Exhibit 10.1
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AS EVIDENCED BY A LEGAL OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE TRANSFEROR TO SUCH EFFECT, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH SHALL BE REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY. THIS SECURITY MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR OTHER LOAN SECURED BY SUCH SECURITIES.
| Original Issue Date: | August 27, 2026 | |
| Original Principal Amount as of the Issuance Date: | $5,666,108.77 | |
| Additional Available Advances: | Up to $6,000,000 | |
| Aggregate Maximum Loan Amount: | Up to $11,666,108.77 |
CONSOLIDATED SENIOR secured PROMISSORY NOTE
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, CERO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) promises to pay to SRX Global Inc., a Delaware corporation, or its permitted assigns (the “Holder”), the aggregate principal amount of loans not to exceed $11,666,108.77 (the “Loans”) outstanding hereunder, as conclusively evidenced on the grid attached hereto as Schedule 1 (the “Grid”). This Note (this “Note”) (i) consolidates and replaces in their entirety each of the Convertible Grid Promissory Notes (the “Previous Notes”) issued by the Company to the holder listed therein and all of the loans and advances thereunder made by such holder on each of February 9, 2026, March 6, 2026, April 8, 2026, April 27, 2026, May 28, 2026, June 23, 2026, July 14, 2026 and August 11, 2026 (as listed on the Grid), all of which have now been acquired and are held by the Holder, and (ii) allows for additional borrowings of up to $6,000,000 by the Holder as provided hereunder.
Section 1. Definitions. For the purposes hereof, (a) capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Security Agreement and (b) the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:
“Bankruptcy Event” means any of the following events: (a) the Company or any Subsidiary thereof commences a case or other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment of debt, relief of debtors, dissolution, insolvency or liquidation or similar law of any jurisdiction relating to the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, (b) there is commenced against the Company or any Subsidiary thereof any such case or proceeding that is not dismissed within 30 days after commencement, (c) the Company or any Subsidiary thereof is adjudicated insolvent or bankrupt or any order of relief or other order approving any such case or proceeding is entered, (d) the Company or any Subsidiary thereof suffers any appointment of any custodian or the like for it or any substantial part of its property that is not discharged or stayed within 30 calendar days after such appointment, (e) the Company or any Subsidiary thereof makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, (f) the Company or any Subsidiary thereof calls a meeting of its creditors with a view to arranging a composition, adjustment or restructuring of its debts or (g) the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, by any act or failure to act, expressly indicates its consent to, approval of or acquiescence in any of the foregoing or takes any corporate or other action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing.
| 1 |
“Business Day” means any day except Saturday, Sunday and any day which shall be a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York generally are authorized or required by law or other governmental actions to close.
“Change of Control Transaction” means the occurrence after the date hereof of any of (a) an acquisition after the date hereof by an individual or legal entity or “group” (as described in Rule 13d-5(b)(1) promulgated under the Exchange Act) of effective control (whether through legal or beneficial ownership of capital stock of the Company, by contract or otherwise) of in excess of 50% of the voting securities of the Company, (b) the Company merges into or consolidates with any other Person, or any Person merges into or consolidates with the Company and, after giving effect to such transaction, the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to such transaction own less than 50% of the aggregate voting power of the Company or the successor entity of such transaction, (c) the Company sells or transfers all or substantially all of its assets to another Person, (d) a replacement at one time or within a three year period of more than one-half of the members of the Board of Directors which is not approved by a majority of those individuals who are members of the Board of Directors on the Original Issue Date (or by those individuals who are serving as members of the Board of Directors on any date whose nomination to the Board of Directors was approved by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors who are members on the date hereof), or (d) the execution by the Company of an agreement to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound, providing for any of the events set forth in clauses (a) through (d) above.
“Company Budget” means the excel spreadsheet setting fort the Company’s budget attached hereto as Schedule 2.
“Default Interest Rate” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
“Event of Default” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(a).
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Indebtedness” means (x) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business, whether or not such trade payable are current in accordance with terms with such creditors or past due), (y) all guaranties, endorsements and other contingent obligations in respect of indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (z) the present value of any lease payments due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with GAAP.
| 2 |
“Intellectual Property” means all of the following in any jurisdiction throughout the world: (a) all inventions (whether patentable or unpatentable and whether or not reduced to practice), all improvements thereto, and all U.S. and foreign patents, patent applications, and patent disclosures, together with all reissuances, continuations, continuations-in-part, revisions, extensions, and reexaminations thereof, (b) all trademarks, service marks, brand names, certification marks, trade dress, logos, trade names, domain names, assumed names and corporate names, together with all colorable imitations thereof, and including all goodwill associated therewith, and all applications, registrations, and renewals in connection therewith, (c) all copyrights, and all applications, registrations, and renewals in connection therewith, (d) all trade secrets under applicable state laws and the common law and know-how (including formulas, techniques, technical data, designs, drawings, specifications, customer and supplier lists, pricing and cost information, and business and marketing plans and proposals), (e) all computer software (including source code, object code, diagrams, data and related documentation), and (f) all copies and tangible embodiments of the foregoing (in whatever form or medium).
“Liens” means a lien, charge, pledge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restriction.
“Maturity Date” means October 15, 2026; provided that if no Event of Default has occurred or is continuing, Holder may extend the Maturity Date for up to four (4) consecutive 30-day periods upon one Business Day written notice to the Company.
