As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 9, 2024
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | | | 7374 | | | 86-2759890 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
595 Madison Avenue, 28th
Floor New York, New York 10022
(845) 579-5992
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Gregory A. Beard
Chief Executive Officer
595 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor
New York, New York 10022
(845) 579-5992
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Daniel M. LeBey
Shelley A. Barber
Lucy Liu
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.
1114 Avenue of the Americas, 32nd Floor
New York, New York 10036
(804) 327-6300
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large Accelerated Filer | | | ☐ | | | Accelerated Filer | | | ☐ |
Non-Accelerated Filer | | | ☒ | | | Smaller Reporting Company | | | ☒ |
| | | | | Emerging Growth Company | | | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JANUARY 9, 2024
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The selling stockholder may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy, these securities in any state or jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted
PROSPECTUS 4,600,000 Shares
Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc.
Class A Common Stock
This prospectus relates solely to the offer and sale from time to time of up to an aggregate of 4,600,000 shares of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A common stock”), by the selling stockholder identified in this prospectus (which term as used in this prospectus includes pledgees, donees, transferees or other successors-in-interest). Such shares consist of (a) 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock held by the selling stockholder, (b) 1,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of pre-funded warrants, exercise price $0.001 per share (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”), held by the selling stockholder, and (c) 2,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of warrants, exercise price $7.00 per share (the “Warrants”), held by the selling stockholder.
The selling stockholder may offer such shares from time to time as they may determine through public or private transactions or through other means described in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” at prevailing market prices, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at privately negotiated prices. This prospectus does not necessarily mean that the selling stockholder will offer or sell the shares. We cannot predict when or in what amounts the selling stockholder may sell any of the shares offered by this prospectus. Any shares of Class A common stock subject to resale hereunder will have been issued by us and acquired by the selling stockholder prior to any resale of such shares pursuant to this prospectus.
We are registering the shares offered by this prospectus for resale pursuant to, among other things, the registration rights agreement, dated December 22, 2023, entered into by and between us and the selling stockholder (the “Registration Rights Agreement”). We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of these shares of our Class A common stock by the selling stockholder. We have agreed to pay all fees and expenses relating to registering these shares of Class A common stock. The selling stockholder will pay any broker commissions or similar commissions or fees incurred for the sale of these shares of Class A common stock.
Because all of the shares offered under this prospectus are being offered by the selling stockholder, we cannot currently determine the price or prices at which our shares may be sold under this prospectus. Our Class A common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “SDIG.” On January 8, 2024, the closing price of our Class A common stock was $7.73 per share.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced reporting requirements. This prospectus complies with the requirements that apply to an issuer that is an emerging growth company. We have two classes of common stock: Class A common stock and Class V common stock. Each share of Class V common stock has no economic rights but entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by stockholders generally. Holders of Class A common stock and Class V common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law or by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Q Power LLC, which is controlled by Greg Beard, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Bill Spence, together with Messrs. Beard and Spence, holds approximately 17.8% of the total voting stock currently outstanding, including 100% of the Class V common stock outstanding, which votes together with the Class A common stock as a single class.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 and in the documents we file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus to read about factors you should consider before buying shares of our Class A common stock.
The date of this prospectus is , 2024.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the selling stockholder may offer and sell, from time to time, in one or more offerings, up to 4,600,000 shares of our Class A common stock.
We may file one or more prospectus supplements, or, if appropriate, post-effective amendments, to accompany this prospectus to add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. If the information varies between this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment, if any, you should rely on the information in the accompanying prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to the offering. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment, if any, and any free writing prospectus together with the additional information described under “Where You Can Find More Information.” You should also carefully consider, among other things, the matters discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” herein, and the accompanying prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment, if any, and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in any other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and the accompanying prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment, if any, and any related free writing prospectus.
This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment or free-writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. Neither we nor the selling stockholder have authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any free writing prospectus we have prepared. We and the selling stockholder take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. Offers to sell, and solicitations of offers to buy, shares of our Class A common stock are being made only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of our Class A common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since the date of this prospectus.
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This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. See “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” appearing in this prospectus and in the documents we file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Industry and Market Data
The market data and certain other statistical information used or incorporated by reference into this prospectus are based on independent industry publications, publicly available information, business organizations, government publications and other published independent sources. Some data is also based on our good faith estimates. Although we believe these third-party sources are reliable as of their respective dates, neither we nor the selling stockholder have independently verified the accuracy or completeness of this information. Market share data is subject to change and may be limited by the availability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations in any statistical survey of market share data. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such market share data or any other such estimates. The industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” appearing in this prospectus and in the documents we file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in these publications.
Trademarks and Trade Names
We rely on various trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. This prospectus may also contain trademarks, service marks and trade names of third parties, which are the property of their respective owners. Our use or display of third parties’ trademarks, service marks, trade names or products in this prospectus is not intended to, and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship by us. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ®, TM or SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks, service marks and trade names.
Presentation of Financial and Other Information
Certain monetary amounts, percentages and other figures included in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Percentage amounts included in this prospectus have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of such rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts in this prospectus may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our combined financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Certain other amounts that appear in this prospectus may not sum due to rounding.
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and in accordance therewith file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. The website address of the SEC is www.sec.gov.
We make available free of charge on or through our website at www.ir.strongholddigitalmining.com, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with or otherwise furnish it to the SEC.
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the offering of these securities. The registration statement, including the attached exhibits, contains additional relevant information about us and the securities. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. You can obtain a copy of the registration statement for free at www.sec.gov. The registration statement and the documents referred to below under “Incorporation of Certain Information By Reference” are also available on our website, www.ir.strongholddigitalmining.com.
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We have not incorporated by reference into this prospectus the information on our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information we file with the SEC. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents without restating that information in this document. The information incorporated by reference into this prospectus is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information in documents that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in documents filed earlier with the SEC or contained in this prospectus. We incorporate by reference in this prospectus the documents listed below and all documents that we may subsequently file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, after the date on which the registration statement was initially filed with the SEC (including all such documents that we may file with the SEC after the date the registration statement was initially filed and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement) until all offerings under the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part are completed or terminated, provided, however, that we are not incorporating, in each case, any documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules:
• | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on April 3, 2023 (pursuant to Rule 12b-25 extension); |
• | our Definitive Information Statement on Schedule 14C, filed with the SEC on January 30, 2023; |
• | our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2023; |
• | our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal periods ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on May 12, 2023, August 11, 2023 and November 14, 2023, respectively; |
• | our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC (except for items 2.02 and 7.01) on January 3, 2023, January 13, 2023, February 7, 2023, February 24, 2023, March 13, 2023, March 21, 2023, March 22, 2023, April 3, 2023, April 5, 2023, April 24, 2023, May 5, 2023, May 19, 2023, May 26, 2023, June 22, 2023, August 3, 2023, September 12, 2023, October 16, 2023, November 14, 2023, December 5, 2023, and December 22, 2023; and |
• | the description of our capital stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, dated October 19, 2021 and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purposes of updating such description, including Exhibit 4.1 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed on April 3, 2023. |
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We will provide this information upon written or oral request at no cost to the requester. Requests for these documents should be directed to Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc., 595 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, New York 10022, telephone (845) 579-5992. We also maintain a website at www.strongholddigitalmining.com where incorporated reports or other documents filed with the SEC may be accessed. We have not incorporated by reference into this prospectus the information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website, and you should not consider it to be part of this prospectus.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, including information incorporated by reference as described above, or any prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment that we have specifically referred you to. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents or that any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than its filing date. You should not consider this prospectus to be an offer or solicitation relating to the securities in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation relating to the securities is not authorized. Furthermore, you should not consider this prospectus to be an offer or solicitation relating to the securities if the person making the offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so, or if it is unlawful for you to receive such an offer or solicitation.
iii
This summary contains basic information about us and the offering. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all the information that you should consider before investing in our Class A common stock. You should read and carefully consider this entire prospectus before making an investment decision, especially the information presented under the heading “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and the information incorporated herein by reference, including our financial statements.
Except as otherwise indicated or required by the context, all references in this prospectus to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” relate to Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. (“Stronghold Inc.”) and its consolidated subsidiaries following the reorganization of the Company effected on April 1, 2021. References in this prospectus to “Q Power” refer to Q Power LLC, which prior to the reorganization (i) was the sole regarded owner of Stronghold Digital Mining LLC (f/k/a Stronghold Power LLC) (“SDM”) and (ii) indirectly held 70% of the limited partner interests and 100% of the general partner interests in Scrubgrass Reclamation Company, L.P. (f/k/a Scrubgrass Generating Company, L.P.) (“Scrubgrass LP”).
Overview
We were incorporated as a Delaware corporation on March 19, 2021. We are a low-cost, environmentally beneficial, vertically integrated crypto asset mining company focused on mining Bitcoin with environmental remediation and reclamation services. We wholly own and operate two coal refuse power generation facilities that we have upgraded: (i) our first reclamation facility located on a 650-acre site in Scrubgrass Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania, which we acquired the remaining interest of in April 2021, and has the capacity to generate approximately 83.5 megawatts (“MW”) of electricity and (ii) a facility located near Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, which we acquired in November 2021, and has the capacity to generate approximately 80 MW of electricity. Both facilities qualify as an Alternative Energy System because coal refuse is classified under Pennsylvania law as a Tier II Alternative Energy Source (large-scale hydropower is also classified in this tier). We are committed to generating our energy and managing our assets sustainably, and we believe that we are one of the first vertically integrated crypto asset mining companies with a focus on environmentally beneficial operations.
We believe that our integrated model of owning our own power plants and Bitcoin mining data center operations helps us to produce Bitcoin at a cost that is attractive versus the price of Bitcoin, and generally below the prevailing market price of power that many of our peers must pay and may have to pay in the future during periods of uncertain or elevated power pricing. Due to the environmental benefit resulting from the remediation of the sites from which the waste coal utilized by our two power generation facilities is removed, we also qualify for Tier II renewable energy tax credits (“RECs”) in Pennsylvania. These RECs are currently valued at approximately $31 per megawatt hour and help reduce our net cost of power. We believe that our ability to utilize RECs in reducing our net cost of power further differentiates us from our public company peers that purchase power from third-party sources or import power from the grid and that do not have access to RECs or other similar tax credits. Should power prices weaken to a level that is below our cost to produce power, we have the ability to purchase power from the PJM Interconnection Merchant Market (“PJM”) grid to ensure that we are producing Bitcoin at the lowest possible cost. Conversely, we are able to sell power to the PJM grid instead of using the power to produce Bitcoin, as we have recently done, on an opportunistic basis, when revenue from power sales exceeds Bitcoin mining revenue. We operate as a market participant through PJM Interconnection, a Regional Transmission Organization (“RTO”) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity. Our ability to sell energy in the wholesale generation market in the PJM RTO provides us with the ability to optimize between selling power to the grid and mining for Bitcoin. We also believe that owning our own power source makes us a more attractive partner to crypto asset mining equipment purveyors. We intend to leverage these competitive advantages to continue to grow our business through the opportunistic acquisition of additional power generating assets and miners.
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Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status
As a company with less than $1.235 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:
• | We are not required to engage an auditor to report on our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; |
• | We are not required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (i.e., an auditor discussion and analysis); |
• | We are not required to submit certain executive compensation matters to stockholder advisory votes, such as “say-on-pay,” “say-on-frequency” and “say-on-golden parachutes”; and |
• | We are not required to disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the chief executive officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. |
We may take advantage of these provisions until the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering (the “IPO”) or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest of: (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues are $1.235 billion or more; (ii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; (iii) on the last day of the fiscal year following the date of the fifth anniversary of our first sale of common equity securities under an effective registration statement or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer,” which will occur as of the end of any fiscal year in which we (x) have an aggregate market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, (y) have been required to file annual and quarterly reports under the Exchange Act, for a period of at least 12 months and (z) have filed at least one annual report pursuant to the Exchange Act.
We have elected to take advantage of the reduced disclosure obligations listed above in this prospectus, and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in future filings. In particular, we have elected to adopt the reduced disclosure with respect to our executive compensation disclosure. As a result of this election, the information that we provide stockholders may be different than you might get from other public companies.
The JOBS Act permits an emerging growth company like us to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period and, as a result, we will adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for private companies. Our election to use the transition periods permitted by this election may make it difficult to compare our financial statements to those of non-emerging growth companies and other emerging growth companies that have opted out of the extended transition periods permitted under the JOBS Act and that will comply with new or revised financial accounting standards. If we were to subsequently elect instead to comply with public company effective dates, such election would be irrevocable pursuant to the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter.
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Our Offices
Our principal executive offices are located at 595 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, New York 10022, and our telephone number at that address is (845) 579-5992. Our website address is www.strongholddigitalmining.com. Information contained on our website does not constitute part of this prospectus.
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The Offering
Issuer
Stronghold Digital Mining Inc.
Class A common stock offered by the selling stockholder
4,600,000 shares, consisting of (a) 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, (b) 1,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of Pre-Funded Warrants, and (c) 2,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of Warrants.
