Exhibit 10.3
INVESTOR RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS INVESTOR RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made as of April 1, 2026, by and among Hawkeye Systems, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), the Investor (as defined below), and the Key Holders (as defined below).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company and the Investor are parties to that certain Note Purchase Agreement of even date herewith by and among the Company, the Investor and certain other parties (the “Purchase Agreement”), under which certain of the Company’s and the Investor’s obligations are conditioned upon the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the undersigned parties.
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
| 1. | Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement: |
1.1 “Affiliate” means, with respect to any specified Person, any other Person who, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person, including, without limitation, any general partner, managing member, officer, director or trustee of such Person, or any venture capital fund or other investment fund now or hereafter existing that is controlled by one or more general partners, managing members or investment advisers of, or shares the same management company or investment adviser with, such Person.
1.2 “Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company.
1.3 “Articles of Incorporation” means the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, as amended and/or restated from time to time.
1.4 “Common Stock” means shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share.
1.5 “Damages” means any loss, damage, claim or liability (joint or several) to which a party hereto may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state law, insofar as such loss, damage, claim or liability (or any action in respect thereof) arises out of or is based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any registration statement of the Company, including any preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein or any amendments or supplements thereto; (ii) an omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (iii) any violation or alleged violation by the indemnifying party (or any of its agents or Affiliates) of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, any state securities law, or any rule or regulation promulgated under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or any state securities law.
1.6 “Derivative Securities” means any securities or rights convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for (in each case, directly or indirectly), Common Stock, including options and warrants.
1.7 “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
1.8 “Excluded Registration” means (i) a registration relating to the sale or grant of securities to employees of the Company or a subsidiary pursuant to a stock option, stock purchase, equity incentive or similar plan; (ii) a registration relating to an SEC Rule 145 transaction; (iii) a registration on any form that does not include substantially the same information as would be required to be included in a registration statement covering the sale of the Registrable Securities; or (iv) a registration in which the only Common Stock being registered is Common Stock issuable upon conversion of debt securities that are also being registered.
1.9 “Form S-1” means such form under the Securities Act as in effect on the date hereof or any successor registration form under the Securities Act subsequently adopted by the SEC.
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1.10 “Form S-3” means such form under the Securities Act as in effect on the date hereof or any registration form under the Securities Act subsequently adopted by the SEC that permits forward incorporation of substantial information by reference to other documents filed by the Company with the SEC.
1.11 “Holder” means any holder of Registrable Securities who is a party to this Agreement.
1.12 “Immediate Family Member” means a child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, life partner or similar statutorily recognized domestic partner, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships of a natural person referred to herein.
1.13 “Initiating Holders” means, collectively, Holders who properly initiate a registration request under this Agreement.
1.14 “Investor” means the person named on Schedule A hereto, and each person to whom the rights of the Investor are assigned pursuant to Section 5.1.
1.15 “Key Holders” means the persons named on Schedule B hereto and each person to whom the rights of a Key Holder are assigned pursuant to Section 5.1.
1.16 “Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, trust, limited liability company, association, or other entity.
1.17 “Registrable Securities” means (i) any Common Stock, or any Common Stock issued or issuable (directly or indirectly) upon conversion and/or exercise of any other securities of the Company, held by the Investor from time to time, including, but not limited to, securities issuable upon conversion of the New Note (as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement); and (ii) any Common Stock issued as (or issuable upon the conversion or exercise of any warrant, right, or other security that is issued as) a dividend or other distribution with respect to, or in exchange for or in replacement of, the shares referenced in clause (i) above; excluding in all cases, however, any Registrable Securities sold by a Person in a transaction in which the applicable rights under this Agreement are not assigned pursuant to Section 5.1.
1.18 “Registrable Securities then outstanding” means the number of shares determined by adding the number of shares of outstanding Common Stock that are Registrable Securities and the number of shares of Common Stock issuable (directly or indirectly) pursuant to then exercisable and/or convertible securities that are Registrable Securities.
1.19 “SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
1.20 “SEC Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act.
1.21 “SEC Rule 145” means Rule 145 promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act.
1.22 “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
1.23 “Selling Expenses” means all underwriting discounts, selling commissions, and stock transfer taxes applicable to the sale of Registrable Securities, and fees and disbursements of counsel for any Holder, except for the fees and disbursements of the Selling Holder Counsel borne and paid by the Company as provided in Section 2.6.
1.24 “Trading Market” means any of the NYSE MKT, The New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Capital Market the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market (or a successor to any of the foregoing).
