms, models and methodologies, whether in source code, object code, human readable form or other form, (b) databases and compilations, including any and all data and collections of data, whether machine readable or otherwise, (c) descriptions, flow charts and other documentation used to design, plan, organize and develop any of the foregoing, screens, user interfaces, report formats, firmware, development tools, templates, menus, buttons and icons and (d) all documentation including user manuals and other training documentation relating to any of the foregoing.

 

Special Meeting” means a meeting of the holders of Acquiror Common Stock to be held for the purpose of approving the Proposals.

 

Sponsors” means TradeUP Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Tradup INC., a Delaware limited liability company.

 

Sponsor Agreement” has the meaning specified in the recitals hereto.

 

Stock Issuance Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).

 

Stock Power” has the meaning specified in Section 3.02(a).

 

Stockholder Action” has the meaning specified in Section 7.10.

 

Stockholder Release” has the meaning specified in Section 3.02(a).

 

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Subsidiary” means, with respect to a Person, any corporation or other organization (including a limited liability company or a general or limited partnership), whether incorporated or unincorporated, of which such Person directly or indirectly owns or controls a majority of the securities or other interests having by their terms ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar functions with respect to such corporation or other organization or any organization of which such Person or any of its Subsidiaries is, directly or indirectly, a general partner or managing member.

 

Surviving Company” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01.

 

Surviving Company Bylaws” means the form of bylaws set forth on Exhibit D.

 

Surviving Company Charter” means the form of amended and restated certificate of incorporation set forth on Exhibit E.

 

Surviving Provisions” has the meaning specified in Section 10.02.

 

Tax” means any federal, state, provincial, territorial, local, foreign and other net income, alternative or add-on minimum, franchise, gross income, adjusted gross income or gross receipts, employment, withholding, payroll, ad valorem, transfer, franchise, license, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, premium, personal property, real property, capital stock, profits, disability, registration, value added, estimated, customs duties, escheat, sales, use, or other tax, governmental fee or other like assessment, together with any interest, penalty, addition to tax or additional amount imposed with respect thereto by a Governmental Authority.

 

Tax Return” means any return, report, statement, refund, claim, declaration, information return, statement, estimate or other document filed or required to be filed with a Governmental Authority respect to Taxes, including any schedule or attachment thereto and including any amendments thereof.

 

Terminating Acquiror Breach” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(c).

 

Terminating Company Breach” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(b).

 

Termination Date” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(b).

 

Trade Secrets” has the meaning specified in the definition of Intellectual Property.

 

Trademarks” has the meaning specified in the definition of Intellectual Property.

 

Transactions” means the transactions contemplated by this Agreement to occur at or prior to the Closing on the Closing Date, including the Merger.

 

Transaction Financing” means the aggregate amount of cash actually raised by Acquiror or the Company in support of the Merger.

 

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Transaction Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).

 

Treasury Regulations” means the regulations promulgated under the Code.

 

Trustee” has the meaning specified in Section 5.08(a).

 

Trust Account” has the meaning specified in Section 5.08(a).

 

Trust Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 5.08(a).

 

Unit Separation” means, the election of any holder of an Acquiror Unit, to separate such Acquiror Unit into Acquiror Common Stock and Acquiror Warrants.

 

VWAP” means, for any security as of any date(s), the dollar volume-weighted average price for such security on the principal securities exchange or securities market on which such security is then traded during the period beginning at 9:30:01 a.m., New York time, and ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York time, as reported by Bloomberg through its “HP” function (set to weighted average) or, if the foregoing does not apply, the dollar volume-weighted average price of such security in the over-the-counter market on the electronic bulletin board for such security during the period beginning at 9:30:01 a.m., New York time, and ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York time, as reported by Bloomberg, or, if no dollar volume-weighted average price is reported for such security by Bloomberg for such hours, the average of the highest closing bid price and the lowest closing ask price of any of the market makers for such security as reported by OTC Markets Group Inc. If the VWAP cannot be calculated for such security on such date(s) on any of the foregoing bases, the VWAP of such security on such date(s) shall be the fair market value per share on such date(s) as reasonably determined by the Acquiror.

 

Warrant Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 5.15(a).

 

Willful Breach” means, with respect to any agreement, a party’s knowing and intentional material breach of any of its representations or warranties as set forth in such agreement, or such party’s material breach of any of its covenants or other agreements set forth in such agreement, which material breach constitutes, or is a consequence of, a purposeful act or failure to act by such party with the knowledge that the taking of such act or failure to take such act would cause a material breach of such agreement.

 

1.02          Construction.

 

(a)          Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, (i) words of any gender include each other gender, (ii) words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively, (iii) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby,” “hereto” and derivative or similar words refer to this entire Agreement, (iv) the terms “Article”, “Section”, “Schedule”, “Exhibit” and “Annex” refer to the specified Article, Section, Schedule, Exhibit or Annex of or to this Agreement unless otherwise specified, (v) the word “including” shall mean “including without limitation” and (vi) the word “or” shall be disjunctive but not exclusive.

 

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(b)          When used herein, “ordinary course of business” means an action taken, or omitted to be taken, in the ordinary and usual course of the Company’s or the Acquiror’s business, as applicable, consistent with past practice (including, for the avoidance of doubt, recent past practice in light of COVID-19). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, nothing herein shall prevent the Company from taking or failing to take any COVID-19 Actions and (x) no such COVD-19 Actions shall be deemed to violate or breach this Agreement in any way, (y) all such COVID-19 Actions shall be deemed to constitute an action taken in the ordinary course of business and (z) no such COVID-19 Actions shall serve as a basis for Acquiror to terminate this Agreement or assert that any of the conditions to the Closing contained herein have not been satisfied.

 

(c)          Any reference in this Agreement to “Pubco” shall also mean Acquiror to the extent the matter relates to the pre-Closing period and any reference to “Acquiror” shall also mean “Pubco” to the extent the matter relates to the post-Closing period (including, for the purposes of this Section 1.02(c), the Effective Time).

 

(d)          Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, references to agreements and other documents shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments and other modifications thereto.

 

(e)          Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, references to statutes shall include all regulations promulgated thereunder and references to statutes or regulations shall be construed as including all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending or replacing the statute or regulation.

 

(f)          The language used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent and no rule of strict construction shall be applied against any party.

 

(g)          Whenever this Agreement refers to a number of days, such number shall refer to calendar days unless Business Days are specified. If any action is to be taken or given on or by a particular calendar day, and such calendar day is not a Business Day, then such action may be deferred until the next Business Day.

 

(h)          All accounting terms used herein and not expressly defined herein shall have the meanings given to them under GAAP.

 

(i)          The phrases “delivered,” “provided to,” “furnished to,” “made available” and phrases of similar import when used herein, unless the context otherwise requires, means that a copy of the information or material referred to has been (A) provided no later than one calendar day prior to the date of this Agreement to the party to which such information or material is to be provided or furnished (i) in the virtual “data room” set up by the Company in connection with this Agreement or (ii) by delivery to such party or its legal counsel via electronic mail or hard copy form, or (B) with respect to Acquiror, filed with the SEC by Acquiror on or prior to the date hereof.

 

1.03          Knowledge. As used herein, the phrase “to the knowledge” shall mean the actual knowledge of, in the case of the Company, Cheng Liu, Peter Xu, Vicky Yang, and, in the case of Acquiror, Jianwei Li, Weiguang Yang, and Luqi Wen, and in each case, the knowledge that such person listed herein would have after reasonable inquiry.

 

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Article II
THE MERGER; CLOSING

 

2.01          The Merger. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Effective Time, Merger Sub shall be merged with and into the Company (the “Merger”), with the Company being the surviving corporation (which is sometimes hereinafter referred to for the periods at and after the Effective Time as the “Surviving Company”) following the Merger and the separate corporate existence of Merger Sub shall cease. The Merger shall be consummated in accordance with this Agreement and the DGCL and evidenced by a certificate of merger between Merger Sub and the Company (the “Certificate of Merger”), such Merger to be consummated immediately upon filing of the Certificate of Merger or at such later time as may be agreed by Acquiror and the Company in writing and specified in the Certificate of Merger (the “Effective Time”).

 

2.02          Effects of the Merger. The Merger shall have the effects set forth in this Agreement and the DGCL. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and subject thereto, by virtue of the Merger and without further act or deed, at the Effective Time, all of the property, rights, privileges, powers and franchises of the Company and Merger Sub shall vest in the Surviving Company and all of the debts, liabilities and duties of the Company and Merger Sub shall become the debts, liabilities and duties of the Surviving Company.

 

2.03          Closing. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”) shall take place electronically through the exchange of documents via e-mail or facsimile on the date which is three Business Days after the date on which all conditions set forth in Article IX shall have been satisfied or waived (other than those conditions that by their terms are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver thereof) or such other time and place as Acquiror and the Company may mutually agree in writing. The date on which the Closing actually occurs is referred to in this Agreement as the “Closing Date.” Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all of the conditions set forth in Article IX of this Agreement, and provided this Agreement has not theretofore been terminated pursuant to its terms, immediately prior to, or on the Closing Date, the Company and Merger Sub shall cause the Certificate of Merger to be executed, acknowledged and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as provided in Sections 251 and 103 of the DGCL.

 

2.04          Organizational Documents of Acquiror and the Surviving Company.

 

(a)          Immediately prior to the Closing, the Certificate of Incorporation and the bylaws of Acquiror shall be amended and restated in their entirety to be the PubCo Charter and the PubCo Bylaws, respectively, until thereafter supplemented or amended in accordance with their terms and the DGCL.

 

(b)          At the Effective Time by virtue of the Merger, the Company Certificate of Incorporation and the bylaws of the Company, as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall be amended and restated in their entireties to be the Surviving Company Charter and the Surviving Company Bylaws, respectively, until thereafter supplemented or amended in accordance with their terms and the DGCL.

 

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2.05          Directors and Officers of Acquiror and the Surviving Company.

 

(a)          Except as otherwise directed in writing by the Company, and conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing, subject to any limitation with respect to any specific individual imposed under applicable Laws and the listing requirements of Nasdaq (after giving effect to any exemptions available to a controlled company), Acquiror shall take all actions necessary or appropriate (including securing resignations or removals and making such appointments as are necessary) to cause, effective as of the Closing, the PubCo Board to consist of the persons designated, or to be designated prior to the Closing, by the Company and Acquiror as set forth on Schedule 2.05(a). On the Closing Date, Acquiror shall enter into customary indemnification agreements reasonably satisfactory to the Company with such individuals elected as members of the PubCo Board as of the Closing, which indemnification agreements shall continue to be effective immediately following the Closing.

 

(b)          Except as otherwise directed in writing by the Company, and conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing, Acquiror shall take all actions necessary or appropriate (including securing resignations or removals and making such appointments as are necessary) to cause the Persons constituting the officers of the Company prior to the Effective Time to be the officers of Acquiror (and holding the same titles as held at the Company) until the earlier of their resignation or removal or until their respective successors are duly appointed.

 

(c)          The Company shall take all necessary action prior to the Effective Time such that (a) each director of the Company in office immediately prior to the Effective Time shall cease to be a director immediately following the Effective Time (including by causing each such director to tender an irrevocable resignation as a director, effective as of the Effective Time) and (b) certain directors or executive officers of the Company, determined by the Company and communicated in writing to Acquiror prior to the Closing Date, shall be appointed to the board of directors of the Surviving Company, effective as of immediately following the Effective Time, and, as of such time, shall be the only directors of the Surviving Company (including by causing the Company Board to adopt resolutions prior to the Effective Time that expand or decrease the size of the Company Board, as necessary, and appoint such persons to the vacancies resulting from the incumbent directors’ respective resignations or, if applicable, the newly created directorships upon any expansion of the size of the Company Board).  Each person appointed as a director of the Surviving Company pursuant to the preceding sentence shall remain in office as a director of the Surviving Company until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal.

 

(d)          Except as otherwise directed in writing by the Company, the Persons constituting the officers of the Company prior to the Effective Time shall continue to be the officers of the Surviving Company (and holding the same titles as held at the Company) until the earlier of their resignation or removal or until their respective successors are duly appointed.

 

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Article III
EFFECTS OF THE MERGER

 

3.01          Effect on Capital Stock. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement:

 

(a)          immediately prior to the Effective Time, each share of the Company Preferred Stock that is issued and outstanding immediately prior to such time shall automatically convert into a number of shares of the Company Common Stock in accordance with the Company Certificate of Incorporation (collectively, the “Company Preferred Stock Conversion”). All of the shares of the Company Preferred Stock converted into shares of the Company Common Stock shall no longer be outstanding and shall cease to exist, and each holder of the Company Preferred Stock shall thereafter cease to have any rights with respect to such securities;

 

(b)          at the Effective Time (and, for the avoidance of doubt, following the Company Preferred Stock Conversion), by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of any Company Stockholder, subject to and in consideration of the terms and conditions set forth herein, each share of the Company Common Stock that is issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than the Dissenting Shares), shall be converted into the right to receive the number of shares of PubCo’s Common Stock with respect to such share of the Company Common Stock equal to the Per Share Merger Consideration. All of the shares of the Company Common Stock converted into the right to receive consideration as described in this Section 3.01(b) shall no longer be outstanding and shall cease to exist, and each holder of the Company Common Stock shall thereafter cease to have any rights with respect to such securities, except the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration as described in this Section 3.01(b).

 

(c)          at the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of any holder thereof, each share of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Merger Sub issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall no longer be outstanding and shall thereupon be converted into and become one validly issued fully paid and non-assessable share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Surviving Company and all such shares shall constitute the only outstanding shares of capital stock of the Surviving Company as of immediately following the Effective Time; and

 

(d)          at the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of any holder thereof, each share of Company Capital Stock held in the treasury of the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be cancelled and no payment or distribution shall be made with respect thereto.

 

3.02          Delivery of Merger Consideration Shares.

 

(a)          At least two (2) days prior to the Closing, the Company shall cause to be delivered to Acquiror (or Acquiror’s transfer agent as otherwise instructed thereby), in respect of each holder of record Company Common Stock, each holder of record of Company Preferred Stock and each holder of record of Company Restricted Shares, (i) an original share certificate (each a “Share Certificate”) (ii) a stock power (each a “Stock Power”) and (iii) a stockholder release (the “Stockholder Release”) in the form satisfactory to the Company and Acquiror, in each case with respect to such holder’s Company Capital Stock.

 

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(b)          Upon the receipt of a Share Certificate, Stock Power and Stockholder Release duly, completely and validly executed, and such other documents as may reasonably be required by Acquiror, the holder of such shares of Company Capital Stock, shall be entitled to receive in exchange therefor, and conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing, the consideration described in Section 3.01(b) into which such Company Common Stock, Company Preferred Stock or Company Restricted Shares, as applicable, have been converted pursuant to Section 3.01(b) (after giving effect to Section  3.01(a)). Until delivery of the Share Certificate, Stock Power and Stockholder Release as contemplated by this Section 3.02(b), each share of Company Common Stock, Company Preferred Stock, and Company Restricted Shares shall be deemed at any time from and after the Effective Time to represent only the right to receive upon delivery of the Share Certificate, Stock Power and Stockholder Release, the consideration described in Section 3.01(b) which the holders of Company Common Stock, Company Preferred Stock, and Company Restricted Shares, as applicable, were entitled to receive in respect of such shares pursuant to this Section 3.02(b).

 

3.03          Treatment of Company Restricted Shares.

 

(a)          Effective as of immediately prior to the Company Preferred Stock Conversion, each unvested restricted share of the Company Common Stock (each a “Company Restricted Share”) granted under the Company Stock Plan or otherwise, shall, in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plan, and by virtue of the Merger, and without any required action on the part of the holder thereof (or subject to obtaining the consent of the holder to the extent necessary), become immediately vested and each such holder of a Company Restricted Share shall be entitled to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration payable or issuable to a holder of the Company Common Stock pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, less applicable tax withholding, if any.

 

(b)          Notwithstanding the foregoing, the conversions described in this Section 3.03 will be subject to such modifications, if any, as are required to cause the conversion to be made in a manner consistent with the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(5)(v)(D). 

 

3.04          Withholding. Each of Acquiror, Merger Sub, the Company, the Surviving Company and their respective Affiliates shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from any amounts otherwise deliverable or payable under this Agreement such amounts that any such Persons are required to deduct and withhold with respect to any of the deliveries and payments contemplated by this Agreement under the Code or any other applicable Law; provided that before making any deduction or withholding pursuant to this Section 3.04 other than with respect to compensatory payments made pursuant to this Agreement, Acquiror shall use commercially reasonably efforts to give the Company at least five days prior written notice of any anticipated deduction or withholding (together with any legal basis therefor) to provide the Company with sufficient opportunity to provide any forms or other documentation from the applicable equity holders or take such other steps in order to avoid such deduction or withholding and shall reasonably consult and cooperate with the Company in good faith to attempt to reduce or eliminate any amounts that would otherwise be deducted or withheld pursuant to this Section 3.04. To the extent that Acquiror, Merger Sub, the Company, the Surviving Company or any of their respective Affiliates withholds such amounts with respect to any Person and properly remits such withheld amounts to the applicable Governmental Authority, such withheld amounts shall be treated as having been paid to or on behalf of such Person for all purposes. In the case of any such payment payable to employees of the Company or its Affiliates in connection with the Merger treated as compensation, the parties shall cooperate to pay such amounts through the Company’s payroll to facilitate applicable withholding.

  

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3.05          Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, no fractional shares of PubCo’s Common Stock or certificates or scripts representing such fractional shares shall be issued upon the conversion of the Company Common Stock pursuant to Section 3.01(b) (with any fractional share that would otherwise be issued rounded to the nearest whole share; provided, however, that in the event such rounding to the nearest whole share would result in the aggregate number of PubCo’s Common Stock being issued to holders of the Company Common Stock under this Agreement being greater or less than the number of Merger Consideration Shares, then one or more fractional shares that may otherwise be issued to one or more holder of the Company Common Stock may be rounded as necessary using such alternative rounding methodology as mutually agreed upon between the Company and Acquiror to result in the aggregate number of PubCo’s Common Shares being issued to the holders of the Company Common Stock under this Agreement being equal to the Merger Consideration Shares).

 

3.06          Payment of Expenses.

 

(a)          No sooner than five or later than two Business Days prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall provide to Acquiror a written report setting forth a list of any fee, expense or cost which the Company is obligated to pay in connection with the consummation of the Merger, this Agreement, the other transaction documents and the performance and compliance with all agreements and conditions contained herein or therein to be performed or complied with, including the fees, expenses and disbursements of its counsel and accountants, due diligence expenses, advisory and consulting fees, underwriting and other third-party fees, in each case, to the extent not paid prior to the Effective Time, solely to the extent such fees and expenses are incurred and expected to remain unpaid as of the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Closing (collectively, the “Outstanding Company Expenses”). On the Closing Date following the Closing, PubCo shall pay or cause to be paid by wire transfer of immediately available funds all such Outstanding Company Expenses from the proceeds of the Transaction Financing and/or the remaining funds of the Trust Account after given effect of the Offer.

 

(b)          No sooner than five or later than two Business Days prior to the Closing Date, Acquiror shall provide to the Company a written report setting forth a list of any fee, expense or cost which the Acquiror is obligated to pay in connection with the consummation of the Merger, this Agreement, the other transaction documents and the performance and compliance with all agreements and conditions contained herein or therein to be performed or complied with, including the fees, expenses and disbursements of its counsel and accountants, due diligence expenses, advisory and consulting fees, underwriting and other third-party fees, in each case, to the extent not paid prior to the Effective Time, solely to the extent such fees and expenses are incurred and expected to remain unpaid as of the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Closing (together with written invoices and wire transfer instructions for the payment thereof) (collectively, the “Outstanding Acquiror Expenses”). At the Closing, Acquiror shall pay or cause to be paid by wire transfer of immediately available funds all such Outstanding Acquiror Expenses from the proceeds of the Transaction Financing and/or the remaining funds of the Trust Account after given effect of the Offer.

 

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3.07          Dissenting Shares. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, shares of the Company Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and owned by a holder who is entitled to demand and has properly demanded appraisal of such shares in accordance with, and who complies in all respects with, Section 262 of the DGCL (such shares, “Dissenting Shares”) shall not be converted into the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration, and shall instead represent the right to receive payment of the fair value of such Dissenting Shares in accordance with and to the extent provided by Section 262 of the DGCL. At the Effective Time, (a) all Dissenting Shares shall be cancelled, extinguished and cease to exist and (b) the holders of Dissenting Shares shall be entitled only to such rights as may be granted to them under the DGCL. If any such holder fails to perfect or otherwise waives, withdraws or loses such holder’s right to appraisal under Section 262 of the DGCL or other applicable Law, then the right of such holder to be paid the fair value of such Dissenting Shares shall cease and such Dissenting Shares shall be deemed to have been converted, as of the Effective Time, into the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. The Company shall give Acquiror prompt notice (and in any event within two Business Days) of any demands received by the Company for appraisal of shares of the Company Common Stock, attempted withdrawals of such demands and any other instruments served pursuant to the DGCL and received by the Company relating to rights to be paid the fair value of Dissenting Shares, and Acquiror shall have the right to participate in and, following the Effective Time, direct all negotiations and proceedings with respect to such demands. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall not, except with the prior written consent of Acquiror, make any payment with respect to, or settle or compromise or offer to settle or compromise, any such demands or waive any failure to timely deliver a written demand for appraisal or otherwise comply with the provisions under Section 262 of the DGCL, or agree or commit to do any of the foregoing.

 

Article IV
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY

 

Except as set forth in the Company Schedules to this Agreement (each of which qualifies (a) the correspondingly numbered representation, warranty or covenant, and (b) such other representations, warranties or covenants where its relevance as an exception to (or disclosure for purposes of) such other representation, warranty or covenant is reasonably apparent), the Company represents and warrants to Acquiror and Merger Sub as follows:

 

4.01          Corporate Organization of the Company.

 

(a)          Due Incorporation. The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of the State of Delaware and has the requisite corporate entity power and authority to own, lease and operate its assets and properties and to conduct its business as it is now being conducted. The Company Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws of the Company previously made available by the Company to Acquiror are true, correct and complete and are in effect as of the date of this Agreement.

 

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(b)          The Company is licensed or duly qualified and in good standing as a foreign company in each jurisdiction in which the ownership of its property or the character of its activities is such as to require it to be so licensed or qualified or in good standing, except where the failure to be so licensed or qualified has not had and would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

4.02          No Subsidiaries. The Company does not have any Subsidiaries.

 

4.03          Due Authorization. Subject to the approvals described in Section 4.05, the Company has all requisite company power and authority, including written approval of (i) the holders of a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of the Company Common Stock, (ii) the holders of a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of the Series A Preferred (on an “as converted basis”) voting separately as a class, and (iii) the holders of a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of the Series AA Preferred (on an “as converted basis”) voting separately as a class, ((i), (ii) and (iii), together, the “Company Requisite Approval”), to execute and deliver this Agreement and each Ancillary Agreement to this Agreement to which it is a party and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and such Ancillary Agreements and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly authorized and approved by the Company Board and Company Stockholders, no other company proceeding on the part of the Company is necessary to authorize this Agreement or such Ancillary Agreements or the Company’s performance hereunder or thereunder. This Agreement has been, and each such Ancillary Agreement will be, duly and validly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization and execution by each other party hereto and thereto, constitutes, or will constitute, as applicable, a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject, as to enforceability, to general principles of equity.

 

4.04          No Conflict. Subject to the receipt of the consents, approvals, authorizations and other requirements set forth in Section 4.03 or on Schedule 4.05, the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and each Ancillary Agreement to this Agreement to which it is a party by the Company and the consummation of the Transactions do not and will not (a) conflict with or violate any provision of, or result in the breach of, the certificate of formation, bylaws or other organizational documents of the Company, (b) conflict with or result in any violation of any provision of any Law, Permit or Governmental Order applicable to the Company, or any of their respective properties or assets, (c) violate, conflict with, result in a breach of any provision of or the loss of any benefit under, constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in the termination or acceleration of, or a right of termination, cancellation, modification, acceleration or amendment under, accelerate the performance required by, or result in the acceleration or trigger of any payment, posting of collateral (or right to require the posting of collateral), time of payment, vesting or increase in the amount of any compensation or benefit payable pursuant to, any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any Contract of the type required to be disclosed in Section 4.12(a), or any Leased Real Property document to which the Company is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective assets or properties may be bound or affected or (d) result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties, equity interests or assets of the Company, except (in the case of clauses (b), (c) or (d) above) for such violations, conflicts, breaches or defaults which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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4.05          Governmental Authorities; Consents. No consent, approval or authorization of, or designation, declaration or filing with, any Governmental Authority or notice, approval, consent waiver or authorization from any Governmental Authority is required on the part of the Company with respect to the Company’s execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, except for (a) applicable requirements of the HSR Act and any other applicable Antitrust Law, (b) the filing of the Certificate of Merger in accordance with the DGCL, (c) any consents, approvals, authorizations, designations, declarations, waivers or filings, the absence of which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to consummate the Transactions, and (d) as otherwise disclosed on Schedule 4.05.

 

4.06          Capitalization.

 

(a)          As of the date hereof, the authorized capital stock of the Company is 265,000,000 shares of capital stock consisting of: (i) 145,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Company Common Stock”); and (ii) 120,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 per share (the “Company Preferred Stock”), of which (1) 105,000,000 shares are designated as Series AA Preferred Stock (the “Series AA Preferred”); and (2) 15,000,000 shares are designated as Series A Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred”). As of the date hereof, there are: (a) 15,001,000 shares of the Company Common Stock issued and outstanding; (a) 105,000,000 shares of the Series AA Preferred issued and outstanding; and (c) 5,000,000 shares of the Series A Preferred issued and outstanding.

 

(b)          All of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company Common Stock, the Company Preferred Stock and the Company Restricted Shares (i) have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, (ii) were issued in compliance in all material respects with applicable Securities Law, (iii) were not issued in breach or violation of any preemptive rights or Contract, and (iv) except as set forth on Schedule 4.06(b), are fully vested. Set forth on Schedule 4.06(b) is a true, correct and complete list of each holder of shares of the Company Common Stock, the Company Preferred Stock, the Company Restricted Shares, or other equity interests of the Company and the number of shares of the Company Common Stock, the Company Preferred Stock, the Company Restricted Shares, or other equity interests held by each such holder as of the date hereof. Except as set forth in this Section 4.06 or on Schedule 4.06(b) or pursuant to the Company Stock Plan, as of the date hereof there are no other shares of the Company Common Stock, the Company Preferred Stock, the Company Restricted Shares or other equity interests of the Company authorized, reserved, issued or outstanding.

 

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(c)          Except as set forth on Schedule 4.06(c) for (i) the Company Preferred Stock, and (ii) the Company Restricted Shares, as of the date hereof there are (x) no subscriptions, calls, options, warrants, rights or other securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of the Company Common Stock or the equity interests of the Company, or any other Contracts to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound obligating the Company to issue or sell any shares of capital stock of, other equity interests in or debt securities of, the Company and (y) no equity equivalents, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock ownership interests or similar rights in the Company. As of the date hereof, except as set forth on Schedule 4.06(c) there are no outstanding contractual obligations of the Company to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any securities or equity interests of the Company. Except as set forth on Schedule 4.06(c), there are no outstanding bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness of the Company having the right to vote (or convertible into, or exchangeable for, securities having the right to vote) on any matter for which the Company’s stockholders may vote. Except as set forth on Schedule 4.06(c), as of the date hereof the Company is not party to any shareholders’ agreement, voting agreement or registration rights agreement relating to its equity interests. The Company has made available to Acquiror true and complete copy of the Company Stock Plan and form of agreement evidencing each Company Restricted Share, and has also delivered any other option agreements and restricted share agreements to the extent there are variations from the form of agreement, specifically identifying the Person(s) to whom such variant forms apply. Each Company Restricted Share (A) was granted, in all material respects, in compliance with all applicable Laws and all of the terms and conditions of the Company Stock Plan pursuant to which it was issued, (B) has an exercise price per share equal to or greater than the fair market value of a share at the close of business on the date of such grant, (C) has a grant date identical to the date on which the Company Board or compensation committee actually awarded such Company Restricted Share, (D) qualifies for the tax and accounting treatment afforded to such Company Restricted Share in the Company’s tax returns and the Company’s financial statements, respectively, and (E) docs not trigger any liability for the holder thereof under Section 409A of the Code.

 

4.07          Financial Statements. The Company was incorporated in the State of Delaware on March 30, 2022. Attached as Schedule 4.07 are the audited balance sheets (i) of the Company as of June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021 (Predecessor), and the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the period from March 30, 2022 through June 30, 2022, period from July 1, 2021 through March 29, 2022 (Predecessor), and year ended June 30, 2021 (Predecessor) and related notes (the “Financial Statements”). The Financial Statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021 (Predecessor), and the results of its cash flows for the period from March 30, 2022 through June 30, 2022, period from July 1, 2021 through March 29, 2022 (Predecessor), and year ended June 30, 2021 (Predecessor), in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

4.08          Undisclosed Liabilities. There is no liability, debt or obligation against the Company that would be required to be set forth or reserved for on a balance sheet of the Company (and the notes thereto) prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied and in accordance with past practice, except for liabilities or obligations (a) reflected or reserved for on the Financial Statements or disclosed in the notes thereto, (b) that have arisen since the date of the most recent balance sheet included in the Financial Statements in the ordinary course of business, (c) disclosed in the Company Schedules, (d) arising under or related to this Agreement and/or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any Outstanding Company Expenses), or (e) that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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4.09          Litigation and Proceedings. Except as set forth in Schedule 4.09, there are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, Actions and, to the knowledge of the Company, there are no pending or threatened investigations against the Company, or otherwise affecting the Company or its assets, including any condemnation or similar proceedings, that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any property, asset or business of the Company is subject to any Governmental Order, or, to the knowledge of the Company, any continuing investigation by, any Governmental Authority, in each case that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. There is no unsatisfied judgment or any open injunction binding upon the Company which would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to consummate the Transactions.

 

4.10          Compliance with Laws.

 

(a)          Except (i) with respect to compliance with Environmental Laws (as to which certain representations and warranties are made pursuant to Section 4.19) and compliance with Tax Laws (which are the subject of Section 4.15), and (ii) where the failure to be, or to have been, in compliance with such Laws would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is, and since March 30, 2022 has been, in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Laws. The Company has not received any written notice from any Governmental Authority of a violation of any applicable Law by the Company at any time since March 30, 2022, which violation would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(b)          Since March 30, 2022, and except where the failure to be, or to have been, in compliance with such Laws would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) there has been no action taken by the Company or, to the knowledge of Company, any officer, director, manager, employee, agent or representative of Company, in each case, acting on behalf of the Company, in violation of any applicable Anti-Corruption Law, (ii) the Company has not been convicted of violating any Anti-Corruption Laws or subjected to any investigation by a Governmental Authority for violation of any applicable Anti-Corruption Laws, (iii) the Company has conducted or initiated any internal investigation or made a voluntary, directed, or involuntary disclosure to any Governmental Authority regarding any alleged act or omission arising under or relating to any noncompliance with any Anti-Corruption Law and (iv) the Company has not received any written notice or citation from a Governmental Authority for any actual or potential noncompliance with any applicable Anti-Corruption Law.

 

(c)          Since March 30, 2022, and except where the failure to be, or to have been, in compliance with such Laws would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) there has been no action taken by the Company, or, to the knowledge of the Company, any officer, director, manager, employee, agent or representative of the Company, in each case, acting on behalf of the Company, in violation of any applicable International Trade Laws, (ii) the Company has not been convicted of violating any International Trade Laws or subjected to any investigation by a Governmental Authority for violation of any applicable International Trade Laws, (iii) the Company has not conducted or initiated any internal investigation or made a voluntary, directed, or involuntary disclosure to any Governmental Authority regarding any alleged act or omission arising under or relating to any noncompliance with any International Trade Laws and (iv) the Company has not received any written notice or citation from a Governmental Authority for any actual or potential noncompliance with any applicable International Trade Law.

 

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4.11          Intellectual Property.

 

(a)          Schedule 4.11(a) sets forth, as of the date hereof, a true and complete list, including owner, jurisdiction, and serial and application numbers, of all Patents, all registered copyrights, all registered trademarks, all domain name registrations and all pending registration applications for any of the foregoing, in each case, that are owned by the Company (the “Registered Intellectual Property”), all of which are valid, enforceable and subsisting. Schedule 4.11(a) also sets forth, as of the date hereof, a true and complete list of all material unregistered Trademarks owned by the Company. Except (i) as set forth on Schedule 4.11(a) or (ii) as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is the sole and exclusive owner of all right, title and interest in and to all Registered Intellectual Property set forth on Schedule 4.11(a) and all other Owned Intellectual Property free and clear of all Liens, other than Permitted Liens.

 

(b)          Schedule 4.11(b) sets forth, as of the date hereof, a true and complete list of all issued patents and filed patent applications for which the Company has a valid and subsisting license to use, pursuant to the terms thereof, in connection with business of the Company as currently conducted.

 

(c)          Except (i) as set forth on Schedule 4.11(c) or (ii) as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, as of the date hereof, no Actions are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened in writing (including unsolicited offers to license Patents) against the Company by any third party claiming infringement, misappropriation or other violation of Intellectual Property owned by such third party. Except (x) as set forth on Schedule 4.11(c) or (y) except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is not a party to any pending Actions, as of the date of this Agreement, claiming infringement, misappropriation or other violation by any third party of any Owned Intellectual Property. Except as set forth on Schedule 4.11(c), since March 30, 3022, the Company, its products and services and the conduct of the Company’s business have not infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated the Intellectual Property of any third party, except for such infringements, misappropriations, dilutions and other violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, no third party is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating any Owned Intellectual Property except for such infringements, misappropriations, dilutions and other violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, the Company either own(s), has a valid license to use or otherwise has the lawful right to use, all of the Company Intellectual Property and Company Software and IT Systems used in or necessary to conduct its business, except for such Company Intellectual Property and Company Software and IT Systems with respect to which the lack of such ownership, license or right to use would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and none of the foregoing will be materially adversely impacted by (nor will require the payment or grant of additional material amounts or material consideration as a result of) the execution, delivery, or performance of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

 

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(d)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company has undertaken commercially reasonable efforts to protect the confidentiality of any Trade Secrets included in the Owned Intellectual Property.

 

(e)          Except as set forth on Schedule 4.11(e), or otherwise as would not individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Materially Adversely Effect, no Person, including any director, officer or employee of the Company has any ownership interest in any of the Owned Intellectual Property. Except as set forth on Schedule 4.11(e), all Persons who have created or developed any Intellectual Property in the course of their employment or provision of services for or on behalf of the Company have executed valid written agreements pursuant to which such Persons have assigned (or are obligated to assign) to the Company all of such employee’s or contractor’s rights in and to such Intellectual Property that did not vest automatically in the Company by operation of law (and, in the case of contractors, to the extent such Intellectual Property was intended to be proprietary to the Company), except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, no Person is in violation of any assignment agreements.

 

(f)          Except as set forth on Schedule 4.11(f), or otherwise as would not materially adversely affect the Owned Intellectual Property, no government funding and no facilities or other resources of any university, college, other educational institution or research center were used in the development of any Owned Intellectual Property.

 

(g)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is in material compliance with the terms and conditions (other than attribution or notice requirements) of all material licenses for “free software,” or “open source software” or under a similar licensing or distribution term (including Software distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), Affero General Public License (AGPL), Mozilla Public License (MPL), BSD licenses, the Artistic License, the Netscape Public License, the Sun Community Source License (SCSL) and the Apache License) (“Open Source Materials”) used by the Company in any way.

 

(h)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company has not (i) incorporated Open Source Materials into, or combined Open Source Materials with, any Owned Intellectual Property or Owned Company Software, (ii) distributed Open Source Materials in conjunction with any Owned Intellectual Property or Owned Company Software or (iii) used Open Source Materials in or with any Owned Intellectual Property or Owned Company Software (including any Open Source Materials that require, as a condition of use, modification and/or distribution of such Open Source Materials that other software incorporated into, derived from or distributed with such Open Source Materials be (A) disclosed or distributed in source code form, (B) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works or (C) redistributable at no charge), in each case of the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), in such a way that grants or otherwise requires the Company to (x) disclose, distribute, license, grant rights or otherwise provide to any third party any material Owned Intellectual Property, including the source code for any Owned Company Software, or (y) otherwise imposes any limitation, restriction or condition on the right or ability of the Company to use, distribute or enforce any Owner Intellectual Property or Owned Company Software (collectively, “Copyleft Terms”).

 

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(i)          Except as set forth on Schedule 4.11(i) or as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) with respect to all material Owned Company Software, the Company is in actual possession or control of the applicable material source code, object code, documentation, and know-how to the extent required for use, distribution, development, enhancement, maintenance and support of such Owned Company Software, (ii) the Company has not disclosed source code for Owned Company Software to a third party other than to employees or contractors pursuant to a written agreement that protects the Company’s rights in such source code and obligates the employee or contractor to maintain the confidentiality of the source code, (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, no Person other than the Company is in possession of, or has rights to possess, any source code for Owned Company Software (other than contractors engaged to develop or maintain Owned Company Software), and (iv) except as set forth on Schedule 4.11(i) or under non-exclusive licenses granted by the Company to contractors engaged to perform services for the Company or to customers in the ordinary course of business, no Person other than the Company has any rights to use any Owned Company Software.

 

(j)          In connection with its collection, storage, transfer (including without limitation, any transfer across national borders) and/or use of any information or Protected Data, the Company is and has been, in compliance with all Privacy and Security Requirements. The Company has commercially reasonable physical, technical, organizational and administrative security measures and policies in place to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of all systems, information and Protected Data maintained and collected by it or on its behalf. Except as set forth in Schedule 4.11(j), the Company has not experienced any security incident that has compromised the integrity or availability of the Company’s network, systems, data or information. The Company is and has been, to the Company’s knowledge, in compliance in all material respects with all Privacy and Security Requirements relating to data loss, theft and breach of security notification obligations. The Company has not received, nor provided, any notice of any claims, actions, investigations, inquiries or alleged violations of Privacy and Security Requirements or any other security incidents.

 

(k)          Except as set forth in Schedule 4.11(k) or as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) the IT Systems are operational and adequate and sufficient for the current and reasonably anticipated future needs of the business of the Company, (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, there have been no unauthorized intrusions or breaches of the security, or material failures of the IT Systems currently used to provide material products to customers in the conduct of their business as it is currently conducted since March 30, 2022, (iii) the Company has in place adequate and commercially reasonable security controls and backup and disaster recovery plans and procedures in place, (iv) to the knowledge of the Company, there have been no unauthorized intrusions or breaches of the IT Systems since March 30, 2022 that, pursuant to any legal requirement, would require the Company to notify customers or employees of such breach or intrusion.

 

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4.12          Contracts; No Defaults.

 

(a)          Schedule 4.12(a) contains a listing of all Contracts (other than purchase orders) described in clauses (i) through (ix) below to which, as of the date of this Agreement, the Company is a party or by which its assets are bound (together with all material amendments, waivers or other changes thereto) (collectively, the “Material Contracts”). True, correct and complete copies of the Material Contracts have been delivered to or made available to Acquiror or its agents or representatives.