Class A common stock outstanding
11,864,468 shares (as of January 3, 2024).
Class V common stock outstanding
2,407,200 shares (as of January 3, 2024). Class V shares do not have economic rights. In connection with any redemption of Stronghold LLC Units pursuant to the Redemption Right or our Call Right (each as defined herein), the corresponding number of shares of Class V common stock will be cancelled.
Voting rights
Each outstanding share of our Class A common stock entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by stockholders generally. Each outstanding share of our Class V common stock entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by stockholders generally. Holders of our Class A common stock and Class V common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law or by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. See “Description of Capital Stock.”
Use of proceeds
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares of our Class A common stock by the selling stockholder.
Registration Rights
Under the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, we agreed to file with the SEC this registration statement with respect to the registration of the resale by the selling stockholder of all “Registrable Securities” (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act (“Rule 415”), and to use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause this registration statement to become effective within the timeframe specified in the Registration Rights Agreement (but in no event after the 90th calendar day following the date of the Registration Rights Agreement or, in the event of a review by the SEC, the 120th calendar day). In addition, we agreed that, upon the registration statement being declared effective under the Securities Act, we will use reasonable best efforts to keep this registration statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until the date that all Registrable Securities covered hereby have been publicly sold by the selling stockholder.
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Dividend policy
We currently anticipate that we will retain all future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. We do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
Redemption rights of Stronghold Unit Holders
Under the Fifth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Stronghold LLC, as amended from time to time (the “Stronghold LLC Agreement”), each Stronghold Unit Holder (other than Stronghold Inc.), subject to certain limitations, has the right (the “Redemption Right”), to cause Stronghold LLC to acquire all or a portion of its Stronghold LLC Units for, at Stronghold LLC’s election, (i) shares of our Class A common stock at a redemption ratio of one share of Class A common stock for each Stronghold LLC Unit redeemed, subject to conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassification and other similar transactions or (ii) an approximately equivalent amount of cash as determined pursuant to the terms of the Stronghold LLC Agreement. Alternatively, upon the exercise of the Redemption Right, Stronghold Inc. (instead of Stronghold LLC) has the right (the “Call Right”) to acquire each tendered Stronghold LLC Unit directly from the redeeming Stronghold Unit Holder for, at its election, (x) one share of Class A common stock, subject to conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassification and other similar transactions, or (y) an approximately equivalent amount of cash as determined pursuant to the terms of the Stronghold LLC Agreement. In addition, Stronghold Inc. has the right to require (i) upon the acquisition by Stronghold Inc. of substantially all of the Stronghold LLC Units, certain minority unitholders or (ii) upon a change of control of Stronghold Inc., each Stronghold Unit Holder (other than Stronghold Inc.), in each case, to exercise its Redemption Right with respect to some or all of such unitholder’s Stronghold LLC Units. In connection with any redemption of Stronghold LLC Units pursuant to the Redemption Right or the Call Right, the corresponding number of shares of Class V common stock will be cancelled. Defined terms have the meanings set forth in the 2022 Form 10-K.
Tax Receivable Agreement
Stronghold Inc. has entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement with Q Power and an agent named by Q Power (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”), which provides for the payment by Stronghold Inc. to Q Power (or its permitted assignees) of 85% of the net cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax and franchise tax (computed using the estimated impact of state and local taxes) that Stronghold Inc. actually realizes (or is deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of certain tax basis increases and certain tax benefits attributable
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to imputed interest. Stronghold Inc. will retain the remaining net cash savings, if any. See “Risk Factors” appearing in this prospectus and in the documents we file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus as well as “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Tax Receivable Agreement” in the 2022 Form 10-K. Defined terms have the meanings set forth in the 2022 Form 10-K.
Listing symbol
Our Class A common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “SDIG.”
Risk factors
You should carefully read and consider the information beginning on page 7 of this prospectus set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” and in the documents we file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus and all other information set forth in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus before deciding to invest in our Class A common stock.
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An investment in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors” contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 (the “2022 Form 10-K”), and any updates in our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, together with the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes, before investing in our Class A common stock. The occurrence of any of these risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, in which case the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to our Class A Common Stock
Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock by the selling stockholder, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the price of our Class A common stock.
We are registering the offer and sale of the Class A common shares covered by this prospectus to, among other things, satisfy the registration rights we granted to the selling stockholder pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, so that the Class A common stock may be offered for sale into the public market by the selling stockholder. Further, we have previously registered for resale additional shares of Class A common stock held by other stockholders pursuant to effective registration statements. Subject to certain exceptions, we may be obligated to keep this prospectus current so that the shares of Class A common stock covered by this prospectus can be sold in the public market at any time. The number of shares of Class A common stock covered by this prospectus is significant in relation to our currently outstanding Class A common stock and the historical trading volume of our Class A common stock. The sale by the selling stockholder of all or a significant portion of the shares of Class A common stock covered by this prospectus could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the perception in the public markets that the selling stockholder might sell all or a portion of the shares of Class A common stock covered by this prospectus could also, in and of itself, have a material adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock.
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The information in this prospectus includes “forward-looking statements.” All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this prospectus, regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this prospectus, the words “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “seek,” “approximately,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “continue,” “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements described under the heading “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business” included in this prospectus or included in the 2022 Form 10-K, or any subsequent updates in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current belief, based on currently available information, as to the outcome and timing of future events.
Forward-looking statements may include statements about:
• | the hybrid nature of our business model, which is highly dependent on the price of Bitcoin; |
• | our ability to raise capital to fund our business growth; |
• | our dependence on the level of demand and financial performance of the crypto asset industry; |
• | our ability to manage our growth, business, financial results and results of operations; |
• | uncertainty regarding our evolving business model; |
• | our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity to fund operations, growth and acquisitions; |
• | our substantial indebtedness and its effect on our results of operations and our financial condition; |
• | uncertainty regarding the outcomes, monetary or otherwise, of any investigations or proceedings; |
• | our ability to retain management and key personnel and the integration of new management; |
• | our ability to enter into purchase agreements, acquisitions and financing transactions; |
• | our ability to maintain our relationships with our third-party brokers and our dependence on their performance; |
• | public health crises, epidemics, and pandemics such as the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic; |
• | our ability to procure crypto asset mining equipment from foreign-based suppliers; |
• | developments and changes in laws and regulations, including increased regulation of the crypto asset industry through legislative action and revised rules and standards applied by The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network under the authority of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act and the Investment Company Act; |
• | the future acceptance and/or widespread use of, and demand for, Bitcoin and other crypto assets; |
• | our ability to respond to price fluctuations and rapidly changing technology; |
• | our ability to operate our coal refuse power generation facilities as planned; |
• | our ability to develop and monetize our carbon capture project to generate meaningful revenue, on a timely basis or at all; |
• | our ability to avail ourselves of tax credits for the clean-up of coal refuse piles; and |
• | legislative or regulatory changes, and liability under, or any future inability to comply with, existing or future energy regulations or requirements. |
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We caution you that these forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. These risks include, but are not limited to, decline in demand for our products and services, the seasonality and volatility of the crypto asset industry, our acquisition strategies, the inability to comply with developments and changes in regulation, cash flow and access to capital, maintenance of third party relationships, the COVID-19 pandemic and the other risks described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and in the documents we file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this prospectus occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.
All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this prospectus are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we or persons acting on our behalf may issue.
Any forward-looking statement that we make in this prospectus speaks only as of the date of such statement. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus.
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We are registering 4,600,000 shares, consisting of (a) 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, (b) 1,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of Pre-Funded Warrants, and (c) 2,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of Warrants. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares of our Class A common stock by the selling stockholder. The net proceeds from the sale of the shares of our Class A common stock offered pursuant to this prospectus will be received by the selling stockholder for its account. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, we have agreed to pay all fees and expenses relating to registering these shares of our Class A common stock. The selling stockholder will pay any broker commissions or similar commissions or fees incurred for the sale of such shares.
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On December 21, 2023, we entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “December 2023 SPA”) with the selling stockholder, Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd. (“Armistice”), for the purchase and sale of shares of Class A common stock, Pre-Funded Warrants, and Warrants in exchange for aggregate proceeds of $15.4 million. The securities were issued and sold on December 22, 2023, without registration under the Securities Act in reliance on the exemptions provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. Pursuant to the December 2023 SPA, we entered into the Registration Rights Agreement with the selling stockholder whereby we agreed to prepare and file with the SEC this registration statement covering the resale of the Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) covered hereby on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415, and to cause this registration statement to become effective within the timeframes specified in the Registration Rights Agreement (but in no event after the 90th calendar day following the date of the Registration Rights Agreement or, in the event of a review by the SEC, the 120th calendar day); failure to do so will result in certain liquidated damages as set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement. In addition, we agreed that, upon the registration statement being declared effective under the Securities Act, we will use reasonable best efforts to keep the registration statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until the date that all Registrable Securities covered hereby (i) have been sold thereunder or pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or (ii) may be sold without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 and without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144.
We are registering 4,600,000 shares, consisting of (a) 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, (b) 1,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of Pre-Funded Warrants, and (c) 2,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of Warrants, in order to permit the selling stockholder to offer such shares for resale from time to time pursuant to this prospectus. This prospectus also covers any additional securities that may become issuable in respect of the shares described in this paragraph by reason of stock splits, stock dividends or other similar transactions.
The December 2023 SPA provided for the issuance and sale of 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, Pre-Funded Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,300,000 shares of Class A common stock, and Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 2,300,000 shares of Class A common stock. The Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants have an initial exercise price, subject to certain adjustments, of $0.0001 and $7.00 per share, respectively. Subject to certain ownership limitations, the Warrants are exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will be exercisable for five and a half years commencing upon the date of issuance.
When we refer to the “selling stockholder” in this prospectus, we mean the persons and entities listed in the table below, and the pledgees, donees, permitted transferees, assignees, successors and others who later come to hold any of the selling stockholder’s interests in shares of our Class A common stock, in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement and other than through a public sale.
The table below lists the selling stockholder and other information regarding the ownership of the shares of Class A common stock by the selling stockholder. This includes the number of shares of Class A common stock owned by the selling stockholder, based on information provided to us by the selling stockholder, based on its ownership of the shares of Class A common stock and securities convertible or exercisable into shares of Class A common stock, as of January 3, 2024 (except as noted in the footnotes to the table below), assuming exercise of the securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Class A common stock held by the selling stockholder on that date, if applicable, without regard to any limitations on conversions or exercises.
This prospectus generally covers the resale of the maximum number of Class A common stock that may be received upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants. The table below assumes that the Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants are exercised in full into shares of Class A common stock as of the trading day immediately preceding the date this registration statement was initially filed with the SEC, without regard to any limitations, including any applicable Beneficial Ownership Limitations (as defined below), upon such exercise. The column titled “Shares Beneficially Owned After the Offering” assumes the sale of all of the shares offered by the selling stockholder pursuant to this prospectus.
Under the terms of the Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants, the selling stockholder may not exercise Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants to the extent such exercise would cause the selling stockholder, together with its affiliates and attribution parties, to beneficially own a number of shares of Class A common stock which
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would exceed 9.99% and 4.99%, respectively, of our then outstanding Class A common stock following such conversion or exercise, excluding for purposes of such determination shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of such Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants which have not been exercised (collectively, the “Beneficial Ownership Limitations”). Further, the Warrants are only exercisable six months after the date of issuance. The number of shares in the table do not reflect the Beneficial Ownership Limitations.