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| 2. | Registration Rights. The Company covenants and agrees as follows: |
2.1 Demand Registration.
(a) Form S-1 Demand. If at any time the Company receives a request from Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities then outstanding that the Company file a Form S-1 registration statement with respect to Registrable Securities then outstanding, then the Company shall: (x) within ten days after the date such request is given, give notice thereof (the “Demand Notice”) to all Holders other than the Initiating Holders; and (y) as soon as practicable, and in any event within 30 days after the date such request is given by the Initiating Holders (the “Filing Deadline”), file a Form S-1 registration statement under the Securities Act covering all Registrable Securities that the Initiating Holders requested to be registered and any additional Registrable Securities requested to be included in such registration by any other Holders, as specified by notice given by each such Holder to the Company within 20 days of the date the Demand Notice is given, and in each case, subject to the limitations of Section 2.3.
(b) Form S-3 Demand. If at any time when it is eligible to use a Form S-3 registration statement, the Company receives a request from Holders of the Registrable Securities then outstanding that the Company file a Form S-3 registration statement with respect to outstanding Registrable Securities of such Holders, then the Company shall (i) within ten days after the date such request is given, give a Demand Notice to all Holders other than the Initiating Holders; and (ii) as soon as practicable, and in any event by the Filing Deadline, file a Form S-3 registration statement under the Securities Act covering all Registrable Securities requested to be included in such registration by any other Holders, as specified by notice given by each such Holder to the Company within 20 days of the date the Demand Notice is given, and in each case, subject to the limitations of Section 2.3.
(c) Filing Deadline. If, in connection with any request for registration by Holders pursuant to Section 2.1(a) or Section 2.1(b), the applicable Filing Deadline falls on a date that is (i) after the 45th day following the end of the Company’s most recent full fiscal year (or such later date, if applicable, pursuant to Regulation S-X, Rule 3-12, as the same may be amended from time to time), and (ii) before the date when the Company files its Annual Report on Form 10-K with the SEC with respect to the Company’s most recent full fiscal year (the “Form 10-K”), then the Filing Deadline shall be extended to the 20th calendar day following the date when the applicable Form 10-K is filed; provided, however, that in no event shall the Filing Deadline be extended beyond the 20th calendar day after the Form 10-K is required to be filed with the SEC, without giving effect to any extension provided under Rule 12b-25 under the Exchange Act.
2.2 Company Registration. If the Company proposes to register (including for this purpose a registration effected by the Company for stockholders other than the Holders) any of its Common Stock under the Securities Act in connection with the public offering of such securities solely for cash (other than in an Excluded Registration or a registration pursuant to Section 2.1), the Company shall, at such time, promptly give each Holder notice of such registration. Upon the request of each Holder given within 20 days after such notice is given by the Company, the Company shall, subject to the provisions of Section 2.3, cause to be registered all of the Registrable Securities that each such Holder has requested to be included in such registration. The Company shall have the right to terminate or withdraw any registration initiated by it under this Section 2.2 before the effective date of such registration, whether or not any Holder has elected to include Registrable Securities in such registration. The expenses (other than Selling Expenses) of such withdrawn registration shall be borne by the Company in accordance with Section 2.6.
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2.3 Underwriting Requirements.
(a) If, pursuant to Section 2.1, the Initiating Holders intend to distribute the Registrable Securities covered by their request by means of an underwriting, they shall so advise the Company as a part of their request made pursuant to Section 2.1, and the Company shall include such information in the Demand Notice. The underwriter(s) will be selected by the Company and shall be reasonably acceptable to a majority in interest of the Initiating Holders. In such event, the right of any Holder to include such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such registration shall be conditioned upon such Holder’s participation in such underwriting and the inclusion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in the underwriting to the extent provided herein. All Holders proposing to distribute their securities through such underwriting shall (together with the Company as provided in Section 2.4(e)) enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the underwriter(s) selected for such underwriting; provided, however, that no Holder (or any of their assignees) shall be required to make any representations, warranties or indemnities except as they relate to such Holder’s ownership of shares and authority to enter into the underwriting agreement and to such Holder’s intended method of distribution, and the liability of such Holder shall be several and not joint, and limited to an amount equal to the net proceeds from the offering received by such Holder. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 2.3, if the managing underwriter advises the Initiating Holders in writing that marketing factors require a limitation on the number of shares to be underwritten, then the Initiating Holders shall so advise all Holders of Registrable Securities that otherwise would be underwritten pursuant hereto, and the number of Registrable Securities that may be included in the underwriting shall be allocated among such Holders of Registrable Securities, including the Initiating Holders, in proportion (as nearly as practicable) to the number of Registrable Securities owned by each Holder or in such other proportion as shall mutually be agreed to by all such selling Holders; provided, however, that the number of Registrable Securities held by the Holders to be included in such underwriting shall not be reduced unless all other securities are first entirely excluded from the underwriting. To facilitate the allocation of shares in accordance with the above provisions, the Company or the underwriters may round the number of shares allocated to any Holder to the nearest 100 shares.