“Note Register” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(c).
“Original Issue Date” means the date of the first issuance of this Note, regardless of any transfers of this Note and regardless of the number of instruments which may be issued to evidence this Note.
“Permitted Indebtedness” means (a) the indebtedness evidenced by this Note, (b) capital lease obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business and, (c) the Indebtedness set forth on Schedule 4(z).
“Permitted Lien” means the individual and collective reference to the following: (a) Liens for taxes, assessments and other governmental charges or levies not yet due or Liens for taxes, assessments and other governmental charges or levies being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings for which adequate reserves (in the good faith judgment of the management of the Company) have been established in accordance with GAAP, (b) Liens imposed by law which were incurred in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, such as carriers’, warehousemen’s and mechanics’ Liens, statutory landlords’ Liens, and other similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, and which (x) do not individually or in the aggregate materially detract from the value of such property or assets or materially impair the use thereof in the operation of the business of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries or (y) are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, which proceedings have the effect of preventing for the foreseeable future the forfeiture or sale of the property or asset subject to such Lien, (c) Liens incurred in connection with Permitted Indebtedness, and (d) Liens set forth on Schedule 4(z). A Lien arising from a judgment issued by a Court shall not be deemed to be a Permitted Lien unless enforcement of such Lien has been stayed in accordance with applicable law.
| 3 |
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Proceeding” means an action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced or threatened.
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Security Agreement” means the Security Agreement, dated on or about the date hereof, by and between the Company and the Holder, as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in accordance with its terms.
“Subsidiary” means with respect to any entity at any date, any direct or indirect corporation, limited or general partnership, limited liability company, trust, estate, association, joint venture or other business entity of which (A) more than 50% of (i) the outstanding capital stock having (in the absence of contingencies) ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the Board of Directors or other managing body of such entity, (ii) in the case of a partnership or limited liability company, the interest in the capital or profits of such partnership or limited liability company or (iii) in the case of a trust, estate, association, joint venture or other entity, the beneficial interest in such trust, estate, association or other entity business, is, at the time of determination, owned or controlled directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, by such entity, or (B) is under the actual control of the Company.
“Subsidiary Guaranty” means the Guaranty, dated on or about the date hereof, entered into by CERo Therapeutics, Inc. in favor of the Holder.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, or any market of the OTC Markets, Inc. (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transaction Documents” means this Note, the Security Agreement, the Subsidiary Guaranty, and any additional agreements or documents entered into by the Company and/or the Holder in connection herewith or therewith.
| 4 |
Section 2. Conclusiveness of Grid; Advances; Interest.
(a) Conclusiveness of Grid. The Loan represented by this Note is comprised of (i) the unpaid principal balance of, and all accrued and unpaid interest through the Original Issuance Date under, the Previous Notes (which Previous Notes are superseded and replaced in their entirety by, and are hereby consolidated into, this Note) and (ii) additional borrowings (each such borrowing, an “Advance”) available, from time to time (the date of each such Advance hereunder a “Funding Date”), to the Company pursuant to the terms hereof in an aggregate amount of up to $6,000,000 (the “Maximum Advance Amount”), for an aggregate maximum amount not to exceed the sum of $11,666,108.77 (the “Maximum Loan Amount”). The Grid shall, in the absence of manifest error, constitute conclusive proof of the amounts and dates of all advances and repayment of principal in respect to the Loan.
(b) Advances. Provided that no Event of Default has occurred or is continuing, upon the written request of the Company, the Holder will make Advances to the Company (i) on the Original Issuance Date, the amount of $775,665.00, (ii) on the first day of each calendar month following the Original Issuance Date and prior to the Maturity Date, the amount reflected in the Company Budget in row 34 for the corresponding month, and (iii) in its sole and absolute discretion, in such other amounts as may be reasonably requested by the Company prior to the Maturity Date (all such Advances not to exceed the Maximum Advance Amount in the aggregate). Upon delivery of the principal amount of any Advance to the Company hereunder, the Holder is hereby authorized by the Company to enter and record on the Grid the amount of such Advance made under this Note and each payment of principal hereunder without any further action on the part of Company or any endorser or guarantor of this Note. To the extent interest is not paid when due, the Holder is authorized and directed to enter the amount of such interest as an additional Advance on the Grid. The entry of an Advance on said schedule shall be prima facie and presumptive evidence of the entered Loan and its conditions. The Holder’s failure to make an entry, however, shall not limit or otherwise affect the obligations of the Holder to advance the principal amount of the Loan or of the Company or any endorser or guarantor of this Note with respect to the Loan.
(c) Interest. Interest shall accrue to the Holder on the aggregate outstanding principal amount of this Note at the rate of 10% per annum, calculated on the basis of a 30-day month and 360-day year and shall accrue daily on the commencing on the Original Issue Date until payment in full of the outstanding principal, together with all accrued and unpaid interest, liquidated damages and other amounts which may become due hereunder, has been made, whether on the Maturity Date, upon acceleration or otherwise. During the existence of an Event of Default, interest shall accrue at the lesser of (i) the rate of 24.99% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law (the lesser of clause (i) or (ii), the “Default Interest Rate”). Once an Event of Default is cured, the interest rate shall return to 10%.