 

(i)          each employee collective bargaining Contract;

 

(ii)          any Contract pursuant to which the Company (A) licenses or is granted rights from a third party under Intellectual Property that is material to the business of the Company excluding click-wrap, shrink-wrap, off-the-shelf software licenses and any other software licenses that are commercially available on reasonable terms to the public generally or (B) licenses or grants to a third party to any rights in or to use Owned Intellectual Property or Owned Company Software (excluding non-exclusive licenses granted to customers, contractors, suppliers or service providers in the ordinary course of business);

 

(iii)          any Contract which restricts in any material respect or contains any material limitations on the ability of the Company to compete in any line of business or in any geographic territory, in each case excluding customary confidentiality agreements (or clauses) or non-solicitation agreements (or clauses);

 

(iv)          any Contract under which the Company has created, incurred, assumed or guaranteed Indebtedness, has the right to draw upon credit that has been extended for Indebtedness, or has granted a Lien on its assets, whether tangible or intangible, to secure any Indebtedness;

 

(v)          any Contract that is a definitive purchase and sale or similar agreement entered into in connection with an acquisition or disposition by the Company since March 30, 2022 of any Person or of any business entity or division or business of any Person (including through merger or consolidation or the purchase of a controlling equity interest in or substantially all of the assets of such Person or by any other manner), but excluding any Contracts in which the applicable acquisition or disposition has been consummated and there are no material obligations ongoing;

 

(vi)          any Contract with outstanding obligations for the sale or purchase of personal property, fixed assets or real estate having a value individually, with respect to all sales or purchases thereunder, in excess of $1,000,000 in any calendar year, in each case, other than sales or purchases in the ordinary course of business;

 

(vii)          any Contract not made in the ordinary course of business and not disclosed pursuant to any other clause under this Section 4.12 and expected to result in revenue or require expenditures in excess of $1,000,000 in the calendar year ending December 31, 2023; and

 

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(viii)          any joint venture Contract, partnership agreement, limited liability company agreement or similar Contract that is material to the business of the Company.

 

(b)          Except for any Material Contract that has terminated or will terminate upon the expiration of the stated term thereof prior to the Closing Date and except as would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) such Material Contracts are in full force and effect and represent the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, represent the legal, valid and binding obligations of the other parties thereto, and, to the knowledge of the Company, are enforceable by the Company to the extent a party thereto in accordance with their terms, subject in all respects to the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law), (ii) none of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any other party thereto is in material breach of or material default (or would be in material breach, violation or default but for the existence of a cure period) under any Material Contract, (iii) since March 30, 2022, the Company has not received any written or, to the knowledge of the Company, oral claim or notice of material breach of or material default under any Material Contract, (iv) to the knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred which, individually or together with other events, would reasonably be expected to result in a material breach of or a material default under any Material Contract by the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any other party thereto (in each case, with or without notice or lapse of time or both) and (v) since March 30, 2022 through the date hereof, the Company has not received written notice from any customer or supplier that is a party to any Material Contract that such party intends to terminate or not renew any Material Contract.

 

4.13          Company Benefit Plans.

 

(a)          Schedule 4.13(a) sets forth an accurate and complete list of each material Company Benefit Plan. “Company Benefit Plan” means any “employee benefit plan” as defined in Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), and each equity-based, retirement, profit sharing, bonus, incentive, severance, separation, change in control, retention, deferred compensation, vacation, paid time off, medical, dental, life or disability plan, program, policy or Contract, and each other material employee compensation or benefit plan, program, policy or Contract that is maintained, sponsored or contributed to (or required to be contributed to) by the Company or pursuant to which the Company has or may have any material liabilities.

 

(b)          The Company has made available or made available to Acquiror accurate summaries of each material Company Benefit Plan.

 

(c)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) each Company Benefit Plan and each Contract with any consultant and independent contractor has been administered in compliance with its terms and all applicable Laws, including ERISA and the Code and (ii) all contributions required to be made under the terms of any Company Benefit Plan and any Contract with any consultant and independent contractor as of the date this representation is made have been timely made or, if not yet due, have been properly reflected in the Company’s financial statements.

 

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(d)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, each Company Benefit Plan that is intended to be qualified within the meaning of Section 401(a) of the Code (i) has received a favorable determination or opinion letter as to its qualification or (ii) has been established under a standardized master and prototype or volume submitter plan for which a current favorable Internal Revenue Service advisory letter or opinion letter has been obtained by the plan sponsor and is valid as to the adopting employer. To the knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred that would reasonably be expected to result in the loss of the tax-qualified status of such plans.

 

(e)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, neither the Company nor any of its ERISA Affiliates sponsored, maintained, contributed to or was required to contribute to, at any point since March 30, 2022, a multiemployer pension plan (as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA) (a “Multiemployer Plan”) or other defined pension plans, in each case, that is subject to Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code. At any point since March 30, 2022, the Company has not had any liability under Title IV of ERISA on account of being considered a single employer under Section 414 of the Code with any other Person. No circumstance or condition exists that would reasonably be expected to result in an actual obligation of the Company to pay money to any Multiemployer Plan or other pension plan that is subject to Title IV of ERISA and that is maintained by an ERISA Affiliate of the Company. No Company Benefit Plan or Contract with any consultant and independent contractor provides post-employment health insurance benefits other than as required under Section 4980B of the Code. For purposes of this Agreement, “ERISA Affiliate” means any entity (whether or not incorporated) that, together with the Company, is considered under common control and treated as one employer under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code.

 

(f)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, with respect to the Company Benefit Plans and Contracts with consultants and independent contractors, no administrative investigation, audit or other administrative proceeding by the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service or other Governmental Authorities is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

(g)          There have been no “prohibited transactions” within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code or Sections 406 or 407 of ERISA that are not otherwise exempt under Section 408 of ERISA and no breaches of fiduciary duty (as determined under ERISA) with respect to any Company Benefit Plan. There is no proceeding (other than routine and uncontested claims for benefits) pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, with respect to any Company Benefit Plan, Contract with any consultant and independent contractor or against the assets of any Company Benefit Plan or such Contract.

 

(h)          Except as set forth in Schedule 4.13(h), the consummation of the Transactions, alone or together with any other event, will not (i) result in a payment or benefit becoming due or payable, to any current or former employee, director, independent contractor or consultant, (ii) increase the amount or value of any benefit or compensation otherwise payable or required to be provided to any current or former employee, director, independent contractor or consultant, (iii) result in the acceleration of the time of payment, vesting or funding of any such benefit or compensation, (iv) result in the forgiveness in whole or in part of any outstanding loans made by the Company to any current or former employee, director, independent contractor or consultant or (v) limit the ability of the Company to terminate any Company Benefit Plan or Contract with any consultant or independent contractor.

 

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(i)          No amount or benefit that could be, or has been, received by any current or former employee, officer or director of the Company who is a “disqualified individual” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code could reasonably be expected to be characterized as an “excess parachute payment” (as defined in Section 280G(b)(1) of the Code) as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Company has not agreed to pay, gross up or otherwise indemnify any employee, director or contractor for any tax imposed under Section 4999 of the Code, 409A of the Code or otherwise.

 

4.14          Labor Matters.

 

(a)          (i) The Company is not a party to or bound by any labor agreement, collective bargaining agreement, or any other labor-related agreements or arrangements with any labor union, labor organization or works council and no such agreements or arrangements are currently being negotiated by the Company, (ii) no labor union or organization, works council or group of employees of the Company has made a pending written demand for recognition or certification and (iii) there are no representation or certification proceedings or petitions seeking a representation proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened in writing to be brought or filed with the National Labor Relations Board or any other applicable labor relations authority.

 

(b)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company (i) is, and since March 30, 2022 has been, in compliance with all applicable Laws regarding employment and employment practices, including, without limitation, all laws respecting terms and conditions of employment, health and safety, employee classification, non-discrimination, wages and hours, immigration, disability rights or benefits, equal opportunity, plant closures and layoffs, affirmative action, workers’ compensation, labor relations, pay equity, overtime pay, employee leave issues, the proper classification of employees and independent contractors, the proper classification of exempt and non-exempt employees, and unemployment insurance, (ii) has not been adjudged to have committed any unfair labor practice as defined by the National Labor Relations Board or received written notice of any unfair labor practice complaint against it pending before the National Labor Relations Board that remains unresolved and (iii) since March 30, 2022, has not experienced any actual or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened arbitrations, grievances, labor disputes, strikes, lockouts, picketing, hand-billing, slowdowns or work stoppages against or affecting the Company.

 

(c)          Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is not delinquent in payments to any employees or former employees for any services or amounts required to be reimbursed or otherwise paid.

  

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(d)          To the knowledge of the Company, no employee of the Company at the level of senior vice president or above is in any material respect in violation of any term of any employment agreement, nondisclosure agreement, non-competition agreement, restrictive covenant or other obligation: (i) to the Company or (ii) to a former employer of any such employee relating (A) to the right of any such employee to be employed by the Company or (B) to the knowledge or use of Trade Secrets or proprietary information.

 

(e)          To the knowledge of the Company, all employees of the Company are legally permitted to be employed by the Company in the jurisdiction in which such employees are employed in their current job capacities.

 

(f)          The Company has not incurred any material liability or obligation under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 or any similar state or local Law that remains unsatisfied.

 

4.15          Taxes. With respect to the following representations and warranties set forth in this Section 4.15 (other than Section 4.15(k)), except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect:

 

(a)          All Tax Returns required by Law to be filed by the Company have been duly and timely filed (after giving effect to any valid extensions of time in which to make such filings).

 

(b)          All amounts of Taxes shown due on any Tax Returns of the Company and all other amounts of Taxes owed by the Company have been timely paid.

 

(c)          The Company has (i) withheld all amounts of Taxes required to have been withheld by it in connection with amounts paid to any employee, independent contractor, creditor, shareholder or any other third party, and (ii) remitted such amounts required to have been remitted to the appropriate Governmental Authority.

 

(d)          The Company is not currently engaged in any audit, administrative or judicial proceeding with a taxing authority with respect to Taxes. The Company has not received any written notice from a taxing authority of a proposed deficiency of an amount of Taxes, other than any such deficiencies that have since been resolved. No written claim has been made by any Governmental Authority in a jurisdiction where the Company does not file a Tax Return that such entity is or may be subject to Taxes by that jurisdiction in respect of Taxes that would be the subject of such Tax Return, which claim has not been resolved. There are no outstanding agreements extending or waiving the statutory period of limitations applicable to any claim for, or the period for the collection or assessment or reassessment of, Taxes of the Company, and no written request for any such waiver or extension is currently pending.

 

(e)          Neither the Company nor any predecessor thereof has constituted either a “distributing corporation” or a “controlled corporation” in a distribution of stock qualifying for tax-free treatment under Section 355 of the Code (or so much of Section 356 of the Code as relates to Section 355 of the Code) in the prior two years.

 

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(f)          The Company has not been a party to any “listed transaction” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.6011-4(b)(2).

 

(g)          Except with respect to deferred revenue or prepaid subscription revenues collected by the Company in the ordinary course of business, the Company will not be required to include any item of income in, or exclude any item of deduction from, taxable income for any taxable period (or portion thereof) ending after the Closing Date as a result of any: (A) change in method of accounting for a taxable period (or portion thereof) ending on or prior to the Closing Date and made prior to the Closing; (B) ruling by, or written agreement with, a Governmental Authority (including any closing agreement pursuant to Section 7121 of the Code or any similar provision of Tax Law) issue or executed prior to the Closing; (C) installment sale or open transaction disposition made prior to the Closing; (D) prepaid amount received prior to the Closing; (E) intercompany transaction or excess loss accounts described in the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 1502 of the Code (or any corresponding or similar provision of state, local or foreign income Tax Law) that existed prior to the Closing; or (F) Section 965 of the Code.

 

(h)          There are no Liens with respect to Taxes on any of the assets of the Company, other than Permitted Liens.

 

(i)          The Company does not have any liability for the Taxes of any other Person (i) under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6 (or any similar provision of state, local or foreign Law) or (ii) as a transferee or successor.

 

(j)          The Company is not a party to or bound by, nor does it have any obligation to, any Governmental Authority or other Person under any Tax allocation, Tax sharing or Tax indemnification agreements (except, in each case, for any such agreements that are commercial contracts not primarily relating to Taxes).

 

(k)          The Company has not made an election under Section 1362(a) of the Code to be treated as an “S corporation” for U.S. federal, state or local income tax purposes.

 

(l)          The Company is not, and has not been at any time during the five (5) year period ending on the Closing Date, a “United States real property holding corporation” within the meaning of Section 897(c)(2) of the Code.

 

(m)          The Company is in compliance with applicable United States and foreign transfer pricing Laws and regulations in all material respects, including the execution and maintenance of contemporaneous documentation substantiating the transfer pricing practices and methodology of the Company.

 

(n)          To the knowledge of the Company, there are no facts, circumstances or plans that, either alone or in combination, could reasonably be expected to prevent the Transactions from qualifying for the Intended Tax Treatment.

 

(o)          Other than the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.13, this Section 4.15 contains the exclusive representations and warranties of the Company with respect to Tax matters. Nothing in this Section 4.15 shall be construed as providing a representation or warranty with respect to (i) other than the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.15(g), any taxable period (or portion thereof) beginning following the Closing Date or (ii) the existence, amount, expiration date or limitations on (or availability of) any Tax attribute.

 

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4.16          Brokers’ Fees. Except as described on Schedule 4.16, no broker, finder, investment banker or other Person is entitled to any brokerage fee, finders’ fee or other commission in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement based upon arrangements made by the Company for which the Company has any obligation.

 

4.17          Insurance. Schedule 4.17 contains a list of all material policies or programs of insurance or self-insurance of property, fire and casualty, product liability, workers’ compensation and other forms of insurance held by, or for the benefit of, the Company as of the date of this Agreement. True, correct and complete copies or comprehensive summaries of such insurance policies have been made available to Acquiror. With respect to each such insurance policy required to be listed on Schedule 4.17, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) all premiums due have been paid (other than retroactive or retrospective premium adjustments and adjustments in the respect of self-funded general liability and automobile liability fronting programs, self-funded health programs and self-funded general liability and automobile liability front programs, self-funded health programs and self-funded workers’ compensation programs that are not yet, but may be, required to be paid with respect to any period end prior to the Closing Date), (ii) the policy is legal, valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms and, except for policies that have expired under their terms in the ordinary course, is in full force and effect, (iii) the Company is not in breach or default (including any such breach or default with respect to the payment of premiums or the giving of notice), and, to the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred which, with notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute such a breach or default, or permit termination or modification, under the policy, and to the knowledge of the Company, no such action has been threatened and (iv) as of the date hereof, no written notice of cancellation, non-renewal, disallowance or reduction in coverage or claim or termination has been received other than in connection with ordinary renewals.

 

4.18          Real Property; Assets.

 

(a)          The Company does not own any real property. The Company is not a party to any agreement or option to purchase any real property or material interest therein.

 

(b)          Schedule 4.18(b) contains a true, correct and complete list of all Leased Real Property. The Company has made available to Acquiror true, correct and complete copies of the leases, subleases, licenses and occupancy agreements (including all modifications, amendments, supplements, guaranties, extensions, renewals, waivers, side letters and other agreements relating thereto) for the Leased Real Property to which the Company is a party (the “Real Estate Lease Documents”), and such deliverables comprise all Real Estate Lease Documents relating to the Leased Real Property.

 

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(c)          Except as set forth in Schedule 4.18(c), each Real Estate Lease Document (i) is a legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligation of the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, the other parties thereto, as applicable, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject, as to enforceability, to general principles of equity, and each such Real Estate Lease Document is in full force and effect, (ii) has not been amended or modified except as reflected in the Real Estate Lease Documents made available to Acquiror and (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, covers the entire estate it purports to cover and, subject to securing the consents or approvals, if any, required under the Real Estate Lease Documents to be obtained from any landlord, or lender to landlord (as applicable), in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company or the consummation of the transaction contemplated hereby by the Company, upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, will entitle Acquiror or Merger Sub to the exclusive use (subject to the terms of the respective Real Estate Lease Documents in effect with respect to the Leased Real Property), occupancy and possession of the premises specified in the Real Estate Lease Documents for the purpose specified in the Real Estate Lease Documents.

 

(d)          No material default or breach by (i) the Company or (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, any other parties thereto, as applicable, presently exists under any Real Estate Lease Documents. The Company has not received written or, to the knowledge of the Company, oral notice of default or breach under any Real Estate Lease Document which has not been cured. To the knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred that, and no condition exists which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a material default or breach under any Real Estate Lease Document by the Company or by the other parties thereto. The Company has not subleased or otherwise granted any Person the right to use or occupy any Leased Real Property or portion thereof which is still in effect. The Company has not collaterally assigned or granted any other security interest in the Leased Real Property or any interest therein which is still in effect. The Company has a good and valid leasehold title to each Leased Real Property subject only to Permitted Liens.

 

(e)          The Company has not received any written notice that remains outstanding as of the date of this Agreement that the current use and occupancy of the Leased Real Property and the improvements thereon (i) are prohibited by any Lien or law other than Permitted Liens or (ii) are in material violation of any of the recorded covenants, conditions, restrictions, reservations, easements or agreements applicable to such Leased Real Property.

 

4.19          Environmental Matters. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect:

 

(a)          the Company is and, since March 30, 2022, has been in compliance with all Environmental Laws;

 

(b)          there has been no release of any Hazardous Materials at, in, on or under any Leased Real Property or in connection with the Company’s operations off-site of the Leased Real Property or, to the knowledge of the Company, at, in, on or under any formerly owned or leased real property during the time that the Company owned or leased such property;

 

(c)          the Company is not subject to and has not received any Governmental Order relating to any non-compliance with Environmental Laws by the Company or the investigation, sampling, monitoring, treatment, remediation, removal or cleanup of Hazardous Materials;

 

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(d)          no Action is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened and no investigation is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened with respect to the Company’s compliance with or liability under Environmental Law;

 

(e)          the Company has made available to Acquiror all material environmental reports (including any Phase One or Phase Two environmental site assessments), audits, correspondence or other documents relating to the Leased Real Property or any formerly owned or operated real property or any other location for which the Company may be liable in its possession, custody or control.

 

4.20          Absence of Changes.

 

(a)          Since March 30, 2022, there has not been any change, development, condition, occurrence, event or effect relating to the Company that, individually or in the aggregate, resulted in, or would reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(b)          Except (i) as set forth on Schedule 4.20(b) and (ii) in connection with the Transactions, from March 30, 2022 through and including the date of this Agreement, the Company (1) has, in all material respects, conducted its business and operated its properties in the ordinary course of business (including, for the avoidance of doubt, recent past practice in light of COVID-19), and (2) has not taken any action that is both material to the Company and would require the consent of Acquiror pursuant to Section 6.01 if such action had been taken after the date hereof.

 

4.21          Affiliate Agreements. Except as set forth on Schedule 4.21 and except for, in the case of any employee, officer or director, any employment or indemnification Contract or Contract with respect to the issuance of equity in the Company, the Company is not a party to any transaction, agreement, arrangement or understanding with any (i) present or former executive officer or director of any of the Company, (ii) beneficial owner (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) of 5% or more of the capital stock or equity interests of any of the Company or (iii) Affiliate, “associate” or member of the “immediate family” (as such terms are respectively defined in Rules 12b-2 and 16a-1 under the Exchange Act) of any of the foregoing (each of the foregoing, a “Company Affiliate Agreement”).

 

4.22          Internal Controls. The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that: (a) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (b) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (c) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (d) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

 

4.23          Permits. The Company has timely obtained and holds all material Permits (the “Material Permits”) that are required to own, lease or operate its properties and assets and to conduct its business as currently conducted, except where the failure to obtain the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (a) each Material Permit is in full force and effect in accordance with its terms, (b) no outstanding written notice of revocation, cancellation or termination of any Material Permit has been received by the Company, (c) to the knowledge of the Company, none of such Permits upon its termination or expiration in the ordinary due course will not be renewed or reissued in the ordinary course of business upon terms and conditions substantially similar to its existing terms and conditions, (d) there are no Actions pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, that seek the revocation, cancellation, limitation, restriction or termination of any Material Permit and (e) the Company is in compliance with all Material Permits applicable to the Company.

 

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4.24          Registration Statement. None of the information relating to the Company supplied by the Company, or by any other Person acting on behalf of the Company, in writing specifically for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement will, as of the time the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Securities Act, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.24, no representation or warranty is made by the Company with respect to information or statements made or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement that were not supplied by or on behalf of the Company for use therein.

 

4.25          Operation of the Business during COVID-19. None of the Company’s actions and inactions prior to the date of this Agreement in response to COVID-19: (i) has resulted in the Company experiencing any material business interruption or material losses, or (ii) if taken following the date of this Agreement would constitute a Material Adverse Effect or a material breach of the covenants set forth in Section 6.01.

 

4.26          No Additional Representations and Warranties. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Article IV (as modified by the Company Schedules), the Company expressly disclaims any representations or warranties of any kind or nature, express or implied, including as to the condition, value or quality of the Company or the Company’s assets, and the Company specifically disclaims any representation or warranty with respect to merchantability, usage, suitability or fitness for any particular purpose with respect to the Company’s assets, or as to the workmanship thereof, or the absence of any defects therein, whether latent or patent, it being understood that such subject assets are being acquired “as is, where is” on the Closing Date, and in their present condition, and Acquiror and Merger Sub shall rely on their own examination and investigation thereof. None of the Company’s Affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, stockholders, partners, members or representatives has made, or is making, any representation or warranty whatsoever to Acquiror or its Affiliates, and no such party shall be liable in respect of the accuracy or completeness of any information provided to Acquiror or its Affiliates.

 

Article V
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
OF ACQUIROR AND MERGER SUB

 

Except as set forth in (A) the Acquiror and Merger Sub Schedules to this Agreement (each of which qualifies (a) the correspondingly numbered representation, warranty or covenant if specified therein and (b) such other representations, warranties or covenants where its relevance as an exception to (or disclosure for purposes of) such other representation, warranty or covenant is reasonably apparent) or (B) the Acquiror SEC Reports filed or furnished by Acquiror on or prior to the date hereof (excluding (x) any disclosures in such Acquiror SEC Reports under the headings “Risk Factors”, “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” or “Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures about Market Risk” and other disclosures that are predictive, cautionary, or forward looking in nature and (y) any exhibits or other documents appended thereto), each of Acquiror and Merger Sub represents and warrants to the Company as follows:

 

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5.01          Corporate Organization.

 

(a)          Acquiror is duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the Laws of Delaware and has the corporate power and authority to own, lease or operate its assets and properties and to conduct its business as it is now being conducted. The copies of the organizational documents of Acquiror previously delivered by Acquiror to the Company are true, correct and complete and are in effect as of the date of this Agreement. Acquiror is, and at all times has been, in compliance in all material respects with all restrictions, covenants, terms and provisions set forth in its respective organizational documents. Acquiror is duly licensed or qualified and in good standing as a foreign corporation in all jurisdictions in which its ownership of property or the character of its activities is such as to require it to be so licensed or qualified, except where failure to be so licensed or qualified has not and would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions.

 

(b)          Merger Sub is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of Delaware, with full corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and perform its obligations hereunder. Other than Merger Sub, Acquiror has no other Subsidiaries or any equity or other interests in any other Person.

 

5.02          Due Authorization.

 

(a)          Each of Acquiror and Merger Sub has all requisite corporate or entity power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and each Ancillary Agreement to this Agreement to which it is a party and (subject to the approvals described in Section 5.07) (in the case of Acquiror), upon receipt of the Acquiror Stockholder Approval and effectiveness of the PubCo Charter, to perform its respective obligations hereunder and thereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and such Ancillary Agreements by each of Acquiror and Merger Sub and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly, validly and unanimously authorized by all requisite action and (in the case of Acquiror), except for the Acquiror Stockholder Approval, no other corporate or equivalent proceeding on the part of Acquiror or Merger Sub is necessary to authorize this Agreement or such Ancillary Agreements or Acquiror’s or Merger Sub’s performance hereunder or thereunder. This Agreement has been, and each such Ancillary Agreement will be, duly and validly executed and delivered by each of Acquiror and Merger Sub and, assuming due authorization and execution by each other party hereto and thereto, this Agreement constitutes, and each such Ancillary Agreement will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of each of Acquiror and Merger Sub, enforceable against each of Acquiror and Merger Sub in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject, as to enforceability, to general principles of equity.

 

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(b)          The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Acquiror Common Stock entitled to vote at the Special Meeting, in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote thereon, is required to approve: (i) the Transaction Proposal, (ii) the Stock Issuance Proposal, (iii) the Amendment Proposal, and (iv) the Acquiror LTIP Proposal; further, a majority vote of the issued and outstanding Acquiror Common Stock entitled to vote is required to approve the Amendment Proposal, in each case, assuming a quorum is present (the approval by Acquiror Stockholders of all of the foregoing, collectively, the “Acquiror Stockholder Approval”). The Acquiror Stockholder Approval are the only votes of any of Acquiror’s capital stock necessary in connection with the entry into this Agreement by Acquiror, and the consummation of the Transactions (including the Closing).

 

(c)          The Acquiror Board has duly adopted resolutions: (i) determined that this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including the approval of the PubCo Charter) are fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Acquiror and its stockholders; (ii) determined that the fair market value of the Company is equal to at least 80% of the amount held in the Trust Account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) as of the date hereof; (iii) approved the Transactions as a Business Combination; (iv) approved this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby (including the PubCo Charter), the execution and delivery by Acquiror of this Agreement and Acquiror’s performance of its obligations under this Agreement and consummation of the Transactions and (v) resolved to recommend to the stockholders of Acquiror approval of each of the matters requiring Acquiror Stockholder approval. The board of directors of Merger Sub has duly adopted resolutions (i) approving this Agreement and the Transactions, the execution and delivery by Merger Sub of this Agreement and Merger Sub’s performance of its obligations under this Agreement and consummation of the Transactions, (ii) declared this Agreement and the Merger to be advisable and in the best interests of Merger Sub and its sole stockholder and (iii) recommended that Acquiror approve and adopt this Agreement and the Transactions in its capacity as the sole stockholder of Merger Sub.

 

5.03          No Conflict. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by each of Acquiror and Merger Sub and (in the case of Acquiror), upon receipt of the Acquiror Stockholder Approval and the effectiveness of the PubCo Charter, the consummation of the Transactions do not and will not (a) conflict with or violate any provision of, or result in the breach of, the Acquiror Organizational Documents or any of the organizational documents of Merger Sub, (b) conflict with or result in any violation of any provision of any Law or Governmental Order applicable to each of Acquiror or Merger Sub or any of their respective properties or assets, (c) violate, conflict with, result in a breach of any provision of or the loss of any benefit under, constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in the termination or acceleration of, or a right of termination, cancellation, modification, acceleration or amendment under, accelerate the performance required by, or result in the acceleration or trigger of any payment, posting of collateral (or right to require the posting of collateral), time of payment, vesting or increase in the amount of any compensation or benefit payable pursuant to, any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any Contract to which each of Acquiror or Merger Sub is a party or by which any of their respective assets or properties may be bound or affected or (d) result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of Acquiror or Merger Sub, except (in the case of clauses (b), (c) or (d) above) for such violations, conflicts, breaches or defaults which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions.

 

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5.04          Litigation and Proceedings. There are no pending or, to the knowledge of Acquiror, threatened, Actions and, to the knowledge of Acquiror, there are no pending or threatened investigations, in each case, against Acquiror, or otherwise affecting Acquiror or its assets, including any condemnation or similar proceedings, which, if determined adversely, could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions. There is no unsatisfied judgment or any open injunction binding upon Acquiror which could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions.

 

5.05          Compliance with Laws.

 

(a)          Except where the failure to be, or to have been, in compliance with such Laws would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions, Acquiror and Merger Sub are, and since the date of incorporation of Acquiror have been, in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Laws. Neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has received any written notice from any Governmental Authority of a violation of any applicable Law by Acquiror or Merger Sub at any time since the date of incorporation of Acquiror, which violation would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions.

 

(b)          Since the date of incorporation of Acquiror, and except where the failure to be, or to have been, in compliance with such Laws would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions, (i) there has been no action taken by Acquiror, Merger Sub, or, to the knowledge of Acquiror, any officer, director, manager, employee, agent or representative of Acquiror or Merger Sub, in each case, acting on behalf of the Acquiror or Merger Sub, in violation of any applicable Anti-Corruption Law, (ii) neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has been convicted of violating any Anti-Corruption Laws or subjected to any investigation by a Governmental Authority for violation of any applicable Anti-Corruption Laws, (iii) neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has conducted or initiated any internal investigation or made a voluntary, directed, or involuntary disclosure to any Governmental Authority regarding any alleged act or omission arising under or relating to any noncompliance with any Anti-Corruption Law and (iv) neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has received any written notice or citation from a Governmental Authority for any actual or potential noncompliance with any applicable Anti-Corruption Law.

 

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(c)          Since the date of incorporation of Acquiror, and except where the failure to be, or to have been, in compliance with such Laws would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions, (i) there has been no action taken by Acquiror, Merger Sub, or, to the knowledge of Acquiror, any officer, director, manager, employee, agent or representative of Acquiror or Merger Sub, in each case, acting on behalf of the Acquiror or Merger Sub, in violation of any applicable International Trade Laws, (ii) neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has been convicted of violating any International Trade Laws or subjected to any investigation by a Governmental Authority for violation of any applicable International Trade Laws, (iii) neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has conducted or initiated any internal investigation or made a voluntary, directed, or involuntary disclosure to any Governmental Authority regarding any alleged act or omission arising under or relating to any noncompliance with any International Trade Laws and (iv) neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has received any written notice or citation from a Governmental Authority for any actual or potential noncompliance with any applicable International Trade Law.

 

5.06          Employee Benefit Plans. Except as may be contemplated by the Acquiror LTIP Proposal, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub maintains, contributes to or has any obligation or liability, or could reasonably be expected to have any obligation or liability, under, any “employee benefit plan” as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA or any other material, written plan, policy, program, arrangement or agreement (other than standard employment agreements that can be terminated at any time without severance or termination pay and upon notice of not more than 60 days or such longer period as may be required by applicable Law) providing compensation or benefits to any current or former director, officer, employee, independent contractor or other service provider, including, without limitation, all incentive, bonus, deferred compensation, vacation, holiday, cafeteria, medical, disability, stock purchase, stock option, stock appreciation, phantom stock, restricted stock or other stock-based compensation plans, policies, programs, practices or arrangements, but not including any plan, policy, program, arrangement or agreement that covers only former directors, officers, employees, independent contractors and service providers and with respect to which Acquiror or Merger Sub have no remaining obligations or liabilities (collectively, the “Acquiror Benefit Plans”) and neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (either alone or in combination with another event) will (i) result in any material compensatory payment (including severance, unemployment compensation, golden parachute, bonus or otherwise) becoming due to any stockholder, director, officer or employee of Acquiror or Merger Sub, or (ii) result in the acceleration, vesting or creation of any rights of any stockholder, director, officer or employee of Acquiror or Merger Sub to payments or benefits or increases in any existing payments or benefits or any loan forgiveness.

 

5.07          Governmental Authorities; Consents. Assuming the truth and completeness of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement, no consent, approval or authorization of, or designation, declaration or filing with, any Governmental Authority is required on the part of Acquiror or Merger Sub with respect to Acquiror’s or Merger Sub’s execution or delivery of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, except for applicable requirements of the HSR Act and any other applicable Antitrust Law, Securities Laws, the Nasdaq and the filing and effectiveness of the Certificate of Merger and the PubCo Charter.

 

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5.08          Financial Ability; Trust Account.

 

(a)          Set forth on Schedule 5.08 is a true and accurate record, as of the date identified on Schedule 5.08, of the balance invested in a trust account at Wilmington Trust Company (the “Trust Account”), maintained by Wilmington Trust, National Association, acting as trustee (the “Trustee”), pursuant to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated July 14, 2021, by and between Acquiror and the Trustee (the “Trust Agreement”). The Trust Agreement is in full force and effect and is a legal, valid and binding obligation of Acquiror and, to the knowledge of Acquiror and the Trustee, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject, as to enforceability, to general principles of equity. The Trust Agreement has not been terminated, repudiated, rescinded, amended or supplemented or modified, in any respect, and, to the knowledge of Acquiror, no such termination, repudiation, rescission, amendment, supplement or modification is contemplated. There are no side letters and there are no agreements, Contracts, arrangements or understandings, whether written or oral, with the Trustee or any other Person that would (i) cause the description of the Trust Agreement in the Acquiror SEC Reports to be inaccurate or (ii) entitle any Person (other than any Acquiror Stockholder who is a Redeeming Stockholder) to any portion of the proceeds in the Trust Account. Prior to the Closing, none of the funds held in the Trust Account may be released except in accordance with the Trust Agreement, Acquiror Organizational Documents and Acquiror’s final prospectus dated July 19, 2021. Amounts in the Trust Account are invested in United States Government securities or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Acquiror has performed all material obligations required to be performed by it to date under, and is not in material default, breach or delinquent in performance or any other respect (claimed or actual) in connection with, the Trust Agreement, and no event has occurred which, with due notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default or breach thereunder. There are no Actions pending or, to the knowledge of Acquiror, threatened with respect to the Trust Account. Acquiror has not released any money from the Trust Account (other than interest income earned on the principal held in the Trust Account as permitted by the Trust Agreement). As of the Effective Time, the obligations of Acquiror to dissolve or liquidate pursuant to the Acquiror Organizational Documents shall terminate, and, as of the Effective Time, Acquiror shall have no obligation whatsoever pursuant to the Acquiror Organizational Documents to dissolve and liquidate the assets of Acquiror by reason of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. Following the Effective Time, no Acquiror Stockholder shall be entitled to receive any amount from the Trust Account except to the extent such Acquiror Stockholder is a Redeeming Stockholder.

 

(b)          As of the date hereof, assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein and the compliance by the Company with its respective obligations hereunder, Acquiror has no reason to believe that any of the conditions to the use of funds in the Trust Account will not be satisfied or funds available in the Trust Account will not be available to Acquiror on the Closing Date.

 

(c)          As of the date hereof, Acquiror does not have, or have any present intention, agreement, arrangement or understanding to enter into or incur, any obligations with respect to or under any Indebtedness.

 

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5.09          Taxes.

 

(a)          All material Tax Returns required by Law to be filed by Acquiror have been duly and timely filed (after giving effect to any valid extensions of time in which to make such filings).

 

(b)          All material amounts of Taxes shown due on any Tax Returns of Acquiror and all other material amounts of Taxes owed by Acquiror have been timely paid.

 

(c)          Acquiror has (i) withheld all material amounts of Taxes required to have been withheld by it in connection with amounts paid to any employee, independent contractor, creditor, shareholder or any other third party, and (ii) remitted such amounts required to have been remitted to the appropriate Governmental Authority.

 

(d)          Acquiror is not currently engaged in any material audit, administrative or judicial proceeding with a taxing authority with respect to Taxes. Acquiror has not received any written notice from a taxing authority of a proposed deficiency of a material amount of Taxes, other than any such deficiencies that have since been resolved. No written claim has been made by any Governmental Authority in a jurisdiction where Acquiror does not file a Tax Return that such entity is or may be subject to Taxes by that jurisdiction in respect of Taxes that would be the subject of such Tax Return, which claim has not been resolved. There are no outstanding agreements extending or waiving the statutory period of limitations applicable to any claim for, or the period for the collection or assessment or reassessment of, material Taxes of Acquiror, and no written request for any such waiver or extension is currently pending.

 

(e)          To the knowledge of Acquiror, there are no facts, circumstances or plans that, either alone or in combination, could reasonably be expected to prevent the Transactions from qualifying for the Intended Tax Treatment.

 

(f)          Other than the representations and warranties set forth in Section 5.06, this Section 5.09 contains the exclusive representations and warranties of Acquiror with respect to Tax matters. Nothing in this Section 5.09 shall be construed as providing a representation or warranty with respect to (i) any taxable period (or portion thereof) beginning following the Closing Date or (ii) the existence, amount, expiration date or limitations on (or availability of) any Tax attribute.

 

5.10          Brokers’ Fees. Except for fees described on Schedule 5.10 (including the amounts owed with respect thereto), no broker, finder, investment banker or other Person is entitled to any brokerage fee, finders’ fee or other commission (including any deferred underwriting commission) in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including the Transaction Financing) or as a result of the Closing, in each case, including based upon arrangements made by Acquiror or Merger Sub or any of their respective Affiliates, including the Sponsors.

 

5.11          Acquiror SEC Reports; Financial Statements; Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

(a)          Acquiror has filed in a timely manner all required registration statements, reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by it with the SEC since the date of incorporation of Acquiror (collectively, as they have been amended since the time of their filing and including all exhibits thereto, the “Acquiror SEC Reports”). None of the Acquiror SEC Reports, as of their respective dates (or if amended or superseded by a filing prior to the date of this Agreement or the Closing Date, then on the date of such filing), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The audited financial statements and unaudited interim financial statements (including, in each case, the notes and schedules thereto) included in the Acquiror SEC Reports complied as to form in all material respects with the published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto, were prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (except as may be indicated therein or in the notes thereto and except with respect to unaudited statements as permitted by Form 10-Q of the SEC), and fairly present (subject, in the case of the unaudited interim financial statements included therein, to normal year-end adjustments and the absence of complete footnotes) in all material respects the financial position of Acquiror as of the respective dates thereof and the results of their operations and cash flows for the respective periods then ended.

 

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(b)          Acquiror has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act). Such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that material information relating to Acquiror and other material information required to be disclosed by Acquiror in the reports and other documents that it files or furnishes under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC, and that all such material information is accumulated and communicated to Acquiror’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to make the certifications required pursuant to Sections 302 and 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in timely alerting Acquiror’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer to material information required to be included in Acquiror’s periodic reports required under the Exchange Act.

 

(c)          Acquiror has established and maintained a system of internal controls. Such internal controls are sufficient to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of Acquiror’s financial reporting and the preparation of Acquiror’s financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP.

 

(d)          There are no outstanding loans or other extensions of credit made by Acquiror to any executive officer (as defined in Rule 3b-7 under the Exchange Act) or director of Acquiror. Acquiror has not taken any action prohibited by Section 402 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

(e)          Neither Acquiror (including any employee thereof) nor Acquiror’s independent auditors has identified or been made aware of (i) any significant deficiency or material weakness in the system of internal accounting controls utilized by Acquiror, (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves Acquiror’s management or other employees who have a role in the preparation of financial statements or the internal accounting controls utilized by Acquiror or (iii) any claim or allegation regarding any of the foregoing.

 

(f)          As of the date hereof, there are no outstanding SEC comments from the SEC with respect to the Acquiror SEC Reports. None of the Acquiror SEC Reports filed on or prior to the date hereof is subject to ongoing SEC review or investigation as of the date hereof.

 

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5.12          Business Activities; Absence of Changes.