(b) In connection with any offering involving an underwriting of shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to Section 2.2, the Company shall not be required to include any of the Holders’ Registrable Securities in such underwriting unless the Holders accept the terms of the underwriting as agreed upon between the Company and its underwriters, and then only in such quantity as the underwriters in their sole discretion determine will not jeopardize the success of the offering by the Company. If the total number of securities, including Registrable Securities, requested by stockholders to be included in such offering exceeds the number of securities to be sold (other than by the Company) that the underwriters in their reasonable discretion determine is compatible with the success of the offering, then the Company shall be required to include in the offering only that number of such securities, including Registrable Securities, which the underwriters and the Company in their sole discretion determine will not jeopardize the success of the offering. If the underwriters determine that less than all of the Registrable Securities requested to be registered can be included in such offering, then the Registrable Securities that are included in such offering shall be allocated among the selling Holders in proportion (as nearly as practicable to) the number of Registrable Securities owned by each selling Holder or in such other proportions as shall mutually be agreed to by all such selling Holders. To facilitate the allocation of shares in accordance with the above provisions, the Company or the underwriters may round the number of shares allocated to any Holder to the nearest 100 shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall (i) the number of Registrable Securities included in the offering be reduced unless all other securities (other than securities to be sold by the Company) are first entirely excluded from the offering, or (ii) the number of Registrable Securities included in the offering be reduced below 30% of the total number of securities included in such offering. For purposes of the provision in this Section 2.3(b) concerning apportionment, for any selling Holder that is a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation, the partners, members, retired partners, retired members, stockholders, and Affiliates of such Holder, or the estates and Immediate Family Members of any such partners, retired partners, members, and retired members and any trusts for the benefit of any of the foregoing Persons, shall be deemed to be a single “selling Holder,” and any pro rata reduction with respect to such “selling Holder” shall be based upon the aggregate number of Registrable Securities owned by all Persons included in such “selling Holder,” as defined in this sentence.
(c) For purposes of Section 2.1, a registration shall not be counted as “effected” if, as a result of an exercise of the underwriter’s cutback provisions in Section 2.3(a), fewer than 50% of the total number of Registrable Securities that Holders have requested to be included in such registration statement are actually included.
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2.4 Obligations of the Company. Whenever required under this Section 2 to effect the registration of any Registrable Securities, the Company shall, as expeditiously as reasonably possible:
(a) prepare and file with the SEC a registration statement with respect to such Registrable Securities and use its reasonable best efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective at the earliest possible date but no later than the earlier of the 75th calendar day following the initial filing date of the applicable registration statement if the SEC notifies the Company that it will “review” such registration statement and (b) the fifth business day after the date the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the SEC that the Initial Registration Statement will not be “reviewed” or will not be subject to further review. The Company shall use reasonable best efforts to keep each registration statement continuously effective pursuant to Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act and available for the resale by the Investor of all of the Registrable Securities covered thereby at all times until the earliest to occur of the following events: (i) the date on which the Investor shall have resold all the Registrable Securities covered thereby; and (ii) the date on which the Registrable Securities may be resold by the Investor without registration and without regard to any volume or manner-of-sale limitations by reason of Rule 144, without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect (the “Registration Period”);
(b) prepare and file with the SEC such amendments and supplements to such registration statement, and the prospectus used in connection with such registration statement, as may be necessary to comply with the Securities Act in order to enable the disposition of all securities covered by such registration statement;
(c) furnish to the selling Holders such numbers of copies of a prospectus, including a preliminary prospectus, as required by the Securities Act, and such other documents as the Holders may reasonably request in order to facilitate their disposition of their Registrable Securities;
(d) use its reasonable best efforts to register and qualify the securities covered by such registration statement under such other securities or blue-sky laws of such jurisdictions as shall be reasonably requested by the selling Holders;
(e) in the event of any underwritten public offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, with the underwriter(s) of such offering;
(f) use its reasonable best efforts to cause all such Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement to be listed on a national securities exchange or trading system and each securities exchange and trading system (if any) on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed;
(g) provide a transfer agent and registrar for all Registrable Securities registered pursuant to this Agreement and provide a CUSIP number for all such Registrable Securities, in each case not later than the effective date of such registration;
(h) promptly make available for inspection by the selling Holders, any underwriter(s) participating in any disposition pursuant to such registration statement, and any attorney or accountant or other agent retained by any such underwriter or selected by the selling Holders, all financial and other records, pertinent corporate documents, and properties of the Company, and cause the Company’s officers, directors, employees, and independent accountants to supply all information reasonably requested by any such seller, underwriter, attorney, accountant, or agent, in each case, as necessary or advisable to verify the accuracy of the information in such registration statement and to conduct appropriate due diligence in connection therewith;
(i) notify each selling Holder, promptly after the Company receives notice thereof, of the time when such registration statement has been declared effective or a supplement to any prospectus forming a part of such registration statement has been filed; and
(j) after such registration statement becomes effective, notify each selling Holder of any request by the SEC that the Company amend or supplement such registration statement or prospectus.