(d) Payment. The aggregate unpaid principal amount of the Loans, all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, and all other amounts payable under this Note shall be due and payable on the Maturity Date, if not paid earlier upon acceleration or otherwise.
| 5 |
(e) Prepayment. Other than in connection with the consummation of a Change of Control Transaction, the Company may not prepay any portion of any amount due hereunder without the prior written consent of the Holder.
Section 3. Registration of Transfers and Exchanges.
(a) Different Denominations. This Note is exchangeable for an equal aggregate principal amount of Notes of different authorized denominations, as requested by the Holder surrendering the same. No service charge or other fees will be payable for such registration of transfer or exchange.
(c) Reliance on Note Register. Prior to due presentment for transfer to the Company of this Note, the Company and any agent of the Company may treat the Person in whose name this Note is duly registered on the Note Register as the owner hereof for the purpose of receiving payment as herein provided and for all other purposes, whether or not this Note is overdue, and neither the Company nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
Section 4. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof to the Holder as follows (unless as of a specific date therein):
(a) Subsidiaries. The sole direct and indirect Subsidiary of the Company is CERO Therapeutics Inc. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity interests of the Subsidiary free and clear of any Liens (except for Permitted Liens), and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of the Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities.
(b) Organization and Qualification. The Company and the Subsidiary is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation or default of any of the provisions of its respective Certificate or Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”).
| 6 |
(c) Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Note and each of the other Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of this Note and each of the other Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and no further corporate action is required by the Company, the Board of Directors or the Company’s stockholders in connection herewith or therewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals (defined below). Subject to obtaining the Required Approvals, this Note and each other Transaction Document to which it is a party has been (or upon delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(d) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Note and the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, the issuance and sale of this Note and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not except as set forth on Schedule 4(d) (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s Certificate or Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) Filings, Consents and Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than: (i) a Current Report on Form 8-K disclosing the material terms of this Note and the Transaction Documents as exhibits thereto, with the SEC, (ii) the filing of Form D with the SEC, if applicable, (iii) such filings as are required to be made under applicable state securities laws, if applicable, or as set forth on Schedule 4(e) (the “Required Approvals”).
| 7 |
(f) Capitalization. The capitalization of the Company is as set forth on Schedule 4(f). Except as set forth on Schedule 4(f), no Person has any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(f), as a result of the purchase and sale of this Note, there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any shares of Common Stock or the capital stock of any Subsidiary, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents or capital stock of any Subsidiary. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(f), the issuance and sale of this Note will not obligate the Company or any Subsidiary to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other than the Holder) and will not result in a right of any holder of Company securities to adjust the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price under any of such securities. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(f), there are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary with any provision that adjusts the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price of such security or instrument upon an issuance of securities by the Company or any Subsidiary. There are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary that contain any redemption or similar provisions, and there are no contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to redeem a security of the Company or such Subsidiary. The Company does not have any stock appreciation rights or “phantom stock” plans or agreements or any similar plan or agreement. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. No further approval or authorization of any stockholder, the Board of Directors or others is required for the issuance and sale of this Note. There are no stockholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s stockholders.
(g) SEC Reports; Financial Statements. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the two years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”). As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, 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 therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments. The financial statements do not reflect any transactions which are not bona fide transactions. There are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included in the SEC Reports that are not included as required; the Company and its Subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), not described in the SEC Reports; and all disclosures contained in the SEC Reports, if any, regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the SEC) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the SEC Reports fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the SEC’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
| 8 |
(h) Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments. Since the date of the latest financial statements included within the SEC Reports, except as set forth in the SEC Reports: (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the SEC and (C) indebtedness under the Transaction Documents, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant to existing Company equity incentive plans. The Company does not have pending before the SEC any request for confidential treatment of information. Except for the issuance of this Note, no event, liability, fact, circumstance, occurrence or development has occurred or exists or is reasonably expected to occur or exist with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, prospects, properties, operations, assets or financial condition that would be required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is made or deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least one Trading Day prior to the date that this representation is made.
(i) Litigation. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(i) or as described in the SEC Reports, there is no action, suit, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation, inquiry or other similar proceeding of any federal or state government department, agency, commission or unit (however any such government office is described) pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) (any, an “Action”) which (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or the issuance of this Note or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(i), the Company has no reason to believe that an Action will be filed against it in the future. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim for fraud or breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation or inquiry by the SEC involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The SEC has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Securities Act, and the Company has no reason to believe it will do so in the future.