 

(a)          Since its incorporation, Acquiror has not conducted any business activities other than activities directed toward the accomplishment of a Business Combination. Except as set forth in the Acquiror Organizational Documents, there is no agreement, commitment or Governmental Order binding upon Acquiror or to which Acquiror is a party which has had or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting or impairing any business practice of Acquiror or any acquisition of property by Acquiror or the conduct of business by Acquiror as currently conducted or as contemplated to be conducted as of the Closing other than such effects, individually or in the aggregate, which have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions.

 

(b)          Acquiror does not own or have a right to acquire, directly or indirectly, any interest or investment (whether equity or debt) in any corporation, partnership, joint venture, business, trust or other entity. Except for this Agreement and the Transactions, Acquiror has no interests, rights, obligations or liabilities with respect to, and is not party to, bound by or has its assets or property subject to, in each case whether directly or indirectly, any Contract or transaction which is, or could reasonably be interpreted as constituting, a Business Combination.

 

(c)          Except for (i) this Agreement, agreements set forth in Schedule 5.12 (c), and the agreements expressly contemplated hereby (including any agreements permitted by Section 7.01) and (ii) with respect to fees and expenses of Acquiror’s legal, financial and other advisors, Acquiror is not, and at no time has been, party to any Contract with any other Person that would require payments by Acquiror in excess of $150,000 monthly, $250,000 in the aggregate annually with respect to any individual Contract or more than $500,000 in the aggregate annually when taken together with all other Contracts (other than this Agreement, agreements set forth in Schedule 5.12 (c), and the agreements expressly contemplated hereby (including any agreements permitted by Section 7.01)).

 

(d)          There is no liability, debt or obligation against Acquiror or Merger Sub, except for liabilities and obligations (i) reflected or reserved for on Acquiror’s consolidated balance sheet for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2022 or disclosed in the notes thereto (other than any such liabilities not reflected, reserved or disclosed as are not and would not be, in the aggregate, material to Acquiror and Merger Sub, taken as a whole) or (ii) that have arisen since the date of Acquiror’s consolidated balance sheet for the quarterly period June 30, 2022 in the ordinary course of the operation of business of Acquiror Merger Sub (other than any such liabilities as are not and would not be, in the aggregate, material to Acquiror and Merger Sub, taken as a whole).

 

(e)          Since its organization, Merger Sub has not conducted any business activities other than activities directed toward the accomplishment of the Merger. Except as set forth in Merger Sub’s organizational documents, there is no agreement, commitment, or Governmental Order binding upon Merger Sub or to which Merger Sub is a party which has had or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting or impairing any business practice of Merger Sub or any acquisition of property by Merger Sub or the conduct of business by Merger Sub as currently conducted or as contemplated to be conducted as of the Closing other than such effects, individually or in the aggregate, which have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Merger Sub to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement.

  

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(f)          Merger Sub does not own or have a right to acquire, directly or indirectly, any interest or investment (whether equity or debt) in any corporation, partnership, joint venture, business, trust or other entity.

 

(g)          Merger Sub was formed solely for the purpose of effecting the Merger and has not engaged in any business activities or conducted any operations other than in connection with the Merger and has no, and at all times prior to the Effective Time except as contemplated by this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements to this Agreement, will have no, assets, liabilities or obligations of any kind or nature whatsoever other than those incident to its formation.

 

(h)          Since the date of Acquiror’s formation through and including the date of this Agreement, (i) there has not been any change, development, condition, occurrence, event or effect relating to the Acquiror or Merger Sub that, individually or in the aggregate, resulted in, or would reasonably be expected to result in, a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions and (ii) Acquiror and Merger Sub have not taken any action that would require the consent of the Company pursuant to Section 7.01 if such action had been taken after the date of this Agreement.

 

5.13          Registration Statement. As of the time the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Securities Act, the Registration Statement (together with any amendments or supplements thereto) will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that Acquiror makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to Acquiror by or on behalf of the Company specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement.

 

5.14          No Outside Reliance. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article V or any other provision hereof, Acquiror and Merger Sub and its other Affiliates and any of its and their respective directors, officers, employees, stockholders, partners, members or Representatives, acknowledge and agree that Acquiror and Merger Sub have made their own investigation of the Company and that they are relying only on that investigation and the specific representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement, and not on any other representation or statement made by the Company nor any of its Affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, stockholders, partners, members, agents or Representatives, and that none of such persons is making or has made any representation or warranty whatsoever, express or implied, other than those expressly given by the Company in Article IV, including without limitation any other implied warranty or representation as to condition, merchantability, suitability or fitness for a particular purpose or trade as to any of the assets of the Company. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is understood that any cost estimates, financial or other projections or other predictions that may be contained or referred to in the Acquiror and Merger Sub Schedules or elsewhere, as well as any information, documents or other materials (including any such materials contained in any “data room” (whether or not accessed by Acquiror or its representatives) or reviewed by Acquiror and Merger Sub pursuant to the Confidentiality Agreement) or management presentations that have been or shall hereafter be provided to Acquiror or any of its Affiliates, agents or representatives are not and will not be deemed to be representations or warranties of the Company, and no representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the foregoing except as may be expressly set forth in Article IV of this Agreement. Except as otherwise expressly set forth in this Agreement, Acquiror understands and agrees that any assets, properties and business of the Company are furnished “as is”, “where is” and subject to and except as otherwise provided in the representations and warranties of the Company expressly set forth in Article IV or any certificate delivered in accordance with Section 9.02(c), with all faults and without any other representation or warranty of any nature whatsoever.

 

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5.15          Capitalization.

 

(a)          As of the date hereof, the authorized capital stock of Acquiror consists of (i) 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with a par value of $0.0001 per share, and (ii) 30,000,000 shares of Acquiror Common Stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share, consisting of 31,000,000 shares of authorized Acquiror Common Stock. Each Acquiror Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Acquiror Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share on the terms and conditions set forth in a certain warrant agreement dated as of July 14, 2021 by and between Acquiror and VStock Transfer, LLC, acting as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agreement”). As of September 30, 2022, (v) no shares of preferred stock of Acquiror are issued and outstanding; (w) 5,849,700 shares of Acquiror Common Stock are issued and outstanding; (x) Acquiror has, after giving effect to the Unit Separation, issued 2,215,000 Acquiror Warrants, (including 441,082 Acquiror Warrants that have not been separated from the outstanding Acquiror Units); and (y) 882,165 Acquiror Units remain outstanding. All of the issued and outstanding shares of Acquiror Common Stock and Acquiror Warrants (including the shares of Acquiror Common Stock underlying the Acquiror Warrants) (i) have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, (ii) were issued in compliance in all material repsects with applicable Law, (iii) were not issued in breach or violation of any preemptive rights or Contract and (iv) are fully vested and not otherwise subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture within the meaning of Code Section 83.

 

(b)          Except for this Agreement, there are (i) no subscriptions, calls, options, warrants, rights or other securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Acquiror Common Stock or any other equity interests of Acquiror, or any other Contracts to which Acquiror is a party or by which Acquiror is bound obligating (or in lieu of a cash payment, allowing) Acquiror to issue or sell any shares of capital stock of, other equity interests in or debt securities of, Acquiror, and (ii) no equity equivalents, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock ownership interests or similar rights in Acquiror. Except as otherwise required by Acquiror Organizational Documents in order to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, there are no outstanding contractual obligations of Acquiror to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any securities or equity interests of Acquiror. There are no outstanding bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness of Acquiror having the right to vote (or convertible into, or exchangeable for, securities having the right to vote) on any matter for which Acquiror Stockholder may vote. Except as set forth on Schedule 5.15(b) or otherwise disclosed in the Acquiror SEC Reports, Acquiror is not a party to any stockholders’ agreement, voting agreement or registration rights agreement relating to Acquiror Common Stock or any other equity interests of Acquiror. Acquiror does not own any capital stock or any other equity interests in any other Person or has any right, option, warrant, conversion right, stock appreciation right, redemption right, repurchase right, agreement, arrangement or commitment of any character under which a Person is or may become obligated to issue or sell, or give any right to subscribe for or acquire, or in any way dispose of, any shares of the capital stock or other equity interests, or any securities or obligations exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into any shares of the capital stock or other equity interests, of such Person. There are no securities or instruments issued by or to which Acquiror is a party containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that will be triggered by the consummation of the Transactions, in each case, that have not been, or will not be, waived on or prior to the Closing Date.

 

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(c)          As of the date hereof, the authorized share capital of Merger Sub consists of 10,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 10 shares are issued and outstanding and beneficially held (and held of record) solely by Acquiror as of the date of this Agreement.

 

5.16          Nasdaq Capital Market Quotation. The issued and outstanding shares of Acquiror Common Stock are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and are listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols “UPTD” (with respect to the Acquiror Common Stock). Acquiror is in compliance in all material respects with the rules of the Nasdaq and there is no action or proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of Acquiror, threatened against Acquiror by the Nasdaq, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or the SEC with respect to any intention by such entity to deregister the Acquiror Common Stock or terminate the listing of such on the Nasdaq. None of Acquiror or its Affiliates has taken any action in an attempt to terminate the registration of the Acquiror Common Stock under the Exchange Act.

 

5.17          Contracts; No Defaults.

 

(a)          Except as set forth on Schedule 5.17 or otherwise disclosed in the Acquiror SEC Reports or Contacts with legal, financial and other advisors, as of the date hereof, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub are party to any Contract (other than nondisclosure agreements (containing customary terms) to which Acquiror or Merger Sub is a party that were entered into in the ordinary course of business).

 

(b)          Each Contract of a type required to be listed on Schedule 5.17, whether or not set forth on Schedule 5.17, was entered into at arm’s length and in the ordinary course of business. Except for any Contract that has terminated or will terminate upon the expiration of the stated term thereof prior to the Closing Date, with respect to any Contract of the type described in Section 5.17(a), whether or not set forth on Schedule 5.17, (i) such Contracts are in full force and effect and represent the legal, valid and binding obligations of Acquiror or Merger Sub thereto and, to the knowledge of Acquiror, represent the legal, valid and binding obligations of the other parties thereto, and, to the knowledge of Acquiror, are enforceable by Acquiror or Merger Sub to the extent a party thereto in accordance with their terms, subject in all respects to the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law), (ii) none of Acquiror, Merger Sub or, to the knowledge of Acquiror, any other party thereto is in material breach of or material default (or would be in material breach, violation or default but for the existence of a cure period) under any such Contract, (iii) since December 31, 2021, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub have received any written or, to the knowledge of Acquiror, oral claim or notice of material breach of or material default under any such Contract, (iv) to the knowledge of Acquiror, no event has occurred which, individually or together with other events, would reasonably be expected to result in a material breach of or a material default under any such Contract by Acquiror or Merger Sub or, to the knowledge of Acquiror, any other party thereto (in each case, with or without notice or lapse of time or both) and (v) since December 31, 2021 through the date hereof, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub have received written notice from any other party to any such Contract that such party intends to terminate or not renew any such Contract.

 

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5.18          Title to Property. Except as set forth in Schedule 5.18, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub (a) owns or leases any real or personal property or (b) is a party to any agreement or option to purchase any real property, personal property or other material interest therein.

 

5.19          Investment Company Act. Neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub is an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

5.20          Affiliate Agreements. Except as set forth in Schedule 5.20 or otherwise disclosed in the Acquiror SEC Reports, none of Acquiror or Merger Sub is a party to any transaction, agreement, arrangement or understanding with any (i) present or former executive officer or director of any of Acquiror or Merger Sub, (ii) beneficial owner (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) of 5% or more of the capital stock or equity interests of any of the Company or (iii) Affiliate, “associate” or member of the “immediate family” (as such terms are respectively defined in Rules 12b-2 and 16a-1 under the Exchange Act) of any of the foregoing (each of the foregoing, an “Acquiror Affiliate Agreement”).

 

5.21          Sponsor Agreement. Acquiror has delivered to the Company a true, correct and complete copy of the Sponsor Agreement. The Sponsor Agreement is in full force and effect and has not been withdrawn or terminated, or otherwise amended or modified, in any respect, and no withdrawal, termination, amendment or modification is contemplated by Acquiror. The Sponsor Agreement is a legal, valid and binding obligation of Acquiror and, to the knowledge of Acquiror, each other party thereto and neither the execution or delivery by any party thereto of, nor the performance of any party’s obligations under, the Sponsor Agreement violates any provision of, or results in the breach of or default under, or requires any filing, registration or qualification under, any applicable Law. No event has occurred that, with or without notice, lapse of time or both, would constitute a default or breach on the part of Acquiror under any term or condition of the Sponsor Agreement.

 

Article VI
COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY

 

6.01          Conduct of Business. From the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the Closing Date or the termination of this Agreement in accordance with its terms (the “Interim Period”), the Company shall, except as set forth on Schedule 6.01, as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or as consented to by Acquiror in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), or as may be required by Law, (i) use commercially reasonable efforts to conduct and operate its business in the ordinary course, and to preserve intact the current business organization and ongoing businesses of the Company, and maintain the existing relations and goodwill of the Company with customers, suppliers, joint venture partners, distributors and creditors of the Company, (ii) use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain all insurance policies of the Company or substitutes therefor, and (iii) comply with material Laws applicable to the Company and its business, assets and employees in all material respects except as disclosed in the Proxy Statement by the Company. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, except as set forth on Schedule 6.01, as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or as consented to by Acquiror in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), or as may be required by Law, the Company shall not, during the Interim Period, except as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement:

  

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(a)          change or amend the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws of the Company;

 

(b)          (i) make, declare or pay any dividend or distribution (whether in cash, stock or property) to the stockholders of the Company in their capacities as stockholders, (ii) effect any recapitalization, reclassification, split or other change in its capitalization, or (iii) except pursuant to the Company Stock Plan and the exercise of rights of first refusal under the Company Certificate of Incorporation, repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, or offer to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, any shares of its capital stock or other equity interests;

 

(c)          enter into, or amend or modify any material term of (in a manner adverse to the Company), terminate (excluding any expiration in accordance with its terms), or waive or release any material rights, claims or benefits under, any Material Contract (or any Contract, that if existing on the date hereof, would have been a Material Contract), any Real Estate Lease Document related to the Leased Real Property or any collective bargaining or similar agreement (including agreements with works councils and trade unions and side letters) to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound, other than entry into, amendments of, modifications of, terminations of, or waivers or releases under, such agreements in the ordinary course of business;

 

(d)          sell, transfer, license, sublicense, covenant not to assert, lease, pledge or otherwise encumber or subject to any Lien, abandon, cancel, let lapse or convey or dispose of any assets, properties or business of the Company (including Owned Intellectual Property and Owned Company Software), except for (i) dispositions of obsolete or worthless assets, (ii) sales of tangible inventory in the ordinary course of business and (iii) sales, abandonment, lapses of tangible assets or tangible items or tangible materials in an amount not in excess of $1,000,000 in the aggregate, other than (1) Permitted Liens or (2) pledges and encumbrances on property and assets in the ordinary course of business and that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

 

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(e)          except as set forth on Schedule 6.01(e) or otherwise required pursuant to Company Benefit Plans, in effect on the date of this Agreement, applicable Law, or policies or Contracts of the Company in effect on the date of this Agreement, (i) grant any material increase in compensation, benefits or severance to any employee, director or service provider of the Company other than any such individual with an annual base salary of less than $500,000, (ii)  adopt, enter into or materially amend any Company Benefit Plan, or any collective bargaining or similar agreement (including agreements with works councils and trade unions and side letters) to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound, (iii) grant or provide any severance, termination payments, bonus, change of control, retention, or benefits to any employee of the Company, except in connection with the promotion or hiring (to the extent permitted by clause (iv) of this paragraph) or separation of any employee in the ordinary course of business or the firing of any employee, (iv) hire any employee of the Company or any other individual who is providing or will provide services to the Company other than any employee with an annual base salary of less than $500,000 (except to replace terminated employees) in the ordinary course of business, (v) adopt, enter into or materially amend Contracts with any consultants or independent contractors that involve consideration of more than $500,000 in the aggregate or (vi) take any action to accelerate the vesting, payment or funding of any cash compensation, payment or benefit;

 

(f)          (i) fail to maintain its existence or acquire by merger or consolidation with, or merge or consolidate with, or purchase a material portion of the assets or equity of, any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture or other business organization or division thereof; or (ii) adopt or enter into a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company (other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement);

 

(g)          make any capital expenditures (or commitment to make any capital expenditures) that in the aggregate exceed $500,000, other than any capital expenditure (or series of related capital expenditures) consistent in all material respects with the Company’s annual capital expenditure budget for periods following the date hereof, made available to Acquiror or any capitalized Contract costs associated with new or existing customers;

 

(h)          make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (including to any of its officers, directors, agents or consultants), make any material change in its existing borrowing or lending arrangements for or on behalf of such Persons, or enter into any “keep well” or similar agreement to maintain the financial condition of any other Person, except advances to directors, employees or officers of the Company in the ordinary course of business or as required under any provisions of the Company Certificate of Incorporation, the bylaws of the Company or any indemnification agreement to which the Company is a party, in each case as in effect as of the date hereof;

 

(i)          make, revoke or change any material Tax election, adopt or change any material Tax accounting method or period, file any amendment to a material Tax Return, enter into any agreement with a Governmental Authority with respect to a material amount of Taxes, settle or compromise any examination, audit or other Action with a Governmental Authority of or relating to any material Taxes or settle or compromise any claim or assessment by a Governmental Authority in respect of material Taxes, consent to any extension or waiver of the statutory period of limitations applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of Taxes, or enter into any Tax sharing or similar agreement (excluding any commercial contract not primarily related to Taxes);

 

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(j)          take any action, or knowingly fail to take any action, which action or failure to act would reasonably be expected to prevent or impede the Transactions from qualifying for the Intended Tax Treatment;

 

(k)          acquire any fee interest in real property;

 

(l)          enter into, renew or amend in any material respect any Company Affiliate Agreement;

 

(m)          waive, release, compromise, settle or satisfy any pending or threatened material claim (which shall include, but not be limited to, any pending or threatened Action) or compromise or settle any liability, other than in the ordinary course of business or that otherwise do not exceed $500,000 in the aggregate;

 

(n)          incur, create, assume, refinance, guarantee or otherwise become liable for (whether directly, contingently or otherwise) any Indebtedness in excess of $500,000, other than in connection with borrowings, extensions of credit and other financial accommodations under the Company’s existing credit facilities, notes and other existing Indebtedness and, in each case, any refinancings thereof, provided, that, in no event shall any such borrowing, extension of credit or other financial accommodation be subject to any prepayment fee or penalty or similar arrangement or amend, restate or modify in a manner materially adverse to the Company any terms of or any agreement with respect to any such outstanding Indebtedness (when taken as a whole); provided, further, that any action permitted under this Section 6.01(n) shall be deemed not to violate Section 6.01(b) or Section 6.01(c);

 

(o)          enter into any material new line of business outside of the business currently conducted by the Company as of the date of this Agreement (it being understood that this Section 6.01(o) shall not restrict the Company from extending its business into new geographies);

 

(p)          make any material change in financial accounting methods, principles or practices, except insofar as may have been required by a change in GAAP (including pursuant to standards, guidelines and interpretations of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or any similar organization) or applicable Law;

 

(q)          (i) disclose any source code for any Owned Company Software or any other material Trade Secrets to any Person (other than pursuant to a written agreement sufficient to protect the confidentiality thereof) or (ii) subject any Owned Intellectual Property or Owned Company Software to Copyleft Terms; and

 

(r)          enter into any agreement to do any action prohibited under this Section 6.01.

 

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6.02          Inspection. Subject to confidentiality obligations and similar restrictions that may be applicable to information furnished to the Company by third parties that may be in the Company’s possession from time to time, and except for any information which (x) relates to interactions with prospective buyers of the Company or the negotiation of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby or (y) in the judgment of legal counsel of the Company would result in the loss of attorney-client privilege or other privilege from disclosure or would conflict with any applicable Law or confidentiality obligations to which the is bound, the Company shall afford to Acquiror and its Representatives reasonable access during the Interim Period, during normal business hours and with reasonable advance notice, in such manner as to not interfere with the normal operation of the Company, to all of its properties, books, projections, plans, systems, Contracts, commitments, Tax Returns, records, commitments and analyses and, as reasonably requested by Acquiror or its Representatives, appropriate officers and employees of the Company, and shall furnish such Representatives with all financial and operating data and other information concerning the affairs of the Company that are in the possession of the Company as such Representatives may reasonably request, in each case, as necessary to facilitate consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The parties shall use commercially reasonable efforts to make alternative arrangements for such disclosure where the restrictions in the preceding sentence apply. All information obtained by Acquiror and its Representatives under this Agreement shall be subject to the Confidentiality Agreement prior to the Effective Time.

 

6.03          No Acquiror Securities Transactions. From and after the date of this Agreement until the Effective Time, except as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement, the Company shall not engage in any transactions involving the securities of Acquiror without the prior consent of Acquiror.

 

6.04          No Claim Against the Trust Account. The Company acknowledges that Acquiror is a special purpose acquisition company with the power and privileges to effect a merger, asset acquisition, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses or assets, and the Company has read Acquiror’s final prospectus, dated July 19, 2022, and other Acquiror SEC Reports, the Acquiror Organizational Documents, and the Trust Agreement and understands that Acquiror has established the Trust Account described therein for the benefit of Acquiror’s public stockholders and that disbursements from the Trust Account are available only in the limited circumstances set forth therein. The Company further acknowledges and agrees that Acquiror’s sole assets consist of the cash proceeds of Acquiror’s initial public offering and private placements of its securities, and that substantially all of these proceeds have been deposited in the Trust Account for the benefit of its public shareholders. The Company further acknowledges that, if the Transactions are not consummated by January 19, 2023, or such later date as approved by the stockholders of Acquiror to complete a Business Combination, Acquiror will be obligated to return to its stockholders of Acquior Public Common Shares the amounts being held in the Trust Account. Accordingly, the Company (on behalf of itself and its Affiliates) hereby waives any past, present or future claim of any kind against, and any right to access, the Trust Account, any trustee of the Trust Account and Acquiror to collect from the Trust Account any monies that may be owed to them by Acquiror or any of its Affiliates for any reason whatsoever, and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account at any time for any reason whatsoever. This Section 6.04 shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason.

 

6.05          Proxy Solicitation; Other Actions.

 

(a)          The Company has provided to Acquiror, for inclusion in the Registration Statement, to be filed by Acquiror on the date hereof, the Financial Statements prepared in accordance with GAAP and Regulation S-X under the Securities Act (except as otherwise noted therein to the extent permitted by Regulation S-X under the Securities Act). The Company shall be available to, and the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to make its officers and employees available to, in each case, during normal business hours and upon reasonable advanced notice, Acquiror and its counsel in connection with responding in a timely manner to comments on the Registration Statement from the SEC.

 

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(b)          From and after the date on which the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Securities Act, the Company will give Acquiror prompt written notice of any action taken or not taken by the Company or of any development regarding the Company, in any such case which, to the knowledge of the Company, would cause the Registration Statement to contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, if any such action shall be taken or fail to be taken or such development shall otherwise occur, Acquiror and the Company shall cooperate fully to cause an amendment or supplement to be made promptly to the Registration Statement, such that the Registration Statement no longer contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided further, however, that no information received by Acquiror pursuant to this Section 6.05 shall operate as a waiver or otherwise affect any representation, warranty or agreement given or made by the party who disclosed such information, and no such information shall be deemed to change, supplement or amend the Company Schedules.

 

6.06          Non-Solicitation; Acquisition Proposals.

 

(a)          Except as expressly permitted by this Section 6.06, from the date of this Agreement until the Effective Time or, if earlier, the valid termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 10.01, the Company shall not, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause its Representatives not to, directly or indirectly, (i) initiate, solicit or knowingly encourage or knowingly facilitate any inquiries or requests for information with respect to, or the making of, any inquiry regarding, or any proposal or offer that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to result in or lead to, any Acquisition Proposal, (ii) engage in, continue or otherwise participate in any negotiations or discussions concerning, or provide access to its properties, books and records or any confidential information or data to, any Person relating to any proposal, offer, inquiry or request for information that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to result in or lead to, any Acquisition Proposal, (iii) approve, endorse or recommend, or propose publicly to approve, endorse or recommend, any Acquisition Proposal, (iv) execute or enter into, any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, agreement in principle, confidentiality agreement, merger agreement, acquisition agreement, exchange agreement, joint venture agreement, partnership agreement, option agreement or other similar agreement for or relating to any Acquisition Proposal or (v) resolve or agree to do any of the foregoing. The Company also agrees that immediately following the execution of this Agreement it shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause its Representatives to, cease any solicitations, discussions or negotiations with any Person (other than the Parties and their respective Representatives) conducted heretofore in connection with an Acquisition Proposal or any inquiry or request for information that could reasonably be expected to lead to, or result in, an Acquisition Proposal. The Company also agrees that within three (3) Business Days of the execution of this Agreement, the Company shall request each Person (other than the Parties and their respective Representatives) that has prior to the date hereof executed a confidentiality agreement in connection with its consideration of acquiring the Company (and with whom the Company has had contact in the three (3) months prior to the date of this Agreement regarding the acquisition of the Company) to return or destroy all confidential information furnished to such Person by or on behalf of it or any of its Subsidiaries prior to the date hereof and terminate access to any physical or electronic data room maintained by or on behalf of the Company. The Company shall promptly (and in any event within one Business Day) notify, in writing, Acquiror of the receipt of any inquiry, proposal, offer or request for information received after the date hereof that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to result in or lead to, any Acquisition Proposal. The Company shall promptly (and in any event within two Business Days) keep Acquiror reasonably informed of any material developments with respect to any such inquiry, proposal, offer, request for information or Acquisition Proposal (including any material changes thereto). Without limiting the foregoing, it is understood that any violation of the restrictions contained in this Section 6.06 by any of the Company’s Representatives acting on the Company’s behalf shall be deemed to be a breach of this Section 6.06 by the Company.

 

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(b)          For purposes of this Section 6.06, “Acquisition Proposal” means any proposal or offer from any Person or “group” (as defined in the Exchange Act) (other than Acquiror, Merger Sub or their respective Affiliates) relating to, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, (A) any direct or indirect acquisition or purchase of a business that constitutes 20% or more of the net revenues, net income or assets of the Company, (B) any direct or indirect acquisition of 20% or more of the consolidated assets of the Company (based on the fair market value thereof, as determined in good faith by the Company Board), (C) acquisition of beneficial ownership, or the right to acquire beneficial ownership, of 20% or more of the total voting power of the equity securities of the Company, any tender offer or exchange offer that if consummated would result in any Person beneficially owning 20% or more of the total voting power of the equity securities of the Company, or any merger, reorganization, consolidation, share exchange, business combination, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution or similar transaction involving the Company (or any subsidiary of the Company whose business constitutes 20% or more of the net revenues, net income or assets of the Company, taken as a whole) or (D) any issuance or sale or other disposition (including by way of merger, reorganization, division, consolidation, share exchange, business combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction) of 20% or more of the total voting power of the equity securities of the Company.

 

Article VII
COVENANTS OF ACQUIROR

 

7.01          Conduct of Acquiror During the Interim Period.

 

(a)          During the Interim Period, Acquiror shall, and shall cause Merger Sub to (i) use commercially reasonable efforts to conduct and operate respective business, in all material respects, in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, to preserve intact, in all material respects, their respective business organizations, to keep available the services of their respective managers, directors, officers, employees and consultants, and to preserve the possession, control and condition of their respective material assets, all as consistent with past practice, (ii) use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain all insurance policies of Acquiror therefor and (iii) comply with all Laws applicable to Acquiror and Merger Sub and their respective businesses, assets and employees. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, except as set forth on Schedule 7.02 or as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or as consented to by the Company in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), Acquiror shall not, and shall not permit Merger Sub to:

 

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(i)          change, modify or amend, the Trust Agreement, the Acquiror Organizational Documents or the organizational documents of Merger Sub;

 

(ii)           (A) make, declare, set aside or pay any dividends on, or make any other distribution (whether in cash, stock or property) in respect of any of its outstanding capital stock or other equity interests; (B) split, combine, reclassify, subdivide or otherwise change any of its capital stock or other equity interests; or (C) other than the redemption of any shares of Acquiror Common Stock required by the Offer or to effect an extension as set forth in Section 11.17, repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, or offer to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, any capital stock of, or other equity interests in, Acquiror;

 

(iii)          make, revoke or change any material Tax election, adopt or change any material Tax accounting method or period, file any amendment to a material Tax Return, enter into any agreement with a Governmental Authority with respect to a material amount of Taxes, settle or compromise any examination, audit or other Action with a Governmental Authority of or relating to any material Taxes or settle or compromise any claim or assessment by a Governmental Authority in respect of material Taxes, consent to any extension or waiver of the statutory period of limitations applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of Taxes, or enter into any Tax sharing or similar agreement (excluding any commercial contract not primarily related to Taxes);

 

(iv)          take any action, or knowingly fail to take any action, which action or failure to act could reasonably be expected to prevent or impede the Transactions from qualifying for the Intended Tax Treatment;

 

(v)          enter into, renew or amend in any material respect, any Acquiror Affiliate Agreement (or any Contract, that if existing on the date hereof, would have constituted an Acquiror Affiliate Agreement);

 

(vi)          enter into, or amend or modify any material term of (in a manner adverse to Acquiror or Merger Sub (including the Company), terminate (excluding any expiration in accordance with its terms), or waive or release any material rights, claims or benefits under, any Contract of a type required to be listed on Schedule 5.17 (or any Contract, that if existing on the date hereof, would have been required to be listed on Schedule 5.17) or any collective bargaining or similar agreement (including agreements with works councils and trade unions and side letters) to which Acquiror or Merger Sub is a party or by which it is bound;

 

(vii)          waive, release, compromise, settle or satisfy any pending or threatened claim (which shall include, but not be limited to, any pending or threatened Action) or compromise or settle any liability in excess of $250,000 (invidually or in the aggregate);

 

(viii)          incur, create, assume, refinance, guarantee or otherwise become liable for (whether directly, contingently or otherwise) any Indebtedness not in ;

 

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(ix)          (A) other than pursuant to the Transaction Financing, offer, issue, deliver, grant or sell, or authorize or propose to offer, issue, deliver, grant or sell, any capital stock of, or other equity interests in, Acquiror or Merger Sub or any securities convertible into, or any rights, warrants or options to acquire, any such capital stock or equity interests, other than in connection with the exercise of any Acquiror Warrants outstanding on the date hereof, (B) amend, modify or waive any of the terms or rights set forth in, any warrant agreement with respect to Acquiror Warrants, including any amendment, modification or reduction of the warrant price set forth therein, or (C) consummate the Transaction Financing except in an amount and on terms that have not been approved in writing by the Company;

 

(x)          except as contemplated by the Acquiror LTIP Proposal, (i) adopt or amend any Acquiror Benefit Plan, or enter into any employment contract or collective bargaining agreement or (ii) hire any employee of Acquiror or Merger Sub or any other individual who is providing or will provide services to Acquiror or its Merger Sub;

 

(xi)           (i) fail to maintain its existence or acquire by merger or consolidation with, or merge or consolidate with, or purchase the assets or equity of, any corporation, partnership (limited or general), limited liability company, association, joint venture or other business organization or division thereof; or (ii) adopt or enter into a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of Acquiror or Merger Sub (other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement);

 

(xii)          make any capital expenditures in excess of $500,000;

 

(xiii)          make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (including to any of its officers, directors, agents or consultants), make any change in its existing borrowing or lending arrangements for or on behalf of such Persons, or enter into any “keep well” or similar agreement to maintain the financial condition of any other Person;

 

(xiv)          enter into any new line of business outside of the business currently conducted by Acquiror and Merger Sub as of the date of this Agreement;

 

(xv)          make any change in financial accounting methods, principles or practices, except insofar as may have been required by a change in GAAP, including pursuant to standards, guidelines and interpretations of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or any similar organization, or applicable Law;

 

(xvi)          voluntarily fail to maintain, cancel or materially change coverage under any insurance policy in form and amount equivalent in all material respects to the insurance coverage currently maintained with respect to Acquiror and Merger Sub and their assets and properties; or

 

(xvii)          enter into any agreement to do any action prohibited under this Section 7.01.

 

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(b)          During the Interim Period, Acquiror shall, and shall cause Merger Sub to comply with, and continue performing under, as applicable, the Acquiror Organizational Documents, the Trust Agreement and all other agreements or Contracts to which Acquiror or Merger Sub may be a party.

 

7.02          Trust Account. Prior to or at the Closing (subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in Article IX), Acquiror shall make appropriate arrangements to cause the funds in the Trust Account to be disbursed in accordance with the Trust Agreement, and the funds received in the Transaction Financing to be disbursed, for the following uses: (a) the redemption of any shares of Acquiror Common Stock in connection with the Offer; (b) the payment of the Outstanding Acquiror Expenses pursuant to Section 3.06; and (c) the balance after payment and disbursement of the amounts required under the foregoing clauses (a) and (b), to be disbursed to PubCo as working capital including payment of the Outstanding Company Expenses pursuant to Section 3.06.

 

7.03          Inspection. Subject to confidentiality obligations and similar restrictions that may be applicable to information furnished to Acquiror or Merger Sub by third parties that may be in Acquiror’s or its Subsidiaries’ possession from time to time, and except for any information which in the opinion of legal counsel of Acquiror would result in the loss of attorney-client privilege or other privilege from disclosure or would conflict with any applicable Law or confidentiality obligations to which Acquiror or any of its Subsidiaries is bound, Acquiror shall afford to the Company, its Affiliates and their respective Representatives reasonable access during the Interim Period, during normal business hours and with reasonable advance notice, to all of their respective properties, books, projections, plans, systems, Contracts, commitments, Tax Returns, records, commitments, analyses and appropriate officers and employees of Acquiror, and shall furnish such Representatives with all financial and operating data and other information concerning the affairs of Acquiror that are in the possession of Acquiror as such Representatives may reasonably request. The parties shall use commercially reasonable efforts to make alternative arrangements for such disclosure where the restrictions in the preceding sentence apply. All information obtained by the Company, its Affiliates and their respective Representatives under this Agreement shall be subject to the Confidentiality Agreement prior to the Effective Time.

 

7.04          Acquiror Nasdaq Listing. From the date hereof through the Closing, Acquiror shall use reasonable best efforts to ensure Acquiror remains listed as a public company on, and for shares of Acquiror Class Common Stock to be listed on, the Nasdaq.

 

7.05          Acquiror Public Filings. From the date hereof through the Closing, Acquiror will use reasonable best efforts to keep current and timely file all reports required to be filed or furnished with the SEC and otherwise comply in all material respects with its reporting obligations under applicable Securities Laws.

 

7.06          Section 16 Matters. Prior to the Closing, the Acquiror Board, or an appropriate committee of “non-employee directors” (as defined in Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act) thereof, shall adopt a resolution consistent with the interpretive guidance of the SEC so that the acquisition of Acquiror Common Stock pursuant to this Agreement and the other agreements contemplated hereby, by any person owning securities of the Company who is expected to become a director or officer (as defined under Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) of Acquiror following the Closing shall be an exempt transaction for purposes of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act pursuant to Rule 16b-3 thereunder.

 

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7.07          Exclusivity. During the Interim Period, Acquiror shall not take, nor shall it permit any of its Affiliates or Representatives to take, whether directly or indirectly, any action to solicit, initiate, continue or engage in discussions or negotiations with, or enter into any agreement with, or encourage, respond, provide information to or commence due diligence with respect to, any Person (other than the Company, its shareholders and/or any of their Affiliates or Representatives), concerning, relating to or which is intended or is reasonably likely to give rise to or result in, any offer, inquiry, proposal or indication of interest, written or oral relating to any Business Combination (a “Business Combination Proposal”) other than with the Company, its shareholders and their respective Affiliates and Representatives. Acquiror shall, and shall cause its Affiliates and Representatives to, immediately cease any and all existing discussions or negotiations with any Person conducted prior to the date hereof with respect to, or which is reasonably likely to give rise to or result in, a Business Combination Proposal.

 

7.08          Certain Transaction Agreements. Unless otherwise approved in writing by the Company (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the Acquiror shall not permit any amendment or modification to be made to, or any waiver (in whole or in part) of, or provide consent to (including consent to termination) any provision or remedy under, or any replacement of the Sponsor Agreement. Acquiror shall use its reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions and do, or cause to be done, all things necessary to satisfy in all material respects on a timely basis all conditions and covenants applicable to Acquiror in the Sponsor Agreement and otherwise comply with its obligations thereunder and to enforce its rights under each such agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Acquiror shall give the Company prompt written notice of: (A) any breach or default (or any event or circumstance that, with or without notice, lapse of time or both, could give rise to any breach or default) by any party to the Sponsor Agreement of which Acquiror becomes aware of; and (B) the receipt of any written notice or other written communication from any other party to the Sponsor Agreement with respect to any actual, potential, threatened or claimed expiration, lapse, withdrawal, breach, default, termination or repudiation by any party under any such agreement or any provisions of any such agreement.

 

7.09          Stockholder Action. Acquiror shall notify the Company promptly in connection with a written threat to file, or filing by, an Action related to this Agreement or the Transaction by any of its stockholders or holders of any Acquiror Warrants against Acquiror or Merger Sub or against any of their respective directors or officers (any such action, a “Stockholder Action”). Acquiror shall keep the Company reasonably apprised of the defense, settlement, prosecution or other developments with respect to any such Stockholder Action. Acquiror shall give the Company the opportunity to participate in, subject to a customary joint defense agreement, but not control the defense of any such litigation, to give due consideration to the Company’s advice with respect to such litigation and to not settle any such litigation without the prior written consent of the Company, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, Acquiror shall bear all of its costs of investigation and all of its defense and attorneys’ and other professionals’ fees related to such Stockholder Action.

 

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7.10          Written Consent of Merger Sub. Acquiror shall promptly after the execution of this Agreement, and in any event no later than the end of the day following the date of this Agreement, deliver its written consent, as the sole stockholder of Merger Sub, approving and adopting this Agreement and the Merger pursuant to Section 228 of the DGCL and in accordance with applicable law and the certificate of incorporation and bylaws of Merger Sub, and Acquiror shall promptly deliver to the Company evidence of such action taken by written consent.

 

7.11          Incentive Equity Plan. Prior to the Closing Date, Acquiror shall approve, and subject to approval of the stockholders of Acquiror, adopt, the Acquiror LTIP.

 

7.12          Obligations as an Emerging Growth Company. Acquiror shall, at all times during the period from the date hereof until the Closing: (a) take all actions necessary to continue to qualify as an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”); and (b) not take any action that would cause Acquiror to not qualify as an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the JOBS Act.