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In addition, the Company shall ensure that, at all times after any registration statement covering a public offering of securities of the Company under the Securities Act shall have become effective, its insider trading policy shall provide that the Company’s directors may implement a trading program under Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act.
2.5 Furnish Information. It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the Company to take any action pursuant to this Section 2 with respect to the Registrable Securities of any selling Holder that such Holder shall furnish to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held by it, and the intended method of disposition of such securities as is reasonably required to effect the registration of such Holder’s Registrable Securities.
2.6 Expenses of Registration. All expenses (other than Selling Expenses) incurred in connection with registrations, filings, or qualifications pursuant to Section 2, including all registration, filing, and qualification fees; printers’ and accounting fees; fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company; and the reasonable fees and disbursements, not to exceed $50,000 per registration, of one counsel for the selling Holders selected by Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities to be registered (“Selling Holder Counsel”), shall be borne and paid by the Company; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to pay for any expenses of any registration proceeding begun pursuant to Section 2.1 if the registration request is subsequently withdrawn at the request of the Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities to be registered (in which case all selling Holders shall bear such expenses pro rata based upon the number of Registrable Securities that were to be included in the withdrawn registration), unless the Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities agree to forfeit their right to one registration pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) or 2.1(b), as the case may be; provided further that if, at the time of such withdrawal, the Holders shall have learned of a material adverse change in the condition, business, or prospects of the Company from that known to the Holders at the time of their request and have withdrawn the request with reasonable promptness after learning of such information then the Holders shall not be required to pay any of such expenses and shall not forfeit their right to one registration pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) or 2.1(b). All Selling Expenses relating to Registrable Securities registered pursuant to this Section 2 (other than fees and disbursements of counsel to any Holder, other than the Selling Holder Counsel, which shall be borne solely by the Holder engaging such counsel) shall be borne and paid by the Holders pro rata on the basis of the number of Registrable Securities registered on their behalf.
2.7 Delay of Registration. No Holder shall have any right to obtain or seek an injunction restraining or otherwise delaying any registration pursuant to this Agreement as the result of any controversy that might arise with respect to the interpretation or implementation of this Section 2.
2.8 Indemnification. If any Registrable Securities are included in a registration statement under this Section 2:
(a) To the extent permitted by law, the Company will indemnify and hold harmless each selling Holder, and the partners, members, officers, directors, and stockholders of each such Holder; legal counsel and accountants for each such Holder; any underwriter (as defined in the Securities Act) for each such Holder; and each Person, if any, who controls such Holder or underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any Damages, and the Company will pay to each such Holder, underwriter, controlling Person, or other aforementioned Person any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred thereby in connection with investigating or defending any claim or proceeding from which Damages may result, as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 2.8(a) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any such claim or proceeding if such settlement is effected without the consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, nor shall the Company be liable for any Damages to the extent that they arise out of or are based upon actions or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished by or on behalf of any such Holder, underwriter, controlling Person, or other aforementioned Person expressly for use in connection with such registration except to the extent such information has been corrected in a subsequent writing prior to the sale of Registrable Securities to the Person asserting the claim.
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(b) To the extent permitted by law, each selling Holder, severally and not jointly, will indemnify and hold harmless the Company, and each of its directors, each of its officers who has signed the registration statement, each Person (if any), who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, legal counsel and accountants for the Company, any underwriter (as defined in the Securities Act), any other Holder selling securities in such registration statement, and any controlling Person of any such underwriter or other Holder, against any Damages, in each case only to the extent that such Damages arise out of or are based upon actions or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished by or on behalf of such selling Holder expressly for use in connection with such registration and that has not been corrected in a subsequent writing prior to the sale of Registrable Securities to the Person asserting the claim; and each such selling Holder will pay to the Company and each other aforementioned Person any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred thereby in connection with investigating or defending any claim or proceeding from which Damages may result, as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 2.8(b) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any such claim or proceeding if such settlement is effected without the consent of the Holder, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld; and provided further that in no event shall the aggregate amounts payable by any Holder by way of indemnity or contribution under Sections 2.8(b) and 2.8(d) exceed the proceeds from the offering received by such Holder (net of any Selling Expenses paid by such Holder), except in the case of fraud or willful misconduct by such Holder.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 2.8 of notice of the commencement of any action (including any governmental action) for which a party may be entitled to indemnification hereunder, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against any indemnifying party under this Section 2.8, give the indemnifying party notice of the commencement thereof. The indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in such action and, to the extent the indemnifying party so desires, participate jointly with any other indemnifying party to which notice has been given, and to assume the defense thereof with counsel mutually satisfactory to the parties; provided, however, that an indemnified party (together with all other indemnified parties that may be represented without conflict by one counsel) shall have the right to retain one separate counsel, with the fees and expenses to be paid by the indemnifying party, if representation of such indemnified party by the counsel retained by the indemnifying party would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between such indemnified party and any other party represented by such counsel in such action. The failure to give notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of the commencement of any such action shall relieve such indemnifying party of any liability to the indemnified party under this Section 2.8, only to the extent that such failure materially prejudices the indemnifying party’s ability to defend such action. The failure to give notice to the indemnifying party will not relieve it of any liability that it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 2.8.