Except as noted in the footnotes to the table below or elsewhere in this prospectus, the selling stockholder does not have, and has not had since our inception, any position, office or other material relationship with us or any of our affiliates. Based on information provided to us by the selling stockholder and as of the date the same was provided to us, assuming that the selling stockholder sells all the shares of our Class A common stock beneficially owned by it that have been registered by us pursuant to this registration statement and does not acquire any additional shares during the offering, the selling stockholder will not own any shares other than those appearing in the column entitled “Shares Beneficially Owned After the Offering.” See “Plan of Distribution.” We cannot advise as to whether the selling stockholder will in fact sell any or all of such shares. In addition, the selling stockholder may have sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of, or may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of, at any time and from time to time, the shares in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act after the date on which it provided the information set forth on the table below.
| | | Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to the Offering(1) | | | Number of Shares Being Offered(1) | | | Shares Beneficially Owned After the Offering(1) | |||||||||||||
| | | Class A Common Stock | | | Cumulative Voting Power | | | Class A Common Stock | | | Class A Common Stock | | | Cumulative Voting Power | |||||||
Name of Selling Stockholder | | | Number | | | %(1) | | | %(1) | | | Number | | | Number | | | % | | | % |
Armistice Capital, LLC(2) | | | 6,000,000 | | | 35.6% | | | 31.1% | | | 4,600,000 | | | 1,400,000 | | | 10.6% | | | 8.9% |
* | Indicates beneficial ownership of less than 1%. |
(1) | Assumes that the outstanding Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrants will be exercised in full, without regard to any limitations, including any Beneficial Ownership Limitation, on the exercise of the Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrants. Under the terms of the Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrants, a selling stockholder may not exercise the Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrants to the extent such exercise would cause such selling stockholder, together with its affiliates and attribution parties, to beneficially own a number of shares of common stock which would exceed 4.99% and 9.99%, respectively, of our then outstanding Class A common stock following such exercise, excluding for purposes of such determination shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of such Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrants which have not been exercised. Further, the Warrants are only exercisable six months after the date of issuance. |
(2) | As of January 3, 2024, consists of (i) 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock that have been issued to Armistice, (ii) 1,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants acquired by Armistice, (iii) 2,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants acquired by Armistice, and (iv) 1,400,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of warrants (the “Prior Warrants”) with an exercise price of $7.00 per share, acquired by Armistice. The securities are directly held by Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Master Fund”), and may be deemed to be beneficially owned by: (i) Armistice Capital, LLC (“Armistice Capital”), as the investment manager of the Master Fund; and (ii) Steven Boyd, as the Managing Member of Armistice Capital. The Warrants and Prior Warrants are subject to a Beneficial Ownership Limitation of 4.99%, which such limitation restricts the selling stockholder from exercising that portion of the warrants that would result in the selling stockholder and its affiliates owning, after exercise, a number of shares of common stock in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The address of Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd. is c/o Armistice Capital, LLC, 510 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022. |
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The authorized capital stock of Stronghold Inc. consists of 238,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, 50,000,000 shares of Class V common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of which a series of 23,102 shares of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series C Preferred Stock”), and a series of 15,582 shares of Series D Preferred Stock have been designated. As of January 3, 2024, there were 11,864,468 shares of Class A common stock, 2,407,200 shares of Class V common stock, 5,990 shares of Series C Preferred Stock, and 3,330 shares of Series D Preferred Stock issued and outstanding. As of January 3, 2024, there were 28 stockholders of record of our Class A common stock, one stockholder of record of our Class V common stock, two stockholders of record of our Series C Preferred Stock, and one stockholder of record of our Series D Preferred Stock.
The following summary of the capital stock, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws of Stronghold Inc. does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the provisions of applicable law and to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Class A Common Stock
Voting Rights. Holders of shares of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share held of record on all matters to be voted upon by the stockholders. The holders of Class A common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.
Dividend Rights. Holders of shares of our Class A common stock are entitled to ratably receive dividends when and if declared by our Board out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any statutory or contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends and to any prior rights and preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon our liquidation, dissolution, distribution of assets or other winding up, the holders of Class A common stock are entitled to receive ratably the assets available for distribution to the stockholders after payment of liabilities and the liquidation preference of any of our outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Other Matters. The shares of Class A common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights and are not subject to further calls or assessment by us. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class A common stock. All issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.
Class V Common Stock
Voting Rights. Holders of shares of our Class V common stock are entitled to one vote per share held of record on all matters to be voted upon by the stockholders. Holders of shares of our Class A common stock and Class V common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval.
Dividend and Liquidation Rights. Holders of our Class V common stock do not have any right to receive dividends, unless (i) the dividend consists of shares of our Class V common stock or of rights, options, warrants or other securities convertible or exercisable into or exchangeable or redeemable for shares of Class V common stock paid proportionally with respect to each outstanding share of Class V common stock and (ii) a dividend consisting of shares of Class A common stock or of rights, options, warrants or other securities convertible or exercisable into or exchangeable or redeemable for shares for Class A common stock on equivalent terms is simultaneously paid to the holders of Class A common stock. Holders of our Class V common stock do not have any right to receive a distribution upon a liquidation or winding up of Stronghold Inc.
Other Matters. The shares of Class V common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights and are not subject to further calls or assessment by us. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class V common stock. All outstanding shares of our Class V common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.
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Preferred Stock
General Description
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our Board, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, without further shareholder approval, to establish and to issue from time to time one or more classes or series of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, covering up to an aggregate of 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Each class or series of preferred stock will cover the number of shares and will have the powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions determined by the Board.
Except as provided by law or in a preferred stock designation, the holders of preferred stock will not be entitled to vote at or receive notice of any meeting of stockholders. In some cases, the issuance of preferred stock could delay or discourage a change of control in us.
The issuance of preferred stock, while providing desired flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could adversely affect the voting power of holders of our common stock. It could also affect the likelihood that holders of our common stock will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation.
Series C Preferred Stock
Pursuant to our Certificate of Designations (the “Series C Certificate of Designations”), filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware with respect to the Series C Preferred Stock, we designated 23,102 shares of our authorized and unissued preferred stock as Series C Preferred Stock, and established the rights, preferences and privileges of the Series C Preferred Stock, which are summarized below. As of January 3, 2024, we had 5,990 shares of Series C Preferred Stock outstanding.
Designation and Amount. The Series C Certificate of Designations designates twenty-three thousand, one hundred two (23,102) shares of Series C Preferred Stock, with each share having a stated value of $1,000, subject to any adjustment for stock splits, stock combinations, recapitalizations and similar transactions as set forth in the Series C Certificate of Designations (the “Series C Stated Value”).
Ranking and Liquidation Preference. The Series C Preferred Stock ranks, with respect to rights upon an acquisition, merger or consolidation of the Company, sale of all or substantially all assets of the Company, other business combination or liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Company, either voluntary or involuntary (collectively, a “Liquidation Event”), (i) senior to the Class A common stock and Class V common stock and any other class or series of capital stock of the Company the terms of which do not expressly provide that such class or series ranks senior to or on parity with the Series C Preferred Stock with respect to a Liquidation Event (“Series C Junior Stock”), (ii) on a parity with the Series D Preferred Stock and any other class or series of capital stock of the Company the terms of which provide that such class or series ranks on a parity with the Series C Preferred Stock with respect to a Liquidation Event (“Series C Parity Stock”), and (iii) junior to any other class or series of capital stock of the Company the terms of which expressly provide that such class or series ranks senior to the Series C Preferred Stock with respect to a Liquidation Event (“Series C Senior Stock”). In the event of a Liquidation Event, each holder of shares of Series C Preferred Stock then outstanding shall be entitled to receive, before any payment or distribution of any assets of the Company shall be made or set apart for holders of the Series C Junior Stock, an amount per share of Series C Preferred Stock equal to the Series C Stated Value.
Voting Rights. Except as required by the DGCL or our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, holders of shares of Series C Preferred Stock do not have any voting rights, except that the approval of holders of at least two-thirds (66.67%) of the then-outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock is required to (i) amend, alter, repeal or otherwise modify (whether by merger, operation of law, consolidation or otherwise) (a) any provision of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws in a manner that would adversely affect the powers, rights, preferences or privileges of the Series C Preferred Stock, or (b) any provision of the Series C Certificate of Designations, (ii) authorize, create, increase the amount of, or issue any Series C Preferred Stock or any class or series of Series C Senior Stock or Series C Parity Stock or any security convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, shares of Series C
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Preferred Stock, Series C Senior Stock, or Series C Parity Stock, (iii) authorize, enter into or otherwise engage in a Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the Series C Certificate of Designations) unless such Fundamental Transaction does not adversely affect the rights, preferences or privileges of the Series C Preferred Stock, and (iv) agree or consent to any of the foregoing.
Optional Conversion. Each holder is entitled, upon written notice to the Company, to convert all or a portion of such holder’s outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock into a number of shares of Class A common stock (a “Series C Optional Conversion”) at a conversion rate equal to (i) the Series C Stated Value plus cash in lieu of any fractional shares, divided by (ii) a conversion price of $4.00 per share of Class A common stock, subject to certain adjustments provided in the Series C Certificate of Designations (the “Series C Conversion Price”). A holder does not have the right to effect a Series C Optional Conversion to the extent that, after giving effect to such conversion, such holder (together with such holder’s affiliates and any person acting as a group with such holder or any of its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion (the “Series C Beneficial Ownership Limitation”).
In the event of any Fundamental Transaction, as described in the Series C Certificate of Designations and generally including any merger with or into another entity, sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, tender offer or exchange offer, reclassification of shares of the Class A common stock, or stock purchase agreement or other business combination wherein another person or group acquires more than 50% of the then-outstanding shares of Class A common stock, then upon any subsequent Series C Optional Conversion or the Series C Automatic Conversion (as defined below), the holder has the right to receive as alternative consideration, for each share of Class A common stock that would have been issuable upon such Series C Optional Conversion or the Series C Automatic Conversion immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, the number of shares of Class A common stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration receivable upon or as a result of such transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Class A common stock into which the shares of Series C Preferred Stock are convertible immediately prior to such event.
Automatic Conversion. Upon the fifth anniversary of the date of issuance of the Series C Preferred Stock, each share of Series C Preferred Stock then outstanding will automatically and immediately convert into shares of Class A common stock or, to the extent such conversion would cause a holder to exceed the Series C Beneficial Ownership Limitation, into pre-funded warrants, exercise price $0.001 per share, in the form attached as Annex B to the Series C Certificate of Designations (the “Series C Automatic Conversion”).
Other Rights. The Series C Preferred Stock is not entitled to receive dividends, does not have preemptive or subscription rights, and has no redemption or sinking fund provisions or rights.
This summary of certain provisions of the Series C Certificate of Designations is not intended to be complete, and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the Series C Certificate of Designations.
Series D Preferred Stock
Pursuant to our Certificate of Designations (the “Series D Certificate of Designations”), filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware with respect to the Series D Preferred Stock, we designated 15,582 shares of our authorized and unissued preferred stock as Series D Preferred Stock, and established the rights, preferences and privileges of the Series D Preferred Stock, which are summarized below. As of January 3, 2024, we had 3,330 shares of Series D Preferred Stock outstanding.
Designation and Amount. The Series D Certificate of Designations designates fifteen thousand, five hundred and eighty-two (15,582) shares of Series D Preferred Stock, with each share having a stated value of $1,000, subject to any adjustment for stock splits, stock combinations, recapitalizations and similar transactions as set forth in the Series D Certificate of Designations (the “Series D Stated Value”).
Ranking and Liquidation Preference. The Series D Preferred Stock ranks, with respect to rights upon a Liquidation Event, (i) senior to the Class A common stock and Class V common stock and any other class or series of capital stock of the Company the terms of which do not expressly provide that such class or series ranks senior to or on parity with the Series D Preferred Stock with respect to a Liquidation Event (“Series D Junior Stock”), (ii) on a parity with the Series C Preferred Stock and any other class or series of capital stock of
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the Company the terms of which provide that such class or series ranks on a parity with the Series D Preferred Stock with respect to a Liquidation Event (“Series D Parity Stock”), and (iii) junior to any other class or series of capital stock of the Company the terms of which expressly provide that such class or series ranks senior to the Series D Preferred Stock with respect to a Liquidation Event (“Series D Senior Stock”). In the event of a Liquidation Event, each holder of shares of Series D Preferred Stock then outstanding shall be entitled to receive, before any payment or distribution of any assets of the Company shall be made or set apart for holders of the Series D Junior Stock, an amount per share of Series D Preferred Stock equal to the Series D Stated Value.
Voting Rights. Except as required by the DGCL or our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock do not have any voting rights, except that the approval of holders of at least two-thirds (66.67%) of the then-outstanding shares of Series D Preferred Stock is required to (i) amend, alter, repeal or otherwise modify (whether by merger, operation of law, consolidation or otherwise) (a) any provision of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws in a manner that would adversely affect the powers, rights, preferences or privileges of the Series D Preferred Stock, or (b) any provision of the Series D Certificate of Designations, (ii) authorize, create, increase the amount of, or issue any Series D Preferred Stock or any class or series of Series D Senior Stock or Series D Parity Stock or any security convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, shares of Series D Preferred Stock, Series D Senior Stock, or Series D Parity Stock, (iii) authorize, enter into or otherwise engage in a Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the Series D Certificate of Designations) unless such Fundamental Transaction does not adversely affect the rights, preferences or privileges of the Series D Preferred Stock, and (iv) agree or consent to any of the foregoing.
Optional Conversion. Each holder is entitled, upon written notice to the Company, to convert all or a portion of such holder’s outstanding shares of Series D Preferred Stock into a number of shares of Class A common stock (a “Series D Optional Conversion”) at a conversion rate equal to (i) the Series D Stated Value plus cash in lieu of any fractional shares, divided by (ii) a conversion price of $5.38145 per share of Class A common stock, subject to certain adjustments provided in the Series D Certificate of Designations (the “Series D Conversion Price”). A holder does not have the right to effect a Series D Optional Conversion to the extent that, after giving effect to such conversion, such holder (together with such holder’s affiliates and any person acting as a group with such holder or any of its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion (the “Series D Beneficial Ownership Limitation”).
In the event of any Fundamental Transaction, as described in the Series D Certificate of Designations and generally including any merger with or into another entity, sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, tender offer or exchange offer, reclassification of shares of the Class A common stock, or stock purchase agreement or other business combination wherein another person or group acquires more than 50% of the then-outstanding shares of Class A common stock, then upon any subsequent Series D Optional Conversion or the Series D Automatic Conversion (as defined below), the holder has the right to receive as alternative consideration, for each share of Class A common stock that would have been issuable upon such Series D Optional Conversion or the Series D Automatic Conversion immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, the number of shares of Class A common stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration receivable upon or as a result of such transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Class A common stock into which the shares of Series D Preferred Stock are convertible immediately prior to such event.