 

Article VIII
JOINT COVENANTS

 

8.01          Support of Transaction. Without limiting any covenant contained in Article VI or Article VII, including the obligations of the Company and Acquiror with respect to the notifications, filings, reaffirmations and applications described in Section 8.07, which obligations shall control to the extent of any conflict with the succeeding provisions of this Section 8.01, Acquiror and the Company shall each, and shall each cause their respective Subsidiaries to: (a) use commercially reasonable efforts to assemble, prepare and file any information (and, as needed, to supplement such information) as may be reasonably necessary to obtain as promptly as practicable all governmental and regulatory consents required to be obtained in connection with the Transactions, (b) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all material consents and approvals of third parties that any of Acquiror, the Company, or their respective Affiliates are required to obtain in order to consummate the Transactions, including any required approvals of parties to material Contracts with the Company, (c) use commercially reasonable efforts to carry out the Transaction Financing after the date hereof, and (d) take such other action as may reasonably be necessary or as another party may reasonably request to satisfy the conditions of Article IX or otherwise to comply with this Agreement and to consummate the Transactions as soon as practicable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall Acquiror, Merger Sub or the Company be obligated to bear any expense or pay any fee or grant any concession in connection with obtaining any consents, authorizations or approvals pursuant to the terms of any Contract to which the Company is a party or otherwise in connection with the consummation of the Transactions.

 

8.02          Preparation of Registration Statement; Special Meeting.

 

(a)          Promptly following the date hereof, Acquiror shall cause to be filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 (as amended or supplemented from time to time, and including the Proxy Statement contained therein, the “Registration Statement”) in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of PubCo’s Common Stock to be issued under this Agreement and Acquiror Common Stock issued to Sponsors in a private placement simultaneously with the consummation of Acquiror’s initial public offering, which Registration Statement will also contain the Proxy Statement. Each of Acquiror and the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement to comply with the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC, to have the Registration Statement declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as practicable after such filing and to keep the Registration Statement effective as long as is necessary to consummate the Merger. Acquiror acknowledges that the Company has furnished all information concerning the Company as may reasonably be requested by Acquiror in connection with such actions and the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement. Promptly after the Registration Statement is declared effective under the Securities Act, Acquiror will cause the Proxy Statement to be mailed to stockholders of Acquiror.

  

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(b)          Each of Acquiror and the Company shall cooperate and mutually agree upon (such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), any response to comments of the SEC or its staff with respect to the Registration Statement and any amendment to the Registration Statement filed in response thereto. If Acquiror or the Company becomes aware that any information contained in the Registration Statement shall have become false or misleading in any material respect or that the Registration Statement is required to be amended in order to comply with applicable Law, then (i) such party shall promptly inform the other parties and (ii) Acquiror, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, shall cooperate and mutually agree upon (such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement. Acquiror and the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Registration Statement, as so amended or supplemented, to be filed with the SEC and the Proxy Statement to be disseminated to the holders of shares of Acquiror Common Stock, as applicable, in each case pursuant to applicable Law and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Acquiror Organizational Documents. Acquiror shall provide the other parties with copies of any written comments, and shall inform such other parties of any oral comments, that Acquiror receives from the SEC or its staff with respect to the Registration Statement promptly after the receipt of such comments and shall give the other parties a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on any proposed written or oral responses to such comments prior to responding to the SEC or its staff.

 

(c)          Acquiror agrees to include provisions in the Proxy Statement and to take reasonable action related thereto with respect to (i) approval of the Merger and Transactions (the “Transaction Proposal”), (ii) approval of the PubCo Charter (the “Amendment Proposal”), (iii) approval of the issuance of PubCo’s Common Stock in connection with the Transactions in accordance with this Agreement, in each case to the extent required by Nasdaq listing rules (the “Stock Issuance Proposal”), (iv) the adoption of the Acquiror LTIP (the “Acquiror LTIP Proposal”) and (v) approval of any other proposals reasonably necessary or appropriate to consummate the transaction contemplated hereby (the “Additional Proposal” and together with the Agreement Proposal, Merger Proposal, Amendment Proposal, Acquiror LTIP Proposal and the Stock Issuance Proposal, the “Proposals”). The Acquiror LTIP Proposal shall provide that an aggregate number of shares of PubCo’s Common Stock equal to 10% of the outstanding shares of PubCo’s Common Stock as of Closing shall be reserved for issuance pursuant to the Acquiror LTIP. Without the prior written consent of the Company, the Proposals shall be the only matters (other than procedural matters) which Acquiror shall propose to be acted on by Acquiror’s stockholders at the Special Meeting.

  

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(d)          Acquiror and the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to, as promptly as practicable, and in compliance with applicable Law (i) establish the record date for, duly call, give notice of, convene and hold the Special Meeting in accordance with the DGCL, (ii) cause the Proxy Statement to be disseminated to Acquiror’s stockholders and (iii) solicit proxies from the holders of Acquiror Common Stock to vote in favor of each of the Proposals. Acquiror shall, through the Acquiror Board, recommend to its stockholders that they approve each of the Proposals (the “Acquiror Board Recommendation”) and shall include the unqualified Acquiror Board Recommendation in the Proxy Statement. The Acquiror Board shall not (and no committee or subgroup thereof shall) change, withdraw, withhold, qualify or modify, or publicly propose to change, withdraw, withhold, qualify or modify, the Acquiror Board Recommendation. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 8.02(d), if on a date for which the Special Meeting is scheduled, Acquiror has not received proxies representing a sufficient number of shares of Acquiror Common Stock to obtain the Acquiror Stockholder Approval, whether or not a quorum is present, Acquiror shall have the right to make one or more successive postponements or adjournments of the Special Meeting.

 

8.03          Tax Matters.

 

(a)          Transfer Taxes. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Company shall pay all transfer, documentary, sales, use, stamp, registration, value added or other similar Taxes incurred in connection with the Transactions. The Company shall, at its own expense, file all necessary Tax Returns with respect to all such Taxes, and, if required by applicable Law, Acquiror will join in the execution of any such Tax Returns.

 

(b)          Tax Treatment. Acquiror, Merger Sub and the Company intend that the Transactions shall qualify for the Intended Tax Treatment. None of the parties or their respective Affiliates shall knowingly take or cause to be taken, or knowingly fail to take or knowingly cause to be failed to be taken, any action that would reasonably be expected to prevent qualification for such Intended Tax Treatment. Each party shall, unless otherwise required by a final determination within the meaning of Section 1313(a) of the Code (or any similar state, local or non-U.S. final determination) or a change in applicable Law, or based on a change in the facts and circumstances underlying the Transactions from the terms described in this Agreement, cause all Tax Returns to be filed on a basis of treating the Merger as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code and the Transactions as a transaction that qualifies under Section 351 of the Code. Each of the parties agrees to use reasonable best efforts to promptly notify all other parties of any challenge to the Intended Tax Treatment by any Governmental Authority.

 

(c)          The Company, Acquiror and Merger Sub hereby adopt this Agreement as a “plan of reorganization” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Sections 1.368-2(g) and 1.368-3(a).

 

(d)          On or prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver to Acquiror a certification from the Company pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section 1.1445-2(c) dated no more than thirty (30) days prior to the Closing Date and signed by a responsible corporate officer of the Company.

 

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8.04          Confidentiality; Publicity.

 

(a)          Acquiror acknowledges that the information being provided to it in connection with this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby is subject to the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

(b)          None of Acquiror, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates shall make any public announcement or issue any public communication regarding this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, or any matter related to the foregoing, without first obtaining the prior consent of the Company or Acquiror, as applicable (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), except if such announcement or other communication is required by applicable Law or legal process (including pursuant to the Securities Law or the rules of any national securities exchange), in which case Acquiror or the Company, as applicable, shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to coordinate such announcement or communication with the other party, prior to announcement or issuance and allow the other party a reasonable opportunity to comment thereon (which shall be considered by Acquiror or the Company, as applicable, in good faith); provided, however, that, notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, each party and its Affiliates may make announcements and may provide information regarding this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby to its and their Affiliates, and its and their respective investors, directors, officers, employees, managers and advisors without the consent of any other party hereto; and provided further that, subject to Section 6.02 and this Section 8.04, the foregoing shall not prohibit any party hereto from communicating with third parties to the extent necessary for the purpose of seeking any third party consent.

 

8.05          Post-Closing Cooperation; Further Assurances. Following the Closing, each party shall, on the request of any other party, execute such further documents, and perform such further acts, as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate to give full effect to the allocation of rights, benefits, obligations and liabilities contemplated by this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

8.06          Additional Insurance and Indemnity Matters.

 

(a)          Prior to the Closing, Acquiror and the Company shall reasonably cooperate in order to obtain (i) directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for PubCo and the Company that shall be effective as of Closing and will cover (a) those Persons who were directors and officers of the Company prior to the Closing and (b) those Persons who will be the directors and officers of PubCo and its Subsidiaries (including the directors and officers of the Company) at and after the Closing on terms not less favorable than the better of (A) the terms of the current directors’ and officers’ liability insurance in place for the Company’s directors and officers and (B) the terms of a typical directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy for a company whose equity is listed on the Nasdaq which policy has a scope and amount of coverage that is reasonably appropriate for a company of similar characteristics (including the line of business and revenues) as PubCo and its Subsidiaries (including the Surviving Company); and (ii) a “tail” directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy for Acquiror that shall be effective for a period of at least five (5) years from the Closing and will cover those Persons who were directors and officers of Acquirior prior to the Closing. For the purpose of this Agreement, PubCo shall bear the expenses incurred in connection with the purchase of such insurance.

 

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(b)          From and after the Effective Time, PubCo and the Surviving Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each present and former director or officer of the Company, Acquiror and Merger Sub, or any other person that may be a director or officer of the Company, Acquiror and Merger Sub prior to the Effective Time, against any costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, losses, claims, damages or liabilities incurred in connection with any actual or threatened Action or other action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, arising out of or pertaining to matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Effective Time or relating to the enforcement by any such Person of his or her rights under this Section 8.06, whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Effective Time, to the fullest extent that each of the Company, Acquiror and Merger Sub, would have been permitted under applicable Law and its certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents in effect on the date of this Agreement to indemnify such Person, and shall advance expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses of any such Person as incurred to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law (including, without limitation, in connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought by any such Person to enforce his or her rights under this Section 8.06). Without limiting the foregoing, PubCo shall, and shall cause the Surviving Company to, (i) maintain for a period of not less than six years from the Effective Time provisions in its certificate of incorporation (if applicable), bylaws and other organizational documents concerning the indemnification and exoneration (including provisions relating to expense advancement) of officers and directors that are no less favorable to those Persons than the provisions of such certificates of incorporation (if applicable), bylaws and other organizational documents of the Company, Acquiror and Merger Sub, as applicable, as of the date of this Agreement and (ii) not amend, repeal or otherwise modify such provisions in any respect that would adversely affect the rights of those Persons thereunder, in each case, except as required by Law. PubCo shall assume, and be liable for, and shall cause the Surviving Company to honor, each of the covenants in this Section 8.06.

 

(c)          Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, this Section 8.06 shall survive the consummation of the Merger indefinitely and shall be binding, jointly and severally, on PubCo and the Surviving Company and all successors and assigns of PubCo and the Surviving Company. In the event that PubCo, the Surviving Company or any of their respective successors or assigns consolidates with or merges into any other Person and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger or transfers or conveys all or substantially all of its properties and assets to any Person or effects any division transaction, then, and in each such case, PubCo and the Surviving Company shall ensure that proper provision shall be made so that the successors and assigns of PubCo or the Surviving Company, as the case may be, shall succeed to the obligations set forth in this Section 8.06. The obligations of PubCo and the Surviving Company under this Section 8.06 shall not be terminated or modified in such a manner as to materially and adversely affect any present and former director or officer of the Company and Acquiror, or other person that may be a director or officer of the Company and Acquiror prior to the Effective Time, to whom this Section 8.06 applies without the consent of the affected Person. The rights of each person entitled to indemnification or advancement hereunder shall be in addition to, and not in limitation of, any other rights such Person may have under the Company Certificate of Incorporation, the bylaws of the Company, any other indemnification arrangement, any applicable law, rule or regulation or otherwise. The provisions of this Section 8.06 are expressly intended to benefit, and are enforceable by, each Person entitled to indemnification or advancement hereunder and their respective successors, heirs and representatives, each of whom is an intended third-party beneficiary of this Section 8.06.

 

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8.07          HSR Act and Regulatory Approvals.

 

(a)          In connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, each of Acquiror and the Company shall comply promptly but in no event later than ten (10) Business Days after the date hereof with the notification and reporting requirements of the HSR Act, if applicable. Each of Acquiror and the Company shall furnish to the other as promptly as reasonably practicable all information required for any application or other filing to be made by such other party pursuant to any Antitrust Law, if applicable. Each of Acquiror and the Company shall substantially comply with any Information or Document Requests.

 

(b)          Each of Acquiror and the Company shall request early termination of any waiting period under the HSR Act, if applicable, and exercise its reasonable best efforts to (i) obtain termination or expiration of the waiting period under the HSR Act, if applicable, and consents or approvals pursuant to any other applicable Antitrust Laws, (ii) prevent the entry in any Action brought by a Regulatory Consent Authority or any other Person of any Governmental Order which would prohibit, make unlawful or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and (iii) if any such Governmental Order is issued in any such Action, cause such Governmental Order to be lifted.

 

(c)          Each of Acquiror and the Company shall cooperate in good faith with the Regulatory Consent Authorities and exercise its reasonable best efforts to undertake promptly any and all action required to complete lawfully the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as soon as practicable (but in any event prior to the Termination Date) and any and all action necessary or advisable to avoid, prevent, eliminate or remove any impediment under Antitrust Law or the actual or threatened commencement of any proceeding in any forum by or on behalf of any Regulatory Consent Authority or the issuance of any Governmental Order that would delay, enjoin, prevent, restrain or otherwise prohibit the consummation of the Merger. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each of Acquiror and the Company shall, and shall cause its respective Subsidiaries (as applicable) to, (i) propose, negotiate, commit to and effect, by consent decree, hold separate orders or otherwise, the sale, divesture, disposition, or license of any investments, assets, properties, products, rights, services or businesses of such party or any interest therein, and (ii) otherwise take or commit to take any actions that would limit such party’s freedom of action with respect to, or its or their ability to retain any assets, properties, products, rights, services or businesses of such party, or any interest or interests therein; provided, that any such action contemplated by this Section 8.07(c) is conditioned upon the consummation of the Merger. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, nothing in this Section 8.07 or any other provision of this Agreement shall require or obligate the Company’s Affiliates and investors, the Acquiror’s Affiliates and investors, including the Sponsors, their respective Affiliates and any investment funds or investment vehicles affiliated with, or managed or advised by, Acquiror’s Affiliates and investors, including the Sponsors, or any portfolio company (as such term is commonly understood in the private equity industry) or investment of Acquiror’s Affiliates and investors including, the Sponsors or of any such investment fund or investment vehicle to take any action in connection with (A) obtaining termination or expiration of the waiting period under the HSR Act and consents or approvals pursuant to any other applicable Antitrust Laws or (B) avoiding, preventing, eliminating or removing any impediment under Antitrust Law with respect to the Transactions, including selling, divesting, or otherwise disposing of, licensing, holding separate, or taking or committing to take any action that limits in any respect such Person’s or entity’s freedom of action with respect to, or its ability to retain, any business, products, rights, services, licenses, assets or properties of such Person or entity or any of such entity’s Subsidiaries or Affiliates, or any interest therein.

 

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(d)          Each of the Acquiror and the Company shall promptly notify the other of any substantive communication with, and furnish to such other party copies of any notices or written communications received by, Acquiror or the Company, as applicable, or any of its respective Affiliates and any third party or Governmental Authority with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and each of the Acquiror and the Company shall permit counsel to such other party an opportunity to review in advance, and each of Acquiror and the Company shall consider in good faith the views of such other party’s counsel in connection with, any proposed communications by Acquiror or the Company, as applicable, and/or its respective Affiliates to any Governmental Authority concerning the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided that neither Acquiror nor the Company shall extend any waiting period or comparable period under the HSR Act, if applicable, or enter into any agreement with any Governmental Authority without the written consent of such other party. Each of the Acquiror and the Company agrees to provide, to the extent permitted by the applicable Governmental Authority, such other party and its counsel the opportunity, on reasonable advance notice, to participate in any substantive meetings or discussions, either in person or by telephone, between such party and/or any of its Affiliates, agents or advisors, on the one hand, and any Governmental Authority, on the other hand, concerning or in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. Any materials exchanged in connection with this Section 8.07 may be redacted or withheld as necessary to address reasonable privilege or confidentiality concerns, and to remove references concerning the valuation of the Company or the Acquiror, as applicable, or other competitively sensitive material; provided, that each of Acquiror and the Company may, as it deems advisable and necessary, designate any materials provided to such other party under this Section 8.07 as “outside counsel only.” Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, nothing in this Section 8.07 or any other provision of this Agreement shall require or obligate the Company or any of its investors or Affiliates to, and Acquiror shall not, without the prior written consent of the Company, agree or otherwise be required to, take any action with respect to the Company, or such investors or Affiliates, including selling, divesting, or otherwise disposing of, licensing, holding separate, or taking or committing to take any action that limits in any respect its freedom of action with respect to, or its ability to retain, any business, products, rights, services, licenses, assets or properties of the Company or such investors or Affiliates, or any interest therein.

 

(e)          Acquiror, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, shall each pay fifty percent (50%) of all filing fees payable to the Regulatory Consent Authorities in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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(f)          Each of Acquiror and the Company shall not, and shall cause its respective Subsidiaries (as applicable) not to, acquire or agree to acquire, by merging with or into or consolidating with, or by purchasing a portion of the assets of or equity in, or by any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, association or other business organization or division thereof, or otherwise acquire or agree to acquire any assets, or take any other action, if the entering into of a definitive agreement relating to, or the consummation of such acquisition, merger or consolidation, or the taking of any other action, would reasonably be expected to: (i) impose any delay in the obtaining of, or increase the risk of not obtaining, any authorizations, consents, orders or declarations of any Regulatory Consent Authorities or the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period; (ii) increase the risk of any Governmental Authority entering an order prohibiting the consummation of the transaction contemplated hereby; (iii) increase the risk of not being able to remove any such order on appeal or otherwise; or (iv) delay or prevent the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the restrictions and obligations set forth in this Section 8.07(f) shall not apply to or be binding upon Acquiror’s Affiliates, the Sponsors, their respective Affiliates or any investment funds or investment vehicles affiliated with, or managed or advised by, Acquiror’s Affiliates, the Sponsors or any portfolio company (as such term is commonly understood in the private equity industry) or investment of Acquiror’s Affiliates, the Sponsors, or any such investment fund or investment vehicle.

 

8.08          Employee Matters. The Company and the Acquiror shall cooperate in good faith to identify those employees of the Company who shall enter into new employment agreements in a form to be reasonably agreed upon between the Company and the Acquiror to be effective on the Closing Date.

 

8.09          Nasdaq Listing Matters. The Company and Acquiror shall cooperate and use reasonable best efforts to cause the PubCo Common Stock issued in connection with the Transactions to be approved for listing on the Nasdaq as promptly as practicable following the issuance thereof, subject to official notice of issuance, prior to the Closing Date.

 

8.10          Transaction Financing. The Company and the Acquiror shall use their respective commercially reasonable efforts to obtain equity financing (the “Transaction Financing”) on terms mutually agreed by the Company and the Acquiror, in an amount sufficient, when taken together with any available cash of Acquiror and the Company, to consummate the Transactions and to pay the Outstanding Company Expenses and Outstanding Acquiror Expenses. Each party shall keep the other party fully informed of their respective efforts (including the full disclosure and prior notification of the actual or potential sources of financing with which each party discusses the Transaction Financing), and neither party shall enter into a binding agreement with respect to any Transaction Financing except with the written approval of the other Party.

 

Article IX
CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS

 

9.01          Conditions to Obligations of All Parties. The obligations of the parties hereto to consummate, or cause to be consummated, the Merger are subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions, any one or more of which may be waived (if legally permitted) in writing by all of such parties:

 

(a)          HSR Act. The applicable waiting period(s) under the HSR Act in respect of the Transactions shall have expired or been terminated.

 

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(b)          No Prohibition. There shall not have been enacted or promulgated any Governmental Order, statute, rule or regulation enjoining or prohibiting the consummation of the Transactions.

 

(c)          Offer Completion. The Offer shall have been completed in accordance with the terms hereof, the Acquiror Organizational Documents and the Proxy Statement.

 

(d)          Net Tangible Assets. The Acquiror shall not have redeemed shares of Acquiror Common Stock in the Offer in an amount that would cause PubCo to have less than $5,000,001 of net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Exchange Act) upon the consummation of the Merger.

 

(e)          Acquiror Stockholder Approval. The Acquiror Stockholder Approval shall have been obtained.

 

(f)          Listing. PubCo’s Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Transactions shall have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq, subject only to official notice of issuance thereof.

 

(g)          Available Combined Cash. The Available Combined Cash Amount shall equal or exceed $20,000,000.

 

(h)          Transaction Financing. Transaction Financing in the amount of at least $20,000,000 shall have been completed (or shall complete concurrently with the Closing), of which at least $15,000,000 shall be equity financing (excluding equity-linked securities such as convertible debt or debt plus warrants), with no more than $5,000,000 of debt or equity-linked financing, on terms acceptable to the Company.

 

9.02          Additional Conditions to Obligations of Acquiror. The obligations of Acquiror to consummate, or cause to be consummated, the Merger are subject to the satisfaction of the following additional conditions, any one or more of which may be waived in writing by Acquiror:

 

(a)          Representations and Warranties.

 

(i)          Each of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in the first sentence of Section 4.01(a) (Due Incorporation), Section 4.03 (Due Authorization) and Section 4.16 (Brokers’ Fees), in each case shall be true and correct (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, and in such case, shall be true and correct on and as of such earlier date).

 

(ii)          The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 4.20(a) (No Material Adverse Effect) shall be true and correct in all respects as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date.

 

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(iii)          Each of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement (other than the representations and warranties of the Company described in Section 9.02(a)(i) and (ii)) shall be true and correct as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date as though then made (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, and in such case, shall be true and correct on and as of such earlier date), except, in either case, where the failure of such representations and warranties to be so true and correct, individually or in the aggregate, has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(b)          Agreements and Covenants. Each of the covenants of the Company to be performed or complied with as of or prior to the Closing shall have been performed or complied with in all material respects.

 

(c)          Officer’s Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to Acquiror a certificate signed by an officer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, certifying that, to the knowledge and belief of such officer, the conditions specified in Section 9.02(a) and Section 9.02(b) have been fulfilled.

 

(d)          Not more than two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing, Company shall deliver to Acquiror a certificate signed by a duly authorized officer, solely in such capacity and not in its personal capacity (the “Company Financing Certificate”) setting forth the total amount of cash available in any bank account of the Company.

 

(e)          Lock-up Agreement. The Company shall cause each Company Stockholder holding (as of immediately prior to the Closing) more than 5% of equity capital of the Company to deliver to Acquiror a counterpart of the Lock-up Agreement, duly executed by PubCo, which shall be effective immediately at the Closing.

 

(f)          Employment Agreement. The Company shall cause each executive officer and management to deliver a counterpart of an employment agreement customary for executive officer and management for a public company, duly executed by PubCo, which shall be effective immediately at the Closing.

 

9.03          Additional Conditions to the Obligations of the Company. The obligation of the Company to consummate the Merger is subject to the satisfaction of the following additional conditions, any one or more of which may be waived in writing by the Company:

 

(a)          Representations and Warranties.

 

(i)          Each of the representations and warranties of Acquiror and Merger Sub contained in this Agreement (other than the representations and warranties of Acquiror and Merger Sub contained in Section 5.15 (Capitalization)) (without giving effect to any limitation as to “materiality”, “material adverse effect” or any similar limitation set forth therein) shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date, as if made anew at and as of that time, except with respect to representations and warranties which speak as to an earlier date, which representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects at and as of such date.

 

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(ii)          The representations and warranties of Acquiror and Merger Sub contained in Section 5.15 (Capitalization) shall be true and correct in all respects, other than de minimis inaccuracies as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date (immediately prior to the effectiveness of the PubCo Charter), as if made anew at and as of that time.

 

(b)          Agreements and Covenants. Each of the covenants of Acquiror to be performed or complied with as of or prior to the Closing shall have been performed or complied with in all material respects.

 

(c)          Officer’s Certificate. Acquiror and Merger Sub shall have delivered to the Company a certificate signed by an authorized officer, respectively, dated the Closing Date, certifying that, to the knowledge and belief of such officer, the conditions specified in Section 9.03(a) and Section 9.03(b), as applicable, have been fulfilled.

 

(d)          Not more than two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing, Acquiror shall deliver to the Company a certificate signed by a duly authorized officer, solely in such capacity and not in its personal capacity (the “Acquiror Financing Certificate”) setting forth the amount of cash available in the Trust Account immediately prior to the Closing (after payment of amounts due to Redeeming Stockholders, Outstanding Acquiror Expenses and Outstanding Company Expenses).

 

(e)          PubCo Charter. The Certificate of Incorporation shall be amended and restated in the form of the PubCo Charter.

 

Article X
TERMINATION/EFFECTIVENESS

 

10.01          Termination. This Agreement may be terminated and the transactions contemplated hereby abandoned:

 

(a)          by written consent of the Company and Acquiror;

 

(b)          prior to the Closing, by written notice to the Company from Acquiror if (i) there is any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement on the part of the Company set forth in this Agreement, such that the conditions specified in Section 9.02(a) or Section 9.02(b) would not be satisfied at the Closing (a “Terminating Company Breach”), except that, if such Terminating Company Breach is curable by the Company through the exercise of its commercially reasonable efforts, then, for a period of up to 30 days (or any shorter period of the time that remains between the date Acquiror provides written notice of such violation or breach and the Termination Date) after receipt by the Company of notice from Acquiror of such breach, but only as long as the Company continues to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cure such Terminating Company Breach (the “Company Cure Period”), such termination shall not be effective, and such termination shall become effective only if the Terminating Company Breach is not cured within the Company Cure Period, (ii) the Closing has not occurred on or before January 19, 2023 (such applicable date, the “Termination Date”), unless a later date has been approved by the shareholders of Acquiror to complete a Business Combination, or (iii) the consummation of the Merger is permanently enjoined or prohibited by the terms of a final, non-appealable Governmental Order or a statute, rule or regulation; provided that the right to terminate this Agreement under Section 10.01(b)(ii) shall not be available if the failure of Acquiror or Merger Sub to fulfill any obligation under this Agreement has been the primary cause of, or primarily resulted in, the failure of the Closing to occur on or before such date; provided further that the right to terminate this Agreement under Section 10.01(b)(ii) shall not be available if Acquiror has materially breached its obligations under Section 7.04;

 

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(c)          prior to the Closing, by written notice to Acquiror from the Company if (i) there is any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement on the part of Acquiror or Merger Sub set forth in this Agreement, such that the conditions specified in Section 9.03(a) or Section 9.03(b) would not be satisfied at the Closing (a “Terminating Acquiror Breach”), except that, if any such Terminating Acquiror Breach is curable by Acquiror or Merger Sub, as applicable, through the exercise of its commercially reasonable efforts, then, for a period of up to 30 days (or any shorter period of the time that remains between the date the Company provides written notice of such violation or breach and the Termination Date) after receipt by Acquiror of notice from the Company of such breach, but only as long as Acquiror or Merger Sub, as applicable, continues to exercise such commercially reasonable efforts to cure such Terminating Acquiror Breach (the “Acquiror Cure Period”), such termination shall not be effective, and such termination shall become effective only if the Terminating Acquiror Breach is not cured within the Acquiror Cure Period, (ii) the Closing has not occurred on or before the Termination Date, (iii) the consummation of the Merger is permanently enjoined or prohibited by the terms of a final, non-appealable Governmental Order or a statute, rule or regulation; provided, that the right to terminate this Agreement under Section 10.01(c)(ii) shall not be available if the Company’s failure to fulfill any obligation under this Agreement has been the primary cause of, or primarily resulted in, the failure of the Closing to occur on or before such date;

 

(d)          by written notice from either the Company or Acquiror to the other if the Acquiror Stockholder Approval is not obtained at the Special Meeting (subject to any adjournment or recess of the meeting); or

 

(e)          by written notice from the Company if the written consent of the Acquiror, as the sole stockholder of Merger Sub, referred to in Section 7.10 shall not have been delivered to the Company within ten (10) Business Days following the date of this Agreement.

 

10.02          Effect of Termination. Except as otherwise set forth in this Section 10.02, in the event of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 10.01, this Agreement shall forthwith become void and have no effect, without any liability on the part of any party hereto or its respective Affiliates, officers, directors, employees or stockholders, other than liability of any party hereto for any Willful Breach of this Agreement by such party occurring prior to such termination subject to Section 6.05. The provisions of Sections 6.05, 8.04, 10.02 and Article XI (collectively, the “Surviving Provisions”) and the Confidentiality Agreement, and any other Section or Article of this Agreement referenced in the Surviving Provisions, which are required to survive in order to give appropriate effect to the Surviving Provisions, shall in each case survive any termination of this Agreement.

 

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Article XI
MISCELLANEOUS

 

11.01          Waiver. Any party to this Agreement may, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law at any time prior to the Closing and before or after stockholder adoption of this Agreement, by action taken by its board of directors, or officers thereunto duly authorized, waive any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement, or by action taken by its board of directors and without further action on the part of its stockholders to the extent permitted by applicable law, agree to an amendment or modification to this Agreement in the manner contemplated by Section 11.10 and by an agreement in writing executed in the same manner (but not necessarily by the same Persons) as this Agreement.

 

11.02          Notices. All notices and other communications among the parties shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) when delivered in person, (ii) when delivered after posting in the United States mail having been sent registered or certified mail return receipt requested, postage prepaid, (iii) when delivered by FedEx or other nationally recognized overnight delivery service) or (iv) when e-mailed during normal business hours (and otherwise as of the immediately following Business Day), addressed as follows:

 

(a)           If to Acquiror or Merger Sub, to:

TradeUP Acquisision Corp.

437 Madison Avenue, 27th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Attention: Weiguang Yang

E-mail: yangweiguang@mdmooc.org

 

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

Robinson & Cole LLP

Chrysler East Building

666 Third Avenue, 20th Floor

New York, New York 10017

 

Attn: Arila Zhou

           Anna Jinhua Wang

Email: azhou@rc.com

         awang@rc.com

 

(b)          If to the Company to:

 

Estrella Biopharma, Inc.

5858 Horton Street, Suite 170

Emeryville, CA 94608

Attention: Cheng Liu

Email: cheng.liu@estrellabio.com

 

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

 

Winston & Strawn LLP

800 Capitol Street, Suite 2400

Houston, TX 77002

Attn: Mike Blankenship

James Brown

Louis Savage

Email: MBlankenship@winston.com

JBrown@winston.com

LSavage@winston.com

 

or to such other address or addresses as the parties may from time to time designate in writing.

 

11.03          Assignment. No party hereto shall assign this Agreement or any part hereof without the prior written consent of the other parties. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns. Any attempted assignment in violation of the terms of this Section 11.03 shall be null and void, ab initio.

 

11.04          Rights of Third Parties. Nothing expressed or implied in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any Person, other than the parties hereto, any right or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing (a) in the event the Closing occurs, the present and former officers and directors of the Company and Acquiror (and their successors, heirs and representatives) are intended third-party beneficiaries of, and may enforce, Section 8.06 and (b) the past, present and future directors, officers, employees, incorporators, members, partners, stockholders, Affiliates, agents, attorneys, advisors and representatives of the parties, and any Affiliate of any of the foregoing (and their successors, heirs and representatives), are intended third-party beneficiaries of, and may enforce, Sections 11.14.

 

11.05          Expenses. Except as otherwise provided herein (including Section 3.04, Section 8.07(e)) ,Section 8.03(a) and Section 11.17), each party hereto shall bear its own expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions herein contemplated whether or not such transactions shall be consummated, including all fees of its legal counsel, financial advisers and accountants.

 

11.06          Governing Law. This Agreement, the Transactions and all claims or causes of action based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles or rules of conflict of laws to the extent such principles or rules would require or permit the application of Laws of another jurisdiction.

 

11.07          Captions; Counterparts. The captions in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be considered a part of or affect the construction or interpretation of any provision of this Agreement. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

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11.08          Schedules and Exhibits. The Schedules and Exhibits referenced herein are a part of this Agreement as if fully set forth herein. All references herein to Schedules and Exhibits shall be deemed references to such parts of this Agreement, unless the context shall otherwise require. Any disclosure made by a party in the Schedules with reference to any section or schedule of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a disclosure with respect to all other sections or schedules to which such disclosure may apply solely to the extent the relevance of such disclosure is reasonably apparent on the face of the disclosure in such Schedule. Certain information set forth in the Schedules is included solely for informational purposes.

 

11.09          Entire Agreement. This Agreement (together with the Schedules and Exhibits to this Agreement) and that certain Confidentiality Agreement, dated May 23, 2022, between Acquiror and the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”), constitute the entire agreement among the parties relating to the transactions contemplated hereby and supersede any other agreements, whether written or oral, that may have been made or entered into by or among any of the parties hereto or any of their respective Subsidiaries relating to the transactions contemplated hereby. No representations, warranties, covenants, understandings, agreements, oral or otherwise, relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement exist between the parties except as expressly set forth or referenced in this Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement.

 

11.10          Amendments. This Agreement may be amended or modified in whole or in part, only by a duly authorized agreement in writing executed in the same manner as this Agreement and which makes reference to this Agreement. The approval of this Agreement by the stockholders of any of the parties shall not restrict the ability of the board of directors of any of the parties to terminate this Agreement in accordance with Section 10.01 or to cause such party to enter into an amendment to this Agreement pursuant to this Section 11.10.

 

11.11          Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, the other provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. The parties further agree that if any provision contained herein is, to any extent, held invalid or unenforceable in any respect under the Laws governing this Agreement, they shall take any actions necessary to render the remaining provisions of this Agreement valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by Law and, to the extent necessary, shall amend or otherwise modify this Agreement to replace any provision contained herein that is held invalid or unenforceable with a valid and enforceable provision giving effect to the intent of the parties.

 

11.12          Jurisdiction; WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY. Any Action based upon, arising out of or related to this Agreement, or the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court declines to exercise jurisdiction, any federal or state court located in the State of Delaware, and each of the parties irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of each such court in any such Action, waives any objection it may now or hereafter have to personal jurisdiction, venue or to convenience of forum, agrees that all claims in respect of the Action shall be heard and determined only in any such court, and agrees not to bring any Action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any other court. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to affect the right of any party to serve process in any manner permitted by Law, or to commence legal proceedings or otherwise proceed against any other party in any other jurisdiction, in each case, to enforce judgments obtained in any Action brought pursuant to this Section 11.12. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

 

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11.13          Enforcement. The parties agree that irreparable damage for which monetary damages, even if available, would not be an adequate remedy, would occur in the event that the parties do not perform their obligations under the provisions of this Agreement (including failing to take such actions as are required of them hereunder to consummate this Agreement) in accordance with its specified terms or otherwise breach such provisions. The parties acknowledge and agree that (a) the parties shall be entitled to an injunction, specific performance, or other equitable relief, to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof, without proof of damages, prior to the valid termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 10.01, this being in addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled under this Agreement, and (b) the right of specific enforcement is an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and without that right, none of the parties would have entered into this Agreement. Each party agrees that it will not oppose the granting of specific performance and other equitable relief on the basis that the other parties have an adequate remedy at Law or that an award of specific performance is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at Law or equity. The parties acknowledge and agree that any party seeking an injunction to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement in accordance with this Section 11.13(a) shall not be required to provide any bond or other security in connection with any such injunction.

 

11.14          Non-Recourse. This Agreement may only be enforced against, and any claim or cause of action based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may only be brought against, the Named Parties, and then only with respect to the specific obligations set forth herein or in an Ancillary Agreement with respect to such Named Party. Except to the extent a Named Party to this Agreement or an Ancillary Agreement and then only to the extent of the specific obligations undertaken by such Named Party in this Agreement or in the applicable Ancillary Agreement, (a) no past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator, member, partner, stockholder, Affiliate, agent, attorney, advisor or representative or Affiliate of any named party to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, and (b) no past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator, member, partner, stockholder, Affiliate, agent, attorney, advisor or representative or Affiliate of any of the foregoing shall have any liability (whether in contract, tort, equity or otherwise) for any one or more of the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements or other obligations or liabilities of any one or more of the Company, Acquiror or Merger Sub under this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement of or for any claim based on, arising out of, or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

11.15          Nonsurvival of Representations, Warranties and Covenants. Except in the case of Fraud, none of the representations, warranties, covenants, obligations or other agreements in this Agreement or in any certificate, statement or instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement, including any rights arising out of any breach of such representations, warranties, covenants, obligations, agreements and other provisions, shall survive the Closing and shall terminate and expire upon the occurrence of the Effective Time (and there shall be no liability after the Closing in respect thereof), except for (a) those covenants and agreements contained herein or in any Ancillary Agreement that by their terms expressly apply in whole or in part after the Closing and then only with respect to any breaches occurring after the Closing, and (b) this Article XI.

 

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11.16          Acknowledgments. Each of the parties acknowledges and agrees (on its own behalf and on behalf of its respective Affiliates and its and their respective Representatives) that: (i) it has conducted its own independent investigation of the financial condition, results of operations, assets, liabilities, properties and projected operations of the other parties (and their respective Subsidiaries) and has been afforded satisfactory access to the books and records, facilities and personnel of the other parties (and their respective Subsidiaries) for purposes of conducting such investigation; (ii) the Company Representations constitute the sole and exclusive representations and warranties of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby; (iii) the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations constitute the sole and exclusive representations and warranties of Acquiror and Merger Sub; (iv) except for the Company Representations by the Company, the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations by Acquiror and Merger Sub, none of the parties hereto or any other Person makes, or has made, any other express or implied representation or warranty with respect to any party hereto (or any party’s Affiliates) or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and all other representations and warranties of any kind or nature expressed or implied (including (x) regarding the completeness or accuracy of, or any omission to state or to disclose, any information, including in the estimates, projections or forecasts or any other information, document or material provided to or made available to any party hereto or their respective Affiliates or Representatives in certain “data rooms,” management presentations or in any other form in expectation of the Transactions, including meetings, calls or correspondence with management of any party hereto (or any party’s Subsidiaries), and (y) any relating to the future or historical business, condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, prospects, assets or liabilities of any party hereto (or its Subsidiaries), or the quality, quantity or condition of any party’s or its Subsidiaries’ assets) are specifically disclaimed by all parties hereto and their respective Subsidiaries and all other Persons (including the Representatives and Affiliates of any party hereto or its Subsidiaries); and (v) each party hereto and its respective Affiliates and its and their respective Representatives are not relying on and have not relied on, any representations or warranties in connection with the Transactions or otherwise except the Company Representations by the Company, the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations by Acquiror and Merger Sub and the other representations expressly made by a Person in the Sponsor Agreement, and the Lock-Up Agreements (each of which is being made solely by the Person expressly making such representation in the applicable Ancillary Agreement and not by any other Person).

 

11.17          Extension. If Acquiror needs to extend the deadline to complete the Transactions beyond January 19, 2023, the Company, at the request of the Sponsors, shall deposit an amount to be agreed between the parties and based on a reasonable good faith estimate (supported by a detailed budget prepared by Acquiror and subject to approval by the Company) of the expenses to be incurred by the Acquiror in connection with such extension, if any, into the Trust Account of Acquiror in order to effectuate the extension. Such deposit will be evidenced by a promissory note of Acquiror, payable at the Company’s option, in cash or convertible into shares of PubCo Common Stock at $10.00 per share at the Closing.