(d) To provide for just and equitable contribution to joint liability under the Securities Act in any case in which either: (i) any party otherwise entitled to indemnification hereunder makes a claim for indemnification pursuant to this Section 2.8 but it is judicially determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court of competent jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the last right of appeal) that such indemnification may not be enforced in such case, notwithstanding the fact that this Section 2.8 provides for indemnification in such case, or (ii) contribution under the Securities Act may be required on the part of any party hereto for which indemnification is provided under this Section 2.8, then, and in each such case, such parties will contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses to which they may be subject (after contribution from others) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of each of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in connection with the statements, omissions, or other actions that resulted in such loss, claim, damage, liability, or expense, as well as to reflect any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and of the indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or allegedly untrue statement of a material fact, or the omission or alleged omission of a material fact, relates to information supplied by the indemnifying party or by the indemnified party and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information, and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission; provided, however, that, in any such case (x) no Holder will be required to contribute any amount in excess of the public offering price of all such Registrable Securities offered and sold by such Holder pursuant to such registration statement, and (y) no Person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any Person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation; and provided further that in no event shall a Holder’s liability pursuant to this Section 2.8(d), when combined with the amounts paid or payable by such Holder pursuant to Section 2.8(b), exceed the proceeds from the offering received by such Holder (net of any Selling Expenses paid by such Holder), except in the case of willful misconduct or fraud by such Holder.
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(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that the provisions on indemnification and contribution contained in the underwriting agreement entered into in connection with the underwritten public offering are in conflict with the foregoing provisions, the provisions in the underwriting agreement shall control; provided, however, that any matter expressly provided for or addressed by the provisions of this Section 2.8 that is not expressly provided for or addressed by the underwriting agreement shall be controlled by the foregoing provisions.
(f) Unless otherwise superseded by an underwriting agreement entered into in connection with the underwritten public offering, the obligations of the Company and Holders under this Section 2.8 shall survive the completion of any offering of Registrable Securities in a registration under this Section 2, and otherwise shall survive the termination of this Agreement or any provision(s) of this Agreement.
2.9 Reports Under Exchange Act. With a view to making available to the Holders the benefits of SEC Rule 144 and any other rule or regulation of the SEC that may at any time permit a Holder to sell securities of the Company to the public without registration or pursuant to a registration on Form S-3, the Company shall:
(a) make and keep available adequate current public information, as those terms are understood and defined in SEC Rule 144, at all times;
(b) use reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act; and
(c) furnish to any Holder, so long as the Holder owns any Registrable Securities, forthwith upon request (i) to the extent accurate, a written statement by the Company that it has complied with the reporting requirements of SEC Rule 144, the Securities Act, and the Exchange Act, or that it qualifies as a registrant whose securities may be resold pursuant to Form S-3; and (ii) such other information as may be reasonably requested in availing any Holder of any rule or regulation of the SEC that permits the selling of any such securities without registration or pursuant to Form S-3.
2.10 Limitations on Subsequent Registration Rights. From and after the date of this Agreement, the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Investor (or, if there are more than one Investor, then Investors holding a majority of the Registrable Securities then outstanding), enter into any agreement with any holder or prospective holder of any securities of the Company that would (i) allow such holder or prospective holder to include such securities in any registration unless, under the terms of such agreement, such holder or prospective holder may include such securities in any such registration only to the extent that the inclusion of such securities will not reduce the number of the Registrable Securities of the Holders that are included; or (ii) allow such holder or prospective holder to initiate a demand for registration of any securities held by such holder or prospective holder; provided that this limitation shall not apply to Registrable Securities acquired by any additional Investor that becomes a party to this Agreement in accordance with Section Error! Reference source not found..
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2.11 Allowed Delays; Suspension Events.