Automatic Conversion. On February 20, 2028, each share of Series D Preferred Stock then outstanding will automatically and immediately convert into shares of Class A common stock or, to the extent such conversion would cause a holder to exceed the Series D Beneficial Ownership Limitation, into Pre-Funded Warrants (the “Series D Automatic Conversion”).
Other Rights. The Series D Preferred Stock is not entitled to receive dividends, does not have preemptive or subscription rights, and has no redemption or sinking fund provisions or rights.
This summary of certain provisions of the Series D Certificate of Designations is not intended to be complete, and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the Series D Certificate of Designations.
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Registration Rights Agreements
We have entered into various registration rights agreements, certain of which have continued registration obligations. The following summary of certain provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement and of the other registration rights agreements described below is not intended to be complete, and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the applicable agreement.
Armistice Registration Rights Agreement
Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, dated December 22, 2023, that we entered into with Armistice, we have agreed to file this registration statement with respect to the registration of the resale by the selling stockholder of all Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), and to use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause this registration statement to become effective within the timeframes specified in the Registration Rights Agreement (but in no event after 90th calendar day following the date of the Registration Rights Agreement or, in the event of a review by the SEC, the 120th calendar day); failure to do so will result in certain liquidated damages as set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement. In addition, we agreed that, upon the registration statement being declared effective under the Securities Act, we use commercially reasonable efforts to keep this registration statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until the date that all Registrable Securities covered hereby (i) have been sold thereunder or pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or (ii) may be sold without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 and without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144.
We have agreed to indemnify the selling stockholder for certain violations of federal or state securities laws in connection with any registration statement in which the selling stockholder sells its Registrable Securities covered hereby pursuant to these registration rights. The selling stockholder will, in turn, agree to indemnify us for federal or state securities law violations that occur in reliance upon written information it provides to us for use in the registration statement.
This summary of certain provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement is not intended to be complete, and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement.
Other Registration Rights Agreement
Adage Registration Rights Agreement
On November 13, 2023, we entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Adage Registration Rights Agreement”) with Adage Capital Master Fund Ltd. (“Adage”). Pursuant to the Adage Registration Rights Agreement, we agreed to file with the SEC a registration statement with respect to the registration of the resale by Adage of all registrable securities (as defined therein) on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415, and to use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within the timeframe specified in the Adage Registration Rights Agreement (but in no event after the 60th calendar day following the date of the Adage Registration Rights Agreement or, in the event of a review by the SEC, the 90th calendar day). In addition, we agreed that, upon the registration statement being declared effective under the Securities Act, we will use reasonable best efforts to keep this registration statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until the date that all registrable securities covered thereby have been publicly sold by Adage. We filed such registration statement with the SEC on December 5, 2023 (SEC File No. 333-275901).
Series C Registration Rights Agreement
On February 20, 2023, we entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Series C Registration Rights Agreement”) with the selling stockholder and the holders of the Series C Preferred Stock pursuant to the terms of an exchange agreement, dated December 30, 2022, among us, the selling stockholder and the holders of the Series C Preferred Stock (the “Series C Exchange Agreement”). Pursuant to the Series C Registration Rights Agreement, we were required to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the resale of the “Registrable Securities” (as defined in the Series C Registration Rights Agreement) on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 and, upon such registration statement being declared effective under the Securities Act, to use our reasonable best efforts to keep such registration statement continuously effective under the Securities Act
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until the date that all securities covered thereunder (i) have been sold thereunder or pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or (ii) may be sold without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 and without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144. We filed such registration statement with the SEC on April 5, 2023 (SEC File No. 333-271151), and it was declared effective by the SEC on April 14, 2023.
Armistice Registration Rights Agreement
On September 13, 2022, we entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Armistice Registration Rights Agreement”) with Armistice pursuant to the terms of a securities purchase agreement, dated September 13, 2022, between us and Armistice (the “Armistice SPA”). Pursuant to the Armistice Registration Rights Agreement, we were required to file a registration statement covering the resale of the securities issued and sold pursuant to the Armistice SPA with the SEC on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 and, upon such registration statement being declared effective under the Securities Act, to use commercially reasonable efforts to keep such registration statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until the date that all securities covered thereunder (i) have been sold thereunder or pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or (ii) may be sold without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 and without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144. We filed such registration statement with the SEC on October 13, 2022 (SEC File No. 333-267869), and it was declared effective by the SEC on February 10, 2023.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, our Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware Law
Some provisions of Delaware law, and our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could make the following transactions more difficult: acquisitions of us by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise; or removal of our incumbent officers and directors. These provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish or could deter transactions that stockholders may otherwise consider to be in their best interest or in our best interests, including transactions that might result in a premium over the market price for our shares.
These provisions, summarized below, are expected to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with us. We believe that the benefits of increased protection and our potential ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging these proposals because, among other things, negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.
Delaware Law
We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL, regulating corporate takeovers. In general, those provisions prohibit a Delaware corporation, including those whose securities are listed for trading on Nasdaq, from engaging in any business combination with any interested shareholder for a period of three years following the date that the shareholder became an interested shareholder, unless:
• | the transaction is approved by the Board before the date the interested shareholder attained that status; |
• | upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder, the interested shareholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced; or |
• | on or after such time the business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at a meeting of stockholders by at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested shareholder. |
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Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws
Provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in control or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares, or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our Class A common stock.
Among other things, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws:
• | establish advance notice procedures with regard to shareholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of shareholder proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. Our amended and restated bylaws specify the requirements as to form and content of all stockholders’ notices. These requirements may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before the stockholders at an annual or special meeting; |
• | provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the Board, unless the amended and restated certificate of incorporation fixes the number of directors, in which case, a change in the number of directors shall be made only by amendment of the certificate of incorporation; |
• | provide that our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 50% of our then outstanding of stock in the Company entitled to voted thereon, voting together as a single class; |
• | provide that all vacancies, including newly created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law, be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum; |
• | provide that, subject to the rights of holders of any series of preferred stock with respect to such series of preferred stock, any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be taken at a duly held annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be taken by any consent in writing; |
• | provide that the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, acting at a meeting of the stockholders or by written consent (if permitted), subject to the rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock, shall be required to remove any or all of the directors from office, and such removal may be with or without “cause”; |
• | provide that special meetings of our stockholders may only be called by the chief executive officer, the chairman of the board (or any co-chairman), or by a majority of the board; |
• | provide that our bylaws can be amended by the Board or stockholders of 66 2/3% of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote thereon; and |
• | prohibit cumulative voting for the election of directors, unless otherwise provided in the amended and restated certificate of incorporation. |
No Cumulative Voting
Under Delaware law, the right to vote cumulatively does not exist unless the amended and restated certificate of incorporation specifically authorizes cumulative voting. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not authorize cumulative voting. Therefore, stockholders holding a majority in voting power of the shares of our stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors will be able to elect all our directors.
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Forum Selection
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the sole and exclusive forum for:
• | any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; |
• | any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our stockholders; |
• | any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee of ours arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws; or |
• | any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee of ours that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and to have consented to, this forum selection provision. Although we believe these provisions will benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law for the specified types of actions and proceedings, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, employees and agents. The enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with one or more actions or proceedings described above, a court could rule that this provision in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation is inapplicable or unenforceable.
Corporate Opportunities
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, to the fullest extent permitted by law, renounces any reasonable expectancy interest that we have in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, any corporate or business opportunities that are from time to time presented to Q Power, its affiliated directors and affiliates, and our non-employee directors, and that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, such persons will have no duty to refrain from engaging in any transaction or matter that may be a corporate or business opportunity in which we or any of our subsidiaries could have an interest or expectancy. In addition, to the fullest extent permitted by law, in the event that Q Power, its affiliated directors and affiliates, and our directors acquire knowledge of any such opportunity, other than in their capacity as a member of our Board, such person will have no duty to communicate or present such opportunity to us or any of our subsidiaries, and they may take any such opportunity for themselves or offer it to another person or entity.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation limits the liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty as directors, except for liability that cannot be eliminated under the DGCL. Delaware law provides that directors of a company will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty as directors, except for liabilities:
• | for any breach of their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders; |
• | for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
• | for unlawful payment of dividend or unlawful stock repurchase or redemption, as provided under Section 174 of the DGCL; or |
• | for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. |
This provision also does not affect a director’s responsibilities under any other laws, such as the federal securities laws or state or federal environmental laws. Any amendment, repeal or modification of these provisions
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will be prospective only and would not affect any limitation on liability of a director for acts or omissions that occurred prior to any such amendment, repeal or modification.
Our amended and restated bylaws also provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Our bylaws also permits us to purchase insurance on behalf of any officer, director, employee or other agent for any liability arising out of that person’s actions as our officer, director, employee or agent, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit indemnification. We intend to enter into indemnification agreements with each of our current and future directors and officers. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liability that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified. We believe that the limitation of liability provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the indemnification agreements facilitates our ability to continue to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve as directors and officers.
Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal and Payment
Under the DGCL, with certain exceptions, our stockholders have appraisal rights in connection with a merger or consolidation. Pursuant to the DGCL, stockholders who properly request and perfect appraisal rights in connection with such merger or consolidation will have the right to receive payment of the fair value of their shares as determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery.
Stockholders’ Derivative Actions
Under the DGCL, any of our stockholders may bring an action in our name to procure a judgment in our favor, also known as a derivative action; provided that the stockholder bringing the action is a holder of our shares at the time of the transaction to which the action relates or such stockholder’s stock thereafter devolved by operation of law.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our Class A common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.
Stock Exchange Listing
Our Class A common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market and trades under the symbol “SDIG.”
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The following is a summary of certain considerations associated with the acquisition and holding of shares of common stock by employee benefit plans that are subject to Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), plans, individual retirement accounts and other arrangements that are subject to Section 4975 of the Code or employee benefit plans that are governmental plans (as defined in Section 3(32) of ERISA), certain church plans (as defined in Section 3(33) of ERISA), non-U.S. plans (as described in Section 4(b)(4) of ERISA) or other plans that are not subject to the foregoing but may be subject to provisions under any other federal, state, local, non-U.S. or other laws or regulations that are similar to such provisions of ERISA or the Code (collectively, “Similar Laws”), and entities whose underlying assets are considered to include “plan assets” of any such plan, account or arrangement (each, a “Plan”).
This summary is based on the provisions of ERISA and the Code (and related regulations and administrative and judicial interpretations) as of the date of this registration statement. This summary does not purport to be complete or comprehensive, and no assurance is or can be given that future legislation, court decisions, regulations, rulings or pronouncements will not significantly modify the requirements summarized below. Any of those changes may be retroactive and may thereby apply to transactions entered into prior to the date of their enactment or release, including the date of this prospectus. This discussion is general in nature and is not intended to be all inclusive, nor should it be construed as investment, legal or other advice.
General Fiduciary Matters
ERISA and the Code impose certain duties on persons who are fiduciaries of a Plan subject to Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code (an “ERISA Plan”) and prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of an ERISA Plan and its fiduciaries or other interested parties. Under ERISA and the Code, any person who exercises any discretionary authority or control over the administration of an ERISA Plan or the management or disposition of the assets of an ERISA Plan, or who renders investment advice for a fee or other compensation to an ERISA Plan, is generally considered to be a fiduciary of the ERISA Plan.
In considering an investment in shares of common stock with a portion of the assets of any Plan, a fiduciary should consider the Plan’s particular circumstances and all of the facts and circumstances of the investment and determine whether the acquisition and holding of shares of common stock is in accordance with the documents and instruments governing the Plan and the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code, or any Similar Law relating to the fiduciary’s duties to the Plan, including, without limitation:
• | whether the investment is prudent under Section 404(a)(1)(B) of ERISA and any other applicable Similar Laws; |
• | whether, in making the investment, the ERISA Plan will satisfy the diversification requirements of Section 404(a)(1)(C) of ERISA and any other applicable Similar Laws; |
• | whether the investment is permitted under the terms of the applicable documents governing the Plan; |
• | whether the acquisition or holding of the shares of common stock will constitute a “prohibited transaction” under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code (please see discussion under “—Prohibited Transaction Issues” below); and |
• | whether the Plan will be considered to hold, as the Plan’s assets, (i) only shares of common stock or (ii) an undivided interest in our underlying assets (please see the discussion under “—Plan Asset Issues” below). |
Prohibited Transaction Issues
Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code prohibit ERISA Plans from engaging in specified transactions involving plan assets with persons or entities who are “parties in interest,” within the meaning of ERISA, or “disqualified persons,” within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code, unless an exemption is available. A party in interest or disqualified person who engages in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Code. In addition, the fiduciary of the ERISA Plan that engages in such a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes, penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Code. The acquisition and/or holding of shares of common stock by an ERISA Plan with respect to which the issuer, the initial purchaser, or a guarantor is considered a party in
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interest or a disqualified person may constitute or result in a direct or indirect prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA and/or Section 4975 of the Code, unless the investment is acquired and is held in accordance with an applicable statutory, class or individual prohibited transaction exemption.