 

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[signature page follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Acquiror, Merger Sub and the Company have caused this Agreement to be executed and delivered as of the date first written above.

 

  TRADEUP ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:   /s/ Jianwei Li
    Name:  Jianwei Li
    Title: Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chairman

 

  TRADEUP MERGER SUB INC.
     
  By:   /s/ Weiguang Yang
    Name: Weiguang Yang
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

  ESTRELLA BIOPHARMA, INC.
     
  By:   /s/ Cheng Liu
    Name: Cheng Liu
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

[Signature Page to the Agreement and Plan of Merger]

 

   

 

  

Exhibit A

 

FORM OF AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

 

OF

 

ESTRELLA IMMUNOPHARMA, INC.

 

   

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
ARTICLE I STOCKHOLDERS 1
1.1 Place of Meetings 1
1.2 Annual Meeting 1
1.3 Special Meetings 1
1.4 Notice of Meetings 1
1.5 Voting List 2
1.6 Quorum 2
1.7 Adjournments 2
1.8 Voting and Proxies 3
1.9 Action at Meeting 3
1.10 Nomination of Directors 3
1.11 Notice of Business to be Brought Before a Meeting 7
1.12 Conduct of Meetings 10
1.13 Consent in Lieu of Meeting 11
     
ARTICLE II DIRECTORS 12
2.1 General Powers 12
2.2 Number, Election and Term 12
2.3 Chairperson of the Board; Vice Chairperson of the Board 12
2.4 Terms of Office 12
2.5 Quorum 12
2.6 Action at Meeting 12
2.7 Removal 12
2.8 Newly Created Directorships; Vacancies 13
2.9 Resignation 13
2.10 Regular Meetings 13
2.11 Special Meetings 13
2.12 Notice of Special Meetings 13
2.13 Meetings by Conference Communications Equipment 13
2.14 Action by Consent 13
2.15 Committees 13
2.16 Compensation of Directors 14
     
ARTICLE III OFFICERS 14
3.1 Titles 14
3.2 Election 14
3.3 Qualification 14
3.4 Tenure 14
3.5 Resignation and Removal 14
3.6 Vacancies 15
3.7 President; Chief Executive Officer 15
3.8 Vice Presidents 15
3.9 Secretary and Assistant Secretaries 15

 

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3.10 Treasurer and Assistant Treasurers 16
3.11 Salaries 16
3.12 Delegation of Authority 16
     
ARTICLE IV CAPITAL STOCK 16
4.1 Stock Certificates; Uncertificated Shares 16
4.2 Transfers 17
4.3 Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates 17
4.4 Record Date 17
4.5 Regulations 18
     
ARTICLE V GENERAL PROVISIONS 18
5.1 Fiscal Year 18
5.2 Corporate Seal 18
5.3 Waiver of Notice 18
5.4 Voting of Securities 19
5.5 Evidence of Authority 19
5.6 Certificate of Incorporation 19
5.7 Severability 19
5.8 Pronouns 19
5.9 Electronic Transmission 19
     
ARTICLE VI AMENDMENTS 19
     
ARTICLE VII INDEMNIFICATION AND ADVANCEMENT 19
7.1 Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings other than Those by or in the Right of the Corporation 19
7.2 Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings by or in the Right of the Corporation 20
7.3 Authorization of Indemnification 20
7.4 Good Faith Defined 21
7.5 Right of Claimant to Bring Suit 21
7.6 Expenses Payable in Advance 21
7.7 Nonexclusivity of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses 22
7.8 Insurance 22
7.9 Certain Definitions 22
7.10 Survival of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses 22
7.11 Limitation on Indemnification 23
7.12 Contract Rights 23

 

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ARTICLE I

STOCKHOLDERS

 

1.1           Place of Meetings. All meetings of stockholders shall be held at such place, if any, as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Estrella Immunopharma, Inc. (the “Corporation”), the Chairperson of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer or, if not so designated, at the principal office of the Corporation.

 

1.2           Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of stockholders for the election of directors to succeed those whose terms expire and for the transaction of such other business as may properly be brought before the meeting shall be held on a date and at a time designated by the Board, the Chairperson of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer. The Corporation may postpone, recess, reschedule or cancel any previously scheduled annual meeting of stockholders.

 

1.3           Special Meetings. Special meetings of stockholders for any purpose or purposes may be called at any time by only the Board, the Chairperson of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer, and may not be called by any other person or persons; provided that, prior to the Final Conversion Date (as defined in the Certificate of Incorporation), special meetings of stockholders for any purpose or purposes may also be called by or at the request of stockholders of the Corporation collectively holding shares of capital stock of the Corporation with voting power sufficient to provide the Requisite Stockholder Consent (as defined in the Certificate of Incorporation). Business transacted at any special meeting of stockholders shall be limited to matters relating to the purpose or purposes stated in the notice of meeting. The Corporation may postpone, reschedule or cancel any previously scheduled meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that with respect to any special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation previously scheduled at the request of the Requisite Stockholder Consent, the Corporation shall not postpose, reschedule or cancel any such special meeting without the prior written consent of the stockholders who comprised the Requisite Stockholder Consent.

 

1.4           Notice of Meetings. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, notice of each meeting of stockholders, whether annual or special, shall be given not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting. Without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given to stockholders, any notice to stockholders given by the Corporation shall be effective if given by electronic transmission in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). The notices of all meetings shall state the place, if any, date and time of the meeting, the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxyholders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting, and the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting (if such date is different from the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting). The notice of a special meeting shall state, in addition, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. If notice is given by mail, such notice shall be deemed given when deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, directed to the stockholder at such stockholder’s address as it appears on the records of the Corporation. If notice is given by electronic transmission, such notice shall be deemed given at the time specified in Section 232 of the DGCL.

 

   

 

  

1.5           Voting List. The Corporation shall prepare, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting (provided, however, if the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote is less than ten (10) days before the date of the meeting, the list shall reflect the stockholders entitled to vote as of the tenth day before the meeting date), arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder; provided, that such list shall not be required to contain the electronic mail address or other electronic contact information of any stockholder. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, for a period of at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting: (a) on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting, or (b) during ordinary business hours, at the principal place of business of the Corporation. If the meeting is to be held at a place, then the list shall also be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be examined by any stockholder who is present. If the meeting is to be held solely by means of remote communication, then such list shall also be open to the examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of the meeting. Except as otherwise provided by law, the stock ledger contemplated by this Section 1.5 shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the list of stockholders required by this Section 1.5 or entitled to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of stockholders.

 

1.6           Quorum. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, at each meeting of stockholders the holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of the capital stock of the Corporation issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business; provided, however, that where a separate vote by a class or classes or series of capital stock is required by law or the Certificate of Incorporation, the holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of such class or classes or series of the capital stock of the Corporation issued and outstanding and entitled to vote on such matter, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum entitled to take action with respect to the vote on such matter. A quorum, once established at a meeting, shall not be broken by the withdrawal of enough votes to leave less than a quorum.

 

1.7           Adjournments. Any meeting of stockholders may be adjourned from time to time to any other time and to the same or some other place at which a meeting of stockholders may be held under these Bylaws by the Board, the chairperson of the meeting or, if directed to be voted on by the chairperson of the meeting, by a majority of the votes cast by stockholders present or represented at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon, although less than a quorum. It shall not be necessary to notify any stockholder of any adjournment of thirty (30) days or less if the time and place of the adjourned meeting, and the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxyholders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting, are announced at the meeting at which adjournment is taken, unless after the adjournment a new record date is fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting (in which case the Board shall fix the same or an earlier date as the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting and shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to each stockholder of record as of such date). At the adjourned meeting, the Corporation may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting.

 

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1.8           Voting and Proxies. Each stockholder of record entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders may vote in person or may authorize another person or persons to vote for such stockholder by proxy. Except as otherwise limited therein, proxies shall entitle the persons authorized thereby to vote at any adjournment of such meeting. Proxies shall be filed with the Secretary of the Corporation. No such proxy shall be voted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy expressly provides for a longer period. A proxy may be irrevocable if it states that it is irrevocable and if, and only as long as, it is coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable power, regardless of whether the interest with which it is coupled is an interest in the stock itself or an interest in the Corporation generally. A stockholder may revoke any proxy which is not irrevocable by attending the meeting and voting in person or by filing an instrument in writing revoking the proxy or another duly executed proxy bearing a later date with the Secretary of the Corporation.

 

1.9           Action at Meeting. When a quorum is present at any meeting, any matter other than the election of directors to be voted upon by the stockholders at such meeting shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast by the holders of all of the shares of stock present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and voting affirmatively or negatively on such matter (or if one or more class, classes or series of stock are entitled to vote as a separate class or series, then a majority of the votes cast by the holders of the shares of stock of such class, classes or series entitled to vote as a separate class or series present or represented by proxy at the meeting and voting affirmatively or negatively on such matter), except when a different or minimum vote is required by law, regulation applicable to the Corporation or its securities, the rules or regulations of any stock exchange applicable to the Corporation, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, in which case such different or minimum vote shall be the required vote on such matter. When a quorum is present at any meeting, in any election by stockholders of directors other than in a contested election, directors shall be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast in favor or against the election of a nominee at a meeting of stockholders. In a contested election, (i) the directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of stockholders by the holders of stock entitled to vote in such election, and (ii) stockholders shall not be permitted to vote against a nominee. An election shall be considered contested if, as of the tenth (10th) day preceding the date on which the Corporation first mails its notice of meeting for such meeting to the stockholders of the Corporation, there are more nominees for election than directorships on the Board to be filled by election at the meeting.

 

1.10         Nomination of Directors

 

(A)          Except for any directors entitled to be elected by the holders of preferred stock, at any meeting of stockholders, only persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures in this Section 1.10 shall be eligible for election as directors. Nominations of persons for election to the Board at an annual meeting of stockholders or a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting may be made (i) by or at the direction of the Board or any duly authorized committee thereof or (ii) by any stockholder of the Corporation who (x) timely complies with the notice procedures in Section 1.10(B), (y) is a stockholder of record on the date of the giving of such notice and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and (z) is entitled to vote at such meeting and on such election. 

 

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(B)         To be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received in writing by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation as follows: (i) in the case of an election of directors at an annual meeting of stockholders, not less than ninety (90) days nor more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting (which date of the preceding year’s annual meeting shall, for purposes of Sections 1.10 and 1.11 hereof with respect to the Corporation’s first annual meeting of stockholders following the [listing of its shares on a national securities exchange], be deemed to have occurred on _________ ___, 20__1) ; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than thirty (30) days, or delayed by more than seventy (70), from the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a stockholder’s notice must be so received not earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (A) the 90th day prior to such annual meeting and (B) the tenth day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting is first made; or (ii) in the case of an election of directors at a special meeting of stockholders, provided that directors are to be elected at such special meeting as set forth in the Corporation’s notice of meeting and provided further that the nomination made by the stockholder is for one of the director positions that the notice of meeting states will be filled at such special meeting, not earlier than the 120th day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (x) the 90th day prior to such special meeting and (y) the tenth day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such special meeting for the election of directors is first made. The number of nominees a stockholder may nominate for election at a meeting (or in the case of a stockholder giving the notice on behalf of a beneficial owner, the number of nominees a stockholder may nominate for election at the meeting on behalf of such beneficial owner) shall not exceed the number of directors to be elected at such meeting. In no event shall the adjournment or postponement of a meeting (or the public disclosure thereof) commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice. 

 

 

1 Note to Draft: This provision will only be needed if SPAC does not have an annual meeting in 2022.

 

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The stockholder’s notice to the Secretary shall set forth: (A) as to each proposed nominee (1) such person’s name, age, business address and, if known, residence address, (2) such person’s principal occupation or employment, (3) the class(es) and series and number of shares of stock of the Corporation that are, directly or indirectly, owned, beneficially or of record, by such person, (4) a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements and understandings during the past three years, and any other material relationships, between or among (x) the stockholder, the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is being made and the respective affiliates and associates of, or others acting in concert with, such stockholder and such beneficial owner, on the one hand, and (y) each proposed nominee, and his or her respective affiliates and associates, or others acting in concert with such nominee(s), on the other hand, including all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K if the stockholder making the nomination and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is made or any affiliate or associate thereof or person acting in concert therewith were the “registrant” for purposes of such Item and the proposed nominee were a director or executive officer of such registrant, and (5) any other information concerning such person that must be disclosed as to nominees in proxy solicitations pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); and (B) as to the stockholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is being made (1) the name and address of such stockholder, as they appear on the corporation’s books, and of such beneficial owner, (2) the class(es) and series and number of shares of stock of the corporation that are, directly or indirectly, owned, beneficially or of record, by such stockholder and such beneficial owner, (3) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding between or among such stockholder and/or such beneficial owner and each proposed nominee and any other person or persons (including their names) pursuant to which the nomination(s) are being made or who may participate in the solicitation of proxies in favor of electing such nominee(s), (4) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any derivative or short positions, swaps, profit interests, options, warrants, convertible securities, stock appreciation or similar rights, hedging transactions, and borrowed or loaned shares) that has been entered into by, or on behalf of, such stockholder or such beneficial owner, the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to, manage risk or benefit of share price changes for, or increase or decrease the voting power of, such stockholder or such beneficial owner with respect to shares of stock of the Corporation, (5) any other information relating to such stockholder and such beneficial owner that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for the election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, (6) a representation that such stockholder is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting and on such election and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the person(s) named in its notice and (7) a representation whether such stockholder and/or such beneficial owner intends or is part of a group which intends (x) to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation’s outstanding capital stock reasonably believed by such stockholder or such beneficial owner to be sufficient to elect the nominee (and such representation shall be included in any such proxy statement and form of proxy) and/or (y) otherwise to solicit proxies or votes from stockholders in support of such nomination (and such representation shall be included in any such solicitation materials). Not later than ten (10) days after the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, the information required by Items (A)(1)-(5) and (B)(1)-(5) of the prior sentence shall be supplemented by the stockholder giving the notice to provide updated information as of such record date. In addition, to be effective, the stockholder’s notice must be accompanied by the written consent of the proposed nominee to serve as a director if elected and to being named in the Corporation’s proxy statement and associated proxy card as a nominee of the stockholder. The Corporation may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as the Corporation may reasonably require to, among other things, determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a director of the Corporation or whether such nominee would be independent under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission and stock exchange rules and the Corporation’s publicly disclosed corporate governance guidelines, as applicable. A stockholder shall not have complied with this Section 1.10(B) if the stockholder (or beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made) solicits or does not solicit, as the case may be, proxies or votes in support of such stockholder’s nominee in contravention of the representations with respect thereto required by this Section 1.10.

 

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(C)         The chairperson of any meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether a nomination was made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 1.10 (including whether the stockholder or beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made solicited (or is part of a group which solicited) or did not so solicit, as the case may be, proxies in support of such stockholder’s nominee in compliance with the representations with respect thereto required by this Section 1.10), and if the chairperson should determine that a nomination was not made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 1.10, the chairperson shall so declare to the meeting and such nomination shall not be brought before the meeting. Without limiting the foregoing, in advance of any meeting of stockholders, the Board shall also have the power to determine whether any nomination was made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 1.10 (including whether the stockholder or beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made solicited (or is part of a group which solicited) or did not so solicit, as the case may be, proxies in support of such stockholder’s nominee in compliance with the representations with respect thereto required by this Section 1.10). 

 

(D)         Except as otherwise required by law, nothing in this Section 1.10 shall obligate the Corporation or the Board to include in any proxy statement or other stockholder communication distributed on behalf of the Corporation or the Board information with respect to any nominee for director submitted by a stockholder. 

  

(E)         Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 1.10, unless otherwise required by law, if the stockholder (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the meeting to present a nomination, such nomination shall not be brought before the meeting, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such nominee may have been received by the Corporation. For purposes of this Article I, to be considered a “qualified representative” of the stockholder, a person must be authorized by a written instrument executed by such stockholder or an electronic transmission delivered by such stockholder to act for such stockholder as proxy at the meeting of stockholders and such person must produce such written instrument or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the written instrument or electronic transmission, at the meeting of stockholders. 

 

(F)         For purposes of this Article I, “public disclosure” shall include disclosure in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable national news service or in a document publicly filed by the corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. 

 

(G)         Notwithstanding anything in this Section 1.10 to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board at any annual meeting is increased effective after the time period for which nominations would otherwise be due under Section 1.10(B) and there is no public disclosure by the Corporation naming the nominees for the additional directorships at least one hundred (100) days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a stockholder’s notice required by Section 1.10(B) with respect to nominations for such annual meeting shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for the additional directorships, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which such public disclosure is first made by the Corporation.

 

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1.11         Notice of Business to be Brought Before a Meeting.

  

(A)         At an annual meeting of the stockholders, only such business shall be conducted as shall have been properly brought before the meeting. To be properly brought before an annual meeting, business (other than the nominations of persons for election to the Board) must constitute a proper matter for stockholder action and must be (i) specified in a notice of meeting given by or at the direction of the Board or any duly authorized committee thereof, (ii) if not specified in a notice of meeting, otherwise brought before the meeting by the Board or any duly authorized committee thereof or the Chairperson of the Board or (iii) otherwise properly brought before the meeting by a stockholder who (A) (1) was a stockholder of record of the Corporation both at the time of giving the notice provided for in this Section 1.11 and at the time of the meeting, (2) is entitled to vote at the meeting, and (3) has complied with this Section 1.11 in all applicable respects or (B) properly made such proposal in compliance with Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act. The foregoing clause (iii) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to propose business to be brought before an annual meeting of the stockholders. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, unless otherwise required by law, if a stockholder seeking to bring business before an annual meeting pursuant to clause (iii) of this Section 1.11(A) (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the meeting to present the proposed business, such proposed business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such proposed business may have been received by the Corporation. 

 

(B)         Without qualification, for business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder, the stockholder must (i) provide Timely Notice (as defined below) thereof in writing and in proper form to the Secretary of the Corporation and (ii) provide any updates or supplements to such notice at the times and in the forms required by this Section 1.11. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be delivered to, or mailed and received at, the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than ninety (90) days nor more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the one-year anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that if the date of the annual meeting is more than thirty (30) days before or more than seventy (70) days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered, or mailed and received, not later than the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or, if later, the tenth day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting was first made (such notice within such time periods, “Timely Notice”). In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or the announcement thereof commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of Timely Notice as described above. 

 

(C)         To be in proper form for purposes of this Section 1.11, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary shall set forth: 

 

(i)          As to each Proposing Person (as defined below), (A) the name and address of such Proposing Person (including, if applicable, the name and address that appear on the Corporation’s books and records); and (B) the class(es) and series and number of shares of the Corporation that are, directly or indirectly, owned of record and beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) by such Proposing Person, except that such Proposing Person shall in all events be deemed to beneficially own any shares of any class or series of the Corporation as to which such Proposing Person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time in the future (the disclosures to be made pursuant to the foregoing clauses (A) and (B) are referred to as “Stockholder Information”); 

 

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(ii)         As to each Proposing Person, (A) the full notional amount of any securities that, directly or indirectly, underlie any “derivative security” (as such term is defined in Rule 16a-1(c) under the Exchange Act) that constitutes a “call equivalent position” (as such term is defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) (“Synthetic Equity Position”) and that is, directly or indirectly, held or maintained by such Proposing Person with respect to any shares of any class(es) or series of shares of the Corporation; provided that, for the purposes of the definition of “Synthetic Equity Position,” the term “derivative security” shall also include any security or instrument that would not otherwise constitute a “derivative security” as a result of any feature that would make any conversion, exercise or similar right or privilege of such security or instrument becoming determinable only at some future date or upon the happening of a future occurrence, in which case the determination of the amount of securities into which such security or instrument would be convertible or exercisable shall be made assuming that such security or instrument is immediately convertible or exercisable at the time of such determination; and, provided, further, that any Proposing Person satisfying the requirements of Rule 13d-1(b)(1) under the Exchange Act (other than a Proposing Person that so satisfies Rule 13d-1(b)(1) under the Exchange Act solely by reason of Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E)) shall not be deemed to hold or maintain the notional amount of any securities that underlie a Synthetic Equity Position held by such Proposing Person as a hedge with respect to a bona fide derivatives trade or position of such Proposing Person arising in the ordinary course of such Proposing Person’s business as a derivatives dealer, (B) any rights to dividends on the shares of any class or series of shares of the Corporation owned beneficially by such Proposing Person that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation, (C) any material pending or threatened legal proceeding in which such Proposing Person is a party or material participant involving the Corporation or any of its officers or directors, or any affiliate of the Corporation, (D) any other material relationship between such Proposing Person, on the one hand, and the Corporation and any affiliate of the Corporation, on the other hand, (E) any direct or indirect material interest in any material contract or agreement of such Proposing Person with the Corporation or any affiliate of the Corporation (including, in any such case, any employment agreement, collective bargaining agreement or consulting agreement), (F) a representation that such stockholder is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such business, (G) a representation that such Proposing Person intends or is part of a group which intends to deliver a proxy statement or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation’s outstanding capital stock required to approve or adopt the proposal or otherwise solicit proxies from stockholders in support of such proposal and (H) any other information relating to such Proposing Person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies or consents by such Proposing Person in support of the business proposed to be brought before the meeting pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act (the disclosures to be made pursuant to the foregoing clauses (A) through (G) are referred to as “Disclosable Interests”); provided, however, that Disclosable Interests shall not include any such disclosures with respect to the ordinary course business activities of any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is a Proposing Person solely as a result of being the stockholder directed to prepare and submit the notice required by these Bylaws on behalf of a beneficial owner; and

 

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(iii)        As to each item of business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting, (A) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting and any material interest in such business of each Proposing Person, (B) the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and in the event that such business includes a proposal to amend these Bylaws, the language of the proposed amendment), and (C) a reasonably detailed description of all agreements, arrangements and understandings (x) between or among any of the Proposing Persons or (y) between or among any Proposing Person and any other record or beneficial holder(s) of shares of capital stock of the Corporation or persons(s) who have a right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time in the future of the shares of any class or series of the Corporation (including their names), in connection with the proposal of such business by such stockholder; and (D) any other information relating to such item of business that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies in support of the business proposed to be brought before the meeting pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that the disclosures required by this paragraph (iii) shall not include any disclosures with respect to any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is a Proposing Person solely as a result of being the stockholder directed to prepare and submit the notice required by these Bylaws on behalf of a beneficial owner. 

 

For purposes of this Section 1.11, the term “Proposing Person” shall mean (i) the stockholder providing the notice of business proposed to be brought before an annual meeting, (ii) the beneficial owner or beneficial owners, if different, on whose behalf the notice of the business proposed to be brought before the annual meeting is made, and (iii) any participant (as defined in paragraphs (a)(ii)-(vi) of Instruction 3 to Item 4 of Schedule 14A) with such stockholder in such solicitation. 

 

(D)         A Proposing Person shall update and supplement its notice to the Corporation of its intent to propose business at an annual meeting, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice pursuant to this Section 1.11 shall be true and correct as of the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting and as of the date that is ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to, or mailed and received by, the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than five (5) business days after the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of such record date), and not later than eight (8) business days prior to the date for the meeting or, if practicable, any adjournment or postponement thereof (and, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the date to which the meeting has been adjourned or postponed) (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof). For the avoidance of doubt, the obligation to update and supplement as set forth in this paragraph or any other Section of these Bylaws shall not limit the Corporation’s rights with respect to any deficiencies in any notice provided by a stockholder, extend any applicable deadlines hereunder or enable or be deemed to permit a stockholder who has previously submitted notice hereunder to amend or update any proposal or to submit any new proposal, including by changing or adding matters, business or resolutions proposed to be brought before a meeting of the stockholders.

 

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(E)         Notwithstanding anything in these Bylaws to the contrary, no business shall be conducted at an annual meeting that is not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with this Section 1.11. The chairperson of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether any proposed business was brought in accordance with the provisions of this Section 1.11, and if the chairperson should determine that the business was not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with this Section 1.11, the chairperson shall so declare to the meeting and any such business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted. Without limiting the foregoing, in advance of any meeting of stockholders, the Board shall also have the power to determine whether any proposed business was made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 1.11. 

 

(F)         This Section 1.11 is expressly intended to apply to any business proposed to be brought before an annual meeting of stockholders other than any proposal made in accordance with Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and included in the Corporation’s proxy statement. In addition to the requirements of this Section 1.11 with respect to any business proposed to be brought before an annual meeting of stockholders, each Proposing Person shall comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act with respect to any such business. Nothing in this Section 1.11 shall be deemed to affect the rights of stockholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.

 

1.12         Conduct of Meetings

 

(A)          Meetings of stockholders shall be presided over by the Chairperson of the Board, if any, or in the Chairperson’s absence by the Vice Chairperson of the Board, if any, or in the Vice Chairperson’s absence by the Chief Executive Officer, or in the Chief Executive Officer’s absence, by the President, or in the President’s absence by a Vice President, or in the absence of all of the foregoing persons by a chairperson designated by the Board. The Secretary shall act as secretary of the meeting, but in the Secretary’s absence the chairperson of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting. 

 

(B)         The Board may adopt by resolution such rules, regulations and procedures for the conduct of any meeting of stockholders of the Corporation as it shall deem appropriate including, without limitation, such guidelines and procedures as it may deem appropriate regarding the participation by means of remote communication of stockholders and proxyholders not physically present at a meeting. Except to the extent inconsistent with such rules, regulations and procedures as adopted by the Board, the chairperson of any meeting of stockholders shall have the right and authority to convene and (for any or no reason) to recess and/or adjourn the meeting, to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairperson, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board or prescribed by the chairperson of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following: (i) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (ii) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (iii) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such other persons as shall be determined; (iv) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; and (v) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants. Unless and to the extent determined by the Board or the chairperson of the meeting, meetings of stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.

 

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(C)         The chairperson of the meeting shall announce at the meeting when the polls for each matter to be voted upon at the meeting will be opened and closed. After the polls close, no ballots, proxies or votes or any revocations or changes thereto may be accepted. 

 

(D)         In advance of any meeting of stockholders, the Board, the Chairperson of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer shall appoint one or more inspectors of election to act at the meeting and make a written report thereof. One or more other persons may be designated as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspector or alternate is present, ready and willing to act at a meeting of stockholders, the chairperson of the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Unless otherwise required by law, inspectors may be officers, employees or agents of the Corporation. Each inspector, before entering upon the discharge of such inspector’s duties, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of such inspector’s ability. The inspector shall have the duties prescribed by law and, when the vote is completed, shall certify their determination of the result of the vote taken and of such other facts as may be required by law. Every vote taken by ballots shall be counted by a duly appointed inspector or duly appointed inspectors.

 

1.13         Consent in Lieu of Meeting. 

 

(A)         Unless otherwise provided by the Certificate of Incorporation or required by law, regulation applicable to the Corporation and its action, any action required to be taken at any meeting of stockholders, or any action which may be taken at any meeting of such stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock entitled to vote thereon having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. 

 

(B)         Every written consent shall bear the date of signature of each stockholder who signs the consent, and no written consent shall be effective to take the corporate action referred to therein unless, within 60 days of the earliest dated consent delivered in the manner required by this section and the DGCL to the Corporation, written consents signed by a sufficient number of holders entitled to vote to take action are delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in Delaware, its principal place of business or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.

 

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ARTICLE II

DIRECTORS

 

2.1           General Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board, who may exercise all of the powers of the Corporation except as otherwise provided by law or the Certificate of Incorporation.

 

2.2           Number, Election and Term. The total number of directors constituting the Board shall be as fixed in, or in the manner provided by, the Certificate of Incorporation. Election of directors need not be by written ballot. The term of office of each director shall be as specified in the Certificate of Incorporation.

 

2.3           Chairperson of the Board; Vice Chairperson of the Board. The Board may appoint from its members a Chairperson of the Board and a Vice Chairperson of the Board, neither of whom need be an employee or officer of the Corporation. If the Board appoints a Chairperson of the Board, such Chairperson shall perform such duties and possess such powers as are assigned by the Board and, if the Chairperson of the Board is also designated as the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer, shall have the powers and duties of the Chief Executive Officer prescribed in Section 3.7 of these Bylaws. If the Board appoints a Vice Chairperson of the Board, such Vice Chairperson shall perform such duties and possess such powers as are assigned by the Board. Unless otherwise provided by the Board, the Chairperson of the Board or, in the Chairperson’s absence, the Vice Chairperson of the Board, if any, shall preside at all meetings of the Board.

 

2.4           Terms of Office. Directors shall be elected for such terms and in the manner provided by the Certificate of Incorporation and applicable law. The term of each director shall continue until the election and qualification of his or her successor and be subject to his or her earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal. For the avoidance of doubt, no decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board shall shorten the term of any incumbent director.

 

2.5           Quorum. The greater of (a) a majority of the directors at any time in office and (b) one-third of the number of directors established by the Board pursuant to Section 2.2 of these Bylaws shall constitute a quorum of the Board. If at any meeting of the Board there shall be less than a quorum, a majority of the directors present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum shall be present.

 

2.6           Action at Meeting. Every act or decision done or made by a majority of the directors present at a meeting duly held at which a quorum is present shall be regarded as the act of the Board, unless a greater number is required by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws.

 

2.7           Removal. Directors of the Corporation may only be removed in the manner specified by the Certificate of Incorporation.

 

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2.8           Newly Created Directorships; Vacancies. Any newly created directorship or vacancy on the Board, however occurring, shall be filled in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation and applicable law.

 

2.9           Resignation. Any director may resign by delivering a resignation in writing or by electronic transmission to the Corporation. Such resignation shall be effective upon delivery unless it is specified to be effective at some later time or upon the happening of some later event.

 

2.10         Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Board may be held without notice at such time and place as shall be determined from time to time by the Board; provided that any director who is absent when such a determination is made shall be given notice of the determination. A regular meeting of the Board may be held without notice immediately after and at the same place as the annual meeting of stockholders.

 

2.11         Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Chairperson of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, or by one director in the event that there is only a single director in office.

 

2.12         Notice of Special Meetings. Notice of the date, place and time of any special meeting of the Board shall be given to each director (a) in person or by telephone at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the meeting, (b) by sending written notice by reputable overnight courier, telecopy, facsimile, electronic mail or other means of electronic transmission, or delivering written notice by hand, to such director’s last known business, home or means of electronic transmission address at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the meeting, or (c) by sending written notice by first-class mail to such director’s last known business or home address at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the meeting. Such notice may be given by the Secretary or by the Chairperson of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or one of the directors calling the meeting. A notice or waiver of notice of a meeting of the Board need not specify the purposes of the meeting.

 

2.13         Meetings by Conference Communications Equipment. Directors may participate in meetings of the Board or any committee thereof by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.

 

2.14         Action by Consent. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board or of any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting, if all members of the Board or committee, as the case may be, consent to the action in writing or by electronic transmission.

 

2.15         Committees. The Board may designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the Corporation with such lawfully delegable powers and duties as the Board thereby confers, to serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Board may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. In the absence or disqualification of a member of a committee, the member or members of the committee present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not such member or members constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board to act at the meeting in the place of any such absent or disqualified member. Any such committee, to the extent provided in the resolution of the Board and subject to the provisions of law, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers which may require it. Each such committee shall keep minutes and make such reports as the Board may from time to time request. Except as otherwise provided in the Certificate of Incorporation, these Bylaws, or the resolution of the Board designating the committee, a committee may create one or more subcommittees, each subcommittee to consist of one or more members of the committee, and delegate to a subcommittee any or all of the powers and authority of the committee.

 

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2.16         Compensation of Directors. Directors may be paid such compensation for their services and such reimbursement for expenses of attendance at meetings as the Board may from time to time determine. No such payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation or any of its parent or subsidiary entities in any other capacity and receiving compensation for such service.

 

ARTICLE III

OFFICERS

 

3.1           Titles. The officers of the Corporation may consist of a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, a Treasurer and a Secretary and such other officers with such other titles as the Board shall from time to time determine. The Board may appoint such other officers, including one or more Vice Presidents and one or more Assistant Treasurers or Assistant Secretaries, as it may deem appropriate from time to time.

 

3.2           Election. The Chief Executive Officer, President, Treasurer and Secretary shall be elected annually by the Board at its first meeting following the annual meeting of stockholders. Other officers may be appointed by the Board at such meeting or at any other meeting.

 

3.3           Qualification. No officer need be a stockholder. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person.

 

3.4           Tenure. Except as otherwise provided by law, by the Certificate of Incorporation or by these Bylaws, each officer shall hold office until such officer’s successor is duly elected and qualified, unless a different term is specified in the resolution electing or appointing such officer, or until such officer’s earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal.

 

3.5           Resignation and Removal. Any officer may resign by delivering a resignation in writing or by electronic transmission to the Corporation. Such resignation shall be effective upon receipt unless it is specified to be effective at some later time or upon the happening of some later event. Any officer may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office. Except as the Board may otherwise determine, no officer who resigns or is removed shall have any right to any compensation as an officer for any period following such officer’s resignation or removal, or any right to damages on account of such removal, whether such officer’s compensation be by the month or by the year or otherwise, unless such compensation is expressly provided for in a duly authorized written agreement with the Corporation.

 

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3.6           Vacancies. The Board may fill any vacancy occurring in any office. Each such successor shall hold office for the unexpired term of such officer’s predecessor and until a successor is duly elected and qualified, or until such officer’s earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal.

 

3.7           President; Chief Executive Officer. Unless the Board has designated another person as the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer, the President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. The Chief Executive Officer shall have general charge and supervision of the business of the Corporation subject to the direction of the Board, and shall perform all duties and have all powers that are commonly incident to the office of chief executive or that are delegated to such officer by the Board. The President shall perform such other duties and shall have such other powers as the Board or the Chief Executive Officer (if the President is not the Chief Executive Officer) may from time to time prescribe. In the event of the absence, inability or refusal to act of the Chief Executive Officer or the President (if the President is not the Chief Executive Officer), the Vice President (or if there shall be more than one, the Vice Presidents in the order determined by the Board) shall perform the duties of the Chief Executive Officer and when so performing such duties shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the Chief Executive Officer.

 

3.8           Vice Presidents. Each Vice President shall perform such duties and possess such powers as the Board or the Chief Executive Officer may from time to time prescribe. The Board may assign to any Vice President the title of Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President or any other title selected by the Board.

 

3.9           Secretary and Assistant Secretaries. The Secretary shall perform such duties and shall have such powers as the Board or the Chief Executive Officer may from time to time prescribe. In addition, the Secretary shall perform such duties and have such powers as are incident to the office of the secretary, including without limitation the duty and power to give notices of all meetings of stockholders and special meetings of the Board, to attend all meetings of stockholders and the Board and keep a record of the proceedings, to maintain a stock ledger and prepare lists of stockholders and their addresses as required, to be custodian of corporate records and the corporate seal and to affix and attest to the same on documents. 

 

Any Assistant Secretary shall perform such duties and possess such powers as the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the Secretary may from time to time prescribe. In the event of the absence, inability or refusal to act of the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary (or if there shall be more than one, the Assistant Secretaries in the order determined by the Board) shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Secretary. 

 

In the absence of the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary at any meeting of stockholders or directors, the chairperson of the meeting shall designate a temporary secretary to keep a record of the meeting.

 

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3.10         Treasurer and Assistant Treasurers. The Treasurer shall perform such duties and shall have such powers as may from time to time be assigned by the Board or the Chief Executive Officer. In addition, the Treasurer shall perform such duties and have such powers as are incident to the office of treasurer, including without limitation the duty and power to keep and be responsible for all funds and securities of the Corporation, to deposit funds of the Corporation in depositories selected in accordance with these Bylaws, to disburse such funds as ordered by the Board, to make proper accounts of such funds, and to render as required by the Board statements of all such transactions and of the financial condition of the Corporation. 

 

The Assistant Treasurers shall perform such duties and possess such powers as the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the Treasurer may from time to time prescribe. In the event of the absence, inability or refusal to act of the Treasurer, the Assistant Treasurer (or if there shall be more than one, the Assistant Treasurers in the order determined by the Board) shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Treasurer.

 

3.11         Salaries. Officers of the Corporation shall be entitled to such salaries, compensation or reimbursement as shall be fixed or allowed from time to time by the Board.

 

3.12         Delegation of Authority. Subject to these Bylaws and any contrary action by the Board, each officer of the Corporation shall have, in addition to the duties and powers specifically set forth in these Bylaws, such duties and powers as are customarily incident to his or her office, and such duties and powers as may be designated from time to time by the Board. In addition, the Board may from time to time delegate the powers or duties of any officer to any other officer or agent, notwithstanding any provision hereof.

 

ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL STOCK

 

4.1           Stock Certificates; Uncertificated Shares. The shares of the Corporation shall be represented by certificates, provided that the Board may provide by resolution or resolutions that some or all of any or all classes or series of the Corporation’s stock shall be uncertificated shares. Any such resolution shall not apply to shares represented by a certificate until such certificate is surrendered to the Corporation. Every holder of stock of the Corporation represented by certificates shall be entitled to have a certificate, in such form as may be prescribed by law and by the Board, representing the number of shares held by such holder registered in certificate form. Each such certificate shall be signed in a manner that complies with Section 158 of the DGCL, and each officer appointed pursuant to Article III shall be an authorized officer for this purpose. 

 

Each certificate for shares of stock which are subject to any restriction on transfer pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation, these Bylaws, applicable securities laws or any agreement among any number of stockholders or among such holders and the Corporation shall have conspicuously noted on the face or back of the certificate either the full text of the restriction or a statement of the existence of such restriction.

 

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If the Corporation shall be authorized to issue more than one class of stock or more than one series of any class, the powers, designations, preferences and relative participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights shall be set forth in full or summarized on the face or back of each certificate representing shares of such class or series of stock, provided that in lieu of the foregoing requirements there may be set forth on the face or back of each certificate representing shares of such class or series of stock a statement that the Corporation will furnish without charge to each stockholder who so requests the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights. 

 

Within a reasonable time after the issuance or transfer of uncertificated shares, the registered owner thereof shall be given a notice, in writing or by electronic transmission, containing the information required to be set forth or stated on certificates pursuant to Sections 151, 156, 202(a) or 218(a) of the DGCL or, with respect to Section 151 of the DGCL, a statement that the Corporation will furnish without charge to each stockholder who so requests the powers, designations, preferences and relative participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights.

 

4.2           Transfers. Shares of stock of the Corporation shall be transferable in the manner prescribed by law, the Certificate of Incorporation and in these Bylaws. Transfers of shares of stock of the Corporation shall be made only on the books of the Corporation or by transfer agents designated to transfer shares of stock of the Corporation. Subject to applicable law, shares of stock represented by certificates shall be transferred only on the books of the Corporation by the surrender to the Corporation or its transfer agent of the certificate representing such shares properly endorsed or accompanied by a written assignment or power of attorney properly executed, and with such proof of authority or the authenticity of signature as the Corporation or its transfer agent may reasonably require. Except as may be otherwise required by law, by the Certificate of Incorporation or by these Bylaws, the Corporation shall be entitled to treat the record holder of stock as shown on its books as the owner of such stock for all purposes, including the payment of dividends and the right to vote with respect to such stock, regardless of any transfer, pledge or other disposition of such stock until the shares have been transferred on the books of the Corporation in accordance with the requirements of these Bylaws.