(a) The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to (i) prevent the issuance of any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness and, (ii) if such order is issued, obtain the withdrawal of any such order as soon as practicable. The Company shall advise the Investor promptly (but in no event later than 24 hours) and shall confirm such advice in writing, in each case: (i) of the Company’s receipt of notice of any request by the SEC or any other federal or state governmental authority for amendment of or a supplement to any registration statement or any prospectus filed pursuant to this Agreement or for any additional information; (ii) of the Company’s receipt of notice of the issuance by the SEC or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement or prohibiting or suspending the use of any prospectus or prospectus supplement filed pursuant to this Agreement, or of the Company’s receipt of any notification of the suspension of qualification of the Registrable Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or contemplated initiation of any proceeding for such purpose; and (iii) of the Company becoming aware of the happening of any event, which makes any statement of a material fact made in any registration statement or any prospectus filed pursuant to this Agreement untrue or which requires the making of any additions to or changes to the statements then made in any such registration statement or prospectus in order to state a material fact required by the Securities Act to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements then made therein (in the case of any prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, or of the necessity to amend any registration statement or any prospectus filed pursuant to this Agreement to comply with the Securities Act or any other law. The Company shall not be required to disclose to the Investor the substance of specific reasons of any of the events set forth in clause (i) to (iii) of the immediately preceding sentence (each, a “Suspension Event”), but rather, shall only be required to disclose that the event has occurred. If at any time the SEC, or any other federal or state governmental authority shall issue any stop order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement or prohibiting or suspending the use of any prospectus or prospectus supplement filed pursuant to this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order at the earliest practicable time. The Company shall furnish to the Investor, without charge, a copy of any correspondence from the SEC or the staff of the SEC, or any other federal or state governmental authority to the Company or its representatives relating to any registration statement, prospectus, or prospectus supplement filed pursuant to this Agreement, as the case may be. In the event of a Suspension Event set forth in clause (iii) of the first sentence of this Section 2.11, the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to publicly disclose such event as soon as reasonably practicable, or otherwise resolve the matter such that sales under registration statements may resume.
(b) On no more than two occasions and for not more than 30 consecutive days or for a total of not more than 60 days in any 12 month period, the Company may delay the effectiveness of any registration statement, or suspend the use of any prospectus, filed pursuant to this Agreement in the event that the Company or Board of Directors determines, in good faith and upon advice of legal counsel, that such delay or suspension is necessary to amend or supplement the affected registration statement or the related prospectus so that such registration statement or prospectus shall not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the case of the prospectus in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (an “Allowed Delay”); provided, that the Company shall promptly (a) notify the Investor in writing of the commencement of an Allowed Delay, but shall not (without the prior written consent of the Investor) disclose to the Investor any material non-public information giving rise to an Allowed Delay, (b) advise the Investor in writing to cease all sales under the applicable registration statement until the end of the Allowed Delay and (c) use reasonable best efforts to terminate an Allowed Delay as promptly as practicable.
(c) The Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the existence of an Allowed Delay or a Suspension Event as set forth in this Section 2.11, the Investor will promptly discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to any registration statement covering such Registrable Securities until the Investor’s receipt of a notice from the Company confirming the resolution of such Allowed Delay or Suspension Event and that such dispositions may again be made; provided, for the avoidance of doubt, that the foregoing shall not limit the right of the Investor to sell or otherwise dispose of the Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 144 or any other exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act or to settle a transaction pursuant to a Registration Statement as to which a contract for such sale was entered into prior to such Investor’s receipt of the notice from the Company of the existence of the Allowed Delay or Suspension Event. The Company shall cause its transfer agent to deliver unlegended shares of Common Stock to a transferee of an Investor in accordance with any sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement with respect to which such Investor has entered into a contract for sale prior to such Investor’s receipt of the notice from the Company of the existence of the Allowed Delay or Suspension Event.
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| 3. | Board Composition. |
3.1 The Company and the Board of Directors have taken all actions so that, immediately following the Closing (as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement), without any further action by the Company or the Board of Directors (or any committee thereof), (A) the Board of Directors shall have been increased to a total of five (5) members, and (B) four (4) individuals designated by the initial Investor shall be added as members of the Board of Directors (each a “Board Designee,” collectively with any successors as set forth herein, the “Board Designees”), filling the vacancies created by the increase in the size of the Board to five (5) members.
3.2 Except as provided in Section 3.7: (i) in connection with any annual meeting of the shareholders of the Company or any special meeting of the shareholders of the Company at which directors are to be elected, the Board of Directors shall nominate for reelection (or election), recommend that the Company’s shareholders vote in favor of election to the Board of Directors of, and solicit proxies in favor of the election of, and the Company and the Board of Directors shall otherwise take all actions as are reasonably necessary or desirable to elect, the Board Designees whose terms of office expire at such shareholder meeting to the Board of Directors, and (ii) except as provided herein, neither the Board of Directors nor any committee thereof shall take any action to increase the size of the Board of Directors to more than five (5) members without the consent of the Investor (or, if there are more than one Investor, then Investors holding a majority of the Registrable Securities then outstanding). If any Board Designee is not elected or re-elected to the Board of Directors at any meeting of the Company’s shareholders, then the Board of Directors shall promptly increase the size of the Board of Directors by one (1) member, if necessary, and appoint the applicable Board Designee to fill the resulting vacancy.