Because of the foregoing, shares of common stock should not be acquired or held by any person investing “plan assets” of any Plan, unless such acquisition and holding will not constitute a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA and the Code or a similar violation of any applicable Similar Laws.
Plan Asset Issues
Additionally, a fiduciary of a Plan should consider whether the Plan will, by investing in us, be deemed to own an undivided interest in our assets, with the result that we would become a fiduciary of the Plan and our operations would be subject to the regulatory restrictions of ERISA, including its prohibited transaction rules, as well as the prohibited transaction rules of the Code and any other applicable Similar Laws.
The Department of Labor (the “DOL”) regulations provide guidance with respect to whether the assets of an entity in which ERISA Plans acquire equity interests would be deemed “plan assets” under some circumstances. Under these regulations, an entity’s assets generally would not be considered to be “plan assets” if, among other things:
(a) | the equity interests acquired by ERISA Plans are “publicly offered securities” (as defined in the DOL regulations)—i.e., the equity interests are part of a class of securities that is widely held by 100 or more investors independent of the issuer and each other, are freely transferable, and are either registered under certain provisions of the federal securities laws or sold to the ERISA Plan as part of a public offering under certain conditions; |
(b) | the entity is an “operating company” (as defined in the DOL regulations)—i.e., it is primarily engaged in the production or sale of a product or service, other than the investment of capital, either directly or through a majority-owned subsidiary or subsidiaries; or |
(c) | there is no significant investment by “benefit plan investors” (as defined in the DOL regulations)—i.e., immediately after the most recent acquisition by an ERISA Plan of any equity interest in the entity, less than 25% of the total value of each class of equity interest (disregarding certain interests held by persons (other than benefit plan investors) with discretionary authority or control over the assets of the entity or who provide investment advice for a fee (direct or indirect) with respect to such assets, and any affiliates thereof) is held by ERISA Plans, individual retirement accounts and certain other Plans (but not including governmental plans, foreign plans and certain church plans), and entities whose underlying assets are deemed to include plan assets by reason of a Plan’s investment in the entity. |
Due to the complexity of these rules and the excise taxes, penalties and liabilities that may be imposed upon persons involved in non-exempt prohibited transactions, it is particularly important that fiduciaries, or other persons considering acquiring and/or holding shares of our common stock on behalf of, or with the assets of, any Plan, consult with their counsel regarding the potential applicability of ERISA, Section 4975 of the Code and any Similar Laws to such investment and whether an exemption would be applicable to the acquisition and holding of shares of common stock. Purchasers of shares of common stock have the exclusive responsibility for ensuring that their acquisition and holding of shares of common stock complies with the fiduciary responsibility rules of ERISA and does not violate the prohibited transaction rules of ERISA, the Code or applicable Similar Laws. The sale of shares of common stock to a Plan is in no respect a representation by us or any of our affiliates or representatives that such an investment meets all relevant legal requirements with respect to investments by any such Plan or that such investment is appropriate for any such Plan.
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We are registering 4,600,000 shares, consisting of (a) 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, (b) 1,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of Pre-Funded Warrants, and (c) 2,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of Warrants, to permit the selling stockholder and its pledgees, transferees or other successors-in-interest that receive its securities after the date of this prospectus to resell or otherwise dispose of the securities in the manner contemplated in this section. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of securities in this offering. We will bear all fees and expenses incident to our obligation to register the securities. In connection with the December 2023 SPA, we entered into the Registration Rights Agreement with the selling stockholder, which included registration rights pursuant to which we agreed to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the resale of such securities from time to time. We are registering the securities offered by this prospectus in order to permit the selling stockholder to offer the securities registered herein for resale from time to time.
The selling stockholder of the securities and any of their pledgees, assignees and successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell any or all of their securities covered hereby on the Nasdaq or any other stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the securities are traded or in private transactions. These sales may be at fixed or negotiated prices. The selling stockholder may use any one or more of the following methods when selling securities:
• | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker dealer solicits purchasers; |
• | block trades in which the broker dealer will attempt to sell the securities as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
• | purchases by a broker dealer as principal and resale by the broker dealer for its account; |
• | an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange; |
• | privately negotiated transactions; |
• | settlement of short sales; |
• | in transactions through broker dealers that agree with the selling stockholder to sell a specified number of such securities at a stipulated price per security; |
• | through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise; |
• | a combination of any such methods of sale; or |
• | any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. |
The selling stockholder may also sell securities under Rule 144 or any other exemption from registration under the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus.
Broker dealers engaged by the selling stockholder may arrange for other brokers dealers to participate in sales. Broker dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the selling stockholder (or, if any broker dealer acts as agent for the purchaser of securities, from the purchaser) in amounts to be negotiated, but, except as set forth in a supplement to this prospectus, in the case of an agency transaction not in excess of a customary brokerage commission in compliance with FINRA Rule 2121; and in the case of a principal transaction a markup or markdown in compliance with FINRA Rule 2121.
In connection with the sale of the securities or interests therein, the selling stockholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume. Subject to the December 2023 SPA, the selling stockholder may also sell securities short and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the securities to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The selling stockholder may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or create one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of securities offered by this prospectus, which securities such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).
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The selling stockholder and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any commissions received by such broker-dealers or agents and any profit on the resale of the securities purchased by them may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. The selling stockholder has informed the Company that it does not have any written or oral agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the securities.
The Company is required to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by the Company incident to the registration of the securities. The Company has agreed to indemnify the selling stockholder against certain losses, claims, damages and liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
We agreed to keep this prospectus effective until the earlier of (i) the date on which the securities may be resold by the selling stockholder 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 under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect or (ii) all of the securities have been sold pursuant to this prospectus or Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect. The resale securities will be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers if required under applicable state securities laws. In addition, in certain states, the resale securities covered hereby may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.
Under applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, any person engaged in the distribution of the resale securities may not simultaneously engage in market making activities with respect to the common stock for the applicable restricted period, as defined in Regulation M, prior to the commencement of the distribution. In addition, the selling stockholder will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of the common stock by the selling stockholder or any other person. We will make copies of this prospectus available to the selling stockholder and have informed them of the need to deliver a copy of this prospectus to each purchaser at or prior to the time of the sale (including by compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).
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The validity of our Class A common stock offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., New York, New York.
The audited financial statements of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. incorporated by reference into this registration statement have been so included in reliance upon the report of Urish Popeck & Co., LLC, independent registered public accounting firm, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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Part II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution |
The following table sets forth an itemized statement of the amounts of all expenses (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions) payable by us in connection with the registration of the common stock offered hereby. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, the amounts set forth below are estimates.
| | | Amount | |
SEC registration fee | | | 4,365.71 |
Accountants’ fees and expenses | | | 20,000 |
Legal fees and expenses | | | 75,000 |
Miscellaneous expenses | | | 15,000 |
Total | | | $114,365.71 |
Item 15. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers |
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a director will not be liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duties to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”). In addition, if the DGCL is amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation of the liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the corporation, in addition to the limitation on personal liability provided for in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, will be limited to the fullest extent permitted by the amended DGCL. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that the corporation will indemnify, and advance expenses to, any officer or director to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL.
Section 145 of the DGCL provides that a corporation may indemnify directors and officers as well as other employees and individuals against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement in connection with specified actions, suits and proceedings whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative, other than a derivative action by or in the right of the corporation, if they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. A similar standard is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification extends only to expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such action and the statute requires court approval before there can be any indemnification where the person seeking indemnification has been found liable to the corporation. The statute provides that it is not exclusive of other indemnification that may be granted by a corporation’s certificate of incorporation, bylaws, disinterested director vote, stockholder vote, agreement or otherwise.
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains indemnification rights for our directors and our officers. Specifically, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we shall indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL. Furthermore, we may maintain insurance on behalf of our officers and directors against expense, liability or loss asserted against, or incurred by, them in their capacities as officers and directors.
We have obtained directors’ and officers’ insurance to cover our directors, officers and some of our employees for certain liabilities.
We entered into written indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, if an officer or director makes a claim of indemnification to us, either a majority of the independent directors or independent legal counsel selected by the independent directors must review the relevant facts and make a determination whether the officer or director has met the standards of conduct under Delaware law that would permit (under Delaware law) and require (under the indemnification agreement) us to indemnify the officer or director.
The underwriting agreement relating to the IPO provides for indemnification by the underwriters of us and our officers and directors, and by us of the underwriters, for certain liabilities arising under the Securities Act or otherwise in connection with the IPO.
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Item 16. | Exhibits and financial statement schedules |
See the Exhibit Index immediately preceding the signature page hereto, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Item 17. | Undertakings |
(a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
(1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
(i) | to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; |
(ii) | to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Filing Fee Tables” in the effective registration statement; and |
(iii) | to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; |
provided, however, that: Paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act, that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
(4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser: |
(i) | Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and |
(ii) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which the prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by |
II-2
reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
(i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
(ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
(iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
(iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
(b) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(c) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit Number | | | Description |
| | | Master Transaction Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2021, by and among Q Power LLC, Stronghold Digital Mining Holdings LLC, Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc., Stronghold Digital Mining LLC, EIF Scrubgrass, LLC, Falcon Power LLC, Scrubgrass Power LLC, Scrubgrass Generating Company, L.P., Gregory A. Beard and William Spence (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-258188) filed on July 27, 2021). | |
| | | ||
| | | Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40931) filed on October 25, 2021). | |
| | | ||
| | | Certificate of Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40931) filed on May 19, 2023). | |
| | | ||
| | | Certificate of Designations of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40931) filed on February 24, 2023). | |
| | | ||
| | | Certificate of Designations of the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-40931) filed on November 14, 2023). | |
| | | ||
| | | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40931) filed on October 25, 2021). | |
| | | ||
| | | Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40931) filed on December 22, 2023). | |
| | | ||
| | | Form of Pre-Funded Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40931) filed on December 22, 2023). | |
| | | ||
| | | Opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. as to the legality of the securities being registered. | |
| | | ||
| | | Securities Purchase Agreement, dated December 21, 2023, by and between Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. and the purchaser listed on the signature page thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40931) filed on December 22, 2023). | |
| | | ||
| | | Registration Rights Agreement, dated December 22, 2023, by and between Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. and Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd. | |
| | | ||
| | | Consent of Urish Popeck & Co., LLC. | |
| | | ||
| | | Consent of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. (included as part of Exhibit 5.1 hereto). | |
| | | ||
| | | Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Registration Statement). | |
| | | ||
| | | Filing Fee Table |
* | Previously filed. |
** | Filed herewith. |
¥ | Certain schedules and exhibits to this agreement have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. A copy of any omitted schedule and/or exhibit will be furnished to the SEC on request. |
# | Certain portions of this exhibit were redacted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2)(ii) of Regulation S-K. |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, New York, on January 9, 2024.
| | | Stronghold Digital Mining Inc. | ||||
| | | | | |||
| | | By: | | | /s/ Gregory A. Beard | |
| | | | | Gregory A. Beard | ||
| | | | | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | ||
Each person whose signature appears below appoints Gregory A. Beard and Matthew J. Smith, and each of them, any of whom may act without the joinder of the other, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and re-substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and any Registration Statement (including any amendment thereto) for this offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or would do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them of their, or his or her substitute and substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated below as of January 9, 2024.
Name | | | Title | | | Date |
/s/ Gregory A. Beard | | | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman (Principal Executive Officer) | | | January 9, 2024 |
Gregory A. Beard | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Matthew J. Smith | | | Chief Financial Officer and Director (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | | | January 9, 2024 |
Matthew J. Smith | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Sarah P. James | | | Director | | | January 9, 2024 |
Sarah P. James | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Thomas J. Pacchia | | | Director | | | January 9, 2024 |
Thomas J. Pacchia | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Thomas R. Trowbridge, IV | | | Director | | | January 9, 2024 |
Thomas R. Trowbridge, IV | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Indira Agarwal | | | Director | | | January 9, 2024 |
Indira Agarwal | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Thomas Doherty | | | Director | | | January 9, 2024 |
Thomas Doherty | |
II-5
Exhibit 5.1
January 9, 2024
Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc.
595 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor
New York, New York 10022
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel for Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation of the Registration
Statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”), filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on or about the date hereof under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities
Act”), with respect to the offer and resale of up to 4,600,000 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), by Armistice Capital Master
Fund Ltd. (the “Selling Stockholder”) on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act, consisting of up to (i) 1,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock held by the Selling Stockholder (the “Common Shares”),
(ii) 1,300,000 shares of Class A Common Stock (the “Pre-Funded Warrant Shares”) issuable upon the exercise of pre-funded warrants (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”) acquired by the Selling Stockholder and (ii) 2,300,000 shares of Class A
Common Stock (the “Warrant Shares”, together with the Pre-Funded Warrant Shares, the “Resale Warrant Shares,” and the Resale Warrant Shares, together with the Common Shares, the “Selling Stockholder Shares”) issuable upon
exercise of warrants (the “Warrants”) acquired by the Selling Stockholder. We have also participated in the preparation of a prospectus relating to the Selling Stockholder Shares (the “Prospectus”), which is contained in the
Registration Statement.