 

4.3           Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates. The Corporation may issue a new certificate or uncertificated shares in place of any previously issued certificate alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon such terms and conditions as the Board may prescribe, including the presentation of reasonable evidence of such loss, theft or destruction and the giving of such indemnity and posting of such bond sufficient to indemnify the Corporation against any claim that may be made against it on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of any such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate or uncertificated shares.

 

4.4           Record Date. The Board may fix in advance a date as a record date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to notice of any meeting of stockholders, or entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock, or for the purpose of any other lawful action. Such record date shall not precede the date on which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and such record date shall not be more than sixty (60) nor less than ten (10) days before the date of such meeting, nor more than sixty (60) days prior to any other action to which such record date relates. If the Board so fixes a record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of any meeting of stockholders, such date shall also be the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting unless the Board determines, at the time it fixes such record date, that a later date on or before the date of the meeting shall be the date for making such determination.

 

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If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day before the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day before the day on which the meeting is held. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any other purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board adopts the resolution relating to such purpose. 

 

A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board may fix a new record date for determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting, and in such case shall also fix as the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote in accordance herewith at the adjourned meeting.

 

4.5           Regulations. The issue, conversion and registration of shares of stock of the Corporation shall be governed by such other regulations as the Board may establish.

 

ARTICLE V

GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

5.1           Fiscal Year. Except as from time to time otherwise designated by the Board, the fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on the first day of January of each year and end on the last day of December in each year.

 

5.2           Corporate Seal. The corporate seal shall be in such form as shall be approved by the Board.

 

5.3           Waiver of Notice. Whenever notice is required to be given by law, by the Certificate of Incorporation or by these Bylaws, a written waiver signed by the person entitled to notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the person entitled to notice, whether before, at or after the time of the event for which notice is to be given, shall be deemed equivalent to notice required to be given to such person. Neither the business nor the purpose of any meeting need be specified in any such waiver. Attendance of a person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.

 

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5.4           Voting of Securities. Except as the Board may otherwise designate, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer or the Treasurer may waive notice, vote, consent, or appoint any person or persons to waive notice, vote or consent, on behalf of the Corporation, and act as, or appoint any person or persons to act as, proxy or attorney-in-fact for the Corporation (with or without power of substitution and re-substitution), with respect to the securities of any other entity which may be held by the Corporation.

 

5.5           Evidence of Authority. A certificate by the Secretary, or an Assistant Secretary, or a temporary Secretary, as to any action taken by the stockholders, directors, a committee or any officer or representative of the Corporation shall as to all persons who rely on the certificate in good faith be conclusive evidence of such action.

 

5.6           Certificate of Incorporation. All references in these Bylaws to the Certificate of Incorporation shall be deemed to refer to the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, as amended and/or restated and in effect from time to time, including any certificate of designation relating to any outstanding series of preferred stock.

 

5.7           Severability. Any determination that any provision of these Bylaws is for any reason inapplicable, illegal or ineffective shall not affect or invalidate any other provision of these Bylaws.

 

5.8           Pronouns. All pronouns used in these Bylaws shall be deemed to refer to the masculine, feminine or neuter, singular or plural, as the identity of the person or persons may require.

 

5.9           Electronic Transmission. For purposes of these Bylaws, “electronic transmission” means any form of communication, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved, and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated process.

 

ARTICLE VI

AMENDMENTS 

 

These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed, in whole or in part, or new Bylaws may be adopted by the Board or by the stockholders as expressly provided in the Certificate of Incorporation.

 

ARTICLE VII

INDEMNIFICATION AND ADVANCEMENT

 

7.1           Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings other than Those by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Section 7.3, the Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that such person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

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7.2           Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Section 7.3, the Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation; except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity by the Corporation for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 

7.3           Authorization of Indemnification. Any indemnification under this Article VII (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the director or officer is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 7.1 or Section 7.2, as the case may be. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (i) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by a majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (iii) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iv) by the stockholders. Such determination shall be made, with respect to former directors and officers, by any person or persons having the authority to act on the matter on behalf of the Corporation. To the extent, however, that a present or former director or officer of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding set forth in Section 7.1 or Section 7.2 or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith, without the necessity of authorization in the specific case.

 

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7.4           Good Faith Defined. For purposes of any determination under Section 7.3, a person shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be deemed to have acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, or, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, to have had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful, if such person’s action is based on good faith reliance on the records or books of account of the Corporation or another enterprise, or on information supplied to such person by the officers of the Corporation or another enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Corporation or another enterprise or on information or records given or reports made to the Corporation or another enterprise by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected with reasonable care by the Corporation or another enterprise. The term “another enterprise” as used in this Section 7.4 shall mean any other corporation or any partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which such person is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent. The provisions of this Section 7.4 shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the circumstances in which a person may be deemed to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Sections 7.1 or 7.2, as the case may be.

 

7.5           Right of Claimant to Bring Suit. Notwithstanding any contrary determination in the specific case under Section 7.3, and notwithstanding the absence of any determination thereunder, if (i) following the final disposition of the applicable proceeding, a claim for indemnification under Sections 7.1 or 7.2 of this Article VII is not paid in full by the Corporation within ninety (90) days after the later of a written claim for indemnification has been received by the Corporation, or (ii) a claim for advancement of expenses under Section 7.6 of this Article VII is not paid in full by the Corporation within thirty (30) days after the Corporation has received a statement or statements requesting such amounts to be advanced, the claimant may at any time thereafter (but not before) bring suit against the Corporation in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware to recover the unpaid amount of the claim, together with interest thereon, or to obtain advancement of expenses, as applicable. It shall be a defense to any such action brought to enforce a right to indemnification (but not in an action brought to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) that the claimant has not met the standards of conduct which make it permissible under the DGCL (or other applicable law) for the Corporation to indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of proving such defense shall be on the Corporation. Neither a contrary determination in the specific case under Section 7.3 nor the absence of any determination thereunder shall be a defense to such application or create a presumption that the claimant has not met any applicable standard of conduct. If successful, in whole or in part, the claimant shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such claim, including reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred in connection therewith, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

 

7.6           Expenses Payable in Advance. Expenses, including without limitation attorneys’ fees, incurred by a current or former director or officer in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding to which such person is a party or is threatened to be made a party or otherwise involved as a witness or otherwise by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another Corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such current or former director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this Article VII or otherwise.

 

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 7.7           Nonexclusivity of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by or granted pursuant to this Article VII shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under the Certificate of Incorporation, any agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, it being the policy of the Corporation that, subject to Section 7.11, indemnification of the persons specified in Sections 7.1 and 7.2 shall be made to the fullest extent permitted by law. The provisions of this Article VII shall not be deemed to preclude the indemnification of any person who is not specified in Sections 7.1 or 7.2 but whom the Corporation has the power or obligation to indemnify under the provisions of the DGCL, or otherwise.

 

7.8           Insurance. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power or the obligation to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of this Article VII.

 

7.9           Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Article VII, references to “the Corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, employees or agents so that any person who is or was a director or officer of such constituent corporation, or, while a director or officer of such constituent corporation, is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Article VII with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued. For purposes of this Article VII, references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect of any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the Corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation 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 such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation” as referred to in this Article VII.

 

7.10         Survival of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article VII shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

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7.11         Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article VII to the contrary, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification or advancement of expenses (which shall be governed by Section 7.5), the Corporation shall not be obligated to indemnify any current or former director or officer in connection with an action, suit proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person unless such action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board.

 

7.12         Contract Rights. The obligations of the Corporation under this Article VII to indemnify, and advance expenses to, a person who is or was a director or officer of the Corporation shall be considered a contract between the Corporation and such person, and no modification or repeal of any provision of this Article VII shall affect, to the detriment of such person, such obligations of the Corporation in connection with a claim based on any act or failure to act occurring before such modification or repeal.

 

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Exhibit B

 

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF 

TRADEUP ACQUISITION CORP.

 

TradeUP Acquisition Corp. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), does hereby certify as follows:

 

1.          The name of the Corporation is TradeUP Acquisition Corp. The Corporation was incorporated under the name TradeUP Acquisition Corp. by the filing of its original Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on January 6, 2021 (the “Original Certificate”).

 

2.          An Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which amended and restated the Original Certificate in its entirety, was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on July 14, 2021 (as amended from time to time, the “Existing Certificate”).

 

3.          This Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Second Amended and Restated Certificate”), which amends and restates the Existing Certificate in its entirety, has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the DGCL and has been adopted by the stockholders of the Corporation at a meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation in accordance with the provisions of Section 211 of the DGCL.

 

4.          The text of the Existing Certificate is hereby amended and restated by this Second Amended and Restated Certificate to read in its entirety as set forth in EXHIBIT A attached hereto.

 

5.          This Second Amended and Restated Certificate shall become effective on the date of filing with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, TradeUP Acquisition Corp. has caused this Second Amended and Restated Certificate to be signed by a duly authorized officer of the Corporation, on [●], 2022.

 

  TRADEUP ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:  
  Name:  
  Title:  

 

   

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

ARTICLE I NAME

 

The name of the corporation is Estrella Immunopharma, Inc. (the “Corporation”).

 

ARTICLE II

 

REGISTERED OFFICE AND AGENT

 

The address of the Corporation’s registered office in the State of Delaware is [c/o Corporation Service Company, 251 Little Falls Drive, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, State of Delaware, 19808, and the name of its registered agent at such address is Corporation Service Company].

 

ARTICLE III

 

PURPOSE

 

The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) as it now exists or may hereafter be amended and supplemented.

 

ARTICLE IV

 

CAPITAL STOCK

 

The Corporation is authorized to issue two classes of stock to be designated, respectively, “Common Stock” and “Preferred Stock.” The total number of shares of capital stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is [260,000,000]. The total number of shares of Common Stock that the Corporation is authorized to issue is [250,000,000], having a par value of $0.0001 per share, and the total number of shares of Preferred Stock that the Corporation is authorized to issue is [10,000,000], having a par value of $0.0001 per share.

 

The designations and the powers, privileges and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof in respect of each class of capital stock of the Corporation are as follows:

 

A.           COMMON STOCK.

 

1.          General. The voting, dividend, liquidation, and other rights and powers of the Common Stock are subject to and qualified by the rights, powers and preferences of any series of Preferred Stock as may be designated by the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) and outstanding from time to time.

 

2.          Voting. Except as otherwise provided herein or expressly required by law, each holder of Common Stock, as such, shall be entitled to vote on each matter submitted to a vote of stockholders and shall be entitled to one (1) vote for each share of Common Stock held of record by such holder as of the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote on such matter. Except as otherwise required by law, holders of Common Stock, as such, shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Second Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Certificate of Designation (as defined below)) that relates solely to the rights, powers, preferences (or the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof) or other terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Second Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Certificate of Designation) or pursuant to the DGCL.

 

 1 

 

 

Subject to the rights of any holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, the number of authorized shares of Common Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote, irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the DGCL.

 

3.          Dividends. Subject to applicable law and the rights and preferences of any holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, the holders of Common Stock, as such, shall be entitled to the payment of dividends on the Common Stock when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors in accordance with applicable law.

 

4.          Liquidation. Subject to the rights and preferences of any holders of any shares of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, whether voluntary or involuntary, the funds and assets of the Corporation that may be legally distributed to the Corporation’s stockholders shall be distributed among the holders of the then outstanding Common Stock pro rata in accordance with the number of shares of Common Stock held by each such holder.

 

B.           PREFERRED STOCK

 

Shares of Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series, each of such series to have such terms as stated or expressed herein and in the resolution or resolutions providing for the creation and issuance of such series adopted by the Board of Directors as hereinafter provided.

 

Authority is hereby expressly granted to the Board of Directors from time to time to issue the Preferred Stock in one or more series, and in connection with the creation of any such series, by adopting a resolution or resolutions providing for the issuance of the shares thereof and by filing a certificate of designation relating thereto in accordance with the DGCL (a “Certificate of Designation”), to determine and fix the number of shares of such series and such voting powers, full or limited, or no voting powers, and such designations, preferences and relative participating, optional or other special rights, and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including without limitation thereof, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, and to increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any series as shall be stated and expressed in such resolutions, all to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the resolution or resolutions providing for the creation and issuance of any series of Preferred Stock may provide that such series shall be superior or rank equally or be junior to any other series of Preferred Stock to the extent permitted by law and this Second Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Certificate of Designation). Except as otherwise required by law, holders of any series of Preferred Stock shall be entitled only to such voting rights, if any, as shall expressly be granted thereto by this Second Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Certificate of Designation).

 

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The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote, irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the DGCL.

 

ARTICLE V

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

For the management of the business and for the conduct of the affairs of the Corporation it is further provided that:

 

A.           Subject to the special rights of the holders of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock to elect directors, the directors of the Corporation shall be classified with respect to the time for which they severally hold office into three classes, designated as Class I, Class II and Class III. The initial Class I directors shall serve for a term expiring at the first annual meeting of the stockholders following the date of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate; the initial Class II directors shall serve for a term expiring at the second annual meeting of the stockholders following the date of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate; and the initial Class III directors shall serve for a term expiring at the third annual meeting following the date of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate. At each annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation beginning with the first annual meeting of the stockholders following the date of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate, subject to the special rights of the holders of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock to elect directors, the successors of the class of directors whose term expires at that meeting shall be elected to hold office for a term expiring at the annual meeting of the stockholders held in the third year following the year of their election. Each director shall hold office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal. No decrease in the number of directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent director. The Board of Directors is authorized to assign members of the Board of Directors already in office to Class I, Class II and Class III. The Board of Directors is not required to assign members to all Classes and may leave one or more Class unoccupied and having no elections in the years the empty Class would have otherwise changed over.

 

B.           Except as otherwise expressly provided by the DGCL or this Second Amended and Restated Certificate, the business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors. The number of directors which shall constitute the whole Board of Directors shall be fixed exclusively by one or more resolutions adopted from time to time by the Board of Directors.

 

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C.           Subject to the special rights of the holders of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock to elect directors, the Board of Directors or any individual director may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds (66 and 2/3%) of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of voting stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at an election of directors.

 

D.           Subject to the special rights of the holders of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock to elect directors, except as otherwise provided by law, any vacancies on the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, disqualification, retirement, removal or other causes and any newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors shall be filled exclusively by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, even though less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director (other than any directors elected by the separate vote of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock), and shall not be filled by the stockholders. Any director appointed in accordance with the preceding sentence shall hold office until the expiration of the term to which such director shall have been appointed or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, or removal.

 

E.           Whenever the holders of any one or more series of Preferred Stock issued by the Corporation shall have the right, voting separately as a series or separately as a class with one or more such other series, to elect directors at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, the election, term of office, removal and other features of such directorships shall be governed by the terms of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Certificate of Designation). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article V, the number of directors that may be elected by the holders of any such series of Preferred Stock shall be in addition to the number fixed pursuant to paragraph B of this Article V, and the total number of directors constituting the whole Board of Directors shall be automatically adjusted accordingly. Except as otherwise provided in the Certificate of Designation(s) in respect of one or more series of Preferred Stock, whenever the holders of any series of Preferred Stock having such right to elect additional directors are divested of such right pursuant to the provisions of such Certificate of Designation(s), the terms of office of all such additional directors elected by the holders of such series of Preferred Stock, or elected to fill any vacancies resulting from the death, resignation, disqualification or removal of such additional directors, shall forthwith terminate (in which case each such director thereupon shall cease to be qualified as, and shall cease to be, a director) and the total authorized number of directors of the Corporation shall automatically be reduced accordingly.

 

F.           In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized to adopt, amend or repeal the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Corporation (as amended and/or restated from time to time, the “Bylaws”). In addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of stock of the Corporation required by applicable law or by this Second Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Certificate of Designation in respect of one or more series of Preferred Stock) or the Bylaws of the Corporation, the adoption, amendment or repeal of the Bylaws of the Corporation by the stockholders of the Corporation shall require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds (66 and 2/3%) of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of voting stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in an election of directors.

 

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G.           The directors of the Corporation need not be elected by written ballot unless the Bylaws so provide.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

STOCKHOLDERS

 

A.           Any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation must be effected at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, and shall not be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any action required or permitted to be taken by the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, voting separately as a series or separately as a class with one or more other such series, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, to the extent expressly so provided by the applicable Certificate of Designation relating to such series of Preferred Stock, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding shares of the relevant series of Preferred Stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted and shall be delivered to the Corporation in accordance with the applicable provisions of the DGCL.

 

B.           Subject to the special rights of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock, special meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation may be called, for any purpose or purposes, at any time only by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer or the President, and shall not be called by any other person or persons.

 

C.           Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the election of directors and of other business proposed to be brought by stockholders before any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

 

ARTICLE VII

 

LIABILITY

 

No director of the Corporation shall have any personal liability to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL as the same exists or hereafter may be amended. Any amendment, repeal or modification of this Article VII, or the adoption of any provision of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate inconsistent with this Article VII, shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Corporation with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such amendment, repeal, modification or adoption. If the DGCL is amended after approval by the stockholders of this Article VII to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as so amended.

 

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ARTICLE VIII

 

INDEMNIFICATION

 

The Corporation shall have the power to provide rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses to its current and former officers, directors, employees and agents and to any person who is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise.

 

ARTICLE IX

 

AMENDMENTS

 

A.           Notwithstanding anything contained in this Second Amended and Restated Certificate to the contrary, in addition to any vote required by applicable law, the following provisions in this Second Amended and Restated Certificate may be amended, altered, repealed or rescinded, in whole or in part, or any provision inconsistent therewith or herewith may be adopted, only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two- thirds (66 and 2/3%) of the total voting power of all the then outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class: Part B of Article IV, Article V, Article VI, Article VII, Article VIII, and this Article IX.

 

B.           If any provision or provisions of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any circumstance for any reason whatsoever: (i) the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in any way be affected or impaired thereby and (ii) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the provisions of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate (including, without limitation, each such portion of any paragraph of this Second Amended and Restated Certificate containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to permit the Corporation to protect its directors, officers, employees and agents from personal liability in respect of their good faith service to or for the benefit of the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

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EXHIBIT C

 

FORM OF ESTRELLA IMMUNOPHARMA, INC.
2023 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Section 1.          General.

 

The purposes of the Estrella Immunopharma, Inc. 2023 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) are to: (a) encourage the profitability and growth of the Company through short-term and long-term incentives that are consistent with the Company’s objectives; (b) give Participants an incentive for excellence in individual performance; (c) promote teamwork among Participants; and (d) give the Company a significant advantage in attracting and retaining key Employees, Directors and Consultants. To accomplish such purposes, the Plan provides that the Company may grant (i) Options, (ii) Stock Appreciation Rights, (iii) Restricted Shares, (iv) Restricted Stock Units, (v) Performance-Based Awards (including performance-based Restricted Shares and Restricted Stock Units), (vi) Other Share-Based Awards, (vii) Other Cash-Based Awards or (viii) any combination of the foregoing.

 

Section 2.          Definitions.

 

For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be defined as set forth below:

 

(a)        “Administrator” means the Board, or, if and to the extent the Board does not administer the Plan, the Committee in accordance with Section 3 of the Plan.

 

(b)       “Affiliate” means a Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Person specified. An entity shall be deemed an Affiliate of the Company for purposes of this definition only for such periods as the requisite ownership or control relationship is maintained. For purposes of this definition, “control” (including with correlative meanings, the terms “controlling,” “controlled by,” or “under common control with”), as used with respect to any Person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by contract or otherwise.

 

(c)       “Articles of Incorporation” means the certificate of incorporation of the Company, as amended and/or restated and in effect from time to time.

 

(d)       “Automatic Exercise Date” means, with respect to an Option or a Stock Appreciation Right, the last business day of the applicable term of the Option pursuant to Section 7(k) or the Stock Appreciation Right pursuant to Section 8(h).

 

(e)       “Award” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Share, Restricted Stock Unit, Performance-Based Award, Other Share-Based Award or Other Cash-Based Award granted under the Plan.

 

(f)        “Award Agreement” means a written agreement, contract or other instrument or document evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual Award granted under the Plan. Evidence of an Award may be in written or electronic form, may be limited to notation on the books and records of the Company and, with the approval of the Administrator, need not be signed by a representative of the Company or a Participant. Any Shares that become deliverable to the Participant pursuant to the Plan may be issued in certificate form in the name of the Participant or in book-entry form in the name of the Participant. Each Award Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

(g)       “Beneficial Owner” (or any variant thereof) has the meaning defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act.

 

(h)        “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(i)         “Bylaws” means the bylaws of the Company, as may be amended and/or restated from time to time.

 

  

 

  

(j)        “Cause” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in any Company, Subsidiary or Affiliate unexpired employment, severance, or similar agreement or Award Agreement with a Participant, or if no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not define “Cause” (or a word of like import), Cause means (i) the Participant’s breach of fiduciary duty or duty of loyalty to the Company, (ii) the Participant’s conviction of or plea of nolo contendere to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude, (iii) the Participant’s failure, refusal or neglect to perform and discharge his or her duties and responsibilities on behalf of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company (other than by reason of Disability) or to comply with any lawful directive of the Board or its designee, (iv) the Participant’s breach of any written policy of the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (including, without limitation, those relating to sexual harassment or the disclosure or misuse of confidential information), (v) the Participant’s breach of any agreement with the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (including, without limitation, any confidentiality, non-competition, non-solicitation or assignment of inventions agreement), (vi) the Participant’s commission of fraud, dishonesty, theft, embezzlement, self-dealing, misappropriation or other malfeasance against the business of the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof, or (vii) the Participant’s commission of acts or omissions constituting gross negligence or gross misconduct in the performance of any aspect of his or her lawful duties or responsibilities, which have or may be expected to have an adverse effect on the Company, its Subsidiaries or Affiliates. A Participant’s employment shall be deemed to have terminated for “Cause” if, on the date his or her employment terminates, facts and circumstances exist that would have justified a termination for Cause, to the extent that such facts and circumstances are discovered within three (3) months following such termination. The Administrator, in its absolute discretion, shall determine the effect of all matters and questions relating to whether a Participant has been discharged for Cause.

 

(k)       “Change in Capitalization” means any (i) merger, consolidation, reclassification, recapitalization, spin-off, spin-out, repurchase or other reorganization or corporate transaction or event, (ii) extraordinary dividend (whether in the form of cash, Shares or other property), stock split or reverse stock split, (iii) combination or exchange of shares, (iv) other change in corporate structure or (v) payment of any other distribution, which, in any such case, the Administrator determines, in its sole discretion, affects the Common Stock such that an adjustment pursuant to Section 5 of the Plan is appropriate.

 

(l)         “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any of the following:

 

(i)          any Person, other than the Company or a Subsidiary thereof, becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding voting securities (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”), excluding any Person who becomes such a Beneficial Owner in connection with a transaction described in clause (A) of paragraph (iii) below or any acquisition directly from the Company; or

 

(ii)         the following individuals cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of Directors then serving on the Board: individuals who, during any period of two (2) consecutive years, constitute the Board and any new Director (other than a Director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest, including, but not limited to, a consent solicitation, relating to the election of Directors of the Company) whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved or recommended 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 two (2) year period or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved or recommended; or

 

(iii)        the consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation (A) that results in the Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) at least fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities (or such surviving entity or, if the Company or the entity surviving such merger is then a subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof) outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, and (B) immediately following which the individuals who comprise the Board immediately prior thereto constitute at least a majority of the Board of the entity surviving such merger or consolidation or, if the Company or the entity surviving such merger is then a subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof; or

 

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(iv)        the consummation of a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company or there is consummated an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, other than (A) a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, at least fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned directly or indirectly by stockholders of the Company following the completion of such transaction in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale or (B) a sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets immediately following which the individuals who comprise the Board immediately prior thereto constitute at least a majority of the board of directors of the entity to which such assets are sold or disposed or, if such entity is a subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof.

 

For each Award that constitutes deferred compensation under Code Section 409A, a Change in Control (where applicable) shall be deemed to have occurred under the Plan with respect to such Award only if a change in the ownership or effective control of the Company or a change in ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company also constitutes a “change in control event” under Code Section 409A.

 

(m)       “Change in Control Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 12 of the Plan.

 

(n)        “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, or any successor thereto. Any reference to a section of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(o)        “Committee” means any committee or subcommittee the Board may appoint to administer the Plan. Subject to the discretion of the Board, the Committee shall be composed entirely of individuals who meet the qualifications of a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and any other qualifications required by the applicable stock exchange on which the Shares are traded. If at any time or to any extent the Board shall not administer the Plan, then the functions of the Administrator specified in the Plan shall be exercised by the Committee. Except as otherwise provided in the Company’s Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, any action of the Committee with respect to the administration of the Plan shall be taken by a majority vote at a meeting at which a quorum is duly constituted or unanimous written consent of the Committee’s members.

 

(p)        “Common Stock” means the common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of the Company (and any stock or other securities into which such shares of common stock may be converted or into which they may be exchanged).

 

(q)        “Company” means Estrella Immunopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (or any successor corporation, except as the term “Company” is used in the definition of “Change in Control” above).

 

(r)        “Consultant” means any current or prospective consultant or independent contractor of the Company or an Affiliate thereof, in each case, who is not an Employee, Executive Officer or Non-Employee Director.

 

(s)        “Director” means any individual who is a member of the Board on or after the Effective Date.

 

(t)        “Disability” means, with respect to any Participant who is an Employee, a permanent and total disability as defined in Code Section 22(e)(3).

 

(u)       “Effective Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 22 of the Plan.

  

(v)       “Eligible Recipient” means, with respect to an Award denominated in Common Stock issued under the Plan: (i) an Employee; (ii) a Non-Employee Director; or (iii) a Consultant, in each case, who has been selected as an eligible recipient under the Plan by the Administrator; provided, that any Awards granted prior to the date an Eligible Recipient first performs services for the Company or an Affiliate thereof will not become vested or exercisable, and no Shares shall be issued or other payment made to such Eligible Recipient with respect to such Awards, prior to the date on which such Eligible Recipient first performs services for the Company or an Affiliate thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent required to avoid the imposition of additional taxes under Code Section 409A, “Eligible Recipient” means: an (1) Employee; (2) a Non-Employee Director; or (3) a Consultant, in each case, of the Company or a Subsidiary thereof, who has been selected as an eligible recipient under the Plan by the Administrator.

 

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(w)       “Employee” shall mean any current or prospective employee of the Company or an Affiliate thereof, as described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-1(h), including an Executive Officer or Director who is also treated as an employee.

 

(x)        “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.

 

(y)        “Executive Officer” means each Participant who is an executive officer (within the meaning of Rule 3b-7 under the Exchange Act) of the Company.

 

(z)        “Exercise Price” means, with respect to any Award under which the holder may purchase Shares, the price per share at which a holder of such Award granted hereunder may purchase Shares issuable upon exercise of such Award, as determined by the Administrator in accordance with Code Section 409A, as applicable.

 

(aa)      “Fair Market Value” as of a particular date shall mean: (i) if the Shares are listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including, without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market, the Fair Market Value shall be the closing price of a Share (or if no sales were reported, the closing price on the date immediately preceding such date) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination; (ii) if the Shares are not then listed on a national securities exchange, the average of the highest reported bid and lowest reported asked prices for a Share as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotations System for the last preceding date on which there was a sale of such stock in such market; or (iii) whether or not the Shares are then listed on a national securities exchange or traded in an over-the-counter market or the value of such Shares is not otherwise determinable, such value as determined by the Administrator in good faith and in a manner not inconsistent with the regulations under Code Section 409A.

 

(bb)     “Free Standing Rights” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8(a) of the Plan.

 

(cc)      “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option that is designated by the Committee as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code and that meets the requirements set out in the Plan.

 

(dd)     “Non-Employee Director” means a Director who is not an Employee.

 

(ee)      “Nonqualified Stock Option” means an Option that by its terms does not qualify or is not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

(ff)       “Outstanding Shares” means the then-outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company, taking into account as outstanding for this purpose such Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of Options or warrants, the conversion of convertible stock or debt, and the exercise of any similar right to acquire such Common Stock.

 

(gg)     “Option” means an option to purchase Shares granted pursuant to Section 7 of the Plan.

 

(hh)     “Other Cash-Based Award” means a cash Award granted to a Participant under Section 11 of the Plan, including cash awarded as a bonus or upon the attainment of Performance Goals or otherwise as permitted under the Plan.

 

(ii)       “Other Share-Based Award” means a right or other interest granted to a Participant under the Plan that may be denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on or related to, Shares, including, but not limited to, unrestricted Shares or dividend equivalents, each of which may be subject to the attainment of Performance Goals or a period of continued employment or other terms or conditions as permitted under the Plan.

 

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(jj)        “Participant” means any Eligible Recipient selected by the Administrator, pursuant to the Administrator’s authority provided for in Section 3 of the Plan, to receive an Award under the Plan, and, upon his or her death, his or her successors, heirs, executors and administrators, as the case may be, solely with respect to any Awards outstanding at the date of the Eligible Recipient’s death.

 

(kk)      “Performance-Based Award” means any Award granted under the Plan that is subject to one or more Performance Goals. Any dividends or dividend equivalents payable or credited to a Participant with respect to any unvested Performance-Based Award shall be subject to the same Performance Goals as the Shares or units underlying the Performance-Based Award.

 

(ll)       “Performance Goals” means performance goals based on performance criteria selected by the Administrator, which may include, but are not limited to, any of the following: (i) earnings before interest and taxes; (ii) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; (iii) net operating profit after tax; (iv) cash flow; (v) revenue; (vi) net revenues; (vii) sales; (viii) days sales outstanding; (ix) income; (x) net income; (xi) operating income; (xii) net operating income; (xiii) operating margin; (xiv) earnings; (xv) earnings per share; (xvi) return on equity; (xvii) return on investment; (xviii) return on capital; (xix) return on assets; (xx) return on net assets; (xxi) total shareholder return; (xxii) economic profit; (xxiii) market share; (xxiv) appreciation in the fair market value, book value or other measure of value of the Shares; (xxv) expense or cost control; (xxvi) working capital; (xxvii) customer satisfaction; (xxviii) employee retention or employee turnover; (xxix) employee satisfaction or engagement; (xxx) environmental, health or other safety goals; (xxxi) individual performance; (xxxii) strategic objective milestones; (xxxiii) any other criteria specified by the Administrator in its sole discretion; and (xxxiv) any combination of, or a specified increase or decrease in, as applicable, any of the foregoing. Where applicable, the Performance Goals may be expressed in terms of attaining a specified level of the particular criteria or the attainment of a percentage increase or decrease in the particular criteria, and may be applied to one or more of the Company or an Affiliate thereof, or a division or strategic business unit of the Company, or may be applied to the performance of the Company relative to a market index, a group of other companies or a combination thereof, all as determined by the Administrator. The Performance Goals may include a threshold level of performance below which no payment shall be made (or no vesting shall occur), levels of performance at which specified payments shall be made (or specified vesting shall occur), and a maximum level of performance above which no additional payment shall be made (or at which full vesting shall occur). At the time such an Award is granted, the Administrator may specify any reasonable definition of the Performance Goals it uses. Such definitions may provide for equitable adjustments to the Performance Goals in recognition of unusual or non-recurring events affecting the Company or an Affiliate thereof or the financial statements of the Company or an Affiliate thereof, in response to changes in applicable laws or regulations, or to account for items of gain, loss or expense determined to be unusual in nature, infrequent in occurrence or unusual in nature and infrequent in occurrence or related to the disposal of a segment of a business or related to a change in accounting principles. If the Administrator determines that a change in the business, operations, corporate structure or capital structure of the Company or the manner in which the Company or an Affiliate conducts its business, or other events or circumstances render performance goals to be unsuitable, the Administrator may modify such Performance Goals in whole or in part, as the Committee deems appropriate. If a Participant is promoted, demoted or transferred to a different business unit or function during a performance period, the Administrator may determine that the Performance Goals or performance period are no longer appropriate and may (x) adjust, change or eliminate the Performance Goals or the applicable performance period as it deems appropriate to make such goals and period comparable to the initial goals and period, or (y) make a cash payment to the Participant in an amount determined by the Administrator.

 

(mm)    “Person” shall have the meaning given in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, however, a Person shall not include (i) the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (ii) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (iii) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities; or (iv) a corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportion as their ownership of stock of the Company. 

  

(nn)     “Plan” means this Estrella Immunopharma, Inc. 2023 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended and/or amended and restated from time to time.

 

(oo)     “Related Rights” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8(a) of the Plan.

 

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(pp)     “Restricted Shares” means an Award of Shares granted pursuant to Section 9 of the Plan subject to certain restrictions that lapse at the end of a specified period or periods.

 

(qq)     “Restricted Stock Unit” means a notional account established pursuant to an Award granted to a Participant, as described in Section 10 of the Plan, that is (i) valued solely by reference to Shares, (ii) subject to restrictions specified in the Award Agreement, and (iii) payable in cash or in Shares (as specified in the Award Agreement). The Restricted Stock Units awarded to the Participant will vest according to the time-based criteria or Performance Goals, and vested Restricted Stock Units will be settled at the time(s), specified in the Award Agreement.

 

(rr)       “Restricted Period” means the period of time determined by the Administrator during which an Award or a portion thereof is subject to restrictions or, as applicable, the period of time within which performance is measured for purposes of determining whether an Award has been earned.

 

(ss)      “Rule 16b-3” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a) of the Plan.

 

(tt)       “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.

 

(uu)     “Share” means a share of Common Stock.

 

(vv)     “Stock Appreciation Right” means the right pursuant to an Award granted under Section 8 of the Plan to receive an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (i) the aggregate Fair Market Value, as of the date such Award or portion thereof is surrendered, of the Shares covered by such Award or such portion thereof, over (ii) the aggregate Exercise Price of such Award or such portion thereof.

 

(ww)    “Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, as of any date of determination, any other Person as to which such first Person owns or otherwise controls, directly or indirectly, more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting shares or other similar interests or a sole general partner interest or managing member or similar interest of such other Person. An entity shall be deemed a Subsidiary of the Company for purposes of this definition only for such periods as the requisite ownership or control relationship is maintained. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option or any determination relating to an Incentive Stock Option, “Subsidiary” means a corporation that is a subsidiary of the Company within the meaning of Code Section 424(f).

 

(xx)      “Substitute Award” shall mean an Award granted under the Plan upon the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding equity awards granted by a company or other entity in connection with a corporate transaction, such as a merger, combination, consolidation, or acquisition of property or stock; provided, however, that in no event shall the term “Substitute Award” be construed to refer to an award made in connection with the cancellation and repricing of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right.

 

Section 3.          Administration.

 

(a)       The Plan shall be administered by the Administrator in accordance with the requirements of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act (“Rule 16b-3”), to the extent applicable.

 

(b)       Pursuant to the terms of the Plan, the Administrator, subject, in the case of any Committee, to any restrictions on the authority delegated to it by the Board, shall have the power and authority, without limitation:

 

(i)          to select those Eligible Recipients who shall be Participants;

  

(ii)         to determine whether and to what extent Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Shares, Restricted Stock Units, Other Share-Based Awards, Other Cash-Based Awards or a combination of any of the foregoing, are to be granted hereunder to Participants;

 

(iii)        to determine the number of Shares to be made subject to each Award;

 

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(iv)        to determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of each Award granted hereunder, including, but not limited to, (A) the restrictions applicable to Awards and the conditions under which restrictions applicable to such Awards shall lapse, (B) the Performance Goals and performance periods applicable to Awards, if any, (C) the Exercise Price of each Award, (D) the vesting schedule applicable to each Award, (E) any confidentiality or restrictive covenant provisions applicable to the Award, and (F) subject to the requirements of Code Section 409A (to the extent applicable), any amendments to the terms and conditions of outstanding Awards, including, but not limited to, extending the exercise period of such Awards and accelerating the vesting schedule of such Awards;

 

(v)         to determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, which shall govern all Award Agreements evidencing Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Shares, Restricted Stock Units or Other Share-Based Awards, Other Cash-Based Awards or any combination of the foregoing granted hereunder;

 

(vi)        to determine Fair Market Value;

 

(vii)       to determine the duration and purpose of leaves of absence which may be granted to a Participant without constituting termination of the Participant’s employment for purposes of Awards granted under the Plan;

 

(viii)      to adopt, alter and repeal such administrative rules, guidelines and practices governing the Plan as it shall from time to time deem advisable;

 

(ix)         to reconcile any inconsistency in, correct any defect in and/or supply any omission in the Plan, any Award Agreement or other instrument or agreement relating to the Plan or an Award granted under the Plan; and

 

(x)          to construe and interpret the terms and provisions of the Plan and any Award issued under the Plan (and any Award Agreement relating thereto), and to otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan and to exercise all powers and authorities either specifically granted under the Plan or necessary and advisable in the administration of the Plan.

 

(c)       All decisions made by the Administrator pursuant to the provisions of the Plan shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company and the Participants. No member of the Board or the Committee, or any officer or employee of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof acting on behalf of the Board or the Committee, shall be personally liable for any action, omission, determination, or interpretation taken or made in good faith with respect to the Plan, and all members of the Board or the Committee and each and any officer or employee of the Company and of any Subsidiary thereof acting on their behalf shall, to the maximum extent permitted by law, be fully indemnified and protected by the Company in respect of any such action, omission, determination or interpretation.

 

Section 4.          Shares Reserved for Issuance Under the Plan and Limitations on Awards.

 

(a)       Subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5 of the Plan, the Administrator is authorized to deliver with respect to Awards granted under the Plan an aggregate of [●]1 shares of Common Stock; provided, that the total number of shares of Common Stock that will be reserved, and that may be issued, under the Plan will automatically increase on the first trading day of each calendar year, beginning with calendar year 2024, by a number of Common Shares equal to five percent (5%) of the total number of Outstanding Shares on the last day of the prior calendar year. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator may act prior to January 1 of a given year to provide that there will be no such increase in the share reserve for that year or that the increase in the share reserve for such year will be a lesser number of Common Shares than provided herein.

 

 

1 To be 10% of the share capitalization of the PubCo, expressly excluding the shares of Company Restricted Stock issued under Estrella’s equity plan in existence prior to the merger.

 

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(b)       Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the maximum number of Shares subject to Awards granted during any fiscal year to any Non-Employee Director, taken together with any cash fees paid to such Non-Employee Director during the fiscal year with respect to such Director’s service as a Non-Employee Director, shall not exceed $500,000 (calculating the value of any such Awards based on the grant date Fair Market Value of such Awards for financial reporting purposes).