3.3 Each Board Designee shall be entitled to the same compensation, the same indemnification and the same director and officer insurance in connection with each Board Designee’s role as a director as all other members of the Board of Directors, and each Board Designee shall be entitled to reimbursement for documented, reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings of the Board of Directors and any committees thereof, to the same extent as all other members of the Board of Directors. In addition, each Board Designee shall be entitled to the same information regarding the Company and any subsidiaries in connection with each Board Designee’s role as a director as all other members of the Board of Directors, and each Board Designee shall be entitled to share such information with the Investor, subject to each Board Designee’s confidentiality obligations and other policies and procedures as a director on the Board of Directors.
3.4 The Company hereby acknowledges that the Board Designees may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by the Investor and its Affiliates (collectively, the “Investor Indemnitors”). The Company hereby agrees (a) that it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to any such Board Designee are primary and any obligation of the Investor Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by such Board Designee are secondary), (b) that it shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by such Board Designee and shall be liable for the full amount of all expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or on behalf of any such Board Designee to the extent legally permitted and as required by the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company (or any agreement between the Company and such Board Designee), without regard to any rights such Board Designee may have against the Investor Indemnitors, and, (c) that it irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases the Investor Indemnitors from any and all claims against the Investor Indemnitors for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by the Investor Indemnitors on behalf of any such Board Designee with respect to any claim for which such Board Designee has sought indemnification from the Company shall affect the foregoing and the Investor Indemnitors shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of such Board Designee against the Company. The Board Designees and the Investor Indemnitors are intended third-party beneficiaries of this Section 3.4 and shall have the right, power and authority to enforce the provisions of this Section 3.4 as though they were a party to this Agreement.
3.5 In the event that any Board Designee shall cease serving as a member of the Board of Directors, whether by resignation, removal, death, disability or otherwise, then, subject to Section 3.7, the Investor (or, if there are more than one Investor, then Investors holding a majority of the Registrable Securities then outstanding) shall select a replacement Board Designee and the Board of Directors shall promptly take all actions necessary to appoint such replacement Board Designee to fill the resulting vacancy.
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3.6 Each Key Holder irrevocably and unconditionally agrees during the term of this Agreement, at any annual or special meeting of the Company called with respect to the election of directors, and at every adjournment or postponement thereof, and pursuant to any written consent of stockholders, to vote or cause the holder of record to vote all shares of Common Stock and/or other voting securities of the Company beneficially owned by such Key Holder and its Affiliates in favor of all Board Designees standing for election or re-election at such meeting or pursuant to such written consent. Each Key Holder further irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that it shall not, at any time, vote any shares of Common Stock and/or other voting securities of the Company beneficially owned by such Key Holder and its Affiliates in favor of removing any Board Designee, whether at an annual or special meeting of stockholders or pursuant to a written consent of stockholders.
3.7 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 3, to the extent that the Investor’s rights hereunder with respect to the Board Designees is in conflict with applicable rules of any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed with respect to board nomination rights, as confirmed in writing by representatives of such Trading Market, then (i) the Company shall only be required to nominate the maximum number of Board Designees that would not violate the applicable rules of the Principal Market, and (ii) the Company shall be permitted to increase the size of the Board, and to fill the resulting vacancies with directors meeting all applicable board and committee independence standards of the Trading Market, only to the minimum extent required to comply with the rules of the applicable Trading Market.
| 4. | Additional Covenants. |
4.1 Successor Indemnification. If the Company or any of its successors or assignees consolidates with or merges into any other Person and is not the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger, then to the extent necessary, proper provision shall be made so that the successors and assignees of the Company assume the obligations of the Company with respect to indemnification of members of the Board of Directors as in effect immediately before such transaction, whether such obligations are contained in the Company’s Bylaws, the Articles of Incorporation, or elsewhere, as the case may be.
| 5. | Miscellaneous. |
5.1 Successors and Assigns; Additional Investors. The rights under this Agreement may be assigned (but only with all related obligations) by a Holder to a transferee of Registrable Securities; provided, however, that (x) the Company is, within a reasonable time after such transfer, furnished with written notice of the name and address of such transferee and the Registrable Securities with respect to which such rights are being transferred; and (y) such transferee agrees in a written instrument delivered to the Company to be bound by and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and thereafter shall be deemed an “Investor” for all purposes hereunder. The terms and conditions of this Agreement inure to the benefit of and are binding upon the respective successors and permitted assignees of the parties. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and permitted assignees any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided herein.
5.2 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Costs of Enforcement. The provisions of Section 5.9 of the Purchase Agreement are incorporated by reference herein mutatis mutandis with respect to all parties hereto.
5.3 Counterparts. 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. Counterparts may be delivered via electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
5.4 Titles and Subtitles. The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement.
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5.5 Notices.