| 9 |
(j) Labor Relations. No labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company, which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their employees are good. To the knowledge of the Company, no effort is underway to unionize or organize the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary. To the knowledge of the Company, no executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary, is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. There is no employment-related charge, complaint, grievance, investigation, inquiry or obligation of any kind including workers’ compensation liability matters, pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, relating to an alleged violation or breach by the Company or its Subsidiaries of any law, regulation or contract that could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(i) To the Company’s knowledge
(A) no allegations of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or discrimination, whether such discrimination arises from race, ethnic background, sex, gender status, age, religion, national origin or otherwise (“Misconduct”) have been made in the past five years involving any current or former director, officer, or independent contractor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,
(B) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries have entered into any settlement agreements related to allegations of Misconduct by any current/current or former director, officer, employee, or independent contractor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(k) Compliance. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(k), neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any Indebtedness, indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental authority or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including, without limitation, all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to pharmaceuticals, unfair or deceptive trade practices, taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, COVID-19, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except in each case as could not have resulted in or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
| 10 |
(l) Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with all federal, state, local and foreign laws relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata), including laws relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, or toxic or hazardous substances or wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) into the environment, or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials, as well as all authorizations, codes, decrees, demands, or demand letters, injunctions, judgments, licenses, notices or notice letters, orders, permits, plans or regulations, issued, entered, promulgated or approved thereunder (“Environmental Laws”); (ii) have received all permits licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval where in each clause (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to so comply could be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) Regulatory Permits. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, except where the failure to possess such certificates, authorizations or permits could or would not reasonably be expected to result in have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any material permit. There is no agreement, commitment, judgment, injunction, order or decree binding upon the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party which has or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting or materially impairing any business practice of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any acquisition of property by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the conduct of business by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as currently conducted 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.
(n) Title to Assets. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(n), the Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for Permitted Liens. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance.
| 11 |
(o) Intellectual Property. Except as would not cause a Material Adverse Effect:
(i) To the Company’s knowledge, the Company owns or possesses or has the right to use pursuant to a valid and enforceable written license, sublicense, agreement, or permission all Intellectual Property necessary for the operation of the business of the Company as presently conducted.
(ii) To the Company’s knowledge, the Intellectual Property does not interfere with, infringe upon, misappropriate, or otherwise come into conflict with, any Intellectual Property rights of third parties, and the Company has no knowledge that facts exist which indicate a likelihood of the foregoing. The Company has not received any charge, complaint, claim, demand, or notice alleging any such interference, infringement, misappropriation, or conflict (including any claim that the Company must license or refrain from using any Intellectual Property rights of any third party). To the knowledge of the Company, no third party has interfered with, infringed upon, misappropriated, or otherwise come into conflict with, any Intellectual Property rights of the Company.
(iii) The Company has complied with and is presently in material compliance with all foreign, federal, state, local, governmental (including, but not limited to, the Federal Trade Commission and State Attorneys General), administrative, or regulatory laws, regulations, guidelines, and rules applicable to any personal identifiable information.
(iv) Each Person who participated in the creation, conception, invention or development of the Intellectual Property currently used in the business of the Company (each, a “Developer”) which is not licensed from third parties has executed one or more agreements containing industry standard confidentiality, work for hire and assignment provisions, whereby the Developer has assigned to the Company all copyrights, patent rights, Intellectual Property rights and other rights in the Intellectual Property, including all rights in the Intellectual Property that existed prior to the assignment of rights by such Person to the Company.
(v) Each Developer has signed a perpetual non-disclosure agreement with the Company.
(p) Insurance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary for companies of the Company’s size and in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business without a significant increase in cost.
| 12 |
(q) Transactions With Affiliates and Employees. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, none of the officers or directors of the Company or any Subsidiary and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, providing for the borrowing of money from or lending of money to or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee, stockholder, member or partner, in each case in excess of $120,000 other than for (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including equity award agreements under any equity incentive plan of the Company.
(r) Sarbanes-Oxley; Internal Accounting Controls. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that are effective as of the date hereof, and any and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder that are effective as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company and the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company and the Subsidiaries have established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and the Subsidiaries and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the end of the period covered by the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation Date”). The Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no changes in the internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in the Exchange Act) of the Company and its Subsidiaries that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial reporting of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(s) Certain Fees. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(s), no brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any Subsidiary to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Holder shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section 1.1(s) that may be due by the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
(t) Investment Company. The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately after receipt of payment for this Note, will not be or be an Affiliate of, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Until all obligations of the Company under this Note have been paid in full, the Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become an “investment company” subject to registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
| 13 |
(u) Registration Rights. Except as disclosed on Schedule 4(u), no Person has any right to cause the Company or any Subsidiary to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary.
(v) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the SEC is contemplating terminating such registration.
(w) Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and the Board of Directors have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s certificate of incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Holder as a result of the Holder and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising their rights under the Transaction Documents, including without limitation as a result of the Company’s issuance of this Note and the Holder’s ownership of this Note.
(x) Disclosure. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, the Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided any Holder or its agents or counsel with any information that it believes constitutes or might constitute material, non-public information which is not otherwise disclosed on Schedule 4(x). The Company understands and confirms that the Holder will rely on the foregoing representation in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All of the disclosure furnished by or on behalf of the Company to the Holder regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries, their respective businesses and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Disclosure Schedules to this Note, is true and correct and does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading. The press releases disseminated by the Company during the 12 months preceding the date of this Note did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made and when made, not misleading. The Company acknowledges and agrees that no Holder has made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in Section 4 hereof.
(y) No Integrated Offering. Assuming the accuracy of the Holder’s representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.1, neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause this offering of this Note to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of any applicable stockholder approval provisions of any Trading Market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated.
| 14 |
(z) Solvency. Based on the consolidated financial condition of the Company as of the Closing Date, assuming that the Company receives Advances equal to the Maximum Advance Amount, the Company’s assets do not constitute unreasonably small capital to carry on its business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted including its capital needs taking into account the particular capital requirements of the business conducted by the Company, consolidated and projected capital requirements and capital availability thereof. The Company does not intend to incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the timing and amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt). Schedule 4(z) sets forth as of the date hereof all outstanding secured and unsecured Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary, or for which the Company or any Subsidiary has commitments. Except as set forth on Schedule 4(z), neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default with respect to any Indebtedness.