 

(c)       Shares issued under the Plan may, in whole or in part, be authorized but unissued Shares or Shares that shall have been or may be reacquired by the Company in the open market, in private transactions or otherwise. Any shares of Common Stock subject to an Award under the Plan that, after the Effective Date, are forfeited, canceled, settled or otherwise terminated without a distribution of Shares to a Participant will thereafter be deemed to be available for Awards. In applying the immediately preceding sentence, if (i) Shares otherwise issuable or issued in respect of, or as part of, any Award are withheld to cover taxes or any applicable Exercise Price, such Shares shall be treated as having been issued under the Plan and shall not be available for issuance under the Plan, and (ii) any Share-settled Stock Appreciation Rights or Options are exercised, the aggregate number of Shares subject to such Stock Appreciation Rights or Options shall be deemed issued under the Plan and shall not be available for issuance under the Plan. In addition, Shares (x) tendered to exercise outstanding Options or other Awards, (y) withheld to cover applicable taxes on any Awards or (z) repurchased on the open market using Exercise Price proceeds shall not be available for issuance under the Plan. For the avoidance of doubt, (A) Shares underlying Awards that are subject to the achievement of performance goals shall be counted against the Share reserve based on the target value of such Awards unless and until such time as such Awards become vested and settled in Shares, and (B) Awards that, pursuant to their terms, may be settled only in cash shall not count against the Share reserve set forth in Section 4(a).

 

(d)       Substitute Awards shall not reduce the Shares authorized for grant under the Plan. In the event that a company acquired by the Company or any Affiliate or with which the Company or any Affiliate combines has shares available under a pre-existing plan approved by stockholders and not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination, the shares available for grant pursuant to the terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or combination) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the Shares authorized for grant under the Plan; provided, that Awards using such available Shares shall not be made after the date awards or grants could have been made under the terms of the pre-existing plan, absent the acquisition or combination, and shall only be made to individuals who were not employed by or providing services to the Company or its Affiliates immediately prior to such acquisition or combination.

 

(e)       In the event that the Company or an Affiliate thereof consummates a transaction described in Code Section 424(a) (e.g., the acquisition of property or stock from an unrelated corporation), persons who become Employees or Directors in account of such transaction may be granted Substitute Awards in substitution for awards granted by their former employer, and any such substitute Options or Stock Appreciation Rights may be granted with an Exercise Price less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the grant date thereof; provided, however, the grant of such substitute Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall not constitute a “modification” as defined in Code Section 424(h)(3) and the applicable Treasury regulations.

 

Section 5.          Equitable Adjustments. 

 

In the event of any Change in Capitalization, including, without limitation, a Change in Control, an equitable substitution or proportionate adjustment shall be made, in each case, as may be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, in (a) the aggregate number of Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan, (b) the kind, number and Exercise Price subject to outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan; provided, however, that any such substitution or adjustment with respect to Options and Stock Appreciation Rights shall occur in accordance with the requirements of Code Section 409A, and (c) the kind, number and purchase price of Shares subject to outstanding Restricted Shares or Other Share-Based Awards granted under the Plan, in each case as may be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion; provided, however, that any fractional Shares resulting from the adjustment shall be eliminated. Such other equitable substitutions or adjustments shall be made as may be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in connection with a Change in Capitalization, the Administrator may provide, in its sole discretion, for the cancellation of any outstanding Award granted hereunder (i) in exchange for payment in cash or other property having an aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares covered by such Award, reduced by the aggregate Exercise Price or purchase price thereof, if any, and (ii) with respect to any Awards for which the Exercise Price or purchase price per share of Common Stock is greater than or equal to the then current Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock, for no consideration. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Plan to the contrary, any adjustment with respect to an Incentive Stock Option due to an adjustment or substitution described in this Section 5 shall comply with the rules of Code Section 424(a), and in no event shall any adjustment be made which would render any Incentive Stock Option granted hereunder to be disqualified as an incentive stock option for purposes of Code Section 422. The Administrator’s determinations pursuant to this Section 5 shall be final, binding and conclusive.

 

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Section 6.          Eligibility.

 

The Participants under the Plan shall be selected from time to time by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, from among Eligible Recipients.

 

Section 7.          Options.

 

(a)       General. The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, grant Options to Participants. Solely with respect to Participants who are Employees, the Administrator may grant Incentive Stock Options, Nonqualified Stock Options or a combination of both. With respect to all other Participants, the Administrator may grant only Nonqualified Stock Options. Each Participant who is granted an Option shall enter into an Award Agreement with the Company, containing such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall determine, in its sole discretion, which Award Agreement shall specify whether the Option is an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonqualified Stock Option and shall set forth, among other things, the Exercise Price of the Option, the term of the Option and provisions regarding exercisability of the Option granted thereunder. The provisions of each Option need not be the same with respect to each Participant. More than one Option may be granted to the same Participant and be outstanding concurrently hereunder. Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 7 and shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. The prospective recipient of an Option shall not have any rights with respect to such Award, unless and until such recipient has received an Award Agreement and, if required by the Administrator in the Award Agreement, executed and delivered a fully executed copy thereof to the Company, within a period of sixty (60) days (or such other period as the Administrator may specify) after the award date.

 

(b)       Limits on Incentive Stock Options. If the Administrator grants Incentive Stock Options, then to the extent that the aggregate fair market value of Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by any individual during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company) exceeds $100,000, such Options will be treated as Nonqualified Stock Options to the extent required by Code Section 422. Subject to Section 5, the maximum number of shares that may be issued pursuant to Options intended to be Incentive Stock Options is [●]2 Shares and, for the avoidance of doubt, such share limit shall not be subject to the annual adjustment provided in Section 4(b).

 

(c)       Exercise Price. The Exercise Price of Shares purchasable under an Option shall be determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion at the time of grant; provided, however, that (i) in no event shall the Exercise Price of an Option be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant, and (ii) no Incentive Stock Option granted to a ten percent (10%) stockholder of the Company (within the meaning of Code Section 422(b)(6)) shall have an Exercise Price per Share less than one-hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of a Share on such date.

 

 

2 To be equal to the number of shares initially reserved for issuance under the Plan.

 

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(d)       Option Term. The maximum term of each Option shall be fixed by the Administrator, but in no event shall (i) an Option be exercisable more than ten (10) years after the date such Option is granted, and (ii) an Incentive Stock Option granted to a ten percent (10%) stockholder of the Company (within the meaning of Code Section 422(b)(6)) be exercisable more than five (5) years after the date such Option is granted. Each Option’s term is subject to earlier expiration pursuant to the applicable provisions in the Plan and the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator shall have the authority to accelerate the exercisability of any outstanding Option at such time and under such circumstances as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. Notwithstanding any contrary provision in this Plan (including, without limitation, Section 7(h)), if, on the date an outstanding Option would expire, the exercise of the Option, including by a “net exercise” or “cashless” exercise, would violate applicable securities laws or any insider trading policy maintained by the Company from time to time, the expiration date applicable to the Option will be extended, except to the extent such extension would violate Code Section 409A, to a date that is thirty (30) calendar days after the date the exercise of the Option would no longer violate applicable securities laws or any such insider trading policy.

 

(e)       Exercisability. Each Option shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions, including the attainment of pre-established Performance Goals, as shall be determined by the Administrator in the applicable Award Agreement. The Administrator may also provide that any Option shall be exercisable only in installments, and the Administrator may waive such installment exercise provisions at any time, in whole or in part, based on such factors as the Administrator may determine in its sole discretion. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, an Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a share.

 

(f)       Method of Exercise. Options may be exercised in whole or in part by giving written notice of exercise to the Company specifying the number of Shares to be purchased, accompanied by payment in full of the aggregate Exercise Price of the Shares so purchased in cash or its equivalent, as determined by the Administrator. As determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, with respect to any Option or category of Options, payment in whole or in part may also be made (i) by means of consideration received under any cashless exercise procedure approved by the Administrator (including the withholding of Shares otherwise issuable upon exercise), (ii) in the form of unrestricted Shares already owned by the Participant which have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate Exercise Price of the Shares as to which such Option shall be exercised, (iii) any other form of consideration approved by the Administrator and permitted by applicable law, or (iv) any combination of the foregoing. In determining which methods a Participant may utilize to pay the Exercise Price, the Administrator may consider such factors as it determines are appropriate; provided, however, that with respect to Incentive Stock Options, all such discretionary determinations shall be made by the Administrator at the time of grant and specified in the Award Agreement.

 

(g)       Rights as Stockholder. A Participant shall have no rights to dividends or any other rights of a stockholder with respect to the Shares subject to an Option until the Participant has given written notice of the exercise thereof, has paid in full for such Shares and has satisfied the requirements of Section 16 of the Plan.

 

(h)       Termination of Employment or Service. Unless the applicable Award Agreement provides otherwise, in the event that the employment or service of a Participant with the Company and all Affiliates thereof shall terminate, the following terms and conditions shall apply:

 

(i)          In the event of the termination of a Participant’s employment or service by the Company without Cause or due to a resignation by the Participant for any reason, (A) Options granted to such Participant, to the extent that they are exercisable at the time of such termination, shall remain exercisable until the date that is ninety (90) days after such termination (with such period being extended to one (1) year after the date of such termination in the event of the Participant’s death during such ninety (90) day period), on which date they shall expire, and (B) Options granted to such Participant, to the extent that they were not exercisable at the time of such termination, shall expire at the close of business on the date of such termination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of its term. 

 

(ii)          In the event of the termination of a Participant’s employment or service as a result of the Participant’s Disability or death, (A) Options granted to such Participant, to the extent that they were exercisable at the time of such termination, shall remain exercisable until the date that is one (1) year after such termination, on which date they shall expire, and (B) Options granted to such Participant, to the extent that they were not exercisable at the time of such termination, shall expire at the close of business on the date of such termination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of its term.

 

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(iii)        In the event of the termination of a Participant’s employment or service for Cause, all outstanding Options granted to such Participant shall expire at the commencement of business on the date of such termination.

 

(iv)        For purposes of determining which Options are exercisable upon termination of employment or service for purposes of this Section 7(h), Options that are not exercisable solely due to a blackout period shall be considered exercisable.

 

(v)         Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, an Incentive Stock Option may not be exercised more than three (3) months following the date as of which a Participant ceases to be an Employee for any reason other than death or Disability. In the event that an Option is exercisable following the date that is three (3) months following the date as of which a Participant ceases to be an Employee for any reason other than death or Disability, such Option shall be deemed to be a Nonqualified Stock Option.

 

(i)          Other Change in Employment Status. An Option may be affected, both with regard to vesting schedule and termination, by leaves of absence, changes from full-time to part-time employment, partial disability or other changes in the employment status or service of a Participant, as evidenced in a Participant’s Award Agreement.

 

(j)          Change in Control. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, upon a Change in Control, all outstanding Options shall be subject to Section 12 of the Plan.

 

(k)         Automatic Exercise. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator in an Award Agreement or otherwise, or as otherwise directed by the Participant in writing to the Company, each vested and exercisable Option outstanding on the Automatic Exercise Date with an Exercise Price per Share that is less than the Fair Market Value per Share as of such date shall automatically and without further action by the Participant or the Company be exercised on the Automatic Exercise Date. In the sole discretion of the Administrator, payment of the exercise price of any such Option shall be made pursuant to Section 7(f)(i) or (ii), and the Company or any Affiliate shall deduct or withhold an amount sufficient to satisfy all taxes associated with such exercise in accordance with Section 16. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, this Section 7(k) shall not apply to an Option if the Participant’s employment or service has terminated on or before the Automatic Exercise Date. For the avoidance of doubt, no Option with an Exercise Price per Share that is equal to or greater the Fair Market Value per Share on the Automatic Exercise Date shall be exercised pursuant to this Section 7(k).

 

Section 8.          Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

(a)       General. Stock Appreciation Rights may be granted either alone (“Free Standing Rights”) or in conjunction with all or part of any Option granted under the Plan (“Related Rights”). Any Related Right that relates to a Nonqualified Stock Option may be granted at the same time the Option is granted or at any time thereafter, but before the exercise or expiration of the Option. Any Related Right that relates to an Incentive Stock Option must be granted at the same time the Incentive Stock Option is granted. The Administrator shall determine the Eligible Recipients to whom, and the time or times at which, grants of Stock Appreciation Rights shall be made, the number of Shares to be awarded, the price per Share, and all other conditions of Stock Appreciation Rights. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Related Right may be granted for more Shares than are subject to the Option to which it relates and any Stock Appreciation Right must be granted with an Exercise Price not less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant. The provisions of Stock Appreciation Rights need not be the same with respect to each Participant. Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following terms and conditions set forth in this Section 8 and shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable, as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

(b)       Awards; Rights as Stockholder. The prospective recipient of a Stock Appreciation Right shall not have any rights with respect to such Award, unless and until such recipient has received an Award Agreement and, if required by the Administrator in the Award Agreement, executed and delivered a fully executed copy thereof to the Company, within a period of sixty (60) days (or such other period as the Administrator may specify) after the award date. Participants who are granted Stock Appreciation Rights shall have no rights as stockholders of the Company with respect to the grant or exercise of such rights.

 

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(c)       Exercisability.

 

(i)          Stock Appreciation Rights that are Free Standing Rights shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Administrator in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

(ii)         Stock Appreciation Rights that are Related Rights shall be exercisable only at such time or times and to the extent that the Options to which they relate shall be exercisable in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 above and this Section 8 of the Plan.

 

(d)       Payment Upon Exercise.

 

(i)          Upon the exercise of a Free Standing Right, the Participant shall be entitled to receive up to, but not more than, that number of Shares, determined using the Fair Market Value, equal in value to the excess of the Fair Market Value as of the date of exercise over the price per share specified in the Free Standing Right multiplied by the number of Shares in respect of which the Free Standing Right is being exercised.

 

(ii)         A Related Right may be exercised by a Participant by surrendering the applicable portion of the related Option. Upon such exercise and surrender, the Participant shall be entitled to receive up to, but not more than, that number of Shares, determined using the Fair Market Value, equal in value to the excess of the Fair Market Value as of the date of exercise over the Exercise Price specified in the related Option multiplied by the number of Shares in respect of which the Related Right is being exercised. Options which have been so surrendered, in whole or in part, shall no longer be exercisable to the extent the Related Rights have been so exercised.

 

(iii)        Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator may determine to settle the exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right in cash (or in any combination of Shares and cash).

 

(e)       Termination of Employment or Service.

 

(i)          Subject to Section 8(f), in the event of the termination of employment or service with the Company and all Affiliates thereof of a Participant who has been granted one or more Free Standing Rights, such rights shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Administrator in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

(ii)         Subject to Section 8(f), in the event of the termination of employment or service with the Company and all Affiliates thereof of a Participant who has been granted one or more Related Rights, such rights shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as set forth in the related Options.

 

(f)       Term.

 

(i)          The term of each Free Standing Right shall be fixed by the Administrator, but no Free Standing Right shall be exercisable more than ten (10) years after the date such right is granted.

 

(ii)         The term of each Related Right shall be the term of the Option to which it relates, but no Related Right shall be exercisable more than ten (10) years after the date such right is granted.

   

(g)       Change in Control. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, upon a Change in Control, all outstanding Stock Appreciation Rights shall be subject to Section 12 of the Plan.

 

(h)       Automatic Exercise. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator in an Award Agreement or otherwise, or as otherwise directed by the Participant in writing to the Company, each vested and exercisable Stock Appreciation Right outstanding on the Automatic Exercise Date with an Exercise Price per Share that is less than the Fair Market Value per Share as of such date shall automatically and without further action by the Participant or the Company be exercised on the Automatic Exercise Date. The Company or any Affiliate shall deduct or withhold an amount sufficient to satisfy all taxes associated with such exercise in accordance with Section 16. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, this Section 8(h) shall not apply to a Stock Appreciation Right if the Participant’s employment or service has terminated on or before the Automatic Exercise Date. For the avoidance of doubt, no Stock Appreciation Right with an Exercise Price per Share that is equal to or greater the Fair Market Value per Share on the Automatic Exercise Date shall be exercised pursuant to this Section 8(h).

 

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Section 9.          Restricted Shares.

 

(a)       General. Each Award of Restricted Shares granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Restricted Shares may be issued either alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan. The Administrator shall determine the Eligible Recipients to whom, and the time or times at which, grants of Restricted Shares shall be made; the number of Shares to be awarded; the price, if any, to be paid by the Participant for the acquisition of Restricted Shares; the Restricted Period, if any, applicable to Restricted Shares; the Performance Goals (if any) applicable to Restricted Shares; and all other conditions of the Restricted Shares. If the restrictions, Performance Goals and/or conditions established by the Administrator are not attained, a Participant shall forfeit his or her Restricted Shares in accordance with the terms of the grant. The terms and conditions applicable to the Restricted Shares need not be the same with respect to each Participant.

 

(b)       Awards and Certificates. The prospective recipient of Restricted Shares shall not have any rights with respect to any such Award, unless and until such recipient has received an Award Agreement and, if required by the Administrator in the Award Agreement, executed and delivered a fully executed copy thereof to the Company, within a period of sixty (60) days (or such other period as the Administrator may specify) after the award date. Except as otherwise provided in herein, (i) each Participant who is granted an Award of Restricted Shares may, in the Company’s sole discretion, be issued a stock certificate in respect of such Restricted Shares; and (ii) any such certificate so issued shall be registered in the name of the Participant, and shall bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to any such Award. The Company may require that the stock certificates, if any, evidencing Restricted Shares granted hereunder be held in the custody of the Company until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed, and that, as a condition of any award of Restricted Shares, the Participant shall have delivered a stock power, endorsed in blank, relating to the Shares covered by such Award. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, any Restricted Shares (whether before or after any vesting conditions have been satisfied) may, in the Company’s sole discretion, be issued in uncertificated form pursuant to the customary arrangements for issuing shares in such form.

 

(c)       Restrictions and Conditions. The Restricted Shares granted pursuant to this Section 9 shall be subject to the following restrictions and conditions and any additional restrictions or conditions as determined by the Administrator at the time of grant or thereafter:

 

(i)          The Restricted Shares shall be subject to the restrictions on transferability set forth in the Award Agreement and in the Plan.

 

(ii)         The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, provide for the lapse of restrictions in installments and may accelerate or waive such restrictions in whole or in part based on such factors and such circumstances as the Administrator may determine, in its sole discretion, including, but not limited to, the attainment of certain Performance Goals, the Participant’s termination of employment or service as Non-Employee Director or Consultant of the Company or an Affiliate thereof, or the Participant’s death or Disability.

  

(iii)        Subject to this Section 9(c)(ii), the Participant shall generally have the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to Restricted Shares during the Restricted Period. In the Administrator’s discretion and as provided in the applicable Award Agreement, a Participant may be entitled to dividends or dividend equivalents on an Award of Restricted Shares, which will be payable in accordance with the terms of such grant as determined by the Administrator in accordance with Section 18 of the Plan. Certificates for unrestricted Shares may, in the Company’s sole discretion, be delivered to the Participant only after the Restricted Period has expired without forfeiture in respect of such Restricted Shares, except as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall otherwise determine.

 

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(iv)        The rights of Participants granted Restricted Shares upon termination of employment or service as a Non-Employee Director or Consultant of the Company or an Affiliate thereof terminates for any reason during the Restricted Period shall be set forth in the Award Agreement.

 

(d)       Change in Control. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, upon a Change in Control, all outstanding Restricted Shares shall be subject to Section 12 of the Plan.

 

Section 10.         Restricted Stock Units.

 

(a)         General. Restricted Stock Units may be issued either alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan. The Administrator shall determine the Eligible Recipients to whom, and the time or times at which, grants of Restricted Stock Units shall be made; the number of Restricted Stock Units to be awarded; the Restricted Period, if any, applicable to Restricted Stock Units; the Performance Goals (if any) applicable to Restricted Stock Units; and all other conditions of the Restricted Stock Units. If the restrictions, Performance Goals and/or conditions established by the Administrator are not attained, a Participant shall forfeit his or her Restricted Stock Units in accordance with the terms of the grant. The provisions of Restricted Stock Units need not be the same with respect to each Participant.

 

(b)         Award Agreement. The prospective recipient of Restricted Stock Units shall not have any rights with respect to any such Award, unless and until such recipient has received an Award Agreement and, if required by the Administrator in the Award Agreement, executed and delivered a fully executed copy thereof to the Company, within a period of sixty (60) days (or such other period as the Administrator may specify) after the award date.

 

(c)         Restrictions and Conditions. The Restricted Stock Units granted pursuant to this Section 10 shall be subject to the following restrictions and conditions and any additional restrictions or conditions as determined by the Administrator at the time of grant or, subject to Code Section 409A, thereafter:

 

(i)          The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, provide for the lapse of restrictions in installments and may accelerate or waive such restrictions in whole or in part based on such factors and such circumstances as the Administrator may determine, in its sole discretion, including, but not limited to, the attainment of certain Performance Goals, the Participant’s termination of employment or service as a Non-Employee Director or Consultant of the Company or an Affiliate thereof, or the Participant’s death or Disability.

 

(ii)         Participants holding Restricted Stock Units shall have no voting rights. A Restricted Stock Unit may, at the Administrator’s discretion, carry with it a right to dividend equivalents, subject to Section 18 of the Plan. Such right would entitle the holder to be credited with an amount equal to all cash dividends paid on one Share while the Restricted Stock Unit is outstanding. The Administrator, in its discretion, may grant dividend equivalents from the date of grant or only after a Restricted Stock Unit is vested.

 

(iii)        The rights of Participants granted Restricted Stock Units upon termination of employment or service as a Non-Employee Director or Consultant of the Company or an Affiliate thereof terminates for any reason during the Restricted Period shall be set forth in the Award Agreement.

  

(d)       Settlement of Restricted Stock Units. Settlement of vested Restricted Stock Units shall be made to Participants in the form of Shares, unless the Administrator, in its sole discretion, provides for the payment of the Restricted Stock Units in cash (or partly in cash and partly in Shares) equal to the value of the Shares that would otherwise be distributed to the Participant.

 

(e)       Change in Control. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, upon a Change in Control, all outstanding Restricted Stock Units shall be subject to Section 12 of the Plan.

 

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Section 11.         Other Share-Based or Cash-Based Awards.

 

(a)       The Administrator is authorized to grant Awards to Participants in the form of Other Share-Based Awards or Other Cash-Based Awards, as deemed by the Administrator to be consistent with the purposes of the Plan and as evidenced by an Award Agreement. The Administrator shall determine the terms and conditions of such Awards, consistent with the terms of the Plan, at the date of grant or thereafter, including any Performance Goals and performance periods. Shares or other securities or property delivered pursuant to an Award in the nature of a purchase right granted under this Section 11 shall be purchased for such consideration, paid for at such times, by such methods, and in such forms, including, without limitation, Shares, other Awards, notes or other property, as the Administrator shall determine, subject to any required corporate action.

 

(b)       The prospective recipient of an Other Share-Based Award or Other Cash-Based Award shall not have any rights with respect to such Award, unless and until such recipient has received an Award Agreement and, if required by the Administrator in the Award Agreement, executed and delivered a fully executed copy thereof to the Company, within a period of sixty (60) days (or such other period as the Administrator may specify) after the award date.

 

(c)       Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, upon a Change in Control, all outstanding Other Share-Based Awards and Other Cash-Based Awards shall be subject to Section 12 of the Plan.

 

Section 12.         Change in Control.

 

The Administrator may provide in the applicable Award Agreement that an Award will vest on an accelerated basis upon the Participant’s termination of employment or service in connection with a Change in Control or upon the occurrence of any other event that the Administrator may set forth in the Award Agreement. If the Company is a party to an agreement that is reasonably likely to result in a Change in Control, such agreement may provide for: (i) the continuation of any Award by the Company, if the Company is the surviving corporation; (ii) the assumption of any Award by the surviving corporation or its parent or subsidiary; (iii) the substitution by the surviving corporation or its parent or subsidiary of equivalent awards for any Award, provided, however, that any such substitution with respect to Options and Stock Appreciation Rights shall occur in accordance with the requirements of Code Section 409A; or (iv) settlement of any Award for the Change in Control Price (less, to the extent applicable, the per share exercise or grant price), or, if the per share exercise or grant price equals or exceeds the Change in Control Price or if the Administrator determines that Award cannot reasonably become vested pursuant to its terms, such Award shall terminate and be canceled without consideration. To the extent that Restricted Shares, Restricted Stock Units or other Awards settle in Shares in accordance with their terms upon a Change in Control, such Shares shall be entitled to receive as a result of the Change in Control transaction the same consideration as the Shares held by stockholders of the Company as a result of the Change in Control transaction. For purposes of this Section 12, “Change in Control Price” shall mean (A) the price per Share paid to stockholders of the Company in the Change in Control transaction, or (B) the Fair Market Value of a Share upon a Change in Control, as determined by the Administrator. To the extent that the consideration paid in any such Change in Control transaction consists all or in part of securities or other non-cash consideration, the value of such securities or other non-cash consideration shall be determined in good faith by the Administrator. 

 

Section 13.         Amendment and Termination.3

 

(a)       The Board or the Committee may amend, alter or terminate the Plan, but no amendment, alteration, or termination shall be made that would adversely alter or impair the rights of a Participant under any Award theretofore granted without such Participant’s prior written consent.

 

(b)       Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) approval of the Company’s stockholders shall be obtained for any amendment that would require such approval in order to satisfy the requirements of Code Section 422, if applicable, any rules of the stock exchange on which the Shares are traded or other applicable law, and (ii) without stockholder approval to the extent required by the rules of any applicable national securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system on which the Shares are listed or quoted, except as otherwise permitted under Section 5 of the Plan, (A) no amendment or modification may reduce the Exercise Price of any Option or Stock Appreciation Right, (B) the Administrator may not cancel any outstanding Option or Stock Appreciation Right and replace it with a new Option or Stock Appreciation Right, another Award or cash and (C) the Administrator may not take any other action that is considered a “repricing” for purposes of the stockholder approval rules of the applicable securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system.

 

 

3 Suggest adding provisions of timely notice to the Participants with regards to any amendment or termination of the Plan. 

 

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(c)       Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and Code Section 409A, the Administrator may modify, extend or renew outstanding Awards under the Plan, or accept the surrender of outstanding Awards (to the extent not already exercised) and grant new Awards in substitution of them (to the extent not already exercised).

 

(d)       Notwithstanding the foregoing, no alteration, modification or termination of an Award will, without the prior written consent of the Participant, adversely alter or impair any rights or obligations under any Award already granted under the Plan.

 

Section 14.         Unfunded Status of Plan.

 

The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive compensation. Neither the Company, the Board nor the Committee shall be required to establish any special or separate fund or to segregate any assets to assure the performance of its obligations under the Plan. With respect to any payments not yet made or Shares not yet transferred to a Participant by the Company, nothing contained herein shall give any such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general unsecured creditor of the Company.

 

Section 15.         Deferrals of Payment.

 

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may determine that the delivery of Shares or the payment of cash, upon the exercise, vesting or settlement of all or a portion of any Award, shall be deferred. The Administrator may also, in its sole discretion, establish one or more programs under the Plan to permit selected Participants the opportunity to elect to defer receipt of any such consideration, including any applicable election procedures, the timing of such elections, the mechanisms for payments of amounts, shares or other consideration so deferred, and such other terms, conditions, rules and procedures that the Administrator deems advisable for the administration of any such deferral program. Deferrals by Participants (or deferred settlement or payment required by the Administrator) shall be made in accordance with Code Section 409A, if applicable, and any other applicable law.

 

Section 16.         Withholding Taxes. 

 

Each Participant shall, no later than the date as of which the value of an Award first becomes includible in the gross income of such Participant for federal, state and/or local income tax purposes, pay to the Company, or make arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator regarding payment of, any federal, state, or local taxes of any kind, domestic or foreign, required by law or regulation to be withheld with respect to the Award. The obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be conditional on the making of such payments or arrangements, and the Company shall, to the extent permitted by law, have the right to deduct any such taxes from any payment of any kind otherwise due to such Participant. Whenever cash is to be paid pursuant to an Award granted hereunder, the Company shall have the right to deduct therefrom an amount sufficient to satisfy any federal, state and local withholding tax requirements related thereto. Whenever Shares are to be delivered pursuant to an Award, the Company shall have the right to require the Participant to remit to the Company in cash an amount sufficient to satisfy any related federal, state and local taxes, domestic or foreign, to be withheld and applied to the tax obligations. With the approval of the Administrator, a Participant may satisfy the foregoing requirement by electing to have the Company withhold from delivery of Shares or by delivering already owned unrestricted Shares, in each case, having a value equal to the amount required to be withheld or other greater amount not exceeding the maximum statutory rate required to be collected on the transaction under applicable law, as applicable to the Participant, if such other greater amount would not, as determined by the Administrator, result in adverse financial accounting treatment (including in connection with the effectiveness of FASB Accounting Standards Update 2016-09). Such Shares shall be valued at their Fair Market Value on the date of which the amount of tax to be withheld is determined. Fractional share amounts shall be settled in cash. Such an election may be made with respect to all or any portion of the Shares to be delivered pursuant to an Award. The Company may also use any other method of obtaining the necessary payment or proceeds, as permitted by law, to satisfy its withholding obligation with respect to any Option or other Award.

 

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Section 17.         Certain Forfeitures.

 

The Administrator may specify in an Award Agreement that the Participant’s rights, payments and benefits with respect to an Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or recoupment upon the occurrence of certain events, in addition to the applicable vesting conditions of an Award. Such events may include, without limitation, breach of any non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, or other restrictive covenants that are contained in an Award Agreement or that are otherwise applicable to the Participant, a termination of the Participant’s employment for Cause, or other conduct by the Participant that is detrimental to the business or reputation of the Company and its Subsidiaries and/or its Affiliates.

 

Section 18.         Dividends; Dividend Equivalents.

 

Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, to the extent that an Award contains a right to receive dividends or dividend equivalents while such Award remains unvested, such dividends or dividend equivalents will be accumulated and paid once and to the extent that the underlying Award vests.

 

Section 19.         Non-United States Employees. 

 

Without amending the Plan, the Administrator may grant Awards to eligible persons residing in non-United States jurisdictions on such terms and conditions different from those specified in the Plan, including the terms of any award agreement or plan, adopted by the Company or any Subsidiary thereof to comply with, or take advantage of favorable tax or other treatment available under, the laws of any non-United States jurisdiction, as may in the judgment of the Administrator be necessary or desirable to foster and promote achievement of the purposes of the Plan and, in furtherance of such purposes the Administrator may make such modifications, amendments, procedures, sub-plans and the like as may be necessary or advisable to comply with provisions of laws in other countries or jurisdictions in which the Company or its Subsidiaries operates or has employees.

 

Section 20.         Transfer of Awards.

 

No purported sale, assignment, mortgage, hypothecation, transfer, charge, pledge, encumbrance, gift, transfer in trust (voting or other) or other disposition of, or creation of a security interest in or lien on, any Award or any agreement or commitment to do any of the foregoing (each, a “Transfer”) by any holder thereof in violation of the provisions of the Plan or an Award Agreement will be valid, except with the prior written consent of the Administrator, which consent may be granted or withheld in the sole discretion of the Administrator, and other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Any purported Transfer of an Award or any economic benefit or interest therein in violation of the Plan or an Award Agreement shall be null and void ab initio, and shall not create any obligation or liability of the Company, and any person purportedly acquiring any Award or any economic benefit or interest therein transferred in violation of the Plan or an Award Agreement shall not be entitled to be recognized as a holder of such Shares. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator in accordance with the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence, an Option may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant or, during any period during which the Participant is under a legal disability, by the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. Under no circumstances will a Participant be permitted to transfer an Option or Stock Appreciation Right to a third-party financial institution without prior stockholder approval. 

  

Section 21.         Continued Employment.

 

The adoption of the Plan shall not confer upon any Eligible Recipient any right to continued employment or service with the Company or an Affiliate thereof, as the case may be, nor shall it interfere in any way with the right of the Company or an Affiliate thereof to terminate the employment or service of any of its Eligible Recipients at any time.

 

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Section 22.         Effective Date.

 

The Plan will be effective as of the date of consummation of the transactions contemplated by that certain agreement and plan of merger, dated as of September [__], 2022, by and among TradeUP Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation, Tradeup Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and Estrella Biopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation, subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders (the “Effective Date”). The Plan will be unlimited in duration and, in the event of Plan termination, will remain in effect as long as any Shares awarded under it are outstanding and not fully vested; provided, however, that no Awards will be made under the Plan on or after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date.

  

Section 23.         Code Section 409A.

 

The intent of the parties is that payments and benefits under the Plan be either exempt from Code Section 409A or comply with Code Section 409A to the extent subject thereto, and, accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted, the Plan shall be interpreted and be administered consistent with such intent. Any payments described in the Plan that are due within the “short-term deferral period” as defined in Code Section 409A shall not be treated as deferred compensation unless applicable law requires otherwise. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan, to the extent required in order to avoid accelerated taxation and/or tax penalties under Code Section 409A, amounts that would otherwise be payable and benefits that would otherwise be provided upon a “separation from service” to a Participant who is a “specified employee” shall be paid on the first business day after the date that is six (6) months following the Participant’s separation from service (or upon the Participant’s death, if earlier). In addition, for purposes of the Plan, each amount to be paid or benefit to be provided to the Participant pursuant to the Plan, which constitute deferred compensation subject to Code Section 409A, shall be construed as a separate identified payment for purposes of Code Section 409A. Nothing contained in the Plan or an Award Agreement shall be construed as a guarantee of any particular tax effect with respect to an Award. The Company does not guarantee that any Awards provided under the Plan will be exempt from or in compliance with the provisions of Code Section 409A, and in no event will the Company be liable for any or all portion of any taxes, penalties, interest or other expenses that may be incurred by a Participant on account of any Award being subject to, but not in compliance with, Code Section 409A.

 

Section 24.         Compliance with Laws. 

 

(a)       The obligation of the Company to settle Awards in Shares or other consideration shall be subject to (i) all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, (ii) such approvals as may be required by governmental agencies or the applicable national securities exchange on which the Shares may be admitted, and (iii) policies maintained by the Company from time to time in order to comply with applicable laws, rules, regulations and corporate governance requirements, including, without limitation, with respect to insider trading restrictions. Notwithstanding any terms or conditions of any Award to the contrary, the Company shall be under no obligation to offer to sell or to sell, and shall be prohibited from offering to sell or selling, any Shares pursuant to an Award unless such shares have been properly registered for sale pursuant to the Securities Act with the Securities and Exchange Commission or unless the Company has received an opinion of counsel (if the Company has requested such an opinion), satisfactory to the Company, that such Shares may be offered or sold without such registration pursuant to an available exemption therefrom and the terms and conditions of such exemption have been fully complied with. The Company shall be under no obligation to register for sale under the Securities Act any of the Shares to be offered or sold under the Plan. The Administrator shall have the authority to provide that all Shares or other securities of the Company issued under the Plan shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under the Plan, the applicable Award Agreement, the federal securities laws, or the rules, regulations and other requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system on which the securities of the Company are listed or quoted and any other applicable federal, state, local or non-U.S. laws, rules, regulations and other requirements, and the Administrator may cause a legend or legends to be put on certificates representing Shares or other securities of the Company issued under the Plan to make appropriate reference to such restrictions or may cause such Shares or other securities of the Company issued under the Plan in book-entry form to be held subject to the Company’s instructions or subject to appropriate stop-transfer orders. Notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the contrary, the Committee reserves the right to add any additional terms or provisions to any Award granted under the Plan that it, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or advisable in order that such Award complies with the legal requirements of any governmental entity to whose jurisdiction the Award is subject.

 

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(b)       The Administrator may cancel an Award or any portion thereof if it determines, in its sole discretion, that legal or contractual restrictions and/or blockage and/or other market considerations would make the Company’s acquisition of Shares from the public markets, the Company’s issuance of Shares to the Participant, the Participant’s acquisition of Shares from the Company and/or the Participant’s sale of Shares to the public markets, illegal, impracticable or inadvisable. If the Administrator determines to cancel all or any portion of an Award in accordance with the foregoing, the Company shall, subject to any limitations or reductions as may be necessary to comply with Code Section 409A, (i) pay to the Participant an amount equal to the excess of (A) the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to such Award or portion thereof canceled (determined as of the applicable exercise date, or the date that the Shares would have been vested or issued, as applicable), over (B) the aggregate Exercise Price (in the case of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right) or any amount payable as a condition of issuance of Shares (in the case of any other Award), and such amount shall be delivered to the Participant as soon as practicable following the cancellation of such Award or portion thereof, or (ii) in the case of Restricted Shares, Restricted Stock Units or Other Share-Based Awards, provide the Participant with a cash payment or equity subject to deferred vesting and delivery consistent with the vesting restrictions applicable to such Restricted Shares, Restricted Stock Units or Other Share-Based Awards, or the underlying Shares in respect thereof.

 

Section 25.         Erroneously Awarded Compensation.

 

The Plan and all Awards issued hereunder shall be subject to any compensation recovery and/or recoupment policy adopted by the Company to comply with applicable law, including, without limitation, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or to comport with good corporate governance practices, as such policies may be amended from time to time.

 

Section 26.         Governing Law.

 

The Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of law of such state.

 

Section 27.         Plan Document Controls.

 

The Plan and each Award Agreement together constitute the entire agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof; provided, that in the event of any inconsistency between the Plan and such Award Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan shall control.

 

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Exhibit D

 

FORM OF AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

 

OF

 

[SURVIVING COMPANY]

 

A Delaware corporation

 

Adopted as of __________, 2022

 

ARTICLE I
OFFICES

 

Section 1.          Registered Office. The registered office of the corporation in the State of Delaware shall be located at [251 Little Falls Drive, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19808]. The name of its registered agent at such address is Corporation Service Company. The registered office and/or registered agent of the corporation may be changed from time to time by action of the board of directors.

 

Section 2.          Other Offices. The corporation may also have offices at such other places, both within and without the State of Delaware, as the board of directors may from time to time determine or the business of the corporation may require.

 

ARTICLE II
MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

Section 1.          Meetings Generally. At least one meeting of the stockholders shall be held each year for the purpose of electing directors and conducting any proper business as may come before the meeting. The date, time and place of such meeting shall be determined by the highest ranking officer then in office (the “Ranking Officer”); provided, however, that if the Ranking Officer does not act, the board of directors shall determine the date, time and place, if any, and/or the means of remote communication, of such meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no annual meeting of stockholders need be held if not required by the corporation’s certificate of incorporation or by the Delaware General Corporation Law.

 

Section 2.          Special Meetings. Special meetings of the stockholders may be called for any purpose and may be held at such time and place, within or without the State of Delaware, as shall be stated in a written notice of meeting or in a duly executed waiver of notice thereof. Except as otherwise provided in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, such meetings may be called at any time by the board of directors or the Ranking Officer and shall be called by the Ranking Officer upon the written request of holders of shares entitled to cast not less than a majority of the votes at the meeting. Such written request shall state the purpose or purposes of the meeting and shall be delivered to the Ranking Officer. Upon such written request, the Ranking Officer shall fix a date, time and place, if any, and/or remote communication, for such meeting within two days of the date requested for such meeting; provided, however, that if the Ranking Officer does not act, the board of directors shall fix a date, time and place, if any, and/or remote communication for such meeting.

 

Section 3.          Place of Meetings. The board of directors may designate any place, either within or without the State of Delaware, and/or by means of remote communication, as the place of meeting for any regular meeting or for any special meeting called by the board of directors. If no designation is made, or if a special meeting be otherwise called, the place of meeting shall be the principal executive office of the corporation.