(a) General. All notices and other communications given or made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing (including electronic mail as permitted in this Agreement) and shall be deemed effectively given upon the earlier of actual receipt or (i) personal delivery to the party to be notified; (ii) when sent, if sent by electronic mail during the recipient’s normal business hours, and if not sent during normal business hours, then on the recipient’s next business day; (iii) five days after having been sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid; or (iv) one business day after the business day of deposit with a nationally recognized overnight courier, freight prepaid, specifying next-day delivery, with written verification of receipt. All communications shall be sent to the respective parties at their addresses as set forth on Schedule A or Schedule B (as applicable) hereto, or (as to the Company) to the address set forth on the signature page hereto, or in any case to such email address or address as subsequently modified by written notice given in accordance with this Section 5.5. If notice is given to any Investor, a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) shall also be given to any “cc” address noted on Schedule A for such Investor.
(b) Consent to Electronic Notice. Each party to this Agreement consents to the delivery of any stockholder notice by electronic mail at the electronic mail address set forth below such party’s name on the Schedules hereto, as updated from time to time by notice to the Company, or as on the books of the Company. To the extent that any notice given by means of electronic mail is returned or undeliverable for any reason, the foregoing consent shall be deemed to have been revoked until a new or corrected electronic mail address has been provided, and such attempted electronic notice shall be ineffective and deemed to not have been given. Each party to this Agreement agrees to promptly notify the Company of any change in such stockholder’s electronic mail address, and that failure to do so shall not affect the foregoing.
5.6 Amendments and Waivers.
(a) Any term of this Agreement may be amended, modified or terminated and the observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance, and either retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor (or, if there are more than one Investor, then Investors holding a majority of the Registrable Securities then outstanding); provided that any provision hereof may be waived by any waiving party on such party’s own behalf, without the consent of any other party.
(b) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
(i) this Agreement may not be amended, modified or terminated and the observance of any term hereof may not be waived with respect to the Investor without the written consent of the Investor, unless, if at such time there are more than one Investor, such amendment, modification, termination, or waiver applies to all Investors in the same fashion; and
(ii) no provision that names a specific Investor by name (nor this clause (ii) with respect to such Investor) may be amended or waived with respect to, or terminated pursuant to this Section 5.6 relative to, such Investor without such Investor’s written consent.
(c) Further notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Schedule A hereto may be amended by the Company from time to time to add transferees of any Registrable Securities in compliance with the terms of this Agreement without the consent of the other parties; and Schedule A hereto may also be amended by the Company after the date of this Agreement without the consent of the other parties to add information regarding any additional Investor who becomes a party to this Agreement in accordance with Section 5.1.
(d) The Company shall give prompt written notice of any amendment, modification or termination hereof or waiver hereunder to any party hereto whose rights and/or obligations were affected by such amendment, modification, termination, or waiver and that did not consent in writing to such amendment, modification, termination, or waiver; provided that the failure to provide such notice shall not invalidate any amendment, modification, termination or waiver in accordance with this Section 5.6.
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(e) Any amendment, modification, termination, or waiver effected in accordance with this Section 5.6 shall be binding on all parties hereto, regardless of whether any such party has consented thereto or received notice thereof.
(f) No waivers of or exceptions to any term, condition, or provision of this Agreement, in any one or more instances, shall be deemed to be or construed as a further or continuing waiver of any such term, condition, or provision.
5.7 Severability. In case any provision contained in this Agreement is for any reason held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision of this Agreement, and such invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision shall be reformed and construed so that it will be valid, legal, and enforceable to the maximum extent permitted by law.
5.8 Aggregation of Stock; Apportionment. All shares of Registrable Securities held or acquired by Affiliates shall be aggregated together for the purpose of determining the availability of any rights under this Agreement and such Affiliates may apportion such rights as among themselves in any manner they deem appropriate.
5.9 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including the Exhibits and Schedules hereto) together with the other Transaction Agreements (as defined in the Purchase Agreement) constitute the full and entire understanding and agreement among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and any other written or oral agreement relating to the subject matter hereof existing between or among any of the parties are expressly canceled.
5.10 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any party under this Agreement, upon any breach or default of any other party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such nonbreaching or non-defaulting party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of or acquiescence to any such breach or default, or to any similar breach or default thereafter occurring, nor shall any waiver of any single breach or default be deemed a waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. All remedies, whether under this Agreement or by law or otherwise afforded to any party, shall be cumulative and not alternative.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Investor Rights Agreement as of the date first written above.
| COMPANY: | HAWKEYE SYSTEMS, INC. | |
| By: /s/ Corby Marshall Name: Corby Marshall Title: President
and CEO Savannah, Georgia 31405 |
||
| INVESTOR: | HAWKEYE HOLDCO LLC | |
By: /s/ Martin Sumichrast Name: Martin Sumichrast Title: Managing Member |
||
| KEY HOLDERS: | STEVE HALL | |
| Signature: /s/ Steve Hall |
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