In connection with this opinion, we have assumed that (i) the Registration Statement, and any amendments thereto (including post-effective amendments) will have become effective, (ii) the Company
will continue to be incorporated and in existence and good standing in its jurisdiction of organization, (iii) all Selling Stockholder Shares will be offered and sold in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and in the manner
stated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (iv) no stop order of the Commission preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any prospectus supplement will have been issued, (v) a Prospectus properly describing the Selling
Stockholder Shares offered thereby will have been delivered to the purchaser(s) of such Selling Stockholder Shares as required in accordance with applicable law, (vi) upon effectiveness of the Registration Statement, there will be sufficient shares
of Class A Common Stock authorized under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, as amended (the “Charter” and, together with the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company, each as currently in effect,
the “Company Charter Documents”), and not otherwise reserved for issuance, and (vii) there will not have occurred any change in law or in the Company Charter Documents adversely affecting the Selling Stockholder Shares or the rights of the
holders thereof.
|
Vinson & Elkins LLP Attorneys at Law
Austin Dallas Dubai Houston London Los Angeles New York
Richmond San Francisco Tokyo Washington
|
The Grace Building, 1114 Avenue of the Americas, 32nd Floor
New York, NY 10036-7708
Tel +1.212.237.0000 Fax +1.212.237.0100 velaw.com
|
 |
January 9, 2024 Page 2
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In connection with the opinion expressed herein, we have examined, among other things, (i) the Company Charter Documents, (ii) the records of corporate proceedings that have occurred prior to the
date hereof with respect to the Registration Statement, the Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrants, (iii) the Registration Statement, (iv) the Prospectus, (v) the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of December 22, 2023, by and between the
Company and the Selling Stockholder, (vi) the securities purchase agreement, dated December 21, 2023, by and between the Company and the Selling Stockholder, (vii) the Warrants, (viii) the Pre-Funded Warrants, (ix) a specimen of the Company’s Class
A Common Stock certificate, and (x) such other corporate records of the Company as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for purposes of the opinions hereafter expressed.
We have also reviewed such questions of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate. As to matters of fact relevant to the opinion expressed herein, and as to factual matters arising in
connection with our examination of corporate documents, records and other documents and writings, we relied upon certificates and other communications of corporate officers of the Company, without further investigation as to the facts set forth
therein. In making such examination and rendering the opinions set forth below, we have assumed without verification the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to originals of
all documents submitted to us as copies and the legal capacity of all individuals executing any of the foregoing documents.
Based on the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, qualifications, limitations and exceptions set forth herein, we are of the opinion that
(i) the Common Shares are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; and
(ii) the Resale Warrant Shares, when issued upon exercise of the Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrants in accordance with the terms of the Warrants and the Pre-Funded Warrants, as applicable, will
be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
The foregoing opinions are limited in all respects to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (including the applicable provisions of the Delaware Constitution and the reported
judicial decisions interpreting these laws) and the federal laws of the United States of America, and we do not express any opinions as to the laws of any other jurisdiction. We undertake no, and hereby disclaim any, obligation to make any inquiry
after the date hereof or to advise you of any changes in any matter set forth herein, whether based on a change in the law, a change in any fact relating to the Company or any other person or any other circumstance.
We hereby consent to the statements with respect to us under the heading “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus forming a part of the Registration Statement and to the filing of this opinion as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
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Very truly yours,
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|
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/s/ Vinson & Elkins LLP
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Exhibit 10.2
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This Registration Rights Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of December 22, 2023, between Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and each of the several purchasers signatory hereto (each such purchaser, a “Purchaser” and, collectively, the “Purchasers”).
This Agreement is made pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, between the Company and each Purchaser (the “Purchase Agreement”).
The Company and each Purchaser hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions.
Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein that are defined in the Purchase Agreement shall have the meanings given such terms in the Purchase Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Advice” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(d).
“Effectiveness Date” means, with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed hereunder, the 90th calendar day following the date hereof (or, in the event of a review by the Commission, the 120th calendar day following the date hereof) and with respect to any additional Registration Statements which may be required pursuant to Section 2(c) or Section 3(c), the 30th calendar day following the date on which an additional Registration Statement is required to be filed hereunder (or, in the event of a review by the Commission, the 60th calendar day following the date such additional Registration Statement is required to be filed hereunder); provided, however, that in the event the Company is notified by the Commission that one or more of the above Registration Statements will not be reviewed or is no longer subject to further review and comments, the Effectiveness Date as to such Registration Statement shall be the fifth Trading Day following the date on which the Company is so notified if such date precedes the dates otherwise required above (unless the Company is unable to take such Registration Statement effective by the fifth Trading Day following the date on which the Company is so notified due to the existence at that time of an Effectiveness Exception, in which case it will take such Registration Statement effective as promptly as practicable following termination of such Effectiveness Exception), provided, further, if such Effectiveness Date falls on a day that is not a Trading Day, then the Effectiveness Date shall be the next succeeding Trading Day.
“Effectiveness Exceptions” means (i) the occurrence of any event or passage of time that makes the financial statements included or incorporated by reference in a Registration Statement non-compliant with the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect to historical or pro forma financial statements, (ii) the occurrence of any event or passage of time that makes any statement made in a Registration Statement or Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that requires any revisions to a Registration Statement, Prospectus or other documents so that, in the case of a Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (iii) the occurrence or existence of any pending corporate development with respect to the Company that the Company believes may be material and that the Company has determined it is not in the best interest of the Company to disclose, and (iv) a contemplated filing of an annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly report on Form 10-Q within fifteen days from the date of such notification from the Commission that one or more of the Registration Statements will not be reviewed or is no longer subject to further review and comments.
“Effectiveness Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
“Event” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(d).
“Event Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(d).
“Filing Date” means, with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required hereunder, the 30th calendar day following the date hereof and, with respect to any additional Registration Statements which may be required pursuant to Section 2(c) or Section 3(c), within 45 calendar days after the earliest practical date on which the Company is permitted by SEC Guidance to file such additional Registration Statement related to the Registrable Securities.
“Holder” or “Holders” means the holder or holders, as the case may be, from time to time of Registrable Securities.
“Indemnified Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c).
“Indemnifying Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c).
“Initial Registration Statement” means the initial Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Agreement.
“Losses” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(a).
“Plan of Distribution” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
2
“Prospectus” means the prospectus included in a Registration Statement (including, without limitation, a prospectus that includes any information previously omitted from a prospectus filed as part of an effective registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act), as amended or supplemented by any prospectus supplement, with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement, and all other amendments and supplements to the Prospectus, including post-effective amendments, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such Prospectus.
“Registrable Securities” means, as of any date of determination, (a) all Shares (b) all Warrant Shares then issued and issuable upon exercise of the Warrants (assuming on such date the Warrants are exercised in full without regard to any exercise limitations therein), and (c) any securities issued or then issuable upon any stock split, dividend or other distribution, recapitalization or similar event with respect to the foregoing; provided, however, that any such Registrable Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities (and the Company shall not be required to maintain the effectiveness of any, or file another, Registration Statement hereunder with respect thereto) for so long as (a) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such Registrable Securities is declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act and such Registrable Securities have been disposed of by the Holder in accordance with such effective Registration Statement, (b) such Registrable Securities have been previously sold in accordance with Rule 144, or (c) such securities become eligible for resale without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions and without current public information pursuant to Rule 144 as set forth in a written opinion letter to such effect, addressed, delivered and acceptable to the Transfer Agent and the affected Holders (assuming that such securities and any securities issuable upon exercise, conversion or exchange of which, or as a dividend upon which, such securities were issued or are issuable, were at no time held by any Affiliate of the Company, and all Warrants are exercised by “cashless exercise” as provided in Section 2(c) of each of the Warrants), as reasonably determined by the Company, upon the advice of counsel to the Company.
“Registration Statement” means any registration statement required to be filed hereunder pursuant to Section 2(a) and any additional registration statements contemplated by Section 2(c) or Section 3(c), including (in each case) the Prospectus, amendments and supplements to any such registration statement or Prospectus, including pre- and post-effective amendments, all exhibits thereto, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in any such registration statement.
3
“Rule 415” means Rule 415 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“Rule 424” means Rule 424 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“Selling Stockholder Questionnaire” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).
“SEC Guidance” means (i) any publicly-available written or oral guidance of the Commission staff, or any comments, requirements or requests of the Commission staff and (ii) the Securities Act.
2. Shelf Registration.
(a) On or prior to each Filing Date, the Company shall prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement covering the resale of all of the Registrable Securities that are not then registered on an effective Registration Statement for an offering to be made on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415. Each Registration Statement filed hereunder shall be on Form S-3 (except if the Company is not then eligible to register for resale the Registrable Securities on Form S-3, in which case such registration shall be on Form S-1 or another appropriate form in accordance herewith, subject to the provisions of Section 2(e)) and shall contain (unless otherwise directed by at least 85% in interest of the Holders) substantially the “Plan of Distribution” attached hereto as Annex A and substantially the “Selling Stockholder” section attached hereto as Annex B. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause a Registration Statement filed under this Agreement (including, without limitation, under Section 3(c)) to be declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as reasonably possible after the filing thereof, but in any event no later than the applicable Effectiveness Date, and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to keep such Registration Statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until the date that all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement (i) have been sold thereunder or pursuant to Rule 144, or (ii) may be sold without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 and without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144, as determined by the counsel to the Company (the “Effectiveness Period”). The Company shall request effectiveness of a Registration Statement as of 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day. The Company shall promptly notify the Holders via e-mail (to the extent Holder has provided the Company with a valid and working email address) of the effectiveness of a Registration Statement on the same day that the Company confirms effectiveness with the Commission, which shall be the date of effectiveness of such Registration Statement. The Company shall, by 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the fifth Trading Day after the effective date of such Registration Statement, file a final Prospectus with the Commission if and as required by Rule 424.
4
(b) Notwithstanding the registration obligations set forth in Section 2(a), if the Commission informs the Company that all of the Registrable Securities cannot, as a result of the application of Rule 415, be registered for resale as a secondary offering on a single registration statement, the Company agrees to promptly inform each of the Holders thereof and use its commercially reasonable efforts to file amendments to the Initial Registration Statement as required by the Commission, covering the maximum number of Registrable Securities permitted to be registered by the Commission, on Form S-3 or such other form that the Company is eligible to use to register for resale the Registrable Securities as a primary or secondary offering, subject to the provisions of Section 2(e); with respect to filing on Form S-3 or other appropriate form, and subject to the provisions of Section 2(d) with respect to the payment of liquidated damages; provided, however, that prior to filing such amendment, the Company shall be obligated to use diligent efforts to advocate with the Commission for the registration of all of the Registrable Securities in accordance with the SEC Guidance, including without limitation, Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation 612.09.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement and subject to the payment of liquidated damages pursuant to Section 2(d), if the Commission or any SEC Guidance sets forth a limitation on the number of Registrable Securities permitted to be registered on a particular Registration Statement as a secondary offering (and notwithstanding that the Company used diligent efforts to advocate with the Commission for the registration of all or a greater portion of Registrable Securities), unless otherwise directed in writing by a Holder as to its Registrable Securities, the number of Registrable Securities to be registered on such Registration Statement will be reduced as follows:
| a. | First, the Company shall reduce or eliminate any securities to be included other than Registrable Securities; |
| b. | Second, the Company shall reduce Registrable Securities represented by Warrant Shares (applied, in the case that some Warrant Shares may be registered, to the Holders on a pro rata basis based on the total number of unregistered Warrant Shares held by such Holders); and |
| c. | Third, the Company shall reduce Registrable Securities represented by Shares (applied, in the case that some Shares may be registered, to the Holders on a pro rata basis based on the total number of unregistered Shares held by such Holders). |
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In the event of a cutback hereunder, the Company shall give the Holder at least five (5) Trading Days prior written notice along with the calculations as to such Holder’s allotment. In the event the Company amends the Initial Registration Statement in accordance with the foregoing, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission, as promptly as allowed by the Commission or SEC Guidance provided to the Company or to registrants of securities in general, one or more registration statements on Form S-3 or such other form the Company is eligible to use to register for resale those Registrable Securities that were not registered for resale on the Initial Registration Statement, as amended.