 

   

 

  

Section 4.          Notice. Whenever stockholders are required or permitted to take action at a meeting, written or printed notice stating the place, if any, date, time, means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting, and, in the case of special meetings, the purpose or purposes, of such meeting, shall be given to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting. All such notices shall be delivered, either personally, by mail, by facsimile or by electronic mail, by or at the direction of the board of directors, the president or the secretary, and such notice shall be deemed to be delivered (i) upon confirmation of receipt if sent by facsimile, electronic mail or personal delivery or (ii) three (3) days after being deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at his, her or its address as the same appears on the records of the corporation. Attendance of a person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the person attends for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.

 

Section 5.          Stockholders List. The officer having charge of the stock ledger of the corporation shall make, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of the stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting arranged in alphabetical order, showing the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, for a period of at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting: (i) on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting, and/or (ii) during ordinary business hours, at the principal place of business of the corporation. If the corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the corporation. If the meeting is to be held at a place, then the list shall be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder who is present. If the meeting is to be held solely by means of remote communication, then the list shall also be open to the examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of the meeting.

 

Section 6.          Quorum. The holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the stockholders, except as otherwise provided by statute or by the corporation’s certificate of incorporation. If a quorum is not present, the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting, and entitled to vote at the meeting, may adjourn the meeting to another time and/or place. When a quorum is once present to commence a meeting of stockholders, it is not broken by the subsequent withdrawal of any stockholders or their proxies.

 

Section 7.          Adjourned Meetings. When a meeting is adjourned to another time and place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting if the time, place, if any, thereof, and the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken. At the adjourned meeting the corporation may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days, or if after the adjournment a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting.

 

Section 8.          Vote Required. When a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of the majority of shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall be the act of the stockholders, unless the question is one upon which by express provisions of an applicable law or of the corporation’s certificate of incorporation a different vote is required, in which case such express provision shall govern and control the decision of such question.

 

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Section 9.          Voting Rights. Except as otherwise provided by the Delaware General Corporation Law or by the corporation’s certificate of incorporation or any amendments thereto and subject to Section 3 of Article VI hereof, every stockholder shall at every meeting of the stockholders be entitled to one (1) vote in person or by proxy for each share of common stock held (or deemed held) by such stockholder (it being understood that certain other classes or series of capital stock may, pursuant to the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, be entitled to vote on as as-if converted to common stock basis).

 

Section 10.         Proxies. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of the stockholders or to express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three (3) years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. A duly executed proxy shall be irrevocable if it states that it is irrevocable and if, and only as long as, it is coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable power. A proxy may be made irrevocable regardless of whether the interest with which it is coupled is an interest in the stock itself or an interest in the corporation generally. Any proxy is suspended when the person executing the proxy is present at a meeting of the stockholders and elects to vote, except that, when such proxy is coupled with an interest and the fact of the interest appears on the face of the proxy, the agent named in the proxy shall have all voting and other rights referred to in the proxy, notwithstanding the presence of the person executing the proxy. At each meeting of the stockholders, and before any voting commences, all proxies filed at or before the meeting shall be submitted to and examined by the secretary or a person designated by the secretary and no shares may be represented or voted under a proxy that has been found to be invalid or irregular.

 

Section 11.      Action by Written Consent. Unless otherwise provided in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, any action required to be taken at any regular or special meeting of stockholders of the corporation, or any action which may be taken at any regular or special meeting of such stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken and bearing the dates of signature of the stockholders who signed the consent or consents, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted and shall be delivered to the corporation by delivery to its registered office in the state of Delaware, or the corporation’s principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the corporation having custody of the book or books in which proceedings of meetings of the stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, by reputable overnight courier service, or by facsimile or electronic mail, with confirmation of receipt. All consents properly delivered in accordance with this section shall be deemed to be recorded when so delivered. No written consent shall be effective to take the corporate action referred to therein unless, within sixty (60) days of the earliest dated consent delivered to the corporation as required by this section, written consents signed by the holders of a sufficient number of shares to take such corporate action are so recorded. Any action taken pursuant to such written consent or consents of the stockholders shall have the same force and effect as if taken by the stockholders at a meeting thereof.

 

Any copy, facsimile or other reliable reproduction of a consent in writing may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing for any and all purposes for which the original writing could be used; provided that such copy, facsimile or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing.

 

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ARTICLE III
DIRECTORS

 

Section 1.          General Power. The business and affairs of the corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the board of directors.

 

Section 2.          Number, Election and Term of Office. The number of directors which shall constitute the first board shall be two (2). The number of directors shall be subject to change by the vote of holders of a majority of the stock then entitled to vote at an election of directors. The directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the stock present in person or represented by proxy at a meeting of the stockholders and entitled to vote in the election of directors. The directors shall be elected in this manner at any meeting of the stockholders, except as provided in Section 4 of this Article III. Each director elected shall hold office until a successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal as hereinafter provided.

 

Section 3.          Removal and Resignation. Any director or the entire board of directors may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Whenever the holders of any class or series are entitled to elect one or more directors by the provisions of the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, the provisions of this section shall apply, in respect to the removal without cause of a director or directors so elected, to the vote of the holders of the outstanding shares of that class or series and not to the vote of the outstanding shares as a whole. Any director may resign at any time upon notice given in writing or by electronic transmission to the corporation.

 

Section 4.          Vacancies. Except as otherwise provided in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, board vacancies and newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors shall be filled in the same manner in which directors are elected pursuant to Section 2 of this Article III. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any such vacancy shall automatically reduce the number of directors pro tanto, until such time as the holders of the class of common stock which was entitled to elect the director whose office is vacant shall have exercised their right to elect a director to fill such vacancy, whereupon the number of directors shall be automatically increased pro tanto. Each director so chosen shall hold office until a successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal as herein provided.

 

Section 5.          Meetings and Notice. Regular meetings of the board of directors may be held without notice at such time and at such place as shall from time to time be determined by resolution of the board or directors and promptly communicated to all directors then in the office. Special meetings of the board of directors may be called by or at the request of any director or the Ranking Officer on at least forty-eight (48) hours’ notice to each director, either personally, by telephone, by mail, or by facsimile or electronic mail.

 

Section 6.          Quorum, Required Vote and Adjournment. Each director shall be entitled to one vote except as otherwise provided in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation. Directors then in office (and specifically excluding any vacancies) and holding a majority of the votes of all directors (or such greater number required by applicable law) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The vote of directors holding a majority of votes present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the board of directors. If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the board of directors, the directors present thereat may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum shall be present.

 

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Section 7.          Committees. The board of directors may, by resolution passed by a majority of the whole board, designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the corporation, which to the extent provided in such resolution or these Amended and Restated Bylaws shall have and may exercise the powers of the board of directors in the management and affairs of the corporation except as otherwise limited by law. The board of directors may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. Such committee or committees shall have such name or names as may be determined from time to time by resolution adopted by the board of directors. Each committee shall keep regular minutes of its meetings and report the same to the board of directors when required.

 

Section 8.          Committee Rules. Each committee of the board of directors may fix its own rules of procedure and shall hold its meetings as provided by such rules, except as may otherwise be provided by a resolution of the board of directors designating such committee. Unless otherwise provided in such a resolution, the presence of at least a majority of the members of the committee shall be necessary to constitute a quorum. If a member and that member’s alternate, if alternates are designated by the board of directors as provided in Section 7 of this Article III, of such committee is or are absent or disqualified, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not such member or members constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the board of directors to act at the meeting in place of any such absent or disqualified member.

 

Section 9.          Communications Equipment. Members of the board of directors or any committee thereof may participate in and act at any meeting of such board or committee through the use of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation in the meeting pursuant to this Section shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.

 

Section 10.       Waiver of Notice and Presumption of Consent. Any member of the board of directors or any committee thereof who is present at a meeting shall be conclusively presumed to have waived notice of such meeting except, when such member attends for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Such member shall be conclusively presumed to have consented to any action taken unless his or her dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless his or her written dissent to such action shall be filed with the person acting as the secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall be forwarded by registered mail to the secretary of the corporation immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to any member who voted in favor of such action.

 

Section 11.       Action by Written Consent. Unless otherwise restricted by the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the board of directors, or of any committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting if all members of the board or committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the board or committee. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.

 

ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS

 

Section 1.          Number. The officers of the corporation shall be elected by the board of directors and may consist of a chairman of the board, a president, a chief executive officer, a chief financial officer, one or more vice presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, and such other officers and assistant officers as may be deemed necessary or desirable by the board of directors. Any number of offices may be held by the same person. In its discretion, the board of directors may choose not to fill any office for any period as it may deem advisable, except that the offices of president and secretary shall be filled as expeditiously as reasonably possible.

 

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Section 2.          Election and Term of Office. The officers of the corporation shall be elected at any meeting of the board of directors. Vacancies may be filled or new offices created and filled at any meeting of the board of directors. Each officer shall hold office until a successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal as hereinafter provided.

 

Section 3.          Removal. Any officer or agent elected by the board of directors may be removed by the board of directors whenever in its judgment the best interests of the corporation would be served thereby, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the person so removed.

 

Section 4.          Vacancies. Any vacancy occurring in any office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification or otherwise, may be filled by the board of directors for the unexpired portion of the term by the board of directors then in office.

 

Section 5.          Compensation. Compensation of all officers shall be fixed by the board of directors, and no officer shall be prevented from receiving such compensation by virtue of his or her also being a director of the corporation.

 

Section 6.          Chairman of the Board. The chairman of the board, if one is appointed, shall have the powers and perform the duties incident to that position. Subject to the powers of the board of directors, he or she shall be in the general and active charge of the entire business and affairs of the corporation. He or she shall preside at meetings of the board of directors and the stockholders and shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the board of directors or provided in these Amended and Restated Bylaws. Whenever the president is unable to serve, by reason of sickness, absence or otherwise, the chairman of the board shall perform all the duties and responsibilities and exercise all the powers of the president.

 

Section 7.          The President. The president shall be the chief executive officer of the corporation; shall preside at all meetings of the stockholders and board of directors at which he or she is present; subject to the powers of the board of directors, shall have general charge of the business, affairs and property of the corporation, and control over its officers, agents and employees; and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the board of directors are carried into effect. The president shall execute bonds, mortgages and other contracts which the board of directors has authorized to be executed, except where required or permitted by law to be otherwise signed and executed and except where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the board of directors to some other officer or agent of the corporation. The president shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the board of directors or as may be provided in these Amended and Restated Bylaws. If there is no chief executive officer, the president shall also have the duties of the chief executive officer as prescribed above.

 

Section 8.          Chief Financial Officer. The chief financial officer of the corporation, if one is appointed, shall, under the direction of the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president), be responsible for all financial and accounting matters and for the direction of the offices of treasurer and controller. The chief financial officer shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the chairman of the board, the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president) or the board of directors or as may be provided in these Amended and Restated Bylaws.

 

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Section 9.          Vice Presidents. The vice president, if one is appointed, or if there shall be more than one, the vice presidents in the order determined by the board of directors or by the president, shall, in the absence or disability of the president, act with all of the powers and be subject to all the restrictions of the president. The vice presidents shall also perform such other duties and have such other powers as the board of directors, the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president) or these Amended and Restated Bylaws may, from time to time, prescribe.

 

Section 10.         The Secretary and Assistant Secretaries. The secretary shall attend all meetings of the board of directors, all meetings of the committees thereof and all meetings of the stockholders and record all the proceedings of the meetings in a book or books to be kept for that purpose. Under the chief executive officer’s (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president’s) supervision, the secretary shall give, or cause to be given, all notices required to be given by these Amended and Restated Bylaws or by law; shall have such powers and perform such duties as the board of directors, the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president) or these Amended and Restated Bylaws may, from time to time, prescribe; and shall have custody of the corporate seal of the corporation. The secretary, or an assistant secretary, shall have authority to affix the corporate seal to any instrument requiring it and when so affixed, it may be attested by his or her signature or by the signature of such assistant secretary. The board of directors may give general authority to any other officer to affix the seal of the corporation and to attest the affixing by his or her signature. The assistant secretary, or if there be more than one, the assistant secretaries in the order determined by the board of directors, shall, in the absence or disability of the secretary, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the secretary and shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as the board of directors, the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president) or the secretary may, from time to time, prescribe.

 

Section 11.        The Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. The treasurer shall, subject to the authority of the chief financial officer, if one is appointed, have the custody of the corporate funds and securities; shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the corporation; shall deposit all monies and other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of the corporation as may be ordered by the board of directors; shall cause the funds of the corporation to be disbursed when such disbursements have been duly authorized, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements; shall render to the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president) and the board of directors, at its regular meeting or when the board of directors so requires, an account of the corporation; and shall have such powers and perform such duties as the board of directors, the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president) or these Amended and Restated Bylaws may, from time to time, prescribe. If required by the board of directors, the treasurer shall give the corporation a bond (which shall be rendered every six (6) years) in such sums and with such surety or sureties as shall be satisfactory to the board of directors for the faithful performance of the duties of the office of treasurer and for the restoration to the corporation, in case of death, resignation, retirement, or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money, and other property of whatever kind in the possession or under the control of the treasurer belonging to the corporation. The assistant treasurer, or if there shall be more than one, the assistant treasurers in the order determined by the board of directors, shall in the absence or disability of the chief financial officer or treasurer, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the treasurer. The assistant treasurers shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as the board of directors, the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president) or the treasurer may, from time to time, prescribe.

 

Section 12.         Other Officers. Assistant Officers and Agents. Officers, assistant officers and agents, if any, other than those whose duties are provided for in these Amended and Restated Bylaws, shall have such authority and perform such duties as may from time to time be prescribed by resolution of the board of directors.

 

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Section 13.         Absence or Disability of Officers. In the case of the absence or disability of any officer of the corporation and of any person hereby authorized to act in such officer’s place during such officer’s absence or disability, the board of directors may by resolution delegate the powers and duties of such officer to any other officer or to any director, or to any other person whom it may select.

 

ARTICLE V
INDEMNIFICATION OF OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND OTHERS

 

Section 1.         Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings other than Those by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Section 3 of this Article V, the corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or, while a director or officer of the corporation, is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that such person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

Section 2.          Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Section 3 of this Article V, the corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or, while a director or officer of the corporation, is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation; except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity by the corporation for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 

Section 3.          Authorization of Indemnification. Any indemnification under this Article V (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the director or officer is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article V, as the case may be. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (i) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by a majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (iii) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iv) by the stockholders. Such determination shall be made, with respect to former directors and officers, by any person or persons having the authority to act on the matter on behalf of the corporation. To the extent, however, that a present or former director or officer of the corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding set forth in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article V or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith, without the necessity of authorization in the specific case.

 

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Section 4.          Good Faith Defined. For purposes of any determination under Section 3 of this Article V, a person shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be deemed to have acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, or, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, to have had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful, if such person’s action is based on good faith reliance on the records or books of account of the corporation or another enterprise, or on information supplied to such person by the officers of the corporation or another enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the corporation or another enterprise or on information or records given or reports made to the corporation or another enterprise by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected with reasonable care by the corporation or another enterprise. The term “another enterprise” as used in this Section 4 shall mean any other corporation or any partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which such person is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent. The provisions of this Section 4 shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the circumstances in which a person may be deemed to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article V, as the case may be.

 

Section 5.          Right of Claimant to Bring Suit. Notwithstanding any contrary determination in the specific case under Section 3 of this Article V, and notwithstanding the absence of any determination thereunder, if (i) following the final disposition of the applicable proceeding, a claim for indemnification under Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article V is not paid in full by the corporation within ninety (90) days after the later of a written claim for indemnification has been received by the corporation, or (ii) a claim for advancement of expenses under Section 6 of this Article V is not paid in full by the corporation within thirty (30) days after the corporation has received a statement or statements requesting such amounts to be advanced, the claimant may at any time thereafter (but not before) bring suit against the corporation in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware to recover the unpaid amount of the claim, together with interest thereon, or to obtain advancement of expenses, as applicable. It shall be a defense to any such action brought to enforce a right to indemnification (but not in an action brought to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) that the claimant has not met the standards of conduct which make it permissible under the DGCL (or other applicable law) for the corporation to indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of proving such defense shall be on the corporation. Neither a contrary determination in the specific case under Section 3 of this Article V nor the absence of any determination thereunder shall be a defense to such application or create a presumption that the claimant has not met any applicable standard of conduct. If successful, in whole or in part, the claimant shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such claim, including reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred in connection therewith, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

 

Section 6.          Expenses Payable in Advance. Expenses, including without limitation attorneys’ fees, incurred by a current or former director or officer in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding to which such person is a party or is threatened to be made a party or otherwise involved as a witness or otherwise, by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or, while a director or officer of the corporation, is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, shall be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such current or former director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this Article V or otherwise.

 

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Section 7.          Nonexclusivity of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by or granted pursuant to this Article V shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under the Certificate of Incorporation, any agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, it being the policy of the corporation that, subject to Section 11 of this Article V, indemnification of the persons specified in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article V shall be made to the fullest extent permitted by law. The provisions of this Article V shall not be deemed to preclude the indemnification of any person who is not specified in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article V but whom the corporation has the power or obligation to indemnify under the provisions of the DGCL, or otherwise.

 

Section 8.          Insurance. The corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power or the obligation to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of this Article V.

 

Section 9.          Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Article V, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, employees or agents so that any person who is or was a director or officer of such constituent corporation, or, while a director or officer of such constituent corporation, is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Article V with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued. For purposes of this Article V, references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect of any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation 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 such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this Article V.

 

Section 10.         Survival of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article V shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

Section 11.         Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article V to the contrary, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification or advancement of expenses (which shall be governed by Section 5 of this Article V), the corporation shall not be obligated to indemnify any current or former director or officer in connection with an action, suit proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person unless such action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board.

 

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Section 12.         Contract Rights. The obligations of the corporation under this Article V to indemnify, and advance expenses to, a person who is or was a director or officer of the corporation shall be considered a contract between the corporation and such person, and no modification or repeal of any provision of this Article V shall affect, to the detriment of such person, such obligations of the corporation in connection with a claim based on any act or failure to act occurring before such modification or repeal.

 

ARTICLE VI
CERTIFICATES OF STOCK

 

Section 1.          Form. Every holder of stock in the corporation shall be entitled to have a certificate, signed by the chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president), the chief financial officer or a vice president and the secretary or an assistant secretary of the corporation, certifying the number of shares of a specific class or series owned by such holder in the corporation. If such a certificate is countersigned (1) by a transfer agent or an assistant transfer agent other than the corporation or its employee or (2) by a registrar, other than the corporation or its employee, the signature of any such chief executive officer (or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president), chief financial officer, vice president, secretary, or assistant secretary may be facsimiles. In case any officer or officers who have signed, or whose facsimile signature or signatures have been used on, any such certificate or certificates shall cease to be such officer or officers of the corporation whether because of death, resignation or otherwise before such certificate or certificates have been delivered by the corporation, such certificate or certificates may nevertheless be issued and delivered as though the person or persons who signed such certificate or certificates or whose facsimile signature or signatures have been used thereon had not ceased to be such officer or officers of the corporation. All certificates for shares shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified. The name of the person to whom the shares represented thereby are issued, with the number of shares and date of issue, shall be entered on the books of the corporation. Shares of stock of the corporation shall be transferred on the books of the corporation only by the holder of record thereof or by such holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing, upon surrender to the corporation of the certificate or certificates for such shares endorsed by the appropriate person or persons, with such evidence of the authenticity of such endorsement, transfer, authorization, and other matters as the corporation may reasonably require, and accompanied by all necessary stock transfer stamps. In that event, it shall be the duty of the corporation to issue a new certificate to the person entitled thereto, cancel the old certificate or certificates, and record the transaction on its books. The board of directors may appoint a bank or trust company organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof to act as its transfer agent or registrar, or both in connection with the transfer of any class or series of securities of the corporation.

 

Section 2.          Lost Certificates. The board of directors may direct a new certificate or certificates to be issued in place of any certificate or certificates previously issued by the corporation alleged to have been lost, stolen, or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming the certificate of stock to be lost, stolen, or destroyed. When authorizing such issue of a new certificate or certificates, the board of directors may, in its discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen, or destroyed certificate or certificates, or his or her legal representative, to give the corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify the corporation against any claim that may be made against the corporation on account of the loss, theft or destruction of any such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate.

 

Section 3.          Fixing a Record Date for Stockholder Meetings. In order that the corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, the board of directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the board of directors, and which record date shall not be more than sixty (60) nor less than ten (10) days before the date of such meeting. If no record date is fixed by the board of directors, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be the close of business on the next day preceding the day on which notice is given, or if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided that the board of directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.

 

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Section 4.          Fixing a Record Date for Action by Written Consent. In order that the corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, the board of directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the board of directors, and which date shall not be more than ten (10) days after the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the board of directors. If no record date has been fixed by the board of directors, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, when no prior action by the board of directors is required by statute, shall be the first date on which a signed written consent setting forth the action taken or proposed to be taken is delivered to the corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested or by facsimile or electronic mail, with confirmation of receipt. If no record date has been fixed by the board of directors and prior action by the board of directors is required by statute, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting shall be at the close of business on the day on which the board of directors adopts the resolution taking such prior action.

 

Section 5.          Fixing a Record Date for Other Purposes. In order that the corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment or any rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock, or for the purposes of any other lawful action, the board of directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date shall be not more than sixty (60) days prior to such action. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the board of directors adopts the resolution relating thereto.

 

Section 6.          Registered Stockholders. Prior to the surrender to the corporation of the certificate or certificates for a share or shares of stock with a request to record the transfer of such share or shares, the corporation may treat the registered owner as the person entitled to receive dividends, to vote, to receive notifications, and otherwise to exercise all the rights and powers of an owner. The corporation shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or shares on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof.

 

Section 7.          Subscriptions for Stock. Unless otherwise provided for in the applicable subscription agreement, subscriptions for shares shall be paid in full at such time, or in such installments and at such times, as shall be determined by the board of directors. Any call made by the board of directors for payment on subscriptions shall be uniform as to all shares of the same class or as to all shares of the same series. In case of default in the payment of any installment or call when such payment is due, the corporation may proceed to collect the amount due in the same manner as any debt due the corporation.

 

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ARTICLE VII
GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

Section 1.          Dividends. Dividends upon the capital stock of the corporation, subject to the provisions of the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, if any, may be declared by the board of directors at any regular or special meeting, pursuant to law. Dividends may be paid in cash, in property, or in shares of capital stock, subject to the provisions of the corporation’s certificate of incorporation. Before payment of any dividend, there may be set aside out of any funds of the corporation available for dividends such sum or sums as the directors from time to time, in their absolute discretion, think proper as a reserve or reserves to meet contingencies, or for equalizing dividends, or for repairing or maintaining any property of the corporation, or any other purpose, and the directors may modify or abolish any such reserve in the manner in which it was created.

 

Section 2.          Checks, Drafts or Orders. All checks, drafts, or other orders for the payment of money by or to the corporation and all notes and other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of the corporation shall be signed by such officer(s) or agent(s) of the corporation, and in such manner, as shall be determined by resolution of the board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof.

 

Section 3.          Contracts. The board of directors may authorize any officer or officers, or any agent or agents, of the corporation to enter into any contract or to execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the corporation, and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances.

 

Section 4.          Loans. The corporation may lend money to, or guarantee any obligation of, or otherwise assist any officer or other employee of the corporation or of its subsidiary, including any officer or employee who is a director of the corporation or its subsidiary, whenever, in the judgment of the directors, such loan, guaranty or assistance may reasonably be expected to benefit the corporation. The loan, guaranty or other assistance may be with or without interest, and may be unsecured, or secured in such manner as the board of directors shall approve, including, without limitation, a pledge of shares of stock of the corporation. Nothing in this section contained shall be deemed to deny, limit or restrict the powers of guaranty or warranty of the corporation at common law or under any statute.

 

Section 5.          Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the corporation shall be fixed by resolution of the board of directors.

 

Section 6.          Corporate Seal. The board of directors may provide a corporate seal which shall be in the form of a circle and shall have inscribed thereon the name of the corporation and the words “Corporate Seal, Delaware.” The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed or affixed or reproduced or otherwise.

 

Section 7.          Voting Securities Owned By Corporation. Voting securities in any other corporation held by the corporation shall be voted by the president, any vice president, the chief financial officer or the secretary, unless the board of directors specifically confers authority to vote with respect thereto, which authority may be general or confined to specific instances, upon some other person or officer. Any person authorized to vote securities shall have the power to appoint proxies, with general power of substitution.

 

Section 8.          Inspection of Books and Records. Any stockholder of record, in person or by attorney or other agent, shall, upon written demand under oath stating the purpose thereof, have the right during the usual hours for business to inspect for any proper purpose the corporation’s stock ledger, a list of its stockholders, and its other books and records, and to make copies or extracts therefrom. A proper purpose shall mean any purpose reasonably related to such person’s interest as a stockholder. In every instance where an attorney or other agent shall be the person who seeks the right to inspection, the demand under oath shall be accompanied by a power of attorney or such other writing which authorizes the attorney or other agent to so act on behalf of the stockholder. The demand under oath shall be directed to the corporation at its registered office in the State of Delaware or at its principal place of business.

 

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Section 9.          Exclusive Jurisdiction. The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum from (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director or officer of the corporation to the corporation arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or the corporation’s certificate of incorporation or Amended and Restated Bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the corporation governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

 

Section 10.         Section Headings. Section headings in these Amended and Restated Bylaws are for convenience of reference only and shall not be given any substantive effect in limiting or otherwise construing any provision herein.

 

Section 11.         Inconsistent Provisions. If any provision of these Amended and Restated Bylaws is or becomes inconsistent with any provision of the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, the Delaware General Corporation Law or any other applicable law, the provision of these Amended and Restated Bylaws shall not be given any effect to the extent of such inconsistency but shall otherwise be given full force and effect.

 

ARTICLE VIII
AMENDMENTS

 

Except for Article III and Article V hereof, these Amended and Restated Bylaws may be amended, altered, or repealed and new Amended and Restated Bylaws adopted at any meeting of the board of directors by a majority vote. Article III and Article V hereof may be amended, altered, or repealed at any meeting of the board of directors only by a unanimous vote (or unanimous written consent in lieu thereof). The fact that the power to adopt, amend, alter, or repeal the Amended and Restated Bylaws has been conferred upon the board of directors shall not divest the stockholders of the same powers.

 

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EXHIBIT E

 

FORM OF FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
[SURVIVING COMPANY]

 

 

 

Pursuant to Sections 228, 242 and 245 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law

 

 

 

Tradeup Merger Sub Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), does hereby certify as follows:

 

1.          The Corporation’s original Certificate of Incorporation was filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on July 26, 2022.

 

2.          This First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation has been duly adopted by the Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) and the sole stockholder (the “Sole Stockholder”) of the Corporation in accordance with Sections 228, 242 and 245 of the DGCL, as applicable.

 

3.          This First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation restates and integrates and further amends the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation.

 

4.          The effective date and time of this filing is [●].1

 

5.          This First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

 

ARTICLE I

 

The name of the Corporation is [Surviving Company].

 

ARTICLE II

 

The address of the Corporation’s registered office in the State of Delaware is [251 Little Falls Drive, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19808], and the name of the registered agent at such address is Corporation Service Company.

 

 

1 Given the effective time to coordinate the filing at closing.

 

   

 

  

ARTICLE III

 

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

 

ARTICLE IV

 

The Corporation shall have perpetual existence.

 

ARTICLE V

A.           The aggregate number of shares of capital stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 100 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001 per share.

 

B.            Except as otherwise required by the DGCL, all shares of common stock shall be identical in all respects and shall entitle the holders thereof to the same rights and privileges, subject to the same qualifications, limitations and restrictions.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

A.           To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as the same exists or as may hereafter be amended, a director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Article VI shall eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) pursuant to the provisions of Section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. No repeal or modification of this Article VI shall apply to or have any adverse effect on any right or protection of, or any limitation of the liability of, a director of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification with respect to acts or omissions occurring prior to such repeal or modification.

 

B.            The Corporation may indemnify, and advance expenses to, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any person who was or is a party to or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise.

 

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ARTICLE VII

 

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the doctrine of corporate opportunity and any analogous doctrine (any such potential opportunity, a “Corporate Opportunity”) shall not apply to any stockholder, director, officer or any other person or entity (including, with respect to any of the foregoing that are entities, any affiliates and their respective directors, officers, partners, members and associated entities) in each case who is not a full-time employee of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries (each, an “Exempted Person”). The Corporation renounces any interest or expectancy of the Corporation in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, business opportunities (including Corporate Opportunities) that are from time to time presented to any Exempted Person. Each Exempted Person who acquires knowledge of a potential circumstance, transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be a Corporate Opportunity shall not (a) have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to the Corporation and (b) shall not be liable to the Corporation, its subsidiaries or to the stockholders of the Corporation because such Exempted Person pursues or acquires for, or directs such opportunity to, itself or another Person or does not communicate such opportunity or information to the Corporation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, no potential transaction or business opportunity may be deemed to be a potential corporate opportunity of the Corporation or its subsidiaries unless (a) the Corporation and its subsidiaries would be permitted to undertake such transaction or opportunity in accordance with this First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, (b) the Corporation and its subsidiaries at such time have sufficient financial resources to undertake such transaction or opportunity and (c) such transaction or opportunity would be in the same line of business in which the Corporation and its subsidiaries are then engaged or a line of business that is reasonably related to, or a reasonable extension of, such line of business. No amendment or repeal of this Article VII shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any Exempted Person for or with respect to any activities or opportunities of which such Exempted Person becomes aware prior to such amendment or repeal. This Article VII shall not limit any protections or defenses available to, or indemnification or advancement rights of, any director or officer of the Corporation under this First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws or applicable law.

 

ARTICLE VIII

 

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

 

ARTICLE IX

 

The number of directors which shall constitute the whole Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be fixed from time to time by, or in the manner provided in, the Bylaws of the Corporation or in an amendment thereof duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation or by the stockholders of the Corporation.

 

ARTICLE X

 

Meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be held within or without the State of Delaware, as the Bylaws of the Corporation may provide. The books of the corporation may be kept (subject to any provision contained in the DGCL) outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors of the Corporation or in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

 

ARTICLE XI

 

Except as otherwise provided in this First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, in furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board of Directors of the Corporation is expressly authorized to make, repeal, alter, amend and rescind any or all of the Bylaws of the Corporation.

 

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[Signature page follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be signed on this ___ day of _______, 2023.

 

  [SURVIVING COMPANY]
   
       
  Name:  
  Title:  

 

[Signature page to First Amended and Restated Certificate of [Surviving Company]

 

 

 

 

Exhibit H

 

FORM OF COMPANY STOCKHOLDER LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

 

THIS LOCK-UP AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is dated as of ___________, 2023, by and between the undersigned (the “Holder”) and Estrella Immunopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation, f/k/a TradeUP Acquisition Corp. Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings given such terms in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).

 

BACKGROUND

 

A.            Estrella Immunopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation, f/k/a TradeUP Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Acquiror”), Tradeup Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Acquiror (the “Merger Sub”), and Estrella Biopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of September___, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”).

  

B.            Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Acquiror will become the 100% stockholder of the Company (the “Transaction”).

 

C.             The Holder is the record and/or beneficial owner of equity securities of the Company, which will be exchanged for common stock of the Acquiror pursuant to the Merger Agreement.

 

D.            As a condition of, and as a material inducement for the Company to enter into and consummate the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the Holder has agreed to execute and deliver this Agreement.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:

 

AGREEMENT

 

1.             Lock-Up.

 

(a)          During the Lock-up Period (as defined below), the Holder irrevocably agrees that it, he or she will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any of the Lock-up Shares (as defined below), enter into a transaction that would have the same effect, or enter into any swap, hedge or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of such Lock-up Shares, whether any of these transactions are to be settled by delivery of any such Lock-up Shares, in cash or otherwise, publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge or disposition, or to enter into any transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement, or engage in any Short Sales (as defined below) with respect to any security of Acquiror.

 

(b)          In furtherance of the foregoing, Acquiror will (i) place an irrevocable stop order on all Lock-up Shares, including those which may be covered by a registration statement, and (ii) notify Acquiror’s transfer agent in writing of the stop order and the restrictions on such Lock-up Shares under this Agreement and direct Acquiror’s transfer agent not to process any attempts by the Holder to resell or transfer any Lock-up Shares, except in compliance with this Agreement.

 

(c)          For purposes hereof, “Short Sales” include, without limitation, all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 promulgated under Regulation SHO under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and all types of direct and indirect stock pledges, forward sale contracts, options, puts, calls, swaps and similar arrangements (including on a total return basis), and sales and other transactions through non-US broker dealers or foreign regulated brokers.

 

 

 

(d)          For purpose of this Agreement, the “Lock-up Period” means the date that falls six months after the closing date of the Transaction; provided, that, 50% of the Lock-Up Shares shall be automatically released from the restrictions set forth herein on the date on which the closing price of the PubCo Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period, commencing after the closing date of the Transaction; provided, further, in the event PubCo completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of PubCo’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for common stock, cash, securities or other property, then the Lock-Up Shares shall be released from the restrictions set forth herein to the extent necessary to allow such Holder to participate in such transaction.

  

The restrictions set forth herein shall not apply to: (1) transfers or distributions to the Holder’s current or former general or limited partners, managers or members, stockholders, other equity holders or direct or indirect affiliates (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) or to the estates of any of the foregoing; (2) transfers by bona fide gift to a member of the Holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the Holder or a member of the Holder’s immediate family for estate planning purposes; (3) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death of the Holder; (4) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, in each case where such transferee agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement; or (5) transfers or distributions of, or other transactions involving, securities other than the Lock-up Shares (including, without limitation, securities acquired in the Transaction Financing or in open market transactions); provided, no transfer hereunder shall be valid or effective unless such transferee agrees in writing to be bound by the terms of this Agreement as if she were an original party hereto.

 

In addition, the restrictions set forth herein shall not apply to any bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation, business combination, stock purchase or other similar transaction or series of related transactions after the Closing Date, if such transaction or transactions would result in a Change of Control; provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation, business combination, stock purchase or transaction or series of related transactions is not completed, the Lock-up Shares shall remain subject to the restrictions set forth herein. A “Change of Control” means (whether by tender offer, merger, consolidation, asset sale or other similar transaction, whether in one or a series of related transactions): (a) the sale of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of Acquiror and Acquiror subsidiaries to a third-party acquiror; (b) a sale resulting in no less than a majority of the voting power of the Acquiror being held by person that did not own a majority of the voting power prior to such sale; or (c) a merger, consolidation, recapitalization or reorganization of Acquiror with or into a third-party acquiror that results in the inability of the pre-transaction equity holders to designate or elect a majority of the Board of Directors (or its equivalent) of the resulting entity or its parent company. In the event that all or a portion of the securities subject to any other lock-up agreement entered into, or otherwise applicable, in connection with the Transaction are released early from the restrictions of such other such other lock-up agreement (whether by release, waiver, amendment, modification, termination or otherwise), the Lock-up Shares subject to this Agreement shall be released on a pro rata basis.

 

2.             Representations and Warranties. Each of the parties hereto, by their respective execution and delivery of this Agreement, hereby represents and warrants to the others and to all third party beneficiaries of this Agreement that (a) such party has the full right, capacity and authority to enter into, deliver and perform its respective obligations under this Agreement, (b) this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by such party and is the binding and enforceable obligation of such party, enforceable against such party in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, and (c) the execution, delivery and performance of such party’s obligations under this Agreement will not conflict with or breach the terms of any other agreement, contract, commitment or understanding to which such party is a party or to which the assets or securities of such party are bound. The Acquiror represents and warrants that each 5% stockholder of the Acquiror, and each holder of founder shares of the Acquiror, has entered into a lock-up agreement or other form of agreement on substantially the same terms as the terms provided for in this Agreement.

 

 

 

  

3.             Beneficial Ownership. The Holder hereby represents and warrants that it does not beneficially own, directly or through its nominees (as determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder), any shares of capital stock of Acquiror, or any economic interest in or derivative of such stock, other than those securities specified on the signature page hereto. For purposes of this Agreement, the shares of the Acquiror received by the Holder as merger consideration in the Transaction and beneficially owned by the Holder as specified on the signature hereto are collectively referred to as the “Lock-up Shares.”

 

4.             No Additional Fees/Payment. Other than the consideration specifically referenced herein, the parties hereto agree that no fee, payment or additional consideration in any form has been or will be paid to the Holder in connection with this Agreement.

 

5.             Notices. Any notices required or permitted to be sent hereunder shall be sent in writing, addressed as specified below, and shall be deemed given: (a) if by hand or recognized courier service, by 4:00 PM on a business day, addressee’s day and time, on the date of delivery, and otherwise on the first business day after such delivery; (b) if by fax or email, on the date that transmission is confirmed electronically, if by 4:00PM on a business day, addressee’s day and time, and otherwise on the first business day after the date of such confirmation; or (c) five days after mailing by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. Notices shall be addressed to the respective parties as follows (excluding telephone numbers, which are for convenience only), or to such other address as a party shall specify to the others in accordance with these notice provisions:

 

 (a)           If to Acquiror, to:

 

Estrella Immunopharma, Inc.

[Insert Address]

 

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

 

Winston & Strawn LLP

800 Capitol Street, Suite 2400

Houston, TX 77002

Attn: Mike Blankenship

Louis Savage

Email: MBlankenship@winston.com

LSavage@winston.com

 

(b)          If to the Holder, to the address set forth on the Holder’s signature page hereto, with a copy, which shall not constitute notice, to:

 

[•]

Attention: [•]

Phone: [•]

E-mail: [•]

 

 

 

 

or to such other address as any party may have furnished to the others in writing in accordance herewith.

 

6.             Enumeration and Headings. The enumeration and headings contained in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

7.             Closing. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, this Agreement and all rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall be of no force or effect until and unless the Closing occurs pursuant to the Merger Agreement.

 

8.             Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in facsimile and in any number of counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be deemed an original, but all of which shall together constitute one and the same agreement.

 

9.             Successors and Assigns. This Agreement and the terms, covenants, provisions and conditions hereof shall be binding upon, and shall inure to the benefit of, the respective heirs, successors and assigns of the parties hereto. The Holder hereby acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement is entered into for the benefit of and is enforceable by Acquiror and its successors and assigns.

 

10.           Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, such provision will be conformed to prevailing law rather than voided, if possible, in order to achieve the intent of the parties and, in any event, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall be binding upon the parties hereto.

 

11.           Amendment. This Agreement may be amended or modified by written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

12.           Further Assurances. Each party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as any other party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

13.           No Strict Construction. The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any party.

 

14.           Governing Law. The terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

15.           Controlling Agreement. To the extent the terms of this Agreement (as amended, supplemented, restated or otherwise modified from time to time) directly conflicts with a provision in the Merger Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall control.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Lock-up Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

 

 

Estrella Immunopharma, Inc., f/k/a TradeUP Acquisition Corp.

     
  By:  
    Name:  
    Title:    

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Lock-up Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

 

  HOLDER
     
  By:  
    Name:  
     
  Address:  
     
    [·]
     
  NUMBER OF Lock-up Shares:
   
    [·]