(aa) Tax Status. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns which have been required to be filed and paid all taxes shown thereon through the date hereof, to the extent that such taxes have become due and are not being contested in good faith, except where the failure to so file or pay would not have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed in Schedule 4(aa), no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which has had, or would have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has no knowledge of any federal, state or other governmental tax deficiency, penalty or assessment which has been or might be asserted or threatened against it which would have a Material Adverse Effect.
(bb) Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company or any Subsidiary (or made by any person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation of law, or (iv) violated any provision of FCPA.
(cc) Accountants. The Company’s accounting firm is set forth in the SEC Reports. To the knowledge and belief of the Company, such accounting firm (i) is a registered public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board as required by the Exchange Act and (ii) will express its opinion with respect to the financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026.
(dd) Acknowledgment Regarding each Holder’s Purchase of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that each Holder is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length Holder with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company further acknowledges that no Holder is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby and any advice given by any Holder or any of their respective representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is merely incidental to the Holder’s purchase of this Note.
| 15 |
(ee) Private Placement. Assuming the accuracy of the Holder’s representations and warranties set forth in Section 4, no registration under the Securities Act is required for the offer and sale of this Note by the Company to the Holder as contemplated hereby.
(ff) No General Solicitation. Neither the Company nor any person acting on behalf of the Company has offered or sold any of this Note by any form of general solicitation or general advertising. The Company offered this Note for sale only to the Holder within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act.
(gg) No Disqualification Events. With respect to this Note, except as set forth on Schedule 4(gg), none of the Company, any of its predecessors, any affiliated issuer, any director, executive officer, other officer of the Company participating in the offering hereunder, any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) connected with the Company in any capacity at the time of sale, nor any Person, including a placement agent, who will receive a commission or fees for soliciting purchasers (each, an “Issuer Covered Person” and, together, “Issuer Covered Persons”) is subject to any of the “Bad Actor” disqualifications described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Securities Act (a “Disqualification Event”), except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3). The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Issuer Covered Person is subject to a Disqualification Event.
(hh) Notice of Disqualification Events. The Company will notify the Holder in writing, prior to the Closing Date of (i) any Disqualification Event relating to any Issuer Covered Person and (ii) any event that would, with the passage of time, reasonably be expected to become a Disqualification Event relating to any Issuer Covered Person, in each case of which it is aware.
(ii) Office of Foreign Assets Control. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”).
(jj) U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Company shall so certify upon Holder’s request.
(kk) Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.
| 16 |
(ll) Money Laundering. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiary are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, applicable money laundering statutes and applicable rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no Action or Proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or its Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or its Subsidiary, threatened.
(mm) [reserved].
(nn) No Disagreements with Accountants and Lawyers. There are no disagreements of any kind presently existing, or reasonably anticipated by the Company to arise, between the Company and the accountants and lawyers formerly or presently employed by the Company and the Company is current with respect to any fees owed to its accountants which could affect the Company’s ability to perform any of its obligations under any of the Transaction Documents.
(oo) FDA Compliance. The Company: (A) is and at all times has been in material compliance with all statutes, rules or regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and other comparable governmental entities applicable to the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution, marketing, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import, export or disposal of any product under development, manufactured or distributed by the Company (“Applicable Laws”); (B) has not received any FDA Form 483, notice of adverse finding, warning letter, untitled letter or other correspondence or notice from the FDA or any governmental entity alleging or asserting material noncompliance with any Applicable Laws or any licenses, certificates, approvals, clearances, exemptions, authorizations, permits and supplements or amendments thereto required by any such Applicable Laws (“Authorizations”); (C) possesses all material Authorizations and such Authorizations are valid and in full force and effect and the Company is not in material violation of any term of any such Authorizations; (D) has not received notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from the FDA or any governmental entity or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in material violation of any Applicable Laws or Authorizations and has no knowledge that the FDA or any governmental entity or third party is considering any such claim, litigation, arbitration, action, suit, investigation or proceeding; (E) has not received notice that the FDA or any governmental entity has taken, is taking or intends to take action to limit, suspend, modify or revoke any material Authorizations and has no knowledge that the FDA or any governmental entity is considering such action; and (F) has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Applicable Laws or Authorizations and that all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were materially complete and correct on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission).
| 17 |
(pp) Studies, Tests and Preclinical and Clinical Trials. The studies, tests and preclinical and clinical trials conducted by or on behalf of the Company, to the Company’s knowledge, were and, if still ongoing, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with experimental protocols, procedures and controls pursuant to accepted professional scientific standards and all Authorizations and Applicable Laws, including, without limitation, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and current Good Clinical Practices and Good Laboratory Practices and any applicable rules, regulations and policies of the jurisdiction in which such trials and studies are being conducted; the descriptions of the results of such studies, tests and trials contained in the SEC Reports are, to the Company’s knowledge, accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such studies, tests and trials; the Company is not aware of any studies, tests or trials, the results of which the Company believes reasonably call into question the study, test, or trial results described or referred to in the SEC Reports when viewed in the context in which such results are described and the clinical state of development; and, the Company has not received any notices or correspondence from the FDA or any governmental entity requiring the termination or suspension of any studies, tests or preclinical or clinical trials conducted by or on behalf of the Company, other than ordinary course communications with respect to modifications in connection with the design and implementation of such trials, copies of which communications have been made available to you.