(d) If: (i) the Initial Registration Statement is not filed on or prior to its Filing Date (if the Company files the Initial Registration Statement without affording the Holders the opportunity to review and comment on the same as required by Section 3(a) herein, the Company shall be deemed to have not satisfied this clause (i) as of the Filing Date or (ii) the Company fails to file with the Commission a request for acceleration of a Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 461 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, within five (5) Trading Days of the date that the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the Commission that such Registration Statement will not be “reviewed” or will not be subject to further review (unless the Company is unable to take such Registration Statement effective by the fifth Trading Day following the date on which the Company is so notified due to the existence at that time of an Effectiveness Exception, in which case it will take such Registration Statement effective as promptly as practicable following termination of such Effectiveness Exception), or (iii) a Registration Statement registering for resale all of the Registrable Securities is not declared effective by the Commission by the applicable Effectiveness Date of the Registration Statement (provided if the Registration Statement does not allow for the resale of Registrable Securities at prevailing market prices (ie. only allows for fixed price sales), the Company shall have been deemed to have not satisfied this clause) or (iv) after the effective date of a Registration Statement, such Registration Statement ceases for any reason to remain continuously effective as to all Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, or the Holders are otherwise not permitted to utilize the Prospectus therein to resell such Registrable Securities, for more than twenty (20) consecutive calendar days or more than an aggregate of thirty (30) calendar days (which need not be consecutive calendar days) during any 12-month period (any such failure or breach being referred to as an “Event”, and for purposes of clauses (i) and (iii), the date on which such Event occurs, and for purpose of clause (ii) the date on which such five (5) Trading Day period is exceeded, and for purpose of clause (iv) the date on which such twenty (20) or thirty (30) calendar day period, as applicable, is exceeded being referred to as “Event Date”), then, in addition to any other rights the Holders may have hereunder or under applicable law, on each such Event Date and on each monthly anniversary of each such Event Date (if the applicable Event shall not have been cured by such date) until the applicable Event is cured, the Company shall pay to each Holder an amount in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, equal to the product of 1.0% multiplied by the aggregate Subscription Amount paid by such Holder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company will not be required to pay liquidated damages if, on any Event Date, the Holder is able to sell any Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 144. The parties agree that the maximum aggregate liquidated damages payable to a Holder under the Transaction Documents, including this Agreement, shall be 12.0% of the aggregate Subscription Amount paid by such Holder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. If the Company fails to pay any liquidated damages pursuant to this Section in full within seven days after the date payable, the Company will pay interest thereon at a rate of 10% per annum (or such lesser maximum amount that is permitted to be paid by applicable law) to the Holder, accruing daily from the date such liquidated damages are due until such amounts, plus all such interest thereon, are paid in full. The liquidated damages pursuant to the terms hereof shall apply on a daily pro rata basis for any portion of a month prior to the cure of an Event.
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(e) If Form S-3 is not available for the registration of the resale of Registrable Securities hereunder, the Company shall register the resale of the Registrable Securities on another appropriate form that the Company is then eligible to use.
(f) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in no event shall the Company be permitted to name any Holder or affiliate of a Holder as an “underwriter” without the prior written consent of such Holder; provided, however, that if Section 2(b) is applicable, a Holder will not be entitled to any liquidated damages provided for herein and its rights to such liquidated damages will be tolled for so long as its consent is withheld.
3. Registration Procedures.
In connection with the Company’s registration obligations hereunder, the Company shall:
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(a) Not less than two (2) Trading Days prior to the filing of each Registration Statement and not less than one (1) Trading Day prior to the filing of any related Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (subject to the Holders’ agreement to keep confidential any material, non-public information regarding the Company contained in each such document pending the filing of such document), the Company shall (i) furnish to each Holder copies of all such documents proposed to be filed, which documents will be subject to the review of such Holders, and (ii) cause its officers and directors, counsel and independent registered public accountants to respond to such inquiries as shall be necessary, in the reasonable opinion of respective counsel to each Holder, to conduct a reasonable investigation within the meaning of the Securities Act. The Company shall not file a Registration Statement or any such Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto to which the Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities shall reasonably object in good faith, provided that, the Company is notified of such objection in writing no later than two (2) Trading Days after the Holders have been so furnished copies of a Registration Statement or one (1) Trading Day after the Holders have been so furnished copies of any related Prospectus or amendments or supplements thereto. Each Holder agrees to furnish to the Company a completed questionnaire in the form attached to this Agreement as Annex B (a “Selling Stockholder Questionnaire”) on a date that is not less than two (2) Trading Days prior to the Filing Date or by the end of the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date on which such Holder receives draft materials in accordance with this Section. Holder acknowledges that it is aware that federal and state laws may restrict persons with material non-public information about a company from purchasing or selling securities of such company or from communicating such information to any other person under circumstances in which it is reasonably foreseeable that such person may purchase or sell such securities, and agrees to abide by such laws during any period in which it may possess material non-public information about the Company received pursuant to this Agreement.
(b) (i) Prepare and file with the Commission such amendments, including post-effective amendments, to a Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep a Registration Statement continuously effective as to the applicable Registrable Securities for the Effectiveness Period and prepare and file with the Commission such additional Registration Statements in order to register for resale under the Securities Act all of the Registrable Securities, (ii) cause the related Prospectus to be amended or supplemented by any required Prospectus supplement (subject to the terms of this Agreement), and, as so supplemented or amended, to be filed pursuant to Rule 424, (iii) respond as promptly as reasonably possible to any comments received from the Commission with respect to a Registration Statement or any amendment thereto and provide as promptly as reasonably possible to the Holders true and complete copies of all correspondence from and to the Commission relating to a Registration Statement (provided that, the Company shall excise any information contained therein which would constitute material non-public information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), and (iv) comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement during the applicable period in accordance (subject to the terms of this Agreement) with the intended methods of disposition by the Holders thereof set forth in such Registration Statement as so amended or in such Prospectus as so supplemented.
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(c) If during the Effectiveness Period, the number of Registrable Securities at any time exceeds 100% of the number of shares of Common Stock then registered in a Registration Statement, then the Company shall file as soon as reasonably practicable, but in any case prior to the applicable Filing Date, an additional Registration Statement covering the resale by the Holders of not less than the number of such Registrable Securities.
(d) Notify the Holders of Registrable Securities to be sold (which notice shall, pursuant to clauses (iii) through (vi) hereof, be accompanied by an instruction to suspend the use of the Prospectus until the requisite changes have been made) as promptly as reasonably possible (and, in the case of (i)(A) below, not less than one (1) Trading Day prior to such filing) and (if requested by any such Person) confirm such notice in writing no later than one (1) Trading Day following the day (i)(A) when a Prospectus or any Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to a Registration Statement is proposed to be filed, (B) when the Commission notifies the Company whether there will be a “review” of such Registration Statement and whenever the Commission comments in writing on such Registration Statement, and (C) with respect to a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment, when the same has become effective, (ii) of any request by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority for amendments or supplements to a Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information, (iii) of the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement covering any or all of the Registrable Securities or the initiation of any Proceedings for that purpose, (iv) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or threatening of any Proceeding for such purpose, (v) of the occurrence of any event or passage of time that makes the financial statements included in a Registration Statement ineligible for inclusion therein or any statement made in a Registration Statement or Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that requires any revisions to a Registration Statement, Prospectus or other documents so that, in the case of a Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and (vi) of the occurrence or existence of any pending corporate development with respect to the Company that the Company believes may be material and that, in the determination of the Company, makes it not in the best interest of the Company to allow continued availability of a Registration Statement or Prospectus; provided, however, that in no event shall any such notice contain any information which would constitute material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(e) Use its commercially reasonable efforts to avoid the issuance of, or, if issued, obtain the withdrawal of (i) any order stopping or suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement, or (ii) any suspension of the qualification (or exemption from qualification) of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, as quickly as reasonably practicable.
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(f) Furnish to each Holder, without charge, at least one conformed copy of each such Registration Statement and each amendment thereto, including financial statements and schedules, all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference to the extent requested by such Person, and all exhibits to the extent requested by such Person (including those previously furnished or incorporated by reference) promptly after the filing of such documents with the Commission, provided that any such item which is available on the EDGAR system (or successor thereto) need not be furnished in physical form.
(g) Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Company hereby consents to the use of such Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto by each of the selling Holders in connection with the offering and sale of the Registrable Securities covered by such Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, except after the giving of any notice pursuant to Section 3(d).
(h) Prior to any resale of Registrable Securities by a Holder, use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify or cooperate with the selling Holders in connection with the registration or qualification (or exemption from the registration or qualification) of such Registrable Securities for the resale by the Holder under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions within the United States as any Holder reasonably requests in writing, to keep each registration or qualification (or exemption therefrom) effective during the Effectiveness Period and to do any and all other acts or things reasonably necessary to enable the disposition in such jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement, provided that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not then so qualified, subject the Company to any material tax in any such jurisdiction where it is not then so subject or file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction.
(i) If requested by a Holder, cooperate with such Holder to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates (or book-entry notation) representing Registrable Securities to be delivered to a transferee pursuant to a Registration Statement, which certificates shall be free, to the extent permitted by the Purchase Agreement and applicable securities laws, of all restrictive legends, and to enable such Registrable Securities to be in such denominations and registered in such names as any such Holder may request.
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(j) Upon the occurrence of any event contemplated by Section 3(d), as promptly as reasonably possible under the circumstances taking into account the Company’s good faith assessment of any adverse consequences to the Company and its stockholders of the premature disclosure of such event, prepare a supplement or amendment, including a post-effective amendment, to a Registration Statement or a supplement to the related Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference, and file any other required document so that, as thereafter delivered, neither a Registration Statement nor such Prospectus will contain 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 light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Company notifies the Holders in accordance with clauses (iii) through (vi) of Section 3(d) above to suspend the use of any Prospectus until the requisite changes to such Prospectus have been made, then the Holders shall suspend use of such Prospectus. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed as promptly as is practicable. The Company shall be entitled to exercise its right under this Section 3(j) to suspend the availability of a Registration Statement and Prospectus for a period not to exceed an aggregate of 90 calendar days (which need not be consecutive days) in any 12-month period, subject to the payment of liquidated damages pursuant to Section 2(d) if the suspension exceeds an aggregate of 90 calendar days; provided, however, that any day on which Rule 144 is available to the Holder during such suspension shall not count for such 90 day calculation.
(k) Otherwise use commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, Rule 172 under the Securities Act, file any final Prospectus, including any supplement or amendment thereof, with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, promptly inform the Holders in writing if, at any time during the Effectiveness Period, the Company does not satisfy the conditions specified in Rule 172 and, as a result thereof, the Holders are required to deliver a Prospectus in connection with any disposition of Registrable Securities and take such other actions as may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the registration of the Registrable Securities hereunder.
(l) The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain its eligibility for use of Form S-3 (or any successor form thereto) for the registration of the resale of Registrable Securities.
(m) The Company may require each selling Holder to furnish to the Company a certified statement as to the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such Holder and, if required by the Commission, the natural persons thereof that have voting and dispositive control over the shares. During any periods that the Company is unable to meet its obligations hereunder with respect to the registration of the Registrable Securities solely because any Holder fails to furnish such information within two (2) Trading Days of the Company’s request, any liquidated damages that are accruing at such time as to such Holder only shall be tolled and any Event that may otherwise occur solely because of such delay shall be suspended as to such Holder only, until such information is delivered to the Company.
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4. Registration Expenses. All fees and expenses incident to the performance of or compliance with, this Agreement by the Company shall be borne by the Company whether or not any Registrable Securities are sold pursuant to a Registration Statement. The fees and expenses referred to in the foregoing sentence shall include, without limitation, (i) all registration and filing fees (including, without limitation, fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel and independent registered public accountants) (A) with respect to filings made with the Commission, (B) with respect to filings required to be made with any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed for trading, and (C) in compliance with applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws reasonably agreed to by the Company in writing (including, without limitation, fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company in connection with Blue Sky qualifications or exemptions of the Registrable Securities), (ii) printing expenses (including, without limitation, expenses of printing certificates for Registrable Securities), (iii) messenger, telephone and delivery expenses, (iv) fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company, (v) Securities Act liability insurance, if the Company so desires such insurance, and (vi) fees and expenses of all other Persons retained by the Company in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. In addition, the Company shall be responsible for all of its internal expenses incurred in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including, without limitation, all salaries and expenses of its officers and employees performing legal or accounting duties), the expense of any annual audit and the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Registrable Securities on any securities exchange as required hereunder. In no event shall the Company be responsible for any broker or similar commissions of any Holder or, except to the extent provided for in the Transaction Documents, any legal fees or other costs of the Holders.
5. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification by the Company. The Company shall, notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement, indemnify and hold harmless each Holder, the officers, directors, members, partners, agents, brokers (including brokers who offer and sell Registrable Securities as principal as a result of a pledge or any failure to perform under a margin call of Common Stock), investment advisors and employees (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles, notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title) of each of them, each Person who controls any such Holder (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) and the officers, directors, members, stockholders, partners, agents and employees (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles, notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title) of each such controlling Person, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees) and expenses (collectively, “Losses”), as incurred, arising out of or relating to (1) any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in a Registration Statement, any Prospectus or any form of prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any preliminary prospectus, or arising out of or relating to any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of any Prospectus or supplement thereto, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading or (2) any violation or alleged violation by the Company of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any state securities law, or any rule or regulation thereunder, in connection with the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, except to the extent, but only to the extent, that (i) such untrue statements or omissions are based solely upon information regarding such Holder furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein, or to the extent that such information relates to such Holder or such Holder’s proposed method of distribution of Registrable Securities and was reviewed and expressly approved in writing by such Holder expressly for use in a Registration Statement, such Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto (it being understood that the Holder has approved Annex A hereto for this purpose) or (ii) in the case of an occurrence of an event of the type specified in Section 3(d)(iii)-(vi), the use by such Holder of an outdated, defective or otherwise unavailable Prospectus after the Company has notified such Holder in writing that the Prospectus is outdated, defective or otherwise unavailable for use by such Holder and prior to the receipt by such Holder of the Advice contemplated in Section 6(d). The Company shall notify the Holders promptly of the institution, threat or assertion of any Proceeding arising from or in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement of which the Company is aware. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such indemnified person and shall survive the transfer of any Registrable Securities by any of the Holders in accordance with Section 6(g).