(qq) Company Disclosure Schedules. If any section of the disclosure schedules delivered by the Company pursuant to Section 4 hereof lists an item or information in such a way as to make its relevance to the disclosure required by or provided in another section of such disclosure schedules or the statements contained in any other section of this Note reasonably apparent on its face, the matter shall be deemed to have been disclosed in or with respect to such other section, notwithstanding the omission of an appropriate cross-reference to such other section or the omission of a reference in the particular representation and warranty to such section of the such disclosure schedules.
The Company acknowledges and agrees that the representations contained in this Section 4 shall not modify, amend or affect the Holder’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Note or any representations and warranties contained in any other Transaction Document or any other document or instrument executed and/or delivered in connection with this Note or the consummation of the transaction contemplated hereby.
Section 5. Representations and Warranties of the Holder. The Holder hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof to the Company as follows (unless as of a specific date therein):
(a) Organization; Authority. Holder an entity duly incorporated or formed, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation with full right, limited liability company power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Note and the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The purchase of this Note and performance by Holder of the transactions contemplated by this Note and the Transaction Documents have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar action, as applicable, on the part of Holder. Each Transaction Document to which it is a party has been duly executed by Holder, and when delivered by Holder in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of Holder, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
| 18 |
(b) Purchaser Status. At the time Holder was offered this Note, it was, and as of the date hereof it is, an accredited investor within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act. Holder is not subject to any Disqualification Event, except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3).
(c) Experience of the Purchaser. Holder, either alone or together with its representatives, has such knowledge, sophistication and experience in business and financial matters so as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment in this Note, and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment. Holder is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in this Note, and, at the present time, is able to afford a complete loss of such investment.
Section 6. Negative Covenants As long as any portion of this Note remains outstanding, unless the Holder shall have otherwise given prior written consent, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly:
(a) other than Permitted Indebtedness, enter into, create, incur, assume, guarantee or suffer to exist any indebtedness for borrowed money of any kind, including, but not limited to, a guarantee, on or with respect to any of its property or assets now owned or hereafter acquired or any interest therein or any income or profits therefrom, unless the net proceeds of such Indebtedness are immediately used to pay amounts due hereunder;
(b) other than Permitted Liens, enter into, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Liens of any kind, on or with respect to any of its property or assets now owned or hereafter acquired or any interest therein or any income or profits therefrom;
(c) amend its charter documents, including, without limitation, its articles of incorporation and bylaws, in any manner that materially and adversely affects any rights of the Holder, increases in authorized shares and stock splits shall not be deemed to materially and adversely affects any rights of the Holder;
(d) repay, or offer to repay, any Indebtedness other than this Note as provided in Section 2(b) or Permitted Indebtedness, as such terms Indebtedness and Permitted Indebtedness are in effect as of the Original Issue Date, provided that such payments other than on this Notes shall not be permitted if, at such time, or after giving effect to such payment, any Event of Default exists or occurs or the Company is not be able to satisfy obligations owing to the Holder;
| 19 |
(e) pay cash dividends or distributions on any equity securities of the Company;
(f) enter into any transaction with any Affiliate of the Company which would be required to be disclosed in any public filing with the SEC assuming that the Company is subject to the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, unless such transaction is made on an arm’s-length basis; or
(h) enter into any agreement with respect to any of the foregoing.
Section 7. Events of Default.
(a) “Event of Default” means, wherever used herein, any of the following events (whatever the reason for such event and whether such event shall be voluntary or involuntary or effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court, or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):
(i) any default in the payment of (A) principal and interest payment under this Note or any other Indebtedness, or (B) late fees, liquidated damages and other amounts owing to the Holder of this Note, as and when the same shall become due and payable, whether on the Maturity Date, upon acceleration, or otherwise, which default, solely in the case of a default under clause (B) above, is not cured within five Business Days;
(ii) the Company shall fail to observe or perform any other covenant or agreement contained in this Note or any Transaction Document which failure is not cured, if possible to cure, within the earlier to occur of 10 Business Days after notice of such failure is sent by the Holder or by any other Holder to the Company and (B) the Company has become aware of such failure;
(iii) except for payment defaults covered under Section 7(a)(i), the Company shall breach, or a default or event of default (subject to any grace or cure period provided in the applicable agreement, document or instrument) shall occur under, (A) any of the Transaction Documents or (B) any other material agreement, lease, document or instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is obligated (and not covered by any other clause of this Section 7) which default or event of default if not cured, if possible to cure, within the earlier to occur of (i) five Business Days after notice of such default sent by the Holder or by any other holder to the Company and (ii) the Company has become aware of such default;
(iv) any representation or warranty made in this Note, any other Transaction Document, any written statement pursuant hereto or thereto or any other report, financial statement or certificate made or delivered to the Holder or any other Holder shall be untrue or incorrect in any material respect as of the date when made or deemed made, which failure is not cured, if possible to cure, within the earlier to occur of 10 Business Days after (A) notice of such failure is sent by the Holder or (B) by any other Holder to the Company;
(v) the Company or any Subsidiary shall be subject to a Bankruptcy Event;
| 20 |
(vi) the Company or any Subsidiary shall: (A) apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian or liquidator of it or any of its properties; (B) admit in writing its inability to pay its debts as they mature; (C) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (D) be adjudicated as bankrupt or insolvent or be the subject of an order for relief under Title 11 of the United States Code or any bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, readjustment of debt, dissolution or liquidation law or statute of any other jurisdiction or foreign country; or (E) file a voluntary petition in bankruptcy, or a petition or an answer seeking reorganization or an arrangement with creditors or to take advantage or any bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, readjustment of debt, dissolution or liquidation law or statute, or an answer admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any proceeding under any such law, or (F) take or permit to be taken any action in furtherance of or for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing including a composition with creditors or similar action;
(vii) if any order, judgment or decree shall be entered, without the application, approval or consent of the Company or any Subsidiary, by any court of competent jurisdiction, approving a petition seeking liquidation or reorganization of the Company or any Subsidiary, or appointing a receiver, trustee, custodian or liquidator of the Company or any Subsidiary, or of all or any substantial part of its assets, and such order, judgment or decree shall continue unstayed and in effect for any period of 30 days;
(viii) the occurrence of any levy upon or seizure or attachment of, or any uninsured loss of or damage to, any property of the Company or any Subsidiary having an aggregate fair value or repair cost (as the case may be) in excess of $500,000 individually or in the aggregate, and any such levy, seizure or attachment shall not be set aside, bonded or discharged within 10 days after the date thereof;
(ix) any monetary judgment, writ or similar final process shall be entered or filed against the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective property or other assets for more than $250,000, and such judgment, writ or similar final process shall remain unvacated, unbonded or unstayed for a period of 30 days;
(x) any Material Adverse Effect on the Company or any Subsidiary occurs or any other circumstance or event that could, with or without the passage of time or the giving of notice, result in a default or event of default under any agreement binding upon the Company or any Subsidiary, which default or event of default could or is reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company or any Subsidiary;
(xi) any provision of any Transaction Document shall at any time for any reason (other than pursuant to the express terms thereof) cease to be valid and binding on or enforceable against the parties thereto, or the validity or enforceability thereof shall be contested by any party thereto, or a proceeding shall be commenced by the Company or any Subsidiary or any governmental authority having jurisdiction over any of them, seeking to establish the invalidity or unenforceability thereof, or the Company or any Subsidiary shall deny in writing that it has any liability or obligation purported to be created under any Transaction Document;
| 21 |
(xii) the Company fails to use the proceeds in the manner as set forth in the Company Budget;
(xiii) [reserved];
(xiv) [reserved];
(xvii) [reserved];
(xix) the Company incurs any Indebtedness other than Permitted Indebtedness or as otherwise permitted by the terms of this Note or the Security Agreement;
(xx) a false or inaccurate certification (including a false or inaccurate deemed certification) by the Company as to whether any Event of Default has occurred;
(xxv) a Lien other than a Permitted Lien is imposed on the assets of the Company or any subsidiary and such Lien is not dissolved within 30 calendar days.
(b) Remedies Upon Event of Default. If any Event of Default occurs, the outstanding principal amount of this Note, plus liquidated damages and other amounts owing in respect thereof through the date of acceleration, shall become, at the Holder’s election, immediately due and payable in cash. Upon the payment in full of such amounts, the Holder shall promptly surrender this Note to or as directed by the Company. In connection with such acceleration described herein, the Holder need not provide, and the Company hereby waives, any presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, and the Holder may immediately and without expiration of any grace period enforce any and all of its rights and remedies hereunder and all other remedies available to it under applicable law. Such acceleration may be rescinded and annulled by Holder at any time prior to payment hereunder and the Holder shall have all rights as a holder of this Note until such time, if any, as the Holder receives full payment pursuant to this Section 7(b). No such rescission or annulment shall affect any subsequent Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
(c) Interest Rate Upon Event of Default. Commencing on the occurrence of any Event of Default and until such Event of Default is cured, this Note shall accrue interest at an interest rate equal to the Default Interest Rate.
(e) Notice of an Event of Default. Upon learning of an Event of Default with respect to this Note, the Company shall within two Business Days deliver written notice thereof via facsimile or electronic mail and overnight courier (with next day delivery specified) to the Holder
Section 8. Miscellaneous.
(a) Notices. All notices, offers, acceptance and any other acts under this Agreement (except payment) shall be in writing, and shall be sufficiently given if delivered to the addressees in person, email, followed by FedEx or similar receipted next day delivery, as follows:
| If to the Company: | CERO Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. | |
| 201 Haskins Way, Suite 230, | ||
| South San Francisco, CA, 94080 | ||
| Attention: Chris Ehrlich | ||
| Email: chris@launchpad.vc |
| 22 |
| If to the Holder: | SRX Global Inc. | |
| 801 US Highway 1 | ||
| North Palm Beach, FL 33408 | ||
| Attention: Nina Martinez | ||
| Email: nina.martinez@srxglobalinc.com | ||
| with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice): | ||
| Meister Seelig & Schuster PLLC | ||
| 125 Park Avenue, 7th floor | ||
| New York, NY 10016 | ||
| Attention: Louis Lombardo, Esq. | ||
| Email: LL@mss-pllc.com | ||
or to such other address as any of them, by notice to the other may designate from time to time. Time shall be counted to, or from, as the case may be, the date of delivery.