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(b) Indemnification by Holders. Each Holder shall, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers, agents and employees, each Person who controls the Company (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the directors, officers, agents or employees of such controlling Persons, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, from and against all Losses, as incurred, to the extent arising out of or based solely upon: any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement, any Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any preliminary prospectus, or arising out of or relating to any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of any Prospectus or supplement thereto, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading (i) to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information so furnished in writing by such Holder to the Company expressly for inclusion in such Registration Statement or such Prospectus or (ii) to the extent, but only to the extent, that such information relates to such Holder’s information provided in the Selling Stockholder Questionnaire or the proposed method of distribution of Registrable Securities and was reviewed and expressly approved in writing by such Holder expressly for use in a Registration Statement (it being understood that the Holder has approved Annex A hereto for this purpose), such Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto. In no event shall the liability of a selling Holder be greater in amount than the dollar amount of the proceeds (net of all expenses paid by such Holder in connection with any claim relating to this Section 5 and the amount of any damages such Holder has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue statement or omission) received by such Holder upon the sale of the Registrable Securities included in the Registration Statement giving rise to such indemnification obligation.
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(c) Conduct of Indemnification Proceedings. If any Proceeding shall be brought or asserted against any Person entitled to indemnity hereunder (an “Indemnified Party”), such Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Person from whom indemnity is sought (the “Indemnifying Party”) in writing, and the Indemnifying Party shall have the right to assume the defense thereof, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party and the payment of all fees and expenses incurred in connection with defense thereof, provided that the failure of any Indemnified Party to give such notice shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party of its obligations or liabilities pursuant to this Agreement, except (and only) to the extent that it shall be finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (which determination is not subject to appeal or further review) that such failure shall have materially and adversely prejudiced the Indemnifying Party.
An Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such Proceeding and to participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Party or Parties unless: (1) the Indemnifying Party has agreed in writing to pay such fees and expenses, (2) the Indemnifying Party shall have failed promptly to assume the defense of such Proceeding and to employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Party in any such Proceeding, or (3) the named parties to any such Proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both such Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party, and counsel to the Indemnified Party shall reasonably believe that a material conflict of interest is likely to exist if the same counsel were to represent such Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party (in which case, if such Indemnified Party notifies the Indemnifying Party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnifying Party shall not have the right to assume the defense thereof and the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one separate counsel shall be at the expense of the Indemnifying Party). The Indemnifying Party shall not be liable for any settlement of any such Proceeding effected without its written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, effect any settlement of any pending Proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Party is a party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding.
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Subject to the terms of this Agreement, all reasonable fees and expenses of the Indemnified Party (including reasonable fees and expenses to the extent incurred in connection with investigating or preparing to defend such Proceeding in a manner not inconsistent with this Section) shall be paid to the Indemnified Party, as incurred, within ten Trading Days of written notice thereof to the Indemnifying Party, provided that the Indemnified Party shall promptly reimburse the Indemnifying Party for that portion of such fees and expenses applicable to such actions for which such Indemnified Party is finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (which determination is not subject to appeal or further review) not to be entitled to indemnification hereunder.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification under Section 5(a) or 5(b) is unavailable to an Indemnified Party or insufficient to hold an Indemnified Party harmless for any Losses, then each Indemnifying Party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnifying Party and Indemnified Party in connection with the actions, statements or omissions that resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of such Indemnifying Party and Indemnified Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission of a material fact, has been taken or made by, or relates to information supplied by, such Indemnifying Party or Indemnified Party, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action, statement or omission. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of any Losses shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in this Agreement, any reasonable attorneys’ or other fees or expenses incurred by such party in connection with any Proceeding to the extent such party would have been indemnified for such fees or expenses if the indemnification provided for in this Section was available to such party in accordance with its terms.
The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 5(d) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph. In no event shall the contribution obligation of a Holder of Registrable Securities be greater in amount than the dollar amount of the proceeds (net of all expenses paid by such Holder in connection with any claim relating to this Section 5 and the amount of any damages such Holder has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission) received by it upon the sale of the Registrable Securities giving rise to such contribution obligation.
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The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section are in addition to any liability that the Indemnifying Parties may have to the Indemnified Parties.
6. Miscellaneous.
(a) Remedies. In the event of a breach by the Company or by a Holder of any of their respective obligations under this Agreement, each Holder or the Company, as the case may be, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law and under this Agreement, including recovery of damages, shall be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Agreement. Each of the Company and each Holder agrees that monetary damages would not provide adequate compensation for any losses incurred by reason of a breach by it of any of the provisions of this Agreement and hereby further agrees that, in the event of any action for specific performance in respect of such breach, it shall not assert or shall waive the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate.
(b) RESERVED.
(c) Delay and Suspension Rights. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company may (i) delay filing or effectiveness of a Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or (ii) suspend the Holders’ use of any prospectus that is a part of a Registration Statement upon written notice to the Holders (provided that in no event shall such notice contain any material non-public information regarding the Company) (in which event the Holders shall discontinue sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement but may settle any then-contracted sales of Registrable Securities), if the Board determines (A) that such delay or suspension is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders generally due to a pending financing or other transaction involving the Company, including a proposed sale of Common Stock pursuant to a Registration Statement, (B) that such registration or offering would render the Company unable to comply with applicable securities Laws or (C) that such registration or offering would require disclosure of material information that the Company has a bona fide business purpose for preserving as confidential (any such period, a “Suspension Period”). However, in no event shall any Suspension Periods collectively exceed an aggregate of 90 days in any 12-month period except that any day during the Suspension Period on which Rule 144 is available to the Holder shall not count for such 90 day calculation.
(d) Discontinued Disposition. By its acquisition of Registrable Securities, each Holder agrees that, upon receipt of a notice from the Company of the occurrence of any event of the kind described in Section 3(d)(iii) through (vi), such Holder will forthwith discontinue disposition of such Registrable Securities under a Registration Statement until it is advised in writing (the “Advice”) by the Company that the use of the applicable Prospectus (as it may have been supplemented or amended) may be resumed. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed as promptly as is practicable. The Company agrees and acknowledges that any periods during which the Holder is required to discontinue the disposition of the Registrable Securities hereunder shall be subject to the provisions of Section 2(d).
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(e) Amendments and Waivers. The provisions of this Agreement, including the provisions of this sentence, may not be amended, modified or supplemented, and waivers or consents to departures from the provisions hereof may not be given, unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the Company and the Holders of a majority of the then outstanding Registrable Securities (for purposes of clarification, this includes any Registrable Securities issuable upon exercise or conversion of any Security), provided that, if any amendment, modification or waiver disproportionately and adversely impacts a Holder (or group of Holders), the consent of such disproportionately impacted Holder (or group of Holders) shall be required. If a Registration Statement does not register all of the Registrable Securities pursuant to a waiver or amendment done in compliance with the previous sentence, then the number of Registrable Securities to be registered for each Holder shall be reduced pro rata among all Holders and each Holder shall have the right to designate which of its Registrable Securities shall be omitted from such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a waiver or consent to depart from the provisions hereof with respect to a matter that relates exclusively to the rights of a Holder or some Holders and that does not directly or indirectly affect the rights of other Holders may be given only by such Holder or Holders of all of the Registrable Securities to which such waiver or consent relates; provided, however, that the provisions of this sentence may not be amended, modified, or supplemented except in accordance with the provisions of the first sentence of this Section 6(e). No consideration shall be offered or paid to any Person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of this Agreement unless the same consideration also is offered to all of the parties to this Agreement.
(f) Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be delivered as set forth in the Purchase Agreement.
(g) Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of each of the parties and shall inure to the benefit of each Holder. The Company may not assign (except by merger) its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of all of the Holders of the then outstanding Registrable Securities. Each Holder may assign their respective rights hereunder in the manner and to the Persons as permitted under Section 5.7 of the Purchase Agreement.
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(h) No Inconsistent Agreements. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has entered, as of the date hereof, nor shall the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on or after the date of this Agreement, enter into any agreement with respect to its securities, that would have the effect of impairing the rights granted to the Holders in this Agreement or otherwise conflicts with the provisions hereof. Except as set forth on Schedule 6(i), neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has previously entered into any agreement granting any registration rights with respect to any of its securities to any Person that have not been satisfied in full.
(i) Execution and Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
(j) Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Purchase Agreement.
(k) Cumulative Remedies. The remedies provided herein are cumulative and not exclusive of any other remedies provided by law.
(l) Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.
(m) Headings. The headings in this Agreement are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of the Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof.
18
(n) Independent Nature of Holders’ Obligations and Rights. The obligations of each Holder hereunder are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Holder hereunder, and no Holder shall be responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other Holder hereunder. Nothing contained herein or in any other agreement or document delivered at any closing, and no action taken by any Holder pursuant hereto or thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Holders as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of group or entity, or create a presumption that the Holders are in any way acting in concert or as a group or entity with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other matters, and the Company acknowledges that the Holders are not acting in concert or as a group, and the Company shall not assert any such claim, with respect to such obligations or transactions. Each Holder shall be entitled to protect and enforce its rights, including without limitation the rights arising out of this Agreement, and it shall not be necessary for any other Holder to be joined as an additional party in any proceeding for such purpose. The use of a single agreement with respect to the obligations of the Company contained was solely in the control of the Company, not the action or decision of any Holder, and was done solely for the convenience of the Company and not because it was required or requested to do so by any Holder. It is expressly understood and agreed that each provision contained in this Agreement is between the Company and a Holder, solely, and not between the Company and the Holders collectively and not between and among Holders.
********************
(Signature Pages Follow)
19
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Registration Rights Agreement as of the date first written above.
| STRONGHOLD DIGITAL MINING, INC. | |||
| By: |
/s/ Matthew J. Smith
|
||
| Name: Matthew J. Smith | |||
| Title: Chief Financial Officer | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE OF HOLDERS FOLLOWS]
20
[SIGNATURE PAGE OF HOLDERS TO RRA]
Name of Holder: Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd.
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Holder: /s/ Steven Boyd
Name of Authorized Signatory: Steven Boyd
Title of Authorized Signatory: CIO of Armistice Capital, LLC, the Investment Manager
[SIGNATURE PAGES CONTINUE]
21
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc.
New York, New York
We hereby consent to the use in this Prospectus constituting a part of this Registration Statement on Form S-3 of our report dated March 31, 2023, relating
to the consolidated financial statements of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc., which is incorporated by reference in this Prospectus.
We also consent to the reference to us under the caption “Experts” in this Prospectus.
/s/ Urish Popeck & Co., LLC
Pittsburgh, PA
January 9, 2024
Exhibit 107
Calculation of Filing Fee Tables
FORM S-3
(Form Type)
Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Table 1: Newly Registered and Carry Forward Securities
|
Security
Type
|
Security
Class Title
|
Fee
Calculation
or Carry
Forward
Rule
|
Amount
Registered
|
Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price Per
Unit
|
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price
|
Fee
Rate
|
Amount of
Registration
Fee
|
Carry
Forward
Form
Type
|
Carry
Forward
File
Number
|
Carry
Forward
Initial
Effective
Date
|
Filing Fee
Previously
Paid
In
Connection
with Unsold
Securities to
be Carried
Forward
|
|||||
|
Newly Registered Securities
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Fees to Be Paid
|
Equity
|
Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
|
Rule 457(c)
|
4,600,000
(1)(2)
|
$
|
6.43
|
(3)
|
$
|
29,578,000.00
|
0.0001476
|
$
|
4,365.71
|
||||
|
Fees Previously Paid
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Carry Forward Securities
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Carry Forward Securities
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Total Offering Amounts
|
$
|
29,578,000.00
|
$
|
4,365.71
|
||||||||||||
|
Total Fees Previously Paid
|
$
|
—
|
||||||||||||||
|
Total Fee Offsets
|
$
|
— | ||||||||||||||
|
Net Fee Due
|
$
|
4,365.71
|
||||||||||||||
|
(1)
|
Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), the shares being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of shares of Class A common stock as may be
issuable with respect to the shares being registered hereunder as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
|
|
(2)
|
Comprised of (a) 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock held by the selling stockholder, (b) 1,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of pre-funded warrants
held by the selling stockholder, and (c) 2,300,000 shares of Class A common stock that are issuable upon the exercise of warrants held by the selling stockholder.
|
|
(3)
|
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act, based on the average of the high and low prices of the Class A common stock as reported on The Nasdaq Global
Market on January 3, 2024.
|