(b) Absolute Obligation. Except as expressly provided herein, no provision of this Note shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of, liquidated damages and accrued interest and late fees, as applicable, on this Note at the time, place, and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed. This Note is a direct debt obligation of the Company.
(c) Lost or Mutilated Note. If this Note shall be mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall execute and deliver, in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation of a mutilated Note, or in lieu of or in substitution for a lost, stolen or destroyed Note, a new Note for the principal amount of this Note so mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, but only upon receipt of evidence of such loss, theft or destruction of this Note, and of the ownership hereof, reasonably satisfactory to the Company.
(d) Governing Law. This Note shall be construed and enforced in accordance with, and all questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and performance of this Note shall be governed by, the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of New York. The Company hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed or operate to preclude the Holder from bringing suit or taking other legal action against the Company in any other jurisdiction to collect on the Company’s obligations to the Holder, to realize on any collateral or any other security for such obligations, or to enforce a judgment or other court ruling in favor of the Holder. THE COMPANY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS NOTE OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
| 23 |
(e) Waiver. Any waiver by the Company or the Holder of a breach of any provision of this Note shall not operate as or be construed to be a waiver of any other breach of such provision or of any breach of any other provision of this Note. The failure of the Company or the Holder to insist upon strict adherence to any term of this Note on one or more occasions shall not be considered a waiver or deprive that party of the right thereafter to insist upon strict adherence to that term or any other term of this Note on any other occasion. Any waiver by the Company or the Holder must be in writing.
(f) Severability. If any provision of this Note is invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the balance of this Note shall remain in effect, and if any provision is inapplicable to any Person or circumstance, it shall nevertheless remain applicable to all other Persons and circumstances. If it shall be found that any interest or other amount deemed interest due hereunder violates the applicable law governing usury, the applicable rate of interest due hereunder shall automatically be lowered to equal the maximum rate of interest permitted under applicable law. The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it shall not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law or other law which would prohibit or forgive the Company from paying all or any portion of the principal of or interest on this Note as contemplated herein, wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, or which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Note, and the Company (to the extent it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefits or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Holder, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such as though no such law has been enacted.
(g) Remedies, Characterizations, Other Obligations, Breaches and Injunctive Relief. The remedies provided in this Note shall be cumulative and in addition to all other remedies available under this Note and any of the other Transaction Documents at law or in equity (including a decree of specific performance and/or other injunctive relief), and nothing herein shall limit the Holder’s right to pursue actual and consequential damages for any failure by the Company to comply with the terms of this Note. The Company covenants to the Holder that there shall be no characterization concerning this instrument other than as expressly provided herein. Amounts set forth or provided for herein with respect to payments and the like (and the computation thereof) shall be the amounts to be received by the Holder and shall not, except as expressly provided herein, be subject to any other obligation of the Company (or the performance thereof). The Company acknowledges that a breach by it of its obligations hereunder will cause irreparable harm to the Holder and that the remedy at law for any such breach would be inadequate. The Company therefore agrees that, in the event of any such breach or threatened breach, the Holder shall be entitled, in addition to all other available remedies, to an injunction restraining any such breach or any such threatened breach, without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required. The Company shall provide all information and documentation to the Holder that is requested by the Holder to enable the Holder to confirm the Company’s compliance with the terms and conditions of this Note.
(h) Next Business Day. Whenever any payment or other obligation hereunder shall be due on a day other than a Business Day, such payment shall be made on the next succeeding Business Day.
(i) Headings. The headings contained herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this Note and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof.
(j) Fees. The Company shall reimburse the Holder a non-accountable amount of $50,000.00 to Meister Seelig & Schuster PLLC, counsel to the Holder, for all costs and expenses incurred by it or its affiliates in connection with the structuring, documentation, negotiation and closing of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, and such amount shall be withheld by the Holder from its initial Advance under this Note.
(Signature Pages Follow)
| 24 |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Note to be duly executed by a duly authorized officer as of the date first above indicated.
| CERO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Chris Ehrlich | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| Accepted and Agreed: | ||
| SRX GLOBAL INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Nina Martinez | |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
| 25 |
SCHEDULE I TO NOTE
| Funding Date | Principal Amount | |
February 9, 2026
|
$964,469.18 (Principal plus accrued interest on Previous Note through the Original Issuance Date) | |
March 6, 2026
|
$957,793.70 (Principal plus accrued interest on Previous Note through the Original Issuance Date) | |
April 8, 2026
|
$445,051.37 (Principal plus accrued interest on Previous Note through the Original Issuance Date) | |
April 27, 2026 |
$504,794.52 (Principal plus accrued interest on Previous through the Original Issuance Date) | |
May 28, 2026, June 23, 2026, July 14, 2026 and August 11, 2026 |
$2,794,000.00 (Principal plus accrued interest on Previous through the Original Issuance Date) | |
| Aggregate Principal Amount of Loans: |
$5,666,108.77 |
| 26 |
SCHEDULE 2 TO NOTE
| 27 |